Hi, this semi-depressing one-shot/poem is actually my first fanfic to be posted on this website. Hope this isn't an omen or something. Anyway it came about from me listening to the song Letters From War by Mark Schultz while reading a Naruto fanfic, and although my fanfic doesn't follow the storyline of Naruto or the plot of Letters From War I still hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

"Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope."

~ Hal Lindsey~

Sakura stared out her window. It was that time of the day again. The time when all of her worries reached their peek and she was once again faced with the possibility of his death, for why else would he not write? It had already been two years since that cold Christmas Eve. He had sent her a letter stating that Konaha was at war and he had been chosen to lead the teams on an information retrieval mission. He had said that he probably wouldn't be able to write anymore. But she had still gotten up at 5:00 every morning to sit by the window and await the messenger hawks. But what would you expect? It was the only thing left to her. Her parent's had opted to move to a busier town where their bakery would thrive, her best friend had begun to learn all of her clans traditions and laws in case she'd have to take over her father's positions, her teacher and mother figure had passed on after years of battling her terminal illness, and just about everyone else that was close to her heart had set off to fight in the war. But not her, her job was to wait patiently for his return, because she knew that out there, alone, kunai flying everywhere, the only thing anyone could bring themselves to hold onto was the love of those who awaited them at their home. After all she herself had been in the reverse of this situation multiple times, and had always returned alive, and so she quietly awaited his return. But the last days of the war came and went and still no word. It had only been for a second but Sakura had lost hope.

Yet despite this she still wrote to him every night saying;

"I can't wait. Where are you?

Please tell me what do you expect me to do? I know you're there, so why aren't you here?

Please I can't hold on without you dear.

But I'll still wait full of hope, because I know you're not giving up."

So she waits all alone on the window of her home for a hawk to appear and drive away this fear.

But secretly she knows he is never coming home.

For his last letter read…

I'll miss you when I'm dead.

In truth I'm really not happy with this story. I didn't even want to write it, but it just didn't want to leave me alone; and pretty soon I realised that this idea was every bit as stubborn as I was, and so I crumbled. Like an old forgotten sand castle on a deserted beach. Hey but you learn to make do, and who knows maybe one of you guys enjoyed my story. If you did I'd really appreciate a review, in fact even if you didn't (enjoy it I mean) I'd love to hear your complaints... in the form of a review! Any way I'll stop hassling you guys now, but I was wondering if you guys like the fact that I rhymed (it comes naturally you know) or if you think It's cheesy and that I should resist the urge (hey, I could try.) I'd love to hear your opinion in a review. Ah! I almost forgot to thank you for taking time to read the work of a newbie like me. (I rhymed again :) So... thank you, and review!

Ja ne (Goodbye)