The Ink Butterfly
I sit on the couch with a heavy sigh. The tv is blaring some useless nonsense about some new and improved skin product that wouldn't ever work I was sure of it. My muscles and feet ached from a long day at the hospital. God and everyone decided they needed to get hurt or need my attention. The appointments came back to back to back. I was beat and everything hurt. I guess it was too much to ask to at least have a little bit of energy to spare for my boyfriend when he got home from his ANBU mission. Even though he'd never admit it he came back a mess quiet a few times needing me to patch him up. We've been dating for a year almost, in a few days it would be our year anniversary. A soft laugh escaped my lips helplessly. He was such and idiot sometimes but I loved him more than I thought I could ever love anyone. Even if he was a social leper sometimes I wouldn't trade him for anything. He'd never know it but I knew he saved me from myself. Before him I was on a path of self destruction even Naruto was fooled and you'd think the guy I considered my brother, and best friend would notice something like that. Though, Naruto was still as dense as ever even at the age of twenty and with a wife to knock some sense into his thick skull.
He'd been my rock through hard times despite how cliché that line was. A smile graced my face as I shook my head at the thought o him. He was different than anyone else and yet there were aspects of him that were very much like other people once you saw past the front he put up. Though cleverly hidden he had his own insecurities too just like other people. To think a seduction mission that they both had to go on started all of it. I kept attracting every man but the person we were looking for. He kept grouching about my lack of sexual appeal which completely pissed me off. A small chuckle escapes me as I think about it. I was so angry at him that one thing led to another. After we came back from that mission there had been a shouting match and then some heated sex and we've been together ever since. Like most couples we've had our ups and downs but mostly ups. When he wants to be he knows how to be a gentleman and on the flip side he knows how to be an ass too. I'll admit though I've seen a side of him that no one else has, not even Naruto. His affections maybe blunt and to the point most often but they were directed at me all the same. To others he was emotionally detached, but she understood. I knew that he loved me even though he never said it aloud to me.
Shaking my head I tilted my head back and started up at the off white color of the ceiling of our apartment. Randomly I half thought about painting the ceiling so when I was bored and just staring up I would have something nice to look at. It wasn't as often as one might think, but I sometimes do stare at the ceiling for no other reason then to try and find something that doesn't deal with a hospital or being a ninja at least when I'm alone.
"Great I'm starting to think like Sai."
Getting up sounded like a good idea but considering I didn't have the energy to get up and move I just sat there staring up at the ceiling imagining the shapes some of the odd patterns the ceiling had. With a heavy sigh I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair. I knew that I should get up and start getting my muscles and things relaxed for when he got home but something made me stay put. There was a feeling stirring somewhere inside of me, I can't explain it exactly but I know the feeling and something is up. It was a bad feeling that kept pounding in the back of my mind and heart. Getting up from the couch I went to the sliding glass door of our balcony and opened it. The summer's night wind rushed into the room bathing me in the scent of sun warmed leaves and earth. Normally the scent would comfort me but there was an unease rushing through me and unease I couldn't shake. In the distance I could hear the rumble of thunder. The metallic tang of the coming storm hit me suddenly. The sound of fluttering wings made me pause. A black butterfly came fluttering into the room. Something was wrong with it. I recognized one of Sai's ink creations. It stopped and flapped its wings as if waiting for me to do something. Then I realized what was wrong with it. Most of Sai's in creatures were completely black but this one had red in the wings and that meant that there was blood mixed into the ink. Scrambling for a piece of paper I laid it down on the table. The butterfly weakly fluttered towards the paper and landed with a splat on the paper. She watched as the outline of the butterfly remained but the inside moved and shift to reveal a message. My heart quaked as the message finally settled on four words;
'I Love You Sakura'
My vision started to swim as tears started gathering. So many emotions rushed through me like a tidal wave. It was like something heavy was sitting on my chest. I couldn't breath. A red and black butterfly signified a messenger of death. My legs gave out as I crashed to the floor. I knew without someone telling me that he was gone. The butterfly flopping down on the paper at the last moment told me as much. Outside the storm finally broke allowing my suffering to be heard only by the silence of our home; well now it was just my home, but now I couldn't even call it that anymore.