日向導 - A Hyūga's Guide

Chapter Forty One: Poppy Vallies

Her eyes were void of emotion as she watched them walk ahead of her. They remained fixated on the body that lay limp in his arms, eyes closed and dried blood covering her chin as her head moved around at every step he took. Hinata looked up at the stars above and felt her eyes prickle with unshed tears. Her hand rested on her stomach, remembering how Sakura had grazed her fingers against it before the life faded from her eyes.

"I think we should stop for the night, this seems far enough." Naruto spoke up as he came to a stop.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke whispered as he looked back at her. The frown on his face wasn't as hidden as he thought it was; his regret was on full display. Whether or not that was due to his broken promise to her about protecting everyone she held precious didn't matter. It wasn't his fault, she knew that.

"I think that's a good idea." Neji tapped Sora to let him down. The puppet hesitated but did so anyway.

"I'm tired." Hinata rubbed her eyes. In all honesty, she still had adrenaline pumping through her veins, and part of that was just plain anger. She wanted to lash out some more, probably harm herself in the process as long as it meant that she would stop feeling upset. She would rather be numb than feel hurt all over again.

"Okay, let's rest inside that cave and look for some wood to make a fire." Sasuke nodded and approached her. He rested his hand on her lower back and allowed her to lean on him just a little bit as he escorted her to the cave Naruto had spotted.

He wanted to ask her if she was alright, but even he knew that the answer would be anything but 'okay'. She looked grim; the colour had faded from her face, and her eyes were focused on something that couldn't be seen. His fingers dug into her skin slightly, in an attempt to bring her back to the present but she didn't even notice.

No one could blame her.

"I'll be back." He told her as he helped her sit down against the cold cave's wall. "Naruto, Sora, watch after her." Sasuke didn't wait for a response as he left.

Naruto sat at the entrance of the cave, Sakura's body cradled in his arms as he rocked back and forth as if to comfort her despite her not being alive. He didn't say anything, or if he did, Hinata couldn't exactly hear him. His hand moved to brush her hair out of her face, his gloves discarded as he wiped the blood from her chin and pulled the arrows out of her slowly.

It took some time for Hinata to realize that he was crying. The shake of his shoulder was ever so slight, almost unnoticeable, but even she could tell that he was in pain like she was. She shuffled in her spot, wanting to comfort him if it meant that she would be ignoring her own aching heart.

"Naruto..." Her voice was just above a whisper, as if she was scared to break the haunting tranquility of the night.

"It's okay, Hinata." He turned to her partially, letting her see his face under the dim light from the moon. "I'm okay." But he wasn't. Not as tears fell from his eyes, or as he clutched the fabric of her kimono in his hands. And definitely not as Hinata matched his gaze with her own tearful expression.

"I'm sorry." For not paying attention and getting Sakura killed. The remainder of her apology did not escape her mouth. She played with her fingers.

"What are you apologizing for?" He froze and fully faced her. "Don't be ridiculous."

"She died because of—"

"Stop."

She bit her lip and lowered her head, her tears falling and soaking her soiled kimono. "I just...I haven't been the best sister to Sakura either and now she's—" A sob left her mouth.

"You were a great sister, she never stopped talking about you." He sort of laughed. "You both feel as though you were inadequate to be each other's sister, but that's why you've stuck around for one another this long. So don't do that, don't apologize for things that weren't in your control."