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Shadlez
Author of 5 Stories |
Author: Shadlez
Rating: T (for language)
Main Pairing: SasuNaru (in the future)
Disclaimer: Nope. Not Sha's. I thought it was obvious since this is a fanfic! Oo
Summary: (see PROLOGUE)
Random Notes: Also, there will probably be a few (more like LOTS of) chapters of just friendship stuff before I get to the shounen ai parts (provided I even get that far... ) So consider yourself warned!
- Double Scar! I bet with my life! -
Sakura’s hand faltered as she began on the second apple. She had to keep this to herself; it wouldn’t do to start crying here now, in front of that blond idiot. He was injured enough, wouldn’t do to make him worry pointlessly.
“Yes! And I’m going to try that new flavour—” Naruto stopped in the middle of his ramen dreams to stare at his team mate. “Sakura? Hey hey! What’s wrong?”
Sakura raised her head at the concern in his sunny voice. What right had she to take away his happiness again? This won’t do, this won’t do at all. Not after those three damned years of loneliness and pain, this won’t do at all. But she couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face. Ha, so much for being a strong kunoichi who doesn’t show her emotions.
“No—nothing’s wrong Naruto… Something’s in my eyes is all,” Sakura wiped at her eyes and nose, trying to stop the sobs from surfacing. “Nothing at all,”
The apple rolled from her shaking hands. Damn! She really wasn’t doing a good job.
Naruto caught the apple as Sakura’s control broke. Apple peel went flying everywhere as she threw her arms around Naruto’s neck. Three lonely years asunder, and this was the result? It seemed almost funny, if it wasn’t their story that was being told. She and Naruto nearly lost all to bring their precious person back, and being slapped in the face by this sort of ending was somewhat… hurtful. But then, the possibility had always been in the back of everyone’s minds, just that it was never ever voiced.
Naruto let her cling on to him. His summery eyes softened, as he sighed somewhat sadly.
“You know, I know this isn’t the best ending to it all, but at least he isn’t dead,” Naruto tried his best to grin reassuring. He wasn’t too happy with the result either, but at least their precious one really wasn’t dead.
“That’s the thing Naruto! The ending just might get a whole lot more bitter!” Sakura half choked out before she could stop herself. Her being went cold as she realised what she just said. This was meant to stay between her sensei and herself, and she had just foolishly half spilled out to the last person who should hear this. She could feel his body tense.
“What do you mean, ‘a whole lot more bitter’?” Naruto’s voice was hideously calm to Sakura.
“I… I can’t say… Tsunade-sama made me promise never to say a word…” Sakura tried desperately to dissuade him from asking further, whilst knowing that it was totally pointless.
“Tell me!” Naruto growled.
“Sasuke-kun… she…they want him d--” Sakura could no longer go on as tears choked her up once more. She found herself pitching towards Naruto’s pillow as the injured blonde disappeared from the room. Leaning against the warm pillow, all she could do was stare at the half peeled apple and let the bitter tears flow.
Silence greeted him as Shizune stared open mouthed at him. Tsunade merely closed her chocolate eyes with a slight frown. She should have known that Sakura couldn’t keep anything from her teammate. Their recent trials had brought them close, indeed. She couldn’t blame the girl though; it was a fairly difficult thing to accept after all.
“How much did Sakura tell you?” Tsunade’s powerful voice asked.
“She said that you wanted him dead,” well not really. But he knew with out it being said.
“You know very well that this was a possibility. From the start, you knew that someone like Sasuke couldn’t possibly be kept alive after what he did,” Tsunade’s voice was dead pan and emotionless.
It only incensed Naruto instead of calming him.
“But Orochimaru is freaking dead! So is Itachi! Who the hell can he betray us to if you all just fucking used your brains to think about it for a moment!”
“He is mentally unbalanced, who knows what he might be capable of in his state?” Tsunade did not want to do this either, but she was the Fifth Hokage, she had to put the village first in her priorities. Tsunade watched Naruto tremble with barely contained anger. She raised a mild eyebrow as he visibly calmed.
“You want a guarantee right?” He asked, icy determination in his summer blue eyes.
He grabbed a kunai from its holder and raised his left hand. With out ceremony, he stuck the blade into the back of his hand. This time, he did not flinch. With blood running freely down his arm, he raised the hand at Tsunade.
“I bet my life on this, woman. My life will be my guarantee that he is no danger to the Village of Konoha! Or anyone for that matter!”
Silence stretched in the room. Naruto’s gaze never wavered once, and it was Tsunade that acknowledged her defeat in this mental warfare. Though they both had important reasons for each of their actions, Tsunade could not match Naruto’s steadfast determination and belief in a friend, even one who had betrayed him so painfully. He betted with his everything; his everything on a situation that was less predictable than the roulette table. Tsunade was never that good at gambling, so she’ll once again give him a chance to prove his gamble.
“Not only that Uzumaki. If you should fail, your name will be wiped from every record that ever mentioned you, from anything that you have ever come into contact with. Including the memories of your friends. In simpler terms Uzumaki Naruto, you will truly be as if you never existed,”
A cold grin tugged at the corners of his fox-like face.
“Heh! I’ll take that as a promise you won’t kill Sasuke,”
“My my, aren’t we sure of ourselves,” Tsunade’s mouth also lilted slight, though a frown still decorated her brows.
“I will never take back my given word, that’s my ninja way oldy! You should know that by now,” Naruto once more had a familiar cocky grin plastered to his face.
“Yeah, yeah. What ever Naruto. If you don’t come over, you really just might die from loss of blood this time. Why on earth did you use a poisoned kunai! Geez, I’ve never met any shinobi who’s even half as clumsy as you!” Tsunade made a half-hearted waving motion as she motioned for the energetic blonde to come closer.
Sakura smiled with true warmth since they finally brought Sasuke back a week ago.
And this was where they were holding Sasuke, far beneath the last watery trickle of sunlight.
Sakura braced herself, and descended down the damp tunnel. Step by step, she felt the cold increase. When the last of the sunlit patches faded behind her, she reached the only source of light in this murky subterranean environment. A blue flame flickered as unknown drafts flew forth from unknown places, almost unfelt by Sakura. She rubbed her arms, suppressing her desire to shiver uncontrollably. It was not a welcoming place.
Two forms melted from the sides of the tunnel. Masked and silent, they nodded to Sakura once before melting right back into the rock walls. Sounds of slight cracking can be heard when suddenly, fissures formed in what was before a dead end. A symbol engraved itself in the middle of the wall, and slowly, two doors formed from the blank stone. Sakura could not suppress her shiver this time. The sealing symbol that unleashed the doors spoke of a power both ancient and vicious, a jutsu that was most unforgiving of those that violate its laws.
Mist rolled from the darkness within. Sakura felt tears blur her vision again. Gritting her teeth, she took a step forward into the unearthly chamber. It was like stepping into the afterlife. Lit only by the four blue flickering torches that lined the central cage within the cavern, it was a forlorn and utterly forsaken place. On each side of the cage, a symbol flickered in the timeless darkness. Snake, Dragon, Bird and Tiger, four of the most potent sealing symbols adorned the otherwise featureless cavern floor. Age old and powerful, they effortlessly kept anything within them, in.
And now they kept one of the most important people in her life.
Sitting down on the rickety chair that stood before the Bird symbol, Sakura eyed the unmoving shadow that sat within the confined space. She couldn’t keep her eyes on him. Her gaze dropped to the complex design of the symbol just before her lightly scuffling foot.
“Hello Sasuke-kun!” she began, forcing herself to smile a bit as she looked up again.
Silence greeted her. No perceptible shift in the shadow that sat motionless on the floor.
“You know what? I learned a new Jutsu today. It was hard, but kind of fun. When we get out of here, I’ll show it to you! It’s really useful on long term missions. It’s easy enough that even Naruto can learn it…” Sakura’s falsely cheery voice faltered and drifted into silence. There was only so much everyday babble that one can prattle on in such an ominous setting such as this.
The shadow on the floor shifted a little.
“Where is Naruto?” came a calm, eerily cold voice.
“Please don’t blame Naruto for not coming to see you. It’s… It’s my fault. He was in such a bad condition after… after that fight. It was a miracle he was still alive you know? But him being Naruto, made it, barely, but he made it. He was asleep for a week,”
Sakura paused, looked up again to find that Sasuke once more was motionless. Well, what was she expecting?
“And then, I found out where they were holding you. I… I couldn’t tell him… I really couldn’t tell him,” Sakura’s foot stopped moving. Her hands shook as she gripped them tightly in her lap. “You know how he is, he’ll cause one hell of a scene if he ever found out,”
They both know that’s not the real reason.
“Hn,” was Sakura’s only reply. At least he was saying things, it was a huge improvement.
“But you know, you could be out soon! I heard the Godaime talking today, and it seems they’re making progress!” Sakura actually managed decently genuine smile. No reaction again.
The cavern slid back into an empty silence as Sakura’s smile faded.
“You know, we’ve all been underestimating Naruto. He’s changed so much, so much,” Sakura’s words were simple, but her emotion laden tone told her audience all they needed to know. But she laughed lightly then. “Still, he remains an idiot at the core. I have to go Sasuke-kun, take care of yourself,”
“Tch,” Sasuke’s head turned away.
Sakura’s footsteps receded outside, and once more the harsh grating noise of stone against stone announced the total confinement. All encompassing silence once more descended around the eerie blue-lit cavern. Sasuke stared at the blank wall where Sakura disappeared into.
“Still a usuratonkachi, huh,” was all he said as he leaned against the bars, and closed his midnight eyes.
“Why didn’t you tell me Sakura?” an achingly familiar voice broke the silence. Those wide summer blue eyes were no longer full of sunshine when they met Sakura’s emerald ones. She looked away.
“Shit!” Naruto’s fist slammed into the wall next to him. “Why… why…”
Naruto’s features were screwed up in an almost bestial mask of pain.
“It all ended well didn’t it? So why did they…” blood trickled down the wall where Naruto once again slammed his fist into the none too smooth surface.
Sakura moved away from the entrance to Sasuke’s cell. She reached out with a gloved hand, and gently pulled his stiff hand away from the wall. Holding it softly, she trickled chakra into the wound.
“This why Naruto,” Sakura’s voice sounded terribly tired as she healed Naruto’s hand. “Let’s go, this is not the place to talk,”
A moment of hesitation, but Naruto relented and followed her once more into the bright rays of day. Somehow, the afternoon wasn’t as bright as he remembered it.
“I am well aware of that. Councillor, I do not ask much. But I ask now, give the boy a second chance. We are in no position to lose such a great lineage such as the Uchiha Bloodline, and I am sure you are quite aware that he is the remaining heir,” Tsunade was unfazed by the imposing elderly man that sat across her.
“We are well aware indeed. However we have to weigh the odds of him having him as an ally, and as a potential source of disaster. From what we have seen, he is more disaster than anything worth keeping,” the female councillor finally spoke up. This aged woman however was no less daunting than her male partner. “I say we dispose of him once and for all. They Hyuuga lineage more than compensates,”
Tsunade became utterly stilled.
“This… this is how you plan to deal with a child who has barely stepped on to the path of life?” Tsunade’s eyes were hidden behind her fringe. If countenances could kill, the councillors sitting before would have been vaporised.
“He is a ninja, by this age he is hardly a child. He is mentally unstable, and a danger to all that lives,” the male councillor spoke once more, disregarding the killing aura that emitted dangerously from the curvaceous woman that sat before them.
“Who’s fault do you think it is, that he is so mentally unstable? And who is it that is making it worse for him now? Us! That is who! US!” Tsunade’s voice rose with every syllable. She lifted her head and stared right at her opponents. “Do not, ever speak with such disregard of lives in front of me, ever again!”
The councillors flinched.
“The Uchiha boy will be released. However he will be under twenty-four hour ANBU guard, and will not be allowed out of village premises alone with out at least three jounin level companions. That is all for today,” Tsunade’s toffee coloured eyes were harder than diamond as she glared across her meaning.
The elderly woman stood, with out saying anything. She shuffled outside the office with out preamble or goodbye. However, the male councillor paused at the door.
“You are too soft Tsunade, grief will come to Konoha if you do not look past your emotions,” he offered.
“No, I think it is time we thought like human beings, for once,” Tsunade replied with out looking up. She rose and rested her hands on the window sill, and heaved a heart felt sigh when she heard her office door close. She looked up at the Hokage Mountain, and grinned somewhat wistfully at the gargantuan faces that over looked the village protectively, and proudly. “I think we should be quite proud of the Nine-tails brat,”
Tsunade sighed once more, and turned back to her desk stacked full of papers.
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