Aww, poor Hinata.
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Sakura opened her eyes. The sky was cloudless and blue. There was a drought, and Sakura and Ino were both taking advantage of it.
Sakura could feel the persperation on her skin evaporating as soon as it was created. It was making her sticky and gross. "Ino," Sakura asked. Her mouth was dry. "Do you want to go in?"
"No," Ino muttered. "You can if you want."
"Okay," Sakura shrugged. "I'll be upstairs when you come in then."
"Yep," Was her answer.
Sakura stood up, stretched, and walked into her (cold) house. She walked up the stairs to her bathroom, preparing to have a nice shower before getting ready for her and Ino's double date. She wasn't looking forwards to going to the movies with Shikamaru, but Ino convinced her and she gave in eventually.
Ino was going with Neji, and Tenten wasn't happy about that. Nothing was going to happen, though… she hoped.
Sakura took off her clothes, and as she was waiting for the shower to warm up, she looked into the mirror at her reflecting naked self. She had so many scars from previous battles. She ran her hand along the cut on her stomach. Sasuke had saved her. If he hadn't, she would have been torn in half. It was most definitely fortuitous.
Naruto had jumped on her, and accidentally pushed her over a cliff while trying to protect her from an enormous explosion at a mine. Naruto had sliced his back open from that, but no one would be able to tell, thanks to the fox's Chakra. She, unfortunately, now had a long, thin scar on her arm from the damn rocks. Both she had healed herself, but even though Chakra can close the skin and stop internal and external bleeding, it doesn't remove scars if used roughly.
The mirror started to fog up, and Sakura climbed into the shower. She felt dead. She had for a long time. The sun didn't seem to touch and warm her skin, the wind didn't go through her hair like it used to. She didn't hate her life, and she wasn't sick, but, something was wrong at this time.
Often she felt like this, but this was longer than it ever was. Maybe it was because she was locked up in her house so much? She got enough exercise and enough of her social life as well as 'her alone time.' She led quite a normal life.
The warmth of the shower hardly reached her. It felt good, but she stayed cold.
She closed her eyes and she lathered up her hair with expensive shampoo that Ino insisted Sakura buy. It smelled like an old lady who didn't know the difference between too much, and just the right amount of perfume.
Sakura got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body and hair. She stretched. Her back was out of wack again. She'd have to get Naruto to help her crack it.
Sakura walked into her room. She forgot to draw the curtains, so her room was dark. Something moved and she switched on the light. Nothing was there.
"It's a little messy in here," Sakura said to herself. "Guess I'll do that when I get back."
She reached into her closet. "Ahh," Sakura rolled her eyes. She walked out into the hall and yelled out, "Ino? Where'd you put my clothes?"
She heard no answer.
It's been half an hour at least. Ino should be in now, Sakura rolled her eyes again. She probably fell asleep.
She walked out onto the patio and saw Ino's arm hanging over the edge of her chair. She did. The idiot. She's going to sunburned.
"Ino," Sakura said. "Come on, time for you to get up and go have a shower."
Ino didn't move.
"You have got to be kidding me. You can't be that fast asleep, you've only got an hour to get ready, and I know for a certain fact that that's not enough for you to even do your hair," Sakura walked over to Ino's chair and looked down at Ino.
Her heart skipped, making her stomach clench tight.
Sakura was frozen. Time was holding everything captive. The wind stopped blowing. Everything was still and silent.
Ino's eyes were open; a blank expression covered her face. Sakura looked down slowly, as though time were holding her and keeping her from moving as well. Her throat was slit in a perfect line.
Sakura breathed in. Her heart started again, and, instead of breathing out, she let out a terrible, loud, ear-piercing scream. She fell backwards onto the hard concrete, her head bouncing off it. The pain didn't affect her. She crawled backwards and slowly stood up, staring at Ino the whole time.
Sakura ran into her house. She knew what she had to do, but it didn't seem real. Ino was a makeup artist. But, it wasn't April, and Ino wasn't that sick. There's no way… She was just faking, though… Sakura was asleep…
Sakura picked up the phone, and instantly dialled Naruto's number. She didn't do this fast. Ha ha, Ino, very funny.
She'll probably just walked through the door right now and laugh at me… I fell for it like a child…
Ha ha, Ino.
"Hello?" Naruto's voice came over the phone. Sakura blinked slowly. "Hello?"
In Sakura's mind, she was telling Naruto, screaming, yelling, sobbing. But she just stood still, and slowly the phone fell from her hand, and smashed on the floor, breaking in half, the wires and electrical stuff spilling onto the floor.
Sakura leaned onto the kitchen island. In her mind, something was stuck. Maybe I'll make something to eat before we go… That way we won't be making Neji and Shikamaru spend all their money on us.
Sakura reached for the fridge, not feeling it. She took out ingredients to make something. She started the stove and put some stuff in a pan. She didn't know what she was making, but for some reason, making something to eat for the both of them made sense.
Sakura turned around at the sound of screeching brakes. Running, yelling, the doorbell. The door opening.
"Sakura!" Naruto's voice came from around the corner. "Sakura! SAKURA!"
Sakura walked to him calmly. He sighed as soon as he saw her. "Are you okay? You called (I saw on the id) and then you weren't talking… I heard a smash… I thought something happened! I came right over. Are you okay? What happened? Are you okay?"
Sakura looked up into Naruto's face and opened her mouth. Nothing came out.
Naruto raised his eyebrows. "What happened?"
Sakura pointed towards the phone on the floor.
"Why did you smash your phone?" Naruto asked walking towards it. "What happened?"
"I… Na… Naruto…" She forced out.
"What?" Naruto said, walking towards her. "Sakura! Tell me what's wrong?"
Sakura just looked past him, out the window, towards the chair.
Naruto turned around, and looked where she was looking. Blood was dripping off the bottom of the chair, making a puddle on the ground. Blood slowly ran down the hand hanging over it too, making a separate puddle. Naruto turned back towards Sakura and stared at her.
"You didn't…" He started.
"I… the… shower… I came out… and… she wasn't… so I… I went to her…" Sakura breathed in deep. "I found her… lying… throat… her throat… cut… She… She's dead… NARUTO! INO'S DEAD!"
Naruto stopped breathing.
Sakura dropped to her knees. It was as though saying it made it true. Naruto ran out of the house, towards Ino and fell to his knees as well. Sakura cried, cried as hard as she could, against the floor. The towel on her head fell off.
She barely heard Naruto come in, turn on his cell phone, and call the police.
"…There's someone dead here… No… No we don't know…"
He came over to Sakura and started talking to her. None of it made any sense. She didn't care what Naruto was saying at the moment.
He helped her stand up, and led her towards the stairs. He sat her down, and sat beside her, holding his head in his hands. Sakura looked at Naruto, and saw tears running and dripping off his face. Sakura breathed in, hiccupping and hugged him.
As soon as they heard the police siren in the distance, the sleeve and front of Naruto's shirt was soaking wet. Naruto wiped his eyes and walked to the door. Sakura just sat in the same spot, and didn't think, didn't breath, just… stayed.
The police came in, looked at Ino (the body), asked Naruto questions, asked Sakura questions, made a few calls, and went back out to "the body."
More people arrived, and finally, took Ino out on a stretcher. She was covered with a long, white sheet.
A man came to Sakura, and crouched in front of her. "Haruno, Sakura?" He asked gently.
She nodded while wiping away tears. The stinging in her throat burned. She couldn't imagine what it felt like for… her…
"I know that this is an inappropriate time to tell you, but we have to leave. Would you like to know how… Yamanaka, Ino… passed away?"
"I… No… No details…" Sakura sobbed, trying to breath in without hiccupping. "Who… Who did it?"
"We don't know," The man said, looking down. "All I found out was that her spine in her neck was severed by something."
Sakura covered her ears and closed her eyes. "No… no… nonononono…"
She heard a muffled "I'm sorry," and he stood up and left.
Naruto walked to Sakura and helped her stand up again. They slowly walked up the stairs, and walked into her bedroom. "They'll call us," Naruto muttered. He helped Sakura lay on her bed, and he sat on a chair, keeping watch over Sakura.
Sakura closed her eyes. She shivered.
"Sakura?" Naruto asked as Sakura stood up. With her back to Naruto, she slipped her underwear on. She slipped a t-shirt over her head and laid back down on the bed.
She peeked from under her sheets at Naruto and watched him glare out the window (he had opened the curtains), glare at his hands, the floor…
"Naruto," Sakura whispered.
"Yeah?" He asked, turning towards her.
"Come lay with me," She whispered. "I need the comfort."
Naruto stood up, and carefully laid beside Sakura. He hugged her close to his body. She cried softly onto the front of his shirt.
The phone rang.
Sakura and Naruto ignored it.
It stopped. Then rang again. Then again, and again, until finally, Naruto reached over and answered it.
"Hello?" He said. "Hey Neji… Oh…"
He's probably mad that we're not there… we're… she… she can't…
"WHAT?" Naruto yelled. "You're… What happened?"
Sakura couldn't hear what Neji was saying, but she could hear screaming and yelling coming from the phone.
The screaming and crying cut from the phone, and Naruto hung up.
His eyes were wide when he turned towards Sakura.
"Neji said… A man was walking through the east forest… He found Hinata… Same thing as Ino, I guess…" Naruto stared down. Then he angrily burst out, "How many other people are going to die today?"
"Naruto…" Sakura stood up.
"Sakura, look…" He pulled out a little purple box and opened it up. A small gold ring with a little diamond gleamed up at Sakura. Sakura gasped. "I was going to ask her tonight… Sakura, I was going to marry Hinata, and now she's dead!"
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