A/n: Well I have decided to write this story because I was listening to the song 'What Hurts the Most' by Rascal Flats. So I hope you like it because I think it turned out pretty well!!!!! Enjoy!!! Please Review!!!!!
Sakura sat alone at a table inside a small restaurant, chugging down sake, Tenten sighed as she looked at the depressed girl, "How long has she been like that?" Ino asked. Hinata looked sadly at Sakura "ever since it happened" Ino blinked, "but it was a week in half ago you'd think she lighten up a bit" Ino said sipping her sake cautiously.
Tenten shook her head, "How would you feel if you were trying to save Kiba and it ended up you were too late" she said harshly. Ino frowned "None of us knows what it feels like to lose the one you love" Hinata said sadly.
"So are you two going to the funeral?" Ino asked, they nodded "I'm going with Sakura, but she doesn't even want to go, she says she can't bear it" Hinata whispered. Sakura set the money down and stood up walking out of the small restaurant, Hinata sighed "we're leaving tomorrow for Suna" she told them.
Sakura walked down the street her face emotionless, just like his. Sakura walked to the park not wanting to go home to just cry in her bed.
She stood on the bridge looking into the river, the full moon showing behind her leaving a reflection. She heard footsteps but decided to ignore them, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Sakura…" she heard Naruto normally cheerful voice but now it was saddened greatly. "Are you ready to head out tomorrow" Naruto asked standing beside her, Naruto saw a tear slide down her face "if only I was stronger I could have helped him" she said letting more fall from her eyes.
Naruto out his arm around her, "Sakura there was nothing you could have done, you killed an Akatsuki member-Nut it wasn't enough!" she said angrily interrupted. "He's still dead and nothing will bring him back" she cried, "Sakura…" Naruto tried to comfort her.
"If only I had been there, but I was here, I was here because I was packing my things…if only I stayed" she cried more now crying in Naruto's arms. "Sakura please don't cry" Naruto hugged her, "Why'd he have to die!?" Sakura sobbed continuously.
"Naruto we were going to get married, he asked me to marry him and he was killed by the damn Akatsuki and I'm going to kill them…every damn one of them" she assured. Naruto just hugged her, "Sakura please calm down I swear we will destroy them but you need to be at peace for tomorrow".
Sakura nodded "Now go home and get some rest, Hinata and I will be there around 5 am so we can leave early" he said, Sakura nodded once again and he released her.
"Good night Sakura" Naruto said as Sakura walked to her house, but Sakura took a detour and decided to visit the pond around her street. She sat on the waters edge just gazing into it, "I'm sorry…Gaara, I just wasn't strong enough to save you" Sakura said sadly clutching her fists.
Sakura stood up and wiped the tears away with her hand; she lowered her hand and looked at the ring that was on her finger. "I will love only you Gaara and I won't betray you" she secretly promised as she headed home and went to bed.
-
"Sakura" Hinata called as she knocked on the door, the opened and Sakura stepped out with her bag, she closed the door and locked it placing the key on the door frame. She turned and nodded to Naruto and Hinata and they all headed for the gate.
"When are they others leaving?" Hinata asked her husband, "a little around 8 or 9, you know Kiba and Ino have their child to look after as do Neji and Tenten" he said.
They ran through the forest they're feet wet from the early morning dew, the rest of the journey was in silence, which worried Naruto a little.
They stopped at the gate and Naruto and Hinata had to show their papers, they looked at Sakura with saddened faces, "I'm sorry Miss Haruno this must be hardest on you" they said sadly.
Sakura just ignored them and walked right by, they nodded to Hinata and Naruto and they followed Sakura. Sakura looked at all the familiar buildings, "we're staying with Temari and Kankuro" Sakura stated heading for the Kazekage's mansion.
They arrived and Temari was in the front to greet them, "Hi Sakura" she said sounding just like the mood Sakura was in. "I'm going to take a nap before the funeral" she said walking inside, Temari nodded and looked up Hinata and Naruto "Hello" she said trying to sound happier but It wasn't working.
"Temari you think it's a good idea to let Sakura stay in this house?" Naruto asked, Temari shook her head "no I think it's a bad idea actually but Sakura insisted and who would stop her?" Naruto nodded "True," he sighed.
-
Sakura walked up the stairs and walked into her and Gaara's old room, Sakura sat on the bad and looked around at all the unchanged things. 'I know I shouldn't do this to myself' she said grabbing a pillow and lying down, 'but I miss him so much' she said letting the tears once again flow.
She turned on her side facing the empty side of the bed just imaging him there "when I found out, I wanted to kill myself…because I couldn't stand the thought of life without you" she told herself.
"But I knew you would be disappointed in me if I did, but it has crossed my mind so many times in this past week and a half," she said sadly. "I really wish you were here" she said placing her hand on the empty space and then quietly falling asleep.
-
"Sakura" she heard Temari's voice and something nudging her, she woke up and looked at Temari's worried face, "What's wrong Temari?" Sakura asked. "I'm worried about you" she admitted, "why?" Sakura questioned, Temari pointed beside her and Sakura looked at her hand that held the sheet of the spot next to her tightly.
Sakura released "I promise I'll be fine" she said sitting up, "well you better change we're leaving in thirty minutes, the others have already gotten here and they're all downstairs" Temari informed her and left. Sakura stood up and stretched she grabbed her bag and tossed it on the bed; she opened it and grabbed the brush that was on top.
She brushed her hair out and put it up neatly with two black hair chop sticks, she changed out of her normal attire and slide into a black dress and but some black heals on to match.
Sakura redid her make up and walked to the bed grabbing her Kunai ouch and strapping it onto her thigh hiding under her dress. Sakura walked downstairs and saw her friends, Hinata smiled "ready Sakura?" she asked as Sakura nodded.
It was weird, Sakura thought the last time she saw everyone in all black was at the third Hokage's funeral, they all walked down the street seeing all the villagers dressed in black and heading for the same destination.
"Look mommy, its sister Sakura" a little boy around the age of four shouted running up to Sakura and hugging her around her waist. "Hello Karuson" Sakura smiled lightly. "Sis, why don't you come to play with us at the park anymore?" he asked.
"Because, I have been at home for a while…" she said trying to keep it together, "but sis, we miss you and Kazekage-san hasn't been around for a while, I think he was worried about you and went to look for you" he said innocently. That was it Sakura broke, Sakura fell to her knees crying "Karuson, Kazekage-san isn't coming back…he…he died" Sakura cried.
He saddened and hugged Sakura "it's ok big sis, everything will be fine" he smiled and hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry Sakura-san," his mother said picking him up and heading off to the funeral site, Sakura wiped her tears and saw all her friends just staring at her "I'll be fine" she said and they nodded and continued.
-
As the ceremony went on Sakura noticed the entire village must have been there, she smiled 'see Gaara they did respect and care for you'. "Now," the speaker said finishing up with the first part. "We will have a couple of our Kazekage's closest friends, first Uzumaki Naruto, then Hyuuga Neji, after him Sabaku no Kankuro, and then last Miss Haruno Sakura" he said stepping off and Naruto walked onto the stage.
"Gaara, was my best friend and one of the only people who really understood me, like him I also was a boy whom everyone hated because I was different" Naruto began.
"The first time I met Gaara was at the Chunin exams, he scared me too death and then I had to face him in battle not long after that, but Gaara told mo once that I changed his life and since then we were the best of friends" Naruto laughed sadly.
"And just a couple weeks ago he came to ma and said 'thank you Naruto, without you I would have never met the love of my life and I would still be nothing but a hollow shell" he said tears brimming his eyes, "and the last time I ever talked to him he asked me, to be the best man at his wedding" Naruto said smiling and crying at the same time.
"But Gaara was one of the greatest people I had ever met in my entire life, he turned his life around from hell to becoming the Kazekage of Suna and getting the respect he deserved, thank you" Naruto said walking off unable to say anything more.
Neji walked up as he pat Naruto on the back as they crossed paths, he looked out at everyone "Unlike Naruto I did not know Gaara back then, I only saw him as the sand shinobi from Suna" Neji began.
"I had only recently began talking to him once he had become Kazekage and I was an Anbu captain and we saw each other more, both being friends with Naruto we too eventually became friends" Neji said looking at Naruto.
"We had become close and we trained together when Naruto was bust eating ramen or trying to be the best boyfriend he could for my cousin, and he asked me to help him pick out a wedding ring for Sakura" Sakura looked up at Neji, she couldn't take much more of this.
"When the Akatsuki came and took Gaara, we immediately headed out to try and save him, but my team and I were met up with a delay and by the time we got there it was too late and Gaara died" he said sadly. "But Gaara was one of the strongest people I had known and I couldn't accept the fact he had died and there is something in me that tells me he is still alive, but facts are facts" he said nodding and walking off.
Kankuro walked up and began speaking, "My brother was very…I-important to me" he said tearing and then started crying and just walked off the stage. Temari shook her head and looked at Sakura and nudged her, Sakura sighed and headed up to the stage.
Sakura took a deep breath and looked out at everyone, "Um…hi as you know I'm Sakura," she said looking back at Temari, who urged her to go on.
"As you all know I was the Kazekage's fiancé, I met him at the Chunin exams along with Naruto, I too was quite afraid of him and had my own confrontation with him when we were younger…he had even tried to kill me, but he didn't because something stopped him"
"I don't know what it was but he did, later Naruto and Gaara had become friends and I was seeing more and more of the Kazekage and noticed his change, well I had been sent on a mission to Suna because of their need in the medical field" Sakura said still breathing uneasy.
"During my time their I got to know Temari, Kankuro, and especially Gaara, he didn't like me at first because he though I was a weak girl, but he tried to be nice since I was Naruto's friend, soon enough I started to like Gaara despite his problem and I found out he'd come to like me as well" she smiled remembering the past.
"I found myself getting as many missions as I possibly could to Suna and then I started living there and then the greatest thing happened, Gaara asked me to marry him" Sakura smiled letting her tears fall. "He gave me the ring I always wanted and I was so happy, but then I left to get the rest of my things from my old home…" Sakura trailed off.
"Then Naruto and Kakashi told me to come with them on an urgent mission about the Akatsuki, I had no idea what was going on until I saw him…dead" Sakura cried into her hands. "And I couldn't do anything about it" she whispered.
Temari walked up behind her and patted her on the back and lead her back to their seats, the man came back up and announced that the service was over. Sakura saw Neji and Naruto by Gaara's coffin she walked up behind them and they turned and looked at her and nodded and stood aside.
Sakura looked down at Gaara's face, her eyes began to water and overflowed "it seems these tears will never cease" she said quietly, she looked at him and grabbed his luke warm hand, 'wait' she thought 'warm?' she thought.
"What's wrong Sakura?" Neji asked, "He's luke warm" Sakura said, Neji and Naruto placed their fingers on his hand, "that's weird, he's been dead for a week and a half," Neji said.
Sakura nodded "I know," she looked at the hand she was holding it was the one he put his promise ring on, she looked and it was gone, she leaned in and looked closely and went wide eyed "this isn't Gaara" Sakura said starting to breath frantically.
"What?" Naruto said, "Its not him, Gaara he has a burn on his ring finger I remember even if the ring is gone the burn should still be there;