Hogwarts' Shinobi

Chapter 54

"Harry Potter is Dead!" 

The words rang through the air, echoing through Sakura's mind as nausea bubbled up into her throat. Despite all the war, all the fighting, all the death she'd lived through, seen and even experienced herself, it was hard to see others suffer. Particularly those who least deserved it.

Harry Potter was a good person, he'd been good to those around him, even if sometimes his prejudice and bias has gotten the better of him. Those he loved, he loved fearlessly and selflessly, as proven by his sacrifice. One final death to end them all: but it was not meant to be.

Sakura slowly stepped back from the weakened body of yet another student. The blood that stained their robes deeper than the Gryffindor robes they wore, and yet looked just the same as the pureblood that lay next to them. The blood that stained Sakura's clothes made her gag, particularly as some stuck to her skin, cracking slightly as she stood up.

She wondered over to the basin of water she had filled earlier, there was little point trying to help people if a blood infection from another just took them later on. The sound of the hall had long since died at Voldemort's words, but Sakura was too afraid to follow the crowd that was slowly draining from the hall.

For all the death she'd seen, she was not prepared to look upon the bodies of her loved ones anymore. She did not want to have to suffer again through the weakness and pain of watching helplessly as they died in front of her. Not again, Snape was enough for today. 

The foolish self-sacrificing nature of those in this world was beyond her. Where she had come from, you did everything you could to survive and to make sure your loved ones did too. She could not understand the choice of rejecting help, especially when it is so easy to receive it.

Sakura closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in and releasing it slowly through her mouth. Her damp hands shaking slightly as she tried to calm herself down before she approached the next nameless patient and began to help them. She was of little use to those outside, not in her current state and mental weakness, but she would do her best to help those in here, who needed her now.

Suddenly, the voices from outside stopped, and chaos erupted once more. Sakura's muscles twitched, but she could not figure out whether the instinct was to help or to flee. So instead of processing the thoughts that she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to, she instead focused her green eyes back on the patient in front of her. 

She needed to conserve her energy for now, there would be a lot of wounded shortly, and they would need her then, more than they might need her now. Besides, Tsunade's teachings had been engrained deeply into her, and she'd learnt her lesson about getting involved when it was not absolutely necessary. She did not want to die by her loved ones hands a second time around.

Instead, she reached into her pocket for something to help her replenish her energy, she would need all the chakra she could get to summon enough slugs to help everyone. Suddenly a hand dropped onto her shoulder. The unexpected movement surprising her and causing her to whip around, arm raised for a punch, but she caught herself just in time.

"Draco?" she whispered, eyes wide in disbelief, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she shakily stood up, "What are you doing here?" her words suddenly muffled as she slammed into him, bringing him in for a hug. Hands grasping at any fabric they could find, as she hoped that this was not some cruel illusion.

"Hello Sakura." He muttered back, his cheek resting against the top of her head. The dust and dirt from her would have once repulsed him, but the war had changed a lot, and he was simply relieved to see her again. 

"You're okay?" he asked quietly, as though afraid himself that he would say it too loud, and it would all be over. "I'm okay, and you?" she murmured back. He hummed in acknowledgment, his head nodding and causing his cheek to brush against her hair. Tears of relief trailing down his cheeks, cleaning them of the dirt that clung to them. "I'm so glad to see you." he whispered, the words lost to all those except the two who it meant the most to. 

Sakura smiled into him, "I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye" she whispered, looking up so she met his eyes, "You're here now, that's all that matters." he mumbled in response, a gentle smile forming on his face. Sakura hummed, smiling at him despite all that was going on around them, "I missed you"

"I missed you too." 

A/N:

Sorry for the long wait, I'm really bad at endings, and I was kind of procrastinating writing it, but I'm going to try anyway. I hope you liked it, sorry it's so short!