Shattered
We were arguing again when it happened. None of us were paying attention. Sai tackled me to the ground and Sasuke saw it coming just in time to dodge. Naruto had his back turned. I didn't see it happen. The flying debris forced me to shut my eyes.
When the shock waves are gone I try to sit up. A sharp pain in my gut forces me to stay still. I cry out in pain and look around for Sai. I spot his crushed corpse under the tree that has impaled me. This time my scream is from my breaking heart.
I manage to collect myself long enough to snap the branch impaling me and pull the shards out of my abdomen. I'm numb from shock and don't feel anything as I quickly treat myself. As soon as the wound is healed in to a long pink scar I crawl to Sai. I reach out hesitantly to feel his pulse. I don't find one.
I forget all about the battle. I cradle his head in my lap and cry silently for my friend. I don't know how long I sit there. I hear people calling my name, but don't answer. No one calls out for Sai.
"Sakura thank goodness you're okay! Help us look for Naruto. We can't-" Ino chokes up when she peers over my shoulder.
"Sai…" I hear her sniffle and choke off a sob. At least someone besides me will mourn this wonderful man. He may have been socially inept, but he had a good heart. His inappropriate questions became so expected and endearing. I can't imagine a team 7 training session without his endless social interaction questions that I answer as he dodges my punches. He'll never eat ramen with me again or walk with me to and from the hospital while observing the interactions around us. I didn't realize how much of a part of my life Sai is until now when I'm staring at his corpse.
"Sakura."
I look up to see Sasuke standing back behind Ino. Clutched in his fist is an orange jacket. Hinata stands behind him sobbing in to Kiba's shoulder.
"Where is he?" I jump up and run to Sasuke. I grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him down to eye level. I can't lose another precious person. "WHERE IS NARUTO?!" I scream hysterically.
No one answers me. I see the guilt and sorrow in Sasuke's black eyes. I start shaking my head. "His jacket… he has to be around here somewhere. The jacket doesn't have a tear or anything! He has to-"
I look over Sasuke's shoulder to where the attack landed. There is a streak of grey and brown. All of the vegetation in the path of the ten tail's attack is dead. I look back at the tree that crushed sigh and notice that it's dead too. The attack kills life but does nothing to the landscape or inanimate objects.
Slowly I look back to Sasuke. I'm shocked to see tears threatening to spill from his far away stare. In that moment he looks far too wise to the world to be sixteen years old. His arms hang limply at his sides and his shoulders slump with the weight of the world.
I bury my head in his chest. My tears are for Sai. I scream for Naruto. I sob because I have lost all of the remnants of my childhood innocence. I lost myself to my misery because all hope has been lost now. All that remains is death and defeat. I close my eyes and wait for the end. Sasuke's head falls in acceptance and rests on top of mine. His arms fold around me and there we stand: resigned to the end of time. Everything else is gone. Why shouldn't we leave too?