Disclaimer: Author appears in a classroom writing "I do not own Naruto" 100 times on the chalkboard.
She had once read that "if you love something let it go" and the thought had stuck with her all those long years that Sasuke had been gone. Sakura had long ago realized that her love for him had been nothing more than a crush; just a little girl's infatuation rather than true love. This realization did not mean she didn't still care about him, if anything being able to understand those feelings had made her care for him even more. No matter what had happened, and what choices he made, he was still her teammate, and like a brother to her. She could see how all the pieces of his life had fit together to make him the man he had become, and she regretted her own small part in his departure. Maybe if she hadn't chased after him so relentlessly, and been the kind of friend he so desperately need, things might have turned out differently, but that didn't bear thinking on at the moment. Now she needed to focus on the problem at hand.
Sasuke laid bleeding, and very near death. He had driven himself so hard, given up so much of himself, and lost so many things all in his quest to destroy his brother, and avenge his family, and now that he had accomplished his ambitions he might not live to see what lay beyond them. Sakura was trying valiantly to quench the bleeding, and repair the damage, but it seemed to be an impossible undertaking. There was so much blood the boy's once dark hair now was red, and his skin was cold, and clammy, and an even paler shade than normal.
She nearly cried in frustration, it just wasn't fair, and while she was not some naive little girl who thought things would always work out for the best, to see things end like this was too much. Sasuke deserved a chance to finally be at peace; to see what life could be like when lived for only himself. To be able to fulfill his own dreams, rather than be an avenger or his brother's implement of personal destruction. She knew it wouldn't be that simple, that Sasuke was a profoundly damaged individual, but he needed a chance to go home, to heal with the help of those that cared for him.
She owed that to him, but it wasn't for him alone. She knew without him Naruto would be lost, and she couldn't bear to think of the look on his face when she would have to tell him that she couldn't save Sasuke. He had tried so hard to bring their teammate back into the fold, and if she could return Sasuke to him she could, in some small part, repay him for all the times she ignored him, all the times she had treated him as a lesser being, all because her stupid obsession with Sasuke had blinded her to the amazing person Naruto truly was. If anyone could help Sasuke heal, and start anew, it would be Naruto. She wanted to give him that chance.
In a flash Sakura knew what she needed to do, it might mean her death, but Sakura knew that if it gave Sasuke a chance for a brighter future, than she would give it all up. She would give him back to Naruto, back to the village, and even if she didn't survive, he would, and in the end that was what mattered. Her job was to mend the broken, and this would be the start of that mission.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't scared, that she didn't think back on her life, her family, and her friends with some regret, but she was resolved. She took a moment, focused her mind and spirit, and began the healing process.
It was complicated, and her skin soon began to glisten with a sheen of sweat, and her limbs began to feel heavy, but she pushed on. She pushed past pain. She pushed past exhaustion. Her fingers began to tingle, and soon they lacked any feeling at all, but still she persisted. She remembered all those times she though herself weak, and helpless, of all those times she had been protected instead of taking charge. Of all the days when she stood behind the backs of her teammates, and knew it was time she was the one to take care of them. She could do this, and, with a final push of energy she didn't know she possessed, the healing was done.
Sasuke's skin was a rosy color, unblemished and unbroken. The bleeding had stopped, and his breathing was regular. Sakura slumped to the ground, unable to feel her body, her breath coming in short painful gasps, the edges of her vision blurring in and out. She felt the body beside her stir, but she could no more lift herself to check on him than she could have moved mountains, or called the sea to part.
Sasuke must have somehow managed to propel himself up, because she felt him kneel next to her. She didn't feel his hand on her forehead, but she could see it there. His face loomed close to hers, and she thought she could see tears in his eyes, but she wasn't sure.
There was a roaring in her ears, but she head him gasp out "why Sakura? Why did you do this for me? What could I possibly have done to deserve this? You can't die."
She couldn't find the strength to move, but she somehow found the inner reserve to speak. Her voice was trembling and weak, but still audible. "I did it so you could go home" she gasped, coughing, and continued "I did it so you can start over. Live for yourself. Do what you want to do. Try to be happy. Let Naruto help you. Don't shut him out. You need him. You need them all. Please go home. He isn't the same without you. He needs you. The village needs you. Even if I can't be there, you can." Her voice was strained and came in short spurts. "Tell him, I'm sorry. Tell them all I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough. Tell them I love them."
He stayed where he was hand on her forehand, silently crying. He tried to begin to speak. "Go, now," she rasped. "There's nothing you can do, I know, I'm a medic. If you want to repay me then go home."
He tried to speak, and again she stopped him. "Just go home" her voice cracking "please" she begged, the word almost dying in her throat, and practically inaudible. Her breathing was broken and coming in even shorter and more uneven bursts. "Please just go" she whimpered, almost more to herself than to the man above her.
At this he seemed to break out of his stupor, and he dropped a small kiss on her forehead where his hand had previously rested, and whispered in her ear "thank you." Then he rose and made his way silently back, she hoped, to the village and everyone who was waiting.
AN: I don't know where all this angst is coming from. I hope you enjoy, and please review if you do. This is in a little different vein for me, so I'm a little nervous about posting.