title: It Was Always You
prompt: SASUSAKU MONTH 2014
rating: T-M

summary: o21: Sasuke asks for a few more moments to spend with Sakura before she leaves him for good.

dedicated to: my girls reviee, DeepPoeticGirl, and SR :)

.o21.
Rewind the Time

Sasuke was used to the lonely sounds of a hospital room. The only sounds came from the machine holding on to the lonely thread of life Sakura had left.

She looked like shit.

Her skin was deathly pale, and her eyes no longer shone with that ferocity he loved so much. Her pink hair seemed to dim considerably into a grayish-red, and her voice was no longer the same voice that used to tell him how much she loved him every night.

Despite what she looked like, she was still his Sakura. He still loved her more than anything else in the world, and while he gripped her limp hand in his firm, strong one, his eyes pleaded with hers.

"Please," he begged, although he was certain that she couldn't hear him. The nurses had come in and given her more medication, and Sakura's conscience was starting to fade in and out. Nevertheless, Sasuke had never left her side once, except when forced out of the building by security.

"Please, baby, don't do this to me," Sasuke said. He felt tears at the back of his eyes threatening to fall, but he swore to himself that Sakura's last memories of him would not be him crying. He was her rock, her strength, and if he crumbled…well, that was reason enough for her to end it all, too.

Sakura amassed all of her strength to tilt her head slightly so that she could see Sasuke. She gave a weak smile, and he could see the past Sakura aching to reach out and kiss him.

"You're going to be okay," he said, although they both knew that was a complete lie. He gripped her hand even harder for his own sake, as if to let himself know that Sakura was still with him. Still.

"I don't—" she began. Her voice was weak, and Sasuke knew it pained her to get even the smallest sound out. The fact that she was trying to talk to him made his heart swell.

"Yeah, Sakura?" he said, urging her to continue.

"I don't think I'm going to make it."

Sasuke felt his heart sink back into his stomach. He loosened the grip on her hand and fell back into his seat, his eyes empty. Sakura, the love of his life, the one who helped him get through everything, had given up.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," she whispered. Tears welled at her eyes, and she had no control over them .They fell freely under the tubes in her nose and into her mouth. Sasuke didn't have the energy to wipe them away.

"Don't you dare give up on me, Sakura," Sasuke snarled. "You can do this. Fight, Sakura. Where's the strong girl I loved so much?"

Sakura shook her head. "She's not here anymore, Sasuke-kun. She already died a long time ago."

"SAKURA!" he shouted in anger. "Don't say that—"

"You know it's true."

Sasuke buried his face in his hands. "Sakura, please don't leave me like this. Don't you dare leave me like this. I thought you loved me!"

Sakura choked. "I do love you. I love you more than anything."

"Then you'll fight. You'll stay alive."

Sakura used all the strength she could muster to reach for his hand. She curled her fingers around his and gave him another weak smile.

"You must remember all the memories we've shared together. Not just the good ones. Remember the bad ones, too. All our silly little fights and arguments and the times we thought we weren't going to make it but did. Remember those. Cherish them."

"I will," he promised.

"Then find someone new to make memories with," she continued.

Sasuke stared at her with astonished eyes. Sakura, who had gotten jealous over any other woman showing attention to Sasuke, was now telling him to love someone else?

He knew that she really felt like she was at her end.

"No," he growled. "Absolutely not. I made a promise to you that it would only be you in my heart. No one else. There can be no one else."

"You say that now," she said. "But once I'm actually—" she struggled to find the correct word, but couldn't. "You'll feel lonely, and I can't let you beat yourself up over me. I would want you to be happy."

"I just want you."

Sakura's motions became more and more tense. It became harder for her to speak and to move, and Sasuke knew that there was very little time left before…he gulped. He couldn't bring himself to accept the fact that the person he cared about so much would soon drift from his grasp into nothingness.

"Where did all the time go?" he murmured, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "It only seemed like yesterday we were laughing over which sheets to get for our new bed and then me taking you on it."

He gripped her hand in his once more and stared up, closing his eyes. He let the tears fall and began to cry.

"God," he begged. "Please. Please, let me just rewind the time. That's all I ask of you. Rewind the time so that I can cherish those precious moments I had with Sakura. Let her be Sakura one more time."

Sakura's eyes had closed. The machine was still beeping, but very weakly. He knew it was almost time.

Gently, he lifted her and moved her to the side of the bed. He carefully stepped in, sadly smiling to himself as he wrapped his arms around her waist. It reminded him of their first bed in college; small, cramped, and smelly.

"I love you," he said. "More than you know."

"Aa," she replied. It was enough to let Sasuke know she felt the same way. He wrapped his arms tighter around her fragile body and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Go to sleep, baby," he whispered. He, too, closed his own eyes, and allowed himself to pretend once more. He was Sasuke, she was Sakura—the Sakura he had known and loved so well.

They were at their wedding.

They had just had their daughter.

Then she had her own lovable children, which Sakura doted on a little too much for Sasuke's liking.

"Kami," Sasuke cursed, feeling tears sting his cheeks. "More time, please, please…"

Sasuke's ears perked when the machine's hopeful hum stopped. He choked, tightening his grip around Sakura's waist even more firmly, although it was no use.

"Sakura," he sobbed. "Where did the time go?"

What even is tragedy and angst and how do I do it