The Flower That Will Someday Wilt |Naruto Fanfic|

Chapter 22

Sorry, guys. I really regret this chapter, and I'm sorry for the Sakura bashing. I have grown to be fond of her character, so I'm mentally slapping myself right at this moment. God, I'm horrible.

Ai/Itami POV

"You were right, it was his last battle."

I observed the boy, taking notice of his mask. "A Hunter Nin..." I muttered lowly, only for myself to hear. Naruto was outraged, fists balled as his teeth were gritted.

"Hey! You can't just come in hear and kill him after so much work Itami did! We were so close, until you came along! Come down here and fight like a man!" He yelled, taking a step forward. Said person merely glanced at him.

I put a reassuring hand on Naruto's shoulder, stepping forward to his side. "It's okay-" What he did next shocked me. He pushed my hand away, pushing me back in the process. Though, if he pushed harder I would have fell.

"It's not okay! I can't accept this! It's not right!" He screamed, glaring daggers at the boy. I looked towards Kakashi, who was ready to catch me if I had fallen, and nodded.

"My thanks to you for making this job easier. I have been trying to track down Zabuza for a long time." The Hunter Nin mannerly said, transporting to where Zabuza lay. "I'll be taking my leave now." And he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto was still angry, staring at the place where he was. "Look, Naruto. Sometimes there's people the same age as you, but stronger than me." Kakashi tried to assure, and eventually Naruto gave in, not before punching the area where he had left.

We began going back to Tazuna's home, but, with one step, Kakashi fainted. My eyes widened a fraction as I hurried over to him. I sighed in relief as I took his hand, looking towards a panicking Naruto. "He's okay, Naruto, he just overused the Sharingan too much." I told him, letting papers escape my sleeves and carefully wrap around Kakashi, just leaving his face seen so he can breathe. My papers lifted him off the ground, and I turned towards the others. "Let's continue. We'll treat Kakashi when we arrive at Tazuna's."

They nodded slowly, but we did, eventually. I stayed close to Kakashi, letting his hand hang down so I could hold it. I wanted to make sure he was still there, you know. So he wouldn't disappear before my eyes like before. I couldn't stand to lose someone close to me, not again, not when I'm around. I know it's a bit weird, but I just need to know he's still there for me to rely on. A father I never had, a family. Just like Tenzo.

When we arrived, Tazuna's daughter treated Kakashi, and I never left his side. As he rested, I stayed sitting by him, holding his hand. I've been waiting for so long, that I haven't even slept. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura tried to get me to sleep but I rejected the offer. Right now, unlike before, I thought that I should not deprive myself of sleep. But, as I hesitated, I didn't have the motivation to move from his side. So I slept there, my head tilted downwards as I still had his hand lightly held in mine.

Kakashi POV

Blurry.

That's all I've seen. My eyes slowly adjusted, giving me the notice to see Itami by my side. I was about to speak to her, until I realized she was asleep. My right hand was warmer than my left, and I looked down to see her's entwined with mine. I couldn't help the small smile as my eyes softened. Sure she was more mature than others her age, but she's still a kid. An innocent one at that. I heard the door slide open, revealing my team. They were about to yell, more like Naruto was, but stopped when they saw Itami asleep. They hushed at each other as I told Sasuke to bring her to her room. He nodded, picking her up carefully, to Sakura's jealousy, and walked out of the room with Naruto in tow. Sakura stayed back, watching their figures before she sighed.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" I asked, moving a bit to get comfortable. She looked at me with hesitancy, until she took a deep breath.

"Before, I used to think that I would be the main female in the team, the best one who stood beside Naruto and Sasuke-kun while Itami would be in the back, watching us walk away." She confessed, and I knew what she was trying to say. "But now, it seems that I'm the one watching their backs, not Itami. Instead, she's way ahead. She's not useless as I thought, instead, she's the one who beat Zabuza, and saved you, Sensei." As she went on, I could see how hard she wants to catch up. "All I wanted was to impress Sasuke-kun, for him to notice me and acknowledge my strength, but I don't think I could even catch up. While Itami, Sasuke-kun, and Naruto keep moving forward, it's like I'm not even moving at all." She then balled her fists. "Sometimes I hate her, because she's so strong and fast, but I knew that I actually envy her. At the same time, I wish she wasn't even on our team, that she never existed or that she was the weak link. But, all the things that I wished she was, was describing me." I could see the tears in her eyes she tried to suppress, and, for the first time, I held no sympathy.

Hey guys! This chapter is... weird, I know. For some reason, I couldn't even think of any vocabulary words I usually knew. Now, I just used bad grammar and overused words. And, I promise, that I'll keep trying my best. I'll even read a dictionary if you'd like. I also forgot most of what happened, like what Haku said or did, and what came before blah blah. I thought that, since this chapter is mostly based on Sakura's feelings, that she should get an AMV, no matter how much I hate her (I don't anymore). Yeah, but I'll make the next chapter more intriguing. I'll see you on the next update.

ThatRandomLoveStory-