Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > The Apocrypha
Sakura Apocrypha.
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Those who live life afraid of death have never lived at all.
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Viridian eyes cast to a sky gone velvety black with the darkness of night. Stars pierced the veil like bright rays of dreams from the world beyond. Her body shivered from cold but she did not reach for the blanket beside her, or the warm body underneath it. On clear nights like these, the full moon had an eerie look to it. It made her remember a time, long ago, when her heart still fancied itself in love with a certain raven-haired teammate of hers. Now, there was no one. She thought of Orochimaru and his new red/black eyes and wish-it-wasn't-familiar smirk, and did not have to harden her heart against the tears, because they never came. She had thought it was her heart that did this to her, made her able to track Sasuke like an Uchiha homing beacon. Much later, she had realized that her excellent chakra control had created a tether between herself and all of her teammates, not just Sasuke. It took her even longer to figure out how to use it, and longer than that to know for sure that Sasuke- that Orochimaru knew it was there. Science knocked love away with the same ferocity as the clash of two kunai in the grip of pure enemies, giving her cold hard facts to work with and nothing else. Sasuke did not exist anymore. She felt a tug on the tether that was now her connection to Orochimaru. She stood, wrapping her arms around herself and walked away from where Sai and Naruto slept. Instead of walking towards him, she walked towards a stream, as though she hadn't registered it, hadn't noticed that he was nearby.
"Hello, Sakura-Chan..." Near the stream, hands wrapped around her waist, and whispering filled her ear. She pretended confusion.
"Sai? I thought you were sleep- Sasuke-kun!" she allowed her eyes to go wide with surprise as when she turned around to look. Orochimaru laughed softly as she turned in his grip and hugged him tightly. "Sasuke-kun, I was afraid you would never come back to us…" She bit her lower lip and looked up at him through pink lashes. She had to time this, just right…
"I'm here, Sakura." Sasuke's familiar voice reassured her before those eyes became filled with the Sharingan. Sakura tilted her head back to look into those eyes before his lips teased her own. "Sakura-chan, do you love me?" Sakura only nodded as his breath ghosted over her lips. She didn't bother to try and hide the shiver from his nearness. Her chakra slowly formed a sword behind his back. It was harder when she could only form the seals in her mind, but she had practiced it enough, that it should work.
The sword went through his heart, through her breast painfully, but she did not cry out. Nor, she noticed, did he. He stepped back, and, like a phantom, went through her arm. Her eyes widened, and then narrowed as she fell to the ground, eyes closing entirely.
I fell for a genjutsu… she thought, as her lifeblood lay pouring out of her wound. It explained why she couldn't even scream with whatever oxygen was left in her blood-filled lungs.
Naruto did the screaming for her, later.
Sai felt sadness for the first time, later.
In death, Sakura was free. For her, there was no later.
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Those who live life afraid of death have never lived at all.
-----------------------
Viridian eyes cast to a sky gone velvety black with the darkness of night. Stars pierced the veil like bright rays of dreams from the world beyond. Her body shivered from cold but she did not reach for the blanket beside her, or the warm body underneath it. On clear nights like these, the full moon had an eerie look to it. It made her remember a time, long ago, when her heart still fancied itself in love with a certain raven-haired teammate of hers. Now, there was no one. She thought of Orochimaru and his new red/black eyes and wish-it-wasn't-familiar smirk, and did not have to harden her heart against the tears, because they never came. She had thought it was her heart that did this to her, made her able to track Sasuke like an Uchiha homing beacon. Much later, she had realized that her excellent chakra control had created a tether between herself and all of her teammates, not just Sasuke. It took her even longer to figure out how to use it, and longer than that to know for sure that Sasuke- that Orochimaru knew it was there. Science knocked love away with the same ferocity as the clash of two kunai in the grip of pure enemies, giving her cold hard facts to work with and nothing else. Sasuke did not exist anymore. She felt a tug on the tether that was now her connection to Orochimaru. She stood, wrapping her arms around herself and walked away from where Sai and Naruto slept. Instead of walking towards him, she walked towards a stream, as though she hadn't registered it, hadn't noticed that he was nearby.
"Hello, Sakura-Chan..." Near the stream, hands wrapped around her waist, and whispering filled her ear. She pretended confusion.
"Sai? I thought you were sleep- Sasuke-kun!" she allowed her eyes to go wide with surprise as when she turned around to look. Orochimaru laughed softly as she turned in his grip and hugged him tightly. "Sasuke-kun, I was afraid you would never come back to us…" She bit her lower lip and looked up at him through pink lashes. She had to time this, just right…
"I'm here, Sakura." Sasuke's familiar voice reassured her before those eyes became filled with the Sharingan. Sakura tilted her head back to look into those eyes before his lips teased her own. "Sakura-chan, do you love me?" Sakura only nodded as his breath ghosted over her lips. She didn't bother to try and hide the shiver from his nearness. Her chakra slowly formed a sword behind his back. It was harder when she could only form the seals in her mind, but she had practiced it enough, that it should work.
The sword went through his heart, through her breast painfully, but she did not cry out. Nor, she noticed, did he. He stepped back, and, like a phantom, went through her arm. Her eyes widened, and then narrowed as she fell to the ground, eyes closing entirely.
I fell for a genjutsu… she thought, as her lifeblood lay pouring out of her wound. It explained why she couldn't even scream with whatever oxygen was left in her blood-filled lungs.
Naruto did the screaming for her, later.
Sai felt sadness for the first time, later.
In death, Sakura was free. For her, there was no later.
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