Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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Sakura/Team 7

Rating: T

Words: 397

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Sweet Dreams

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It's time for sleep.

Unfortunately sleep doesn't come as easily as it used to.

"Close your eyes…"

When she was younger she had family, friends. When she was little she had love, hope, dreams. When she was just a small child, she was naive and hopeless and she had been happy.

"Close your eyes, and dream…"

When sleep came, it settled like a heavy wet blanket over her head; suffocating and constricting and impossible to fight.

The dreams were the worst.

Smiling, laughing, hugging, shoving, crying, frowning, killing; Shiny little weapons and sightless eyes and strong broken hands and turned backs. Loneliness, cold deep despair.

So when she had the choice, she wouldn't sleep. Sleep brought back too many memories.

"Close your eyes, and dream of me. I'll be back before you know it. I…"

She missed them. Her team: her boys. The ones she lived for now. The ones she cried over and prayed for, hoping to God they hadn't killed each other.

Tears would flood her eyes but she refused to let them fall. There was no way she would be any weaker than she already was just… just because…

"Close your eyes, and dream of me. I'll be back before you know it. I… I love you…Sakura-Chan."

Oh God. No, she couldn't- wouldn't sleep; if she slept, they would really be gone. She would be alone again, just like before, and she would be weak and stupid and... and an annoying pink haired, big foreheaded girl.

It was much easier to pretend. Pretending was good. Make-believe they're here with you and fantasize what you want.

If she could pretend they were here, she could pretend she was still a ninja. She could imagine she was still a shinobi, capable of great feats. Not taken off the Force because of her emotional and slight mental disabilities.

"I…I love you…Sakura-Chan."

And maybe…if she squinted a little and tilted her head just right, she could kind of see them there, laughing and smiling at her, beckoning and reassuring and loving and all she ever wanted and needed.

"Close your eyes…"

So maybe if she just closed her eyes…

"…and dream of me…"

…and dreamt of laughing and killing…

"…I'll be back…"

…they'd come back…

"…before you know it."

…in time…

"I…"

And maybe…

"I love you…"

Just maybe…

"Sakura-Chan."

She wasn't as alone as she thought.

"I love you too…"