Edit/Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
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Sakura died uselessly. Of course, all death is useless, but hers especially was. The former team seven, now all Jounin and still preferring to work together, had completed their mission flawlessly. Naruto had commented about how Tsunade-sama was getting paranoid in her old age, because Taki no Kuni seemed peaceful. No rebellions to speak of, as far as they had seen. The ninjas there, as few as there were, seemed able to handle any problems within the country on their own.
They had been on the way home, eager to get there before dark so they wouldn't have to spend another night outside. It was then that the attack occurred. Even with their leader dead, Otogakure still tried to destroy Konoha. It had been a six-man team that attacked them, two going after each shinobi. Naruto had made quick work of his enemies, a Rasengan destroying them both. Sasuke had done the same with his Chidori. Both had rushed to help Sakura when they heard her scream. Both had been too late.
They'd carried her body back, ignoring as blood soaked into their vests, hair, skin. Sasuke insisted on carrying her the entire way, but collapsed after two-thirds of the journey, dry-heaving onto the ground. Naruto had lifted his friend's burden from his shoulders, carefully carrying his pink-haired team mate in his arms, as Sasuke walked alongside him silently.
Once they were back in Konoha, both men reported directly to Tsunade, setting Sakura's still form down outside of the Hokage's office. They'd made their mission report, efficiently as without emotions, as any good ninja would. Once the formalities were done, Sasuke had gone to get Sakura, and Naruto had broken down.
Her funeral was three days later. Her parents had stared coldly at her team mates, as if blaming them for not protecting her. Of course, they wouldn't understand how strong Sakura had gotten.
Ino had sobbed openly against Naruto, and he had comforted her. He was the better choice, since he knew what it was like to lose a best friend.
Even Kakashi-sensei was on time for the service, his mask and headband firmly in place, as he stood silently next to Sasuke in the background, watching the funeral procession.
Everyone except Naruto and Sasuke went to the Haruno's afterwards, to celebrate a life they all felt had been cut short. Naruto and Sasuke silently walked to Sasuke's house, to remember her in their own ways.
Sasuke had stood silently during the funeral. His face hadn't changed expression from the utter blank it was. If Naruto hadn't known him better, he'd think his raven-haired team mate was comatose, or just didn't care. He knew both weren't the case. Sasuke wasn't one to show his emotions, he bottled them up until he had to kill something to keep from exploding. Except for the dry-heaving on the way home, he'd shown no signs that the loss had affected him.
Naruto had cried to himself on and off for the past three days. When he'd gone into his apartment and taken a shower after sobbing with Tsunade, he's broken into fresh tears, watching her blood be washed away by his warm shower. Seeing the note 'meeting Sakura and Sasuke for lunch' on his calendar the next morning had caused a bout of the sniffles. He'd reserved himself to a few tears and a couple of sniffs during the funeral, feeling he needed to be strong for other people, but now that he was alone with his best friend, he broke down again.
Leaning heavily against Sasuke, Naruto clutched at his shirt, sobbing.
He was shocked out of his own tears, however, when he heard the Uchiha choking on his own sobs. Naruto stood up slowly, pulling Sasuke against himself, rubbing his back.
"Damn it, Naruto, I was g-gonna… ask her to marry me.." Sasuke whispered, his shoulders shaking as he attempted to control himself. "I had a ring and e-everything ready. A-and I was gonna ask her n-next month, on her b-birthday."
Naruto blinked, again in surprise, rubbing Sasuke's back in slow circles. Outside the house's windows, the dark February sky opened up, rain pouring down onto the city, as it had done that day ten years earlier during Sandaime Hokage-sama's funeral.
"That would have made her very happy…" He said after a moment, since it seemed the silence needed to be filled, lest it become uncomfortable. That seemed to work, however, as Sasuke moved away from him then, muttering something about tea and making his way into the kitchen.
A year had passed since those awful three days. The remaining members of the former team seven, namely Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, refused missions that couldn't involve them both. Naruto moved out of his apartment and into Sasuke's house, at first to keep his team mate from doing anything drastic, then later simply because they each needed the other.
To the other ninjas of the village, they were still Sasuke and Naruto, though there were some fundamental changes. Hardly anyone saw them apart from each other, the occurrence so rare it was a shock when one was spotted alone.
They visited Sakura's grave every day, each silently talking to her in their own way, filling her in on details of their lives, or missions, or just saying that they missed her. While everyone else who was the kunoichi's friend would stop by her grave once in a while to talk to her, no one visited as often as her two former team mates.
Perhaps the biggest change the loss of Sakura brought about was the change in feelings Naruto and Sasuke had for each other. At first the embraces were comfort factors, a way of saying 'there's still someone here for you'. Anyone with a keen eye would notice how they stood close to each other, however, and maybe catch when they'd hold hands, without noticing it.
Someone this attentive would not have been surprised when the two married, in a small grove of pink-petal trees, on March twenty-eighth, when their beloved pink-haired friend and team mate would have had her twenty-third birthday. The wedding was a quiet affair, attended by Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi only, though everyone else attended the party the next day. Not a very festive event, as both the newlyweds were still mourning the loss of their team mate, and probably would forever, but still. It seemed the connection that Naruto and Sasuke now shared did manage to brighten their days.
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I wrote something were Sakura wasn't a bitch, wow. Two pages in Microsoft Works, which makes it a drabble in my book. 1077 words of angst, with a bit of happiness at the end.
They got married because they knew that there'd never be anyone else, not because they've had the hots for each other like forever. And Sasuke has grown to love Sakura over the years, so pfft on you.
I'm way too much of a SasuNaru fan to actually write SasuSaku, though. However, when the idea started in my head, they were married, and then she died.
Edit for bottom: Eek. I didn't know that their marriage would shock everyone so much! -bows several times- Gomen gomen gomen! (and that is the extent of my Japanese xD) Perhaps I should re-write an alternate ending? Though, it'd be more angsty if I did. Let me know, please?