Hello my fellow readers! How are you all?
Once again, thanks for the reviews! They make me smile
Yes, this is the promised DeiSaku, however I'm afraid I'll have to add the SasuSaku in the next chapter. I had a certain place I wanted to end this chapter in, so that's the only real reason it's not this chapter. Sorry SasuSaku fans!
\\\\ IMPORTANT NOTICE! /
THERE IS A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER, SO IF YOU AWESOME PEOPLE COULD JUST CHECK IT OUT AND LEAVE YOUR ANSWER IN A REVIEW, IT WOULD BE REALLY APPRECIATED!
\\\\ END OF IMPORTANT NOTICE! /
Sooooo…
Enjoy!
When Sasuke first heard it, he didn't believe her. Bells were normal; they could be used to make music, as a decoration, or even a helpful ninja tool.
But bells used to signal that somebody was going to die?
It was unheard of. It was absurd.
He was tempted to remind her of that. Tell her about the difference between implausible and ridiculous, as she seemed to have forgotten. Shout at her that, while imagination was a good trait to have, she was overusing it. Laugh at her, and point that she had finally lost it, that she was insane.
However, the moment he saw those exhausted, distressed emerald pools of liquid fire, all fight was drained out of him. Instead, Sasuke found himself desperately wanting to believe her. And he knew why: he cared for her.
Although at first the idea was alien to him – impossible; he was Sasuke Uchiha, he didn't care for anything but his vengeance – he slowly grew to accept it. It was difficult not to like the pinkette.
So that's why, with his heart beating madly in his chest, he turned to face the rosette with two broken words.
"Humour me."
And she did.
~Later~
Sakura glanced to her left as noticed Sasuke's unusual silence. Maybe he was angry with her? They both knew that she didn't get a single wink of sleep last night, the worry eating out any of the previous fatigue she felt. Getting a better look, she realised he wasn't angry. Far from that.
A small smile bloomed on her face as she noticed the tell-tale gleam in his eyes. He was deep in thought. The smile widened when she realised what he was so troubled by - her friend was still trying to come to terms with the revelation bomb she'd dropped on him last night.
"Sasuke… I think Sasori's going to die."
Silence…
"How- how could you possibly know something like that?" Sasuke exclaimed, slightly disturbed.
Sakura however, was calmer than ever as she quietly replied; "Do you remember when I told you about my first mission?"
"Yeah. When Kumogakure attacked because they were after some scroll or something. You were like five, or six, right?"
"Mhmm." She hummed in response. "Well, there was something else as well. Apparently Kumo ninja don't like losing, so they attacked again, three years later. I was only eight, but I wasn't as naïve as before. They wanted the scroll, but this time they decided to use more, ah, drastic methods in order to obtain their goal."
Her emerald eyes turned to him, an indescribable anger building up behind. "They blew up the Mizukage's office." She said, her voice raw with emotion. "Although I was still very young, I was a Hunter-nin, so naturally, I was one of the first ones to be called in for back-up. However, Kumo ninjas turned out to be smarter than we'd presumed – they set one of the explosives to detonate a few minutes later. Now, if you imagine it, it was one of the best plans I've ever witnessed, though I guess it was more of a stroke of luck rather than genius. Hundreds of ninjas, trying to defeat the enemy, while at the same time defend their city; civilians panicking, comrades dying left and right. It was a truly gruesome sight."
The once boiling anger now turned into regretful melancholy. Sakura's eyes were dancing with unnamed emotions as she thought back to one of the most tragic moments of her life.
"Due to my age, I was assigned with evacuating the civilians to safety. So, there I was, a frantic eight-year-old trying to control and protect about two hundred frightened, defenceless people. But, if the situation wasn't already bad enough, Kumo decided to make matters even worse – they send their ninja after the civvies. Do you see how bad that could turn out?" Sakura questioned rhetorically.
"I had to deal with the war with crying children, some of them older than me, by my side, with six or seven ANBU level shinobi out for my blood. Two of them were targeted by my comrades, one changed direction, another one stopped altogether. That still left three to deal with me. The first one was an idiot – one kunai and he was down on the ground, desperately clutching at his cut throat. Second one was a bit harder since I had to dispose of him while still staying relatively close to the children because they wouldn't move without me, but I got him. Then came the third one. He was the hardest, and I was forced to retreat and focus on the kids as they were my priority, and because of the irritating bells ringing in my head. But then something happened."
Sasuke didn't even realise he'd sat up until he found himself picking at the grass close to his outstretched foot in anticipation.
"The hidden explosion went off. I was close to the office since most civilians prefer to live close to the ninjas for safety reasons, so most of the blast hit us. Before I even realised, I was on the ground, on my pack, pinned down by another little boy. He was cute, maybe four, five years old; really clingy but adorable. Then guess what?" Sasuke was shocked to see tears pool in her eyes. "I sit up, and his cold, dead body falls off my lap. Turns out that the Kumo ninja used the moment of chaos and confusion as his advantage, and leaped to strike me. His sword was sticking out of the kid." Sakura's throat clogged up. "He- He threw h-himself to block the attack. He was just a child…" she whispered, regret and sadness evident. "So I lost it. I asked one of the adults to make sure they get to safety quickly, and I went on a rampage. The Kumo ANBU didn't stand a chance against a pissed off eight-year-old."
A smirk tugged at the corners of Sasuke's lips. That sounded so much like Sakura.
"So ,that's basically what led me to believe that Sasori isn't going to live long. The bells are never wrong, Sasuke."
Sakura sighed. It was a lot to get his head around, but he had to. She needed him on her side. Sasuke was one of the most powerful people she'd ever met – having him as an ally was going to be very beneficial.
Sensing a familiar, albeit rapidly fading chakra signature nearby, Sakura stopped. "We're here."
"Hm?" Sasuke paused too, and Sakura saw the misty look disappear from his eyes. "Do we split?"
"Yeah. If my calculations are correct… We're already too late."
Sasuke's blood ran cold. "What?" he chocked. "You knew this? We could've gone faster!"
"Sasuke, Sasuke. Don't you remember?" she mocked lightly. "I told you I wasn't going to listen to the snake's plan. I was going to use this situation to my advantage from the very beginning. Sasori's death is just an unfortunate sacrifice needed to help create a better world."
That's when it finally hit him. "You're going to use that technique again, aren't you?"
"Clever boy. Now, if you don't mind, henge." She said, though her tone was more serious than before. He could tell she was worried.
"Sakura. Go. Don't worry. I've got your back."
"That's the least of my worries, Sasuke-kun."
A tall brunette peaked into the destroyed cave. Her forest green eyes scanned the area, looking for threats. When none were seen, she walked in and tried to locate the body.
"Dammit. Long hair is so annoying." She groaned, already irritated by her choice of henge.
Oh no.
Sakura knew she had to face the dead body of one of her closest friends at some point during the day, but she was all for stalling. However, fate seemed to have different plans.
Sasori's puppet body stood motionless in the middle of the cavern. His puppet-parents stood on either side of him, their swords protruding out of the white cylindrical container. His heart.
No.
His eyes were glassy, as if he was reminiscing, and Sakura hoped he was. It was easier for her to come to terms with the fact that he was not with her because he was thinking about something else, than the fact that he was not there because he couldn't be there.
NO! SASORI!
Daring herself to come closer, the desperate need to make sure that maybe; maybe she was seeing wrong or- or-!
There's no point.
Sakura knew. The moment she saw the blood dribble down his sculpted, wooden chest, she knew she was too late. He was too far gone for her to save him.
Sasori…
Shakily raising her hand, Sakura stroked his cold cheek, tears streaming silently down her face. Slowly and gently, she pulled his eyelids down, covering his glazed hazel eyes.
Now he just looks like he's asleep.
Sakura took a deep breath. It was time to do what she originally came here to do. Gathering chakra in her hand, she let the purple glow sizzle for a moment, before plunging it into the cylinder.
"Revival Jutsu!" before anything could happen, she was already making more hand signs, her hands flashing with the incredible speed. A moment later, a scroll was pulled out from her pouch. Sakura bit her thumb and squeezed it to make the blood flow faster – she only had a few seconds to draw the symbol before the revival jutsu started its work. Roughly smearing the blood on Sasori's chest into a kanji then transferring the same kanji to the scroll, she performed the last hand sign. "Six Paths of Pain Technique!"
Blinding white light encased the entire cave. Once it receded, Sakura moved her hand away from her eyes. Sasori's body was gone, his parents lay on the floor, useless and broken. The rosette turned her gaze to the scroll clutched tightly in her bleeding hand. A crimson red
which meant scorpion stood proudly against the yellowish paper of the scroll.
A single tear escaped Sakura's eye. To think that I'm going to use you like you've used your puppets your entire life… you've truly become a puppet, Sasori. In every sense of the word. Forgive me for my selfishness.
"Sasuke!" Sakura called out as she ran out of the cave.
Nothing. No response.
Distant explosions echoed a little distance away from where she stood. Of course. If Sasori is here than Deidara must be here too.
Sakura's heart skipped a beat. I can't let him see me. But at the same time… I need him to see me.
Acting on an impulse she'd never felt before, the rosette followed the trail of pulverized trees and large craters that were unmistakeably made by Deidara's explosions.
There he is- Oh fuck!
Deidara was there. It was just that he wasn't alone. The Copy Cat Ninja and the Kyuubi container were on his tail, both looking ready to kill.
Out of all the people… he just had to piss off those two!
It seemed that no matter the time that passed, Sakura would always end up magically saving Deidara's ass. Wait a sec, doesn't the Copy Ninja have a Sharingan…? What if he unlocked the Mangekyo?
Her theory was confirmed when she heard the blond gasp. She distantly heard him ask Kakashi 'what happened to your eye, sensei?'
Uh-oh.
"This is Kamui, Naruto. Authority of the Gods. It's a space-time technique that allows me to transfer an object to another dimension." When the blond got a confused look on his face, Sakura saw him sigh. "If I use it on a human, it transports them to another dimension – in other words, kills them."
Sakura paled.
OH FUCK.
Just as Kakashi was about to unleash the jutsu, Sakura threw a kunai at his back. It hit squarely between his shoulder blades, effectively disrupting his concentration.
No matter what, Deidara must live.
Sakura jumped from treetop to treetop until she was within range to attack Deidara's clay bird.
Gotta make it believable.
"This is for my brother, you son-of-a-bitch!" Sakura yelled in fake anger, her henge on to make it seem as if she really was some random girl attacking an S-Rank criminal out of grief.
Che.
"Water Release: Giant Bullet Ball!"
Water and clay don't mix, Dei-chan. You told me that yourself.
"Shit, un!" Deidara exclaimed in shock, as his clay started falling apart below his feet. He leaped off of his creation, and exploded it in the last attempt to stop his pursuers.
The crazy girl continued to chase after him, throwing deadly accurate shuriken and kunai in his direction. Even though he was confused as to why she'd saved his arm from being ultimately blown off, he was starting to understand.
She wanted to kill him herself.
"Stop running away, damn it!" the brunette hissed, as yet another kunai swished by his ear.
She sounds almost like-! No, Deidara. Don't delude yourself. Leader-sama said she's dead. She must be dead, otherwise she'd have already tried to find us, right? … Right?
"I told you… STOP RUNNING AWAY!" suddenly the girl appeared right in front of him, effectively stopping his escape. Only quick reflexes and years of training with Sasori saved his nose from being squished like a tomato as he caught her fist.
"I wasn't running away, un."
"Oh yes, you were, un." The girl mocked.
Deidara was about to retort, until he noticed something that made his eyes go wide with shock;
A small clay dove dangled from a thin leather string that was wrapped around the girl's slender wrist.
Only one person has a bracelet like that…
He grasped the brunette's slim wrist as he acted upon a do-or-die instinct.
The blond bomber looked straight into the girl's eyes, his own crystal blue ones hard, yet hopeful.
"Sakura-Chan." He emphasised the –chan, his voice quiet but clear.
Deidara didn't miss the slight widening of her eyes, or the look of shock as realization dawned upon her when she let her eyes trail over to her captured wrist and the small piece of jewellery that dangled from it.
To his surprise, the girl snorted. "Shit," she cursed, reminding him vaguely of Hidan. "I'm getting sentimental."
He saw her hazel eyes close as she let the henge melt away. The sight that greeted him made his heart skip a beat.
Sakura was nothing like the girl he'd known back in Akatsuki. She was taller, slimmer and her eyes held a dead look that made chills run down his spine. The eyes that spoke of horrors no one should be forced to witness. Especially no one as innocent and kind-hearted as Sakura.
"'Innocent and kind-hearted'?" the rosette quoted, alerting him to the fact that he must've said the last part aloud. "You live in a dream, Deidara. The girl you described is long gone. She'd dead. She will never come back." Suddenly, pain was evident in those emerald eyes that had haunted him for months after he'd been informed of her apparent 'death'. He wished for nothing more than to make that pain go away. "She can't come back."
"You can come back. You can run away, can't you?"
A sad smile appeared on her face. "Have you ever heard of anyone who'd run away from Orochimaru and survived? I haven't."
Deidara's eyes widened. "Orochimaru?" he choked out. "Sasori-danna's old partner, un?"
At the mention of Sasori's name the pain in her eyes only intensified. "Sasori's dead, Deidara." She whispered.
The blond froze. D-dead? Even his mind stuttered. No. This is some joke. Sasori can't be dead, he's strong, deadly, smart, hell, he's invincible! He can't be dead! Not now! I can't lose another person…
"I'm sorry. I-I know he was important to you. I was too weak, too late-!" her voice cracked.
Deidara's eyes widened. She's blaming herself? Why?
"It should've been me that died instead of him. Please, Dei, forgive me. I didn't wa- mmpf!"
Sakura's eyes snapped open when Deidara's lips crashed into hers. His lips were soft and warm, nothing like she'd have expected them to be. He was rough, demanding and passionate. Sakura shivered when she felt his tongue swipe at her bottom lip, and automatically granted him entrance, all rational thought blown out of her mind. It seemed as if it was only the two of them in the entire world, everything else didn't matter.
The rosette realised she liked that feeling.
A stubborn voice in her mind, her conscience, or whatever, didn't like that decision.
What about Itachi? it seemed to ask.
Itachi who?
Deidara pulled away for a moment, his breath hot on her face. "Stop thinking so much, yeah." He whispered huskily. Then his lips were upon hers once again.
Suddenly there was shouting around them, and Sakura was ripped away from Deidara by strong arms clad in a green jumpsuit?
-The fuck?
"Deal with her, Neji!" the person tossed her away, obviously not recognising her.
Another pair of arms caught her, and Sakura was roughly pulled into a standing position, angry Byakugan eyes zeroing on her own, then widening in shock as they realised who she was.
"Sakura…?" the tall brunette whispered, disbelieving. He composed himself quickly, the emotionless façade covering his features. "What are you doing here?"
"I expected a slightly warmer greeting after not seeing you for over two years, Neji. I'm disappointed."
A chakra laden hand roughly jabbed into her ribs, making her double over, but not from the pain. Blood clogged up her throat, stopping her breathing. She coughed violently, the crimson liquid pouring out of her lips like a fountain.
Neji's eyes widened. That shouldn't happen simply from one strike! It was meant to prevent her from talking anymore nonsense, not almost kill her! Unless it was something else that caused her coughing fit, and the attack merely triggered it.
The Hyuuga allowed his doujutsu to scan over the pinkette's hunched over form, until his eyes came to rest on the cause of her attack.
"You should be dead." He stated, the impossibility of the situation still not getting to him. "Sakura. Your lungs are practically being eaten from the inside." He cried, almost hysterically. "You shouldn't even be walking! Forget fighting, how the hell are you still standing?" his voice rose with every word.
"Magic." The rosette chuckled dryly, wiping the blood that dribbled down her chin.
"Sakura. Be serious." Neji pleaded, pride long forgotten. It should be impossible for her to even walk, and here she was, standing as if nothing had ever happened. Out of nowhere, he noticed that her hand was coming closer to him, the hum of chakra buzzing louder, the closer she got.
"Sakura, what are you doing?" he asked cautiously.
"I'm being serious. Forgive me, Neji, but if I let you go, you would only spread my secret." A small smile tweaked at the corners of her lips. "I'm dying. But I have a few more things I need to do before I pass on. You must understand." Suddenly her hand hit his neck, pressing a pressure point which knocked him out cold.
"I'm sorry." Sakura whispered, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "You have to understand."
She quickly knelt down, slipping a piece of paper into his kunai pouch. Just as she straightened out, arms once again wrapped themselves around her waist. This time, she relaxed when she recognised the slightly possessive hold of the younger Uchiha.
"Don't relax just yet." Hu murmured in her ear. "We've got trouble."
Sakura groaned. "What kind of shit did you get us into this time, Sasuke?"
"The best kind."
"Oh, wow." Sakura whispered as they neared the clearing. "I never knew he was this liked."
"Becoming Kazekage does that to your reputation, apparently."
In the clearing were atleast two hundred people, all of whom were either crying or just eyeing the motionless teen on the ground with disbelieving expressions.
"Well, their precious Kazekage is dead." Sakura said cruelly, an evil glint shining in her eyes.
"Unless the hag has something else in mind."
"And here I thought Suna ninja didn't care about each other."
"And here I thought you actually had a brain."
"Hey!"
Sakura was stunned.
Sasori's grandmother was a medic. She'd just brought the Kazekage to life, by sacrificing her own one.
"I need that technique." Sakura whispered.
"What?"
"I said that I need that technique."
"NO!"
Over two hundred heads turned in their direction at Sasuke's loud exclamation. Sakura could feel the murderous intent coming from some ninja, while others were just dumbstruck.
"S-Sasuke?" Naruto questioned. He was one of the shocked/disbelieving.
Sakura noticed how Kakashi slid slightly in front of Naruto, almost protectively.
The Kazekage, his siblings, few Konoha ninja and most of Suna's backed him up. Over all, at least three-quarters of the people gathered were ready for a fight.
"Fuck," Sakura groaned, bringing her hand to her forehead dramatically.
"We're screwed."
Oh! UNICORN!
Nevermind.
This, my lovelies, is yet another chapter finished. Hope you enjoyed, and please review!
Now, for the question!
I HAVE A ROUGH IDEA OF HOW THIS FANFIC IS GOING TO END. QUESTION IS;
Which pairing would you like? Choose from those listed below please:
-SasuSakuIta
-SasuSaku
-ItaSaku
-NejiSakuShika
-ShikaSaku
-NejiSaku
Or, of course, none of the above.
REVIEW!