So, I'm trying a different way to get the flashback in there. Hopefully it's not too confusing. Um, more in depth notes at the end.

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Sakura watched with spell-binding horror as her teammates charged toward each other, their hands ablaze with power. Long, sparking electricity struck the plasma tendrils with quivering animosity. Sakura tensed her legs and sprung forward. Could she make it in time? She wouldn't, couldn't let herself think. She just had to do. She wrenched her eyes open, fearful if she blinked for one second, she wouldn't reach them in time. Chakra funneled to her fingers, burning through her body, mixed with adreleline.

"NARUTO!" she yelled her throat raw. "SASUKE!"

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Before Sakura could muster up a reply to Sasuke's shocked face, the barred door swung open to reveal an enthusiastic Naruto, a not-so-enthusiastic Kakashi and an oblivious Sai.

The party, hosted by Naruto, was rambunctious, laden with caffeine-heavy drinks (Kakashi decided that this was the moment to play responsible adult and take away the alcohol that Naruto had coerced Sai into bringing), several board games, and fits of laughter.

By the time it was over, Naruto had even brought the guard from the hallway in, much to said guard's discomfort. Sakura's cheeks hurt from pulling the muscles into long grins, even though they did get stuck in a ridiculously long game of Monopoly. Naruto swore than Kakashi and Sai had tag-teamed everyone after their blue and red little buildings covered most of the squares on the board. Sasuke had shown himself to be incredibly frugal, with a fair share of properties and a stash of money at all times. Sakura used tried and true techniques she used against her father, who ran a business and was the master of Monopoly.

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The winds died off as quick and as violent as they started. Sakura cracked open her eyes almost scared to survey the damage. Naruto stood pressed to a boulder on the far left of the clearing, his shoulders shaking and his hands grabbing the rock. Sakura could see a tear in his jacket at the shoulder, the skin underneath stained vibrant red. She dashed to him, readying herself to heal the injury.

Naruto grabbed her wrist sharply, his fingers clammy and tight. His eyes searched hers with vicious fervor. "Sakura. Sakura, he's…" Naruto gasped.

"What? He's what?"

"Didn't dodge. Go, I'll be fine," he closed his eyes and pointed before him. Sakura turned to see.

The mass on the ground lay at the end of a trench in the ground, streaks of blood tracing back to it. A katana sat near the body abandoned. Sakura ran to it.

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However, the next day, Sakura felt tense. Why did she say that to Sasuke? She went and ruined a perfectly good moment with something that she didn't want to talk about. It was a memory singed with horror and panic, and Sakura quite frankly felt embarrassed about her actions. Even more so since he didn't even remember.

She avoided visiting Sasuke all day, skimming through her duties like water, busying her mind so there was no room to think of her embarrassment, or how she was going to deal with the situation. She threw herself into every patient that came by full-heartedly, if maybe a bit too enthusiastically. The result was a drain on her chakra that took her home late with shuffling feet and knocked her unconscious in her bed.

She couldn't ignore him forever, as she was the one assigned to Sasuke's medical welfare during his stay in prison, and she still had to read his TB skin test. Perhaps she could ask Shizune to do it. She was the second name, wasn't she? Sakura pondered the question as she passed her finger over book spines. The library had been a place of refuge since she was little and had read her way through the most prolific children's literature the library had to offer. There was a new novel that she had heard was quite good, and Sakura hoped to pick it up for some light reading.

"Ugly," Sai said, standing behind Sakura with his hands against his side. Sakura whipped her head around.

"Sai! What are you doing here?" she said in a forced whisper.

He held up a thick volume entitled Basic Sociology. A group of people of varying ages and wearing varying expressions, some holding hands, some hugging, some glaring out of the corners of their eyes, were glossed across the cover.

"Oh," Sakura said shortly and turned back to the bookcase. She pulled out a copy of the novel, the sticker still clean, and put it in her bag. She walked to the check-out counter, Sai still following. He checked out his book, and the two walked out into the blinding sunshine.

"Um, do you want to get something to eat, Sai?" Sakura asked, trying to be kind. Sai nodded, squinting as the light blinded him.

"It's a nice day today," she said as they walked to the downtown. The village was alive with activity, flourishing in the sunshine. Sakura and Sai worked their way down the crowded street expertly and quickly. Several people smiled at Sakura; her father and mother were rather well known in the civilian circuit and many of the older citizens of the village remembered Sakura as a young child.

There was a street vendor selling fresh fruit blended drinks that Sakura wanted to try. She pointed it out to Sai, and the two went and purchased their drinks. The thick fruit and yogurt blend would be enough until lunch, she thought.

"So, how have you been?" Sakura asked while she and Sai walked to a shaded bench. She brushed dried leaves from the wood with a flick of her wrist and the pair sat down. Sakura took a large sip of her strawberry-banana blend.

"I have been well," Sai said. He paused, then continued. "But I noticed something at the gathering two days ago."

"Hm?"

"When Naruto, Kakashi and I came to the cell, there seemed to be a sort of tension around. I was wondering why. I didn't think it was the situation for tension," Sai asked with a very slight tilt to his head, enough to throw a few pieces of hair out of place.

"I… uh…" Sakura didn't know what to tell Sai. He, of all people didn't need to know what went on in the cell. Not socially-oblivious Sai.

"I talked- I mean, I said something to him, and it was awkward. Nothing to worry about," Sakura came up with a quick response.

"Oh. Is that like when Naruto talks to Hinata?" Sai asked again.

"No, not exactly. I mean, it's similar I guess," Sakura said, swirling her straw in circles.

"Then what?"

"It's hard to explain. I don't even really know why I was upset. I was irrational," Sakura said. She screwed her face in thought. "Maybe I should go talk to him. See you later, Sai." She dashed off to the prison, leaving a confused Sai behind her.

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"Oh, God," she whispered, seeing Sasuke's face. Red and purple decorated the skin like ugly flowers and his lip was split under the nose, blood draining from it sluggishly. His hair was matted and thick with blood. Tearing her eyes from his face, she scanned down the rest of his body. The white fabric of his shirt lay in tattered ribbons and scraps around his body, the skin underneath torn and red; vermillion defiled the shirt until its original color was a wet mess. Sakura's hands went across him, humming with her chakra as she went. She stopped above a large wound, or hole more like, on his abdomen. The hole leaked blood at an alarming rate, so much that it obscured the skin and guts underneath. Sakura tried to siphon the blood away, but it refilled the area as soon as she finished. She grabbed rags out of her bag and pressed them to the wounded area then taped them in place.

His breath shuddered as Sakura channeled chakra to the ripped skin, mending it at a pace far too slow for comfort. The gurgling sound she swore she heard was not good. No, no, his chest was not slowing.

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"You have 30 minutes max," the shinobi guard, a leggy boy with a tendency to trail his voice at the end of words and cloudy eyes said. Sakura had interrupted him from a card game, and he seemed anxious to return to the table at the end of the hall, where his cards lay.

Sakura nodded and walked through the open door. It shut behind her with a metallic clack. Sasuke looked up at her, one eyebrow raised. His back was against the wall, his leg stretched out of the bench, and one arm rested on his propped knee.

"Sakura," he said, his eyes dark.

He swung his legs down to the ground so there was an empty spot and Sakura took it.

"Give me your arm. I'll just check the test while I'm here," she said, holding out a hand for his arm.

Sasuke blinked and extended his arm, the underside up. Sakura ran a finger over the area she made the injection; there was some irritation near the injection site, but the serum itself was gone. She smiled. At least he hadn't gotten a fatal infection while he was traipsing around the world.

"Well, you don't have tuberculosis," she announced with a grin.

"Hn."

Sakura coughed and put his arm back into his own lap. He just gave her a rather incredulous look.

"So," Sakura said, looking at her hands, "about that kiss that I, um, said. I-"

"I remember," Sasuke's voice was small, yet carried weight enough to interrupt her entirely.

"You do?" she whispered, looking toward him.

His eyes were grave, regarding her with solemnity. He nodded, dark hair falling about his face.

"I do."

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Leaning to his face, she placed her forehead on his. "Listen to me. Don't leave. Stay here, stay here with us," she pleaded in a low voice. "For me. Please, stay for me."

His eyes flickered to hers for a second, mercifully calm. As if he had accepted death. She looked to them, dark eyes from her childhood, no trace of red and black stained insanity.

"Sakura," his voice was a coarse whisper. He smiled and closed his eyes.

Sakura panicked. The chakra in her hand intensified and the other hand rested on his chest. Up, down, up, down, then nothing. She gasped and did something brash. She kissed him, anchoring his spirit to earth with an intimate contact, tethering him to her.

The motion of his chest resumed, though still faint. Naruto stumbled over and grabbed his legs as Sakura took the arms and the two carried Sasuke to safety.

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"But how? You were dying and you must have been delirious. It was stupid of me to kiss you, and I shouldn't have done it," Sakura asked. It really didn't make sense for him to remember; he was bleeding out and severely chakra drained at the time.

"It's not the clearest memory. There was pain, and then a sort of floating and then clarity," he asserted.

"I was almost dead, but you brought me back. Like you always do. I realize that now."

Sakura smiled, tears forming in her eyes.

"Sasuke. I-"

She grabbed him into a hug, and she let her tears fall onto his gauzy, sheet-like shirt. His exhale tickled the back of her neck as he collapsed into her arms.

And that was all that they could say.

I AM SO SORRY I AM SO SORRY I AM SO SORRY!

I tried to be timely finishing this, I really did. But one thing led to another, and I had very little time to type that wasn't late at night when I'm all sleep-deprived and I kept running into issues. This is why I'm hesitant to try a multichaptered story. But I'm going to have to get over that fear real soon.

I love Sai. So much. That's why he's the one to show up in a more highlighted role in this story. I love him, even though I'm not sure I got his characterization right. Hm…

And yes, ninjas play Monopoly. Even they want to endlessly play a game about buying and selling and passing Go and collecting $200.

I couldn't help myself but use the term "pick it up for a bit of light reading." If only Naruto was there to play Ron Weasley.

I hope you enjoyed the conclusion to my story regardless of delays, and I hope to see you all later!