In My Life
By Azure Orbis

A/N- Finally, chapter two is up. My apologies for the delay, but without inspiration, writing is like sloshing through a pool of molasses; in other words it's really slow-going.

Warning: CHARACTER DEATH, don't say I didn't warn you.

Chapter Two: Come, Say Farewell

"Is this the first time you saw a friend die?"- Haku

I remember the time Naruto told me some of the Haku's last words, a formidable ninja we fought while we were still novice genins. He told me that as he watched Sasuke die, something inside him broke. At that moment, after watching a comrade fall to protect him, he became someone else, something else. It would be many years before he understood the terrible power inside him and even more before he learned to come to terms with it and control it.

This was our first mission as a team and it was also the first time we dealt with death. And I suppose, for that reason, that first mission is etched so clearly in my memory. No one forgets their first mission where people die.

There was also something about the young boy, who was about our age, that struck me as odd. At the time, I couldn't understand how he could work willingly for someone as evil as his master. No matter how lonely he was, it made no sense to me. How could he love someone so evil that he was willing to give up his life for him?

Not until years later, when I would personally see that the black and white of the world were not painted nearly as clearly as I once thought, would I understand that everything is actually a shade of gray. There was no absolute good, nor was there absolute evil. There were only reasons and justifications, but in the end, these were all for the purpose of living. We do the things we do to live. That is the basic goal of every living organism: to survive.

And we survived, all of us. Every last single one of the rookie nine lived through harrowing missions and hopeless battles to be promoted and become the heroes we never knew we wanted to be. I suppose if you counted Gai's team, it was the rookie twelve and we were lucky. By brush of luck and skill, we lived and we were the best. At least, we were boasted and bragged about Konoha as the best generation since long ago. Yes, we were the best and nothing could dampen our spirits. Nothing, except the inevitable fate that awaits us all. No matter how good a shinobi we were, we all end up the same; dead. Whether in battle or lying in bed, sick and old, the end is something inescapable. In time, the group of twelve would shrink. Little by little, the pictures of us would show how time slowly changed us; our smiling faces turned thin and somber.

The thing about pictures is that they lie. Pictures capture a single moment in time and for that moment, everything is still and perfect. It is after the picture is taken when the tears flow and the heartbreak is shown. No one cries during a picture because it is something we look back to see how happy we were. It is a kind of self-delusion where we stare at the young and unmarred faces and say we did not appreciate the time we had. Now, older, wiser and graver, we can only look back wistfully and wish the future will be better for all, for the ones to come and for ourselves. In hindsight, the past always seems better than it was. Perhaps it's a coping device for past tragedies or the ones that haven't happened yet because no matter how much we were told to expect it, no matter how much mental and emotional training we receive, witnessing the first death of a personal friend and comrade is always a shock.

We look forward to the future, but never that far ahead. Death is never part of the equation, only an afterthought inserted at the last minute. The future only holds happiness, we bravely and somewhat foolishly say. Perhaps because we don't want to believe and because we don't believe, perhaps it will never happen. There can't be an end in sight and death is only a myth to scare young children into obedience. We brush it off, this fear of death and of an ending, thinking that life will go on forever as it is. The thought is that life can't end, not if we wish it hard enough.

But it happens and the first terrible day came to pass with you. You were the first to go. You were the first to leave the group. You were the first to go on ahead of us all.

You died on the fourth day, on the twentieth of the 5th month, on a mission as you always thought you would. We had not even reached our destination when we were ambushed and you rushed off to be hero as you usually would. You wanted to save the day and you did. Only this time, you wouldn't come back out with a satisfied smiled on your face and a few scratches to show for your pains and I would not be able to wrap you up again, see those wounds slowly heal up, see you become whole again.

I remember this particular mission as clearly as though it was just yesterday, although it was over five years ago. Still, I never thought the day would come when Haku's words came to pass. You were more than a friend, you were my life. And with your passing, I felt my heart dry up and wither.

There would be no more chances for me to tell you how much I cared for you. There would be no more days where I would see you smiling again. There would be no more life as I once knew it. There would be nothing left, because a world without you made a hole, an endless void where we used to be. There is nothing left. I can't go on without you. Where do I go from here? What do I do? What kind of life can I have with you gone from the world? Why were you taken from me?

"This client of ours is such a brat!" A younger comrade whispered ahead. Sakura giggled quietly at the rude comment.

"I know. She has to be carried around everywhere like she's made of porcelain or something." Her teammate whispered back.

A dark sedan was specially ordered for the girl to ride in. Carried by two of her henchmen, the sedan swayed gently side to side as it moved. The leader of the mission was extremely displeased to see the sedan, stating that it would slow down the group considerably. However, the client said that she could not undertake the journey by foot. They had argued long and hard until an uncomfortable compromise was met by the client walking part of the day and sat in the covered sedan for the rest of it. The captain huffed, saying the compromise was not a compromise at all, but kept silent, glaring at the sedan occasionally.

Sakura turned to the man beside her, "Shouldn't we say something?"

Sasuke sighed, "Fine, I'll talk to them at the next rest stop."

Sakura smiled when he slyly slipped his hand into hers, blushing at the gentle touch of his rough hands, calloused from handling weapons all his life. He tried to look stoic and continue walking on calmly as if he held hands with her his whole life, but soon his face was pink too. Sakura laughed quietly and he joined her, his hand still holding hers firmly, refusing to let go this time.

Sakura was in heaven. This was the second time they held hands and it was even sweeter because he was the one to initiate it. After waiting for what seemed like forever, Sakura was overly cautious about pushing Sasuke in their relationship. She did not want to overwhelm him and so let him handle such things as slow as he wanted to. It didn't matter to her that he seemed to avoid human touch. As long as he cared for her, she would be satisfied. And in time, she would help him and his ground-in reactions acclimate to not jumping every time she surprised him with a hug or shirking away from her hand whenever it landed on his arm or his shoulder.

The first time he grasped her hand was a shock to them both. He fumbled and let go almost immediately, apologizing for his sudden behavior. Sakura tried to reassure him that it was okay, but his pale face was so red and embarrassed that she decided to pretend that nothing had happened. He was her Sasuke. Definitely not the perfect person she once envisioned him as, but he was her love and now that he returned it, everything was perfect.

There was a great deal of smiling and laughing between the two as they walked swiftly, keeping time with the rest of the large group. Sasuke's face would still occasionally turn flame-red, but he still held on to her hand firmly.

Naruto bounded toward the back, evidently with something to share with the two. When he saw their clasp hands quickly let go, he tried to hide his look of pain. He did so quickly, but it did not escaped Sasuke's notice. His attentive eyes caught the look of disappointment in Naruto's eyes before it quickly disappeared. Sasuke glanced at Sakura to see if she noticed, she was far too blissful to see anyone else but the person walking next to her. Sasuke made a mental note to talk to her and to him later when he had the chance. Naruto chatted away blithely as if he did not see Sasuke release Sakura's hand almost immediately when he saw him. Sakura half-listened while Sasuke mulled over the new dynamics of the team; he did not want this new development to ruin their long-standing team.

"Captain told me to tell you that we're nearing the half point!" Naruto added cheerfully, his hands clasped behind his neck, he laughed a little at nothing in particular. It was a bitter laughter that Sasuke knew too well.

"That's great. Thanks for telling us," Sakura replied, smilingly. Naruto left the two, walking faster to catch up to the leaders of the group. Sasuke wanted to stop Naruto and talk to him then and there. He wanted to have this whole thing out in the open. He didn't like the tension he could already feel rippling in the air between the three of them, but since they would rest at the half point, he decided to speak to Naruto there.

Everything went well and then, everything went wrong.

A scream ripped through the quiet, tense atmosphere. The sudden copper smell of blood filled the air.

"We're under attack! Scatter!" The warning rang out sharply, breaking the calm of the warm afternoon. The two separated quickly, sprinting away to face off with the still unseen enemy.

"You six, stay here and guard her with your life," The captain ordered quickly before joining the fray.

"Understood!" The six said in union, four spreading out in circular formation while two guarded the clothed sedan to better protect their target.

"What's going on?" A timid voice asked from inside the sedan. "Why have we stopped?"

"We're under attack. Stay inside, keep quiet and we will protect you," someone answered gruffly, before deflecting a flying projectile with his kunai blade.

"Attack? Will we be okay?" The girl asked, the rising panic evident in her trembling voice.

"We'll be fine. Just stay put in there, okay?" The second guard replied, more kindly, hoping to dissuade the girl's fears. Meanwhile, the four guarding the perimeter had moved off a short distance to meet the attackers. They wore no headbands, the dark clothes they donned could be from any nation and with the black clothes covering most of their faces, they made themselves unidentifiable. He swore, there was no way to predict what attacks they would use and there was still the unanswered question of how many of these unmarked ninjas were there. Maybe there were few, maybe there were many. There were too many maybes.

My feelings stayed the same. I truly believe, then and now, that I loved this boy who awed me with his strength, his bravery and most of all his kindness, which was often hidden behind a curtain of cold indifference.

Sakura fought, neither bravely nor cowardly. There was no cowardice in staying alive nor was there bravery in death. Instead of charging in head-first and showing off all of her jutsus like she would have three years ago, she feinted weakness. Let her opponent think she was a weak kunoichi, an easy target with pink hair. Let her opponent underestimate her and when his weakness was exposed, that was when she would pounce like a hungry tiger.

Her opponent was blindsided by her genjustsu and in a flash, she was behind him, slitting his throat cleanly with her knife. His warm blood gushed over her hands, making them slick and sticky. A few years ago, she would have trembled just thinking about taking another life, but now older and battle-hardened, taking life was only another part of being a shinobi. It was neither glorious nor as grim or impossible as she once thought it to be. Nothing is impossible once you get your hands dirty and after the first time, you learn to shut out the death-squeeze on your heart with every life you take. This is possible because it is killed or be killed and that is what you remember when you deal the final blow. It's either your life or his.

She looked up, surveying the battle to see where she could be most effective when she noticed the six guards assigned to protect their client were almost all dead. A scream ripped through the air and the last man was down too. Sakura wanted to turn away from the bloody scene before her and she would have when she recalled that there was no one protecting the girl- open wide to attack and without protection, the civilian girl would not last long in this chaotic fight. One loose weapon carelessly thrown and her life would be over.

"SASUKE! THE GIRL!" She cried, rushing toward the sedan where she was certain the girl was still cowering in fear. Then to her horror, a small body darted out of the dark cloth. The idiotic girl had decided to run for her life.

Shit, Sakura swore. It would have better if she stayed in one spot. She kept on running toward the girl, the cut she sustained on her lower thigh slowed her down. She swore again as another faceless, black-clothed opponent dropped down from nowhere in front of her. He was here to delay her so that someone else could finish off the girl. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. She had no time to stay and gauge this person's fighting power. They both knew that if he could stop her long enough, then the real fight would be over, the girl would be slain and the mysterious ninjas would disappear.

The girl stopped moving, huddling beside the dead guards who were supposed to protect her. If the girl had any sense, she would have known that that was the worst place she could have stopped. Staying in the sedan would have at least given her some covering and that could be the difference between a kunai between the eyes or on a less vital spot. Sakura decided to finish off her opponent quickly. No more feints this time. All that mattered was that she did this quickly and efficiently.

She stared at her opponent for a long minute, contemplating what kind of attack she should use. While she pondered, she could swear her opponent was smiling at her under that mask, as if he knew that anything she threw at him would be futile because he was so superior in strength and ninjustus.

She ran towards him in a headlong fashion as if she was about to launch a foolish frontal attack, something done commonly by inexperienced rookies and novices. She darted into the bushes in the last minute, quickly making the signs for one of her most powerful genjutsus. The idiot had not moved, not even while she came barreling at him and deflected to the side at the last minute. All the better for her, she thought as she finished the last seal. His life was over anyways.

She moved towards him and they clashed with a grunt, his hand stopping the kunai she was going to use. Her eyes widened in surprise. Had her technique missed? Did she forget one of the 56 seals? It was a newer one and she hadn't gotten the chance to use it many times, so it was quite possible. Still, that didn't matter. Her opponent was evidently not entrapped and the girl was still out in the open without protection.

A flash of navy blue clothes darted past her, heading toward the girl.

She sighed in relief, Sasuke had come at last. Her attention was yanked back to her opponent as he slowly pushed her backwards with pure physical strength. They broke apart and she readied her weapons for a physical attack. Now, she had a little bit of time to test and play with her opponent.

The twang of what sounded like many bows filled the air. Something in her made Sakura turn her attention back toward the girl and the man drawing near her, the man she loved. It was a fatal mistake, to be distracted during a battle and yet, her opponent did not strike her.

The whistling sounds of countless arrows filled the air, rushing swiftly to close the distance between them and their target: a young girl surrounded by many dead.

The arrows hit him, each one burying themselves into his body. Still, he had made it in time, having pushed the girl against a small mound of bodies and using himself as a human shield, she had not received a single wound yet. Not bad for someone who was half a battlefield away when he heard someone crying his name. And the arrow wounds were easily treatable. They were small and if the medics were still alive, then they could heal him quickly. He would be back on his feet and fighting in no time.

Then he stumbled, a troubled look on his face. Something was not right.

Sasuke flew like a bird through the air and flung himself in front of the target to protect her from the flying arrows. Each of the countless arrowheads hit their mark, each with a sickening thud. Sakura almost wanted to smile. Couldn't he find a different, less painful way to save people? She could see the satisfaction in his eye, even from this far away. He would recover easily from those small wounds; she had seen him come back even from the brink of death.

She turned back to her opponent and saw why he hadn't attacked her; he was too busy being occupied by another leaf nin. Sakura wanted to go and help when out of the corner of her peripheral vision, she saw Sasuke stumble. He shouldn't be stumbling after arrow wounds, especially not with the special chakra armor he wore under his clothes during battle. Something was wrong.

Sakura found herself sprinting toward him before she even knew it. His body was swaying in the wind like a bent blade of grass, ready to break.

She caught him before he fell, landing heavily on the ground.

"Sasuke!" She cried as she cradled his head with her arms, like the many times before. "What's wrong?" His blood intermingled with those of the dead, staining the once-dry ground a dark maroon red.

He shouldn't be bleeding like this, not with such small wounds. What was going on?

"Sakura…nothing can be done…the arrows…they're poisoned…" He stopped as a terrible cough shook his body. He realized the fact almost immediately; his body seemed to be fighting against him. He wondered how long he had left.

"No…" she said desperately. Salty tears blinded her as she recklessly plucked the arrows out. She had to get these horrible things out of his body, maybe then- Sasuke cried out in pain, stopping her. Oh gods, this could not be happening.

She pressed down against the wounds, her basic first aid skills doing very little to staunch the flow; the blood continued to ooze out of his wounds at an alarming rate. There was just so much blood and it wouldn't stop! Sakura started to panic, but calmed herself slightly because she had to save him. She had to.

"Medic!" She screamed, "Medic! Sasuke's down, we need you! Where are you!" She cried in vain.

She turned her attentions back to him. "Oh kami-sama, there's so much blood," she whispered, deathly afraid for him. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be here soon. You'll be alright, just hang onto me, okay?" She tried to keep up a brave face for him, unsure if the two medics were still fighting or if they were still alive.

A drop trickled down her face and splashed onto his. Smiling, he tenderly wiped her already wet cheeks.

"Don't cry Sakura-chan…" he whispered. Sakura-chan, he started calling her that ever since he told her the truth.

The poison quickly coursed throughout his body, using his own circulation system against him. Each word he spoke cost him, but he had to say what was needed. If he didn't, she might never find happiness again. He broke out into a cold sweat; his blood was already slowing down. Everything was growing cold.

"Sakura…" his voice was filled with a strange urgency, although he would not look directly at her as he spoke. "Sakura…Naruto is a good man…you should consider him…"

"Naruto?" She asked completely confused, everything else momentarily forgotten. She shook her head, "No, he doesn't care for me like that anymore. Besides you shouldn't talk like that especially after what happened. You can't…" The cries choked her off.

This couldn't be happening. He wasn't dying. This couldn't be happening. No.

Sasuke smiled up at her, remembering his bumbling confession to Sakura that he had feelings for her a short two months ago and how they held hands on this mission for the first time and how they blushed furiously. How he cherished the feeling of his hand on hers. He grasped onto her hand hard, not wanting to let go. Even as fond memories flooded his brain, Sasuke could feel his limbs go cold and finally grow numb. Summoning his last bit of strength, he reached up with his other hand to touch his beloved's face. He didn't want to say goodbye so quickly, not after it took him so long to finally find her.

"Sakura-chan…I-I love you…" he breathed and with that, his arm fell limp and his eyes rolled back to reveal white.

Sakura fell on him crying. Not like this, please, not like this.

The older medic arrived, laying a hand on Sakura's back. She sat up, startled to see another human being. The world had turned gray and now, was there hope?

The medic saw wild hope leap to life in Haruno's eyes. She bent down, taking the Uchiha's pulse, already knowing there was little hope, but she wanted to be sure. She looked back at the young woman, shaking her head sadly. This kind of poison was extremely potent, thickening and stopping the blood. There was no known antidote.

Sakura cried, this time not softly but loudly, forgetting she was still in a battle and that attracting attention could mean death.

"Haruno-san, please stop that. We need to get the girl to safety first," the medic tugged at the sobbing kunoichi.

Sakura raised her head, no longer were her eyes full of sorrow but of rage and irrational anger. That girl, it was because of her that Sasuke was dead. She should kill her for that. She advanced toward the girl with murderous intent. The girl cringed, frightened and already curled up into a protective ball. Sakura stopped. What was she doing? This girl was not responsible for Sasuke's death. He would have died on a mission sooner or later. If not now, then some time in the future. But he was already dead. There was no sooner or later; the path was already chosen, the destiny already writ.

She crawled back to his side. His paler-than-death skin made her weep for the future they could not have any more. They had just begun to think of life together and now, it was over in a heartbeat. He was stolen from her, their life together was broken, the dream had ended.

She hugged his cold body, wishing death would come and claim her too. She felt the medic tug at her again, but she held on, her grip stronger than death, stronger than love, stronger than fear. There was no life without Sasuke, no light, no hope, no love.

Walls of earth rose up and formed a small protective bubble, shielding the three people inside of it. Sakura held on, deaf to the waves of poisoned arrows that continued to rain upon the barrier, pelting it from all sides. She didn't care. All too quickly, the numbed calm state she was in began to crumble and heavy sobs shook her.

She cried and screamed and voiced her pains to the heavens. The heavens answered by opening up and pouring down its own tears, a sudden freezing rain in the midst of a terrible battle.

Take me with you. Please, let me stay with you forever.

Outside the rain and the arrows continued to fall. She couldn't tell the sounds apart anymore.

Meanwhile, Naruto fought furiously, having transformed several bunshins to help him cope with the overwhelming number of enemy nins. It was strange since Sasuke was usually by his side and together they would slowly wear down their opposition. He had sustained multiple small wounds. Nothing grave enough to slow him down, but enough to cover his jacket with gruesome blood splatters like the rest of the field.

He hoped that the girl, the person they were escorting, was still alive. He saw that she was alive a few moments ago when he caught a glimpse of her being guarded by a handful of his comrades before his view was cut off by the opposition. However, in battle anything could happen and right now, his wits were concentrated on analyzing the fighters in front of him and thinking up a quick strategy. He hoped that she could hang on for a few more moments; that was all the time he needed.

Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of a piteous wailing. It stunned his opponents long enough for him to render them unconscious. He rushed toward the source of the sound. Naruto knew it was her voice without even seeing her, but he prayed that it wasn't her.

He moved quicker than the eye could follow and saw her being swallowed up in a ball of earth. He saw him laying on the ground, her crying on top of him. There were arrow shafts sticking everywhere out of him. Just like last time…

The medic girl was also there too, clutching the frightened client behind her. Why wasn't she attending to Sasuke since he was obviously wounded and the girl looked merely scared and not hurt? His thoughts stopped him cold. She wouldn't have to attend to him because a dead person could not be saved.

Sasuke? Dead? They killed him? They killed Sasuke! Sasuke was dead?

The dirt engulfed the four, hiding them from his view. It didn't matter, he had seen enough. How could they kill Sasuke? Uchiha Sasuke was not supposed to die yet, not here, not now. He was supposed to live and cover Naruto's back, and the two would fight together as a team, like always.

Someone charged at him from his blindside. He knocked whoever it was without thinking.

His best friend was dead? The thought was impossible, the great Uchiha was never suposed to die. He was to live on forever in legend, even when he passed away quietly in his sleep many, many decades later. That's how it was supposed to go. The three of them would reach old age, even older than the Sannin. One of them would become Hokage, and the rest would stay in the village, replaying their younger days when they were too old to go out on missions. That was the dream.

What was she feeling now? He wasn't dense enough not to see them holding hands. It was a shock, but he supposed he should have seen it coming a long time ago. For her, the crush had turned into love somewhere along the way and for him, it was only a matter of how long he could keep away, hidden in his protective cocoon. Like a reluctant butterfly, he had finally come out, after all these years and now, while he was still testing his wings, he was blown away to the great unknown, unable to find his way back again.

It wasn't fair. She had waited so long for happiness.

The arrows kept on pelting the soft earthen capsule that enclosed them. Soon, he knew the medic's limited chakra would run out, the walls were already starting to crumble. Her life was still in danger. He could save his, but he could save hers at least.

He ran, gathering kunais and light explosives in his hands, readying himself for a blitzkrieg. Unfiltered emotions raged in him, coursing through his veins, making him grip the hard cold handles tighter than necessary. They killed his friend, his brother.

He took a shuddery breath before pouncing, ambushing the hidden archers. They thought they were safe, being so far away from the battlefield. They didn't expect anyone to find them. He cried out in fury, slicing and cutting wildly. Blood and cries filled the air, his, theirs, everyone's.

They killed Sasuke. Damn them all.

It was three weeks later when we finally buried Sasuke.

The battered group returned to Konoha. There were many funerals that day. Many were lost and many wept bitterly at the news.

The mission was a success. The girl had made it alive to her destination.

The word rang hollow in the hallways and in her ears. Successful, completed. How could a mission be still stamped as successful when so many had died along the way? Was the lives of her comrade more important than one client? The mission should have been labeled a failure, a disaster. Success was a cheap word, paper-thin and worthless.

Sasuke's name was inscribed on that cenotaph as seen from many years ago. By now, a few familiar names were also etched on its shiny black surface, teachers and older friends. The funeral was a blur for her, faces and sounds intermixed into one confusing blob of nothingness. Only a single black stone stood out, hard and unmoving like death itself.

"We have come here to say goodbye to Uchiha Sasuke, a venerable warrior and honorable shinobi of the hidden village of leaf…" A bodiless voice droned on and on about the wonderful deeds of the Uchiha survivor. He became legend and the stuff every young genin should aspire to in that moment. For Sakura, he was cut out of her life, completely detached as if she never met him. Everything seemed like she was trapped in a strange nightmarish dream. The past three years muddled and grew dim. Sasuke became a beautiful rumor, lofty and unattainable again. He was so amazing that he had transcended the limits of mortality. She would remember him as a legendary hero, an idealized shinobi who died in the line of duty.

The touch of cold stone under her fingertips brought everything to life, to reality. His name was inscribed deep into the rock, forever to be imprinted there for generations to come, another nameless hero in a long list of nameless, selfless heroes. They were no longer people, but names to be learned, and forgotten.

Sakura touched Sasuke's name tenderly as she struggled to hold back a sob. It strangled in her throat and made it hard to breathe but that was the farthest thing from her mind.

The crowds were gone, slowly filtering away from this spot of despair and sorrow. Perhaps they couldn't take it, how everything here was permeated with the touch of sadness, from the trees to the blades of each leaf and the very air that swirled around like a restless spirit. Perhaps all they wanted to do was go back to their normal lives. She couldn't go back. Everything was so sudden and the thought occurred to her: how was she supposed to go on without him?

People who knew of her long devotion to Sasuke patted her on the back. A few gave her a quick hug before departing. Ino tried to coax Sakura into leaving with her, but Sakura refused, adamant in staying just a little longer. Ino nodded, knowing nothing she could say or do would move her. She left, a lingering glance over her shoulder at the pink-haired woman in front of the jet-black stone. She wanted to stay with her, somehow comfort her by saying useless things like how everything would be okay. How could they be when the one thing Sakura wanted the most was given to her and snatched away just as quickly? She walked away, hunched over with the emotional burden of the day. There were so many lost.

A single man stayed behind, staring hard at the newly turned earth, marking the spot where his friend was now buried. He looked up to see her. She was still there too. There was no one else left but the two of them. He wanted to go over and do something but was unsure of how to comfort her and himself in the lost of his dear friend. Everything was so unreal.

"Sasuke…" Sakura wept softly before collapsing on the ground, sobbing piteously. The initial pain was that of a thousand knifes slowly gouging her, continually stabbing her from all directions. However, that was nothing compared to the ache that stemmed from her heart, spreading across her entire body. It was like a fire that could not be put out by any amount of tears.

She vaguely comprehended the cool, damp sensation on her palms to mean that she was on the ground, weeping like a fool. At least there was no one else here to watch her breakdown. The insignificant consolation fled while images of Sasuke flooded her mind. She felt two strong arms pull her up and engulf her in a warm embrace, but she continued to cry for Sasuke.

Naruto held her in his arms, feeling like he was both the happiest and the saddest man alive. If only he was Sasuke, then Sakura would love him and he would love her and everything would be perfect. Yeah, perfect is for idiots, he chastised himself as tears he was too angry to shed before started to fall and mingle with Sakura's. The lost of Sasuke would haunt them both for a long time.

A/N- I can already feel the flames coming from Sasuke fans…well, if it makes you feel any better, I planned this since the beginning of this story, so it wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. Chapter one was more of a prologue than anything. Oh and I'm wondering what anyone thought of the semi-fight scenes- those are kind of a weak spot. Well, until next time.