Title: Never Again Good-bye

Rating: T (PG;13)

Author: lil kagome

Date of Creation: March 16, 2007

Dedication: This is dedicated to the one person I've said my final good-bye to, and with honor to that person I do hope you enjoy this fanfic.

Disclaimer: I claim nothing other but the plot, everything else go ahead and take credit for.

It was cold in the darkness, and I could only assume my death would come sooner than I'd counted on. I leaned my back against Ino, having healed all her wounds only moments before depleting all my chakra on the two other fallen chunin. I was breathing heavy, and I feel Ino's worry seep forth from her worried gaze.

"Hey billboard brow… you're gonna be okay, right?" her voice was soft, and I think she knew at that point the only answer available would be grim.

"Ino…" I sat forward, looking over my shoulder at her paling face.

"Of course you will… I mean what was I thinking, you're too stubborn to die." She laughed sardonically as I frowned, knowing just how her nerves must have been shredded to nothing.

"…" I didn't know what to tell her, but I could tell she understood as I said nothing back to her.

"Damn it Sakura! I was supposed to get hit, not you! Why don't you ever take care of yourself?" She screamed so loud, I was almost certain she had notified everyone in the local towns of my lack of self-interest.

"It's ok Ino, I know what I'm doing." I was sure she had called my bluff, and I could see the tears now marring her once perfectly clear face. "I just… need to rest until… reinforcements arrive." I couldn't stop my shoulders from shaking as I felt her hand make contact rather harshly with my cheek.

"You didn't have to heal us all! Why do you risk everything?" Her voice had risen yet again, her eyes tearing yet again. "Sakura we've only just begun, you can't die!" For a moment all I did was stare, and then something seemed to break within me, I cried out in pain and sorrow as I felt her gather me into a desperate hug.

It was another ten minutes before we sat in silence leaning up against a large boulder in the middle of the clearing. "Hey Sakura…" Ino turned her head just enough to peer at my paling face.

"Yeah." I croaked, knowing time was waning as my life slipped further with each breath I shakily took.

"There's something I've always wanted to know…" She paused, her eyes peering into my own. "How is it that you have two souls? What did you go through that made them split… I mean I do recall reading about an ancient medical condition which had the same results but it said trauma was the only thing to cause it… so… why?" Her eyes pleaded with a curiosity that made me wish to tell her… If only I had known myself.

"I don't really know…" I took a deep breath, looking up to the starry sky as I thought about it. "I was seven when it began happening, my alter ego just became a part of myself after a while. I just assumed I was crazy, not that I'd have ever admitted that. I did see that scroll though. I'm not sure why it happened to me, but I'm sure that doesn't matter now." My breathing slowed, and I could feel the end steadily approaching.

"Sakura, that day I saw the other you, she was… strong." A wistful look was the only thing I could see, her expression veiled by the shadow of the prehistoric trees. "I thought about it from that day on, knowing that if that person was really a part of you then I'd have to try a lot harder to beat you." She laughed a despondently as she looked back at me. "My worse fear was you beating me out… I couldn't…" She sobbed into her hands, trying not to glance at me.

"It's… ok." It was beginning to hurt to breath and I could tell it wouldn't be long before I would fall into an impermeable sleep. I smiled though, and began to speak again. "If I only got to fight you, I still would never forget those times we'd spent together." She looked at me with empathy as I coughed, her eyes closing as I wheezed out my next words. "If I could go back for just one more moment, there's not one thing I'd have said or done different." I grimaced as my side began to hurt.

"How can you say that? There is so much I would have changed, like chasing Sasuke for instance." She covered her mouth as I cringed, my eyes closing as I took yet another deep breath. "I'm sorry I didn't-"I cut her off not a second too soon.

"It's ok." I said, looking into her face. "I understand what you mean; you would've found an interest in Shikamaru sooner." I laughed a piteous laugh as I felt my body growing colder.

"Exactly." Ino said in a amused manner.

"I'm glad" My words were serene as I placed my hand over my heart, feeling the pounding grow erratic. "That I got to say good-bye." At that moment I felt my body go cold, and I heard Ino's sobbing and calling. I could feel nothing as I began to slip away.

I saw my life flashing before my eyes, my mind flashing with images of every other person in my life. I smiled to myself, and could hardly believe it was over, all the pain receding to the depth of my stomach and gradually sinking lower until it was nowhere within my body.

I felt my weight alleviate as I slipped further from my life. I watched as Sasuke walked away, his back the only thing within my view. I watched as he fought chaotically with Naruto, clearly aiming to kill. I watched as Naruto smiled that cocky smile, and Sasuke gave that unresponsive 'hn'. I could've cried and smiled at the very same time if it weren't for the apathy taking office in my entire soul.

For another brief moment I could swear I heard my name come from Sasuke's indifferent lips. I felt as if someone had grabbed my wrist. I was being pulled backwards, my body falling back into pain and distress. I heard sobbing and a roughened growling that could only be from one person. "Don't you dare leave me Sakura!" That's when I felt it, something wet on my face, and I opened my eyes guardedly. Sasuke's face hovered above me; he was sobbing and clutching my hand to his chest. I could see the tears run down his masculine face. I smiled briefly, knowing he had come from Suna to see me again, after his revenge had finally been claimed he had told me he'd come back. Time was surely cruel, for it was just too late for the two of us.

He pulled me too him, sobbing into my hair as I ran my weak hands through his raven hair. He was like a broken child, sobbing frantically into my shoulder. "Don't… leave me." He sobbed and I couldn't help but let out a cry of my own at his broken voice.

"I don't have a choice Sasuke-kun." My words were rickety and I could tell he hadn't listened. He held me closer, gathering my frame into his muscled arms. "I… have to go." My words broke my own heart as I started sobbing openly into his shoulder.

"It'll be ok… you won't have to go… I'll get you back to Kanoha." He said in a broken voice, his shaky legs carrying us both to the tree-tops where I could see Ino sobbing just as brokenly into Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Sasuke… put me down." My voice was composed and for a moment I didn't recognize it as my own. "You'll never make it… I can feel it." He didn't stop, his face still covered in tears. I put my palm to his face and he jolted out of his reverie to look down at me. "Please… stop." He stopped, sobbing into my hair again as he sat us down on a tree branch.

I felt myself start to fade, and I could tell he noticed. "Sakura… no!" He placed a calloused hand over my cold cheek and looked into my eyes as they closed him off from my vision. "Please… no." I heard him whisper as he cried into the crook of my neck.

It was deathly silent for a moment, and I thought that I had gone, but that moment didn't last for long. I felt everything come crashing back in a blur as I opened my eyes to see a fire burning in a dimly lit room. There was a cloth on my forehead and white sheets and bedcovers stretched as far as my vision. I could see nothing in the lighting as I was drawn into confusion. Wasn't I supposed to be dead?

I tried to lift my hand, but found that I didn't have enough strength for even the simplest task. I groaned and I noticed the faint flickering of gold in the side corner. It looked to be a headband, and I could tell the person was obviously asleep.

I reached out to the person, but they seemed far too far away. I let out a broken noise and I saw the glint of metal move. "Sakura?" It was Naruto, I could tell by the blonde locks shown by the orange light of the fire. "You're awake?!" He seemed elated as he came to me, kneeling at the side of the bed as he began to sob. "Sakura I thought we'd lost you damn it!" he began to clutch my hand and I smiled as best as I could.

"Just the opposite really." I said, as he smiled back. He placed a hand in mine and turned to the small table at the bedside.

"Take this." He handed me a pill of a dark blue color, and without any thought I popped it in my mouth and swallowed it, guessing that it was perhaps for the pain now circulating in my gut. "Sasuke's just outside; he was pretty broken up you know." Naruto smirked and looked down at me. "He made it to Kabuto's place just in time you know; otherwise you'd have been dead." I looked to the door in confusion, not knowing why he had tried so hard to save me from death.

"I thank him for that." I smiled and Naruto sat on the edge of the bed.

He glanced at the clock for a moment and then spoke. "You've been asleep for eighty-two hours." He sighed and looked me in the eyes. "And in that time the teme hasn't slept a wink, so you better let him see you or I worry he's going to become an actual zombie." I nodded and held my breath as I saw the door come open and Sasuke cross the threshold a moment later.

"Hn." He said to Naruto, but I could see the wrinkle in the corner of his eye proving his extreme elation. Naruto exited a moment later, his wink to me an obvious statement of just how much time he had spent in Sasuke's company. Sasuke sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the fire as I looked at his back. "Don't ever scare me like that again." His voice was shallow, his face turning to take in my own visage. I could see the substantiation of dark circles around his obsidian eyes. He smiled though, and probably for the first time ever in front of me.

"Not planning on it." I said as I smiled back, knowing that this time there would be no good-bye. He wasn't going to leave again without me near in-toe. I didn't mask my joy as he placed his hand on my cheek now hot with the fresh flow of blood.

"Good." He said and I sat up abruptly to throw my arms around his neck in a invigorating hug.

OWARI