never again.
Fandom: Naruto
Characters: Uchiha Sasuke & Haruno Sakura
Prompts: 07. disoriented & 012. is it you?
Word Count: 1300
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Warning: AU. Is probably very confusing.
Notes: Written for 10 whores & 30 memories. Prompt tables are here & here.
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Sasuke’s breath hitched in his throat as his vision was filled with shimmering pink tresses.
Long, luscious pink strands floated around its petite owner as she danced, her body swaying with the quiet hum of the music. All was quiet in the room - everyone’s eyes were on the dancing geisha performing under the spotlight. Around her, the room was dark, the only light source following her, showering her in its brightness.
Her dance was a simple one - yet, there was something alluring, something indescribable about her, that seemed to capture everyone’s attention. Her simple, smooth moves - a swish of her hip here, a twist of her arm, a flick of her fan - were captivating without reason, and even Sasuke, with his almighty Sharingan eyes, could not depict just what about her was so fascinating.
When her head swished towards him - he caught a flash of deep emerald, and he blinked, surprised by the sudden flash of colour. In the one moment, he saw sorrow. Irreparable sorrow that he knew was reflected in his own distant onyx orbs - eyes he was no longer able to look into, because in there, he knew he would find nothing. Nothing but eternal endlessness and despair.
The last chord struck and hung in the air, the pink tresses locked in place as the woman froze in her pose - her face titled upwards, her arms crossed, the hand with the fan by her face. For a moment, the room was quiet, its occupants still entranced by the performance. But as the light spotlight faded out and the girl retreated from the stage, claps erupted - quietly at first, and fiercely as the many spotlights around the room turned on slowly.
Blood red orbs scanned the room quickly, and was disgusted to find most of the men still ogling the stage. Red bleeding into black once again, the onyx haired man slipped out of the door, unsure of his destination, yet knowing exactly where he was headed. His feet moved forward, silent on the wood flooring - his subconscious knew this, knew the pink locks, knew the deep emerald.
Buried deep within his repressed memories, there were flashes of bright pink and cheerful emerald.
His navy blue robs swished around him elegantly as he arrived at the door - it was the same as every other shoji door in the hall. Blank and colourless.
He paused, still clutching the door, hesitating to open it. He was never one to be spontaneous, yet everything, since that day, that dream, had been a spontaneous act, relying solely on his instincts on subconscious mind. His conscious, more rational mind, had no idea what he was searching for.
Or who, he now speculated.
At moments, he felt clouded, drugged, disoriented - and every time, with the same markers. Pink and green. Spring. Cherry blossoms and emeralds.
Exactly like that geisha.
Long fingers curled around the edge, sliding the door open slowly.
What he saw shattered his already broken heart - something he had long thought was impossible.
Before him lay the beautiful girl from before, looking every bit equally as broken as him. Only, there was an air around her, mixed with despair, sorrow, and strong will. Even as she lay sprawled on the ground - her body was in such a position that it broadcasted elegance, and even as her shoulders heaved with each sob, he could tell she was doing her best to hold it in.
Unaware to him, his mouth moved, and without knowing what he was saying, words flew from his lips, directed at the girl. She tensed immediately, the dry sobs halted for the moment. She turned around to face him - and he saw the emerald again. Only this time, there was no sorrow like he saw minutes earlier, or blissful happiness like in his dreams.
There was nothing.
“..S-Sa...kura.” he tested, not knowing where the name came from. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Huge emerald orbs widened slightly, and only for a second. She recovered immediately - but he saw it.
“Haru,” she whispered, her voice soft, yet laced with steel. “That’s my name.”
Sasuke frowned again - at her voice, his conscious mind was completely thrown aside, and memories - memories he no longer remembered having, took over. “Sakura,” he repeated, firmly this time.
A calculated look passed through her eyes at his defiance, and she smiled sweetly in response, her full pink lips curving suggestively. “Sir. You shouldn’t be here. Perhaps, later we cou-”
“Sakura.” It was the only word the surfaced from his forgotten memories, and he pleaded, almost desperately. “Sakura. You - Sakura.”
In a flash, all traces of sweet and inviting disappeared from the alluring face. Her eyes hardened once more as she studied him. “Who are you?”
“Sa-” he froze as another image forced itself into his vision - two children, nameless and faceless, sitting in a grassy meadow. Pink and black. “...Sasuke.”
She staggered backwards slightly at the three syllables. “...who are you?” Her voice was no more than a ghost of a whisper. “who...are...you?”
“I’ll protect you forever.”
I’ll protect you forever!
For an eternity!
Giggle.
Yes. Forever.
The words flew out of his mouth their own accord - and they sounded nonsensical. The girl - Sakura - however, staggered backwards more, bumping into the simple oak dressed, her thin fingers clutching to the wood desperately. “Forever?” she echoed. “Together in the-”
“-meadows.”
She froze, his words identical to her own. The blurry memories danced around her eyes as her mind returned to her most precious memories.
Two children.
Faceless. Nameless.
Grassy meadows.
I’ll protect you forever.
Pink tresses, onyx hair.
She tried desperately to hold on to the moment - but like every time before, they slipped away from her reach, into an abyss of darkness beyond her mind. Before, there were faces and names to accompany the silhouettes. Now, they were simply nameless - though she knew, somehow, that the pink tresses were hers.
He took a step forward. She remained motionless.
“...Do you remember?”
A hesitant nod. Another step forward.
“Laughs. Giggles.” He paused, both in speech and movement. “Bliss. Happiness.”
Tears brimmed her eyes, franticly trying to recall the memory back. The sounds of laughter were slowly fading away from her reach. “...Sa...s..su...k..e.” she tried, the word bringing a painful jab to her head as something unreachable returned to her. A name. A face.
He nodded. “You remember.”
“Sasuke.” She repeated, her voice still barely a whisper. “You-”
“-Also remember.”
He was barely an inch away from her now - close enough to feel her proximity. “...I fought so hard.” He strained to choke the words out. “I tried so hard to remember.”
“But they took it away,” she echoed, finishing his words. “They took you away.”
He reached his hand forward hesitantly, barely allowing his fingertips to touch her milky white skin.
A time. A past. A life.
“They took you from me.” she whispered, a small droplet falling from her shining eyes. “I was alone again. There was no one.”
“...I’m sorry.” The bare touch turned into a fierce hug as he crushed her fragile body to his. “I couldn’t protect you.”
“...alone.”
“I tried so hard to remember. To look for you.” He continued, his voice filled with regret, hurt. “...but I couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried - I couldn’t remember.”
More tears leaked through, soaking the front of his robes. “I was so scared...” he tightened his hold. He was never letting go again. “...you were gone.”
“Never again, Sakura.”
“Never again,” she echoed.
They clutched each other tightly, searching for lost years, lost memories, lost touches.
In his mind’s eye, they were in the grassy meadow again. Except, this time, there were no children, no blurred lines.
Just him, and Sakura.
Sounds of laughter, of a renewed happiness.
The future.
Their future.