Now, many months later, a lone tear ran down his cheek as he sat in front of the memorial stone, his eyes glued to the spot where her name was engraved. Every night Itachi felt an acute sense of loss as he climbed into their bed alone and it was only made worse by waking up and seeing her side of the bed empty. His days were spent training hard, promising himself that he would find and kill the people that took the light from his life. Nights were spent tossing and turning as dreams of Sakura plagued him. Eventually, it became too much to bear and he knew he had to have revenge, if not for her sake then for his. He could no longer take the loneliness that haunted his every waking moment.
After months of searching he found the men that took her life and he took theirs, but not without taking damage himself. They had been more powerful than he had anticipated. Found by Konoha ninja, he was returned to the village and placed in hospital. In his semi-conscious state, he could hear words that suggested to him that his end was near. He opened his eyes and saw his brother standing over him, worry evident on his face. Itachi smiled at him and reached out to him. Sasuke took his hand, for once not caring what others may say.
"My time has come…" he said in a soft voice.
Sasuke violently shook his head. "No, not yet."
"No more pain, no more memories."
"Nii-san! You're not going to die!"
"It's time Sasuke. Let me go and be with her again," Itachi gave him a vague, but genuine smile.
Shocked, Sasuke stared at his brother and then nodded in understanding and squeezed his hand. "Good bye, nii-san," he said softly as he watched his brother's eye close for a final time.
Sasuke bent his head and let silent tears flow down his cheeks as he clutched his brother's hand. After a moment, he stood up and walked towards the door, but turned just before he opened it. Itachi's face was calm, almost happy and Sasuke knew that his brother was in a better place. He had grieved for Sakura after her death. Everyone had, but no one more so than Itachi.
Shaking his head, Sasuke opened the door and looked towards his brother one last time. He smiled as he pictured the pair of them together in his mind. He was sure that Sakura was waiting for him with open arms and as he closed the door to his brother's room, he knew that the pair of them would be as happy together in death as they were in life.