Twisted Poetry
A Naruto one-shot
Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura
Author's note: Deeply inspired by the fanart "La Petite Mort". The link is: http:// nami86. deviantart. com/ art/ The-Little-Death- 65485780 (no spaces). I'm pretty positive the artist's mental image was not like this fic, but just looking at the art alone, without knowing its back story, I just HAD to write this down.
You had made a promise to yourself that you would stick with him until the bitter end. You were only twelve when you made that promise, a naïve genin powered by faith and love.
And even though he left, you still kept that promise.
And even though you grew older and stronger, you still kept that promise.
Because he took a piece of your heart all those years ago.
And as you all gathered by chance in front of the Akatsuki, you could not forget your promise. You watched Sasuke as he was stuck under his brother's spell, watched in horror as he drew his sword and held its point in the direction of his torso.
You should not have been able to move. The blond companion a distance away, Poor Naruto, was stuck under the jutsu as well, eyes to the ground, screaming, bleeding… but alive.
You had one second to spare as your eyes darted back and forth between the two. And in the blink of an eye, you made your decision.
The metal was cold as it passed through you. The strength of the young Uchiha was admirable, you had to admit to yourself, as you heard him break flesh twice. You did not scream, only bit down on your lip, drawing blood, its coppery fluids creeping between your teeth.
You landed on top of him as his back fell to the ground. A grunt escaped his lips as he spoke your name. "Sakura…"
You could feel your blood, its warm life force pour out of your body. It was twisted poetry, you thought, as you remained lying on him, your wounds touching one another. And as your blood physically flowed onto his wound, you sadly wondered if you were ever a part of him long before this tragic accident. "I…" Just the act of speaking brought pain to your chest. "I was trying… to save you…" You averted your head and coughed, spatters of blood staining his neck. "You weren't… you weren't supposed to… end up like this." Whether you were talking about his fate as a rogue Konoha-nin or his fate to his own sword, you were not sure… perhaps both.
He surprised you with a smirk and he managed the strength to touch a hand to your back. "You're still annoying," he said softly.
Was it strange to think that as an endearment?
No, because that was all you had.
However…
You leaned forward and for a brief second, you let your lips brush his. It was a soft movement; you were not even sure if what you did was true.
Your heart skipped. Was it because of Sasuke? Was it because of the slow approaching death?
Your vision became hazy as you tried to focus your eyes on the sharingans before you. "Tell me," he requested calmly, "Why?"
Why did you track him down for this long? Why did you jump in the path of his sword? Why did you still dream of him at night? Why did you just kiss him just now? All of it could be answered by just one sentence.
"I made a promise…" you answered, "to stay with you… until the bitter end." You swallowed the blood that collected in your mouth. "But… but this… I didn't…. I didn't want you to die though."
"I'm already dead," he said, eyes to your own. "I died as soon as I stepped out of Konoha."
You admitted quietly. "The moment you told me 'Thank you'… I died… just a little."
His hands on your body were somewhat warm. That was enough comfort, you convinced yourself as your vision darkened and all you heard was white noise. And just before the colors of life faded, a soft and quiet "Thank you" cut through your senses.