They Would Stay Forever

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was Naruto and Sakura's job to clean out the main house in the Uchiha district. Tsunade had originally assigned Izumo and Kotetsu, but when they saw the remaining two members of Team 7 waiting at the front gate upon their arrival, they silently handed Sakura the empty boxes in which to pack Sasuke's belongings. Sakura whispered a broken "thank you" as she balanced them in her shaking hands, and Naruto led her inside the gated entryway with his hand on the small of her back.

Sakura neatly slipped her sandals off and grimaced when her bare feet touched the dusty ground. Naruto plodded through the house, his sandals still on, his head down. He continued through the rooms, heedless of sanctity, leaving Sakura behind in the doorframe. Sakura shook her head and padded across the foyer.

She found him in Sasuke's bedroom. He was digging through the closet, muttering to himself. Sakura bit her lip.

"Naruto?" she whispered. Her voice hadn't been able to reach normal volume for weeks.

Naruto didn't turn, but he held up a few sharp weapons in his hand. "Caltrops, look. Who keeps caltrops in their wardrobe?"

Sakura made a noise that she meant as a chuckle, but it came out as a hoarse sob. She swallowed.

"We should start," Sakura said, her voice hitching again. She glanced around the room shyly, and it struck her as terribly, tragically ironic that the only time she had ever been in Sasuke's bedroom was after his death.

Sakura placed the boxes atop his bed and began unfolding the newspaper she had brought to wrap his things in. She picked up picture frames, knickknacks – touched them, as lovingly as she would have touched him, and wrapped them up and packed them away.

Loud clinking called her attention and she looked at Naruto, who was throwing things in his box haphazardly.

She thrust the newspaper at him. "Wrap them first. Otherwise, they'll break."

Naruto regarded the newspaper disdainfully. "Who cares?"

Sakura looked away. "Sasuke would."

They stayed at the Uchiha house long after they finished packing, long after the sun set and cast the district into darkness. They would stay forever, if they could.