Her
"That would only be 200 yen a piece for the beautiful lady." The middle-aged man smiled with a glint of malice in his dark brown eyes. Sakura crossed her arms on her chest and raise one fine brow.
"Excuse me?" Her voice a bit lower, more icy.
"Alright, alright! How about, I give you two for 300 yen? That's already a bargain for you!" The pink-haired girl held back a grin. I won. She grabbed the plateand dropped three coins on the counter.
"Thank you very much." She stated, walking off.
It's been almost two years since the Fourth Shinobi World War ended. Their loss was great and so was its impact to the village. Although most civilians were saved, a lot of shinobis, stranger or not, didn't make it. The village is still far from its former glory but they are all working their way to it. Thus, her mission to escort the caravan carrying rice and bread from Land Country back to Konoha. She decided buying a few tea leaves considering they are stopping over Tea Country for the night. Aside from it being quite a necessity for them people, it is also useful as herbs at some point. She sat down on a bench on a deserted pathway. Her cup of green tea keeping her warm in the cold night. She ate one sakuramochi quietly and imagined Konoha before the war- the street lights, the warmth coming from the houses, the children's laughter while playing in the dark, her friends, her teachers…
It will never be the same anymore, not without them.
"Sakura-san, most of the people have retired for the night. We left the caravan where you told us to." A young shinobi- a trainee per se- reported to her, slightly fidgeting under her scrutinizing stare.
"Good work, Hoshi-san. You might as well turn in for the night too. Leave the watching over to me." Sakura spotted a trash can near the bench and disposed of the plate and cup.
"Hai, Sakura-san! If you need any help you can just-"
"It's alright, it's nothing I can't handle." She dusted her skirt and turned to the boy who straightened up upon meeting her stare. He gave a hurried bow and half-ran back to the inn where the others are. Sakura sighed. He still got a long way to go.
She checked the caravans one last time- counted the number of boxes and sacks- and re-checked the list given to her by the newly appointed Hokage.
Speaking of, I wonder what he's doing.
That blonde blob may be an airhead but it was thanks to him they managed to survive the war. Not without a few sacrifices though. Sakura folded the list and placed it in her coat pocket. She went to the caravan at the middle and sat on top of the boxes. Leaving the flap slightly opened, she stared at the star-filled night sky and sighed. She decided to close her eyes to see if she can find sleep, but it seems to her it was a bad decision. Her mind traveled from one dead comrade to another, her heart quenching upon remembering their smiling faces first, then how they looked like lifeless. She opened her eyes, tears attempting to fall.
I can't cry now. Not anymore.
Her eyes found yet again the night sky and its bluish-black color which reminds her of someone.
Sasuke.
The last time she saw him was when he and the snake bastard joined the fight against Obito and Madara. He wasn't initially on their side though. She remembered meeting his eyes for a few seconds. She remembered him using a powerful jutsu that caused his eyes to bleed incessantly. She remembered the snake bastard stabbing him with his own kusanagi. She remembered him finally putting an end to that snake bastard's life. She remembered him getting another fatal wound from Naruto. She remembered meeting his gaze yet again and how his lips twitched upward even for a split second. But before Naruto could even get a hold of him to bring him back, he disappeared.
Where are you, Sasuke?
She shifted a bit. The wooden crates are not at all comfortable as a makeshift bed, but she can't risk losing more than they had. Even if it's just a year's supply of food. She pulled out a medical book from her bag and decided to read instead. All About the Eyes. Her mind is filled with nothing but the bleeding eyes of her, dare she admit, beloved. They said first love never dies and true love waits. She may be damned because her first love is her true love, and no matter how much she shuns all thoughts of him, her heart would always beat for him. She closed the book she was reading and saw the haze of pink and orange on the horizon.
A new day, huh?
Sakura gave out a sarcastic laugh and leaned his head back. When her lips turned down to a frown, she closed her eyes and whispered…
If only I can change everything.
Him
Sitting on the edge of a cliff, Uchiha Sasuke stared at the vast ocean before him. Feeling the cold ocean breeze, he gave out a small sigh. He has finally known peace- physically, that is. But his heart, mind and soul are all a mess. Orochimaru, Kabuto and Uchiha Madara went back to where they originally belong- hell. Uchiha Obito died with Kakashi. The monstrous Jubi was put off by the combined forces of what he heard was the 'Shinobi Alliance Force' and Akatsuki's officially dissolved. There are no more powerful enemies who can break this peace after the last war.
Two years already, huh?
He may no longer be a citizen of Konoha, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know what's going on there anymore. Stories are passed from one village to another and it didn't surprise him that the big-breasted lady finally retired as Hokage or that she has chosen Naruto as the new one.
He did it after all.
Sasuke let out a small smile. But the pang of jealousy within him did not go unnoticed. His dream was much simpler compared to the dope's, but he hasn't achieve any of it. He is lost and alone. He doesn't know what to do with his life anymore- the very life he sold to the devil twice. He was blinded by his anger in his brother, which he figured out was all pointless in the end. But his pride made him blame his own mistakes to the same village his brother sacrificed his life for. And just as everything is going smoothly for everyone else, it's been chaotic for him. It seems he was destined to lead this life wherein there is no right choice.
What do I do now?
Apparently, Konoha gave out word that both Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke were heroes who sacrificed their lives for the village.
Because I simply disappeared, they assumed I was dead.
However, being the antisocial he was, in the two years he was simply existing, he realized he knew nothing about the world. Despite being just Sasuke with no history or anything, people are comparing him to the Sasuke he was. They are even saying the fact that he looks like that dead traitor, means that he could also be as evil. Even Naruto's words are not enough to change their perception of him. To the world, he was never the Sasuke who used to do B-ranked missions for Konoha; he is simply the traitor who joined Orochimaru and attempted to destroy the village that had been his home for thirteen years. His thought traveled to a blonde blob and a pink-haired girl who were the only living people left that he ever cared for.
Could they be thinking the same?
That is when he came to a conclusion that, at this point in time, his life is meaningless.
I should have just died back then. Perhaps I should just kill myself?
He saw the violet night sky turning into a combination of pink and orange- as if reminding him of something or maybe some people.
Great. Now I'm feeling worse.
Sasuke unhilted his kusanagi and stabbed it to the ground. He stood up and took out his gashed hitai-ate and tied it to the sword.
How lonely must I be, making my own grave.
He stood at the very edge of the cliff and let himself fall into the sea.
If only things were different.