And So the Blossom Withers

Chapter 21: Memorial Stone

Right before your eyes
I'm breaking; no past,
No reasons why,
Just you and me.

-Taylor Swift

It had been two days since the funeral, since she got out of the hospital, and since she's seen her Team. Those were two days she had spent in the confines of her house, of her room, not in the mood to go out. She noticed how her mother worried, but she didn't have the energy to pretend for her. She was sad, so many people had died; and it could have been her, anyone from her team, even her parents.

She sighed. It was almost noon and she was still laid out on the bed under the covers, again not in the mood to go out. It didn't help either that she kept having strange nightmares about how her Team would start growing apart and especially about a completely different Sasuke. In her dreams the Sasuke she had come to know didn't seem to exist; he was cold, distant, and alone.

The worst of all was that she was starting to believe those dreams to be a reality and she feared them. She feared them like she's never feared anything in her life. She would do anything in her power to prevent them, to keep them from becoming a reality.

"This was his life, girl. You took it from him and now it will be your demise. They're all going to see how the beautiful blossom withers."

She shook her head as she placed a hand on her neck recalling the events that occurred since she got the mark. Recalling Orochimaru's words to her about it begin his life, Sasuke's life. She didn't get any of it. She didn't know the consequences of the mark she bared on her neck, of getting in the way. She's heard several things about the curse mark, that she could have died, that it was dangerous, that it was meant for Sasuke.

She's also been asked why she got in the way and it was a question she still didn't have the answer to. It had been on part out of instinct, but there was more to it than that. In that moment time seemed to have stopped and it was then that the weird dreams began nonstop.

She heard a light knock on the door before she heard it open, knowing it was her mother she remained unmoving under the covers.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Her mother asked her and she could hear the worry in her mother's voice.

"Yeah mom." She replied trying to make her voice sound as bright as possible.

"Well I'm going to your grandma's house; I'll be back tomorrow and your father's on a mission so if there's anything you need then let me know." Her mother informed her, but she could hear the indecision in her mother's voice, as if doubting to leave her alone.

Sakura emerged from under the covers, a small smile on her face. "Don't worry about me and tell grandma I miss her." She waved goodbye to her mother as she looked at the direction of the window. It was a sunny day, the sky was blue and the day seemed beautiful.

"What will you do the rest of the day?" Her mother asked curiosity and worry clouding her voice.

"I'm gonna go out and take a walk, maybe even hang out with the team." She decided as she stood up from the bed.

"I'm glad you're finally getting out of this room, it's not good for you to be inside these four walls so much. Have fun and see you tomorrow." Her mother told her as she leaned in to kiss her daughter's cheek.

"See you tomorrow mom." She smiled back and watched her leave the room, closing the door behind her.

She didn't know how she ended up where she did. She had gone out to take a walk around the village and somehow she ended up in front of the memorial stone where names of shinobi who died for their village were engraved. She didn't know why the past events were affecting her so much; it wasn't the first time so many shinobi died and it probably wouldn't be the last. Shinobi's lives were hard, they faced death every day and sooner or later they would die, that's something she's understood from the start, something her father had told her before she decided she wanted to be a kunoichi.

Now there she stood and it hurt her, but she didn't know why. What if any of her friend's name ended up there? Ino? Shikamaru? Or her own Team? She couldn't bear the thought of seeing Kakashi's name or Naruto's in the stone and she dreaded the thought of seeing Sasuke's.

Her hand reached forward to the stone in front of her, touching the engraved names on the stone she closed her eyes for a moment. When she reopened her eyes she felt a single tear trail down her cheek.

"Sakura." Sasuke's voice called from behind and she heard him walk towards her.

Sakura quickly wiped the tear away hoping Sasuke wouldn't notice and turned towards him a forced smile on her lips. "What are you doing here Sasuke?" She asked him.

"Talking a walk, what about you?" He asked her back putting his hands inside the pocket of his pants he took a moment to look her over. She looked tired, different and her smile seemed forced.

"I was taking a walk and somehow ended up here, as sensei would say 'I got lost in the road of life'." She finished taking one more glance at the stone behind her before turning her back on it.

"Why the memorial stone?" He asked her glancing past her to the stone, when his gaze turned toward her he saw that her eyes held tears.

"So many people have died recently and it just hit me that any of us could have died. If Naruto hadn't saved me I could have died… you could have died." She told him as she took a step toward him.

"Since the academy we've been taught that in every mission a ninja risks death, you know that." Sasuke informed her, his voice harsher than it should be, considering she was just worrying.

"I know, I just wonder if our names will end up engraved in this stone." She spoke as she once again turned to the memorial stone. "What do you think?" She asked him softly.

"It's a possibility." He told her as he too walked toward the stone.

"I don't want to lose the people I care about." She spoke, mostly to herself. Sasuke stayed silent as he watched her change in mood. "I've been having horrible dreams in where we grow apart as a Team. In those dreams you're not the same Sasuke you are right now; in the dreams you're cold, distant, and alone. I'm afraid of it all becoming a reality." Sakura spoke her emerald eyes boring into his as if looking for something but not quite knowing what.

"Dreams are just dreams, Sakura." Sasuke assured her, but as he looked into her eyes it was as if she knew what true loss was, but he knew it wasn't possible. After all, she was the girl with the perfect life, she radiated happiness, there was no way she could know of that kind of pain.

"You're right, silly me. Those are just dreams. The reality is that we'll always be a team, we'll always be Team 7." She smiled, but those words were more to convince herself than to convince him. She knew she didn't want to lose the team cared about and so she would do anything to prevent it. She would do anything to ensure those dreams would never be anything more than that, and that Sasuke would continue being the Sasuke she knows. Because after everything she's come to really care about him, about Naruto, and Kakashi.

They stayed in silence for a moment, neither of them said anything, but somehow the silence gave her comfort. She wanted to ask him something, it took her a while to find the words, but when she finally did her voice was soft. "Would you care if I disappeared one day?"

Her question confused him, but nonetheless he replied. "Don't be stupid." His tone sharp and he saw her slightly flinch in response and again he didn't understand why. Of course he'd care, she was a team mate, and she knew that.

"I understand." She told him forcing a small smile and Sasuke doubted she understood what he had meant, but decided that it didn't matter. It wasn't like the answer was relevant; it was just a rhetorical question. "Anyway," She began, quickly changing the subject. "Want to go to Ichiraku? We can find Naruto on the way and eat the three of us together." She asked him.

"No." He quickly replied barely letting her finish talking.

"Oh… Alright, maybe some other time." She told him dismissing her offer as she waved her hands. "See you around." She said as she turned to leave, it seemed as if she hesitated in leaving for a moment but he couldn't be too sure.

Sasuke watched her walk away, knowing that as always he had been too harsh towards her. He sighed in frustration and turned the opposite way and kept walking.

She walked around Konoha with no real destination in mind; Sasuke had refused her invitation as always. The difference about this one is that she hadn't meant on a date, just a group gathering yet he still said no. She sighed; she had no idea what to do the rest of the day. It seemed as a normal day in Konoha except for the village being almost destroyed days earlier, everyone was working together but aside that it seemed as the deaths of just a few days ago had been forgotten.

It annoyed her that people seemed to have forgotten the deaths of many shinobi's, but her annoyance was unjustified. Just because those people died didn't mean the world would stop because of it. Life wouldn't wait for her and so she decided that she wouldn't wait for Sasuke to get a group gathering. If Sasuke didn't want to go it would be his loss, she'd go look for Naruto and Kakashi sensei and drag them over to Ichiraku. A small smile spread on her face at the thought.

She just needed to find Naruto and together they would find Kakashi, it shouldn't be so hard. Sakura now walked faster, now with a destination in mind. She didn't pay much attention to her surroundings and so she was surprised when she heard a voice calling her name.

"Sakura!" She turned around to see Ino, smiling brightly as she walked over to the pink kunoichi.

Sakura smiled back. "Ino-pig, how are you?" She asked her blonde friends going back to her nickname in a joking manner.

"I'm great, forehead. Anyway, your fight against Sasuke was awesome; too bad we couldn't see the end of it." Ino gushed over Sakura's fight her voice becoming extremely loud. "I mean, it's awesome that you were able to tie with him, but I would have liked a winner between the two of you, not a tie!" She complained.

"Keep your voice down!" Sakura urged her big mouthed friend and after a moment she said. "He would have won." Remembering that when she fainted not being able to handle anymore, Sasuke still kept fighting.

"You're too modest!" Ino complained playfully hitting Sakura's shoulder. "Anyway did you hear? There is word going around that Naruto left the village with a gray haired guy, though I don't know what for. And also, Asuma told me that your sensei, Kakashi, is in the hospital but he didn't tell me any details." Ino finished her playful expression replaced by worry.

"Kakashi sensei!?" Sakura asked alarmed. "I need to go Ino, thanks for telling me!" She shouted as she left in a rush to the hospital.

She felt bad about Naruto leaving without saying goodbye, but she was also worried about her sensei. She knew for a fact that Kakashi was strong and so for him to end up in the hospital the situation must have been something to worry about.

By the time she was in the hospital she was breathing heavily because of all the running, but she didn't stop to catch her breath. She quickly went to the receptionist. "Where can I find Kakashi Hatake?" Sakura asked her voice coming in puffs.

"He's on room 207, on the second floor." The receptionist replied and Sakura quickly left.

Once on the second floor she slowed down to a walk trying to breathe more evenly. She got to his room and reached out to open the door, but stopped herself when she heard voices from the other side.

"They're trouble, but from the look of things it doesn't appear they've found what they're looking for yet." Spoke a voice and Sakura recognized it as Lee's sensei, Guy.

"That's what's crazy, it doesn't add up. I mean Itachi had already infiltrated the village it should be easy for him to find him." Another voice spoke, Asuma's.

"And considering Kakashi's condition it wouldn't take much effort from him." Kurenai added her voice full of worry.

Sakura remained frozen on the other side of the door; she could feel herself tremble out of fear. Itachi Uchiha; Sasuke's brother was in the village. And there was a good chance he was looking for Sasuke.

"I don't want to use the word 'dream' but I have an ambition. To restore my clan and kill a certain man."

A/N:

As always, thanks to the 17 people who reviewed for the last chapter. I'm finally getting somewhere with this story.

Sasuke's character is changing and I know some of you will like it while others will hate me for it, but please do bear with it. And about Sakura you'll find out soon enough. Like 10 chapters ago I had talked about a surprise and though I still won't say anything about the surprise, I will in a few chapters. It'll answer many questions.

If any of you have a guess you're free to let me know. :P

Any questions, comments, critics, guesses, or anything else you'd like to say write in the box below.

You review and I update.
Hope we have a deal. ;)