There was a secret far too scary for anyone to know. To say the secret would be the death of them and to keep it bottled up inside them would slowly squeeze the very life out of them. But how could they help it? They were drawn to their actions as a moth was to flame. It couldn't be helped.

She sat, sitting by the windowsill again, waiting for him again, perhaps for the last time. No, she was not waiting for her husband... that would not have been weird at all. The weird thing was that the one she was waiting for; the one who filled her heart with utter joy and delight was not her husband, but someone else. Ahh... the weight of the sin... but it could not be helped, for everytime she saw him approach, it was like a warm spring day after a brutal winter. If only she could call him her own...

Oh god... Sasuke...

Sakura sat by the windowsill, looking for him, listening for him... and feeling for him. He had not come yet. Oh please hurry, my time grows short...

"Sakura," A deep voice called to her, making her turn. There her husband stood, looking at her curiously. "What is out there that entertains you so?" He asks her but he is not interested in what was out there, entertaining her. He's merely asking so that she'd spill out what she was thinking about. Oh god... it was the third time this week. Did he notice? Oh god, no... please don't let him know... oh god... Was he going to use "that" against her? Looking into his eyes were so difficult. Oh... she couldn't. They were scary eyes... the ones that could read your mind; your soul... The ones that could torture you till no end... The demonic ones called the Sharingan.

"The weather is so beautiful today, no?" Sakura said, exerting massive amount of fake joy in her voice.

"Really? It's rainy," He replied.

"I enjoy rain, Itachi-sama," Sakura said.

Itachi looked at her. "How strange, I never knew you liked rainy weather. I've always thought that you'd like sunny days," He said, wrapping his cloak around him tightly.

Sakura smiled; again a fake smile just to keep him satisfied. "I love rain, Itachi-sama," She replied.

Itachi nodded. "If you say so, I hope there would be more rainfalls before you completely go blind and before you... pass on. I shall be back in the morning. Mind your health," He said.

Sakura did not need to respond to that. The window was open to let in the spring breeze. That was something Itachi allowed for Sakura's health was failing at a rather rapid rate. The reason for that, he didn't know or didn't even care at all. But maybe it was still cruel to die tonight without even telling him good-bye. So she told him. "Good bye, Itachi-sama," She said.

He stiffened a little. "Was that the last good bye?" He asked, his voice completely emotionless.

Sakura smiled, and repeated. "Good bye, Itachi-sama."

Itachi stayed for a moment longer. He walked to Sakura he layed a hand to her cheek. "Farewell," He said and disappeared.

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She sang a tune and waited for Sasuke curled up in her bed, her large window open to let in breeze.

Ahh... Sasuke... he was on a mission and she didn't see him in a whole week now. The sad thing was, her vision degraded so badly in the week.

Sasuke appeared next to her, without a word.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura chirped up in sheer happiness, unlike the robotic and obligatory joy that she had to force out of herself when greeting Itachi.

"Don't move so much, Sakura, and don't get so close to me. You'll smell like me and onii-sama would notice," He said, a tint of sadness behind his mono-toned voice that lacked any emotion.

"Don't worry about that, Sasuke-kun. Not tonight," Sakura said, disappointment and despair written across her face and painfully embedded in her voice.

Sasuke looked at her.

She appeared more fragile now. So much closer to death.

Desperation gripped him. He needed to do something so she wouldn't die. God, he would spill his own blood and carve off his own flesh to cure her. He would do anything and go anywhere. If someone told him a way, there was no such thing as thing he wouldn't do. Sadly though, there was a problem to that and that her disease was an incurable one. He could spill his blood, he could carve out his skin, hell he could sell his soul to the devils but that would do nothing to save this woman.

Sakura... Why was she named so? Had it been her destiny all along to live such a short life?

Sakura...

Sakura...

Sasuke, for the first time in a year or so, touched the desire of his heart once again. For the year, they had not touched each other in fear of Itachi noticing the difference in Sakura's scent, but that mattered little right now. Her skin felt like a flower petal, soft and flawless. He looked at her like a precious jewel as she closed her eyes savoring the sweet caress of the one she loved. She lifted her fragile hands to touch his own and it felt like ice.

"I love you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said.

"Don't say such a thing," Sasuke said, unable to look in her green eyes.

Another cold hand, this time touched his face and turned his face towards her's, as his black gaze locked into her emerald ones. "Do you love me, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke did not say a word. Was she leaving him? Tonight? Sakura... No...

"Sasuke-kun," She called again, pleasantly.

"I can't love you, Sakura," He said.

"Yes you can. Itachi-sama said his last farewell. I can be yours now."

"Sakura... I'd rather..." He couldn't go on. I'd rather have you be my brother's and be alive than to have you be mine and be dead.

Sakura smiled. "I know what you're thinking now, and I urge you not to think such a thing. I'd rather be yours and die rather than to live eternity, being apart from you," Sakura said. Then she looked outside where a dying cherry-blossom tree stood. "Do you see that, Sasuke-kun?" She asked.

Sasuke looked, holding back a river of tears. All petals have fallen off but one.

"When that last petal had fallen off... that will be the death of me," Sakura said.

"Don't say that!" Sasuke yelled. He held Sakura by her shoulders and embraced her frail body as if it was the most precious thing he had ever held. "Don't say things like that..." He said.

Sakura sighed. "I want to hear it, Sasuke-kun... I want to hear it. Just once before I go... Pl-"

Sasuke pressed his lips onto hers. A tear trailed down his face.

I don't want to hear it... no more...

He held her as if that would help her life from draining away. Maybe he wanted to believe it for that moment that if he held her tightly, she would live. He wouldn't have minded that even a bit. But the reality hit him sooner than he hoped. Sakura was going to die and her last and only wish was to hear him say that to her. But wouldn't she die if she got her last wish? But... he's been so selfish all along... denying her, ignoring her... and the result was having her torn away from him by his brother. The pain she must have felt... the years that she had endured for him... yet was he only thinking of himself still? Oh no... it hurt and tore but it was time to finally frant her wish. It was time for him to sacrifice something for her. The one who sacrificed everything for him. The one who believed in him even though he didn't deserve it. The one who's been with him and loved him for this long unconditionally. It was time to grant Sakura's wish.

"Sakura..." He whispered into her ear. "I love you."

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NOTE: Sakura and Sasuke's relationship will now be rewinding. If you see the "Early days" thingiebefore the chapter title, it's… the earlier days. If you don't care about any of the dragging intro crap, I won't be offended. To skip the intros, go on to chapter 4. If you want to read the intro… go to chapter 2 (obviously….).