That's What She Said
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto is the copy of Masashi Kishimoto, and no matter how much I dream about owning it, it shall never happen!
Two weeks previously, Sakura Haruno had been training as usual with Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi. She had overworked herself, or so she thought. So she returned home. She was sore now though, very sore. And she was struggling to breathe, though she was hardly moving at all. 'What's wrong with me?' She asked herself once more as her mother walked in, seeing the laboured way in which she was breathing, she panicked. Dragging Sakura along to visit Tsunade, the wonderful healer who was training Sakura, Mrs. Haruno noticed the lethargic way in which her daughter was moving.
"Sakura, you have lung cancer." Tsunade announced and Sakura's brilliant green eyes widened in shock and sadness. "You…you cannot be serious!" Sakura protested but Tsunade nodded gravely and Sakura flopped back down on the chair, placing a hand against her chest. "H-how?" She managed to stammer out weakly. Tsunade shrugged her shoulders and replied "I can't know for sure, but it may have something to do with your chakra." Sakura sighed heavily and realised the impending doom. She was going to die. "When…how long do I have?" She asked weakly, the reality of the situation was settling in on her shoulders. "At the most, possibly two weeks. Both of which are to be spent in the Infirmary. There is a chance, a slim one, thirty percent recovery rate at most." Sakura didn't care; she'd do anything to reach her dream of becoming the best kunoichi. "What is…no, I don't even care! I'll do it, whatever it is!" ~~~
Now Sakura is being wheeled out of the surgery, Tsunade jogs by her side. Her face is a mask of worry and pain as she watches her top student and the girl she thought of as a daughter struggle to hold onto her life. "Dammit!" She curses out loud, causing a little stir in Sakura. "W-was it a s-s-success?" Sakura's voice shakes and breaks as she begs to know the results. "No, Sakura, I stuffed it up. I'm sorry." Sakura tries to smile, her lips crack and bleed. "So, I'm dying. Okay…" Tsunade walked away and Sakura relaxed on the bed.
Naruto and Kakashi stand at Sakura's bedside. She is pale as a ghost and looks frail and lonely lying there weakly, trying desperately to sit up. "She's going to live!" Naruto protests and Kakashi shakes his head as he hears the rattling of the breath in Sakura's lungs. "No, she isn't Naruto." They continue this argument for another few seconds before they are both cut off by a rasping, hacking laugh that came from Sakura. "You guys…are total idiots." They both glanced at each other as she struggled to give them a smile. "The cancer's killing me, I'll be dead soon. I might as well accept it." Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Sakura smiled and covered it with one hand. His eyes were begging her not to die but her body didn't respond to begging. Her grip was loosening every second and Naruto's eyes widened as she choked and mumbled "Just let me go in peace…It'll all get better…in time." Her beautiful green eyes fluttered closed as the door to the room burst open. Snow swirled around the unrecognisable figure.
"Sakura…" They heard the figure cry as it ran towards her bedside. It was Sasuke, he had returned. He hesitated before touching her, his eyes widening as he heard the dreaded long beeping sound from the heart monitor and a broken, wretched sob burst forth from his chest as he fell to his knees. "Sakura…I'm sorry." He murmured and Naruto and Kakashi pulled him to his feet. Sasuke rounded on the other two men and demanded "Don't… don't remember her… like this. It wouldn't do her justice." They both nodded and he glanced one more time before marching out of the room, leaving a trail of melting snow behind him.
Sasuke walked alone through the snow, his mind was a whirl. He watched the snow fall blankly, he wasn't hurting. And he hated himself for it. He wasn't breaking down, crying or screaming. He hated himself for that too. Why was he so uncaring? He wanted to show some resemblance of pain, he wanted to let himself loose and for once, break down and cry. But he just couldn't. He proceeds to the place she had chosen for her gravestone to be. He remembers them taking her out and her being cheerful despite the fact that well, she was choosing her burial ground! She had chosen underneath a cherry blossom tree, so fitting for her. He fidgeted as he reached the stone. It had her name, a very basic stone, engraved onto it. There was no message, no way to remember her other then that. Sasuke really hated himself at the moment.
Months pass by and Sasuke cannot shake the feeling of unease, of regret but most of all, of guilt and sadness. He knows deep within himself that one day peace will come and time will soothe the ragged hole that her absence has torn within him. But right now he can't believe that she's really gone. And all he wants to do is scream his regrets to the heavens, but for the sake of appearing strong he shows nothing. He misses how she fawned upon him, though he didn't like it at the time, he misses how she used to look up at him from under her eyelashes, as though she was trying to memorize his every feature, but most of all, he misses her face. "Sakura…I love you." He says to the stone and lovingly brushes the cherry blossom petals from the top. "Winter is fading…and spring will come again." He mumbles and turns away. It will all get better in time. That's what she said.
So what did you think? Horrible? Okay? I don't really care, send my any reviews, flames or not! It's really short, but that's what I did instead of studying for my maths test…so…Also, if you have any story requests I'm having mental blanks and can't think of any!
Thanks!
Kali-Chan-666