Chapter 16: Torment of Lament

A/N: Alright here chapter 16 a special tribute for those who gave reviews and for those who are planning to do so please R n R ; )

Blood surrounded the lifeless maiden. Her long pink hair lay in disarray behind her back as it soaked her own blood. Now it was as if she had fine wings of crimson blood. The man with chestnut brown hair approached the impaled kunoichi as he said, "When a person important to you is insulted or hurt by someone, you would be hurt as well. You will fight for that important person so that he/she will see you and recognize you. Sometimes the person we value the most may not take the right path to life but it the end you will simply ignore whether you're killing someone or even pillaging villages just for that person because reason has no power over feelings and feelings older than history is no light matter," this statement was his apology but regardless she can no longer hear him. "I let your blood stain the earth little maiden to defy this prophecy. Now that her blood tainted the sands what will happen? No power in this world could ever bring me to my knees unless it was Reika's. I would like to see just how the "sand's wrath" will react to my challenge." He proclaimed as he walked away with his minions.

Something didn't feel right. Though the drums never changed their tune and the people kept on laughing and drinking, a strange feeling suddenly struck his very being and he didn't what or why. His heart was beating faster and his mind was racing mindlessly for the first time the master of the sand was afraid. Looking around, he was trying to find Sakura but to no avail. This time he was walking faster searching the entire village for her. Something was telling him that if he didn't find her something must've happened. Hearing a small growling sound, Gaara stopped to find that Azrael was desperately clawing her way in the gate. Picking up the cub with his arm, he looked at the cub's blue eyes you're feeling it too. You know she's in trouble, don't you?

Gaara was about to open the gates to go outside when a maiden carrying an unconscious child staggered for entry. "This girl was outside the city walls so I lead her back here," Shizuka explained. "Mai!" a lady made her way through the increasingly enlarging crowd. "Thank you, I'm sorry she caused you any trouble," she apologized. "Oh it's nothing at all," Shizuka replied serenely with a different smile written on her face. That's right, take her away. So when she awakens there will be no hope for your pretty little sister to be alive. At that instant, the girl stirred. "She's best get some rest. I think she's too tired." Shizuka suggested but in truth she was now panicking inside. She would ruin my plans if she wakes up. "Wait," Gaara ordered. "I'd like to hear what she would say," he continued. "Really Gaara-sama, there is no need to listen to the tales of a girl who is too tired to even think," she covered up.

"Sakura-neechan!" Mai sat bolt upright. Tears quickly formed in her eyes and flowed ceaselessly down her cheeks. "What about her Mai?" she heard a voice familiar to her so she looked up to see her Panda-neesan looking at her. "She's too emotional right now. Perhaps, it would be best to let her rest for a while," Shizuka interrupted. "Panda-neechan!" Mai shouted as she stood up and ran to embrace Gaara. "You got to come with me!" Mai was helplessly pulling Gaara's hands. "Mai, that's enough haven't you caused enough trouble already?" her mother scolded. "No… I'm telling the truth… why don't you believe me!" Mai countered. "Because last time you did the same and we found nothing," a man in the crowd said as he laughed out loud ad the others laughed with him. "We don't have time! Sakura-neechan… Sakura-neechan is dying!" Mai said hysterically as tears again flood her cheeks. At these statement Gaara's eyes widened, he bent down, grabbed the girl's shoulder and shook her gently. "What are you saying Mai?" he asked worriedly. "Oh please, she just wants some attention," Shizuka teased. "Why doesn't anyone believe me! She…she let her die!" she pointed her small finger at Shizuka who was glaring at her. "Mai, stop it! We best get you some rest," her mother grabbed on of her arm and was about to get her home when "She told me that Panda-neechan would believe me if I gave this to you." Mai struggled out of her mother's grip and handed the bloody forehead protector to him.

Gaara received it without hesitation. As he remembered that he lent it to Sakura. At an instant, Gaara glared at Shizuka. Shizuka trembled from all the rage she saw in his eyes. Gaara carried Mai in her arms and ordered "Tell me where she is," Mai happily nod as she pointed towards the forest. Gaara dashed forward without second thoughts with the girl in her arms and the cub on his shoulder. The stench of blood reeked from the earth. He was growing impatient. He could hear his heart throbbing in his ears and his heart beat against his chest like there's no tomorrow. In a clearing, what he saw marked in his very being. He put down the girl and slowly approached the three metal spike at was impaling something or someone. Mai only held Azrael away when Gaara climbed a low hill to see in full view the horrors below.

His chest was tightening and his body was near to shaking, he somehow pleaded that it was not who he thought it was. The black robe was a dead give away. At the sight of that clothing, he dashed forward to see her motionless body. He stepped on the stained earth as he tightly gripped his forehead protector. Seeing something gleaming by the moonlight, he looked closer at the back of the metal plate of his forehead protector. "I'll be there when you world falls apart," was the words embroidered there with silver thread stained with blood. It was as if she herself was the one who said it with her gentle and pure voice. With that, he glanced back at her. "Sakura," this was the first time he said his name and somehow it sounded right when he said it. How he regretted that in all those times when she said to call her by her name he always insisted on calling her by her surname he could've called her name a hundred times over just to see her smiling at him again. But that moment can never come for no matter how gentle or how many times he called out for her she would never smile back. He knelt forward to have a better look at her face. The face he often gaze at whenever she's asleep or not looking. The face that shows the most incredible expressions. The face he loved. Brushing a strand of stray heir from her face, Gaara held her chin so that he can see her face better. He stroked away the blood from her mouth as he caressed her cold lips. The lips that he admired when she entered his village's gates. The lips that smiles when she teased him. The lips that frown whenever he teased her back. The lips that he caressed with his when they kissed. The lips he grew addicted to. The lips he loved.

The image of her face started to become a blur in his vision. He tried to blink them away but the uncontrollable tears trickled down his cheeks. Somehow he prayed that what he saw wasn't real at all that somehow it was just a hazy hallucination brought about by excessive drinking but when the tears were gone and his vision again cleared. Reality became a brutal blow to him. She is never coming back. More tears flowed down his cheeks as he shut his eyes closed to prevent them from flowing but to no avail. He tried to get up but his strength somehow abandoned him. This time he opened his eyes, looked at Sakura. Somehow he received a slight push from her so he staggered to stand.

Towering over her, he somehow felt a piece of pain she felt when she was dying. He could only close his fist till it bled as he stared into each of the three metal spikes. First into the right, which held her right hand then into the left which held her left hand and finally into the middle which impaled her midsection. Gaara knelt forward to remove her hands from their impalement. He did this gently as if she would complain if it hurt… as if she was still feeling pain… as if she was still living. Blood dripped down her cold arms as he removed them. As he remembered, these were the hand that protected Sasuke against his attacks before, these were the hands that he held in the cave, these were the hands that taught him how to heal, these were the hands that stroked his very being when they kissed. These were the hands, he love. Finally, placing an arm behind her back and an arm behind her knees, he mastered all his strength to lift her from her death spike.

The hard rain began to pour as if to wash all the blood away. Gaara held her body to the closest way possible to feel her against him one last time. He didn't care whether blood soaked through his clothing but the warmth that used to be there when they are each other were now gone, replaced by the death's coldness. His vision began to blur again, knowing that he would never again feel her warmth against his skin. He stood there to the rain cleanse her of her blood but somehow the blood on her hair just won't go away.

He walked all the way to town. Not even caring, how long it took or whether Mai and Azrael are trailing behind him. He walked to prolong his time with her- the only the he had left. As he trudged, he reminisced. The first time she entered the gates of the hidden sand alone… the first eye contact they shared… the first time they argued… the first statement she said. Her first true smile at him, the softness of her hand when he held it for the first time, the warmth of her breath against his skin, the invigorating feel of her presence, the enchanting melody of her voice as she first sang to him and the feeling of love and security she gave.

How he already missed her voice. Through their constant heated discussions he found out sometimes he would close his eyes and just listen to tone of her voice. When she sang to him that was when he realized, he fell in love with her first through her voice and then through everything else about her. Thinking of these things tears him apart. How can a person like me the Monster of the Sand stand here in the middle of the rain crying all because of death of girl. All he can do was grip the cold shoulders of Sakura as the rain still pours from the sky as if sharing the pain Gaara of the hidden Sand was feeling.

By the time they entered the gates, Naruto and Sasuke together with the other ninjas were about to go and find them. As they saw him carrying her, they stood nailed by the gateway as he passed. "S… Sakura," Ino was the first to react. "Sakura!" Sasuke dashed forward followed by Naruto and the others. "What happened?" Naruto asked heatedly as he bulked his fist. Mai was the one who answered "She let me and her get away while she stayed behind," pointing at Shizuka. "She told me get Panda-neechan but... she… said… she's tired so we'll walk… I wanted to run here… but she told me there were wild animals and… SHE LET HER DIE!" she said in between her sobs and now she was again crying loudly.

Gaara glared at Shizuka. Shizuka gathered all her courage and glared back. He approached her and said, "What are you still doing here?" "I am not going anywhere…" She replied but as she did Gaara slapped him HARD so hard she flew across the grounds and into the nearest wall. Blood trickled down her lips. "How dare you hit your fiancée?" she said incredulously. "Stop it! Shizuka your game ends here. I didn't think you would come this far just to win. You caused the life of an ally all because of your selfish reasons," Temari spoke with tension in her trembling voice and tears in her eyes. "So it just like that huh? Just because she's dead and I'm alive it means she's good and I'm evil," Shizuka tried to counter. "We knew what game you were playing from the very beginning. We just played along," Naruto spoke with his temper evident in the tone of his voice. With all these, she knew her defeat so she walked away out of the village and no one even showed her out.

It was over Shizuka left. The tension was gone replaced by lament. A friendly ally, a best friend, an important person, an esteemed leader, a gentle healer, a smart assistant and a special person, it's strange that all these description only fitted a single person… Sakura.

Ironic, at sunset these two friends talked about detesting the dusk and promised that they will see the sunrise together but this sunrise their eyes can never again see the beauty of the rising king, their skin can never feel it's warm glow and their hope can never be renewed by the rising sun. Because hope ceases only in death and for these two friends to hope would never be impossible.

At night, the people celebrated their victory but now at sunrise they mourn the death of the prophetess as well as the death of their new found ally. As their bodies were burned and their ashes scattered on strongest winds across the lake, it seems strange but somehow through their victory before it seems as if they were defeated by death itself by taking the people worth every victory.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is a bit short but hope you'll like it. Please R n R.