those tears of silver glass
.
/Sakura/
Sakura doesn't cry anymore. She kills and she bleeds and she does everything under the sun that a Kunoichi does, but she doesn't cry. She walks on a line of finely woven dreams and she falls through, once in a while, but Sakura never-ever cries.
Because, she figures, after crying so goddamn much over one boy-man-missing nin-person-Sasuke, you don't really have enough left in you to cry anymore.
So Sakura doesn't cry anymore. She lives in a cacophony of promises that will never be kept and onyx eyes, but she doesn't cry.
She tells herself that it's for the best, and sometimes, she really believes that.
.
/Sasuke/
Sasuke has never cried. Not since Itachi. He has murdered without blinking an eye and he has laughed as he gained unattainable power, but he has never cried. He walks the path of a missing-nin Uchiha, a boy who is no longer a boy, but through it all, Sasuke doesn't cry.
Because, he understands, crying is a weakness. It was always what the elders said—if you cry, you are showing weakness. As a Shinobi, you must stay stoic. Therefore, you cannot cry.
So Sasuke doesn't cry. He looks at his old teammates regretfully, wishing for an alternative life, one where he is not the traitor, but he doesn't cry.
He tells himself that the elders were always right, and most of the time, he knows he's full of shit.
.
/Naruto/
Naruto always cries. He lives in a world of blood and steel, and he walks the streets as a Jinchuurki, and he has almost died uncountable times, but he has yet to stop crying. He has watched his best friend leave his life, the life he could have had forever, and he has endured hell, but still he cries.
Because, he has always known, crying shows that you are human. It is one of the ancient rules that he knows will remain forever, and it stays lodged in his heart.
So Naruto keeps himself human by crying. He watches his city fall, watches Sunagakure fall, and he cries. He watches his teammates wear themselves out as non-humans, never crying, so he cries for them.
He tells himself they will remain human if he cries for them, and he always says he's right.
.
(he's wrong.)