He turned, angling his face away from her as he drew his legs into a sitting postion. Arms tightly huggging his knees to his chest while shadows engulfed them both.
"Sakura-Chan" he stared off into the distance as he spoke,"He ditched us didn't he? Sasuke betrayed us..."
She seemed to choke on the words she'd planned to comfort him with. 'It's alright Naruto' and 'Everything is going to be fine' didn't seem to cut it anymore. Because honestly, what can you say to ease the loss of somthing of that magnitude? How could mere words heal the gap in his heart the Uchiha took when he left? How could Sasuke do this to him? How could he do this to both of them?
"Naruto" she whispered lightly. "Oh, Naruto..." she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, drawing him to her.
A heartbroken girl cradling a heartbroken boy, alone in the dark.
With a gentle hand she guided his head to her shoulder. One hand stroaking messy blonde locks, while the other traced intracate patterns on his arm. A soft tune came from her lips as she hummed, rocking him back and fourth. Her body straining to make her touch a warm, and loving one.
She could feel the boy tense in her arms for a moment. Out of surprise or resentment to her embrace she wasn't sure. But as her unearthly lullaby continued his mussules slowly became lax, and his eyes closed to a half-lidded postion.
"Sakura-Chan" he paused and began again,"Sakura-Chan it hurts so bad..."
Her teeth grit as he tightly clutched the orange fabric above his heart.
"I know Naruto. I know." her lips butterfly kissed his cheek a couple times,"I'm so sorry Naruto. So, so sorry."
Pulling him closer she rest her head atop his. The two mourning teammates hidden in night's darkness, away from roaming eyes.
For another two hours they sat like this. Naruto unable to come to terms with this new emptiness. And Sakura uttering the same phrases over and over again. 'I know Naruto. I know. I'm so sorry Naruto. So, so sorry'
Their grief consuming them until Naruto finally fell asleep; Sakura still holding him.
She readjusted the boy in her arms before gazing upwards. Looking at the stars now, she felt so small. So small, and so alone.
'Why Sasuke-Kun? Why?' tears swelled in her eyes,'Did you hate us that much?'
She gasped, glancing down as she felt somthing at her hand. There, Naruto had wrapped his fingers around hers. Charming a faint smile out of her by doing so.
"Don't worry Naruto" she murmured to the sleeping boy,"This pain will stop" Bending down so that her mouth was right beside his ear she spoke in soothing tones to him,"You can have my heart if it makes yours whole again"
He fidgeted slightly, and battered her tickling lips away. Pulling back,she let him sleep once more.
"That's a promise" she whispered before closing her eyes for the night.
Most wouldn't have expected her to make that sort of pledge. Especially to Naruto. Most would think she'd throw herself into her training to block out the grief. Sit in her room and cry all the time. Commit suicide, or even go after the Uchiha. But she didn't. Her life stayed the same, with just a little more of Naruto that before. The way she looked at it, if Sasuke had wanted her to be with him he would have told her so. Even if it was just to use her unique abilities as a weapon at his disposal. He would have voiced his desire to have her come along with him. But he hadn't. He chose to leave her in Konoha. With her family and friends. And she was fine with that now. She had a mission to complete until Sasuke came back.
To support Naruto, and comfort him when he began to dwell on the Uchiha.
That, she believed, was why Sasuke left her behind. He left her to complete an unspoken duty in his stead. And she would carry out his last request until he returned.
Until team seven was whole again
Please r and r