DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Naruto! Which makes me depressed. But I still own Tsuki! YAY :D
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Chapter 13: Returned Memories
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Tsuki's POV
I was running.
Running, trying to get away from the explosion. No matter how fast I ran, it was too fast. The blast wave was on my tail in a matter of seconds.
Panting, sweating, I still kept going.
Chest heaving, legs trembling, out of breath, I was no match against the explosion.
Sooner or later I was engulfed with white light.
Then everything went black...
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Drip
Drip
Drop...
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Drip
Drip
Drop...
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Drip
Drip
Drop...
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Drip
Drip
Drop...
Where am I?
What's that noise?
I asked myself questions even though I knew no one would answer.
How am I alive?
Am I dead?
The feeling of my body returned and in that moment I felt the sensation of water against my body. The cool effect gave me chills. I walked forwards, feeling the water deepen. Every step I took the water rose higher against my body. Shins to my knees. Step. Knees to my thighs. Step. Thighs to my waist. Step. Waist to my stomach. Step. Stomach to my chest. It kept going until I neck deep in the freezing waters.
I stretched my arms in front of me and swam towards to a unknown destination. I don't know what was happening, but something was drawing me in. A force.
Suddenly the water becomes harsher, uncontrolled. The raging waves push me against the wall as it knocks out all the air in my lungs. The velocity of the waves pull me under with such force as the water overlaps my head. I struggle to pull myself out from the water, trying to reach the surface. I thrash against the frozen waters trying to gain control in its frenzy state. I use my arms as paddles, swimming towards what I think is up. Just as I'm about to reach the barrier of oxygen something stops me. They clutch my legs in a vice grip. I try to kick them off, but more attach themselves to me as they pull me under. That's when I realize that its not some random object. They're hands.
Just when I thought I was safe!
The hands grip me tighter as I try to pry them off. My head swims with dizziness as my eyelid droops with drowsiness. They pull me further until I feel the floor beneath me. The pressure is unbearable, it makes my head throb. My lungs burn with the lack of oxygen. My heart beats rapidly making my chest heave up and down. My body begins to slack, but just as I'm about pass out, the water level drops. As the water diminishes I could feel the cold air slap me across the face.
I fall on my knees as they buckle with weakness and breathe in gallons and gallons of fresh oxygen, soothing my burning lungs. I look up, panting, and notice a black pearlescent gate towering in front of me. Flowers of all kind, almost dead, surround the gates as vines are wrapped around the bars giving it an eery feeling. Behind the black gates is a woman with long black hair which falls down in curls. She wears a white dress which is tattered at the bottom as it sinks in the low waters. Her skin pale, but not sickly. I walk closer to her gate, but with caution. Slowly and tentatively, I reach the gate, once I'm there I grasp the bars in my hand.
"Who are you," I ponder, questioning her.
She turns around making me see her face. I gasp when I see her eyes. They're fully black.
"The names Cerridwen, my dear," she gently says.
"Why are you here? Why am I here," I ask, wanting answers.
"Sweet child, I'm here because I was sealed inside you. You're here because I brought you to my world," she says.
What?!
"H-how is that e-even possible," I exclaim.
"It's a place where I live, not really a world, but a dimension I made. Enough about me, let's talk about something more important. We need to talk about you. We need to make you remember," she says.
"Remember?! Remember what," I ask, confused.
"Your memories, everything that damn man took away. He made you forget your life, your past," she seethes.
"B-but what if I don't want to remember. I mean I want to, but the people I don't. I'm happy alone, no one can hurt me," I say.
"B-but don't you want to remember your friends? Family? Lover? Don't you want to remember me, your friend," she says, almost sadly.
"I-I don't know! It's too confusing! I want things to go back to normal, but I'm afraid of what my life used to be like," I shout, scared.
"Tsuki! Do you trust me," she says, pleading.
I look at her. Her eyes show sadness, pain, love and honesty. Tears brim her eyes as she looks at me. I bite my lip in confusion. I don't know what to do, but the look in her eyes tell me everything.
"I-I don't know you..." I state.
Just as said that, her head drops solemnly. Her shoulders shake as she trembles. Her hands turn whiter as they clutch the bars of her gate.
"But, I trust you. Your eyes show me that you once knew me, the real me," I finish.
She snaps her head up to look at me, her eyes which are filled with tears glisten with happiness. A smile paints her lips as she regains hope, gratitude, and slight determination.
"Okay! Now you need to open the gate and I'll start the process of bringing back your memories. Making you, you again," she says happily, ordering me.
And that's just what I do.
×××
I wake up with a breathless gasp. I look around and find myself back at the destroyed terrain of the previous battle. Shock fills me at the outcome, there's nothing. No grass, no trees, no forest. All I see is a scorching land of dirt.
I feel a painful shock stab through my head as all my memories flash in my mind in the span of mere seconds. My head throbs at the pain, but ignore it. Clenching my fists, I grit my teeth as my anger builds up at the memory of my torture. My body starts to tremble in frustration. My nails harshly stab into my palms making them bleed streams of red.
Once I see Tobi, I'm going to KILL HIM!!!!
Fuming with anger, I stand up and stomp towards the nearby village, not wanting to return to that band of criminals. Stomping, I rip the clouded cloak off my body and burn it to ash, seething, which leaves me in my regular plain outfit.
Just you wait you damned Akatsuki! You don't want what's coming towards you!
In my moment of blind anger and my planning of revenge, I didn't see where I was going making me trip and fall on my face. Landing with a groan, I push myself up. Sitting on my knees, I turn around and spot what I tripped over. Or should I say who.
Sasuke?
Flashes of the battle that just happened replay in my head. He survived? How? I then spot the large purple snake that's barley alive. How could I miss that? I deadpan at myself for being stupid. I crawl towards an unconscious Sasuke and check his pulse.
Thump...
Thump....
Thump....
Okay, he has a steady heartbeat which makes means he's not in any grave danger. The snake poofs away, probably dead or critically wounded and needs healing. I stand and as I'm about to grab Sasuke's arm, he opens his eyes. Suprised, I yelp and stumble back.
He sits up, confused and in a daze. I watch as he looks at his surroundings before his eyes land on me. His eyes widen and he stumbles back.
"Whoa?! Hey, Sasuke it's me, Tsuki," I try to reassure him.
"You're the enemy," he coldly says.
Ouch.
"No it's me Tsuki, not the emotionless freak, you fought earlier. That girl had no memories of us because that masked idiot erased all my fucking memories," I say with frustration.
I look back and see that he's still skeptical.
"You gotta believe me," I plead, "I would never attack you even if I was ordered to. I'm me, the girl who hates Konoha and everyone else except you. I'm the girl who spends hours reading books and who eats dangos because they're my obsession. Plus, I would have never cut my hair this short because I know you loved my long hair, this hair, and my eye is due to torture that I received from that bumbling idiot, Tobi. Which I'm going to kill him once I see him and- "
I get cut off from my rant as I feel arms embrace me. Realizing that Sasuke's the one who's hugging me, I lean my weight on him. I drown myself in his scent which I really missed, an aroma of mint suffocates me. I slowly wrap my arms around his neck and gently rest my head on his bare chest, not wanting to hurt him. I listen to the steady beat of his heartbeat as it calms me down.
"I missed you," I say softly, voice cracking.
"Hn, I missed you too," he says.
We stay in each other's embrace for several minutes until something rudely interrupts us. Or should I say someone.
"Aaaahhhhhh, Sasuke-kun, I thought you died! I couldn't feel your chakra," her shrill voice cuts the moment.
The next second passes and I get shoved off from my boyfriends hold. I fall to floor with a groan, landing on my butt. I glare up at the person who pushed me away. I find a girl taking my spot and hugs Sasuke, making my anger rise once again.
That bitch!
She has bright red hair, a common trait to the Uzumaki clan. She's dressed in a black plain cloak, covering her other clothes. She has rose colored glasses. I glare at her as she snuggles up to Sasuke's body.
A fangirl.
I bare my teeth in a silent snarl and dig my fingers into the earth's surface, wanting to strangle her. A hateful aura surrounds me as I get the intent to kill the snobbing bimbo. Standing up, I stomp my way towards the redhead, as my chest heaves with ragged breaths. I grab the neck of her cloak roughly with one cloak and raise my other hand in a closed fist.
"Hey wh-
I bring my fist down and punch her across the face, hearing a satisfying crunch, sending her flying like a useless ragdoll. She hits the floor and rolls a good distance away. Quickly recomposing herself, she props herself up and sends me a hateful glare.
"What the hell was that for," she yells, exclaiming.
"That's for touching my boyfriend," I seethe.
I make my way towards her, but a hand to the shoulder stops me. I follow the arm and see that it's Sasuke. I look at his eyes and see him begging for me to stop, not wanting to deal with this. I sigh and let my shoulders droop in defeat, calming myself down. I look at his figure and see that it's beaten and bruised, he's barely standing. He's tired. Exhausted.
Not wanting him to fall over, I grab one of his hands and drape it over my shoulder as my other hand holds his waist, supporting his weight. (Quick sketch below)
"Let's go to a hotel and let you rest," I say with concern.
"N-
"You need rest, you could barely stand! Once we arrive I'll heal your wounds," I inform, gently scolding him.
I smirk as he shuts up, not having a comeback. I lead him towards the small village slowly, not trying to hurt him any further. On our way there, the rest of his team joins. A boy, who I assume is Suigetsu, which Kisame was informing us about. His skin tanned, usual Kirigakure sharp teeth, white hair, with blue undertones. His eyes are a bright purple contrasting against his pale complexion. He's dressed in a purple shirt and white pants along with the same black cloak the girl has and black ninja shoes. On his back is Zabuza's sword. A painful jolt runs through my head as a memory flashes from our first C-Rank mission, but I gently smile at how reckless I used to be.
The other boy is Jugo, I assume, he's tall, I mean really tall. He has bright orange hair, hazel eyes. His skin is tanned as well. He's wearing a purple cloth, draped over his body like a poncho. Black shirt and black slacks with black shoes.
When we arrive to the village, we choose an abandoned motel since none of us have any money to pay for residence. Walking in an empty room, I gently lay Sasuke on the bed, he's already unconcious. Taking out a scroll from my pouch, I unseal it.
With the single hand sign the scroll opens, revealing all my medical supplies. I grab a rag and bottled water, opening the bottle I wet the rag and use it to clean the dirt off Sasuke's skin. Once that's done, I rub disinfectant cream on all his wounds, simply on the minor cuts. Finished with the basic wounds, I concentrate chakra on my hands letting them glow to its usual mint green. Placing my hands on his bare chest, I insert a steady flow of chakra into his body. I then direct the chakra towards the larger cuts healing them and recombining the tissue so there'll be no visible scars. Then lastly, I move my chakra towards the burns he's received due to Deidara's bombs and heal the scarred tissue making it smooth again.
Once I'm finished, I remove my hands and grab another clean rag, soaking it with water. It then place the rag on his forehead so it could bring down the minor fever. I sigh, satisfied with my work and cover him with a blanket and gently kiss him on the cheek, letting him rest.
Cleaning my supplies, I place them back in the scroll and seal them away, putting the scroll back in my pouch. In that moment Sasuke's team decides to barge into the room.
"So...who are you and how do you know Sasuke," the girl demands.
I cross arms over my chest and glare at her, "why do you care?"
"U-uh it's for s-simple reasons, since I'm on his team and all," she clearly lies, stuttering as she fidgets with her glasses.
"The name's Tsuki Haruno, and I've known Sasuke since I was placed on his Genin team. I'm also his friend and his girlfriend. There now you know, so stop flirting with him or you'll reach a premature end," I inform, threatening her.
"Pfft, like you can kill me," she says, underestimating me.
Her mistake.
In a quick motion I push her up against the wall with a kunai pricking her neck. I lean in so my face is inches away from hers.
"I'm a member of the Akatsuki, so I could easily kill you. I could make your death quick and painless, quick and painful, or my favorite, slow and painful," I say coldly.
Her face pales profoundly, as sweat trickles down her brow in nervousness. I could feel her heart crash against her chest in a rapid pace, like a bird trying to escape its cage. Her eyes widen in fear as she stares up at me. I could feel her body trembling under my hold.
"So...don't flirt with Sasuke or it'll be your blood on my hands, do I make myself clear," I ask, finishing with a bittersweet smile.
She quickly nods, agreeing, but I know it's useless. She's a fangirl, she'll never stop flirting, it's in their nature to flirt with boys that will never be theirs.
"Damn, remind me to never make you angry," Suigetsu says, sipping on his cup.
I smirk, "yeah, that's a smart choice," I say.
×××
It's been a few days since Deidara and I've been watching over Sasuke's condition. Karin's been helping too, but stays longer than needed and it always leads to me kicking her out.
Over the days I've been listening to the petty arguments between Suigetsu and Karin. Every time they fight I always get a painful jolt running through my head as memories of Sakura and Naruto arguing flash in my head. It's been a painful experience because theses two always trigger my past memories.
So for the past two hours I've been rubbing my temples as they argue like little kids.
"I hope Sasuke wakes up soon," Karin says with worry.
"Why so you can flirt with him," Suigetsu taunts.
"Uh...uh, no! I mean...I'm just..worried! Yeah that's it," Karin lies.
"You're an idiot! Why would he pay attention to you when he has a girlfriend over there," Suigetsu exclaims as he points to me.
"She's not his girlfriend! She's lying! She's Just another fangirl of his," Karin exclaims, lying again.
I quirk my brow at her assumptions, but I say nothing.
"Like you! You're the fangirl here. I don't see why Sasuke chose you to be on this team. All you do is uselessly flirt with him," Suigetsu informs the angering redhead.
Letting her anger win, Karin punches Suigetsu across the face. Her punch was useless as the boy let's his face turn to water. A Kekkei Genkai from the Hozuki clan, members could turn and make their body parts turn into water, deflecting attacks.
Suigetsu's laughing rings throughout the room making the girl fume with frustration. I smirk at her reaction as I watch in amusement.
She turns to me, making me her next target.
"Why are you his girlfriend! You're useless and you're too ugly! I mean why do you have bandages on your eyes?! Was it because you were to weak to defend yourself," she exclaims, questioning me.
I go to answer, but a sharp pain stabs me in the head. I wince and flinch as the pain repeats itself. The pain increases making me fall to my knees as I grit my teeth. I clutch my head as the stabbing sensation grows stronger and more repititive.
Memories of Sakura insulting me flash in my head. Her insults, her actions, her laughing at my misery. The memories turn to my parents as they yell at me for not being more like my sister, or how weak I am because I always get hurt, or how much of a burden I am for them. Villagers scowling at me, throwing things, calling me a number of names and insults. Flashes of everyone pushing me away because I was too weak, because I was a nuisance, because I was different.
The pain increases making me cry out as memories of the team reunion flashes through my head. They only wanted Sasuke, they didn't care about me, I was useless, I didn't mean anything. My sister didn't care about me, she never did, I was nothing to her. I dig my nails into my scalp as memories of my torture replays in my head. All the pain I could feel throughout my body as I whimper. I curl myself into fetal position as I clutch my head, trying to make the memories stop.
It's too much.
"W-what's wrong with her?"
Too much pain.
"I-I don't know, I think you triggered something in her head when you insulted her."
Make it stop!
Hands pull me into a sitting position.
P-please!
"Tsuki, open your eye."
I refuse as I keep clutching my throbbing head. I could feel tears run down my face as I continue to grit my teeth in pain.
"Please."
Hearing as the person is begging me, I reluctantly open my eye. I'm immediately met with the dark pools of Sasuke's eyes. His eyes read worry and concern.
"Calm down, they're just memories. They're in the past. You're safe," he gently coos as his hand lays on my cheek.
"I'm here for you," he says bringing me in for a hug.
Instantly I wrap my arms around his neck as his arms go around my waist. We fit perfectly against each other's body like two puzzle pieces.
The throbbing subsides as I find comfort in his embrace.
I'm safe...
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Well, that was Chapter 13! I know it was shorter than the last one, but this one was more of a filler-like chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.
Anyways did you like how Cerridwen made her appearance and gave back Tsuki's memories?
Did you like that Tsuki got her memories?
How did you enjoy the SasUki moments?
Did you like how Tsuki punched Karin?
Or what about the triggers? What do you think about that?
Anyways, don't forget to
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VOTE!!!
JA NE, My fellow fangirls! :D
?¿ Who's your favorite cannon ship in Naruto?¿
Mines NaruHina, why because they're so adorable. I mean Naruto got with a girl who loved him for him and Hinata who always had a crush on him, finally got to be with him. PLUS their kids are so adorable. Boruto is exactly like younger Naruto and Himawari is so cute.