In the gleaming sun, the tree leaves rustled in the breeze. The scent of summer wafted through the air and everything was relaxed on the beautiful day. No one could hear the quiet movements of the ninja jumping through the trees on their mission.
Sakura sighed, wishing she didn't have to go on such a simple C Rank Mission. A search and retrieve mission for just a simple artifact that had been stolen. She kept her feet moving though as she swiftly glided through the tree limbs with her partner; Naruto. Honestly, she really could have gone on such a simple mission on her own. She didn't know what Lady Tsunade was thinking. Naruto heard her sigh and looked behind him.
"Tired?" he laughed as they got closer and closer to their mission location.
"Of course not. Just frustrated that we got such a silly mission is all," Sakura huffed, her pink hair brushing her face as they finally landed on the ground.
"It'll be over soon enough! Piece of cake!" Naruto said, a goofy smile on his face. Even though he had grown so much… and stronger too, he was still the same old, knuckle-head Naruto.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get going," she said as they walked towards the site. Truly seeing where they were for the first time, Sakura's eyes widened as she took in the extent of the wreckage they had just came upon. Trees were slashed and the ground had been turned up and over. It was nothing compared to the beautiful scenery they had just came through to get here.
"What… happened here?" she asked, her eyes scanning the area.
"Not sure, but apparently, the thing were looking for is somewhere in here," Naruto said as he continued walking into the mess, his eyes scanning as well.
"How dumb…," Sakura groaned as she and Naruto separated to find the 'artifact.'
What does this thing even look like? It'd be a lot easier if we knew what we were looking for… What was Milady thinking?
Suddenly, Sakura's was caught cold, something shivering its way up her skin and was unable to move. Something began to ache and sting in her body. She moved her eyes down to see that she had various cuts in her body and she quickly felt tired and worn. Her surroundings changed before her; it was now nighttime and the destruction around her was new with the smell of smoke that made the air acrid and hard to breathe in. Her mind was blurry, she couldn't quite figure out was going on, but she had a strange sense of urgency that made her uneasy.
She could hear the clang of weapons hitting each other in the distance and a kunai knife rapidly landed at her feet. Able to move, she swiftly jumped back, but quickly collapsing in the place where she landed. Her whole body shuddered with pain just as if she had just gone through a long, harsh battle that she had just barely got out of.
"Sakura!" she heard a far away voice cry for her… it was somehow… familiar. Once she finally placed the voice her head snapped up in search for the one who had called her. A figure; distant and blurry began to come into view. "Sakura!" the voice rang again, Sakura's vision finally becoming clearer and 2 familiarly dark eyes took her in. She sucked in her breath and closed her eyes, hoping that it was read, but when she opened them again, it wasn't hisface she opened her eyes to, it was Naruto's.
"Sakura, are you okay?" he asked, a concerned look on his face as he started towards his partner of almost 5 years.
So it really wasn't… What just happened?...
"Ye-ah… I'm fine…," she said, steadying herself as she put her hand to her forehead.
"It looked like you were gonna pass out or something… so I ran over here. You sure you're okay?" he asked again.
"I'm fine, Naruto… don't worry," she mumbled as she check herself, seeing all the cuts she had previously withstand were gone and she no longer felt fatigued, though she was still a bit weary.
"Okay… I'll keep looking then," he said before he set off again in search of the item for their mission. Sakura couldn't even think about the mission anymore. She simply kept walking, pretending to be searching, but she just couldn't get his voice out of her head.
Was that really?... No… it couldn't have been… What's wrong with me… I know that something like that would never happen… Not for her.
"Hey, Sakura! Over here! Could this be what we're looking for?" Naruto asked from a bit away. Sakura slowly made her way over to him, making sure of her footing for she feared she still wasn't completely back to normal. Once she got there he pointed to something shining amongst the rubble.
"Wha-… what is that?" Sakura asked to no one in particular. She crouched down on her hands and knees and looked at the item a bit closer. The metallic surface reflected the light from the sun and when Sakura touched it she finally placed what it actually was. It was a leaf headband with the symbol crossed out…
"This couldn't be…," Sakura whispered. "Saus-," her words cut off as her world began to twist and turn once more. Her body began to feel numb with pain again and she could feel the weight of her exhaustion pulling her down.
"Sakura!" she heard his voice once more; loud and near. She turned on her knees and was thrust backwards onto her back. She kept her eyes shut tight and her body unmoved; too scared to open them to see what had just happened. She heard a grudge and could feel something warm spilling onto her legs.
She squinted her eyes open to see a dark figure kneeling before her; breathing heavily. She set herself up with her elbows and at the sight of him, her breath caught in her throat.
"Sasu…ke," she mumbled, noticing that the warmth on her leg was a pool of blood growing from the boy who was before her. He finally looked up and his dark eyes met her green ones. Blood caked his hair to his face and he couldn't seem to catch his breath… but for some reason… was able to smile at the girl who lie before him.
"Sasuke! What happened? Are you okay?!" she asked, quickly sighting the multiple kunai knifes in his back and his own sword… plunged through Sasuke's abdomen. Before she could say anymore he collapsed to the side, hitting the ground with a hard thud.
"No! Sasuke, you have to get up! Sasuke… why?" she asked, her hands hovering over his bleeding body. He spat out blood before he looked at her again.
"Because… you're worth saving…," he whispered, his voice strangely warm and caring. He closed his eyes. His chest didn't rise anymore.
"Sasuke!" she screamed, trying to wake the person who she had been closest to in her life, but before she could do anything more she met a sharp pain in her own back. She had been stabbed multiple times in her back. She could feel her blood dripping down her back and onto the ground. Sakura couldn't move, the pain from the stabs were too much and she too, collapsed to the ground beside Sasuke. She reached out, placing her own on Sasuke's cold hand.
"How can I be worth saving… If I can't even save myself… Sasuke," she spoke softly, her words tear-filled and sentimental.
"Sakura!... Sakura!... Sakura, wake up!" a voice called, getting louder and louder.
Sakura squinted at the bright light before she could finally see where she was. It looked as if she was in a hospital room and Naruto and Lady Tsunade were at her side.
"Sakura, your finally awake!" he said, a relieved smile on his face.
"How… how can this be?...," Sakura asked, looking down at her hand; the one that had previously held Sasuke's. "I was there! And… Sasuke…"
"…" Naruto seemed disturbed at Sasuke's name.
"Sakura… do you not remember?" Tsunade asked, a pained look in her eyes.
"No… No it's not possible… Lady Tsunade, what was the item we were supposed to retrieve on that mission? And who's headband was that?...," Sakura asked wildly, not wanting to accept whatever the truth may be.
"Sakura… What are you talking about?" Naruto asked, a confused look on his face.
"We were just on a mission, Naruto! A search and retrieve mission and I saw Sasuke there! And he… he…," she said, a pain finding its way to her chest. "Sasuke… Is he-" she started before she tried to get up, but found out that all the familiar pains that she had sustained when she and Sasuke got hurt were still there.
Sakura looked down at herself and saw that she was wrapped in many bandages and could feel where all the cuts were in her back from the kunai.
"No… no, this can't be…"
He protected me… Why would he ever think… That I'm worth saving?...