Story 4

Prompt: Sequel to The Shooting – Requested by XxTaintedDragonxX
Rating: T

Fifty-seven people dead. Twice that number injured.

Fifty-three students, along with four teachers, had been murdered that day. The number would have been one higher had she not left the class to get herself more water, for hers had been one of the first to be attacked. What were the chances of that happening?

So, while Haruno Sakura felt so eternally grateful for the urge to get up and move around, to leave the classroom for a while, she also felt incredibly guilty. She should have been there with them when the guy opened fire. She should have been in that classroom.

She stood with her fellow students, side by side in the assembly hall, all paying their respects as their headmaster, Sarutobi Hiruzen, made a speech about that day, about how it was important they didn't forget those who'd lost their lives.

Among those who'd been injured was Gaara's older sister, Sabaku Temari.

Surprisingly, Gaara hadn't left Sakura's side once as she was taken to hospital, remaining with her until she had to go for surgery to remove the bullet from her thigh. It was there that he found out his sister had also been shot, had found out how truly stubborn the blonde was, for she survived a bullet to the neck, of all places. Sakura had assumed the worst when he'd told her where she'd been shot, had been halfway through condolences before Gaara had interrupted her, saying she was unconscious, but stable.

Other students who'd found her had acted quickly by keeping pressure on the wound, had hidden her from view when the shooter thought he'd killed her – after all, who the hell survived getting shot in the neck? If Sakura wasn't mistaken, then it'd actually been Temari's boyfriend, Nara Shikamaru, who'd stayed with her (she suspected they'd been ditching class together, but never said the suspicions out loud). Since then, it had brought them even closer together, had made them appreciate their lives and relationship all the more.

Sakura supposed it was like that for everyone, really. Fortunately for her (and she couldn't thank the Gods enough for it), none of her closest friends had died that day. They were undoubtedly traumatised – they all were – but they were alive and well and now, they were all closer than ever, bonding through the tragedy.

Glancing up at the redhead standing silently beside her, Sakura couldn't help but allow her expression to soften. Without him there that day, she would have died. It was plain and simple. He'd saved her life and there was no way she could ever repay him for that.

"–a memorial shall be built to remember those we lost," Sarutobi said, cutting through her thoughts and she looked back to him. "It will be situated in front of the school, where we will all pass it every day."

It sounded like it would be painful for those who'd lost their friends, family or lovers, but it was a beautiful gesture all the same, allowing them to pay their respects when they walked by it. Sakura knew she would personally appreciate it, allowing her to pay her respects to her classmates and sensei.

They didn't have to remain standing for too long, thankfully and she smiled in thanks as Gaara helped ease back into her seat before sitting down himself.

It'd been three weeks since the attack. Her wound was still healing, but she refused to stay down, to allow it to keep her down. Instead, Sakura used crutches to get around, taking breaks throughout the day and leaving class early so that she didn't get caught up in the busy corridors.

School had been out for a whole week after the shooting and she'd taken an extra week off to try and prepare herself for returning (her parents tried talking her into staying off school for the rest of term since there were only two weeks left until summer, but she refused). Her first day back had been weird. It simply felt surreal – hard to believe anything had even happened. Everything was so normal, so clean. Windows that'd been hit by bullets and broken were replaced. The blood in the library, where she'd been shot, was gone, along with the blood of the others who were injured or had died. Sakura supposed it was to ensure nobody was further tortured by the reminder of what had happened.

"As most of you are well aware by now, there are thrice as many counsellors at our school as there was before the attack," Sarutobi continued, voice gravelly. "Please do not hesitate to go to the counsellors if you find yourselves struggling. They are there to listen should and offer you support."

Gods knew they all needed it, Sakura added inwardly. A decent fraction of the students – Temari being one of them – were still in the hospital, still recovering from their wounds, whereas others found it too hard to return. She would've too, but she couldn't let them down. The class she was in was obviously no more and so she was placed in another class. When she'd first entered, the whole room had gone silent, one or two of the students had instantly started crying and giving her their condolences – the teacher had cried too, in fact.

It didn't matter if those students hadn't lost anybody they knew personally, or if they hadn't been injured that day. They still felt the same weight in their chests as the rest of them. They still mourned the loss of fellow students, of children. They still had empathy for those who had lost someone – for them, they saw Sakura as the girl who'd lost her entire class. That was over thirty people altogether. And while she hadn't been the greatest of friends with any of them, even though she wouldn't have hung out with them outside of school hours, they were still friendly enough. They'd gotten along well in group activities. They could laugh and joke when their sensei messed up and–

She reached up, harshly wiping at her cheeks like that alone would stop the tears. It felt like all she ever did lately was cry, no matter how hard she tried to remain strong. The first week after the shooting, when she'd been stuck in the hospital, all Sakura had done was cry and sob and wail, the tears only coming harder when the names of those who died were displayed on the news, telling her that her classmates had died.

A shoulder brushed against hers, silently telling her that he was there. Sakura shut her eyes, drowning out the rest of Sarutobi's speech as she focused on nothing other than the comfort Gaara radiated.

It was odd how a tragedy was capable of bringing people together, no matter how different they were. Before the shooting, she'd never thought she would be friends with Sabaku Gaara. He was quiet and withdrawn. Intimidating, even. But not once had he left her alone in her grief and anguish. Even when she was a mess of emotions, even when she looked like utter shit and wanted nothing more than to be left alone, he comforted her. It was surprising, but at the same time, it wasn't. Not after that day. He could have left her to die. Could have left to her to be found and murdered, using it as his escape. But he hadn't. Gaara had protected her even when she was nothing more than a burden. He had stayed by her side and tried to keep her safe.

When the assembly ended, he waited with her until the hall was empty, helping her stand with the aid of his arm. She'd grown used to her crutches now, able to use them almost expertly, so it took a single second to adjust to them, to lower her weight onto them and lead the way out of the hall. All the while, Gaara carried her bag and blazer, the former swung over his shoulder and the latter hung over his arm.

What would she have done without him in the past week alone? It was like Gaara was her constant. He was there at breaks and lunches, waiting for her. He was the one who made the first trip into the library when she found she needed a book from there, knowing that she couldn't pluck up the courage straight away. Then, when she was ready to go to the library, he was there by her side, even carrying her down the stairs when her knees had felt too weak to carry her.

In the short space of three weeks, he'd become one of her closest friends and knowing the importance of him in her life, her other friends had been incredibly accepting of him, welcoming him to their group and thanking him repeatedly for saving her life (it hadn't shocked her to find that Naruto already knew him – Gaara had mentioned him that day, later filling her in on how he knew him when they were in the hospital). As though that wasn't enough, her mother had actually sobbed, had fallen to her knees and taken his hands, unable to control her emotions as she expressed her deep gratitude. It only went to prove her earlier point: everyone was affected by the shooting, not just those who'd lost someone or were injured. And the tragedy had brought them together.

"Do you feel like going to class?"

It was wrong because she'd been so adamant about life going back to normal, about trying to move on and being strong for her classmates. How could she do that by constantly skipping classes?

"No," she answered truthfully, coming to a stop in her movements. Glancing up at him, Sakura grimaced, gaze soon turning to the corridor that would lead them to the library.

Surprisingly, nobody ever said anything about them skipping class – at least, she didn't think that they did. They probably assumed they were making use of the counsellors and while it probably should have made her feel guilty about lying to her sensei, it didn't. She didn't feel guilty about deceiving them. Neither did Gaara, either. It'd catch up with them sooner or later, Sakura knew that. Security had been doubled since the shooting and they were much stricter with attendances and registers.

"We could leave," Gaara offered, his icy blue eyes never leaving her features for a moment.

Yes, they could. "Are you sure you don't mind? You've done so much for me already – I can't keep asking you to do more."

He simply rolled his eyes at her, like what she was saying was ridiculous. "Come. We'll go get something to eat."

Sakura didn't hesitate to follow him.

A/N - So, we've come to the end of the list of prompts I'd received, but I'm still accepting. If anyone has a prompt/idea, don't hesitate to request it :-)