Alchemy

8,4) CRIMSON FLOWERS

[See the next chapter aka the info chapter for the full A/N]

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Sasuke:

Dream:

I stood on a rickety old bridge we had found in a clearing in the forest. I would have thought nothing of it were it not for the familiar stone structure situated centrally in the overgrown pond.

What was I doing back here.

A voice from behind me started me a little.

"Oi Sasuke, let's go. If my mother finds out we've been sneaking off into the forest we're done for," I'd recognise that cheerful voice anywhere.

"Give me a minute idiot," someone who was me yet at the same time not me said. 

The "me" of seven years ago traced his fingers on a stone engravings found on the ruin before turning around and running past me. He ran towards  a blonde-haired boy...shoving him playfully once he had gotten off of the bridge. Their laugher echoed, making my head spin.

I reached forward to touch the ancient engravings etched into the stone. I never knew what they meant.

A cresent shaped mark stood to the left and a circle to the right. 

My hand slipped through the rock and everything exploded into raven's feathers.

I should have known... afterall everything was too bright and foggy as if a dream or illusion.

Memories flashed quickly then...
Only isolated images were clearly visable to me:

Us, returning to that castle.

My brother ruffling my hair as I returned.

A red-haired women slapping Naruto on his head as I snickered.

All happy memories I wasn't sure why I'd forgotten.

Then his voice echoed...

"Find him...before I do. Before I am forced too..."

I woke up with a start. Why was I reliving Itachi's genjutsu again.

I decided to get a headstart on packing up the campsite seeing that the sun would soon rise if the ligthening sky was any indication.

It wasn't much. Only a small campfire and my bedroll.

Cracking twigs further off alerted me that Sakura was strangely already up.

I wondered off into her direction.

"Stupid...stupid...pathetic...weakling... stupid..." she mumbled as she practiced throwing kunai and shuriken onto a makeshift target.

However failing to meet the exact point she desired yet still hitting the target. Decent I guess...but from the sounds of it that was not wgat she was aiming for.

I came up behind her grabbing her wrist and turning it slighly.

"You need to steady your hands more and flick your wrist inwards as you throw," I said softly while copying the motion with our conjoined hands to demonstrate my point.