For SasuSaku month on LiveJournal! I figured I might as well post whatever I post there here. Soyeah. Um, and also…I really have NO idea where this came from. And I really don't want it to turn into a story I'll never finish…unless people want more…? Maybe? IDK. It's 2 in the morning.

Prompt: Manipulate

Disclaimer: bubbles no own Naruto.

Sasuke was sick and tired of the government. He was sick of fighting, sick of shooting, sick of bleeding, sick of losing people close to him. He turned his head slowly to the pink head of hair resting on his shoulder. He almost smiled. She was still holding her gun in her hand. He'd had the sense to switch the safety on in case she twitched her finger in her sleep. She'd probably smack him in the arm for that when she woke up.

Sasuke sighed and glanced at the roof of the building they were currently hiding. It used to be a church; one of the few places left standing when the Crash had come through the city. There were holes in the roof, but it was better than nothing. They were leaving first thing in the morning to regroup with the rest of the Underground, and they had needed somewhere to rest before they were running again.

He bit back a curse as he heard the whirl of an approaching hovercraft. Quickly throwing his dark jacket over Sakura's head, he ducked down under a pew, throwing a hand over Sakura's mouth when she began to stir. Sasuke gripped his gun tightly with one hand, silently daring the drone to come closer.

The robot swept through the church, its searchlight sweeping over the tops of broken pews and crumbled pillars. Sasuke almost stopped breathing when it flitted right over the one they were huddled under. He would only allow himself to relax when he couldn't hear the drone anymore. However, it seemed that luck wasn't on his side tonight, as the drone's searchlight fell over their pew again.

Well, damn. It seemed that the Sound had a few new toys. The drone probably had an infrared sensor. He still didn't move, and it seemed that Sakura had come to the same conclusion as well. Their eyes met for a brief second, and just like that, they had a plan.

As the drone approached the back of the pew, Sakura activated the gravity manipulators on her gloves and threw the pew at the drone. It impacted solidly, and Sasuke immediately pulled out his gun and shot three rounds at the staggered robot. The first shot shattered the searchlight, and the other two quickly penetrated its metal husk and took out its targeting computer. The drone fell to the ground with a loud crash, and only then did the two dare to approach it.

The robot was twitching and sparks were popping, and Sakura took out her gun, and fired one more round point-blank into its metal hull. The quivering stopped. Sakura kicked the thing once for good measure.

"Damn robot," she mumbled.

"Come on. We have to keep moving."

Sakura nodded and allowed Sasuke to take her hand and pull her out of the ruined church. The church was conveniently on the edge of town, close to the forest that surrounded the once-paradise of Leaf City, home to close to 5 million people. Sakura was silent as Sasuke led her through the forest, searching for the one motorcycle they'd been able to get away with. When he found the bike, Sasuke helped her onto the back of it, and then swung over himself. It was only when the vehicle had started up that she leaned her head against his back.

"Sasuke…will it ever stop?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Sasuke was unsure how to answer; the question was unexpected. It was something he'd been hearing for the past few weeks among the resistance forces, but Sakura had always been headstrong. Sure, he'd noticed her silence during their trek into the forest, but he'd assumed that was because she was tired.

He, too, was silent for a moment, pondering how to answer her question. He wanted to say yes, but that sounded too hopeful. Honestly, Sasuke didn't have much hope; none of them did…not anymore. Naruto had been the one with all the hope and dreams for the future, but he was gone now. Along with the others who'd tried to launch a preemptive strike against the Sound, resulting in the Crash destroying an entire district.

"…Sasuke?"

"We'll make it stop."

Sakura giggled softly. "Just the two of us?"

Sasuke smirked. "Yeah."

He gunned the engine, and the bike took off into the night. They would make it stop…somehow.