Storm
The moment his hopes had vanished, she stepped in with new ones.
The rain continues to pour, playing an endless rhythm of water droplets against the deserted earth below. It felt like just a few days ago where the summer heat dried off the river, breaking its steady cascade that serves as one of the hidden nature beauty. It felt like an eternity since everything seemed so warm and welcoming. But those summer days were long gone.
The lively nature was now concealed in a wet and dull mask instead. Dark shadows towering every corner of the forest, casting a haunted perspective to any passer-by. Trees and plants were drown by the unlimited water supply since the storm evaded the once clear blue sky. Animals had scattered far from normal vision, all trying to escape from the short-lived bliss of rain while searching for scarce food. Though all that can't seem to cease the tensed rivalry between the two known kingdoms even a bit.
Nothing will ever stop them from clashing, came a lingering thought. She kept an upward gaze upon the dark sky with a visible frown on her lips. Sakura went into the woods alone in search of herbal leaves only to have returned with nothing at all. Searching for it alone was hard and with such a disaster of a weather, it just made her hunt impossible.
War was declared since a few months prior. Not that it came unexpected, but Sakura hated that it had to happen anyway. She experienced war once when she was just an innocent child and that had carved its way into her young mind as trauma where she was so close into being dragged into death's own hands. It happened a long time ago, but that dark memory ceased to be forgotten. Sometimes creeping its way into her sleep, arousing a series of nightmares.
As for the moment now, she had to witness another unfold and the aftermath of it. Sakura was appointed to assist the wounded near the battleground. Her family and friends were reluctant about it, knowing well how unsettled her heart and soul are when it comes to the current matter but her persistence had cleared up their unspoken doubts. For the past three years, Sakura has been training under her kingdom's greatest medic, Lady Tsunade herself. She aced the skill, impressing the mentor herself. Hence, she dedicated her ability to help out as much as she could.
Not at a moment too far, lightning strikes as thunder breaks away her reverie. She jumped a little by the violent sound but heaved a sigh after that. Sakura studied the sky once more for assurance. It was still surrounded by dark clouds even though dawn draws near. It looks like the storm had just gotten worse since she entered the forest a few hours ago. Sakura will need to haste her steps in order to get back before anyone else had noticed that she's gone.
Nimbly, she dodged through the thick extruded roots that formed natural traps. Her hand holds an empty basket steadily while navigating herself through the path she remembers by heart. Another memory slips through her as she walked amidst of the rain. The forest.
It suddenly felt surreal again. The adrenaline that pumped in her, the strong breeze from the cliff, as much as the terror that bleeds in her being every second she lingered deeper into the forest. Every possible hope was crushed to bits whenever the sight of a masked man approaches her. Hopelessness was an understatement, she could feel fear grasping her life instead.
Until he came.
Sakura stopped at her tracks, a small smile played upon her lips. Feeling grateful that she still owns her life up until now. Curiosity does peaks in her whenever her thoughts settled upon the raven warrior. How it was fate instead of what she had claimed at first, pure luck. And how their encounter turned out to be a forbidden one, a secret she kept by herself for eternity.
If only things were different.
In the midst of the clash between power and pride, lives are sacrificed each and every moment for the former's cause. Sakura could almost feel the sheer pain of every patient she came across. No one deserves to be placed under constant danger like them, nor the need to defeat one another just for a thing called rivalry. There will be reasons thrown back at her whenever she voiced up her thoughts but it takes none older than a child to understand that all these are not necessary for whatever the reason may be. But again, she is no one to even try to clear up the misunderstandings between the kingdoms of Senju and Uchiha.
Unknowingly, Sakura stepped into a puddle, causing a loud splash. She cringed at her own carelessness. Attracting attention was the furthest thing she wanted right now and yet she allowed her mind to be distracted by the unnecessary need of flashbacks and personal thoughts. She heaved an irritated sigh as she stepped away from it, her boots now soaking wet by the clear liquid.
Sakura crouched down to inspect them and that was when cold fear runs in her system. It wasn't just rain water that tainted her boots. In the break of dawn light, she gasped at the sight of the blood-mixed puddle. As if to prove her suspicion, voices filled the air.
"Find him. Dead or alive." Demanded one cruelly.
Sakura furrowed her brows at those words. She peeks through the bushes as silently as possible, trying to make out who those men were. Terror struck again as she recognised their uniforms. Uchiha's men. If she was to be found near them, not to mention overheard their small talk, death surely awaits. But another possibility came to her mind. Judging by the way those words were directed towards the man in-search, Sakura's hunch would be the latter being one of Senju's man.
Letting go of the bush, she bit her lower lip in deep thought. Her eyes wandered randomly back to the puddle. There was someone out there being hunted down by those cruel beings and she happened to stumble upon them. Without much of a thought, Sakura made up her mind. She will search for him before they did, hoping that she could somehow help him.
Sakura followed the trail of blood, moving stealthily behind the shadows. A while later, she stopped at the sight of a tree. A suspicious shadow stood underneath it.
Fisting her hand, Sakura tried to overcome her growing fear as she draws nearer to the resting figure. She came as close as she could before crouching on her knees before him. His face was hidden beneath soaked raven locks, still no movement. When Sakura tries to approach him by the shoulder, she was stopped abruptly by an aimed dagger against her neck.
The medic was about to release a loud gasp but her mind was still intact of trying to stay undetected by those assassins. Familiar red eyes flashed wildly at emerald ones, a clear warning to back off. No words were exchanged until both pairs of eyes settled with the slightest recognition from Sasuke and a wide-eyed Sakura.
"What are you doing here?" his voice felt like sheer ice, colder than the raging storm they were in.
Wordlessly, Sakura pushed his hand away. A slight cut was revealed from the weapon. "I could've asked the same thing to you." She pointed the fact that they're nearer to her kingdom instead of his, unlike their first encounter. Her eyes trailed off to the bloodstained ground near him. "You need help."
"I'm fine by my own." His voice sounded deeper than before.
Sakura let out a sigh as she studied him. The same man that had saved her life three years ago was right before her and he looks broken. The thought alone had caused an unfathomable feeling to rise in Sakura, leading to confusion by her own heart before she focused back at him.
"You are severely injured." She dead-panned, eyes still looking at the wounds on both his legs. "I stumbled upon a puddle of blood if you're wondering why I'm here at the first place." True words resurfaced from her temporarily blank mind upon their small confrontation.
She was about to continue when Sasuke pulled her to his side suddenly, causing Sakura to almost yelped in surprise as she faced him. A series of heavy footsteps echoed through the woods, closing to the duo's range. The two in return, even their breaths to keep out of their hearing. Once those footsteps were out of earshot, Sasuke heaved a short sigh of relief.
"Why were they hunting you down? I thought you were comrades." Sakura said in a relatively low voice, earning a look from Sasuke.
He scoffed in return. "There's a thing called betrayal."
Sasuke expected more questions from the medic, only to meet with an understanding gaze from her.
Deciding not to push any further on the topic, Sakura stopped her queries. "We better find us a place to hide."
"Us?" he asked with a tinge of shock lacing his voice.
Sakura inched back a little to cast him a look. "That or I'll be captured along with you. And," she gazed skyward with a sigh. "I don't think staying in the middle of a storm helps to make things better."
Without waiting for a reply from the warrior, Sakura slung one of his arms over her shoulders to help him stand. He grunted as he stood up, the pain from his leg weakens him immediately but she supported him from falling. As much as Sasuke was reluctant of being aided, there are not much choices left.
His eyes fell upon focused green ones, ensuring his steps were steady. A part of him were actually grateful to have stumbled upon help when he's in one of his miserable moments. Not to mention being a vulnerable warrior right now.
Some things happen for a greater reason to come, were the wise words from his elder brother whenever he had decided to give up back when they were kids. And it was those words that had forged himself into what he is today, a warrior that holds the fate of a kingdom. But he is far from that now.
The unsettling feeling of surrender rose up in him, again. Sasuke suddenly felt disgusted of himself for still possessing such flaws after all these years. There were no wise words to pull him away from his personal depths of despair.
Instead he was saved by a stranger that mysteriously understands him.
The wooden door creaks open with a small push from Sakura. The sky had lighten up a little since their run. Just sufficient to look at their surroundings, but not enough for those men to spot them right away. Sasuke inspected every inch of what looked like an abandoned house. The wooden wall was old and worn as the door itself, though its construction still stands firm in a storm like this.
"It will hold long enough." Sakura spoke out as if reading his mind.
Deeming no response from the latter, she simply brushed it off as being heard despite the loud beats of raindrops on the roof as well as the howls of wind through the broken slits of walls and windows. Sakura moved around to get medical supplies before concentrating on Sasuke's injuries.
Before she could ask, Sasuke took a hidden dagger from his boots and cut off the fabric from his knees, revealing a long deep wound causing the medic to gasp a little. Her eyes felt on Sasuke.
She took a deep breath and pulled up her hair into a high ponytail before proceeding into removing the small scraps of metal that were still pierced on his leg. With skilful hands, she reached for a scalpel to start only to stop abruptly. A pair of onyx eyes looked back in question.
"This may hurt. And I meant really hurt." Emerald eyes flashed with determination and concern.
Sasuke nodded, gesturing her to proceed, fast.
As each pieces of metal is taken out, Sakura would glance over at Sasuke. He tried to hold in the grunt as low as possible while the medic could only watch him in agony as she works her hands expertly over what she figured to be a post-explosion wound. Those metals must have been the pieces from the explosion and Sasuke happen to be nearby, by the looks of it.
"Finally." Sakura panted a bit after removing a total of seven metal bits from his right leg and a few others from the left.
Sakura went on to cleaning and treating the area with the bandage that remained unclaimed in the house. She cast another look at Sasuke only to see him deep in slumber. Beads of sweat layered his pale face as his head leant against the wall. He was injured while being chased down by a group of betrayers away from safety, his own kingdom. One small mistake and his life will slip through his hands.
That somehow had rang a bell in her mind. How it resembled to the one before. The only differences being Sasuke being hunted instead of her. A bittersweet smile played across her lips as she stared at the sleeping figure. She admitted that she did wished to see him again after their unexpected encounter in the forest. And she did get what she wanted now, though she's far from relief. Sakura neverwished for a meeting like this.
She bit her lower lip in a deep thought, eyes still staring at him. He has changed, perhaps for the better. Though her intuition kept on telling that it was otherwise, that his life was just as complicated as hers. Shaking her head to rid of what had come across her mind, she finished bandaging his leg.
"Done." She whispered to herself with a smile.
Be it their encounter this time meant to be pleasant or not, she still has her chance of coming across him.
"Thank you, Sakura." Came a faint reply, shaking away Sakura's attention.
She beamed at the small reply.
Sakura sat restlessly beside the door. Hugging her knees tightly, her eyes trained on every rain drop that fell to the muddy ground while her mind wandered elsewhere. Her family and friends must have been worried sick by her long absence. It felt like hours, maybe longer, since she settled at her spot. Sometimes, she will check on Sasuke's condition to ensure that he was not infected by the massive wound.
The girl rocked herself in a slow rhythm as her mind dig deep into thoughts regarding Sasuke. Tonnes of questions piled atop of another with no real answers. And all of a sudden it, all those pieces fit together perfectly.
Those men that pursued her before had their masks on. Sakura's brows furrowed as she tries to think back of the men from earlier today. They do not wear masks but what made her think twice about it was the symbols on their weapons, gleaming dangerously under her sight. Their armours resembled that of the Uchiha's kingdom, hence misled Sakura into thinking they were on the same side.
She could sense a big conspiracy going on within the walls of the latter's kingdom, corruption. And Sakura came too close for a mere stranger when it comes to this, especially from a rivalling kingdom. Trying to unravel it any deeper will bring harm to herself, along with those around her. Not to mention the possibility of coming in contact with a disaster in disguise. If she was to find out any more regarding this matter, she might be considered a threat to the Uchiha. And of course, another war.
Sakura closed her eyes and listened to the soothing sound of rain, trying to lose herself with the storm outside rather than the one that erupted in her heart. One after another came.
Opening her eyes, she finally noticed the clearer weather. The rain dispersed and the rainstorms were completely gone. It had finally stopped. The storm that raged for some time had finally came to an end. She took a peek outside at the sky, the grey clouds were replaced by white ones now.
Looks can be deceiving, Sakura reminded herself with a smirk. Deep down, she still feels restless.
Everything looks calmer now but that never meant it was the end show from the ugly side of worse is yet to come and she knows well to be prepared for it. How this weather had hold the exact resemblance to her imperfect world right now almost made her smirk wider.
Wars are like storms. Violent and destructive, wrecking everything that was on its way without a sense of humanity. There will be a ceasefire after that, only to start a worse one later. If it hadn't for her loved ones by her side, she would have given up her life to this endless cycle of storms. But no, she shouldn't give up just yet.
The sound of creaks made her turn towards his direction immediately. Sasuke managed to sit right up by himself as the two exchanged silent glances.
"Feeling better?" she asked, her attention shifted from him and back to the view.
"Hn." Came a one-word reply that made Sakura smiled a little.
"The storm is clearing up." She trailed off. "We better head off now." Sakura then flashed him a small smile.
Even without hearing her true words, Sasuke knew that something was troubling her. The way her eyes averted when she smiles and how she stared off after that just confirms his guess further. But in a war-torn world that they were born into, it was only normal. Peace was just a far-fetched dream.
They were supposed to be mortal enemies, despising one another just by glimpses. But instead they opposed all those unwritten laws and made their own, a contradiction to the former. That thought alone caused a ghost of a smile to appear on his lips.
He silently agrees. It was time for him to make his move if he was to sneak his way back without those culprits noticing.
Revenge is a must in Sasuke's mind as his eyes flashed crimson.
Silence settled the two as Sasuke and Sakura came to a stop by a tree. From the corner of her eyes, she caught the sight of a rotten part of its bark, marking an eternal sign.
Sakura opened her mouth only to close again as she hesitated her words. "Be safe." She finalised.
"Hn." The reply somehow sounded longer than usual.
Sasuke then turned his back, walking towards the opposite direction with Sakura turning to the other way. Deep inside, she felt a mix of emotions but placed both her hands across her heart. She should brush aside all those thoughts and feelings and just savour the moment where she had met and helped him even with the littlest things she was capable of, despite the tensed-relationship they should have due to the brewing war.
Because for that brief moment, they were standing at the eye of the storm before being dragged into another that may tear everything apart. Just by the look of it, another fateful encounter is just another impossibility with the battles and wars ongoing.
Perhaps it was better if they never meet again after today.
"I'll see you soon."
Sakura halted her steps, her eyes widen momentarily. She felt an urge to glance back but refrained herself for the sake of an unspoken agreement of parting ways. A genuine smile made its way upon her lips for the first time that day. The carefree feeling in her was back after its long absence.
Maybe she was wrong about leaving everything behind without sparing a chance of referring back to it. Fate could always prove her wrong when the time comes.
Little did she know, her smile was accompanied by a smirk from Sasuke. Perhaps they will meet again another time.
At the eye of the storm.
A/N : Inspired by the theme for SasuSaku month day 15, Eye of the Storm.
I might as well as steal this chance to express my gratitude towards fellow readers who read, reviewed, faved and followed this story. It was my first attempt in writing a medieval-themed story and I was really grateful for those who gave this story a chance. :D
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
-Callester-