Everlasting

By Kikoru Sijan

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

A/N: Sequel to "Too Late." Sorry it took so long, guys! I can't believe that this thing got into three C2s. I didn't expect it to be so popular! Thanks for all the support. I hope I don't ruin the original with this.
Sasuke kicked a rock as he walked on the dirt road. The whole village was quiet, with the exception of much sobbing from a few. Nobody walked beside him, and whenever he walked past, it was either an angry glare or a scowl. The village that he had lived in for so many years finally decided to resent him. They should've abandoned him earlier—he was a traitor, somebody who went to Konoha's most treacherous enemies.

Maybe they just accepted him because...because Sakura did. She always did. She was always welcoming him with open arms, and he always took her love for granted. And, poof, he would have never thought she'd be gone. Just like that.

Sasuke hated himself even more than anyone thought. He himself didn't show much emotion; all his family was gone, for good. Nobody was alive; not his mother, not his father, not Itachi…not Sakura. Sakura. Always there, clinging to him, smiling, hugging, laughing. All the pain was hidden, but deep inside she was going through emotional trauma. How did he always ignore this?

Sasuke clenched his fist. Nobody, not a single person would speak to him. Not even Naruto. It was all his fault, and that was probably the fact that crushed him the most. After his wife died, he realized he did love her. More than he could say. But who'd believe him?

He was always the one that treated her coldly and never returned any of her love. He was the one that abused her, yet he never lay a single finger on her.

'She'd become tainted. Tainted by me.'

And finally, he reached her burial sight. Funny that he still got to pick where. He buried her in the secret hill they shared, the one where he proposed to her.

When he walked to see her pale face once again, he noticed her lips were quirked upwards in a bitter smile. She was dressed in a white sundress, symbolizing her purity. She was always light, even when she walked through so much darkness.

She saved him. Kept him sane when he was at the brink of insanity.

The ceremony started, everyone was clad in black. People from everywhere came—the lives that Sakura saved, all wondering what the girl did to deserve such a horrid fate.

'She fell in love…with me.'

And perhaps that was the biggest mistake you could ever make—falling deeply in love with Uchiha Sasuke.

As the people that knew Sakura more were seated in the front, everyone else stood, Sasuke being among the ones that sat. The crowd was as massive as the third hokage's ceremony. A sea of black covered the whole field. Everyone looked down at Konoha as the wind blew, carrying a soft gust of petals.

It did not rain that day. It seemed as the sun was taunting them all, staying happy at such a mournful day.

'But that's what Sakura would've wanted.'

The ceremony finally began. Tsunade walked up onto stage and took a deep breath. Only very few were chosen to speak about Sakura, among them being Tsunade, Naruto, Kakashi, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, and ironically, Sasuke.

Tsunade sighed. She looked strange clad in black.

"Sakura was a loving person. She always cared for others—it was never about herself. Yet she still called herself selfish. In the first years that I mentored her, I thought she was acceptable. She would probably just going to be a normal medic. But afterwards, I found out how hard she worked. She'd stay in my office reading medical textbooks until midnight, where she'd walk home alone. Sakura always smiled and helped people get rid of their sadness. She didn't just heal people physically—they were touched emotionally as well. This was something that I could not do, and I knew that she'd surpass me.

"When Uchiha came back and she still chose to marry him, I could hardly believe it. And perhaps I never really wanted to bother her about her relationship with him," Tsunade said, gazing at Sasuke sadly, "but I suppose it might have been the wrong choice. Rest in peace, Sakura. You are the daughter that I never had." Tsunade turned to the body in the white casket before setting her eyes on the bright sky. Tears streamed down her face as she left the podium and dropped her headband into the casket.

Ino stepped up next, eyes red and puffy from mourning her best friend. She sniffled quickly, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. She hiccupped before clearing her throat and speaking the the strongest voice she could muster.

"Sakura—she was my best friend. We met way back in academy. She was someone that got picked on—not popular like me. But I wanted to help her. She was like my little sister, even if she was technically older than me. So I helped her—helped her even to the extent she was strong enough to fight back. I gave her this ribbon," Ino said, holding up a red ribbon, still in good shape, "and she gave it back when she got stronger. When she became a medic, I felt useless, and I admit, envious. So I tried to work as hard as her, but it seemed as life was purposely going easy on me. I wasn't able to push myself like her. And I suppose I realized that she had beat me—a long time ago in fact. I just never wanted to admit it to myself. Our relationship was rather rough, but we got back together in the end, which I'm glad of. I wouldn't want her to die with me still being her rival. I wanted to be her friend.

"And I knew that the life of a kunoichi means that you can die at any moment. That's why I thought when Sasuke proposed, she'd heal her broken heart. She could spend the rest of her life happy. Way back when, we used to imagine a fairytale life, just like all the other girls. But I think we knew as we grew that it was impossible if you chose to be a ninja as well. We just have to be strong, and that's exactly what Sakura did," Ino finished. "Sakura, I hope you rest in peace. Wait for me forehead. I'll be returning it back to you." Ino walked over to the casket and neatly tied the ribbon on Sakura's wrist before walking away, sobbing in Hinata's arms.

Naruto stood up soon after, his emotional blue eyes the complete opposite of Sasuke's.

"I met Sakura-chan in academy. I used to love her, have a crush on her, and at times, I was probably obsessive," Naruto stated, a ghost of a grin appearing on his face. "I always wanted to protect her, and I did that. For a long, long, long time I protected her with Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. She was our little girl, the one that we always had to protect. I admit, she was a few months older than both me and Sauske, but she was innocent enough. She got a lot stronger, though. She didn't need our help anymore, but I stuck by her side. Hell, I bet all the missions I went on were enjoyable because Sakura-chan was there. She was a crazy woman with kick ass strength!

"When teme asked Sakura-chan to marry him, I was happy at the time. But afterwards, she started to get worse and worse. I wanted her to be happy. She didn't deserve to live like that. I just have to say," Naruto concluded, glancing at Sasuke and flashing him a small grin, "Even though you, Sasuke, killed her in a way, I know I'll forgive you. You protected her with me and... Sakura-chan wouldn't want me to stay mad at you forever. Rest in peace, Sakura-chan. I brought some of your favorite instant ramen. Not mine, this time!" Naruto walked over and placed them there, smiling yet crying at the same time.

Kakashi stood up next, one visible eye glazed from unshed tears. Many might have thought Sakura wasn't much to him, but she was like his daughter.

"When Sakura first came into team seven, I thought she was just one of those rabid fangirls. She seemed more interested in boys than in the ways of the shinobi, and I suppose I...underestimated her. In the beginning, I have to admit, she didn't do much. But I realized she had made a drastic improvement during the chuunin exams—one that I am able to acknowledge to this day. It was like her turning point. When she began to train under Tsunade, I was...greatly impressed. She seemed to have more potential than any other medic I have ever seen. And after I fought her and Naruto, I was amazed by the strength she had...not to mention that temper," Kakashi said, causing a few to chuckle. "I believe I started to have more faith in her, the faith that I never had years ago. Sakura proved me wrong, and I'm proud to have been her sensei and her teammate.

"When Sakura became an Uchiha, I knew that perhaps, Sasuke would not care for her the way she wanted him to. I knew the type of pain she would go through—I had inflicted that type of pain on somebody, but it was too late for me to correct it. So I was in a similar position as Sasuke. I hope that you all will have enough room in your heart to forgive him, like you forgave me," Kakashi said. "Rest in peace, Sakura. Since you never saw my face unmasked in person, I'll give you a picture." Kakashi's eye crinkled as he walked to place the frame face down, so nobody would see. He remembered the day that the three twelve-year olds were trying to see his face by all means.

Hinata stood up next, in a poor attempt to hold back her tears. She breathed shakily before starting.

"Sakura-chan…I didn't know her for as long as the other people that spoke, but…she became an important friend. She gave me confidence during Naruto-kun's absence. I used to direct all my jealousy towards her. 'Why did Naruto-kun love her, not me?' I would always think. But my opinion of her changed. I...began to look up to her. She became my role model in a way. And when she told me that I could train with her, I was honored to do so. She influenced a lot of my fighting techniques now, and I hope that I may use them honorably.

"When Sakura-chan married Sasuke-san, I was overjoyed. She had finally got him to propose to her, and I suppose that she would have been happy as well. Of course, she was...in the beginning. I was amazed by the way she kept all her sorrow and pain hidden from everyone so well. But...those eyes, those jade green eyes of her always betrayed her. You'd immediately know how she was feeling. I tried to interfere," Hinata said, "but perhaps you chose to stay with you, anyway, Sasuke-san. Rest in peace, Sakura-chan. I got you that bracelet you were eyeing." Hinata strode over to the casket and placed the sparkling piece of jewelry in.

Tenten went up next, sighing deeply.

"I didn't know Sakura for a long time. During the chuunin exams when I met her, I thought she was a pitiful little girl that couldn't do anything. I was wrong, of course. Over the course of two years, Sakura turned out to be a better kunoichi than me, and I feel sorry that I used to view her in the way I did. When we went to rescue Gaara, I almost couldn't believe that she broke the giant rock to Akatsuki's lair. And she was the one that killed Sasori. She was capable of so many things I couldn't do, I just didn't realize it.

"And I don't know what made Kami-sama dislike her, but she had a rocky married life. She was my little sister, one that I wanted to shield from all harm. She didn't deserve to be crushed over and over again, by the same person. And I know I'll forgive him someday, maybe not fully though. Sakura was stronger than anyone here, and if anyone denies it, they don't know the meaning of strength. Rest in peace Sakura. This is the special kunai I was going to give you for your birthday, but I guess not." Tenten placed the shiny weapon in the casket, bowing slightly before walking off.

It was finally Sasuke's turn. Everyone's gaze was turned to him as he slowly walked up to the podium. When he turned to face everyone, his eyes showed immense pain that nobody expected. He began his speech, trying to ignore the now sympathetic stares that people gave him.

"Sakura when I first met her was an annoying fangirl that just happened to be put on my team. And I was happy that she could actually shut up at times, so she wasn't as annoying as expected," Sasuke started, receiving glares from everyone. "This really isn't a nice way to speak of her, but this was the truth...at least in the beginning. I thought she would never understand me—and she never did. Not fully at least. But she went through pain that was similar to mine, very similar, and it hurts to know that I was the one that did it to her. And I always wondered why she never left and continued to love me. It never made sense. I never deserved any of it. When I met her after two years, I was surprised she had gotten so much stronger. I realized that she didn't need me to live, she was independent enough.

"It was quite shocking to most of you that I proposed to her. And I'm sure you all think that I just did this to 'revive the Uchiha clan'. After all, it was one of my goals, wasn't it? I know now that I didn't marry her for that purpose. I...loved her, even if you don't believe me, and I still do. I was just so used to pushing my feelings away that maybe…maybe I didn't know how to return it. I'm sorry, Sakura, for all I've done to you. I give you…I give you the love that I couldn't show you in life, and I wrote back." Sasuke slipped an envelope into the casket and glanced at her one more time.

Everyone got in line to pay their respects and put flowers in the casket of the pink-haired girl. When the ceremony was over and everyone left, Sasuke stayed at her grave, reminiscing on how he treated her. And he was cruel, he knew it.

'I'm sorry, Sakura…'

It's okay! a voice seemed to reply as the wind blew.

'Sakura?!' Sasuke thought, looking around. He saw a faint glow that looked a lot like Sakura. Sakura smiled and laughed.

Yes?

Sasuke's eyes widened. Was his late wife trying to haunt him.

'Are…are you happy now?'

Sakura nodded. Yes, I am. I was always happy, Sasuke-kun. I'll read your letter soon, but I have to go now. Just remember that I'll love you forever and ever and ever! Sakura spread her arms wide for emphasis. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before flying off, laughing.

Sasuke blinked. That couldn't be real, could it? He sat there for a few moments before he remembered what Sakura said to him when he was in the hospital after he was first dragged back.

"Love lasts forever, Sasuke-kun. It goes past everything, hurt, happiness, time, and even death. I hope you'll keep that in mind."

A/N: Finished! I really hope I didn't destroy the original one! This was a tad bit longer. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

Kikoru x3