The days had seemed so long without the eccentric blond around. Time never passed by this slow in Konoha. Weeks were forever, days endless, without the comforting laughs of her childhood friend, Naruto Uzumaki. Sakura scanned the flawless blue sky, as if she was searching for an answer that was unreachable. For a moment, she felt the comfort of the Kyuubi, but it went away as the wind blew. Why did she cling onto something so desperately when it never used to matter?
Of course she was going through her normal routine. Every moment seemed to go slower than the one before. There was nothing unexpected, everything was predictable. But a violent hit to her shoulder broke the cycle. Past the pain was a hint of excitement for something new. Tsunade panted slightly, taking a moment to gather herself. "I came as fast as I could. We are gathering as many villagers as possible to quell the fighting..." She managed to say, wiping the sweat from her cheeks. There wasn't a moment of hesitation.
Fire blazed as it licked at the wooden homes, making them collapse under the lack of support. Where was Naruto when you needed him? Angry villagers were pushing against each other, yelling and questioning for the answer of why their home was burning to the ground. A man stood alone at the far end of the road, but nobody seemed to notice. Sakura's will welled up in her chest, until it had to escape with a yell. "Hey! Everybody stop fighting!" And with that, hundreds of confused eyes seemed to burn into her. "That's better."
"Why is everyone fighting? Do we know who is responsible?" She questioned, looking into the faces of the mob. They glanced around, glaring into the direction of a shadowy figure that isolated themselves from the group. A small grin appeared onto the dirty face, nothing to trace an identity. Until fiery red sharingan had lit up the night. Smoke passed, blurring them for a moment, but soon returned to a stare that could shake someone's entire being within seconds.
"...Sasuke-kun..." She whispered, moving slowly towards the figure. "Sasuke!" Her voice raised, as well as her pace from walking to full on sprinting. Tears fell behind her, but shock flooded glazed green eyes. Her arms wrapped around a cold body, pale and full of cruel intention. Fingers crept up quickly, and before she could breath an unbelievable pain shot through her. And she was on the ground writhing in disbelief. That cold stare never broke away, making the emptiness even more bitter.
He leaned down quietly, his eyes distant and different from the years before. She shivered at the feeling of his fingers brushing against her. "Sakura...this is the end." Everything had faded to absolute darkness. There was no sound, there was no thought, there was no noise. She gripped so desperately onto the conscious that she was trying to regain. Her eyes slid open, the surroundings blurry and demented. The spinning had made her dizzy, and she quickly shut her eyes again.
A voice, distant but familiar echoed through her ear, "Sakura-chan...are you okay?" It seemed close. Who was it? Emerald jewels sparked with surprise once they had caught a glimpse of the speaker. "...Naruto...?" She gasped, feeling his arms supporting her from the hard floor. A hint of happiness had run through her heart, causing butterflies to churn in her stomach. He had left on a long term mission. He wasn't supposed to return for another couple months. Why was he here? So many questions had run through her head within those few minutes.
"Sasuke ran off...I tried to catch up but you were hurt." He lowered his head as if he was going to be punished. "Idiot..." She choked, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Sakura wrapped her arms around the Kyuubi, holding him as if she never wanted to let go. "Thank you." She whispered, as the rain fell upon them, quenching the fire. He was all she needed.