Okay, you can do this. Just ask, right when she gets in the car. Quick and simple. Sasuke checked his reflection in the mirror, shifting in his car seat anxiously.

He was waiting for Sakura to come out of her house. He texted the pink haired girl a few minutes ago that he was here, and she replied that she'd be out in a few.

The click of a lock caught his attention, and he looked at the house to see Sakura locking her door and heading towards him. Okay, you can do it.

"Hey, Charasuke," Sakura grinned at him. "What's up?"

Sasuke groaned. "Are you really going to call me that?"

Sakura smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Of course I will." There was a pause in the conversation. Okay, ask her now!

She turned to look at him as he opened his mouth. "Hey, how do I look?" Or not. He studied her. She looked amazing as usual, in a pretty red sweater and jeans. She curled her pink hair a bit and wore a nice shade of lipstick.

"Um, you look great!" He suddenly sped up as the light they were crossing turned yellow.

Sakura frowned. "What was that um supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Why is it that you girls always think something is wrong with how you look? You're beautiful." Sakura blushed at the random compliment, and Sasuke felt his ears redden.

There was a sudden pause in the conversation. Alright, ask her now! Sasuke tried to speak, but Sakura interrupted before he could speak.

"Hey, is that the house?" Sakura pointed to the house that was approaching. Itachi was standing in the driveway, talking to a man that looked like an older version of him. They walked into the house, and Sasuke pulled into the driveway.

"Oh hello!" A pretty woman came to the door. "You must be Sakura." She nodded at Sasuke. "Come in, come in!" She ushered them inside.

There were greetings all around. Sakura said hello to the man Itachi was speaking with, whom she learned to be their father, and the pretty woman at the door was their mother, Mikoto.

Mikoto loved her. "Sasuke dear, your girlfriend is absolutely stunning! Where did you meet?" She asked Sakura.

Sakura smiled awkwardly. "Actually-"

"She saved me from getting hit by a car," Sasuke interrupted from beside her. They were sitting at the dinner table, and underneath the table, where no one could see, he grabbed her hand, pleading with his eyes for her to go along with it.

"Yeah, it was practically a cliche movie meeting, though you didn't actually talk to me for a while." Sakura went along with it, nudging him with her elbow teasingly.

Sasuke pouted at her. His mother squared with happiness, tapping her husband on the arm. "Oh, look at them! They're so cute! Don't you agree, Dear?"

Fugaku grunted as a form of reply, and Mikoto smiled. "I thought so too!"

"Sakura," he spoke suddenly with a deep voice, startling the girl. "Itachi tells me you're also a college student. Tell me, what do you study?"

Sakura set her glass down and swallowed. "Well, I've always been interested in writing, so I'm minoring in journalism and writing. I also have a sudden passion for medicine, so I'm studying to be a doctor. An oncologist, to be specific."

"Sudden?" Mikoto paused her eating, tilting her head at Sakura. "Why suddenly?"

Sakura looked down at her lap. "Well, I'm not sure if Sasuke told you this, but I actually met Sasuke while on my way to the hospital."

Mikoto covered her mouth with her hands. "Are you alright dear?"

The words I'm fine, accompanied by a fake smile had been the way Sakura avoided these questions for the past few years. But now, with Sasuke's knowing gaze fixated on her, she couldn't bring herself to lie. Not this time.

"Actually, I'm not okay, and I haven't been for a long time. I have Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and I've had it for a while. I-I, uh... I don't know how much longer I have..." she whispered. A pregnant silence filled the room, and finally, she could stand it no longer.

The pitying gazes all around the table looking at her felt suffocating, and she stood up suddenly, unable to sit another second in that room.

"Please excuse me," she managed to choke out before throwing her napkin down and rushing from the room. Sasuke looked apologetically back at his parents before leaving after her.

Sakura was unfamiliar with the house's layout, so she went back to the front door and stood outside. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, the familiar feeling of tears pricking at her eyes rushing in.

Sakura crouched down and buried her head in her hands. Why did every new person she had ever met in the past five or so years end up giving her that same pitying look? It drove her crazy, and she let out a scream of frustration.

A familiar scent enveloped her, and she looked up to see Sasuke's jacket thrown around her shoulders. He stood next to her, watching the cars pass by and the snow slowly drifting around them as she hastily wiped her tears.

"You don't have to hide your tears in front of me, Sakura." He put a hand on her head. "Let it all out."

Sakura looked up at him with watery eyes and let out a wail. Sasuke looked down at her, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her up, letting her sit next to him on the swing on the porch. Sakura kept crying, using his long jacket sleeves as a tissue. He cringed but allowed her to keep crying.

"I-I'm so, so scared of dying," she cried, putting her hands to her eyes to try and stop the flow of tears. "Soon it'll be the fifth year since I've had this disease, and I'm scared. I don't want to die, Sasuke."

Sasuke's heart wrenched at the sight in front of him. Here was a strong, pure, innocent soul who didn't deserve any of what was happening to her. He put an arm around her and pulled her to his chest. Sakura stiffened slightly, but she didn't pull away. Sasuke took that as a sign to keep going.

"You're not going to die, Sakura,.I won't let you," he whispered into her hair. "You're going to get through this, I promise you. Say it with me. You're going to make cancer your bitch." She giggled at his silliness. "Say it." he urged.

"I'll make cancer my bitch," she gasped out through laughs, and Sasuke shook his head.

He pulled away from the hug and put his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. "Say it with confidence. You have to believe it."

"What are you, a fairy granting wishes?" she muttered to herself, but he waited for her to speak. "Okay, fine. I'll make cancer my bitch." she cracked a smile, and let out a small laugh. The giggles turned into peals of laughter, and Sasuke's serious facade melted at the sight.

Sakura looked so genuinely happy sitting there, bundled up in his jacket. She didn't deserve what was happening to her at all. 

"Come on." He grabbed her hand and they walked to his car. "I'll drive you home."

Sakura swung their hands together while they walked, and when Sasuke dropped her off at her house later, he made a promise to himself.

I'll never let go of your hand, Sakura. I promise. 

~~~

Written by seung-mean