A/N: This is just some musings of mine that I had on two of my friends, and I put them in
Naruto terms. So, most of these thoughts and such are mine.

Shiva: Short and sweet. Nice. I like it. Want me to do the dedication?

CA: Nah, I will. Oh, and the POV change was intentional.


DEDICATION: To my two best friends in the world-- Arashi and Drako. Luv ya, guys!


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They were fighting again, as was the usual. We hadn't even made it off the bridge! It
didn't matter, today was one of Kakashi-sensei's "free-training" days, which meant, we
could practice whatever we wanted while he sat on a bench and read his Icha Icha
Paradise. I rolled my eyes, but was smiling on the inside.


I wouldn't give this moment up for the world.


I knew it wouldn't last. Things never do. It is the way of time, and nothing can stop time.
A few, like Orochimaru, can bend the rules to their advantage, but in the end time runs
out for them, no matter how deft they are.


But I get ahead of myself.


It was a lazy day, late in the spring, and the sun up above shone warmly on us. I was on
my stomach across one of the benches, watching them fight and bicker like little kids
over a toy. It was amusing, the way they fought. Naruto would insult Sasuke, thinking he
got a one-up, and Sasuke would put him back down. But Naruto never gave up, and once
in awhile, he would make Sasuke so aggravated that he would just walk away and ignore
him.


Naruto always counted those as victories and would parade them around. Despite his
constant annoyance, he did make her smile... even on her most blue days, he would make
her laugh without a care on the inside. Sometimes on the outside.


Sakura sighed. She would miss this.


All her life she had been, well... she supposed you could call it psychic, but it wasn't like
she always knew what would happen and she couldn't call on it to be there when she
decided she would need it. She would just know things without any doubt, and she
accepted them without question.


It was a trademark of the Haruno family. The ability to know things was alive in their
blood, and most prominent in the women. Sakura remember her mother telling her one
time it was because of a woman's intuition. That they put more faith in their feelings than
the men. Sakura had laughed, but she supposed it was true.


Her chakra control came from this, as well. The manipulation of spirit and will was as
easy to her as it was for Kakashi-sensei to dodge personal questions, or for Sasuke to
deflate Naruto's insult attempts, or even for Naruto to keep trying, no matter what.


They were truly a balance of each other... skill, sheer power, and intelligence... no wonder
Kakashi-sensei had affectionately dubbed them his little "super group".


The silver-haired jounin had since laid down on his back, one hand behind his head and
the other holding up his infamous book. The boys were on the grass now, sparring lightly
and throwing insults. Sakura sighed again.


How she wished she could freeze this moment... because soon, it would never be the
same.


Her ability to know things often came in handy, though she never mentioned it to the
others. But sometimes it saddened her, because the knowledge was never always good,
nor always bad... often times it was bittersweet.


She watched regretfully at the two boys and their dance. It was Hitosashi no Nikon, the
Dance of Two Souls, as she and her mother had named it. Despite their obvious
differences on matters, Sakura and her mother both knew of the fate of the boys. It was,
as was many things, a bittersweet fate.


They were opposites in almost every way.... One vibrant, loud, powerful.... The other
cold, secretive, and skillful.... Pale and tan, dark and light, black and blonde, earth and
sky, moon and sun....


They would destroy each other.


Neither had anything left to lose. One had it stolen away and one never had it to begin
with. They were at the forefront of two sides, and they were destined to face each other to
the death. One could never triumph over the other, and in the end, they would both win...
and both lose.


Sakura knew this all... she could see it in their eyes. The time was drawing nearer each
day to the event that would tear them apart.


The air around her suddenly grew cold. She shivered.


Both boys embodied the spirit of live fast, love hard, and die young. Half their lives were
already over, and somehow, she knew that they knew this.... It was in the way that they
never backed down, and lived each day like it could be their last. These sparring sessions
that they had... they were practicing for that day.


Sakura turned over on her back and looked at the sky. The clouds floated by on an unfelt
gentle breeze, lifting her low spirits. She could not change what was to happen; but she
could enjoy the time she had been granted to have with them. She closed her eyes, and let
her memories take her into a reverie...


A shadow fell across her, and she knew who it was before he even spoke.


"Sakura?" a low, sleepy voice asked. She opened her eyes, and for a moment, let her
knowledge be revealed in them. She saw the reflection of it in Kakashi-sensei's one
visible eye, and quickly let it hide back behind her pools of green.


"Time to go?" she asked. He nodded and she sat up.


The sounds of fighting had ceased, and she gave a quick look over to where the boys had
been. They were now sprawled out in the grass, having tired each other out. They were
still trading insults, however, and Sakura smiled at that.


"Snapshot," she said quietly, and committed the scene to memory. Kakashi-sensei gave
her a look, and she could tell he was smiling.


"Snapshot," he repeated, before disappearing in a small cloud of smoke.


Sakura sighed and looked to the sky again. Destiny dealt hard blows to all of them, but
she knew that the time she had she would cherish for many years to come. All of life was
a countdown to the end, but sometimes, that countdown doesn't matter. You have today,
and this moment, and that's all you need.


~Owari~



CA: Well, whatcha think? Sakura's little innate ability to know things is actually a little
quirk of mine. It freaks people out sometimes, but my friends have learned to live with it.

Shiva: Doesn't Drako have it, too?

CA: Similar, but not exactly the same. Just as useful, though. ^-^ Well, you know the
drill... reviews, please?

Shiva: And what about flames?

CA: Well, I don't what anyone would be mad about, but sure, flames are okay. It's all
reviews in the end, and without flames, how else do you really judge your work?