Chapter 2

Sakura marveled at the way the barely-there sunlight splashed the stoic Uchiha. He had very long lashes that made his eyes seem more darker and sensual. His raven hair was always wild and could never be tamed into submission - it stuck out all over the place. His cheekbones were high, his nose and lips were slim and all in all - she would never admit this aloud - he had a bit of a feminine face. But even still it somehow made him all the more... handsome? More alluring? Sakura shook her head with a secret smile on her face.

This was one of the rare times that she had woken up before Sasuke and she reveled in the little chances she got when she could openly admire his peacefully relaxed face.

She smiled softly at the way his eyes fluttered behind closed eyelids. Was he dreaming? And if he was then was it about her?

Sakura sighed in happiness and went to tuck a stray lock of hair from his face when Sasuke's hand shot out, startling her. He opened his eyes and his face hardened. "What are you doing?" he asked gruffly.

Sakura blushed at having been caught red-handed and tried to pry his fingers from her wrist but instead of letting go, Sasuke had flipped them so that he was atop her and she below him.

"I- I was just... looking at you."

He cocked his head thoughtfully. "Why?"

She smiled her brightest and shook her head. He raised a brow and after a moment of silence he brought her free hand up to join her captured one, lifting them both above her head in one hand.

"You're really not gonna tell me?" he whispered, a smirk growing ever-so-slowly on his face. Sakura's eyes widened but she shook her head no. She only had a second to prepare herself when he used the hand that wasn't holding her captive to tickle her sides.

Sakura exploded in a fit of gasps and giggles and she squealed out pleas and mercys. He was relentless though and wouldn't let up.

"H-help!" she wheezed out and Sasuke laughed aloud and stopped. Sakura froze at that - since it was a valuable thing to witness the great Uchiha Sasuke actually laugh and express joy - and looked at him with mirth in her eyes.

"Ha. Hahaha. Haha... what?" he asked quizzically and Sakura just sat up, bringing them nose-to-nose.

"I love your laugh," she brought her hand up to caress his cheek. "You don't do it often..." What will I tell him? The question came back unbidden.

Sasuke immediately noticed the change in her emotions - she wore her heart on her sleeve - and grasped the two sides of her head lightly. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Her answer was quick. "Nothing." It was too quick. "It's nothing."

He shook his head and made her look in his eyes. Obsidian to emerald. "Don't ever lie to me. We agreed, didn't we?"

Sakura nodded her head but she couldn't get the words out no matter how she tried. I'm dying.

She started to tear up. "Sakura?" His breath hitched, his heart beat in a panic. "Sakura what's wrong?" he tried to search her eyes but she ducked her head and looked down.

I'm dying.

How could she tell him that?

How could she do that to him?

She opened her mouth to try again but what came out was a surprised sob.

"Sakura!" he tried to bring her close but Sakura backed away from the comfort of his arms and stood up, away from his bed.

Away from him.

He followed and brought his arms around her, his cheek atop her head as he breathed in the soothing smell of her. "Please tell me." he whispered out but Sakura could only shake her head and let the tears fall one by one from her eyes.

What will I tell him?

He turned her around and ducked low to look at her face. "No lies, Sakura." He wiped at her tears and made sure their eyes connected. Her lovely emeralds, instead of stopping their tears, just produced more.

She shook her head and brought her hands up to his chest. That was when something caught her eye. Her wrists - they were starting to turn an angry red color. She frowned at that. She didn't remember that being there before.

Sasuke followed her widened gaze to her wrists and noticed the same slight discoloration. He snatched her hands and delicately turned them about. He looked up at her concernedly and she shrugged hesitantly at his unspoken question.

Sakura gently took her hands back and hugged him. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. There are just a few things I haven't sorted out at the hospital. It's just been kind of stressing." She pulled back and smiled. "Don't worry, okay?"

The love of his life was quite obviously distressed so after a moment of deliberation he let it go, filing these oddities away for another time to question her.

She could tell that he didn't believe her but it couldn't be helped. She knew it was her fault for not getting a better handle on her emotions. She'd have to work on that.

What will I tell him?

The question flitted through her mind momentarily and Sakura hugged Sasuke just a little bit tighter. She couldn't stop the waves of guilt that started to wash over her.

What will I tell him?

It was getting worse.

Sakura paced angrily back and forth along her living room as she struggled to down the growing panic. The bruises were forming - some seemingly out of nowhere and she was starting to run out of excuses as to where they'd come from. It was certainly getting more difficult to laugh them off as if they were nothing to Sasuke, who did not take these things lightly.

She knew he sensed something off about her. The strange winces she accidentally let slip when he did something as simple as hold her hand might've had something to do with that. Makeup wasn't enough. The excuses weren't enough. Her boss and long-time mentor was also catching onto her piling absences. Ino had noticed her growing weariness to even the littlest things like doing inventory (although to be fair, it was always a tedious thing to do). It just wasn't enough. Nothing was enough.

Sakura dropped onto the couch and held her head in her hands. She'd have to be hospitalized soon and she had no idea how to keep it a secret any longer when that point inevitably came.

Ding dong!

Her head snapped at the door.

Ding dong, ding dong!

No, no, no, no, no nobody's supposed to be coming by today, she thought to herself frantically.

"Sakura." The voice belonged to someone she normally would've jumped for joy at but instead, it found her floundering about her room looking for a long-sleeved shirt - or a long-sleeved anything, really.

Knock, knock, knock.

Sakura groaned quietly to herself. There was no time for the foundation. The clothes would have to make do.

"Sakura!"

She opened the door in a hurry and forced a smile. Sasuke stalked past her into the little apartment and stayed standing with his back towards her. Sakura slowly closed the door with a soft click and was hesitant to go to him. She knew there was something bothering him and she was the one to do with it.

She stepped forward cautiously until they were a few feet apart. Although the distance wasn't long, for a couple who loved each other it might as well have been a thousand miles. "Sasuke-kun," Sakura breathed out - more from her state of usual fatigue than anything.

Sakura kept her head down as he silently stood there for a few minutes.

"Sakura." His voice was cold and it made her flinch. He had never called her name like that before... but then again, she had never been so distant with him either. "Are you cheating on me?"

Sakura's head snapped up so fast, she was almost surprised that it didn't break. Her incredulity was so obvious on her face that Sasuke continued on. "Then are you doing drugs?"

Sakura shook her head so fast that she became dizzy.

"Then is someone abusing you? Is somebody pursuing you? Courting you? Hurting you?"

"No Sasuke-kun I-"

"Then do you have a gross amount of debt to pay? The bank? The loan sharks?"

Sakura could feel the tears pooling. "No Sasu-"

"Then what?!" Sasuke pivoted and Sakura physically jerked at the sudden increase in volume. She couldn't help but tremble at his arctic glare. "Just what is so... so important that it's starting to jeopardize our relationship?"

Sakura dropped to the couch, unable to support herself any longer. She didn't know how to answer that question. At least not honestly. Sakura could only close her eyes and shake her head. He was upset. It was clear enough with how much he'd already said, with how uncontrolled his emotions were.

"I've been trying so hard, Sakura. I've been giving you the time I thought you needed so that you would eventually tell me the big secret that has you avoiding me."

Sakura started to cry. "I haven't been avoiding you-"

"You've been avoiding me!" he yelled and sucked in a breath in an attempt to calm himself down. "You've been avoiding me, and Ino, and Naruto, and the hospital where you work. Don't you dare tell me that you haven't been avoiding me."

He was hurt. He tried to cover it with his anger but she knew him so well... and it broke her heart that she was breaking his but no matter how much she wished, however much she tried, she just couldn't get the words out.

The truth.

Sakura knew, oh she just knew that should he ever find out, he'd spend as much money as it would take for the best doctor in the world, he would be consumed in keeping her alive, he wouldn't leave her side... he wouldn't live and as much as she guiltily wished he wouldn't, she didn't want that for him.

"I'm sorry," she choked out. "I've-" Sakura squeezed her eyes shut. "I've been seeing someone."

There was a silent pause and Sakura peeked from under eyelashes at the very emotionless face of the person she'd thought she would spend the rest of her long life with. It was only a dream.

Suddenly, he burst out laughing but it had no humor in it. Sakura winced. "Sakura, don't take me for a fool. You said you hadn't been cheating on me and I'd like to think I know you well enough to understand you were telling the truth."

"You're right," she whispered. "I haven't cheated on you, not in the way it would matter; I haven't shared my body but my heart..."

Sasuke scoffed. "I can read you better than you can read yourself. You never cheated on me with anybody. Emotionally or otherwise. Tell me the truth Sakura. All I want is the one thing you promised you'd never keep from me."

Sakura steeled herself and faced his gaze with one of her own. "It is the truth."

"Don't." he warned.

"I met him in America."

"Stop." he took a threatening step forward.

"His name is Jack Yushi." One of her patients who really was from America, however she'd treated him for a minor injury in Japan and sent him on his way.

"Sakura!" he ground out.

"He's a doctor too." A lie.

"I said stop!" Another step.

"He's a psychologist. We met during the lecture that I was giving there. When we talked it was like we connected on a level that-"

"STOP!" He was directly in front of her and shaking her, his hands on her shoulders. "Please," he begged her. To stop or to tell him that she was lying she honestly didn't know but the seed of doubt was already planted. It was too late to take anything back now.

"I'm sorry." she whispered out thickly.

"But you loved me... you..." he grabbed a fistful of her hair with one hand and cupped her cheek with the other. "I couldn't have imagined that on my own. I couldn't have been the only one invested.. You- you..." Sakura could see the plea in his eyes and she almost caved.

No, not almost.

She did.

"I..." Her voice wavered a bit and she hoped that he hadn't heard it in his emotional distress. "... have never-"

But before she could finish he stood up abruptly and looked down at her with something akin to a blank stare. "Thank you for your time Ms. Haruno. I'll be taking my leave."

Sakura couldn't see past the blur of tears when she looked back and she regretted that she didn't have a clearer image of what would most likely be the last of him she'd see. The door shut with a harsh slam of finality.

"I have never loved anyone like I've loved you," she finished. Sakura let out a heartbroken sob and finally cried her heart out freely.

It was a good thing he took it the wrong way. It was a good thing. she tried to convince herself but... she was never a good liar, even to herself.

She was, indeed, a cruel, cruel person.

Sasuke clicked the button for the elevator and coolly slid his hand back into his pocket.

In his pocket there was a small velvet covered box and Sasuke took it out and examined it with sad scrutiny. The elevator dinged and the doors opened but the stoic man paid them no mind.

He slowly opened the box and stared dully down at the little ruby shaped like a cherry blossom set into a thin, gold band.

He had hoped this would've solved their impending problem, that at the end of the day he would've been engaged to the one girl - the one love - of his life.

A drop of water splashed off of the surface of the wedding ring and Sasuke gave a minute frown. It took him a moment to realize that he, Uchiha Sasuke who was globally known for having an iron fist on his emotions...

... was crying.

The elevator doors closed shut but he felt too broken to notice.

Naruto was dozing off to the sound of heavy rain and netflix when one hard knock had him rolling off the couch and onto the floor in pained confusion. There was a pause before Naruto registered that another of the same, thunderous knock came and he scrambled off the floor to get the door for one of his best friends in the whole wide world.

"That teme better be dying or something becau-" he cut himself off when he opened the door. Sasuke was leaning heavily on the door frame and before Naruto could say, much less do, anything, his friend stumbled in and dropped to the floor on his ass.

"Naruto," Sasuke didn't register the concerned frown his friend had on his face. "I need a drink." he breathed out lifelessly.

Now Naruto was a bouncing little ball of energy - people usually compared him to the sun. He had blonde hair that was so yellow and blue eyes that you could get lost in. He was ever the optimist and he was the friend you always went to so you could be cheered up. He was the biggest ramen eater and somehow roped you into eating his favorite dish with him as well as leaving you stuck with the bill. He could make you smile. He could make you laugh. Always joyous, always spewing out words whether it was important or absolutely useless rubbish... but at that moment, he didn't do any of the aforementioned things. He quietly shut the door and got two bottles of Bacardi.

Naruto sat in front of Sasuke, handed him a bottle and they both opened the temporary solution to most any problem.

Naruto understood that Sasuke was a man of few words when they became friends and he accepted that. He understood it. So instead of pestering him with questions, he gave a grim smile and drank the whole bottle alongside his friend. They were silent all the while. No yelling. No breakdowns. No explanations.

Time seemed to stretch on for an eternity.

Ino had been humming happily to herself whilst cooking a beautiful steak dinner for one when fierce knocks sounded on her door.

She frowned at that as it was pouring outside. Whoever was out there must have some sort of death wish. They could really catch a cold.

The knocking came again and she swore she thought the door would come off its hinges.

"Alright I'm coming!" she yelled out, irritated and she turned off the stove, took off her apron, and dashed to the front door, yanking it open to find a blubbering, shivering mess of her best friend.

"Ino," she whimpered and collapsed on her front doorstep.

"Oh my God." Ino rushed out and half carried, half dragged her dear friend in. "Are you crazy?!" she shrieked as she struggled to set her comfortably on the couch. "What the hell were you thinking?!" Ino ran to get a bunch of towels and blankets.

"Sasuke-"

"Oh brother. Forehead! I am not your boyfriend." She scrunched her face as she increased the thermostat. "I'm a little offended."

"I broke Sasuke's heart." Ino heard the little whisper and she furrowed her brows.

"Wait what?" She started drying her friend's hair - it was such a beautiful pastel shade of pink that Ino was sometimes secretly envious. "Did you say-"

"I broke... his heart."

Ino could hear the distress in it and she frowned. She couldn't have heard right. She continued stripping Sakura of her clothes and replacing them with clean, dry ones.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sakura." she smiled comfortingly as she heaped the blankets over her shivering friend's form. "It was probably a silly fight between the two of you. You guys will sort it out. You guys always do..."

Sakura mumbled something but Ino couldn't make it out. "Sakura, I can't hear what you're saying. You need to-"

"I'm dying."

Ino froze in her pampering. This time she was sure she couldn't have heard right. She slowly brought the towel down and turned her stare to her best friend. To the person who meant the most to her. There was... Ino let out a nervous laugh. She couldn't- right? She was- Sakura was...

"W-what?" she croaked out into the silence but the pinkette had fallen asleep.

Sakura vaguely registered her alarming confession but the only thing she could feel was relief.

Somebody finally knew.