Summary: Non-massacre. Upon her death, memories of Sakura keeps flashing back on his mind. Will his memories of her save him and bring him back to light or the darkness caused by hate and loneliness will consume him?
Chapter 1: Unplanned Goodbyes
So this is what dying feels like?
Sakura told herself, she was damn sure that her wounds will kill her. She is a medic-nin after all. She knew damn well that if she was not taken care in the next 10 minutes, it would be the end of her. She cough more blood during the process and she felt her energy slowly leaving her body.
She felt tears forming in her eyes clouding her vision. She didn't wish for her life to end pathetically. She was just 20 years old. She wished to be with someone she loves, get married with him, have children and grow old together forever in the rest of their lives. A certain raven haired guy flash in her mind and she can't help but smile bitterly through her bloody lips.
That dream of hers seems impossible even she is well—alive and breathing. She is ready to be consumed by the oblivion when she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
"SAKURA!"
"Sasuke-kun..." she responded quietly almost mute in his ears.
For the first time in his life Sasuke panicked. He can sense her chakra slowly depleting. It does not need to be a medic-nin to know that Sakura is in real danger right now. He removed her ANBU mask and saw her face covered with sweat, tears and lips covered with blood, her eyes is starting to lose its shine and her skin is very cold to touch.
'Shit' he cursed internally. "Stay with me Sakura. You need to stay awake!"
"I—won't make it, S-sasuke-kun." Sakura said then coughing more blood. Every breath of air feels like a thousand of needles is piercing her lungs.
He needed to hurry. His mind filled with thoughts of her survival. Mission be damned. Abandoning the mission will tarnish his career as a ninja but he don't really fucking care at the moment. Whether they demote him in his ranks. All be damned, he is not leaving Sakura to die.
He cut her ANBU vest with his kunai and lift her shirt to examine her wounds. Under normal circumstances he would be embarrassed seeing so much skin but seeing how bad her wound is makes it otherwise.
She has three deep stab wounds in her stomach that hadn't stop bleeding. He needed to stop the bleeding or she will surely die of excessive blood loss.
Sasuke started doing weaving signs. No, he is not a medic-nin so what he can do most is to cauterize her wound with his kunai and fire style technique to stop the bleeding. "This would hurt Sakura, you need to endure it."
He placed the hot metal on her wound and Sakura started screaming in pain. She clutched on his vest until her knuckles turns white. When he was done cauterizing the first wound only deep and hard breathing can be heard from her, as if she just finished running a marathon. He did the same on the two other wounds and received an equal screams from Sakura.
He did not waste time, after sending a messenger hawk to Konoha, Sasuke hurriedly lifted her up in his arms and started jumping into trees. If he make it in time. He can save her but the problem is, the next neighboring country is not an ally. Again, he does not care. If he needed to trespass into their gates just to get her into a hospital, so be it.
He felt the tie of his mask snap and it landed carelessly on the ground, forgotten. He glanced in her face and she was staring at him.
"I just wanted to see you—this might be the last time." She said as she reach up cupped his cheeks with her cold hands. "S-sasuke-kun, I still—"
"I know." Sasuke interrupted her confession. Her eyes says it all—her undying love for him. He knew very well since they are five years old. She conveyed very well her love for him. Though in their teenage years they have become matured and she had stopped vocalizing her feelings and her advances on him but he still knew those feelings exists.
Tears starts welling up in her eyes again but this time not because of her life but for the unrequited love she has for him. As if her tears was not enough, the rain starts to fall from the sky. "I always love you Sasuke-kun since the day we've met until now, I still do." She felt the need to say it.
An image of a young pink haired girl flashed in his mind. He remember that day when he first met her. It was spring and months before he started going into the academy. He met her—Haruno Sakura.
15 years ago...
It was afternoon, sun is nearing to set. He needed to head back home before dinner or his mother will scold him. This time his older brother Itachi is not there to help him in his shuriken training. Lately, he's been busy with his missions and does not have the time to go with him. Since he does not want to lack behind, he religiously train and train with or without Itachi to supervised him. While running he noticed a girl around his age being picked on by some random boys. By the looks of it they are making fun of her huge forehead.
"Stop it! Please." the pink haired girl begged as she was being cornered in a tree. Clutching her books in her chest that serve as her shield from her bullies.
"You're an eyesore." A boy shouted at her. "You should just keep your big forehead behind your hair."
"Trying to act all cute with that hairpin of yours?" The other boy reached out to her hairpiece and successfully removed it from her hair. He throw it to the ground and stomp it with his foot. The boys started laughing on her defeat and she felt hot tears stream down her cheeks.
Satisfied by their deed, the boys walked away and let her be. The pink haired girl collapsed on her knees when a feeling of relief enveloped her senses. She cried and let the remaining tears in her eyes to stream down in her cheeks. Overwhelmed by the events she did not noticed a boy approached her.
"Next time you should fight back."
She looked up and saw a boy towering her. She cannot believe her eyes that such beautiful boy exists.
"Who?" She asked almost silently while sniffing.
The boy ignored her question and proceeded in talking.
"They picked on you because they know you won't fight back." He placed his arms on his chest while eyeing the particular pink haired girl.
He find her—unique. He did not know that such hair color exists. She has green eyes which also complements her hair. Personification of spring—that's what she is.
"I don't know how to." She said embarrassed.
"Then you should be a ninja."
End of flashback
And he regretted that day. Those words. Maybe if he hadn't said those words, Sakura would have remained an ordinary civilian, free from all the pain of the shinobi world.
He knew after that, that Sakura tried her very best so she can walk the same path he is walking. Despite her civilian background, she enrolled in the academy and became a ninja because of her admiration of him. She wanted to be like him, be with him. She wanted his acknowledgment. That's how devoted Sakura is in loving him.
Now, Sakura is facing death and he can't help but blame himself. His grip tighten on her body maybe for a number of reasons—he wanted to share his body warmth or convey those unspoken feeling he has for her or he just wanted to make sure she's alive by hearing her beating heart.
"You better not die on me or I will never forgive you."
Sakura felt sadness in her heart. She knows that if she die right now, in his arms, Sasuke would blame himself. He will resent her maybe but she's certain that he will resent himself more. He may not have love her romantically as she always wished he had but she knew that Sasuke cared for her. She smiled bitterly. "Even so Sasuke-kun, promise me you won't blame yourself. It's not your fault."
Her words kept playing unwanted thoughts in his head. An image of lifeless Sakura flashed in his eyes. He shut his eyes tight to clear all his thoughts. He cannot lose her or he will lose it.
"Be quiet and save your energy."
He can now see the country's borders and its enormous gate. Land of Sky is not an ally and their enemy in the past shinobi great war. Sasuke continuously head his way towards the gate. He can sense shinobi chakra approaching his way.
A kunai thrown directly at him and he dodged it effortlessly. There is no time to spare but he needed to stop in an intention for things to get smoothly.
"Halt! Identify yourself and your intentions." A shinobi from the hidden sky village.
"Uchiha Sasuke from Hidden Leaf Village. We are not plotting anything. I just need to get my comrade in a hospital, she is in critical shape." He answered almost desperately.
"An Uchiha?" The shinobis were taken aback and at the same time felt threatened due to his prestigious lineage. Uchihas are known to be one of the powerful shinobi clans after all.
"Look boy, this village is not an open country and shinobis from Konoha are not welcome here. I suggest you take your business elsewhere."
Tch! Cursing inwardly he was left with no other choice. "Kouchiyosen no Jutsu!"
A huge hawk appeared and took them high enough to pass the country's borders. Sasuke is very much aware that this would result to chaos but he will just deal with the consequences later. Sakura's shallow and sporadical breathing is beginning to alarm him.
His eyes scanned through the surroundings then saw a signage of hospital in one of buildings beneath him. He signal his hawk to land in front of the hospital and it vanished as soon as they reached their destination. Sasuke ran as fast as his legs could carry him and in no time he is in the hospital's emergency room.
The medics are startled with his presence. He was not one of them. It is easy to tell. The medics have taken caution took a couple of distance away from him.
"I'm not here to cause trouble. Please save her." Not in his lifetime that Uchiha Sasuke begged for something but if it is Sakura's survival he is ready to swallow his pride.
A certain female medic approached him—no signs of fear from his presence. When she was about to check upon Sakura a couple of Hidden Sky Village's Shinobis has catches up and made their way to the hospital.
"Azumi-san! Please stay away from him. He is a Konoha-nin! An enemy!" A ninja shouted trying to warn the female medic. But the female medic did not stop on her tracks and kept walking towards Sasuke.
"Sorry Ryota-kun but I swear an oath as a doctor and that is to save lives. I will do my duty as a medic and you do yours as a shinobi."
Sakura is beginning to feel numb of pain. She can only feel the heaviness of her eyelids and light-headedness inviting her in an endless sleep. She wanted to cupped Sasuke's face again—for the last time cut she cannot even lift her hand. She has no strength left. Left with no other choice she just stare at his face. She have so much regrets in life but at least she is in the arms of the man she loves—not a bad way to die at least, she thought. The last of her tears rolled out her eyes before she closed them. 'Sasuke-kun...'
In a split second Azumi felt that life has escape in the body of the female Konoha-nin. She gasped and averted her eyes on Sasuke. "I'm sorry."
Sasuke is not stupid. He knew what those words meant. Seconds ago he can still feel her chakra but now he can sense nothing.
She's gone.
Haruno Sakura died in his arms.
Sasuke fell on his knees. Staring at her lifeless face he suddenly felt he was unable to breathe—like he was choking. His body becoming heavy. He wasn't sure if someone stabbed him but he was damn sure something sharp pierced his heart...
Again and again.
He felt the pain intensify but he was not bleeding.
It intensifies over and over.
And over.
He wished he is just in some certain kind of genjutsu but her cold skin on his tells otherwise. It is real. Her death is real.
Sasuke began breathing heavily like he just came out underwater. Desperately breathing for air. Feeling like his skull is going break he groans in pain. He felt his eyes burning. Overwhelmed by all the emotions and sensation Sasuke released a guttural scream while unconsciously unleashing chidori nagashi in the process.
Several people inside the room were electrocuted. Hidden Sky shinobi took this as a threat and ordered to restrain him.
"Restrain him!" Shinobi captain ordered his men and turn to Azumi. "Please take care of the dead girl."
Azumi simply nodded.
A number of ninja weave hand seals and cast a jutsu to immobilize him. There was no resistance from Sasuke however, he was still not letting go of Sakura's dead body. When a random ninja crouches down and attempted to take her off of him, he turn his gaze into the guy and he felt his eyes bleed red.
Startled, the shinobi moves back landing on his rear. "H-his eyes!" Crying out in fear.
"Touch her and your dead." He said dangerously. They can feel his an immense dark chakra channeling from him and the Sky-nin took this as a signal to take him down.
"Kill him!" The Sky-nin shinobi ordered and the other shinobis weave hand sign to eliminate the Uchiha. As the attack about to land on his chakra molded into a defensive barrier to protect him. It was the Susano'o.
Half of hospital is now destroyed. "Stop it! Please!" Azumi cried. Sasuke remembered a certain event by hearing her desperate cries. A pink haired girl, hugging him, stopping him from further attacking those sound ninjas who had hurt her. He remembered how Sakura can calm the demon inside him. Slowly his barrier of defense is breaking down and the Sky-nins took this as an opportunity to strike him and then everything around him turns black.
A/N: New story again. Let me know what you think.