Forever's Not Enough

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They had lain on the riverbank the whole night. They were in each others arms. Everything was already perfect but something bothered him. He, Uchiha Sasuke, was ready to marry and propose to her. It might be too sudden but wasn't their love enough proof that they were ready for that step? Also, she had to do those rituals. If not, they risked on having children with only one eye that had the Sharingan.

Sasuke couldn't bear the pressure so he stood up and said, "Sakura, let's go for a walk." Sakura nodded and stood up. Sakura and Sasuke were walking together hand-in-hand. They walked around the forest, as if nothing mattered. They didn't care if the some ninja would attack them. All they knew was that they were together.

When they crossed the bridge, Sasuke said, "Sakura…"

"Hmmm?" Sakura asked him. She stood in front of him and smiled at him.

He knelt down and held her hand. "I want you to marry me and help me rebuilt the clan."

Sakura was shocked, of course. "I… don't… know what to say… It's too sudden…. We just got together and I…"

Sasuke frowned a little and stood up. "If you're not ready, I can wait. We just got together. You just broke up your engagement with Neji… I can wait…"

"I know," Sakura added, "But I'm not turning down your offer…"

Sasuke grinned and jumped. "Yes!" He slipped his arm behind her legs and carried her the way a husband carried his wife. They ran around in Konoha. It wasn't awkward since no one was out during that time of night. They entered Sakura's house and Sasuke let her walk on her legs.

"That was fun," Sakura remarked. "Let's do that some other time. I'm…" She yawned. "…kinda sleepy."

Sasuke hugged her and kissed her forehead. "Good night, my cherry blossom." He turned around and started to walk away.

Sakura instantly hugged him. "Don't leave me."

"I'm just going home," Sasuke answered.

"Stay here with me."

Sasuke smiled and said, "I'll sleep on the couch tonight. You sleep in the bed, okay?"

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(A/N: This part is five days later, okay?)

Neji, Kiba, and Shino reached the Wave Country by ten in the morning. The town was bustling with people because of the upcoming festival. They decided to separate ways to ask about Master Makoto Tsubasa.

"We'll meet at the Wings Hotel," Shino added, "It's the white hotel that Master Tsunade reserved for us before when she gave us the mission." Then, they separated ways.

By nightfall, they met in front of a white establishment. The Wings Hotel was about five stories high and it didn't look big on the outside. When they entered the lobby, it gave a somber ambience to the place. Most of the things were colored white and soft pink. The lights were white though.

The receptionist was a tall woman with a pale complexion. She had pink hair and emerald eyes which reminded Neji of Sakura. When the three Konoha ninjas approached her, she gave them the nicest smile and said, "Welcome to Wings Hotel. How may I help you?"

Neji answered, "Well, Master Tsunade reserved a room here. That room is meant for my comrades and me."

"Master Tsunade of Konoha…." She scanned the lists and smiled. "Room 110 is yours. It's on the second floor." She handed him the key. "If you have any problems, please don't be shy to ask."

Kiba answered, "Since you mention it, we're looking for Master Makoto Tsubasa. Is she famous here?"

"Master Makoto?" The receptionist repeated, "Master Makoto Tsubasa, is it?" The three ninjas nodded. "You're in luck. Did you know that she owns this place?"

"Can we possibly meet her?" Shino enthusiastically asked. If they would be able to do so, their mission was finished and they could go back to Konoha.

"Of course you can. My sister sent for you, right?" A tall woman wearing a pink kimono approached them. She had the same light brown hair and hazel eyes. She looked a little younger and sexier than Master Tsunade.

The three ninjas were astonished. Why? Because their mission was the easiest mission they had done. It seemed like it was all planned that they'd finish at that time.

Master Makoto said, "Come to my office, quick." She turned around and walked. The three ninjas followed her. They entered a room filled with white and pink stuff. It was so obvious that this woman was the total opposite of her sister. This woman was feminine. Master Tsunade was… well, sometimes brutal.

She asked, "What does my darling sister want?" The tone of her voice changed. It seemed like she hated mentioning Master Tsunade.

Shino answered, "Master Tsunade asked us to find you. We're going to bring you back to Konoha."

Master Makoto smirked. "I guess she needed my expertise. After all, Mother gave me her talents in making potions and antidotes. She got our father's talents as a ninja. She's also the Fifth Hokage." She looked at the three ninjas in front of her. "What does she specifically need? She must've told you something."

Neji hesitated but he still continued, "We need something you can make to reverse the Rituals of Transformation." Shino and Kiba just let Neji speak his mind in front of the Hokage's sister.

Master Makoto's brows knitted. "Are you the one who needs it?" She knew that the Hyuuga blood line is strong so every descendant had the Byakugan eyes.

Neji shook his head and answered, "No. Master Tsunade wanted to make sure that just in case it didn't turn out well, we'll always have the antidote."

"Most families have those already. Which advance bloodline are we talking about?" Master Makoto thought of a family that might need the antidote. Her mother made all sorts of antidotes for the Rituals of Transformations.

"The Sharingan," Neji answered.

Master Makoto smiled. "I see. Then, I must go with you immediately. Tomorrow, we shall leave for Konoha." She stood up and said, "You have to tell me everything about this issue, Hyuuga."

Neji nodded and left the room with the others. They entered their hotel room and decided to rest for the night with complete silence.

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(A/N: 5 days later, same time line as the story stated above.)

For the last five days, Sasuke had been staying inside Sakura's house. She didn't want him to leave her anymore. They knew it wasn't right for them to live together. Still, they stayed under the same roof for five whole days.

Sasuke wanted to tell her about the Rituals of Transformation. He wanted to know if she'll do it for him. He knew she loved him but to what extent? He studied the instructions the past few days and he knew that she might not make it.

Sakura thought about Sasuke's proposal five days ago. She wanted to say yes but something's stopping her. She knew that she loved him all her heart and soul. She knew that she longed for him to be with her forever and ever; however, she felt uncertainty.

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The clock struck midnight. Neji tossed and turned in his bed. Shino and Kiba were sleeping soundly on their beds. Akamaru was on the floor, sleeping as well.

Neji couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and wore a bathrobe. He decided to look around. He took one of the keys and walked out of the room.

He went to the lobby and asked the receptionist. "Is there some sort of garden around here?"

A woman in her late thirties answered him, "Yes, there is. Just go left and turn right. Keep going straight until you see a doorway. That's the entrance to the gardens."

"Thank you very much." Neji walked on the left corridor. The corridors were painted pink and white. It was a short corridor since he immediately saw the right corner after walking for five minutes. He turned right and saw the doorway. It took him about fifteen minutes to get there. He opened the door and saw the garden.

The garden was like the Hyuuga Main House's garden – full of plants and had man-made pools and creeks. He saw a small Chinese shed, a Chinese bridge over a creek. The moon was above with the stars. It was very ethereal.

Neji walked toward the bridge and looked at the crystal-clear water. He saw some gold fish swam. It reminded him of another memory of Sakura and him.

It was almost midnight. Two figures walked hand-in-hand over Konoha's famous bridge. One of the figures was a man with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. He had a pale complexion and the famous pale white eyes – the Byakugan. The other figure was a woman with long pink hair and a noticeably large forehead. Her skin was a little darker than the man and her emerald-like orbs glistened as the moonlight shone.

On the bridge, the woman stopped walking and let the man's hand go. He stopped on his tracks and looked back. She was looking at the sky. He approached her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Neji asked his pink-haired girlfriend, "What are you looking at?"

Sakura answered, "I saw a shooting star pass by. I made my wish."

Neji smiled. "I hope your wish comes true. My wish already came true and I couldn't wish for more." He kissed her forehead.

Sakura placed her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad that you're here. I would not have gone this far without you."


Neji's thoughts were cut short when someone said, "You're thinking of your girl back at Konoha, huh?"

Neji turned around and saw Master Makoto. "Oh," he looked back at the water. "She's not my girl anymore."

"Eh?" Master Makoto responded and raised an eyebrow. Master Makoto was wearing a black bathrobe with silver linings. There was a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of sake in the other. She was, after all, Master Tsunade's sister.

"I loved her but when he came back, she left. I was supposed to marry her…" Neji sighed. "If I could only…"

"Well," Master Makoto puffed her cigarette, making a cloud of smoke circle around the bridge. "Tell me about her. She must be some girl, dumping a Hyuuga. Even if you're not the heir, you're still a Hyuuga and that gives you a ton of respect and class. Who is she anyway? Is she Yamanaka's daughter? I heard she's pretty snobby."

"No," Neji answered, "It's Sakura, Haruno Sakura."

"Oh," Master Makoto added, "Is she that girl who was trained by Hatake Kakashi and my sister?"

Neji nodded. "She's the one who's going to perform the Rituals of Transformation. I just want her to be safe, just in case something goes wrong."

"Why would you think something might go wrong?" Master Makoto asked, "Don't you think that they love each other?"

"They do love each other but," Neji paused for a moment, "It's just that a few days together won't cure all those years of being separated…"

"I see your point." Master Makoto said, "Love is so complicated. Those rituals require pure love, if I may add. But even if he said he'll love her forever," She sighed and continued, "Forever isn't enough to prove your love." She asked him, "Would he do anything just to make her happy even if it hurts him? I mean, this Uchiha and Sakura are willing to sacrifice a lot of things just to make this ritual is a success."

Neji just nodded and looked at the water. Then, he said, "Yeah. He'll do anything to make her happy…"

Master Makoto looked at him. She didn't know how Neji gave up for Sakura to be with Sasuke but she could see the sadness in his eyes. "You really do love her, don't you?"

Neji looked at her hazel eyes and answered sincerely, "Yes. I love her with all my heart. I'm willing to do anything just for her." Neji calmed down a little after seeing a smile from Master Makoto.

"I see." Master Makoto started to walk away. Neji looked at her. Then, she stopped and said, "Look, I'll help you because you love this girl. I'm not doing this for Tsunade, got that?"

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Back at Konoha, Sasuke sat on the couch, reading a scroll he got from his old house. It was the scroll for the last step of the Rituals of Transformation.

Sakura was humming to herself as she made chicken yakitori. She was frying it in the pan and her humming was in perfect harmony with the sizzling of the yakitori. She left the pan for a moment and took out a pink and a blue bowl, and two pairs of chopsticks from the cupboard.

She placed some rice on the two bowls. Then, she looked at the yakitori. It was cooked already so she turned off the flames and placed the hot yakitori on the bowls. She chimed, "Dinner's ready."

Sasuke put down the scroll and smiled at his cherry blossom. Sakura placed the blue bowl in front of him and that was the time she saw the scroll. She pointed, "What's that scroll about, Sasuke?"

Sasuke held the scroll tight but he said, "Nothing, Sakura." He rolled the scroll and placed it on the floor.

Sakura frowned. "You're being secretive again, Sasuke. You promised me we won't be secretive anymore, that we'd share the sweet and sour sides of life." Sakura sat down and silently poked her food.

Sasuke looked at her sad face. "Okay, I'll tell you after dinner."

Sakura looked at him and smiled. She held his right hand. "Trust me, okay?" Sasuke nodded and they continued to eat with complete silence.

A few minutes later, they finished eating and Sakura cleaned the plates. They decided to walk on the outskirts of the village. Once they reached the red bridge, both were nostalgic about the place. It was full of fond memories during the old times.

"Sasuke," Sakura asked him, "what's the scroll about? You told me that you'll tell me after dinner…"

Sasuke looked at her emerald eyes. "You see, my family had the Sharingan through the ages. They were able to preserve it in our blood by marrying someone with Sharingan eyes too or turning someone into an Uchiha by a ritual." He paused for a moment and took both of her hands. "In order for us to have children without eye abnormalities like Sir Kakashi, you have to undergo my family's Rituals of Transformation. It's pretty hard, and I might lose you. I don't want to lose you, Sakura. If you changed, I might…."

Sakura put one of her fingers over his lips and looked into his onyx eyes. "I'll make it through. I promise. Even if I change, I would still be Sakura."

Sasuke argued, "If anything happens to you, I'll…"

Sakura hugged him and whispered, "Don't worry about me. I love you. I'm sure that you'll be there by my side once this is over."

Sasuke hugged her back and whispered, "You still have time to back out…"

Sakura inched away and said sincerely, "I'm not backing out for something I want to do. I want to be with you forever."

Sasuke smiled and made her go nearer his body. He inched forward and kissed her lips. Sakura kissed her back and wrapped her arms around her. It was a perfect setting for a happy ending. It was a perfect moment that should last forever. The moon was bright with the stars. The cold wind passed by and the only witnesses to this marvel of love was nature and two people watching them. One was sitting on the branch of the tree. The other was standing on the branch.

"Young love…" Sir Kakashi sighed. "I just hope that was enough for the rituals."

"It might be." Master Tsunade added, "Let's just hope those kids got Makoto. We'll need her to be the back-up, just in case something goes wrong."

Both of them grew silent and nodded. They immediately left their location and went back inside the walls of Konoha.

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Author's Notes:

I'm sorry this took a long-long time. I need inspiration and found it. Hahahaha. I would want to thank the two reviewers, invaderpixie and Aznkizz, for reviewing Chapter 4. I hope that I'll get something like 5 for this chapter but if not, it's okay as well. I can't force people to read my work.

Now, maybe, just maybe, this story is almost over. I guess about two-three more chapters and the epilogue. :sniff: Hehehe.

Preview for Chapter 6: Too Late to Change

"Sakura…"

"We're too late!"

"Sakura, why?"

That's about it. Please review.

Standard Disclaimer Apply.