Jashin's Angel
Prologue
xXx
The clearing went eerily quiet when Naruto's kunai plunged into Sasuke's chest. Red eyes bled to black and the Uchiha's face went blank. He stared at Naruto and the blond stared back, blue eyes wide with shock.
"Dobe," Sasuke muttered dryly.
A brief smile flitted across Naruto's face. "Teme," he replied softly.
Sasuke's knees buckled beneath him and he crashed to the ground with a painful sounding thud, only Naruto's kunai and the blond's grip on it keeping him upright. Both grunted with the unexpected movement, Sasuke's own kunai embedded in Naruto's side. The mixed blood of their enemies and their allies mingled on their clothing.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed. She tried to run to him, but was held back by Sai. "Let me go! Sasuke-kun!"
"Sakura, if you go to him, you're a traitor, too," Kakashi hissed severely, placing his hand on her shoulder. Despite his words, his eyes were riveted on his two former teishi, a worried expression in his eye. Beside him, Yamato stood frozen, not quite understanding the situation, but taking it in nonetheless.
Sakura froze, her eyes wide. "But Sasuke-kun…"
Sasuke wasn't paying attention to her or anyone besides Naruto. "Thanks, Naruto," he croaked.
Naruto blinked. "Thanks? Thanks for what?" he demanded. "Sasuke… I've killed you!"
Sasuke shrugged, wincing when the action caused pain to blossom throughout his body. "Doesn't matter, Naruto. I'll be with Itachi-nii now." He smiled, the first true smile since he'd been led to believe his older brother was a traitor all those years ago. He'd regret leaving his best friends behind, but he needed to set things right. He needed to apologize to Itachi and his family. He wasn't able to continue the bloodline and now... Now the Uchiha were extinct.
Naruto could only gape at this revelation, unable to comprehend the Uchiha's reasoning. He was going to die, and all he could think about was his brother? It was unreal, Naruto tried to convince himself. Completely and utterly unreal. The blond shook his head and twined his fingers in Sasuke's shirt, pulling him forward so that they were nose-to-nose.
"I promised I'd bring you back," he stated seriously. "You aren't gonna die, Sasuke. Sakura!" He was going to make sure Sasuke was healed and brought back home.
Sakura hadn't taken more than a step when Sasuke reached up and jerked Naruto's kunai to the side, making sure the wound was fatal. The blood started to gush as Naruto's eyes widened.
"And be in prison the rest of my life? I think not." He pulled out a dagger and his sword, handing the latter to his former teammate. "Help me?" he asked, his eyes pleading. When he went, he wanted it to be by Naruto's hand alone.
Naruto swallowed and nodded. "Yeah," he choked out, tears drizzling down his cheeks. He took his hand off of his kunai and stood as Sasuke got into position, holding the sword tightly in his hands.
"No!" Sakura screamed and Sasuke plunged the dagger into his own stomach. "Naruto, don't you dare!" She made a move to stop the blond, her arms outstretched.
Sai frowned and grabbed her again to keep her back. "Let him keep his honor, Sakura-chan," he murmured.
She let out a sob and watched as Naruto swung the sword down, severing Sasuke's head from his body. She screamed as the head rolled on the ground. "Sasuke-kun!"
xXx
Tsunade was staring out the window morosely when Shizune opened the door, closing it behind her. She stood quietly, shifting from foot to foot as she waited for the Hokage to speak.
"How is she?" the blonde woman asked after a moment, referring to Sakura.
It had been two weeks since Uchiha Sasuke had committed Seppuku and she seemed to be all but comatose. The girl was heart broken over her lover's death and couldn't accept that his best friend had helped him move on nobly. Sasuke would have been put in jail for a few weeks before being executed, had he returned. It was probably best that he had ended his own life, but Sakura refused to accept it, no matter how much sense it made.
Shizune shook her head, admitting, "Not good." She sighed and gestured helplessly to convey her feelings on the matter. "She refuses to leave her room, much less her bed, and only ever talks to Neji, of all people. Naruto tried to talk to her, but she put him through a wall, and Shikamaru's too afraid because of it to even try talking to her, not that I blame him. Your affect on her seems to have had adverse results, considering the current situation." She shrugged, and her shoulders drooped. "She's changed so much. I don't know what to do."
"I don't think anyone does," Tsunade replied, exhaling. "Just... post Naruto at her door tonight and we can have Neji at her door during the day."
Shizune nodded and left. Tsunade sighed, pinching her nose. It was going to be a long day.
xXx
Naruto arrived at Sakura's apartment just as the sun dipped below the horizon. Not seeing Neji outside, he knocked gently and stepped inside to see that she was sobbing into a rather confused Hyuuga's chest. Neji looked up and gave Naruto a questioning look.
Naruto shifted uncomfortably, feeling as if he were intruding. "Um... Sa-Sakura-chan. Neji needs to-"
"Get lost!" she snapped, turning away from Neji and wiping her eyes. She glared at him; the only emotion in her eyes that of fury. "I don't ever want to see you again, Naruto! You… You killed him… you killed… Naruto… killed…" She burst into sobs again, falling against her bed, and Neji took the chance to slip out of the room.
Naruto followed him, and the Hyuuga sighed, leaning against the wall. "Keep an eye on her, Naruto," he ordered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "At this point, there's no telling what she'll do." He shook his head and patted the blond's shoulder. "Good luck and I'm sorry she blames you for it."
Naruto hung his head. "But it's true, I did kill him."
Neji's brow furrowed in slight concern. "Don't blame yourself. I heard it all from Sai. Sai says that Uchiha asked you to. No one blames you."
"I know, and that's probably the worst part," Naruto muttered, before sighing and pushing Neji away gently. "Anyway, Genma's having a party for Kakashi senpai's birthday, so you should go and tell 'em I'm sorry I couldn't make it."
Neji nodded. "I will, though something tells me Hatake's not in the mood to celebrate." His gaze flickered toward Haruno's room, noting somewhere in the back of his mind that her sobs had quieted. "I'll see you."
"'Bye."
He trotted off, leaving Naruto alone, and the blond closed his eyes, leaning against the door frame. He just didn't have the energy to deal with this anymore.
xXx
Sakura opened her eyes after crying for a while, but as usual, the monsters were still milling about her room. She'd gotten used to them.
One of them roared, spitting vile acid and melting away another piece of the floor. Another crashed against the door, but wasn't able to get through it.
Crash, crash, craaaaaaaassshhhhhh….
Tick-tock…
xXx
Neji stepped into the Konoha pub and was instantly accosted by Ino and Hinata, who were drunk and wanted to know where Naruto was.
"He's on duty," Neji answered in a monotone, sighing. He pushed his way passed the two, his eyes searching the bar for Hatake. There he was, sitting at the far end of the bar, between Kiba and Shiranui, nursing a drink. As Neji had expected, he didn't look very enthusiastic.
Genma grabbed Neji's arm as he reached them, pulling him down onto the seat. "Here! Have a drink, Hyuuga!" he yelled drunkenly, getting several laughs in the process.
Neji sighed and agreed, knowing Genma wasn't going to let him weasel his way out of it this time.
xXx
The next time Sakura's eyes opened, everything had a red tint to it. The door closed quietly, and she realized someone had been checking on her.
Was it Sasuke? It wasn't entirely impossible for her to see him again, at this rate, she mused vaguely, watching as another monster fell through the rapidly deteriorating floor. She wondered why no one had noticed it yet, if they were checking on her. Couldn't they see it?
Tick-tock, tick-tock…
xXx
Naruto closed his eyes and sighed, having just checked the clock. It was almost midnight, and he imagined that Kakashi's party was just about in full swing. It was too bad he was missing it…
xXx
Tick-tock, tick-tock…
Sakura opened her eyes, wondering where it was coming from. What was that noise…? She stumbled to her feet and to the window, shoving it up. The cool night breeze brushed against her face and she imagined some of the red tint going away. In fact… There were no monsters outside, were there? She could go search for Sasuke safely outside...
Without waiting for rationality to kick in, Sakura toppled out the window.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock-tack…
xXx
Naruto started when he heard a crash inside Sakura's room. He rushed in and looked around, then ran to the open window. No sign of her. "Shit!"
He rushed out of the room, sounding an alarm on his way down the hallway, and ran out into the darkness.
xXx
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock-tack… Tick-tock-tack… Crash, crash…
Sakura giggled when Naruto ran into the forest, presumably after her. He hadn't seen her hiding, had he? Stupid Naruto. She stumbled forward, grabbed up her kunai pack, and ran into the forest. Now she could search in safety for Sasuke-kun…
xXx
Th-thump… Th-thump… Tick-tock, tick-tock… Th-thump…
Hidan's eyes opened, and he stared into the darkness, smiling. "I can hear my heartbeat…" Come to me, little girl. Come to me, and bring me my heartbeat…
xXx
Okay, so there's the prologue! I hope you liked it! R&R!