Holding Her Last Breath: Just 3 Days

Hey, back with Chapter 2. As I said in the previous chapter, you guys won't get anything until after the 15th, so I decided to give you guys this as compensation

000000000000000000000000000

Sasuke decided to take a walk to cool down. The previous scenes played back in his head again. When she said his name with the suffix Sakura had used, he completely lost it and completely acted on impulse; which…wasn't a good move at all. He nearly knocked down Hinata for Christ's sake!

"Don't ever call me that again, wench."

He was lucky he wasn't being apprehended by ANBU for doing such a thing. He could've killed the woman and he didn't know her.

I love you, Sasuke-kun.

What was he saying? He had nothing to be sorry about. It was the woman's own fault for not following Sakura's rule. She and Ino told every woman in the village that no one was to call him 'Sasuke-kun' or they'd face her wrath.

Though he didn't say much about it, he was amused by this action. It wasn't a joke, she was entirely serious. It made him happy when he realized just how protective she was of him. But of course, he was too much of a fool to realize that he should've said how he felt about it. He was sure she died of an aching heart; doubtful of what his true feelings for her were.

If only he had more time with her…

Sasuke sat down on a park bench looking up at the sky with sad eyes. He clasped his hands in front of him and stared down at the ground. He wasn't very religious, but at that moment, he prayed with everything he had; if the heavens of God or whoever was there was listening, he would give anything to show Sakura that she meant more to him than she thought. That if he would've swallowed his pride, he would've been able to tell her that she alone filled the gap where his family had been.

But of course, nothing would change. Sasuke was still was sitting there alone on the park bench, and Sakura was still dead. What was he thinking? Did he think that if he prayed as hard as he could, she'd magically come back to him? If that were the case, he would've prayed as hard as he possibly could so the Uchiha clan would still be alive right now. His mother, Mikoto would know what to do to cure his aching heart. Or what he could've done while Sakura was still alive; before he asked her to move in with him. She always did.

When he burned the corners of his mouth and chin for tirelessly working on the Katon: Gokakkyu no jutsu in hopes of pleasing his father she had been there; applying burn cream to his face. And when he began to feel inferior to Itachi and began to doubt his father's love, she comforted him; adding that the only one Fugaku ever talked about was him.

Sasuke could see it clearly.

"Sasuke-kun, you're upset about something. Ne?" Mikoto would ask, finding him out on the pier where he spent hours practicing to please his father and sat beside him. Though she would be older, her beauty seemed ageless. Along with her smile.

The Uchiha boy would allow a stiff nod, allowing his mother to play mind games with him; yet she knew exactly what was wrong with him. "Let me see…what could possibly be bothering my son? Did one of your fan-girls try to steal a lock of your hair again? Perhaps Itachi stepped in the tomato patch again?"

"Okaa-sama." Sasuke mumbled irritably. The woman would chuckle. "Gomen, gomen. Just having a little fun. Why do you torment that poor Haruno girl, Sasuke-kun?"

"Torment…?"

His mother would frown, which she rarely did unless one of her sons neglected his homework or chores. "You know what I'm talking about! The poor girl wants the love and attention you don't give her. She's probably thinking that she's nothing more than a burden or an annoyance to you."

"…How do I show her…I-care?" He asked. Mikoto would smile at this and poke his chest with a finger. "Follow that thing in your chest called your heart. It wouldn't hurt to open it a little. I know you like to keep to yourself, but when you have a girlfriend you have to think about her feelings too. Alright?"

Sasuke would smile lightly. "Aah."

"That's my boy."

Because he was so wrapped up in his thoughts, Sasuke didn't realize it had gotten dark. Slowly, he stood up and walked to his house, but on the way it started to rain. He stopped and looked up once more. "Are you crying;seeing me like this, Sakura, Okaa-san?" he asked hoarsely as he continued home.

When he got home, he kicked off his soaked shoes and went to take a shower, allowing the water to beat down on his skin.

His mind wandered, remembering the first time he had gotten in the shower with Sakura. She was surprised, but slowly was won over by his arousal. Sasuke could almost feel her warm body against his skin, feeling his face and arms, making it harder and harder for him to control himself as he pushed her against one of the walls. Sasuke heard her moans and whines; how her nails scraped gently across his skin as he lifted her up...

But when the water turned cold, his memory disappeared, and he opened his obsidian eyes. When he heard a faint banging noise from the main entrance of the house he turned off the water and put on his black robe-which of course had the Uchiha clan symbol on the back.

As he neared the door, he slowly walked toward the banging noise. It was late at night, who could it possibly be? Naruto along with the others stopped visiting him when he began to ignore their knocks. Unless…

Unless his prayers were answered.

With his heart beating out of his throat he slowly reached for the doorknob and opened it only to be let down and blood boil when he realized who it was.

It was the woman from the noodle shop. Only this time she was soaking wet and holding a kitten, all black except a brown patch around its right eye.

"What do you want?" he demanded coldly, intimidating her with the coldest stare he could give. "I-As you can see, I'm wet and cold from the rain. If only for a minute, could you let me in to dry off?" she asked shivering from the cold.

He looked down at the cat, then back at her. "Why should I offer YOU anything?" he replied icily. At first she said nothing, but then looked at him with sad eyes as the cat meowed. Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw the color of the kitten's eyes. It was the greenest he had ever seen.

And almost immediately the image of Sakura popped into his head. "Why- are you so nice to everyone, Sakura?" he had asked her one day. But she only smiled at him. "You would want someone to be nice to you, ne? Besides, even if some people are hard to love, they have a story behind their ways. And if you stop and listen to it, you'll figure out that they aren't so hard to love after all..."

With a little less ice to his voice, he spoke. "Where did you find that cat?" he asked her.

She looked up. "I found it in the streets. It's a stray, so it doesn't have a home. When I saw your mansion I took it along with me. I come from a foreign village, and I wanted to apologize...for earlier. It was how I was raised in my village…I understand if you don't forgive me. But could you at least take this kitten in? It has done no wrong."

Sasuke hesitated, for some reason and sudden guilt came over him. He thought she was a person of this village. But in all actuality she was just visiting. She didn't know anything about Sakura and Ino's rule.

He sighed and looked down. "Don't just stand there." He told her as he stepped a side. The woman thanked him and stepped in.

-

-

-

Sasuke threw her a towel and some fresh clothes to change in; which she gratefully took. When she was dressed, he sat down on the couch opposite of her. She dried the kitten off, making it mew happily.

"So what's the story? Why'd you come to Konoha?" he asked her as he rested his elbows on his knees and stared at her behind his clasped hands. He learned later (even though she had told him before) that her name was Inari. Inari's face saddened when he asked this. "Do you truly want to hear my story?" she asked him.

"No. I could care less-" He started. But paused, noting that he was still being extremely hostile to this woman; who had did nothing wrong. "But let's hear it."

She smiled gently. "I grew up from a poor family who sold me off to a whore house when I was little. At first, the ladies in there told me I was too young to be put on display, so I worked as a servant for the other women. They were all cruel and harsh to me; slapping me around and calling me a cat because of my eyes-all the women had brown eyes. I stood out, and not in a good way."

Sasuke could help but feel a little bit sorry for her. Mysteriously her predicament reminded him of Sakura because with pink hair, green eyes and a rather large forehead she also stood out. Yet to him, it made her all the more beautiful.

"When I was old enough to be on display the women started to treat me a little better; since I caught a few men's eyes. But I was still seen as trash, instead of unique. I had a bitter life, even though my body blossomed. My innocence was taken away from me at 16; when I was bought one night. There was no love…just lust. I stopped talking and became an empty shell; I was like a broken porcelain doll."

Sasuke could say nothing but listen to the woman as she dried the kitten off. "I had no real friends, but one of the ladies who called herself 'Moria' talked to me and comforted me whenever I was abused by my clients. She gave me the courage to speak again and told not a soul when I brought in a stray cat. I always had a thing for cats, since we were alike. They say women are similar to cats because of their grace. When I had fully blossomed and started to work on my charm and grace, I became the most desired woman in my village, respected by everyone in the brothels."

"Touching." He told her dully, so she continued.

"It seems like my life had turned for the good, huh? It only got worse, and I hated it. I wanted to escape, but I was afraid to. The woman who I admired, she fell in love with one of her customers and tried to escape. But the brothel's dogs were released, and she was caught. They ripped her to shreds as the man she 'loved' ran for dear life. He didn't even look back when she screamed and pleaded for help. In the end she was torn to shreds and bled to death. I learned that day that no man was worth risking your life for. Because when it comes to life and death, they'll sacrifice you in a heartbeat if it means saving their skins-"

"You're wrong." Sasuke interjected startling her. "Some give their lives for love."

Inari looked at him with wide eyes. "Despite your losses you're a kind man, but my mind is already made up on men. Still…" she stood up and walked over to him.

Inari rested her hands on Sasuke's thighs and leaned closer to him. She was leaning so close to him that he had to lean back to keep from kissing her.

When he opened his mouth to demand her to get away from him she put a finger up to his lips and hushed him. "Perhaps you can help me change my mind, and maybe I can help you get over your loss…?" Inari asked as she leaned closer to him. Sasuke could hear his heart beating in his ears. She was too close…

Then Sakura seemed flashed before him. "Sasuke-kun," she murmured as she grew closer. Was this real? It seemed entirely like her!

"Sa…kura?" he murmured in shock as he reached up to move the cotton-candy hair from her face.

Then he realized that it was strawberry not pink.

His heart faltered and he lowered his head. Sasuke knew deep down that even if he wanted Sakura to appear before him, he knew she couldn't.

Because she was dead.

"No." He told her firmly as he shoved her off him.

"Why not?" Inari asked him, almost hurt.

Sasuke turned away from her. "You aren't her."

She nodded and sat on the glass table separating the two couches. "You must've really loved this girl, ne? Was she really that special?" Inari asked him gently. "So special that you're willing to spend the rest of your life miserable and grieving because you can't let her go?"

Sasuke looked at his hands and balled them into tight fists. "…She thought she meant nothing to me." No matter how much he had pushed her away, she had always been there for him; giving all the love she had. And all for him. Sasuke had her heart, and she was faithful, even at a young age.

So the least he could do was be faithful to her. Even if he would never be able to find her, the way she found him.

"Would you take the opportunity to show her that she meant the world to you if you could?" Inari asked softly making him look up. "Aah."

"And you would do anything for that chance? Even if it were only for a short time?" She added curiously. "Time would not appeal to me." Sasuke replied plainly.

She smiled meekly at his answer. "I see that you're a man that would give anything for the woman he loves. It's a shame she had to die in such a grotesque way. Such an evil man killed her. A woman of such beauty should've had a graceful death."

Puzzled, he looked up and into her eyes. "How- did you know that?"

She smiled. "I have my resources. See, I know all about you, Uchiha Sasuke-san. I also know all about Haruno Sakura."

"How did you know Sakura and how do you know me?" Sasuke demanded as he stood up and hovered over her. She closed her eyes and stood up. Walking past him to pick up the kitten who had jumped out of her lap; frightened by the dangerous look in Sasuke's eyes.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

But he grabbed her wrist roughly. "I don't care. Explain now." He commanded. She sighed. "You've always been a forceful, stubborn one, haven't you Sasuke?" a strange glare in her eyes made him uncomfortable as he let go of her wrist quickly.

"How can I make this simple…it's always hard to explain this to the humans I'm assigned to…I'm not who I appear to be. Sounds a little confusing since I'm standing before you, no? To be blunt, I'm not even human. I'm an angel."

Sasuke said nothing to this. An angel? From…heaven? But his thoughts were interrupted when she continued to speak. "I came to Earth …just out of curiosity. Not many of Us get the opportunity to live among humans. I traveled around, until I heard a great kunoichi had been murdered in a forest outside of Konoha." Inari noted that his eyes lowered at this. He knew she was talking about Sakura.

He watched her pace back and forth slowly. "Immediately I found out that the woman who was murdered was none other than your Haruno Sakura. She's famous you know. The woman who 'tamed' the great Uchiha 'Avenger' Sasuke. I became intrigued by your case, so I came here looking for you. Luckily, I found you quickly. Today's the anniversary of her death, ne?"

Sasuke stayed silent.

"Call me cruel, but I acted the way I did towards you and Naruto-kun to see just how serious you were about her. Love can be a fickle thing after all. But you were faithful. When I tell Sakura I'm sure she'll be pleased."

The lone Uchiha looked at her hopefully. Did this mean she was alive? Inari noticed it and smiled. "I know that look of hope anywhere. And sorry to crush you, but she's dead. You know better than anyone." Sasuke's eyes lowered back down to the floor.

"She IS watching over you though. I made a deal with her before coming here. If you passed my tests, I'd grant you your hearts deepest and purest wish. With no doubt in her soul she put all her hope into you and agreed. That's love right there." Inari winked at him.

"What were the tests?" Sasuke asked a little hoarsely. He'd been silent for awhile now. "Sakura wasn't too happy about it, but she didn't refuse my offer. I was to test your will. "

"You mean try to seduce me." Were women always like this? What happened to the modest, innocent women of the past?

"Along those lines. Had it been for Naruto-kun, I might've been a little worried for he likes women that are…top heavy-"

"Get to the point." Sasuke interrupted impatiently. "Hai, hai. Anyway, there were actually two parts to it. I was to appear before you, like Sakura. Many men have fallen to this. Though deep in their hearts, they knew their lovers were dead. Yet, they denied it. So when you denied me, realizing that Sakura was in actuality dead and couldn't possibly stand before you, you passed the first and most important part. I have to admit, it was a pretty simple test for you to pass since you live with the realization that you are the one and only living Uchiha in the world. "

"And the second?" Sasuke asked. This mysterious woman that claimed she was an angel had his full attention now. "The second was simple. Actually the first test I gave you. Sakura told me that you lived up to your reputation as the cold avenger, the Uchiha. It was a test of heart; your ability to forgive and help another which you kindly did. I apologized for acting so disgusting towards you in the noodle shop, and you let me into your house. When you did, you passed. Even if you were a little cold about it."

"But what was the point of all this?" he asked which made Inari chuckle. "I figured you'd still be lost. Prodigy or not you're still human. To put it bluntly, Sasuke, I'm here to bring Sakura back to you."

TBC…

Most of you guys who've read my stories before know that I'm quite terrible and I love to torture my readers with suspense. Don't forget to give me some feedback!

Don't hold your breath…

xxasukachanxx