I am ze back, minna! wheeeeeee!

SasuSaku month is in full swing and my beta reader is off on vacation, so instead of updating or posting any other stories, I thought of doing an easy drabble/prompt series, so here we are! The first drabble in Umbrella of Togetherness! The title is inspired by the Japanese graffiti of the same name. It appears in Naruto Shippuden ending 12, with Sakura and Sasuke's name underneath it. And thus, a drabble series is born! Updates will probably be short and sporadic. Gomenasai, but if I am prompted or any of you come up with a good drabble idea/ prompt, I will write it. Thus has got to be the longest author's note ever written by me. And without further ado, I bring you the first drabble! Enjoy!

Title: atrocity

Summary: Sasuke has a nightmare after being subjected to Tsukuyomi the second time in his life. But this time, Sakura is there to comfort him.

Prompt: a picture on 'the one who filled his lonely existence was Sakura' tumblr blog by Enn. It's on page 68/369. You'll recognise it after reading this.

Rating: K+

Warning(s): angst

atrocity (noun): an extremely wicked or cruel act, typically one involving physical violence or injury eg: the Uchiha massacre

A blade cuts and flashes through the darkness.

thmp...thmp...

Blood splashes across the polished wooden floor.

thmp...thmp...

A thud resounds across the room as something falls to the floor.

thmp...thmp...

A shaky, eerily familiar voice calls out, "Tou-san, kaa-san?" He clutches his head, trying to close his mind off from the tragedy that was unfolding before him

THMP... THMP...

A younger version of himself stands before him, looking at his older self with contempt and disgust. Sasuke recoils, a hand thrown protectively in front of him to block out the sight of the hatred-filled face.

"You couldn't save them…."

Younger Sasuke's open mouth continues to speak, but Sasuke shuts his eyes and put his hands over his ears, trying to block out his younger self's next words. But they are and always will be burned into his memory. He tightened his hands around his ears in despair.

"You're so weak…"

The scene repeated itself over and over again, the already unforgettable incident branding itself into his mind. Not able to take the pain and horror, he screamed.

An agonised howl cut through the peaceful silence like a whip, jerking Sakura out of a light sleep. She almost fell off of her uncomfortable position on one of the hospital stools, but grasped the edge of the bedside table beside her before she tumbled down to the cold tile floor. The chair however, clattered to the ground. One of the legs snapped off and Sakura winced, hoping that the noise hadn't woken anybody.

She whipped her head towards the direction from where the yell had come from, and her eyes landed on the trembling mass that lay on the bed beside the table she had a firm grip on. The memories of yesterday slowly came back to her like a trickle of a small stream. She remembered how she had insisted to stay beside Sasuke throughout the duration of the night, declaring that it would be excellent practice for her medic career. Tsunade hadn't put up much of a fight, so Sakura stayed by the boy's side pretty much through out the entire day.

Her reason for staying with Sasuke was a blatant lie. She just wanted to spend more time with Sasuke.. His troubled expression from the previous day had bothered her, and so she wanted to comfort him by being there for the emotionally stunted boy. Speaking about emotionally stunted, he was completely the opposite of it as he lay trembling under the covers of his bed. She dashed to his side, green eyes wide with worry.

He thrashed around underneath his white sheets, his forehead was covered with a light sheen of sweat. Slightly damp raven locks clung to his face from perspiration, giving him an almost sickly look. From his flailing, Sakura correctly assumed that he was having a nightmare. His eyebrows were drawn together in a sinfully painful expression, his teeth were digging into his bottom lip with frustration. Sakura gently nudged his shoulder, hoping to wake him up from his horrible dream.

"Sasuke-kun, wake up." she whispered urgently, shaking his body even harder on an attempt to rouse him from his fitful slumber. Onyx eyes immediately shot open, his figure righting itself rapidly. Sakura leaned back, as his forehead had almost smashed into her nose. His eyes were wide open with fear and he was looking straight at her, but he wasn't really seeing her. Sakura was slighlty afraid at the crazed, glazed-over expression on the Uchiha's face. She gently clutched an open hand that lay on his lap and squeezed it to bring him comfort. Moving closer, she sat down gingerly on the edge of the bed, not wanting to annoy him with her proximity. With another hand, she softly rubbed his back. When he did not push her away, she brought him closer to her, laying his head close to her heart. She hoped that the comforting and almost hypnotic beating of her heart would lull him into peacefulness.

A small tear gathered at the corner of his left eye, threatening to slip out. Both his eyes remained unseeing as he grabbed the front of Sakura's dress, hand fisting the red fabric there slightly as he clung to the rosette like she was a lifeline. Sakura herself felt a few tears gathering in her viridescent eyes at the Uchiha's state. She bit her lip, willing herself not to cry. Tightening her grip around Sasuke, she sat against the headrest of the bed, cradling Sasuke's head in the crook of her neck.

"It was just a dream, Sasuke, just a dream." she whispered assuringly. Gently, she stroked his hair, humming a few bars of a soft, muted lullaby. The fearful expression on his face slowly but surely disappeared and he closed his eyes, temporarily solaced. He let out a broken and slightly relieved sigh.

"Kaa-san." he murmured, clutching her dress harder, burying his head deeper into the crook of her neck. Her heart broke as her crush called out for his long dead mother. He drifted into a seemingly dreamless sleep, a dried tear track leaving a trail on his pale skin. She brought her free hand to Sasuke's cheek, gently wiping away the only trace of the teardrop.

"Iie. Sakura." she muttered affectionately. But Sasuke did not hear, sleep had already claimed his tired body. She loosened her grip on him, and gently tried to remove his hand from hers. Surprisingly, he clutched her hand even tighter, and brought another arm around her waist to stop her from leaving. Biting her lip to hold back a squeal, she looked down at the Uchiha's now peaceful face on her chest.

"Stay." he mumbled, clutching her even tighter, almost possessively. Sakura's eyes softened and gave in. She stretched out on the hospital bed beside him, burying one of her hands in his silky locks, rubbing slightly. Resting her head on top of his slightly mussed hair, she looked out of the open window to the full moon outside. It shone brightly in the dark sky, surrounded by dozens of twinkling stars. She smiled gently, closing her own eyes, overcome with a wave of exhaustion.

This night would be her secret, theirs if he could ever remember it.

So, did Sasuke mean stay to Sakura or his mother? I'll leave that to you guys to figure out. muahahahaha...i just needed to do that. sorry.

Fun fact: I took just an hour on this story, editing and all...wow, this is the fastest fic ever produced by moi! Does anybody else agree that the Naruto manga is being dragged out waaaaaaay too long? But I really am hoping that there's gonna be a SS moment in chapter 685! Awaiting your verdict, Kishimoto-sensei! If any of you lovelies who are reading this anthology, PM me if you want a drabble to be written or leave it in a review! And also, I'm a registered beta-reader now, so if anyone is in need of an editor, PM me and we'll talk. Visit my beta-reading page for my preferences/ editing style.

Till next time SS lovers!,

xXShiningintheDarkXx