Author: PunkWolf

Pairing: SanzoGoku

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: angst, mild BL, language

Disclaimer: Written for fun, not profit. Saiyuki belongs to Minekura.

Summary: Prompt 3 for FanFic100.

Ends

 The shadows fell around the priest as he slid through the maze of trees. Damn the dark. He couldn’t see a thing. All he could do was listen for any signs of… A twig snapped somewhere behind him and he whirled to face his slippery opponent. 

“Damn you! Come out!” He bellowed when he saw no one. He was answered by a silence deeper than any he’d ever recognized before now. He could practically feel the air rippling with the sheer force of his attacker’s youkai energy as he moved through the night. It was a cripplingly powerful aura. A demonic aura like he’d never known before he’d met this creature. He began creeping once again through the trees, trying to find an open space where he would stand a better chance against this predator.  

An omnipresent growl echoed through the area, but fuck if Sanzo could tell where it came from. The monster was angry, and he had every right to be. Sanzo’d shot it once in the leg after all. It had slipped into the shadows and for the first time in his life, Sanzo truly felt like prey. He was being hunted. 

“Sanzo!” He could feel Goku calling for him in his mind once more, and hated that he was helpless to do jack shit about it. He was running for his life, Hakkai and Gojyo having already fallen prey to the beast’s claws. 

Another crack, but from above this time, like the breaking of a tree branch.  

“Shit.” Sanzo cursed as he quickened his pace. The atmosphere pulsed with the presence of his attacker, hidden by the darkness. He could feel his heartbeat pounding against the wall of his chest. His tuned senses could feel every breath of wind around him, and every sensation from within. His nerves were wired and his adrenalin pumped. Jumping at shadows had a whole new meaning. 

Sweat started to bead on his brow, and he spun so his back was against the closest tree. He panted into the foreboding silence, listening to Goku’s troubled calls within his mind. But despite Goku’s persistent calling, the saru was not here. Sanzo was alone. Alone with this creature. This creature that wanted to kill him. It had taken all of three hits to dispose of Hakkai and Gojyo, but luckily both had been breathing when Sanzo last checked. However, if those two practiced demon fighters hadn’t managed to hold their ground against their latest opponent, how could Sanzo be expected to? He had limited experience in hand to hand combat, and a gun was useless within the dense forest, and that overpowering aura filled every nook and cranny, making him unable to pinpoint his assailant through sense alone. 

Another growl, closer this time, to Sanzo’s left. And the priest was off again, dashing through the underbrush, tripping every so often in his haste. A malicious cackle thundered from behind him, breaking the daunting silence, but providing no relief. A brief glance back provided Sanzo with a glimpse of a shadow-cloaked figure tailing him through the trees. 

How many times had Sanzo woken up in a cold sweat after being haunted by nightmares similar to this? How many times had Goku woken up as well, distressed by his lover’s quickened breathing and distraught aura? He’d never told Goku of these dreams, pride preventing him from revealing any sign of fear, even to the person closest to him. He knew Goku hadn’t believed a word of his excuses, but that did nothing to push him toward confiding in his saru. 

Sanzo gasped as a solid root appeared out of nowhere and sent him tumbling to the earthen floor. With a muffled grunt, his body collided with the unforgiving ground. Lightening flashed, illuminating the silhouettes of treetops. Thunder sounded seconds later, and rain began to pour. Sanzo’s heartbeat accelerated in fear as his eyes narrowed. This was an unnatural rain. A storm summoned by a creature of god-like strength.  

Another flash of lightening, accompanied by vicious claws raking down Sanzo back. “Gah!” Sanzo turned over quickly to see Seiten Taisei looming over him. Slitted golden eyes peered down at him through damp brown bangs, lips curved in a maniacal grin, showing off the Sage’s gruesome fangs. Sanzo shuddered and his eyes widened in alarm. Goku’s voice had been silenced.  The beast growled, leer fading gradually into a frown.

Seiten Taisei crouched, sniffing Sanzo dubiously. A clawed hand grasped Sanzo’s calf through his tattered robes as the creature examined his cornered prey. Broken thoughts raced through Seiten Taisei’s mind: It had run. There was no need to kill it quickly; it put up no fight… except for the leg wound. Seiten Taisei growled. This human was dangerous when it chose to be. But right now, it was submitting nicely. 

Despite Seiten Taisei’s calmer attitude, Sanzo knew he wasn’t in the clear yet. Not only was he lacking his gun, dropped after he’d shot the monster in the leg, but the priest was just too riled at the moment to remember the words he needed to replace Goku’s limiter. All he had was the sutra. 

Mind made up, Sanzo took a breath to begin the chant, but as if reading his mind, Seiten Taisei’s grip on his leg clamped down ruthlessly, claws piercing the skin they encountered. Concentration broken, Sanzo cried out. 

And suddenly, Goku’s voice returned full force. “Sanzo!!!” Seiten Taisei’s face screwed up in annoyance. Could he hear Goku’s cries, too? A second later, the heretic had leapt back up into the trees. Panting heavily, Sanzo rose shakily to his feet. Wherever Seiten Taisei had gone off to, Sanzo knew he’d be back.

The blond began stumbling quickly back toward where they’d broken camp for the night, pain shooting up his leg with every step. Someone had turned the sound back on. Wind howled violently through the trees and leaves rustled against each other in the heavy onslaught of rain. Each of Sanzo’s steps echoed in the blustery weather. He grumbled as his drenched bangs fell constantly into his eyes, making it even harder to navigate the maze of forest. And now that life had returned to the landscape, he couldn’t hear any sound signifying Seiten Taisei’s approach. And that incredible aura still swallowed all attempts at pinpointing the source of his fear. 

Turning back a few times, he’d seen his pursuer tailing him a good fifty meters behind, leaping from tree branch to tree branch in pursuit of his prey, for prey was all Sanzo knew he was to this creature. His true lover was screaming bloody murder inside his head, and though it was slightly comforting to hear Goku’s voice, it was giving his keeper a splitting headache.  After banging his shoulders against numerous tree trunks, Sanzo burst into the clearing where Hakkai and Gojyo still lay unconscious.

Hakuryu kyu’d from where he’d been left parked. Venturing farther into the space, Sanzo was aware that he didn’t have long until Seiten Taisei entered the scene. Quickly, Sanzo piled Gojyo and Hakkai’s bodies in Jeep’s back seat. A low growl emanated from the brush next to the clearing. Sanzo hopped swiftly into Hakuryu’s driver seat.  

“Get us outta here!” He roared at the dragon. Immediately, Jeep’s tires were squealing for purchase on the wet ground. A second later, they were launched into motion, flying down the dirt road. 

The transformed dragon squeaked crossly at his impromptu driver, knowing exactly who they were leaving behind.  “Shut up, you stupid car! You don’t really think we’ll be able to lose him, do…?” Sanzo was cut off by a thud as something heavy landed upon Jeep’s hood, prompting a terrified shriek from the vehicle itself.  Glancing up, Sanzo found himself gazing straight into his lover’s eyes. No. Seiten Taisei’s eyes.

Golden eyes glared down at him, and the screaming within his head became deafening. Sanzo could no longer fight the urge to cover his ears. “Shut up!” 

Seiten Taisei paused, eyes widening slightly, but the voice was not dimmed. The monster growled, and Goku’s screaming finally began to die down. But Sanzo was not relieved. 

“What are you doing to him, you piece of shit?!” The blond shouted above the storm’s ruckus. 

Seiten Taisei growled again, golden eyes narrowing menacingly. The voice was almost gone now. And Sanzo began to panic, in fear of losing his charge altogether.  

“Damn you!” He roared before launching forward and tackling the berserker.  A deep yelp from Seiten Taisei was all the monster offered in reaction to Sanzo’s attack. The priest was straddling the beast’s hips, watching his foe with guarded eyes, distraught at the voice that wavered within his mind; softer and quiet one minute, fervent and thunderous the next. The fluctuation was making him nauseous. 

Meanwhile, Seiten Taisei lay sprawled beneath his keeper, upper body propped upon wiry forearms. His eyes were slightly glazed and his face alternated between frustrated and menacing expressions almost faster than the eye could see. Then it dawned on Sanzo. There was a full-fledged war going on inside the saru’s head. 

Dammit, why him? Why had he had to fall in love with a damn demon whatever-the-hell-Goku-was? Why? Why’d he take the obviously harder route when accepting the boy’s affections, after turning away so many others vying for the same thing? Why had his master selected him of all people to teach those damn lessons to. Muichimotsu? Fuck, he didn’t even know what the concept meant anymore, and he was beginning to wonder if he ever had. But something very loud and annoying inside Sanzo’s head had been telling him a long time, that this was just the way things were. That he hadn’t had a choice from the start. His master was doomed to dying before his pupil’s eyes. The pupil was cursed to walked the earth alone until a voice began calling from nowhere. The voice was always meant to be found. It had been fated since the gods sealed that power away. And Sanzo was destined to be forever glued to a bottomless pit of a monkey whose heretical eyes he both loved and hated. Loved for their vibrancy and life that never failed to lighten Sanzo’s mood in even the smallest way. Hated for what they signified. For what they hid inside his lover. A monster. A beast. A heretic who was both never meant to be born, and destined to walk the earth by Sanzo’s side. 

The war waged on within the creature’s mind, as two very different, yet forever the same, entities battled for control. One wanting to rip out the sun’s throat, one wanting to curl into the sun’s chest and sob for all his heart was worth, mourning the plague that was forever trying to make mince-meat out of his friends. 

Suddenly, golden eyes cleared, and snapped up to meet Sanzo’s. Distinctly round pupils gazed back at him, and for a second, Sanzo ceased breathing. But in a flash, the clarity was gone, and Seiten Taisei’s bloodlust was restored. However, the demon still looked rather dazed and preoccupied, locking Goku away within the recesses of their mind once again. The voice began to fade out… 

Like a wave breaking upon the rough rocks of a shore, the words returned to Sanzo, his own blink of clarity startling him into action. In an almost violent motion, Sanzo’s hand snapped up to Seiten Taisei’s forehead, sure to leave a bruise when everything was said and done. The words poured from his lips purely upon reflex, and the ease at which they came to him now aggravated Sanzo. As always, a lifetime too late. 

As expected, Goku’s form hovered in wide-eyed shock for no more than a few moments before the heretic collapsed, unconscious, upon Sanzo’s own worn form. But while Goku began to doze atop his savior, Sanzo’s heart still raced, charged with leftover adrenalin.  Fear still flooded his veins like a drug, making his nerves unable to ease-off and his muscles remain taut with apprehension.  

Sanzo’s mind understood that, for now, it was over. But his body was a little late picking up on the fact. He lay back upon the cold, hard, earth, breathing coming easier to him by the second. As his back attempted to relax upon the stable ground, he felt his spine groan in protest, each and every kink crying out, so that it took him a whole five minutes before his muscles gave into his will. It still felt like an elephant was sitting upon his heaving chest, but he didn’t care. He was alive once again. But he wasn’t alone as he feared he would have been; as he always fears will become of him. For it isn’t Seiten Taisei’s claws he fears. No. It’s the uncertainty and pain of his and Goku’s future that has him breaking down inside. 

For this may be the end of the battle, but the war is far from over.  

Author: PunkWolf

Rating: PG

Warnings:  language

Disclaimer: Written for fun, not profit. Saiyuki belongs to Minekura.

Summary: Prompt 2 for FanFic100.

Middles 

He’d seen Goku in rabid monkey mode a few times before now. He’d seen the crazy long hair, crazy sharp teeth (felt them as well, mind you) and the crazy youkai ears. He just figured it was Goku in ‘demon’ mode. Like Hakkai, but shorter and more annoying.

But Seiten Taisei is a demon just as much as Goku is human. And no human can eat that much food and not die of some kinda calorie poisoning.

It just never occurred to Gojyo just how much of an exception Goku was.

Until he’d seen the monkey dislodge rocks from the ground through sheer power alone. The power of the goddamn earth. He’d seen the sky swirl to black above them as the slit-eyed beast readied for the attack. Until he saw Goku snatch Hakkai’s chi blast out of the air and send it careening back to them. Until he saw Goku catch Gato’s bullet between his teeth.

But still… this was just Goku gone berserk. He’d pulled crazy shit in the desert, too.

But in the desert, Goku’s clothes hadn’t been in tatters.

As the monster roared and bellowed above the din of the storm, Gojyo’s eye was drawn to the symbol upon Seiten Taisei’s stomach.

Now, all full-blooded youkai had markings upon their bodies. It was just another one of those little quirks that made demons different from humans, but they were all relatively meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Granted, some goons took their mark and made it their personal crest and other shit like that, but really, it was as insignificant as humans’ birthmarks.

Normal, full-blooded youkai didn’t have the symbol for chaos splashed across their bellies.

This was when it truly hit Gojyo that Goku was some seriously hot shit in the grand scheme of things.

Fear. Chaos. Destruction… Creation. These are what Hakkai once told him Seiten Taisei represents, and while his markings are a clear prelude to this, it’s his performance that makes sure you’ll never forget it. It’s the cleaving of claws, the gnash of fangs, the howling of wind and voice, that makes you a believer.

For only one with the power to bring the Heavens to their knees is branded with the eternal mark of chaos. Only Seiten Taisei, with the power of the very planet at his disposal, has the might to rend fate from its course and rewrite the very fabric of life itself.

And as Hakkai moves to remove his limiters, Gojyo doesn’t move to stop him at first, in the midst of his uncharacteristic awe of the scene before them.

And the wind swirls and Seiten Taisei bellows and the only one who can bring the monkey back is nowhere to be found. And Gojyo wonders how the hell this is even possible.

Author: PunkWolf

Rating: G

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: Written for fun, not profit. Saiyuki belongs to Minekura.

Summary: Prompt 1 for FanFic100.

Beginnings 

The song of spring was in the air that morning. Birds and smaller animals chattering away at the silence…

…until he ventured up their corner or the forest.

All feral killing intent, wrapped up in a shell of false humanity. The white noise was silenced as soon as he happened upon the secluded grove.

Perched in the canopy overlooking the meadow, his vigilant eyes caught every movement; honed ears caught every sound. His prey was under no delusions. They knew he saw all and heard all, and that there was nothing they could do to escape his will. A god amongst humans… a demon among gods.

The beast crouched low against his branch as he felt a larger, warmer aura enter the vicinity. It was not a faint glow like the small animals he typically hunted, nor was it the soft heat of a deer or mid-sized hunter he shared his land with. No, this was a new creature, the likes of which he’d never felt. The strong aura of power and intelligence, it didn’t falter or flicker like the animals he’d grown up hunting. It never wavered in its self-assuredness. It had grown foolish as it aged.

Leaving the silent clearing behind, he made his way toward the source of this new aura, intent on sating his curiosity.

Trees and other landscape flew by as he flew through the forest, weaving around the trunks and branches. In no time, the aura filled his senses like nothing had before. He mentally adjusted to the new intrusion, and his muscles relaxed as it dimmed in his mind’s eye. But even with the lessened aura, he could hear the creature’s breathing. And it’s heartbeat. A great deal of blood flowed through this creature. He could smell it swarming beneath skin plastered with a nauseatingly heavy scent.

With a final leap, he allowed himself to descend from the trees and land heavily upon the forest floor, balance never wavering. He heard a distinct hitch in the even breathing.

He didn’t have time to examine his find, for a moment later, it had fled… or began to flee. This creature moved slower than an expectant doe. In mild amusement, he watched as it stumbled through the thick underbrush. When it was a hundred yards away, the beast sprang once more into the treetops and followed it at a leisurely pace. There was no threat in this weak little being, so trailing it would provide a fun, new way to pass the time.

Ever so often, it would glance fearfully over its shoulder, and seeing nothing, would slow down just a bit. Its pursuer was amused by its ignorance and false sense of security.

Not an hour later, more glowing auras began to reach them. He had no doubt that the creature couldn’t feel them, but they were there, growing in intensity as they pressed on. Suddenly, the forest ceased, and he followed the creature to the edge of the trees, watching as it made its way toward…

Hundreds of creatures just like it.

It was screaming and flailing its arms wildly as it approached the nearest person. Fear was easily spotted in the eyes of the latest creature and both began making animated noises that he couldn’t understand. Together, his prey and its companion continued into the forest of rigid lines and shapes, all looking impossibly alike.

He let them go, but he slowly felt the auras of the area shift. From the warm, calm colors, to a violent red making his head throb. He’d never felt an aura such as this… so powerful and so full of… he couldn’t even place it. Malice? Cruelty? His head spun.

Red began to fill his vision as his prey returned, but with its pack in tow and objects in hand. The sudden need to kill overwhelmed him like never before.

His would be attackers didn’t understand that their malevolence was leaving impressions upon this mind that would have repercussions centuries from now, when three likewise tainted men would face off with the very creature they hated and loved the most.

But it was too late to undo their actions born of ignorance.

He wanted to feel these creatures dying in his grasp as he ripped them apart in every way possible. He didn’t understand this new feeling of unadulterated bloodlust…

Because Seiten Taisei had never known hatred before now. And the influence of the humans’ dirty souls proved more potent than the earth’s purity.

Author: PunkWolf

Pairing: SasuNaru-y

Rating: PG(-13?)

Warnings: angst, chara death

Disclaimer: Written for fun, not profit. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

Summary: Prompt 3 for FanFic100. 

Ends 

Blood dripped down the katana as he raised it to gleam brilliant crimson and chrome in the light of the rising sun. Behind him, the hodgepodge that was Team Kakashi looked on in horror at his actions. At least, all of Team Kakashi, except one.

Naruto was the only one not present to witness his former friend’s deed… for it was his blood that stained Sasuke’s katana.

He had already fallen when Sasuke raised the blade. He’d refused to fight, even whilst the Uchiha made his intentions painfully clear. All hope had faded from his eyes as Kyuubi red receded to riveting blue. Falling to his knees, Uzumaki Naruto gave up for the first time in his sixteen years.

Sasuke had already suppressed Kyuubi’s chakra when he drove his weapon directly through the center of the seal fading upon Naruto’s bare torso. He removed the blade immediately and stared impassively down at the dying teen before him as the blond turned morbid blue eyes toward in his direction.

“Teme…” He hissed as the edges of his vision turned black, but Sasuke never heard what was meant to follow, for Naruto was dead a moment later.

And yet Sasuke waited for the blond to jump back up just as he’d always done.

Two minutes later, it became obvious… Naruto wasn’t getting back up.

From somewhere behind him, Sakura began to sob uncontrollably, as Sai watched the scene with an odd ache in his chest. It was Kakashi who stepped forward.

“You’re going to regret that some day… Sasuke.”

A whirling Sharingan turned to face him as a Chidori charged in the prodigy’s hand. “I think you’re wrong.”

Kakashi merely graced him with a knowing look as he continued past the dark haired nin to where Naruto’s body lay. “Oh really? Then why is it that the Mangekyou Sharingan has found a home in your eyes, Sasuke? Hmmm?”

Sasuke looked startled, but silently berated himself for not instantly noticing the shift in his vision. “What are you trying to say?”

“I was aware of the fact that one had to murder their closest friend in order to gain such power. And here you are with it, after killing Naruto.”

“That means nothing.”

Kakashi knelt to scoop up the blonde’s broken body when he was cut off by a surge of violent red chakra spiraling up toward the sky. Everyone except Sasuke and Sai covered their ears as a strangled howl shattered the still of early morning. Haunting, it rose in pitch until even Sasuke fought the urge to flinch, when suddenly it was gone, and the vicious chakra dissipated into nothing.

“So it’s true…” Kakashi whispered. “Somehow… I hadn’t really thought it’d be possible…” He rested one gloved hand over Naruto’s chest, and felt neither heartbeat nor flow of chakra within. “He’s really gone. Kyuubi and all.”

Sakura’s sobbing grew louder, and Sai sank to his knees, clutching the fabric over his heart tightly. His eyes clenched as his grip tightened, but he said nothing.

Kakashi rose with Naruto’s body, and turned to face his team and the silent Uchiha. “This battle is over.” His eye strayed to where Sasuke watched Naruto’s body impassively. “He isn’t getting up, Sasuke. Not this time.” He whispered as he passed. “And I know… some day, you’ll want to kill yourself for what you’ve done.” Those were his last words as Team Kakashi took off towards the distant Fire Country.

Sasuke still thought Kakashi was wrong.

–

One again, blood ran down the honed blade of Sasuke’s katana, yet instead of raising it in hollow triumph as before, he let it fall to the cold stone floor with a metallic clatter.

Itachi’s waning eyesight hadn’t stood a chance against his fresh Mangekyou Sharingan.

The fight had been shamefully simple, even whilst the rest of Team Hebi perished at the hands of the remaining Akatsuki, the surviving of whom watched this final threat warily.

But Sasuke paid his audience no mind while staring blankly at his blade as Itachi’s blood pooled grimly underneath it.

It was done.

He resisted the urge to pinch himself, just to be sure this wasn’t another dream. But deep down, he knew very well that this was real. He was no longer an Avenger. He was no longer the Uchiha burdened with his clan’s massacre and Itachi’s betrayal. No.

He was a teenager, a sixteen year old standing over his brother’s corpse. A teenager who’d been forced to grow up far too long ago. A teenager who’d killed probably his only friend.

A heart, that was suddenly no longer numb, clenched within Sasuke’s chest.

 Now what? 

He could go back to Konoha, but why? To subject himself to the punishment due for his crimes and to face a village that no longer revered him and his heritage? No, Konoha no longer held any meaning for him- because he’d killed the only one left who’d been willing to forgive him.

It was Sasuke’s turn to fall to his knees as the hideous truth hit him like a tidal wave- Kakashi had been right. Because now, not only did he find himself without allegiances or a purpose, he found himself completely and utterly alone with not even the false pity of the villagers to sooth the edges of solitude.

And he found himself regretting.

Naruto was dead, and it was his fault. Not just his fault- his doing. His choice. His whim.

He hadn’t had to do it. He knew that. He’d been well aware of the fact that Kakashi possessed the Mangekyou form of the Sharingan, not having killed his most precious person. Yet even with this knowledge, he’d still driven his blade through the one soul on earth who’d been fighting for him, even after all he’d done.

He would have been able to kill Itachi… eventually, whether Naruto had died or not. But now it was too late to turn back time, and Naruto had died a needless death.

Sasuke stood from the floor slowly as the Akatsuki members watched him cagily, but he didn’t even take notice of them, but instead barreled at full speed out of the chamber and down the maze of hallways, Sharingan guiding him out.

Only a week had passed since Naruto’s death. And Sasuke was off to Konoha.

–

The Godaime pounded her fist upon the metal table, making the corpse jerk slightly from the jarring. Dammit, why couldn’t she figure out that jutsu? Tears streamed freely down her face as she mourned over Naruto’s unnaturally still body. Team Kakashi, the Kazekage and Shizune watched somberly as she cried over the blond. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He’d always cheated death before! Why… WHY?!

Kakashi stepped forward hesitantly. “I remember it.” He whispered, drawing all eyes to him.

Tsunade’s gaze snapped to him instantly and not a moment later the Copy Ninja was pinned against the wall. “Tell me.” She growled, eyes glowing with both desperation and hope. Kakashi remembered Chiyou-baa’s Jutsu. There was still a chance.

“No.” Kakashi whispered even softer than before. Her gripped on his vest tightened.

“Why the hell not?!” She roared, not expecting this answer whatsoever. Kakashi turned his one grey eye to her gold ones.

“Because Naruto would rather die than live knowing you gave your life to save him. He always hated being saved. By anyone.” Both he and Sakura instantly relived the moment where a kunai pierced Naruto’s hand on that first mission lifetimes ago.

That answer wasn’t good enough for her. “I don’t give a shit! Tell me the damn jutsu!”

Kakashi gently removed her hands from his clothing. “I know you don’t mean that.” He replied just as gently. “We both know Naruto would never be the same living his life with that kind of burden on his shoulders. Not with how much you meant to him.”

Her hands fell to her sides as she crumpled to the floor, tears retracing their tracks down her suddenly aged cheeks. No one commented on the dropped genjutsu. She managed to speak through her bawling. “I w-was going to name him R-Rokudaime, you know… I was going t-to tell him in a few months.” She weeped. “And not just because… it was his d-dream. H-He was truly… Konoha’s greatest. Just like he said h-he’d be.”

Kakashi nodded above her. “If he had truly fought Sasuke… I have no doubt he would have won.” He paused shortly before adding, “But he was always too noble, wasn’t he?”

Tsuande’s tears slowed slightly. “He was our Rokudaime. Let no one challenge me on that fact. And thus…” She shifted to face the table that held his corpse. “He will be buried as our Rokudaime.”

–

Not three days later, all of Konoha was gathered at the base of Hokage Mountain. In the front row was none other than the Rookie Nine… or seven, as it happened to be now, and Gai’s Team. Gaara stood with the Fifth next to a coffin no one had ever expected to be see so soon.

From where she stood beside Kakashi, Sakura vaguely noted that she’d run out of tears. Konohamaru beside her, was a different story altogether. She had moved to comfort him when she was cut off by Sai’s pale hand coming to rest on the boy’s shoulder. The sobbing teen immediately buried his face in the shinobi’s torso, that for once wasn’t bare. Sai looked awkward for a moment before he shifted to accommodate the genin better. Sakura couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Sai willingly offering to comfort another. A sight that would never have existed if it hadn’t been for Naruto.

Then again, none of this would be… if it hadn’t been for…

She knew Kakashi was right when he told Sasuke he was going to regret his actions. She didn’t doubt it for a second. And she was almost certain he was regretting it at this very moment.

She had a sudden quixotic vision of the crowd parting as Sasuke reverently walked through their midst straight up to Naruto’s coffin. Though she knew it would never happen- as always, her brain was just over romanticizing everything.

Just as the procession began, Kotetsu ran up to the Godaime and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes visibly widened, as did Gaara’s, who’d overheard the hushed alert. His fists clenched dangerously and the cork popped off his gourd. Kotetsu glanced at him warily before whispering in her ear one more time. He must have been softer this time, because Gaara scowled lightly, marking that he must not have heard this last part.

Sakura watched with interest as Tsunade’s eyes darted up toward the massive replica of the Yondaime’s visage. Her expression was neutral. The medic-nin, too, chanced a glance up toward the Mountain, and was only half-shocked by what she saw.

Sasuke, clad in his back polar neck and shorts, stood solemnly atop the Yondaime likeness, arms wrapped securely around his midsection. His gaze was fixed upon the Rokudaime’s coffin.

She nudged Kakashi and jerked her head toward the spectacle. Kakashi followed her lead and didn’t look at all shocked by what he saw. Sakura realized others must have caught her motion when a few jounin behind her sensei looked up as well. She easily caught the gasps as one by one they recognized the figure. More nudging and gesturing ensued and soon, the majority of the crowd was sneaking glimpses up the mountain, many unsure of what to make of it.

It was not public knowledge that Naruto had been killed by none other than the defective Uchiha.

Then the whispering began, and the single file line of ninjas paying respects, slowed to a halt. Their uninvited guest shift his stance, and all at once, the murmuring ceased.

Yet still, Sasuke did not pay them any mind. He only stared down at the red and white case that housed the blond’s corpse. Had he even noticed he’d been spotted?

All of a sudden, Tsunade cleared her throat and addressed the stalled procession. “Well? What’s wrong with you? Keep moving!” And the line began to move once again.

–

When the funeral was over, and Konoha had retreated back down the mountainside, Tsunade halted the ANBU who’d stepped forth to hoist Naruto’s coffin to the gravesite.

“Wait a minute.” She whispered and unabashedly drug the Kazekage away from the head of the stage to where Naruto’s closest friends still clustered. As she ushered the crowd a further distance away, rain began to fall.

A few minutes later, Kiba spoke up. “What the hell’s going on?”

Tsunade whirled on him. “Urasai!” She hissed, glancing quickly back toward the casket. Not a moment later, a black blur came to a halt beside the lid she had left open. The crowd was dead silent as Sasuke approached Naruto’s immobile form. He stopped when he could clearly see the prone body.

He  cupped his chin in his palm and pale fingers pressed against his lips as he gazed upon the corpse before him, other arm still wrapped tightly around his torso.

“So you made Hokage after all… dobe.” He murmured just loud enough so that the wind carried his deep voice to the audience. An audience he still had yet to acknowledge. “Hn. It figures you were going easy on me.”

Tsunade felt numerous questioning gazes turn her way at his words, but ignored them, continuing to watch the scene before her.

His voice was lower when he next spoke, but they managed to catch his words by some miracle. “I know you would have forgiven me, even if I didn’t deserve it.” His arm lowered to fold over the one still wrapped around his waist. “And I certainly don’t deserve it. Because this didn’t have to happen. You didn’t have to…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but moved on instead. “He’s dead, you know. I killed him, not 10 hours ago. Thanks to that stupid Mangekyou Sharingan that I never should have gotten. I wonder… does this make me any better than him…?”

The rain began to fall harder, making a small racket against the floorboards of the platform.

“You should have fought me seriously, usuratonkachi. If you had then I wouldn’t have… you wouldn’t have…” A few noises of surprise echoed throughout the watching mass as the brightest of the group caught what Sasuke was implying. “But I can’t blame you. That’s… that wouldn’t be fair.”

It was then that he shifted again, reaching an arm out into the coffin.

Sasuke sighed quietly as his hand made contact with Naruto’s cold skin. This was all wrong, he thought. So completely and indescribably, wrong. “I don’t have much left to say to you.” He continued. “But, I guess I do owe you one thing…”

The remaining shinobi stilled, instinctively measuring the gravity of Sasuke’s pause.

The weather quieted for one moment, allowing Sasuke’s nearly nonexistent whisper to reach their ears. “I’m sorry, Naruto.”

The din rose again and Tsunade silently signaled the waiting ANBU. In one smooth motion, all four leapt toward the vulnerable Uchiha, but he was already gone.

–

“He never gave up on you, you know.” She whispered to the shadow next to her, not at all surprised that he was there. It was her first visit to Naruto’s grave and the earth was still fresh where his coffin was buried. To his right was an empty plot and even farther was an honorary memorial to the Forth Hokage.

She could practically feel Sasuke’s disbelieving gaze upon her.

“I’m serious. Though… he was most definitely giving up that day he fought you…”

Sasuke waited a good three minutes before responding. “Then what was he giving up on if it wasn’t me?”

She smiled sadly. “Himself. He… talked to me about it before. How he was worried he’d never be able to reach you…” She paused before continuing in a whisper. “Did he reach you Sasuke?”

The Uchiha didn’t respond.

They stood there in silence for what seemed like hours before another set of footsteps could be heard coming toward them.

“The gang’s all here.” Kakashi quipped with false bravado. He halted just behind his former students. “You have quite the ANBU force out to get you, Sasuke. Isn’t being here a bit risky?” The dark haired nin just shrugged, eyes never leaving Naruto’s headstone. When Kakashi spoke next, the lighter lit to his voice was gone. “You regret it… don’t you, Sasuke.”

The prodigy seemed to curl in on himself. “Yes.”

Sasuke stepped forward, drawing himself up to the edge of the exposed soil, followed quickly by Sakura and leisurely by Kakashi. He hesitated a moment before lifting one pale hand to his right eye. Before his former team knew what was going on, his fingers had pressed into the socket and were gouging out a Sharingan stained orb.

Sakura gasped. “What are you doing?!”

He didn’t respond as he fully ripped the eye out in a mess of blood and sinew and tossed it upon the grave. Immediately, he reached up to remove the final one. Sakura moved to stop him, but Kakashi cast a stern gaze her way that stopped her in her tracks. The jounin knew something she didn’t.

Soon enough, a second eye joined the first atop blood stained soil.

“I obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan through his blood, he deserves something of mine in return. This is all I have to offer.” He muttered before turning an about face and striding off toward the city.

“S-Sasuke…” Sakura stuttered, still unnerved by the prodigy’s actions. “You’re headed toward  Konoha.”

“I know.”

“When the ANBU catch you they’ll kill you!” She cried out, not wanting another of her teammates to die, despite his many wrongs.

“Actually, Sakura, they’ll take him to the Hokage where he’ll have a trail arranged.” Kakashi amended. He redirected his attention toward Sasuke. “What are you planning?”

“Nothing that concerns either of you.” The Uchiha snarled before taking off into the trees, guided clumsily by his remaining senses back to the city streets.

They heard rather than saw the ANBU spot him and made their way as quickly as they could toward the source of the uproar. In the street below their perch upon a rooftop- Sakura looked down in dismay to find themselves above Ichiraku- they saw two ANBU guards frozen where they stood. Ten meters in front of them, stood a figure neither of them recognized, save two bleeding wounds where his eyes should be.

White hair reaching his mid back flowed softly in the light breeze, a black cross-like marking marring his ashen face. But the most distinctive difference between the person before them and Sasuke was the two leathery wings protruding from the prodigy’s shoulder blades.

Sakura gasped at the frightening sight, while inside Kakashi’s tensai brain, something clicked.

“The curse seal.” He murmured just loud enough for her to hear. “This is its advanced form…”

“I-I’ve never seen it before…”

“Maa… me either… I think the only two who’ve witnessed it, are Orochimaru… and Naruto.”

“Na-Naruto?” Sakura looked surprised.

Kakashi explained. “This chakra… the only other time I’ve felt it was three years ago when I found them in the Valley. I suspect that was the first time Sasuke used the full power of the seal.”

“…What now, Kakashi-sensei?”

The jounin instructor didn’t respond as Sasuke suddenly charged toward the platoon of ANBU, air singing with the ruckus of his thousand birds. Their trance was broken and they met him halfway.

Sakura screamed as four ANBU katanas skewered Sasuke’s torso. The Uchiha was dead before he hit the ground.

Bystanders watched as Sasuke’s rightful form hit the street with a muffled thud. Limp and motionless, no one expected him to move, and he didn’t. Blood quickly darkened the dusty road around him and Sakura whimpered helplessly before rounding viciously on the Copy Ninja.

“You knew he was going to do this!” She cried out, thrusting an accusatory finger into his masked face. “You knew, and you didn’t try to stop him!” Hurt and betrayal stained her voice beyond recognition.

“Would you have stopped him?” The white haired nin asked in return.

“Yes!”

“Really? Even knowing the pain he was in?”

“We could have healed him!”

“Do you honestly believe that, Sakura?” He countered, surprised etched clearly into his visible eye. “You honestly believe that we could ease the impact of Naruto’s death? That we could even compare to the influence Naruto had on Sasuke?” His gaze turned scornful. “You must be more delusional than you were when you were a genin.”

Sakura was crying now. “It’s what I wanted to believe!” She sobbed.

Kakashi’s gaze softened. “You saw them before the rift formed, Sakura… you know how significant their bond was, whether you had been willing to recognize it then or not.”

“I may understand, but that doesn’t make it any easier on me, Kakashi-sensei… do you think Sasuke-kun… loved Naruto?”

He didn’t answer as the Godaime arrived on the scene and the ANBU begin to clear the area. She glanced up to where they stood with an apologetic gaze before returning to her duties. Kakashi left Sakura standing on the rooftop alone. It had been a long, difficult night, and he just wanted to sleep.

–

There wasn’t a funeral for Uchiha Sasuke, though the majority of the rookie nine and company were present for his burial, minus Kiba and Neji, who couldn’t find it in themselves to make an appearance.

Sakura was the only one who cried… besides Gai…

Ino stared blackly as the plain coffin was lowered into the grave.

Shikamaru couldn’t help but remind himself how much trouble the Uchiha had caused for himself and Naruto.

Chouji, who hadn’t really known Sasuke all that well, mainly came because Ino and Shikamaru had come.

Shino… no one could tell what he thought of the procedure.

Hinata quietly cursed the man, having been one of the few who’d made the connection between Naruto’s death and Sasuke’s arrival. But she later amended herself, if only for Naruto’s sake.

TenTen had stayed behind with Neji, while Lee attended out of grudging respect for the Uchiha’s strength and the bond he’d had with Naruto.

Gaara pretended he was invisible; having only been there in honor of Naruto, feeling no one else was suitable to represent the blond at his precious person’s burial.

Tsunade watched with old, sad eyes as the coffin was lowered, though whether she was sad for herself, Naruto or Sasuke, no one could tell.

And surprisingly enough, Iruka attended, despite the fact that he was one of the few who’d been told how Naruto had died. He knew Naruto would have wanted him to go.

And Kakashi watched it all, feeling oddly detached from everything. Sakura had confided in him that she planned on taking the jounin exam that fall so she could train her own team of genin when they graduated in the spring. Kakashi thought it was a brilliant idea, despite the fact that it made him feel exceedingly old.

When most of the ninja had left, he turned to Sakura. “I believe a foundation was formed back when they were genin, though they were too young to recognize it then. I think that’s why Sasuke returned to Konoha. And I think… they loved each other in a way only they could pull off. If circumstances had been different…” A small smile creased his mask. He recalled the script hastily scrawled beneath the inscription upon Naruto’s headstone, spotted the last night they’d seen Sasuke alive.

Sakura smiled in return. “That’s kinda what I came up with.” She sighed as she looked from Sasuke’s grave to the one next to it. No one had touched the crimson eyes left upon the soil. Godaime had, behind the council’s back, made arrangements for Uchiha Sasuke to be buried in her plot instead of the depressingly crowded Uchiha site. Those who knew them figured both parties would’ve liked it better this way anyway.

Sakura approached Sasuke’s headstone and crouched daintily, kunai clutched in her hand.

 Uzumaki Naruto

Rokudaime Hokage

“Konoha’s #1 Most Unpredictable Shinobi…

And the most loyal friend one could ask for.”

The precious person I recognized too late. 

Uchiha Sasuke

“May his soul rest in the peace

he never found among us.”

And bring peace to the soul that

complimented him so beautifully.

Author: PunkWolf

Rating: PG

Warnings: nothing serious

Disclaimer: Written for fun, not profit. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

Summary: Prompt 1 for FanFic100. Implied SasuNaru-ish.

Beginnings

He didn’t know when it started.

Land of Waves maybe?

Perhaps during the battle with Gaara.

He didn’t know or understand why. Hell, he’d been denying it for two and a half goddamn years. But when he looked down into the ruins of Orochimaru’s base, he couldn’t ignore the tightening in his chest when Naruto burst onto the scene.

The dobe was different, yet exactly the same, all at once. But that was Uzumaki Naruto for you- a walking contradiction.

But like he’d been practicing for years now, Sasuke squashed whatever he was feeling back down into the forgotten pit of his soul where it belonged. Useless emotions. That’s all they were. Blips in his Avenger radar that were best left ignored as Sasuke did what Sasuke does best.

But it never was business as usual when Naruto was concerned, was it? The teen had the annoying habit of throwing his rival for a loop every time they came near each other.

Sasuke abandoned whatever plan he’d concocted when he leapt deftly into the pit harboring his ex-teammates. Landing closer to the blond than he’d ever planned to get, he hissed words of promised extermination into an ear he didn’t have to bend so far to reach anymore. It frightened him how much Naruto had grown, and how it excited him that it had happened.

When Naruto spoke back, it took all of his willpower not to ask the blond to clarify. Naruto had never put anyone on par with his Hokage dreams, as far as Sasuke knew. And now he was admitting his inability to achieve that goal… all because he couldn’t save his estranged friend? The sentiment behind the implication was almost enough to choke the Uchiha. So he covered it all up by drawing his katana and declaring now the moment to finish what he had failed to do two and a half years ago.

He hadn’t anticipated the goon, who obviously was meant to replace him, jumping in and saving Naruto’s ass.

But whatever he would have done to rectify this, was halted by the newcomer’s words. Did that curd even know what he was saying? The conviction in those words implied devotion, gratitude and promise all in one blow. Where had Naruto found this… bastard, and… had he really replaced Sasuke?

Somewhere deep down, the sharingan-user had always believed that his absence would leave a hole in Naruto that no one would be able to fill. It only made sense, considering such a hole existed in Sasuke himself. He would acknowledge that before he’d left Konoha, Naruto’d filled in many of the cracks that had begun to envelope him since Itachi’s betrayal. Not enough to overshadow the damage his brother had done, but enough to bring Sasuke to the conclusion that there was no one else in the world who could possibly hold a candle to the light that was Uzumaki Naruto.

And he always been somewhat assured that the place his held with Naruto had been similar.

But apparently he’d been wrong.

… But why did that bother him so much?

… Why did this newcomer’s bond with Naruto make him feel so… threatened?

The rest of the fight didn’t matter and Sasuke was relieved when he was finally able to vanish from the scene with Orochimaru and Kabuto. He didn’t know how much longer he’d have been able to keep face whilst in the midst of the revised Team 7.

But the occasion was far from over, however. Days afterward, the encounter haunted him, never leaving his thoughts.

Whatever trigger Naruto had set off, it was very unproductive.

Sasuke was forced to face just how badly the scene had shaken him when Orochimaru had bested him in training with a move that Sasuke hadn’t succumbed to since he was freshly dubbed Orochimaru’s subordinate. The snake-sennin had promptly lost his temper and banished Sasuke to his quarters for the remainder of the week.

Alone with his thoughts, Sasuke found himself confronted with a very frightening reality- he’d failed.

Whatever bond he’d once had with Naruto had not only survived his years of emotional isolation, but had festered and mutated deep within his subconscious until it was barely recognizable. The friendship he’d once admitted to in the heat of battle had become the beginnings of something so powerful, it scared the Uchiha more than he’d ever imagined. It wasn’t the blinding terror he’d experienced the night of Itachi’s betrayal, nor the gut wrenching fear he’d felt when he’d thought Naruto was dead, but a new panic all its own. Trepidation. Because Sasuke knew, nothing productive would come of this forbidden attachment.

Sasuke knew he’d not seen the end of this new obstacle.