~ Kakashi tells him their races are different, perhaps too different.
SasuSaku Month 2015
Week 5: Another Life
Day 31: Reincarnation
Her petite form is almost as big as her weapon which she checks throughout for any stains or wear. She is the better warrior of them all, almost born with her axe in hand she was raised to fight and to do not much else. Sasuke watches Sakura from a few feet away, no longer surprise in his eyes as he regards her almost unconventional self.
Instead his gaze is filled with amusement because he knows her bits and bits by now. He knows she will not stop looking at her weapon until she deems it in perfect conditions and nothing less, he knows she will then place it on her side and slide back until her back is against the trunk of the tree.
It is then when his eyes meet hers, there is no longer a snarky remark at the tip of her tongue just big green eyes that stare at him as if trying to figure him out. He gives her a minute to get used to his presence before he slowly starts to walk towards her.
As always her gaze is guarded and as he takes a seat across from her she watches him carefully. He sees the baby step progress as she no longer glances at her weapon at her side but he also sees the long stretch before she knows like he knows.
Kakashi tells him their races are different, perhaps too different.
She doesn’t believe in life after life, while he does.
He knows that in every life they have lived they have always found in each other and in every life that he’ll live he’ll find her again.
“So you’re no longer set out to kill me?” He asks, his tone of voice amused.
“Well…you’re no longer a threat.” Meaning she’s at ease around him, her lips curl up in a small smile and he stares like a fool whose heart acts up at the sight of her.
When Naruto interrupts, “Hey you two! Either get it on or come help pack up!” his insinuations elude her completely. His long ears flush a shade of pink as he stands up and extends a hand to help her, it’s a surprise when her hand comes in contact with his and the force of her pulling herself up with his help is almost enough to send him back to the ground.
“Thank you.” She speaks, once on her feet, staring up at him through pink lashes her green eyes leaving him momentarily speechless and when the effect passes she’s already picking up her weapon and turning away.
And he’ll count the days until she knows what he knows.
Sasusaku Month 2015! I loved participating and it was a great first time!
Day 31
Prompt: Reincarnation
Rating: T
Summary: Why is it that some people are drawn to each other before even knowing one another? Is is simply a coincidence or is there some other force at work? Maybe it's different for each couple as to why they love each other so easily, and no one really knows. Well, except for the man who has lived for numerous centuries and understands why he is drawn over and over to the same person. Or perhaps soul would be a better word, because while he lives for eternity in the same body, she lives from body to body for eternity.
Disclaimer: Naruto and the other characters are not mine, only the plot is.
~Enjoy
The ground is cold under her feet as she walks through the dark forest, lightened only a tad by the full moon ahead. She has no idea where she is or where she's going, but she is going somewhere. Whether or not she is freely going there or is being pulled by some force is not known. A branch breaks under her foot as her journey continues, but she does not stop her movements forward.
The canopy of the trees as thickened as she has made her way deeper into the forest, and now there is no light at all from the moon she knows to be still up in the sky. Or at least she believes the moon is still there. Perhaps she has somehow transported into a moon dimension? Or been traveling for days without even knowing? The thoughts are scary and make her slow her pace as she is pulled farther into the forest.
The dew covered grass and uneven ground had made her feet cold as well as sore, since that is all she had been walking on since she started this journey. Therefore, when her feet register a smooth and flat surface-still cold-her body finally stops to glance at the change of substance under her feet. There is not light, so the girl's eyes which have adjusted to the darkness are only able to see a flat and dark colored surface. To better figure out what the ground is now made out of the girl swings one of her feet around the area.
She feels grooves here and there, and realizes she is now on some sort of stone. She turns her head from side to side and realizes it is a stone path since she can see grass once again on each side of her. A little bit suspicious the girl stands in the same spot for a couple of minute trying to decide on whether or not she should trek forward. A stone path in a deep part of a forest is a bit too sketchy for her, and she decides it may be best to head back. The girl turns around to head back to where she acme from, and she plants one foot in the direction. However, as her one foot lands, the other moves and turns her body back the way it had been moments ago. Then her whole body moves forward on the path as if it is being called that way, as if something had called it that way.
The stone gets colder as the girl follows its path farther into the forest, but she doesn't question it as she continues to march straight on ahead. Walking dead center down the stone path, eyes forward.
Without realizing it, the girl's legs are ready to give out, and they buckle slightly as she walks into utter darkness. Even her adjusted eyes can see nothing, not even outlines of anything around her. The girl marches forward though, and just as her legs are about to buckle from exhaustion, the girl stops. No sounds reach her ears as she stands bathed in darkness, but the girl stays still and seems to wait for something.
Suddenly footsteps are head on the stone in front of her, and she waits eagerly as the sound gets closer. There is still nothing but darkness, so the girl cannot see who is approaching her, but she is eager for who she believes it to be. Except, as the footsteps come closer, the girl realizes it is more than one person-even two-walking towards her. Anxiety suddenly fills her body, and she takes a step in fear of what may be in front of her.
There are two sudden glows that appear at the same time, and answer the question of who is here. One glow, the first to be appear by a split second, is a glow of red eyes. Eyes which the girl knows, eyes which should be up higher than her stature, but are not. The second glow is created by lanterns, lanterns which show people holding the man she knows; a man who looks slightly beaten and worn out. The lanterns also show how many people are around the girl; a circle of men in armor are just feet away from her at any point.
The girl is instantly frightened by the situation she is in, and hoping to receive some calming measure from the one person here she knows, she looks at the red eyed man. The action is either a mistake or blessing, because the man mouths only one word to her when their eyes meet.
"Run." And the girl instantly tries after seeing the word silently leave his lips, but it is too late. The moment she makes a move, the circle of men encloses around her and she is surrounded with swords at her throat.
The beaten man is enraged by the actions of the men surrounding the girl, and he thrashes around in the hold of the two men holding disturbance alarms everyone in the vicinity, and as the man breaks free of his restraints, chaos erupts.
Chaos which forces the sword wielding men to swing there swords at random as the man tries to reach the girl. However, as the man breaches the sword swingers, a gruntled choke is heard. A sound which brings the red eyed man to a halt, only before his eyes narrow and he instantly shoves the other men out of his way to reach the girl.
The girl who is now lying on the ground with blood pouring out of her chest as a man with a bloody sword stands over her. The man holding the bloody sword see the red eyed male and gives a smirk to him as he once again drives his sword into the girl.
The last thing the girl sees is her blood dripping off a sword held by a smirking man before the sword rushes down to her once again.
The scream is loud and ear shattering, and as the girl who let it out springs up in her bed, her heart is pumping after what had just happened in her dream. Tears are also crawling out of her eyes and as she tries to calm her heart and wipe them away, the door to her bedroom opens to reveal her panic looking parents.
"Sakura are you okay? That was a blood curdling scream." The woman, her mother, states as she and her husband walk into the room and towards her daughter who is shaking on her bed.
The girl says nothing as she continues to try and calm herself. Her mother sits next to her and starts to rub her back, and feeling a bit more safe, Sakura lays her head on her mother's shoulder and tries to forget what she just saw.
"Sakura?" This time it is her father who questions Sakura, but the girl only shakes her head and clings onto her mother. How can she explain that she just had a dream where she was brutally stabbed and killed?
"Oh, sweetie." Her mother says in a sympathetic tone as she puts her arms around her daughters head and starts to rock her a bit. Sakura's mother can feel the silent tears sinking into her skin through her thin robe, and holds on tighter to her daughter as she tries to calm her.
Mr. Haruno only watches as his wife works on calming their daughter down. He can see that the shaking has now stopped, but a look from his wife tells him that everything is still not alright. However, he is unsure of what he should do to calm his daughter. Deciding he needs to do something, Mr. Haruno sits behind his daughter and rubs her back as his wife had been doing moments ago.
"You're fine now." Mr. Haruno offers to his daughter as he continues to rub her back.
"It was just a dream." Mrs. Haruno follows up with as she plants a kiss on the top of her daughter's head.
Sakura says nothing back to either of her parents though, because deep down inside her, something says that her dream was more than just a dream.
"Yes, mom. I know. I'm fine." Sakura tells her mother on the phone as she walks towards her school. Her tone is a little sharp with her mother since both her parents have been harping on her about last night since she woke up.
"I'm almost at school, I have to go. Bye!" Sakura lies to her mother as she hangs up the phone with a shake of her head. She loves her parents, and is grateful for them calming her down last night, but she isn't a child who they have to worry about all day. Honestly, she is still unraveled by her dream, but her parents aren't going to be the ones to help her. Sakura actually wonders if anyone can.
She sighs as she runs a hand through her hair as she turns the corner. Completely distracted and lost in thought, Sakura doesn't realize someone else had been turning the corner at the same time. Which leads to her bumping into a hard chest and feeling an arm wrap around her waist.
"Are you okay?" Momentarily stunned, it takes Sakura a minute to realize what the man had said to her.
"Are you o-"
"I'm fine." Sakura backs up out of the guys chest and arm, and finally glances up at him. Only to be completely flabbergasted at the down right gorgeous man standing in front of her; her jaw almost drops as she takes him. His jet black hair styled up in the back, but flat in the front; his deep, onyx eyes; his sexy little smirk; and his tight fitted shirt and pants. Except, as she looks at him, a sudden shot of pain shoots through her head and she grunts slightly as she puts her hand on the side of your head.
Apparently the man is sadistic, because at her expression of pain, his smirk widens. Sakura takes no notice though as she continues to hold her head as the same shock keeps running through her head.
"I should take you somewhere." The man say as he reaches for her arm. Just as he is about to grab on to her wrist, she moves to push him away and say no, but a more painful throbbing starts in her head. Leading to her grabbing onto his outstretched arm and digging her nails into his skin as the throbbing worsens.
Sakura's grip tightens and her nails dig into his skin and begin to make blood appear on his skin, but the man doesn't even flinch as he begins pulling her back the way she came from. Sakura's vaguely aware of her body being pulled by the handsome man she had bumped into, and she registers her surroundings are what she walked past on her way to school, but her head is pounding to much for her to actually process what is going on.
The man pulls the Sakura along with confidence towards his destination, not hesitating for one second as he makes turns or walks across roads. Even as he opens a gate, then a door, he does it all in stride; despite the fact that the house he walked into his not his.
He leads the girl to a couch in the living room, and watches as she rests her head on the armrest. He finds it amusing how unaware she is of everything at the moment, he could have led her anywhere and she wouldn't be the wiser. Luckily for her though, he had led her to the one place she feels most comfortable and safest in: her home.
"Do you want water?" The man inquires as he sits down next to her, already knowing her answer. Which is a 'no' validated by her shake of the head, and he smirks as he leans towards her and watches her rub her temples.
"I can tell you what's going on. Why your head is pounding and why you've been having weird dreams; specifically the one from last night." The man says as he casually looks ta his nails and throws an arm over her shoulder.
Sakura looks up at him through her pain and wonders how he could possibly have answers to any of those things. She doesn't even know, and her head throbs more after that thought.
"First off, I'll tell you why your head is hurting so bad in order for to stop." The man states as he makes himself comfier on the couch and looks at the girl who unknowing curled into his side moments ago.
"Your head is hurting because consciously you don't recognize me. However, subconscious does recognize me and is trying to figure out how. Yet, you really don't know me, so your brain is in a jumbled mess since it's trying to explain how both knows me and does not know me. Here's the answer: you yourself as 'Sakura Haruno' do not now me, but your spirit/soul as Sakura the pink haired girl does know me." The man states as he looks smugly at her confused face.
"How would my soul know you?"
"Simple. I am the immortal Sasuke Uchiha who has walked the earth longer than humans, and you are the reincarnation of Sakura the pink haired human who I met centuries ago."
"The pink hair girl?"
"They didn't really have last names back then."
"I was called Sakura once before though?" The man looks to the side Sakura is not leaning on him from, and wonders how much he should reveal.
"You've actually been called 'Sakura' eight times before, this is your ninth time as being 'Sakura.'" Sasuke says as he continues to look away from Sakura.
"I've lived eight times before this life?! No, no!" Sakura yells as she jumps out of Sasuke's arm, completely frazzled and unwilling to believe his story.
"Your soul has lived eight times before this life."
"You're just making this all up." Sasuke sighs as he finally looks back at her with his head tilted to the side in annoyance.
"No, I'm not. That dream you had last night? The one where you were stabbed and killed, that event happened six centuries ago yesterday. You were even the same age of seventeen then as you are now."
"I died six hundred years ago yesterday?" The words are whispered as Sakura seems to be saying them to herself and not Sasuke.
"That was your last reincarnation as 'Sakura' up until this life. Your spirit must have been influenced by the anniversary of your last death and the actual memory of it was played to in your dream." Sakura finally sits back down as she contemplates what Sasuke has just told her.
"So, you were the one with the red eyes?" Sakura inquires to Sasuke as she continues to stare at the floor of her living room with a perplexed expression. Sasuke however leans back and closes his eyes as he tries to recall the one day in his eternal life he regrets.
"I was."
"I, what was happening? I experienced what happened, but I couldn't actually remember what sh-I was thinking."
"You were suppose to meet me in the forest. It was where I was hiding at the time; being an immortal wasn't exactly the thing to be in the middle ages. Therefore, I had to live somewhere no one-I thought-would go. My voice led you through the forest and to where I was living, but I didn't realize you were being followed. Knights had tailed you, and once they realized the direction you were heading, they went that way to find me before you did. They told me if I didn't do as they said, they would kill you, so I let them beat me up and agreed to being taken into the village. Wounds don't actually hurt me, so I knew I would be fine. However, those assholes double crossed me and well, you probably remember." Sakura nods as she recalls how she had tried to run and was stabbed after Sasuke tried to get free when she couldn't get past the knights.
"How come the last time I lived was six centuries ago?"
"I'm not sure, usually it only took a decade or two for you to materialize again. I have to imagine being killed for the first time, and so brutality, made your spirit not want to materialize again for a while; your soul was probably afraid of such a death again." Sasuke offers to Sakura's question, his head still tilted back with his eyes shut.
Sakura just nods again, even though Sasuke can't see her. She's trying to summon up the courage to ask what she really wants, and she's finding it difficult to do so.
"I know what you want to ask, so just ask." His deep voice startles Sakura out of her head, and she looks at him to finally see his eyes open again and looking straight at her. She looks way shyly though before she says what's on her mind.
"How come you keep coming back to me?" Sasuke shifts so he is body is facing hers and is eyes hold hers as she moves to face him head on as well.
"Because Sakura captivated me centuries back and has captivated me every century since. While the body containing Sakura's soul looks different, besides the pink hair, each reincarnation the soul itself stays the same. It stays the same Sakura I love." The words are so earnest and actually full of love to Sakura's surprise that she isn't sure what she should say in response; she stares openly at him as he continues to wait for her response.
"Th-that can't be, I have to have changed. Each century would have been different and influenced me, and I would not be the same Sakura on the inside." The words are spoken with both disbelief and fear, and Sasuke watches as Sakura plays with her hands to try and calm herself.
"You're right, each reincarnation was in a different time and your personality was influenced by it. However, the true depths of your personality remained the same. Your love of animals and nature, your desire to help people, your stubbornness, and your other core traits have remained the same. In this reincarnation you're aspiring to be a doctor, no? It's not the first time for being an ambition of yours, you've been a medic or healer of some sort in every life before. It's part of the reason the knights killed you back then. Healers were suppose to be pure, and after you were seen with me, they thought I tainted you and made you a slave of the devil. To them, you had to be killed." Sasuke's tone had changed as he explanation went on, but Sakura paid no mind to the angry tone at the end. Her mind is still focused on trying to understand what Sasuke is saying about her being reincarnated.
Sakura really has nothing left to say, and she simply stares down into her lap as she works on grasping everything Sasuke has revealed to her. She admits to herself that it seems ridiculous that she is a reincarnation of someone Sasuke met long ago, but his facts and accounts of her past make sense. Sakura had revealed her dream from last night to no one, so for him to be able to tell her what she dreamed, is a point towards him being legit about everything. Despite how obscure the whole idea is.
"I know it's hard to understand, but it is the truth. You don't have to worry about me dragging you off somewhere though, I'm adjusted enough to this time that you and I can work towards a relationship." Sasuke is clearly uncomfortable a he tries to explain what he wants to do about their situation, and Sakura watches as his eyes aim towards the ceiling as he tries to put his thoughts in order.
"What do you mean?" Sakura inquires as she leans towards Sasuke slightly.
"I mean, I've got an apartment and I know that I can enroll in your school and we can. Well, we can work towards being a 'couple.' This century is far different from the last century, and we don't have to be worrying about knights now." Sasuke had first been speaking while just looking at Sakura, but as he spoke his last sentence, he was speaking into Sakura. His eyes were delving into Sakura's, almost as if he was speaking to the soul inside her.
Sakura think it's a stupid thought at first, but after Sasuke finishes his sentence about them not having to worry about knights, she feels relief flow through her body. The feeling surprises Sakura and she clutches the front of Sasuke's shirt in shock and confusion. Sasuke doesn't seem upset at her sudden movement of the grabbing of his shirt, because a minuscule smile full of happiness appears on his face.
"How do you know if I will love you back?" Sakura's hand is still clutched on her Sasuke's shirt, but after asking her question, she unclothes her fist and lays her hand flat on her chest. Most people would be hurt at the question Sakura posed, but Sasuke seems unfazed as he simply brushes the hair out of her face. At first, Sakura believes that is all Sasuke is going to do since his face moves back. However, his face suddenly moves back towards her and she feels a pair of lips touch the top of her head.
"Our love pulls us to each other, whether you realize it or not. My soul is drawn to yours because of my love, and even though you don't feel it and understand it, your soul is drawn to mine for the same reason. You've never dated or had a deep interest in anyone before, right? You let me in your house without knowing me and listen as I claim things most people would never believe? You're not pulling away from me or even showing discomfort at my touch or closeness?" Sakura's knows he's asking questions, but she knows they are facts just as he does.
His face is still close to hers, so she turns her eyes to the side as she ponders over what Sasuke had just uttered to her. Sasuke doesn't push anymore as he sees her going over everything her mind once again; this isn't the first time he has had to explain everything to her. He didn't force her before and he's not going to force her now, and even as she moves her hand off his chest, he remains still and waits for her.
"We, we can work towards a relationship. I do feel comfortable with you, and something is drawing me towards you, but I don't want to start at a place where two people should work to over time." Sasuke gives her a perplexed look as he tries to understand what she's saying.
"I mean, I want to start out as two people who have an interest in each other. I don't want to start out as a couple; I want us to work towards being one." Sasuke seems to understand now and smirks a little as he leans back onto the back of the couch.
"I have no objections, it just means I get to woo you over once again." Sasuke's eyes became half closed and started staring straight into Sakura's during his statement, and with his smirk remains on his face, Sakura's whole face turns red by the end of his sentence. She admits he looks downright sexy at the moment, and looking like that while saying those words with such confidence, makes her embarrassed and excited.
"So-" Sakura starts, but she is interrupted as Sasuke cuts her off.
"I pick you up at eight, make sure to dress up." Sasuke states as he stands up off of the couch while Sakura gives him a shocked look. Sakura stands in response though, unsure of what she should do despite his announcement of a date later.
"Then-"
"I see you at eight." Sasuke interrupts while also giving her a wink and earning a blush on her face again. He turns and moves towards the front door to leave, but at the last second her spins back to Sakura. His actions are faster than she can process, and she only understands them when she feels a pair of lips on her cheek. He gives her a wink as he pulls away before once again making his way towards the front door.
Sakura's face is beet red even after she hears the front door open and close. Once she realizes he's gone and not in the house, she ungracefully launches herself backwards onto the couch. She's sprawls unladylike as she leans her head back and stares up at the ceiling, bathing in the feeling flowing through her body. Sakura might have been able to deny Sasuke's proclamations about their souls already being in love before, but she certainly can't now. Not after what she just felt when he kissed her cheek.
"Not long." Are the words which escape her mouth as Sakura closes her eyes and sees flashes of her and Sasuke together in different times from the past.
Sorry it's a day late! I wanted to give a decent length story for the last day, and it took a while to write it.
Happy summer!
~S-cherry-Blossem
P.S Thanks for all the favs, reviews, and follows throughout the month, I deeply appreciate it them all!
Summary: When dreams contain meanings that are just waiting to be deciphered. Maybe the answer to Sakura’s dreams is hidden in a Buddhist belief.
A/n: This is a continuation of SSM Day 27. Enjoy :)
Rating: K | Words: 750
They are sitting by the window, sipping their favorite drinks as they sit right across from each other. This time their meeting is intentional.
Being that their apartments are not that far from each other, they’ve been meeting each other more frequently. Whether it’d be visits to their favorite coffee shop or to the library. He even visited her campus several times, which caught her off guard every time he did so.
Spending all that time together has melted any awkwardness that was present in the beginning. She speaks more freely now, he notes. His gaze has been lingering on her longer than before. Sakura is usually the one who talks and fills in their conversations with her plans for the day or anything trivial and Sasuke might throw a comment or two, updating her about himself and how he’s been doing.
But today seems to be a little bit different.
Her gaze has been fixed at the window the whole time, or maybe at something beyond that. Her mind appears to be travelling deep into the depths of her subconscious, as her eyes are void and unfocused.
She seems... Quieter, he notices. He also notices the dark circles under her eyes and the tired look on her face that’s usually not there. Even if it were, it’s still filled with sunshine and life.
Sasuke knows that Sakura might be under a great amount of stress from her studies, but this one looks different. That fatigue on her face looks like it’s coming from somewhere else, something even more troublesome... How can he explain it? He himself has no words to describe it. But he can tell the difference.
“What’s wrong?”
“Hm? Nothing.” Sasuke gives a look of disbelief. Really? Is she trying to fool him?
“Really, it’s nothing.” Of course there has to be something, now.
--
Sakura has been having visions for the past few nights. A dream, one may call it, and just like any other dream, it can be the most random or impossible thing.
She dreams of going into another world.
A world where she and the people in it looks the same, with the same physical characteristics, but with different lives, different pasts, different futures. The one thing that they have in common is she always sees Sasuke in it... With her.
She replays those visions over and over again, putting them into words that look like they’ve been taken from a fictional novel when they actually came from the dreams of a twenty-year-old, she describes those people in her dreams–herself and Sasuke–to be combat fighters–ninjas.
Even the sound of it makes her snort. But that’s the truth of what she saw.
The fact that it wasn’t just a one-time thing is what scares her, and the thing is, they only happened after she met Sasuke.
There was one where they were fighting alongside each other; he was holding a katana while she was punching holes into rocks and craters into grounds. She also saw one where they were with a third party, a blonde, and they looked... happy.
In every dream, the Sakura and Sasuke of that world are always together, never apart.
But out of all of them, yesterday’s dream was the worst. He was hurt, badly. Blood was splattered everywhere and he looked like he was dying. She was sobbing when he grew limp in her arms.
It was only three in the morning when she was woken up and couldn’t fall asleep ever since, wondering what kind of meaning is lying underneath.
Now here they are, sitting right across from each other in the same place where they first met.
--
Honestly, Sasuke is just as surprised as Sakura, maybe more, when she tells him about her dreams, her visions.
He’s heard about something like this. Something about an ancient Buddist teaching and belief that people are reborn when they die. It’s called reincarnation. What they become in the next life depends on what kind of person they had been in the previous one.
So, could it be it? Does that mean they actually believe it?
What he doesn’t tell her is could it be that their previous lives resonated within her the moment they were brought together, probably by destiny?
“Maybe?” Sakura quirks an eyebrow at his explanation.
What she doesn’t tell him is how close they are in her dreams. As if they were more than friends.
“Our souls existed before we were born and continue to exist after we die. And the process of being reborn continues over and over as our souls evolve spiritually”
It’s the end of this lovely event and all I can say is... It has been a great month! <3 thanks for everything !
“They fall apart but always find the way to reach each other...”
Ninigi no mikoto and konohana-sakuya, samurai era, shinobi era, business man and his assistant, police officer and doctor, and actual era
AN: sasusaku month is over, and thank you thank you thank you for the ride
For the longest time, he thinks she doesn’t exist in this life. He looks and looks and looks, wherever he feels a tug, but she’s nowhere to be found: not Tianjin, not Bangkok, not Kyoto.
So he settles in San Francisco, resigning himself to a life where he will focus on making a living. It’s happened before, he thinks as he takes the bus every morning.
Only in his dreams, does he see her.
Sasuke works.
He programs for big tech companies, takes the money, and watches movies in his spare time. Naruto, at least, appears in this life, and has knowledge of some of their previous ones.
So Sasuke has some good memories.
But he thinks about her, sometimes in his every heartbeat and footstep.
It hurts, not knowing her.
This goes on for years and years, and he is twenty seven and alone in his apartment.
He closes his eyes, lets the television run.
Where are you now, he thinks.
Where are you now.
He has a doctor’s appointment, on the 31st. His phone sends him the notification in the morning, and Sasuke rolls over, groans.
There’s no work today, so he sleeps in, throws on a sweatshirt and then drives to the hospital. There’s the wait in a colorless room, and then a nurse peeks his head in.
“Sasuke Uchiha?” he says, butchering his name completely. He walks into the hall, takes his measurements, and Sasuke is left in an office, flipping through brochures.
The door opens, soon enough.
The brochure falls out of Sasuke’s hands.
“I’m Dr. Haruno,” she says, a smile on her face.
Pink hair.
Green eyes.
Sasuke nearly faints.
“Mr. Uchiha? Mr. Uchiha.”
Sasuke looks up, and she’s there she’s here she’s here.
“Are you alright?” she asks, and he nods, swallows.
“Fine,” he whispers, looking at his feet. “Sasuke is fine.”
“Sasuke-kun, then,” she says, smiles. “I was born in Kyoto.”
He nods, and raises his eyes.
He doesn’t look away.
Naruto calls him for pickup basketball at nine, and Sasuke agrees.
The Idiot elbows him after he misses another shot. “Bastard, are you alright today? You seem kind off.”
“I'm—,” Sasuke pauses. Then, on a stupid impulse, he blurts it out. “I saw somebody.”
Naruto looks at him for a couple of agonizingly silent seconds. His eyes widen, and then he laughs, so loud Sasuke’s afraid someone will come and mug them this late at night.
“Keep it down,” Sasuke hisses.
“Your cheeks,” Naruto says. “They’re red, you massive bastard.”
“Hm.” Sasuke turns away, makes another shot. This time it sinks in the basket, and he retrieves it for a dunk.
“Oh no,” Naruto says, taking the ball on its rebound. “You’re not gonna basketball this away.”
“Tch.”
“So,” the Idiot says, clapping him on the back. His shit-eating grin exists in nearly every goddamn life cycle Sasuke’s had to go through. “Who is this person?”
“It's…” Sasuke swallows, and nods. “It’s her.”
The ball drops out of Naruto’s hands, and his mouth hangs open. “Sakura-chan?!?!”
“Yeah,” Sasuke says, and he feels the pricks of joy tug at his chest. “I found her.”
“Where?!?!”
“The hospital,” Sasuke says. “The damn new hospital they build in our area, in fucking San Francisco.”
“Well,” Naruto says, strokes at his chin. “We’re going there tonight then.”
“What do—”
Naruto falls face first onto the concrete, and Sasuke doesn’t have time to catch him. The Idiot jumps back up in no time, and there’s blood all over his face.
Sasuke lets out a strangled nose.
“Broke my nose, and probably need stitches on my forehead because that feels kind of breezy right now,” Naruto says.
Sasuke lets out another noise.
“What are you waiting for?? Take me to the E.R.”
Sasuke nearly faints for the third time that day when he sees her again. He hasn’t seen her in nearly three decades and now here she is, twice in one day.
She pats Naruto’s head, and gives Sasuke a smile.
“Sasuke-kun,” she says, and Naruto snickers. “Well, it’s nice seeing you again.”
“Uh-um-yes,” he says, and Naruto full on laughs now.
“Are you alright?” Sakura asks, and the Idiot elbows him. “Did you hit your head a little bit harder than we talked about?”
“Ask him if he’s alright,” Naruto says. Sasuke ducks his head, and Naruto howls. “Look at that blush on his cheeks, Sakura-chan!”
They both look at her, and it almost hurts, to see those eyes and the elegant slope of her neck again.
“How did you know my name?”
“Name tag,” Sasuke says, the same time Naruto responds, “Fate works in mysterious ways.”
Sakura laughs, assesses them both. “Have I seen you two around before?”
It’s a question that Sasuke isn’t willing to answer, but Naruto pulls out two slips of paper from his pocket. Sasuke sees their numbers written on them, and he freezes.
“No,” Naruto says. “Not yet. But if you take these, doc, you will for sure!”
Sasuke groans, and Sakura laughs, waving Naruto off.
After Sakura comes into the picture, things begin falling back in place from their origin story.
Naruto meets Shikamaru through work, Sasuke sees Senju Tsunade while grocery shopping, and one of his coworkers, Tenten, invites them to an apartment party.
Things are connecting; Sasuke feels it, the same way he feels his stomach drop when Sakura walks in from the rain, hanging her coat and saying hello to Tenten.
She spots him from across the room, does a double take and waves. Sakura makes her away over, and he swallows, takes more sips of his drink.
“Hey,” she says. She raises an eyebrow. “I saw you…three weeks ago, I think?”
“Yeah,” he says. What he doesn’t say is I’ve thought about you everyday for those three weeks, or Have you thought of me at all or I’ve found you I’ve found you I’ve found you.
“This is funny,” she says, shakes her head. “How do you know Tenten?”
“Programmers,” he says, and she nods. There’s an awkward silence and his hands are sweating and—
“Well,” she says, smile now slightly forced. “I think I should say hi to—”
“Wait,” he says, and she pauses, lips slightly parted.
“Yes?”
“I’m, I've—"he cuts himself off, rubs the back of his neck. “How are you doing. Thanks for fixing up my idiot friend.”
She laughs, kindly. “I’m doing well.” She leans into his face slightly. Her eyes are as clear and as lovely as they’ve always been, and she frowns. “I swear I’ve seen you before, Sasuke-kun. Are you sure we haven’t met?”
He shrugs. “Have you lived here for a while?”
She shakes her head, and Sasuke knows that she hasn’t, because otherwise he would’ve felt a tug.
It’s funny, how his body reacts to the mere thought of her.
“I just moved here, after finishing my residency,” Sakura says. “Some of the best clinics and hospitals in the world are here.”
He nods. “Some of the best computer companies in the world are here.”
She laughs. “We’re a pair of giant nerds, aren’t we?”
He snorts, and the sight of her smile aches. The sight of Sakura, pink hair down to her waist and in a flower print dress bathed in the warm light of a house and the background of a thumping bass—
he wouldn’t mind staying here forever.
“San Francisco also has some really good sights, I bet,” Sakura says later that night. “You’ve lived here for a while, haven’t you?”
He nods. “Almost seven years.”
“Well,” she says, and her breath is a little shaky. “Would you mind showing me around? I’m free around seven next Friday, and um—”
“I wouldn’t mind,” he says, and his heart beats Yes Yes Yes. “Let me give you my number, and we can start next week.”
All the touristy places first, reads the text he gets at 2 in the morning. All the touristy places, and then the cool ones.
That’s a lot of trips, he types.
I mean it’s okay if you don’t want to, haha :D
No, he says, turning over on his side in bed and smiling. I do.
They start at Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39. Sakura takes a million selfies, probably, and Sasuke refuses to be in all of them. But she catches him in the corner of pictures, and she laughs, bright and brilliant.
“Here,” Sakura says on their third outing. She holds out her cotton candy. “Take a bite.”
“I don’t like sweet thi—mff.”
He takes a bite, and his lip curls. Sakura giggles.
He glares, knocks his shoulder into hers. “Annoying.”
“We’ve definitely met before,” she says over coffee.
He doesn’t know what to do, except for his default shrug and a smooth change of subject.
They’re overlooking the sea on their seventh outing, and her hand has found its place in his.
She shakes her head.
“What,” he asks, and she looks at him softly.
“Nothing,” she says, bites the inside of her cheek.
His hand tightens around hers, and she smiles, picks up their pace on the trail.
“I’m glad,” Naruto says, drinking a can of beer in Sasuke’s apartment.
“What.”
“You’re happier now,” the Idiot says, continuing to focus on the game in front of them. He makes some crazy combo, and Sasuke grunts with reluctant approval.
“I know,” Sasuke says after a while.
“She's…I think Sakura-chan has almost always been good for you.”
“She always has.”
“I swear,” she says, three months into their outings.
They’re eating takeout in her apartment, and Sasuke takes one of her dumplings, ignoring her protest.
“I,” she continues. “I know for some reason you don’t seem to like to talk about it, but I feel like I’ve known you for a very long time. Like…we fit, together.”
He nods.
“What do you think about that?”
He tries not to think about it, tries to focus on Sakura in sweatpants and a crop top and how lucky he is to be here right now, but if he really thinks hard enough:
he sees her smile across different dimensions, hears her voice call his name (angry and hurt, happy and grateful), feels her touch.
He smiles, and reaches over to poke her forehead. “I’ll tell you some other time.”
He sees the blush on her face, but three days later, he does not see her drop her files at work and raise a hand to her forehead, eyes wide.
“Oh God,” she moans, and then she’s on the floor.
There is an insistent banging on his door later that night, when he’s in the middle of chopping tomatoes and debating over whether or not to text her because she’s working late tonight.
The banging is annoying, and Sasuke opens it with an exhale.
It’s her.
She looks…angry, he sees, and she storms her way in his apartment.
He furrows his brows. “I thought you were work—”
“I took a leave,” she snaps, and paces back and forth in his living room. “I—I.”
His pulse races—what happened what happened—and takes a seat on the couch.
“I saw them,” she bites out, finally. He freezes, and she stands in front of him. He sees the anger, but then the confusion and the vulnerability in her eyes. “I…I.” She hiccups, and he swallows. “There were so many.”
A million things run through his mind, but one stands out:
she knows.
“You,” she whispers. Her hands come up to cover her eyes. “You were in nearly all of them. And, sometimes Naruto. But you.”
There have been terrible lives, he knows.
There are some lives back in their origin story—the one where they grow up as child soldiers and his eyes bleed red and her fists glow green—where he does not love her. Where her knife is lodged in his back, where his lightning is lodged in her chest, where they kill each other before they can save each other.
But there have been lives that were better, some, excellent even. There are lives where they grow up, happy and healthy. Where they find each other in a mundane world, and she teases and he blushes and they have a beautiful daughter.
There are lives where their love is something explosive and they conquer worlds together.
This life, Sasuke knows, is one of the better ones. It starts here: her, whispering in his apartment at midnight, and him, reaching up to take her hands away from her face.
“Explain this,” she whispers. “Please.”
“There,” he says, swallowing. Her eyes are red; his chest aches. “There might be an infinite amount of lives that we’re going through.”
“But I swear,” he continues. “I swear, that as long as I have an idea of who I am—who we are—, I will love you.”
“There are ones where we kill each other,” she says, eyelashes brushing her cheekbones. Her grip on his hands tightens. “We kill each other, Sasuke.”
“Yes,” he admits. “But there are more—”
“where we don’t,” she finishes. “I…”
“Choose you,” he says. “Sakura, I swear, I choose you, in some way, in every single one of my lives.”
She cries, and he holds her, and it’s the most natural thing he’s done in ages.
“Infinite lives,” she says, later that night.
“Yes.”
“But you choose me,” she whispers, traces the kanji for love on his back. “And I choose you.”
He traces the curve of her cheek, and leans in for a kiss.
There are, of course, exceptions. But when they are capable of doing so, their love is the most intuitive thing in the world.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Every time,” he says, and places his forehead against hers. “Every time.”
Summary: Snippets of Sasuke’s and Sakura’s, throughout the lifetimes.
A/N: So, to clear up any confusion, the first lifetime is Fairy Tail universe, the second is in Attack on Titan universe. I keep seeing Sasuke and Sakura being reincarnated as characters in any anime or manga universe, so yeah. I might add to this later, but for now, enjoy! I’m thinking of adding a Tokyo Ghoul universe, though?
(They’ve shared many lifetimes together.)
i.
“– Team Naruto will be taking this request,” Sakura slides the paper across the bar to Ino, who nods and accepts it.
Naruto raised his fist to the ceiling of the guild, yelling, “Hell yeah! A job! Which means money to pay this month’s rent!” Sasuke, standing next to him, snorts in contempt, and asks, “How long will it be again?”
Sakura turns to Ino, who scans the paper briefly before answering, “Around two weeks.” Leaving her apron on the counter, Ino turns and says, “I’ll inform the Master about this. It’s been a while since Team Naruto did a job together. Let’s hope Naruto and Sasuke doesn’t destroy any cities this time.”
Smiling, Sakura waves Ino off, and walks to where her team has settled themselves. Naruto is jabbering cheerfully, as always.
“God, Sakura-chan, you know that kid – Konohamaru? Well, he joined quite recently, and only last week we were talking about how we couldn’t see his guild mark anywhere, you remember that, right? Guess what? The brat’s done it this time. Because since we’re Fairy Tail, the idiot got his mark tattooed on his ass. Because of the ‘Tail’ part. What a moron.” Naruto shook in laughter, and even Sasuke snorted at that.
“Poor kid,” Sakura commented, pitying the young child, who was no more than six. “Where’s Kurama, anyway? Haven’t seen him today.”
“Oh, he’s somewhere. Eating fish, probably,” Naruto replies, gesturing vaguely at the guild hall. Sasuke shrugged in reply. She strained her neck to look through the crowd inside the guild. The place was sure getting rowdier, even more than usual. It must be the cold. Everyone was coming in to stay warm.
But Sakura didn’t need to look hard. As soon as he was mentioned, the cat Exceed flew over, carrying – of course – a fish in his paws. “Hey, Sakura-chan!”
“Kurama,” she smiled as she watched the red cat munch on his snack. “We’re off to a job in a little bit, did Naruto tell you?” The Exceed nodded in reply, sparing her a little of his precious attention before diving right back to devouring his meal.
They sat in comfortable silence.
After a little while, Sasuke was the first one to move from the table. “Let’s get going. I want to be at the town before it’s dark.” He stood up, and started for the guild doors. Humming in agree, Sakura rose also, along with Naruto and Kurama. A gust of icy wind greeted them as soon as they stepped outside.
Naruto sneezed, ejecting snot everywhere. Passerby gave them weird glances, but once they recognized Naruto, went back to business.
“Ew!” Kurama flew away, Sasuke threw him a disgusted glance, and Sakura stifled a laugh. Scratching his nose, Naruto gave them an exaggerated wounded look, to which Sasuke knocked him on the head in response. Kurama settle himself on Sakura’s shoulder, and soon, snow began to drift down and accumulate, fluttering against their skin.
“First snow,” Sakura whispered, awed by the beauty of the snowflakes, floating down like flower petals. Kurama yelped in happiness, and flew to Naruto, the duo trying to catch the snow on their tongue. Sasuke shook his head at their childishness, but when Sakura sidled next to him, she saw the mischievous glint in his eyes.
He looked at her. Got it?
She returned his glance. Got it.
She shrieked as she threw herself at Naruto, knocking him down and rolling away just in time as Sasuke hit his target right in the face with a snowball. Her cheeks flushed with the cold, but she was having too much fun to care.
“No fair! You cheated,” Naruto whined as he aimed.
Sakura laughed again, running and dodging, and as she did, she caught Sasuke’s eyes once more, bright and alive, his face split in a grin as he created an ice wall in front of him using his ice magic.
He was laughing.
And when he took her hand and pull her to her feet after she tripped over Naruto, her heart skipped a beat. She smiled.
ii.
“Sasuke-heichou? You’re still up?”
He looked up from his documents. Sakura stood in the doorway of the kitchen with Kiba, Naruto, and Sai. All of them had circles under their eyes. He frowned. “Why are you guys still up?” he challenged back. Kiba barked out a hollow laugh.
It was Sakura who replied. “We’re nervous and antsy, of course, just like everyone else. Just like you are, heichou. Only you won’t admit it.” She plucked a chair and slumped down, cradling a mug in her hands. The others followed, all seated around the now crowded breakfast table, even though it was well past midnight.
“I’m not nervous,” defended Sasuke, his scowl deepening.
“I’m sure that’s why you’re holding that pen upside down, pretending to be doing paperwork,” commented Sai, causing Naruto to snort into his mug.
Sasuke chose to ignore Sai.
“What are you all drinking?” he asked, eyeing their cups.
“Sakura made us coffee. Helps us sleep,” Kiba explained. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t question his subordinate’s logic. He rubbed his eyes. In fact, coffee sounded pretty good.
Sakura must had known he would’ve thought that, because she had already shoved a cup into his hands. She met his gaze briefly, and there was something flickering in her eyes, a shadow, but before he could make sense of it, she had already sat back in her seat.
Sasuke sipped his coffee in silence.
“Hey, say, Sasuke-heichou, what’s it like being humanity’s strongest soldier?” asked Naruto, out of the blue.
Four pairs of eyes turned to him. He was about to brush off the question when he stopped. There was a tremor in the blonde’s voice that made Sasuke think about the question seriously, instead of dismissing it as usual.
“It’s kind of stupid, I guess. Everyone will fall, sooner or later. Just because I haven’t, doesn’t mean I won’t. And I will, one day. It’s stupid to think I won’t. After all, we’re only humans, born to die. But I guess that people need that, need someone to have the title of ‘humanity’s strongest soldier,’ to hold onto. Something to symbolize hope,” he finished. Heads nodded around the table, but Sakura stayed still. Her eyes burned with an intensity like fire, pinning him.
“What does that title mean to you, though, heichou?” she asked, and though the question seemed simple, the way she asked it made it seem anything but. Maybe he was the only one who didn’t get what was happening, because the other three were suddenly wearing solemn faces as well, waiting.
He found himself sweating slightly. This was absurd. He licked his lips.
Sasuke cleared his throat. “’Humanity’s strongest solider,’ huh? I’ve put much though into it, but I guess it just means carrying on when others can’t. Fighting for those inside the wall. Fighting with everything I have for a future. For all of us. Fighting to keep you brats alive, I guess.”
It was a sketchy answer, by all means. He didn’t really know what he was saying, just whatever came to him, whatever he felt, but his answer seemed to satisfy the four of them, especially Sakura, who pushed back her chair and announced that she was going to bed.
The others followed her.
But just when he thought they were going to leave, they stopped. Sakura was the one who spoke, turning her head around to face him. Her beautiful emerald eyes were glassy with tears.
Sasuke’s heart clenched. He didn’t understand.
“Sasuke,” she whispered, not adding heichou to his name, “if…if anything happened to us – any of us – will you continue flying for us?”
He stared uncomprehending at the two wings on the back of their uniform jacket. Wings of freedom, he thought dimly. His head hurt. He didn’t want to think anymore.
“Aa,” he replied, his voice a little hoarse.
With one last backward glance, they all retreated to their quarters.
Sasuke sat there alone, with the now cold cup of coffee in his hand.
Tomorrow was the 57th mission beyond the walls, so maybe he did know what this was all about.
iii.
The sound of the door banging open alerted them to the return of their daughter.
“Mama! Papa! I’m home!”
Little footsteps approaching fast, and as soon as four-year-old Sarada burst into the living room, Sakura swept the child into her arms, holding her high, while Sasuke reached up to poke Sarada’s forehead. The young girl giggled lightly, but then got serious when her mother put her back down.
“Mama, Uncle Naruto got scolded by Uncle Shikamaru today, because he wasn’t doing his paperwork. But Sarada doesn’t mind paperwork. Sarada wants to be Hokage, too!” exclaimed the youngest Uchiha.
“Okay,” laughed Sakura. “Doesn’t that sound like a great idea, Sasuke-kun? Our daughter, the Hokage?”
Sasuke smirked. “Aa. You’ll be the best ever.”
Sarada beamed up at the both of them. “Then that means I have to start today! Mama, I’ll be having ramen every day from now on. Because Uncle Naruto said it’s the only food of Hokage!”
Naruto. Sasuke sighed. Sakura rolled her eyes.
Sasuke picked up his daughter and asked, “Sarada, don’t you want to be more like daddy? Wouldn’t you rather eat tomatoes instead? Who cares about your Uncle anyway?”
Sakura swatted her husband on the arm, rolling her eyes once more.
At the Hokage tower, Naruto sneezed.
(But this was definitely by far their most favorite life.)
This is the continuation from my Day 28- Through the Wardrobe prompt.
I need to stab and chop my heart into pieces to make this.
So, this is my last contribution for SasuSaku Month 2015. Thank you very much for the mods who had worked hard for this event and for everyone who always supported my arts. You’re all the best! ^__^
Bye. I promise I will make a lot of SasuSaku fluff after this x’D
