Self-Sacrifice

The world called her a hero who ended a war. Sasuke just calls her an idiot. A stupid, wonderful, headstrong, beautiful, sweet, strong, idiot.

He sighed and laid his head up against the nearest tree. A red and white Sakura, how appropriate. He shook his head and sighed again it was days like this he was reminded of her the most.

She was so stupid, why did she take that hit?

He coughed and was almost shocked at the red that spotted his hand. Almost. He was on borrowed time, he knew that. It was over, there was no going back and he didn't regret it, just like she did, he took a hit meant for someone else.

"See, I'm not a hopeless case Sakura." He coughed again and black danced across his vision, the pain was burning throughout his body now, and he almost prayed death came upon swift wings. He closed his eyes and winced.

And suddenly he remembers. But then again he does every night, and he wonders if he'll see another night.

…..He's standing in a field and it's bright out. Countless bodies are strewn across the ground and he's facing her. She's grinning at him her giant battle axe resting against her right shoulder. She's dressed in a green jounin vest with an alliance headband covering her forehead. Her beautiful pink locks are past her shoulders now and are hastily pulled back.

She scratched and bruised, and her eyes are dulled, but she's still grinning and tossing a kunei in her hand.

Up and down.

Up and down.

And it infuriates him, how could she act so calm, did she not know what her village did?

"So are we going to do this or what?" she's hefting her axe over her shoulder now and holding it above her head before tossing it as well. She was trying to intimidate him. And sadly it was working. He was better than that.

But the fact remained that he was wary of her careless display of strength. Just how good was she?

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and darted towards her, but she seamlessly avoided him, before jumping up into the air. He looked around what was she doing? She couldn't honestly think she could sneak up on him, and if she did she was truly foolish.

But it turned out that was not her plan. She came down to the earth, with a thunderous boom. Sasuke jumped back as the earth came up around him, and there stood Sakura a small smirk playing against pink lips.

"You've gotten stronger." Sakura frowned and launched herself at him, swinging the large axe in a wide ark around herself trying to catch him off guard and it almost worked she had incredible mobility for carrying such a large weapon.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan. He might just need it.

"No duh idiot, I had to otherwise I would be left behind" Sasuke smirked and slashed at her with his katana rewording him with a long diagonal cut along her right arm. But the smirk was short lived because she healed it without even moving.

Damn.

She dropped her axe and pulled a smaller weapon off of her back. Before grabbing it with expert hands and motioning for him to advance. He didn't need any encouragement and so they entered a dangerous dance.

"Sasuke I can't believe you've sunken so low" he glared at her and aimed a chidori infused blade at her stomach but she smoothly dodged. "How can you fight alongside with Madara, a horrendous despicable man, who should have been killed decades ago."

Sasuke growled. He didn't like the old man, but he was the last remaining member of his family, so he couldn't let Sakura bad mouth him either. "What would you know Sakura?" and she laughs "I know plenty of things Sasuke…some I wish I didn't, but I know."

What. An. Infuriating. Women.

She landed a hit on him and he skidded back raising a hand to his jaw. It was broken. He smirked despite the pain. "Sakura…you're going to regret that" she shook her head "doubt it" he glared at her and aimed a chidori at her heart, but she only evaded him again.

"Can't you do anything else but dodge" she glared. "Plenty however I am no use to my team if I can't heal them" she ran at him her fist raised "however I can waste some time on you, Naruto's too busy right now to deal with you."

He punched her in the stomach, and she coughed up blood, "but also- the Sakura in front of him disappeared in a cloud of smoke- I want you to see how strong I have become."

Sasuke's eyes widened, he could hear her but where the fuck was she? Then it struck him. BELOW! He barely had time to evade her before she was crashing up out of the rock with another mini earthquake.

"Damn" she cursed she was so close. But she shot back at him and he met her halfway with equal fury. They clashed in the middle in a flurry of pink and black, long thin swords interlocked in a deadlock that neither could break.

And as he stares down at her he realizes he was wrong, her eyes haven't dulled there just different, no longer are they innocent and love struck, instead their full of something totally different, disgust, hope, sorrow, and so much determination. There still so green that it hurts, there just a different kind of green.

A more grown up green. He's not so sure how he feels about it.

"Why do you fight when you know you will lose?" she doesn't answer for a moment and instead jumps back breaking the deadlock that had formerly existed. "Sasuke, I would rather lose then never try, you on the other hand, would rather not try, then lose at anything."

"It's what makes us different" and she stares at him with cool calculating eyes, and she's about to charge again but she hears a terrible howl and yowl, and she feels her stomach drop as a cloud of dust spreads out around.

"Naruto…"

"NARUTO!"

Sasuke catches the panic in her eyes before she's off running. What scared her so terribly that she would run? Sasuke doesn't have time to consider it though because a moment latter the ground shakes and he gives into his curious nature.

And so he follows the path Sakura took and he emerges into a sight he thought he would never see in his life. Standing in front of him is both his former teammates. Except one is glowing a in a brilliant yellow, and the others hair is falling loose and blowing about in an enchanting manner.

There both fighting one person. One Uchiha. Uchiha, Madara, to be exact. Or at least Naruto was, Sakura was taking on Kabuto and both seemed to be fairing fine. Still he couldn't help but feel like he should join them.

And so he does.

First he knocks Kabuto away from Sakura long enough for her to sever the muscles in his right arm, and then he goes and joins Naruto. Naruto regards him with shocked eyes but just grins "nice to see you join the right side teme."

Is he? Or will he turn on them the moment something changes. Sasuke can't answer the question himself.

They fight and spare a glance towards their female teammate whenever they can, however they don't need to because she fairing fine and winning spectacularly.

The battle continues for hours. And Madara taunts. Naruto Rasengan's. Sasuke Chidori's. Sakura punches. Naruto tail beast balls. Sasuke Amaterasu's. Sakura heals. And so on and so forth working in harmony until Kabuto is dead and finished and all that is to be finished off is Madara.

And their standing together and fighting together, watching each others backs and collaborating techniques, Sasuke's fire is spread by Naruto's wind, and Sakura's water directs Sasuke's lighting.

They fight together and it's beautiful and haunting and wonderful and happy, and scary and dangerous and it sets people on edge. It's the final battle everyone knows that.

The one question remaining. Who will be the victor?

Which side wins, which made greater sacrifices, which was right and which was wrong?

In war those things are never clear.

However this was ever so clear. Sasuke didn't have enough chakra anymore to keep his Sharingan on, and was now relying on his physical strength and skills with his katana. Naruto was now relying heavily on the fox and had dropped down from his tail beast form to regular Naruto, if you could ever call him regular.

And Sakura who was the best at evading and dodging and healing was fighting right alongside her boys, she was now using her brute strength saving her chakra for when she would need it. Madara cackled even though they'd hit and kicked him, and he was bleeding and was fairing littler better than they were.

But he had his goal right in front of him, the nine-tails and his so called brother. Really kin, figurative or not, shouldn't hate each other, it breeds no good.

But it worked to his gain.

And then Sakura notices it, in the split second the boys hit him with their combined attacks, there's a small moment when she could sneak up, and hit and kill him before he could even blink, and yes it's dangerous and she knows she's most likely performing self sacrifice.

But if it worked, if it worked, her love turned begrudged enemy, her best friend turned brother, her friends turned family, and the village turned to rubble. They would all be safe, and if Sakura was sure of anything in this world, she had never wanted anything more than their safety and happiness.

So if she died in the process then so be it. Whatever was meant to happen would be.

And so when Sasuke shoots flames and Naruto sends wind flying at Madara, she strikes, she speeds off and she's suddenly in front of Madara and she's waits for the impact and when she hears the boys screams of horror she smiles and as they strike, she does as well.

She channels all her chakra into her right fist. Hitting his neck his eyes go wide and then he falls back. His spine is broken, is head hit clean off, and sent tumbling, tumbling across the ground.

But the boys have more on their mind and she feels herself fall, down, down, down, down onto something soft. And she coughs and smiles up at the stricken face of Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki.

"Hey…guys" she croaks and Naruto sobs, an she raises her hand to her chest and tries to heal it but she's out of chakra and even if she could she knew where she was hit was untreatable unless you where Tsunade or Sakura herself.

Tsunade was miles away, and Sakura couldn't heal herself with little to no chakra.

"Sakura why?" Sasuke chokes. And she smiles and reaches up to cup both of her boys cheeks "you're a hopeless case if you can't understand Sasuke." She coughs again and Sasuke recoils at the sight, blood dots her small hand.

"Sakura-chan what can I do?" She shakes her head "my silly baka, you can't do anything" and he sobs again and Sasuke chokes down his own sobs. She was dying and they couldn't save her.

It was their worst nightmare come reality.

"Sakura why?" he asks again and places his hand over her chest trying to stem the bleeding. She shakes her head "I suppose I should tell you, you hopeless case, it's because I love my brother and I love you."

After all he did after all he said…she still loved him. And it was just possible he could feel the same, especially when he felt the tightening in his chest and saw the tears hitting bloodied skin.

"Sasuke-teme, get her to Baa-chan NOW" and he's shaking and Sasuke tries to scoop her up but she stops him.

"NO, I've lost too much blood I'm past saving now, I don't want either of you to leave my side, you have to stay with me….please…." she trails off as she coughs again and more blood dots her hand.

"How can you not understand, that all I ever wanted was for my boys to be happy and safe, and whole."

And then her head falls back listless and dead. "Sakura" "Sakura-chan" and then Sasuke has her shoulders in his hands and he's shaking her.

"Sakura, wake up please wake up, you've got to live, you have to."

And he's yelling at her and it's finally Naruto pries his hands off of her and lays her back gently on the ground.

"Sasuke, she gone"

And it's at that moment something in him breaks and he lets out such a yowl of pain that Naruto bows his head….

Sasuke coughed again, he was almost gone now and he could hear feet pounding earth Naruto was probably one of them having already recovered and having taken the least of the attack, but they wouldn't get here in time.

Thump, thump thump thump

Green eyes sparkling with love

Thump thump thump

Pink hair falling in crazy waves all around a peaceful dreaming face

Thump thump

A beautiful grin with pink full lips

Thump

"Sasuke-kun I love you so much I can't stand it" young sweet Sakura...

"It's because I love you" beautiful sweet angel Sakura...

I love you angel, may we meet again soon...

…..

And then he sees her and she is smiling in the way he remembered and she's dressed in white and her hair is curled. And she is so, so, so beautiful.

And he doesn't know if he's in heaven or hell, or both or neither but as he see's her he decides it doesn't matter.

"Hey" he smirks.

"Hey" she smiles.

And then their together and whole and peaceful and so happy, and if there ever was a story that could compete with Romeo and his Juliet for heart breaking beauty it was their tale but Romeo and his darling little Juliet would never be Sasuke and Sakura

Sasuke was not kind to kill himself upon seeing a peaceful dead face.

Instead he lived for her, because that was what she had wanted.

Sakura was not such a fool to drink a potion and pretend herself dead.

No she died protecting those she loved.

And then there's the final beautiful fact, unlike Romeo and Juliet, Sasuke and Sakura they were together.

And that may be the most beautiful thing of all.