Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it.

XXVI.

- Rupture -

"Fasten your seatbelts. We're starting to descend," the even voice echoed through the transmitter and Sakura reached for the black belt on her own seat, clicking it together. Her movements were slow and measured.

She felt like a pale ghost dwelling in her bones, but not occupying them fully. She didn't respond to outer stimuli much these last few days. Heavy clouds of doubt and fear hung over her and refused to let her return to all her habits, the ones that dragged her back to the physical reality. Her mind was empty and she had nothing to say. Words didn't come out of her mouth, they only formed and faded away. There was a storm in her heart and turbulence in her mind, ever since she heard the news.

Gaara came this morning and said he's caught up on some news through the radio. There's been an explosion in Amegakure and the authorities have no idea what caused it. The level of panic among the citizens has increased due to the sudden occurrence. Many think it's been a terrorist attack and blame the authorities for not being strict and vigilant enough.

Even with that many police officers and security guards, criminals still sneak into the city and out of it, noted the journalist. The Governor has assured everyone through the media that safety measures will be taken and there's no need for strikes of any kind. Police forces will be doubled and every abandoned building searched through and taken down, eventually. He promised everything was under control.

As for the strange explosion, nothing was certain yet. The firefighters, medics and the SWAT teams sent on the scene of the crime still refused to give answers. The building has been abandoned and no criminal would've had any benefit targeting it. The head of the Amegakure Police Department suggested those kinds of attacks usually serve as a moral weapon, to impose fear in people. Even so, many are still not convinced the explosion has been an actual attack, since, officially, the teams have reported no casualties.

Sakura had a bad feeling about it.

No one ever listened to what they said on the radio or the television because it was all a systematically created lie. No one believed the stories they told, but the media still existed, nevertheless. Buildings didn't blow up for no reason. Not in Amegakure. Given the city's fame.

"Excuse me, miss. Do you want something to drink?" The neatly-dressed stewardess startled her and Sakura faced her, putting on her most carefree expression.

"No, thank you."

"Is everything alright? Anything I can help with?"

Sakura shook her head with a smile and the woman left her alone.

The plane was the same she came to the base with, which didn't help her much. Memories of Naruto and Sasuke flooded her mind and she was forced to turn away, her blurry eyes looking through the compact window on her left. It was a rare sight. The plane flew in between two seas of light clouds above and dark ones below. It was peaceful scenery. Like she floated between two worlds.

Faint sunbeams gilded the white veils with celestial light and Sakura found herself in momentary awe by the serenity. A blanket of darkness was spread far in all sides below them. There was so much power and magnificence in the infinite skies that she caught her breath. Was that what it felt like to be free? To fly, weightless, fearless, and with no memory of your past and no worry for the future.

She often stopped time and space to try and see the glory of it all, but it has never been close to what she saw now. The world was so lidded in the darkness that she never thought such beauty existed somewhere above the clouds. It left her breathless. It awoke longing in her, a desire to remain there and have the wings to wander through the skies. But the image appeared lonesome. Her eyes closed, head leaning back.

She pleaded for a life to be preserved again. It was as if she was a mediator of a sort, sent to this world to plea for human lives. Not only did she work in the department physically as a doctor, but her mind was always residing in a temple of her own, begging and seeking mercy for a certain human. For surgery to go well, for a cure to work wonders, for her knowledge and skills to be enough. No one taught her to do it, she was feeling the urge of it. It was giving meaning to her existence.

Kakashi ordered her to get back to Konoha, to be sure she's safe and not a target of anyone's suspicions. Her stay at the base was outside the law and he didn't want to get into trouble for it, neither did he want her to agonize by doing nothing. He remained calm when the news reached his ears, but there was a shadow that crossed his face. Both of them thought the same. Sasuke. Sakura refused to believe he was hurt somewhere out there. Not until she received real information concerning the explosion. Kakashi assured her he's going straight to Amegakure to see what's going on and promised to let her know whenever he has the chance.

Tiny buildings started showing up and Sakura looked through the window again, greeting her beloved Konoha. Goodness, she missed that city. It's been nearly a month and she forgot how much she missed it. The plane landed flawlessly and soon she found herself walking through the bleak and empty terminal corridors, with the buzz of her case's wheels echoing in the vast space. She had her uniform on, but couldn't wait to take it off, despite all the looks she got from passers-by.

"Sakura!"

That voice… that voice was home itself. Sakura quickly found the source of it and a smile bloomed on her lips. Her feet quickened the pace almost to running, eager to reach her haven. She jumped in her father's arms and stood there long, in silence. He loved doing that. When they parted a little, Kizashi held her arms and looked at her, eyes filled with joy.

"Welcome back, my dear."

Sakura shook her head and leaned to hug him again. She was grateful fathers like hers existed on this world. The door to her apartment clicked open and she breathed in the familiar air. Kizashi stepped in right after her and closed, switching the lights up. Sakura sighed with relief at the sight of her cozy bed and her mini-tv in the corner. Books and clothes were still all around her two rooms and she couldn't feel better discovering them at their same places.

"Are you hungry?" Kizashi asked, taking her coat off. "You insisted to come back to your apartment. Your mother said she's cooked food."

"I'm not hungry," Sakura gave him an apologetic smile. Everything inside of her was tied in a knot since she heard about the explosion, she didn't feel like eating anything more than a morsel or two for days now. "But I'll be glad if you make me company."

"You alright?" her father inquired as he made his way to her kitchen.

"Yeah, I just want to rest for a while. I'm sorry, I know mom's probably going to be mad at me for not rushing to meet her after I've returned from a mission."

"Mebuki could never be mad at you for such a thing. Don't worry, she'll understand. Plus, she knows they never let more than one civilian meet a passenger in the airport."

Sakura shrugged, taking some civilian clothes she could wear at home. As nice as the apartment seemed, at first sight, Sakura got to the realization that it needs a major cleaning and rearranging. She hadn't done one in weeks and with her new job in the military, she doubted she'd ever have the time so now was the moment. Resting was her prime wish for today, though. The flight wasn't exhausting as much as the news they received. Her entire body was tensed in anticipation ever since.

Kizashi kept her company for an hour and she was grateful to have him around, talking and cheering her up with his unabating joy, but he did sense she needed some privacy and wrapped up their last conversation with the excuse that he promised to go fix an electricity problem of their neighbor's. Sakura wasn't sure if the whole story wasn't a lie he made up just to leave her alone or it was true, but she didn't bother asking further, letting him go. He was just putting his coat on, on his way out when her phone rang out, ceasing his monologue on the importance of helping your neighbors when they're in need.

Her heart sank within her at the sound. She hurried to find it in her handbag across the room and pick up, closing eyes for a second.

"Well?" she breathed out. "Are you in Amegakure?'

"Yeah. I went to the place where the former Police Department blew up."

"I'm going, love. If you need something, just call," her father waved to get her attention and she looked up and forced a smile as he stepped out of her apartment and closed the door.

"Kakashi?" she called in the speaker, walking to the door in order to lock it after her father. The silence after her question was longer than usual and it made her squeeze the metallic handle harder.

"Everyone I interrogated kept the alibi that there was nobody in the building at the moment of the explosion. However, I found a medic that asserted otherwise… after I pressured him to tell the truth. The boy said there were two bodies when they arrived, but all the medics and officers have received a warning to keep that a secret."

Sakura turned around and leaned her back on the door. "What... what does that mean? Bodies?"

"I couldn't ask him more because they interrupted us, but he had enough time to describe to me what he's seen. One of the men was Sasuke, for sure. The other's been too mutilated for anyone to recognize him. A demolition explosive of the kind that's used cannot be attained legally. I assume no one wants to blare that a deserter and a potential criminal have been walking around freely. I'm not surprised."

"But…" Sakura's throat tightened, making her finish the sentence in a whisper. "So he's dead?"

Kakashi remained silent for a moment.

"I don't usually trust anyone until I see a body, but with the massive scale of that explosion… I'm afraid so. With that much paranoia and doubt in the authorities' ability to keep the city safe and peaceful, I'm sure they'd want to bury the story deep where people will quickly forget it. Even though I'm a military captain I don't think they'll… let me see any proof of…" Kakashi's voice trailed off.

Sakura slowly slid down to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

"Thank you for the information," Sakura forced a chuckle, finding it hard to believe that she's thanking him for such news. "I… uh," she touched her lips with the back of her hand. It was trembling. "I have to…"

"Yes. Of course."

"I didn't think..." Sakura choked out, tears starting to roll down from her eyes. "I mean… you always think there's hope and you never really…"

"Assume the worst, yes," Kakashi finished her sentence, and the silence spread between them.

Sakura closed her eyes again, continuing with a whisper, "Sorry I'm keeping you on the phone, I should leave you alone."

"It's not a problem. Talk as much as you like."

It broke her heart. This even, windless intonation and this horrible, horrible calmness in his words. "Are you… coming back?" Sakura took a breath, attempting to pull herself together. She was still a soldier. One of his soldiers.

"Yes. I'll have to take care of a few things here and… notify the platoon. Then I'll be free to go back to Konoha. Shouldn't take more than a day or two," Kakashi paused. "I could've stopped him, you know."

"No, I'm sure... he chose that path himself."

"But I could've stopped him."

Sakura opened her eyes, straightening up a bit. The stolidity in his voice was even more heart-wrenching now. Her words dragged out painfully, "Don't blame yourself. You're carrying enough on your shoulders already."

"It was my responsibility as a captain, no matter what everyone says."

"He was lost," Sakura mouthed, looking down. "You did whatever you could. We all did."

Another pause.

Sakura could sense the inconvenience and the tension through the speaker, but didn't bring herself to speak. Seemed like the both of them were in one of those dead-ends, the ones that hit you hard and you find yourself on your knees, trying to remember how to breathe again. Exchanging words in those moments sounded so superfluous and flat that whatever you tried to say turned into a poorly written screenplay.

"See you soon."

The quick click that followed was like a vice that clenched her heart with a massive force. It wasn't until she heard his voice failing toward the end that she realized what Sasuke meant for him. Losing him was not something he'd get over.

Sakura stood up and her hand reached for the switch, turning the light off. The silence was so empty that her pain reverberated and she could feel it like a pulse of an echo in a vast space. All it did was multiply and all she did was capitulate to its crushing weight.

"So, here we are," Naruto announced with a sigh and turned off the engine of her car.

The Uchiha Household stood proud and tall as ever. The wilt of the garden greeted them with a breath of sadness, overgrown with weeds and grey darnels. The concrete pathway that led to the veranda was unswept. Everything was the same as Sakura remembered it. There was a hollow tinge in the air around, soaking into her very skin. The imposing edifice was frozen in time: nothing moved, no noise could be heard beyond that iron gate. It was the same view people saw in their nightmares. Always peering and prowling for the movement behind the curtain or the evanescent flicker of light somewhere inside the unswerving, solid stone.

Sakura knew that she was ready to give anything to have that nightmare now. Desolation had devoured that house long ago and there was no hope for a new life in that scenery. It was doomed to stay silent. Her gaze remained on the house as Naruto opened the gate with its characteristic creak and let her step in.

There was a big lump in her throat ever since she heard from Kakashi two days ago, but her eyes were dry. The experience was something new to her, she always cried. She cried about everything. But this time her eyes just refused to tear up. It was strange, she was feeling so heavy with dread that she almost hadn't spoken since that conversation she had on the phone, her lungs functioning as if with a tenth of the oxygen she needed. Her whole body was on a stand-by, in a borderline existence. Yet, something told her the bubble was going to burst. With every step closer to the entrance, she ascertained of it.

Naruto pulled out a pocket knife and after looking around for witnesses proceeded to breach through the lock.

Yesterday he called and explained to her how things worked when a soldier died. Should the soldier have a living relative of any sort, all his property passes to the relative. Should the soldier has no living relatives, as was the case with Sasuke now, the property was taken by the Government. The whole process took about a week or something and Naruto said they've driven the process even quicker with Sasuke's property. Sakura didn't have the will or the power to get angry, but it was pretty obvious that they'd want to grasp onto everything he had before any claimants show up, considering his property was a veritable fortune.

His property belonged to them and so did he, no matter dead or alive, and it gave them the right to take everything away as soon as they wanted. However, Naruto had signed up papers he wanted to take advantage of. Sasuke gave him his car before attempting to take his life away so Naruto decided to keep it instead of letting it go within the Government's hold. He asked her if she wants to go with him and she refused. But then called him back because she remembered that there was something of value she needed to save.

Both of them stepped into the solemn vastness of the lobby and Naruto scoffed. "I knew that he was rich but didn't think he's that rich."

"You've never been here?" Sakura wearied.

"Never. Have you?"

Sakura turned to meet his eyes and once their gazes interlocked, he visibly withered, a shadow of regret that he's asked passing over his features. "Sorry. I'll, uh… go upstairs," he pointed up. "Think the keys might be in his room."

Without waiting for a reply, he dashed up the stairs and disappeared from her sight, leaving her alone in the lobby.

Oh, yes… she's been here. She waded in the deep.

Sakura drifted along the hall, her eyes memorizing every detail of the imposing interior. She walked down the well-known corridor and found herself in the kitchen, switching the lights on. The expensive luster of the marble welcomed her and the corners of her mouth rose up in a mirthless smile. It still looked more like a stage than a kitchen but she loved it nevertheless. Her feet dragged her to a drawer in particular.

Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled, but her lungs were failing again. She opened the shelf and took the box out, leaving it on the counter with the slowest movement.

Decided to steal something, after all?

The nipping irony of his ever-so-cold voice echoed in her mind as if he had said it just now. And it was all that she needed to burst the bubble of everything she smoldered and stuffed up.

Only this time. The tears overwhelmed her, despite her attempt to keep them from falling. The pain was so intense that it grew physical and she bent in two, finding herself shrinking against the drawer and crumbling down on the tilted floor. She thought she'd be ready for the blow but truth was… no one was ever ready for it. Leaving without saying goodbye was cruel.

"Sakura," Naruto ran to her and kneeled. He hugged her, making circles on her back, "Come on, don't cry."

"Is that why he did it?" Sakura grieved, speaking the words with difficulty. "Is that why he wanted us to hate him? Because it didn't work." She hid her face in his shirt. "I still miss him."

"It's alright. I miss him too," Naruto admitted with a heavy sigh and pulled her in a hug.

They stood in each other's arms in a thick silence. Sakura admitted to herself that she needed the closeness at the moment and judging from Naruto's tight hold, he needed it too. Despite the rending sensations in her chest, it was somewhat calming to share them with another human being. At least he understood what she went through. "Perhaps he didn't intend to come back alive in the first place," Sakura whispered, backing away from Naruto a little; hand brushing the tears in her eyes.

"I don't know," Naruto helped her stand up on her feet. "I feel like he's actually never been the selfish bastard he tried so hard to be."

Sakura shook her head. "We'll never know. Maybe he really hated us."

"Then I hope he's found peace in his hatred," Naruto glanced at the tea box and dragged her attention to it. "If that even makes sense."

Sakura took it in her hands and looked up at him, "I'll take that with me."

They decided to leave already as they didn't want to have any trouble with police forces that patrolled around in the district. With a final sigh, Naruto closed the door to the house. Shame, Sakura thought. It's a beautiful house and could be used for so many things, including sheltering a few families at once. The Government was either going to demolish it or abandon it the way it is, for years.

"You wanna go somewhere? I mean, we can go out if you don't wanna be alone… or something?" Naruto asked when they found themselves in the garden. He looked genuinely uncomfortable trying to appease and calm her down. Sakura appreciated it and still, she didn't want to torture him like that.

"No, I want some time with myself. I'll go home," Sakura gave him a half-smile and brushed his arm in a warm gesture. "Thanks for having me."

"Anytime. Call me if you need to talk."

After a nod from her, Naruto disappeared from her sight, heading for the garage. Sakura took the keys to her own car and headed out. She sat in the driver's seat, but didn't hurry to set off, distracted by the tea box. Funny, she got what she wished for in the end. It would be an honor for her to keep the box intact and she had the perfect place for it in mind. The space next to her cutlery crate was empty since she removed the coffee machine from there.

Her hands dusted off the wooden surface and placed the box on the passenger seat, blinking away the blur in her vision. She could use a cup of tea when she gets home. Passionflower.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Sorry for the darkness and sadness that I pour out to you all but bear with me, there are better chapters coming. I am somehow affected by the religious weight I put in this day. Have mercy, it's not easy for me to write right now because I have university projects, pre-exam exams and insane stuff to do with insane deadlines. Please keep in mind that I tend to finish whatever I have started. Don't know when I'll be able to update but if it's not soon, don't lose hope.