It had all happened too fast. At the moment a raven-haired man was sprinting towards her, flashes of bright blue light appearing from his calloused hands. She could only feel regret as he approached her with his brow furrowed, rage clearly seen in every line across his face. Why her? That question continued to run through her mind as time seemed to slow down, the image before her flickering and fading away like an old tape. She couldn't believe what she saw. She just couldn't. He was her hero, her idol. How could he have fallen this low?
"Sakura!" a voice called out from behind her still figure. The kunoichi's head snapped around just in time to see a blurr of yellow and orange, bright sparks of light blocking her sight for a moment. A sickening thud echoed in her ears not too long after. It seems as though those few seconds were long enough for the other person's attack to reach its target.
A shriek ripped through the air as she found herself flying backwards, her back skidding against the stone ground. Was that shriek hers? She couldn't tell. Her body soon came to a stop, a leaf tickling at her nose. Sakura lifted a hand to bat it away, only to find more lying just inches away. Her green eyes opened, confusion about where she was. What had happened? Those thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she remembered, scrambling to her knees to glance back at where she was just moments ago.
A few leftover sparks could still be seen in the distance, fading away to nothing. A boy with spikey blonde hair was crouched on the ground, his head bowed. Upon further inspection, her gaze rested on a mangled body before him.
"Sa-Sasuke.." Sakura murmured, slowly rising to her shaking feet. She only took baby steps, the scene not making sense to her. No, it couldn't have happened. It was just a dream. Yes, thats it. Of course. As she continued to reassure herself, her feet still lead her to the others, sometimes slipping on damp leaves scattered across the ground.
A cool breeze then blew softly across her face, causing a few strands of pink hair to wave in front of her vision. She lifted a hand to brush them away, looking back at the two boys. Something in her head then clicked together as she let what happened finally sink in.
"Naruto... Sasuke!" she screamed, running the last few yards and falling to her knees next to Naruto. It was easy to tell that Sasuke wasn't in very good shape. His white shirt was torn open, a bloody mess in full view for them to see.
"N-no! This shouldn't be happening! We were supposed to save him, not kill him!" Sakura's voice cracked, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. A vile taste rose up from her throat as she looked over Sasuke's slight rise and fall of his chest. It moved to an unsteady beat, fighting for a full breath. She just had to save him, somehow. It didn't matter to her what the consequences would be.
Her hands trembled as she let them hover over the wound, a blue glow appearing beneath her hands. After a while she heard something rustle next to her before a hand appeared on top of hers, smears of blood covering the rough skin. The hand curled over her own, making her move her focus to the boy next to her.
"I don't think its going to work..."
"Be quiet! I refuse to let him die!"
"Sakura..."
Her jaw clenched as her head turned away from him, back towards Sasuke. The glow once again appeared, except fainter this time.
"Come on!" she seemed to growl, her brow furrowing as she focused more of her chakra, her fingers starting to tremble in the process. A few minutes passed with silence, strain building on her tense muscles. She couldn't hold it for much longer. There was too little energy left in her to do much else. Sakura slowly took her hands away, cupping them together as she look down at the Uchiha, the tears now making an appearance on her red cheeks as they ran down to her chin and fell to the ground. Familiar hands gently clutched her shoulders, allowing her to lean against his chest and breathe in his dusty, sweaty scent. The rusting-iron smell still seemed to clog her senses.
"So much blood." she murmured, her voice nearing a sob. Naruto's arms wrapped around her in response as his own tears fell.
"I'm so sorry, Sakura. I'm so sorry for letting this happen." he murmured, blue eyes disappearing as he closed them.
"Only he could have saved himself." a lump seemed to rise in her throat, no more words escaping from her mouth as she pulled away from his embrace, crawling over to Sasuke on her hands and knees. She then lifted her hand to his face, brushing her finger-tips along the side of his cheek.
"Only he could." she repeated in a whisper, closing her eyes as more tears escaped, "Only him..." The kunoichi bent forward, moving her fingers up to his bangs and pushing them aside. Her lips met his smooth forehead, which had, just minutes ago, been traced with lines of anger and frustration. It couldn't have been just towards her. No, it was towards The Hidden Leaf, the village that had tried to murder his entire family. If only he could have forgotten his need for revenge. If only he could still be with them in Konoha. So many "if only's" that will never come true.
"I love you, Sasuke." she murmured, "I even did when you lost your way. No matter how hard I fought and tried to hide my feelings, I just couldn't bring myself to harm you."
Sakura then leaned her head back down and brushed her lips against his own, tears falling down onto his face.