A pale twenty year old man stood under the only Sakura blossom tree in all of Konoha. He stared at the pink tented crystal that lay right in front of the stump. In thick black lettters it read:
Haruno Sakura
Dear Friend, Medical Ninja, Daughter,
Teammate, Shinboi,
and Loved By Everyone
He half way smiled at the last part. She was loved, but in the end that's what killed her. That day was the only time he ever cried. He could sometimes could feel the tears behinde his eyes, they never came but, it reminded him that he was still alive. He could remeber the day like it was yesturday.
-Flash back-
Naruto had just left to go get help from the village. Him and Sakura stayed behind to hold off the mist Shinboi. There had to be at least fifty. He and Sakura waited and waited for Naruto's return. He was doing mostly fine, few cuts here and there, but Sakura wasn't. She was slashed in several places, had a knife stiking out of her right arm and none of it would stop bleeding. No matter what he said she refused to go to the village and help Naruto.
Then everything took a turn in a crazy direction, their own shinboi's came pouring in. He lost sight Sakura in the the fighting. He tried so hard to find her, he pushed and faught, but to no anvil.
After a minute or two he came to a clearing. There stood Sakura, also a charging mist Shinboi. Sakura was defenseless. He took off to do something, block the hit, take it, do something. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. By some stroke of mercy he manged to take the hit. He had taken a long sharp knife to the chest and in return the mist ninja got a Chindora in the face. He had won. He fell to the ground, next to Sakura. She summed the rest of her chakra to her hands and pressed it to his chest, "Sakura, no it's your chakra, save your self." He had pleaded. She smiled. "I love you." She said as she fell to the ground, loosing to much blood, and out of chakra. He wasn't healed, but he would at least live.
For the first time in 12 years a tear ran down his cheek and then came another and soon he was crying.
-End flash back-
Her voice rang through his head.
"Sasuke, we got a new mission!"
"Sasuke, Kakashi's late again."
"Sasuke, we're going swimming, you wanna come?"
"Sasuke, I did it! I healed my first fish!"
"Sasuke, how have you been?"
"Sasuke, do you like my new dress?"
"Sasuke!"
"Sasuke!"
"Sasuke!"
Her voice seemed like it would echo forever. Sasuke would do anything to see her green orbs look at him, to see her smile, hear her voice, anything. He would do anything just to tell her he was sorry for how he treated her. She was always there for him, she helped him back into the village. She could do anything, it seemed like she could never die, it seemed like she was untouchable by death. He remembered why he cried that day. He cried because he loved her, but he was also scared, the woman he thought could never die, died for him. His pitiful existence wasn't worth saving. He had lived most of his life out of revenge, but it was her who stopped that, it was her who taught him how to do more than just survive. She taught him how to live.
"Why'd you have to go?" He asked the crystal. "Why did you think I was worth saving?" He pleaded, waiting, wanting, needing someone to answer."Why did you love me?!" He yelled at the sky. A slight breeze blow a cloud of blossoms at him. She was there, looking over him.
He heard a noisy and turned. It was Tsunade. "Don't blame yourself." She said sadly. "How could I not?" He asked his straight emotionless face looking sad. "Because she woul-" She interrupted by Sasuke. "Don't give me that crap, I want something that I can believe." He said flatly. "You know it's true, so don't give me that crap." She said sternly. "With the way you've been going through missions, I have time to actually come down here." She said looking right through him to the crystal. "You're sad, but why can't you just say so, Sasuke?" She asked looking him right in the eye. He looked away."She was more like you then you know." He stated before disappearing.
With out fail he was back the next morning begging for a mission. "Why do you want it?" Tsunade asked, clearly wanted answers. "Because maybe one day it'll be enough to keep her off my mind." He said flatly. "Happy now?!" He shouted both sad and angry. She looked through her papers. "Here go bother Gaara." She said laying a piece of paper in front of him. She handed him a scroll. "Give this to him, make sure you piss him off, for me, okay?" She said, wanting a profit from this. He nodded and then was gone.
