There was never another person so kind hearted- selfless-hopelessly goofy-or loyal than him in her book. To say that she missed him was an understatement. To say that she loved him was an understatement. To say that she knew him would have been a lie. But to a lot of people it was as close to the truth as she could ever get.
He had spent eight years of his life looking for his brother; hoping and praying everyday that he could finally go home. Kami alone could lead him to and from his brother over the course of those years-almost like a mouse with string.
And it was kami alone that took the beautiful blond haired man from the lives of those who truly loved him. For eight years he fought and battled a losing battle-and then he just disappeared. There were no traces to find. Nothing other than a battle ground that told of a great battle. The only body left on the battle grounds was that of his brother-badly beaten and nearly dead with internal bruising and lacerations.
The woman who was left behind- for that was what she was now- couldn't help but be hysterical. Even when her team had left the scene she remained-convinced that she would somehow find her blond haired teammate. She scoured the trees and shrubbery for three days without food or rest. She finally found his hitaite-and she knew.
If her blond friend had been alive, he would not have left it behind. It was his pride and joy-his symbol of being a ninja. The beautiful woman curled into a ball around the headband of her best friend and for the rest of the night cried. She cried for the man who had sacrificed his life for the whims of a little girl-for the man who had grown closer to her than even a mother, father, or even brother could. She cried because he never had, could or would.
It would be the next morning that that same woman would send a messenger bird to her village and then turn towards the south where after a day's hard travels she would be at the office of Gaara of the sand, the kazekage and that mans best friend.
Feeling more drained than she ever thought possible- Sakura made her way to the village hidden in the sand to relay the death of one of the greatest men to ever live.