Fallen Petals
by Diana-san

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 2

'Sasuke--'

The room began to spin as Sakura fell down to the floor on her knees. She felt suffocated like the world is crowding in on her. Sakura's heart pounded against her chest as she winced in pain. She didn't know where the pain from, only that it seemed to be coming from everywhere. She tried to hold back tears but couldn't as tears cascade down her cheeks and onto the floor.

'Sasuke…is this how you are feeling right now? Pain everywhere?'

Sakura felt light-headed as she held her grip harder on the carpet of the floor.

"SAKURA!" Tsunade cried out. "Are you alright?"

Sakura shook her head, not in response to the question, but to clear her head. 'No! I refuse to let Sasuke die.'

Sakura managed to lift herself up from the ground and stand up. Her legs were shaking and she couldn't stand up as straight. Sakura looked up from the floor and into Tsunade's eyes. The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes had a look of determination in them as she tried to summon her voice to speak.

"Sasuke won't die."

Tsunade smiled. "Then you better hurry."

Sakura turned around and walked to the door. She opened it and without looking back, she ran as fast as she could to the hospital.

'Hang in there, Sasuke. I won't let you die.'

Tsunade clasped her hands together and rested her chin on them as she stared out the window. 'Sakura, I tried to help him but it's no use. Only you can save him. Only you can save Sasuke.'

Sakura reached the hospital and ran through the wide double doors that lead into the lobby of the hospital. Without a pause in her running, she ran to the Intensive Care Unit, the only possible place where Sasuke could be.

'Hang on Sasuke. I'm coming.'

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

"How is he doing?"

"Not good. His breathing is irregular and he's losing lots of blood."

"What do we do sir, then?"

"There is nothing we can do. Just hope that the Hokage sent the girl here."

"Do you really think the girl could save him? Even the Hokage herself couldn't."

"We just have to see, won't we?"

The doors to the room burst opened as the pink-haired medic-nin stepped inside. With her monstrous strength, the doors almost flew out of their hinges but they remained intact.

Sakura panted for she had ran the whole way there. Her emerald eyes scanned the room and landed on the body lying on the ground. She walked slowly to where Sasuke laid inside a green chakra circle. Sakura looked at Sasuke who had a ventilator on his mouth to help him breathe. Sasuke had no shirt on and Sakura could see that there were a significant amount of injuries all over his body. Every second and now, Sasuke would wince in pain as if he was hurting. Sakura stared at him. The sight of him in pain made her heart lurch.

"Sasuke?" Sakura whispered softly as if he would respond. She waited to see if Sasuke would wake up and smirk at her and then tell her that she was annoying. When he didn't, she crouched down next to him and brought her hand and tousled his dark spiky locks absentmindedly. She stared into the distance as she sat there beside him. Slowly, she brought her hands and placed them above what seem to be Sasuke's biggest injury. She concentrated as chakra began to flow to her hands and a green glow emerged from it. Using every bit of chakra she could muster, her hands glowed brighter as she tried to heal Sasuke's wounds and injuries. 'Sasuke.'

There was no response from Sasuke except for a deep moan as if he was in pain again.

She bent her head down to where Sasuke's heart was and listened for his heartbeat. It was beating faster and faster as if time was running out. Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated harder as the chakra flowed gently down to her hands and the green glow grew even more enormous than before. But, just like last time, there were no results except for a deep moan escaping from Sasuke's lips. She raised her head up and tears formed underneath her emerald eyes.

'Why? Why? Why am I so helpless? I trained and trained under the guidance and help from Tsunade-same just so I can get stronger and help and rescue Sasuke and not be a burden to anyone anymore. Now, when Sasuke desperately needs my help, I can't do anything!'

The tears fell down Sakura's cheeks and landed on Sasuke's bare chest. One by one, the tears dropped down like droplets dripping down from a broken faucet.

'Sakura, you surpassed Tsunade-sama . You became what you wanted to be. An excellent medic-nin. You helped people and even saved their lives. But you can't even save the one person you want to save the most. You really are weak.'

Sasuke's hand then started to move and it grasped onto one of Sakura's glowing chakra hands. The sudden movement made Sakura lift her head up in surprise. "Sasuke!" she cried out. She looked at Sasuke's pale face with relief in her eyes.

But, Sasuke made no reaction. He laid still as if he never moved his hand at all. Sakura stared intently at his face. The face that she stared at so many times. Times when he was happy, when he was upset, angry, depressed, or annoyed. Whatever the emotion was, he was always there for her. Saving her from danger, rescuing her when she needed help, whenever she was in trouble he was always there to save her.

Sakura tightened her grip on Sasuke's hand and wiped her tears away with her other hand. With her free hand, she started to transfer all her chakra to his wound. She squeezed her eyes and tightened her grip on Sasuke's hand. She was exhausted from her overuse of chakra but she knew she couldn't give up.

'If you're not giving up Sasuke, then neither am I.'

Sasuke needs her now. She can't give up. Not when his life in on the line. She set her lips in a grim line as she concentrated harder.

"Please, please let this work," Sakura whispered.