This is a one-shot. In the beginning, I knew where I was going with this. But in the end, it turned out much different than I had planned. I am quite satisfied, but I don't know. Please tell me what you think. Mild spoilers for the manga, so if you haven't read the recent chapters, you won't understand who Sai is. They are older here, around 20 I guess, and there are several pairings. I'm sure you'll understand the circumstances though. Inspired by Jojo's song, "Too Little, Too Late". Please, feedback is huggled and appreciated! Good luck for those of you who have exams. For those of you don't, have a nice weekend:) Enjoy.
Too Little, Too Late
She can't feel it, but she knows. Bad weather is always around the corner. The sun is setting on them. And it is going to rain tomorrow. She releases a heavy sigh, as she notices him approach her. His hair is like a crown, reflecting the diminishing sunlight. She tries to smile, but can't seem to find the strength within herself. The wall keeps growing higher between them, and she realizes that she is slowly giving up. She can't climb over it, and she can't break it. And he won't tear them down. Not anymore...
"Sakura." He greets, with a smile. It's a genuine smile, but it's no longer reserved for her.
"Hi, Naruto." She whispers, because her voice is broken too.
"So, you wanted to talk?" He asks, sapphire eyes no longer filled with boyish dreams. They were complete, unlike hers.
"You know what I'm going to say anyway." She says. Sakura glances at him and hopes that her eyes can pull him back in, to make him look at her like he used to. She sighs again, before stepping close to him, faces only inches apart. She puts a hand on his cheek and caresses it gently.
"Sakura..." His voice is unsure.
"I've changed, Naruto... Please." She dives into his bottomless eyes. But she can't find him. He looks at her softly, because he still cares, but not as strongly as he used to. Not like that anymore.
"I can't..." He whispers.
"Why not?" She asks, even though she already knows the answer.
"It's too late." He says, and she knows. He loved her, saved her, protected her, did everything for her, yet she was completely blind. She opened her eyes a little too late. And he closed his a little too soon.
Her chance had come and gone.
The moon is rising on them. It's cold, and it's getting colder everyday. She stands by the bridge and stares at the glassy water, unable to recognize the reflection that stares back at her. The cold has made her numb. She doesn't feel it anymore. The only thing that reminds her that she is alive is her breath coming out in visible wisps of clouds.
She doesn't really notice him until he calls her name. She looks up and only sees darkness; his hair, his eyes, his presence. He approaches her and touches her arm. She looks up at him, and she knows that her eyes are just as dark as his.
"What are you doing in the cold?" He asks. He displays a crooked smile.
"I don't know." She whispers. And she really doesn't. Silence envelopes them briefly.
"What do you want, Sasuke?" She asks. It's strange, but she actually releases a laugh; a small, breathless and ironic laugh, because if this moment had occurred 7 years ago, she would have been in heaven.
This did not mean anything to her anymore. It just made her realize how foolish she had been.
"Sakura..." He says. She looks at him expectantly; waiting to hear those words that she hoped would have come out his mouth all those years ago. She doesn't need to though.
"I don't need to hear it." She says, staring into his sharp eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"It's too little." She whispers. Too late... It's too late for him to establish communication, too late for him to finally change. She had become a different person while he struggled with the darkness in his heart. To her, there was no more light there anyway, there had been once, but not any more, and never again.
She walks by him, but Sasuke grabs her arm again, holds it tight. She still can't feel anything.
"Don't be stupid, Sakura." He says, although gently.
"That's exactly what I'm not being. I was long ago, when I loved you." She whispers, and she finally feels everything break within her. The tears sting her eyes, and they actually feel foreign as they roll down her cheek.
"I'm sorry, but I just can't." She says, finally looking at him genuinely for the first time. Sasuke's eyes aren't so hard anymore. He lets go of her arm. She begins to walk.
"Wait..." Sasuke whispers.
"It's too late." She stops again. It still is. She feels the cold finally wrap itself around her, but she blocks it out, and keeps on walking. That's what she always did.
There is no more time left for them. She can't reach Naruto, and she can't let Sasuke in. Sakura realizes how blind she has been. Now she is stuck in the middle, between them, standing so close, yet so far away. At least she is stronger now, and that fortifies her thoughts that she can one day make it through this. Sakura feels broken, but she can fix herself.
Until she sees Naruto holding Hinata, looking at her the way he used to look at her. She knows that he lays her down gently, takes care of her, protects her, loves her, and it hurts, because she knows that it could have been her. She curses herself, and feels the tears dance inevitably down her cheeks. Naruto spots her, and their eyes meet and intertwine. She can't look away. She hasn't been able to for a long time now.
Concern fills his orbs. He can't move, and neither can she. They are stuck in this strange, slow moment, and it is swallowing her. The truth hurts. She can never be his, and she finally runs when everything shatters around her.
She really is too late.
She feels warmth surround her as she stands in the golden meadow that reminds her of him. She calls herself stupid aloud, because she wants to forget him, but she can't help but go to the place that in her mind and soul symbolizes him.
And she knows that the warmth around her is him. She slowly turns around, pink hair fluttering in the wind.
"Sakura..." He whispers. She can tell he is bothered. Why does he have to be so kind?
"It's alright, Naruto." Sakura admits.
"I'm too late, remember?" She reminds him.
"I'm sorry..." Naruto says, though his tone defies his words. She knows that they are over for good now.
"I am too." She says, meekly.
And she finds the strength within herself to brush past him, leave everything behind. The sun sets on them; her feelings extinguish, but they still manage to linger and remain as a dull sting in her heart.
It is finally raining. The rain strengthens her numbness. She still can't feel the cold, even though she feels so weak and frail. She walks endlessly through the abandoned village, feeling just as empty.
Sakura doesn't know what she's doing anymore.
She suddenly senses that someone is near her. It's not warm. It's not cold either. It's a neutral feeling that crawls underneath her skin, almost comfortable, almost fulfilling. The emptiness inside is filled, filled with warmth and security.
Sakura turns around and meets a pair of warm, dark eyes that penetrate her soul. She can feel him... She can suddenly feel again; his breath, his soothing aura, his everything. And it's like the sun and moon have collided. He's not who she expected to yearn for.
She can feel the rain now. But most of all, she can feel him.
"Sai." She whispers, and he is suddenly right in front of her, staring into her wide emerald eyes. He is inevitably pulled in, and she is entranced. He is dark, yet so bright.
"What are you doing here?" She asks, her voice weak and broken.
"I... saw you. What's the matter?" He whispers, voice concerned, never unlocking his gaze.
As soon as he speaks, her world comes falling down. She feels familiar tears intertwine with the rain. She can't hide it, and she knows Sai sees right through her, just like she has seen through him.
She feels his arms wrap around her body, bringing her close. Sakura can feel his heartbeat, gentle and strong, as she leans her head against his chest, breathing him in. She feels safe and warm, no longer numb or lost.
"Cry baby." He mocks, but his tone holds no resentment.
And he picks up her world.
He isn't Naruto. He isn't Sasuke. He's in-between them. He hides behind a smile, and his road has been hard. He has Sasuke's eyes, and Naruto's warmth. She can't help but let herself be sucked in.
It's not too little, too late with him. She is right on time.
The End