When Boys Cry
Author: Innocent Attraction
Character DON'T belong me
My eyes can't comprehend what they're staring at. As the casket lowers to the ground, my heart beat staggers. I can't imagine how this could've happened. I can't. The movements, the picture; it doesn't fit quite right. It's too complicated, confusing, and surreal to try and put the puzzle pieces together to try and figure how it led to this. I just…I'm not sure why. I'm not even sure how.
Sasuke stares at the casket, his onyx eyes smoldering. He tried to shove the emotions back; tried desperately to concentrate on something else. He gripped the string that hung from his black jacket. He couldn't focus on the speaker; just the picture that sat under him. Those familiar facial features, that familiar smile, and those familiar eyes that he knew would never leave his mind for as long as he'd be alive. The preacher finishes. Sasuke notes Kakashi walking over to the front, preparing to speak. "We're gathered here to honor a great ninja, and an even greater friend."
Sasuke shakes his head, his face cold as stone and hard as rock. He looks around to find any other familiar faces. Hinata is sitting three rows back, holding onto Nejis' arm, burying her face into it as she cries. Neji can't express any emotion; he's looked too shocked to be able to even attempt to make a face. Shikamaru is sitting right behind him, holding onto Ino. She, surprisingly enough, was also crying. He couldn't spy Sakura anywhere until he looked right next to him. She was two seats over, her hands fixated on a piece of hair that hung her face; something to keep her mind off of what was happening. He looks over at Sakura. He motions her to come sit next to him. She moves over so she's closer. "I can't believe this," she says. From the red color in her eyes, she'd obviously been crying for a while.
"I can't either," Sasuke whispers back. "Literally, none of this makes sense. How could something like this happen?"
Tears begin to drip down Sakuras' soft cheeks. Sasuke offers his shoulder and arm for support. Sakura takes it, burying her face into it. The tears dripped more freely now that she had someone to hold onto. Sasuke didn't flinch away. He could understand that she needed something sturdy to hold onto. Kakashi finishes, pointing towards Sakura. It was her turn to speak. She nods, rising to her feet. She walks up, hugging Kakashi as he walked back to his seat. "I met him when I was younger. He had the most annoying personality and was always shouting about his dreams…"
Sasuke drifts off again. He can't concentrate on Sakura's kind words. It was just too much for him to ingest. He felt the nausea build again, the slight burning in his throat. He swallows against it. He tries to ignore it. How could something like this happen? I just…it doesn't make any sense. Maybe this is some dream that someone needs to shake me out of. He can't be dead. He can't be. He was the one who was supposed to break the mold and prove that anyone can make it, no matter how bad their life story was. He was supposed to be the role model for those kids, who left like they wouldn't make it. How could this happen?
Sasuke turns his direction back to Sakura. She's staring at him, motioning him to come to the front. Sasuke fumbles to his feet and staggers over to the front. He nods his head at Sakura and stands in front of the mike. He clears his throat, thinking about what he said. "I couldn't call Naruto my friend, but I wouldn't call him my rival either. We always fought with each other. There were few peaceful moments between the two of us. But when I think about it, he was more similar to me than any person I knew." Sasuke pauses, catching his breath. His face leaked a painful emotion. He tries to cover it with a stone-cold look. "Naruto was probably the one person who understood me better than anyone. He made me become better, made me train harder, made me fight faster, made me push myself to improve so I would be stronger. Naruto was annoying, obnoxious, crude, overly opinionated, and had the biggest mouth…and he was my best friend." Sasuke slips on the last word. He looks down at his trembling hands. He feels a single tear drip down his cheek. His stone-cold emotion and the face only the world would show had finally broke. He couldn't finish. He had to wipe away the tears that trickled down his skin. "He was the family I had lost and regained. Now he's gone. My family, my brother, my best friend is gone. I've…I'm not going to ever forget him. Ever." He walks away, his knees feeling like they were about to crumble under his weight. He sat back down, tears flowing more freely.
Sasuke ran to cover Sakura in the middle. A kunai knife nearly cut him across his kidney. He could hear Naruto struggling as well. He helped Sakura, using Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu after tying the enemy to a tree. He knew he was finished. He ran over to find Naruto. A blood-curdling scream broke through the forest. It was Sakura. Sasuke followed the sound. He ran through the thick forest to catch up to them. Sakura was knocked unconscious, blood rushing from her side. Naruto ran over to help, thinking the enemy was down. He saw him get up and rush. "NARUTO!!! NO!!!" It was too late. He heard the two bodies collide, and the crack of Narutos' neck. That sound ripped through him. He jumped down from the branches to attack the enemy ninja. Using all his chakra, he fought against him and killed him. He ran over to Naruto, his dead body slumped against the root of a tree. Sakura was standing. She saw Naruto, and freaked. Tears dripped from her jade green eyes. "No. No it can't be. It's not possible. NO!! NOT NARUTO!!" She ran over, holding onto her side and stomach. "NO!!!" She hands held onto Naruto's cold body. Sasuke couldn't bear to start crying; he didn't know what to do. He just stared…reminding himself that ninjas don't cry; telling himself that boy's don't cry.