Uzumaki

Brew

Knock, knock.

"Satsuki-san?"

She didn't answer. Sakura had expected that.

--

Knock, knock.

Naruto didn't answer. Sakura had half expected that; it wasn't uncommon these days.

"Naruto?" She knocked again.

But when she said his name, she was very used to hearing a keen scrabbling of feet, a cry down the hall of "Just a minute, Sakura-chan!" - something other than biting silence.

She wanted to think he wasn't here, but peering through the window, his shoes were by the door. She'd spent the day looking for them both; her effort was felt in her knees and the soft evening sun which would soon paint the rooftops orange.

Sakura put her back to the door and slid down to the floor. Konoha was dream-like in its confusing array of colours and movement, people walking in the shadows of almost-evening light. She hiccuped, unwanted tears springing up at the corners of her eyes, and she buried her head in her knees.

"For god's sake," she whispered. "You're both- both idiots!"

She slammed her fist into the door. It cracked, and Sakura felt a sob squeeze unbidden from her. She breathed in, wrapped her arms around her knees, and held herself.

--

"Kakashi-sensei, what should I do? We have a mission tomorrow, don't we?" Sakura sounded desperate. "I just want them to talk to each other. I can't deal with this."

"Well, it's times like this when shinobi do what shinobi do best." Kakashi stirred his tea. "Endure."

Sakura stared at him.

"I'll be doing my best too, Sakura," he said. She imagined his smile under the mask. "So don't worry."

In reality, even her imagination couldn't create a smile under that mask real enough to convince her.

--

The mission was just basic construction. It sounded easy enough at first, but Sakura knew that construction was tougher than it seemed and required both endurance and teamwork. Sakura failed to inspire any semblance of teamwork - and Satsuki and Naruto had far too much endurance. Unlike her, they could endure the horrible, long silences.

As they worked to nail in planks of wood, Naruto hung onto Sakura for all conversation, not that there was much to talk about. He refused to speak to Satsuki, or even look at Kakashi, and when Kakashi gave orders he followed them reluctantly.

Satsuki refused to even speak to Naruto, and she cold-shouldered Sakura's questions with such short answers Sakura soon let up.

'How have things ended up like this?' Sakura thought, fumbling in a box of nails for one small enough. Even the nails didn't co-operate, and she clasped a handful of them so tightly blood dripped from her palm. She wept quietly.

'I'm so pathetic...!'

When Naruto and Satsuki went home (walking different ways even though Sakura was so sure they used to walk the same road), Sakura stayed and waited until her tears stopped before she left.

The dynamic was failing, regardless of Sakura's efforts, and her desperation felt crushing.

"Yo."

Sakura jumped, and felt her cheeks burn red. He must have seen her crying, heard her- of course. She wiped her eyes quickly, blinking, and looked down.