[Original Text of Chapter 1, following]

Notes: I don't know where I was going with this. I actually started this piece off in the blackest mood and then abandoned it for a while but I've been getting back into the fandom, so here's my contribution. Don't hate me.

Notes2: I frickin love Itachi so he's not dead. He was left for dead at the fight place and Sasuke is whisked off by Tobi but Kisame saves his ass by handing him over to Konoha with the truth. Itachi is healed, pardoned, and reinstated as Konoha nin. I can do this because I am the author (of this fic), mwahaha.

Notes3: Tobias is a FUCKING LITTLE SHIT but he is a plot mover, so I left him. Feh. But Itachi stops Sasuke at Kage Summit and brings his ass back. Yeah.

Disclaimer: I WISH I owned Naruto. Because there would be happy feels everywhere and none of this angsty angst. Aren't they like, 17? Dude. Not cool.

It was self-preservation. That was what she told herself, even if she didn't really believe it.

"Go away," she hissed. Snakes struck out when cornered, right?

"No." His voice coursed over her and it was so damn familiar that she involuntarily relaxed for just a second. But her walls and guards and damn frickin mazes were re-erected the next second.

That one second gave him enough to work with, unfortunately.

"Let me help." That stupid, self-reassured voice, with its naturally deep tones and confidence ringing very clearly in her ear. It bounced in her brain, haphazardly sending her back to stolen moments in which she could have pretended, if only for a little while.

She could have recognized that voice in a violent sandstorm. Damn it and damn him to hell.

"I don't want your help," she spat, her vision clouding and why could she still see him?

"Want and need are very different things. You need my help."

At that her vision exploded with clarity and she laughed, a derisive and wheezy sham of the dulcet tones she usually expelled. His eyebrows furrowed just so at the semi-harsh sound but he didn't interrupt her as she said, "Of course, I need my precious Sasuke-kun to protect me because I'm just weak, annoying, little Sakura, right? Don't make me laugh."

He didn't point out that she had in fact already laughed at his suggestion because he refused to call the sounds she made a laugh.

Instead, he tried to reason with her. Which seemed to piss her off even more.

"You will die."

She rolled her eyes at that and struck, a low blow worthy of Neji, which in all honesty, wasn't fair because Neji never betrayed them and left to go training with the most twisted individual Konoha had ever expelled. And Neji had never left her on a stone bench in the middle of the night, vulnerable to any attack.

"I'm sorry, did I hear that right? Our esteemed Uchiha worrying for little ol' me when I distinctly recall him not caring about anything but revenge? In fact, I just remembered how you almost killed me with my own kunai when we were sixteen. Kage Summit, remember?"

Sasuke's forehead twitched just slightly, the closest to a wince she would ever get from him. Seconds passed as Sakura waited for his reply. When she was certain she would not get one, she sharply turned back to her pack, stuffing her medic scrolls into the secure belly of the bag as she lined its inner pockets with extra weapons and soldier pills as well as blood-replenishing pellets. She went over the details of her mission in her head again as she absentmindedly worked, her hands already going into auto-pilot. The young Uchiha behind her had clearly been dismissed, both physically and mentally by the pinkette. Sakura heard the slight rustle of cloth and assumed Sasuke had left, so when she turned around to reach for the senbon she'd left on the desk as a reminder, she had not expected him to still be there. Consequently, she startled and dropped the kunai she'd been holding. Had it not been for the Uchiha's swift reaction, Sakura would have surely been impaled in the foot already.

'That would have been painful. They don't respond well to chakra so I would have had a hard time healing them by myself as well,' Sakura thought. Then her eyes refocused on Sasuke, who was too close. Her chest ached for this stupid little heartbreaker with the tooserious eyes and firm mouth and dammit, she was better than that- she had to stop- but her eyes unconsciously traced his features, mentally comparing this boyman with the child she'd trained with when they'd been young and foolish and ironically enough, full of life. His skin was quite unfairly smooth and he still retained his aristocratic bearings and that aloofness that never seemed to leave him, even in the midst of battle. She recalled her own freckled skin with something close to self-consciousness.

Sasuke quietly let her examine him, knowing this was the closest he'd gotten to her since his return to Konoha and he made his own little observations, from her tiny height (were all women that diminutive or was she the exception?) to her clear greenwhitegreen eyes that always flashed or flooded with emotion, so much emotion in this tiny little creature (was she really Sakura?) The Sakura he imagined, the Sakura he knew from the days of sunlight and D-rank missions and little bruises was closer to him in height and had longer hair, longlong hair that reminded him of soft words and 'it's okay's, and he recalled instances where he'd leapt to stand in front of her, to protect this little imitation of his mother because really, she was all he'd had; they were all that he'd had.

Sakura recovered quickly (too quickly, her traitorous Inner whispered) and stepped back, blinking and hiding her emotions again. Sasuke had the irrational urge to step closer, closer and near her again, invade her personal space and fill her thoughts with him again because that was how it was supposed to be. But he didn't because this Sakura was not his Sakura and he didn't know how to react to this new being. Cautious, cautious, the voice in his head (which was a strange mixture of Naruto and that seriously racked Hokage) advised. He'd bide his time. But he wasn't letting her go on this mission alone, because she was still Sakura and she still needed his protection. Stupid girl.

He silently handed her the kunai and gave her a look that basically warned her not to defy him and she glared at him, daring him to just try to stop her. He almost pursed his lips at the small display of resistance but Uchiha's did not, by God, pout, and he was a frickin Uchiha so he was going to have to be crafty and sly and seriously, he was a ninja, he knew how.

"You're not going alone. If you do not want me to go, then at least allow Naruto to accompany you. If not, he will worry and might go on a rampage," he finally reasoned, knowing it was cheap to use the dobe like that but if she was going to be stubborn he had to change his approach.

Unfortunately, this Sakura wasn't as weak-hearted as his old Sakura and scoffed, retorting, "Naruto knows I can handle myself. I've beaten his ass enough times to prove it."

"Naruto never fought you seriously," he pointed out reasonably (in his mind.)

Wrong thing to say though. Sakura's eyes flashed dangerously and she hissed, "Are you implying that I'm weak, Uchiha?"

Sasuke stubbornly held eye contact, knowing his silence was enough answer. Sakura's jaw dropped in stunned anger and she absolutely exploded at him.

"Listen, you ass, I can handle my own fights and I can take care of myself! Just because I don't have insane chakra reserves like Naruto or the prestigious blood limits you're blessed with does not mean I'm subpar to either of you! I can kick Naruto's ass any day of the weak and I would wipe the floor with you if I really wanted to so you can shove your Sharingan up your ass, you conceited prick!"

Sakura cursed a bit more at the idiot Uchiha before she finally decided to give her blood pressure a break and just grabbed her pack to leave. She shoved past the self-proclaimed avenger and stormed out of her apartment before stomping down the stairs with said avenger trailing her, slightly lost.

They continued to the gates in silence, Sakura ignoring Sasuke and Sasuke wisely shutting up about her mission. At the sight of the familiar wooden doors and looming Fire symbol, Sakura breathed a small sigh of relief, smiling at the guard as she waved to the artist ninja leaning against the gate. Sai smiled blankly back though she saw the affection in his eyes as he greeted her. Sasuke might've growled at him but she steadfastly ignored him in favor of checking to make sure everything was prepared for their mission.

"Will the dickless's lover be accompanying us?" Sai inquired politely, noting the traitor's presence among their numbers. Sakura laughed before replying, "No, Uchiha's just worried I'm gonna fall down a ditch or something. Let's go!" She tugged on Sai's arm to urge him in their direction of travel. Sasuke stopped her with a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to glare at him, one eyebrow arched in question.

There were a lot of things he wanted to say. I'm sorry. I never forgot either of you. I'm stupid and you have a right to be angry. I miss you. I lo-

He settled on a gruff, "Be careful," and Sakura might've seen the slight panic and worry in his eyes because she didn't snap, didn't reply sarcastically, just nodded once. It wasn't even much, not the bright smile she used to carelessly shoot at him, but he knew her reaction could've been worse so he accepted it and let go. Sakura turned once more and shot off, knowing Sai would catch up. Sai shot him a look- one Sasuke didn't want to analyze- and followed, not bothering with any farewells.

They weren't there yet.