She was running again, her lungs long since overexerted and her breath coming out in short gasps. Her bare feet pounded against the white blanketed earth, following the rhythm of her frantic heartbeat. The muscles in her legs were beginning to ache in protest. But the woman did not stop. She had to keep running, running away from them. Anxiousness and fright filled her stomach as she yelled out in her mind for this madness to stop right now. It didn't make since. The overgrown path before her began to blur, tears beginning to fill her eyes. It wasn't long before her cheek had trails of salt-water running down them.

The almost-silent sound of feet running behind her reached her ears. They were coming after her! She could hear her name being called, not as a threat, but as a plea. The plea's didn't slow her fast pace, but instead fueled her drive to get away. In the back of her mind she knew all too well that her pursuers were in a much better shape than she was at this moment. Barefoot in the cold snow with nothing but a sports bra and sweatpants on and unarmed. A strangled sob escaped her throat as her foot caught on a root that was previously buried by the snow.

Unlike the last time this happened, the pink haired woman stayed down. Lying down on her stomach with the left side of her face pressed against the snow, she let the cold overcome her. New tears found their way down her cheek, ending up in the snow. Curling up into a ball when she felt the presence of her pursuers around her, she gave a weak attempt of keeping them away.

She had nothing more to fight for.

Nothing more to give.

Looking at the one closest to her, her green, tear filled eyes locked with mismatched ones. Her lips parted as she mouthed, "Kill me."

"How is she?" the owner of the mismatched questioned the doctor.

"It is hard to tell at the moment, Kakashi. Just have patience." the seemingly forlorn doctor spoke, the sympathy in his voice clear.

"May I see her?" he asked, his voice coming out as a whisper.

The doctor shook his head slowly, Kakashi's face immediately showing disappointment. "She asked for no visitors."

Kakashi simply nodded, not being able to find words for a proper response. The doctor placed his hand on the Jounin's shoulder, offering as much comfort as he could. Removing it a few seconds later, his footsteps could be heard walking out of the waiting room and behind the check-in counter. Leaning back into his seat wall, Kakashi's eyes scanned over the three other people that had come.

Naruto, Hinata, and Ino.

Naruto currently had his head propped up with his hands, which were resting on his knees. His face was hidden, but the worry and concern radiating off of him was almost unbearable to those in the waiting room. Hinata was at his side, rubbing his back comfortingly. On her left hand, a silver wedding band could be seen. Ino sat cross-legged in her chair, her fingernails drumming against her leg. Her expression was hard to read, so many emotions mixing together as one.

Nobody wanted to say anything. It seemed that words would only make the situation worse. A high pitched, blood curdling scream broke the four out of their reverie. Without hesitating, Naruto and Kakashi flew towards the scream, already knowing who was making the frightful sound. The flew by nurses walking down the corridors and patients getting a little bit of exercise. They were almost at her door were they stopped dead in her tracks.

Two doors down from her room, she was fighting them back. The hospital's shinobi who were trying to restrain the woman were failing miserably. Her limbs flew at them wildly, some chakra laden. Her body contorted into disturbing positions wanting more than anything for them to leave her alone. Her pale white skin was almost unbearable for Naruto and Kakashi. Her screaming continued, breaking whenever she threw a punch at one of the shinobi. It was when her fist landed against one of their chests did Naruto react.

Pushing the four fighting shinboi away from her, Naruto gathered the pink-haired woman in his arms, ignoring the pain from her attacking fingernails. He began to whisper soothing words into her ear, rocking her back and forth on the floor. Her screaming stopped, her body relaxing into Naruto's strong arms. Replacing the screams came sobs. They racked her body, almost violently.

"Why?" she repeated, her voice growing with each word.

Naruto didn't answer her, but instead focused on comforting her. Wrapping her weak arms around Naruto's waist, she held onto him as if he were the only thing keep her stable on the earth. Sakura's violent shaking began to lighten up but her tears did not stop. The last words that left her mouth before she left unconsciousness broke what was left of the two men's hearts.

"Love you always..."

Brushing her hair was always a mundane chore for her.

With a pair of metal, silver sciccors in her right hand, pink tresses began to fill up the bathtub. Her eye's did not meet her own in the mirror as she cut her hair. Instead, she focused on the strands that continued to fill the empty basin. The waist long hair that she had before was now cropped short, to where it would be referred to as a boy cut in Ino's eyes. With a few final touched to her hair, it was now even all around. The white tiled floor, the bathtub, and her clothes were littered with short and long strands of her once long hair.

Turning around to meet the new her, Sakura's eyes were wide with shock. Not that she had practically no hair on her head any longer, but that she actually liked it. Her high cheek bones were now prominent, her hair no longer hiding her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled with mild-delight, something that she had not seen in weeks. Sakura was broken away from her reflection when knocks sounded off from the bathroom door.

It was time.

Her dull emerald-green eyes were locked intensely with his dark-ebony ones. His expression was clearly one with disappointment with a hint of concern. She no longer bothered to give her husband a smile. She just didn't have the energy in her to force it. His hands cupped the sides of her face, his forehead now leaning against hers. His lips met hers in a light peck, not bothering to ask for any response from his wife.

"I love you." Itachi whispered against her mouth.

"You really shouldn't." Sakura replied blankly, cutting him off with her lips.

Sakura stood in front of his grave. Before it was false, for his death had not really come. Now, it continuously showed her the cruel reality that he was gone, that he was never going to come back this time.

She saw him die.

She watched as she failed to save his life.

She remembered as she was a burden to him once again.

Almost four years ago.

Four painful years.

Mietta was gone. And those were three years that she just could not bare to say aloud. Her unborn child never saw the light of day. Itachi was dieing inside because of her. And Sakura could only just watch as all of this snowballed into something worse and worse everyday and couln't do a damn thing about it

=]

Yay for sequels.