Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Oh, god, there was so much blood. It was everywhere - seeping through her clothes, matting her hair and drying on her bruised, smashed face. There was so much pain, coming from so many places on her body, that she's stopped feeling anything other than the sensation of a warm, trembling hand in her own.
She forced her eyes open, managed to convince her head to loll over to the other side. The person holding her hand was Sakura, whose other hand ran lightly over Ino's body, surrounded by a glowing blue aura. Healing, Ino realized. Healing. Sakura was trying to fix her, before it was too late. She had that determined look in her jade eyes - eyes that Ino remembered as a constant fixture in her life for years, whether they were hiding shyly behind strands of pink hair, smiling happily at someone she liked, or smoldering with anger and protectiveness as she defended the people precious to her.
Ino caught the healing hand in her own. She smiled weakly at Sakura. 'Don't.' she murmured. 'Don't waste it on me. Save it for when it'll do some good. I'm gone already, and we both know it. You've gotta let me go. Let go, right? Move on. There'll always be another one who died before you, or who you might have been able to save, if only you got there-' Ino broke off here, head dropping forward onto her chest. She coughed wetly, and blood spilled over her lips. 'If only you got there sooner. Let go.'
She shook her head tiredly, leaning towards Sakura and smiling wistfully. ' I look a state, don't I?' Sakura nodded hesitantly, eyes finally spilling over with tears. 'Listen, Forehead...don't let them bury me like this. I don't want to be remembered as bloody and hurt. Make me pretty, Sakura?' Her voice was a quiet plea.
Sakura nodded again, shakily. Ino reached up, barely able to lift her own hand, and wiped a tear away from Sakura's cheek. 'It's alright, Forehead...' Ino murmured. 'You're a good healer, but you've got your work cut out for you, mending this village. There're a lot of broken hearts here.'
'I don't know where I would start.'
'How about you start with your own, and work from there...' She whispered, eyes sliding closed. Sakura waited for them to open again, but they didn't. She felt Ino's hand growing colder already in her own, her chest stilled. Sakura leaned forward and pressed two fingers to the side of Ino's neck. No pulse.
Ino was gone.
Sakura reached around behind her and fumbled inside her kunai pouch, looking for something with her fingertips. She drew out the scarlet ribbon Ino had given her when they were still children, back when death still seemed so far away. She tucked it into Ino's hand and leaned over, kissing Ino's forehead for a brief moment.
He knees protested as she stood and turned, looking across the corpse-strewn battlefield for her teammates. She couldn't see Sai, but she found Naruto, hunched over and facing away from her on the opposite side. As she approached, he shifted and turned around, giving her a clear view of what he held in his lap. Sakura's breath caught painfully in her throat.
Sasuke. His body was riddled with kunai, shuriken, and senbon, and there were even a couple of scraps of a used exploding tag on one shoulder. There was no way he could be alive.
Naruto's eyes met hers, and he looked absolutely lost, tears tracing tracks down his jawline. She staggered forward until she stood in front of him, and held out a hand, palm up, fingers spread and shaking. Naruto hesitated a moment, before he accepted it, pulling himself to his feet. He didn't let go of her.
She tugged him closer, so that their shoulders brushed. 'Ready to fix this world?' she murmured to him. He nodded.
'Yeah. Will you stay with me, though?' Sakura leaned in closer, tilting her head in so that her forehead rested against his collarbone.
'Always.'