Too Late
By Kikoru Sijan
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
A/N: Aother random one-shot from little me! Random angst that I decided to type. Lol, I'm getting really random ideas.
Sakura's POV
I walked around the empty Uchiha mansion, where I lived. But I no longer regarded it as my home, like I did when I was first married. It was simply where I took shelter in now. A house not a home. I thought living with Sasuke-kun, being married to him, would make me happy. Oh how wrong I was. After months, maybe even years, I realized that I meant nothing to him. My friends, especially Ino, told me to divorce, to leave him and live again. I almost did, but for some reason, I still had that feeling, love, for him. And everyone wonders how it's possible, they all know my case. But for some reason, I can stay smiling my fake smile. I look in the mirror and I see the coldness that has settled in my heart after many years of being neglected. My green eyes are now dull and dark, my skin is pale. I seem to become more like the stoic Uchiha I married. But I can still flash a cheerful smile at him. I can still hug him and call him Sasuke-kun. But I know I still love him, because I'm still with him.
So I walked into the library, after I left a note on the kitchen. It said that I was on a mission, typical for a kunoichi, and since I was a medic, I was needed often. I said I'd be back very soon. I told him to eat out for the next few nights. But the truth was, my real mission was to see if Sasuke even cared about me…
I opened a book and began to read. I decided I'd stay in the library till he decided to even check to see where I was.
It's been about five to six days, according to the clock. Sasuke hasn't even looked for me once. Probably thinks that I'm gone on a long mission.
But I can't control the fact I love him. I truly do. Because every night, the only thing I whisper is, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry…Sasuke-kun." I think that it's so weird he never hears me when he passes by, because I lay near the door.
My skin has become even paler than before. Under my green eyes are bags from the lack of sleep, and my short pink hair sticks to my face using my tearstains as glue. I haven't eaten since I left the note on the kitchen table that day…how far away that seemed. I wonder when this'll be over, and I can finally understand that Sasuke-kun cares for me, even if it's the least tiny bit…
Sasuke's POV
It's already been ten or eleven days at least since I last heard from Sakura, and that was through a note. I wonder where she is. I walk into the Godaime Hokage's office. The hokage seemed a bit troubled, her eyebrows furrowed. She lifted her head at the sound of me closing the door. She opens her mouth to say something, but quickly shuts it.
"Tsunade-sama."
"Hm…what's wrong, Uchiha?"
"Do you have any idea where Sakura is?" Tsunade gasped. I raised an eyebrow. She stood up, slamming her hands on the table.
"You mean you don't know where she is!?" I was shocked. She expected me to know? But I politely shook my head. The older woman plopped down, face still showing a shocked expression. After a long moment of silence, the hokage cleared her throat and returned to her normal façade.
"I don't know, Uchiha…she's suffered a lot you know…did you look through your house?" I shook my head. I explained that she had left a note saying she was on a mission. "Well, I never assigned one to her. I hadn't seen her for days. Check your house, now." I sighed, a bit exasperated. I turned and left the office, and when I closed the door shut, I heard sobs from the hokage I had known to have a strong spirit.
I entered the house, which seemed empty to me. I walked past every room, opening the doors. When I reached the library, I opened the door. Correction, I tried to. But the door would only open a bit, and by the crack, I saw pink hair on the floor.
"Sakura." I slipped in through the crack, and there was Sakura, on the floor. At first, I thought she might be sleeping, but I didn't think so when she didn't even move a bit after I poked her. Sakura was a light sleeper, I had learned, and she woke up easily. Another thing was, her skin was ice cold. I looked at her, and it took a moment for the truth to hit me. She was dead.
I shook my head. Why didn't I realize earlier. Whenever I came past in the night, I'd hear, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry…Sasuke-kun." I thought I was hallucinating. I looked at Sakura's unmoving figure, and I found an envelope in her hand. In her neat writing, the front said: Uchiha Sasuke. I opened the envelope and found a neatly written letter, no doubt Sakura's:
Dear Sasuke-kun,
Congratulations! If you're reading this, you finally found me. But if I'm not there to tell you congrats, I'm afraid you've been too late.
Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry I have to leave you like this, but it started as a mission really. I wanted to see if you ever tried to look for me. If you did, that showed me that you cared the slightest bit. I love you, I really do, and I'm so sorry I left you.
One thing, I give you the right to change my surname back to Haruno, if you want. You probably never really wanted somebody as pathetic as me to be in the famous Uchiha clan. I'm such a disgrace. If you want to leave my name Uchiha, by all means, do so.
Sasuke-kun, I miss you, and I'll be waiting, wherever I go, heaven or hell. If you go somewhere else, I'll follow you. I promise. But I wish you cared, even if it was a bit, about me. You know, I could've divorced a long time ago. Everyone, Naruto, Ino, Tenten, Kiba, even Shino, Neji, and Hinata, but I didn't listen. I stayed with you, and I guess in one way, I was happy to be with you. But I realized that I haven't been truly happy since the day of our wedding. That was the last time I put on a real smile, if you remember. But of course, you wouldn't really figure out the difference between my real smile and the fake one, you hardly even pay attention to me.
But no matter what, I, Haruno Sakura or Uchiha Sakura, promise I'll be your guardian, even in death. I don't care if you don't want me to be there. I will be there anyway. Yes, I don't care. You have no choice, Uchiha Sasuke.
Sasuke-kun, I love you, and I always will. Remember that…Good-bye now…
Haruno Sakura
Uchiha Sakura
I blinked. Sakura was dead. I couldn't believe it. And it was because I took her love for granted, never realizing that I should've cared. But I didn't. She stayed happy for me, and now that I remember, she looked a lot worse after she moved in. I looked down at Sakura again, she seemed so peaceful now. Like she was going to slowly wake up, open her eyes, see me, and hug me and say, "Sasuke-kun, aishiteru!" But no, she was gone…forever. And she still loved me, after all the suffering I put her through. Then I decided that I would keep her as an Uchiha. I realized that I loved her too. And I cared too. But alas, I was too late, like I always am…