Beads of sweat formed around her brows, her breath steady, but still cautious. Her hands stood at her side, not clenched, at standby, like a silent night in one of those horror movies they show too late at night to keep your attention. Her comrade, her childhood crush, stood before her. Black scars like tire marks on an old road stretched and winded themselves around his body. She licked her lips- they were cracking-and readied herself. Readied her army of strategic thoughts, because she had nothing else. The boy that stood before her held his head high, in happiness. A mock smirk folded on his cheeks. Eyes were red, like wine. A hiatus, a pause, only that, stood between them.
She wouldn't let him leave; neither did Naruto, until Sasuke had thought otherwise. Power was what he needed, to get power, stakes were involved, he was sure he was familiar with them. But in the end, he wasn't sure what he wanted, but he had to get through this girl first to reach that...stage.
Naruto stood with his hands on his knees, unable to breathe, not sure he wanted to even. The kyubi couldn't match the seal's power. Orochimaru would have Sasuke. His friend, his semi enemy, he could no longer control Sasuke when he wanted to. Sakura tried to look strong, but she was nothing. She couldn't handle Sasuke, katas, jutsu, nothing. Don't try, because you probably won't get anywhere.
It was time. Sakura ripped of her Konoha head protector, and in a fury of wind, ran to the raven-haired boy that stood so comfortably in this situation. She wasn't sure what or how she was going to do. She wasn't like into, who had mind control, she wasn't like the maverick Naruto. She couldn't be a maverick, because in order to be one, you had to have a second repertoire. She didn't have that, and a hug wouldn't do like last time. It was a fluke; she couldn't get away with something like that again. She muttered words to herself that no one else knew, and threw herself at the boy, kunai in tiny fingers.
But then she stopped.
Two kunai fell from her trembling hands and rotted fingernails. She couldn't do it, sure, she tried hard, but in the end, she was nothing and could do nothing but read or write. She wasn't a ninja; she was a little girl. Girls weren't ninja. Or were they? With shaky knees, she watched Naruto get up unsteadily and cough to release the hold pain had on his lungs. He crawled up from the earth blindly, because he knew he had to.
The boy between Naruto and Sakura laughed a laugh. Full and heavy, it came from his abdomen, and woke both of them up from whatever they were thinking. Sasuke ran sideways to Naruto, hand out in a fist, and decked him in the stomach. The blondie gave a weak smile and collapsed to the ground, in one motion.
See, there is always a word for a person like Sakura. Worthless. Uncaring. But is she still always satisfied when she doesn't get her way, or when things go wrong, or when she's lost something? A mistake that shows she's only human. Yes. Human frailty. But don't ask her, she probably won't hear you.
