Sleepwalking Past Hope

Chapter 6: Mourning

All we can do is to wail and weep to the saddest song,
Sleepwalking past hope.

-HIM

Surprise, I told you your loved ones would pay for your refusal.

-Kabuto

Sakura blinked various times looking at the note. She read it like three times, but it didn't seem to make sense. Or in reality she didn't want it to make sense. "What does this…?" Her question trailed off as she kept staring at the note in her hands.

"Your parents are dead Sakura." Tsunade said staring at her student's pained expression; she watched her whole world crumble in one moment while she was able to do nothing.

"What do you mean they're dead? They can't be…" Sakura whispered holding the paper close to her.

"They are Sakura, we found them this morning along with that note you hold in your hands." Tsunade sighed rubbing her forehead watching her student process in the information, she knew it was hard.

"But it can't be true. Sasuke got rid of them years ago!" She yelled in desperation her eyes begging Tsunade to tell her it was just a lie.

"Sasuke killed Orochimaru, he never killed Kabuto. But after not hearing anything from him in years we did think he was dead." Shizune informed Sakura, but Sakura didn't hear past 'he never killed Kabuto'.

She stood there for a moment in shock looking at the ground, but not quite seeing it. She had lost her parents, the only family she had was gone. It seemed unreal; she had just seen them like what? One day, two days ago?

It was horrible how one day everything could be perfect, things would start to turn for the better and then it all falls apart without so much as a second. She had thought Kabuto dead, never did she think he would come back to make good on his promise. She gripped the note tightly in her hand before putting it away on her pocket. She didn't know what she should do, it felt just like when Sasuke had left all over again and she wasn't sure if she could face that again. At least Sasuke had a chance of coming back because he hadn't died… her parents were just gone, never to return.

She noticed then how she wasn't even crying; no tears fell down her eyes for the death for her parents. She was still expecting them to greet her as soon as she got home.

Kabuto was supposed to be dead; Sasuke killed Orochimaru why would he leave Kabuto alive? She didn't think it through and landed on one conclusion. Aside Kabuto there was another one responsible for their deaths; Sasuke for letting Kabuto leave.

She turned and started walking away from Tsunade and Shizune without a word. Sakura could barely hear them call after her, telling her to stop, to calm down, and not to do anything stupid. But did it matter? She had no one left, she felt alone.

Surprise. The note read and indeed it was a surprise, the worst one possible.

Once outside the Hokage's office she ran making her way towards Ichiraku, memories of her parents racing through their mind. Every time her mother smiled, whenever her dad did a bad joke, when her mother would scold her dad for whatever he did wrong. It couldn't be true. Kabuto had to be dead; Sasuke couldn't have left him alive. But there was only one person who could answer that for her.

Sasuke.

She saw him come into view standing with his back turned to her in front of the ramen stand while Naruto wondered which ramen to eat first and Kakashi sat in a stool with his favorite book in hand. She came to a stop watching how careless they looked, they didn't seem to share the pain she felt at the moment and Sakura had to wonder… was this how Sasuke felt?

She walked over to them or in reality over to Sasuke who once he noticed her presence turned toward her. Sasuke turned to see Sakura staring up at his eyes. Yet, instead of the expressionless Sakura he'd seen most of the time since his return, her face and eyes were filled with pain.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted her, but she didn't seem to notice. Kakashi closed his book looking worriedly at his former student.

"Sasuke…" She spoke, her voice breaking and Sasuke couldn't help but notice how absolutely vulnerable she looked. Her green eyes bore into his and he couldn't turn away. It reminded him of the night he left the village, when she had tried to stop him. In his mind he saw the twelve year old Sakura with tears streaming from her eyes.

"If you were to leave me I would just be as alone as you." She had told him that night before she confessed she loved him. In the end he always caused her pain. And now she wore the same expression she did that night. As if she'd lost everything all over again.

"Did you kill Kabuto…?" She asked in no more than a whisper her eyes pleading him to say yes.

Naruto and Kakashi stiffened at the sound of the name and turned their heads to look at Sasuke, waiting for his answer. Sasuke remembered the say he left Orochimaru's hideout after killing the snake sannin. He had encountered Kabuto, but left him live. Not thinking him a threat.

"No." He answered and saw Sakura's eyes widen, he thought she was going to cry but she didn't. Suddenly she slapped him, with all the strength she could muster, her hand lingering on his face as she glared at him. He was dumbfounded wondering why she'd hit him. It hurt; Sakura could hit hard even when she didn't use her chakra.

"Why didn't you kill him?! I thought you would at least do that right!" She shrieked at him and he flinched at the sound of her voice, her voice sounded desperate. So unlike the composed Sakura he's seen since his return.

"What's wrong Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked worried walking over to Sakura he extended his hand to hold her but she slapped him away.

"Sakura what happened?" Kakashi intervened getting up from the stool and standing beside Naruto.

"Kabuto! He came back and killed my parents." She screamed sending a glare over to Kakashi and Naruto whose faces turned from worried to shocked, she then turned to Sasuke. "None of this would have happened if you killed him." She threw the words at him and Sasuke knew she was right. In the end he always did cause her pain.

"I'm sorry Sakura." He spoke surprising everyone but her.

"That won't bring them back Sasuke…" She told him with a heart breaking expression.

"I know." And he did know, he had gone through that. Everyone had told him how sorry they were, but none of it would bring them back. He knew better than anyone.

She turned her head away from him a frown on her face as she turned around to leave. Sasuke could just watch her even though something told him to reach out to her. Naruto and Kakashi tried to stop her but she glared at them in warning before going on her way not once looking back at him. Sasuke watched her back until she disappeared from view, it was all so familiar.

After that he had decided to take a walk around the village without a destination in mind, he just needed to walk and be alone. Naruto tried to stop him, but was ignored. In the end he found himself in the training grounds where the bell test had taken place long ago.

Those who abandon their friends are lower than scum.

Kakashi had thought them that a few years ago and at the moment he did feel worse than scum. The moment Sakura needed him the most he had let her walk away, left her alone when he was the only one that understood exactly what she was going through.

He had always thought she would never learn this kind of pain, but he was proved wrong, the first time was on his behalf and the second time for the loss of her family. In a way it was his fault, if he had killed Kabuto when he had the chance none of it would have happened. It could have been avoided. But he felt superior and thought that Kabuto wouldn't be a match for him so he left him alive.

He was now regretting his decision, it had caused Sakura pain.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" The copy ninja spoke snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.

"Taking a walk." Sasuke replied looking over the training grounds

"I see, got lost in the road of life?" Kakashi asked looking at who once was his favorite student, he reminded Kakashi so much of himself when he was younger.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted and Kakashi smiled sadly under his mask. He knew why he was there alone. He was reflecting on the past he regretted leaving behind for a useless revenge. He was also probably thinking about what happened to Sakura's parents. It was a real shame.

"What happened to her parents wasn't your fault." Kakashi told him making Sasuke look at him.

"She thinks it is and I think so too. I should have killed him." Sasuke muttered, frowning.

"She just thinks so because she's hurt now, I know she doesn't really blame you." Kakashi half smiled under his mask.

"Why would Kabuto do that to her parents?" Sasuke asked; it was something he had been wondering as he took a walk through the village.

"There was some previous history between Sakura and Kabuto." Kakashi sighed and saw as Sasuke stiffened slightly. "Not that kind of history." Kakashi chuckled slightly as he saw Sasuke relax.

"You know Sakura is one of the best medics in the Fire Country trained by the Hokage herself, Kabuto took an interest to her. It was back then when you were still with Orochimaru." Kakashi paused looking at Sasuke who actually seemed to be listening. "As you probably already noticed Sakura is a skilled kunoichi, an excellent medic, and a beautiful woman. Kabuto became obsessed with her; every time she went on a solo mission he would find her trying to convince her to go with him, Sakura started to feel uneasy, Kabuto was a strong ninja."

"Why did no one do anything about it before?" Sasuke asked accusingly. He didn't like the thought of Kabuto stalking Sakura though he wasn't sure why.

"It got to the point where the Hokage was going to do something about it, it was a threat to Sakura, but Sakura stopped her. Sakura knew that she could use Kabuto to find you, she hoped to bring you back and though we disagreed she was stubborn. Kabuto had anticipated her plan to use him to find you and so he took her to one of Orochimaru's many hideouts and of course you weren't there, it was abandoned." Kakashi paused for a moment sighing, it had been so close. "Kabuto tried to have his way with her… Naruto and I had decided to follow them in case something went wrong and we got there just in time, he hadn't done anything to her luckily. He told her that there was a price for that refusal." Kakashi finished casting his gaze over Sasuke.

"Why didn't you kill him?" Sasuke hissed anger clear on his voice.

"Sakura wasn't hurt, but she was shaken…she was scared. We decided it was more important to get her back to Konoha, back to safety." Kakashi explained and Sasuke understood. The good thing was that he hadn't done anything to her.

"This was Kabuto's payback." Sasuke said, but it was more of a question.

"Yes." Kakashi nodded closing his eyes for a moment.

It was then that Sasuke remembered something Kabuto once told him. "Don't you miss them? Hmm, then I guess I have permission to have my fun with her." At the moment Sasuke hadn't known who he was talking about, but now it made sense. It was Sakura.

"Go and see Sakura, you're the one that understands exactly what she's going through." Sasuke heard Kakashi say and it was the only motivation he needed to go see her. It felt wrong to leave her alone in a moment like this, especially as he knew that she would have done the same for him.

Kakashi gave him directions to Sakura's house and he quickly left knowing she'd be in her home. After all, he once did the same.

A/N:

I know I took a long time to update but as some of you may know well I have a lot of college work. It hasn't been easy. This week I guess I'll be able to take it easy so here's the result a chapter! Thanks to all those who read and reviewed the last chapter, I was so happy to find 28 reviews! :)

Anyway, I know this chapter wasn't what all of you wanted but I still hope you all liked it. Let me know what you think as usual. I hope to have the next chapter ready soon. And for those of you who haven't check out my others stories.

Any comments, questions, advice, suggestions or whatever please do write in the box below. Anything is appreciated.

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