Midnights in Konoha always looked like something out of a horror movie.
Silence was what awaited her ears as the pink haired woman stepped out of the overbearing hospital and into the cool autumn night air. Wind swept through the trees, making the branches dance, their leaves being shaken and her pink hair was being lifted around her head, making her giggle at the feeling. She sighed deeply when the wind continued on it's way.
It was lonely, this life she was living.
She had thought if she worked hard and succeeded in life, happiness would find her. She had much success, she was always working, barely giving herself enough time to sleep properly through the night before she was back at the hospital that very next morning. The last one to leave, the first one in.
'I need a break.' she thought to herself as she continued her way down the usual path back to her apartment. There seemed to be no movement at all, not a soul in sight.
She knew she didn't take many breaks. She was known to be a hard worker, wanting nothing but to help others, making sure the children were well taken care of, making sure her people were alright.
No matter how long she overworks herself, no matter how little dreaming she gets to do at night, her thoughts always seem to return to him. 'Sasuke-Kun.'
He had been gone for some time now on his path for self redemption. She had been giddy at the attention he had shown her before he left, surprised and ecstatic at the thought of being able to go with him on his next travels. She knew that he was her person. She knew that from a very young age, but he had done things to her in their past that made her question her feelings, things that made her second guess the nature of her deep love. She thought to her daytime job.
The Children's clinic was her pride and joy. Knowing that the children of this world were getting the proper care that they need, the care that they should have been getting all along. If Sasuke had been able to access that kind of help after his traumatic childhood, she was sure it could have all ended up much different. He could have been happy. He could have felt love.
She had many jobs. Head of the hospital, founder of the children's hospital, one of the most sought out ninja of the Village hidden in the leaves. No matter how many titles she was given, no matter how much she accomplished, nothing changed the fact that she was so very, terribly, lonely.
The raindrops falling steadily upon her body were welcoming as a distraction to her wandering mind, and the pink haired woman smiled happily while continuing on her path home, keeping the same pace as before. She enjoyed the rain. It made her want to dance, to twirl like a little girl in her nicest dress.
Her thoughts were cut short when she sentenced a frantic chakra running in her direction. Sakura quickly jumped her way to her brown haired comrade, instantly seeking out any cuts or injuries the bun haired ninja might have received.
"Sakura! Please, you have to come with me, Lee is really hurt." the brunette shouted to the emerald eyes woman, her own brown eyes looking frantic and wide. There seemed to be no time for questions as the medic nin ran towards the forest at a quick pace, and Sakura followed behind without a second thought, catching up to her quickly
They made their way approximately 15 miles from where Sakura once stood, pondering about the rain, and thunder rumbled above them loudly, the rain now pelting down upon their bodies, one of Tenten's buns coming free from it's hold.
"How hurt is he? What happened?" Sakura shouted to Tenten over the howling wind. Tenten kept on, not answering her, and she sped up after her, not liking the silence, knowing that Tenten must have been incredibly serious, and that Lee must be in a lot of pain.
Tenten pointed ahead of them. "2 miles north of here, he needs you Sakura! Please, hurry!"
Sakura used her chakra from her seal to pump more chakra into her legs, bringing herself to a blinding speed. She wouldn't let another one of her friends get hurt. She wouldn't allow another to go before their time. The trees blurred past her and she ignored the stinging pain of the branches catching her body. She saw an opening, and ran as fast as she could to get through it and-
Sakura felt her body stop moving, her legs completely held still. Confusion crept through her entire being as she looked down at her legs, noticing the seal drawn out on the ground, herself being caught right in the center of it.
The pink haired woman tried taking in her surroundings quickly. She noticed a box in front of her, in the center of yet another seal on the ground. She recognized that seal after studying it with Ino after the passing of her friend's beloved teacher. 'The seal of Jashin?'
Sakura tried opening her mouth to try and ask for help from her friend, but realized she couldn't. Her body was completely immobile, her eyes being the one thing she seemed to be able to control. Candles flared to life around both circles drawn on the ground and her eyes widened in terror, not understanding what was happening. 'Where is Lee? Who did this?'
Sakura's heart seemed to stop beating when Tenten casually walked out of the dark trees, strolling her way to the box laying not even 10 feet in front of her own body. She watched in absolutely confusion as the brunette reached her hand out and tenderly brushed it across the box. When the weapon master looked up and over at her pink haired friend, regret seemed to show in her otherwise dull, chestnut colored eyes.
"Sakura… I'm so, so sorry." Tenten's voice held a sadness that Sakura wasn't normally used to hearing from her friend. She tried to say something, anything, but she couldn't move her mouth, couldn't move her body at all, and her vibrant green eyes weren't enough to tell her friend what she needed to hear to stop whatever madness she was sure was about to ensue.
"You will always be my friend, you do mean so much to me. But I need him back, Sakura. You know how this feels, you know the pain of being alone. He wasn't meant to die, it wasn't his time." Tenten did look apologetic, and Sakura being as smart as she was connected what was happening as soon as Tenten finished her sentence.
Tenten was going to use Sakura as a sacrifice to bring Neji back.
Sakura's mind raced, her thoughts overtook her as she thought about what was about to happen. Not only would she not be alive for the children and villagers that needed her, but she was going to bring a beloved friend back from the dead using two very, very dangerous jutsu that aren't supposed to be used together. This very well might not be Neji coming back, this was an evil jutsu, and Tenten didn't understand the half of what she was about to get herself, and everyone else for that matter, into.
The wind was wild, thunder could be heard overhead, the rain pelting down around them.
Tenten stood in between the two circles, her back facing Sakura. She made hand movements that Sakura could not pick up on, and slammed her hands onto the ground, a glowing white overtaking both Sakura, and Neji's casket. Sakura felt her chakra draining, felt the energy in her body leaving her altogether, and her vision went blurry for a long period of time. When she came to, she heard a girlish screaming, felt her chakra drainage stop suddenly, and her body, no longer being held by the binding, collapsed onto the wet ground below her.
Sakura felt the rain again on her body. She felt how cold she was, how exhausted she felt. She lifted her face from the dirt and turned towards the sound that the screaming once came from, and what she saw before her made her black out instantly.
Neji was alive. Tenten, who's neck looked incredibly broken, being held up by said Hyuga, was not.