Last Moments

-Sasuke-

He never intended to cross the line.

Naruto was his best friend...close enough for him to consider Naruto as a brother.

Sakura was someone he never liked in the first place. When he and Naruto first met her, he thought she was annoying as hell. Her pink hair and her all-too-cheerful attitude was irritating.

When Naruto starting falling for her, it was obvious. He's never seen Naruto that love-struck in his entire life...and he figured he would support the relationship because if that's what made Naruto happy, then so be it.

He was there for the whole duration of their relationship. He saw how much Naruto loved her and how Naruto would shower her with undying attention and affection. It was easy to tell that Sakura loved Naruto as well...until a year into their relationship, he noticed that Sakura has been stealing glances at him often.

He thought it was just a coincident that when he looked at her, she happened to be looking back at the same time. However, even when he wasn't looking...he could feel her eyes on him. Even when she was with Naruto, he could tell that she seemed distant.

Almost a month into Naruto and Sakura's marriage, he felt more comfortable around her...and dare he say, he was even getting fond of her. Maybe because she was with Naruto everyday now and he saw her more often than usual, or maybe because she approached him so casually unlike other girls who were trying too damn hard to get his attention.

Then he found himself wanting to go over to Naruto's place everyday...just so he could see her. The pink hair that he first hated, he now found it to be unique and couldn't imagine any other woman looking as beautiful as she did with it. Her all-too-cheerful attitude was actually heartwarming and he noticed it made her easier to talk to. She was a literal ball of sunshine. A breath of fresh air.

It was one particular day, when Naruto happened to be at work, that Sakura invited him over for lunch. He found it to be a bit weird for them to be eating lunch together alone.

He hadn't expect for her to confess that afternoon.

He did suspect that maybe she was attracted to him in a way, considering all those side glances and the way her eyes lit up when she saw him, but he shrugged it off since she was Naruto's wife.

When she confessed to him, he resisted the strong urge to just swoop her off her feet and kiss her endlessly. This was his best friend's wife...though he couldn't deny that he was beginning to feel attracted to her, he couldn't do that Naruto.

He remembered how she cried when he rejected her, telling her that they could not betray Naruto like that. She insisted that they do it in secret...have an affair. The thought of it both horrified and excited him.

To do something so despicable to Naruto, the only person who he could call his best friend, his brother, his partner in life, was something that he couldn't even fathom thinking about. However, the thought of having Sakura in his arms, having her smile and look at only him, being able to kiss and touch her...it was almost irresistible.

He remembered all rational thoughts going out the door when she pulled him down and boldly kissed him. That was it. The moment her lips touched his, he knew he couldn't let her go.

What Naruto didn't know...couldn't hurt him.

From that point on, they carried on their affair for the next four to five months. They would steal glances at each other and even quick kisses here and there when Naruto wasn't around. He couldn't help himself...he knew it was wrong, but he didn't care anymore. She would be his, even if that meant doing it behind Naruto's back. He couldn't deny that he fell in love with her.

He fell in love with his best friend's wife.

The guilt was eating him alive at a certain point. That was when he proposed that they run away together. They would forget everything - this town, their friends, their families...they would forget Naruto. They would be free to be a couple in public.

Sakura agreed almost instantly. It was as if she was just waiting for him to say it.

They eventually devised a plan to cash out half of Naruto's bank account...enough to supply them with gas and to rent a place together...and enough to leave for Naruto to be financially stable.

Tonight was the night they were going to take action. He was almost to Naruto's place and sent Sakura a text. "Babe, are you ready?"

A small smile graced his face when he read Sakura's reply. "Yes, Naruto's already asleep and I'm done packing my stuff. Hurry up!"

"Will be there in two minutes." He couldn't wait to leave this town. He would have Sakura all to himself. He wouldn't have to stare at Naruto and feel that pit of guilt hit his stomach again.

Pulling up in front of Naruto's house, he saw Sakura coming out the front door and quickly unlocked the car door for her to come in. As soon as she met his gaze, she smiled brightly and leaned in to give him a passionate kiss. "...this is it, Sasuke. We can finally be together."

Sasuke's eyes averted to Naruto's house behind her and he let out a sigh. "Will we regret this, Sakura? He is my best friend...and at some point, you did love him."

Sakura's smile dropped and she slowly averted her eyes down. "We both love him. I understand he is the closest thing to family you've got...and I...I will forever remember him as someone who loved me wholeheartedly. He never did anything wrong to me. But I promise, we will not regret this. I want to be with you. My future, my love, all of that, I want to give to you, Sasuke."

Sasuke reached over and grabbed her hand, entangling his fingers with hers. "...me too, Sakura. Then, let's vow to never look back, ok?" Sakura took a deep breath and nodded. "No looking back."

It was a promise said too soon.

They drove not even an hour out of town before the exact moment when karma took its turn. Crossing an intersection, a truck unexpectedly ran a red light and ran straight into the side of Sasuke's car.

Sasuke loudly grunted when he felt the truck ramming straight into them. His body was thrust harshly side to side and his head slammed against the steering wheel as the car slid across the street and rolled down the small, yet incredibly steep hill.

When the car stopped at the bottom of the hill with loud thud, Sasuke was gasping for air. He could feel blood gurgling in his throat and his lungs felt like they were crushed. The window shield was broken and shards of glass were pierced straight into his chest. He used all of his strength to turn to look at Sakura. Blood was dripping down her mouth and there was a huge gash on the side of her head.

It was at that instant that Sasuke knew...he knew...that they probably deserved this. Everything that he and Naruto ever went through flashed before his eyes...he ruined something that was so precious.

A brotherhood bond stronger than blood. He ruined it all to be with Sakura.

As he stared into Sakura' emerald orbs that she was struggling to keep open, he whispered his last words...not only to her, but to Naruto.

"I'm sorry."

-Sakura-

She loved Naruto. He was someone who could brighten up a whole room with his smile and his obnoxious laugh (that she grew to love so much). The first time she met him, she was attracted to his incredibly beautiful blue eyes and his charming personality.

Sasuke, on the other hand, intrigued her. She's never met anyone as mysterious as him. Even when she dated Naruto and was around him often, she never seemed to quite figure him out. She found herself curiously looking at him and then would look away as soon as he met her eyes.

It wasn't intentional.

She didn't expect that she was going to gradually fall for him. His cool and mysterious demeanor attracted her...she wanted to know him on a deeper level. At her and Naruto's wedding, she found herself eyeing Sasuke more than she paid attention to Naruto. He looked insanely handsome in his suite and she remembered silently wishing that she could be dancing with him instead.

When she finally moved in with Naruto, Sasuke came over to visit more often than usual. Her heart would flutter every time he came through the door, as if she couldn't wait to see him. She didn't know why she was so drawn to him. There were times when she would have to control herself from talking her head off to him because she never got tired of being with him.

It didn't take long before she couldn't deny it anymore...that she was utterly heads over heels for Sasuke.

She felt bad for Naruto, though. Every night laying next to him, she hated that she wished it was Sasuke instead. Naruto was good to her...he loved her with every sheer ounce of his being...she knew that even if she tried for a lifetime, she would never find a man who would love her as much as he did.

Despite that fact, she couldn't get Sasuke out of her mind.

She decided that she would confess. She needed to take this burden off her chest. She had to let him know that she was in love with him, and if he felt the same way, they could be together, even if it meant going behind Naruto's back.

When she did confess to him and he rejected her, she literally felt her heart shattering to pieces. Out of devastation, she threw herself at him, kissing him with all the emotions that she's been bottling in up till now. She knew she won him over when he was reluctant, but then melted into the kiss, holding her close to him as if he's been holding back for an eternity.

Their affair went on for the next 4 to five months. She was conflicted with it...because she felt happy and guilty at the same time. Everytime she was home with Naruto, her heart would ache at the fact that she was betraying him. He didn't deserve to be lied to like this, but she couldn't let Sasuke go.

When Sasuke finally proposed that they run away together, she agreed to it without even hesitating. She would gladly leave everything behind, even Naruto, if it meant that she and Sasuke could have a chance at life together without all the guilt and hiding their affections.

Tonight was the night that she would get to be with Sasuke forever.

She waited until Naruto had already taken his shower and was in bed before she cuddled up next to him. He always fell asleep faster when she was close to him. When noticed his breathing became slow and even and that he didn't wake up when she poked at his chest, she knew he was knocked out. She slowly wriggled out of his embrace and got up to pack her things.

She quickly stuffed her clothes and few more essential things into her bag before she heard a buzz from her phone. It was from Sasuke, asking if she was ready yet. She replied that she was already done packing so he needed to hurry up.

She took one last look around her bedroom, and walked to the bedroom door. Her heavy heart stopped her from going any further and she let out a sigh before she turned back and walked over to Naruto once again.

He looked peaceful and so handsome sleeping in the comfortable sheets. Her eyes saddened as she gazed longingly at his face. Leaning down, she placed a featherlight kiss on his lips and gently placed her forehead against his, savoring the warmth of his body and his scent. "Goodbye, Naruto...thank you for loving me..." She whispered before pulling back and forcing herself to finally go out the door.

She rushed out of the house and quickly ran to Sasuke's car. Her eyes lit up when she finally faced him and she leaned in to give him a lingering kiss. "...this is it, Sasuke. We can finally be together."

She saw him look pass her to the house and he let out a distressed sigh. "Will we regret this, Sakura? He is my best friend...and at some point, you did love him."

Her smile dropped and she slowly averted her eyes down. "We both love him. I understand he is the closest thing to family you've got...and I...I will forever remember him as someone who loved me wholeheartedly. He never did anything wrong to me. But I promise, we will not regret this. I want to be with you. My future, my love, all of that, I want to give to you, Sasuke."

She hoped he wasn't giving it a second thought...because if he did, that would mean he didn't love her enough to do this with her. Her hopes went up when she felt him hold her hand, entangling his fingers with hers.

"...me too, Sakura. Then, let's vow to never look back, ok?"

That was all the confirmation she needed. Sakura took a deep breath and nodded. "No looking back."

She didn't expect anything that was going to happen next.

When the truck rammed into her side of the car, she felt the crushing pain of the car door slamming into her right arm. She let out a yelp when the windshield broke, a large shard of the glass slicing the side of her head. Her body was sprung back and forth as the car rolled down the hill before abruptly stopping at the bottom.

She could hear Sasuke gurgling blood out of his throat and she wheezed, trying to keep her own breath steady. With all her might, she looked at Sasuke, who was horrifically pierced at multiple spots in his chest with glass shards and her body went numb when she heard him whisper, "I'm sorry."

She let out a quiet sob when his head dropped and she could no longer hear him struggling to breathe. She let her eyes slowly close and in that moment, flashbacks of her and Naruto's life together coursed through her mind.

Maybe...this was a punishment. They betrayed someone innocent and loving...she betrayed her own husband, the only person who she's ever known unconditional love from. And now, she was getting exactly what she deserved.

Before her consciousness finally faded out, tears streamed down the side of her face...because all she could picture was Naruto's smiling face and his sweet voice echoing, "I love you, Sakura."

End.