Fire: This is the prologue of Wait for Me: Aku no Yami! (throws cup ramen to the audience) Aku no Yami, otherwise known as Become Empty of Darkness or Evil Darkness depending on the kanji for Aku that you're using. And I am using the "yami" kanji for darkness so don't pester me about that. (hugs Kisame) I love double connotations! There's no way to know what will happen to Sakura! (releases Kisame and grabs more cup ramen) Have more ramen! (throws more cup ramen to the audience)
Naruto: No! Don't throw away my ramen!
Fire: I bought a whole case of them so here! (throws a giant box marked ramen to Naruto)
Naruto: Okay, then I don't care. (runs away to find some hot water)
Fire: Anyway, this is a sidestory concerning what happened to Sakura during her month of wandering. This story takes place between the first (Leaving) and second (Following) books of the Wait for Me series. In case anyone thought Sakura was OOC, since I know it came as a big shock to everyone when she was so different from the way she was in the first book. So here! Read this and find out how she became the person she was! And read the prologue! It's important!
Sasuke: And… (squints at the script) I'm not reading this!
Fire: Read it!
Sasuke: (sighs) And this story stands on its own, like all the other stories written by Fire. Uggh…I don't want to read this. (throws the script at Kisame)
Kisame: Um… (looks at Fire glaring at Sasuke) This means you can read this, even if you didn't read the other books in the series. If you just want to enjoy torturing Sakura, read this. (turns to Fire) Hey! I want to torture her too! (mumbles to self) Samehada's complaining about being hungry again.
Fire: No! You're already dead at this point in the series! (turns to the audience again) If you're wondering about anything, all the stories in this series start with "Wait for Me" followed by a colon and the name of the story. If you're too lazy to search for them, just go to my profile.
Sasuke: Stop advertising.
Naruto: (shouting from the background) Sasuke! Do you know where the chopsticks are!
Sasuke: (sighs and walks to get chopsticks for Naruto) …
Fire: Well, here's the prologue. Don't blame me if it ends on a cliffhanger. This story goes right into the second book. (pulls the prologue onto the window)
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Disclaimer: I am not Masashi-sensei, so I don't own Naruto. But for those who have read my other disclaimers, you would know that I do own Naruto stocks! What's ironic is that the stocks are still good! The popularity's not really dropping after being dubbed so horribly. :( I just hope that they improve like with Inuyasha.
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Warning: All Japanese terms were used for artistic purposes. If you have no idea what I'm saying, go to my profile. There's a glossary of every term I use as well as terms you're likely to run into while reading fanfics.
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Wait for Me: Aku no Yami
A Fire Project
Prologue: Nightmares are Real
Sakura's hands rose from the pools of blood spreading from Naruto's body. It was already cooling. The blond shinobi was already dead. 'What's wrong!' Her mind couldn't find an answer to her question. 'What happened!' She couldn't understand what it was. She couldn't understand why it didn't work. Shosen Jutsu should have been enough. With his jinchuuriki powers, it should have been enough to heal him!
"Naruto!" She shouted as she grabbed the blond from the muddy ground, her hands digging into his wet orange jacket. The rain fell relentlessly, hiding her tear-streaked face from the grey-haired jounin at her side. "Naruto! Don't joke around!"
But the boy couldn't hear her.
"Naruto!"
He was dead.
"Naruto!" Sakura sat up, her body soaked with sweat. That dream had continued to haunt her since that day. It was only two days ago, but the memories were still vivid, as if it was only an hour ago. Her hands were still sticky with blood.
The pink-haired kunoichi walked to the bathroom across the hall, her clean hands wetting beneath the warm tap water. With a brush, she scrubbed until the feeling of blood was gone, her skin red from repeated washing. 'It's only a nightmare,' she reminded herself. When she was younger, her parents had always said that to her. 'It's only a nightmare,' she repeated to herself as she dragged her body back to her room, her eyes falling onto the dark clothing that peered furtively from the hamper of used clothes. She had worn them for the funeral a few days ago and they still hadn't been washed. 'It's only a nightmare.' Her body arrived in front of the plain clothing, her fingers feeling the dark fabric in the night. 'Except it's real.'
Sakura backed away, a feeling of foolishness filling her body as her legs collided with the bed behind her and she sat suddenly. The promise she had made at the cenotaph to Naruto and Sasuke the day before was as bright as her memories of their deaths. 'I am an avenger.' She shook her head. No. That was Sasuke talking. That wasn't her! 'Sasuke... Naruto... I promise...' She didn't know what she was promising.
The pink-haired girl reached across the short expanse of her room to the picture frame staring at her atop the desk. The three familiar faces surrounding her own happy face looked back at her and suddenly, she realized that she was angry. She was angry with herself for not being strong enough to save them. She was angry at herself for not being strong enough to preserve their happiness. Even through the heavy sadness, she could feel that anger.
'I promise...' What was she promising? 'I won't do this again.' She had realized that she wasn't strong enough to protect them. If there was another team, she still wouldn't be able to protect them. 'I won't disappoint anyone again.' That meant...
Sakura walked to her desk, her hands reaching for a pen and paper.
...she couldn't be a shinobi again. Without Sasuke and Naruto, she could never be a shinobi again.
End Prologue
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Fire's babbling:
Fire: That was the prologue! If you're interested, go to the first chapter. If you're not interested, close the window. As usual, English tidbits begin in the first chapter. Leave a review to give me feedback. I want to know what you think. Flame me if you have flames. Don't hold it in. It's bad for the body.
Sasuke: If you give us a signed flame, we'll read your stories.
Fire: Yes. I want to hear everything, especially if it's bad. I want to improve and the only way to improve is by listening to what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. So be honest!
Kisame: Is that all? If it is, I'm going to… (looks at Sasuke while clutching Samehada)
Fire: Don't kill my cowriter.
Kisame: I have to feed him something. He's chewing through the bandages!
Fire: Um… (looks around) Here! (holds out Lee)
Kisame: - -;; He has no chakra.
Fire: Um… (looks around) Here! (holds out a frog)
Kisame: You're not trying, are you?
Naruto: No! That's Gama-chan! (grabs his wallet)
Fire: Well, ja! We're going to search for some food for Samehada. (turns and walks out the window)
Kisame: You know that we'll kill whoever we feed to Samehada?
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