If one has a quick glance through my fics, one would notice that I don't write tragedy and angst often, or much at all really. But somehow I was in the mood without wanting to be, and wrote this instead of what I wanted to write.

Warning: character deaths. Yes, deaths, as in not singular.

The four were likely the oddest group of friends Konoha had ever seen.

Odd in that they were four who were hard to imagine getting along well or agreeing on anything.

Odd in that they did exactly that.

They were even a mixture of ninja rank, from chuunin to ANBU, so in reality really shouldn't have had missions together. But the Hokage knew how well they worked together, how their four-person team was balanced. The medic-nin, the ANBU nin, the unpredictable nin, the genius nin. And so most assignments they were together.

Sai, outranking the others as ANBU, was the official team leader but this was unofficially interchangeable depending on the situation and mission. Sakura followed him in rank as Konoha's best field medic-nin, probably surpassing the Fifth with her healing jutsu and perfect chakra control. Naruto had taken three years after Sasuke's return to pass the challenging jounin trials. Eventually he wanted to be a jounin-sensei, instructing his own genin team, but couldn't quite tear himself away from working with his friends. Sasuke passed the chuunin exams four years ago but the Council, despite the joy of having the sole Uchiha returned to them, forbid him from climbing the shinobi ranks any further. Contrary to what the Council probably wanted, this didn't seem to bother Sasuke at all. His team knew the reinstated ninja was content as he could be with his position, able to take part in A rank missions with Naruto, Sai and Sakura…though this was perhaps due to the Hokage keeping that information quiet, and letting the four know that it was in Sasuke's best interests for them to do the same.

All in all, the four ninja kept to themselves for the most part. Many of the original genin group from eight years ago were busy with their own lives, like being ANBU captain in Neji's case or teaching at the Academy like Ino. And their many ex-sensei were deceased, retired or had an entirely new job. It was still a running joke that Konoha wasn't that much better off moving from Tsunade to Kakashi…especially when half of the scroll room was dedicated to Icha Icha. Kakashi managed to pass it off to the Council as a shrine to the late Jiraiya, legendary frog sannin. It was, in a way. Naruto and Kakashi would sometimes sit in the scroll room, laughing and trading stories about the perverted old man. Naruto's favourite by far was the one where Jiraiya had mistaken a nude and bathing Kakashi for a woman. He never tired of hearing that one.

But things changed when the group of four became a group of three.

A mission gone completely wrong when the four discovered the assignment was fake.

An ambush.

They didn't learn whether it was an attack on the kyuubi vessel or the clan survivor because once the remaining three were done, there was nobody left to question.

It was devastating carrying their friend's body back home.

Konoha grew a little darker the day of the funeral. Most of the village turned up for the ceremony and that made Sasuke smile bitterly. Naruto had received the acknowledgement he wanted without becoming Hokage, but it was at the price of his death.

He didn't think that was fair.

He didn't think it was fair that Naruto had left.

The loud, unpredictable ninja had evaded death dozens of times. Sasuke had sort of grown to think of him as invincible because he always got back up. His wounds healed over within minutes. Fractures and breaks only needed to be held steady and they disappeared as quickly as they were dealt.

But a kunai in the heart will always be fatal.

Sasuke had only cried maybe twice before in his life. Sai couldn't remember shedding tears ever. Sakura had cried her heart out probably a hundred times before. But at the funeral, as Iruka struggled to read the eulogy through blurred vision with Kakashi by his side, the broken team cried together.

Sakura almost screamed her sobs, and her obvious pain didn't leave many cheeks dry. Sasuke held her up, or perhaps she was keeping him steady, as he looked at the sky.

He couldn't stop his tears.

He couldn't stop Sakura's pain.

And Sai's hand on his shoulder was heavy. He grabbed it, covering it with his own hand. It was cold, it was clammy, but it was Sai.

Sai was still alive.

Sasuke felt a momentary stab of guilt when his heart wished for a moment that Sai and Naruto's positions were reversed. The guilt and shame was strong enough to make him stumble. He pushed the thought away before it settled.

But as the three friends walked to Naruto's empty apartment, Sasuke was unaware that Sai and Sakura had the same fleeting, shaming thought about him.

It wasn't clear how it happened but Sakura, Sai and Sasuke were living in their dead friend's apartment. It was far from big enough for them. Sakura would sleep in the single bed, Sasuke the sofa and Sai a bed roll on the lounge floor beside Sasuke. It wasn't something that looked to be permanent or comfortable, but it had been that way for over a year.

They didn't talk as much to each other, making it painfully obvious how much Naruto had held them together.

Kakashi didn't assign them missions as a team any more, their unbalance and silent discord easily discernable. He didn't know what to do for them. He felt the loss of Naruto deeply as well but Sakura, Sai and Sasuke weren't functioning properly without him.

He couldn't afford to send any of them on high-risk missions…they just didn't have the focus or reliability.

It wasn't long before Kakashi had no choice.

The only ninja available who could do an A rank assignment were the three he didn't want to send. The Council soon intervened when the Sixth Hokage still tried to find others instead, overruling all concerns and objections he had.

It was the first time being Hokage or Copy Nin Kakashi had failed to have any weight…and he soon wondered if a Hokage had any weight at all when the Council was concerned.

The three were called to his office regardless, and he gave them the mission papers against his better judgement. Sakura smiled at him, reassured him that they would be back in five days. Sasuke nodded. Sai stared out the window of the Hokage's office for a moment before stating that he didn't want the mission.

Sai looked at Kakashi, and the older man saw that they both knew.

None of them had any choice, he explained, this was the Council's bidding. Sakura and Sasuke were satisfied with doing the assignment, and glared at the other member of their team.

Kakashi closed his eyes when they left.

The tight grip on his heart refused to loosen.

His fears were realised when Sakura returned from the mission alone.

She was an empty shell of herself. She stood before the Hokage's desk, eyes distant and dull as Kakashi read her report. Sai and Sasuke's death were the team's fault, that much was clear. The trio's teamwork was off kilter in the mission…as though they had forgotten that there was no Naruto to back Sasuke up while Sai and Sakura fought as a pair within the team…as they had done when they were a four person cell. Despite Sasuke's skill, he was still just one man, and he had been overwhelmed. Sakura had seen that he was struggling and sped to aid him immediately, this time leaving Sai vulnerable without his being aware of Sakura's movement.

Kakashi continued to read the report, already knowing what was to come.

Sasuke was dead by the time Sakura reached him and Sai was dead by the time she turned around. How Sakura had escaped wasn't clear, and Kakashi wondered if she even knew. Rage can be frighteningly blinding.

And powerful.

He wondered if it would be the last emotion Sakura would ever show. He looked at her now, told her to go home and rest. He would have said more if he could swallow the grief and anger and pain lodged in his chest.

And if he had, it might have saved Sakura's life.

But he wouldn't consider that until tomorrow.

Wouldn't add that extra guilt until tomorrow.

Kakashi filed the report with shaky hands before sitting down to write out his resignation, because what was the point of being Hokage when he couldn't protect what was important? He left the letter on the desk and stepped out of the office, no thoughts of returning.

He stared at the monument that had far too many names on it now.

Tomorrow Sakura's would be added but he didn't know that yet.

So many lives gone. And he was still here to feel the loss and remember what loss didn't feel like. Remember what it was like to see their faces. Alone again, like always, and how did that happen?

And one more name would be added tomorrow.

Sakura's would be etched in the monument tomorrow.

But Kakashi didn't know that yet.

He wouldn't know that until tomorrow.