It's Not Over
* Inspired by Secondhand Serenade's song: It's Not Over *
It's not over
She leaves his house, heartbroken. It's over, they're over. He doesn't love her anymore. She walks all the way back home under the pouring rain. She stops occasionally just to look behind herself. She wishes that he'd run out of his house and chase after her even if it's raining.
But, he doesn't.
-X-
He sits on the lonely couch, staring out the large glass windows that borders his house. Her scent fills the living room as thunder clashes in the sky. Her shadow still lingers on the wall or so he thinks. Perhaps it's just the crackling thunder? He walks to the glass window and presses his hands on it.
He had to do it, just had to break up with her. It was wrong, yes, but she wouldn't be happy living a domesticated life. A life dictated by his clan. He presses his head against the cold window; rain streams down his window. From outside the glass window, it looks like he's crying. Maybe it's just the rain or perhaps, he really is crying? For once, his heart is clear as glass. Too bad she's not here to witness it.
He glances sideways at the still open door. Cold air washes into the room. Her disappearance still fresh. He wishes that he could have said it more.
Just one last time, one more time is all he wants.
"I love you."
-X-
Seconds, hours, and days tick by. Soon, months and years pass by. He's on missions, short-term and long-term ones. She's in the hospital a lot of times and sometimes, she's on missions. He comes, she goes; she goes, he comes. They never see each other.
-X-
Leaves fall. She walks around the village during the day, reminiscing silently to herself their days of love and passion. He strolls around at night, cherishing her touch, her smile, and her voice. Autumn dances with their memories.
-X-
Dark, cloudy and rainy days reign in the village for a certain time frame. She cries herself to sleep at night. This was the season they broke up. Rain makes her want to cry because it makes her remember how terrible it felt knowing that he wasn't going to come for her. Reality hit her hard like the cold rain drops splattering against her skin that night. Thunder and rain keeps him up at night, tormented with the replaying scenes of their break up. He lies restless in his lonely bed. Without her, everything feels strange and dull. Winter's freezing their hearts with agony.
-X-
Then, flowers bloom again with the bees buzzing and pollinating. She spends her time taking care of the children at the orphanage. He's locked up in his office, not wanting to see the cherry blossom trees bloom because it reminds him so much of her. Spring suffocates them.
Summer comes with its dry heat and ice cream vendors sell to the academy kids. She takes her vacation from the hospital and travels outside of Konoha with friends. Meanwhile, he takes the chance to breathe in the air, knowing that she's no longer here. The atmosphere lightens. Summer temporarily relieves and soothes their aching hearts.
Thus, the season starts over again. They continue to live their routine, never once seeing one another.
-X-
Their record is broken.
He's standing right in front of her. She's sitting on a bench right in front of him. Her emerald eyes are glassy and puffy with red tainting her skin. He sits next to her. Yeah, he heard about her captured teammate. The Akatsuki finally caught him, the boy who aspired to be a future Hokage. She leans against him; he opens his arms and she cries into his chest.
He wants to say, "I love you."
But, now isn't the time. Instead, he sits quietly as she ruins his shirt. It doesn't matter. She's here with him for now and that's all he really cares about. Her shaking, trembling and weeping form tears and stabs at his heart. He rubs her back in a circular motion. She cries and cries. He tells her to not worry because he's been assigned to retrieve her dear friend.
She stops, looks at him, and smiles sadly.
Why smile so sadly, he asks.
She shakes her head and tells him that she doesn't want to lose another person. What she really wants to say is that she doesn't want to lose him forever. What she wants to say is that she can tolerate him being away from her, as long as his heart beats and he breathes, she can live.
But, now isn't the time to say such a thing.
She stands up, wipes at her tears and laughs nervously. Her emotions always gets the best of her. Guilt grips her insides; how can she be happy when her friend is out there dying? She pushes the guilt away, captivated by the man she lost. Bottled love warms her up. He smiles as she bids him goodnight and leaves.
He turns away, walking the opposite direction. He goes left and she goes right. The street light shines upon their path.
She stops, knowing that she'll regret not doing something when she had the chance. He stops, hearing her footsteps cease. Is she coming back for him? He turns around to see her running towards him. She embraces him with a hug, that feels so long, but it only actually lasts for a few seconds.
She pulls back shyly; the wind carries her strawberry scent to his face. He can taste her, smell her, and see her. He just can't touch her. She retreats several steps away from him, saying bye again. She turns to leave and he gently grabs her wrist, twirling her back to his embrace. He kisses her forehead and lets go.
That should suffice for now, he thinks as he walks away. He wanted to say that he loves her. She walks back home, dazed and confused. Did he still love her?
-X-
He activates his Sharingan, ready to finish the Akatsuki member who lunges at him lethally. He dodges, strikes the enemy swiftly and creates an illusion. He has to survive; he has to make it back to the village. He has to see her face again. He has to tell her that he loves her. He ends the long fight with a satisfying blow.
He hears an enraged scream and speeds through the forest with an incredible velocity. He senses the kyuubi's chakra boiling. By the time he arrives, the kyuubi morphs back into that blond boy; the vessel staggers, completely drained of chakra. Several medics hurry to him, attending to his wounds. The boy meekly mutters something to the medics who tilt their heads in confusion; the boy's blue eyes shifts to his pink-haired teammate.
Standing in front of the exhausted boy is her. What is she doing here?
He rushes to her as she collapses to the ground. He catches her before she can hit the ground and sees the fatal, bloody wound on her chest. The blond teammate softly and briefly explains to him that she stopped the Akatsuki member's blow in order to save him. He has a medic tend to her injuries. He paces around the battle site, remembering the Hokage's last statements about sending in a second platoon. She must've been on the second platoon. He should've known! Was that why she smiled sadly the other night? She was going to give up her life?
She coughs and convulses with blood spilling from her mouth. He hurries to her side, kneeling beside the fallen woman that he loves. She smiles at him with all her might, reaches her pale hand out to him and caresses his face. A lump forms in his throat and his eyes itch suddenly. He maintains his composure, not wanting to break down in front of her when she's already in her most vulnerable state. I have to be strong for her, he thinks to himself.
She beckons him with a blood-stained hand and he leans closer to her face, close enough so he can feel her jagged breaths blow sharply against his cheeks. He bows closer to her face, turning his ear to her mouth, and she says in a whisper, "I love you, Itachi." He feels her hand slip from the back of his neck, down his throat, falling onto the green blades of the grass.
She closes her jade eyes, tears streaming down her shut eyes.
-X-
After the medics temporarily stabilized her health and injuries, he carried her back to the village. When they were half way there, she began to convulse again and all he could focus on was getting her back to the hospital alive. He needed to tell her that he loved her and he did. Throughout the journey back to Konoha, he would murmur to her that he'd always loved her and that he was sorry for breaking up with her. He wasn't sure if she heard him, but it was worth a try. He was desperate.
There was and is no one else for him, but her.
He summoned his crow and sent a message to the Hokage, requesting for immediate operation once he arrived at Konoha. She required instant medication and healing. He would see to it until the end.
-X-
Six months pass by and she hasn't woke up from her coma. That was okay; he was fine with her being like this. As long as her heart beats and she breathes, he could live. As long as she fought to keep her life, he'd always wait for her no matter what. Ever since the day she fell unconscious on the battle field, he'd visit her in the hospital, waiting for the day to come where he would say, "I love you, Sakura."
A/N: Hi! This is my first fanfic. Thanks for reading. Sorry if there's any mistakes; I did my best to proofread the story. Please, review your thoughts!
Okay, so I just removed the lyrics out of this story. Feel free to look up the song though :)