#19: red (Color Of Life by icequeenanna)
Title: Color Of Life
Author: icequeenanna
Pairing: Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #19: red
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Rating: Teens (for violence and blood)
Spoilers: For chapters 386 and 387 of the manga.
Everything was happening so fast.
From the moment she and the blond fox-boy had tracked Sasuke and his new comrades, everything seemed to be moving in an extreme speed. Everything seemed to unfurl in front of her emerald eyes in such a quick pace, that she had thought she would be unable to follow the course of events.
She was running, mustering all the willpower and determination that had been welling up steadily inside of her all those years, with the sole purpose of finding him after such a long time, and finally meeting with him. Only the thought of it made her forget her exhaustion and continue running, for she knew that he was not so far away from her anymore.
Naruto was following with her at first, but had stayed behind, fighting an Akatsuki member that was chasing after them. She knew how much the blond wanted to be there at the moment of their meeting, how much he longed and dreamt of this moment, but she also knew how important this fight was for Naruto himself. He had given her directions, on how to reach the hidden Uchiha compound where the two brothers were having their final battle, and then greeted her off, his reassuring smile never leaving his face.
She felt a shiver running down her spine, and she slowed her pace down until she came to a halt. Staying awake for two days and without getting any rest in between was starting to get to her. She bent down and supported her palms on her knees, her breathing rough as she was inhaling and exhaling the air quickly. She felt her lungs burning as the cold air was filling them up, and her knees started shaking faintly. After some minutes she got up, the determination shining in her amazone eyes, and she picked up her pace once again.
Not long after, an old building came into view, and Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. According to Naruto’s descriptions, this should be it.
She walked towards it with hesitant steps, and entered from the already broken door. She had no idea where she was supposed to search for the two brothers, so she just walked inside seeking for any trace of them. Her fingers were frozen, and she couldn’t feel most of her body parts, but she just ignored this, trying to focus all of her senses on her search.
And then, she felt it. A very familiar chakra was stemming from a place close to her, and she smiled for a spilt second, recognizing the power she had admired ever since she had met him.
Hastening her pace, she followed it, each step of hers confirming the chakra’s owner, until…
A voice.
A thud.
And then, silence.
She felt the familiar chakra, his chakra faltering, and her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened, as she realized what might have happened. Not knowing where the two Uchihas were, she started running desperately, the faint chakra Sasuke’s body emitted being her only guide. Hundreds of thoughts crossed her mind as she was coming closer and closer to the place where the battle was being held, and the fear inside of her was growing by the second.
The chakra became a little stronger, and Sakura stopped abruptly in front of a half-opened door. Holding out her right hand to touch the cold material, she clenched her left fist tightly, her nails coming in contact with the fabric of her gloves. With almost no effort at all, she pushed the door open, and her muscles instantly froze at the sight in front of her.
There, stuck on the wall was Sasuke, his body bruised and battered and his face bearing an unreadable expression. Itachi was standing in front of him, holding his left arm behind his head, rendering him unable to move or attack. He whispered something to his younger brother, and then his fingers reached for his face, moving slowly. Sasuke’s expression changed from cold to surprised, as the fingers circled his left eye and pushed against it with force.
The loud scream of pain that left the avenger’s lips penetrated Sakura’s heart, and for the second time she felt her knees shaking uncontrollably. The young kunoichi didn’t realize when her strength abandoned her legs, and she collapsed, landing on the marble floor silently. Her cheeks felt wet and hot, and her vision had started to get blurry. Her mouth semi-open, but her voice unable to come out. She just watched, as the raven-haired boy’s screams were becoming louder, and the blood coming out of his new wound trickled on the floor, forming a small pond around him.
Itachi backed away from him, and the boy fell on the floor, bringing his hand up to his face in an attempt to cover the fresh wound. His screams had faded, but the pain still remained. The older Uchiha walked in the middle of the room, his back facing the boy behind him. He stopped, and he spoke, his voice hoarse and loud.
“It’s not over yet.”
Sasuke made an effort to stand up, but he found himself unable to. The crimson blood had covered his face and made it difficult for him to see clear. He clenched his teeth, and leaned his back on the wall behind him, trying to recuperate. “You-“ He started, but he never got the chance to finish his phrase, as his brother spoke again, turning his body towards Sakura this time. “We seem to have an intruder here.”
The pink-haired girl’s eyes widened, as Itachi looked at her, his face a mask of apathy, and his eyes stuck on her.
His eyes.
They were different from what she remembered. They were…
Her blood had stopped circulating, her mind had stopped working. Her emerald orbs were looking right inside his crimson ones, recognizing Sasuke’s indifferent stare.
Everything was happening so fast, and she was unable to follow the course of events.
“Sakura…” A husky voice, barely above a whisper reached her numb ears, and she turned her head slowly towards the source of it. “Sasuke-kun…” She wasn’t sure if she had uttered those words out loud, or if she had just thought of them. Sasuke’s figure, broken and drenched in his own blood, was looking at her, surprise clearly written upon his face.
The green-eyed kunoichi looked back at him, an unconscious smile of relief creeping upon her pale lips. She was glad, so glad that he was still alive. Of course, his injuries were serious, but she would take care of that later, when-
Her thoughts were interrupted when the man in the middle of the room turned to his younger brother, and wiped the blood around his own eye with his index finger. “We’ll continue some other time then.” A look, a smirk, and he was gone, dissolving into hundreds of ravens, which flew away leaving no trace behind.
Sasuke was left looking at the place his older brother was standing some moments ago, his teeth clenched, and his features distorted from anger and pain. He had let him get away again. With as much power as he had left, he hit his fist on the floor next to him, causing some drips of blood to land on his clothing. Sakura was staring at the empty room before her as well, not being able to believe everything that was happening. Her arms fell to her sides, relieving the tension that was keeping her immobile.
A cry of pain left the onyx-eyed boy’s lips, and he covered his wounded face with his palms, trying to stop the blood from gushing out. Sakura turned towards him, and mustering all of the power that was left in her, she stood up and walked to his side, her knees still trembling. Falling down next to him, she circled his neck with her arms, not yet aware of the new tears that adorned her face.
She had not imagined their reunion like this, but she was more than happy that he was still alive. She backed away from him, and kissed his forehead tenderly, her palms colored with the scarlet color of his blood. The Uchiha raised his gaze and looked at her with his remaining eye, unable to understand why she was crying. One bloody finger came up to her cheek, and he caressed it softly, intending to wipe her tears away. The kunoichi smiled at him, and caught his hand to hers. “Let’s treat your wounds now, or else you’re going to die from blood loss.” Sasuke nodded, and Sakura gathered her chakra to her palm to start healing his wounds.
The sound of steps reached their ears, and the door creaked open once again, revealing an upset blond boy, who was huffing incessantly. His ocean blue eyes wandered around the room for a while until he found the two, and a big smile made its way to his face. “Sasuke-teme!”
Sakura remembered how afraid she used to be of Sasuke’s eyes. When he would look at her with those onyx orbs, her whole body would paralyze. And when they would turn into that deep, crimson red color, she would often feel this small tinge of fear steadily growing inside of her.
His eyes were his power. A power that sometimes he was unable to control. A power that was granted to him without his will. A power that he had welcomed. And a power that he had now lost.
And as he was lying there, surrounded by his old friends and caked with his blood, he thought that red was a nice color.
It was the color of his favorite food, tomatoes.
It was the color of Sakura’s clothes, he remembered her wearing it constantly.
It was the color of Sharingan, his bloodline limit.
It was the color of blood, the one that was surrounding him.
It was the color of life, the one he had once lost and was now about to start again.
Author: icequeenanna
Pairing: Uchiha Sasuke x Haruno Sakura
Fandom: Naruto
Theme: #19: red
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
Rating: Teens (for violence and blood)
Spoilers: For chapters 386 and 387 of the manga.
Everything was happening so fast.
From the moment she and the blond fox-boy had tracked Sasuke and his new comrades, everything seemed to be moving in an extreme speed. Everything seemed to unfurl in front of her emerald eyes in such a quick pace, that she had thought she would be unable to follow the course of events.
She was running, mustering all the willpower and determination that had been welling up steadily inside of her all those years, with the sole purpose of finding him after such a long time, and finally meeting with him. Only the thought of it made her forget her exhaustion and continue running, for she knew that he was not so far away from her anymore.
Naruto was following with her at first, but had stayed behind, fighting an Akatsuki member that was chasing after them. She knew how much the blond wanted to be there at the moment of their meeting, how much he longed and dreamt of this moment, but she also knew how important this fight was for Naruto himself. He had given her directions, on how to reach the hidden Uchiha compound where the two brothers were having their final battle, and then greeted her off, his reassuring smile never leaving his face.
She felt a shiver running down her spine, and she slowed her pace down until she came to a halt. Staying awake for two days and without getting any rest in between was starting to get to her. She bent down and supported her palms on her knees, her breathing rough as she was inhaling and exhaling the air quickly. She felt her lungs burning as the cold air was filling them up, and her knees started shaking faintly. After some minutes she got up, the determination shining in her amazone eyes, and she picked up her pace once again.
Not long after, an old building came into view, and Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. According to Naruto’s descriptions, this should be it.
She walked towards it with hesitant steps, and entered from the already broken door. She had no idea where she was supposed to search for the two brothers, so she just walked inside seeking for any trace of them. Her fingers were frozen, and she couldn’t feel most of her body parts, but she just ignored this, trying to focus all of her senses on her search.
And then, she felt it. A very familiar chakra was stemming from a place close to her, and she smiled for a spilt second, recognizing the power she had admired ever since she had met him.
Hastening her pace, she followed it, each step of hers confirming the chakra’s owner, until…
A voice.
A thud.
And then, silence.
She felt the familiar chakra, his chakra faltering, and her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened, as she realized what might have happened. Not knowing where the two Uchihas were, she started running desperately, the faint chakra Sasuke’s body emitted being her only guide. Hundreds of thoughts crossed her mind as she was coming closer and closer to the place where the battle was being held, and the fear inside of her was growing by the second.
The chakra became a little stronger, and Sakura stopped abruptly in front of a half-opened door. Holding out her right hand to touch the cold material, she clenched her left fist tightly, her nails coming in contact with the fabric of her gloves. With almost no effort at all, she pushed the door open, and her muscles instantly froze at the sight in front of her.
There, stuck on the wall was Sasuke, his body bruised and battered and his face bearing an unreadable expression. Itachi was standing in front of him, holding his left arm behind his head, rendering him unable to move or attack. He whispered something to his younger brother, and then his fingers reached for his face, moving slowly. Sasuke’s expression changed from cold to surprised, as the fingers circled his left eye and pushed against it with force.
The loud scream of pain that left the avenger’s lips penetrated Sakura’s heart, and for the second time she felt her knees shaking uncontrollably. The young kunoichi didn’t realize when her strength abandoned her legs, and she collapsed, landing on the marble floor silently. Her cheeks felt wet and hot, and her vision had started to get blurry. Her mouth semi-open, but her voice unable to come out. She just watched, as the raven-haired boy’s screams were becoming louder, and the blood coming out of his new wound trickled on the floor, forming a small pond around him.
Itachi backed away from him, and the boy fell on the floor, bringing his hand up to his face in an attempt to cover the fresh wound. His screams had faded, but the pain still remained. The older Uchiha walked in the middle of the room, his back facing the boy behind him. He stopped, and he spoke, his voice hoarse and loud.
“It’s not over yet.”
Sasuke made an effort to stand up, but he found himself unable to. The crimson blood had covered his face and made it difficult for him to see clear. He clenched his teeth, and leaned his back on the wall behind him, trying to recuperate. “You-“ He started, but he never got the chance to finish his phrase, as his brother spoke again, turning his body towards Sakura this time. “We seem to have an intruder here.”
The pink-haired girl’s eyes widened, as Itachi looked at her, his face a mask of apathy, and his eyes stuck on her.
His eyes.
They were different from what she remembered. They were…
Her blood had stopped circulating, her mind had stopped working. Her emerald orbs were looking right inside his crimson ones, recognizing Sasuke’s indifferent stare.
Everything was happening so fast, and she was unable to follow the course of events.
“Sakura…” A husky voice, barely above a whisper reached her numb ears, and she turned her head slowly towards the source of it. “Sasuke-kun…” She wasn’t sure if she had uttered those words out loud, or if she had just thought of them. Sasuke’s figure, broken and drenched in his own blood, was looking at her, surprise clearly written upon his face.
The green-eyed kunoichi looked back at him, an unconscious smile of relief creeping upon her pale lips. She was glad, so glad that he was still alive. Of course, his injuries were serious, but she would take care of that later, when-
Her thoughts were interrupted when the man in the middle of the room turned to his younger brother, and wiped the blood around his own eye with his index finger. “We’ll continue some other time then.” A look, a smirk, and he was gone, dissolving into hundreds of ravens, which flew away leaving no trace behind.
Sasuke was left looking at the place his older brother was standing some moments ago, his teeth clenched, and his features distorted from anger and pain. He had let him get away again. With as much power as he had left, he hit his fist on the floor next to him, causing some drips of blood to land on his clothing. Sakura was staring at the empty room before her as well, not being able to believe everything that was happening. Her arms fell to her sides, relieving the tension that was keeping her immobile.
A cry of pain left the onyx-eyed boy’s lips, and he covered his wounded face with his palms, trying to stop the blood from gushing out. Sakura turned towards him, and mustering all of the power that was left in her, she stood up and walked to his side, her knees still trembling. Falling down next to him, she circled his neck with her arms, not yet aware of the new tears that adorned her face.
She had not imagined their reunion like this, but she was more than happy that he was still alive. She backed away from him, and kissed his forehead tenderly, her palms colored with the scarlet color of his blood. The Uchiha raised his gaze and looked at her with his remaining eye, unable to understand why she was crying. One bloody finger came up to her cheek, and he caressed it softly, intending to wipe her tears away. The kunoichi smiled at him, and caught his hand to hers. “Let’s treat your wounds now, or else you’re going to die from blood loss.” Sasuke nodded, and Sakura gathered her chakra to her palm to start healing his wounds.
The sound of steps reached their ears, and the door creaked open once again, revealing an upset blond boy, who was huffing incessantly. His ocean blue eyes wandered around the room for a while until he found the two, and a big smile made its way to his face. “Sasuke-teme!”
Sakura remembered how afraid she used to be of Sasuke’s eyes. When he would look at her with those onyx orbs, her whole body would paralyze. And when they would turn into that deep, crimson red color, she would often feel this small tinge of fear steadily growing inside of her.
His eyes were his power. A power that sometimes he was unable to control. A power that was granted to him without his will. A power that he had welcomed. And a power that he had now lost.
And as he was lying there, surrounded by his old friends and caked with his blood, he thought that red was a nice color.
It was the color of his favorite food, tomatoes.
It was the color of Sakura’s clothes, he remembered her wearing it constantly.
It was the color of Sharingan, his bloodline limit.
It was the color of blood, the one that was surrounding him.
It was the color of life, the one he had once lost and was now about to start again.