A/N:...I know how long its been. Almost two years. And I know how many times I've rewritten this sole chapter. "Is this the end", I'd ask myself. "Maybe this is just another chapter." "I can say so much more" At some point I wanted it to all end, but in my heart of hearts I had so much more to tell. It's about the journey after all not the destination. So after far too long I give you...
Epilogue
Twelve hours of surgery, four pints of blood, and seventy-two stitches. That is what it took to pull Uchiha Sasuke from deaths grip, again. Not that he knew that however, he was comatose for a week, and as one might imagine, the world held its breath. Some hoping he would rise and answer for his crimes, others hoping he'd slip back into deaths embrace, and that was putting it kindly.
While in his state of stasis, he wasn't alone. He was visited by too many people from his past to keep count, some of whom he had lengthy conversations with. The Uchiha sat in an office, one he'd spent far too much time in to forget. The priceless traditional Japanese artifacts spanning from wall to wall, plush white carpeting, thick and sturdy wood furnishings. As if that wasn't enough to remind him, the man seated opposite him was a dead giveaway—emphasis on dead. His pale skin, lengthy ink colored hair, and striking golden eyes. Conversations between dead men, it was oddly comforting, if such a feeling truly existed in this plane of existence.
"I knew we'd meet again one day." He crowed, idly picking at his nails, "You could have been so much more Sasuke-kun. I had such great plan for you."
"I never cared for your plans. I chose my path."
"That you did. But by any other name a path of destruction is still much of the same." A chuckle escaped the snake's throat, but only by the looks of how his chest jostled. The sound that escaped was more akin to a hiss. The man's pale hand ran through his hair before resting on his cheek and scratching it absently. Orochimaru smiled as Sasuke watched on impassively, though that changed when he noticed the disfigurement that was revealed as his scratching became more fervent. As he peeled off his pastel skin he revealed the blackened flesh beneath, charred to the point of cracking, wisps of smoke escaping the fractures, "I may have questioned your methods, but never your results."
Orochimaru's grotesque show would not be the last. He was treated to many faces with similar deformities, each a subordinate to the Snake of Shinjuku even in the afterlife. But he cared little for them; they were murderers and thieves and deserved every bit of what he gave them. But then again he was one of them once upon a time. Sasuke averted his eyes and scowled into his lap at the thought. The crowd grew and grew until surrounding him; twenty, forty, fifty, one hundred, all cursing him. Not just for killing them, but for doing so because he thought he was better than them; cut from a different cloth.
"Bastard."
"Demon."
"Deceiver."
"Monster."
"Stop being such a twat! What's done is done." croaked a voice, if you could even call it that, from behind him. When he paid it little mind, believing it was just another vengeful spirit spouting toothless words into the ether, it roughly grabbed his shoulder and spun him about in his chair. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open at the sight before him, "Didn't I tell you not to fucking get killed?"
There she stood just as he remembered, flowing crimson hair, thick lashes, and chocolate colored eyes that gleamed dangerously in the darkness of the room. Though, her face was still partially obscured by shadows, until she took a long drag of her cigarette and he could see the deep gash across the fair skin of her throat. "Tayuya…"
"In the flesh, or what's left of it." tendrils of smoke escaped through the wound as she exhaled. He averted his eyes at the display, finding it too disturbing, but she was quick to grab his chin and force him to look, "Can't stomach this sort of thing anymore huh?"
This was far from natural on so many levels. "This isn't the way I wanted to remember you."
"Tough titties, this is me now." she spat before flicking the cancerous stick into his face, its embers licking his skin, though he felt nothing. Tayuya climbed atop him, straddling his waist and quickly capturing his lips. He expected to taste her familiar tobacco or the ever present spice of whiskey but, there was nothing, not even the pressure she exerted on him. She pulled away and huffed miserably, "Well that rules out a quick fuck then, ne Sasuke?"
"That was ruled out a long time ago Tayuya." he responded flatly, moving her from his lap and standing. The other specters had disappeared, save for Orochimaru, he just sat there watching the exchange quietly.
"Even in death?" she questioned, her harsh voice cracking as she looked up at him.
"Even in death." he assured, knowing how quickly she would make him doubt himself if he faltered. She frowned at his response and retrieved another cigarette from her blazer, placing the stick between her lips and sauntering over to Orochimaru, lighting it against his smoldering face. Why she insisted on smoking when such vices were surely joyless was beyond him. Everything was joyless here; no scents, no tastes. He tried to recall Sakura, the simple thought usually giving him the familiar warm sensation she had always claimed his presence provided, but now there was nothing.
"Did you see her…when you died?" the question seemed so unlike Tayuya. It lacked the usual biting tone she had when referring to her romantic rival, but death changed many things it would seem. Why was she even asking such a thing? Could she read his mind? "They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die, but that's a crock of shit. It's more like every emotion ever rushing to meet you. But not just as feelings, the people who personified them too."
"And you saw me?"
"All I saw was you."
He couldn't remember if he saw Sakura or anyone for that matter, but she had definitely been one of his last thoughts. He remembered there was anger, sadness; determination…all just words here, no intrinsic value whatsoever. That was the first time he questioned whether he was truly dead or not. A more amicable explanation for his lapse in memory. "Did I mean so much to you, Tayuya?"
"What gave it away, how quickly I tried to jump your bones?" when he responded to her snarky comment with a frown, she sighed and rubbed the wound on her neck as if nervous about answering, "I…I didn't love you any less than her, ya know?"
On some level he always knew it. He had seen it in passing many times, typically when they were alone in their post-coital bliss. Her past had made her callous and uncouth, but he'd seen the softer woman beneath it all. One with a passion for more than sex, money, and violence. He may have been the only one who knew that she was a musician of no small talent once upon a time. Perhaps in another life they'd have ended up together, living as king and queen of their own crime syndicate in Nagano or somewhere else.
"I'm sor—"
"Don't apologize. What's done is done." she snapped, seating herself at the corner of the desk and peering over her shoulder at her former lover, but then avoiding his dark eyes. If Sasuke didn't know any better he could've sworn he saw her blush, "It wouldn't have lasted anyway. Our love…was just different...we had some good times though."
"Yeah…" Sasuke kept his eyes on the carpet, part of him wishing he could feel the tightness in his chest such a statement would bring about. He wished he could offer her more; say all of the things he wanted to after her death. They had both been selfish, he wanted nothing more than to continue on his path of vengeance, and she just wanted him by her side again. If he could feel anything it would be something akin to shame right now.
"Geez, she really has changed you, huh?" she was prying again it would seem, and when he looked up to catch a glimpse of her face she was walking towards the door. He moved to follow her but was held in place when Orochimaru held onto his wrist. "You'll be happy with her. She's carrying your child after all, I could never do that. Bleh, kids."
"Sh—she's really pregnant?" his question escaped into the ether without forethought, and when he looked for the bearer of the news, he found that she was now long gone.
"Well, you certainly seem to think so." answered the snake of a man, a wiry smile on his lips as the Uchiha pulled away from his grip, "Just what the world needs. More Uchihas."
Sasuke ignored the man's words and quickly made for the door, his mind descending into disarray because of Tayuyas words. He threw the door open haphazardly and was instantly blinded by a bright light. When his eyes refused to adjust, he stepped forward trying to shield them with his arm. Not two steps past the vestibule, he felt the ground fall from underneath him. He tried to yell, but no sounds escaped his lips, and as he fell further and further the light became a distant memory, giving way to darkness once again. Deeper into the abyss he went until he could neither tell if he was falling or floating; the lack of sensory was so distorting that he couldn't even tell if his eyes were open or not. Reflexively he blinked, or tried to, some small part of him still willing to accept all of this as a nightmare.
His eyes shot open when sound returned, a heavy crack jostling his body into an upright position. He was in a bed, rain beating down the lone window in the dark room. This was different than the other place, he could feel the softness of the sheets, the sound of thunder had made his heart beat madly in his chest, and he was sweating bullets for god sake.
"I'm alive…"
"Not quite." The familiar baritone made his neck snap in its direction just in time for lightning to illuminate the voices figure and catch a glimpse of a face, "Hello again, little brother."
Another dead man. Of this he was sure, because like Tayuya his wounds were as clear as day. A bloodless stab wound that would expand and contract with every breath, a wispy rattle escaping his pierced lung. The sight and sounds sickening Sasuke to the point of almost retching. He had done this to his brother.
"Wh-what do you mean 'not quite'? What is this place?"
"It's difficult to explain. The best description I can offer is that it's a crossroads of sorts."
"Between what?"
"Between the living and the dead. Between what is, what will be, and what won't be." When Sasuke opened his mouth to ask yet another question, his brother held his hand up and shook his head, "It's easier if I just show you."
So he let him. He followed him through the dark room and into a hallway. The minute he stepped through the door, the bedroom disappeared behind him. It was different in the hall, it wasn't night for one; the windows in the hall bathed its cream colored walls in warm light. As the brothers traversed the hall, Sasuke took notice of the pictures that littered the walls. There were so many, hundreds, maybe thousands in the endless corridor. Each captured moments no camera had, from his very birth to his ascension through the ranks of Konoha P.D., Interpol, his fall from grace, and further still, until the last photo showed him holding the corpse of the man at his side. The hall soon gave way to doors rather than pictures, and Sasuke was quick grab the nearest handle, wanting to see more.
"There is something I must tell you before we go any further." Sasuke could tell by the way his brothers tone dipped that the next words would be a warning, and a deathly one at that. "I cannot say what will be on the other side of these doors, but it is imperative that you not interact with whatever it may be. In your current state such interference could be…problematic."
"How so?" he questioned quirking an eye at the somewhat worried sound of his elder brother's voice.
"You aren't like me little brother. You're at the precipice of death, a somewhat living being in another plane where you should not be. You still have the power to shape the future, be it fact or fiction. Such a thing could be dangerous here."
Sasuke took a moment to internalize the words. So he was alive, but not entirely. The world around him was some sort of special purgatory reserved for him. He had seen what was, his past and whatnot. He could only imagine that what lay in wait behind each door was both the future and false futures.
Hesitantly he turned the knob and entered, Itachi following close behind. A plain bathroom by all counts, but at the foot of the toilet was a mass of pink holding its midsection and groaning in pain. Instinctively, he rushed to her side but was stopped once again by his brother's hand. He only struggled for a moment before remembering the sobering fact, this wasn't real. Helplessly he watched her pull herself up to the rim and evacuate her stomach contents into the bowl.
"Simple morning sickness. Mother had it just as bad when she was pregnant with you." explained the eldest Uchiha, halfheartedly holding his brother back as he led him from the room and the sound and smell of retching. Itachi was lucky to not have that sense at least.
Each room that followed was much of the same, Sakura's state of pregnancy progressing before his eyes. From doctors visits, to the purchasing and assembling of cribs and other pieces of furniture for their child. Though, the underlying theme made each door more and more disheartening. He wasn't there for her. Her only means of support coming from her parents, her annoying blonde friend Ino, Naruto—or his wife the Hyuga, even Tsunade had been present on a handful of occasions, but not him.
"I've seen enough." he bit out staring at his feet after yet another display of the discouraging future.
"We're almost done here. Just one last door." Itachi gestured towards the final door at the end of the hall. Begrudgingly, Sasuke agreed. If it would finally end this hell, he'd get it over with quickly.
As he entered he was assaulted by the sound of high pitched cries and medical jargon. "No…" his mind screamed as he watched his lover writhing in pain on a hospital bed. His body froze on the spot, the shouts of the doctor and nurses for her to push a dull roar in his ears. He shut his eyes as angry tears began to manifest behind the lids; he wished it would just end. Until he heard her weak whisper above the noise.
"Give me strength…Sasuke-kun…please."
He took a cagey step forward, half expecting his guide to reprimand him again about interfering, but nothing came. He took another and then another, almost breaking into a sprint to cross the short distance quicker. When he stopped at her bedside, the sight of her pained and exhausted face broke him. He reached for her face, but flinched when another weak cry tore through her throat and she tossed her head from side to side. In her movements, he caught a glimpse of steel dangling on a slim chain around her neck. It was the ring, gleaming against her sweat slicked skin. To hell with the repercussions, he didn't care if this was the future or fiction, she needed him.
Sasuke covered her hand with his own, feeling small sparks of electricity in his fingertips at the contact. Gingerly he touched her cheek with his other as she huffed and puffed fighting against the contractions with renewed fervor, "B-be strong, koishii. Be strong."
Sakura's dull nails dug into her sheets as she pushed with all of her might, letting loose a blood curdling scream that cut Sasuke to the core. He reflexively tightened his hold on her hand, noting the shocked expression that flashed across her features for a brief moment. She looked in his direction, only meeting empty space as she searched for the presence she felt. Her hand slipped from his and up to her neck, clutching at the ring as another contraction tore through her.
Soon her cries died and anothers joined the fray, shrill and new. He didn't know if time was a thing in this plane of existence but it slowed to a crawl as his eyes fell upon the mewling newborn. His daughter, with tiny clenched fists and kicking feet, somehow found him amidst all the madness of being brought into the world. Her small dark eyes fluttering as she tried to see him clearly. Sasuke could feel his chest tighten and tears fall with ease as she kept trying. "I'm sorry..."
"Six pounds seven ounces…a beautiful, healthy baby girl." announced the doctor, having finished his initial assessment and cleaning of the child before handing her back to Sakura, "What are you going to name her, ma'am?"
"S-Sarada." she whispered, hiccuping as her system was flooded with endorphins and tears spilled forth. Carefully she stroked her crop of obsidian hair, marveling at how much she looked like her father. The thought sending her into an all-out fit of tears as she held the infant to her breast. "Uchiha Sarada…"
The pain in Sasuke's chest grew until he couldn't stand it anymore. He held them in his arms hoping somehow someway, they'd know he was there for them; know that he'd never abandon them.
"It's time, little brother." chimed Itachi, carefully rousing his brother from his moment with a firm hand on the shoulder.
"Time for wha—Gah!" suddenly the pain in his chest sent him to the floor, clutching at his heart. It was becoming harder to breathe, like someone had a hold of his lungs. Itachi held Sasuke in his arms just as he had in his passing. Sasuke couldn't quite make out whatever comforting word the eldest offered, the sound of his daughters cries filling his ears again, "No…I can't die. I won't. T-they need me!"
"So go to them." the words drifted about his clouded mind as he lost consciousness, finally succumbing to the pain. The void he found himself in this time was different from the rest. The darkness was tangible, like a sea of black, and he swam with what little strength he had. He could see a silver shimmer at what he believed to be the surface and it fueled his mad dash towards life, towards Sakura and their child. But they were not the only reason. He could feel a presence, a specter stalking him in the depths—it was dread personified. Sasuke pushed against the barrier, feeling it stretch and bend, ultimately recoiling as the darkness around him grew thicker and heavier, its oppressiveness threatening to suffocate his hopes of escape. He tried again, refusing to quit, and this time the barrier tore allowing him to breach the surface.
He shot forward, gasping raggedly, still disoriented and suffering from shock. Life, it was the life he clung too so desperately, and fought so frantically for. Shackles at his wrists and elaborate tubing's attached to his body stifled his movements. Quickly he was restrained by several armed men, all more physical than need be for such a weak display. Sasuke called for Sakura, his cry coming forth as a dry croak, hoping that she was at his side. But such was not the case. There was no Sakura, no Naruto, he would have even welcomed Tsunade gloating in triumph, but there was no one but his guards and the doctors.
It was later that he learned everything he'd seen had been hallucinations brought on by toxic levels of ammonia in his brain. Apparently a side effect of losing a fifth of his liver to a bullet. Swallowing something like that wasn't easy, especially when everything had been so real. What was really disorienting was reality. Even when he was visited by Tsunade and formally read his charges. It was all so surreal, and all he wanted was the last real thing he had in his life.
"You know I can't allow—."
"Where is she?"
"…Being debriefed. I've…I've taken her off the case in the meantime. She doesn't need to see you like this."
True as that may be, he knew she wanted to be here. Sasuke could see it all over the older woman's face. The pinkette must've acted quite insubordinately to make the buxom woman respond so harshly. He could only imagine that the separation was as hard on her as it was on him, if not worse.
Sakura sat quietly in the pristine meeting room for what seemed like hours, not-so-patiently waiting for her interrogator to begin. She knew now that this wasn't a typical debriefing anymore, why else would they delegate the task to someone she knew well and trust, never mind the fact that it was Shikamaru they selected for such a mundane thing. Absently she scratched underneath her cast bound arm, scowling at the recording camera opposite of her.
"How's the arm?"
"You asked yesterday." she returned none too kindly.
"So?"
"And the day before that."
"And…?"
"What do you want, Shikamaru? What do you really want?"
He paused momentarily, not unnatural, but still a rarity for the genius. A clear indication that he was thinking—conflicted by his duty as an agent and that as a friend. He retrieved a cigarette from his blazer and proceeded in lighting it. He barely inhaled, far more content to let the wisps dance about his face before being sucked into the ceiling fan.
"I want to know everything about the kidnapping. How Sasuke captured you, where he took you, what he did to you, the whole nine yards."
"I told you already. That woman—"
"Karin."
Yes…she interrupted Itachi's assassination attempt on Sasuke. Saved my life too."
"And then?" he questioned quickly, jotting down whatever it was he decided was important enough on his notepad.
"Itachi fled. Karin and Sasuke…took me hostage to make their escape. I swear, I've told you this a hundred times." the annoyance in her voice was clear as day and quickly turning into anger.
Shikamaru nodded simply, not deterred in the slightest by her forceful tone. "True, and the security tapes show much of the same. What they don't show is you struggling against your captors."
That was enough to get a reaction out of Sakura. Her eyes widened, and she swallowed the imaginary lump in her throat nervously. "I-I was following protocol. I was outnumbered two to one and had no choice but to—"
"Are you saying you couldn't overpower a wounded and sedated man, or his crony?"
"That isn't what I—!"
"Agent Haruno." Shikamaru had never spoken to her, much less anyone, in such a passionate and harsh manner. "I will ask this once. Did you willfully surrender your weapon to a criminal in your custody and aid them in escaping?"
Sakura's lips parted in disbelief, her brain struggling to fathom the implications of answering such a damning inquiry. She had seen the looks her colleagues gave her when she returned to the office, everyone was totally enthralled by the reports and gossip that must have been floating about for the last three months. Long enough to create vilifying narratives for things they would never understand. Even the genius that was Agent Nara, seemed to already have his own hypothesis for the events at the hospital and beyond. And it hurt to see him stare at her in such a way; as if she were clad in irons and wearing an orange jumpsuit already.
She opened her mouth to speak, unsure of what she could say. The truth of what transpired was enough to have her stripped of her very livelihood and blacklisted from every law enforcement agency in the world. And that was just the best case scenario; there was still the possibility of her being jailed. When she finally mustered the strength to push words from her throat, whatever they may have been, the rooms solitary door creaked open garnering everyone's attention. Sakura's words froze in her throat at the sight of the stern face of the man at the door. Morino Ibiki was both the best of the best and the worst of the worst when it came to interrogation tactics, and when he gestured for Shikamaru to join him outside, Sakura knew it was not to tell him that she was innocent of treason.
"She was going to confess." protested the younger man, his usual aloof demeanor slipping for a moment. When the more seasoned interrogator only watched the accused through the one way mirror, he sucked his teeth and turned away, "So troublesome. If I'm not supposed to do my job, what am I in there for?"
"You can get as much information from what is left unsaid as you do from what is said, kid." he mused nonchalantly, otherwise silently watching Sakura fidget in her seat before turning back to Shikamaru, "Besides, a confession wasn't the point of her interrogation."
"So what were the last few days for? A mental evaluation?" he asked taking a heavy drag of his dwindling cigarette.
"Exactly. That's why we disguised it as a debriefing."
"I don't enjoy lying to my colleagues, Ibiki. You should have told me, or at least had someone else do the dirty work."
"She trusts you, she wouldn't suspect anything underhanded." he explained, noting how unwanted his reasoning was to his assistant, "Besides, we're lucky if we enjoy half of the work we do these days, Agent Nara."
"Tch, whatever." he droned, dropping the smoldering filter of his smoke to the floor and stamping it out. "So, is she fit to take the stand against Sasuke?"
"In my professional opinion? No, she isn't." responded the scarred man, thoughtfully rubbing his chin when his young charge stared wide eyed at his assessment. "If I was a betting man I'd say Agent Haruno exhibits multiple symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome."
"So she won't take the stand on your recommendation?" Shikamaru kept his voice neutral but was still shocked by the somewhat harsh evaluation.
"She won't have to. Neither will Uzumaki or Sai."
"But how will we—"
"The Uchiha will confess to his crimes, if he knows what's best for him."
Shikamaru gave the scarred man a good hard look, ineffectually trying to discern what his stone-faced associate was hiding, "How are you so sure? Sasuke may choose to take this to court—make this case a media circus, especially with the public practically screaming for an execution."
"Call it a hunch. With all of the evidence and forensics, when it's all said and done, he might welcome the rest." Ibiki's dark humor and grim smile did little to sate Shikamaru's inquisitive mind. In fact he only questioned what else the seasoned interrogator was hiding more. He watched his onetime mentor disappear through another door before turning his attention back to Sakura. She knew she was being watched, but still exhibited ticks that no level of training could ever undo. Wringing her hand nervously, or adjusting herself more times than necessary to find a comfortable position in the cold seat.
Shikamaru frowned at the sight. He'd seen it a thousand and one times before. Even if the circumstances were anything but normal, she still behaved like those who had sat in the seat before her. It saddened him to believe it, but he'd learned long ago to trust his instincts. Sakura was indeed guilty, of what exactly he couldn't pinpoint, but she knew it too. She was as guilty as sin.
Days. Days of silent torture. Not knowing whether the world outside his antiseptic prison cell still existed, as if he'd never truly woken from his slumber. Twenty-four hour surveillance, handcuffed to his bed as they watched, judging him for what he'd done. Those days quickly turned to weeks; had it not been for Tsunade's not-so-frequent visits he would have gone mad long ago, even if they amounted to nothing more than a quick check up to make sure he hadn't bitten his own tongue off in sheer madness. That isn't to say his imprisonment in the hospital bed wasn't maddening. Every time she would visit he would only ask one question.
"Where is Sakura?"
It wasn't until those weeks had turned into a month that he received an actual response rather than the usual, "safe" response he received from Tsunade. She informed him that Naruto, Sai, and Sakura were receiving Medals of Honor from the Emperor himself in a week's time. She even offered to pay for his television so he could watch the ceremony for himself. An offer he quickly refused even though he so desperately wanted to see his loves face again. It was just another ego trip for Tsunade. He had saved her from death at the hands of his brother, and still she toyed with him.
"This will most likely be the last chance you get to see them, you know? It's unlikely that their testimony would be necessary in a trial. Especially with all of the…evidence." toned the flaxen haired woman, scowling at the defiant glare he returned. Either he didn't know it or chose not to accept it, but she genuinely wanted to do what she could for him. "The state is preparing to prosecute; it's only a matter of time before—"
"I don't care."
"You may not, but I know all too well that she does!" snapped the older woman.
"I don't—" the words caught in his throat as he averted his gaze from his captor and towards his sheets. He gripped the cotton cloth and clenched his teeth so tight he thought he might break them, "I don't need to be reminded of what I've lost."
"Enough with the pity party Uchiha!" exclaimed Tsunade, slamming her fist against his bedside table with such force it was enough to persuade Sasuke's guards to take their leave, lest they end up on the receiving end of her wrath. "You can still avoid a public trial. Tokyo's High Court judges are willing to do this right here in this hospital. With enough luck and remorse you may even avoid a life sentence."
A life sentence? Sasuke scoffed at the notion. He didn't need a television or a newspaper to tell him that the entire nation wanted his death and nothing less. "I will not hide what I've done. So a lengthy public trial won't be necessary. I've hurt people who deserved it…and those who did not. I am guilty. And I'll make sure everyone knows it."
"That's…very noble of you, Sasuke. I can't promise anything, but I'll recommend a softer sentence in light of your…remorse and wish to make amends for your misdeeds."
It wasn't noble. It was just…over. What good would fighting do at this point? He would accept whatever punishment the law deemed fitting. Despite turning his back on the oaths he took, he still respected the law, if only abstractly. And when it was all said and done the world would forget about Uchiha Sasuke. He only wished he could see her smile one last time before his time was up.
Tsunade had been true to her word in respect to one of her offers however. Sasuke watched the tiny television in the corner of his room as the camera panned across the sea of spectator all bearing witness to their heroes. Naruto, Sai, and Sakura stood inside the lavish Imperial Palace, dressed to the nines in their best suits, littered with all the past medals they had earned in their service of Interpol. Naruto grinned like a fool, saluting and bowing in quick succession as the Emperor placed the red ribbon Medal of Honor onto his chest. Sai was much more placated in receiving his medal, pale mask in place and unfazed, almost as unnerving on television as in person. But Sasuke cared little for those two, his eyes had searched for Sakura since the ceremony started and remained glued to her once he found her. Her arm was bound in a cast and strung up in a sling, and while she was her usual professional self on the outside, he could see the way in which she smiled, even on the low definition TV. It was lackluster and false, as if she had taken a page from Sai's book.
Sasuke listened to the praise the Emperor gave the three brave agents, as he called them. Honoring their sacrifices not only to the people of Japan, their homeland, but also the world. He even found time to vilify the Uchiha and the unnamed dark forces that sought nothing but destruction and chaos. Sasuke couldn't help but scowl. Even though he knew that his brother's body had been among the dead on that day, they still swept him and Akatsuki under the proverbial rug. Sasuke would be the last to carry the remnants of his brother's memory. He too would be forgotten eventually, with only those close few carrying the flame of his memory.
It wasn't long before the slander of the Emperor transformed into something else. He continued his raving of how Uchiha Sasuke terrorized his homeland, the very homeland he protected once upon a time. He spoke about the people he hurt, even going as far as to say their names and honor them with a moment of silence. But after which he returned to spitting fire and brimstone on the Uchiha name.
"This man—no. This demon, who walked amongst us, cloaked in darkness and blood has been brought to light, and as a result so has his actions. The atrocities he has committed will never be forgotten, just as those he has taken from us will not be forgotten. So on this day we honor these three brave young souls, and remember the lost. And I, promise you, the people of Japan. That Uchiha Sasuke will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. This demon will never walk among us again."
Sasuke didn't care, not even when he all but assured the people that he would execute him. What did bother him was the distressed looks on Sakura and the rest of the honorees faces. They must not have known, or at least chose not to accept his present situation. He was living on borrowed time, if you could call being shackled to a bed "living".
The next time Tsunade visited, she spared him any pleasantries and got right to business. It seemed that she too understood that his time was precious enough. "Since you've waived your right to consul, I'm the best you'll get before the hearing. It's simple; the judges will read your charges and all you have to say are three simple words. 'Guilty, your Honors'."
Sasuke swallowed the bile that rose in the back of his throat, but nodded in understanding all the same. This was the fate he resigned himself to; he would not cower before it. The room stood still as the two eyed each other impassively. Even when they had been on the same side they were at odds, and now that they stood in direct opposition to one another, it seemed as if they had a greater understanding. Life was nothing more than sacrifices, no matter how you chose to live it. The career law-woman knew that as well as anyone. She sacrificed everything for her career, even love. Tsunade saw fit to comfort him again, assuring him that it was honorable and would work in his favor.
There was that word again. Honor. The same thing his brother had sought for their father. As the last son of Uchiha Fugaku, the least he could do was leave the family name with no more blemishes than it had earned. He would not run from his punishment. "When I confess…it'll all be over with, yes?"
Tsunade's solemn nod was as good as her word in this instance. "Life inside of a maximum security prison won't be a cake walk. Many of the men will be those you've put away, or compatriots of those you killed. They'll want revenge."
"Sounds like a party." mused the Uchiha sarcastically. He cared little for what would happen to him after everything was said and done. Though, something in the back of his mind admonished him for such thoughts. A tiny voice that made its presence known in the last few months, and grown loud enough to drown out the darkness that once took up residence. Now it was gnawed at the walls, the voice he'd known once but had since forgotten. "Can you relay a message for me?"
"Yes, of course." responded the blonde, kneeling down to the dark haired mans bedside and leaning in. Her eyes widened as he whispered his last will and testament to her in confidence. He had few worldly possessions, even fewer legal ones, and as such, he only offered his words. Sasuke had never been one for being long winded, and this was no different. Though his words held more emotion than she'd ever expected from the Uchiha in a million years, it wasn't surprising that it all had to do with the woman he asked for day in and day out.
"I know she's a proud woman but please, take care of her for me."
"Of course. But Sasuke, you can't give up—"
"No, we both know how my story ends. But Akatsuki…they won't stop. No one will be safe until they're all dead. So just…keep her out of harm's way."
Tsunade hesitated briefly. She was shocked that he still obsessed over the shadow organization in the wake of his brother's death. He had accomplished his one true goal, yet he still advocated for their capture, or death rather. When Tsunade pulled away and looked the man in the eyes, she no longer saw a man hell bent on vengeance alone, but a man almost unrecognizable from the one she'd met on that fateful night in Konoha. A man reminiscent of the one she knew in the bygone days of the Special Task Forces conception, "…I will."
With that he turned away from his visitor and returned to watching the stark ceiling, whispering his thanks as she collected herself. She lingered long enough to garner his attention once again and draw a curious stare from him. Tsunade rifled through her blazer for some time before producing a small photo and placing it in his hand. It was a photo from his academy graduation, old and faded; he must have left it when he resigned from Interpol. Sakura and Naruto flanked him, flashing wide goofy grins. The corners of his lips twitched slightly as he was filled with nostalgia. What he wouldn't do to have those simpler times again.
"We haven't forsaken you Sasuke, none of us have. And we never forget the sacrifices our agents make."
He looked up from the picture to address her words, only to find that she was already halfway out the door. "Hn, and here I thought Shizune was going to write my eulogy."
Tsunade shook her head and smiled to herself. Typical dry Uchiha humor.
It was an odd parting. It was the kind of parting where neither party was sure they'd see one another again, or alive for that matter. Though, somehow it still lifted Sasuke's spirits, if only slightly.
He tugged at his shackles as he gazed upon the youthful faces in the photo, stroking the cheek of his lover all the while. Maybe there was a chance he'd see her again, "Maybe…"
Sasuke's uncertainty was not his alone however. Sakura was a nervous wreck, and that was putting it mildly. After her strenuous "debriefing" sessions she, Naruto, and Sai were all given paid leave, a "reward" for their dedication. Though somehow it felt more like a punishment. The whispers and stares she received when she finally returned to the office only fueled her paranoia. Her colleagues may not have all been spies or special agents, but you didn't make it into Interpol without having at least a modicum of guile. Hell, most of the job was finding what people didn't want you to find. Those people included your coworkers on occasion.
And now she strolled around her stale apartment in search of something to scratch the inside of her cast with. The only thing just as maddening as her concern for Sasuke. Tsunade forbade her from going within 10 yards of the hospital he was being kept in. The only consolation her mentor offered was assuring her that he was alive and safe. Yet even those didn't calm her nerves. For more than three months she had been a fugitive at large, and needless to say the experience had changed her a great deal.
The ordeal made her and the rest of the Special Task Force public figures, and the media scrutiny was anything but welcomed. While the journalists and newscasters focused on the threat that they all perceived to be Sasuke and Taka, she was more concerned with the shadow organization that still lived. They had all interfered with their plans more than half a dozen times, and had almost paid the price just as many times, if not more. What reason would they have to stop now, especially with the whispers circulating amongst the upper echelon of law enforcement about their involvement?
The air of paranoia had long since set in, and was beginning to take its toll on the cherry headed agent. She had become a recluse, doing her best to avoid the media and her colleagues alike. It wasn't the attention she garnered from both parties that concerned her. It was the implicit attention that came along with being a spectacle. Itachi may have passed, but his comrades remained, and Akatsuki was not like to let his death go unanswered. That was the life she lived now. Sakura was constantly on edge, wary of the not-so-familiar faces she encountered when she dared to venture outside her apartment.
When a loud knock came at the door she was quick to reach for the pistol she practically slept with, in the back of her jeans. She didn't make a sound, not even as she warily approached the door, advancing from the side of said door, rather than face it head on, lest she be met with a hail of bullets. The knock came again, just as forceful as the first. 'So this is it then.' she thought sorrowfully, taking a deep breath as her heart began thudding madly. She'd be damned if she was going to let Akatsuki take her life without a fight. With that thought, she swung the door open with her weapon aimed high up towards the head of her assassin. Luckily for her visitor, she had excellent trigger discipline.
"S-S-S-Sakura-chan! What's the big deal!?" exclaimed Naruto, his hands held up high as he stared down at the nine millimeters barrel.
"Goddamnit Naruto! I almost blew your head off! What the hell are you doing here?"
"W-w-we thought you might like some company, Sakura-chan." This stammering came from a more diminutive voice behind the blond, and when Sakura peeked around her partner, finally spotting the source, she was even more mortified. Hinata had become Naruto's lavender shadow ever since he returned from undercover work. And true to his word, Naruto proposed as soon as he got home. The wedding couldn't have been far off now, or so Sakura figured. The monotony of the passing days was beginning to blurring her sense of time.
"Gomen, Hinata-chan. I… haven't been myself lately." apologized the rose haired agent, quickly placing her gun back in its rightful place and hanging her head in embarrassment.
"No kidding." sighed Naruto, brushing passed his comrade and into her apartment. Usually the spacious flat was in near pristine condition, but now it was more reminiscent of his own home. Scattered clothing on the carpet, work related files strewn across all of the tables, half eaten food from her favorite takeout places seemingly forgotten for god knows how long. "Sakura-chan..."
"I know, I know. I just haven't gotten around to do much cleaning I've been...busy." she defended, busying herself around the apartment in an effort to make her home more acceptable.
"Geez Sakura-chan. That's the understatement of the century." chided the blond, it may be the only time he'd get to do so after all. He and Hinata carefully traversed the mess to the newly cleared couch in the living room. When Sakura ignored the slight jab, still embarrassed by her mess, Naruto decided to inspect the files she'd left on the coffee table. A few choice ones happened to catch his eye, namely those pertaining to a certain case centered around one Uchiha. "Sakura-chan...we're supposed to stay away-"
Before he could finish his statement the files were quickly snatched from his hands, "I know what we're supposed to do, Naruto."
Though, she expressed her disdain for the rules the power that be gave her a bit too harshly, and the concern on her colleagues face only worsened in response.
"Wh-who wants tea?" chimed the Hyuga princess, clearly feeling the rising tension between her longtime friends. Before either could respond, the lavender haired woman hastily made for the kitchen. It wasn't just that she inherently disapproved of conflict, she understood that their work was more than complicated. Naruto had woken in many a cold sweat countless nights, the roots of which he was often reluctant to worry her with. Even so, she knew enough of the Special Task Forces ordeals to not pry, especially when the trauma was still fresh.
The silence persisted for sometime, even after Sakura joined Naruto on the couch, granted it was at the furthest point from him, only the sound of clanking pots and pans filling the void. "I'm sorry, Naruto. It's just...none of this feels right, you know?"
"Yeah, I feel it too." he responded his eyes downcast and brow furrowed in thought. Sakura released a small sigh, it was oddly comforting knowing that she wasn't losing her mind; or at least not doing so alone. "I mean, it makes a little sense. Sasuke's case...is more complicated than most, but you'd think they'd need us for more than a simple debriefing."
"Right...the debriefing."whispered the pinkette to herself. Judging from the nonchalant way her comrade talked about his time with Shikamaru, she must have been the only one given the third degree. Her paranoia was rearing its ugly head again. Quickly she pushed her delusions aside and back to the task at hand, "Maybe he took a deal. Plead guilty to..."
She couldn't bring herself to finish her own sentence. She'd mulled over the possibility of Sasuke taking the path of least resistance a thousand times, but never found it to be likely. He was a stubborn man with a penchant for being self-destructive at times, but not the sort to fight a lost battle. Though there still was that uncertainty. Surely he was wracking his brain over the dilemma as well, and having a much more difficult time of it, given the reports of constant sedation and watchful guards.
"It's the only chance he has to..." before the thoughtless words could escape his lips the blond caught himself. She didn't need to be reminded of how sure his possible execution was. He cast his eyes towards the kitchen just as his fiance made her way back to them with tea and extras in tow. "He'll make it through this. Just like he always does. Besides, he's going to be the best man at our wedding!"
There was that winning Uzumaki charm. No matter the mood, he always found a way to brighten it and bring a smile to those in need. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Sakura smiled. No matter what happened, she knew she could always count on him to lift her spirit.
"S-speaking of which, Sakura-chan. I brought over some pictures of bridesmaid dresses. Maybe you could help me pick one and p-plan a few things?"
The innocent question from the heiress took her off-guard even more than Naruto's charm. Years in law enforcement and her recent stint in espionage and what some might call terrorism had diminished almost all sense of social obligations in Sakura. She didn't know if she was blushing madly at the flattering offer, or staring blankly with her mouth agape like a fish on a hook. Though the looks she received from her guess assured her that she was doing both.
"I-I-I-I...guess?" the words came out like a newborns, stumbling on each foreign syllable with little understanding of the meaning. Quickly collecting herself, she finally mastered her forgotten etiquette and language, "I mean, I would love to!"
"Shit..."
The day had finally come. Thirty-four days, six hours, and twenty-seven minutes of chirping medical machinery, a nagging Interpol president, nosy nurses, and short-fused armed guards had all led to this.
Uchiha Fugaku's only surviving son sat upright in his interim prison, otherwise known as his hospital bed, staring blankly at the black clad judges seated opposite him, like the Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse. A small camera was set in the corner with its operator and his only "friend" in these dire times, Tsunade, watching as history was made. She promised to be there on "the day", but it did little for his nerves.
"...It's simple; the judges will read your charges and all you have to say are three simple words. 'Guilty, your Honors'."
Her words echoed in his head morning, noon, and night as if it would make it any easier to produce them himself. He would stomach it as he said he would. After all, all he had left in this world was his word and his name. Neither of which held much weight anymore.
"I understand you've waived your right to counsel. Please state your name and title for the record." spoke Death, a withering old man too small for his own vestments, liver spots blotting his face like the pox, his voice as diminished as his figure, but commanding in its own way.
"Uchiha Sasuke. Former Lieutenant of Konoha Police Departments Criminal Investigations unit. Former agent of Interpol's Special Task Force." spoke the Uchiha, his words sure and steadfast.
"Go on." rasped the specter, practically salivating at the more illicit titles Sasuke withheld.
Sasuke resisted the urge to scoff or give any sort of physical queue that showed he was unnerved by what he had become or done, despite the confession he was about to give, "Former enforcer to the Yakuza clan boss, Orochimaru. Former leader of the organization known as Taka."
"Terrorist organization know as Taka." corrected Famine, a moon faced woman in her mid fifties whose jowls distorted her words, and filled out her robe a bit too well. Go figure.
"Are you aware of what you're being charged with today, Uchiha Sasuke?" boomed Conquest, his voice a one man fanfare, "Would you like your charges read to you?"
"Yes and no." responded the stone-faced man, reflexively clenching his fists and tugging at his handcuffs. In doing so he inadvertently caught the eye of his last executioner. A plain man of nary a distinctive feature, but the rattling of steel brought a sinister grin to his face as he shook his head in disbelief.
"No matter. The records must reflect Uchiha-san's crimes against the people of Japan. Allow me to begin." the final judge, War, clearly had his mind made up on the verdict. The captive man watched as the judge scanned his litany of charges casually. He didn't want the Uchiha to merely fade away in a five minute hearing and a swift unanimous sentencing. He wanted him to suffer as much as the law would permit him. "Case number 2571, the People of Japan versus Uchiha Sasuke, you are formally charged with; participating in criminal enterprise, including but not limited to drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, sex trafficking, assassination of government officials, treason, high treason, murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder—"
"Get on with it. You're only wasting your breath, and my time." interrupted the raven haired man gruffly. He had long since come to terms with all of his transgressions, a highlights reel only succeeded in boring him further.
"Almost done, Uchiha-san." he smiled back, a sharp grin that would pierce any facade, but merely nicking Sasukes. "As I was saying, theft, grand theft auto, destruction of government property, torture, piracy, kidnapping, sexual assault of a peace officer, rape of a peace officer, extortion, fraud, grand larceny, and lets not forget the all encompassing charge of terrorism,"
Sasuke hadn't been listening to the words too keenly, he was mostly remembering the faces of his legal executioners. That was until those words were uttered. Whether it was merely a ploy to get a rise out of him or if they truly intended to charge him with such a heinous act didn't matter. He would not let them slander his name—slander her name and take the last shred of humanity he had. They wanted him branded as a rabid dog only fit to be put down. They would get their just desserts.
His eyes flash crimson with such ferocity that everyone took more notice of that than the tension of the handcuffs chain as he tugged against them once with all of his strength. However, despite his physical show of answer he spoke softly, the anger bubbling just a hairs length below the surface. "How dare you..."
"What's that Uchiha-san? Would you like me to read the charges again?" Sasukes heart pounded loudly in his ears like the war drums of old, demanding blood of the offenders. "Which did you miss? Was it the sexual assault of a peace officer, or was it the rape of a peace officer?"
"You have heard your crimes, Uchiha Sasuke. How do you plead?" toned Conquest, his billowy robe flowing as he leaned forward in anticipation. The silence was so thick you could simultaneously hear Tsunades hairs falling from their follicles and sweat seeping through her pores.
"Not guilty..." Sasuke's unruly mane obscured much of his face as he hung his head low and clenched his fists tight. He was too consumed by the thought of having Sakura paraded about like some sort of cheap prop to think straight. His rage was untethered and knew no bounds. All he knew was blood and fire. And so he would give them just that.
"Sasuke-" gasped the blonde, her eyes wide with shock, that sickening churning sensation manifesting in her stomach at the feral sight of her charges face when he finally addressed the room again.
"I'll see you all burn for this..." the dark, scathing baritone he unleashed wasn't describable by even the most adept courtroom stenographer. It bit into the hearts of all the spectators, its ominous aura threatening to shatter the camera lens on the spot.
"Sasuke stop-!" plead Tsunade taking two steps forward before being restrained by the heavily armed guards. The chaos only intensified as the room filed with the sound steel handcuffs scraping against the steel, the cocking of the guards automatic rifles, and the frantic mechanical clicking of the stenotype.
"You'll regret this! You hear me!?" at this, the Four Horsemen all rose. Naturally, none of them were fazed. It was War and Conquest who stepped forward, as the most vocal and vindictive of his executioners it was no surprise. Nor were the last words Conquest offered, they promised all of the pain, anguish, and suffering an officer of the court could use to intimidate the man who's case was one in a billion.
"No, Uchiha Sasuke. It is you who will regret this. There will be no bail. There will be no lengthy jury selection or deliberations. There will be no plea bargains, and there will be no mistrial. There will only be cold hard concrete evidence of your deplorable misdeeds...and you will be prosecuted, and punished to the full extent of the law in light of such. We are adjourned, Uchiha. We shall see you in court."
And just like that, Uchiha Sasuke had signed his own death sentence. Though, he would not know it until the first gavel was banged in court. And in that very courtroom was where he learned the truth.
It had all been a lie.
They never intended to charge him with any sexually charged crimes against Sakura. And they never did. They only wanted to humiliate him in court. And humiliate him they did. Every bit of evidence against him was on display. Every video, every witness, every photo of corpses and crime scenes for all to see. They couldn't do that if he plead guilty. And he played right into their hands.
"You...you stupid—stupid son of a bitch! I—I told you, 'Guilty'! What in the fuck were you thinking!?"
Sasuke could still hear Tsunades endless berating of his decision. She called him every obscenity under the sun whenever they met, prior to the trial and afterwards, but in the end she always returned to the simplest question.
"Why?"
"Sakura." her name had become a mantra, his only solace in the lonely days before him.
He martyred himself for her name. He refused to allow her years of sacrifice in the name of the law to be reduced to a sound bite. "The agent Uchiha Sasuke kidnapped and raped". There would be no mention of her service or all of the medals and honors she earned. His name would be a stain on her own, the likes of which would never wash away.
The court case, if you could even call it that, lasted three months and only because of the staggering amount of evidence. Sasuke contested none of it, not even Orochimaru's illicit business dealings that he had little role in. What use would getting something like that dropped to an accessory charge when there were ten more equally illicit acts on the table? And he accepted it all once they dropped the charges involving Sakura.
"Sakura."
For a time he had been assigned to a cell in general population. A final insult to his ego, or at least so the judges assumed. He was heckled day and night by the other inmates, most from Yakuza clans that were former rivals of Orochimarus. Finally they would get their stab at the great Uchiha Sasuke who'd finally been laid low. A small cadre of five or so inmates attempted to administer some "street justice", but they failed just like the rest. If Akatsuki couldn't do it, a few thugs wouldn't. Though, that confrontation, and the many that ensued, all ended the same, with the guards beating him bloody before throwing him back in his cell.
Now he sat in his new home. A sunless cell on death row, awaiting the punishment the Horsemen had promised. He was to be hanged by the neck until deceased. Sasuke would never know when until the time finally came, but he knew it would be the end he resigned himself to. He didn't even know how long he had been locked away. Days, weeks, months passed without him even knowing. His only human contact coming sporadically, between the twice weekly exercise, the arm that shoved a food tray into his room daily, the occasional trip to the infirmary for his medication, and his last meeting with Tsunade—his self-appointed appeals counselor. Their last meeting, whenever it was, hadn't been the most amicable. The same banter as always.
"How have you been?"
"Hn."
"Are you eating?"
"Hn."
"Goddamnit Sasuke! Don't do this I'm all you have left!"her words were harsh, harsh enough to make the stone faced Uchiha cringe slightly.
"...No, you're not. Sakura...?" her name was the only thing he ever wanted to talk about, not even his appeals seemed to interest him.
"She's...she's fine. She's taken a leave of absence since the trial. It's been hard on everyone...especially her." her response hadn't changed since the last time she visited when he was still in general population, nor had the way she shied from revealing any more details, or meeting his gaze for that matter.
"Why hasn't she come?" he asked, his shackles rattling as he shifted in his seat, his eyes hard on her own.
"Sasuke...you know she can't—!"
"Why hasn't she come, Tsunade?" he repeated, voice rising suddenly. Almost immediately causing the presiding guards to respond with force. They held him in his seat, only causing him to actually lash out in retaliation. He struck one square in the nose with his elbow before getting taken to the floor by a baton blows to the torso and head.
"Stop! Don't hurt him!" pled the blonde, rising to her own feet in response. Though, before she could make a move towards him, she was being ushered out the room, just as the cold concrete floors began soaking up the Uchiha's crimson blood.
The stitches he received as a result of that had only just begun to heal and over, but only barely. Every so often the guards would be sure to open them back up. As a reminder, of course. The only thing he could do in between the beatings and his meals was meditate. It helped stave off the ammonia level induced hallucinations, and the encroaching insanity that would surely be next. So there he sat, in his dark cell, on his knees, doing the only thing he could to stay sane.
He thought about Taka. Thought about how they fared in these tumultuous times, and all they had done for him. Jugo most of all came to mind. Sasuke often found the quiet giant meditating just as he was now, when there was no work or planning to be done aboard Taka's flagship or around one of their safehouses. The Uchiha recalled questioning how he staved off his violent split personality, especially in the heat of battle.
"I think of the things I cherish the most, and how I might lose them if I lose myself."
Freedom. That was what he had cherished the most. Unfortunately, Sasuke had taken such a thing for granted. Then again, there was something more important to him than the unlikely prospect of freedom. She was what kept him sane, kept him from losing himself. Her smile—the way her cheeks would flush prettily and and fill with joy, just like her emerald eyes. If only for a moment, he could see it clear as day, and it brought him peace in the darkness.
But the vision was as fleeting as the comfort it brought. The rusted slot of his prison door slid open and the telltale sound of metal on metal assure him what time it was. Dinner. Or was it lunch perhaps?
"Punishing yourself, Uchiha? Maybe you should've thrown yourself at the courts mercy like this. Might have eeked out a life sentence." taunted the guard, as they were want to do. Though, this one seemed more chatty than most. But Sasuke stayed silent, despite the anger that lay dormant beneath the surface.
"Not in the mood for chit-chat huh? Figures, you never were. A man of action." the familiarity of the comment finally drew Sasuke's attention. He rose and approached the door, albeit warily. Who's to say this wasn't just a trick to lure him to his next beating? Rather than wait for an answer, he hastily grabbed the tray of rations. He bent at the waist slightly to get a glimpse of the chatty guard, but couldn't make anything out, given how sensitive his eyes had become to light. He was a man of about similar height, judging from the height of the slot and its relation to his waistline. The voice though, it was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
"Do I know you?" croaked the raven haired man.
"I suppose not. Just another guard as far as you're concerned. But hey, not much of a difference between a guard and an inmate now is there, Uchiha?" the riddle perplexed Sasuke and only rose more questions. "No matter, eat up. you'll need your strength."
And just like that the steel trap shut, and he was alone again.
Psychological torture. That must be what it was. As if indefinite solitary confinement wasn't enough. Sasuke turned his attention towards his food, preferring a cold meal rather than unsettling thoughts. He picked around the tasteless grains, focusing more on the charred fish. He tore into the tiny bit of protein more enthusiastically, until he bit into something odd. He pulled a thin strip of paper from his mouth, not unlike a fortune found in a novelty cookie, though this fortune only had a number.
104.
"One hundred four..." the words fell from his lips effortlessly, it only took a few moments to comprehend their meaning. That meaning sent the remains of his food across the cell and against the wall and Sasuke back into his previous position.
It had been one hundred four days since he last breathed fresh air unsupervised. One hundred four days since he had seen someone who wasn't a guard, or another inmate, or a nurse, or Tsunade. It had been one hundred four days since his life was his own.
And as suffocating as the thought was, it gave him some semblance of hope. What was another one hundred four days? Another two hundred? Three hundred? They had already tried to break him and failed. He would thank that guard should he ever see him again.
And see him again he did. And again. And again.
Once during his mandatory exercise, Sasuke had heard the voice briefly in passing, barking orders at another inmate. It wasn't until the third time that he finally pinned a face to the enigmatic voice. He was had just been dragged away from another meeting with Tsunade. She informed him that their latest appeal had once again been rejected. Nothing surprising there, not even the rough way he was manhandled once the guards decided his time was up. They made a point to brutalize him in the hallway away from Tsunades eyes.
Hunched over on his hands and knees, Sasuke took baton blows to his back and ribs from the two aggressive guards. Eventually they would tire themselves out like always. This time however, it wasn't fatigue that stopped them. It was the voice.
"Leave him be! Or I'll clap you two in irons and lock you in a cell beside him. See who makes it out alive." the voice boomed with authority and each syllable was a promise, not just a threat. Though this was never the cadence he used, around the Uchiha. The few times they'd exchanged words he had been more flippant, almost jocular, friendly even.
"B-but sir, the Uchiha—!"
"His punishment isn't for you to decide. The nation has already done so. Now back to your posts, the both of you." with that his subordinates scurried off after bowing as lowly as they could. Sasuke struggled to one knee, considering his handcuffs, before his savior hoisted him up to his feet and dusted him off. "Good to know you can still take a beating."
Sasuke lifted his head and peered through his lengthy dark hair to finally have a look at his guardian angel. A middle aged man with short spiky crop of dark hair. His eyes obscured by dark aviators, odd choice being indoors and all, and his skin was scarred as if badly burned and fixed through countless skin grafts. "Who are you?"
"Just a corrections officer doing his duty." he answered plainly, sternly leading Sasuke forward and back towards his cell block, "Never had an inmate care about my name much."
"Never had a guard save me from a beating either. A day of firsts." Sasuke's dry humor was enough to draw a small chuckle from his escort.
"Well, I couldn't let them get too carried away. If I had let them keep it up, that woman of yours might not remember your face when you get out. What was it again? Haruno? Sakura?"
That comment stopped Sasuke in his tracks, for multiple reasons. The shock was evident on his face, but it didn't faze the officer. He just smiled wryly and continued pushing the Uchiha forward. "Don't be so surprised. In our line of work rumors always have some ounce of truth to them."
Now the gears were turning.
"And yes, I do think you'll make it out of here alive. But only if you do exactly as I say." the officers voice had now turned low and foreboding, barely above a whisper. When Sasuke pulled away instinctively, he was slammed against a solid cell door. With his hands bound he could do little in terms of struggling.
"Akatsuki..."
"Yes...well, not quite. I walk a higher path. We walk a higher path, Sasuke." the jailors cryptic words would normally not soothe Sasuke's suspicions, but the prospect of getting out...the prospect of seeing Sakura again—he would do anything for that.
His feeble struggles ceased, and his unlikely ally slackened his hold on him. They continued the rest of the way to his cell in silence, but when they finally reached it the Uchiha had to know the cost of his desires, "What must I do?"
"Nothing." responded the guard, nonchalantly uncuffing Sasuke. Even he knew this wasn't proper procedure, especially dealing with a man as dangerous as Uchiha Sasuke. The scarred man opened the cell and ushered him inside, "In the meantime, just wait. When the time comes, I know you'll do what is necessary."
He prepared to close the door and leave the bewildered Sasuke in the dark with his thoughts. When the thick door closed and gave its heavy audible lock Sasuke wasn't sure about how good his supposed friends word was, until he slide the service hatch open, "If nothing else, do it for her."
His words were punctuated by the subtle sound of shuffling before he slid something inside the hatch and shut it. The dark haired man eyed the rectangular piece of paper warily in the solitude of his cell. Had it not been for his optical prowess he couldn't possible have made out the numbers scrawled on the back of it, one hundred twenty-four. Nor would he had been able to gaze breathlessly are the photo on the other side.
"Sakura..."
She was just as beautiful as he remembered. It was a candid photo taken secretly as as she strolled down some metropolitan street. Her coral hair as dazzling and lustrous as ever, her porcelain skin no longer bore the small unsightly wound Tayuya had given her so long ago. But, what caught his eye was the loose fitting cream colored sweater she wore, and what she hid beneath it. Sasuke's detail oriented eyes landed on the otherwise unnoticeable curvature just below the billowy garment. She was pregnant.
So he waited. And waited. And waited. There wasn't much else he could do. He became consumed with the prospect of escape, of freedom. So consumed he rarely ventured outside his sunless cell without his keepsake. After all, the guards rarely searched him. What could a man with nothing and no one possibly have to hold dear?
"Nothing." he responded flatly. Staring just as impassively as his words conveyed at his "counselor" across from him in their private visitation room.
"N-nothing? What do you mean nothing?" Tsunade responded softly, once again the bearer of bad news. "Sasuke...they've denied the appeal again."
"I don't want anything."
"Godamnit Uchiha just listen for once, please", she all but begged through grit teeth. She looked worn down—beaten almost. He never asked her to fight for him, but she insisted despite the conflicts it was surely causing outside of the prison. "I don't...I can't see us having another conversation like this in three months."
She never did this. She was sugar coating something he had already know for some time. He was going to die within these walls.
"When do you think it will be?" Sasuke asked , crossing his shackled arms and leaning back in his seat nonchalantly.
Tsunade couldn't believe her ears. Hell, she couldn't believe what she was seeing! He was as calm and cool as ever, even more so than he ever was in recent history. Her trembling hand reached for her scalp, she'd grown so accustomed to ripping out her own hair to cope with Sasuke and his situation, but she stopped herself. "There's no way to know...it could be any time. We can't—"
"Does Sakura know?"
"No. Just me, for now." she responded easily. Tsunade knew that when Sakura was the subject of discussion, Sasuke was more open, more vulnerable. It was somewhat underhanded, but this wasn't how anyone reacted to being told they were to be executed soon. Not even Uchiha Sasuke. Not unless he was up to something, "If...or when the day comes, I want to be the one to tell her. I want her to hear it from me."
"Hear what? That I died with a noose around my neck—face purple, and eyes bloodshot? That my body was burned and scattered to the ends of the earth, having no kin, for the world to forget?" Despite the harshness of his words and the reality he saw in the near future, he was completely calm.
"To hear your last words."
"Like I said, I want nothing. I have nothing—"
"To hear that you love her."
The room fell silent, the words hanging in the air as the two stared each other down. Tsunade could see the hardened facade that solitude and a life as a vigilante created slowly crack. She stretched her hand out in support, only to have the Uchiha violently grab her wrists and pull her as far as he could with his restraints. Within seconds she was eye to eye with Sasuke, iris' ablaze.
"I will tell her myself."
That was the last meeting they had. The prison declared him too dangerous for visitation of any sort after that. Hell, he wast even allowed visits to the infirmity for his medication after his outburst. Not that any of it mattered. He meant every word he said. He would tell tell Sakura he loved her in this world, or the next. He would find her, just as he had hope, in the darkness of this cell. He would find his family. Even if he had to tear the world asunder to do so.
That determination is what kept Sasuke going day after day. Beating after beating. Unsatisfying meal after unsatisfying meal. Freedom. Love. Revenge.
"Oi, Uchiha!" shouted a gruff voice through the rolled steel door of his cell., "It's time for your medicine."
"You mean my poison?" questioned the raven haired man dryly. Often that is what the attending officer called it in an effort to frighten him. It never worked. No man would be proud to boast he killed the infamous Uchiha Sasuke by poisoning him in a jail cell.
"Against the wall. Hands behind your back." ordered the guard, unamused as most had been with his defiance. This was new. Typically they didn't care whether he took his meds or not, new guard perhaps. Regardless, he followed the order. The squeak of the cart filled the small cell briefly, followed by the thick slam of his cell door before he was met with silence and the cold steel of handcuffs.
"Turn around."
"You take your job seriously. Is it because you fear me?" asked Sasuke, peering back at his attendant behind the long curtain of hair he'd grown during his incarceration. He couldn't make out who it was, no matter how hard he tried focusing on the obscured face.
"I would not be doing this if I feared you Sasuke. I'm doing this because we have work to do."
The familiarity of which the guard addressed him caught him by surprised and prompted him to spin around as quickly as he could. Once Sasuke was face to face with his visitor, he was promptly pressed flush against the concrete wall of the cell. "I knew you were never my ally." spat Sasuke, crimson trickling into his iris' in a last show of defiance.
"Do not be so sure. I am better than any ally." responded the officer as he covered the Uchiha's mouth with his hand, forcing pills into his mouth. Sasuke refused to swallow for as long as he could with his assailant obstructing his breathing. This was it then. Done in by a vigilante corrections officer. Go figure. Consciousness began to slip from from his grasp and his struggles became feeble at best, but not before he saw his captors cold stare bleeding the same shade as his own. "I'm family."
A heavy gust of wind whipped through the air, noisily flailing the tails of our thick black coats in the silence of the cemetery. It kicked up a mist of fresh snow as it fell around us as I gazed at the cold stones, knelt between two frostbitten graves. Husband. Father. Civil servant until the end. Uchiha Fugaku. Read one, its companion taking a similar somber tone, Wife. Mother. A cherished, kind and gentle soul. Forever missed. Uchiha Mikoto.
"We have to go."
"Soon." I responded, exhaling a thick plume of smoke into the cold winters air. My hands swept gingerly across the headstones, before rising to my feet. Murderers received no headstones. No kind words. No remembrance. Not for me. Not for my brother.
"Tsk. We don't have anymore time for this, 'sentimentality'" protested my companion; or handler as he preferred, adjusting his thick coat to the harsh cold.
"Fuck this cocksucker." sneered the brash redhead at my side, blowing her smoke in to my companions face, to no effect.
"Hm. Agreed." chimed the next specter.
"When do you think we can kill him?"
"Hopefully soon."
"Duty come's first huh, Sasuke?"
"Duty first." I echoed hollowly, stamping out my cigarette. To an extent, they were no realer than I. Ghosts forgotten for all but their wicked deeds, and only remembered for all else by the wicked. At best they were an ammonia induced hallucination caused by my damaged liver. Tayuya, Jirobo, Sakon, Ukon, Kidoumaru. I however, was just dead, as far as the public believed. Tobi had saw to that, under the orders of Akatsuki's higher ups no doubt.
"I've told you before. We walk a higher path. Our duty is different.
"You're wrong, Tobi. Our duty is always to the dead. For the dead are forever with us."
With that we retreated from the grave site. I was a dead man risen for a new purpose. But I was still my own man. I was still Uchiha Sasuke.
With that I give you the end of Adagio for Love. A somber conclusion(?) But it is the one I've envisioned for some time. I can honestly say that I do not know when I will return. But return I will. Be it for this story's continuation or some other endeavor. I've had several chapter drafted out for a new story sitting on my hard drive for some time. My first foray into Sasu/Hina. If I ever get around to regularly writing that is. But as Jeff Goldblum once said, "Life, uh...finds a way."
I would like to thank each and everyone of you who have read and stuck with the story from its rocky beginnings, to its tumultuous middle and stunning, long overdo I did this for anyone, I did it for all of you. Thank you.
Until next time! Sayonara!