A Howling Love ::.
Chapter 14 xx Sacrifice
The sun was beginning its long descent across the late-afternoon sky, casting a rueful orange glow to splash noiselessly across the myriad of hazy clouds drifting solemnly overhead. The wind was beginning to pick up as well, and its wintry tendrils rippled through his loose clothing, chilling him right down to the bone. A particularly strong breeze gusted through the flaps of the dark youth's wings, propelling him up a few feet before precariously dropping him back to his previous flight plane. It died down suddenly, and the Uchiha plummeted downwards dangerously before another gust caught him and spurred him onwards once more.
The sporadic winds were becoming unnerving.
His observant mind had pinpointed a small, civilian village nestled in between two small hills a while ago, and he would have liked to say that he'd been flying steadily towards it by his own free will, but all he was really doing was letting himself be pushed and pulled along by the prevailing winds; he just hadn't the strength to do it himself. He'd never felt so wholly tired in his life, and he gauged he had about two or three percent of his chakra reserves left, and it was slipping away fast. If the winds continued to toil away in this bipolar fashion....
The thought of ever reaching the small village ahead was becoming more and more of a fading glimmer of hope.
As if in retort to his qualms the wind picked up to an icy gale that shot him forward at an alarming speed before swiftly vanishing, just as it had before. This time, however, it made no indication of picking up again.
Raw panic swept through his system as he fought to right himself, searching blindly for the wind that had so loyally carried them this far. His wings felt like dead weights, and he fought to keep aloft, but gravity's hand tightened forcibly around them, and suddenly they were dropping like stones through the air.
His consciousness flickered out for a second, a thick veil of sleep threatening to consume him until he shoved it roughly away. Help was so close, just another half-mile more, yet he knew he would not be able to make it. A sinking sort of disgust twisted darkly in his abdomen as he realized that he had failed her. He had had one task; to protect the fragile kunoichi and transport her safely to someone who could heal her. He'd done neither, and now they were going to die, and there was nothing he could do to prevent that.
He felt a feeble pressure against his arm and his obsidian eyes slanted down to cast a fleeting glance towards Sakura's unhealthy and pale face, and with a jolt he realized that silent tears were leaking down the lengths of her cheeks, brimming through her closed lids to splash helplessly against her battered and torn.
No.
The earth was rushing up to meet that at a disturbing rate, and with his last ounce of energy and willpower the Uchiha managed to flip over and unfurl his folded wings. He stretched them as wide as his already-ripped tendons and muscles would allow, using them like paper-thin sails in a desperate attempt to slow their fall.
They slowed, but only moderately, and he knew despairingly that it wouldn't do them much good. He rotated so that he was facing away from the ground, holding Sakura above him so that his back would break the fall, and he vainly hoped that she'd make it out okay.
He glimpsed rooftops and shop signs, a dirt road with villagers walking up and down its length. He bitterly hoped one would be able to come to Sakura's aid in time, to make the sacrifice he was about to make at least worth while.
All at once he was crashing through the first layer of canopy, cruel branches piercing and stabbing at his skin. He smashed through several larger branches, his body completely limp as he fell. His body finally breached the barricade of rough branches and he slammed into the earth at unthinkable speed, his head reeling back as he was rammed against a nearby tree by the sheer momentum of his impact.
Pain so violent that he could scarcely fathom erupted from his spine, and his mind went completely blank. He choked in a broken breath, a blinding white light abruptly exploding from behind his eyes as his ability to see utterly vanished. His head lolled back once more, spurring another twist of fiery pain and could help but to let loose a strangled shout. He felt the dull weight of the kunoichi in his lap fall to his side and a set of distant shouts and footsteps quickly approaching.... A soft smile crept across his pained features as his onyx orbs fluttered shut.
You'll make it, Sakura. I know you will.
The Fifth Hokage snatched up her bottle of sake and took an over-exaggerated swig before wiping her cherry-red lips with the back of her sleeve. Her normally vibrant and perceptive hazel hues were slightly dulled and were heavily glazed, an obvious indication to her drunken state.
It had been a full month since she'd seen her rose-haired apprentice. And a full two weeks since she'd sent out Shizune and a few other chosen individuals to the outskirts of the Fire Country to search for her her.
Tsunade fingered her desk urgently as she scowled at her looming piles of paper work. She had an entire medical dispatch team on hold and ready to go to transport her pinkette student if the need called for it, and she had another team of elite ANBU ready to be issued forth at a moments notice if Shizune called for back-up. Yet the blond woman still felt completely helpless. She missed the old days, were if she wanted something done, she could go out and do it her damn self. As the Godaime, however, she couldn't barely leave her office without one of those obnoxious Council members breathing down her back.
She slumped back in her chair and revolved it slowly so that she could face her sprawling village. She fingered a single loop of her golden hair idly as she gazed up at the darkening sky. Rain had begun to fall in a soft drizzle before gradually melding into relentless sheets, and the lady kunoichi signed hoarsely, her expression leaking of her maternal concern.
All she could do was wait.
The petite kunoichi sluggishly crept from her peaceful cocoon of slumber, the distant hum of some sort of monitor buzzing into her conscious like an unwanted parasite. She squeezed her eyes shut, clutching at the thin layer of sleep that was steadily receding away from her, unwilling to greet the new day.
The Haruno hesitatantly stretched out her mind, passively becoming aware of her surroundings. She was lying on a warm and comfortable hospital bed with a luxurious pillow tucked beneath her head, and what felt like an oxygen tube strung beneath her nose. Her arms were folded neatly over her stomach, one of them cleanly bandaged while the other was wrapped up in a stiff splint. Her torso was completely wrapped up in thick layers of bandages beneath the oversized hospital gown that adorned her. She also felt another larger cast completely encasing her right leg, and a sickening feeling dropped into her abdomen as she remembered the painstaking process of setting said wound.
A blistering hysteria flooded her veins as her mind flickered over the fact that she hadn't the slightest idea where she was and how she'd gotten here. She knew for a fact that she certainly wasn't in Konoha, for the hospital there had beds that were much less comfortable than the one she currently lay in. Had Katsuo overtaken them? Had he taken her prisoner? Had Sasuke left her behind?
Sasuke.
Her jade orbs flew open as the perfect image of his face came crashing into her mind, and her gaze darted warily, frantically searching for that familiar, porcelain face and his deep, dark eyes... She was met with an empty hospital room. There was her bed, a nightstand next to it with a fresh pot of roses, several chairs sitting across the room, and a single door leading out into an apparent hall. She heard people bustling around outside it, and she tore her eyes away from the small window set into the the top of her door to stare listlessly at the closed curtain.
"Where....he...?" Her voice came out as a barely audible mewl, and she struggled to raise her voice, trying desperately to see if there was a nurse or anyone else who could help her.
She heard voices suddenly from outside the door and she turned her head stiffly, searching blindly for the source. The handle of the door began to turn and blanched fear raced through her core as she cautiously shrank back into the blankets that enveloped her. Then the opening burst forth and a face that she very much recognized came swooping in towards her.
Short-cropped black hair, a kind reserved face with dark, observant eyes that were alight with relief and overwhelming concern, a tight kimono and traditional-style shinobi sandals.
"Sakura-san!" Shizune rushed towards her, her face delighted yet at the same time exausted and extremely stressed. The pinkette forced an empty smile.
"I'm so glad you're alright! Everyone's been looking for you for days, and Tsunade-sama has been beside herself. We were all so worried, and—"
"What....happened?" her voice was dry and groggy, and she thumbed the hollow of her throat sluggishly before swallowing, suddenly overwhelmed with an intense thirst. Shizune automatically moved and brought down a small glass of water that had been resting on her bedside table and handed it carefully to the pinkette, waiting for Sakura to finish drinking before making her reply.
"The doctors here said that you fractured you fractured your femur, broke two bones in your wrist, cracked a three ribs, and have a mild concussion." Shizune's voice was even, like she had recited that in her head a hundred times over. Or perhaps she was just repeating exactly what the doctors had told her. Sakura shrugged the thought off.
"This is a civilian hospital, so none of the nurses here are trained with chakra control, so unfortunately we can't get you healed here, but I just sent a messenger hawk to Godaime-sama requesting a medical dispatch team to get you to the Konoha Hospital safely where proper doctors can take a look." Shizune cast a disapproving look at the now closed door, pursing her lips.
"Shizune-san?"
"Yes?"
"How..." She bit her lip before starting again. "How did I get here? I only remember... parts."
Shizune visibly stiffened before shifting uncomfortably next to her.
"Well, some villagers found you unconscious in the forest just outside the gates, so they brought you here." The black-haired woman's speech was fragmented, and she glanced awkwardly off, fingering the hem of her kimono uneasily.
"Was I with—?"
"Yes. He's downstairs." Shizune met her stunned gape with a pained look before making her way towards the window and carefully opening the curtains. Outside a harsh rain pattered against the dripping glass.
"Terrible weather, we're having—"
"Is he alright?" Sakura glared at the woman that she had always adored, her expression hard.
"Pardon?"
"Sasuke, is he alright?" Her voice wavered between calm and hysterics. Shizune didn't return her gaze and only continued to gaze distantly out the fogged window.
"Sakura, you really should get some rest—"
"NO! Just listen to me. Where is he? Why aren't you telling me? Is he hurt? Please, Shizune!" Her voice faded to a whisper and she retracted into her pillow. Her body was beginning to ache all over as her pain killers began to wear off, and she was aware of a stabbing hurt in her chest when she breathed. She, however, didn't care. She wanted answers.
"I saw him before I came up to see you..... He didn't look so good." She bit her lip before seating herself carefully on the side of the bed, her tired expression surveying the pinkette quietly before continuing.
"His spine is shattered... The doctors here suspect that, if he wakes up, he won't walk again."
He won't walk again.
Spine shattered.
Sasuke.
If anyone was wondering, when I asked on one of the first chapters whether or not there should have been a happy or sad ending, there was a resounding push for a happy ending. The would-have-been sad ending should be becoming pretty obvious to those who are observant. D:
The ending to this fiction is looming over my head, and it's making me really sad. ): I love this fic, and I love all of you guys who read it and leave such kind reviews! I don't want it to end! TT___TT Only a few more chapters to go and my baby will be all done. *le sob*
I realized when I was writing this that I was getting dangerously close to the current situation in my other fic. I must have an odd fetish with writing sad/dramatic/whatever hospital scenes. Maybe its 'cause I watch too much House. o__O;; I'm weird.
Expect the next update to come on Christmas Day! It'll be my present to all of you, and if you don't celebrate Christmas, then it can be my early New Years gift. :] HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!
Please REVIEW and thanks so much for reading!
--xxIndigo