64-Her parents are dead, her sister's gone, and yet, in all of this, he's her only light—and she his. This will be her last heartbreak. 2ND SEQUEL TO AKATSUKI NO KURUMA AND SEQUEL TO TOKI NO SABAKU
Yay! I'm so happy, not just because this is my 36th fanfic but because it's also the 3rd sequel to my hit fanfic Akatsuki no Kuruma and sequel to Toki no Sabaku! Hooray! And just only forty days since I finished Toki no Sabaku! Thank you for those who waited for this so patiently! And thank you for continuing to stay with me while I continue this series! I believe those two stories were my best so far, but I promise I will continue to work hard and live up to your expectations! This will be the last of my trilogy, but I will make it worth your while! It should be at most eight chapters plus an epilogue. So yeah, I hope you enjoy the story!
Oh, and for those who have NOT read Akatsuki no Kuruma, here's a short summary of important things. Ahem… After her encounter with Sasuke, Sakura was "kidnapped" by the Akatsuki because her father, Pein, was worried about her. Konan is revealed to be her mother. Their relationship wasn't so good, and so Itachi was the one who helped repair that bond. Konan is then revealed to be pregnant. In all this, Madara/Tobi makes himself Sakura's god-dad, and the members of Akatsuki become Sakura's teachers. Few months later, the members of Akatsuki die the same way as they did in the original manga, and Isaribi from the anime filler episodes is recruited as Konan's midwife, bringing along the five-year-old OC Botan. The baby, Shion, is born a couple of weeks later. A few days later, Pein invades Konoha. Pein dies by Naruto's hand (same way in the manga), and Madara gets Sasuke to kill Konan. In turn, Sakura has an important decision to make: to stay or not to stay as Akatsuki's princess.
And for those who have NOT read Toki no Sabaku, it starts out with Sakura trying to escape from Akatsuki with Isaribi, Botan, and Shion. However, Team Hebi quickly intercepts them, Sakura ends up fighting with Sasuke. But she loses once Kabuto shoots an arrow and hits her in the back. They are transported back to the hideout where Madara quickly rids Sakura of her baby sister and Botan while Isaribi dies from her wounds. Karin, now on good terms with the rosette, decides to help her and gets Sasuke to talk to the now distraught Sakura. And in just a little bit, Sakura quickly regains power in Amegakure and within Akatsuki. Meanwhile, Konoha 11 decides to travel to the Kage Summit to once and for all end their problems with the two missing nin. Now, it's a battle between Sakura and Madara, her promise to Sasuke also lingering in the air. And for Konoha 11, it's a race to save their friends.
Thank you and, for those waiting, here's the first chapter of Sakura DOROPPUSU! It's a bit short, but I'm going to add an epilogue to the story, so I thought a short prologue-thingy might work well here. So . . . yeah, enjoy!
I fall in love, and the love is over
I promise myself,
This will be the last HEARTBREAK
Cherry trees sway in the wind,
and soon they will blossom…
~The First Hanami~
The cup smashed into hundred of tiny glass shards as it hit the wall, but Madara's temper hadn't cooled. No, the cup was not his enemy nor the focus of his rage right now. No, it was that pink-haired goddaughter of his. "That little wench… How dare she think of going up against me!" he snarled. "Has she already forgotten what I could do to her?"
To say that the Uchiha was angry was an understatement at the moment. He was beyond the point of angry and way beyond the point of furious. In fact, a new word could have been invented right there and then because no word could describe how infuriated he was. If anyone were to cross his path now, how unfortunate for them… In fact, no one in their right minds dared to go near Madara now.
He slammed his fist down onto the table in front of him. "Fine…" he said. "If that's how she wants to play then I won't go easy. She'll regret ever going against me. Kisame!" That girl will pay. This time, I'll make sure she knows what she's dealing with!
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Ino stared at the sleeping blonde, her eyes brimming with tears. She wanted so much to cry, but she knew she couldn't. She had to stay strong. She had to… She was to go on a long journey now, and she had to be careful. They were going to set out right after Danzo, and they had to sneak their way out of the village. It wasn't going to be easy, but it had to be done. She'd be damned if they failed again. This was their last chance. They couldn't fail, they just couldn't!
"Ino, is that you?"
"Yes, Shizune-san, it's me," she answered. She was a bit slow, having been snapped out of her thoughts, but the ebony-haired woman didn't seem to notice it. "I got your message. Is there something you needed to talk to me about?"
"Actually, yes." Shizune didn't turn back to look at Ino, her gaze still on the sleeping Hokage. "I heard that you and the rest of Konoha 11 have decided to go to Kage summit."
Ino could find no words to say.
"I take it I'm correct then?"
". . . Yes."
"What will you do?"
"Pardon?"
"What will you do?" Shizune repeated again. It was then that Ino noticed the austerity of the woman's voice. She had been crying. "About Sasuke and Sakura? How do you plan on bringing them back this time? Do you even have a plan? Even if you have Kakashi, Yamato, and Gai's help, you need to have a plan at the very least. If you rely on others then everything will be for naught. What will you do? Beg for the Kages' understanding? Then go and search for the two of them? Do you even have a lead as to where they are?"
Again, Ino found no words to say. What was she to say? They didn't have a plan. They didn't have the slightest clue as to what they'd do. Yes, if worse came to worst, they'd beg the Kages. They'd get on their knees and beg. But the matter with Sasuke and Sakura . . . yes, they had no lead. They didn't even know where to start. They could only hope they would get lucky.
"Well?" Shizune asked, finally turning her head around. Yes, she had been crying. Her puffy eyes confirmed that. "Will you answer me? What is it you all are going to do?"
". . . Do you not believe in us, Shizune-san?"
"What?"
"Do you believe this last attempt of ours will go up in flames and be all for nothing?" Ino asked. "We're ready to risk everything in this effort, even our own lives. There isn't a thing that is more important to us than this."
"But why would you go that far? Why would you—"
"Because they're our friends. Sasuke's been gone for too long. We need him back from the darkness. And Sakura . . . she . . . we just want to save her from whatever she has to deal with. We want to save them both."
"Just because they're your friends?"
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."
Shizune gave a small laugh. "Yes, I suppose so, but can you blame me? I'm just worried… Nothing's been going our way… Isn't it okay for me to worry? Even just a little?" She sighed. "But let's get to the real reason why I've called you down here, Ino. I didn't ask you here to lecture you. I asked you here because I want to give you a mission."
The blonde's eyes widened. "A . . . a mission? But…"
"It's not just for myself, Ino." She glanced back at the comatose woman. "I believe Tsunade-sama would also want this."
Ino stayed quiet, waiting.
"Yamanaka Ino, this is your mission. It's for the rest of Konoha 11, too. No matter what happens, follow what you all believe is right. No matter what the obstacle is, don't abandon your friends. Do not forget your resolve and do not forget who you are. And be sure not to be too hard on yourselves if you cannot bring back Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. You have to keep your hopes up. Understood?"
Ino smiled. "It's a heck of a tall order."
"Yes," Shizune returned her smile. "But I believe it won't be so hard. You have my blessings and good wishes. Good luck."
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Taking a sip of tea, Sakura glanced at the girl sitting across from her. Karin had her head down, her eyes shifting back and forth from the rosette to her clenched fists that laid on her lap. Sakura's lips twisted into a small smirk. The redhead must have thought she wouldn't notice her wandering gaze if her bangs had fallen over her eyes. The sensor nin was silly. Of course, she would notice. She was a kunoichi, after all. She'd be damned if she couldn't even detect a small eye movement that had been going on for the last ten minutes. It had been entertaining for the first few minutes, but nevertheless it grew tiring and tedious now.
"If you have something to say to me then say it," Sakura mused, setting the teacup onto the table. "If you don't then I'm going to think it's something bad."
Karin's head slowly lifted, her eyes taking their time before meeting Sakura's. Her red eyes almost widened—almost because, if they had, she would have insulted the girl who sat in front of her. Sakura's eyes weren't their innocent shade of spring green anymore. Instead, they were a sort of darkened emerald. She coupled that with the rosette's new childish demeanor and inwardly gasped. Perhaps, Sakura had lost her sanity already.
"Well?" the ex-Konoha kunoichi asked, her tone almost playful but with a rather cynical drawl to it. "I'm waiting."
"I . . ." Karin could barely find the words. "You've changed…" she settled on that. "Your chakra's fluctuating a bit differently, almost portentously. Your physical appearance has altered a bit too."
"Oh, I see you noticed my new haircut," Sakura teased. Her hand touched the tips of her pink locks. "I might need you to fix it up, though. Sasuke didn't do such a good job, and—"
"You know that's not what I meant," Karin snapped. "This . . ."—she struggled to find the correct word—"transformation of yours… It's scaring me. There's this new aura around you, an aria that's almost as frightening as Madara's, and—"
"DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME"—her grip on the cup was so tight that it shattered into small glass shards, tea spilling onto the table—"TO THAT DEMON!"
Now, Karin wore an expression of fear. And seeing this, Sakura immediately regretted her outburst.
"Gomennasai," she apologized. "I didn't mean to yell. Today was a long day for me—yesterday, too—and I'm just tired." She eyed the mess she had created. "I'll get something to clean it up…"
"N-No, it's alright…" Karin stuttered from her shock but regained her composure, picking up the glass pieces. "I'll do it." Suddenly, she paused, a bloodied shard in her hand. Her gaze traveled back to the rosette. "You're bleeding," she observed.
"Oh? Am I?" Sakura herself hadn't noticed. The stinging sensation was nothing compared to what she had felt when she lost Shion. Perhaps that was why she didn't "feel" it.
Karin put the shards she had collected back on the table and walked over. "Let me see."
"It's fine, Karin, really."
The redhead fought an urge to roll her eyes. "Just let me see, Sakura. It'll only take a minute." But when she grabbed both of Sakura's hands, a green mist had already surrounded her injured one.
"I told you it wasn't necessary," the girl said. "I'm a medic, too, remember?"
"Right…" Karin's head nodded slowly, her hands releasing Sakura.
But the pink-haired girl could only stare at Karin, finding her actions strange. "You…" she started. "You . . . care for me. Why? I've never been nice to you."
"You've never been mean to me either."
"Yes, but that doesn't give you any reason to help me. Why do you do it? I've never asked of it from you…"
Karin smiled, almost laughing. "Not everything in this world happens because you want it to, and some things do happen even if you never ask for it. And I chose to help you. Keep in mind, I chose to. I'm not doing this because I want something in return but because I want to help you. It's as simple as that."
But Sakura's scrutinizing gaze never left her. "So . . . my mother's death has nothing to do with it?"
"Actually, no. It has nothing to do with your mother's death anymore," Karin explained. "At first, it did, but I slowly realized I needn't do so because there was nothing to feel guilty about."
"Nothing to feel guilty about?" Sakura almost laughed. Her laughter choked somewhere in her throat, coming out sounding like scoffs. Just remembering Konan's untimely end brought her to tears. "Don't make me laugh! You and the rest of Team Hebi are the ones who killed my mother! You're responsible for her death! How can you say that when you know perfectly well—"
"The reason you hate Sasuke is because you think he was the one who killed your mother, correct?"
"Who . . . who I think? You…! Madara said—"
"Exactly, it was Madara who told you the news. He told you Sasuke killed her but, in reality, Sasuke's chidori didn't even hit her, let alone scratch her! Madara was the one who killed Konan!"
Sakura was left stunned. She didn't know what to feel. She really didn't. All this time, she had thought it was Sasuke—her ex-teammate, her childhood crush, the love of her life—who had ended her mother's existence. She really had thought…
"Then…" She swallowed down a cry, blinking back tears. "What . . . what about my father? Did Naruto really…?"
"I don't anything about that," Karin answered deplorably. "Given his actions, it seems as though Madara would lie about that too but, on our way to the Akatsuki hideout, we heard rumors that it was indeed Uzumaki Naruto who had saved Konoha from destruction. If he was Konoha's hero then he most likely would have been your father's killer."
Sakura's eyes shifted, her thoughts racing now. She really didn't know what to think… She really didn't… Oh, god, she felt so dizzy… She felt as though she'd throw up…
"I need to . . ." She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. "I need to go out." And with that, she rushed out of the room, ignoring Karin's calls. She needed somewhere quiet to think. She needed to get out fast. She needed to think. She needed to think.
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"You understand what you need to do?"
Kisame swallowed hard but nodded his head once. Just once.
"I won't tolerate failure this time around."
Again, another nod. "Hai."
Behind his mask, Madara smiled. "Good, then I expect her dead by the end of the day."
Gomennasai = I'm sorry
Hai = Yes
Yay! The chapter's done! Sorry, it's short, but I think it's a good start so far. But the next chapter will be better if you don't like it. So . . . yeah, tune in for the next chapter, kay?