Never Too Late

A/N: Okay this is sad really. I hope you all like it though. It's late so it's an odd piece to say the very least.

Sakura ran through the rain. It drenched her through and through. Her clothes were sticking to her body in an annoying manner. Those thoughts didn't matter to her though. She had to find Sasuke and quickly. She heard the finality of his tone when he had spoken to her. She remembered it easily.

Flashback

"Sasuke what are you doing?" she asked softly.

The Uchiha only grunted in response. She watched him pack his clothes and weapons. She had come over to see if Sasuke wanted to join her and Naruto for a late night training session under the moon light to escape the stifling heat of the summer day. This was how she found him packing all of his things. Then she noticed the headband of their village lay on the bed forgotten. Picking the band up, she tried to hand it to him. He just looked at the symbol of their ninja training and sneered. The smile faded from her face.

"Sasuke?"

"Forget me Sakura," he snarled. "Forget everything that you ever knew or think you know about me."

"But Sasuke…"

He turned around to face her once all of his stuff was in a bag. The scalding glare he sent her way made her shiver but it wasn't out of fear or so she told herself. The Uchiha heir walked out of the room leaving his pink haired companion in the dust.

End Flashback

In her mind Inner Sakura was panicking and calling him every dirty name she could think of. Her worry was doubling heavily as she moved to got faster trying not to kill herself running through mud and such. She nearly tripped over herself a half a dozen times because of the sudden sliding motion through the mud. Her red clothes were splattered with mud due to her fall while skidding around corners of buildings trying to find Sasuke.

She skidded to a halt as the gates of the village lay before her. And there he stood in all of his proud glory walking away from the village for the second time. The red and white fan on his navy blue shirt stood out perfectly in the pouring rain. His aura of mystery and danger flared brighter around him making her fall for him all over again. He had finally succeeded in killing Orochimaru, but Itachi was still out there waiting for his brother to come for him. That's what hurt her the most. He couldn't forget the vendetta bull shit and stay here. He had a chance to start anew here, but he refused the offer before him. It was like he didn't care that he had people that actually gave a shit about him in this screwed up world that they lived in.

"Sasuke!" she called. "Sasuke Wait!"

The Uchiha stopped and half turned to look over his shoulder. She could have sworn that she saw his eyes flicker red before becoming normal again. For a moment she almost swore that she saw familiar black marks creeping up his neck. He didn't acknowledge her presence other than the look over his shoulder even that was a look of contempt.

"Sasuke where are you going?" she demanded softly.

He just looked at her as if she was the scum of the earth and wasn't worth his time or effort to even talk with.

"Go home Haruno," he growled darkly.

She could hear the warning in his tone.

"Why are you insistent upon wanting to end your life?" she asked softly.

The line had been drawn she knew but the truth was she had to know what it was that kept him so intent on wanting to end his life. Everyone knew that Itachi was stronger of the two brothers. No one would say that though. She saw a familiar hatred in his eyes. The chance but brief meeting with Itachi she had seen the same look in his eyes. "I guess you think you can win since you're eyes are the same now. He told you to seek him out when you're eyes were like his."

Inside her other self was raging at Sasuke for even thinking of abandoning his friends and teammates. Looking up she caught the familiar swirl of the Sharingan in his eyes. She didn't fear him even though she should have. There was nothing he could do to her that would hurt more than him walking away again. The Uchiha turned around to face her. She figured that he was wonder where she got the audacity to actually stand up to him. The fan-girl was gone now to be replaced by a woman that loved him unconditionally. Sakura normally wouldn't stand in his way but this was stupidity. Her faith in him was there but with something like this Sasuke needed to know when to admit when he needed help from someone outside himself.

"Haruno," he warned darkly.

She looked at him sadly. Tears were forming in her eyes, but she held them back. Of course even if they fell no one would notice because of the pouring rain. The rain was steadily getting harder. By tomorrow she'd have a cold she was sure of it. He was trying to push her away, to make her hate him, but it wasn't going to happen. Reaching into her pouch she pulled out a special throwing star. Sasuke didn't even seem phased the advance for attack. He just stood there. Without actually intending to hurt him she threw it at him. She smiled softly as he caught it.

"Keep that and remember this one thing Sasuke. It's never too late and things will be all right."

She vanished in a flurry of Sakura blossoms.

Sasuke looked down at the star. The blades were curved and newly sharpened. A swirl of Sakura blossoms were engraved with pink on the star. On the other side in kanji were the symbols for honor and courage.

"Its way past being too late Sakura, you just don't see it."

Sasuke turned away from the village he had once called home. The star ended up in the mud sticking up. This was the final confrontation and he didn't expect to return. So the Uchiha left to become a stranger once more. From a tree not to far away a pair of jade eyes welled up and allowed the tears to fall to be mixed in the rain. This was his final goodbye breaking all ties with the world so he could go into battle without the binds that tie any mortal to this world. He didn't want to live; this was his chance to end his life, and to finish what he set out to do nothing more. He wanted his clan to die with him and his brother. Even if he survived the battle with his brother he'd become a missing nin and be hunted down by ANBU members for betraying the Village Hidden in The Leaves.

Sakura Haruno once believed it was never too late to make up for ones mistakes. She kept the belief in those words up till the day she died, with her own engraved throwing star buried in her back.