The Little Voice
Standard disclaimer applies.
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/scene two/
smile of an angel
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A grin that seemed to soothe all who look at it.
Seeing it
Bring a smile to my own face
And relief into my heart.
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"So, you became a knight."
The clock struck eight o' clock, it's loud ringing resounding through Sakura's ears.
"Yes." Tenten grinned with accomplishment, "The first lady knight in history, and the youngest to be one at all!" She laughed as she patted herself on the back. "It was hard work, but it was worth it. It's nice to see kids who still admire knights at this time and age."
"Especially with that new breed of assassins." Sakura nodded, "I'm sure you can handle them, though, since you not only specialize in lances and spears, but with other weapons as well." The pink haired girl smiled and said the title, "The Weapon Mistress!"
The knight blushed, "Oh, stop it."
An owl 'who-hoo'ed outside, it's gold eyes shining through the darkness. The trees rustled, their branches tapping against the glass of the windows.
"To serious business," Tenten continued with her brown eyes lowered, "Nasty rumors of you are spreading across the streets. Have you by any chance heard…"
"I caught the gist of it while I was kidnapped, and I was pretty surprised!" Sakura forced a sad chuckle, "Hehe. Yeah, I wasn't sure whether or not to be happy I'm feared or sad that I'm being unconsciously outcasted, even if they do not know what the 'Avenging Angel' looks like."
Tenten frowned, eyebrows furrowed. "Sakura-"
"I'm fine. Besides, as long as few know of my appearance, I'll be able to live a normal life, or…" The pink haired girl scratched her cheek sheepishly, sticking her tongue out, "Well, as normal as SOULdiers can get." Her guest said nothing in reply, leaving an eerie silence. It felt as if the ticking noises that came from the grandfather clock got louder.
"I found an interesting book."
Sakura looked up with a questioning gaze.
"It involves the SOULdiers." Tenten began explaining, but soon wavered because of her doubt on Sakura wanting to hear about the matter, "Well…the five at this current time." The Esmeralda nodded slowly and began listing them off,
"You, Ino, me, and my brother. That's all I know right now, so that leaves one more yet to be discovered."
Tenten nodded, her mouth in a thin line. "Yes. The book is a fairytale that may seem to be for children," Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she clutched the tea cup with anger, "But it is not. It tells a story of a magical world called Deathland."
"Nice name. Sounds like somewhere I'd like to have a picnic at." Sakura commented sarcastically, taking a bite of a cookie. The brunette tried to laugh, but could only do so weekly, "Yeah…It really sounds like a nice place. What's eerie, though, is it talks about our symbols." Tenten held up her hand, showing the spade tattoo, causing the pink haired girl to look at her own. But, the red clad girl continued,
"And what's weirder is that the pictures of the characters look just like us."
Sakura's eyes widened. "What? There's no way."
"Yes. This book was made over a thousand years ago, so there's now way the author saw our faces." Tenten explained as she put down the cup before she'd accidentally break it. "And the story tells about each SOULdiers death, but…They had given us a different name at the time."
"Atrum Lux Lucis, which means 'Dark Light' in Latin." The red paladin sighed and seemed to be forcing the words out of her throat, "This…this might be the key to saving our lives." Sakura stared at her friend, examining her expression as she said this,
"I know you're brave, Tenten. But, are you brave enough to face the Fates?"
Tenten smiled sadly. What she was brave enough to do was admit,
"No. I can't."
Outside of the room, Sasuke stood with his back against the oak doors, holding a plate of even more tea and sweets.
Honestly, he's been eavesdropping on many people today.
Before he knows it, it'll develop into a bad habit.
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Bravery
Is something special everyone has
That you have to reach inside yourself to get.
Some small actions though
Appear to be the most courageous things to me.
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Sakura covered her head with the plush red comforter, closing her eyes in an attempt to fall into slumber. Unfortunately, she couldn't. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Sakura could see candlelight through the covers.
"Can't sleep?" Came Sasuke's voice.
"No." Came Sakura's muffled reply. She pulled the blanket off her face to see Sasuke's own illuminated by the small fire.
He walked over to her casually, placed the candle on the nightstand, and sat down on the bed, causing the weight to shift. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something, so she did.
"Tenten told me about a book."
"Aa."
"It was about a place called Deathland."
"I know that story."
Sakura sat up, eyes wide and surprised. "What?! Really? What's it about?" She asked as she looked at her servant, who didn't return her stare. But, he replied nonetheless,
"I don't remember much, my parents told me it once before."
Sasuke glanced at her to see that she was leaning in closely. If he stopped, she'd start throwing things at him or maybe even cry. With no choice but to continue, he did.
"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Deathland-"
"Stop saying it in a monotonous way. Say it like you're reading me a bedtime story." Sakura jokingly demanded. The raven haired boy scoffed and retorted, "You're lucky I'm even bothering to tell you the story."
"Yeah, I'm sorry. Go on."
"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom called Deathland. It was a wonderful place with the nicest and kindest people and the most mythical creatures and the most beautiful flowers. No one knew why it was called Deathland, but that's what its name was."
"A woman cloaked in red was the guardian of this town, protecting it from the evils that reached from the corners of the world. Because there was no one to rule, the people decided her as the leader. She proved to be a strong, courageous one who trained warriors of every kind."
Sasuke glanced at his master's expression.
"One day on the battlefield, she sliced down every enemy that came her way. But as more blood splattered and stained in her face, clothes, and hands, the more her eyes and smile grew with insanity. After every enemy was slain, she even slaughtered her own comrades."
"The townspeople had best interests for her and captured her, carrying her into the depths of a place they called 'The Forest of No Return'. It was the place prisoners were sent to be dragged into the darkness, and thus never to be seen again. No one has ever escaped."
"As she clutched the iron bars, her last words were, 'It's fine. I deserve this. Thank you for putting me out of my misery.' And with that, the hands of sinners pulled her downs. She didn't scream, and the people who had looked up to her so much brought their lowered heads up and saluted her one last time as leader before she was pulled away."
He sighed. "It's not a happy story. There's no good ending. Not a very good thing to read kids to sleep with-" Sasuke turned around to look at Sakura, a little bit shocked to see her sleeping. He stood up and blew out the candle. Looking at her one last time, he left the room as quietly as he could.
Finally, Sakura let go of her tears, clutching onto her sheets and sobbing silently.
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A place called Deathland.
At a place with a name like that,
Is it where people are freed from a thing call life?
Though life may appear to be a burden,
It's actually a privilege.
Unfortunately, SOULdiers must carry on no matter how heavy their back gets.
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"I'm here!"
"A-ah! Ma-Master Naruto!" Hinata shrieked as she dropped the pail of dirty water. She gasped and sadly remarked, "O-oh no…I just mopped a-and e-everything…" Her pearl eyes darted nervously between the floor and the blonde man who stood in the doorway. "Uh…Uhm…"
"You imbecile."
Both turned to see Sasuke standing on the top of the stairs, arms crossed and wearing a twitching smile.
"Why are you here at eight in the morning…" The facade quickly melted off into a clearly angry face, "Are you an IDIOT?" He stopped and sighed exasperatedly, "Oh, yes, that's right. You are."
Naruto growled and pointed at his arch nemesis, "Shut up! I was so excited to see Sakura-chan, so I came as soon as I can!" The raven haired man shook his head, "You really are stupid. Why come at a time when she's not even awake yet?"
"…You have a point."
The two quickly went into a private room while Hinata resumed washing the floors. The tension followed them, settling into the room. They sat across from each other, refusing to meet each others stare. It went on quiet for a while, but Naruto broke the silence since Sasuke didn't have much of a reason to,
"How is she?"
"You should know. You're her guardian angel." Was the calm response. Sasuke knew he was being childish, but it didn't matter. This man was just as childish as he was. "And besides, I know you didn't arrive today. You've been here since yesterday, and asked Hinata to give you a room for the night. Like I said: Not very clever, are you?"
Naruto huffed and retorted sheepishly, "Yeah, well…I thought it was clever. How'd you see through my fool-proof plan, huh?" Sasuke smirked and leaned back, "Fool-proof? I don't think so, since you're the one who thought of it." The men glared at each other, and though the pressure seemed to be rising, it was actually lowering.
"You haven't changed, eh, ya' bastard?" The blonde laughed aloud, causing Sasuke to roll his eyes. "Quiet. Sakura's sleeping." Naruto grinned mischievously, holding his own chin.
"Heeey, Sasuke-teme. Are you jealous? I get to pose as her fiancé- OOF!" His smug remark was cut off by a hard punch to his head. It was done so quickly, but he knew the butler was the one who committed the crime. "Okay, I get, you are- ACK!" He was punched again.
"Silence, fool."
Naruto laughed again and rubbed his head. "Ahaha…ow." He changed his position on the couch, lying himself down and putting his hands behind his blonde head. "Aaaaah. Despite being opposite beings, we get along pretty well." Sasuke snorted, mumbling,
"You must be fooling yourself."
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"So. You told Sakura-chan about the story of Deathland, huh?" Naruto sounded whimsical, and his eyes looked as if they were looking at something faraway. He forced a smile and shrug, "Well, I guess they'd find the story sooner or later. I didn't know someone made a book about it." Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"The story's well known in the White Rose, Black Rose, and especially the Blue Rose Realm. I didn't expect it to reach the Red Rose Realm, though. It must've been leaked."
The blonde's eyebrows scrunched up, seeming as if he was thinking hard, "I don't think it matters much. Many think it's a fairytale, so I highly doubt someone will get an idea. The worst case scenario is someone realizing that Spade SOULdier is linked to the Atrum Lux Lucis in the story, then capturing her and possibly attempt to kill her." Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"You sound smart for once."
"Shut up, teme!"
"Let's see. The Black Rose Realm is ruled by those of the dark: devils, demons, etc. It could be possible someone leaked it from there, since many mischievous demons like to cause problems in the Red Rose Realm. The White Rose Realm is ruled by the light: angels, etc. I'm not sure if anyone would've said anything, and if not, it was probably on accident. I can be proved wrong. The Blue Rose Realm is ruled by the myths: fairies, unicorns, vampires, werewolves, the like. There's a very strong chance that someone said something, since many have appeared in the Red Rose Realm to the point that they were noticed." The raven haired man went through the basic facts with a bored look.
"The Red Rose Realm, the domain ruled by humans. They are the only one of the four realms who can't and do not know about entering the other worlds. I'm sure other humans have explored the theory, but reached a dead end. Due to some foolish actions of the Blue Rose Realm, some humans have seen the mysterious creatures and formed stories about them. Of course, they aren't believable in mundane terms, so many considered them fairytales." Sasuke shrugged, "But, this isn't the point. I've been so blind, even stupid, not realize that this story was connected to SOULdiers. After all this time…" He ran a hand through his hair.
Naruto nodded, his face all serious.
"Yeah. It means we can save Sakura-chan."
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A way to save her?
It brings hope into a hopeless world.
Despite wearing these heavy shackles,
She had never once complained.
That is one of the reasons I want to free her.
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"…What are you doing here so early?" Sakura asked. A thin, pink eyebrow was twitching along with her right eye, and her foot was tapping furiously. Naruto gulped and flinched away, holding his hands up in defense. "I-I just wanted to see you, tha-that's all." She rolled her eyes and sighed, smiling nonetheless. "Whatever."
Hinata smiled as she watched the two argue. Then the maid realized she had to go get the food, and she quickly ran out of the room.
Sasuke sighed and slapped the back of the blonde's head. "Stop fooling around and eat." He then placed a dish of vegetables in front of him. Sakura covered her mouth, holding in her giggles.
"What the…What's this, teme?" Naruto asked as he looked from his 'food' to the butler for giving this 'food' and then to his fiancée for help. He gasped, feeling abandoned when she looked away and began to laugh. Sasuke smirked and placed the forks and knives in front of the Uzumaki,
"Bon appetit." He chuckled under his breath darkly as he bowed, then walked out of the room to get Sakura's food.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined as he sobbed, poking the unknown green vegetation with his fork. "Why? This is so unfair!" The said girl rolled her emerald orbs and shook her head,
"It is not. I know on your own, you eat pretty unhealthily. Let me guess…Those noodles called ramen? They might be tasty, but eating them everyday isn't good. You have to eat veggies, too, you know." Sakura scolded, crossing her arms. The blonde grumbled and slumped, "You sound like my mom."
The two soon simmered down into silence. Silence; something that has been enveloping everything lately. It was odd for Naruto to let even a second of quiet into a room. Sakura was ready to break the silence, but to her relief, he did.
"I heard from Sasuke you met Tenten of the Crimson Knights, again."
She blinked, and then slowly nodded. "Yeah…She saved me once before in a little accident. It's not big enough to be mentioned, but I realized she had a tattoo and accidentally slipped up about mine, and that's how we met." Sakura leaned back, but her shoulders weren't relaxed, "Though she's only a year older than me, it feels like she's so much older. Being the head of the Crimson Knights at that age…Even being the first lady knight and the youngest person to ever earn such a position. It's truly admiring, but…I don't envy her."
It was Naruto's turn to blink. He innocently tilted his head to the side. "Eh? Why's that?"
Sakura grinned and replied,
"Because I have you two- ACK! How embarrassing." She turned red and slapped herself, "How uncharacteristic! Don't you dare tell anyone!" She threatened, holding up her fist. Naruto laughed nervously and waved his arms,
"Ah! Okay, I promise! DON'T KILL ME!"
Sakura couldn't help it. Even as these heart-clenching memories went inside her mind, the fairytale about Deathland and possible future of the Spade SOULdier, his grin seemed to assure her that she was okay. It was the same feeling she got when she simply stared into Sasuke's eyes.
Suddenly, the door slammed open to see a Hinata drenched in cold sweat. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she had a tight grip on her apron.
"W-we…W-we…Have a g-g-guest, L-Lady Sakura."
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I want to free her from her cage
And cut the chains that keep her on the floor.
I will let her fly
And dance around freely
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Sakura walked quickly down the hallway, her heart pounding against her ribcage. Naruto kept up, looking at her expression worriedly but understanding the situation enough to stay silent. She had an idea of who the person was that shook Hinata up to the point that she was cooped up in her room, but she didn't think he'd show up today. Honestly, the young mistress thought…it was random.
"Naruto, you don't need to follow." Sakura ordered as they closed in on the destination, causing her pace to quicken. The blonde frowned in disagreement, keeping up. Through huffs and puffs, he said, "Nu uh. I can follow if I want to." The engaged couple halted to a stop.
"Don't be stupid! I don't even know who the guest is because Hinata ran off before she even told me." She whispered angrily. Naruto crossed his arms stubbornly and replied, "Yeah, well, that gives me more of a reason to go!" The Esmeralda pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, "You know what? Fine. Whatever. Okay? Let's go!"
Which as much calm as she could, Sakura turned the gold knob, pushing the door open slowly.
Sitting on the couch was Tenten with two other men. One with a bowl cut stood next to her, back straight and hands behind his back in a self-disciplined manner. The other had his back faced towards Sakura and Naruto, leaning on the couch with his arms crossed. He had long, coffee colored hair tied neatly in a ponytail.
The man slowly turned around, and the two caught a glimpse of a familiar colored eye.
A pearl white.
"Sit. I brought tea." Sasuke ordered in a low enough for only the two to hear, causing them to flinch and quickly take a seat in front of the knight.
"Ah. It's good to see you again, Tenten." Sakura bowed as she sat down. Tenten blushed at the pink haired girl being polite and shook her head, "P-please stop being so formal! I'm still not so…use to it…Uhm. Yes, it's good to see you, too…Uh." Her brunette eyes looked at Naruto.
"Oh! Uh, this is my fiancé, Uzumaki Naruto." Sakura introduced, nudging him in the gut not so gently. Naruto bit down his yelp and held out his hand, "Argh…Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot of positive things about you."
The brunette knight shook the hand, obviously stunned from shock, "Oh, uhm, yeah. I've heard many things about you as well, Lord Naruto." The said man paused and couldn't help but ask, "…Were they good things?"
"…"
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
DING!
"Oh! Yes, of course, they were good things." Tenten said. Suddenly, the bowl cut man with bushy eyebrows collapsed to the floor, crying.
"…Eh?" Sakura and Naruto said in unison.
"I'm sorry, this is Rock Lee. He's my apprentice, but he's been admiring you from afar for a very long time." Tenten helped him up and patted the poor guy's back. Rock Lee said through tears, "I…I'm not surprised that someone with your beauty is already engaged! But, I won't give up! I will fight honorably for your love!"
Naruto snapped. Grinning, he raised an eyebrow challengingly and asked, "Oh yeah?" He was smacked in the back of the head. "Behave."
Sakura glanced at the coffee haired man.
"And he is…?"
"He is Hyuuga Neji. He and Rock Lee will be accompanying you on this journey to the Blue Rose Realm."
To be continued…
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A/N: Exhausted. We apologize if it's rushed.