The Death Waltz
retold by
Naruto Uzumaki
A SCARY STORY!
[hide]Within an hour of my arrival at Konohoa, my new post, my best friend Sasuke came to the barracks with a broad grin and a friendly clout on the shoulder. He'd hurried over as soon as he heard I had come, and we talked 'til sunset and beyond, believe it.
As soon as Sasuke mentioned Sakura's name, I knew he had it bad for her. To hear him talk, Sakura was the most amazing woman who had ever graced God's green earth. She was the sister-in-law of the captain, and all the young men on the base were infatuated with her. Sakura was the prettiest of the eligible ladies that graced Konohoa society. She liked the spice of adventure to be found so near the wilds, believe it.
Sasuke alternated between elation when Sakura talked with him and despair when she flirted with another man. I watched their courtship from afar and was troubled. There was something about Sakura that I didn't like. I never mentioned it to Sasuke, but I thought she was too much of a flirt. I wished Sasuke had fallen for a nicer woman, believe it.
About a month after I arrived at Konohoa, a birthday dance was given for one of the ninja. To Sasuke's elation, Sakura agreed to be his partner at the dance. Sasuke was dancing on cloud nine all night, until a messenger came gasping into the room to report an Akatsuki raid. With a small scream of terror, Sakura clung shamelessly to Sasuke and begged him not to go even though he was in charge of the mission. Well sir, Sasuke proposed to her right then and there and Sakura accepted. Furthermore, Sakura told Sasuke that she would wait for him, and that if he didn't come back she would never marry. I doubted Sakura's sincerity, but Sasuke just ate it up, believe it.
I was assigned to Sasuke's troop, so I had to leave too. We started out the next morning, and had a rough week tracking down and fighting the Akatsuki. Sasuke split up the troop; taking command of the first group and giving me command of the second. My men reached the rendezvous point with no casualties, but only half of the other group arrived, and Sasuke was not among them. They'd been ambushed by the Akatsuki. I had to take command of the troop. We searched for survivors, but never found Sasuke's body. As soon as I could, I ordered the men to turn for home, believe it.
Sakura made a terrible, heart-rending scene when she found out Sasuke was missing. She flung herself into my arms when I gave her the news and sobbed becomingly. The display turned my stomach, it was so obviously insincere. I excused myself hastily and left her to the ministrations of the other soldiers. From that time on, I was careful to stay away from Sakura, who mourned less than a week for my friend before resuming her flirtatious ways, believe it.
About a month later, a rich handsome buisnessman arrived at Konohoa. He was from the East, and Sakura took a real shine to him. Sasuke was completely forgotten and so was her promise to him. It wasn't long before Sakura and the lieutenant were engaged and started planning a big wedding. Nothing but the very best would suit Sakura, and her bridegroom had the money to indulge her, believe it.
Everyone in Konohoa was invited to the ceremony, and the weather was perfect on the day of the wedding. Everyone turned out in their best clothes and the wedding was a social success. After the ceremony, all the guests were invited to a celebratory ball, believe it.
We were waltzing around the ballroom when the door flew open with a loud bang. A gust of cold air blew in, dimming the candles. A heart-wrenching wail echoed through the room. The music stopped abruptly and everyone turned to look at the door. Standing there was the swollen, dead body of a soldier. It was dressed in an officer's uniform. The eyes were burning with a terrible fire. The temple had a huge gash from a hatchet-blow. There was no scalp. It was Sasuke, believe it.
The whole crowd stood silent, as if in a trance. No one moved, no one murmured. I wanted to cry out when I recognized Sasuke, but I was struck dumb like the rest of the wedding guests, believe it.
Sasuke walked across the room and took Sakura out of her bridegroom's arms. She was frozen in horror and could not resist. Sasuke looked at the musicians. Still in a trance, they began to play a horrible, demonic sounding waltz. Sasuke and Sakura began to dance. They swept around and around the room, doing an intricate waltz. Sasuke held the white-clad bride tight against his dead body while a deathly pallor crept over her face. Her steps slowed but still Sasuke held her tight and moved them around in a grisly parody of a waltz. Sakura's eyes bulged. She turned as white as her gown and her mouth sagged open. She gave one small gasp, and died in his arms, believe it.
Sasuke dropped Sakura's body on the floor and stood over her, wringing his blood-stained hands. He threw back his head and gave another unearthly wail that echoed around the room. Then he vanished through the door, believe it.
Released from the trance, the crowd gasped and exclaimed. The bridegroom ran to Sakura and knelt beside her, wringing his hands in the same manner as Sasuke. His cries were all too human, believe it.
Unable to bear the sight of the stricken bridegroom, I took the hokage aside and asked permission to take a small detail back to the place where our troop had been attacked by the Akatsuki to search once more for my dead friend. She sent a dozen men with me. We combed the area, and finally found Sasuke's body hidden in a crevice. It looked exactly the same as it had appeared on the night of Sakura's wedding, believe it.
We brought Sasuke back to the village with us and the captain buried him beside Sakura. Sakura's bridegroom went back East shortly after we buried Sasuke, and I resigned my commission a few days later and went home, never wanting to see that cursed place again, believe it.
I heard later that Sakura's ghost was often seen at dusk, weeping over Sasuke's grave, but I never went back to Konohoa to see it for myself, believe it… or not![/hide]