Room Of Angel

The ANBU landed lightly on the stone floor of the Uchiha hideout, and she scanned the room briefly. The stone walls were decrepit, and though there were numerous cracks that let the cold night air flow into the room, the only source of light was the shafts of moonlight from the old windows. The ANBU let her eyes rest on the limp form of a familiar shinobi.

Narrowing her eyes, the ANBU walked cautiously towards the weak nin, laying on his back, blood pooling beneath him. She could see he was still breathing, but she knew that, by the amount of blood he had already lost, he had little time.

You lie, silently before me…

She knelt beside the fallen nin, softly calling his name to arouse him from the deep darkness of his unconsciousness.

"Sasuke…" His eyes flickered open and he looked up at her, his eyes full of hate and anger. Sighing, she removed the mask that hid her identity, letting her green eyes meet his. His eyes softened slightly, and he watched as she slipped a ribbon out of her pale pink hair, letting it fall and cascade down her back. He looked away, and spoke to her in a pained whisper.

"Sakura… I…I've lost, haven't I?" She gazed intently at the crow-haired nin, letting no emotion cross her unmasked face.

"Yes, Sasuke. He defeated you."

Your tears, they mean nothing to me…

His eyes glassed over with tears, and he averted his attention from her, whispering softly to himself as a lone tear streaked down his cheek.

"All I ever wanted…. Revenge… he… he took everything from me… and I've failed to avenge… my family…" He trailed off as a strong gust of cold air swept through the room. Sakura looked up, watching through the window, as the silhouetted branches of the trees danced in the wind. A long, forlorn howl filled the night as the wind picked up, whistling past the window.

The wind, howling at the window…

She turned her attention back to her former teammate as he writhed in pain, his injuries beginning to weaken him further. Her eyes softened. Would she truly do this to an old friend? She wanted to, but felt hesitant.

It was true, she had been sent on this mission to "deal" with her former teammate. When she had asked Tsunade for further clarity, however, she had replied coldly.

"Do whatever you want to. You can let him have another chance… maybe he'll come back. Or… if you want to, you can end his life." She had narrowed her eyes angrily. "You can do whatever you want with that bastard."

Sakura knew what he had done. She knew that he was aware of what he had done, as well. It was a matter of forgiveness. She thought of Naruto. She knew what he would do. But was that what she would do? She shook her head.

The love, you never gave, I give to you…

Sakura stroked his cheek softly, as he closed his eyes, heavy with fatigue. She felt her own tears burn her eyes. She thought back to the past, when everything had been like an everlasting dream. When the three of them had been friends, their happiness seemingly never-ending.

She remembered… she had loved him… she had loved him with all of her heart, but he had never given her a thought. She should have realized then… she should have realized… she should have stopped herself, she should have stopped Naruto. She shouldn't have made him make that promise….

But the years had stolen that love from her twice, and she was left with nothing but hatred for the one she had once loved. And it was his fault.

Really don't deserve it, but now, there's nothing you can do…

She looked down at her dying teammate, her eyes hardening as she remembered that day… the way he had killed him… He had shown no remorse… He didn't deserve to die peacefully… he deserved to die the way he had died… the way Naruto had died. She narrowed her eyes as tears began to slide down her cheeks, splattering softly on the ground below.

No… he wouldn't want her to make him suffer as he did. He would want him to live… but she couldn't let him live. Not after he had killed him… not after he had watched him die, watched him suffer slowly until he had fallen unconscious. But… she would respect Naruto. She would make Sasuke's death as comfortable as possible for him. She reached down and brushed her hand against his cheekbone, letting another tear fall.

So sleep, in your only memory, of me….

His eyes slid to meet hers as her fingertips slipped over his brow. She brushed his hair out of his face, and whispered softly to him.

"Close your eyes… rest…" Sasuke looked blankly at her, then obeyed, closing his eyes slowly as he released an uneven sigh. His breathing was staggered and full of pain, but even so, he seemed to be resting peacefully.

Sasuke knew it was over. He knew well that Sakura had not- and never would- forgive him. He sighed, trying to ignore the pain that blinded him. He let his mind wander back to the past. If he hadn't been so bent on revenge, would things have been different?

Sakura began to hum softly, letting the memory of the song envelop her.

Here's a lullaby to close your eyes….

Sakura knew the song well, as it had been a lullaby she had learned as a child. It was the sweet tune of the Uchihas, though the other Konoha residents were familiar with it. Sasuke listened to the soft hum of music, and remembered back to when he was young… his mother had sung this lullaby for him… it was a song he knew well, and as Sakura hummed it lightly, he could almost hear his mother's sweet voice singing along.

It was always you that I despised….

Sakura looked at the passing nin and tried to ignore the hatred that lay in the back of her head, deep in her thoughts. She detested him for what he had done; she felt everything that had happened to Konoha, all the terrible pains the others had to go through had all been because of him.

She recalled the day he had left the village, so many of his friends… those who he had tried to abandon, had held strong, nearly losing their lives trying to bring him back. Naruto included. He had always been the most determined, he had always tried to keep his promise…

I don't feel enough for you to cry, oh well…

Sakura continued to hum the bittersweet melody of the Uchiha lullaby, and watched as Sasuke began to fall into unconsciousness. She looked at his face; it looked almost as though he could be sleeping, but she knew it would not be that way for long. Even so, she felt no sympathy, her eyes were dry as she watched him fight to stay in this world.

Had it been a few years ago, she would have been doing everything possible to save him, but now, she merely waited. After Naruto had died, she had felt a cold void of revenge in her heart. She often laughed to herself. How ironic it was. She was now out for revenge on her x-teammate, the one who left her and Naruto for the sole reason of revenge. Where was the logic?

Here's a lullaby to close your eyes….

She finished the melody, with the sweet and sad last notes, pouring all her feeling into it. Sasuke was no longer conscious, and his form lay unmoving on the cold stone floor. As she ended the final notes, their essence hung lightly in the stillness of the air, and she looked down at Sasuke. She watched as his entire body seemed to give in as she released the last note into the cold night air. He heaved a long sigh, his final breath, and in synchronization to the song, he stopped breathing as the final note dissipated. An eerie silence followed, and Sakura reached to his neck, feeling for a pulse. Nothing.

Goodbye…

It was over, he was gone. She stood up, a sudden hollowness in her heart left her light and airy, as though she herself were a wisp of smoke in danger of being dispersed by the slightest whisper of the wind. For the first time, she realized how cold it was, and she shivered, her eyes fixed on the window.

She began to walk away, but paused, staring at nothing. After several seconds, she turned her head and looked back at Sasuke. A single tear slid down her cheek, and she closed her eyes, drowning herself in the memories of the past.

Goodbye…

She opened her eyes and began to turn, but the slightest movement caught her eye. Sakura turned her head back, and caught a brief glimpse of what it was. Quickly she closed her eyes, and opened them again, to make sure she wasn't dreaming, but this time, the image had dispersed. Even so, she was almost sure of what she had seen.

Naruto and Sasuke, standing side by side, smiling at her. Perhaps, she thought, friendship lasted much longer than she had realized. Smiling through new tears, she whispered into the bitter night air, letting her words float on the stillness of air.

"Goodbye…"

Goodbye.

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Hmm… this one was tricky to write, and I hope I did an OK job on it. It's quite difficult to get a spooky tone, but I think I did the best job I could. 3 Oh, and for the record, I love this song, but I have to be in a specific mood to get the full effect.

Um…Not much else to say! As always, I love to hear what you guys think about my stories! And sorry if this one's a little dark… it's even a little dark for my taste. Ah, well… what will be, will be, nee?

Lots of love to my watchers/ alert-ers/ fav-ers/ comment-ers out there!

Inuluvr