A Saisaku fanfiction by The Singing Dawn

Summary: War is ravaging the shinobi nations. Sakura finds herself entwined in love for her new comrade, Sai unknowingly. Sasuke is the mastermind behind the war. Yet, who is he so desperately looking for? The blossom might just be his answer.

そうねすべて自分次第
でも決して孤独じゃないよ

My Dear Friend

Prologue

Sakura was sick and tired of the smell of war. The air reeked of the choking stench of blood and of charred human flesh. Most of all, there was this wave of desolation and hopelessness in all that she saw that made her feel indifferent herself.

She had seen enough corpses. She had seen enough orphans grasping ever so tightly at their deceased parents' clothes. She had tried her very best to pry their fingers away from them. They had wailed in distress and frustration. Why weren't their parents replying? Why were they sleeping?

They are on a long journey, we mustn't bother them. Sakura had answered them solemnly.

The medical tents had been choked full of people ever since the war begun. How long had it been? Four months? Five? Sakura had absolutely no idea. All she did everyday was try her extreme best to heal the poor injured souls. Some of them were already on the verge of death when they were brought here that Sakura herself had to put them to sleep.

It was a thing she found she could never do before the horrid war. Yet, the ease she felt when she injected the chemical into their tortured bodies was indescribable. She felt as though she had released them from their terrible predicament.

I have become inhuman, Sakura thought to herself, stretching her palms in front of her face.

These were the hands that had killed the people struggling in pain. They are my hands.

"Sakura, so that's where you went." A feminine voice greeted Sakura from behind. "I was looking for you everywhere."

She gave her a faint and transient smile. She allowed the silence to remain in the air. It was almost comforting to have a breath fresh air and to feel one's existence in quiet landscape.

"This is the first place where I met you. Back when we were kids." Ino grinned. Sakura studied her face. Her facial features were slightly dull now. There were tiny scratches on the side of her fair countenance and despite the high-spirited tone, she looked weary.

"Yeah. Nothing's changed, huh?" answered Sakura, laying herself down onto the velvet grass. The fresh smell of grass refreshed her lightly.

"You still have a wide forehead." There was a vague chuckle.

"Shut up, Ino-pig!" Sakura growled mockingly. She looked towards the sky above. It was a propitious sky marbled with pearly white clouds. The golden shimmer had been concealed by the fleecy clouds but in spite of that, Sakura felt a pervading sense of warmth merely from the single gaze.

"Do you- Do you think that maybe," started Ino tentatively.

"This war will end?" Sakura finished her sentence immediately. Ino gave an uncertain nod. She took a deep breath. "Yes, but I don't know how long it may take and how many lives it would take."

There was a palpitating silence once again that weighed down on the two like a load of boulders. They wished the end of the war so much.

"Come to think of it," muttered Ino. "I wonder how Shikamaru and the others are doing."

Sakura leaned her head slightly to the side. It had been nearly a week since she had last seen Naruto and the others. They had been dispatched to a nearby Fire village to tackle the enemy forces under the name of Team 23. Sakura felt queasy at the thought of any of them being killed. They were her friends. Despite the number of people she had seen dead, she wasn't prepared to see any of her friends dead.

She shut her eyes as she remembered how hard she had argued with Tsunade sama to be allowed to the battlefield. She had been told that it was a huge risk for a skilled medical nin to fight the enemy directly. The loss of a medical nin and the prevalent dangers it might cause her had been reiterated to her by her master.

"This isn't the time for me to back down, Tsunade sama! I need to be there. I have to be there."

"They need me. My friends need me!"

The leaves on the trees seemed to syllable her thoughts in cautious whispers.

"Sakura san! Ino san! There's a shinobi of Team 23 with serious injuries being brought into the tent now." There came a clangorous yell from the nurse from Sakura's medical tent.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat.

Within minutes, the girls had reached the medical tent. The sight before her caused Sakura to be rooted to the ground. This was…This was…The familiar raven hair, the black shirt and pants. Those brushes that were cluttered all over on the floor…

"Sai!"

The boy had a pained expression and he was bleeding in several areas. His abdomen had almost been torn wide open with a clean cut. His face was blanched and he was gasping for air. He was murmuring something incoherent and his fists were clenched so tightly.

Sakura was stupefied. This was Sai. Why? She could feel a tightening in her chest. He was going to die. Sai…Sai was going to die…

"Sakura san! He seems to have been poisoned by an unknown chemical. But we are attempting to treat the external abrasions now."

Immediately, Sakura snapped out of her despairing thoughts and reverted to her professional self.

With great sense of delicacy, Sakura examined the wounds. They were relatively deep and she could see the innards.

"The poison, is it serious?" She barked at an amateurish nurse that was trembling by her side.

"N-No, it's not a severe poison. it's the blood that he's losing…" The nurse's face turned the colour of putty and she turned sideways at the sight of Sai's horrendous gashes.

Suppressing her emotions, Sakura immediately summoned all her chakra and went to work with the healing of the deepest gash at the abdomen.

"Sai, can you hear me? Don't give up now! Sai!" Sakura yelled at the top of her voice. She could feel tears brimming and it was as though there was someone tearing at her heart.

It was vital to keep the patient awake. Sakura could vividly remember the words she had been taught.

"Sai! Sai!" Sakura screamed again and again, whenever she felt Sai's pulse slowing down. "Wake up, wake up or I'll clobber you!"

His lips moved vaguely as though he was attempting to say something. Instead, he gave a great rasping noise and blood spurted out of his mouth.

"Shut up!" Sakura yelled, her heart rending with sadness. "Save your words for later!"

Ino had finished healing the minor gashes and was examining the poison on the kunai. Her hands were trembling as she handled the kunai. She felt a pang of weakness and her limbs grew jelly-like. Just when she was going to slip onto the floor, she felt a strong grip on her elbow, steadying her.

"Are you okay?" The voice was breathless and urgent.

"Shikamaru? Why-why are you here?" She gazed at the boy who stood right in front of her. Shikamaru. It had been such a long time since she had last spoken to him.

"Sai. I sent him here. How's his condition?" He gave Ino a questioning glance.

Ino bit her lip and felt her eyes filmed over. She turned to look at Sakura who was crying and desperately healing the profound gash. "Sakura is-" She could no longer continue. Rushing to the equipment before her, she began examining the poison.

Her fingers quavered as she placed the poison on her test slide. This poison was mild, Ino concluded with ease. A mere plant type poison that was unlikely to harm his system. For now, Ino thought gloomily, was the intense wound that had been inflicted on Sai.

Sakura could feel her hands quivering. They were covered in blood but yet she persevered. She could see a slight colour in Sai's face. The wounds were gradually closing up. She was relieved. Rivulets of sweat trickled down her face and she felt weak. Her chakra was depleting quickly and it did not help that his wound had a long way before it would completely closed. It had to be done rapidly or the loss of blood might result in his...

Renewing her chakra supply, Sakura continued to treat his gash with determination. She was not going to let any of her friends die. She was no longer the little girl who was always afraid of everything, who needed Naruto's help everywhere she went.

The cherry blossom was going to grow quietly in celebration of all that was quintessential and dear to her.

"Sasuke sama, there has been news that there's a new team from Konoha that have been dispatched to one of the Fire villages. They are putting up a strong defense. There have been a high amount of casualties. This should not go on further."

The figure sitting on the chair did not respond for a while.

"Konoha? Who are the members of the team?" His voice was frosty and had a glassy indifference in it.

"There is a most distinct character in that team. A boy with flashing blonde hair and-"

There was a pervading laughter from the figure. The laughter resounded throughout the area and pierced into the very heart of the man.

"I will personally welcome them."

To be continued...

I started writing this fanfic knowing that noone is going to like it. LOL. I still had this impulse to write. Please review.

Arigatou!

願いを　流れ星に　そっと唱えてみたけれど
泣きたいよ　届かない想いを　この空に...

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