It's Never Too Late

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, it would have turned out so horrible no one could watch it. Seeing as how it hasn't happened like that, I assume I don't own it.

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The Shichidaime Hokage stood silently, her green eyes lingering over the name in the black stone before her. She didn't want to go, and if she could, she would have stayed there forever, the last link she had with the one she loved, but alas, she couldn't, she was the Hokage and had duties to accomplish. She slowly walked away and walked down the near-empty street to her office in the Hokage tower. The scene before her made her freeze though, frowning as she remembered having similar arguments in her youth. "NUH-UH! Kiyoshi-kun likes me the best!"

The other girl scoffed in annoyance, "Why would anyone like you Haya? It's obvious he likes me the most!"

"Shut up!" the other girl yelled back, "You always think you're so great, Ai!"

"That's only because I am!" Ai yelled back.

"You're so stuck up!" Haya screamed, walking away in annoyance.

The Hokage froze, brushing away the hair that fell in front of her face. She had heard of this 'Kiyoshi'. He was the rich son of some businessman that grew wealthy off of what could be deemed less than savory enterprises. He was a cold, distant, and even sinister child but had the complexion and beauty of an angel. She shuddered, being reminded of a similar raven-haired boy she had been captivated with in her youth.

"Haya-chan!" a voice called, "Please wait!" The Hokage glanced up, her eyes landing softly on a very flustered looking boy of perhaps fifteen. He was holding a large number of flowers and sweating profusely. He ran up to the girl, tripping and skidding the last few feet. He smiled awkwardly and stood, his badly gelled hair standing on edge from nervousness, "Ah.. H.. Haya-chan..." he said, still trembling. The Hokage smiled at his nervousness, it made him look cute. "T.. These are for you!" the boy squeaked, thrusting the flowers toward the girl.

Haya just eyed him in distaste and scoffed, "Taka-san.. I'm allergic to these,"

Taka's eyes widened and he looked away, a deep red blush appearing on his cheeks. "A.. Ah... I.. I apologize Haya-chan..." he stammered, "I.. did not know..."

"Well maybe you should have checked on it before you got them?" Haya said coldly.

"Yes.. I should have.. I'm very sorry..." he stammered again. He hung his head defeatedly and dropped the flowers carelessly on the ground, "I'm sorry..." he said again, walking away sadly.

That was the final piece of it. She could not sit by and watch any more of this. Haya was making the same mistakes she had made in her own youth, and she would not allow her to be hurt as she had when she realized her true feelings. The Hokage took a deep breath, trying to stop the shaking of her hands, "Haya-chan... could you come here please?"

The young girl jumped in surprise and nodded, "Yes Hokage-sama," she said sweetly. Ai stuck out her tongue as Haya ran over to the Hokage, "You wanted to talk to me Hokage-sama?" she asked.

"Walk with me Haya-chan..." the Hokage said softly. Haya nodded and the two walked away slowly, both of them silent, "Haya-chan... how much do you know about Taka?"

Haya blinked in surprise but quickly regained her composure, "Well.. he's not too handsome.. and he's really weird.. and he's always trying to impress me with something stupid..."

"Did you know he's an orphan?" the Hokage said softly, "And that he works at the old Yamanaka flower shop for small amounts of money at a time to make ends meet?" Haya blinked in surprise and opened her mouth briefly, closing it again as soon as she found she had nothing to say, "And do you know how much those flowers cost?" Haya opened her mouth once again to answer and once again was cut off, "They are the second most expensive flowers the shop carries... they are flowers that only grow in a certain place at a certain time of the year and thus are very expensive..."

Haya's lower lip quivered as she realized what she had done and how much it must have hurt him, "Oh no.. I never knew.." she said sorrowfully, "I... I just didn't know..." the girl frowned and looked up at the Hokage, her clear blue eyes questioning, "But why would he do something like that for me Hokage-sama? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Haya shook her head, her eyes still confused, "He loves you.."

"Loves.. me?" Haya stammered, "B.. But why?" she frowned, "I.. I'm only mean to him.."

"Honestly," she replied, "I don't know... but I do know this... Taka-kun loves you enough that he is willing to spend all of his meager amount of money on you... doesn't he at least deserve a chance?"

Haya's eyes shone, the iciness of before dropping completely and being replaced with a far more beautiful warmth, "You're right Hokage-sama!" she yelled, hugging her fiercely, "Thank you so much!" she ran back to the flowers, picking them up while disregarding the small rash that formed where she touched them and ran in the direction the sad ninja had walked, "Taka-kun!" she yelled, "Taka-kun! Wait!"

Sakura smiled softly as she watched the girl run, her eyes brimming with tears. She wished someone would have told her such things when she was that age, then maybe he wouldn't have died.. maybe he would still be with her. She quickly walked away, unwilling to show the inhabitants of her village her tears. She was the Hokage, she had to be strong, but no matter what she said, or how much she willed herself to stop, she couldn't, and cry she did.

Unknown to her, Sakura was being watched. She was being watched by a pair of eyes with slitted pupils, eyes that knew life, and that knew death. Yugito shook her head sadly, her hands straying to the shining, new Konoha hitae-ate on her forehead. "Poor Sakura-chan..." she said, "She now knows the errors of her younger years..." she formed several seals, drawing upon her Nekomanta's chakra, glowing an eerie red glow.

Sakura frowned, the scene around her seemed froze. "What is this?" she whispered, "What's going on?"

"Hokage-sama," a voice boomed, "Do you know who I am?"

"Who you are?" Sakura said as she turned, "How could I know that?"

Sakura gasped as she came face to face with a tranquil looking cat. The cat, however, was far from normal, it was gigantic and red, the fur looking more like fire than fur in itself. Sakura felt no fear however, the eyes she had met seemed calm, almost omniscient. "We have met before, you and I.." the cat said, "You allowed my carrier, Yugito, to join your village when she had been all but abandoned and betrayed by her own, you showed her kindness, and she finally was accepted into society.. though Jinchuuriki she was... and for that, I owe you a deep dept of gratitude," a blue circle of light surrounded Sakura and she felt herself disappearing slowly, "But you must make a choice,"

"A.. A choice?"

"I will give you a rare chance... a chance to get back that which is most precious to you... but there will be a risk,"

"A risk? And a chance to get back what is most precious to me? I don't understand.."

"What is most important to you? Do you know?"

"The people of Konoha... I am their Hokage..."

"No. Stop thinking of others for just one moment, and be selfish, just for an instant... now... what is most important to you?"

Sakura froze, her mind wandering back to the black memorial stone, "S.. Something I can never have again..." she whispered.

"But what if you could?"

"Why are you tormenting me like this?" Sakura screamed, "He's gone! Nothing I can do will change that!"

"If you truly believe that... then yes, he's gone forever..." the cat replied softly, "But not because he must be... he is gone because you have abandoned him in your heart," the briefest of smiles flashed on the Nekomanta's face, "It's never too late..."

"But the risk?"

"If you fail... and you may... multiple times... each time you fail, you will be given another chance, being propelled back further and further with each failure... if you fail too many times.. you can no longer sustain a physical form in this plane of existence..."

"I will... cease to exist?" Sakura said, astounded, "B.. But how can it be..."

"At this point, that is irrelevant," the Nekomanta said, "The only thing that matter now... is whether you will accept or deny my offer,"

Sakura froze, her mind racing. She had been around death and seen death most of her adult life and was not unaccustomed to it. She had had the fear of death in her as strongly as anyone else and even stared down that fear to accomplish her duties until death whisked past, leaving her as she was. Her hands shook but her heart was firm. She could bring him back, what other answer could she utter? "Yes..." she said softly, "I'll do it,"

The Nekomanta smiled kindly, "Good... I hope that the next time we meet, you will have another by your side..."

Sakura smiled back, her body disappearing more quickly, "Of course..." she said, "After all, it's never too late..."

"That's right... that's the way,"