I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain
I am the voice of your hunger and pain
I am the voice that always is calling you
I am the voice
I am the voice of the past that will always be
Filled with my sorrow,
And blood in my fields
I am the voice of the future
Bring me your peace
Bring me your peace, and my wounds,
They will heal…
Excerpt from "The Voice" by Celtic Woman
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any Celtic Woman songs.
Silent Sacrifice Chapter 10: Advance into Oblivion
Fire burned silently as she watched. The flame, so tenuous and finite, waved back and forth, each time threatening to vanish forever.
Its soft golden, orange, and red hues reflected brightly in her jade eyes as she stared at it unblinkingly. Sleep nowadays failed to come easily to her - she had to wait patiently in darkness until sleep came with nothing but the sound of her companions' light breathing and the perpetual hum of night: water rushing in a stream nearby, crickets chirping, mice and rats dashing from one point to another as they were hunted by the soundless owls above.
But tonight was different. They were settled at a motel (last time she checked they were in the Wind Country on another mission), and she was left alone in her own private room. Itachi and Kisame were in the room adjacent to hers.
Any sounds became muffled through the thick, stone walls. And so she was left in silence, awake and waiting in her bed for sleep to capture her.
The flame continued to burn from where it waved from side to side on the candle on the table beside her bed. Its gentle determination fascinated her, and she did not want to look away.
But, eventually, darkness overcame her vision, and she succumbed to her dreams.
…and the fire burned on.
Over the last year and a half, he had taught her many things. She learned gradually, followed his every instruction, never once faltered in her training. She learned, she accepted, and she grew as a shinobi.
Over the last year and a half, she had become someone worthy to be by his side.
He taught her the consequences of arrogance
"Arrogance only ever leads to defeat," he said coolly, his eyes locked on hers. "Never - not even for a second - doubt that your enemy is dangerous. Something unexpected can happen at any moment that you might not be prepared for. Learn your opponent, know their movement and patterns, before you do anything else. Underestimation as well as overestimation can be deadly - you have to memorize anything you can while you can."
She nodded, her brain storing the information away for future references.
"Hai, Itachi-san."
He spoke to her of covertness
"Today's lesson," he began, ever stoic, as they made their way through a forest densely packed with bushes and trees, "is stealth. You must always remember that stealth and furtiveness can determine the outcome of a battle."
She grumbled as a branch caught on her sleeve. She slowed for a second to untangle it. "Are you going to demonstrate, O Great Master of Secrecy?"
She didn't receive an answer, and when she glanced up, he was nowhere to be seen. Slowly, a smile grew on her face, and she used the tiger's eye on her bracelet to calm her mind. It allowed her senses to open up and become aware. She began to listen - her eyes searching - for any sound of his passing.
"Demonstration it is, then."
He forced stamina upon her
"How," she gasped, "many more" - she inhaled rapidly - "laps do I" - she coughed - "have to do?"
He watched as she sprinted past him (she swore she saw amusement flicker in his obsidian depths) from where he sat on a low-hanging branch.
"I'll tell you when to stop," he responded, the corner of his mouth tilting into a small smirk.
She glared at him from over her shoulder.
Maybe he should have waited another week before adding the ten-pound weights to her ankles and wrists. But his musing thoughts faded into a soft form of pride as he watched her steadily increase her speed, challenging herself to do better.
He would add another five pounds tomorrow, just to see her reaction.
He taught her to recognize her intuition
"As a shinobi, your instinct is never wrong," he said softly from where he faced her at the other end of a small clearing. "Listen to what your heart says without a doubt. Although your mind and logic may say something else, your intuition will always pull through." He held her gaze unblinkingly. "Trust me."
Sakura smiled back. "Of course."
She learned to fly
"All right, now to the left, Hayasa!" she yelled, and then laughed with pure joy as she felt the wind slice past her, felt the air cool as they climbed higher and higher into the atmosphere.
When she was sure they were a good couple thousand feet from the ground, she wrapped her arms around the falcon's neck as tight as she could without choking him.
"Now, dive!"
Hayasa screeched, then snapped his wings tight to his body, and they plunged downward.
Sakura just continued to roll with laughter.
He preached what he knew: speed can accomplish almost anything - use it and improve it
A slew of kunai flew toward her, and in her mind Desunei gave warning.
But Sakura had all ready known they were coming.
In a flash, she dodged, and whipped around to block the sudden kick Itachi aimed at her stomach. The back of her neck prickled, and she launched herself to the left, effectively saving herself from the water jutsu Kisame had so graciously sent her way.
One after another, attacks came at her, and one after another, she dodged and retaliated, her movements almost a blur.
And she grinned, knowing that even at that speed, she still had her fifteen-pound weights attached to her limbs.
Lee, she thought, now I know what kind of training you went through to become so strong, so fast. It's admirable, really.
She could only imagine the bright smile that would adorn his face had she told him that herself.
Keep a wary eye on your levels of chakra, he taught, and find the quickest way to end a battle
She eyed the sword that arched toward her with a clinical wariness. She had two options: either use her new Kokuangyo no Jutsu that Itachi had just taught her to send her mission target into complete darkness, or swiftly end the battle with taijutsu.
With a hefty sigh, she darted to the right - her opponent's sword became impaled in the ground where she had been standing - and wrapped her hand around the hilt of the sword. Her momentum spun her around, and her foot connected with the man's jaw. As she landed on the ground once more, she used her strength to yank the blade from the ground and drive its tip straight through the man's heart.
Even though she could have used her genjutsu to disorient her opponent, her chakra levels were surprisingly low from the intense training Itachi had put her through earlier that morning, and she did not want to risk completely depleting her stock.
Plus, purposefully extending a battle led to arrogance, and - if anything - she did not want that.
Desunei, too, trained her in the ways of a shinobi
"Remember, Sakura," the Tigress said, her semi-physical form shimmering in the luminous moonlight, "that there are always more jutsu to be created. Never think that you must always learn a justu or technique that has all ready been used. In a way, creation is more vital than repetition, for a completely original jutsu will guarantee the knowledge that your opponent won't know anything about it." The Spirit paused. "Just remember what I said, and think about it. You'll be surprised at what can come to you."
Sakura's brows furrowed, her mind contemplating all ready, as she nodded.
Three days later she ate at a small onigiri stand ran by an elderly lady with a thick head of grey hair, and she kept thinking about how much the lady reminded her of Chiyo. The memory of the Sand-nin's solemn death played in her mind.
And then the idea came to her.
Over the course of a month, Sakura's mind whirled as she experimented with her chakra and went through various ways to make her jutsu work until finally, she became successful.
The next day while training, she pushed herself especially hard to nick Itachi's skin even just the smallest bit. Apparently her work over the months paid off, for not only did she nick the Uchiha's skin, but rather created a deep gouge at least a quarter-inch deep and three inches long.
With eyes alight with anticipation, she approached him - their training match paused - and took a hold of his injured arm. Her brows drew together as she focused her chakra ever so carefully, and then -
Itachi's eyes widened by the most minuscule degree.
His wound was gone, vanished as if it had never been. But Sakura had done this to his injuries (however few and far between) before without much effort, so it was not the accuracy of the healing that shocked him.
Rather, his wound had not been healed, only transferred. The large gouge she'd created was now apparent on her own arm, as is he had been the one to harm her. He blinked, and then locked his blank gaze with her radiant one.
"It's a new jutsu I've created," she answered to his unspoken question. She smiled a small smile. "Well, more like I've altered another. It's a less fatal form of the Kisho Tensei jutsu. Rather than trading a life for a life, I just take an injury upon myself. It's far faster and requires almost no chakra as compared to an actual healing." She shrugged. "I figure it can be used in a dire situation. Say, for example, if I'm almost completely out of chakra and my comrade has a critical injury, I can just transfer the wound onto myself."
Itachi frowned slightly. "Isn't that dangerous?"
Sakura focused her chakra and began to heal her arm. "Well," she mused, "considering that the original jutsu was a kinjutsu, I would have to agree." She smiled again. "But I'm sure it will come in handy one day."
Later that night, Itachi lay awake, his eyes focused on the back of Sakura's pink head from where she slept beside him on the forest floor.
He frowned, knowing that with her caring, loving nature, that jutsu could one day kill her.
He further expanded her knowledge of her own body
"Is this a chakra-absorbing paper?" Her voice was curious as she studied the small, thin object.
Itachi nodded. "Although you are all ready shown to have an affinity for water, I thought it would be helpful to have your affinity confirmed."
Sakura's eyes were eager as she gently released her chakra into the paper. Instantly, the paper became damp in her hands. She grinned. "Surprise, surprise."
The Uchiha watched her with calculating Sharingan eyes (no matter how many times she told him he would go blind if he continued to use his power, he refused to listen). "You may have an affinity for water," he said slowly, "however, it is not uncommon for shinobi to master another element. Although, it is usually only high-ranking jonin who actually accomplish it."
She blinked. "So you're saying I could possibly learn another element?"
He smirked minutely. "I did not copy various Earth jutsu needlessly. Your friend that died - Naochi, was it? - had some very basic Earth jutsu in his arsenal that you could learn easily."
She frowned. "You watched us spar so long ago?"
When he spoke, his eyes flashed. "I had to keep track of my student's progress."
She met his gaze unflinchingly, and, after a moment of silence, sighed heavily. "Never mind that - let's just get to the Earth jutsu training. I've been dying to learn some elemental justu other than water."
Never let your emotions rule you, he taught; stay calm, always
"Now, I am going to layer a heavy genjutsu on you. Do not try to evade it, as I know you can. Just calm your mind, and do not let your emotions get out of hand. Focus without panicking. Analyze without your heart rate speeding up. Control your breath while you move. Keep your expression neutral at all times, and only change it if for an act. And remember: your emotions can cause you to do things that might just be the death of you."
And his last lesson, after the many critical comments and endless days of training, she would remember the most:
Strive for peace, and all will end well
The next morning she woke up, and the flame still burned on. The wax of the candle had diminished to nearly half its original size, but it still lived.
Sakura stared at it for a moment before she turned away. The rest of the day was waiting for her to fill it, and so she changed into her training outfit and exited the motel, entering the cool morning haze with a soft yawn.
She closed her eyes, emptied her mind, and then flashed her eyes open once again before taking off into the surrounding woods at a blurring sprint.
Her morning warm-up never ceased to get her ready for the day to come.
That evening, Itachi sparred with the pink-haired kunoichi one-on-one. He attacked with a genjutsu, and she repelled it easily. When he came at her full-force with taijutsu, ever quick, she dodged just as fast and every so often managed to land a hit on him. His Katon was set against her equally powerful Suiton.
Finally, however, the Uchiha called the fight off when the sun began to sink toward the horizon. He patted Sakura on the head - to which she smiled softly - and told her to go back to the motel and wash up.
"Tonight," he said, smirking slightly, "we shall relax."
And so she ended up in front of a mirror, deftly working her now medium-length pink hair into a bun, wearing a pure white kimono (picturing a light gold tiger wrapping across the bottom) coupled with a shimmering gold obi.
In Sakura's mind, Desunei purred her approval. 'The man has good taste.'
"I'm still shocked that he got this for me," Sakura admitted. Her eyelids lowered, and she gently caressed the white silk with her fingers. "But it is beautiful."
A knock sounded at her door.
"Come in," she called, sensing Itachi's chakra.
The Uchiha walked in, and immediately his eyes ran over Sakura's form. She had to physically restrain herself from blushing (keep your emotions under check) at his open assessment of her body.
Finally, he walked over to her and placed his hand on her head, carefully avoiding the bun. His eyes were soft, a gentle obsidian. "You look beautiful," he said quietly.
She averted her gaze, fighting another blush, and swallowed. "So, where are we going?"
He removed his hand and instead held it out to her, offering (looking back at him, she noticed that he was wearing only his blue shirt with the mesh underneath, standard of the Akatsuki, and his usual black training pants - she suddenly felt very over-dressed, but then again, he himself had chosen her outfit for her). She took his hand in hers hesitantly.
"You will see," he answered, and began to lead her away.
They ended up at a small local bar - ancient, but with a classy feel. Red and black lanterns were strung across the balcony in front, and the base wood of the building was dark and spoke of many memories.
Sakura glanced up at Itachi, questioning, but he just pulled her forward and into the darkened room. Scattered across it were many tables, coupled with people of various shapes and sizes. Chatter filled the room along with a trio of musicians set at a small, raised stage in the far corner. A light haze of smoke permeated the air, but Sakura thought she smelled a hint of incense mixed within it. To the left of the room stood a bar in which every seat was taken.
Itachi led her to the less-populated part of the area. Sakura giggled to herself when he pulled out her chair (chivalrous was not a word she commonly associated with the Uchiha), and smoothed out the folds of her kimono as he took his seat across from her.
Itachi leaned forward and placed his chin atop his folded hands. "What would you like to eat?"
And the circumstances were so amusing that Sakura had to force herself not to chuckle again.
It was several hours later that Itachi announced that it was time for them to depart. Both of them had refused to have alcohol (hangovers were never good to have while training), but despite that, Sakura concluded that her evening with Itachi was the best she'd had in an extremely long time.
The Uchiha led her out the door and around to the back of the building, where the forest began. Soft music drifted from the bar walls, and the light from the lanterns in front barely allowed for visibility.
Sakura gazed at the small sliver the moon had become. And, for some reason, the thought that Naruto and Sasuke could be looking at the same moon right then saddened her.
Soon, she thought. Soon, everything will come together.
The sound of Itachi's monotone voice - that lately, however, had lost its rough edge - brought her back to the present. She turned to find him standing in front of her, the moon and shadows of the trees making him seem ethereal, with his left hand extended toward her.
"May I have this dance?"
His eyes, like so many times now, were not the deep red of the Sharingan, but rather a subtle obsidian.
She smiled, and it was genuine.
Gently, she placed her hand in his, and he pulled her body close to him, the pure silk of her kimono swaying at the movement. She rested her head against his chest - felt his steady heartbeat against her cheek - and whispered, "Of course."
Together, as one, they danced across the forest floor, under the stars and moonlight, between the trees, their feet never faltering, their hands clasped, and together, as one, they escaped from reality.
If only for a moment.
The next morning she woke up to the vague sound of Kisame's snoring from the room adjacent to hers. She smiled a little - how typical of him. With squinted eyes, she glanced out the window and was surprised to find that it was still dark outside. Only a few streaks of the golden morning light could be seen far off in the distance.
She yawned wholeheartedly, and stretched out her back, flexing her arms. Then she slumped a little, and turned to gaze at the candle - still burning valiantly - beside the bed. It was almost down to its last inch of wax.
She stared at it. And stared and stared and stared.
Finally, the sun pierced through the sky and gradually coated everything with soft gold.
Sakura closed her eyes.
But still, the imprint of the light remained on her eyelids.
And she slowly, ever so slowly, opened them and stood up, then began to walk around the room and collect her belongings.
Today - after two long, memorable years - was the day she would leave him.
When Sakura walked past her companions' room - stealthily and without a sound, as Itachi had taught her - she was vaguely shocked to find that the Uchiha's chakra signature was not present. She normally would have brushed the fact aside, but a clench in her stomach told her otherwise.
Still, she continued on out the motel door and into the golden forest. With a deep breath, she adjusted the strap of her bag, and then headed into the woods at a sprint.
For about three miles she traveled with no sign of him or any other person. As she ran, though, she stroked Hayasa's shrunken form - the feel of his soft feathers seemed to calm her down a bit - and she wondered to herself why she had not just flown off on the falcon's back. It would have been much quicker, and it would almost completely eliminate her chances of seeing someone else.
'Maybe that's the exact reason why you did it.'
Sakura sighed. Maybe.
But, after another mile's travel, she got her subconscious wish.
Before her, blocking her path, stood Itachi.
And, at the same moment their hardened gazes met, miles away, the so-called everlasting flame went out.
A/N: Thank you for reading! :D And I'm sorry it took so long to update - I'm an avid procrastinator. Well, that, and I just recently had a world-changing epiphany: Naruto may have a rival for the best anime ever. Seriously. No joke. If you're looking for a mix of pure amazingness, a HOT male lead, and a subtle romance where, for once, the girl is more emotionless than the afore-mentioned hot male lead, check out Darker than Black. I promise you, you will not regret it. HEI X YIN FOREVER. :)
Also, over that two-month period, I watched every episode of the following animes: Ergo Proxy, Ouran High School Host Club, Darker than Black and Special A. And let me tell you, each of those has at least twenty episodes. (I loved them all.)
So, you could say I didn't completely waste my time…kind of. :D
By the way, for the next chapter, I want your honest opinion: would you prefer a completely detailed and written-out fight scene (we all know how those go), or a semi-detailed, more poetic approach? I just want to know what you think would be best, based on what you have seen of my writing style and capability so far.
Anyways, please review! Your thoughts mean EVERYTHING to me.
Sincerely,
Silver Echo