Okay. I got some really positive reviews so I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think it's one of my weaker chapters and I am so sorry! Don't be too mad though, because it is longer than I usually write. Enjoy.

LAST TIME: Sakura was discovered by Kurenai and pronounced dead by Kakashi. Sasuke was having trouble deciding how he felt about Sakura's pregnancy, and Orochimaru's planning something. What will happen at the funeral? Let's find out, in another (not so exciting) chapter of…

Romeo and Juliet - SasuSaku style

Chapter 21

Tenten's POV

Tenten sniffed. How could this have happened? Poor Sakura married Sasuke a day or two ago and now…now. Tenten sniffed again. Now she was watching her best friend lying in a coffin, being carried down into a grave. It just didn't seem fair. She wished Neji was here. He would have comforted her, or at least provided someone to snuggle into. Unfortunately, he was a Montague Finishing pupil, so he hadn't been allowed to the funeral. Damn that Tsunade. Making her suffer alone…well, apart from her two other best friends, who were sobbing their hearts out. Especially poor Ino. If Tenten wasn't so wrapped up in her own grief, she may have felt sorry for Ino, whose body was shaking so much from all the crying, everyone was sure she'd collapse any minute now. Hinata was crying as well, but she was also half supporting Ino, so she couldn't cry hard unless she wanted them both to end up on the floor.

'Neji, Shikamaru, Naruto! You bastards, where are you?'

'Hush Outer me. You know they would be here if they could.' Her Inner gently admonished.

'I DON'T CARE!' Tenten screamed in her head. 'WE NEED THEM, THEY SHOULD BE HERE!!!!' She sobbed even harder, knowing that she could be looking at a similar fate to Sakura, since she and Neji were very much like Sasuke and Sakura.

'Shh shh.' Her Inner tried to console her. It wasn't working. Eventually, Tenten couldn't stand it anymore. She ran up to Sakura's coffin, grabbed hold of it, thus stopping the procession, and cried as hard as she could.

"See what you've done!" She shouted, pointing at a shocked, overwhelmed and rather angry Tsunade. "All because you have an argument with our rival school. If you had just let Sakura marry Sasuke and figure things out for herself, none of this would've happened. How could you do this to your own daughter? Why couldn't you be supportive? What kind of mother are you? You bitch! You cow! You…you…you uncle fucker! Just go and fucking die! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" She continued ranting profanities until she felt someone pull her back and hug her.

She didn't know who it was. All Tenten knew was that it hurt. It hurt to lose her cousin. It hurt to know Neji wasn't there. It hurt to know it was partly her fault for not keeping more of an eye out for Sakura. So many things hurt. She was dying, she was sure of it. It hurt so much she just wanted to crawl under a rock and die quickly, to stop the pain. Tenten sobbed harder, though she hadn't thought it was possible.

"Shh. Tenten, calm down." She heard a male voice say. She let her sobbing die away and hiccuped. "There. Feel better?" She nodded and looked up. She saw silver. Tenten froze. No, surely not.

'Please be Hinata. Don't be Neji. Please be Hinata. Don't be Neji. Neji wouldn't come. He wouldn't have. Would he?' Apparently he would, because as Tenten took a proper look, she was forced to admit that it was Neji.

'I didn't really want him to come! He's going to get in such trouble.' She thought frantically, but it was too late. He was there.

"Neji." The word died on her lips. She tried again. "Wha…what are…? You shouldn't…" It was no good. Try as she might, Tenten couldn't complete a coherent sentence. She had to settle for looking worried and hoped the message would get across. It did.

"You needed me." He simply stated. "I was watching Sakura's funeral, what with her being married to Sasuke, and when you lost control I couldn't just sit there in good conscience. I am, after all, your boyfriend."

There was a gasp from the crowd, but Tenten didn't hear it. She just buried her head in his shoulder and cried again, repeating Sakura's name over and over. The pain was still there, but not as sharp as it had been, because Neji was there. He was rubbing her back comfortingly and whispering soothing words in her ear. Never mind that he was from a rival school. Never mind that there was a huge crowd. He was there. That was all that mattered.

Ino's POV

She didn't notice Neji arrive. She was too busy sobbing her heart out. She didn't notice Hinata's support withdraw. She didn't notice someone else's replace it. All Ino noticed was Sakura's coffin. There was nothing else in her vision. It was all just a black background, with that small coffin in the centre. The centre of her vision, the centre of her attention, the centre of (at that time) her world. Her best friend was gone. Forever. Whisked out of her life, never to be seen again. Then something else got her interest. It was something on her head, but she didn't know what. Then it clicked. It was a chin. Someone was resting their chin on her head. Slowly everything else came into focus. All the people. Tenten being cuddled close by Neji. Neji? What was Neji doing here? The boys weren't supposed to be here. Ino looked up, fearing the worst. Sure enough, there was Shikamaru, looking concerned rather than bored for once.

"Troublesome. Why are you crying so much? It takes too much energy. Especially with how much you're crying. You can barely stand you silly girl." He scolded her lovingly.

She sniffled to make a point that she was very upset and then hugged him, with her head on his chest and her arms wrapped tightly around his torso. He hugged her back, just as tightly, pressing his lips gently to the top of her head. She sighed. It was good to have him there. She needed him. She was, as he put it, 'troublesome', but she needed him. She snuggled deeper into his chest, seeking his warmth and the comfort that only he could give.

Hinata's POV

Hinata moved out of the way so Shikamaru could take over caring for Ino. As the two boys cuddled and comforted, Hinata felt especially lonely. At least before the boys came, the girls had all taken comfort from each other, but now Hinata was mourning alone. Tears continually dripped down her face as she silently cried. Her shoulders shook, but not a sound escaped from her lips. She didn't want to attract attention to herself with noise. She turned around so she could cry to herself, without others seeing. Naruto was there. He was looking so sad and sorry. He came up to her and gently wiped her tears away.

"Hinata-chan, please don't cry." He murmured.

"Sorry…Naruto-kun" She stuttered in between sobs.

Naruto looked thoroughly lost. Hinata watched through her tears as he took her into his arms. He held her close, but not too tight. He was comforting her the only way he knew how, and it meant more to Hinata than words ever could. She gladly accepted the solace he was more than willing to provide. Everything seemed to hurt a little less when she was in Uzumaki Naruto's arms.

Tsunade's POV

How dare they. Tsunade fumed. How dare they. Those boys were from Montague Finishing! How could her pupils hug them so affectionately? Tsunade was just about ready to kill. Someone held her back. Turning angrily around, she saw Shizune.

"What's the meaning of this?" She demanded.

Luckily, Shizune was used to Tsunade and she didn't heed the anger in the older woman's voice.

"Tsunade, you have no right to be so angry. Your daughter is dead because of this exact reason and you, yourself, fell in love with a Montague Finishing man, so don't you think you're being a bit hypocritical?" Shizune calmly stated.

Tsunade sputtered, but could think of no retort, so she settled for giving death glares to everyone, especially Orochimaru, who had only been invited to the funeral since he was the father of Sakura.

'It's all his fault.' Tsunade thought furiously. Of course she blamed herself more than him, for agreeing to his stupid proposition in the first place. If she hadn't, she wouldn't be here…mind you, neither would Sakura. Tsunade's heart ached. There was a hole there. No. If she was honest, there were two holes. One was new, caused by the death of her beloved and only daughter, the other? The other went back many years. Ever since she caught Jiraiya with that slut. She had been shocked, angry, but most of all hurt. Even after all these years she still loved the man, but she wouldn't back down from her argument. She was stubborn, and even though she loved him she didn't want to put herself in such a vulnerable position again. As long as she stayed away from him she would be okay. She could manage. The girls didn't share her argument though. They weren't a part of this. It wasn't fair of her to keep them from guys they liked, and in some cases, possibly loved. Tsunade's eyes had finally been opened and she was devastated that it took the death of her daughter to open them. Tsunade took a deep breath. Sakura's death would not be in vain.

"Neji, Shikamaru, Naruto." She barked. "Here, now."

The three lads left their girlfriend's arms and walked to Tsunade, despite the protests they got from the girls.

"Fetch Jiraiya and anyone from your school who cared for Sakura, whether friend or more, and send for Sasuke."

The boys stared at her as though she'd grown a fuzzy tail, three extra eyes and called them 'momma'. She growled.

"Now boys. We are going to end this feud once and for all." She looked at the coffin. "For Sakura." She whispered.

Neji's eyes widened and he nodded, showing he understood. Shikamaru was nodding too, looking solemn. Naruto looked thoroughly confused but he followed the others' lead and left with them. Tsunade rubbed her chest where her heart was. Yes, she would finally settle this argument, and she would personally apologise to Sasuke. Heck, she didn't know what she could do to make up for ruining his marriage, but he might just forgive her. After all, she was mourning just as much as he was.

Boy's POV

Sasuke stared out of the window. Not long now. Soon he would be with Sakura. He smiled, overjoyed that they could be together.

"Sasuke-teme!" Sasuke's head snapped round to look at his best friend.

"Dobe?" He replied, confusion written all over his face.

"Sasuke." Naruto stopped in front of the Uchiha. "Sakura's dead."

"I know." Was the answer. It was quiet and controlled with no signs of emotion. Naruto's eyes softened.

"Look, I know you probably want to mourn in private, but I'm your best friend. You can…you know…cry. If you want to." He had to tread carefully. He didn't want to offend Sasuke. Said boy just watched him. Not even a hint of a tear.

'He must be really upset with the news of Sakura's death. Probably bottling it up as usual.' Naruto shrugged his behaviour off.

"Anyway." He continued. "Tsunade went all quiet when she saw me and the others start comforting the girls at the funeral. Then she told us to get Jiraiya and anyone who cared for Sakura. After that, do you know what she said? She asked us to fetch you! She used your name and no curses or anything. You're to come to the funeral right away." The hyper boy watched his best friend for a minute. Suddenly…

POOF

Kakashi was there. He looked at Sasuke. He knew the young boy would be wondering whether it would affect the plan if he came to the funeral. However…it could be worked to their advantage. Kakashi gave Sasuke the tiniest nod and then said loudly…

"Why, I was coming to tell you to return to Konoha so you could come to the funeral, only to have Mr. Uzumaki beat me to it." Naruto grinned.

Sasuke stood up. "Let's go." He said quietly. He wasn't sure how this was going to work. He knew Sakura wasn't dead, but could he convince the others that he thought she was? He needn't have worried. After Kakashi transported them back to Konoha with another loud 'poof' Sasuke found he couldn't bear to look at the coffin. He forced his legs to move and he walked painstakingly slowly to the coffin. It had the lid off, so he could quite clearly see Sakura. She was so peaceful looking. In fact, if she didn't look so pale it would be obvious she was just sleeping. His vision started to blur. Even though he knew she was only sleeping, seeing her like this…it was just so damn convincing… Sasuke gulped, trying not to let the tears fall. Some water splashed onto Sakura's face. Another tear, and another followed it. Sasuke couldn't stop the crying. Seeing Sakura tore at his heart, ripped his soul into shreds. His core, his whole being, felt like it was being twisted apart. He couldn't breathe. His heart was thumping painfully against his chest. He leaned over and put his forehead against hers, shutting his eyes so he didn't have to look at her. It hurt to look.

'She's sleeping. That's all. She…she's fine…you know she is. Fuck it hurts so fucking much. I know she's alive…I know she is…so why? Why do I still feel so much pain?' Sasuke couldn't stand it. His head felt like it would explode. He grabbed her arms pulling her body close to him and allowed sobs to rack his body. He didn't care who watched, he just wanted Sakura to wake up, like he knew she would, because this…this was just too painful for him.

Girls POV

Everyone winced. It was hard. Uchiha Sasuke was known throughout Konoha for his emotionless ways, so it was hard watching him let it all out. He was shaking more than Ino had been, his body shuddering with every breath he took. Tsunade looked away.

'He really loves her. I…tried to break that up…I wish…I wish I hadn't.' She turned her attention back to the sobbing young boy. She walked cautiously over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, tears still falling from his face. She too began to cry. They both turned to Sakura and openly mourned her.

AUTHORS NOTE! AUTHORS NOTE!

Okay, at this point I realised how morbid all this is. Soooooo, to cheer everyone up, we switch over to Sakura and her dream! Hope it lightens the mood of this rather depressing chapter

END NOTE! END NOTE!

Sakura's POV

She grinned. Sasuke was throwing the young girl up in the air and catching her, while the child giggled and laughed.

"And uuuuuuup we go!" He called as he threw her into the air again.

"Higher daddy! HIGHER!" The child called back.

Suddenly, Sakura felt a drop on her nose. (A.N. Lol, Sasuke's tears are messing with her dream! Bad Sasuke haha.) Soon she felt more. She looked up to see it was raining. Shouting to Sasuke and the girl, she ran into the house that had suddenly appeared. The two followed her, dripping wet, as the rain had become quite heavy in the last 10 seconds. Sakura, found herself handing them both towels, and as she dried the child off she heard herself saying…

"Oh dear, we better dry you off quickly (1) Nyoko. We don't want you to catch a cold now do we?"

"No mummy." The girl smiled. It was strange. Although Sakura could see the child, she couldn't describe her. It was as though she knew the child would be there, but not what she would look like. Shrugging it off, she went into the kitchen, followed by Sasuke and the girl.

Sakura started cooking food, while Sasuke tolerated Nyoko plaiting his hair. All the while the young girl was chatting, and Sasuke nodded, though he obviously wasn't paying attention.

"(2) Izanami has a new baby sister! She's kawaii."

Sakura wrinkled her nose in disgust. Why would anyone call their child Izanami? It sounded like they wanted their daughter to become a prostitute. Nyoko merely continued chatting.

"(3) Kohana has a new baby too! A brother. He's so cute as well! Why can't I have a baby brother or sister? Daddy?" She was pushing Sasuke, who usually gave her whatever she wanted. Sakura wasn't sure how she knew this, but she did.

"Yes Nyoko?" Sasuke asked absentmindedly.

"Can you get me a baby brother or sister?" The girl asked innocently.

Sasuke had just started drinking some tea, when he heard that question and he spat it out in surprise. Sakura dropped the pot she was holding, and vaguely heard a tinkling noise as it smashed against the floor. The room was silent.

"Ahem." Sasuke coughed awkwardly. He looked slyly at Sakura. "What do you say Sakura? Shall we start looking into it tonight?" He smirked.

Sakura's mouth was hanging open and she began to stutter.

"Well…ah…that is…oh, why not." She winked at him and clapped her hands. "Off to bed then Nyoko!" She chirped as Sasuke grinned cheekily.

"But I haven't eaten yet!" The girl complained.

"Yes well, mummy and me have to be alone if you want a brother or sister. It takes a lot of hard work to get one, so if you hear any noises just turn over and go back to sleep okay?" Sasuke told her, sniggering slightly and casting sexy glances in 'mummy's' direction.

Sakura had gone bright pink at what Sasuke had said. It was innocent enough…unless you knew what he was talking about. Thank goodness Nyoko was too young to understand.

Although it was just a dream, Sakura had never been happier. She slept on, completely oblivious to the sorrow around her.

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Me: -Sniggers- Lol, I had so much fun writing that last scene. I saw something similar on the Internet somewhere and I just couldn't resist putting it in here. Anyway, you're all probably wondering what the names mean. I got them from www DOT babynamenetwork DOT com. You see, I couldn't come up with any Japanese names, so I searched Japanese girl's names and it was there. All the names are girl's names. Here are the meanings:

(1) Nyoko- A gem or treasure

(2) Izanami- She who invites you to enter.

(3) Kohana- A little flower

-Laughs loudly- I couldn't resist that second one. Is it just me or does it sound wrong? She who invites you to enter…hehe it just makes me laugh so much.

Inner Me: Haha, yeah it does sound wrong. Gosh, did you have to be so depressing in this chapter?

Me: Gomen nasaii! I got carried away. T-T

Sasuke: I wouldn't cry in front of all those people, why did you write that?

Inner Me: Oh but Sasu-kun you would!

Sasuke: You wanna bet?

Inner Me: Yeah I…oh crap wait. I'm Christian, I'm not allowed to bet.

Sasuke: Hehe, then I win by forfeit.

Inner Me: Baka, teme, -Mutters other things that are too disgraceful for this author's note thingy-

Sakura: I had fun with that dream! Please review everyone!