A.N. : It's short, it's sad and it made me sniffle. I tend to be a little morbid when in a bit of a depressed mood. Sorry. Ah.. Yeah. I wanted to say something else, but I forget. Reviews are appreciated, no flames please.
"Two weeks and a nickle passed Sunday." What a funny thought, one that she spoke of to her friends so often. She laughed. God why did it feel so great to fall? Snorting, pink hair was obscured by the smoke that rose in the air.
"Sakura?" Naruto's gaze was piercing. He was grinning, and his eyes were glassy, but not as glassy as hers.
"Huh?" She was upside down now, rather, laying with her head in his lap as she held her joint up in one hand, her other hand spreading in the air above her, playing with a lock of hair. She was smiling stupidly. She felt infinite right now. Like Charlie says in Perks. This made her snort, which earned a look from Naruto.
"Can I love you tonight? I know I'm not supposed to.. But tonight's alright.. You're not getting treatments in the morning, right? You're done for the next two days, aren't you?" Sakura merely nodded and accepted the head that was leaning down to her lips. Naruto tasted of grass and ramen. She revelled in it, until she was distracted by wandering hands.
The next morning, Naruto woke up to Sakura spitting up blood on the bathroom floor. He rushed her to the hospital, drying tears replaced constantly with newer ones. Sakura didn't really much get to see him cry, but felt it.
"It's okay.." She whispered, patting his arm, smearing more blood onto it. Naruto only shook his head and sniffled, teeth gritting and violent racks shaking him. "I shouldn't have. You were too weak.. You're.." She smiled and tugged him down for a kiss. It tasted of copper and tears. Naruto's fingers dug into the pillows beneath here, smearing blood on the sanitary sheets. He hated the hospital, not as much as her.
"Ahem." A nurse broke them apart, looking stern and disapproving. The look morphed into softness and she sighed. "I'll give you some more time before we start treatments.." Leaving the room, her eyes showed a downcast. Even with chemotherapy, she wouldn't live more than a year.
"Naruto. The doctor gave me a fresh batch." Sakura came to his house by wheelchair, struggling to get through the door. Naruto helped her in, grabbed some lighters and helped her light up. They shared more kisses, but didn't hold each other that night.
"You wanna know something? I think we're going to look back at this and laugh one day. We're going to laugh and laugh and we'll float away, like smoke.." Her hands danced in his hair and she coughed before laughing. He laughed as well, forced and strained.
Four months later, Naruto lit up in cold air, shivering and tucking himself in his jacket, against cold stone. "Sakura.. I want to love you again. I wish I could. You're all warm and it's so cold.." His voice cracked and his forehead pressed against the headstone. "So cold without you here." Another long drag. Running his fingers across the letters, he hummed.
"You know that Sasuke came back from the army.. He didn't say much.. but when he asked where you were.." A sob racked his body. "He was so mad. He wanted to propose, y'know? It's all fucked up and nothing makes sense.. He asked if we.. did it. I told him.. and he was fine with it. I don't know why. And I punched him. And then I cried. And I can't stop. And I can't remember how to feel warm."
A week later, Naruto was out of jail and Sasuke was bringing him to Sakura with a slightly bruised jaw. They both lit up and laughed and talked and fought. They cried when Sakura didn't punch them for misbehaving. They both fell in love with a sick girl. A girl who left them after promising them her love. It was upsetting. It was unsettling. This left them churning and their throats burned.
Even now, Naruto's throat burned. He was kissing different lips that belonged to a girl that claimed she was in love with him. She promised him pleasure and love and he couldn't stand it. He bawled into her chest, and she held him until he fell asleep. He was happy for that. Hinata never grew angry when this happened. She only consoled him.
Sasuke left again. Naruto didn't know where he'd gone, only that he had packed his things and left in the night. He only got a text saying he'd see him later, much later. That he wasn't coming back to Konoha. He never did. After a car accident, the male was left blind and half crazed, in a special institute to deal with those that were mentally injured. Naruto visited him every chance he got.
And life moved on. When Sasuke was let out, they visited Sakura again. Her tombstone was cracked and weeds hid her name, along with beer bottles. Stupid teens. Stupid people. No one had respect for her, no one ever did, no one but them. They always loved her. Always would. Something that wouldn't ever change. But life moved on, and they saw her less, cried less and soon, never came to see her tombstone at all. A tombstone that was bulldozed and paved over.
"Hey Sasuke?" The boy hn'd in response. "It's two weeks and a nickle passed Sunday, did you know?" Sasuke chuckled, and Naruto guided the male to the kitchen, Hinata cooking with two kids at her dress, tugging the ruffles for attention. Naruto let out a bitter smile and rubbed his tired face.
"Let's go to that parking lot tomorrow and reminisce." Sasuke agreed and they set a time. And that was the end.
Fin.