Dark Paradise

Chapter 12 – Beating Heart – Part 1

'Eyes make their peace in difficulties, with wounded lips and salted cheeks. And finally we step to leave, to the departure lounge of disbelief.'

Sakura had taken two steps from the window when a white snake slithered over her feet. She had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming at the strange feeling. The snake hissed at her and lifted its head. The eyes stared right into her own and she knew. Instantly. Orochimaru. It slithered away and Sakura hurried to catch up with it. The Uchiha district was dark, with only a few street lanterns on. Orochimaru led her further out, away from the houses and to the...shrine. Once she'd realized where he was leading her, she stepped forward, taking the lead and going up to the Uchiha guard stationed outside.

He said nothing when she reached him but his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sasuke-kun sent me." she said smoothly.

"For what purpose?"

Sakura licked her lips nervously. "To see what's below the seventh mat."

The guard eased up instantly and stepped away from the door. "Welcome, Uchiha Sakura."

Sakura's eyes widened and filled with tears. Uchiha Sakura. "Thank you." she said after a moment before stepping up and into the shrine. Orochimaru was already there, hissing at her impatiently. Sakura felt a lot more comfortable with him in this form, somehow he was less scary and intimidating. And creepy.

She crossed the room, crouched down and lifted the mat up before climbing down the rabbit hole.

x-x-x-x-

Sasuke woke up instantly. Sakura was gone. He couldn't feel her chakra anywhere. The Uchiha sat up in a rush, the sheets pooling around his naked body. He could see the wedding dress on the floor, but the closet was open where she'd taken clothing. For a horrible moment, Sasuke thought that Sakura had left the Genjutsu and left him behind. The thought was startling. It left him feeling cold and alone. It shouldn't have mattered, right? This had been what he'd wanted all along. To stay. So why did he feel so desolate knowing she'd left him? No. Sakura couldn't have gone. She wouldn't have. Not without saying anything. Sasuke got up, grabbing some clothes from the closet and pulling them on in a rush. He left through the open window and dashed over the roof tops back to the main house. All the lights were off, save for one. Itachi was still awake. Sasuke closed his eyes. Wanting with everything in him to turn away and not face this. He'd hoped he could convince Sakura to stay and he would never have to confront Itachi, and they could go on as they have been. But they couldn't. Sasuke stepped forward and knocked on the window.

Itachi looked up and surprise flitted across his features, as if he'd been expecting someone else. Sakura, perhaps. The thought sent a shock of jealousy through Sasuke. Itachi came to the window and opened it so Sasuke could climb inside.

"I thought you'd been spending time with your bride, little brother. What are you doing here?"

"You know what I'm doing here." Sasuke replied, throat dry.

He thought that Itachi would look away, but his brother kept looking down at him, his expression sad.

There was no need to clarify the details, not between Uchiha, but there was one thing that Sasuke needed to know. "Were you ever going to tell me?" he sounded so, so young when he asked.

"No." Itachi shook his head. Just like the last time Sasuke had seen Itachi, he wasn't sure whether to be angry or sad, so all he sounded like was uncertain.

"You deserve this-" Itachi began but Sasuke interrupted him swiftly, "You're disappointed in me." it wasn't a question.

"No, Sasuke," Itachi shook his head, "No, I'm not. I told you that no matter what you chose to do..." he trailed off. "Sakura-chan told me you joined the war against Madara."

"She didnt know that I always planned on killing Naruto when it was over."

Itachi looked confused. "Why?"

Sasuke looked away, finally. Running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't even know anymore." he admitted after a long silence.

Itachi said nothing, he simply looked at his little brother for a long time. He knew this had been Sakura's influence. Sakura and the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Sasuke had gone so long without knowing what it feels like to be cared for. This world had done Sasuke so much good. Maybe, even healed some part of him, if only a little. And now it was about to be ripped from him. Itachi's brotherly instinct was to go out and stop whatever Sakura was planning. But he couldn't. They needed to face whatever was going on in the real world. The two of them were crucial in this. If the war was going on Naruto needed Sasuke and Sakura.

"Regardless of what you were planning. I meant what I said, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked away to hide the vulnerability he was feeling in front of his brother.

"I will love you forever."

Sasuke's eyes snapped back to his brother's. "I don't want to leave here. I want to stay, like we always were."

"But it's not like it always was."

"No," Sasuke agreed. "It isn't. But I don't care."

"Mother and Father...they aren't like me. They aren't really here."

"...I don't care." Sasuke sounded falsely calm.

"Even if it means staying behind while Sakura leaves?" if that was even possible.

Sasuke's jaw clenched. "Let her leave." he said tensely.

"You don't mean that."

"How do you know what I mean?!"

"Because you love her." it was a simple statement but it was enough to make Sasuke deflate and look away from his brother's gaze once again. "I can't force her to stay here with me."

"So you're just going to let her go?"

"No," Sasuke said immediately and then shook his head. "I don't know." he sounded frustrated, his hands clenching into fists.

"She's probably gone anyway."

"No. She's at the shrine."

Sasuke's head whipped up. "She's not..." he trailed off, realizing that she was. Uchiha Sakura.

Sasuke turned away from his brother. An uneasy feeling in his heart. "Thank you."

He didnt see Itachi's smile as he climbed from the window, a strange feeling in his chest that it might be the last time he ever saw his brother.

x-x-x-x-

Sakura reached the bottom of the staircase, torch in hand, when the snake came to a stop, its mouth opening wide...a hand emerged from the opening. Covered in slime. It was followed by an arm and then Orochimaru's head. Sakura couldn't hide her horrified expression. He climbed from the snake's open mouth with a groan, completely naked and unbothered by it. His body covered in some kind of gross slime. Sakura swallowed the bile that threatened to rise and Orochimaru strode forward, dragging his hand across the wall.

"Isn't the world different?" she asked, her voice smaller than she would have liked it, "How do you know the secret room is still here?"

Orochimaru threw her a look that clearly said that she needed to shut up. He didnt even bother answering. His hand paused and he tapped the wall before mentioning her forward. Sakura hesitated, she didnt like the idea of being so close to him. Orochimaru gave her a dry look.

"I won't bite." he said and Sakura gave him a look that said she doubted it but she went forward regardless.

"Complete the seal." he instructed and Sakura bit her thumb and dragged it over the brick he'd tapped before.

A seal lit up on the wall to show that it had been activated. The ground shook and the wall slid down, opening a gap into another chamber. Well, shit. Orochimaru had been right. "How did you know about this?"

"The same way I knew that you were the one I should approach instead of Tsunade."

"Tsunade-sama? She knows?!"

Orochimaru stepped into the chamber without answering her. Sakura followed him, holding the torch up and the room was empty except for a single scroll in the corner. Orochimaru strolled his still very naked body over to it and Sakura kept her eyes firmly on the back of his head as he did. He went down, lifted the scroll and rolled it open, nodding after a long moment. "As I thought."

"What?"

Orochimaru tossed the scroll over to Sakura, who read over it quickly.

"This should be easy for a med nin, and someone with perfect chakra control."

Sakura looked up from the scroll. "Will this hurt him?"

Orochimaru glared at her. "It isn't real, so that hardly matters."

So, that's a yes then.

Sakura set the scroll down and stepped out of the chamber. Orochimaru followed her up the stairs and up into the shrine and the moment she did, Sakura knew something was wrong. Things were too quiet. She stepped forward, her guard up. The Uchiha that had been there before was gone. That wasn't a good sign.

"Haruno Sakura," a shinobi called, that probably wasn't aware of her name change.

"Come outside and surrender. Or you will leave us no choice but to bring you in with force."

Sakura hesitated.

"On what charges?"

"Aiding and abetting a missing nin."

Next to her, Orochimaru let out a hiss and dissolved in on himself. Another clone. Fuck.

"Step outside, NOW!"

Sakura did as told. 'This isn't real,' she told herself, and she believed it, until she saw Sasuke appear behind the group on ANBU. This was it. Now or never. Sakura drew her fist back and slammed it into the ground, it shook and cracked, dust rising up all around them, and when it cleared…Sakura was gone.

x-x-x-x-

Sakura dashed through the trees of the Forest of Death. She planned on using it to get out of Konoha, and from there – she would head to the battlefield. Of course, the entire plan relied on Sasuke following her, but Sakura doubted that would be a problem. She reached the border soon and broke through the barrier. It didn't matter if Konoha's forces were pursuing her, because – Sakura believed with everything in her, that this would be over soon. The battlefield was about two days away at full speed and with no soldier pills, Sakura would have to rest at some point. She only hoped that they didn't catch up to her in that time. She ran at full speed, resting in three-hour intervals for thirty minutes, and she wasn't sure how she knew – but something inside of her told her that Sasuke was behind her. The second day was much harder than the first, it was hotter and she needed to stop more often, but she swore she could hear the dull thuds of Sasuke's shoes hitting the trees echo through the forest behind her. She wished she could just talk to him calmly one last time. She wished she could speak to Itachi too. Say goodbye. But that wasn't going to happen. She knew the path she'd chosen, fighting for what she believed was right, would make Sasuke hate her, and yes, she knew it would hurt this much. Sakura wiped the tears from her face.

"Took you long enough."

Sakura's head snapped up, an obviously drunk Tsunade stood in front of her.

"Tsunade-sama…"

"I never doubted that you would make it here. You did well, Sakura. I'm proud of you."

Sakura blinked back her tears and nodded.

"You only have one chance at this. You can't fail."

"I know, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade stared at her for a long time before she nodded, "Go."

Sakura did.

x-x-x-x-

As she neared the battlefield, her vision began to remember the outlay of things. She passed the med camp somewhere late into the night and her muscles tense in anticipation. Something inside of her stirred when she reached the battlefield. The last one she remembered. The clearing was so much different, plains of grass and wild flowers lit up by the full moon. Sakura looked up at it breathlessly and gave a soft laugh. How ironic.

"Sakura!"

This time, under the full moon, their roles were reversed.

She turned to him, slightly startled when he appeared right behind her.

"There's no choice now, Sasuke-kun."

"What do I have to do to make you stay?"

Sakura's eyes met his, her green filled with tears. "I can't…"

"I love you."

Sakura's head dropped as she let out a sob. Those three words she'd wanted to hear from him for so damn long, running through her head. She dragged her hands down her face, trying to push her tears back.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun." She took his hands briefly before pulling away, leaving a wetness behind that Sasuke assumed was tears. Sakura moved away from him, deeper into the field and right to the spot where they had been, him over her, when the jutsu had been activated.

"I'm sorry," she said again, and that was when Sasuke noticed the trail of red over the wild flowers, he looked down at his hands. Sakura's blood coated his palms. Shocked, he looked at her, as she ran through various hand seals, ending with the tiger seal. The trail of blood linked up, shining dully and then his own hands shot up, into the tiger seal.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded. "Sakura, stop!"

"Sharingan." Sakura said and Sasuke felt a stabbing pain behind his eyes. He could feel his eyes shifting, chakra rushing up, washing into red. He groaned in pain, trying to reach up to his head but his hands were frozen in place. He looked at her, gritting his teeth against the pain.

"Mangekyo Sharingan." She called, her voice like broken glass.

Sasuke cried out, blood rushing from both of his eyes, his head falling back, pain pounded in his head and he tried with everything in him to break free of her hold. He'd hoped that it was over, but it wasn't and he barely heard her words through his rough pants. "Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."

Sasuke had a moment to be shocked before agony rushed through him. He screamed, falling to his knees, shaking as his chakra warred inside of him. He rocked back and forth, his head shooting up to look at Sakura. She was crying, her shoulders shaking with sobs, her face twisted in pain and then she whispered the one word that he would never forgive her for.

"SAKURA!"

"Release."

And the world around them shattered.

'In the canyon underneath the tress, behind the dark sky you looked at me. I fell for you like autumn leaves. Never faded. Evergreen.'

x-x-x-x-

There's your Monday update! Read and Review!

Zana-Lee

xoxo