A Last Request
Written by: Mikami
Warnings: Profanity, sexuality, main character death.
The funeral of Uchiha Sasuke, last of the Uchiha Clan of Konoha, was held seven days after the completed mission of the Earth Country. Like any exceptional warrior, he was honored by Konoha for his superiority in battle and as a worthy asset to the greatest shinobi village. Jounins and Chuunins of Uchiha Sasuke's generation were primarily assembled, adorned in black as his body was put to its final resting place.
A deathly silence rode the thinning breeze as the solemn onlookers followed the casket with their eyes. Amid them, first in line was Haruno Sakura, dressed in a modest black dress with her hair gathered away from her face by the Konoha forehead protector. As Tsunade, Konoha's Fifth Hokage, gave her last words to honor Sasuke, Sakura stared blankly as four Anbu members lowered the casket into the ground. Since receiving the news of Sasuke's death seven days ago, she shut herself up inside her home and barely spoke to anyone.
Tsunade then finished speaking and with engraving tools, carved Sasuke's name on the memorial of warriors that lost their life in battle. Subsequently, one by one each funeral attendee picked a flower from the arrangements on the ground and set it on the casket.
Aside from the designated officials for the service, there were specifics lined up for a final farewell to the Uchiha. Four-year Jounins, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Tenten; Rookie Jounin, Yamanaka Ino; Chuunins, Hyuga Hinata and Akimichi Chouji and Jounins, Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, Yuuhi Kurenai, Gai and Iruka.
And after extensive watch and care from Tsunade and Jiraiya, despite their healing process, Jounins Nara Shikamaru and Rock Lee stood alongside Sakura. It had been a long and horrible week of partial recovery but they insisted strongly on attending.
Two rows behind Sakura stood newly appointed Anbu member, Hyuga Neji. He watched from afar as Sakura bid Sasuke a last farewell. She surprised him by not breaking down; instead, she remained withdrawn and introverted through the rest of the ceremony.
Others who knew her well came up to her to offer their condolences, to which she hardly replied. It was said that before Sasuke left the village two months ago, he had furtively promised his heart to Sakura. Hinata knew, being on close terms with Sakura, she offered her support.
When the ceremony was completed, Neji turned around and followed the part of the crowd that wasn't going to attend the funeral reception. But a voice from behind stopped him in mid-stride.
" You're not going to the reception ?" asked Rock Lee.
Neji looked back at his teammate who was shuffling with difficulty from his healing injuries.
" No, I'm not." Neji replied. " Sasuke was nothing more than a revered ally."
" What about Sakura ? You should at least be there for a while. Show a little respect for once in your life." Said Lee.
" I've already offered her my condolences. There's no need to overdo it."
" But you delivered the news." Lee continued, " After all…you saw everything……"
An unbearable wave of light erupted in front of the Hyuga; so blinding and ear shattering, it caused him to crouch low to the ground. Neji screamed from the sensation of his bursting eardrums and the hot white light that crept through his eyelids to render him sightless.
Then all of a sudden it was cut off. It was as if the world sped up and then came to a harsh stop. Everything became black again.
Slowly, Neji opened his eyes. At first his body didn't respond to his calls, so he gritted his teeth and exerted his last ounces of force to look around. The sight before him was ghastly. The forest they were previously in had vanished and had been diminished to nothing but acres upon acres of overturned, charred tree trunks and smoke. The ground beneath him was also scorched by flame. But what gave him new strength to move was the sight of the bodies of his comrades.
He was able to identify Lee and Shikamaru; Naruto was also lying a few meters away, unconscious. But next to the scalded body of the seemingly invincible enemy they fought, laid the immobile form of Sasuke.
Following the funeral, the reception was held at Sakura's home. Only friends and associates appeared, making it easier to accommodate them all. Tsunade stayed for a short while until she left with Jiraiya to see Naruto who was still in a comatose state. She was sure to inform Sakura to stop by the hospital.
A disheartened blonde sat on the sofa with a glass of punch, staring listlessly at the patterns that were carved on the wooden coffee table and then transferred her gaze to a pair of pale eyes right next to her.
" It's like she's a plastic puppet, no emotion or anything. I expected her to cry the entire time." Said Ino to Hinata. She had also been watching Sakura from across the room.
" Sakura wants to be strong. But I think she's barely keeping it together. I'm amazed that she lasted this long today." Replied Hinata.
Both of them sat by surveying the rest of the guests. Kakashi, Gai, Chouji and Kiba were in the kitchen, seated at the table while Kurenai was refilling two glasses of punch, one for her and the other for Asuma, who was engaged in conversation with Iruka.
Ino sighed unhappily, " I cared for Sasuke too……Sakura just loved him more than I did."
She glanced over at the pink-haired woman near the kitchen doorway, having a talk with Tenten. Sakura was emotionally strong and for someone like Sasuke who lacked emotional support, he needed her all the more.
Meanwhile near the stairs, Shino was having a private chat with Shikamaru, Lee and Neji. Shino already knew what had happened; all the details known by everyone in the room heard it from Lee and Shikamaru's point of view. Neji wasn't much of a storyteller; hence everyone thought his version wasn't completely needed. They thought it would be the same thing.
Now the conversation had swayed to Naruto's well being. Shikamaru had just confirmed that Naruto was nothing more than a human paperweight that was visited frequently by Tsunade and Jiraiya. He wasn't completely open to just any visitors—only to Sakura, Kakashi, Lee, Shikamaru and Neji for now.
" It's too quiet around here." Shino mentioned, thinking of Naruto's rowdy voice.
" Yeah," Shikamaru nodded, " It does seem unnatural without the idiot."
" Tsunade-sama verified that after tonight we're well enough to return home. I don't know what she did when I was out cold but, hell, it worked for the most part." Said Lee, patting the bandages still covering his back.
" Staying at the hospital makes me feel like a useless, old man anyway." Agreed Shikamaru. " The only one out of all of us who got away with a few cuts and bruises was Hyuga."
Neji's attention was tuned in by the citing of his name.
" It's not my fault you rushed in without thinking." He said flatly.
" I didn't rush in; I was the one that configured the squad." Shikamaru added, peeking at Lee from the corner of his eye.
Lee clicked his tongue casually, " Oh sure, just blame everything on me."
" It doesn't matter now," said Neji with an unemotional tone, " The whole thing's finished."
Lee, Shino and Shikamaru watched as Neji turned on his heel and walked away from the group. Exchanging glances, they shrugged at their comrade's naturally cold manner.
" I've always wondered what's stuck so far up his ass." Said Shikamaru nonchalantly.
Shino pushed his glasses up with the tip of his forefinger. " Do you suppose he feels remorse for the news he brought Sakura ? They've had no past interaction and for her to hear something like that from him must have thrown her overboard."
Lee snorted in disbelief, " Remorse ? That's a word apart of a BIGGER list of words Neji doesn't know the meaning to. Other words like warmth, pleasant and compliment are on that list too."
" Not like we could fix that during our two months of male bonding in the Earth Country." Shikamaru shrugged offhandedly.
Shino was compelled to agree.
On the other side of the room, Neji was fingering the last full glass of punch sitting beside the nearly empty punch bowl. He wasn't thirsty; he just wanted something to flood his insides from the anxious feeling to leave the reception. It was a big waste of time, given that he already paid his respects to his fallen comrade almost five hours ago at the funeral ceremony.
Sakura had barely acknowledged him throughout the entire day—she was too withdrawn, looking more like a lifeless existence with each passing hour. Perhaps a piece of it could've been the fact that he was the one that brought her the news.
Neji sneered sardonically at that thought. He had been the messenger of death and nothing more. There was no reason for her to act childish by holding a grudge against someone that had no power in the fate of the final outcome of the mission. It was senseless.
He downed the punch in a single breath and was prepared to leave for the night. Although he hadn't shown it, his injuries from the mission rendered him tired and he needed to rest.
After depositing the empty glass near the sink, Neji casually made his way through the kitchen and began to head for the door. He briefly locked gazes with Shikamaru and Lee, confirming to them his departure. Then he nodded shortly to Tenten who still carried on her conversation with an aloof Sakura.
As he routed his way to the door Neji passed Sakura, his shoulder brushing hers unintentionally. Like a static shock, the fleeting moment was unpleasant.
The seconds were terribly strained in the time that Neji limped harshly toward the fallen squad leader. Every breath he took created a horrific wave of pain from the collapse of a few of his ribs. The bandages he wore wrapped around his right leg were completely soaked in blood from a long gash that occupied his ankle, all the way up to his thigh. Gritting his teeth together in concentration, he tried with all his willpower to ignore the piercing feeling.
When he finally arrived at Sasuke's side, he dropped tiredly to his knees. His other teammates were lying as still as death itself but he was sure they survived. Uchiha Sasuke, on the other hand, had been at the center of a devastating chakra-weighted blast.
Using a bloodied hand, Neji put two fingers against Sasuke's neck to check for a pulse. A few weak beats barely pushed his fingers as Sasuke's breath came out in short, choking gasps.
Sasuke opened his eyes to a blurry vision before him.
" Well done," the vision said—which Sasuke instantly recognized as Hyuga Neji's voice.
" Hmph." The Uchiha managed out; but it sounded more like a faint wheeze. " Of course."
" Can you at least sit up ?" Neji asked.
Sasuke shook his head weakly. " I hardly have the ability to breathe."
" The others are out cold. Can you stay here on your own ? I'm the only one capable of getting assistance right now."
Neji inhaled tensely in preparation to stand.
" There's no need." Sasuke said, stopping him. " Shikamaru and Lee will be conscious soon. Naruto will be the only one you'll have to worry about."
" What ?"
A grim lift from the corners of Sasuke's lips was a pathetic attempt for a smirk. Neji had not identified it since the action on Sasuke's face was interrupted by a series of violent coughs. Dark, crimson liquid flowed from his mouth, drawing thick paths down his cheeks and chin.
" Stop that." Neji snapped.
Another jolt ran through Sasuke's chest, splattering red over the high blue collar of his tattered shirt. His eyes were only slits now and were closing heavily against his will.
" I've…always wondered……what death would……feel like." He spoke through the gurgling of blood. His teeth were stained thickly in dark red.
Neji clenched his fist in a massive swirl of anger and disbelief. He didn't want to believe that the so-called indestructible Uchiha Sasuke was falling into darkness.
" Open your eyes……Open your fucking eyes ! Sasuke !" Neji shouted.
As if the Hyuga's voice was a force, Sasuke retained a little bit of his own control that moment. But there was no more time left.
" She would be upset with me." Whispered Sasuke. He ignored the puzzled look on the other young man's face.
Then locking eyes with Neji, he fought to tighten his grip on his comrade's beige shirt.
" Naruto won't be able…to do……anything." He said. " …Don't let her be unhappy, Hyuga……I don't…ever……want to see her……unhappy."
The grip had loosened slowly on Neji's shirt as Sasuke's wheezing breaths disappeared.
A reflex of Sakura's was startled and caused her to look in the direction of the entity that came in contact with her shoulder. She didn't say anything after catching Neji's pale gaze. However, she continued to look at him even after he turned his head away.
Sakura had all she needed to know of Sasuke's last moments of life but a balking voice at the back of her head told her that perhaps it wasn't the complete story. Nonetheless, she let it slide for now. Grief was too much to deal with at the moment.
The front door closed behind Neji and he stepped out into the dying evening. The stars were out earlier than normal but still provided spotlights on the path toward his home.
There were things Neji kept to himself; he only related the obvious parts of the story to Lee and Shikamaru. He hadn't known what Sasuke meant by his last words but seven days ago when he arrived at Sakura's door for the first time, the meaning suddenly occurred to him.
Every last word of those dying sentences from Sasuke's mouth pertained only to Haruno Sakura.
But something else still didn't make sense. There was no reason for Neji to pick up Naruto's job of consoling her. He hardly knew her, let alone cared. It was true he felt some pity for her loss but to carry any extra burden like her emotions would be nothing more than a nuisance.
With that in mind, Neji headed home.
As night continued to settle in, guests from the funeral reception thinned out. Kurenai, Asuma, Chouji and Ino left an hour after Neji and Shino, Kiba, Iruka and Gai followed suit about two hours later. It was almost twelve in the morning when Sakura sat quietly at kitchen table with her remaining guests—who were people closer to her now than ever before. They sat drinking coffee, talking softly amongst themselves while trying to create a comfortable atmosphere for Sakura.
Hinata eyed Tenten from across the table while sipping her cup. Tenten acknowledged the worry in Hinata's gaze.
" Are you going to be alright getting home ?" Sakura asked softly to Lee and Shikamaru. " You can stay here for the night."
" We don't want to bother you." Said Shikamaru.
" No, it's okay. It'll be good if you stayed. Your injuries aren't fully healed yet."
The kitchen clock chimed shortly and Kakashi stood up to remind everyone that they should retire for the night. No one was pushed to oppose.
" Goodnight everyone." Sakura said in a weak whisper. She put her half finished coffee cup near the sink.
" Goodnight Sakura." Kakashi tried to provide some semblance of comfort by putting a hand on her shoulder.
Tenten and Hinata gave her a supportive hug before making their way to the door.
" It's going to be okay." Tenten gave her a sad smile. Beside her, Hinata gave Sakura's hand a squeeze.
The last two guests that were staying for the night insisted that they sleep downstairs for her convenience. Lee and Shikamaru made themselves comfortable on the sofa as Sakura headed upstairs.
" Sleep well." Lee called.
Shikamaru echoed, " Goodnight."
Their voices faded when she reached her room. For a while, she stayed silent as she washed up and changed into her bedclothes. In the mirror, she caught a glimpse of herself—eyes bloodshot with the formation of dark circles.
Sakura retreated towards her bed and sat sadly at the edge.
The tears would always come. She felt they would never stop. The ache was the worst at night and it would stay harsh until morning.
" Sasuke……" She began to cry.