Chapter One: A First and Last

Ancient Greece:

Sasuke crouched on the roof of the small shrine that sat atop the small mountain rise. As the sun slowly peaked out over the horizon, he looked down on the city that sat at the base of the mountain. He knew he should return beneath the surface, but he dreaded his return home. He did not want to face his ever displeased father, he did not want to lurk in the dark. He hated the dark, but it suited him so well.

"Hey bastard,where are you!" came the familiar, loud yell of a certain blonde haired and blue eyed man.

Sasuke cringed at the shrill voice that entered into his ears.

"Shut up Naruto," the dark haired boy replied in an annoyed tone. "I am right here."

Naruto turned around at the sound of the cool, monotone of his friend. He caught sight of the dark haired figure perched above him.

"Oh," Naruto turned slightly red and rubbed the back of his head, causing his already spiky hair to stick up more. "Sorry about that Sasuke," he laughed nervously. "Thought you were not coming."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and stepped off from the roof. He fell quickly but at the last moment, his wide, bat-like wings stretched out and he landed softly on the ground. As soon as his feet touched, his wings tucked back into his body. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he began to walk down the dirt path.

"Whatever, I was bored and had nothing else to do," he muttered nonchalantly without waiting for his companion.

"Hey!" Naruto protested as he ran to catch up to the stoic boy. "You know, I have more important things to do than be here. Believe it! I only came here because I feel sorry for you!"

Sasuke gave a monosyllable 'hn' as a reply which seemed to only fuel the louder boy's need to defend himself.

"Besides," he went on, "you could do with some sunlight, your skin is nearly translucent. Honestly I don't understand how you survive down there!"

At his words, Sasuke stopped and angled his head to glare at Naruto from the corner of his eye. Suddenly he was flying through the air. Fast and deadly like an arrow, he rammed into the blonde. With a flash of light, two white wings burst from Naruto's back as his attacker tossed him through the air. His wide feathered wings slowed him to a stop as he hovered above Sasuke who stood firmly on the ground. With his wings poised and his stance ready for action, Sasuke smirked up at him. Naruto mirrored the demons enjoyment of the battle heavy air.

This was what their rivaled friendship was born from. Sparing and critical words. They had bruised and broken each other but never had their blows been ill intended. Perhaps some were a little more heated than others, but never lethal. For a long moment they stayed in their spots, sizing each other up as they eyed each other. There was the sound of the occasional flap of Naruto's wings as he bobbed up and down in the air, everything else seemed to be silenced in dramatic suspense. Then, with one powerful beat of his wings, Naruto was sailing back towards the dark demon below him.

They collided and in a flurry of feathers and talloned wings. Together, they hit the ground heavily and immediately began to wrestle around in the dirt. A dusty cloud of dirt rose up and surrounded them as they rustled around on the path, the sound of gravel, grunts, and fists consuming them. Naruto bit down on Sasuke's forearm who let out a feral snarl at the angels cheap method. In retaliation, Sasuke pushed his hand into Naruto's face and shoved his head to the side. The scramble continued until the sudden smash of pottery echoed around them and they each froze.

Naruto was currently wrapped around Sasuke in a choke hold while Sasuke's hands pulled at Naruto's arm. The moment they froze, they each looked towards the source of sound. Blue and onyx orbs gazed up the path in stunned silence as they met a pair of jade green staring back at them in shock.

She was a mortal. Easily identified by the lack of a chakra signature. At her sandaled feet lay a broken clay jar and a pool of water that was quickly seeping into the ground that had once been contained within the vessel. She wore a simple cream dress that fell down to her knees while her wrists and neck remained bare of any jewelry. While both boys had already exceeded a century in years, according to mortal standards they looked to be only eighteen years of age. The girl seemed to be close in age, perhaps a few years younger as she seemed to not have yet reached full womanhood. A small braid crowned her head as the rest of her hair was pinned up into a loose bun. A green ribbon that matched her eyes, crisscrossed and held any pieces that threatened to fall out of place. Everything about her apparel and style confirmed that she belonged to the Greek culture of the mortal world, yet she herself did not look as if she belonged. It was her hair, more specifically, the color.

As Sasuke took in the pale pink strands that hung around her face, he was reminded of the small blossoms of the cherry trees he had seen in a land to the far east. Combined with the vivid green of her eyes, she took on the personification of spring. She looked like an ethereal being, destined to live in an epic life that was far beyond the imaginations of the mortals. But here she was, mortal, and ordinary. Doomed to a dull life among those who were born to die. In a way it possessed the poetic tragedy of plays. Like the ones mortals performed on the stages of the amphitheaters. The ones he watched from the shadows on nights he could not dedicate himself to corruption.

Her eyes moved back and forth between the two young men tangled on the ground as her chest moved heavily up and down. Her viridescent stare took in their faces and then, very slowly, they moved on to take in each of their wings. A look of awe replaced the shock in her eyes and it was then that both Naruto and Sasuke realized their situation.

Quickly Sasuke chanced a glance behind him to find Naruto looking back at him, they exchanged a silent panic for a moment and then they were moving. Sasuke ripped Naruto's arms from around his neck and pushed away from him. They each scrambled with a wild flap of wings and arms to get to their feet. Both ruffled their wings before quickly drawing them in until they had receded beneath their skin, leaving only the black markings that outlined the shape of what was once there. Brushing away any remaining dirt that clung to his clothing, Sasuke looked to Naruto who was still covered in a layer of dirt.

"Dobe," Sasuke hissed. "Why did you not search the area before coming?"

Naruto looked beriffed at Sasuke's accusation. "You bastard! How was I supposed to know! You're the one who has been out all night! I just barely arrived. If anyone should have been aware of someone being up here it should have been you!" he finished, moving a pointed finger to poke Sasuke with a swift jab in the shoulder.

Sasuke reflexively slapped Naruto's hand away before the blonde could touch him and growled. "You should have been searching the area when you flew down here, dead last! "

"Don't call me一" Naruto's loud voice was cut off when the soft whisper of a question sounded in their ears.

"What are you?"

Sakura had not even realized the words had slipped from her mouth until the attention of both men moved to her. They seemed so normal now as they stood before her, that Sakura almost believed her eyes had played a trick on her. But she had seen it, she had seen them. Just a moment ago, there had been wings on both of their backs. She had seen the ruffle of feathers on the blondes back and felt the gust of wind when he had ruffled the dirt from his wings. And the pale dark haired one, she had seen the veins that ran through the membranous wings when the sunlight shone through them.

There was also the feeling inside of her bones. Like a primitive instinct that screamed to her that these two were no ordinary pair. They were not citizens of the island making their way up to the temple at the top of the mountain.

At that thought, Sakura's eyes widened and she quickly twisted her head to look up to the building that stood high above the land around them. Suddenly, a horrifying realization hit her. These men were not ordinary humans, in fact, they were not human at all. They were deities.

Her head twisted back to look at the pair in front of her and she quickly observed the blonde one. His skin was well tanned giving it a bronzed complexion that made his blond hair seem even brighter. Contrasting brilliantly with his blonde hair and sun kissed skin, his bright blue eyes took on the hue of a cloudless sky on the sunniest of days. In fact, everything about the man seemed to be the personification of the sun that was now currently shining down upon them. Sakura's mind stalled. The sun. Deity. This man was Apollo.

Once her mind fractionally processed this information, her eyes slowly moved over to the dark haired man. If the one on the left was the personification of light and sunshine, this one was the opposite. His hair was ebony and his eyes matched the dark hue of his unruly spikey locks. Contrasting with the darkness of his eyes and hair, his skin was unusually pale. As if he spent his entire life in a dark cave far beneath the earth and today was the first time he had ventured out in a hundred years. High cheekbones and thin lips gave him a stoic and unapproachable look. Like the other one, he was handsome, but not in the same way. Unlike his sunny companion, he emitted an aura that made one feel uneasy if they gazed upon him for too long. There was an almost visible darkness that surrounded him, warning Sakura that this man was dangerous.

Every instinct told her to run, to flee from his presence but she already knew without trying that it would be a futile attempt. Her eyes moved up his defined jaw and aristocratic nose until she met his eyes. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked into the dark pools within and then the identity of the man hit her. She swallowed the thick lump that formed in her throat. Any emotion she had felt before was lost to her as she was consumed with overwhelming terror. Hades, the god of death. There was no other deity that could hold such coldness in his eyes.

Her mind lost any further thought. Not minding the mud that her knees sank into or the gravel that dug into her hands, she fell to her hands and knees with her head bowed deeply. "My lord Hades, my lord Apollo," she quickly sputtered. "I apologize for not recognizing you before, I meant no disrespect. Please do not bring death to my home. Please continue to bless these lands with day and the life giving sun that you give us. Please…"

The woman continued to sputter out nonsense as she refused to lift her head, sending her pleading words towards the ground in which she was kneeling in. Naruto could not make sense of anything she was saying. Her words were linked too quickly together with hardly a breath between. For one who was proficient in the art of blabbering on endlessly, the only thing that Naruto could conclude was that the girl was groveling. What about, he was at a loss. So he looked to Sasuke who was staring at the girl with an incredulous look on his lips.

"What is she talking about?" Naruto asked. "I did not know they were a monarchy in these parts. Since when did they elect a king?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Idiot, she thinks we are gods."

Naruto folded his arms and glared at him. "Don't call me that!" he shouted loudly causing Sasuke to flinch in pain by the invasion of volume into his ear. "Besides, how do you know that?"

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to drown out the loudmouth's antics as well as ignore the steady stream of apologetic words that were escaping the woman's mouth. His earlier thought of her being deserving of something better was easily erased by the display of weakness she was currently exhibiting. It was pathetic. It was such a mortal thing to do. To cower before anything that was superior to them.

"Dobe, Hades is the deity of death for these people and Apollo is their sun god." He dropped his hand and opened his eyes to look at him. "Don't they teach you anything up in those clouds of yours or is there just too much air up there that its filled your head as well?"

Naruto let out a low growl but ignored his rivals words of insult. "Well if you're so smart then, what do we do with her? She is hysterical!"

Sasuke shrugged as he crossed his hands across his chest. "Not my problem, she will get over it eventually."

"And what if she doesn't!" Naruto shot back to which Sasuke only gave another unconcerned shrug.

Naruto narrowed his eyes but knew it was fruitless. He wondered if there would ever be anything in this world that would soften the cold heart within his chest. He waved off the dark haired demon as he grumbled under his breath and walked towards the cowering girl.

Slowly, he lowered himself down to crouch to her level and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Her entire body was shaking but the moment he touched her, she stiffened as her words that had flowed freely from her lips instantly ceased. Her head snapped up and Naruto was taken aback by the vivid green orbs that looked up at him. Startled by his close proximity, she jerked away from his touch. Falling back she retreated away with her arms supporting herself from behind. Her sandals scuffled against the ground as she pushed herself away from him.

"Hey, hey," Naruto quickly cooed in a calming tone, as if she were some sort of woodland creature he was attempting to coax out of hiding. "We're not gods, don't worry. We won't hurt you."

Her eyes scanned his, then flickered behind his shoulder to sneak a peek at Sasuke before returning to him. She angled her head to the side, looking at him sidelong with skeptic disbelief. "If you're not gods," she began suspiciously, "Then what are you?"

"Ummm…"

Naruto hesitated. There was no law or commandment that forbid them from revealing their kind to humans. Mortals have always had knowledge of their kind, but like their gods, they were usually perceived as myths and legends. Believed in, but not seen. Seraphim never outwardly exploited themselves. It was taboo and believed that it would bring upon bad things.

"We're just travelers," Naruto began, his eyes looking around frantically for inspiration. His bright blue eyes landed on the temple high above them and he peeked up. "Come to pay patronage just like you!" He finished excitedly as he pointed up the steep slope.

The girl did not even look in the direction of his gesture. "I saw your wings," she deadpanned.

Sasuke nearly let out a snort of amusement at the girl's words. She may have had no dignity but at least she was not gullible. Naruto's hand dropped down from pointing and moved to the back of his head. He let out a nervous laugh, with his eyes closed, he rubbed the back of his head.

"Uh, you're smarter than most mortals," he opened his eyes in time to see her give him an offended look at his compliment. "Well you see, we are seraphim."

She looked at him blankly as if the word meant nothing to her.

"I do not understand," she stated slowly.

"Naruto." Sasuke warned from behind him, but Naruto waved him off as he watched the girls eyes flicker to the dark haired boy.

"Um…you know, the fallen and the blessed," he continued, causing the girl to look back to him. But again there was no registry in her face at the words. "We collect the souls of mortal beings."

At that he finally got a reaction, but it was not one he was hoping for. She instantly tightened up again. "Hermes?" She breathed tentatively at him then glanced at Sasuke. "I thought Charon couldn't leave the River Styx?"

Naruto frowned at the names, again. They were unfamiliar to him, but before he could manage to even ask Sasuke or clarify with her, she was weeping large droplets of tears.

"Ppp...please...I am not ready!" She stuttered out in panicked sobs. "I am not ready to die!"

Naruto moved to grab her shoulders and comfort her but the moment his hands touched her she let out a scream and crawled from his grasp again.

"We're not here to kill you!" Naruto shouted in panic. "We're not…" he struggled to remember the names she had uttered. "We aren't who you think we are. Remember we are not gods or deities, we're.." his mind scrambled to think of one of the more recent names he had heard mortals refer to them as, "angels!" he yelled out.

At that word the girl began to calm down as she looked at him with watery eyes. She let out a couple of hiccuped sobs as she collected herself and managed to repeat the word.

"Angels?" She asked. Naruto nodded and she glanced at Sasuke. "Both of you?"

"Well um...sure!" Naruto supplied, thinking it best not to differentiate between the two. He had a feeling the word demon would not be received as well as the word angel.

Technically speaking, they were the same species. So he figured the white lie would be harmless. Perhaps if Sasuke were any other demon he would make sure she knew to stay away. But he knew Sasuke was different. He did not enjoy what his kind did. He corrupted those who would most likely corrupt themselves. He just helped them along. But the good natured and innocent, he left alone.

The girl's eyes moved back to Naruto. "So you know what an angel is?" Naruto asked. "You understand we won't hurt you?"

Slowly she nodded her head, her eyes slightly vacant as she seemed preoccupied with processing the information. Naruto smiled softly and cautiously stood up to walk towards Sasuke. The girl did not move a muscle as she continued to sit on the ground and stared forward at the muddy spot her broken pitcher had created.

"What do we do with her?" Naruto asked the dark haired demon. "She isn't supposed to know about us."

Sasuke's eyes flickered from the girl on the ground to Naruto and narrowed. "What do you mean we? You told her, not me. Clean up your own mess."

He turned and began to walk away but stopped when Naruto began yelling. "Oi, bastard! I am not the only one who had my wings out! She saw them before I told her!"

Sasuke stopped, his hands clenched at his sides as he spun around to glare at Naruto. "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Uh…" Naruto stalled as he looked back and forth between his rival friend and the girl. "Can't you just do your little eye thingy and make her forget?"

"My eye thingy?" Sasuke sneered incredulously. "You're such an idiot."

"You know what I mean!" Naruto defended. "Isn't that one of the so called powers your family is proud of? Can't you just hypnotize her to forget or something?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blondes antics. He could not help but be further annoyed at the fact that Naruto was right. Letting out an annoyed sigh he stepped closer to the girl. He grabbed onto her arms and pulled her to her feet. A small gasp sounded from her lips as she took in a quick breath of air. She stiffened at his touch and he unconsciously tried to let his fingers loosen their hold on her shoulder.

Black orbs bled to red as he looked down at her. She froze, even her chest stopped moving for a long moment as she ceased to breathe. It was his bloodline gift, the Sharingan that he looked down at her with. With his sight enhanced he took in the young woman's face. He had done this hundreds of times over the years. Forced people to do unspeakable things with barely a thought. But as she looked back up at him, with those jade eyes that shimmered in the sunlight from her earlier tears, something inside resisted. He was not sure why, but he was suddenly overwhelmed with a desire he had never felt before. A desire to be remembered. For some strange reason, he did not want this young woman to forget him.

Sasuke frowned at the thought and narrowed his eyes down at her, annoyed with his hesitation. His glare caused her to break from her frozen state and she moved to take a step back but his grip tightened on her shoulder. He saw panic flash across her face and perhaps even fear. He did not like that look, the emotions did not suit her. He felt her eyes attempt to look away from his but he knew it would be impossible, once gazing upon the Sharingan, one could not look away unless the wielder willed it. A slight smirk curled at the corner of his mouth as he felt her fighting the draw his eyes had on her. But the smirk was short lived when the woman did the unthinkable. She blinked, and then she looked away, past his shoulder to Naruto.

"Please don't hurt me," she said with a slight tremble in her voice. "I will do anything, I won't tell a soul, I will go to the temple every day and give patron to each of you. I swear, myself and my entire family will…"

"What is your name?" came the monotone voice of Sasuke.

She did not answer immediately, either too scared or too thrown off by the question. So he repeated his question, this time trying to sound a little more gentle.

"What shall I call you?"

"S...Sakura," she stuttered out, her eyes hesitantly flickering to his face, carefully avoiding his eyes.

Sasuke stared down at the woman. Sakura, his mind tried out, not daring to let his tongue taste the name. It suited her, though it did not suit this region. His mind wondered how her family had come by such a name. Perhaps she came from a family of merchants that traveled or her ancestors came from different lands. These Greeks had already conquered many lands, perhaps she came from one they had taken under their control. Either possibility would not surprise him, but what did surprise him was that he was curious. Curious about this girl. This girl who was nothing but a mortal, whose life time would pass in a blink of an eye compared to himself.

"Hn," he let out.

Then suddenly, he let her go and turned around. Sakura stared at his retreating back in shock as Naruto continued to look between her and Sasuke with a stunned expression.

Ancient Greece Three Years Later….

"Sasuke!" came the angry growl of the blonde haired and blue eyed boy that followed in pursuit of him.

Sasuke had heard his name being shouted from the mouth of the noisy seraphim for the thousands of times over the years he had collected so far in his immortal life. But never, in those collected years had he heard so much bitter betrayal and uncontained rage echoing out with his name. It was understandable, the smoke and screams that echoed from the ancient pavilion that sat atop the mountain was a testament to that. For it was Naruto's family and friends that were screaming and dying within the temple, and it was by Sasuke's family that they were being slain. He had known, in fact he was supposed to be doing his part in the slaying, but when the time came, he could not follow through with his uncle's command. So instead, he ran away from the frey and it was because of this, he was running away from his rival, running away from his friend.

As blue lightning and yellow sunlight flashed in the darkness, each young man flew at each other with swift speed. Never had they fought with so much power, and never with intent to destroy, to kill. There was no stopping them at the velocity and ferocity in which they surged forward. There would be no backing out of this blow for either of them. And so it was for this reason that when a third color, the delicate color of cherry blossoms in full bloom came between them, that each of the bickering men's eyes widened with horror.

Sasuke barely heard her cry to cease above the chirping of his lightning just before she ran between them. Her arms were outstretched, hands facing them in halt as her pink hair whipped around in the wind caused by Naruto's Rasengan. He watched in heart wrenching slow motion as her attention moved from the blonde to whip around and gaze up at him. He was granted a whole of two heartbeats to gaze back into her emerald orbs that turned teal in the reflected light of his lightening before it all happened.

In unison, as both boys realized the impending doom that was about to happen, they each tried to direct their attack away from the frail mortal that stood between them. The relief that Sasuke felt as he watched his hand move away from her heart was short lived as it moved past her shoulder and collided with Naruto's ball of energy. The moment his electricity merged with his rotating ball, he felt his body being thrown back. Naruto flew back as well, slamming through several trees before coming to a stop. Sasuke was thrown into a wall of rock, while he instantly came to a stop. His body created a small dent with hundreds of cracks and fissures in the slab from the force.

Sasuke shook his head, his usually perfect eyesight blurry and disorienting. On weak legs he slowly stood and began to walk back. Blinking his eyes to bring clarity, he caught sight of Naruto stumbling out of the bushes. His blonde hair shone brightly in the night and his large eyes were easy to see as they reflected the moonlight. Sasuke felt a twinge of relief to see his long time rival still alive. However his heart stopped when the blonde seraph's eyes locked onto something in the space between them. Sasuke followed the direction of his attention and took in the horrifying sight of the pink haired woman lying on the ground, motionless.

Tsunade. We can take her to Tsunade, she could help her.

Those were the words Naruto had said. They had been murmured with uncertainty and desperation by Naruto, but Sasuke took it as a promise. Tsunade would help her. She would heal her. She would save her. There would be no other option.

With every powerful stroke of his wings, Sasuke carried himself higher up towards the top of the mountain. Smoke billowed up in thick black clouds, suffocating the stars as the dark shadow consumed the temple. He could barely hear her heart beats. They were so weak he wondered if they were even there. He counted the thuds coming from her chest and noticed they were spaced out more and more with time. Spurred by urgency, he quickened his climb. He could hear Naruto's own wings beating heavily behind him as well. They were more muffled because of the feathers which was a testament to how much power the angel was putting into his wings to keep up. But Naruto had always been slower than him.

He came down to the ground with a heavy landing. The ground beneath his feet forming tiny fissures in the stone pathway as he landed. His eyes automatically moved searchingly. Naruto landed not long after and placed a hand on his shoulder when he moved to take a step forward.

"Wait here," Naruto instructed. "I will go find her and bring her here."

Sasuke stiffened at his words and bared his teeth to let out a snarl but then the reality of what had just taken place came crashing down on him. The Uchiha had just attacked, their objective had been to destroy, to massacre, to annihilate. Tsunade Senju could be dead.

"What happened!?" came the harsh bark of the busty blonde as she made her way down the steps of the temple. Naruto and Kakashi followed not far behind.

Tsunade would have crushed his skull between her two powerful hands had it not been for the delicate mortal he held firmly in his arms. When he only looked at her blankly, the woman walked closer, her honey eyes watching him with every step she took towards him. When she was close enough, she slowly lowered her gaze to the pink haired woman in his arms.

"Help her." His throat had been so dry and tight that the words had come out strained and barely audible.

At his words, her honey eyes moved back up to him and took in his face. They narrowed into slits and his heart beat frantically. It felt like an eternity but it was but a few moments later when she instructed him to lay her on the ground. Sasuke followed her command with a gentle movement before taking a step back as he stared down at the woman examining the woman lying on the ground.

He heard her ask again what happened but he could not bring himself to speak a single word. So it was Naruto who began to frantically explain the events that had led to the injured woman being brought to her. Naruto's words became muffled white noise to his ears as Sasuke focused on the struggled rise and fall of Sakura's chest. He was so focused on her breathing, that it took several barks of Tsunade to get his attention.

"Uchiha!" she barked, causing his eyes to snap sharply at the woman's spiteful tone of his family name. "Within the Naka shrine on the north side of the temple, have you ever seen a cup? It would be in the shape of a chalice, it would be gold and would have the insignia of Ōtsutsuki."

Sasuke looked at her in confusion, but as his mind raced through the memories of the times he had entered the shrine, he could not recall ever seeing. He shook his head which seemed to cause an annoyance in the woman's face.

"I need you to go to the shrine, find it, and bring it here," she instructed going back to hover over the pink haired woman.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I am not leaving her," he said sternly. "Send the dobe."

Tsunade's head snapped up. "You are the only one who has access to that temple!" she snapped. "Now stop this nonsense and go! Every moment you waste she gets closer to death!"

There was no need for her to say anything else. He was already in the air and sailing swiftly to the opposite side of the temple where his family's shrine stood proudly. It was the only structure on the top of the mountain that had only acquired minimal damage.

It did not take him long to enter the lower level hidden beneath the stone slab in the entryway. Once he descended the stairs, he immediately began to scan the room. His eyes gazed around, catching sight of the old relics and dusty tomes of his ancestors. He did not let his keen eyes miss a thing, taking in every detail of each item but to his frustration, nothing looked anything like Tsunade had described. In his frustration, he grabbed ahold of a heavy trunk and threw it against the far wall, letting out a frustrated scream as it smashed against the wall. It burst into pieces and fell to the floor with a clatter of splintered wood.

He fell to his knees as heavy gasps of air sounded from his lips as he did his best to contain the choked sobs that threatened to take over. With deep calming breaths, Sasuke slowly began to calm down. As he let in the slow breaths of air, he suddenly became aware of something. The room was sealed far beneath the earth, there were no windows and the door that he had opened to enter the room had sealed itself automatically, so when he felt the faint cool draft of air, he was confused.

His eyes circled until they caught sight of the torch that was flickering in the breeze. Next to it, where the chest he had thrown had landed, was a small crack in the wall. He was to his feet and crossing the room in an instant. His hand went to the crack automatically and traced the fissure, feeling the cool breeze that escaped until he reached the middle. There his fist clenched and in in one fluid motion he brought his arm back and slammed it against stone. Several more breaks formed and he did it again. This time, as his hand slammed against the stone it broke away and his fist traveled through the wall. As small pieces of stone and dust fell from the hole as he removed his hand, Sasuke peeked in and his heart leapt. Tipped over on its side, resting behind the wall in a hidden cove was a chalice. Not just any chalice, the chalice. It was dusty and tarnished but engraved on the side of the cup, Sasuke made out the design of the ancient symbol of the Ōtsutsuki, the symbol that had once represented all seraphim before the schism of Indra and Asura.

He was racing back to the small group gathered around the limp body that lay on the ground. For a moment he thought he had taken too long but then he saw the faint rise and fall of Sakura's chest in the faint green light of Tsunade's chakra as it flowed into her.

At the sound of his racing footsteps, Tsunade looked up at him. "Fill it with water, quickly," she instructed as she pointed to the small fountain beside them.

Sasuke veered for the pooled water and filled the cup. With steady steps and minimal spillage, he raced back to Sakura's side. Tsunade took the cup from him wordlessly as she gently sat Sakura up. With a small tilt of the chalice, she pressed the cup to her lips and poured a small amount into her mouth until it began to dribble down her chin. He heard Tsunade quietly coax Sakura to swallow the mouthful and watched with relief as her throat bob up and down as Sakura began to drink. It was agonizingly slow but finally, when the chalice was empty, Tsunade set the cup down and lay Sakura back down on the ground.

He was not sure what to expect. A bright light, a gasp of breath, a chorus from the heavens. But none of those happened. In fact, everything remained unnervingly normal. Crickets chirped, a small breeze passed by and ruffled his bangs, the steady stream of the fountain continued to bubble. And Sakura remained completely still and unresponsive.

He felt sick. The sight of her pale skin and lack of movement gave the illusion that she was already passed on, so instead of focusing on what she looked like, he set his eyes on her closed lids and willed them to open. As his eyes focused on her closed lids, he focused all of his hearing on the weak faint heartbeat that sounded within her barely rising chest.

Thud.

It was slow and sluggish.

Thud.

He noticed Tsunade frowning and pressed a flicker of green light into Sakura's chest.

...Thud…

There was no heartbeat that followed.

Tsunade's green light faded and her shoulders slouched. After a long silent pause, she looked up from Sakura's body, her honey eyes free of her earlier animosity as she looked up at him with apology. Sasuke did not like this, he preferred the hatred. He wanted to see fury. He wanted to see spite. He wanted to see accusation. Anything but this sympathetic and silent pity.

"I am sorry." He saw, rather than heard her say. "She is gone."

Sasuke stared down at the still and lifeless shell that once held the most precious of souls he had ever laid eyes on. He searched for any sign or lingering source of the pure life that once flowed in her veins, but he saw nothing. There was nothing. Her soul was gone, Sakura was gone.

It started as a dull ache, like the one felt when resisting the urge to cry, but then it erupted. Pain beyond anything he had ever felt burned at his eyes. His vision became clouded with a red tinge and he snapped them shut. With shaking hands he pressed his palms against his lids in hopes to relieve the pain and felt something warm and sticky seep from between his shut lids. He opened them slowly as he pulled his hands away to see blood staining his palms.

His shoulders heaved heavily up and down as a tremor shook throughout his body. Anger, grief, hatred, they all coursed through his veins and suddenly, he was overcome with an urge he had never felt before in his life. Revenge. What he wanted revenge for he did not know. So his eyes searched for something to blame. Red irises in the shape of flowers flashed up to the group around him. Tsunade looked back at him and flinched slightly before dropping her eyes to the ground. He watched as Kakashi's single visible eye widened as he looked into his own eyes. Then he moved his gaze to Naruto. Naruto looked at him with similar, agonized pain that Sasuke was currently struggling to suppress as he let the hatred flow and wash away the pain.

"You said she would save her," he hissed at Naruto. When Naruto failed to provide any defense, his tone darkened. "You will pay for this. You will all pay for this!"