Beast: Ki Tsu Ne
Chapter Six
Cherry

Cherry
III. cherry-blossom: 1. Spring, April; 2. spiritual and feminine beauty; 3. short lived pleasures;

All day, Sasuke's mind was not on the task at hand. His mind kept flickering back to Sakura's sad and wasted face. He couldn't let her die. He couldn't. And... and if she was... he had to see her. That was the end of it. He had to.

Sasuke was so lost in his worries about Sakura that he didn't notice the look of sorrow on Naruto's face. No one had ever looked more sad. You could practically see his heart breaking in his chest, half expected the tears trembling on his lower eye lids to turn to wine-red blood.

That night, Sasuke had spent the latter half of the day getting up his courage to ask Ki Tsu Ne if he could go see Sakura for one last time. Once again, Sasuke was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the look of dismal resignation on the giant fox's features.
Ah... Ki Tsu Ne... today, I looked in the mirror that you gave me and I saw my friend, Sakura. She was very sick and the doctor said she's dying. I was wondering if... if I could go see her, just one last time. Sasuke stammered, trying to keep his speeding heart from jumping clear out of his chest.
No. Sasuke, I'm sorry, but I cannot allow this.
Please! Sakura's my best friend! I love her! Ah... I... but Naruto gets to leave! cried Sasuke, reverting to the first thing that came to mind. Ki Tsu Ne narrowed his crimson eyes.
You know very little of Naruto, he hissed.
What? what does that...
Never mind. I shall allow you to go. But only for three days. When the three days are up, you must come back.
Thank you! Sasuke shot out of his chair and, in a moment of unusual emotion for him, wrapped his arms around Ki Tsu Ne's neck. This means so much to me!

Sasuke rushed up to his room, throwing some clothes into his duffel bag and grabbing his car keys. He ran back down stairs, pausing only to receive the customary good night kiss, and hopped into his car, gunning the engine.

Lon after Sasuke's car had disappeared from view, Ki Tsu Ne closed the door, saying only, He is leaving us,


It took a whole day to get to Sakura's house. Sasuke rushed, panting, through the door, giving hurried explanations of his arrival to her parents. He skidded to a stop by her bedside. Her eyes were scrunched closed and she was breathing fitfully.

Sakura opened her eyes a bit.
Sasu-chan, is that you?
Yeah, it's me, said Sasuke in a small whisper, unable to disguise the tears in his voice.
How's everything going? she asked weakly, Find any good boys?

Sakura had been the only one that Sasuke had told about his preferences. She was constantly trying to help him find a good boyfriend. Sasuke was just about to say no, when something stopped him.

he said, a small smile flitting across his face, despite his tears, yeah, actually, I have.
That's great, Sasu-chan. What's he like? Sasuke took Sakura's limp and in his own. His eyes had a faraway look as he spoke to her.
He's got the most amazing blue eyes, when you look in them, it's like you're looking at a summer sky. When you make him smile I mean really smile, not his fake grin, it feels like you just won the best prize in the world, the best thing and you want to share it with every one in the world. He can always make you laugh, of course, most of the time he doesn't mean to. Sometimes, you can catch him with this little sad look on his face and you just want to take care of him, make him happy, no matter what.

Sakura smiled weakly, her bruised looking eye lids fluttered.
You really love him, Sasu-chan. I wish I could meet him. I wish I had some one like that.
Don't woory, Saku-chan, you will! You'll meet him and you'll have the best boyfriend and the four of us will live together, just like in a fairy tale, happily ever after.
Yeah, Sasu-chan, yeah. I'm a little sleepy. Why don't you tell me a story?
Ok, Saku-chan. Once upon a time...'

Sakura let her eyes drop shut, lulled to a peaceful an eternal rest by the sound of her best friend's voice.

Sasuke knew that his three days were up, but he couldn't leave. He had to see this through. He had seen Sakura in her last moments alive, now he had to come to terms with it, see her funeral, see her buried, see her disappear. He knew he would be breaking his promise, but what could a few days hurt?

Naruto sobbed, crouched over the mirror. He's not coming back, he's not coming back. He's gone. Just like the others. Just like the others. But this time it's worse. I loved this one... this one... A salt misted tear fell on the copper of the mirror.

Sakura lay in the casket, her body had been drained of blood and filled with pink liquid to give her the semblance of life, soft pink dusted her cold lips and cheeks, her high collared dress covered the y-shaped incision mark that Sasuke knew would be there and her head band hid the stitches around her scalp. This was not Sakura. This was her shadow, a husk, an empty shell.

As he watched them lower the casket into the frozen earth, Sasuke recalled something that he had read long ago,
Flowers are not for the dead. They are for the people left behind. Death. It has no meaning to the individual involved from the instant it is implemented. The conclusion of their existence only has importance in the minds of those who live on.
Those who are left behind...
Left behind...
Naruto.

The falshed suddenly across Sasuke's mind. Dammit! He hadn't stopped to think about the consequences of his actions when he had left the house, he had only been thinking of himself. Leaving Naruto all alone in that house... he had seen the flashes of sorrow on the boy's face... what would Naruto do? Sasuke quickly left the reception and got in his car.

Naruto.

Wait for me.

Please.

Lily: that was a rather odd chapter for me to write, seeing as I've never really lost anyone dear to me...