Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Bring Me To Life

Summary: After Sasuke left, Sakura didn't know what her purpose in life was anymore. Her presence has becoming nothing. When three years pass, Sasuke comes back to Konoha. At his return, Sakura is at a mix of emotions. "Save Me From The Nothing I've Become."

Chapter 12 – Alive

((SFX: beep… beep… beep… ))

Sakura felt tears well up in her large sea green eyes when she saw the display that was monitoring his heart beep with pulses. However, despite this fact, Sai's words continued to echo in her head, to her discomfort.

"The pulse could be easily lost in a matter of seconds."

She kept her stare diligently on the screen of the machine keeping his heart rate. His pulse was beating every thirty seconds.

If… this pulse dies… Sakura thought, an unconscious frown marring her pretty face. I'm tired of getting my hopes up only for them to be crushed…

Tsunade continued watching the monitor meticulously, keeping her focus on the sole object as Naruto continued pressing his hands, one placed over the other, on Sasuke's chest. His hands pushed against where his heart was located, continuing with high hopes to get a faster pulse.

"Tsunade-baachan, is he – is he alive yet?" the blonde bellowed, one cerulean eye coming to a close as he felt his stamina slowly but steadily wearing down.

"… Can you continue this for another ten minutes, Naruto?" the Godaime gradually replied, averting her golden almond gaze to him.

Naruto smiled sheepishly at the question, "Of course I can!"

However, it was clearly evident that the poor boy was exhausted, his muscles draining from energy as he had kept working the maneuver for four hours – and counting – continuously, with a minimal break in proceedings.

"Don't overexert yourself, Naruto," the blonde sannin warned quietly.

Naruto nodded, but regardless he applied even more pressure against the lifeless form of the Uchiha than he was pumping prior to.

Ten minutes had passed, and the Jinchuuriki felt as though his arms were ready to fall right out of their sockets.

"Well?" he asked anxiously, a few pants escaping his throat.

Sasuke's pulse was beating every thirty seconds before, but now it presently was pulsating every twenty seconds.

At this fact, thick lashes lowered over emerald eyes, feeling her heart skip a beat nervously.

"Tsunade-shishou, how could his pulse… slow down?"

Her mentor frowned at the question. "Maybe, his mind doesn't have a will to live," she spoke slowly, somberly, gold eyes flickering over to the green-eyed girl. "… I'm not sure there's any more we can do. If he wants to stop living, we can't force his body to still live."

Sakura felt her body turn stiff at the information. "He… doesn't have a will… to live, anymore… ?" she repeated, so slow and quiet her voice seemed inaudible.

Naruto ceased putting pressure against the Uchiha's heart, letting his overly exhausted arms drop to his sides. "What the hell do you mean he doesn't want to live anymore?!" the Jinchuuriki shouted, taking in mouthfuls of air as he panted. "He still has a goal – he'd do anything to reach that…!"

Sai, a blank demeanor etched across his expression, calmly walked beside the raven-haired shinobi. Obsidian eyes flashed over, then dropped back to Sasuke.

"As I said, this was a complete waste of time and energy," the artist murmured in a matter-of-fact tone.

Sakura turned towards the Godaime, looking at the blonde sannin wretchedly. "Tsunade… shishou… ?"

"Don't look at me like that, Sakura. There's not much I can do… Sasuke's survival depends on him, Naruto's already done all he can do."

Pants continued escaping the said male's throat, but the blonde managed to muster a glare at his best friend. "Godammit, Sasuke-teme – you have a will to live! What about your revenge?!" He gripped Sasuke tightly by the shoulders, pulling his unmoving body up in a sitting position as he shook his shoulders roughly. "Think about Sakura-chan!"

Nothing.

Naruto growled loudly in frustration, "You… you bastard. How could you do this to us?! Even when you're…" He whisked his head to the side, blonde bangs hovering over his eyes, hiding his expression. His teeth gritted against one another roughly, his jaw clenching tight with an audible click. "…Damn you… Damn you to hell!" Angry tears began streaming down his whiskery face. "Damn you… damn you…!"

Sakura felt tears well at the corner of her eyes at Naruto's display of emotions.

Oh, Naruto…

Sai frowned, "He is a traitor. Born one, and remained one. He turned his back on Konoha when he was alive, and he turns his back on you, even beyond death—"

((SFX: slap!!))

Sakura had heard enough. Her body moved on a will of it's own, acting on instinct as she had stomped over to Sai, arm raised and before she knew it her palm coming bruising contact with his pale cheek. Her mouth was saying something, and it took her a few moments to comprehend what she was speaking of.

"Shut up, Sai… Just shut up! Sasuke-kun didn't turn his back on us, and he isn't a traitor!"

Memories of the night Sasuke left her on the bench, cold and alone, flowed into her mind, flashing visions at her.

Sai made no sign of pain from Sakura's hit. He merely stared at her with hollow obsidian black eyes.

"You know I'm right, which is why you responded to my words in anger. You just don't want to realize the truth." His empty dark eyes blinked slowly. "He hurts you, even after death. Just let him go, and you'll cope about this easier. You're making a mistake, keeping your hopes up for the inevitable."

The words stung not only Sakura, but Naruto as well. The kunoichi could feel hurt pulling at her heartstrings.

Soon, Naruto shouted in frustration, hands that were on the shoulders of Sasuke's body letting go of the grip before pivoting on his heel, storming out of the hospital. Emerald eyes followed his movement sadly, whilst the black-haired painter beside her watched the blond with no trace of emotion marked across his face.

"At least someone understands," Sai muttered, his comment directed towards Sakura, before turning and following Naruto outside the hospital.

Tsunade walked over to Sakura, gently placing her hand on her student's shoulder. "Sakura, I hate to admit this, but what Sai said is right. Would you like to go outside?"

Stillness.

Silence.

Sakura didn't move a muscle for a few minutes. Then, her head slowly nodded, numbly.

"I— …I'm going to stay here, " she murmured quietly, in an eventual reply to her mentor's question.

The Godaime nodded, briskly. "Leave whenever you like."

After all, Tsunade knew what it was like to lose a loved one. She lost her brother and the love of her life, which lead her to empathize with the green-eyed kunoichi.

Sakura slowly walked over to Sasuke's corpse, her hand reaching out and pulling an idle chair nearby before positioning it where the Uchiha's unmoving body lay, beside him. She gently raised her hand and laced her fingers through his, mentally wincing at how cold and unhealthily pale his hand was in contrast to her warm one.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun…" she whispered, dejectedly. "This wouldn't have happened if you didn't leave… again… "

((SFX: drip… drip…drip…))

Silent tears escaped her eyes once more, but she made no move to wipe them away, letting them fall to the ground with a soft splattering sound from the water hitting the tiled floor.

Her other hand, that wasn't holding his own, moved to stroke the side of his pale face gently, tenderly.

"If you just saw how strong we had become… you would've stayed and none of this…" She paused and choked on a sob. "Naruto's hurt because you're gone, Sasuke-kun. Kakashi sensei's hurting too, I'm sure. Tsunade-shishou said that you lost the pulse Naruto was so desperately trying to give you, because your body didn't want it… "

Her fingers continued to gingerly caress his face, her fingertips running down his the smooth, chiseled feature of his cheekbone.

"You have so much to live for… why'd you throw it all away?"

Realization dawned her when she noticed that she was only speaking to a lifeless body.

She mentally let out a bitter laugh, Look at me… talking to a corpse… it's not like he can hear anything.

Nevertheless, she felt the need to continue.

"I loved you so much, Sasuke-kun… " Sakura prolonged quietly, her grasp on his hand unconsciously tightening gravely. "So much. It killed me when you left. I felt lonely because Naruto left soon after, even Kakashi-sensei. I had no one… for two and a half years… " Sakura laughed softly, bitterly. "Then Naruto came back to Konoha, stronger than ever. Kakashi-sensei came back too, it was like Team Kakashi again…" She smiled weakly at the memory. "But… without you though, and that's where it really hurt."

Her smile instantly fell from her face.

"When you came back, you have no idea what I felt…" Another smile, this time laced with sadness, spread across her pretty porcelain face. "All these emotions ran through my body. I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about you anymore…"

Her body flinched. She could have sworn she had just seen Sasuke's body stir, the smallest budge. She blinked her large sea green eyes furiously at the thought. Then, thick lashes hovered over jade irises. She firmly decided it was her imagination, pushing—or forcing—the very thought to the back of her mind. She was tired of raising her hopes, only to have them crushed again.

She took a small breath, and continued, slowly and calmly.

"I felt… almost whole again, to have all of Team Kakashi standing on the same training grounds once more. Like everything was the same back when we were twelve, except we have Sai now, too." The pink-haired girl let out a small sigh. "I thought you weren't going to leave again, and you changed like the way you changed your appearance and your power… but… you never really changed."

Her eyes closed, lips curving to a beautiful, acerbic smile.

"You still thought this village was weak, right, Sasuke-kun?" She stifled her growing sob, biting her lip hard. "You still thought we were all weak… Naruto, Kakashi-sensei… and me… I worked like hell to get stronger for you. To get enough power to bring you back, keep you here, and most importantly get acknowledged by you. So I wouldn't look like a weak little kunoichi anymore, and would be considered a real, powerful kunoichi." Her throat choked out a sob, quietly. "And. before I got a chance to sh-show you… you… "

You… died! she finished mentally, ultimately unable to conceal her emotions as she felt herself breaking down. Her body hunched over, and she began furiously crying hard on his chest.

She hated how she remembered herself in the same position when she saw all the senbon through Sasuke's body back when they went on the mission to the Land of the Waves during their second fight with Zabuza. She hated how that back then, she easily believed that he was dead because of his physical injuries. And, most of all, she loathed that he woke up that time, and didn't wake up meekly calling her name this time. Presently, currently.

Because the truth hurt, and man, did it hurt.

"Why did you have to die, Sasuke-kun?" she sobbed on his chest quietly, her little hands clenching into tight balls of fists.

She told herself to stop crying, that real shinobi hide their emotions and don't let it affect them. Her body wouldn't listen to her mind, however, as it continued spilling tears on Sasuke's chest. Sakura felt something stir under her, and felt herself lift her head subconsciously, sniffling softly. She spoke her thoughts.

"Wha – What was… ?"

Her voice immediately ceased, her eyes widening like saucers.

She was staring at Sasuke's pale, handsome face, and was more than shocked when she saw two onyx orbs staring back, heavy-lidded at her.

"Sa… kura… "

His voice was raspy and incredibly low, quiet.

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, and she realized nothing came out. After a few minutes of silence, she finally cried out:

"Sasuke-kun?!"