DOKUN

“When your heart beats in your chest, when I can feel it against me, I know everything is okay.”

“Ne, Sakura, you here again?” Ino asked as she watched her old friend walk in the shop.

Rather than answering, Sakura merely continued to get the flowers she had come for. It was almost as if she didn’t hear Ino speak at all, her mind was long gone, left behind in that one room, along with her heart.

Ino frowned, sad for her friend as she paid for the flowers and left silently. She had been walking around like a zombie since Gai brought Sasuke back unconscious. He seemed to be in a comatose state and now, Sakura looked as if she were in one too, only her body was still able to move.

It was a wonder how she managed to lift her feet when her legs were wobbling. She kept the flowers close to her heart, as if trying to pour her feelings into them. She made her way back into the room where she left her heart and mind and paused at the doorway, taking one look up to see the love of her life still lying there, still and white. With trembling hands she placed the flowers back into the vase and sat in the chair next to the bed, wiping away a stray tear that rolled down to her chin.

Sasuke-kun . . .

Her heart was calling out for him.

Why wouldn’t he answer?

She took his cold, pale hand in her own sweaty ones.

He was so cold.

Too cold.

She wondered if he was having a nightmare, but his face was blank. It terrified her. There was no sign of life in him at all; if it weren’t for the beeping of the machine she would think he was dead. With that in mind, she stared at his chest, watching it go up and down, assuring her that he was there.

The sun began to set in the distance, but she was only aware of it becoming darker in the room, that it was becoming harder to see his face, harder to see the sheets rising and falling.

When it became too dark, she let go of his hand and pressed her hand against his heart.

Thu-thump, thu-thump . . .

She could feel his heart beating, but he was still so cold.

Biting her lip, she followed her own heart. Climbing on the bed, she settled herself next to him and placed her head on his chest.

His body was cold.

Hers’ was on fire.

She could feel him, every curve of his body, the strong muscles she loved so much. Without even thinking about it, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, wishing that she could become a part of his heart.

She wanted to be a part of him so badly.

To always be with him.

But hate, revenge, Orochimaru and Itachi, they were all trying to take him away from her. She was afraid that she didn’t have enough strength to keep him.

But at that moment, feeling her own body heat warm him, she felt better. She wished she could fall asleep every night listening to his heart. The slow, steady thumps made her feel more alive than feeling her own heart beating.

Relaxing against him, she was able to fall asleep; softly humming a tune to match his heart beats.

Dokun

Dokun

Dokun

She frowned.

His warmth was disappearing.

Dokun

Dokun . . .

“Sasuke-kun . . . don’t go . . .”

“Revenge is everything to me.”

You’re everything to me.

“I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!”

Silence.

“Take me with you!”

. . . Dokun . . .

Fading.

Why was he fading?

Sasuke-kun, please, don’t go where I can’t see you anymore!

He was drifting away.

His back was becoming hard to see.

His face, his heart . . . where . . . ?

“SASUKE-KUN!” Sakura screamed as she shot up in her bed, her arm extended outwards and her hand clenched, as if trying to grasp a hold of something.

And she was.

His heart.

She felt so empty without it.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her bottom lip was trembling as grief from her loss weighed heavily on her heart.

Slowly, she brought her hand back to her chest and then wrapped her arms around herself, crying silently.

Her own heartbeat seemed so shallow and empty to her. She knew that she would never stop loving him, that she would never be okay until she could feel that beautifully tattered heart beating.

The day when she would be able to fall asleep with her ear pressed against his chest, only then would everything in her world be okay again.