Hi.

I have returned from my slumber.

So I just noticed, but this story has close to 200 reviews! That's so amazing! Thank you to everyone who keeps coming back to read this rubbish, honestly. I'm so happy so many people like it!

The chapter is a bit short today, but there really wasn't much else I could put in here. I say this, but when I go back and read it I'll find some place where I've forgotten something, mark my words.

Enjoy.

Day 11: Breathing

Sakura was having a strange dream.

She was… stuck.

She was nestled in the side of a big I-Pylon, arms and legs trapped at her sides. The metal around her was freezing to the touch, scratchy and stinking of rust. But she couldn't move.

There were giant, rusty red rods rising above her. So many of them, she couldn't see the end of them. Slowly the rods began to fall, one after another, slotting into their corresponding pylons. It was neat and quiet as they fell against each other, forming a perfect wall.

Except, the one above her wasn't going to fit into its slot, because she was there.

Sakura felt like she was being crushed, she felt sick and shaky.

Down and down it came, again and again and again.

But each time, it didn't fit, and the sick feeling grew worse.

She wasn't meant to be here.

Sakura wretched.

Why did she feel so sick?

She wanted this dream to end. She didn't like it, not in any way.

But it didn't end, and she just felt worse and worse, like she might vomit at any time as the rod kept trying to slot home. It pressed down on her, making her feel like she might pop from the pressure, and then when it didn't fit, it sprang back up and the whole awful process started again.

She didn't fit.

She didn't fit.

It went on for what seemed like forever. And at the same time, it felt like everything was moving too quickly around her.

Something cool brushed over her forehead, featherlight. Startled, Sakura raised her hand to reach out for whatever it was and then realised she could move-

"-kura! Sakura, it's time to wake up now!"

Sakura jerked. Who was that?

"It's time to wake up now!"

There was a hand on her shoulder, firm and unyielding, rocking her very gently. She was suddenly aware again, of the fact that she was waking up-when had she gone to sleep? She was lying on something soft-where was she?

"Sakura, Sakura, hey, I need you to calm down, alright?" The voice said, soothing and warm.

Sakura didn't have control of her eyelids, she couldn't see properly. Everything was blurry.

Who was this woman with the blonde hair?

"Sakura, I need you to take a few deep breaths for me." The woman said, hand still on Sakura's shoulder. "You need to calm down a little, honey."

Sakura knew she was on a bed- where was she? Who were these people?

She was scared, and something was beeping loudly near her.

"Your heart rate is really high, Sakura. I need you to take a deep breath." The blonde woman said, looking over Sakura and then returning to smile at Sakura, honey brown eyes kind. "Sakura, Sakura, do you know who I am? Do you remember me?"

Sakura groaned, horrified at the weak, breathy noise that came out of her mouth. There was something down her throat, up her nose- her ankle was burning, and her arms felt so heavy. "Ah…"

"I'm Dr. Tsunade, remember? You're my intern." The woman said.

Lady Tsunade?

Sakura remembered her. She blinked hard, trying to clear her vision. "… am I?" She whispered. Her throat was so dry, and her skin felt too tight and hot. "… Ino? Naruto!"

"They're not here." Lady Tsunade said gently. "You can see them later, okay?"

Sakura tried to swallow. She was still disoriented. "What…?"

Lady Tsunade pressed a hand into the side of Sakura's face gently. "Don't worry about that, right now, okay? You're safe, you're in the hospital." She said, giving Sakura a smile. "I need you to calm down, Sakura."

The beeping noise.

A heart monitor?

Sakura tried to take a deep breath but choked on it, gasping and tears welling her eyes. Dr. Tsunade helped her through it with a few murmured words, stroking her shoulder carefully. She struggled, knowing she needed to calm down- she was safe, it was okay.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. It hurt her throat a little bit.

"Three more." Lady Tsunade said soothingly. "With me, Sakura. You remember my lessons, yes?"

"Yeah." Sakura managed to slur. She felt floppy and she didn't know why her head felt so heavy, but she pushed it away in favour of letting Lady Tsunade coach her through her breathing.

It took a little bit and Sakura kept trying to swallow whatever was down her throat, but eventually, she managed to calm herself down. She no longer felt so afraid or disoriented.

She was in the hospital.

And Lady Tsunade was here.

Her teacher smiled at her gently. "That's my girl." She said gently. "You're okay now."

"What happened?" Sakura managed to ask. Her voice was still weak, and she was slurring, but try as she might, she couldn't really get her mouth to work properly. "Why am I here? Where's Ino and Naruto?"

Lady Tsunade huffed. "You're really worried about them, huh?" She said quietly. "I'll go and call her, but only if you calm right down for me, okay?"

Sakura tried to nod, but it made her vision spin. She was vaguely aware of Lady Tsunade patting her hair gently, talking her through the sudden sharp pain in her skull. It took some time, but it passed, and she sagged against the squashy pillow.

Her teacher's face was tight with tiredness. "Just try not to move, Sakura. Just take deep breaths. Get your bearings."

Sakura tried really hard, she really did. It felt like there as cotton wool in her brain, clogging up all her thoughts and making everything move a lot slower than it shoulder. Her arm hurt. She was hot, and sticky.

She heard a beep from behind her.

Lady Tsunade smiled. "There you go. Come down for me."

Sakura struggled with her breathing, forcibly calming herself down.

"Good girl." Lady Tsunade soothed. The hospital room was quiet for a few minutes as Sakura focused on her breathing. She could feel her heart thundering away in her chest and did her best to make it slow down. "Alright Sakura, I need to ask you a few questions before you go back to sleep-"

Sakura shook her head. She did not want to go to sleep again.

"Shh, it's okay." Lady Tsunade said, straightening and picking up a clipboard Sakura hadn't noticed before. "Sakura, can you tell me your full name?"

Sakura knew why her teacher was asking her these questions… Or… she thought she did, Sakura wasn't really sure what was going on. Her throat hurt as she answered, "Sakura Haruno."

The rest of the questions were easy, simple things. The name of the hospital, her address, where did her parents live? What about Ino and Naruto? Simple things.

Blinking slowly, trying to force herself to feel more normal, Sakura answered all the questions. She was still confused. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was…

Red sand. Falling rock. Hot pain in her forehead. A shadow.

Madara.

Madara?

Sakura didn't… wasn't she forgetting something?

"I'll go and call your friends, okay?" Lady Tsunade said gently. She tucked the clipboard under her arm. "I'm sure they'll be happy to hear you're awake. That idiot Naruto has been bothering me since you came in. Blah, blah, blah- he has no concept of volume control, I swear!"

Sakura smiled weakly. That sounded like Naruto alright.

"And don't get me started on Ino. She talks more than you do!" Lady Tsunade continued. There was a soft look in her eyes. "I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you. In the meantime I brought in your second favourite person to look after you."

Sakura was confused.

Moegi poked her head around the door, wide eyed. She beamed, eyes turning into happy little half moons at the sight of Sakura. "You're awake!" She said, quite obviously restraining herself from bouncing around like she normally did. "Oh-"

And then she was gone.

Lady Tsunade sighed. "That girl… Such a scatterbrain. You know, she's been talking my ear off about getting onto your rotation." She told Sakura, retaking her seat. "No matter the fact she's still in training, she was determined to fuss over you. Honestly."

Sakura's heart felt full and she felt tears coming up. All these people…

"Oh no, no, none of that- Oh lord-" Lady Tsunade said quickly, putting her clipboard down hurriedly. Sakura tried to stop, honestly, she did. But she couldn't, it was all so raw.

"Sakura?"

Sakura blinked and then looked past her teacher. Her mother and father were standing by the door, Moegi lingering behind them with big eyes. Her mother looked awful, blonde hair no longer pulled back in a neat bun and dark circles under her eyes. "Mama… Dad…"

Her parents hurried over to the bed. Her mother looked like she wanted to gather Sakura up, but she didn't, instead she just stroked Sakura's hair gently. "Hi there, baby." She whispered, on the verge of tears.

Her father didn't say anything, instead he just fussed with her blanket so that it was neater, chin quivering.

Sakura burst into renewed tears, overwhelmed. She had missed them so much and after having that awful dream where they weren't real, she had to make sure they were.

Her arm felt heavy, but she managed to get it out from under the covers and grab her father's hand. He looked surprised for a moment and then his face crumpled in relief as he squeezed hard. He knelt by her bed, pulling her into a soft hug.

Her mother made a noise in the back of her throat. "It's okay now." She said. "It's okay."

Sakura clung to her father.

Whatever she was forgetting wasn't important.

Day 12

Ino burst into tears while she was packing things to take to the hospital. Mrs Haruno had called the night before, telling Ino that Sakura was awake and wanted her to visit. Ino had been so goddamn excited she could barely sleep. She had been waiting for this day ever since Sakura had first been found, had wanted more than anything to grab her best friend and never let go again.

But now that Sakura was back- awake, okay… Ino wasn't sure she could face her.

This was all her fault after all.

Ino should have known that Sayaka was a psycho from the beginning. Ino was the Psychology major, she should have known! But she had been too caught up in her stupid mysteries to notice, and Sakura had gotten hurt- nearly died because of it.

Ino put down her phone shakily. Sakura probably hated her for what she had done. It was Ino who kept badgering Sakura into coming, even after Sakura had already said no over and over again.

If Ino had just left Sakura be, maybe none of this would have happened.

"Oh- Again with the tears, Ino?" Shikamaru demanded angrily.

Ino looked up, hurt.

Her ex-boyfriend and best friend slammed a box of strawberries onto the counter, eyes sharp and focused for once. "This is not your fault. It's not."

"It is!" Ino cried. "You don't understand, you weren't there-"

"She's your best friend, Ino, your best friend." Shikamaru snapped over her. "How long have you known her? Nearly seventeen years. She wouldn't blame you for what the fucking psycho did, not ever, Ino."

Ino looked down. "You don't know that." She whispered. What if Sakura did hate her? What if Sakura had gotten hurt permanently from what had happened and blamed Ino?

"I bloody well do." Shikamaru huffed, his anger seeming to melt away a little. "I've known Sakura just as long as you. She's probably sitting in that hospital room worrying about how much trouble she's caused everyone."

Ino smiled through her tears. That would be Sakura alright, worried about being a bother. Ever the nervous worrywart. "Yeah probably." She said, rubbing her cheeks, partly out of embarrassment, partly to get rid of the tears. She hated crying in front of Shikamaru.

"She doesn't hate you. She wants to see you." Shikamaru said, more gentle now.

Ino took a deep breath, air catching in one last sob. Shikamaru was right, like he always was.

She dried her tears with her sleeves and stood up. "You'd better not have bruised those strawberries, idiot, those are for Sakura."

Instead of looking pissed off that she'd called him an idiot, Shikamaru just smiled briefly. "We can always blame Naruto." He said with a shrug, turning around to bundle up the fruit he'd pilfered from her parent's fruit drawer.

Ino took a moment to collect herself while his back was turned. Her parents house was quiet, her mother out at the flower shop and her father off doing secret agent things. She was grateful for it. She loved her parents, but this whole time, they'd be suffocating in their worry, fussing and hovering over her.

By the time Shikamaru had finished putting the fruit into a bag, Ino had steadied herself. Sakura was her best friend, and Ino wasn't about to become scared to face her best friend. Sakura needed her now, and there was no time for Ino to be crying about stupid shit.

She smiled brightly at Shikamaru, taking the bag from him. He just sighed at her and mumbled something about women under his breath as he stole her father's keys from the drawer in the foyer.

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever. They hit what seemed like every red light in the city and their trip was slowed by the many closed roads, some still flooded from the flash floods.

But soon enough, the tall, glittering buildings of the Konoha Women's hospital came into view, gleaming white in the sun. The green sign at the top comforted Ino in a strange way. Konoha Women's was one of the best hospitals in the world. Sakura would be safe here.

Shikamaru told her he was going to park the car. It was a lazy excuse for him to make her do this on her own. Ino hated him for it.

It was why they'd never work out. He knew her far too well to let her get away with anything and she pushed him too much.

Ino watched the taillights of her father's car disappear into the carpark.

Naruto was waiting for her in the lobby. He was holding a big bag and Ino could smell the homecooked meal in from a few metres away. Lady Kushina no doubt, because Naruto sure as shit couldn't cook.

"What'd you bring?" Naruto asked, words tangling together in his haste. He was nervous and jittery, biting his lip as he looked around.

Ino tilted the bag to show him. "Mrs. Haruno said she wanted fruit- I… Wasn't sure what else to…"

"Is that Ino I see?" A big, familiar voice boomed cheerily. "And Naruto too! What luck!"

Ino turned to see Kizashi Haruno, all hundred kilos of him, barrelling towards them. He was holding a paper bag in one hand, hair as messy as usual. He was out of place in the pristine hospital, what with his fluorescent yellow work shirt and raggedy shorts.

He looked like he always had, when Ino and Naruto had visited Sakura's parents farm as teenagers.

He waved at them happily, big goofy smile in place. "Oh I'm so glad you're here!" He said, sweeping them into a hug. Kizashi Haruno was a big man, bigger than even Ino's father, who was huge already. He was tall and broad, with a smile to match. "Sakura's been looking forward to seeing you two!" He told them excitedly.

Ino felt a bit sick.

How could this man not blame her?

He beamed at them. "Ah and there's Shikamaru too! Shikamaru, over here!" He called, waving furiously. "How've you been, hm? Well… Bad question I suppose with all that's going on. Ah, Shikamaru, I saw your father a few days ago- You should tell him to get more sleep, he looks awful."

Ino couldn't help the smile.

Kizashi Haruno was so weird.

Shikamaru blinked. "Uh. Yeah."

The Haruno Patriarch examined them for a few moments and then gave a small smile. "You three look like you're going to a funeral." He said, serious for once. "This is a happy time!"

Ino looked away guiltily. It was her fault Sakura was on that mountain in the first place.

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder. Mr. Haruno smiled at her. "Smile please, Ino. I've already got to deal with a cranky wife, I can't be dealing with a sad you too. And you Naruto, don't look so worried. Sakura is okay- and she'll be so happy to see you all." He said earnestly.

Ino blinked away tears.

What the Hell was wrong with the Haruno family? They were all so weird and happy all the time.

Shikamaru shoved her in the back. "Move- we're blocking the way."

She glared at him.

"Oh, I got Sakura a cream bun, but it looks like you three came more prepared! Fruit and is that some of Lady Namikaze's famous pie I smell, m'boy Naruto?"

Sakura watched her mother fuss about the hospital room. Even though she hadn't done anything but get up once to go to the bathroom, Sakura was still tired. She knew, logically, that that was completely normal after all her body had been through, but it didn't stop being annoying.

She didn't like feeling so tired all the time. Especially because sleeping more didn't seem to make her feel any better. It just made her more lethargic and sticky.

"Oh look isn't that lovely, a card from the university!" Her mother cooed, holding up a colourful card for Sakura to see. "From your lecturers." She said, smiling proudly. "They hope you get better soon."

Sakura smiled. "Me too."

Her mother took a deep breath. "You will, bun." She said firmly. She gestured around the room. "You're already on the mend, right? Dr. Senju said you might be out of here by the end of the week- as long as you get that weight back up."

Sakura sighed. Her mother had been on and on about Sakura's weight ever since Lady Tsunade had mentioned she was underweight. It wasn't surprising. She'd been in a well for a week with nothing to eat of drink, of course she would be underweight. Sakura's mother on the other hand, was convinced that Sakura was a starving student and was about to waste away into nothingness.

She'd been fluffing around ever since Sakura had woken up, offering all sorts of snacks and homemade goods. Last nights dinner had been a point of contention until Sakura promptly vomited in her mother's lap. Lady Tsunade had snorted and told Sakura to take it easy – soft foods, in small amounts. No junk food and plenty of fruit juice to get her sugar up.

"Oh Sakura, do you recognise this?" Her mother called, picking something up off the bedside table.

Sakura looked up from the novel her mother had brought along.

"I noticed it the other day- One of your friends must have dropped it off for you." Mebuki said, showing Sakura the little grey rock in her hand.

Sakura's world dropped away.

Shisui's rock.

It all came flooding back. The mountain, the fall, Kagami, Obito and Rin, Shisui, Sasuke, Itachi… Madara. Madara.

That's what she had been forgetting in her haze just after waking up.

It had been real.

"Sakura, honey?"

Sakura started, shocked back to herself by her mother's voice. She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. Her mother already looked worried and had set the rock down to take Sakura's face between her palms. "I'm okay, I just… Moved too quickly." She lied breathlessly.

Her mother examined her face closely, eyes red rimmed and exhausted. "Oh honey…" She murmured, stroking Sakura's cheek with her thumb. "I'm so sorry all of this happened to you."

Sakura put on a smile for her mother. She hated to see her mother so tired and worried, it was the last thing she wanted for her parents. They already had so much on their plates and now having to deal with all of this, she felt so terrible. "It's okay, mama, I'm okay."

Her mother pressed her lips together, obviously ready to disagree, but their conversation was cut short by the door swinging open and Sakura's father bounding in. He was clutching a paper bag in one hand, bearing the logo of the expensive café downstairs.

"I come bearing gifts!" He cried, holding the bags up. "And you'll never guess who I found in the lobby!"

Sakura peered around her mother curiously. "Who?"

Ino slid into the room slowly, not self-assured for once. She was clutching a green shopping bag in her arms. Her best friend wasn't dressed to the nines today, hair pulled back in a low pony tail and customary winged liner missing.

Sakura felt tears stinging her eyes.

Ino was jolted, shoved forward into the room by Naruto. He too, was holding a giant bag in his arms. He stopped, eyes big and worried. He was pale and it broke Sakura's heart to see him so dishevelled and worried. Naruto should never look like that.

Sakura burst into tears at the same time as Naruto.

Her best friend dropped his bag on the ground with a loud thump and barrelled across the room.

It hurt when he slammed into her, but Sakura honestly didn't care. She clutched him tightly, squeezing as hard as she possibly could. Her cast made things awkward, but it didn't matter. He smelled like Kushina's kitchen and he was warm and solid.

Sakura had been afraid this was another dream.

But it couldn't be, not when Naruto was squeezing her like she might vanish.

"You're going to hurt her, you idiot!" Ino insisted, voice shrill and watery.

Sakura looked over Naruto's shoulder.

The woman she considered a sister was lingering by her bed, eyes wet and chin quivering. Ino looked afraid and Sakura didn't know why. But she didn't like it. Sakura put on a smile, flapping her hand at Ino.

Ino's face crumpled and she shoved Naruto out of the way to hug Sakura herself. She half climbed onto the bed, pressing so close to Sakura it made her broken ribs ache. Sakura didn't mind. Her friends were okay, and they were here.

"I'm so sorry," Ino blubbered. "I'm sorry."

Naruto hurried around the bed, shoving himself onto the other side of Sakura's bed. There honestly wasn't enough room for three people on the single, uncomfortable hospital bed, but Sakura was grateful for the closeness. It helped make it all feel more real.

Especially after the stone…

She buried her face in Ino's shoulder, pushing the glowing stone from her mind.

"I do hope I'm not expected to get up there too." Someone said dryly.

Sakura picked her head up. Shikamaru gave her a half smile, waving from his place by the end of her bed.

"No one wants you up here, anyway!" Naruto puffed angrily, burrowing closer to Sakura. "Lazy ass."

"Hey!" Ino said protectively. "Don't be rude, Naruto."

"Well it's true!"

Sakura felt a smile on her face at the familiar bickering. It made her heart swell and she was just so happy that it was all real. She'd missed them so much.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes from the end of the bed, dragging over one of the armchairs. He plopped down and began helping himself to Ino's bag of things. He dug around in it for a few moments before pulling out a box of ripe, red strawberries. He offered the box to Sakura and when she shook her head, shrugged and dug in lazily.

It was so normal. Ino and Naruto were arguing over the merits of fruit versus pie, and Shikamaru was ignoring everyone else in favour of staring blankly at the ceiling, strawberry balanced on his nose.

Sakura started to cry again. Her emotions were all over the place. Everything had happened all at once and she had been so sure she was going to die in that horrible, horrible mountain, alone and in the dark.

"Oh now you've done it." Shikamaru remarked lazily. He winked at Sakura.

"Naruto!" Ino yelled. "Look what you did!"

"Me?!" Naruto blustered. He flapped a little bit, spinning around to find her worn bunny. He shoved it into her face. "It's okay, Sakura, we'll stop arguing! Ino was wrong anyway."

"I'll kill you, Naruto."

Sakura laughed at the familiarity of it all, rubbing her face. "I'm not sad." She insisted. "I just missed you guys, is all. I'm happy." She promised, taking Bun and tucking him against her side. Having the old rabbit was a bit childish, but he smelled like home.

Naruto relaxed a little bit, looking at her worriedly. "Well, we're all here now!" He said, trying to put on a brave face. "And that crazy bitch can't get-"

"Naruto!" Ino hissed, reaching across Sakura to smack him in the arm.

Naruto went white. "Uh."

Sakura remembered, very vividly, Sayaka's gleeful expression when she shoved Sakura in the chest and threw her down the well. She could still feel Sayaka yanking on her hair, her nails scratching Sakura's arm as they fought-

"Man, Ino, you really suck at picking fruit- Look at it, it's got a giant bruise." Shikamaru said suddenly.

"Shikamaru!" Ino shrieked suddenly. She scrambled off the bed, slipping in her haste. She hurried around the bed to yank the bag away from the lazy young man. "Those are for Sakura!"

Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath. Shikamaru gave her a tight smile, understanding. She couldn't smile back, but looked down instead, grateful for his intervention. Bun was a welcome addition at her side as she tried to collect herself.

She hadn't thought about what had happened since she had woken up… Not in depth.

Remembering what Sayaka had done, seeing the rock, realising it was all real-

"You're turning into Chouji, I swear to god. Stop eating them!" Ino wailed, tugging the box of strawberries out of his hands.

"Oh- Strawberries!" Naruto cried, suddenly excited. He actually did fall off the bed in his excitement, but he bounced up just as quickly, bounding around to snag one from the container. He cooed happily as he shoved it in his mouth.

Ino hissed, curling over it protectively. "Stop it! For Sakura! Sa-ku-ra! Are either of you Sakura? No!"

"What? She can't eat all of them." Shikamaru said

"You're gonna eat all the best ones! I didn't buy them for you idiot!"

"You didn't buy them at all," Shikamaru responded, fending her off with one arm. "Sakura doesn't care- Ow!"

The loud argument and ridiculous antics of her friends helped calm her down. Ino, Naruto and Shikamaru were safe, normal. They weren't going to hurt her. She was safe now.

Sakura shook her head, grateful for the fuzziness now. It helped dull the fear that had bubbled up at the mention of Sayaka, helped her forget about that rock altogether. Bun squeaked lamely when she squeezed him.

She managed a smile when Shikamaru looked at her and then a real one when Ino and Naruto, tugging on one side of the box of strawberries each, managed to break it and spill the little red fruit all over the floor.

"Ino!"

"Naruto!"

Sakura giggled when they immediately began blaming each other. Shikamaru just sighed, bending down to retrieve a strawberry from the floor and shove it in his mouth.

Obito stared at the derelict, overgrown garden, frustrated by its dilapidated state.

It was a far cry from the memorial it was meant to be. In his absence, it had been forgotten and left to rot and it was an injustice to Rin's memory. She deserved far better than a forgotten garden, and he was angry at the other Ancients for letting it fall into ruin.

While his family may be that proverbial black cloud that lingered over reality, Rin was not, and he did not understand why the surviving ancients would allow her memory to be disrespected in this way.

The little pond he had created had run dry and the giant koi fish he had rescued from Rin's village were long dead. The pond was a recreation of the one they had played in as children and now it was gone, water run dry and Rin's companions dead.

He walked across the dry bed, frowning at the flaking soil.

The flowers he had tried to plant were long withered away, weeds taking their place. The long grass had been trampled down by roving adventurers, killing off the meadow he had created for Rin to run through.

The small island he had made in the middle of the dried pond was littered with human rubbish. Strange crackling things, emblazoned with colourful pictures. There were little brown cylinders that stunk of acrid smoke, old containers made of brown glass. There were hundreds of scraps of paper, yellowed and burnt, and that strange, synthetic material Kagami called 'plastic'.

He picked one of the bottles up.

How dare they come here, to this place where Rin's memory was meant to live on, undisturbed, and ruin things?

Humanity always ruined everything. Invading everything, pushing and breaking and taking everything they wanted until there was nothing left. They left nothing untouched, no resource untapped. Their greed knew no bounds.

He threw it aside, upset. His eyes stung with the unfairness of it all. Was there nothing they could not take from him?

He was not like Rin, who loved her plants, all living things and could create them from nothing. He didn't have her caring hands to make them flourish but he had tried. He had tried so hard to make something Rin might be proud of, and now it was dead and ruined.

The task at hand seemed monumental, though with his power it would be simple enough to destroy it all in a blink of an eye.

Obito stared at his hands.

Destroy.

He could raze the garden to the ground, burn away any human influence as he had done before. The thought tempted him.

But as he looked around, Rin's laughter echoing in his ears, he knew he could not.

It would be too easy. And then what memory he had of her would be gone. Rin had always tried to help him grow things, always encouraged him when his power killed things and destroyed them before they could bloom.

His tribute to her had not been perfect, but she would have loved it all the same.

No. He would not burn it to the ground. He would fix it, return it to the glory worthy of Rin.

The air shifted and Obito raised his head. He turned, staring at the trees that surrounded the garden.

"Hurry up, you big idiot!" A young woman cried. Her voice was nice to listen to, full and husky, but Obito didn't appreciate it. Instead, it grated on his nerves and he scowled, incensed.

Not even one day. He could not even get one day to begin to restore this beautiful garden before they descended upon it like vultures.

"This is fucking heavy- I'd move faster if you helped!"

"Be a gentleman, Akhito, carry it like a man." Another young woman teased, panting. "Fuck this hill is so long."

"Maybe you're just fat, Am- Oh!" A young human burst out of the tree line. She had stark red hair and bright, bright blue eyes. She was slender, pretty. She stopped at the sight of him in the garden, eyes widening.

"Who you calling fat, you big bitch?" The second human cried, hurtling out of the trees and slamming into the first, prone woman. She staggered and then caught sight of Obito. This girl was plainer, with dark hair and eyes and a taller frame. In a past life she would have been a warrior. "Oh- Did you invite one of your basketball buddies, Akhito?" She turned, calling to the forest behind her.

Obito examined them.

The first woman smiled at him. "Hi there!"

"No? Why?" The third human emerged from the trees, clutching a large blue and white box. He blinked at the sight of Obito and then smiled. "Oh, hey man. You must be Hideo, right? Gaku's friend?"

"Oh! Gaku's friend." The second woman said, clicking her fingers together. "Geez, how'd we miss your car down in the car park?" She asked, grinning to herself.

"Right." Obito said shortly.

The first woman tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling widely at Obito. She waved at him. "Don't worry, we're not gonna bite. Gaku'll be here as soon as he gets the drinks from the store. Well… Knowing Gaku he'll get lost again." She said with a laugh.

"He's so useless- Why'd we put him in charge of the spirits?"

"Because he's the only one with the discount, Ami?"

"Oh yeah." The tall woman made a face and then laughed. She pushed her way forward, holding out a hand to Obito.

He remembered that. A greeting.

"Ami. It's nice to meet you- Gaku talks about you all the time. Dude never shuts up, I honestly don't know how you deal living with him." She said quickly, words blurring together. "That's Momo and Akhito, my roommates."

Obito took her hand gingerly. He eyed the other two over her shoulder. The young man had lit a tiny pipe, with a brown bottom not unlike the ones littering Rin's island behind him. The red haired girl was digging around in the box, and he caught a glimpse of more brown containers.

He saw red.

"Ow- Hey…" Ami said, yanking on her hand suddenly. "Hey, let got, you're hurting me!"

"Hey man, let her go!" The young man said sharply, striding forward in a way he no doubt thought was intimidating.

Obito tightened his grip, yanking the young woman to him. "Did you do this?!" He demanded. "Did you desecrate this monument?!" He roared. He was so, so angry. This place, this special, beautiful place had been reduced to a… to a place for stupid, reckless and disrespectful human children to party and destroy.

She struggled, eyes wide.

"Let her go!" The other young woman screamed.

"Get off her!"

Obito flicked his hand out and the young man made a strangled noise when dark energy sprang from the ground. It swirled for a moment before forming jagged spears that slammed home through his chest and torso. The young man looked shocked for a moment, gurgling and clawing at his shirt. His eyes darted around, mouth opening only to spill scarlet blood down his front.

The two women screamed. The one in his hold writhed, panicked and terrified.

"Akhito!" The red head cried, hands jumping to her face. "Oh my god!"

The young man gurgled, head falling back to stare sightlessly at the sky.

"This was a special place and you have ruined it!" Obito yelled at them. The woman in his hold choked, kicking when he wrapped a hand around her throat. "Look, look at what you have done!" He commanded, shaking her violently.

She spluttered, face going red.

A slim hand wrapped around his bicep, tugging valiantly. "Let her go! Please, please, we'll go!" The third human cried, eyes huge and frightened. But there was a defiance to her face too and it made other sets of eyes echo in his mind.

Brown. Green

It made him hiss with frustration.

"They are still young, Obito, give them time."

"You can't hurt anybody!"

He did not care. Rin was gone, and Sakura was not here to judge him. These monsters had desecrated his last physical reminder of Rin and he was not going to let them walk away without repayment.

He shook the red headed girl away.

"Run, Momo! Get to the-"

Obito snapped the brown haired woman's neck with a deft twist of his hand.

The red head woman scrambled away from him, sobbing. Her terror made her unpredictable and quick, but Obito was used to the hunt.

She fell only a moment after her friends, eyes wide and mouth open in a scream of a pain as her skin blistered and burnt from the inside out. It turned black and red, cracking and curling.

Obito returned to the clearing. It stank of blood and terror. The box had been knocked over in the human's haste to fend him off and there was the smell of acrid smoke in the air.

He looked down and saw the little pipe the human had been smoking. Snarling, he crushed it with his foot. when he looked around Rin's garden, he saw nothing but human taint. The pond was gone, Rin's koi dead and his flowers destroyed. The soil was packed hard, the rocks he had collected stolen or worn away from time.

The blood from the young man soaked into the ground and he felt ashamed for having spilled blood in Rin's garden. He should have killed the humans elsewhere, so their bodies and blood couldn't mar the beauty of the garden even more.

He turned away, snarling.

There was nothing for him here.

Sakura rolled over gingerly, head and side throbbing. She wanted to ask for more painkillers, but she was already at the maximum dosage and Lady Tsunade had refused to let her have more.

"You may be my intern, Sakura, but I'm not breaking the rules for you. I'm sorry."

Sakura sighed, rubbing her cheek mullishly. Her earlier good mood at seeing her parents and friends had worn off with the painkillers. Now she was aching and throbbing and sore all over and it honestly made her want to cry. She just wanted to go to sleep but she couldn't because it hurt to do anything, even lie down.

She kicked the blanket, whining and biting Bun's ear angrily.

The sudden movement made her taped up ribs protest and the sting of pain made her breathless for a few moments.

She groaned, flopping against the pillow she had pressed against her side. It was soft and cushioned her, but she was still so sore.

Her head pulsed hotly, and she closed her eyes, willing it away. She was so tired, and she couldn't sleep because it hurt too much.

Her mother had left the window open to let in the cool breeze, knowing Sakura liked the air to move at night time. Sakura stared out the window, wishing that Ino or Naruto or her parents were allowed to stay with her overnight. At least then she could have company. Ino would watch movies with her until she felt asleep, Naruto might tell her some stupid story.

Sakura clutched Bun when her head pulsed angrily.

She knew she needed to sleep soon. She was malnourished and dehydrated. Her body was under immense pressure and her inability to sleep wouldn't help things at all.

The breeze brushed across her hot skin and she sighed. If she could just focus on something else…

The cool wind almost felt like gentle fingers touching her forehead as she closed her eyes. It whispered a lullaby through the leaves of the tree outside, singing her to sleep.

She imagined her mother touching her hair gently.

It helped some and sleep pulled at her eyelids, making her mind blurry.

Sakura slept soundly for the first time since she had been rescued.

Elsewhere in the hospital, an old man closed his eyes for the final time.

Obito baaaad. Stahp.

Sakura's dream is a reoccurring one of mine. I didn't describe it very well, but I've had that dream since I was a little girl. Haven't had it in a while though. Also, I have another reoccurring dream about a giant lobster chasing me through fairy floss (candy floss for Americans). Sometimes there are crocodiles, and sometimes there are teacups. Coin toss on which.

Please let me know what you think and sincerest apologies for the delay!