The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

107: Redemption

[OP: "Dear Wormwood"--The Oh Hellos]

["Undo"--Rush of Fools]

Shine looked at the moon again.

"Babe, can you come in now?" she asked.

Sasuke was in such a state that he was barely surprised when Wally came in. He didn't care at the moment if he'd been listening.

Wally came and sat next to Shine and then took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"You're doing great," he told her. "Just tell him the truth."

"That's all I can do," Shine said. "But this comes from both of us, Sasuke, as both of us will have to admit it to you."

She sighed. "It's not that complicated, but I want you to try to understand it, please, when I say it. Simple things can be hard to understand. I know that none of what I've said is going to be enough for you."

Sasuke looked at her steadily... He hoped he was calm, but...no, he thought he was just tense now.

The wrong thing said would have pushed him into a spiral.

But he had no idea what she'd say.

"I've known this the whole time," Shine said. "I cannot lift your burden."

Sasuke blinked at her questioningly.

She went on as if he'd said it aloud.

"I know I can't," she said. "All the love we could pour into someone...and you've seen us try, with you...but it's never enough. It never will be enough."

Hearing her admit it was like hearing her admit defeat, Sasuke thought.

Somehow he felt crushed for more than just because it was hopeless for him... He almost felt as if Shine shouldn't have to admit defeat. Not after all her effort.

"You knew it wouldn't be enough, and you still did it?" he said in a low tone. "Why did you waste your time with me?"

"I told you it was a waste of time," Shine said. "I actually am glad now that you've seen how useless it is for us to love you."

Okay, she'd done it. Even at a time like this she managed to completely shock him.

"What?" He almost gasped in surprise.

Wally just nodded somberly, like he'd known.... How did he know?

"I told you you'd have to decide sooner or later," Shine said. "And the time is now, I think. Sasuke, I do love you. Even Wally does, in his way."

"A very odd way," Wally said. "I don't feel much of it like her, but I do care, buddy."

Even that bit of kindness made Sasuke feel more like a worm than ever, but he was focused more on what Shine was trying to tell him now.

"But we're not the point," Shine said. "And we never were. Sweetie, it's all God. The reason our love means nothing to you is it's not enough. This is a lesson I learned a long time ago, and it's been summed up well by someone else who works with people as hopeless as you, that 'only God heals'. Whatever we all do--and we can help, we can try, and we can get you to the doorstep--but God is the one who lets you in. God is the one who can make that pain go away. I can't lift your burden, and Wally can't either. The Word says to share our burdens... That is all we can do. We can help each other carry them to the cross...but like the pilgrim in that old story, we can only drop those burdens at the cross." [A reference to Pilgrim's Progress.]