I hear TenTen scream for Temari to get down as the front window smashes in. I really can’t see what’s happening as Temari lands on me, but I can still hear. Kunai and shirkens slice and stick into TenTen as she continues screaming. Temari tenses against me as kunai hit her back and legs. I feel the truck speeding up as Temari and I scramble for the back to Hinata and Ino. TenTen is already dead but that doesn’t slow the onslaught of kunai and shirkens pouring into the front of the truck. I see a sharp turn ahead.
We’re not going to make it.
"Hold on to something!!!" I scream as the truck sails off the road into a deep valley. Time and space seem to slow down, I see TenTen’s blood floating in the air, gravity all nonsense now as the truck starts to fall. The armored TPV slams on the hard stone with a bone crushing effect as we all hit the floor. I hear someone cry out in pain but I don’t have time to think who, we need to get to the wheel and try to slow down.
Luckily we’re still going straight and upright down the side of the valley, but that's too true to last long. The truck suddenly strikes a boulder with brutal force on the driver side, sending the truck sideways. We’re going to fast to slide as the vehicle starts to roll. More screams as the truck continues to roll out of control. I try to look around me, and we’re all screaming and being thrown around like rag dolls. Hinata and Ino are completely unconscious or dead now as Temari is trying to hold them both with complete disregard for her own safety. I’m filled with dread as I can only watch helplessly. My head smashes the side of the truck as stars fill my vision. I feel myself blacking out as the gravity and spinning are too much for my body to take...
And just as it started, it was over. The truck is completely stopped on its side now as the dust and debris settle. I don’t hear anything and that scares me more then anything. I feel something warm dripping on my face as I slowly open my eyes. Its TenTen’s blood dripping on me, I look up at her dead body staring down at me like some sick puppet show. She’s still strapped in and more or less pinned to the driver's seat, her eyes are empty and soulless...
I have to look away.
I roll to my side and scream. It feels like I’ve broken half my ribs, the pain is unbearable, but that nothing compared to what I see before me.
"No..."
Temari is cradling Hinata’s head and their both crying softly. I crawl slow and careful to them, fighting the pain for every inch.
"Are you two ok?" It’s a stupid question, who the hell would be after something like that? Temari slowly shakes her head as tears fall from her eyes.
"Hinata’s neck is broken and my back and legs are wasted, plus I think there was poison on the kunai I got stuck with back there." I’m saddened beyond despair.
Bleeding and bruised, they both are in bad shape worst then me, you couldn’t even move Hinata now without killing her outright and by the look of Temari, the poison must be fast-acting, she doesn’t have much time either.
"Hold on, I’ll get help." At this I hear a harsh chuckle from the back corner of the truck, it’s Ino.
"Y-You’d t-think with a billboard brow l-like yours, y-you’d be smarter S-sakura." Ino words blandly.
"She's still alive!"
I can’t help but smile a little as I crawl back to her.
"If we hadn’t started fighting a few hours ago, we wouldn’t be in this situation."
Ino had been my first real friend; she had helped me over come my self-conciseness of my big forehead that the others use to tease me about. We spent all our time together growing up, playing in the woods until nightfall, helping each other with our chores... everything. Now look at us, half broken and almost dead.
"You’re one to talk, Ino-pig." I say lightly as I move next to her.
"I-I don’t think I’ll m-make it S-Sakura." Ino’s voice makes my blood run cold, I know she’s right but I keep trying to tell myself otherwise.
"Blow up the t-truck and get back to the v-village." My heart stops as I look back at Temari and Hinata their faces tell me the same thing.
"We're already dead."
"I can't just leave you here." I'm crying now.
"Sakura, Ino's right the enemy will try to steal our ninja jutus, you have to do it." Temari spoke up as she coughed up more blood. I shake my head.
"No, I have to do something I could call someone or..." I protest as Ino grabs me.
"The v-village is a-at war, it will j-jus' get more people killed." Ino reasoned as she grits her teeth in pain.
"We'll be dead before anyone got here anyway." Sighed Temari as she looks down at Hinata.
"Do it." The Hyuuga girl whispered as she smiled up Temari. Temari sobbed loudly as she squeezed her eyes shut and twisted Hinata's head roughly. Hinata's neck cracking makes my body tense and my anger rise.
"You, you didn't have to do that!" I yelled at Temari as she looks at me with blood running from her mouth. I don't know why but Hinata looks so peaceful in Temari's lap as the blonde continued to cough up blood.
"I know. I don't have to do this either." She sighs, tilting her head back and stabbed herself in the throat with a kunai. I look away as she drags it across her neck spilling blood all over herself and Hinata. I catch the last look of life in her eyes as she slouched back dead against the truck.
"Why!!!"
I scream silently as I started to thrash around, kicking and punching everything in my way. I'm causing more pain to myself then anything as Ino kicks me and screams.
"Sakura! Get a hold of yourself, we are ninja! This is a true shinobi's death! We live and die by the blade! Or did you forget that?" I'm beside myself as I just stare at my trembling hands.
"You said it yourself, fight for me like I fought for you." She's using my own words against me, it hurts but it's true.
"But you need to keep fighting for us... for all of us and you sure as shit can't do that if you die here." Ino pauses and roars in pain as all her wounds seemed to open all at once.
"I will never forgive you if you stay and die! NOW GO!!!" I nod my head as tears stream down. I look at the seriousness in her face as I lean in and kiss her one last time. She's mad but doesn't reject me as we kiss each other deeply. When I lean back she’s just staring at me blankly.
She’s dead.
It feels like a graveyard as I look around. I ball my fists tightly; I know what needs to be done. I get to my feet and open a side locker and pull a couple of explosive tags out. I start at the front.
I close TenTen’s eyes and put two tags across her body.
"Going out to eat will never be the same without TenTen..."
{Flashback}
“If theses noodles weren’t so hot I’d eat them bare-handed.” TenTen declared greedily as she pulled aparted her chop stick and dug in.
{Flashback}
Next is Hinata and Temari, blood is everywhere but they look so happy together. I always had a feeling they’d die in each others arms.
{Flashback}
“I have to go on a dangerous mission and I don’t know if I’ll be coming back.” Temari said tenderly as she ran her fingers through Hinata’s damp hair.
“I’ll wait for you no matter what.” Hinata smiled as she snuggled closer to Temari.
“You need to get back before everyone starts to worry about you.” Temari changed the subject as Hinata purred solicitously at Temari’s rough but tender touch.
“I want to stay with you.” Hinata groaned in refusal as she tightened her grip on the sand village ninja. Temari chuckled softly at Hinata’s determination as she pried Hinata off her and got up.
“I’ll always be with you.”
{Flashback}
Again, I tag bodies and move to the back of the truck. This is the hardest one to do. Ino is still with her head slightly to the left. I suddenly remember the fight we had when she said she cared for me more then a friend.
{Flashback}
“You still don’t understand, I never wanted Sasuke…” Ino blushed as she applied medicine and covered my wound.
“…I wanted you, Sakura.” My anger and pain vanished in an instant at Ino’s confession.
“Do y-you mean that?” I asked weakly as I watched Ino patch up my leg with a concerned look on her face. Ino remained silent as she focused intently on my deep slash.
“Ino?” I asked again as I put a hand on Ino’s blood covered hand. Ino looked up at my face with tears growing in her eyes as her emotions erupted.
“Yes Sakura I do! I know I act like a bitch, it’s because I’m jealous, not of you, I’m jealous of Sasuke, I thought it was a little crush for you so I provoked you, but when you fell for him, I was hurt…” Ino wrapped my wound tighter as it bled through with total disregard to Ino’s efforts.
“It just when from bad to worst from there and I was just too proud to tell you how I felt and now you’re hurt because of me!” Ino confessed as she broke down.
“Don’t cry Ino, you look silly.” I moaned dreamily as she eyes rolled around in her head.
{Flashback}
I take one last look around at all the girls I ever cared about and step out of the truck. I walk away from my friends, lovers, and most of all in the true ninja way, family. I don’t even turn back as I throw a explosive kunai at the truck and with a thunderous explosion...
“...My life changes forever.”
The End.