"Now, it's just the two of us. What is it, Sakura?" He faced her, his face was full of confusion. "Can you explain to me why you decided to lie to me again?" Kakashi asked in a carefully contained voice.

"You're smart, Kakashi. I'm sure you know the meaning of 'terminal illness'. You know the implications behind that." She answered simply. "I actually resigned to dying alone, Kakashi. I always envisioned that I'm going to die on the outskirts of Fire country. Then someone will ship me off back here. Maybe Naruto would accept me and bury me here. Or just throw me in a ditch. At least, I'm still going to be in Konoha."

"You have a morbid imagination." Kakashi commented. "But you're here, Sakura. Not on the outskirts of the Fire country. You're with your family. Why would you lie to me again?"

"I don't know." Sakura shrugged. "It just never came up." She looked at him, but Kakashi cannot understand the emotions behind her eyes. "I just want to experience this again before I leave."

"Where did you get it?" Kakashi asked. Sakura is the healthiest person he knows. So he doesn't understand where she get it.

"I'm not sure. I've been going around. But don't worry, its not airborne or contagious. If it was, I would never let you near me much less come back here."

"That's not what I'm worried about!" He wanted to shake her. Make her see sense. He hoped, he wished that due to his profession he will be the first to go. "Do you even plan on telling us?"

"I haven't really thought about it. Maybe. I didn't think it was important."

"You didn't..." his voice trailed off. "Sakura, this is important!"

"Do you want me to leave? I'll disappear again. I can do that." she offered. "Just tell me, I'll gladly do that for you."

Kakashi is speechless as he looked at her. He can't believe the words he is hearing from her. He snaked his arms around her and pulled her close to him. And now that he knows about her... illness - he can't wrap his head around - it made sense that she's so thin. He always thought it was because she's also on the move.

His hands trembled as he gripped her arm and hold the back of her head. "Why does it have to be you?" he asked quietly. "I just got you back. Why do you have to leave again?"

Sakura leaned into Kakashi's embrace, her own hands finding comfort in the warmth of his presence. "Life is unpredictable, Kakashi. We can't always choose the circumstances we face. I never wanted to burden you with this, I don't want you to worry. I can do this alone."

Kakashi's grip tightened, as if trying to anchor her in the reality of their shared embrace. "You don't have to face it alone, Sakura. We're a family now, and we'll face it together."

She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I didn't want to tell Yumi either. I put her through enough pain already. She doesn't have to carry this burden."

Kakashi kissed the top of her head, his own emotions welling up. "You don't have to worry about that. She's not the little nine years old anymore. She's a brave young woman."

Sakura chuckled softly. "Yeah, I know. When I was her age, I was already debating whether I should choose you or Chojuro. I chose you and then after a year, I left you and already thinking of ways on how I can raise her on my own. Don't let her make the same mistakes I did."

"Don't worry, I've been scaring her suitors away since she turned 14. You don't have to worry about unwanted grandchild."

Sakura laughed through the tears, a bittersweet sound that echoed the complexities of the moment. "You always did have a way of intimidating people."

Kakashi sighed, the weight of the situation settling on his shoulders. "Sakura, we need to figure out a plan. We can't just pretend everything is normal."

"We can't do anything anymore, Kakashi. I've been like this for the past ten years. I've been using the Mitotic Regeneration technique just to try healing me, but it doesn't work. I'm on borrowed time as it is."

Kakashi felt a lump forming in his throat, the reality of the situation sinking in. He wanted to deny it, to reject the idea that Sakura's time was limited, but the evidence was there in the frailty of her form and the truth in her words.

"Sakura," he whispered, his voice a mixture of desperation and sorrow, "there has to be something we can do. We can't just accept this."

Sakura met his gaze with a tender smile, her fingers tracing patterns on his hand. "Kakashi, I appreciate your concern, but sometimes acceptance is the only way forward. I've had time to come to terms with it."

"But we can find a cure, look for specialists, explore every option!" Kakashi insisted, his mind racing with a sense of urgency.

Sakura shook her head gently. "I've sought medical advice, consulted experts from different nations. The conclusion is the same. There's no cure. I've accepted it, Kakashi. I don't want us to spend whatever time I have left looking for something that doesn't exist."

Kakashi's eyes reflected a mix of pain and determination. "Sakura, we can't just let you go without a fight. I can't lose you again." he whispered. "I... I never... I never said that I love you."

Sakura's smile softened, and she reached up to gently cup Kakashi's face. "You don't have to say it, Kakashi. I've always known. Even when you were pushing me away. That is the reason why I never wanted to tell you this, you're lost too much already."

Kakashi's eyes glistened with unshed tears, the weight of his emotions evident in the lines on his face. He leaned into Sakura's touch, savoring the warmth of her hand against his cheek.

"I love you, Sakura," he finally whispered, the words carrying the depth of his feelings. "And I can't just stand by and watch you slip away without doing everything in my power to fight for you."

Sakura's eyes shimmered with gratitude and a hint of sadness. "Kakashi, love isn't always about fighting against the inevitable. Sometimes, it's about embracing what is and finding peace within it."

Kakashi shook his head, unable to accept the idea of surrender. "I can't lose you again. Not when we've just found each other. I should have look for you long ago."

Sakura's thumb traced a gentle path across Kakashi's cheek, a soothing gesture filled with affection. "It's okay. Don't think about it. Everything will be okay. Trust me."

"How can you say that?" Kakashi asked. "You understand that you're leaving us again, right?"

Sakura nodded, a serene acceptance in her gaze. "I do, Kakashi. But you don't have to think about it as permanent. It would be like when I was away from home, travelling the nations. It would be just like that."

Kakashi remained silent, his thoughts swirling in a tumult of emotions. The acceptance in Sakura's eyes contrasted with the turmoil within him. The realization that Sakura had already faced the inevitability of her situation left him grappling with a sense of helplessness.

"Sakura," he finally said, his voice choked with emotion, "this is different, you are leaving me for good. You're not just hiding somewhere. I can never get you back. I can't live with that reality."

"Kakashi, this is the beauty of our relationship. We are so used that we are apart for so long that it is normal that we love each other from afar."

Sakura's words hung in the air, a poignant acknowledgment of the unique dynamics that had shaped their relationship over the years. Kakashi, however, struggled to reconcile the idea of accepting Sakura's departure as if it were just another temporary separation.

"Sakura, it's not the same," he whispered, his voice heavy with the weight of impending loss. "We can't just treat this like the other circumstances. You're not leaving because I or the elders drove you away. You're not a fleeting presence in my life; you're the anchor that I've been yearning for." He tightened his grip on her. "I can't make amends on all the wrong things I've done to you. I've let you go for twenty years, I can't lose you anymore."

"You don't need to. I've forgiven you already."

"How can you forgive me? You don't deserve my treatment of you. I... I've done terrible things on you. I've hurt you, Sakura. Not just with my words but with my hands."

"You were in a bad place, and I force myself on you. Its not your fault."

"Sakura, don't minimize what I did. I hurt you, physically and emotionally. I pushed you away when you needed me the most. I can't just accept forgiveness for that."

Sakura sighed, her fingers gently tracing the lines on Kakashi's face. "Kakashi, we've both made mistakes. We've hurt each other. But holding onto that pain won't change anything. Forgiveness is not about saying the past doesn't matter; it's about choosing to move forward despite it."

"But you're leaving, Sakura. How can I move forward when you're not here?" Kakashi's voice was a mixture of desperation and sorrow.

Sakura's gaze held a profound sadness. "Moving forward doesn't mean forgetting, Kakashi. It means carrying the lessons of the past with us. I may not physically be here, but the impact we've had on each other will always be a part of who we are."

"I don't know if I can go on without you," Kakashi admitted, his vulnerability laid bare.

Sakura cupped Kakashi's face in her hands, her eyes searching his. "You're stronger than you realize, Kakashi. You've faced so much pain and loss, and yet, you're still here. You can go on."

Kakashi just held her, tight but not bone-crushing. She's too fragile that if he held on her too tight, she's going to break. "I don't understand why its you who have to suffer through this. I am the one who wronged you."

"How can I go if you're like this?" Sakura asked, wiping away the tear that fell from his eyes. "How can I leave you, Kakashi? I cannot go seeing you like this. Maybe I should not have return here with you."

Kakashi's eyes reflected a mixture of love, anguish, and a desperate longing for a different outcome. "Sakura, there has to be something we can do. We can't just accept this. I can't accept this."

Sakura gently kissed his forehead, her touch a tender reassurance. "Kakashi, sometimes acceptance is the bravest and most difficult choice. I've come to terms with it. I've had time to prepare myself."

"But I haven't," he whispered. "I haven't had the time to accept the idea of losing you again. I just found you, Sakura. I can't lose you again." He cupped her face in his hands. "Please, there must be something we can do."

"There's nothing, Kakashi." She said bluntly. "It's okay. But we have memories." she offered. "Its something that no one can take away from you."

"I want more than just memories," Kakashi admitted, his voice strained with emotion. "I want a future with you. I will marry you. I will make sure that all your clothes are embroidered with the Hatake clan symbol, I want to sleep and wake up next to you. I've wasted twenty years, Sakura. Can't I have you for a lifetime?"

"I'll... " Her tears are blurring her vision. She wants what he is offering her. "I'll try the seal again. But I can't promise."

As Sakura closed her eyes, the purple diamond in her forehead started to faintly glow, and black lines started to appear. First it was in her head criscrossing to her neck and slowly the lines started to appear in her arms. Kakashi watched as the Byakugo seal started to heal her.

As the lines of the Byakugo seal glowed and etched their way across Sakura's body, Kakashi's eyes widened with a mix of hope and trepidation. The intricate pattern of the seal seemed to dance across her skin, a manifestation of chakra working its mysterious healing magic.

Sakura's breathing became labored, and she winced as if in pain. Kakashi tightened his grip on her, torn between the desire for a miracle and the fear of losing her in the process.

The process seemed to take an eternity, each passing moment marked by the ebb and flow of chakra weaving its way through Sakura's body. The lines of the seal pulsed with an otherworldly energy, creating a delicate dance of light and shadow on her skin.

As the last traces of the seal completed their circuit, Sakura's body slumped against Kakashi. The glow of the seal faded, leaving behind a sense of quiet stillness. For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the outcome of the desperate attempt at healing.

But a hacking cough disrupted the silence of the night. Blood started to drip from Sakura's hand as she tries to stifle the sound. Specks of blood stained his mesh shirt.

Kakashi's heart clenched at the sight of Sakura's struggle, a stark reminder of the fragility of the moment. He supported her gently, his hands trembling as he held her close.

"Sakura," he whispered, his voice a mixture of concern and desperation. "Did it work? Are you okay?"

Sakura looked at him, and shook her head. "It doesn't work anymore. I'll have few days, weeks at best."

"Sakura," Kakashi's broken voice broke something inside her. "I..." Kakashi cannot finish whatever he is trying to say as his throat started to close up, and all he could do is lift her and settle her to his lap.

Sakura leaned into Kakashi's embrace, her strength waning as she fought against the toll the failed attempt had taken on her. Kakashi held her with a mixture of tenderness and despair, his eyes reflecting the depth of his emotions.

"I can't accept it, Sakura. I can't let you go again." He tightened his arms around her. "I can't say goodbye."

"Then we are not saying goodbye, Kakashi." She desperately told him. "We are not saying goodbye, if we don't want to. We are just going to say 'until next time.' If there's an afterlife, I'm going to wait for you. Okay?"

Kakashi's eyes were filled with tears as he nodded, the weight of the moment sinking in. "Until next time," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I'll find you, Sakura. I promise."

Sakura managed a weak smile, her fingers gently tracing patterns on Kakashi's hand. "I'll be waiting, Kakashi. But right now, I'm not leaving yet. So don't think about it until I do, okay?" She cradled his head in her hands and she leaned her forehead to his. "I'm still here. I'm still here, Kakashi."