Chapter 1 - Undying Love

Sakura was exhausted and only halfway to her house. Her ordeal with Sasuke had been brutal, nevertheless tiresome. He had dumped her, but she had seen a flash of regret in his black eyes. They had fought, a real, intense fight, not like a mere catfight, and Sasuke had won, naturally. He had broken her ankle with a deft wrench of his hand, and she had been unable to fight back. Now as she staggered along slowly and painfully down the muddy road, she didn't know who was watching her every movement.

The girl's footing faultered, and she collapsed in the lane, rain pounding down on her back. No! You have to keep going! she told herself silently. Since she couldn't get up anymore, not with her broken ankle, she crawled slowly, putting her arms in front of her, then dragging her body forward. On one particularly muddy spot, her arm jerked forward and her shoulder blade wrenched loose. After that she gave up, not really caring what happened to her anymore.

That was when the Leaf-Nin made his move. The raven locks flew as he jumped, holding a kunai. He gulped, knowing his chosen fate, knowing what he had to do. If he had been Neji, he'd have done it without regret, 'cause Neji believed that fate was destiny and that you had to fulfill it. But he wasn't Neji. As he loomed over Sakura, the kunai clenched in his fist, a tinge of guilt swelled inside him. Slowly, he raised the sharp blade, but when ready to strike, couldn't. Her back looked distorted, out of shape, and the strawberry hair had tinges of brown in it. The red dress was muddy, and her left foot looked out of place. Sasuke knew how badly he had wounded her, and gently, gently picked up the girl and placed her on his back. Her breathing was short and quick, but she was still alive. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill HER just because he needed the Sharingan to defeat Itachi.

Sakura was light, too light, he thought. He glanced back, and saw that the pretty maiden's cheeks were hollow. He entered his house, the one house in Konoha that had a sinister appearance. It was also lonely at times. He lay Sakura down on the bed, propping up her ankle. He took off her muddy dress, and put it in the wash. But instead of finding bare skin, he saw sakura petals. Underneath the plain red dress, Sakura wore a pretty silk yukata, and he realized, no matter how much he thought he hated Sakura, he loved her with a love that would never die.

He hugged the girl, smelling the pink hair that smelled of rain and mud. Her slender eyebrows had a peaceful look about them. He sighed contentedly and truly realized what he had felt missing in his heart after their fight: Haruno Sakura. "My love can never die. You know that," the raven-haired shinobi whispered. Sakura smiled in her sleep, hearing the gentle words of comfort and feeling the secure arms wrap around her.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment