Memories Back Then

21

Chapter 21 -

Goodbyes

It was unruly hour of the morning, with a giant moving truck parked outside the pinkette's home with helpers lifting things into the vehicle. Sakura sat on her porch looking out miserably to the truck. Her parents were inside still packing away their home.

"Sakura!" Voices called out ripping the pinkette's gaze from her toy doll to her friends in her lawn.

Sasuke stood there with a wide smile, Ino stood beside him smiling cheery with a doll in her arms, Hinata stood there with a half grime half smile on her face with Naruto on her arm sobbing heavily snot and tears running down his face, and  TenTen looked as if would burst into tears any minute.  The pinkette noticed that her other friends looked timid or embarrass  to even express themselves a tiny bit. Sakura ran off the porch bumping into a few moving helpers who grunted. She threw her arms around Sasuke and Ino who patted her back.

"You didn't think we wouldn't come to see you one last time?" Ino asked when they let go of one another. She gave the pinkette a wink and raised two fingers up in a peace sign. "We wouldn't be good friends if we did."

"You guys are the best!" Sakura squealed.

"Sakura you have to always write and call me. You have to pinky promise on it!" Naruto yelled out, he stumbled to the pinkette and sobbed even more. "I don't want you to forget me!"

"I promise I'll always write and call, I'll never forget you knucklehead." Sakura giggled hugging the boy.

"Nothings ever gonna be the same!" TenTen wailed with her lip quivering.

"Enough of this mushy gushy stuff, let's just hang out already." Kiba said louder then he normally would. His eyes were red and puffy obvious from crying. He tapped Shino's shoulder and jerked his head to the Haruno's backyard, understanding the plan Shino nodded his head sending the two running.

"Hey wait up!" TenTen squeaked chasing after them. The others followed suit leaving Sakura and Sasuke.

"I can't believe you guys came!"

"I want you to be happy to the end." Sasuke said softly and held his hand out for her.

Sakura happily took it and off they went in pursuit of their group of friends who already ran around the spacious yard one last time. The boys had found balls in a toy trunk outside and began to play kick ball. The girls manage to find Sakura's tea set and set it up on the green grass away from the boy's game.

"Sasuke come join us!" Choji's voice boomed throughout the yard catching his attention.

"Sakura come have tea." Hinata's soft voice called out enough for him to hear.

The pair smile at one another and dropped their hands before shooting of in their respective directions. The group of friends spent their last day playing around. Ino would occasionally yell at the boys for purposely kicking the ball there way. Neji and Naruto would be at each others throats whenever they stole the ball from each other. Shikamaru would whine about how troublesome the game is before getting hit in the head with the ball. TenTen would occasionally switch between playing tea party and dolls to playing kick ball. Shino would stop playing and wander the yard looking for bugs and poke at rollie pollie bugs. But through it all Sakura laughed  at all her friends' antics. She smiled more brightly when Sasuke  passed the ball and waved frantically at the pinkette. The girls all giggled and pointed making kissy faces unlike Naruto who began to sing the silly song of Sasuke and Sakura in a tree. Ultimately their fun came to abrupt end when Kizashi came to the yard looking exhausted in the midday light.

"Alright, alright. It's time to put those toys back, we have to load the trunk up so we can leave cherry blossom." The older man said as if he rehearsed the line before, his words caused all the kids to freeze in place.

Naruto bursted into tears along with Kiba who finally crack. TenTen threw herself at Neji who looked scared by the tomboy girl's sudden attitude. Ino went to Sakura's side and latched onto her for dear life. Sasuke stood on the pinkette's other side and grabbed her hand in a brave manner he's always seen in movies. The others just stared somberly toward the pinkette who's eyes started to water over. Nonetheless they obeyed him and put all the toys that belonged in the trunk back.

Kizashi took the trunk to the front with the group of kids wondering after him. They stood in a circle to say their last words.

"You've always been my best friend ever since we met on that play ground. I'll always remember that mop of pink hair." Ino joked hugging Sakura tightly before letting go. The blonde looked at the doll in her hands before pushing it into the pinkette's. "I want you to have my favorite doll as a keep sake alright."

Sakura nodded wiping her eyes and clutching the doll for dear life. She turned to Hinata who's smiled seem to fall. The lavender hair girl took a small notebook out of her jean pocket and handed it to the girl.

"Here's a book of everyone's house phone and addresses incase you want to write or talk." Was all Hinata said before racing toward Neji to hide her face.

"SAKURA CAN'T YOU STAY WITH ME? MY MOM AND DAD CAN TAKE CARE OF YOU!" Naruto began to shout shaking the girl by her shoulders.

He had to be pulled back by Choji who seem to sad to even nibble on any of the snacks he always had packed away in his pocket.

Sasuke watched glumly at Sakura's side how sad she got with everyone of her friends saying their final goodbyes and receiving one last hug. He never knew how the pinkette could hold together the small group. When it was his turn, Sakura immediately turned toward him with her watered eyes ready to let her tears out. The raven hair boy gulped heavily before taking her hand into his.

"Sakura you've been my friend since the summer and I'm sad that your leaving but I still promise to be your best friend. I'll always protect you like the shinobi I am!" Sasuke said making everyone crack a smile. Even Mebuki and Kizashi who stood at the side listening to the kids. "Remember I'm still holding you to your promise Haruno."

Sakura sniffled and smile wide. "So am I Uchiha!"
The pinkette pulled a green ribbon that rivaled her own eyes out her pocket and placed it into Sasuke's hand. "Just so you remember me."

"Sakura its time to go." Mebuki called out softly as she and her husband got into the truck.

Sakura nodded her head and hugged Sasuke one more time as well as going back around to her friends for one more hug. She then scurried of to the truck before she could shed any tears.

When the moving truck pulled away from the house, the Haruno's family truck pulled away as well. Sakura opened her window and waved frantically. The small group waved and yelled that they'll miss her and hope for her return. They watched the car leave with the sun slowly going down, but for Sasuke he stared miserably at the green ribbon that made his chest ache.