Snapshot's of Memories, a naruto fanfic

There is a song that goes to this story: Lullabye, by Billy Joel.

.:-:.

Beep.

Beep. The monitors around her always were noisy. But today they seem especially loud as they clicked away at their jobs. The respirator's noise a base to it all slowly pumping air in and out of her lungs.

Her failing lungs. Each intake of air hurt more than the last it seemed and each time she let the air out, she couldn't be sure if whether or not that had been her last breath. But steadily, and wearily her body remained alive. Her chest rose and fell with each painful breath.

She moved her head to the side, resting her burning cheek against the cool silk pillowcase she had requested from a nurse. After all, there were benefits of having been a nurse herself.

She was hot and it felt as though her skin was burning. Which it was, she had a definite fever, one of 105 degrees. It couldn't be good. One that high made the brain slowly stop functioning. It was too hot.

Sakura closed her eyes. Once a vivid apple green, now all that remained of their colour was a dull green, an apple that had lost its sheen. She was tired. So tired. But she couldn't fall asleep, she couldn't.

If she fell asleep she might never wake up again.

The room Sakura was booked in was in the North Wing of the hospital. It wouldn't have been such a bad Wing to be in either if it hadn't of been the Cancer Wing.

The room itself wasn't bad at all. Since most of the patients who were booked in this room never ended up leaving they kept the rooms nice looking for peoples last days of life. The tile floor was regularly polished and cleaned; it shone with a recent buff. And the window to her left was a huge full sized window. The view was definitely a beautiful one, one that was serene and peaceful. One that she could easily drift off to sleep if she watched, so she didn't.

Sakura's hand slowly climbed up the mattress as she reached for her hair. She stopped suddenly.

'The fever's getting to me… I haven't had hair for awhile now.'

Opening her eye's she immediately moved them over to a chair on which the last few of her personal belonging's sat. On top of the chair sat dejectedly a pink wig. Briefly the thoughts crossed Sakura's mind on how many people had to buy a wig and wear one until they died. But in her train of thought she stopped. Emotional health was a top priority and thinking of her demise probably would only help speed nature's natural course along.

The whole point of the building she now lay in she remembered was to stop nature from happening. To stop sickness, and to promote a guarantee of health.

Sakura felt an itch in her throat.

She had to cough.

That would be painful.

Very painful.

Beeeep.

Beeep.

Beeeep.

Beeep.

Just thinking about it had made her heart race the thought that she had come through so much pain…And for what? This?

She coughed. It burned and stung her throat the dry, hoarse cough did. As though somebody had thrown a match into dry brush only to watch it ignite. And then the pure oxygen entered her throat on the way to her lungs…How it burned.

"Ngghhh…" Was the only noise Sakura could manage as she rolled her head again trying to make herself more comfortable.

She was miserable. Her lips were dry; maybe she could take a sip of water or suck on an ice cube. She moved her hand to the monitor and lazily pushed a red button. A ringing noise pierced the air of the room a few times before an unfamiliar voice came into the loud speaker.

"One second Sakura, someone is on the way to help you with whatever your request may be." And with that the line dropped.

Sakura could only manage to nod her head to acknowledge that somebody had talked to her. But inside her Inner Sakura was angry.

'How rude just because we're sick doesn't mean they need to loose the –san at the end of our name. Sheesh.' And she continued fuming and ranting and so on.

The door opened. Another being had come into the room. Sakura didn't even move to look at who it was that had walked in. There wasn't any noise as who ever ha come in made their way around.

Sakura waited.

Beep.

Click.

Beeeep.

She froze. She felt…good. But her heart, her heart was racing. Why?

And her dry lips were no longer dry.

Then a hand came into view and removed her oxygen mask. It hovered above her face before it was removed from her sight.

'Who is it?' She wondered in her feverish daze.

She felt somebody sit on the bed. On her bed.

Beeeeep.

She focused her eyes as black and red blurred into her vision.

She felt strong masculine hands lift her by the small of her back and the underside of her knees as they buckled loosely pulled by gravity. But it didn't matter none of that mattered; she was being cradled against a chest. Her head lolling against a powerful shoulder.

Beeeeeep.

Sakura looked up.

Her innocent eyes widened in surprise as they meet their mangekyo swirling counterparts.

Her angel of death had come back for her after all.

The briefest of smiles graced her features as a tear rolled down her cheek.

She was already addicted to the swirling pools of black and red. Being pulled in further by their drug like gaze. But she didn't care or mind. It wouldn't matter.

Beep.

Bep.

B-.

And then there wasn't anymore beeping it was quiet. The noise was drowned out. The only surrounding was a peaceful colour not able to be described by words. It surrounded them in their embrace.

Her rose coloured lips parted as she spoke the words she had been waiting to say, "I knew you would come back for me. I love you."

Her savior's lips were pulled into a smirk. It was the briefest of emotion that she saw flash across his eyes before they became empty again. That was ok though, she knew how to read them, and that they weren't really empty. Just filled with emotions that to most people passed as unreadable.

"Hush. Don't over do it your voice is fragile still." His masculine and deep voice graced her presence, and once again she felt alive because of it.

"But there are so many things I have to say… So many things you should know, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She cried softly. Her tears now running down her cheeks.

He pulled her closer. Leaning down his lips grazed her ear softly as he whispered, "There is something I must give you."

Taking his hand out from beneath her knees he pulled from his pocket a small beaded flower necklace. It could not be considered beautiful or expensive but to him it was priceless. It was the last remaining object that still held a sliver of his humanity. And now laying in his arm's and lap, taking shaky breaths, was the last human who would ever witness his humanity, the last person who it would ever reach out to and touch, Sakura.

Bringing it up he delicately placed it around her neck so it rested on her collarbone before locking the clasp. His last shred of humanity belonged to her, as it had since she had first taken it.

"…Thank you." She said in awe as she reached up to roll the flower beads between her fingers. "I couldn't have asked for anything more." She smiled at him. The smile he loved. The smile that made his heart beat just a little fast than it had before it had witnessed such a sight.

"It was yours. It has rightfully been yours since I first wanted you…" His voice trailed off. He wasn't romantic. He barely had emotions. He couldn't express love in a way anymore than this one. She smiled at his attempt; he had tried just this once for her in saying he loved her.

"I love you, I always will. Forever." When Sakura said those words her emerald eyes were once again full of life and her head full of gorgeous pink locks. He let go of her and she stood. It was slowly that she stood upright on her legs but steadily. She remained holding both his hands as she looked up at him.

Her emerald eye's locking into his mangekyo ones as they swirled hypnotically.

He pulled her close, embracing her. She leaned up their lips meeting as they kissed passionately. Her rose lips parted, as his tongue met hers. Their lips moving in a dance, his won dominance, like usual. This way they remained for a long time before parting.

When they pulled away from each other they both remained still and silent for a moment before she whispered lovingly, "Thank you, thank you for everything."

Then Sakura felt herself lose control. The dazed glaze came back into her eyes and the burn of breathing seared her throat as she breathed. But then it all left. There was no more pain. But she begin to fall. Her lover reached out and caught her before she hit the ground. He cradled her against his chest again.

"Hn." He smirked. "Told you: you should be careful. Now you're tired, you should rest. Let the dreams take you faraway from this place. So close your tired eyes let your aching body slow itself and rest for now my cherry blossom. I will be here to watch over you as you dream." Sakura listened to his voice and closed her weary eyes as she peacefully drifted.

He laid her down softly on her bed. Making sure she would be comfortable.

Then the indescribable colour that had surrounded them faded.

Beeeeeeep.

And the swirling of his eyes stopped.

Beeeeeeeeeeep.

The respirator machine began clicking and faltering making noises that it shouldn't have.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeep.

And the other machines attached to his Sakura's body began to flash and whizz.

A small panic settled in his heart as he watched her fade. There were still so many things to say, to do, and to share. But the panic ebbed away; this was the right thing to do.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

RED ALERT, WEST WING!

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

RED ALERT WEST WING!

Rang out through the hospital's hallways.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Beeeeeep.

Beep.

Be-----------------------------------------------------------

The respirator pushed a final breath. Sakura's lungs took it in then realeased it. There was a final click from the machine before it shut off.

Itachi leaned over Sakura for the last time and kissed her cooling lips.

"I promised you I would be there in the end." He said as he let out the last bit of emotion remaining inside of him be released with those very words.

Itachi looked at his Sakura for the last time and then he walked away. He never looked back.

.;-;.

When Tsunade had finally made it too her prodigy's room she had been too late. Obsessivly she had tried saving her student's life. Sadly though there was nothing that could be done. Cancer had reached all her vital organs finally consuming her heart.

But as she dazed out ignoring the yelling of the surrounding nurses as they readied the respirator's and rechecked her heart machines again, finally giving up and finalizing Sakura's time of death. Tsunade noticed something she had never seen before resting delicately on Sakura's collarbone. A flower necklace.

An infamous flower necklace she realized with surprise at the memory of where she had seen the flower necklace before.

Then she felt a cool breeze kiss her cheek, she brought her hand up to cover the spot she looked at where it could have come from. Her eyes widen in realization as she noticed the window was open and the curtains were blowing in the breeze of the spring day. A smile touched her lips ever so softly.

Later in an autopsy room, which all patients who had passed away were required to go through for a routine examination. Tsunade would be told that found on Sakura's lips were traces of extremely high doses of morphine.

Love always remains, it never leaves, it transcends time, it is never forgotten, and it is remembered forever…

.:'-':.

This is dedicated to Isabelle. My younger sister, Izzy-bee. She suffered from leukemia, which is a blood cancer. My bumbling and happy little sister…