-XXX-

SASUKE

I looked at Tsunade and frowned. I had just beaten her at cards like three times, which might explain her agitated mood, but she was too used to losing. No, that wasn't the issue. She raised her hand a few times to dry the tear that ran down her cheek. When I anxiously asked if she was okay, she just waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine, no worries, no worries…"

Only, she looked like I had to worry about her. I wheeled her in a wheelchair from the common room back to her own room. I was hoping that maybe the treats Sakura had baked for her and which were waiting for her there, would cheer her up a bit. Sakura had mentioned to me that Tsunade had been eating poorly and looking tired for the past few days. Today, head nurse Mei pointed out to me that she had only eaten a little bit of lunch and that she had only eaten last night's dinner because Sakura had been persistent.

I knew Sakura was concerned. She wanted to cancel her yoga class for today, but I convinced her to attend. I reminded her that there were only two classes left in her course and then I reminded her that she would be with Tsunade every Tuesday game night later on. I don't regret Tuesday nights with Tsunade, in fact it was more comfortable than I first suspected. That is, if Tsunade put her spirited and aggressive temper aside.

My favorite part of those game nights was whenever Tsunade shared some stories about Sakura. Even though she'd probably forgotten a bunch of them, there were still a lot of them. They were often full of humorous moments and embarrassing situations, so I often smiled at them. But today, not a single story or memory came out of her mouth that she wanted to share and reminisce about.

In her room, I wheeled her to the table in her wheelchair. She usually walked back and forth to the common room on her own, but today she had been looking weak since I came to visit and one of the nurses suggested we use the wheelchair. Tsunade at first scolded us for not wanting it, but then had to admit she needed it.

On the table in front of her was a plate full of cookies that Sakura had baked yesterday just for her aunt. I motioned to the plate for Tsunade to taste and eat some. However, Tsunade showed no sign of appetite or care. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I'll pass, but thank you. I'm tired..." She replied with a wave of her hand. She sounded exhausted and weary.

"Shall I call nurse Sukui to prepare you for bed?" Head nurse Mei wasn't on duty today, but Tsunade liked nurse Sukui too. "I don't want to go to bed." She replied with a scowl. "Really?" I asked her. She lifted her hand and ran it over her face in a malaise. "I'm tired of all this."

I glared at her worriedly, and she realized that I probably didn't know what she was referring to. "From being here. In this... life, if you can even call it that." I watched in surprise as her breathing became heavier and she slowly heaved her chest. Her words caught me off guard. I had never heard her speak like that before.

"Tsunade..." She reached out and grabbed my hand. "I keep forgetting, Sasuke." She started slowly, and just the fact that she was addressing me by my name for the first time and not as an "Uchiha brat" indicated that she wasn't in the mood for joking around. "Time passes and I don't even know if it's still the same day as it was just a moment ago." She gazed into my eyes, hers were brimming with glistening tears and her voice was shaky.

"Sakura comes to visit and I can't remember if she was here a few years ago, a few days ago, or if she just left the room for a minute. Some days I don't recognize anything at all and it scares me. I know there are days when I don't even recognize her..." Tsunade is one of the strongest people I've had the opportunity to meet. I was used to her snide remarks and brash, tough talk. She was rarely sentimental or vulnerable, so this situation took me by surprise.

"Most of the time I don't remember anything, just a big dark void..." She said with a broken heart and confusion in her eyes. "Sakura's here almost all the time." I retorted. I felt I had to say something, even though I didn't know what would be appropriate in this circumstance. "She comes here to see you every day, and even if you forget about her, she doesn't forget about you. She stays here and sits by your side."

"I'm just a burden to her." The woman sitting in front of me shook her head. "No." I argued with complete conviction. "You are not a burden. She loves you." Even a blind man could see how much these two women cared for each other. There was silence for a while before Tsunade spoke again. "You must hate me, both of you…"

I furrowed my brow and frowned. "What?"

"Sakura should be doing other things. Traveling, having kids, hanging out with friends, enjoying her honeymoon with you, not hanging out with an old woman who's draining the life out of her." Tsunade replied with a small ironic smile on her lips, but I recognized the pain hidden behind it.

"Why do you say that? She would do anything in the world for you. She's always there for you. And so am I." As soon as I said it, I realized I was telling her the truth. I didn't know until now that I felt something like this; that she was an important person to me too. "If Sakura could hear you now..." I didn't know what I wanted to say next, but I didn't even have to because Tsunade jumped in.

"I miss Dan, you know?" Dan was Tsunade's sweet, talented doctor, whom Tsunade was supposed to marry in her younger days, but he died before they could get married. "Ah..." I soothed her as best I could. "It's been so many years..." Tsunade began to reminisce about him, and I listened quietly to everything she had to say.

"We weren't wealthy, but we loved each other." She softly smiled at me. "I loved watching him when he treated his patients. With great care and kindness. He was a doctor, did I tell you that?" I had heard of him countless times. "No, not yet..." I gave a nod of my head in disagreement.

"I was doing a nursing course after school at the time and he was completing it when we first met. We weren't married, but we had a nice life. We said we would slowly but surely save up for our wedding..." She paused, as if her throat had snapped. Her voice grew weaker. "When he died, I didn't know how to keep living. But then I found Sakura." There was a hint of hope in her voice, her face suddenly not giving off a gloomy mood, quite the opposite. "She was my reason for living."

"She needed you."

"But she doesn't need me anymore." She replied without hesitation. "That's not true and you know it." I replied without hesitation too. She snorted and looked at my face with a slight smile. "You'll take care of her won't you, you little brat?" I brushed over her title for me and I nodded in agreement. "Yes, I will."

And at my assurance, she closed her eyes in exhaustion and her shoulders slumped. Now she looked even weaker in that wheelchair than before. "That's good... I can't anymore. I'm just awfully tired..." Now I realised that she was not talking about physical tiredness. She was tired of the life she was stuck in. She was tired of being trapped in a body that no longer had the will to live, and with a mind that left her confused and forgetful.

I took a few steps closer to her, Tsunade's eyelids almost closed with exhaustion. "I'll take care of her, I swear." I lowered my voice and once again assured her that she didn't have to worry about Sakura. I could promise her that. I knew that I had the ability to provide her with everything she needed and that I could make sure she was doing well. Who knows if she heard me or noticed, but I had to tell her.

Her eyes suddenly opened slowly, but her gaze went somewhere behind me. "Can you hand me that picture?" I turned around and handed her the framed photo on the shelf she pointed to. When word got out that Sakura and I were married, Tsunade had wanted our wedding picture. She insisted on it directly and ordered head nurse Mei to find a frame for it at any cost.

And then Tsunade wanted a frame for one more photo that Sakura had taken during one of our visits, which they surprisingly wanted to have me in as well. They were both laughing over a board game and I was sitting between them. We looked a bit like a family. And that's exactly the picture Tsunade wanted me to hand her.

Tsunade caressed the picture she was clutching in her hands, her face full of regret. "Ever since I lost Dan, Sakura has been my whole life."

"I know."

"When she lost her parents and ran away from her foster family on the streets, she looked weak and devastated. I guess her foster parents couldn't give her enough love when she ran away from them on the streets... " She kept her saddened eyes on the photo.

"But looking at her now, she's exactly how I always thought she'd be. Smart, loving and strong woman." She smiled tenderly and ran her fingers over the spot where Sakura had been photographed.

"Hn... My wife is not weak. And it's mostly your doing." I gave credit to the woman who had adopted a strange child, saved her life and given her all the love she had.

Finally, she smiled broadly. For the first time since I've been here with her today. Then she reached out and patted my face, which stunned me. But I didn't pull away. "You're a nice guy, Uchiha." I had to smile inwardly at those words of hers. No one had ever said anything like that to me before.

"When you are both older, you will discover that life is made up of moments. Of different moments." She looked at me intently and went on. "Of the sad, the happy, the good and the bad ones." I liked the way she spoke from her heart. Her words carried a weight I hadn't heard from her mouth yet. Truly, Tsunade was a woman who had known all the nooks and crannies of life, the wisdom, the joys and the sorrows. She was a great mother, friend, mentor and support to Sakura.

She was silent for a moment and then she sighed, leaning back fully into her wheelchair. "I'm so tired, I just want to go to sleep..." Her eyelids drooped and her chest heaved up and down with a slow rhythm. "I'll go get nurse Sukui." I told her and slowly made my way to the door. Before I left the room, I turned around after that sleepy and fragile woman, and made my way to the nurse's room.

…

My phone vibrated on the top of my table. I looked at it and suppressed a snort as I saw the number of Senju Facility's home on the display. I wondered what Tsunade wanted this time, that she asked head nurse Mei to call me, again.

Since our last disturbing conversation last week, Tsunade needed something every day, and I always provided it. Whether it was messages to Sakura, sweets for the nurses for their kindness, or food for Tonton. But I didn't tell Sakura about our emotional little conversation. She was already very worried about her and Tsunade's condition was getting worse by the day. Her memory was failing more and more often, and she felt so weak that any slight movement was almost impossible for her.

She was more conscious this Tuesday, but fell asleep as soon as I wheeled her back to her room in her wheelchair from the game night, leaving her in the care of the nurses. I ended the call with the hang-up button. I told myself I'd call back to Asakusa Facility as soon as our business meeting was over.

Suddenly my phone vibrated again. With a glance, I found that it was Asakusa Facility again. Worries began to gnaw at me. Head nurse Mei knows that if I don't pick up, I'll call her back as soon as I can. Why is she so persistent today?

I looked up at Minato, who was just explaining the planning schedule for the next week, and he stopped his speech instantly. "Do you need to take that call, Sasuke?" I hesitated to turn the phone off and continue on, but a strange feeling was nagging at me.

"It might be important." I said simply, and Minato nodded approvingly. "Five minute break for everyone." He told all of us who were attending our little meeting. Someone scattered to the bathroom, someone went to get coffee, and I answered that call.

"Uchiha." I introduced myself and there was silence on the other end of the line before the head nurse's voice was heard. "Mr. Uchiha? I'm sorry to interrupt, but..." She began slowly and the tone of her voice sent waves of anxiety down my back. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you..." She said with held breath, and for a moment my mind went blank.

Subconsciously, I already knew what her next words would be. I didn't remember getting up, but suddenly I was on my feet. "What happened?" I asked and the head nurse only confirmed my hunch. "Tsunade Senju passed away about an hour ago."

I squeezed my eyelids tightly and sighed heavily. We knew it was only a matter of time, but it came so suddenly. I gripped my phone and asked the most important question for me at that time: "Does my wife know about it?" I heard a soft nod from her. "Yes. She was here to see her this morning and left just moments before she died. I called her right afterwards to tell her to come back."

"Is she there now?"

"Yeah... I wanted to talk to her about what needs to be done from now on, but I cannot calm her down. I didn't know what to do, so I called you." My heart was already aching at how devastated Sakura must be at the loss of her mother. "I'm on my way. I'll take care of all the things, so don't bother Sakura with it."

I ended the call and tossed the phone back on the table. The impact with which the phone hit the wooden top momentarily interrupted the flow of thoughts in my head. I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. I looked back and met Minato's worried face.

"Sasuke, my deepest condolences." Apparently Minato overheard my conversation on the phone and figured out the rest. "I'll have to..." I was about to excuse myself from the rest of the meeting, but my boss stopped me. "I'll come with you. Sakura can't do this alone." He told me as if with fatherly support and I just thanked him with a nod. "Ah..." It was a generous gesture from him. He really did treat his employees like family.

…

I didn't hesitate at the nursing home Asakusa Facility. I walked through the corridors and saw head nurse Mei and other nurses standing in front of Tsunade's room. The door to the room was closed. "Is she in?" I asked urgently. "Yes." Head nurse Mei replied with a deep sigh.

"What will you need from me?" I didn't have much experience with funerals, so I was hoping that head nurse Mei could tell me what needed to be arranged. She thought for a moment and then responded: "I need to know if you have anything arranged. If you've made any preparations and what her wishes were for her funeral."

"I know she wished to be put in the grave next to a man who was dear to her. I don't think Sakura made any arrangements in advance." I rubbed my hand on the back of my neck. Minato's voice came from behind me. "Let me help you, Sasuke." I turned in surprise at his voice, thinking he'd just dropped me off outside and left back into Namikaze Group.

He shook head nurse Mei's hand, introduced himself and she smiled in acknowledgement. This time she was subdued around the newly introduced man, as the wedding ring on his hand was impossible to miss. Her mood immediately darkened at the sight of the ring. Minato turned back to me and motioned to the door of the room where Sakura was now mourning.

"Go to your wife, Sasuke. My good friend Kakuzu owns several funeral homes. I'll call him and start dealing with him, and in the meantime, Miss Mei here can give me some guidance." He smiled gently and gracefully at her, as he used to do with clients.

"Wife..." The head nurse whispered. "It's nice that you're being her for her…" She added sadly and admiringly at the same time. "Mr. Namikaze is right." She assented and put her hand on my shoulder. "I'll help him with anything he needs, so you can go to Sakura."

I nodded in understanding. "Thank you." Namikaze smiled at me slightly hen he heard me. "You rarely say that." But I didn't say anything to that. "Just go, she needs you." He addend and without waiting for any further prompting, I walked into that room and quietly closed the door behind me.

The room had a completely different feel than usual. The curtains were drawn, so the sun didn't even meet this room. The room was drowning in sadness, and Tsunade wasn't sitting at her desk as usual, shuffling cards or sipping the boxed juice she'd poured the brandy into.

The petite figure of Sakura huddled beside the bed, holding Tsunade's covered body by her hand. I walked over to her and allowed myself a brief glance down at the woman who had changed our lives. I couldn't believe it was her under that sheets. I didn't believe that we would hear no more laughter, life wisdom or snarky remarks from her.

I bent down to my wife and put my palm on her hand which was holding Tsunade tight as she could. "Sakura..." I muttered, trying to get some sort of reaction from her, since she didn't even register the entrance of another person into the room.

She didn't move. She remained rigid and blank-faced. She didn't speak, her breathing muffled. I straightened up, not wanting to disturb her any more. She needed to say goodbye quietly, to settle her thoughts and work through the emotions that must have been flowing through her. "I'm sorry..." I added softly, only that.

I didn't expect her to say anything, but after a moment of suffocating silence, she spoke. "I just left..." she whispered. "I was halfway home and suddenly they called me back." She explained to me. „I shouldn't have left." She clenched her eyes full of pain, holding Tsunade even fighter.

"You couldn't know..."

"She told me she was tired and wanted to rest. She didn't even want to play any cards. She actually told me to bring her only water. I should have known something was wrong, shannaro!" Sakura continued sharply, her regret and self-reproach evident. "I should have been there when she..." She added quietly after that.

"You were with her. You know what she thought about it. She kept talking about leaving when she was ready." It was true. Tsunade always joked about all the things she and Dan would do on the other side when she finally left peacefully. It was probably her way of dealing with the impending reality.

"Tsunade has been ready for some time. I think she was just waiting until she was sure you'd be okay." Something inside told me that she left just as she confirmed that her daughter, her little Sakura, was taken care of and happy in her life.

"I didn't even say goodbye to her..." Sakura sobbed with a broken voice and it almost broke my heart. I had no experience in comforting others, so I did the only thing I could think of at that moment.

I moved a little forward, put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to my body. Her head rested against my chest and I hugged her tighter. "Were you laughing?"

"Yes... until she got exhausted..."

"Did you hold her hand like you always do?"

"Yes..."

"Then you said goodbye."

The two of them never needed words to say goodbye, hello, or even to tell each other they loved each other. They both knew it, they always knew it. That's what I liked about their relationship.

"Sasuke-kun... I don't know... I don't know what to do now." Her whole body was shaking from her sobs, which she finally let out with a deep exhale. I couldn't stand her increasing pain and the way she was trembling. "You're not alone. We'll figure out what needs to be done together." Her head buried itself further into my chest, and then I felt the wetness of her tears on my shirt.

I held her close to me until her body relaxed a little. Then she slowly let go of Tsunade's hand as well, letting it rest gently on the blanket. We sat like that in silence for a while longer, and I stroked gently Sakura's back, hoping to give her at least a small amount of comfort.

…

After a few minutes there was a knock on the door. I called, "Come in." and Minato walked into Tsunade's room. He looked at the two of us and Sakura lifted her face to see the person who walked in. "Sakura, I'm so sorry for your loss." She couldn't do more than whisper "Thank you…"

"Kushina's already here too, and Naruto's already running for the fastest flight out of Yumegakure Town to be here as soon as possible. We'd like to help you both with all the arrangements if you'd like." He said with sadness in his eyes, his words sincere. I knew that his offer alone would be very appreciated by Sakura once this worst of times was over for her.

Sakura was very weak and exhausted. She nodded blankly and shivered all over again. Her thoughts were probably elsewhere entirely. Somewhere where she and Tsunade were together. "I think we should take her home." I said to my boss and he and he slowly started to leave. "Of course." He agreed.

I leaned closer to Sakura. "Are you ready? Or would you like to stay here a little longer?" I wasn't going to take her away from here against her will, even if it was for her own good. I wanted to wait for her to decide for herself when she was ready to leave this room. She didn't answer my question and looked up at me and the departing Minato's back.

"What's going to happen next…?" Her lips quivered with koncern as she said that. Minato stopped, then turned around and glanced at the bed where the deceased body laid. Then he looked back at Sakura with a compassionate expression. "The doctor will come to confirm and record everything needed, and my friend from the Funeral Service will do the rest. From what Sasuke said, she wished to be buried next to her beloved, right?"

"Yes..." Sakura's eyes seemed to reflect a sense of longing. You could see the relief she felt that Tsunade would be buried next to Dan, the man she loved.

"Kakuzu will take care of everything, and we can decide what kind of ceremony you want in the meantime." I was grateful that Namikaze would help us like this. Sakura didn't take long to answer his question. "I want it to be a celebration of her life." Minato smiled at her warm decision and agreed. "I understand."

"What about her-" Sakura swallowed hard and looked at my face intently. "... her stuff?"

"I'll make sure everything is packed up and taken to our house." I assured her not to worry about her belongings and possessions. "When you feel you're capable of handling it all, I'll take care of it." I added, and with her still in my arms, I patted her gently on the shoulder, still keeping her close.

"If it's not a problem..." Head nurse Mei also entered the room. "If you don't mind, Tonton could stay here." Only now did I notice that Tsunade's snorting little pig wasn't here at all. "Our secretary Shizune is so fond of Tonton that even Tsunade has often said that it looks like she is her real keeper." The head nurse smiled at the thought that seemed to have just crossed her mind.

Sakura remained silent, looking intently at Tsunade. "Tonton is more at home here with you than she would be with me anyway..." Sakura finally replied after a moment, slowly getting up, and I immediately steadied her. I didn't like the way she was shaking all over and her voice was quivering. It seemed better to hold her, and judging by her grip, Sakura was grateful for that. She entrusted herself to my care and I was glad.

I also took one last glance at Tsunade. In my mind, I thanked her for everything. For opening my eyes to so many things, and for the fact that it was really only because of her that Sakura and I were this close. I thanked her for everything in my mind with respect and said goodbye to her.

"I'll go ahead." Minato suggested and left the room first. Head Sister Mei followed right behind him. I looked at my wife examiningly. Her eyes were dilated with pain and sadness, and no one could blame her. A powerful rush of gentleness washed over me, and my whole being was permeated with the need to ease her grief. To be there for her.

I leaned down, pressed my lips gently to her forehead and murmured softly into her hair. "It's gonna be okay. I promise." She gave in to the caress, longing for the company of another person in her silent grief, so she wouldn't be alone in her sorrow. I understood and had no intention of pushing her away in any way.

"Are you ready to go?" I reassured myself until she gave a nod. She buried her head in my chest and gripped the edge of my jacket even tighter. I was her support, as I guess a good husband should be. Even a fake husband.

We walked out of the room together, knowing that both of our lives were really going to change from now on. I knew that Tsunade was the only reason our contract was still on the table. Sakura had only agreed to the whole sham marriage masquerade in the first place to ensure that Tsunade was placed in the Asakusa Facility and that her adoptive mother had everything she needed and wanted.

But now… when Tsunade has died… Sakura has no reason to continue with our contract. I knew that one day this would all end. Although I imagined it differently, it had to come sometime eventually. But I wasn't ready for that yet, and this situation threw us into it without warning and in the worst way.

-XXX-

End of Chapter 28