"My dear," she crooned, face lit by the flickering candle. Her cool hand brushed the hair away from his forehead, nails tracing patterns into his skin. "Close your eyes and imagine, for me. This is how this story begins: with the stars.

—

INTO THE WOODS

—

"Life and Death have been in love for longer than we have words to describe. She sent countless gifts to Death in the beginning, crafting for him both the Heavens and the Earth with which to give. She spun the stars out of her tears, the world out of her breath. He took pieces for them for his own, to tuck in his heart forever.

"But even though Life loved him, sometimes they made mistakes. Sometimes Death would take the wrong gift, sometimes Life would push the wrong piece towards him. They were in love, and they were everywhere, but they weren't infallible. So she granted the world one boon in the form of a person who would have the power to right the wrongs, fix the path, keep the light.

"With the last of the tears she had to shed, with blooming love on her lips, she blessed the world with the Power of a Thousand Stars."

"What does that mean?" he asked in a hushed tone, and she smiled.

"It means that somewhere out there roams a person, young or old, who knows true kindness. They fix the mistakes that Death has made and sacrifice themselves in return. A life for a life. You see, Sasuke, where there is kindness, there is goodness, and where there is goodness, there is magic."

—

He stumbled upon her in the heart of the kingdom, fingers alight, brushing the length of a speared goose—blood on white feathers burning to ash, the flesh reuniting with itself. She was nestled into the side of the dirt path leading to the square, her deep green gown draped in a nondescript tan cloak almost unnoticeable amongst the trees.

Almost if not for the fact that his name were Uchiha Sasuke—it was his prerogative to notice. He hadn't survived so long on his own by just letting things like that slip by; no, as an ex-bounty hunter, he knew when things of value were in his midst.

The healing in itself was not totally unusual. True, it was uncommon, but he'd heard that there were those who were highly practiced in the art of spirit in this region, and the woodsy nature of the land leant itself to illegal poachers. The goose and the woman were relatively normal, but there was something off.

He paused in his step, boots scuffing the beaten road. Her back stiffened within seconds, and she pulled her hand away, fingers slick with blood, and slipped her glove back on. She straightened. "What do you want from me?" she asked without preamble, steel and grit.

He almost contemplated walking away—far be it from him to make trouble—, but then she spun to face him. It was, in his opinion, her last mistake.

The draped cloth of her sleeves fell back to reveal slivers of blades tucked beneath. But then the hood of her cloak slid backwards at the sudden movement, and there, exposed in smooth violet, was a mark on her forehead—the mark. She scrambled to brush her lengthy pink strands over the splotch of color and tuck her head back under her hood, but it was too late.

"That…," he began slowly, stepping cautiously towards her, "is not something I see often."

A flash of white darted between the trees behind him, and her eyes widened between him and the blur. Her muscles tensed, skittish.

She ran.

—

When he found her again, a month had passed and the brief interaction had become an obsession. Sasuke was not a man easily trifled with, and he wanted what he wanted. He was no hero, no villain. Just a man with his desperation for more.

She was sitting in the back corner of a bar, slowly stirring her drink. Her hood was shrouding her forehead, but the petal pink braid peeking out of the side was a marker he couldn't have missed.

She stiffened as he approached, but in the hustle and bustle of this district in the kingdom made it hard for a running escape. She smiled, a forced movement, as he walked up to her confidently. A cup already in his hand, he slid into the opposite chair.

"I didn't think I'd find a girl like you here," he remarked.

She narrowed her eyes. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged, alcohol sharp on his tongue. "Young, unaccompanied, innocent. Not usually the kind that wander."

She scowled, tugging up the long sleeves of her gown, this time intentionally showing the hidden blades tucked into a leather strap. "Young and unaccompanied I may be, but innocent I'm not. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself. I help those in need, and then I pass on."

"Nowhere to call home?" he asked casually.

"What do you want?" she said suspiciously, glancing around the bar for anything unusual. "I thought I got rid of you."

"I want to make an exchange."

She shifted in her seat, and the bag she carried moved as well. He stared at the shifting lump and then out popped a fox's head, eyes keen and bright. The girl's shoulders relaxed at the appearance, and her hand rested on the critter's forehead. Finally, she replied. "Find a stock broker, then."

"Not that kind. I want…a purpose. An exchange of lives."

Her lips thinned into a line. "I don't know what you think you know about me, but it's not correct. Now if you'll excuse me," she said, tone clipped as she slid out of the seat, and the fox scampered back into the bag. "I have an appointment with an empty bed."

She swiftly walked to the exit, and he didn't try to stop her.

—

She spent her day in the apothecary, considering her options. There were, of course, always options with such people.

These were the things that Haruno Sakura knew to be fact:

1. She was, in fact, being searched for. This had been true for years. However, this was, of course, the first time she hadn't managed to shake someone. The woman in white she'd run from a day prior to this man's appearance hadn't resurfaced. But him…she had been followed, and now found. There was a first for everything.

2. It was safe to say that returning to her own kingdom now for sanctuary would be too hasty. She hadn't done nearly enough yet. But maybe that was okay? Her fox, Naruto, had given his own brand of approval for her strange new stalker. Last night, in the dingy bar, he had emerged from her bag in the presence of a stranger, and he didn't just do that for anyone. It was peculiar, since Sakura was fairly certain that the man was, in fact, her enemy. But maybe she was wrong.

3. She did not imagine this to be the kind of life she would lead when she had left her own kingdom four years prior. Sakura wasn't so sure about anything, much less her own role in the larger tale. She had followed the instructions written by the hand of destiny, had left at sixteen as foretold, and had scoured the world trying to find her purpose. It was elusive.

"What do I do?" she murmured to her fox, bending down and nuzzling his forehead. He wound himself around her leg but offered no reply.

She sighed, leaning against the counter listlessly, and prodded at the yellow buttercup in a planter. This wouldn't do. This lack of purpose, the heavy sighing were all signs of her worst fear: the damsel in distress.

Just because, she thought determinedly, I'm a princess does not mean I'm to be babied.

She pilfered through the medicinal kits, tugging some sprigs of lavender and marigold out of a pot, and grabbed her essentials while locking the door behind her.

By the time she had cleared out, the only evidence left of her there was a gently flapping white note for the kind owner.

—

When Sasuke was tucked under a coverlet growing up, his mother spun tales for him. His favorite, by far, was of the person who possessed the Power of a Thousand Stars. Not much was known about them, but it was said that they had the ability to heal the unhealable, touch the lives of the untouchable. One per generation, a cycle.

They made their mark on the world, and so they themselves were marked for it; there, upon their forehead, would lay a violet dash of color.

Each interaction rendered their life a little shorter. Paper cuts would do little damage, but reviving the dead would sap their own life away. They all died early, and they had one purpose and one purpose only: to save one specific person which would change the course of the future. No one knew who that person was, not even them, but they always completed it.

Their role was set, their destiny forged in stone.

Growing up, he hadn't put too much thought into it either way. His mother's whispers would tell him frequently of the adventures they'd been on, the things they'd seen. He'd listen avidly, but after his family had all perished in fire, he made his decision: such a being couldn't possibly exist.

How could such a miracle exist when it had shunned them, shunned him?

But seeing her…seeing her in real life had changed everything. His mother had always mentioned this: this power, though, to mend and create, made these people covetable and constantly in danger. In danger, he considered, from people like him.

It was no surprise, then, to see the girl whose name he still didn't know slipping out of the door of her home at 3AM.

"Hey!" he shouted across the square at her, and the bag in her tight knuckled grip stilled.

She turned on her heel, eyes flinty upon recognition. "Wha—how did you find me again?!"

He waved off her concerns. "Where are you going?"

She scoffed, pushing her hair behind her ears. It seemed, after all, she had nothing to lose. "As if I'd tell you."

"You don't even know me!" he jogged up to her, his traveling gear already packed and ready.

She sneered. "I don't need to. I'm perfectly fine on my own. I always have been." The same small deep orange fox leapt out of her unzipped bag and curled up at her foot. She stared for a long moment at the furry creature before sighing, relenting. "But my parents taught me to be kind. Who are you?"

His brow furrowed at the ease with which she gave way, but didn't question it. Instead, he rolled his shoulders confidently, a smirk on his lips. "Sasuke Uchiha. Where are we going?"

She tried not to be unnerved by the feeling of being watched and smiled tightly. "To the woods."

—

Dawn was encroaching upon the woodsy area of the Evershades, and she paused, a jaw-cracking yawn overcoming her. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, and something about these small interactions—the way she delighted in lady bugs and hummed melodies to herself and even grew tired—made her so much more human.

The fairy tale was beginning to dissipate, and in front of him, instead, was a young woman who he'd scarcely recognized before.

She smiled tiredly at him, and it was, he realized, the first time she'd acknowledged him with some level of happiness. "I'm hungry. There's a village eastward with a breakfast hut. Fancy a bite to eat before we get to snack on squirrel skins for the rest of our journey?"

Sasuke looked mildly disgusted, and she laughed.

"First, of course," she said teasingly, "pancakes."

She knew these lands surprisingly well, navigating between the endless trees in a lengthy wheat colored gown with ease. He didn't hesitate to make his thoughts known.

"I…" she began hesitantly. "I haven't been home in…three years. Almost four, now. One learns how to get around."

He nodded thoughtfully, watching as she deftly lifted her skirt, exposing a set of practical walking boots. She clambered over a large tree root, quick footsteps leading them assuredly in the right direction. "Where is home?"

She shook her head, purposefully ignoring his question. He made a mental note to figure that out later. "What about you? Not every working kingdom boy knows of my story or how to identify me. Fewer own a hiking outfit like yours," she said, eyeing the well-tailored breeches and the muddied boots.

"My family died when I was six. One learns how to get around," he echoed shortly.

She nodded, and in the distance, buildings began to take shape through the trees. "I'm sorry about your loss."

He grunted, and they walked in silence for a few minutes. His mind was snarling with bitterness, but she seemed content with their respite. He fisted his hands in his pockets.

She stepped through the last barrier to the town, her heels scraping against cobblestone as she turned. "There's also," she said, eyes mischievous, "a chocolate shop. Best in the area. We should go after breakfast."

—

Her fingers grazed the side of a teacup, and he knew.

Hidden beneath her worn boots and the thick hood of her cloak, she passed for normal. Her navigation of the woods were instinctive enough that he could have believed her to be a girl born and raised in the outer lands. But it was when she ate that it became apparent: she was regal.

Everything from how her back straightened slightly, her hands light on the cutlery, approaching the food with strategy, told him this. She chewed with her mouth closed, her shoulders were frozen to emphasize the length of her neck.

No one consumed food in such a manner unless it was ingrained in their early years. She plowed into the food with the same vigor as his childhood goat, but even so, she was precise.

There was no mistaking it, for he carried the same traits; she was royal.

He sliced his eggs and pushed them around on the plate, deep in thought. "What is it that you do, exactly?"

She looked up at him, startled. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he said, a sudden frankness overcoming him. "You've got someone to save. You've also got a limited amount of life trickling away. You could have easily spent the rest of your years catering only to yourself, but instead you're here."

She shrugged, eyes focused on the trees outside the window to her left. She cocked her head, momentarily distracted by a flash before returning her attention to him. "I have to do this. It's my duty."

"How do you know that?"

She cupped her chin in her hand thoughtfully, her hair redder as it caught the light. "I suppose I don't, but it just feels like this is my place, like this is how it's supposed to be."

He wondered if it were really a choice if it were something passed through the makings of a legend, if the expectation had impressed upon her a demand disguised as a choice.

He wondered, as his hand tightened around a cup, what his place was.

—

A white haired man with eyes like ice came at her with a knife as they left the chocolate shop. He let out a cry as he ran forward, yelling about how the past cannot be undone. It happened quickly: the seal on her forehead burst from its contained spot with no warning and melted across her limbs, black and daunting. She reacted instinctively, fingers twisting the assailant's wrist behind his back, confiscating the knife, and slashing his throat in a fluid movement.

It was the first concrete piece of evidence that in spite of everything, she really was not a normal girl—royal or otherwise.

Blood shimmered on the cobblestone in the hot sun, and her hands shook. Her forearms were slick, her pallor washing out as if she'd lost the blood herself. The seal folded again, this time much slower, and gradually resumed its pretense. The clatter of the knife against the ground was soon followed by the thunk of the bag of fudge following after it, soaking in the blood.

She swayed, and he caught her before she fell to her knees. The nearby villagers who had witnessed the incident were scrambling for help, for first aid, for a physician, but Sasuke was too concentrated on the shallowness of her breaths.

Her fox, having been tucked in the bag he'd chivalrously carried for her, and scampered out and bounded into her arms, nuzzling her cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a long moment, guiding her from the body she'd single handedly siphoned the life from.

She shook her head rapidly. "I'm supposed to save," she whispered, words choppy and stilted. "Not this. I have to do…what it takes. But. This is not. I knew that man. He followed me for a while. He and another lady. But. I am not. I—" he could see the gears shift in her head, redirecting her attention "—the fudge is ruined. I ruined them."

Her hands curled around his, and she slowly faced him, stumbling until her forehead was tucked under his chin. She breathed in the cotton.

He wondered at her not for the first time, and an hour later when they checked into a small inn with an additional bag of chocolate, her hands wiped clean and the body carted away, she finally asked the question he'd been waiting for. "Why," she began slowly, "are you here?"

He tightened his grip around her waist, guiding her with exceptional care into the room. "To convince myself that I'm not dreaming."

She glanced at him curiously, green eyes alight. "What do you mean?"

"I'll take you there tomorrow. But first, sleep."

—

He slept on the floor, a gentleman's place, while she reluctantly took the small bed. Her eyes, bright and curious, peeked over the leftmost edge of her pillow. "Are you awake?"

He glanced at her, the angles of her face illuminated by the two moons. "Yes."

"I…" she whispered as if speaking any louder would disrupt the night. "I wanted to thank you. I'm not…used to other people doing things from me without having…an agenda."

He frowned, sitting up. The blanket pooled to his lap. "What?"

She shifted restlessly. "I'm…practically a myth, you have to understand. I give people hope, and sometimes people…like to take advantage of that as much as possible. It's part of the reason why I travel around so much. Because…otherwise staying in one place would bind me down to things, people. I can't just help one person, you know. I have to find meaning and do as much good as possible."

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated all of a sudden. "You keep saying that. You have to do this, you have to do that. You don't have to do jack shit, Sakura." It was the first time he'd addressed her by name. "You don't owe anyone."

Her eyebrows drew together. "…Are you okay?"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about!" He threw his hands in the air, fed up. "Why are you worrying about me?! I wasn't the one who slit a throat today; I'm fine." She flinched at the mention, and he heaved a breath. "Have you ever tried to do anything for yourself? Have you made any life choices for you?"

She sat up, too, then. Her hair was mussed from the pillow, and her mouth was pinched. Her hands fisted in the cream sheets. "I have made all my life choices by myself. I have lived by myself. And I have done good for other people, and that brings joy to me. Just because we lead our paths differently does not mean that I'm doing mine wrong. Your…your selfishness is just not how I choose to be."

He faltered at the venom in her tone, and she continued without waiting for him to produce a response. "I could have been selfish, you know. I'm…I'm a princess. A crown princess. I have a kingdom and a people and a duty to rule, and when I turn 20, it'll be time for me to return and take the throne. But for now, instead, I'm out here because this is what's right and what's meant to be. I'm…I'm trying my best to be a hero in a world where everyone covets something for themselves." Her voice shook, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

He swallowed, and a long moment passed.

Finally, she looked at him hard. "What about you?"

He fumbled for a response. "What about me?"

"What do you want from me? You may have been there for me this afternoon, but that doesn't mean you did it for free."

He ducked his head into his hands, a weight settling on his shoulders. Almost immediately, she wished she hadn't asked. He took his time responding, and eventually the sun grew to a red-orange sliver on the edge of the world before he spoke. "I'm trying to find meaning. Just like you."

—

By the time they left the town, the dispute between them had all but disappeared. She treated him the same as always, and since she indicated nothing was wrong, he followed suit.

Their journey would take two days, he told her as they followed the river northwards. Belatedly, as he nimbly used a fallen tree as a bridge, he realized that he'd never asked her whether this was okay. "Wait, you don't have anything to do, right? No plans?"

She crossed her arms, fighting a chuckle. "I'm a busy woman, but I suppose I can pencil you in."

"Do you actually have plans? Or do you just…roam around?" he asked a few moments later, focused on the way his boots stuck and unstuck from the muddy earth.

"I've been…systematically eliminating potential locations. But I'm down to very few left, so I'm not sure…I don't know. I've been aimless for a month now."

"Potential locations?"

She nodded absentmindedly, plucking an acorn off the ground to fiddle with. "Yes, for my higher purpose." She spun it between her fingers before letting it drop again, this time at the feet of her fox who was trotting beside her.

They strode beside each other in silence for a while, mumbling only warnings about hidden roots and poison ivy. Her eyes were clouded, and he frowned pensively at the back of her head. "Are you afraid?" he asked before he could help himself.

She blinked out of her stupor, turning around and cocking her head to the side. "Afraid?"

"Of…dying," he clarified.

She shrugged, looking away. "Maybe. But…everybody dies. I comfort myself in the fact that everyone has done it successfully and will continue to do it successfully one way or another."

He shook his head. "But…you're not going to go at the same time as everyone else."

"Aren't I?"

"I…the way I understand the stories, you're not. Those like you," this he addressed to her forehead, "always pass early."

"Well," she considered, hedging. "There's a first time for everything. They just figured it out earlier. Doesn't mean it won't take me ages to discover."

Her leaf green eyes fixed on the water of the bay, just visible through the trees. "You see that?" she indicated with her chin. "Those are the sirens of the Bellbloom Cove."

Sasuke frowned, eyebrows converging in concern. "I don't think we should be this close. Sirens are rather dangerous."

Sakura smiled, shaking her head. "They can be, yes. They're uncommonly beautiful, and they lure to death anyone who crosses their way. This is their purpose in this life. It is how they continue to be. Death is the only fair thing in this life, the point at which everyone becomes truly equal. They serve that."

The tides rushed to the shore the closer the walked, the trees thinning off and water sloshing against mud and black sand. A flipper, shimmering yellow, emerged from the water a short distance away.

"You know," Sakura said flippantly, interrupting his concentration. He turned towards her, raising his eyebrows at her tone. "Death isn't really the enemy here. I'm not afraid of death. I'm afraid of time."

—

They made camp a few hours later after hurriedly walking away from the shore. A small fire smoldered between them, and Sasuke kept busy by prodding it with a stick every few minutes. His dark gray eyes were focused, intense as always, and unbidden, Sakura found herself blushing.

She cleared her throat, and patted her face rapidly. "So, Sasuke, tell me something about yourself?" she requested, turning her face to the night sky. This far out in the woods, with civilization as distant as it was, more stars littered the black than anywhere else.

"Like what?"

"Anything. Something about your childhood, maybe."

He scratched his chin, where a hint of stubble was beginning to arise. "Well, I was raised in a village, but I wasn't born there. A kind man named Kakashi took me in at a very young age. He had lost an eye a long time ago from an altercation that he refused to tell me about.

"He was…protective. Said that the world was full of people out to get me. I worked in his forge as an apprentice blacksmith for a long time, but when I turned 17, I…just needed to see the world. I had spent my whole life under his watchful eye, and I respected him deeply for doing what he did for me, but it was time for me to leave." He fell silent, aimlessly rotating a twig in his hands.

"And?" Sakura nudged him with her foot. Idly, she watched the firefae flit above them in the branches. "What happened then?"

"I stopped being an honest person. I did what I had to do to survive. I was starving and I didn't know how to live on my own. I stole a horse, and I became a highwayman. I stole from travelers, and I took enough to live comfortably. I became greedy, so I became a bounty hunter. I turned in high price wanted people, but I…I began to regret the life I had chosen. I wanted to do honest work. So I quit, and I wanted to get an honest job in Goldstem. But then…I ran into you."

Sakura had frozen in place, hand poised on the back of her fox, mid-stroke. Her eyes were wide, and all the color in her face had drained. "Is that what we're doing? I've just been…been blindly following you into the dark, and all along you were going to turn me in for a lump sum of money?!"

Sasuke scowled. "No. Obviously not. I'm not an idiot. If I wanted to turn you in I wouldn't have told you this story."

Sakura met his gaze guardedly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I just…I followed you because I'd heard about you growing up. When I saw you, I just thought…I knew what you were meant for."

The suspicion fell away from her face like leaves in the wind, and she stared at him in awe. "What?" The words were barely a whisper.

"I think I know what you're supposed to do. That's where I'm taking you."

—

The woods thinned as they approached what was slowly becoming more familiar territory. Sakura frowned, burying her nose back in the map. "Are we…is this…?"

"The northern end of Leafwane? Yes."

Charred wood began to make itself known, and the burnt remains of the forest around them rose, charcoal colored and wounded. "These are from the…the forest fire…" Sakura trailed off, touching the bark gently.

Even knowing that tragedy had struck the area, it was strangely beautiful. The blackened wood and skinny, rundown trees gave way to new flora and fauna closer to the surface. Skinny trees, newer, rose from the ashes. Smaller bushes of rhododendrons and blackberries burst from the floor—true evidence that everything did begin again.

"Leafwane is my kingdom," Sakura mumbled, shell shocked. "I haven't been back here in years."

Sasuke glanced at her. "Neither have I."

She turned to stare at him, mouth gaping. "What?"

"You know the story of this fire, right?" He said, gesturing to the remnants. Stone parapets still remained, but the grand palace that once was rooted to the ground was long gone.

"I…yes. Before, when I was young, a great fire consumed the ruling house and all of the surrounding woodland. Everyone perished. We were next in line for the throne. It's…it's how I became crown princess. My family rebuilt Leafwane from the remains, just…slightly southward."

"Everyone perished?" he echoed.

She blinked, eyes wide. "Well, there's some controversy over that. We had all the remains taken and buried properly and with honor, just in the memorial garden in the newly rebuilt palace. One tree for every life lost. But we couldn't find all the bodies. Just…one young boy, the crown prince's younger brother was…missing…" she trailed off, eyes wide as saucers. "Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?"

"Kakashi rescued me from the fire. I grew up here, but he raised me." Sasuke finished shortly, hands shoved in his pockets. He kicked a stone.

She shook her head. "I don't understand. You're…you're the lost prince? Why didn't you come forward? Why didn't you…come home?"

Sasuke crossed his arms, sighing. "It's…complicated. Kakashi was overprotective because he wasn't supposed to save me. He…he was supposed to make sure the job had been done right. After someone else lit the fire, he was supposed to double-check."

"Lit the-what?! It was a forest fire! That's what they always said! I…who lit it?"

Sasuke raked a hand through his hair. "I don't know who lit it. He never told me. He was under orders. He had to ensure the removal of the entire Uchiha house or else die himself. But he found me, and he saved me. If anyone found out that I had survived, he would have died. So we went into hiding. But I couldn't live like that. That's why I left."

Sakura sunk to her knees, dirt smudging the skirt of her dress. Her fingers burrowed into the dirt as she tried to find her bearings, eyes downcast. "I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?"

"My mother told me your story growing up. I didn't…believe in it, but when I saw you, I knew there was a reason that fate had brought our paths to cross. She used to say that Life and Death had loved each other for longer than words could describe, but that they made mistakes. She said that you," he outstretched a hand, fingers brushing her forehead, "would have the power to right the wrongs, fix the path, keep the light."

Sakura's shoulders trembled, and finally, she got the courage to look at him, eyes glassy with tears. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying…this was a wrong. I'm saying this is your purpose. This is what you've been searching for. You can right this wrong."

Sakura shook her head slowly. "I don't…think you understand. I can't bring back all of these lives. I can only do one. That's how it is."

"You only have to bring back one."

She mouthed the word. Who?

He looked away, eyes tightening. "The crown prince. The rightful king. My brother."

—

They took shelter just as dark clouds began to roll in, groaning threateningly from above.

Sakura hadn't said a word after his confession, instead taking the time to touch the things that were left. A wishing well, untouched by the devastation. The curling vines over the wreckage. A set of wood building planks, scorched but still standing. She whispered nonsensical words to the objects, and Sasuke wasn't particularly religious, but he strongly suspected she was trying to find some kind of forgiveness, repentance.

"It wasn't your fault," Sasuke pointed out after she'd settled on her knees at the edge of what had once been a bridge to access the palace over the lake.

She didn't look at him. "Mhmm."

He glanced at the sky again, the gray darkening further as the sun set. "We should find shelter. I caught us a rabbit for dinner."

Sakura glanced at the animal, and then at the blood seeping down the length of his arm. Immediately, she shot up, grabbing his hand and already healing before he could get a word in edgewise. Her eyes closed as the seal reopened, this time pure white, and a burst of energy left her hands, warm and like silk. Before his eyes, he could see the blood dissolving off his skin, the flesh of the deep cut in his palm sewing itself together from a fumble with the hunting knife.

She stepped away as soon as she was done, but her hand didn't leave his, instead curling to lace their fingers together. "Be more careful."

He sighed. "You shouldn't waste your…energy."

Sakura smiled, even if it didn't meet her eyes completely. "I have the Power of a Thousand Stars. I have all the energy in the world." She paused briefly, scanning the horizon. "There's a bunch of caves over there—Echo Caves, if I remember correctly. We can take shelter there."

He nodded and let go of her hand, walking towards it determinedly. She stared at his back and broad shoulders. She sighed, eyes glassy again.

Time really was her worst enemy.

The trek to the cave was surprisingly short, but the downpour had begun before they had reached in time. Sasuke had sprinted the remainder, but as the showers came down on her, soaking her to the bone, she couldn't help but feel new again.

Sasuke was right. She had found her purpose.

By the time she reached the cave, he had already used the spark rocks to build a fire, and he'd used the rope to hang up a clothing line where his old clothes were drying. He had changed into some flannel shirt and a set of identical pants.

She dripped all over the cave floor, and considered. "Can you…" she gestured towards him, cheeks darkening with a blush. "Can you turn around?"

He glanced up at her, not having noticed her entry. "What?"

"I want to change," she waved at the sopping wet clothing that clung to her. "This is…probably not good for long-term health."

"Oh, uh, yeah," he stumbled over his words, turning around and facing the dark end of the cave determinedly, but she could still see the tips of his ears and the back of his neck reddening. She bit her lip and quickly divested herself of clothing, tossing it on the cave floor without regard, and rummaged through her bag to find her spare clothes.

By the time she'd given Sasuke permission to turn back around, she'd hung all of her clothes on the makeshift clothesline and had settled in front of the crackling fire, rubbing her hands together. The skirt of her red dress pooled on the floor around her.

She cleared her throat. "So you…really think this is it?"

He didn't have to ask for clarification, skinning the rabbit without pause. "Why else would our paths have crossed?" He said this like it was obvious—certain like the moons would wax and wane, certain like the tides would come and go.

"What was your brother like?" she asked, changing topics.

Sasuke looked at her this time, putting the knife down as he stoked the fire further. "He…would have been a great king. He was kind and giving. Taciturn. Straight-edged. My parents raised him well." A pause. "I don't remember what he looked like anymore."

Sakura swallowed at that confession, and she grabbed her bag again. This time, her fox peeped out, having spent the end leg of their journey napping amidst the soft clothes and medicinal herbs. She smiled, but rummaged around to extract a bag with flowers.

"Here," she said, handing it to him.

He accepted it warily, studying it with confusion. "Are these…?"

"Dandelions. I keep them to make wishes when I need them."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, depositing the bag on his lap to pick up the rabbit and begin to roast it. "I don't think that's real."

"You didn't think I was real, and you were wrong," she pointed out, reclaiming the bag from his lap. "Here," she said forcefully, tugging a limp flower out. "I will wish that you can remember what he looked like again." The weed was long dead, but even so, when she blew, tiny fluffs of white floated around them, just visible in the light of the fire.

"It didn't work," he pointed out. "I still don't remember."

"Good things come to those who wait," she said sagely.

He snorted, handing her a perfectly cooked piece of rabbit meat instead. Her eyes brightened and she gleefully accepted, biting into the flesh with a gusto. She chewed delicately, glancing at him fondly. "I have a confession, Sasuke," she began.

"Hm?"

She put the rabbit down on their makeshift plate made from the map and leaned over, her hands coming up to cup his jaw. Mustering up the bravery remaining, she closed the distance and slanted her lips against his, a soft kiss. He responded immediately, hands coming to wrap around her waist to tug her closer. After a long moment, she pulled away, licking her lips as she did. "I think you would make a great king, too."

—

She woke from a nightmare, all a haze of white and an unexplainable tension in her chest, like she wasn't running fast enough. Her eyes snapped open to the nondescript ceiling of the cave, and she rolled over to see Sasuke next to her, chest rising and falling slowly.

Their fingers were still intertwined.

Not wanting to move too much, she craned her neck upward a bit to stare out the mouth of the cave. The storm had passed, bright sunlight filtering through the trees. Her fox had already woken up and was scampering around, chasing a hummingbird. And just at the edge, half bathed in light, was a bird with a note at its feet.

Startled, she sat up the whole way, removing her hand from Sasuke's to scramble towards the entrance. The heavy paper was bound in a red ribbon and sealed with the royal stamp. She tore it open without waiting, and there, written in dark ink, was her final recall.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, voice husky from sleep. He stepped towards her slowly, bare feet against the cold cave floor. He glanced over her shoulder at the note.

She turned before he could read it. "It's…my birthday, it seems."

Sasuke frowned. "What?"

"I'm 20 years old."

The statement sunk in, and then he understood. "You have to return to Leafwane. For…coronation."

"Yes."

He shrugged, then. "Well, we had to go anyway. You said yourself—his remains are in the memorial garden in the walls of the new palace. That's the only way to…" he trailed off, noticing her far away expression. "What's wrong?"

She rocked back and forth on her heels. "I am not afraid of death, and yet…it's almost time for me to do my duty and…die," she managed to get out, eyes blurring with tears again. "I'm…" she choked on the words.

But he was kissing her before she could finish, desperate, hot kisses. By the time he broke away, his breath was ragged, and he'd wiped her tears with his thumbs. "Me, too."

"You can stay behind, you know. You don't have to—" she blurted out, lips trembling.

He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. "I want to."

—

The palace is lavish. The Leafwane he knew growing up hadn't looked like this, and he felt like a stranger. Sasuke shifted behind Sakura, and she had introduced him to everyone thus far as a friend she had made on the journey.

They had decided that not disclosing his true identity might keep him safer for the time being.

By the time they had made their way through the palace, every possible person had deeply bowed to her, remarking on how luminous she looked having spent so much time in the sun, how grateful they were to have her return and guide their humble people.

Sasuke wondered if he was being selfish. He was sure his brother would make an excellent king—just and fair—but it was clear that Sakura's big dreams and bigger heart would be more than adequate. It was clear that she was beloved by her people, and wise in all things.

For her to travel alone for four years, with little to no contact with her family, trying to fulfill the duty of what was right—that was truly a merit of greatness in its own right. But giving her life was her path. It was what she was born to do.

He wondered when he had fallen prey to the demand of a preconceived destiny, wondered at what point he had given into believing that Sakura shedding everything was her personal choice. He loved his brother, but he didn't know if he could ever choose.

He didn't think he could let her go.

He ducked his head, sinking deeper in the plush sofa in the sitting room. By the time Sakura had emerged from her room, dressed in her coronation wear and freshly showered, Sasuke had paced across the room for half an hour. Her pink hair piled on her head was framed by a tiara, and her dress was a stunning green.

She smiled at him, and lately he had noticed that those smiles were beginning to shrink. What was once a grin was now a resigned, wan curl of her pink lips.

"Are you ready?" she said, already making her way to the door that would lead to the memorial garden.

He nodded hollowly, but everything in was dry, empty, a husk.

She opened the door, and standing by the grass was Lady Ootsutsuki…and at her feet, cuffed, chained, and muffled was a man she'd never seen before, but with an eye-patch could not have mistaken.

Sasuke froze in his step. "What…? Kakashi?"

Sakura stilled just in front of him, already shaking.

Lady Ootsutsuki's lips widened into a feral smile. "Oh? You're surprised! How wonderful! I had worried you would put the pieces together, but it's so wonderful that you can remain blissfully ignorant."

Sakura stepped backward. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

"My dear son, Toneri, sent me a letter shortly before his death, and he told me something very interesting. He told me not only had he found Leafwane's Sakura Haruno—healing a goose, I believe, but he had found Sasuke Uchiha with her. I didn't believe him, of course. All the Uchiha were long dead. They had to be. But when Toneri wound up dead in some filthy village on the border of Goldstem, I had to be sure."

"I don't understand," Sakura repeated hollowly, and her hand grappled with air until it found purchase in Sasuke's. She squeezed.

"Fourteen years ago, I put together a plan that would lead me to the throne. First, I had to kill all the Uchiha, and then I had to eliminate you, your highness," she spat the words. "Only then could I be in position to rule. I had torched all the houses and the woods, and I had Kakashi, my pathetic little puppet, go and check that I'd done it thoroughly. I assumed that since I'd already gouged one of his eyes out that he'd had no qualms following orders and understanding risk." She paused. "I was wrong. He harbored you and raised you and lied to my face."

"I don't—" Sakura was set to repeat when interrupted.

"Yes, I know. You don't understand. I don't either. It's clear that there is only one Ootsutsuki who can do the job right, and I suppose it's me." She shoved Kakashi forward, and he landed on his chest, face angled awkwardly upward. The cloth in his mouth leaked no noise, but his eye was expressive enough to make up for it. "You bungled the one job you had," she crouched to murmur venomously in Kakashi's ear. "Now you're going to watch me finish it."

Sakura shook her head rapidly. "You can't do this. I don't know what you want, but you can't do it. I'll…I'll heal whatever you want. I'll give you anything. Just—"

Lady Ootsutsuki barked a laugh. "You still don't get it. You think everyone wants something from you. I don't want your pathetic healing power. I want you dead. I don't give a shit about your lover or your life. I need your throne. I cannot let you walk back in here with the current heir to the throne," she glanced at Sasuke who had his fists clenched, "and some half-baked plan to resuscitate his brother. And for that, you must die."

She lunged before Sakura had a second to think about it, sliding free a katana hidden within the pleats of her dress. But before Sakura could do anything, Sasuke had run forward, pushing her aside as the blade sliced cleanly through his chest, shredding his lungs. He collapsed instantly with a croaking gasp, and Kakashi screamed behind his cloth gag.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears instantly, and she gasped from where she had fallen, running over to Sasuke. "No! No! No!"

But death was faster than she was, and by the time she had fallen to her knees next to him, he had already lost too much blood.

Her tears slid down her face, fat and miserable, and she fell forward, nose burying in his shirt, hair falling out of the careful coif. "No!" She looked up, then, after a long moment, to find Lady Ootsutsuki calmly cleaning the blood off her blade with her dress. Eyes bloodshot, Sakura screamed at her. "How…how dare you!"

Lady Ootsutsuki chuckled, advancing forward another step. Sakura pawed at the ground of the memorial garden for purchase, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Itachi's placement marker, just a few steps away. The older woman's voice was throaty and victorious. "Who's your hero now?"

She gasped through her tears, sobs shaking her body as she attempted to reconcile Sasuke's unseeing eyes with the man she'd fallen in love with. She could remember his smirk, the endurance, the feeling of his hand in hers.

The door to the inner garden was still wide open, and as these thoughts were running through her head, her fox darted out, careening towards her at full speed. He came to a stop at her lap, nosing at her heart, a reminder.

Lady Ootsutsuki snorted. "Well isn't this just fucking precious. Your stuffed animal has come to play."

Sakura got up unsteadily, and her fox scampered off her thighs as something inside of her solidified. "Ask me again." Her voice was stronger, now, even if the tears were still slipping.

Lady Ootsutsuki quirked an eyebrow. "What? Oh, you mean who's your hero now?"

Sakura reached under the sleeves of her dress where the blades were still tucked against her wrists, bound in leather straps, and pulled them free. The seal blackened and unfurled rapidly. "I am."

She stepped over Sasuke's body, and as the katana came sliding towards her, she grabbed Lady Ootsutsuki's wrist. Her movements weren't perfect, and in the process she felt the slice of the blade across her palm. A crippled moan left her lips and she shoved the older woman backwards instinctively. Lady Ootsutsuki was tenacious, though, and her frigid eyes stared at her in fury. Sakura wasted no time snapping her wrist this time as she twisted her arm behind her back. The blade dropped dropped from her hand, clattering against the cobblestone, and Sakura's foot snapped forward to knock her forward onto her knees. As steadily as she had with the white haired man in the village she now came to know was Toneri, she yanked the blade across her throat.

Blood spattered on the floor as she let go, and Sakura wasted no time shoving the body aside. All of Sasuke's words were coming back to her now, and she knew what to do. Sasuke had been the meaning she was searching for in her life. He had been the purpose she was searching for.

You don't have to do jack shit, Sakura. You don't owe anyone.

He was wrong, of course. She did owe someone. She owed him. But this would be the thing she would choose—the destiny she wanted, the things that she believed. Maybe this was the wrong path, or maybe the right path, but she would never truly know. And it didn't matter.

Not the right path, her path.

Her hands pressed to his heart as the violet seal bloomed white, glowing and consuming her. Her eyes stung with tears again, but this time a wide smile pulled at her lips, and even as the sobs were wrenched past her lips, she could feel the rightness in this act.

His heart jumped underneath her palms, and she felt faint, lighter, floating. Her eyes were just barely open, jade green from between drooping eyelids. He blinked awake, this land's new king, and she wondered at how he had become the single most meaningful thing to her.

She could feel the destiny she had picked.

She chose love.

Their eyes locked once more.

—

"How is that fair?" Sasuke protested, toes wriggling thoughtfully under the plush blankets. "If they're so nice, why do they have to die in exchange?"

"It was Life's purest gift to Death, the one unsullied fragment of love. They die so the balance can be retained, and so that Death can have something better to remind him that someone out there loves him. Just like," his mother said bending down to kiss his forehead, "I love you."

He shook his head determinedly, burrowing his feet further. "I don't understand. What does that mean? What does that mean for me?"

His mother considered, tapping her chin. "Well, it means that the world is both good and bad. Danger lurks everywhere. Someone with that destiny must be careful of people who wish to abuse that kind of power. But one must never give up hope, one must never forget that this goodness is out there, and it is proof that you are never alone."

—

—

I don't need you
to fight my battles;
I just need
for you to be there
when my hands
begin to tremble
and my voice breaks,
to help me
steady my sword
and teach me
how to roar.

—m.v.,
I am my own savior; you are a companion

—

—

credits: all the proper credits and sources of inspiration, from sakura's outfit and her seal to the bag of fudge and the "life and death" story, and even the poem and a few lines which I stole from various fairy tale trailers, are all credited on my tumblr. thank you for reading this behemoth and being patient with me!