Dying wasn't as bad as it seemed. For one, I was still... there. Konan was right, I did move "on". Wherever that was.
I was in darkness for what seemed like days, only interrupted by memories. It was like a dream that lasted forever. I saw flashes of my family from various points of my life. Holding my parents' hands as we walked in the park, sitting at the table with my aunt and grandmother during Thanksgiving, and being hugged by my mother as I cried. There were even memories of Sasuke, both the old and new - meeting him on the playground for the first time, laughing so hard at something with him that I was crying, and kissing him at prom.
I lingered on the last one.
Mixed with the memories, I could hear voices - unrecognizable but familiar all the same. I didn't know how long I stayed in that strange state, it could have been hours or days.
When I opened my eyes, I could see sunlight filtering through the blinds of a window. In the background, something was beeping faintly. I took a deep breath, wincing at the stabbing pain I felt. If this was the afterlife, why did it hurt?
I looked around the room carefully. If I wasn't sure that I had died, I would have been certain that this was a hospital room. Then, I saw him.
"Sasuke?" My voice came out as a mumble.
He was sitting next to where I was laying. At the sound of my voice, Sasuke turned in my direction. "Sakura," he said. "Thank god."
"Saskue..." I whispered. "What are you doing here? It was supposed to work..." How was this possible? If I was dead, that meant that Sasuke must have died somehow too. There was only one explanation.
"I couldn't leave you." Sasuke gave me a wry smile.
"N-no." I shook my head. That was a mistake. Pain shot through my body with the sudden movement. "You can't be here. You can't be dead."
"What are you talking about?" I couldn't help noticing that he was stroking my hair. It felt nice.
"I'm dead," I told him. "The plan didn't work. You didn't love me... I- I didn't have enough time." It didn't matter what I said, now that we were both dead. I had to admit, it was kind of nice having him with me, even though it was infuriating that everything we had gone through was for nothing. Still, if this was death, it wasn't bad.
"Sakura, you're in the hospital." Sasuke said. "You were hit by a car during Kiba's party. You're lucky to be alive."
"What?" This couldn't be true. "That's not right. I should be dead..." I trailed off and looked around, finally noticing my surroundings. I was laying in a hospital bed, the various medical machines were beeping around me. Seriously, how did I not realize this before? "Sasuke." My voice was still hushed. "What am I doing here?"
"You didn't hear me." Sasuke smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was more of a statement than a question.
I shook my head, cringing when that caused pain too. "What are you talking about?"
"I love you, Sakura." He still had his hand on my cheek. "I always have... I just needed you to help me remember."
It took me a moment to collect my thoughts.
"How much do you know?" I stared at him in disbelief.
"Konan told me everything," Sasuke replied, reaching down to squeeze my hand. "Well, she did more than that. My memories are back - I remember everything, Sakura."
My eyes widened in realization. "You met Konan?" The fact that she would even reveal herself to anyone else in my life was a shock to me.
He nodded. "We had a long conversation."
"Oh, Sasuke." I blinked a few times, trying to stop the tears that had started collecting in my eyes. "I'm so sorry. About graduation... about everything." The tears escaped and I didn't bother to stop them. What was the point anymore, really?
"Hey." To my surprise, Sasuke wiped the tears away. "Why are you apologizing? You saved my life."
I laughed bitterly. "It was my fault that you died in the first place. You would be so much better without me." The tears only came harder.
Sasuke shook his head. "I've always loved you," he reminded me. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that. When I learned the truth... I was furious with myself for forgetting."
"It wasn't your fault," I looked at him, incredulous. "Besides, I'm so happy that I got to have more time with you."
"You're amazing," he said.
Slowly, my tears subsided. I was kind of a wreck after everything, in a good way. "So what happened?" I asked him, once I was calm enough to speak.
"What do you mean?" He replied. He was still holding my hand.
"When did you realize you still loved me?" I said. "I mean... I'm not complaining, but it really seemed like you were convinced it was a bad idea for us to be together."
He shook his head. "I told you, Sakura, I always loved you. Even when I forgot you... it's like I always knew. There was something about you that made me want to be close to you. I couldn't get you out of my head. Obviously I wasn't that great at showing you..." He looked at me ruefully.
"Don't worry about it, Uchiha. I'm used to it." I grinned, to my own surprise.
He smiled back at me. "I have to apologize about everything that happened. I did have feelings for you, once we started talking regularly. I would have done more, but I was scared because I kept remembering this friend I had from before and I thought I was going crazy. And at the same time," he continued, "I couldn't get you out of my head. I figured that if I told you anything you would think I was going insane."
"I would never think that." I assured him. "After all, you would have thought I was going crazy, too."
"True," Sasuke squeezed my hand and then continued. "I should have realized that you were right in front of me. When you told me you loved me, I was scared. At the same time, I was afraid to forget you. I can't believe myself." He paused for a second. "Still, I loved you back. I was actually planning on telling you the night of graduation. You looked so happy for me when I told you about Itachi that it was like something went off in my head. Of course I loved you... It wasn't until the accident... when I saw you laying on the ground that I realized it might be too late. I had to tell you."
"Oh." All of a sudden, I couldn't find the words to answer him.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I said I loved you, but I think you were already unconscious. I can't believe I was almost too late."
"It's not your fault," I insisted again. "Sasuke, everything that happened before was all because of me. Honestly, I can't believe you're not upset about what I said to you the night of graduation. I was such a raving bitch, I-"
"You can't believe I wouldn't forgive you?" He interrupted me in disbelief. "After everything you've done for me? Sakura, I would have forgiven you even if the supernatural stuff hadn't happened."
"Really?" I sniffed, caught off guard again. I was so sure that he would have hated me, no matter what.
"Of course," Sasuke replied. "It would have taken some time, but you're still my best friend." He said it like it was obvious.
"You're too good to me." I shook my head.
"I love you," he said.
I looked up at him from where I was laying in the hospital bed. The look of devotion on his face made me feel like my heart was going to stop at any moment. How could I be so lucky? "I love you too," I answered.
Carefully, he leaned down and kissed me. Despite being in a hospital bed, it was the best one yet. "I've been wanting to do that," he said.
"You already have," I laughed.
Sasuke left after that, promising to be back when visiting hours actually began - I guess Konan had given us a favor by somehow letting Sasuke in my room. I would have to thank her later for that, if I ever saw her again.
My family came in shortly after that. When I saw the look on my mom's face, I was sure that Konan had a part in letting me have some time alone with Sasuke. There was no way my mom would have left the room for any reason besides supernatural intervention.
"Oh, honey." My mom wiped tears out of her eyes quickly when she saw me. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Me too," I replied. If only they knew.
My dad stood next to her, looking relieved. I felt bad for making them worry, but I also knew the circumstances could have been so much worse.
"I'm glad you're all here," I said. My voice came out a little hoarse. "Sorry this happened."
"It was an accident," my mom sighed. "I'm just happy that everyone came out okay from this. You're going to have to be in the hospital for a couple of weeks, but the doctor said you're going to make a full recovery."
My aunt, who had entered the room behind them, took a seat beside my bed. "What a graduation night." She gave me a wry smile. I suddenly noticed how tired they all looked.
"Where's grandma?" I asked, noticing that she hadn't entered the room.
"She's still downstairs," my aunt answered. "She'll be pleased to see that you're awake."
"What time is it?" I said, eyeing the light that was still glaring through the blinds.
"It's about eight o' clock in the morning," she replied. "You gave us quite a scare, Sakura. It wasn't looking very good there for a little while."
My mom shot her a disapproving look. "She doesn't need to worry about that," she snapped. "You're going to be fine," my mom told me.
"I know," I complied with my mom, noticing that she looked close to tears. I would have demanded to know what had happened to me, but something told me it wasn't the right time. "How long have you been up, anyway? You look exhausted."
"We haven't gone to sleep since we got the call that you were in the hospital," my dad said. He had dark circles under his eyes. "Around midnight last night."
I shuddered, then winced at the pain it caused. "I'm sorry," I said again. "For putting you all through this."
"We're just happy that you're okay," my mom replied. "But please Sakura, never do that again."
My grandma entered the room a few minutes later, wiping tears from her eyes when she saw me. "Oh dear," she said. "It's good to see you."
I spent the rest of the morning with my family in the hospital room. Thankfully, it was all very lighthearted once the doctor came in the room to let everyone know that I would be okay. Apparently, I had broken several ribs, broken my right leg and had gotten a concussion - along with the many bruises and scrapes that came with being hit by a car.
"It could have been much worse," the doctor reassured me. "We were worried that the swelling in your brain wouldn't go down, but you're going to be fine."
"Great," I replied, and I meant it. Those words meant a lot to me. I was going to be fine. I actually had a future ahead of me. The thought of that made me want to cry again, but I held back. "Thank you so much," I said instead.
I spent the next week in the hospital mostly by myself, besides the evenings (my parents had to go back to work after the first day and I had insisted that I would be fine by myself). My aunt and grandma left the day after I woke up, handing me graduation presents and apologizing for leaving when I was still in the hospital. I reassured them that it was okay and I would see them at the next major holiday.
Besides my family, I had other visitors.
"Oh my god, Sakura!" Ino exclaimed when she saw me in the hospital bed. She was brandishing a large vase full of colorful flowers. "You look terrible!"
"Well she was hit by a car." Tenten, who had entered the room with Hinata, replied.
"Thanks guys," I answered sarcastically. "I'll have to remember to do my hair before you come see me the next time I get hit by something."
Hinata smiled apologetically for our friends. "How are you feeling?" She wanted to know.
"Not bad," I shrugged, pleased to see that the simple movement didn't hurt me anymore. "A little stiff, but a lot better than the first day. I'm getting out in a couple of days."
"That's great!" Ino beamed. Carefully, she added the vase of flowers that they had bought for me to the window ledge - it had already been covered in flowers and tiny get well presents from my parents and people I knew from school, including the Yearbook Club, Art Club, and even the Dance Committee. I had to admit, I was surprised by how many people must have thought about me.
"So where are the guys?" I asked. Ino had called the night before and said everyone was coming to see me the next day.
Tenten rolled her eyes. "They're finding a parking spot. They'll be up in a few minutes."
"So tell us." Ino had a devious look in her eyes. "When did you and Sasuke start dating?"
"A couple of days after the accident," I admitted. It was true, Sasuke had come to see me once visiting hours began the day after I had woken up. In fact, he had come to see me every day that I had been in the hospital. It was kind of a given that we were together now, but that hadn't stopped me from asking.
Hinata sighed. "I'm so happy for you, Sakura." She was beaming at me like she couldn't have been more pleased.
"It's very romantic," Ino agreed. "How he realized that he loved you..." She trailed off when we heard voices from down the hall.
"There you are, Sakura!" Naruto greeted me loudly. "You look terrible!"
Hinata sent me an apologetic look. I shrugged.
"Hey Sakura." Shikamaru walked in the room. "We're glad you're alive."
I would have responded to them, but I was distracted by the sight of Sasuke walking through the door. He gave me a tiny smile at the sight of all of our friends crammed into the hospital room with me. I smiled back, perfectly happy. Sometimes the sight of my boyfriend - it was strange calling him that - was almost too good to be true.
We spent the rest of the afternoon, just hanging out. I had to admit, it was good to see my friends.
Of all the visitors I received at the hospital, there was one that I wanted to talk to the most - Konan. Despite how well everything worked out, I found myself wondering if I would ever get to see her again. After all, she had revealed herself to Sasuke. What was one more visit?
It was the last night that I would stay in the hospital and I was glad. I had to admit I'd gotten a little stir-crazy being confined to a hospital room for the past two weeks. I usually slept alone in my room - after my mom had spent a full week sleeping in the room with me and noticing the lack of sleep she had been getting as a result, I had insisted that she sleep at home.
"I'm fine, Mom," I told her. "Seriously, I won't even notice that you're gone because I'll be sleeping. You need to get some sleep in your own bed, you look exhausted."
"I can't leave you," she protested, but I could tell that she only need a little more convincing.
"I'll be okay," I responded. "I promise I'll call you if anything happens."
Reluctantly, she left the hospital with my dad that night. After that, my parents would come spend time with me when they got off work and during the weekends. I hoped they didn't feel guilty.
The night before I left the hospital, I couldn't fall asleep. Bored, I flipped through the channels on the TV - there was nothing on, really. I settled for a game show rerun that was playing.
When I was finally getting drowsy, I heard something that woke me up. A familiar sort of sound that I only heard when-
"Konan!" I exclaimed. Quickly, I sat up in bed.
"Hello, Sakura." She looked at me with an amused expression. She looked so out of place in the hospital - wearing one of her long deep blue dresses with a high collar. I noticed that the paper flower she sometimes sported was placed in her hair.
"I was wondering when you were going to come see me," I said indignantly. I was actually really pleased to see her, though.
"I had to check on you, of course." Was it me, or did Konan seem happier than usual?
"Well, here I am." I grinned. "Alive. Did you know this was going to happen?"
"I had my suspicions." She gave me a mysterious smile. "It was hard to tell... closer to the end, but I hoped that everything would work out. We don't wish misfortune on others. Furthermore," she added, "I became fond of you, Sakura."
That surprised me. Sometimes I wasn't sure whether Konan felt much.
"I feel just as much as you do, Sakura Haruno."
Damn, I had forgotten she knew what I was thinking. "I like you too, Konan," I said. "Thank you, for everything. I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for you."
"You had just as much of a part in your fate as I did." Still, her smile turned into something more genuine.
"So what happened with Sasuke's memories? How were you able to get them back?" The questions that I had been dwelling over suddenly spilled out. "I thought they were gone forever, or something."
"Yours was an interesting case," Konan replied. "Usually we don't expect someone to retain their memories after the magic hits them - it only happens in rare cases. Sasuke's memories were still inside of him, as I am sure you remember, because he was strong enough to keep them."
"That's... crazy," I admitted.
"Very," Konan agreed. "I was able to restore his memory once the spell was broken. It was quite simple, really."
"Is he the only one who remembers?"
"Presumably." To my surprise, she shrugged. "Only time will tell. There might be traces with your other friends. This is all new to me, too."
"Wow," I said. It was crazy, I thought, that I was even having this conversation with her. I had been so sure that everything would have gone differently - I was supposed to be dead by now, after all.
It was almost too good to be true.
"Konan?" I asked.
"Yes, Sakura?"
"Will I ever see you again?" I looked at her curiously.
"My job is done now," she replied. "I will not contact you anymore after this."
To my surprise, I felt a lump of sadness in my throat. I wasn't ready to say goodbye. "I guess you have others that you need to check up on," I managed a smile. "You probably won't have time for me anymore." I was joking, mostly.
"There will be others," she agreed, "but I will always remember you."
I sighed. "It's been great knowing you, Konan. I'm sorry I was bitchy half of the time we spoke."
"You had your reasons." She shook her head, still smiling.
"I'll miss you." I told her.
"I'll... miss you too." Konan looked out the window and sighed. I wondered what she saw. "I have to leave now."
"Goodbye, Konan." I sniffed.
"Why so sad, Sakura?" Konan asked. "I'll still keep an eye on you from time to time, even though you will not see me."
She was gone, then. I thought about her words and snorted. How fitting, having her as a sort of twisted guardian angel.
Author's Note: So first of all, I'd like to apologize to everyone for making you wait so long. I think that I've been kind of self-conscious about this chapter because I wanted it to be as close to perfect as possible. For those of you who thought I killed Sakura off, thank you for going along with my story so nicely. :) I know the ending is a little cliché, but to tell the truth I've had this planned out this way for as long as I've been writing this story.
On another note: to my new readers, welcome and thank you for reading my story! To everyone who has been following my story, thank you so much for sticking with it for so long! I hope that the ending was satisfying enough.
Another thing that I wanted to add was the origin of the title of the story. "All Good Things" was taken from the phrase "all things (must) come to an end". I thought it was kind of fitting with what happened to Sakura. :) Also, it was the title of the Nelly Furtado song I liked in middle school, so there's that...
Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! There's going to be an epilogue after this, so it's not completely over yet!