- Of The Red Sand -

Chapter 1

I pinched the bed spread between my toes and breathed long and hard into my knees. Blowing some hair from my face, I squinted out the circular window that cast a dim light on my shin and elbows. It was quiet here in Sunagakure. But, in the dead of war. It was just another battlefield for the dead to lay. I was homesick, really homesick. My stomach churned everytime I thought about home. About Sasuke.
About my friends.
Naruto and I were assigned here to provide some back up. But to my awareness, we were just here for security reasons. Which was obviously the best idea since the Akatsuki are about targetting every single single village.
But war plays with our minds anyway.

This never had to happen, if only we had the dare to take out the Akatsuki before. No one would have had to die for us.
Neji wouldn't have had to.
Nor Asuma.
But what more could we have done? I couldn't make myself believe this had to happen. I constantly wished this was only a terrible nightmare. Every waking day, I shut my eyes and begged.
But I gave up a long while ago.
Because this is reality now.
And we had to face it.
I dropped my forehead into my knees and squeeze my ankles. Blocking out these thoughts and forcing them to leave me be.
There came a rapping at the door, not in the brightest of moods, I was quick to snap my annoyance. It may not have been that way if I had known that wasn't Naruro at the door.
Whoever it was, came in anyway and I recognized Temari. In her hands, she clutched two bowls of ramen. The steam billowed about in her movement and faded the next moment. I didn't know how hungry I was until I spotted the supper right in my reach,
"Hi." she said carefully. Eyeing me with concern as I swung my legs over the mattress, "Thought I'd bring you some supper."
Granting her an apologetic, subtle smile, I got up, "Thanks.. sorry about that. My mind has been head over heels lately."
Temari only shrugged and sat down next to me on the wooden floor, "It's alright... I've seen better anyways." she added after a moment of hesitation. Wondering if amusement would cure my symptoms of sadness. After I didn't muster even a smirk, she sighed and spun her chopsticks in her noodles, "Are you alright, Sakura? You seemed kind of spacey when you first arrived."
This time I met her gaze and allowed mine to brighten a little, "I'm fine, yeah."
She frowned, if anything, I'm starting to suppose she's an expert lie detector. No wonder Shikamaru has lost his groove around her. I fumbled for some ramen in my mouth when she opened her mouth to argue with me. I took my time to eat it, and by the time I was finished, she had dropped it and continued eating as well. So instead she only nodded, playing along with my white lie.
After a while longer, we had both finished our meals and shoved the bowls off to the side. It was only then that we had gotten engaged in a somewhat lively conversation about our own villages. By the time Temari had gotten to her feet to leave, I had a pleasant smile on my face. One that I knew hadn't been there for what feels like ages. But yet, little did I know it was one I wouldn't feel for a long, long time.
"..Thanks for the dinner." I told her.
"It was no trouble." She returned. Turning to leave and she stopped. Twisting so that she looked at me over her shoulder, "Hey...Take it easy. You have a lot of allies at your shoulders. We're here for each other." I squeezed my fist at my thigh and looked back into her deep eyes, "I know." Was all I thought to say and breathed a deep silent sigh as she reached the doorway. Temari grabbed the doorknob and began to swing it shut. I started to sit down upon the floor again when there came a sickening explosion from outside. Its sound echoeing across the villages territory. I slipped, falling on my rump roughly. Before I could react after that point, a man around his prime years scrambled down the hall. Screaming things to quick for anyone to understand. His hands in a frenzy against the walls as if he'd just gone blind...wait a minute.
Temari beat me to it and she threw herself around, her pupils dialating, her mouth dropping some, "No." there was a source of light illuminating her face and I in suit, turned around. What I met at that moment was nothing short of horror. The sand village was agulfed in licking red flames and choking smoke. Helpless citizens dashed left and right. Grabbing their children and scattering to the outskirts. However, I gasped as several bodies went airborn and landed out of sight. A piercing wail, followed with a crackling boom concluded my thoughts.
An ambush.
And this time, they weren't playing. I had covered my ears and turned away to meet Temari pouncing at me, her mouth working quickly, but the ringing in my ears wasn't enough to block it out completely,