Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ How Long It Takes ❯ To Survive Again ( Chapter 8 )

Hello everyone! Thanks so much to everyone for all the support they've given me on this story! I'm currently working on another one called `It Never Hurt Before' if you want to check out something else I've written~! Thanks again!!!

PS I still don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Sad, I know.

On with the fanfic!!!

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“Is this…how it ends?” Sakura whispered softly to no one, her small, fragile body curled up under yet another group of trees. It had been 1 year. 1 year, 9 months, 5 days, 2 hours and 12 minutes. And it had all amounted to this. She slowly pulled her makeshift blanket around her, huddling closer to a small fire she had built. Snow pilled up around her in thick layers, the wind chilling her curled up form.

She had to survive this. She had to find Karin and kill her. She had to go back to Kohan. She had to find Naruto and Kakashi and be the team they used to be. She needed to find Ino, and tell her that they really would be best friends until they died. Until they died…she had to live to be at least 80. She would be alone, no guys would ever be approved by Kakashi or Naruto, but she would have Ino right there beside her. Ino would marry Shikamaru, Naruto would marry Hinata, and Kakashi would be a hot bachelor forever. A small smile graced her lips as she envisioned it all, the rest of her life playing through her head like a fairytale. Yes she had to live. She simply had to.

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Sakura's figure was huddled in a cold ditch. Not exactly how she imagined spending her Saturday afternoon but a mission was a mission. The small radio buzzed in her ear, Kakashi's voice filtering through. “The target seems to have lead us right to his base. Doesn't look like this mission will be too hard but keep on your toes. What can you all see?”

 

She listened as Naruto's voice filtered through soon followed by the others. The set up of their security system seemed easy enough. A few men lurked out side accompanied by even more men hiding in the shadows. It was a small base near home, a simple scroll retrieval mission. They had surrounded the place easily enough; going unnoticed by the man they had followed. Sakura was glad for such a low ranked mission, having only had a week to train with the `new team' before they had been delivered their orders.

 

“Alright, move in.” Kakashi's voice buzzed in her ear once more as she listened to her surroundings, intent on finding out just where the scroll was. Shock ran through her system as she began to feel multiple chakra users walking around the camp. Ninja. All ninja. They were supposed to be a civilians group, easy to knock out and get out. Her fingers fumbled to press the button of her own radio, her voice hissing out over the channel.

 

“Pull back, I repeat pull back!” She knew Karin was moving swiftly to the far wall of the facility only to freeze at Sakura's words. She was spotted. Sakura quickly fled her hiding spot, a kunai shooting from her hand to block a sibon aimed at Karin's head. She growled as she jumped the man running behind Karin, her fingers glowing green before she took him down. She could feel the ground shake as Kakashi attacked from another side of the fortress, Sasuke's blue chidori was also glaring in the sky somewhere around the corner.

 

“Get the fuck down!” Sakura yelled, pushing Karin to the ground as her foot rose to meet a new enemy's gut. She could feel it now, the endless stream of chakra leaking from the facilities walls. There must be at least a hundred highly trained men waiting for them inside. She could only listen as Naruto's cry broke through the air somewhere in to the north but she wasn't worried about him. Her boys could handle themselves. Even if they left her, even if they had forgotten her they would always be her boys, and she knew them better than anyone.

 

She gasped in pain when a throwing knife was suddenly lodged into her side, listening as a Kunai pierced Karin in the leg causing the girl to cry out. Sakura ground her teeth together before her hands glowed once more, her body moving to the men around her. There were too many. She may have created an amazing jutsu but it was pointless when she had limited chakra left. Somewhere near twenty men lay around her, burn marks sizzling on their skin. She just couldn't take anymore. They kept coming from no where, their numbers never ending.

 

“Arggg!” Karin lay somewhere near her, blood seeping from the red heads body. A large sword protruded from her gut and Sakura could only stand a moment, listening to the pained gasps of the girl beside her. “Sakura….help me…”

 

It only took a moment to decide. She wouldn't make it without Sakura's help. It was her duty as a former medic to assist the girl. It was her job to save her teammate. A smirk formed on Sakura's features as she turned her back, running into the battle. It was her pleasure to leave her behind. She could hear the men finishing her off somewhere in the background. Good riddance.

 

“Naruto!!!” Kakashi's voice rung out somewhere in front of her. What was going on? They were fine. She had to tell herself that. She had to ignore the blood her foot slipped on, or the familiar body she fell over. No. There wasn't anything wrong with the fox like boy that she pulled herself too. There wasn't anything wrong with his still frame, or the un-beating heart inside his chest. Tears weren't falling down her cheeks as she was suddenly elbow deep in blood, trying desperately hard to save him. She had enough chakra. The thought rang louder and louder in her head. She had to have enough chakra. Small sobs fell from her lips as she held his still heart in her hands, gently trying to pump it back to life like Tsunade had taught her. She didn't have enough chakra.

 

Her anger radiated around her suddenly as she stood from the dead boys body. She didn't have time to think anymore. She didn't want to think anymore. He wanted to kill. She wanted to let the metal tip of her old kunai bite into the skin of everyman around her. She was drowning in a sea of enemies, but she was determined to extinguish the fire burning in her lungs. Her fingers gripped her weapons closer as she attacked, listening to the sounds of battle thrumming in her ears. Her heart beat faster as she felt the spray of a man's blood fly across her face.

 

“Saku-…sa..ra” She froze in place, fresh water pooling in the depths of her eyes. Who…was this in front of her? Surely that voice wasn't Sasuke. Surely the cold Uchiha would never take a blade for her. It was too much. She could hear Sai's last struggled breath in the background. It was too many of her boys. Her knees buckled as she landed behind the cold hearted boy she once loved, her weapons slipping from her hands. She could feel a Kunai dipping into her shoulder but it didn't matter. Her hands grasped the back of his shirt desperately, trying to anchor herself to some part of the real world. Blades stabbed into her skin as she felt nauseous, a limp body loosing all its warmth in front of her. She was just so tired.

 

“Sakura!!!” A voice was calling her but she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to have to face this wretched reality. Her fingers slipped, face touching this cold body's shoulder. It was calling again. Why did it sound so familiar? “Sakura!!!!”

 

“Kaka…shi?”

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“Sakura?”

 

That same voice was calling to her weakly now from somewhere nearby. Her name was Sakura, wasn't it? Her head throbbed painfully as she groaned, slowly lifting herself into a sitting position. Naruto...Her stomach churned at the thought…Sai…where did it all go wrong? Wasn't this mission supposed to be simple? Sasuke…he died for her. But who was left to call her? The came was on the tip of her tongue, or somewhere just beyond her reach that she desperately tried to grasp. “W-who…?”

 

“Sakura!” It was Kakashi's voice that rasped in her ears, it was his cold hands wrapping around her figure. He was right there, right beside her yet he never felt so far away. Her shaking fingers slowly reached out to hold his face in her hands, tracing over the cuts and bruises that marred his flesh.

 

“Thank Kami…I thought you were dead” He whispered softly as he held her closer.

 

“…Everyone…?”

 

“Yamato escaped…he'll bring help soon.” He answered after a moment, his grip tightening briefly. They were all gone. Sasuke could never scoff and tell her how she was annoying. There was no way Sai could every call her Hag again, even though she'd come to love his strange endearment. Naruto…she choked back a sob. He would never be Hokage now.

 

A small, sad smile graced Sakura's lips as she lifted herself to kiss him with all she had left. Her injuries hurt so bad. Her fingers grasped his hair none to gently as she pulled him closer, pushing all her feelings into one kiss. He couldn't hear the men down the hall like she could. They were coming to torture them, coming to tear them apart limb from limb until they had the information they needed. Could Yamato make it in time? What if he didn't? If he didn't they were both as good as dead. Kakashi was as good as dead. He could still make it. Tsunade could fix her jutsu…. She barely had any chakra left but she could do it. If they thought he was dead no more harm would come to him. She knew that one more injury could kill him. He was bleeding too much, his hot life source soaking her shirt. She could save him. “Kakashi?”

 

“Hmmm?” His sounded so sad. Her heart wrenched as her fingers barely began to glow green. She had only one shot left. There was no time to argue.

 

“I love you.”

 

Tears finally fled down her cheeks when his body slumped forward, life seeming to have escaped him. If only she could do the same to herself. Her body leaned tiredly against the wall, a small tune humming from her lips as she gently played with his hair. So much for dieing at 80. A sad smile lifted the corners of her lips as more tears rolled down her cheeks. Naruto would never marry Hinata now. Shikamaru would forever morn Ino's death instead of living by her side. When had everything gone so wrong?

 

“Is this…how it ends?” She asked no one, her head tilting back to rest on the wall behind her. Maybe it wasn't really the end. Maybe she just needed to find a new reason to keep on living. Kakashi. He was her new reason to live. She would survive this for him.

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His hands grasped the metal tools he held tightly, his hands slowly carving each name into the stone. Karin. She didn't deserve to have her name immortalized. But it wasn't Kakashi's decision. Yamato. He was an old comrade and friend that would never be forgotten. Tears stung at the copy nin's eyes as he continued. Sai. Even someone so emotionless didn't deserve to die so young. Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha. They were always side by side in strength. They were always together as friends and even together as enemies. Now they would be side by side forever. He faltered only momentarily when a soft, feminine hand rested on his shoulder. Her reassuring squeeze helped him move on. His slouched stance was noticed by all the ninja that had gathered to watch the best of names of friends and loved ones be carved forever in cold stone. Sakura Haruno.

 

He couldn't stop his fingers from tracing over her carved name one last time. He had awoken to an empty hospital room, his heart clenching painfully with hope. It was quickly slaughtered the moment he saw Tsunade's sad eyes. She was gone. Everyone had died. He had lost his lover, his teammate, and his friend. It was all happening all over again. He was the only survivor of another team, a cursed man that would never keep his loved ones.

 

It was the shinobi way. They lived and they died by their weapons. They loved and they hated just like any other person. But they dealt with so much more, they lived with so much more, and by gods did they love with so much more. Loving was always so much sweeter knowing that you were doomed people fighting to save a doomed world.

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The End

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Before you ask the woman that held Kakashi's shoulder was Tsunade. I couldn't help but give false hope, sorry D:

Also the reason he is alive is cause Sakura taught Tsunade how to break the seal she creates.

I suppressed a few tears sometimes but I must say a few escaped the moment I typed `and by gods did they love with so much more'

And so it ends. Not quiet what people were expecting, but I honestly couldn't see Sakura living much in this situation anyway. She was in a rut that was impossible to come back from and even though she came to love Kakashi there really was no way to come back to a society that had forgotten her.

I hope you all enjoyed this story. Thanks again for all your support ^_^

~LuffOverHate