Title: Why?
Disclaimer: Do I have to? No? kaythnxbai.

Dedication: Again, I don't want to repeat myself because it's just to sad...

Notes: Last chapter peeps, I've literally just got up so I'm sorry if it's a bit messy :P If this is the first of my stories you've read, please check out my other one, There's A Time And A Place, ta :)

Chapter 3
So there you were again, on that cobbled street towards your mate's favourite local. After a lot of negotiation and arguments, you managed to convince them to come here earlier. You reckon it's about half seven in the evening, since once again, you can't be bothered to take your phone out of your pocket. It had been raining all afternoon, you guess so by the amount of puddles surrounding your feet. The other five have stayed ahead of you. It's like they can sense something is up with you tonight, your determination, with a pinch of anger, and a sprinkle of happiness, knowing that you are going to do a good thing tonight. It's still just as cold as it was yesterday so you do your jacket up, wondering if you should lend it to her when you see her.

That girl. Yeah, that's why you are here. Not for the beer, not to have to be forced to associate those idiotic friends of yours, not to watch her but to help her.

Watching your feet as you amble along you fail to notice the sickening silence that surrounds the street tonight. Stalls were empty, people weren't littering the pavement, and you walk into the back of your friends who had stopped in the middle of the street. You start to curse, but they are staring straight ahead of themselves, ignoring your stumbling. You turn your head in the direction they are looking. Blue lights are flashing impatiently, a small crowd gather at the end of the street. Your friends shrug and joke about some idiot not watching where they were going as they crossed the street and almost skip into the warmth of the pub. This time, no one waits for you as you assess the street. No one was around, not even her. It all starts adding up. Then you're running. As fast as you can.

Hoping you aren't too late.

You reach the crowd and force your way to the front. Your heart weakens at the sight of that small, dainty and fragile girl being lifted onto a stretcher and hauled into the ambulance that is anxious to speed its way to the hospital, but the humans that control it demand its obedience to wait just a little longer. The people around you start talking. "Poor thing" and "She didn't deserve this" and "I hope she goes to a better place" start ringing in your ears.

You ask aloud "Who is she?" to no one in particular, hoping someone will answer you. A little old lady next to you answered "She was our favourite customer." A few others murmured in response. You presume that these are the stall owners that she shops at.

"We all felt so sorry for her." Answered another. "We asked if we could help her in any way but she begged of us to not worry. So we gave her everything half price."

"What was wrong with her?" You find yourself asking. And then, as if all of stall owners were one person, they all answered the question together.

"She was always talking to herself, as if she was trying to keep herself sane. I think it might've been schizophrenia."

"No, it was paranoia."

"I heard she was bipolar."

"Isn't that why she's always limping?"

"Yeah, her father beats her because of her mental condition."

"No, he rapes her".

"No, she sells herself to pay for medical things for her mother."

"Yeah, that's right. She's up all night looking after her mother."

"That'll explain why she's so tired and red-eyed. She must cry herself to sleep."

"Then why is she so thin, I wonder? Even though she buys food from us."

"It must be to feed her parents."

"Don't you get it? She's anorexic because she hates her life."

You're getting sick of hearing all of this. Yet somebody's last comment makes you feel even more disgusting.

"But she's always smiling. That's the saddest thing of all."

You nod in agreement. A paramedic walks over as you stare destitute at the ambulance. If you had no self control, you would punch it open and pull her out, take her home and help your mother look after her. The paramedic is asking for your attention so you snap your head up.

"Do you know her?" he asks. Strangely, you nod.

"Can I ask her name?" That's when you realize you don't know her at all. You wish you did. You wish you could have stopped everything that went wrong in her life. When you don't reply, a stall owner next to you answers for you.

"He's just in shock." she pats you on the arm. "Her name is Haruno Sakura. Seventeen years of age. Only child."

"Thank you, ma'am. Excuse me sir, are you any relation to her?" he asks you again.

"I..." What are you to her? You don't know her. You can't lie to him about what you know of her. Hell, you can't even pretend that you tried to help. But you have to some how. This is the opportunity to help her. You stick with her from here on out. This is your way of helping her.

"I'm her... h-h-her brother." Since when did you stutter? Since you feel guilty for not bothering to help a girl in dire need of comfort and safety.

"Name?" He just wont leave you alone will he?

"Uchiha Sasuke." You realize your mistake. "I'm her...half brother."

"Master Uchiha. Pleasure to meet you. I didn't know you had a half sister." "Neither did I." You mutter in your head. The paramedic writes something on a clipboard you didn't notice him holding.

"Can you come with us please?" It wasn't a question, it was an order. You mouth "thank you" to the lady you were standing next to as you walk towards the ambulance. You step inside, forgetting you were meant to be in the pub with your mates, remembering that tonight you promised to help her. You sit on a bench beside her. Wires and machines all fed into her, a breathing mask over her nose and mouth. A different paramedic sat opposite you.

"What happened to her?" You needed to know the answer.

"She just collapsed in the street. Stall owners say she couldn't hold her own weight any more. We've quickly checked her over. Big signs of anorexia, a few fractured ribs and collarbone, she's broken a bone in her foot, she's been slitting her wrists..." and turns her hands over to prove it to you. So many tiny red lines scar her arm, as if they were in a hurry to get from once space in the air to another and she was in their way. But that's just a story to hide the truth. Hey, the paramedic's still talking. "...she's got a chest infection, most likely pneumonia or hypothermia, and the stall owners say she also has a mental condition, which we will scan for once we reach to the hospital."

You stare at those malnourished hands of hers. How one earth she has lasted seventeen years, you don't know. You decide to take one in your own hand. She's unbelievable cold. You recoil slightly, but hold her palm gently, afraid to break her.

The paramedic opposite you asks if you two live together. You answer "No, I was on my way to visit her actually. Haven't seen her for years and I felt terrible for not helping her out." You thank your mother that you are a good liar.

"You knew this was happening to her?" she stares at you in shock.

"No... I just knew she was living rough..." You continue to watch her shallow breathing.

You've reached the hospital. They take her out first and rush her into A the female paramedic takes you to reception to fill out a form about yourself and the girl. But you don't know anything about her. You apologise to the nurse at reception but she tells you that she's been informed that you know little about her anyway and asks you to wait in the seating area. This is the part you hate. This is where they make you wait for hours while they do Kami knows what behind those walls.

You phone vibrates in your pocket. You take it out, knowing that its your friends asking where you are, like they have been for the past hour or so. You don't bother looking at the small, metallic device in your hand as you turn it off and shove it back in your pocket.

Sure enough, two and a half hours later, a doctor walks in calling your name. It must be about ten o'clock and you're so tired that you stumble getting out of your chair. You amble across to the doctor and he says "We need to talk to you."

By "we", he means himself, and by "talk", it means "she's going to die, "we" just wanted to let you know".

He takes you upstairs to the ICU. The smell of disinfectant fills your nose and you have the need to gag. But you compose yourself as he takes you to her room. He wont let you go in, but he lets you watch her through the small window in the door.

"In case you don't know," the doctor starts as you continue to stare through the window. "Her anorexia has eaten away most of her. She's been damaged beyond repair and her hypothermia has gone on far too long with out being treated and soon she wont be able to breathe."

"What are you trying to say?" You stubbornly ask, even though you know the answer.

"I'm saying, sir, that we can try to wake her up if you want to say goodbye... but I'm afraid she's just too weak to carry on living." He stands patiently waiting for your answer.

You see the irony in this. Here she lays, surrounded by disease and death, yet she is probably the strongest person in this hospital to last seventeen years of such a shitty life, and can smile about it. Your angry. So fucking angry now. You punch the wall in exasperation. The doctor asks you to calm down and still waits for your answer.

But beeping interrupts your thoughts.

The doctor curses and rushes into her room, yelling for a crash cart.

This is it. This is the end. You've watched her for as long as you can remember, forgoing suffering you can't even begin to imagine. And now, as your punishment, you get to watch her die. There is another doctor and three nurses in the room, using their life saving hands to work their magic, while you stand paralyzed, helpless as usual.

The commotion in the room, along with the aggravating, furious beeping of the machines stop. Replaced by silence and a continuous noise.

Flat line.

Sakura...

You could have helped her. You should have helped all along. But you didn't. Why didn't you help her?

Why?

A/N: Okay so it's finished now. I'm glad it only took two days to write because I didn't want it eating away at me. Hope you enjoyed it, I'll try and write a one-shot if I get a good idea. This was mean to be a one-shot but it was just too long. Anyone have any requests?

Thank you to all those who have read it so far, even though there's only a few, I hope I've kind got the message across.

Please please review, it'll mean a lot to me...

Till next time...

Roux Cherie xxx