My Snippets: Part 2

Lost Love

Grief works in mysterious ways. Warrior Sasuke & Maiden Sakura. Major death. Sasuke's POV. Set in the old days. A sasusaku (Sasuke focused) AU snippet. Angsty and sad.

*My mood sometimes affects my writing, sorry!*

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The afternoon sun was beating down harshly on his skin, relentlessly tormenting him with its summer heat, but the young warrior ignored the burn and continued on through his last form, wanting to see it through until the end before he was finally able to take a much needed break. Rivers of sweat were pouring off of his lean frame by its completion, and Sasuke soon took shelter before collapsing under the shadows of a large Sakura tree into a boneless heap; truly thankful that at least he had a small smidge of shade from it on this excruciatingly hot day.

His trusty katana was tossed carefully next to him, and his bare back quickly fell against the rough, jagged bark of the towering beauty; painful against his flesh, but nonetheless welcoming after such a strenuous workout. But, no matter how hard he tried to occupy his mind, Sasuke couldn't quite find means of escaping the very torrential downpour of overwhelming grief that would befall him when all was said and done.

He couldn't flee it, no matter how desperately he wanted, nay... craved to... and he felt in this moment of reprieve a fresh, formidable wave of sorrow crash over him. His chest tightened thereafter, making it profusely difficult for him to breathe. Sasuke closed his eyes and almost immediately he was met with an image of her.

All he could see was green; and pink.

He could see her smiling at him, practically hear her sweet laughter in his eardrums... a ghastly and haunting sound now... and virtually feel her fingertips brush affectionately against his heated skin.

Alone, under the Sakura tree, he began to sob; crying for the loss of his first and only love, who was tragically ripped away from him in an attack on their village only a few days prior. Of course he'd been away on a mission. Sasuke was unable to protect her. He was unable to save her from the horrors of torture and death. And he loathed himself for it.

How could his heart hurt this much for one person?

How could he feel like giving up on even breathing... just because she wasn't there anymore—

He hadn't even gotten the chance to properly court her...to marry her... to tell her that he'd loved her with all his heart. Sasuke gasped as a fresh wave of sorrow and pain came over him. Grieving the loss of not only what he'd had, but for what could have been... if only he'd been there to save her.

He leaned back and screamed his outrage.

Love was a mysterious thing.

But then, so was grief.

Sasuke's head rested against the bark, tilted towards the sky and a sudden gust of wind blew past him, ruffling the sweat-coated bangs plastered on his forehead. Suddenly, his sorrow vanished and he felt oddly calm and at peace before something enveloped him.

The wind knocked several Sakura blooms away from their perches above and sent them slowly spiraling down to rest on and around him. Sasuke felt a surprisingly familiar pair of 'ghostly' lips pressed tenderly against his forehead, and quickly lifted his fingers to touch the spot; knowing that he was fully alone, but somehow feeling as if someone (or something) was near. His eyes remained firmly shut as he let out a gentle breath.

Only one name came to mind.

"... Sakura?"

His voice was raw from grief, scratchy as if he hadn't used it in a while, but her name was like a sweet caress against his tongue and he savored the sound of it as it slid past his lips. The wind picked up then, swirling the soft, pink petals around him in a tiny tornado-like formation before whisking them away on a gentle breeze. His black eyes opened and followed them as they slowly disappeared on the horizon. 

It was then that he did something he never thought he'd do again.

Though soft and barely perceivable, he smiled.