Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Clippings and Snippets ❯ Remembrance ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Remembrance

By emeraldoni

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, and rightfully so, because I would just make a huge mess of things.

They sit at the end of the boardwalk, a salty breeze licking their cheeks and nipping at their clothes as they relax impassively. Any passerby would see an average moment, one unnoticeable, a second to be lost in the deep wastes of the mind.

But that was not what this moment was.

This moment was the rare peace found between enemies who had nothing common. It was a tranquility found by few, a sharing of serenity that allowed the soul to wipe away the blood before they were forced to bury their hearts once more.

“This is nice, isn't it, Itachi-san?”

Itachi nodded his head slightly, eyes unfocused and far away as he stared out across the never-ending expanse of sea. “Hm.”

Sakura allowed a soft smile, head lolling to rest on her shoulders. On both sides sat her enemies, calm and silent. Their fingers were red, there hair matted, but the expressions on their faces were more beautiful then anything she had ever seen. It was the expression of a person who had seen the bile of the earth, and had lived to see the good afterwards.

Kisame, gray face loose and free, looked at home next to the ocean which equally matched his skin tone. Sakura swung her feet back and forth, the concrete beneath her cool. It should have bugged her, but it didn't. The warmth of her companions negated the discomfort.

After another few moments of silence, Sakura stood up with a groan, patting her rear to free it from any muck. Next to her, the two men stood up silently as well. They towered over her, faces impassive, eyes searching.

“Well,” she said, voice wistful, “I guess we should be heading back, hm?”

They both nodded, and she quickly took their larger hands in her small, dainty ones.

Her voice was silent, whispery, “we'll meet again, hopefully in another time, another place.”

Slowly, Kisame brushed a callused finger against her cheek, and Itachi nosed into her vibrant hair while loosely embracing her.

“Yes, Sakura. Another time, another place.”

….

(She remembers pain, then numb, then darkness.)

“Sakura!”

….

(She remembers a tranquility surpassed by none.)

….

“Sakura, please! Wake up!”

….

(She remembers screams. She remembers the taste of salt against her lips.)

….

“Kami, kami, kami, please!”

….

(She remembers peace and forgiveness. She remembers the future. She remembers what could be.)

….

When she wakes up Naruto is hovering over her, hugging her tightly in his arms. His body is convulsing with fear and loss and the feeling of being so close to falling over the edge. She wishes she could comfort him, but she cannot move.

She doesn't have to though, because soon her looks up at her, eyes so full of relief and guilt and the seeing of sunlight after a cloudy day.

She is crying, but she is not sure why.

And roughly Naruto presses a palm against her cheek, wiping away the tears from her face, the taste of salt from her lips, leaving only the retched taste of copper.

“Why are you crying, Sakura?”

(Because she remembers.)