Title: "Distance"
Authoress: Sasukez
Anime: Naruto
Pairing: NejixSakura
Rating: K+ For: angst, mild violence, omegally mild language
Side Pairings: SasukexSakura, NarutoxSakura (if you squint)
Occasion: Lunar-Locket's birthday
Dedicated: Lunar-Locket
Disclaimer: The anime Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The song used in this story is titled "Broken" and is by Seether and Evanescence.
A/N: Please enjoy this fic and please leave lots of reviews! I've never written a story to this pairing and I don' t support it but I did this for my good friend Lunar-Locket. Don't flame me. Thank you! :) (Sakura-centric and some Sasuke bashing…much to my distaste 00.)
I wanted you to know that
I love the way you laugh
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away…
I keep your photograph and
I know it serves me well
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
You gone away, you don't feel me here, anymore
Sakura sat at her bedroom window and stared out across the village. It was quiet. It had been like this for weeks. Everyone had left. She had been left behind despite her begging. She didn't understand why Tsunade insisted on keeping her away from the battle. Sakura was a medical ninja and Tsunade had said herself that she was a pretty damn good one. So why was she sitting in her room, staring at nothing, while a war was raging? It had been a long time since Orochimaru's last attempt at destroying Konoha. The village had been so preoccupied with other problems that the threat from the Sound had been temporarily forgotten. Now the Sound Village and Konoha were at war and battling against each other. Sakura wasn't sure where the fighting was taking place but it had been lasting for weeks; maybe over a month. Her lover was there. He was putting his life at risk to defend his home while she sat at home and waited; safe and sound.
Why Tsunade? Why wouldn't you let me go?
Everyone was gone. Everyone she loved was gone: Kakashi, Naruto, Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru, Tsunade…and perhaps even the infamous Uchiha was there, wiping them all out. That seemed to be his goal after all: taking away everything she loved. She prayed that the traitor would at least leave her one thing. All she really wanted to keep was the one she truly loved: Neji Hyuga. Perhaps he would do the liberty of destroying her tormentor himself. She wouldn't have it any other way. She gazed at the orange sky (it was sunset) and pictured her dream scene: the demise of Sasuke Uchiha; the victory of Neji Hyuga.
'It was the end of the war and they were the last two standing. They faced each other glaring with those menacing eyes of blood red and silver. Her noble lover made the first move, his chocolate brown hair twisting in the air as he turned. Neji was incredibly fast but so was Sasuke. Each of Neji's blows was easily blocked and dodged. Neither man received a blow from each other's attacks. They were equally matched.
"How long do you plan on keeping this up?" Sasuke asked.
"As long as it takes," Neji replied. "I will defeat you. I will be the victor. I have something worth fighting for."
Sakura sighed dreamily. She never thought she would find someone that loved her like Neji did. In her fantasy land, she imagined Neji executing the final blow without flaw. He looked like a god on the battlefield; a white knight among the scattered bodies. But as Sakura looked at the red sky, she saw an outcome more like a nightmare. She saw that sword slicing through the air and mercilessly beheading her white knight. She quickly left the window and turned her back on the sky. It reminded her to much of blood.
Sakura sat on her bed and glanced at her bedside table that was covered with framed photos. Her eyes moved across them. There was the photo that had been taken so long ago of the old Team 7. She had no idea why she kept it. Team 7 no longer existed. There was the photo of all of them in an attempt to stand on each other's shoulders in a triangle shape. A smile sneaked its way onto her face. The famous rookie 9 was now the rookie 8. Her jade eyes finally fell on her favorite photo that Lee and Naruto had caught on camera. Neji had his arms wrapped around her neck from behind and she was laughing. She took the photo in her hands and ran a finger along Neji's picture. Maybe the only reason she had wanted to be in this battle was because she didn't want to be apart from Neji.
Please be safe. I miss you.
The worst is over now
And we can breathe again
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn
And no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away
Sakura couldn't remember falling asleep but she found herself waking up to sunlight and shouting. She was hugging her favorite photo to her chest. She rubbed her eyes and listened to the shouting she heard coming from outside in the streets. She set her photo back on the bedside table and went to the window. The sky was cerulean and dotted with fluffy white clouds. Below her, the people left in the village were running through the streets. Her first thought was that the Sound had infiltrated the village and everyone was running away in panic. She didn't bother running downstairs and out the front door. Instead she jumped out the window and landed on her feet in the street in front of her house. She stopped a woman that was running past.
"What's happening? Where is everyone running to?"
But instead of a look of terror on her face, the woman was crying with joy and a huge smile was plastered on her face.
"Everyone's going to the village Gate. We've won the war. The soldiers are home!" she replied.
The woman left Sakura in a state of joyful shock. She ran to the Village Gate. The whole village was gathered there. She recognized the faces of her comrades embracing their loved ones. She searched the sea of faces in search of her own loved one. Someone tapped her shoulder and she whirled around, ready to throw here arms around him. But it wasn't Neji. It was her blonde-haired, blue-eyed best friend Naruto.
"Naruto! Your okay!"
She gave him a friendly hug, not nearly as passionate as it would have been if it was Neji.
"Its good to see you again Sakura," Naruto replied.
They pulled away.
"So how'd it go?" Sakura questioned. "Is everyone okay? Did we lose anyone? Was Sa--"
She stopped and bit her tongue. She refused to say his name but her visions from the previous night were still haunting her. All Naruto said in response to her questions was this:
"Blossom field."
He walked away from her with a smile on his face. A smile tweaked her own lips. She knew exactly what he meant.
.:DiStAnCe:.
The dark green, leafy trees soon faded to pink flowers. She stepped into a field of cherry blossom trees. Petals danced in the light breeze. A tiny blue stream bubbled gently around the trees. Wispy, lime green grass swayed and brushed the bark of the trees. Sakura wandered further into the field. This was her and Neji's special spot. They came here all the time. It was just like Neji to meet her again here of all places.
Sakura's jade eyes traveled around the cherry blossom field carefully. She didn't bother calling out to see if he was present. He would know she was there even if he was on the other side of the field. All she could hear was the gentle wind whispering through the grass. She felt at peace, all her troubling visions were gone. She breathed deeply, taking in the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms.
"Sakura."
She smiled to herself. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. She spun around and ran into his arms. They held each other in a tight embrace.
"You're okay," she breathed in relief.
"I missed you," he whispered into her soft, pink hair. "But I'm glad you weren't there."
"Why? Did something happen?"
She pulled away from him slightly so she could look into those silver eyes.
"I don't think you could have handled it emotionally."
"He was there."
Her voice was full of ice. She still hated the Uchiha traitor but at least he spared her lover. If she lost Neji to the hand of the traitor, she would probably have stopped living.
"I hope you ripped out whatever he has for a heart."
"I only wish," Neji chuckled.
Sakura's icy demeanor melted under his laugh and she smiled.
"I was dreaming of you," she said, laying her head against his chest.
"I dreamt of you too. My dreams were the only things keeping me sane."
"Me too. I wish I had gone just so I wouldn't have to have been away from you."
"Lady Tsunade didn't want you to get hurt."
"I know. She just wants me to be safe."
"At least its over now and I don't plan on leaving you again."
Sakura looked at the face of her "white knight."
"You better not," she said jokingly.
"I promise I won't."
"Prove it."
They sealed the deal with a kiss.
Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away…
Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone…
You gone away, you don't feel me here anymore
Author's Review: At first I thought how the hell could Neji and Sakura be a couple? But now that I've written a fanfic to them I realize that they're not to bad! I liked this fic. Fluff is good for the soul. And no bashing Sasuke in the reviews. He's my lover and I love him and I hated calling him a traitor but Lunar-Locket hates him so I had to throw in the bashing so it would make the fic truly fabulous for her.