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Cherry blossoms were in bloom. Sweet and light, their petals under the breeze rose in the air and fell like feathers in the numerous avenues of the leaf village. At this time of the year, Konoha had left its green color to borrow the pink of cherry blossoms, which gave the village a fairy air. No one, whether it was at the impressive office of the Hokage or at the huge training grounds of the ninjas, could stop themselves from admiring the beauty of this picture.
~~~~
Nearing the diverse festivities of spring, the big center of the village had been decorated, and lanterns pierced with all their colors the darkness of the night. Under their marveling reflects walked a young girl. She looked like she was around twelve. Her hair was surprisingly pink and melted in a sweet harmony with the petals scattered on the floor. The green of her eyes, as shiny as the leaves that had once carried those petals, reminded of the distant time of buds. This tender image, exquisite osmosis between the landscape and the young lady, was completed by the red dress and the green short that she was wearing. Unfortunately, the lady did not seem to care and was already moving away, frowned eyebrows and anxious air, throwing here and there a few glances.
~~~~
A little bit further, the lanterns in accord with the moon, persisted on making the night less dark, less frightening, but the night refused to give up. And if the cherry petals were able to find a soul mate in the young lady, the night was also able to find theirs in this young human. The hair of this one was as black and deep as darkness and his eyes, vast ocean of impassibility, offered a feeling of uneasiness. Dressed in a blue shirt, a white short and carrying a backpack, he seemed to be at ease and even had his hands in his pockets. He had an icy charm, at the limit of sinister, that was curiously more fascinating than scary.
Assuredly, the silhouette of the young guy walked towards the gates of the village that jealously protected it. When he got closer, he noticed a pink mass near a cherry tree. It was Sakura. Pretending that he hadn’t seen her, he walked past her as she whispered:
“Sasuke… Stay”.
Like an echo with no end, those words resonated over and over in the young guy’s head. The syllables broke apart, attacking every corner of his brain. The more violent those letters got, the more Sasuke felt a feeling growing in him that he couldn’t understand.
In order to unravel the situation, he focused and decided to lead the dance. Patiently, he analyzed one by one the words that Sakura had just pronounced. Still, he couldn’t get rid of this weird feeling. What was the cause of it? He sighed, deciding to ignore it. It had always been a habit of Sakura to bother him with her loving nonsense. He decided to break the silence and realized that he was now facing Sakura. He waited a minute, and in the hope that she would crack like she knew how to, he tried to explain to her the reasons for his choice.
There, everything is new, and everything is wild
Free continent without wire fencing
“Freedom, this fruit so appealing that my lips dream of tasting! It looks so juicy, yet so delicate that like a small bird, I will get out of this nest. I will deploy my wings, to fly in the skies, grazing nimbus, cumulus and others. On those lands where freedom reigns, I will pursue it.”
The first bullet had been shot; the confrontation was now inevitable. The night became darker, and little by little, the clouds well rested, came out of their sleep hiding the few stars that shined in the sky. A light wind blew, slightly shaking leaves in trees and bringing higher and higher, lost cherry petals. Sasuke looked up and coldly said:
Here our dreams are narrow
That's why I'll go there
“Power and revenge. Are you able to feel the subtle intonation of these words? Surely not! Konoha’s population insists on banishing those words from its vocabulary. Hence why, no one here can boast about possessing power and even less, dream of a revenge.”
Sakura shivered imperceptibly under the wind’s caress and came back to her senses. She was so deep in her thoughts that she hadn’t realized that Sasuke had stopped talking and was now looking at her. They stayed a couple of seconds without moving, mixing the green of her eyes in the black of his, hope in grief. The young lady knew that there was just enough place for one feeling, and that to win this battle, she had to outmatch him.
Interrupting this visual exchange, Sasuke, talked again:
There
You must have courage and be brave
But everything is possible at my age
“You know, I’m not used to giving up. Even when we were talking about Uchiha in terms of clan and not survivors, I had a tendency to prove to my father that I could be as strong as Itachi. I was training every single day to surpass my limits and make my father proud of me.”
His eyes reflected his sadness for a minute. He really hated talking about this. And, like to banish his bad memories, he slowly closed his eyes and continued:
“It’s true that I’m only twelve and that my name will soon be added to Konoha’s list of deserters. I’m not fooling myself, rest assured. I am conscient of the fact that the path that I’m about to take is not the easiest one. But no matter how many obstacles I encounter, I will reach my goal.”
He thought he heard sniffles and half-opened his eyes. The spectacle offered to him could only be summarized in one word: Pathetic. It looked, indeed, like his teammate has cracked and her face was now full of tears. His predictions were right. Not only was she annoying, but Sakura was truly weak. Sasuke grinned and continued:
If you have strength and faith
You can reach the gold
That's why I'll go there
“A popular saying says, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’ It’s time to check how true it is. I would like to become powerful; I would like to kill Itachi and I will do it. Yes, I’m certain that I’ll be able to reach that moment in a couple of years.”
The young girl with pink hair repressed as much as she could the additional tears that were threatening to fall. With a sad smile, she stopped Sasuke’s next words. She had heard enough, now it was his turn to listen. She couldn’t let him go without having tried everything, never mind that he would find her annoying,
Don't go
There are storms and wrecks
The fire, devils and mirages
I know you're so fragile sometimes
Stay in the hollow of me (means stay with me)
“There are so many dangers outside of the village that I can’t even imagine. I really don’t trust Orochimaru. He is a… a… deserter and you know as well as I do that he hates Konoha more than anything”
She got quiet for a minute, then continued in a whisper:
“You may be fooling others with your mask of impassibility but not me. I know that even if you refuse to admit it to yourself, you are extremely fragile. So, I’m begging you, forget about this whole revenge. Stay with Naruto and… I”
She held out one of her hands in Sasuke’s direction and brushed against his left arm with her fingers. Then, she lowered her am and continued:
We have so much love to do
So much happiness to come
I want you as husband and father
But you, you dream to leave
“Stay with me, please. I would love for you to understand how my heart beats for you, how much I’m happy to be by your sides. I would really love for you to realize that life is only waiting for your consent to open the doors of happiness, and for us to discover the joy of love.”
More tears fell on her soft visage, transforming it in a fountain. She continued with a hoarse voice:
“But you Sasuke, you refuse to listen. You persist on taking a road that will leave you unhappy”
Surprise! If there was a feeling that possessed Sasuke right now, it was one of surprise. Since when had Sakura shown such tenacity? All of this would make him start to believe that he made a mistake thinking that she would be annoying and weak! And god knew that an Uchiha was never wrong.
He sighed. Whether he wanted it or not, he had to admit that he had been mistaken. Worse, he couldn’t refrain himself for having a light, but present, touch of admiration for Sakura. He was even starting to find all of this interesting. This confrontation made him see another side of Sakura and he wanted to try this game. He had spoken today like he had never done, so he might as well continue:
Here everything is already decided
And we can't change it
Everything depends on your birth
And me, I'm not born well
“Sometimes I wonder if being an Uchiha is an advantage or an inconvenient. Here, my prestigious lineage pushes other to admire me for what they think I am. They refuse to see me for what I really am, but for the image that my ancestors gave to the clan.”
Sakura took a deep breath. She was ready to use her last card, wishing secretly that it would push Sasuke to stay in Konoha.
There
Far from our lives, our villages
I'll forget your voice, your face
Even if I hold you tight in my arms
You escape already (from me) there
“If until now, Orochimaru has remained one of the most powerful deserters of Konoha, it’s because from as far I can recall, no one has ever been able to put their hands on him. Thinking about it, it is probably because of his numerous hideouts. Even when one of them is found, no one can catch him. This, you see, shows how slim my chances to see you again will be. And time, this traitorous thing, will not be on my side. I’m so scared that it will make me forget the sound of your voice, the depth of your eyes, the little light in them when Naruto was stupidly challenging you. I would love to keep all of that forever in my heart, but I know that…it’s impossible.”
The gust of winds became more and more violent. Drops of water met the harshness of the ground, changing the mood to a gloomy one. Sakura didn’t exactly know why, but this change of atmosphere made her nervous. More than ever, she had a bad feeling about the resolution of this confrontation. She started looking at Sasuke’s reactions, praying to all the gods to convince him to stay.
Sasuke, for whom this game had been as funny as shocking, decided to end the debate. He had wasted more than enough time.
I'll have my chance the day and my rights
“Power and revenge, I will obtain…”
Sakura interrupted Sasuke. Why couldn’t he understand? Must she beg on her knees?
Don't go…
“I’m begging you…”
And the pride that I don't have here
“… And finally, my heart will be at peace”, Sasuke continued ignoring her begging.
…There
“…Don’t go”
Everything you deserve is yours
“All I will have, will have be obtained because of my skills-”
Don't go…
“I’m begging you…”
Here the others impose their laws
“No one is free at Konoha-”
…There
“…Don’t go”
I'll maybe lose you there
“You would love a chance to get me, right? Well your unique chance is to find me over there-.”
Don't go…
“I’m begging you…”
But I lose myself if I stay here
“… Today it’s you, but tomorrow it’s going to be someone else. And I will be forced to burry my desire for revenge-”.
…There
“…Don’t go”
Life didn't let me the choice
“It’s all because of my family’s massacre-”
Don't go…
“I’m begging you…”
You and me it'll be there or not
“Sakura, nothing will ever happen here between us-”
…There
“…Don’t go”
Everything is new and everything is wild
“I’m attracted by those foreign lands …”
Don't go…
“I’m begging you…”
Free continent without wire fencing
“… I promise to become the master of those lands-”
…There
“…Don’t go”
Beautiful as you can’t imagine
“… You have no idea of the power I’ll find there-”
Don't go…
“I’m begging you…”
Here our dreams are narrow
“…It is prohibited to think here-”
…There
“… Don’t go”
That's why I'll go there
“…So, I’ll leave-”
Don't go…
“I’m begging you…”
The choice wasn't given to me
“It was bound to happen-”
…There
“…Please stay”
I lose myself if I stay here
“Twenty-four more hours here, and I will crack-”
Don't go…
“I’m begging you…”
That's why I'll go there.
“You can’t change my mind, I’m leaving-”
…There
The silence that followed those words was revealing. Sakura had opened her heart; she had given everything tonight. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, and the duel had just ended.
The rain drops that had been falling earlier made way to bigger ones. Cherry leaves fell desperately on the ground, now slippery. The darkness tightened its hold on the leaf village.
The victory was theirs. However, in common accord with their soul mate, they decided to offer a goodbye gift to their opponent. So, while a light ray coming from the moon infiltrated the darkness of the night, Sasuke at an inhuman speed found himself behind Sakura. He hugged her from behind, and whispered:
“Thank you”.
The next day, soft sunshine rays woke Sakura up and she realized that she was lying down on a bench, next to where she saw Sasuke for the last time.
Like a suffering soul, she stood up, wiped her first tear and walked towards downtown Konoha.
He had gone THERE.