Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Naruto cause if I did…heh believe me things would change! coughSasuSakucough Unfortunately it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, blah, blah, blah, insert random legal document , etc.

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Chapter 15: Recap!

For a moment the duo stood in silence. Then once more, in he didn't know how long, Sasuke found hot stinging tears coursing down his cheeks. All the emotions he'd kept pent up for 16 or so years were now breaking loose. He wiped away his pain, feeling somewhat annoyed by it and turned to face Naruto.

"As I held her in my arms and felt her strength fading fast, I wanted to say I was sorry. I wanted to tell her so many things, but even though I knew I didn't have long to tell her…I didn't, I couldn't," Sasuke said his eyes growing distant. "My lips wouldn't move to tell her."

"Sasuke…I didn't know. You held her?" Naruto asked sadly.

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded, "but what does it matter?"

Sasuke turned and grabbed the picture he had, though at that time he had had no idea why, and went to leave.

"You're not still going after him are you?" Naruto asked.

"No, I won't today. At least not yet," Sasuke said with a wave of his hand.

With that he left Naruto standing there rather confused and not knowing what to feel. In all reality though, Sasuke didn't either.

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Chapter 16: Can't Let Go

Sasuke walked back to the hospital ready to face the truth. He wouldn't run away this time. As he walked up to Sakura's room, the smell of antiseptic assaulted his senses. He found the two ANBU standing guard outside of the door. They were talking intently and turned as he walked up.

"Hey Sasuke," the short one, with indigo hair, said. "By the way, seeing as how we were never properly introduced, my name's Miharu and this is Akimoto."

"Don't mind us. Go on in!" the brown haired one said with a grin.

Sasuke returned a smile, which was almost forced, and walked in. The moment he headed in and the door shut, he heard the two of them go on with their conversation. He shook his head slowly and walked over to Sakura. He pulled up a chair and sat down. He pushed he hair gently from her face with a smile. It was still short, but it had grown about three inches, somewhere in the middle of long and short. He liked it this way the best of all. He looked at the picture in his hand and sighed as he ran his fingers over Sakura's smiling face.

"What I'd give to see you smile and laugh again," he thought aloud.

Sakura suddenly shifted and Sasuke watched her, his hopes alight. However, they were quickly diminished, as it was only a slight shift in position. Nothing else changed. He set the picture on the table by the bed and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry," he confessed pulling a chair up beside her bed. Grabbing her hand he went on, "I don't know why I didn't see it before. I wish I could fix this. It's just not fair, you suffering for my stupidity. I want you back. I want to hear you call my name again. I want to see Ino's face as we walk together into Konoha, but then maybe I want too much. Maybe I want more then I deserve." The ever-constant beep of monitors was all that replied.

A few hours later Kakashi walked about the town. He was looking for Sasuke to make sure Toshikai hadn't done anything and more or less just to find him. He walked into the hospital wondering if he was there and walked up to Sakura's room. The two stood stock still outside the door and for a moment Kakashi thought they were dead. He cautiously poked one when the other muttered something indecipherable about chocolate. He then realized they were asleep underneath their masks. Rolling his eyes, he shook them awake causing them to promptly snap awake.

"Hi Kakashi," Akimoto said. "Need something?"

"Yeah actually I do. Have you seen Sasuke?" Kakashi questioned.

"Um…Oh! He came here and went in," Miharu replied. "I didn't see him leave…"

"How could you of? You were asleep," Akimoto retorted.

"You fell asleep first," the Miharu pointed out.

Kakashi smiled and went in leaving them arguing once more.

Kakashi opened the door softly and found Sasuke half-asleep, his head resting on the edge of the bed. He smiled and moved to wake him, but found he didn't need to. Sasuke had woken him self up.

"What're you doing?" Kakashi wondered although he knew the answer full well. "It's getting late you know."

"Yeah, I guess…I guess I just couldn't stay there," Sasuke said.

"Can't sleep without knowing they're fine," Kakashi muttered. "I know the feeling."

"More like every time I try to sleep I dream of her," Sasuke replied. "I've been a stupid idiot. Naruto was right. I was making her suffer all along by being so single minded and now look who's suffering. I hate karma."

"Blaming yourself is what's making you suffer. It has nothing to do with what you did or didn't do," Kakashi said.

"Does it always hurt?" Sasuke asked sadly.

"Yeah, but at least you have a chance. You know as well as I do Sakura won't give up." Kakashi nodded. "That's better then if she had died in your arms out in the fog isn't it?"

Sasuke nodded and then dropped his head over Sakura's hand. The room fell into silence and it took Kakashi a minute to realize what the glistening drops falling onto the bed were. Then he realized for the fourth or fifth time today, Sasuke was crying like he never had in almost sixteen years.

"Out there time wasn't measured in minutes or even seconds, but the beat of a failing heart. When it began to skip I thought my own had broken in two. I thought she was dying and then dead. It hurt more then anything I've felt before," Sasuke said solemnly.

"Luckily for you I don't see Sakura giving up the fight just yet. I think she's making it purely, not on medicine or luck, but by her own will to survive. She needs to see you again," Kakashi smiled.

"Even so. When you came out of the fog at first I thought you were Toshikai and for a moment I wanted you to be. I guess I figured that if Sakura was dead the least he could do was kill me too," Sasuke stated. "After the medics took her though I realized how glad I was you weren't him. Even if we had both died it wouldn't have mattered. She would have gone straight to heaven and I, a one-way ticket to hell."

"If that had happened I think Sakura would have attacked hell itself to get you out and then took you back to heaven. From there she would have stuffed you in a cloud to hide you until she had secured a spot for you with her. That and your very own halo!" Kakashi laughed and Sasuke soon joined him.

"That would be interesting. You know Kakashi, maybe I just needed to get that off my chest," Sasuke said turning to him with a new, still somewhat pained, half smile. "Thank you."

"Kakashi Hatake: Jonin, Teacher, Shrink. Likes long walks on the beach and reading Make-Out Paradise," Kakashi joked. "You're welcome though. I think I'll head back and get some sleep then. Want to come?"

Sasuke shook his head, "I think I'm good here for a while actually."

"All right then if you're sure," Kakashi replied. "Good night."

"Night," Sasuke called after him.

Kakashi smiled as he left the room knowing Sasuke was already falling asleep behind him from his breathing. As he left he was careful not to wake the sleeping ANBU who were slumped against a wall.

He arrived back at their room and started getting ready for bed. He glanced over at Naruto, who was dead to the world, drooling all over his pillow, and smiled beneath his mask. Fortunately Naruto hadn't yet begun to snore. When he did well things shook to say the least. Then his eyes drifted to the one bed on the end. It was next to Sasuke's and was furthest away from Naruto's. It was Sakura's bed. Though he knew Team 7 thought otherwise even he, the copycat ninja, felt pain. He felt partially responsible for letting Toshikai take Sasuke and Sakura. As he lie down he remembered something that his Jonin teacher, the Yondaime Hokage, had told his squad once,

"No one is immortal or impervious to pain. Deep down we're all only human no matter how much we try to hide it. Yes, Kakashi, even me. Don't worry about it much. You'll understand someday."

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A/N: Good to see you all like the story so far! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy! Hope this one was as good as the rest and to your liking. I know it was a little shorter than the others, but I am sorry. I couldn't resist throwing in Kakashi's feelings at the end. I love him too! Well that and my friend insisted. Anything I didn't get right just lemme know cause I'd like to change it. Constructive criticism is good! So please review this chapter too and tell me what ya think!

Chocolate for all!

Miharu Uchiha