SasuHina fanfic
Yeah, I know this is the worst ever Naruto pairing, but it's also something to give thought too... I'm NOT against this couple by the way. Otherwise, i wouldn't be writing about them. By the way, I'm really new to FF so ... don't get mad if I end up deleting some old work to renew it or something ". Also, I'm usually busy ... it's a miracle that i got this done. Please be patient for chapter 2. (
Thankz for the support you guys! Now on to the fanfic.
The day Sasuke returned
He gasped. The layout in front of him, the scene he saw … it just took his breath away. Konoha … it was in ruins now. Some buildings were still on fire. Bodies were everywhere. Blood splattered the walkway. Even the mountain of Hokages looked seriously beaten up. It was falling apart.
He was falling apart.
Sasuke slowly walked around, struggling to stand. His knees were shaking, though it didn't seem like it.
He finally decided to go back to Konoha, and the day he did … he saw what was expected, but beyond imaginable.
There was a war. Orochimaru's men against the people of the leaf village. Where was Sasuke that time? What was he doing?
An overwhelming sense of regret overcame his body. Was this all his fault?
The last Uchiha … was also the last Leaf Villager. That's what it would seem.
Sasuke walked to the bench where he painfully left his old teammate. Sakura. Then it hit him. What happened to her? In the blink of an eye, he ran to where she might've gone to. To the places where she usually goes, or to the places where she would go at a time, such as a war. His heart raced. There might be a chance that she survived. Yes. There might. There has to be …
A girl in red lay on the floor, in front of school Sasuke used to go to as a child. Her hair as pink as the cherry blossoms in the spring. Sakura laid still. Her eyes cold. Blood was trickling down the side of her mouth. "Sakura…no…" said Sasuke as he knelt beside her. He slowly sat her up and rested her head on his shoulder. Then he heard it. Her heart. It was barely beating, but it was enough proof that she was still alive. Barely.
Her breath was slow and light. It was faint. Sasuke knew Sakura wasn't dead. She was on the edge of death, though. His heart skipped a beat.
"Sasuke…kun…" said the dying girl with a tired voice. The boy would have never thought that he'd be so happy to hear this annoying girl's cherry sweet voice. He looked at her. Her emerald green eyes were clouded, and started to tear. She smiled weakly.
"You're back." A tear trickled down her bruised cheeks. "I waited … so long." She took a breath. "I knew you'd come back … sooner or later…" She started to breathe heavily. Sasuke wiped the blood off the side of her mouth, and the tear that sprang from her eye.
"I'm sorry …" he said. His voice clearly filled with regret. He did not cry, but his heart did. It ached so badly, he gritted his teeth.
"Sasuke-kun …" more tears came to Sakura's eyes. "Go find … Naruto …" Her voice cracked at saying Naruto's name. Sasuke's eyes widened. Naruto. He had to find him. Surely he wasn't dead either. Surely he'd be in better shape then Sakura. Sasuke felt a hint of hope. The hope faded when he heard Sakura start panting.
"Sasuke-kun…" her voice cracked again. "…I Love you…don't ever forget that." She took a deep breath. "Sakura…" Sasuke said as he felt the girl's body get colder. Her eyes went completely clouded. Her head dropped to one side. Her heart stopped beating…completely. Sakura Haruno was dead.
"Sakura!" Sasuke screamed. He held her against him once more. He didn't love her as she loved him, but she was still a person in his life. She was his sister-figure. He came to a conclusion. Whether he loved her as more then a friend or not, he still loved her. In her ear, he softly whispered. "I love you, too, Sakura… Rest in peace." He would give her a proper burial, but not now. There was no time. Naruto might be dying this very minute. Or worse, he could already be dead. Sasuke didn't want that.
He laid Sakura on her back, and placed her hands on her chest. "I won't be a burden to you anymore." He said as he moved her hair off her forehead. The boy always knew that Sakura worried about him constantly. He just never took notice.
It hurt him to just leave her body there, surrounded by other dead bodies. But he had no choice. "Good bye, Sakura."
He ran. He ran almost light speed fast looking for his friend. Where was Naruto? Where would he be in the middle of a war? …What place would he choose to die in…?
Sasuke shook his head. No. He's not dead. Naruto is strong, stronger then Sakura. He wouldn't let someone take his life. Not like that. He wouldn't.
Sasuke's heart beat grew quicker.
"NARUTO!" He screamed as he ran around the village. Not the Ramen shop. Not his house. Not the school. Where the hell is Naruto?
Sasuke ran to the grass fields where he and his classmates trained. He stopped in his tracks, and walked. Walked slowly on the blood-stained grass. The bodies were too gruesome to look at. He's seen death before. His brother Itachi. Again. Sasuke thought. It's happened again. Like the Uchiha clan. But this one… this was the whole village… it was too much.
A voice. A small, soft voice. He heard it. It was crying. "Naruto-kun…" it said.
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock. He followed the sad voice. It sounded familiar, yet he couldn't tell who it was. "Please Naruto-kun … don't leave me!" The voice sobbed. It got closer with every step Sasuke took. Then through the bushes he saw.
Naruto's body was still. His head rested on a young lady's lap. Sasuke couldn't quite tell who the young lady was. But he could tell that Naruto wasn't dead. Not yet.
He was about to go right through the bushes and just run to him. His brother-figure. His bestfriend. Sasuke wasn't just going to let him die. At least, not without a proper good bye.
He wanted to go to Naruto now. But he couldn't move. He just watched as he faded away slowly… "Naruto…" Sasuke whispered under his breath. He gritted his teeth. Anger and sadness, other emotions… they stirred inside of him. He hadn't felt this troubled in such a long time. He hadn't felt this alone … in such a long time… "Don't you dare die, you idiot…"
"Thank you…" Naruto said to the young lady. His cheeks were bruised, his hands were bleeding, and his clothes were tattered and ruined. Blood ran down the side of his mouth, like with Sakura. He coughed.
"Naruto-kun!" The girl said as she gripped his hand. Naruto looked up at her again, his eyes filled with sadness, but peace. "Thank you…" he said again. His voice weak and tired, "…for looking at me… when no one else did." Then his eyes slowly clouded, and his hand went limp. His head dropped to one side.
"NARUTO-KUN! NO!" The girl cried out. She held Naruto's body against hers.
Sasuke gritted his teeth even more. "You bastard…" his hands clutched into fists. "Why did you have to die?"
He rummaged through the bush until he got to the other side, and saw the girl's face clearly.
She looked up quickly, and her eyes grew wide with despair. Then she looked away and closed her eyes tight. "Please! Leave us alone!" She begged. Tears trickled down her face. "LEAVE!" She screamed out. Obviously, she thought Sasuke was an enemy of Konoha. It was to be expected. He had betrayed them by leaving them for Orochimaru a little more then four years ago.
"No.." Sasuke took a step forward. "It's not…"
The girl drew back, dragging Naruto's body with her. "Please…" Her voice was softer, and more gentle. Sasuke sighed, then knelt down to look at Naruto, and the girl's face.
"Hinata?" He said. His voice sounding surprised. Hinata looked up. Her eyes large and innocent. Her cheeks wet. "Sa-Sasuke-kun!" she stammered.
The Uchiha boy couldn't believe it was her. She was the last person he'd expect to survive this kind of tragedy. She didn't seem strong, or aggressive. He saw her as someone who was in the way. Someone who hesitated to attack when the time was right. Aside from that, he never really noticed her.
He did remember that her hair was shorter. Much shorter. Now her hair went down to her waste.
"Sasuke-kun…" she looked down at Naruto. More tears came to her eyes. "I'm sorry…" She knew that Naruto wasn't just special to herself, but Sasuke as well.
"…" Sasuke said nothing. He watched as Hinata laid Naruto on the floor so that he could properly be seen.
"Naruto…" An excruciating pain hit his chest. He breathed heavily. Hinata watched as Sasuke's eyes turned more bitter with every passing second. Her heart felt heavy. So did her breath. Her tears never seemed to stop coming.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun!" Said Hinata as she stood up and ran deeper into the woods. She would cry her heart out. She would sob until she was out of breath. After a certain distance, she fell to her knees and rested her head on soft moss. She'd lay there. Lay there until the pain was gone…
Sasuke looked up. Hinata had faded into the woods. He'd go after her later. Right now, it's Naruto's turn for his attention.
The Uchiha boy just knelt there. He kept staring at Naruto as if he'd suddently jump up. "You fool…" he whispered. "I thought you were gonna fight me…"
He leaned over, closer to his dear friend. "You weren't supposed to die!" He screamed, hoping for Naruto to somehow hear him. Sasuke leaned even more so his forehead touched his. He stayed that way. "Naruto…"
Suddenly, he felt something. It was faint, but definitely there. Naruto's life. He was still alive! Even the slightest bit. He could still be saved.
Sasuke sat up. He wanted to jump, he wanted to express his happiness. But now would not be the right time. "Sakura…" oh how he wished she was in Naruto's state. Or better. If only she could have been saved… if only Sasuke got back to Konoha earlier… on time…
More regret gripped his chest. He closed his eyes to take it all in. Ill. That's what he felt. If only it was him that was killed. He wished he was dead.
He heard the distant sobbing from Hinata, and followed it. She'd right now need to be with someone. So did he.
"Hinata?" Sasuke asked as he looked down at her. She slowly stood up while wiping her tears. Her face was still looking down. She seemed to quiver.
"Are there others?" he asked gently. "Y-yes…" Hinata nodded. She started to fiddle with her fingers.
Sasuke's heart lightened up a bit. "Where are they?"
Hinata didn't answer. She looked at her fingers, then to where Naruto was. Her eyes started to release tears again. Her usually pale cheeks were rosy.
Sasuke started to get irritated. "He's not dead." he said sternly, but as gently as he could. The shy girl looked up at him. She looked for any trace of deception in his eyes. None found. He couldn't possibly be telling the truth. He could be lying! He could just be saying that to make her feel better. But then, why would he care about her feelings?
"Really?" Hinata's already bright silver eyes brightened even more. Hope was growing inside of her. Sasuke could see it. He didn't need sharingan to see it.
"Yes." He replied. A feeling of surprise shot through his body when Hinata suddenly wrapped her arms around him. She squeezed him, and buried her face into his chest. "Thank you." She said. Then let go, and ran to her beloved Naruto.
Sasuke fixed his clothes. Why'd she do that? It's not like he brought Naruto to life. "Hm?" his shirt was slightly wet with Hinata's tears. "…"
What was he feeling? He was warm. But not feverish. He felt more energetic. More awake, and a bit better. Did Hinata's embrace give him this feeling? He never really thought of the girl before. But for some reason, she was in his mind right now. He shook his head and brushed her off. "Interesting…"
The Kyuubi. That was the only reason Naruto survived. He was healing quickly.
Apparently, the survivors of the war found refuge somewhere not too far from the village of Konoha. Only a few hours walk, it was a big space in the middle of the forest. Enough space to hold a small population of people. A little bit further was a waterfall. Perfect for washing, bathing, and drinking if distilled.
The forest area held a lot of good vegetation, and wild life. So food was not a problem.
"Tsunade-sama!" Hinata called out as she ran through the area. Tents were set up so that the people had a dry and warm place to sleep. The forest dews over night. And from what Sasuke could see, it was going to rain soon. The sky was completely gray. Not a spot of blue. It was like the world was about to end. Well, to him, it did.
Some people looked up as they saw the Uchiha boy pass them by, carrying the seemingly lifeless body of Naruto. He ignored them. Sasuke knew what they were thinking…
The traitor is here.
He recognized some of them. Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Shino. Where were the others?
Sasuke could feel their glares to the core of his soul. He didn't care. That didn't matter right now.
Hinata entered a yellow tent. It was bigger than the other's. Sasuke followed. As he entered, he saw people laid out on the floor which was coated with white blankets so that they weren't too uncomfortable. They were all injured.
Tsunade, a woman with long, blonde hair was tending to one of them. She looked up as the two entered. Her face seemed to grow pale. "Sasuke…" she said as she walked up to him. "You're back." Her face looked more strict now, as if Sasuke had been expected, but was late. Sasuke stared back at her. His face expressionless. Emotionless. "Yeah," he began. But didn't continue. For moments, the two just kept looking at each other, as if mutually arguing.
Finally, Hinata interrupted, "Tsunade-sama! Naruto, he needs treatment."
Tsunade turned to the silver-eyed girl, then to the limp body of Naruto, carried by Sasuke. Her expression had a mix of relief and terror. She took Naruto's body and held it.
"He's alive, huh?" said Tsunade. Her voice jumped a bit. It looked like the woman was about to cry.
Quickly, but gracefully, she carried Naruto to the far-side of the tent, and placed him on a stack of blankets. She moved a strand of hair from his forehead.
"The Kyuubi … It's because of the Kyuubi that he's healing so quickly." Tsunade's lips formed a slight grin.
Hinata walked up to the unconscious boy. She looked down at him, her eyes watering again. "Naruto-kun…" She lifted a hand to her mouth, looked down, and closed her eyes. "I'm so glad." Tsunade smiled. Sasuke just kept his eyes on Naruto. So this is the power of the Kyuubi. He smirked. When he thought about what this unconscious boy must have gone through, he thought it was impossible to kill him. Then again, as Sasuke looked at Naruto's worn out body, maybe it wasn't.
"Sasuke," said Tsunade without looking at him. "Take Hinata outside. She'll suffer more is she stays in here." She looked at the Uchiha boy, her eyes seemingly on fire. "We'll talk later." Sasuke nodded, and stepped out of the tent with the timid girl.
When outside of the tent, Hinata started to walk into the trees without a word. Sasuke watched her as she went. He thought, What now? Hinata really was a strange girl. He sighed, and followed after her. If she were to get hurt, Tsunade would have his head. Normally, he wouldn't really care. But for some reason, this time he did. Maybe from regret of leaving the village. From regret of not being able to protect it. His home.
Sasuke found Hinata sitting on a boulder, staring at a stream. He sat cross-legged on the ground next to her. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at her. What was she thinking? Shouldn't she be in a better mood now that she knew that Naruto wasn't dead? The thought faded in his mind as he listened to the water. It wasn't glistening, because the sun was behind heavy clouds, but it still sparkled in its own way. For once today, Sasuke felt really – if he could describe it – at peace. Even for a brief moment. The only sound to be heard was the running water. It was calming. Maybe this is why Hinata is quiet right now, He thought.
The silence between the two was broken by the girl's voice. "I was really about to leave him there." Sasuke didn't say anything. So Hinata continued. "If you hadn't felt that bit of life in him, I really would have left him there alone." She bowed her head down in shame. "I was a coward." She started to sniffle. "I…I couldn't protect Naruto-kun. I was weak." Her voice seemed to have squeaked at the last word. Sasuke looked at her. His face emotionless as usual.
Hinata continued, "Sasuke-kun," she faced the boy next to him. Her cheeks were rosy, and one tear escaped from her eye. "Thank you, again." She smiled and squinted her eyes in slight happiness.
A flicker of something Sasuke couldn't describe sparked inside of him. It was sympathy. The smile on Hinata's pale face still reflected pain. He returned his gaze to the stream. "It was nothing." He said as he stood up. Hinata looked up with a puzzled expression her face. Then she turned back to face the peaceful stream. Sasuke started walking towards camp.
"Oh, S-Sasuke-kun. Wait!" Hinata called out before he could take another step. He turned around, and she was holding something in her hands. Hastily, she walked up to him. "Um… t-this… Naruto-kun kept it… I…" She held out the item in front of her towards Sasuke with both her hands. "…I think this is yours." In respect, she bowed her head.
The item she held was Sasuke's Konoha forehead protector. It still had the jagged scratch across its symbol. The scratch Naruto made in their last battle.
Sasuke looked at it with sorrow in his eyes. He took it from Hinata's gentle hands, and clutched onto it. "Thanks." He said as he stuffed it in his pocket.
Hinata blushed slightly.
Unexpectedly, a rock hit Sasuke at the back of his head. He flinched, but didn't make a sound. Slowly, he turned around to see who threw it. His gaze fell upon Kiba, who was glaring at him with the most hate in his eyes.
"What are you doing here?" He asked in an agitated tone.
Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in anger. He gritted his teeth.
"How dare you come back, you traitor!" Kiba continued. Hinata was about to say something, but Sasuke cut her off with a raise of his hand. She looked at him in disbelief, and threw the same expression at Kiba. He ignored her.
Shikamaru and Neji watched from the side. They didn't want to be involved, but Sasuke could see they really wanted to hurt him. Their glares were painful enough.
Kiba narrowed his eyes even more. He growled and raised his arm to throw another rock. From what Sasuke could see, it was sharper then the last one.
"I'll kill you!" Kiba exclaimed with pure rage in his voice.
Sasuke didn't flinch or move. He knew that he deserved this. He felt that he did. It was all his fault.
"Kiba-kun!" Hinata called out. The dog-boy ignored her.
Sasuke waited for the impact of the rock. On his face, on his stomach, or on his chest. Yet nothing came. It took him time to notice that Kiba's wrist was restrained with what would seem like a rope of flee-like insects. Shino's work. The ninja who controlled bugs slowly appeared from behind a tree. He made himself more visible by walking out of the shadows.
"That won't do us any good now, Kiba." He said sternly through the collar that covered his mouth. Sasuke looked at him. Shino had shades on, but he could still tell that this ninja was glaring at him with rage, and hate. Slowly, Sasuke straightened up, and seemed to have relaxed his posture. But he was still tense. Hinata could see that his hands were shaking slightly. She pitied him.
But Sasuke's hands weren't shaking in fear. They were shaking in the pain of knowing that he didn't deserve to live. That he deserved more then the blow of a small, sharp rock at the back of his head. Regret made his heart feel heavy. His head started to hurt a little. He closed his eyes and looked away. Then he placed his hands in his pockets, which made him look calm.
"Dammit, Shino! Don't interfere!" Kiba shouted as he released himself from the grip of Shino's insects.
"Sasuke is a traitor! He left us and joined Orochimaru, and then this happened." He pointed to the direction of where the camp would be.
"My family's gone." His hands clenched into fists. "That includes Akamaru." Slowly, he lowered his head. "They're all gone…" he murmured.
"We all lost someone, Kiba." said Shikamaru, as he stepped in to join the group.
"We all know how you feel." Neji joined in as well.
"But hurting Sasuke won't do anything." Hinata said softly from behind Sasuke, who looked back at her. Regret hit his heart once again. Another weight on his chest.
Shino said to Sasuke in a calm, but stern voice, "You had nothing to do with this massacre, I assume." He pushed his shades higher up his nose.
Kiba growled, "Of course he did! He's one of Orochimaru's minions."
Sasuke kept his eyes away from them.
Neji spoke, "He was. But I didn't see him during the time it was happening."
Shikamaru shrugged. "Me neither."
Sasuke looked up at them. He didn't look it, but he was in disbelief. They were defending him?
Kiba's expression softened slightly. He turned away from the group and stomped back towards the camp. "Ki-Kiba-kun!" Hinata called out. She was about to run to her friend, but Shino stepped in front of her to stop her. He shook his head slowly. At this, the timid girl lowered her head to hide a sad face. Sympathy hit Sasuke again. Since when did he feel such an emotion?
"By the way," Shikamaru began. "Old Tsunade wants a word with ya."
Sasuke turned to him. Then looked away, and walked passed the others as if they were never there. His stride was quick. It was easy to tell he wanted to get away from the people that had a burning anger against him as fast as possible.
Hinata watched him as he left. She wanted to follow after him, but she couldn't move. Her feet stayed in place. "Sasuke-kun…" she murmured.
It was odd. She never took an interest in him at all before. Because of Naruto, she never really noticed other boys. She wasn't like the other girls of her village who took time on their looks. In fact, she never really understood them. From what she's noticed, no matter how pretty the girls try to be, like Sakura-san for example, or Ino-san, the boys, like Sasuke-kun, never seem to look at them. Or notice them for that matter. It all seemed pointless.
Hinata brushed him off his mind and worried more on Naruto. She lifted her hand to her mouth and looked down. Shino walked up to her, casually.
"Naruto's healing quickly, I heard." He said calmly. "The nine-tails fox?"
Hinata looked at him with worried eyes. "Yes." She replied after a moment's hesitation. Shino nodded and looked at the direction of the camp.
Shikamaru and Neji already started walking back.
"Are you going to go back now?" Shino asked without looking at the sad girl.
"No, not yet." She replied.
She walked back towards the stream, and sat on the boulder again. Shino followed after her and stood next to her. "I think I'll stay here for a bit. You don't have to wait." She said. Her voice filled with sorry, but a tint of relief. The boy behind shades looked at her and nodded. Then he walked back to the camp. Nothing but the sound of the water filled Hinata's ears.
Sasuke's meeting with Tsunade was in another part of the forest. Still near the camp, but far enough so no one could hear them speak.
"What made you decide to come back?" asked Tsunade. She placed her hand on her waste like an impatient mother. Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned against a tree.
"I just felt like it." He replied. Tsunade scowled. "You just felt like it?"
Sasuke said nothing. His eyes were on the ground.
Tsunade just sighed. "I supposed you had nothing to do with this massacre."
Sasuke remained expressionless. He didn't say anything.
Tsunade sighed again. She looked at the camp. Her facial expression softened.
"After all this time…" she trailed off.
Sasuke looked at the camp as well. A shot of emotional pain went through his body. He looked away. Regret was still heavy in him. Not being able to hold back, he asked, "When did this all start?"
Tsunade looked at him. It was obvious now in Sasuke's eyes that he was in pain.
She answered, "About a month ago." She leaned against a tree, and placed her foot on a small boulder. "Armies of the Hidden Village of Wind, little by little, kept on coming to our Konoha." Her eyes fell on the floor.
"We thought that they wouldn't cause any problems, but," she paused for a moment. Sasuke looked up at her. He could tell she didn't really want to talk about this. But he needed to know. She continued, "The Anbu started disappearing one by one." She raised her head to look at the camp again. "After a while, we had all had enough. Some Anbu suggested we destroy anyone of the wind village, but I went against it. We still did not have proof that they were the cause." She paused again. Her body seemed to tense up. "I regret that decision."
She shut her eyes in pain as flashbacks from that time flowed through her mind.
"Small conflicts were created between our villagers and the villagers of the wind. So there were wars within the neighborhood. We all thought this would pass, but that thought was false." Tsunade gritted her teeth, trying to get the words out. After a few days, Orochimaru came to me. He said that Konoha would be a worthy sacrifice for him … so that his power would grow."
Sasuke gritted his teeth as the last sentence escaped Tsunade's lips.
"That bastard!" She punched the tree she was leaning on. "As if he wasn't strong enough." Slowly, she rested her forehead against the injured tree.
"You're village is a worthy sacrifice for me. It will help me gain more power. And since Konoha has grown soft, I'm sure the other villages wouldn't mind. I mean, who'd want such weak people as allies? You could say, I'm doing all of them a favor by ridding them of your precious Konoha."
Tsunade said these words with such hate, it hit Sasuke like an arrow from a bow.
"It seems like just yesterday when he said that to me…" she continued. Her expression softened a bit. But her hands were in tight fists.
"Shortly after, we all declared war. Anyone from the wind village, or who is associated with Orochimaru was to be exterminated." Tsunade's eyes closed as she struggled to tell the story.
"Our troops either died, or ran away in fear. After that, Orochimaru's men decided to finish off the rest of the village … and that's when this massacre began … for weeks people had to live in fear. Passing days brought passing lives. Konoha was almost completely wiped out. Survivors, or people that those bastards decided was not worthy of their blood-covered hands traveled hours away, and formed this camp. Their Refuge. This is where we will be seeking shelter until our surviving villagers are strong enough to thrive in Konoha again."
The woman stood up straight, and faced the Uchiha boy. Her hands became less tense and she rested one on her waste.
"Now you know." She said sternly.
Sasuke looked away, unable to meet Tsunade's burning gaze. He gripped his chest, not caring if the woman across from him could see.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" she asked. "Tch." Sasuke replied. His eyes were on the floor, and they were filled with pain, and anger.
"Damn Orochimaru…" He cursed. "How'd I become so stupid as to …" he trailed off. That sentence just could not be finished. After a silent moment, he felt a tender hand rest on his shoulder.
"That doesn't matter anymore." said Tsunade softly. She leaned over so he could hear her more clearly. Even through his agony.
"You're here now. That's all that matters." She smiled slightly. Sasuke looked up at her. He wanted to say, "I'd rather be dead." But he kept his mouth shut.
How would he matter to anyone now? Surely Naruto still hates his guts. And not just Naruto, but everyone else from the village who knew him. Being alive was truly pointless.
"Alright, let's go." Tsunade interrupted his thoughts. "Where?" asked Sasuke.
The fifth Hokage stood up straight, and looked at the village.
"To burry the other villagers of course."
Sasuke looked up at her in surprise. After a while, he nodded and stood up to follow her. The least he could do for his old village was to give it a proper burial.
It was night by the time everyone got to the village. The dead bodies were buried somewhere near where Sasuke found Naruto. Many holes were dug on the ground. The aroma started to get uncomfortable.
It was dark out, but everyone was accompanied by a torch or candle. One side of the surviving villagers suggested that they burry their loved ones tomorrow in the morning, but the other side demanded they give them a burial before they rot. There was so much tension. Sasuke almost wished he never came back.
"Here." Shikamaru threw a shovel at the Uchiha boy.
"Start digging in that area, about four holes. Tell Tsunade when you're done."
Sasuke didn't like to be told what to do, but he didn't complain. He was in no place to do that right now.
In a few hours, he finished digging. As he climbed out of the last hole, he could feel some of the surviving villagers glare at him. He could almost hear their thoughts as well, "He should stay in that hole, where he belongs."
This feeling of regret was turning into anger inside of him. So he tried his best to ignore them, and not care.
"Tsunade, I finished digging over there." He pointed to the spot Shikamaru ordered him to dig. Tsunade nodded. "Alright, I'll tell the others to bring the bodies in."
As the men carried the bodies to the graves, something caught Sasuke's eyes. A girl in red, laying still on the stretcher. Sakura.
He couldn't move. He watched as the men carried her body away, and lower it into a grave hole.
"Sasuke-kun…" her voice seemed to echo in his head. "I knew you'd come back." Oh, how he wished she spoke to him right now. How he wished her voice wasn't just a flashback. "I love you … don't ever forget that." Her voice kept on echoing in his head. He could still feel her body going cold in his arms.
"Sakura…" he murmured. He remembered the regret that he had neglected for a few hours. It gripped his chest, and took his breath away. He didn't want to see the sight in front of him. Sakura's body being buried… it was unbearable for him. Sasuke could have given her the time of her life. He could have given her notice, but it was too late now. She's gone. After a while, Sasuke realized. He had just dug up her grave.
Not just hers, but everyone else's. This was all his fault. He couldn't protect anyone. He just let it happen. If he hadn't left, would this place be any better?
Sasuke was blaming himself again. He was lost in thought. Nothing mattered to him right now. All that mattered was regret, pain, and sorrow. The only emotions he could possibly feel.
The Uchiha boy was interrupted by a soft voice. "Um… Sasuke-kun…?"
He quickly turned his head to its direction. His hope was that it was Sakura. Only she seemed to call him "Sasuke-kun". He could not think of anyone else who would call him that. Discouragement hit him when he found Hinata standing in front of him.
"A-are you okay?" she stammered. Hinata was still scared of talking to this boy, but it felt appropriate to do so.
"No." Sasuke wanted to answer. But instead he replied, "Yeah … it's nothing." Then he turned to face the graves he'd dug. After a moment's hesitation, he walked towards them. Just one more time, even for a brief moment, he wanted to see Sakura's face. Fighting his regret, he looked down upon the black hole that held the body of the girl with the pink hair. She was barely visible. So he hovered his torch over her grave. For a minute, she looked like she was only sleeping. Her face was peaceful, yet bruised. Her pink hair was glittered by the torch light. She looked warm. Sasuke was almost glad she died. She looked so peaceful right then, and he wouldn't be a burden to her anymore. She was finally at rest.
"Sakura-san…" Hinata said from behind Sasuke. He almost jumped. "She was a good person." Tears filled up the timid girl's eyes. "Her healing skills were going so well too." From the torch light, Sasuke could see tears starting to stream down her face. Sympathy hit him again. "Just a week ago, I broke my arm during training." Her eyes zoned out, though tears were still leaking from them. "Sh-she just touched it, and a warm light started to glow from her hands." Slowly, she walked up towards Sakura's grave. "And before I knew it, my arm was healed." A slight smile stretched across Hinata's lips. "Sh-she was j-just here." She looked down upon Sakura's limp body, and placed her hands together against like she was praying. Sasuke looked at the sorry girl from behind. If only he could do something to cheer her up. Hesitantly, he raised his hand to touch her shoulder.
"Hinata!" Kiba called out. Hinata looked at him. She could see that he was still mad from a while ago. He glared at Sasuke who wasn't even looking at him.
"Let's go." Kiba said as gently as he could. "Neji's waiting."
Hinata nodded, "I'll … I'll catch up. P-please, go on ahead." Kiba gave Sasuke one last stinging glare, then walked on. "Hurry up."
Hinata turned back to look at Sasuke. He was looking at her, but not directly. His mind was somewhere else. "I'll go now." She said as she bowed. Then she ran after Kiba.
Sasuke blankly looked at her as she left. Everything felt unreal. He saw Ino lowered into the other grave hole he'd dug. Shikamaru was standing next to it, watching her. From his eyes, he could tell he really cared about Ino. Even though she was pretty much obsessed with the Uchiha boy. After a while, he met Sasuke's eyes. They were in pain. And Sasuke could feel it. As if he wasn't in enough pain already. Sasuke looked away. He saw Tsunade, and walked to her.
A question hit him. He needed to ask the fifth Hokage about it.
"Where's Kakashi?" Sasuke blurted out, trying to sound as calm as possible. He saw Anko's body, and some other Jounin, but where was Kakashi?
And speaking of Kakashi, "And Iruka?"
Tsunade looked at him puzzled. "A few weeks after the war, Kakashi, and Iruka disappeared." She said unsurely.
"Even some other Jounin are missing." Her tone turned sad. "They're either captured by Orochimaru, or dead somewhere else."
Sasuke spaced out. "Dead?" No, they can't be dead. Kakashi is the most skillful Jounin he's ever met, plus he has Sharingan. And he'd be protecting the other Jounin. Sasuke gritted his teeth.
Tsunade sighed in grief. "For all we know," she looked at the Mountain of Hokages. "They probably ran away." Then she looked down and let out a sad laugh. "But I know that they'd never do that." A painful smile appeared on her face as she turned to look at the boy. Sasuke couldn't bare to look at her. He turned away, only to see a crowd of people mourning. They hovered over their loved ones' graves. He noticed that there were only a few people that survived this massacre. "Tch." He gritted his teeth. "All these people…" he bowed his head. Looking at what was left of the village, it was unbearable. Tsunade's expression softened. It turned to a more worried face. She placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder in reassurance.
"It's not your fault."
"But … I couldn't protect anyone." Sasuke's voice was raspy. Almost like he was whispering to himself.
"Maybe you should go back." Tsunade suggested. "You know the way back, right?" Sasuke nodded.
And so, he started to walk back. Hands in his pockets, face down. He was covered in dirt, but that didn't matter. The trail was dark. The moonlight did not seem to help. It's possible to get lost.
"Wait, Sasuke-kun!" a soft, but unsure, and hesitant voice called out. He stopped in his tracks, and looked back. Hinata was running towards him with a torch.
"Ah!" She tripped, and the torch flew in the air. Sasuke caught it with one hand. Hinata ended up faced-down on the floor. Awkwardly, she lifted herself up.
Sasuke sighed. "You okay?"
"Y-yes. Sorry."
Sasuke offered a hand to help her up. Hesitantly she took it in acceptance. A sensation came over his body. What was this girl to him?
Hinata dusted herself off. Her face was visibly red from embarrassment.
"A-are you walking back?" she asked after she looked a little cleaner.
Sasuke nodded.
"It's easy to get lost. You should bring a torch …" She trailed off as she saw her torch in the Uchiha boy's hand. Again she blushed, and looked away.
Sasuke offered to give it back, but Hinata waved her hand in rejection.
"It's f-fine." She laughed nervously. "I'll go back with you."
"You don't have to."
"But…"
"Don't you have people to mourn to?"
Hinata looked up at him. Her eyes started to sparkle. Tears were forming.
Bad question to ask.
Sasuke didn't show any sign of regret. Hinata looked down and wiped a small tear away before it had a chance to escape from her eye.
"I've mourned enough." She looked up. Her eyes were more alive now. They looked determined. The torch light made them look even more distinguished. Sasuke's heart seemed to have a small weight lifted off of it. Was this girl giving him relief?
"B-besides…" Hinata started to fiddle with her fingers. "I'm worried about Naruto-kun."
That's right. Naruto was still alive. By now, he's probably awake, and stubbornly trying to get up from his bed. Sasuke could just picture him arguing with the person who's supposed to be watching over him. He smirked. It was a nuisance to admit, but he could not wait to go back, and see that idiot's bright face.
"Let's go back then. Together." Said Sasuke. Hinata looked up at him in surprise. After a moment, she nodded.