Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto. Shocker.

Rated: T, for language only

Notes: Hey, it's the Sakura chapter. And she'll play a big part in the next chapter too, so don't worry. There will be plenty of Sakura time, just probably less than Naruto and Sasuke.
You know, it's hard to keep switching viewpoints like this. But that's my own fault. Sigh . . .

Blessed Be Those Who Mourn

Calming Effect

Firelight flickered across her face, almost hypnotizing her with their rhythmic dance. Even though Gai's team had joined them, the first as always to answer the call, the camp remained relatively hushed, the air a heavy somber strain on their shoulders.

They were holding their ground, so to speak, as they awaited the arrival of the rest of their force, needing all the pieces together before making a move. Weeks had already passed since that fateful day, when they'd finally gotten their first real break, and time was now running perilously short. Every person was on edge for one reason or another, anxiously waiting for the battle to begin and be over.

Even though it had been so long, the events of that day still weighed down on those who'd lived them, boxing them into apprehension, hope and confusion. And Sakura had, of course, been one of those few.

And because she was Sakura and because she cared, she worried, the troublesome thoughts hitting her at random times like now, causing her to lose sleep and focus. Both the boys were important to her, so she couldn't stand to see them in such trouble.

But then, boys really always were a lot of trouble.

Of course the fact that these particular two boys had very particular and extreme problems made them that much more trouble.

Sadly, when she remembered that day, she was reminded of how she'd learned that her understanding of what they'd both lived through could really only ever be academic. As she watched their fight, this had become too painfully clear. She could offer comfort and support and a sense of understanding, but the miserable truth was that she could never actually appreciate what their lives had been like. As a child she'd always had people who cared and watched over her, she'd been simply Sakura, not some unwanted symbol of something else. Such pain, isolation and pressure as those two had had to endure were things she'd never personally had to deal with. And it seemed like for them, things just always in some way grew worse and worse and more and more complicated.

But then again, she was here now, she could be the someone to care for and watch over them. Even if they never actually voiced it, she knew they needed her and on some level, she believed that they knew this too.

And it was nice being needed.

Despite knowing this, however, she was still somewhat irritated at herself for failing them, for failing to notice things that were so painfully clear. Especially when it came to a certain loudmouth teammate. Hadn't she promised to stand by him and help and do everything a good and true friend should?

Which is exactly why she was so angry, she should have seen it. She'd been with him every day since his return and yet she'd missed all the signs that appeared so obvious now. There seemed to be something wrong with that. Though maybe the very fact that she was by his side every day was the reason she hadn't noticed. Perhaps the change was so subtle over such a stretch of time that it took a veritable stranger to see. After all, Kakashi had been a little surprised at the revelation himself, however much he tried to hide it.

That made her feel a little better, but not by much.

He was her friend; she should have seen these things, as a friend that was sort of her job, to look out for him. But then, she was the one who was here for him now and in some ways wasn't that really more important?

But that wasn't entirely fair of her either. After all, the reason Sasuke wasn't here right now wasn't entirely his fault, at least not this time. Who knows what he would have done if that hadn't happened? She had her suspicions that nothing would have changed, except there was that moment of hesitation. That one fleeting moment . . .

Nervously, she began to nibble at her nails like a squirrel, a bad habit she'd acquired in recent days.

So many things from that day weeks ago made her worry, made her wonder. First they were attacked, then Sasuke, then attacked again, then Sasuke again, then the fight, then that one moment of quiet then everything was gone. And all in one short day. Thinking on it made her head spin.

And since then, they'd waited. Waited for the others, waited for a sign, waited for the right time. And to her troubled mind she started to think that there was nothing in the world worse than waiting.

Everything had become more complicated than it needed to be and simpler than seemed possible, all at the same time.

Leaning her face into her hands, she gazed deeper into the flames, soaking in its welcoming warmth, wondering on the strangeness of that fact.

And now that she thought on where that had all come from, the odd way Sasuke had acted back then, she remembered some of the strange things he'd said, too. Screwing her face into one of deep thought, she titled her head in remembrance. And confusion.

What had that been about, anyway?

As a final finishing blow to their Sound-nin enemies, Sakura drove a massive punch straight to the ground, leveling them all under a mass of earth and stone.

Barely winded, she stood back up and admired her handiwork. While it was true the ninja had hardly registered as a threat, it still felt rather good to have beaten them.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about them anymore, Kakashi-sensei," she shouted, eerily cheerful, waving her hand anxiously at the jounin.

"Yes, I see that, Sakura. Good job," replied the team leader. "Though it does make me wonder why Orochimaru would send such a paltry force after us. Unless he never meant to really stop us from the beginning. ."

"They weren't much of a challenge, were they?" The pink-haired kunoichi piped in when Kakashi's thought trailed off. She inclined her head a bit quizzically to her blonde teammate who was standing uncharacteristically quiet, wearing an odd expression. "What do you think, Naruto?"

Walking up to the blonde, she patted him companionably on the back, at which point he suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.

Uh-oh.

"Uh, Kakashi-sensei, I think we have a problem." She scanned the area warily.

Shaking his head with a mix of worry and disgust, the jounin grumbled under his breath, and taking a quick look around searched for any traces to show where the boy had run off. As Sakura watched, she thought she saw him look decisively in one direction, and she hoped that he'd found some trace of Naruto's passage that she herself had overlooked. Then he gestured for her to follow.

While she trailed after the jounin, she desperately prayed that Naruto hadn't done something stupid, or worse that he had been lured away or captured, the four chuunin they'd fought only acting as distraction. Honestly, she didn't much think Naruto would be that easy to catch or that stupid, except for that he at times he could be, well, a bit naive.

Racing through the trees alongside Kakashi, the echoing sounds of fighting suddenly reached her ears and caused her heart to skip a beat.

Fearing the worst while hoping the best, she looked to the jounin who flanked her and attempted to speak in a steady voice.

"Over here, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Yes Sakura. I know."

His face then bore a strange expression, but she really didn't have time to appreciate its meaning before they burst through a dense gathering of leaves.

And since her head was still turned, she saw him. It struck her as a most unusual sight, the normally stoic boy with his back pressed to a tree, appearing to be completely frozen into place. Briefly his eyes turned to catch her own and she clearly saw the look of sincere panic held there, though she had little time to register this fact. She attempted to call out to him, but in her shock, only silence left her lips. Then following his gaze, she watched as Kakashi put a seal on a Kyuubi-consumed Naruto. Was that why Sasuke had looked that way? He was afraid of Naruto?

When the blond fell backward from the effects of the seal and Sakura was assured in her own mind that he was unharmed, she at last took the opportunity to glance backward only to discover that Sasuke had already made his escape.

Her mind raced with a variety of thoughts from wonder at how Sasuke had been there to why he'd worn such blatant expression of fear on his face. Then she couldn't stop being puzzled once again by the strange, inadequate chuunin that had been sent after them. Four Sound-nins and Sasuke? She seriously doubted that was pure coincidence. But what was the connection? Were they working together or separately? She cursed her genius for not being able to put the pieces together.

Her green eyes, anxious and concerned, turned to face her two teammates. Answering her unspoken worry and echoing her recent thoughts, Kakashi spoke, though mostly to himself. "He'll be fine; he just needs a little rest. But good thing we got here when we did. And why was Sasuke there?"

"Kakashi-sensei?"

Shaking his mind clear, the jounin looked up to the girl with his lazy eye, picking the foxboy up in his arms.

"Let's get going. I want to get a little distance between us before setting up a place to rest."

Nodding in agreement, Sakura quickly chased after but glanced back as she wondered what could possibly have transpired between the boys to result in the scene she and Kakashi had interrupted.

Some while later, after Naruto awoke and their journey began once more, the blonde planted a scowl on his face, not bothering to share his issues with the others. The entire time they walked, his expression didn't change one bit and finally fed up with his silence, Sakura approached him.

"Naruto," she tried gently. "Do you want to talk?"

"Not really," Came the short reply.

Looking to him, she saw the obvious lie for what it was and hoped it wouldn't take as long for him to open up as it had that last time. And now she decided not to push, allowing him to speak when he felt ready, praying it wouldn't be a stretch near forever.

And just as she was thinking this, he stopped, glowering at the ground beneath his feet as though it were to blame.

"What was that about?" He harshly voiced out to the earth. "I mean, you saw him, didn't you?"

He turned to face her then, boyish pout still in place, his eyes showing both confusion and frustration. She knew all too well how he felt.

"Sasuke," She nodded, confirming the answer they already knew.

"What was he doing there? He was just sitting there, watching. And I don't think he was supposed to be there, either." Squinting his eyes as he looked up to the sky, he put his hand to his chin in thought. "When I showed up as Kabuto, he looked really surprised, and pissed. I don't think he was expecting to see me, er, him."

At hearing his casual take on the situation, a sudden, fierce anger ignited in the kunoichi when she realized that her distraction over Sasuke had caused her to forget just what it was Naruto had done. Letting her emotions to take control, she took a swing hard enough to hurt but not hard enough to do serious damage, hitting the blond square in the jaw. She watched in pleased amusement as he fell backwards, looking wide-eyed up at her from his new vantage point on the ground.

"What was that for!" He yelled a touch whiny.

Putting her hands to her hips and sneering down at him, she yelled just as loudly back. "For you, you idiot! How dare you do that! We didn't know where you were. It could've been a trap; you could've gotten yourself killed! What were you thinking, going off by yourself! We were worried! Anything could've happened!"

The blonde teen just gazed up at her stupidly, opening and closing mouth, sputtering like a landed fish.

"Sakura's right." The kunoichi watched as their leader strode up to them, evidently taking an interest in their conversation. "You can't just decide to do things by yourself, Naruto. It's dangerous for everyone involved. What if it was a trap? What if we couldn't find you? Or what if it was a trap for Sakura or me? Then what would you have done? I thought you'd grown up more than this, Naruto, but I guess I was wrong. That was stupid, reckless and unprofessional. But most of all, it was childish."

"But . . ." the boy stammered from his place still on the ground.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, inwardly gloating over the justified reprimand her teammate just received. "What do you think about all this? There had to be a reason, right?"

"I'm sure there is, Sakura, but now is not the time to be distracted by it. Come on, you two, let's keep moving."

With that said, he turned, and began walking away, assuming the other two would simply follow suit, which they quickly did. Not satisfied with the response, Sakura rushed up to fall into line beside the masked jounin, deciding right time or not, she really needed some answers.

"But it's strange, isn't it?" She continued, ignoring the annoyed look Kakashi now bore. "It's got to be more than just coincidence."

"I agree, but as I said, we'll try to figure this out later. All I know for sure now is that a lot of strange things have happened today and we need to be on guard. I don't think that's the last thing we'll have to deal with today. Just keep alert."

"Right," Sakura agreed, though in all honesty, she'd already been able to assume that on her own. And as they continued for a while longer, the kunoichi constantly reached out with her senses for any possible sign of danger.

Which is why she was so surprised she missed it when that attack finally came. Without warning, she felt a set of arms wrap around her as she was swiftly pulled to the sky, watching while a mass of kunai buried themselves into the ground she'd just been standing on.

"He's good." The grey-haired jounin was so concentrated on looking where the first attack came from they he actually missed the second. But Sakura was a lot more aware of her surroundings now and reached back, accidentally grabbing a set of shuriken from Kakashi's pack rather than her own. She had no time to think on this, however, and threw them at the ones now flying towards them from the other direction, countering each one so they fell to the ground harmlessly.

The two Leaf ninja landed soon after with Kakashi giving Sakura a curious, almost amused look.

"Sorry, I guess I just reached back without thinking." She muttered, looking a little sheepishly to the side.

"What's going on!" Naruto, who had lagged behind, called out loudly as he finally caught up with them.

"We're being attacked. By ninja far more skilled than the last ones." Narrowing his eyes to look into the trees intently, the masked jounin quickly continued, pointing in two directions. "I'll take this one, you two take the other. We'll meet back here, but signal immediately if you get into any trouble."

In an instant, he took to the trees to chase after his chosen opponent.

"Let's go, Sakura!" Naruto shouted, with a near excited grin on his face. She immediately took her place beside him as they jumped onto the tree's branches, trying to capture the trail of their hidden target.

Then from somewhere in front of them, a series of powerful air blades flew out and the two young ninjas quickly ducked and dodged to either side, each getting a few nicks and slices for their effort.

As if just taking an idle walk in the park, a tall thin man with a condescendingly casual air emerged from the leaves out in front of them, wearing a Sound hitai-ate and a smug expression.

"I feel a little slighted. Just two little pups against me? It hardly even seems worth the effort." His voice was like nails on a chalkboard that grated on both their nerves for the dismissive tone it held.

The teammates immediately got to their feet all the while never taking their eyes from the enemy.

"Get behind me, Sakura," Naruto said, gesturing with his hand to do so.

The kunoichi sneered defiantly at the command. "I can fight too, Naruto."

"Yeah, I know." Replied the blonde with a smile as he absently rubbed his chin. "But you're our medic. If something happens to Kakashi-sensei or I, there's no one else who could help us. That's why you became a medic-nin, isn't it? To help your teammates?"

Reluctantly she had to agree with what he said, that was exactly why she chose to train as a medic-nin. But he had another thing coming if he thought she'd just stand by and watch like some weak little girl. "That may be why I became a medic-nin, but I'm also a ninja. I'll let you go on your for now, if you insist. Just so long as you know that if I see you in trouble, I'm stepping in."

Chancing a quick glimpse back, he gave her a wide confident grin. "I'm counting on it."

"As . . . touching as this all is, I really don't care to be a party to it anymore." The creepy ninja rasped out in a bored tone, standing there rather lazily. "I don't want to waste any more time on you children than I have to."

Sakura silently raged at the condescending attitude of the pompous shinobi. How dare he assume they couldn't do anything simply because they were young! Age had nothing to do with talent or power! She was about to shout out something to this effect, but Naruto beat her to it.

"You'll be sorry if you underestimate us." His voice was deadly calm, even scary.

"Oh, is that so?" replied the arrogant man dully.

"Ready?" Sakura could almost hear the smirk she knew her teammate must be wearing.

The other ninja merely quirked an eyebrow, acting as if they were speaking of playing with dice rather than with their lives.

Both took their fighting stances, ready to attack and ready to defend, although the kunoichi noticed the Sound-nin remained a bit careless in his defense, clearly refusing to take them seriously. Such arrogance was sure to be his downfall, or so Sakura believed. When she switched her attention back to her partner, she saw him pool his power, and caught the barest hints of red chakra begin to seep out and surround his frame.

Kyuubi? He's using Kyuubi now? He usually would attack with his own chakra first, only relying on the fox's when it was necessary. So why use it now, before the battle had even begun?

There was but a moment for her to contemplate this fact before the strike came.

And it came so swiftly and unexpectedly, they were all surprised when an angry gaping hole appeared in the chest of the Sound-nin, him most of all. Sakura was sure the look of utter shock she saw on the man's face was mirrored in her own and likely Naruto's as well. Her mind had barely registered the familiar chi-chi-chi sound. It was then that she oddly remembered that it had been a jutsu originally designed for assassination. It was clear to her now why.

The creepy ninja now turned to face his attacker whom Sakura recognized from her vantage point a little to the side of the fight, and the pink-haired girl saw his eyes, if possible, widen further. Watching his reaction, Sakura wondered if he'd recognized that chakra, but was so easily caught because he'd never suspected that to be attacked by someone supposedly his ally. Then, as the life quickly ebbed from his face, he slipped from the branch of the tree; forgotten, revealing the ninja who'd claimed his life.

Sasuke's cold dark eyes slowly focused on his old teammates making Sakura involuntarily gasp at the way they seemed to bore through her, the way they intensified to rage.

"Sa . . ." Naruto started, confused, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

But he never had the chance to get the remainder of the name out since said ninja sped towards him and, grabbing him by the shoulders, slammed the blond hard against the tree behind him.

"What the . . .?" Naruto stammered, but again got no more words out before being thrown back once more.

Sakura watched in increasing horror at the scene playing out before her, so shocked at it that for a while all she could do was watch.

"Stop. Using. That. Chakra." Sasuke spat the words out viciously, punctuating each one with a violent slam against the tree trunk that was now beginning to splinter and break beneath Naruto's body.

The kunoichi couldn't believe what she was seeing. Had they just been saved by Sasuke only to be brutally killed by those same hands?

As she saw Naruto's eyes start to cloud over, she finally came back to her senses, knowing she was the only left to get things back under some kind of control.

"Stop it!" She cried desperately, rushing to grab the crazed ninja from behind. "Are you trying to kill him!"

But it seemed that's exactly what he was trying to do, because he still didn't stop, repeating his litany and continuing his assault. Sakura knew she had to end this before some irreparable damage was done of who knows what kind, so using her now inhuman strength, she tugged backwards. Somehow she managed to pull Sasuke off the boy who had now slumped over, apparently no longer able to stay conscious.

"Stop it, Sasuke! Please!" She begged even as he continued to struggle in her hold, seemingly trying to renew his attack on the unconscious blond.

But slowly, while she tightened her hold on him, his fighting lessened until at last his body went still. After a little more time, she felt his ragged breathing return to normal, his racing heartbeat slow, and a semblance of calm return to him. Afraid that he'd launch himself once again at Naruto if she let go, she kept her arms where they were, hoping that he'd regained some control over his emotions. And as she held on, she allowed herself the satisfaction of knowing she did have some effect on him after all.

"Hey Sakura."

The low voice snapped her from her thoughts.

"You can let go now."

Part of her didn't want to let go, feared that that was precisely what she shouldn't do. But another part told her that she ought to give way to his almost obliging attitude, that it was better to comply or risk him running away. Besides, she had a sneaking suspicion that if he'd really wanted to escape; he would have tried to do so already. Her latter half won.

She prayed it was right.

Reluctantly, she released her hold and moved to stand beside him, trying to hide the worry that threatened to show in her green eyes.

Then the raven-haired teen turned to her, and stared a while as if it were the first time he'd laid eyes on the girl. She held her breath when a calm but confused expression took his face, so different in contrast to the feral one she'd just seen him wearing.

"You know," he said softly, his expression flat and unyielding. She was a little wary of what was to come next and attempted to brace herself. "Your hair is pink."

What?

"What?" She asked, completely thrown by the irrelevant statement.

"Your hair." he repeated, his old, familiar smirk in place, just shy of a smile. "Is pink."

Sakura looked at him, baffled and a little worried that maybe he'd gone crazy and that explained all his bizarre behavior today. Trying to imagine what those words and that look meant, but her attention was soon drawn away by a grumbling movement elsewhere.

The two of them turned their eyes to this new development, though the strangeness between them still remained, heavy in the air that surrounded them.

"OUCH! That hurt!" The new development shouted, scowling fiercely and rubbing the back of his head.

He swiftly returned to his feet, continuing his tirade. "What the hell did you do that for!"

Sasuke didn't move or speak, even when Naruto charged.

And then the strangeness and the moment were gone.

Absently, she poked a stray stick into the base of the fire, mixing the embers, keeping it alight.

Those words still echoes in her mind. Pink? What did that have to do with anything? And why had he looked at her as if it was the first time he'd ever noticed that fact? She had a feeling there was more to it, that it was important, but she couldn't figure out why.

But she let the questions drift away. There were greater things to think and worry about than the color of her hair.

Her mind remained troubled with uncertainties, and yet her spirits were relatively high. As much as Naruto's situation worried her, she knew he was strong and would never let anything beat him. As much as Sasuke's situation worried her, she knew there was still time, the limit was closing in but not yet reached.

And as much as she once felt she didn't matter, she found out she did.

She looked to those who had gathered here. To one side she saw Lee and Gai, who had just gotten off watch, talking animatedly, probably about some new taijutsu or about the merit of hard work. Catching her looking, Lee waved happily, though he didn't approach, probably realizing she'd rather be alone right now. She waved back, thinking about how, in his own odd weird way, he reminded her of what ultimately is really important in life. The simple things, the simple moments spent with those you care about. Even in their dark situation, he found joy in talking with his teacher about ordinary matters.

The she looked to the other side where she saw Naruto sitting alone. She considered going over to him, but stopped herself when she saw Kakashi walk up and sit down beside him instead. The blond was talking very quietly, and she couldn't help but think how different he was from the boy she'd first met those years ago. It was a little sad, in a way, to see him lose a little of that rambunctiousness. But he was still Naruto, still could irritate and worry her, make her laugh, make her yell, and make her want to hug him and hit him all at the same time. He was different, but the same. It made her smile.

Turning her attention back to the fiery warmth, she allowed her spirits to rise further. There were so many friends, so many allies, so many people to help and look out for each other. As much as the life of a shinobi was difficult and often painful, she allowed herself to also accept the many wonderful aspects of it as well. Perhaps emotions were not meant to play a role in a shinobi's life, but that didn't prevent those precious bonds from forming all the same.

And as she sat surrounded by friends and allies, she felt a certain hope, the first step in a trail that led them here. The first real justified hope she'd allowed herself in a long, long time.

She felt this hope was like water, trickling through your fingers when you tried to catch it, but still leaving the tiniest of pools cupped gently in the palms of your hands. One careless move and the rest would just fall away. They needed a way to freeze it, make it a solid thing to hold before it evaporated into the air. But that was silly, hope was not a thing you could force to your own will, not when it relied on not just you, but so many others as well.

But she would cup her hands anyway, and believe that the one so far away did too, because now it seemed he might. She believed he was still alive because he was still needed, because after everything they'd all been through fate wouldn't be so unkind as to take him away like that. So she held onto her belief in him, in the strange change she'd seen, and believed in all the Leaf shinobi, that together they could bring an end to at least part of the nightmare of the last few years.

Because now she found it easier to believe that at least part of him wanted that same thing.

All her friends were strong, all her friends were good-hearted, a group so undivided couldn't possibly fail.

She was sure of that.

As long as there was still time, there was still hope.

And when she slept that night, for the first time in a long time, her dreams were sweet.

Tbc . . .