A/N: Yeah, so here's the first fanfic I wrote for Naruto. I apologize in advance if there's too many mistakes and OOC-ness here. I'm still trying to grasp the Narutoverse. Gomen, gomen :)
Neji's dead…
Those words still echoed in her mind and haunted her sleep even after a year he has been dead…no, he sacrificed himself to protect Naruto and Hinata from what would have been a fatal attack that could have claimed the couple's lives and throw this hard-earned peace in another era of chaos. He was the catalyst that boosted their morale to end this war…no, that was wrong. His death was source of anger to exact revenge upon the murderers.
Why can't she be like Hinata? Introverted, meek and shy but had the most courageous heart to stand in the face of danger, in the face of certain death just to be with Naruto, just to be with the one she loves. She could almost laugh at herself for her own weakness, for her own inability to do things with utmost devotion and unyielding selflessness. If this was a story, she would be a far cry from being the main heroine. She was supposed to be strong. She trained to be strong, so as not to be a burden, so as not to be the one staring at the backs of her teammates. After everything, she's still weak and utterly useless.
Why can't she do a damn thing? No, the right thing to say was, why didn't she do a thing. She had one job and she didn't do one damn thing. At least she could have saved his life, the one person who managed to turn back her scorned and stone heart into what it was supposed to be, an emotional tool. Why, of all people must be the next person her heart yearned for, always, always leave her broken?
The answer was plain and simple. She was afraid. She chickened right where she was needed. A pathetic excuse of a shinobi who just stood frozen in place as Neji laid dying in Naruto's arms. Selfish to the point of allowing others to be killed just for her to survive. She was supposed to be a top-class medic. She was supposed to be the apprentice of one of the Legendary Sannin, heir to the Princess' medical and taijutsu expertise.
'Tsunade-sama… Granny Chiyo, I have failed you.' She mused in self-disgust. She should have brought him back to life. She'd experienced the limits of what the Strength of the Hundred Seal can do. If she didn't cower in fear, then she could have saved him. The technique can be transferred and by the use of Creation Rebirth, his life will be spared and maybe, maybe right now he's still alive and well.
"I'm sorry, Neji…" Sakura whispered in the shadows of her room as she stood up to start her day mechanically. Mechanically, as in do everything in patterns with no more conscious effort. It was easy, though. Now that the war has finally ended once and for all, her assignments were reduced to menial tasks. Basically, she will only have to tire herself in doing her shift at the hospital and teaching medical jutsu to whoever wanted to. These, she did with a fake smile. However, as of the present, their numbers have dwindled, giving her more time to loathe herself even more. Why can't she forget? Or better yet, why can't the world give her the numbness already? Was it too much to ask?
Her knees gave up and only then, when the pain shot up from the grazed skin on her legs that she realized that she was in the middle of the street alone and the sun has yet to rise in the east. This again? She's been feeling this way ever since the end of the war. Her knees weakening, her whole body crumpling as her stomach revolted in agony, the recurring headaches and the frequent nosebleeds. None knew about this, not even her Tsunade-sama. But today's different. Though she doesn't have a proof of that, she felt it. And for that, a tiny spark of gratitude bubbled in her stomach. Maybe with this she'll be able to atone for her sins.
"Sakura-san?" A sweet voice managed to reach her ears. Who knew someone was as an early riser as she was. She looked up to find the face of the person she knew she failed the most. Hinata. She was dressed in black training clothes. Maybe she's exercising for her not to get rusty. "Are you alright, Sakura-san? You're pale." The Hyuuga asked as features creased in worry.
"Good Morning, Hinata-san!" It still amazed her up to this point on how a small part of her managed to genuinely smile, especially to this person who she owed too much. Maybe it was Hinata's gentle nature that compelled her to actually grace her lips with the smallest of smiles.
"Please, Sakura-san, don't avoid…" Veins started to creep near her eyes as her face contorted in horror."…the…subject…You!" Alarm blared loudly at the Hyuuga's system. She saw it. Something's definitely wrong within Sakura's chakra flows. It was as if she was…she was…fading.
"Please, Hinata-san. Don't tell anyone." Sakura pleaded, deducing that the clanswoman has finally learned of the hard-kept year secret. She stood up, pink locks swayed in the air as a gentle breeze flew towards the darkened area.
"B-But S-Sakura-san…" Hinata protested, tears brimming from her eyes. "Maybe Tsunade-sama, Naruto-kun or Sasuke-san can do something about it…" The raven-haired girl choked on her own words, trying not to bawl in the middle of the streets.
"Don't tell anyone, please, Hinata-san. Especially Naruto and Sasuke…" The pink-haired kunoichi begged, bowing so lowly.
"But why?!" The shy girl finally snapped, glaring with tear-filled eyes at Sakura.
Tsunade-sama's apprentice just shook her head and smiled at her reassuringly, tears streaking across her cheeks. "No jutsu can reverse this. Not one. Even Naruto or Sasuke-kun's massive chakra can't undo this."
"No!" The Hyuuga blurted out. "We can get help and…and…Just please, Sakura-san, don't give up! What about Tsunade-sama?! She can do a thing about this!"
"She can't and even if I told her, she knew that nothing can be done anymore." Sakura wrapped the girl, trying to calm her down with a tight hug. "My time is already up, Hinata-san."
"T-Then w-what c-can I d-do?" Hinata sobbed, her voice broke as she returned the hug.
"Will you accompany me, Hinata-san, in the remaining moments of my life?" Sakura released her hold and patted the crying girl's head. Something about seeing Naruto's admirer was releasing her sadness made the medic's eyes stung again as tears started to gather again in her eyes.
"H-Hai! I-I w-will!" Hinata wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her black clothes.
"Thank you. Now, let's go to the Third Training Ground." She smiled as she dragged the meek girl towards the place they all knew and remembered too well, the place where every hardship as a genin took place, the place where Naruto, Sasuke and her finished their bell training with Kakashi-sensei. The place where everything started for all of them…
Arriving there almost took no less than mere minutes when you're an esteemed ninja. The sun has yet to make its appearance. The place stood as it has been throughout the years. Everything was still intact. The view of the mountains in the landscape was as strong and majestic as ever even in this ungodly hour. The rushing of the large, deep river still managed to calm Sakura. The rich verdant surroundings provided the natural symphony of sounds of the wild. The three stumps lined side by side in the glade in its center brought them back to the time of childhood. Everything about this place screamed nostalgia.
"Naruto said that this is the place where you said the he was a proud failure who never gives up." Sakura suddenly spoke out of the blue. The pink-haired medic chuckled when she heard her companion let out a small squeak.
"R-Really?" Hinata squeaked again. She turned around to see the raven-haired clanswoman blushing red.
"Yep…" Sakura fell down on her knees again, gasping for air and clutching her pained stomach. Her limbs contorted in an unnatural way. She was convulsing. Hinata quickly ran towards her side, taking the weak girl's arm and wrapping it around her shoulders to support her as they trudged and sat beside a tree. "Thanks." Sakura smiled weakly.
"Sakura-san, maybe we should get some help." Hinata suggested as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. Her posture was obviously nervous. The rosette just shook her head.
"Um, Hinata-san?" Sakura looked up with tired eyes, her vision getting blurry.
"Yes?" The noblewoman approached her, letting her pink-haired comrade lie down on the grass and her head on her lap. She could see it with her Byakugan…everything…every chakra path, every vein…they were all fading away slowly and painfully.
"I'm glad that Naruto has someone like you." Tears rapidly escaped the pink-haired medic's eyes as she started what supposed to be her 'last testament.' "I know he's an idiot but continue supporting him. I've always regretted the days I've felt disgusted to be in his presence. I was bitch to him back then and still am now." She gave off a tiny chuckle. "I know he's a handful and a pervert but I know that I can leave him in your hands. Hit him if he went overboard." Sakura paused, gathering oxygen. "I know that you'll do this even if I didn't say it but please, take care of him for me. Don't let him eat just a single kind of food. Ramen might complicate his digestive system. Cook many, okay?" Sakura chuckled, vision completely fading.
"Hai! Hai! Hai!" Hinata answered, nodding furiously at each request, voice breaking with each answer.
"I'm sorry, Hinata-san. For everything. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to save Neji-kun. I'm sorry that you have to lose your cousin. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being weak and afraid. "
"It's okay, Sakura! It's not your fault! Neji-niisan did what he had to do." After finishing the sentence, the waterworks finally opened and unstoppable flow of tears came from the girl's pearl eyes, teardrops soaking the medic's forehead.
"You called me Sakura." Sakura pointed out, clearly taken aback by the girl's lack of use of honorific and initiative to take familiarity, and for that, the rosette smiled in gratitude. "Thank you."
"Sakura…" Hinata nudged the pink-haired girl's shoulders. With her Byakugan activated, she can see now that Sakura's life energy was fading away.
"Hi-Na-Ta…" She spoke in syllables silently.
"Sakura-chan, here you are." A familiar voice spoke. Even without her vision, she knew who the damn was. Naruto. "What are you doing here with…" Naruto's words fell short when she saw the two persons before him. Sakura's head was on Hinata's lap. The Hyuuga was crying.
"N-Naruto-k-kun-n…" Hinata hiccupped, both hands covering her mouth.
"What's happening?!" Naruto demanded, his voice rising with every word, making the raven-haired woman to flinch.
"Naruto…" Sakura called weakly. This snapped him because in an instant, he was beside the seemingly sleeping Haruno. "Don't blame Hinata…" Once again, the medic raised her right hand to search for the Uzumaki.
"I'm here." Naruto took her weak hands and held it with both hands. Her skin was running cold.
"What the?! Let's get you to Tsunade-baachan. She can heal you in no tim…"
"It's not something you can heal, Naruto." Tsunade's voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Her tone was grave and she can only turn her head away from the carefully laid body. Anger seeped into Naruto in seeing such defeated state. How could she stay so calm even if her apprentice was dying?!
"Are you just giving up, Tsunade-baachan?!" Naruto ran towards the blonde woman, gripping her clothes and glaring daggers at her solemn state. "You're supposed to be the most powerful medic in the world!" The blond boy spat but the woman just shook her head, throat holding by silent whimpers. "You were a former Hokage!" He accused.
"I know, Naruto!" Tsunade finally snapped. "I've always known about her state!"
"Then why didn't you do a damn thing?!" This statement made his blood boil in resentment. His grip on her clothes tightened, tears flooding the three lines on his face. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Can you do something about this, Naruto? Huh?! Huh?!" The former Hokage's voice rose with each challenge. "I've done research but nothing! Damn, nothing came up!"
"S-Stop it, Naruto…" Sakura called, her voice was hoarse and raspy. "There's no cure."
"What the hell is this disease?!" He shouted, loosening his grip on the woman before him and knees giving up and falling on the grass, crying.
"It's not a disease. It is Creation Rebirth's effects." Tsunade interrupted them, her voice still solemn, wincing every so often in hesitation to speak lest she bawl. "Sakura used her Strength of a Hundred Technique in successions and in a prolonged amount of time during the war. A body's cells can only split a certain number of times and by speeding up the process, she basically shortened her natural…lifespan." The former Hokage's voice broke on the last word.
"B-But w-why?" Naruto crawled in all fours beside Sakura.
"It was a choice I readily made to end the war. That is my way of ninja." Sakura managed a small smile, sighed and continued. "Stupid Naruto." she chuckled. She took Hinata's hand and put it over the blond's "Naruto, protect and love Hinata with everything you have."
"I will, Sakura-chan! Just promise me you'll get well." He pleaded, tears streaking his cheeks and voice breaking. "Please, Sakura-chan…Please…"
"I'm sorry I can't keep that promise." Her hands fell again on the ground.
"Forehead!"
"Ugly!" Voices erupted in the clearing, followed by sets of footsteps. Even with her weak senses, she still managed to feel their familiar chakras. Everyone from her batch was there with her. Lee, Tenten, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru…even Akamaru was there. All of Konoha 11…yeah, eleven…Sasuke wasn't here. A sigh of disappointment escape her lips.
"Ino-pig…" Sakura said, barely a whisper, calling out as arms flailing to find her best friend.
"I've heard from Tsunade…" It was croak. Ino-pig is actually croaking. If Sakura could laugh hysterically, she would. Pigs don't croak, they oink. "I though we're best friends! Why are you doing this to me?!" Sakura, even with the deafening of her ears, she could hear the pained voice. She just gave off a chuckle.
"Don't you laugh on me, Forehead! I-I h-hate y-you! I'll steal Sasuke-kun if y-you go!"
"Ino, thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for saving me from those bullies. Thank you for everything…" Sakura paused, flinching in pain. "…and…and…I'm sorry for everything. There's this one last favor I want to ask…"
"Anything, Sakura…anything…" The pig sniffled.
"Please take care of my Mother and Father."
"H-Hai!"
"Sai?"
"I'm here, Ugly!"
"Take care of Ino. She's a pig but you'll get through to her."
"Yes." Yeah, still as unemotional as ever. If Sakura could move, she'll smack this guy into infinity and beyond.
"Naruto?"
"I'm here, Sakura-chan."
"Take care of Sasuke-kun."
"Give our best regards to Neji-niisan over there, okay?" Hinata spoke, sniffling.
"Yeah, go get your Neji." Tsunade teased in sad voice.
"H-Hai! Shannaro..." Sakura weakly pumped her arms in the air for the last time and it fell limply on the grass. She's feeling it, the warmth. The sun must have risen. Sakura could imagine it now, the sky colored with warm and vibrant colors…orange, yellow, pink. Here, where everything started and where everything will have to end, under the cherry skies.