She's not home.

It's been four months and she's still not home.

He'd checked everywhere, from the hospital to the coffee shop to the grocery store. He'd asked everybody, and those who knew where she was didn't give him the slightest time of day. They must've heard what he'd done.

Or what it looked like he'd done.

But Sakura doesn't know that, Sakura who'd loved him and cared for him all this time, who had been there to lead him out of the dark, doesn't know that.

He desperately wishes she would come back.

He loses more and more sleep each passing night, eating less and less. Some days Naruto would drag his sorry ass to the ramen stand and force down a bowl of chicken ramen, but the taste barely awakened his taste buds.

-x-

He finally sees her, for the first time in five months, leaving the grocery store.

She's as beautiful as ever, hair tucked under a white beret and a light gray shirt on. She smiles to people who greet her, waves to people to wave at her; she would look normal to anybody else, but Sasuke knows Sakura Haruno now. There are bags under her eyes and the shimmer of life in her eyes in gone. She looks thinner, paler; all from a lack of sleep.

He calls out to her.

Her eyes shoot wide open, shocked as they fall on him. Suddenly she's turning away, walking speedily away from him. He sees her yanking the white hat hard over her noticeable pink hair before disappearing in the crowd.

He'd lost her. Again.

Discouraged, he wanders down the street, looking around for any traces of pink. An hour later, when he can no longer find her anywhere even with his sharp eyesight, he decides he will look for her at her apartment.

-x-

The lights are on in her apartment, and he can see the shadow of her figure walking around the lighted room.

After talking the security guy at the front of the building into allowing him to pass, he takes off in a sprint up the stairs, praying that she had not seen him yet.

But Sakura knows him better than he knows himself, and he can feel- he can feel her presence standing right by him, the only thing blocking the way being the heavy wooden door with a gold-plated 505 stamped at the center top. His voice is wary and exhausted when he leans his forehead against the door, murmuring lowly, "Please open up."

Her voice is like glass when she replies, with a voice just a wary like his- tired and sad and broken.

"I knew you were using me to get at your ex, Sasuke. I knew all along I was just a temporary replacement." A pause. "And I was stupid enough to actually think you'd change, for someone as naïve and as stupid as me."

He's at a loss for words, because he's underestimated her ability to figure things out. He's underestimated her keen eye, her sharp mind…

…he's underestimated her for everything. And he's beyond sorry.

His heart is in his throat when he says quietly, "I'm sorry. It- it wasn't supposed to be like this."

He hears her sigh before she whispers the words that shatter his heart- or, what is left of it.

"Just…just leave, okay? Please. I don't want to see you anymore."

And with those words he hears her walk away from the door, away from him, away from what could've been. Her footsteps, which are light against the tile floor of her apartment, couldn't have been louder in his ears. Each echoing step is like an icy stab to his chest, like an ice pick prying everything open.

Game over.

-x-

He's drinking like he's never drank before, walking carelessly down the street because who the hell cares? She clearly doesn't. There's a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniel's in his hand, and although Sasuke knows he's inebriated beyond control, he tips his head back and chugs some more of the alcohol, the liquid burning as it courses down his throat.

Kisame had kicked him out at 3 a.m., not because he was closing (because he wasn't) but because he cared for Sasuke. Well. At least someone cared. The only thing is, it wasn't the person he wanted to care.

She was probably in bed by now, with her warm covers pulled up to her chin, her pink hair splayed across her pillow, fast asleep. She was probably dreaming of someone other than him, someone who cared for her and made her laugh and smile.

His heart aches.

Looking around the dim street, his vision completely blurry, Sasuke strains to make out his black Volvo, hidden somewhere in the parking lot somewhere down the street. A flash of light-ish red reflects off the glass of the building across the street that catches his eye, and suddenly his mind is filled with thoughts of Sakura, Sakura, Sakura.

Stumbling and not paying any attention to where he's going, he steps onto the street, his mind whirling with painful memories and mixed up thoughts-

-and he doesn't notice a silver car, driving too fast down the street towards him.

-x-

There's a loud scream of "SASUKE!" and he turns, shocked out of his mind to see Sakura Haruno, hair an absolute mess and dark bags under her eyes, with a coat messily thrown over her pajamas. There's terror in her eyes at something, but he doesn't know what. He doesn't care, because she's here and she's looking at him and she's awake and waiting and caring…

…he barely feels the impact of the car on his back, or the impact of his fall after being airborne.

All he feels is the warm affection of Sakura, with tears streaming down her eyes as she rushes towards him and holds his broken body to her chest.

Then everything goes black.

-x-

"Sasuke? Oh my god Sasuke…"

Hmmm…

"Sasuke? Please, please…oh god please no…"

Who's there?

Beep. Beep. Beep.

"Nurse! Get me an IV! Now!" Beep. "Sasuke, can you hear me? Please god, please don't do this to me…I'm so sorry Sasuke. Please…"

Where am I?

There's voices and sound everywhere, but Sasuke doesn't know from where. He's surrounded by darkness, suffocating him. It's so dark. Everywhere. Everywhere.

Somewhere he hears sobbing, and the continuous repetition of his name.

"Sasuke…Sasuke please…"

Then, there's a feather-light touch on his cheek. "I love you. Oh my god, I love you. Please, Sasuke…don't do this to me. I'm so, so, sorry!"

Warmness explodes throughout his whole body. It's her. It's Sakura. And she loves him. "Sakura?" he tries to say, but his tongue feels like lead, too heavy to move, much less speak. The darkness folds in, and panic engulfs him.

"Sakura?" he repeats, pushing against the heavy darkness. "Sakura!" he screams, and pushes away the darkness with all his might. "Sakura!"

Go, he urges towards the darkness closing in on him. Go. Go away. Go! The darkness gives away.

Sakura, I'm here.

A blinding light jerks him back to reality.

-x-

His body is searing of fire, he chokes in a breath of air, his onyx eyes shooting wide open. He's greeted by the tear-filled eyes of Dr. Sakura Haruno. With much effort, he lifts himself up and crushes a hard kiss against her chapped lips.

"Sasuke…?" she says, eyes wide with wonder and terror the minute they break apart. "Sasuke, you-you were-"

"I love you," he cuts her off, sealing another kiss to her lips. "I love you so much."

She breaks down crying, hard, and throws her arms around his neck. He breathes in her familiar scent, letting the sweet smell fill his lungs.

Oh, how he'd missed this.

"Sakura…" he manages hoarsely, "I'm sorry."

Her eyes are glimmering with forgiveness and twinkled with happiness and relief when she replies, "I know, Sasuke. I know."

He hesitates before asking, "Did- did you say you-," he coughs, cutting of his sentence. "Did you say you loved me?"

Sakura's eyebrows draw in and her eyes dart away, and the words that slip from her mouth makes his heart sink to the bottom of his entire being. "No, I didn't."

Sasuke's sure he's stopped breathing, and he's ready to just lay down on the hospital bed forever, before a heart-stopping smile breaks across Sakura's face and lights up the entire room- hell, his entire world- and she reaches forward and gently brushes away the sweat-drenched hair plastered on his forehead, and places a sweet kiss right in the center.

"I love you, silly." The grin grows wider. "And I guess I'm here to stay, because you don't seem to function very well without me, huh?" she says jokingly. "I guess I'll have to stay, to keep you in line."

"Hn," he agrees, and reaches for her hand, lacing her finger with his own.

He looks up and he sees the glittering eyes of Sakura Haruno, with her healing hands and her gentle smile and her fierce attitude and her overbearing affection for him, and Sasuke just knows his parents will love her, just as much as he does.

After all, she is the one girl he is willing to fight for; the one girl that changed him and healed him and above all, loved him, even at his worst. She's the one girl he'll never let go.

Fin.

Note: and that's a wrap. an incredibly cheesy ending but meh. hope you all enjoyed it, and thanks for all the support on the impulse story!

-A