A/N: To everyone, I know what you're thinking: What the Fuck, it's about time! It's your own fault not giving me more reviews… okay that's a lie. I wanted to take a nice long break from this story. This is the last chapter and I intended to leave you disappointed. I want to thank everyone who read my story and everyone who submitted a review. Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over. The End.
There are two new characters introduced, but I will not be putting up the index of characters for fear of spoiling it.
Warning: This story may be violently graphic and there's some major swears, cover your eyes if you must, but how will you read with your hand in your face?
And just a side note: This chapter was completed 04/22/07 but I wanted to put it up today, because it's my birthday so… happy birthday to ME!
Special Thanks: AlexiaWinters, Carebear Hater, Wolfgirl21, Katie Uchiha, Kagome's heart102, I play wid fir3, Laura-chan, Princess Ren, Baby's breath, The Angel Of Sincerity, hugsanimekisses04, Aikra-Chan, Yoiri-sama, Blue Ice Wolf, Lena ai yakata, kunoichikeiko13
Doomed to a fate
Sealed in red
Attempting destruction
Beauty, who turns the white rose into a sword
To dominate the Beast
-The Path of Dreams
Sakura often had a recurring dream when she was younger. Until now, she could not remember anything about the dream or ever even having it, but now- now she remembered. It started with an older version of her lying in a field, her long pink hair fanned out and coloring the otherwise green grass.
The sky was a soft purple veined with deep pinks more vivid than her hair and thin wispy clouds decorated the sky like a fine mist. Then a shadow would appear over her, too long to be a bird, but it had wings, huge curvature wings.
The sky would turn dark then, blood red patched with gray and the scenery would change as it often did in the dreams she had now. She would be standing atop a vortex of black and suddenly she would be wearing a crown of metal spikes embedded deep into her skull. Her hair and eyes changed, empty colors engulfing her until she was no longer Haruno Sakura.
Blue pulses of electricity would spider-web out of the vortex and off her body. All about her from every angle would be a necropolis of winged bodies. Impaled on long pikes, blood soaking their torso and their faces turned in her direction, their eyes hollowed out.
They would lift their arms up to her, reaching out their bleeding hands, liquid crimson, almost black would ooze from the eye sockets, noses, their gaping mouths would open and they began to speak in moaning, distorted voices.
"Gabriel-"
"Gabriel-"
"Kill-"
"Destroy-"
"Death-"
"Destroyer-"
"Reaper-"
The titles were endless. Blood splattered on her face, she would look up, causing the blood to rivulet down between her eyes, over her eyebrows, and clung to her long thick, dark lashes. Under her feet, fat, black scarabs, cockroaches, centipedes, flies, beetles, and fat white maggots would crawl out from inside the whirling mass and then wisps of shadows would swirl around her, icy brushes against her skin.
She could not move or speak. The eyes staring down at her, bottomless black eyes embedded in a beautiful stoic face enthralled her.
the impaled fallen Angels would call out. His unbound hair would sweep behind him on a slow air current, swaying against the tops of his shoulders. He was terrifying, but strangely calming, she wanted to be with him always."Gabriel, give me your powers."
his hand reached down for hers and she reached up for him, their fingers locking together. She would wake up screaming something horrible. She would scream and scream until the sun came up. The dreams went away one day when her grandmother put in a nightlight and ever since- even though she had forgotten the nightmare- she slept with the light on.Sakura fell to her knees and covered her eyes, shaking. "What is it Sakura-chan?" Lee asked, kneeling next to her and touching her arm.
"It's my fault… if Sasuke-kun dies… it's my fault." she moved her hands away from her eyes and looked up towards the sky, thick with ash colored clouds. They swarmed the dark sky like birds of prey, vicious leather winged demons with single-minded determination: kill six of the Seven Great Angels and all the Virtues.
Akamaru rode the sky lunging at the dark winged followers of Itachi and Kiba was not too far from the scene, engaged in battle with another winged creature. Except for Lee and Hinata, the Virtues were fighting on the ground, unable to take to the sky like the Angels. Faithfully, Zeal and Humility stayed by her side.
Sakura tried looking for Sasuke and Itachi up in the menacing blood red sky reflecting off the clouds, but she couldn't find them anywhere in the mass of black wings. She looked back over at Kiba, watched Akamaru stain his muzzle with the blood of his enemies, sinking his teeth into throats and tearing with claws, reaching deep and ripping out viscera, mainly hearts.
Sakura knew the secrets of the world. She only had to wear the crown once; open the floodgate and she knew everything that no human should know.
The only way to kill an angel- loyal or fallen- is to rip their still beating hearts out from their bodies.
She hated that voice. "Fucking shut up!" Sakura screamed, shutting her eyes and covering her ears with both hands pressed hard to her ears as if to block it out from the outside. She opened her eyes when she felt a vibration from within her head, a ripple of electric blue flashing in her mind's eye.
She opened her eyes just in time to see a swarm of fallen angels swarm and bombard Kiba. They took him by the arms and legs and tore off his wings. "Remiel…!" Lee yelled in disbelief. He stood up and watched as Kiba plummeted to the earth in great distress.
Blood rained out of the sky in pursuit of the wings and Kiba after the blood. Akamaru knocked the creature he was fighting away with his huge paw and turned quickly, going after his master. One of Kiba's wings hit the ground first, Kiba landed shortly after the second wing.
Sakura stared in horror as Kiba rolled onto his back and lifted his arms, destroying the ones who had torn off his wings and injured him just as Akamaru was coming down. Kiba sat up, his back soaking with thick clumps of blood dyeing his shirt red. Kiba winced, standing and nearly slipping in the puddle of his own blood.
Wrath stepped out of the thick of war-waging lesser demons and approached Kiba. Sakura fell on all fours as Gaara rushed Kiba. Akamaru came up behind the Sin attacking with teeth, tail and paws. Gaara got around each assault faster than the human eye could keep up with and jumped into a roundhouse kick and despite Akamaru's size and mass the dog went flying back, rolling against the ground until he skidded to a halt, leaving a trail of smeared blood.
Gaara met Kiba who was howling with outrage, he grabbed both of Kiba's fists, grinning the grin of a mad man, giddy with the smell and texture and sight of blood. In a flash, he lifted Kiba high, crushing his hands in his vice-like grasp, spun around quickly, and released Kiba.
Kiba went flying back further than Gaara had thrown him. Kiba hit the ground face first and was still for a few seconds, trying to regain his breathing and control the pain pulsating through his entire body. He spat up a mouthful of blood and wiped his mouth as he slowly rose to his knees.
A look of boredom suddenly flashed across Gaara's features. Kiba got to his feet and staggered forward, gradually picking up his speed as he made his way back towards Wrath. "Kiba…!" Sakura screamed over the rumble of thunder, watching helplessly as Gaara got his hands on Kiba's jaw. It was so quick that if she had blinked she would have missed the snap of Kiba's neck.
Gaara had nearly twisted Kiba's head clean off. Kiba fell like a rag doll and considered overkill even if Kiba was still alive Gaara stood over him, grabbed him by the shoulder of his jacket, and lifted him halfway off the ground. "No… no, Remiel… please…" Sakura whimpered as she watched; petrified.
He punched his hand into Kiba's chest, Kiba's eyes flew open, and his mouth hung wide and gapping. Blood oozed out of his mouth and from the hollow of his chest. Gaara had broken several ribs as he fished inside for the angel's heart. He grabbed the throbbing muscle in his hands and tugged. The sickening, heavy, wet, tearing, snapping sounds of vessels and valves around his heart were audible.
Out came the heart, it looked like a fist wrapped in blood. Gaara looked it over and crushed it before dropping it from his bloody hand. Sakura had seen a human heart before, but for some reason, maybe because she loved Kiba, she retched.
His body will merely return to the light.
She emptied and spilled everything and anything in her stomach until there was nothing left except saliva. She could hear Lee shaking with anger, listened to the cracking bone of his knuckles. Sakura panted, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her stomach was still clenching and unclenching, but she had nothing left.
Hinata had her eyes covered, tears streaming down under her hands and making her cheeks shine. Akamaru happened to rouse then. When Wrath was gone, he limped over to his fallen master. He nuzzled Kiba in attempts to get him up; he licked him, licked the blood off his face and licked his wounds, whining lowly.
The giant white dog took Kiba's jacket sleeve between his teeth and shook him, but it did not wake him. Akamaru let out another low whine and fell, resting his large head over Kiba's stave in chest.
Tears made their way down Sakura's face, her heart broken. A blazing white light engulfed Akamaru, and he vanished. Specks of white blue lights swarmed around the mangled body of Kiba like a cloud of fireflies and Kiba turned to light and was gone. "Sakura-chan, you must forgive me."
Sakura looked up to see Lee, enraged, teeth ground together, fists shaking in little tremors, trembling with rage. "Lee-san…"
"I can no longer sit idly by on the sidelines and watch my friends fall into despair. Hinata-chan will stay with you." Sakura nodded slowly, understanding. Sakura grabbed onto Hinata, tucking the sobbing Virtue against her heart. She whimpered a soft prayer in Latin for Remiel, but so thick were her sobs that it came out as gibberish.
Sakura held her tightly in her embrace as if she were the one who needed protection. She watched Lee take off and she decided to speak the prayer for Hinata. Not long before Lee was swallowed up by the sea of foot soldiers the earth began to quake and though it shook the ground, no one ceased in sky or earth.
Earth-
Roots sprung up high, impaling one rogue angel at a time.
Shino-
Shino stood atop a hill rise, his head titled skyward, and his arms spread-eagle while his entire body surrounded by a soft green glow. Sakura stroked Hinata's hair as the Virtue continued to weep. Greed came up behind Shino but Kakashi was ready to defend the angel from Sai.
The voice was back in her head informing her on the death of Virtues and Angels.
Like a human, one mortal infliction.
Virtues could live forever but were in no ways immortal. The same went for hand in hand with a Sin. Sakura located Pride standing below Shikamaru, in her hands, she carried something akin to a giant blunt sword, but as she opened it into a half circle, Sakura realized that it was more like a giant metal fan.
Shikamaru was engaged in his own battle, killing left and right, dropping turncoat angels like flies. He fell when Temari threw the fan high and hooked Shikamaru in the ankle. Before she could manage an attack, Lee countered her. She went flying back from his double spin kick; she went tumbling back, rolling on the ground.
The earth shook again but not for Shino, but for something else entirely.
The ground heaved under Sakura and the sound of thunder struck her ears with such a blow that she cried out in pain. A web of bright light appeared as lightening danced through the sky. The ground shuddered again, this time more fiercely.
It moved like water under the ground and when Sakura touched the dry earth, she could feel such power, so dark that it filled her and sang to her, rippling through her. She pulled away and wrapped her arms around Hinata, who was now watching along with Sakura.
Sakura stared at a particular circle of demons, watched shadows up towards the sky. Tears streamed down her face and the earth shattered and out from underneath rose Leviathan, a brute of a snake with scales the color of plums with Orochimaru atop his frightening head.
Orochimaru jumped down and joined the battle, facing off with Tsunade. "A woman shouldn't be on the battlefield at least a battle of this magnitude."
"You disappoint me Mammon; I thought you were afraid of nothing." She rushed at him with powerful kicks and punches, some he successfully evade, others caught him in the face, stomach or legs. She skidded under him and he lost his footing, but he flipped around and landed back on his feet. It carried on like that for a good while, but it seemed as though Orochimaru was just humoring her.
He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her feet off the ground. They came from his back like tentacles black and misty, they rose slowly, rising, hissing and striking. They came into the killing field, but something happened no one was expecting.
A hand shot up from under the ground, grabbed Orochimaru by the ankle, and yanked hard. "Hey! Not the way to treat a lady!" Then with a heavy swing of the arm Orochimaru went flying back into the sky, Leviathan shot forward and Orochimaru landed gracefully.
"Well, it's about time you showed up. Stop fooling around and lend us a hand, Jiraiya."
"I thought I had, you know, getting Mammon off your back." He gave a booming laugh then, his long white hair cascading further down his back as he tilted his head up. Suddenly a huge wave threw him back and Kankuro jumped down. A human size doll fell to his hands and feet and moved much like a crawling spider through the battlegrounds.
Sakura looked up into the sky and saw them. Sasuke engaged in an unyielding battle with Itachi. Sakura barley recognized him, his skin marred with black tildes. She rose from the earth and felt something writhe deep inside her. She turned to see Leviathan headed in her and Hinata's direction. Faster than lightening, the giant beast came shooting at them. Its mouth opened, fangs dripping with venom.
Sakura watched unflinching as it came closer. Suddenly a rise of blazing red caught her eyes. She looked up and saw Naruto shooting down like a burning star. She watched him, take a sharp curve and fly straight into the demon beast's mouth.
Leviathan exploded from the sides, internal organs splaying out in boulder size clumps. He dropped head first, head rolling to the side, throwing Orochimaru off. Hinata screamed and scrambled to her feet and pushed Sakura back, with such a force that she knocked her to the ground when she tired to hold her back.
Naruto exited through the tail and into the ground, melting it and creating a deep funnel. He climbed out just as the rain began to fall. Fire ignited the snake corpse and thick, black smoke rose up into the sky. Naruto turned around just in time to receive a punch in the face. He fell to the ground at a sharp distance and he took a second to rise.
He spit out blood and wiped his mouth; he narrowed his eyes and rushed back at Orochimaru. He arched his wings and jumped into the air, his body glowing with that deep red aura. He drew his arm back, but before he could deliver the counter punch, Orochimaru grabbed him by the fist and tightened his hold.
Naruto's hand began to bleed, the bones breaking under the skin, jutting out. Naruto snarled and pulled his other hand back, but this time Orochimaru summoned a vibrant purple aura in his hand. Naruto tried to stop his hand, knew the damaging power Orochimaru was conjuring with arcane magic.
Sakura screamed, Naruto closed his eyes and then opened them. He was not dead. Orochimaru was looking at him through narrowed eyes, teeth pressing against teeth. Sakura screamed again.
Naruto looked down at Hinata, a blue aura surrounded her, Naruto snarled again, his eyes changed, pupils elongating and narrowing, his canines grew sharp like a wolf's mouth full of fangs. His fingers nails turned to claws, he drew back his arm and Hinata's aura infused with his and he slammed his fist into Orochimaru's face.
Blood poured down Orochimaru's face, a burst of fire incased his body, and he burned away with the wind and rain. Naruto fell back with the dead weight of Hinata. Lights danced around her corpse and she faded Naruto wiped his bloody palms against his pant legs and stood.
Naruto yelled and whirled around and charged towards Shikamaru and Temari, he killed the Sin before she could put up any kind of fight. "Where's Shino?" Naruto asked over the hammering of rain. He was looking up at the sky.
"Dead, Temari killed him and Tenten, too." Naruto cursed and whirled around just in time to see Sai slaughter Lee. The Virtue fell to the ground and vanished in a brilliant white light. Shikamaru cried out in pain and fell to his knees. Blood gushed out of his torn wing. "How?" he turned his head to see Lust standing behind him.
"Sariel…!" Naruto fell to his knees, turned up to see Sai, his arm inside his body, feeling around for that one organ that kept him eternally bound to the mortal coil. "Fuck- I couldn't protect Hinata and now… I cannot- forgive me, Michael-teme… and Sakura-chan. See ya… on the other side." His head dropped and blood trickled down his chin.
"No, there's no other side for you." he threw his heart away and watched Lust tear out Shikamaru's she was whispering something in his ear, he laughed with blood tumbling out his mouth, shaking his head. She frowned and nodded, but before she could rip out his heart, he crushed her larynx.
Sai finished what Ino could not. He kicked Shikamaru in the shoulder and he fell on his back. "This is turning into a complete mess." He said coughing up blood as it filled his lungs.
"I guess, but I'm still breathing. You are lacking a heart." He reached into his chest and came away with his heart. "Looks like Lucifer will-" Three bodies fell around Sai with heavy thuds, forming a triangle. The Watchers, all dead, bathed in fire. He looked up to see Sasuke rushing towards him. He angled his legs and kicked Sai in the chest.
Sasuke punched Sai until he was dead, but he showed no mercy for the corpse, he continued until the flame licked at his bloody hands. He turned his head to the sky and cried out; he rushed up into the sky, spiraling, wings flapping and hairs falling off his wings.
Sakura ran forward, the battlefield was empty. She looked up and called out to Sasuke, and then thrown to the ground, a body hovering over her. "Are you crazy?"
"Neji-san," Sakura whimpered and wrapped her arms around him. He was wet with rain and blood, his left wing was broken, there was a cut above his eyebrow, and a deep gash in his forearm. "I'm scared; really scared… everyone's dying." Neji looked up and glared, he turned his lavender eyes back on Sakura and brushed her wet hair from her face and kissed her forehead.
"Whatever might happen, Sakura-hime, I know you can take control of the situation. You are the gateway between worlds, you can save all this or you can destroy it. Save us, save this world and save that bastard Sasuke, before he turns into one of them. I believe in you."
"Neji… Nej- Ragual!" he was already gone, she rolled onto her side until she was on her stomach. Everyone was dead and Neji was going to his death. How did this happen… why was it happening? They were the good ones. The good ones always vanquished… or had she been reading too many fairytales?
She watched Neji kill Gaara and Gluttony kill Kankuro after Kankuro killed Neji, but he suffered death's hand. Sakura looked up. She was bloody and muddy and all she could see was Itachi and Sasuke, she blinked out the rain falling on her, watched the display of power between them, crackling lightening.
"Sakura…" she looked up. She looked at Itachi, could see him staring at her. Sasuke was losing. "Sakura… give me your power." Sakura stared at him, her lips quivering. "Give me your power, give into me." She nodded and closed her eyes, could feel the bond between them growing and expanding. "Give me your power so I can end this and then we'll be together forever, no one will try to take us away from each other again."
She could feel Sasuke dying, his life energy draining. "When you give me your power I can erase him forever, he'll never stand between us again. Open the floodgates to your power." Sakura felt a cool wind wash over her. She could feel herself floating and Sasuke peered down in horror.
A vortex opened around Sakura, one on her left and one on her right and one above her and another below. Her hair flowed around her and she opened her eyes a burst of light drowning out the insides of her eyes. Her dream seemed to be a prophecy now more than a vivid mental image. "Sakura," Sasuke yelled out at her, his eyes changing back into onyx and the marks on his skin receding. "…Sakura, stop!"
He felt her radiate energy. So pure, so strong and warm like a sluggish summer breeze. A burst of light flashed into the sky, blinding everything within range. He could only see white. This was wrong; it was not supposed to happen this way. They were supposed to seal away Itachi forever and he and Sakura were supposed to start their lives together, side by side.
They were supposed to stop the Lucifer; he was Michael, Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts, prince of light, exalted being, viceroy of heaven, the favorite. He was supposed to protect Gabriel, but more importantly, he was supposed to protect the woman he loved. He hated himself for letting the very Sin that killed his best friend kidnap Sakura, no matter what, he should have known better.
The wind was a strong gale, pushing back sandstones and other things no bigger than a boulder. It was almost too strong for him… almost. Sasuke had to break free and stop Sakura before she could merge her power with Itachi again, before she turned into that… whatever she had been with that crown forged into her head. He felt the invisible binds break. How could he let his worthless brother get the better of him?
Dark things came from the expanding vortex, fire shot up and the world began to change, the carnage of the battlefield spread, wails came and blood flooded over the earth, rising like water. Sakura lifted her arms above her head turned her palms upward and the crown manifested, two wings ripped from her back, two more shot from her lower back, connected to her spinal cord.
Another set of wings broke from under her skin and she brought the crown down on her own head, her dress coming away in black ribbons. Sasuke snarled in outrage and continued on the binds. He watched the wings fold around her nude body and Itachi closed his eyes.
"Too late, Otouto, you're too fucking late."
"No, I won't let their deaths be in vain!" He had felt when his brothers died and he had escaped Itachi long enough to kill the Sin that killed Raphael. Tears made his black eyes glitter and he shook his head. He did not have time to mourn; it was something Sariel kept telling him. He finally broke free, snapping his wrist in the process. He had to kill Itachi, he had to kill him, but he felt his energy draining.
Itachi and Sakura's powers were merging into one. The power was overflowing and the heat was intense, he was choking on it. He outstretched his wings and lunged at his brother. "I'm not going to seal you alive Itachi… I'm going to kill you."
Sasuke's eyes opened and watched a black mist surround Itachi, Itachi grabbed him by his torn shirtfront and his lips pulled back on a cruel smile. "SASUKE-KUN-!" Sakura was crying for him. He closed his eyes and knew that he had not yet lost her to Itachi completely.
The air went out of him in a grunt, and his head snapped back. Something was broken, the radiating heat burned, he heard the wet squelch and he lowered his head, teeth gritted as he opened one eye, sweat seeping out every tiny pour of his skin. He panted as he saw the blood coat Itachi's forearm.
There was a hole in his chest, deep and painful. Itachi face twisted into a dark look. Sasuke's vision took a few seconds to focus; he then reached down and wrapped his hands around his brother's forearm and elbow, both wet with his blood.
"Too bad there's no one to help you." He drew him close and smiled, "No way out now. When she was writhing in pleasure under me, she told me. She wanted me to have you, foolish Otouto, wanted me to rip out your heart where she could see, where no one comes to save you."
"You fucked her!" Sasuke snarled in outrage, the very thought, knowledge of his hated rival, sworn enemy, disgusted him, how dare something so unholy, so tainted, touch something so beautiful and innocent and wonderfully powerful like Sakura, his Gabriel.
"I did and she enjoyed it very much."
"I'll kill you, you sick bastard!" Itachi chuckled and his hand continued its search for his brother's heart. Sasuke grunted and winced. The pain was swallowing him up and either he would be dead in a few seconds or unconscious. Tears filled Sasuke's eyes again. His brothers were dead, his best friend was dead and he was losing Sakura.
"You think you're going to win, you haven't even begun to conceive my power. Michael, I have to tell you, this is all about power. And there is no one in the world with the power to stop me, not now, not ever."
Sasuke closed his eyes and felt his resolve waver, his hope falter, he was giving up. Everyone he knew was dead and Sakura was helping Itachi all because he failed in breaking her bond with Itachi. Sasuke was as good as dead. "Sakura I failed you, just like I failed Gabriel, I am… so sorry… I was not able to protect you. Forgive me."
Sakura's powers suddenly backfired and merged with Sasuke instead. He felt power rush through his veins and fill him, his eyes changed into deep red and black pools and he grabbed Itachi's arm and tugged it out of his chest, coming away without his heart in hand. Sasuke felt the power, wild magic, none of it his, all of it Sakura's.
It was dark and virtuous all at once, it was all of humanity, all of divinity. It was powerful, it renewed him and washed away the pain, he no longer felt his human side. It wrapped him like a transparent shield, electricity danced off his body, the sound of a thousand birds chirruping surrounded him like a rush of wind, and he opened his mouth on a warrior's shout.
Another set of wings shot from his lower back, fused at his spine much like Sakura's wings. A sword with a thin curved blade materialized in his hand, engulfed in a blue white flame and electricity. He stretched and arched his four wings and the sparks flickered as he drew back his empty fist.
Sakura fell, the vortexes closed, and Itachi shouted in protest. Sakura looked down into the flash flood of blood and screamed. "Sakura, Sakura!" she looked up at Itachi and slapped her hands to her ears, trying to ignore the bond between her and Itachi. Sasuke felt the abyss open up to him. Sasuke could kill him!
He pushed him inside the abyss even as Itachi reached for Sakura. Sakura closed her eyes, which helped with the dizziness she felt and the stench of blood filling her nostrils. She rose on shaking legs. The world was trembling as though she were looking at everything through a wavy glass bottom.
Sasuke punched his hand into his brother's chest and broke the ribs and felt for his heart, grabbed it tightly and ripped it out. Black fire grabbed at Sasuke's hands trying to take him into the abyss with the corpse of the darkest master. Sasuke spoke in Samarian and finished in Latin and the abyss closed up upon itself and flashed like a bright exploding star.
The crown burst and fell off in clumps and fragments of sharp metal and blood. Sakura wings retracted and she screamed at the pain deep inside her, every muscle throbbed and she shook her head watching the events in the sky. She closed her eyes and pressed her hand to the cross necklet around her neck.
Sakura started backing up, she kept retreating, oblivious to her nudity, she tripped and fell backwards and screamed when she felt blood splash over her face and enter her mouth. Sakura screamed again and scrambled to her feet. The abyss sealed up and Sakura screamed in pain, felt her bond with Itachi shatter like a glass window and the shards were piercing into her arms and legs.
She began bleeding; felt it slid over her blood-doused body. She let lose another round of screams and if Sasuke had not been there to catch her, she would have fallen again. She pushed away from him and half-staggered, half-ran down the flooded field.
When she was out of the flood of blood and into the damp dirt, she fell back onto her side and she held her body propped up on her palms. She threw up again and rolled to her left, falling into the wet dirt. Her head roared with pain and her vision exploded with starbursts of white blinding light.
She crawled as far as she could before she lost all of her strength. Her broken bond with Itachi had taken its toll on her. The ground came up and smacked into her body and there was nothing but soft, gray nothing, then the world was black and her head did not hurt at all.
Sasuke walked over to Sakura, knelt next to her, and touched her hair, wet with blood and rainwater. He was about to cover her when the world disappeared around them. A white backdrop surrounded them. The blood ceded from Sakura's body, a white sundress manifested on her and his torn clothes renewed and turned pure white.
Sasuke lifted Sakura and cradled her close to his body and materializing from the nothing that surrounded them, the Master appeared. He smiled at Sasuke, walked over to him and then frowned.
Sasuke pressed his temple to Sakura's forehead and closed his eyes. Sasuke never felt the way he did now in the presence of the Master before. He had a great fear filling him for the first time since standing before the one he served.
"Please…" he whispered softly, "Please, Master Sarutobi. Do not take her away from me. I love her." He looked up at him with sad, suppliant eyes. Sasuke had never felt sadness, as he was experiencing before, it outweighed the fear he felt.
"I know…" His voice was a soft tone with a warm edge. He reached out and Sasuke flinched. "It's okay. It's over; you don't have to be Michael anymore." Sasuke did not flinch again as Sarutobi pressed his hand over Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke closed his eyes and a breeze swept over his entire body, it brought him many things.
Sasuke's head jerked back, the hand over his eyes retracting memories, every memory inside his head. Tears washed down under the hand covering Sasuke's face. Sasuke realized what was happening. He never thought he would know the day when he would fall from grace, when the Master would take everything he knew and loved from him.
Images appeared and incinerated before him. The face of his friends appeared; Naruto, the others, the Virtues… so many faces floated by him. He saw her than, standing before him in that beautiful white dress, smiling and holding a hand out to him. Her bountiful hair cascaded around her shoulders. "Sakura." he said her name so softly that his lips never moved.
She was more beautiful than the day he first laid eyes on her. She turned around and she broke apart like a bubble bursting. He cried out in horror and screamed her name and quickly forgot her face, her smile, her laugher, her eyes… what color were her eyes?
He woke with a start, gasping and sweating. He ran his hand through his hair. He was lying on his back. He did not know where he was. For a moment, he watched dawn slide across the sky like a curtain of light. The last few stars glittered like diamond chips against the soft glow of the rising sun.
There was a deep pain in his chest and he could feel the beginnings of a migraine. He sat up, pushing on his elbows and then his hands and he drew up his legs. He looked around and realized he was alone in the middle of nowhere. With a groan, he rose to his feet.
Something had happened, but he did not know what. He ground his teeth in frustration and he looked up at the pale blue sky. He was panting with exertion as if he had run a marathon. He closed his eyes trying to think, to remember.
Everything was empty. He did not know where he was or how he got there, but the worst of it was… he did not know who he was. All he knew was a name, but it was not his, it was someone else's, a woman's name. "Sakura…?" But who was she? Who was Sakura?
He cried out in aggravation and opened his eyes again. Amnesia, but how, what happened to him? Why was he in the middle of a deserted desolate tract? "Why can't I remember?" The sound of his own voice relaxed him; at least he could talk, hear and see. All his senses seemed to work.
He never felt so alone or lost, or maybe he did, he just did not know.
The sound of a calling falcon caught his attention and he looked to see it flying overhead, getting smaller and smaller as it flew away, and another wave of relief washed over him and suddenly he did not feel so alone. It made him laugh for some reason. Once he started laughing, he could not stop.
Amnesia was a bitch, he could remember all the basic functions, but things like friends, family and places were all lost to him. "Sakura…" he said again, catching his breath and holding his hand to his aching chest. Somehow, the name made him smile. Was she someone he knew and if he knew her, how did he know her?
He had to find this… Sakura, perhaps she could tell him who he was; maybe she was the key to his past. She was his only hope to put the puzzle of his fragmented life back together. He wanted to know, he wanted to know everything from start to finish.
Maybe this Sakura was a childhood friend, a family member, he hoped she was someone who could tell him the extent of his life, but even if she could not, even if all she could offer him was his name, somehow that felt like a start.
He started walking, not knowing which way he should go. He just started walking towards the horizon away from the wasteland; perhaps he would find some kind of town.
All he wanted to know was who he was and who Sakura was. They were the only goals on his mind, but once he found those answers, what then? He shook it out, one thing at a time first he had to find Sakura then he could ask other question, but he did not know where she was or how to find her.
He did not know what she looked like. For all he knew there could be millions of women named Sakura. Something inside him gave ease to that question, like a honey-coated voice.
You'll know, it said. You will know.