Forgotten Life

Chapter 9- Never Again

"Sakura..." His voice entered her mind softly but it brought on a new set of tears. She thought she was still dreaming.

"No...Go away. I don't...want to see you any more," she mumbled sleepily. She didn't realize that she was sleep-talking.

"Sakura...I need to talk to you. It-It's really important. Please wake up," Sasuke said, his voice kind yet desperate. This was not the Sasuke in her nightmares, so Sakura turned to his voice unable to see his face yet.

"Where are you?" she asked as if searching for him in her mind. She obviously still thought she was asleep.

"I'm right here Sakura, open your eyes. You're not dreaming," Sasuke said gently, rubbing her wet cheek with the back of his hand.

Sakura opened her eyes and then jumped away from him. She slapped his hand away in shock. "S-Sasuke-kun? W-What are you doing in here? How did you get in?"

"You left the door unlocked," he replied with a shrug as he brought his hand down. Then he said quickly, "But that's beside the point, I have to talk to you. I-I had a dream...a memory."

"Not again...please, Sasuke. Right now, I'd rather not think about Itachi," Sakura said, shaking her head.

"It wasn't Itachi, Sakura...it was you. I dreamt about...that night." Sasuke looked at her with sincerely sad eyes.

Sakura gasped and put her hand up to her chest. She looked away from Sasuke as she felt of her wet face for the first time. "Apparently, so did I..." she murmured.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, for everything I said to you! If I had said what I was really thinking, then maybe...no, even that would have been wrong. I should have stayed. I should have turned back and ran into your open arms. I was a fool for not doing just that. I see that now, when my eyes are clear and my mind is sober," Sasuke said suddenly, his words rushed as if he was talking to a girl for the first time in his life.

Sakura was silent as she looked at Sasuke. He stood beside her bed, looking directly at her, searching for her forgiveness. She softened up and motioned to him to get on the bed.

Sasuke sat down on the edge of the bed and Sakura came and sat beside him.

"Sasuke, you did what you thought was necessary. Your path may not have been the happy one, but if it led to your satisfaction then it could not have been so bad. I just wish...that you would have included me in your plans whatever they were. I wanted so much to be with you, I wanted to help you...and I would have, but you did not allow it. I've always wondered something however...right before I blacked out, you said something to me."

"Thank you," Sasuke quoted. He had felt the emotion when he'd said it in his dream. The love she'd shown to him, the support she offered, everything she was willing to do for him. It all deserved it's own thanks, but he would not have told her at the time what it meant so he just summed it up in two words.

"Yes. Thank you. What did you mean when you said that Sasuke? Those words...have always plagued my mind. I've always tried to decipher the meaning behind it, but I've never truly understood it."

"Sakura, let me tell you again," Sasuke said, grabbing Sakura's hand from her lap. He looked into her eyes as he spoke. "Thank you for loving me, Sakura. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you, for offering your entire being to me even when I didn't deserve it. Thank you."

Sakura's eyes were wide as Sasuke spoke to her and then she couldn't hold it in any longer. The tears fell out of her eyes before she could even try to stop them. She was surprised when she felt two strong arms wrap around her and hold her close.

"So...what now?" she asked him between her sniffles.

"I propose...that we both start over. We put the past behind us and look toward the future. Whatever we were to each other before, we throw that away and we start over. Let's make today be the first day of our new life...together," Sasuke answered.

Sakura could not believe her ears. She squeezed Sasuke tighter and let out a little squeal of pleasure. "As what, Sasuke-kun?"

"Whatever you want us to be, Sakura-chan," he answered as he leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead. She smiled enjoying the warmth of his skin on hers as she fantasized about her new life with Sasuke.

Naruto and Hinata were walking down the steps of the Hokage tower when they saw two familiar people approaching them. "Look Naruto-kun! They're...together!" Hinata said as she pointed at their friends who were holding hands.

"Yes! Uh, I mean...that's good. They deserve each other," Naruto said, correcting his immature action shortly after he'd committed it.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, you don't always have to be the Hokage. Sometimes you can be Naruto Uzumaki, believe it!" Hinata said jokingly as she began to pick up the pace, heading for Sakura and Sasuke.

"Hinata-chan, be careful!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran after her. Just as the words left his lips, Hinata missed a step and began to fall. "Hinata!" Naruto yelled.

Hinata saw the concrete steps closing in on her. If she fell, she would land on her stomach. The very thought made her stomach churn, but there was nothing she could do. She was too far gone to catch herself. Just as she was preparing for the impact, a set of strong arms appeared beneath her.

She fell into them softly and was about to thank Naruto for saving her when she looked up. Naruto was not the one holding her. The face of her saviour was instead framed by raven-colored locks, his obsidian eyes worried for her.

"Oh thank goodness, you caught her Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed as she ran up behind him. Naruto had just made it to them as well. He stared in shock at Sasuke and where the Uchiha had been standing just before Hinata fell. There was no way he could have closed that distance in such a short period of time, but he had.

"Hinata-chan, are you okay?" Naruto said as he reached out his hand to her.

"Stop Naruto! Let me check her before you move her," Sakura said, her medic training coming out as she closed her eyes and placed her hands over Hinata's stomach. She was still for a long minute, her hand just resting over Hinata's stomach.

Naruto became more worried the longer she took and he eventually exclaimed, "Sakura, what's the matter?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Nothing's wrong, it's just..." Sakura grabbed one of Naruto's hands and placed it on Hinata's stomach. She moved her chakra out of her own hand and into his so that he could feel it.

A heartbeat. Steady and strong. The baby was growing inside of Hinata. Everything was going well, but just to feel that sign of life first hand...Naruto started laughing. "It tickles!" he exclaimed. The vibrations of the baby's heart could have that effect on someone that was untrained and not accustomed to feeling this sort of thing.

Sasuke had been holding Hinata this entire time and he'd watched with the Hyuuga as both Sakura and Naruto felt of her growing stomach. Sasuke could imagine the thrill in Naruto's heart when he felt his own child's heart beat. He looked at Sakura, who seemed just as excited about the new baby, and his eyes fell to her stomach for the second time in the past few days.

He wanted to feel that joy for himself, to be able to know that he was responsible for the life of a new child. He wanted to be a father.

-End-