title: a force not to be reckoned with
rating: T
prompt: breaking the spell
summary: SasuSaku. AU. He's a monster. She's his cure.
note: chapter has been edited! it has been switched to past tense and i've cleaned up a few things here and there. i've decided to reboot this.

Five years passed, but she finally did it.

The cure for Uchiha Sasuke's predicament was done. The first person she told was Naruto—who was reminded every day of his failure. He couldn't save his best friend from the wicked curse. He was helpless and if there was one thing Uzumaki Naruto abhorred—it was being unable to do anything. He had watched as people laughed at Sasuke, as people bullied him. Now, Naruto looked up every day to catch a glimpse of the mountains and knew that his best friend was living in exile.

"Are you serious?" Cerulean blue eyes widened as Sakura held up a glass vial.

She nodded.

"I knew you could do it, Sakura-chan!" Naruto enveloped her in a tight hug. "What's the plan?"

"I'm going to pick up some herbs for Tsunade-sama. If I'm not back in a week, you can send out a search party." Their gazes moved to the glass vial, filled with dark green liquid. "I'll bring him back, Naruto."

"Be careful, Sakura-chan." Naruto said before he let go of her.

The next morning, Sakura was ready for the climb. She strapped on a backpack filled with essentials and headed out. The weather was humid—she could feel the wetness stick to her skin and the air choke her. Her heart tightened in her chest. What would Sasuke say after so long? The dark clouds moved above her. It was going to rain.

She could deal with it, she decided—Sasuke's arrogance, that is. She knew he would be too proud to take her cure, but she would get him to. She could. His arrogance was what got him into this predicament in the first place, so he would simply have to get over it. She remembered the day clearly—the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, Naruto's shouting and Sasuke's determined stare.

Naruto and Sasuke were accompanying her to fetch herbs for a patient that day, because it was deeper into the forest than usual. No civilian ever went too deep into the woods. The infamous Orochimaru lived and he was known for practicing black magic. There was a treaty fifty years ago, forcing him into the confines of a cabin deep in the woods.

Naruto and Sasuke had quarreled too loudly, rousing the attention of Orochimaru. He didn't let them leave—it was, after all, his territory. Nobody ever made the mistake of wandering in. Parents kept their kids from entering the woods and teenagers were smart enough to stay away. Tsunade had given Orochimaru the territory to keep him away from the villagers.

They were no match for him. Sasuke was angry. He taunted Orochimaru with haughty threats. He boasted about his power. With a flick of his tongue, Orochimaru had cursed Sasuke for eternity.

Sasuke's skin turned ash gray. His hair dulled. A black mark spread over his nose while his eyes shifted to black. Monstrous wings sprouted on his back as claws pushed out of his fingertips. Sasuke was now a shadow of who he once was.

"Turn him back!" Naruto had pleaded, fists clenching at his sides.

Orochimaru had simply chuckled and reopened the doorway. Naruto had planted his feet, refusing to leave before he changed Sasuke back but Sakura had seen the evil in Orochimaru's eyes. He wouldn't. Sakura had pulled them out of there as fast as she could.

Sakura reached the foot of the mountain. She heard the crackling of thunder and looked up. Sasuke was within her reach. She started her trek upwards.

The village hadn't accepted him. They blamed him for taunting Orochimaru. They were scared Orochimaru would wreck havoc on their village because of Sasuke's insolence. They pushed him away, insulted him, attacked him. In the end, Tsunade had to force him into exile. The village was in an uproar because of him and there was no way she could keep him in the village.

Sasuke left with a huff. He ventured to other villages to find a cure, but they chased him away with torches. It was months before he settled in the cave.

Sakura's heart broke for him. She wondered if he was warm at night, if he had enough food to survive. The tears would pool in her eyes when the thought that he was dead crossed her mind. She cried because she missed him. She cried because Sasuke was suffering and she couldn't do enough for him. She chastised herself for not finding the cure sooner. It served to push her further, try different things. Ultimately, it had worked.

The cave she stood in front of was dark, hollow. She heard the crackling of a fire that echoed and bounced off the walls. He was here. Quickly, she ducked inside as it had started raining. As she ventured farther in, she saw the light and she saw his shadow flicker on the wall.

"Who's there?"

His voice boomed, even though it was haggard and rough. Her heart lurched. He sounded different. She wanted desperately to soothe him—to smooth over his bumps and work out the kinks. Sakura continued into the cave until she saw him.

Sasuke looked exactly as he did five years ago. He was still encased in his wings. His skin was a lifeless gray and his hair was dull lavender. The star-like symbol was spread over his nose. He sat in the middle of the cave, near the fire, knees drawn up.

"Sakura." There was no surprise in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

She dug around in her pack and pulled out a vial. "I have found a cure."

There was a flash of shock that passed his face before he turned away. She frowned, stepping closer to him. She held out the vial.

"There is no cure." He insisted. "I'm cursed."

"Don't be grumpy, Sasuke. It is right here." Sakura arrived in front of him, looking down at his large form.

Sasuke snapped to look at her, eyes angry. "I have spent the last five years searching for a cure. Some of the country's best medics couldn't fix me. You cannot possibly have a cure."

Sakura's eyes softened. He had only been thirteen when he was forced out of the village—merely a boy. He was older now, hardened by a harsh reality. She crouched down, looking at him. The vial was in her open palm. He glanced at it.

"They did not want to heal you. I want to heal you." Sakura held his gaze.

"I'm not drinking it. You can leave." He doesn't even flinch.

She sighed—this would take long, she knew. She settled herself on the floor beside him, taking her backpack off. Sasuke merely stared at her. He didn't protest, but his eyes narrowed.

"Don't be ridiculous." She ran a hand through her hair. "I did not come all this way just so you could refuse."

"I refuse anyway." He shot back.

"I spent the last five years of my life for this, Sasuke. The least you could do is trust me."

"I can't trust you." He sounded pained, she noted with triumph. "It's been too long. How do I know you're not here to kill me?"

"Please." She pleaded and hoped it was enough to make him surrender. "Please let me help you so you can come back. We miss you. I miss you."

A moment of silence passed. Sakura held her breath as she waited for his response. Perhaps she cracked his façade already. Perhaps he was going to give in quickly, without all the drama. Perhaps—

"I can't."

Her hopes fell, but she smiled. "I'm not leaving until this vial is empty."

"Be my guest."

Sakura sighed. She had hoped too soon. Sasuke sat beside her, unmoving. She stashed the vial back inside her backpack. The only sound heard was the crackling of the fire. The only movement came from the shadows. Sakura felt the tension between them and the heaviness in her chest.

note2: whoa okay, the editing is finally done! i added a few paragraphs and whatnot, made it a little more descriptive. i like the idea of this very much, because as you guys may or may not know, i have a thing for C2 Sasuke. this is written for the sasusaku prompts community on LJ and yes, it is ssmonth. i should be writing for ssmonth. anyways, it's for their fairytale challenge and this is based off of Beauty and the Beast. unoriginal, i know, but i absolutely love this.