Never Too Late
Pt. 3: Believe in the Unbelievable

Before Sasuke could even move or think of anything to say the girl vanished in a swirl of cherry blossoms. He sank to his knees and caught one of the blossoms. His forgotten wound flared up and darkness consumed him.

Naruto felt a family flare of chakara and inwardly cursed. He knew that he should have went somewhere crowded so the girl couldn't find him, too late now, however. A swirl of cherry blossoms was his only warning before something heavy came crashing down on his head. Staring dazedly at the fuming female standing over him he smiled weakly.
"Is something wrong Sakura-chan?" he asked innocently.
"Naruto," she sighed heavily, "Tsunade, told you that he couldn't see me until my mission was completed."
"Isn't it?" Naruto asked softly.
"It will be soon enough."
"Sakura-chan I'm sorry... I didn't..."
"It's all right Naruto," she sighed heavily. "I have to go. And Naruto go get Sasuke his wound looks really bad."
The pinked hair girl vanished in a swirl of cherry blossoms. Naruto grumbled softly before heading out to retrieve his fallen comrade.

Sasuke came awake with a pounding headache. The room he was in wasn't his own or one he recognized. A familiar face came to view as his vision cleared.
"Dobe," Sasuke growled. "She's alive."
"What? Who, Teme?"
"Sakura is alive."
Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Um about that Sasuke..."
"You just told me that she was dead."
"People would think it was suspicious that you didn't react badly to her death and rape at your brother's hands."
"What the hell would I care what other people think dobe," he growled.
"Tsunade wanted her to remain dead for a time until Sakura's mission... oops."
"What mission Naruto?"
"Wow you just called me by my first name. The world is going to end," Naruto joked.
"Dobe," Sasuke snarled. "Tell me what the hell is going on."
"Sakura was sent on a mission a few days after Itachi came at her insistence. Her wounds weren't that serious, but Tsunade wanted people to think Sakura was dead so she could complete her mission without getting the missing nin status stamped on her."
"She didn't go after..."
The look on Naruto's face told him all that he needed to know. Sasuke struggled to rise.
"You need rest Sasuke. Sakura can take care of herself. She's become more than what any one here expected. She's changed whether it be for the good or the bad has yet to remain seen. Sleep, you can berate her when she comes back."
Sasuke didn't give him another word as darkness consumed him. The Uchiha didn't wake up for two days. His wounds were on a clear path of healing. Naruto watched over Sasuke vigilantly for Sakura even though he knew Sakura wouldn't want to be near Sasuke for awhile the fear was still fresh in her mind from Itachi. She'd never fear Sasuke purposely, but Naruto was still worried about Sakura. He saw Sasuke groan and open his eyes blinking a few times.
"Dobe?" he rasped. "Is she back?"
"Not yet."
The Uchiha weakly threw aside the covers trying to get up.
"Sasuke stay down for once."
The familiar smell of cherry blossoms filled the room as a familiar swirl entered the area. Sakura looked worse for wear. Her clothes had tears, blood splotches and dirt smudges all over. There was a smudge of dirt and blood smeared across her cheek. Her hair had streaks of red through them.
"Sakura, is it finish?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke was to in shock of the state of his cherry blossom to even comment. She nodded weakly and then threw a familiar headband on Sasuke's lap. The band had a blood smear on it.
"It's done."
Her shoulder's sagged as the weight of what she had done weighed down upon her shoulders. "Tsunade requests your presence Sasuke to make sure that the job was done. Once you're feeling better that is. Now if you will excuse me I have an intense need to sleep."
She vanished without hearing if there was anything to be said. Sasuke made to get up.
"Teme go see Tsunade first. Then come back to here I want to speak with you before you go see Sakura."
Sasuke reluctantly nodded and he rose and freshened himself up before meeting with Tsunade. He was allowed to check over the body and was completely sure that his brother was in fact dead. A new rage swept over him as he viewed his brother's body. That bitch had taken away his revenge. His feelings for her did a 180. An undescribable hate began to race through him. A familiar tingling in his neck reminded him that the bite mark on his shoulder was still there. Even beyond the grave Orochimaru was still trying to control him. Sasuke began to fight with his darker side.
"Sasuke?" a voice called to him from the darkness ahead.
Shaking his head he looked at the intruder it was Naruto.
"What dobe?" he growled.
"I was wondering what was keeping you. I told you to come talk with me once you were done..."
He noticed the black marks starting to adorn his pale skin. "Sasuke before you go ballistic you need to understand why she did what she did."
"And what's that? To piss me off?"
"No, she did it for you and for me. Even for those he hurt in the past. Because of Itachi you couldn't live a good life."
"What if I don't want a good life?" he snarled. "Maybe I wanted to continue to wallow in my hatred and anger."
Naruto shook his head in pity.
"Then you're a fool. You can't see any thing Sasuke Uchiha, anything at all. She'll wait for you forever if that's what it takes to get you to see her in any light but an annoyance. Teme I'm not blind I know you care for her if not love her."
Naruto watched the black marks recede and the red vanish from Sasuke's eyes. The blonde sighed in relief. Naruto loved Sakura, but whether he wanted it or not Sakura belonged to Sasuke. The idiot was about to throw something away that made life worth living for.
"What would you know?" Sasuke asked softly.
"I know that two people are dying without their other half. She needs you Sasuke and that's all I have to say to you on that subject."
The kitsune snorted and then vanished in a cloud of gray smoke. The Uchiha heir stood there contemplating things for a moment. Shaking his head he pushed chakara in his legs and leapt off towards where ever. He found himself sitting on Sakura's window seal. She had left the window open to let the cool breeze drift in. She was sleeping peacefully under the blankets. Her chest raising and falling in the gentle throws of sleep. Her body had been cleaned from the gruesome fight from before. A slight bruise adorned her cheek just at the jaw bone. His anger spiked at her and his brother. Most at Itachi because he hit his cherry blossom. His eyes bled crimson for a moment before calming himself down. Itachi had been taken care of. What confused Sasuke the most how it had happened. Since he had been no match for his brother and yet this girl who had been weaker than him and an annoyance had beaten the older Uchiha heir.
"Sasuke you can stop staring at me now," her sleepy voice broke his musings.
The Uchiha stepped into the room and stood beside the window.
"He could have killed you."
She sat up and the blankets slid down to reveal a white tank top.
"It was a possibility I had accepted as part of the deal going out there."
"Then why risk it?" he snarled.
"It was either win or die trying."
"Damn it didn't you think that people wanted you alive?"
"Sasuke," she sighed softly. "I'm here aren't I? Didn't you think I took into account of those I love? Itachi could have murdered you easily Sasuke in the weakened state you were in."
"I can take care of myself."
She winced at his statement and looked into his eyes. He saw the hurt in them.
"And I can't? Sasuke, I'm not the same little girl that was apart of Team 7. I don't need to be rescued all the time."
He sat down on the end of the bed facing her. She brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. Her chin resting on them to make room for him to sit cross legged in front of her. Sighing heavily Sasuke looked down knowing she was right. Though his darker side was telling him to cause her pain for going behind his back and taking away what he had yearned for ever since he walked in on his parents deaths. He shut that voice up with a quick snarl in his mind. He was so deep in his musing that he hadn't noticed Sakura moving forward to try and look him in his eyes. She had whispered his name softly. Looking up he smiled softly. Leaning forward he kissed her softly on the lips. She pulled back first. There wasn't a blush staining her cheeks even though he expected. He guessed that she had really grown out of the fan girl attitude that she had when they were younger.
"I did it so you wouldn't leave us anymore."
"Us?" he asked.
"You're friends Sasuke."
He didn't think he deserved anything after what he had done before, epesically the girl sitting right in front of him. "What's wrong Sasuke?"
"Sakura, I..."
Before he could get his words out the pink haired girl pulled him into a hug. It took him a moment to realize what was happening sighing in defeat once he got his wits back he wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and laid his head against her shoulder. His lips were resting against her collar bone. She shivered as his warm breath washed over her neck. Sasuke smirked knowing that he liked this holding her stuff.
"You don't have to say anything Sasuke, not until you're ready to say what you have to."
"I want to say what I have to now. Sakura I want you to marry me."
She pulled back. A sad look on her face. "Sakura?" he asked concern lacing his voice.
He couldn't help the hurt that ran through him.
"Sasuke. I..."
"You're not pregnant are you?"
"No," she said softly. "I guess I better show you."
She lifted up her shirt. There was heavily bandaged wrapped around her ribs. He reached up and clenched his fist as he almost touched her.
"What..."
"Itachi broke a few of my ribs and placed a curse on me."
"Those can heal and what curse?"
She shook her head weakly.
"I won't live long enough to allow them to heal."
She pulled up the bottom bandages. Sasuke winced knowing exactly what was placed on Sakura. It was a slow killing curse. She would last a week at most.
"No one knows how to undo it."
Sasuke pulled her forward and kissed her harder knowing that there was a chance he'd never be able to kiss her again. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes.
"We have about a week or so."
"We?" she asked softly.
"I'm going to find some way to break this on you."
"Sasuke don't..."
"Don't?"
"Get my hopes up. You better go Sasuke, I need rest."
"Sakura..."
She shook her head and laid back. "Can I stay here?"
"Mmmhh..." she murmured softly as she got under the covers.
The girl didn't even start as Sasuke got under the covers and wrapped his arms around her waist and cuddled closer to her. His nose was buried in her pink locks. Both teens fell asleep for once comforted by an each others presence.