Title: Lunacy Fringe

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the wicked amazing plot. That reality is just a figment of my imagination.

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Wake up, My love. Never thought you'd make me, break me… The Used: lunacy fringe

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A dark form was crouched over Sasuke as his eyes opened a few moments later. The dark green forest spun as Sasuke levered himself onto his elbow, wincing in pain.

"Pathetic."

A sharp kick caught Sasuke in the ribs, throwing him against the tree. Sasuke screamed as a kunai stabbed into his shoulder, pinning him to the tree. Sasuke grunted in the effort to keep from screaming again in pain.

Searing white pain hit Sasuke's arm. Itachi smiled grimly as he continued to drag the kunai bone deep through his younger brothers left arm. Blood gushed over into Sasuke's lap; drenching his skin and clothes.

Sasuke chuckled hysterically. Once. Twice. Itachi frowned. Something was very wrong. Sasuke's lament eyes meet Itachi's a single tear trailing down his face. "Good-bye, brother."

Itachi saw through the distraction and smirked at his own disposition; he was as good as dead, unable to protect himself. He smiled, "Well done, little brother."

Sasuke's heart softened only just as the sword cut through Itachi, direct blow to the heart. He shied away violently at the sound of metal sliding through Itachi's flesh; a sound he would remember through his dying day. Itachi's insensitive body stood supported only by the long sword that cut clean through him. Tears filled Sasuke's eyes but he could not cry. Through the mixed blood splattered across his body he hauntingly glaring at the lifeless body of the man, the brother, he just killed, and he laughed until dry sobs racked his broken body.

Nausea hit Sasuke like a shockwave as he reached out a hand. But he didn't move. His vision blurred, dimming out.

As the Uchiha's eyes closed the soft thump! of gravity pulling a body down to land on the forest floor with a muffled thud echoed in his ringing ears. A warm hand close on his upper arm and the weight in his lap shifted.

His mind screamed, Let it bleed… I want to die… all of my heroes, they have fallen… I might as well be next…

- - -

Pain. People live with it and by it they die. Pain and death pinched his senses: the smell of blood filled his nose; the sticky substance covered his body, suffocating his lungs, slowing his heart. Another wave of pain overtook Sasuke; his heart shuddered… and skipped a beat. A sudden pulse of brilliant white pain shocked his heart back into rhythm; the pain dulled to a wrenching ache. And with that, Sasuke slid past into darkness, hell incarnate.

Seconds, hours, or days later, Sasuke couldn't tell, something shifted in the suppressing darkness that clouded his mind. His eyes flickered beneath their lids before groggily they slitter open.

A dark silhouette leaned against the wall, arms loosely crossed and legs stretched before him. Sasuke's heart hammered in his chest as he fought the anesthetic, Itachi's leering face fresh in his mind. Gradually the dark form altered into to a tall man with a single black eye staring down over his mask. Silver spikes were damp and raindrops glistened on his shoulders yet. Kakashi leaned down as Sasuke's eyes focused for the first time.

"I can't tell you how relieved I am personally…" His black eye looked down taking in the tubes and wires attached to the boy lying in from of him feeding into his arm, nose, mouth and stomach.

"I don't quite know what to say to you now, Sasuke." He didn't ask how he was. He would have gotten that from the nurses. Sasuke's breath fogged the oxygen mask as he stared up at his former sensei with unforgiving eyes.

Kakashi spoke suddenly, slightly startling Sasuke, "I know you can't talk now… actually that's why I came now…"

"I know you can't talk now… actually that's why I came now." Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly at the small stab of a joke that fell into the neat silence. In the pause Sasuke's heart monitor pulsed softly in the dim light.

"I just wanted to say this," Kakashi spoke faster as Sasuke's body began to fall limp again, sinking into unconsciousness. "Try not to hate being back too much. Some things have changed…"

Sasuke eyes were closed. Kakashi sighed. Maybe this once the proud student of his would listen…

- - -

Fear was palpable on the incompatible gentle breeze that swept over the damaged field. The sunset streaked the sky blood red. Long furrows raked the ground as if a demon had raked his nails across the soil. Scorch marks littered the ground; mingling blood pooled in the lands dips and sways. Low mechanical laughing echoed in his bleeding ears as his vision spun, blurring sky and land. Something shifted from the deep darkness of Sasuke's mind. Sasuke's scream was cut to a guttural cry as a pale hand shot out of the shadows behind him closed on his throat and tightened—

Sasuke sat bolt upright, cold sweat pouring off his body. Shaking his head impatiently he immediately brought his heart rate back to normal and his breath was suddenly slow and regular.

In fact if one had not heard his whispered screams one would think he was just sitting up rather than waking from a terrorizing nightmare. Itachi still haunted his sleep.

Lowering his head to his hands he took a shuddering breath. Moving jerkily he yanked the blinding white sheets off his body. His feet touched cold tile flooring and he unsteadily stood. Several tubes connected to his body snapped. The heart monitor went flat line filling the softly lit room with a constant drone as the IV tube spilled its contents over the floor making it dangerously slick.

But Sasuke was already gone; the fading night sky engulfing his shadowy figure.

His body stumbled along, laboring with each step, as anger grew in his breaking heart. Fighting for breath as he reached a plot of trees, Sasuke leaned on the trunk of a large Sakura tree. Sudden anger course through his body and Sasuke yelled as he slammed his fist into the tree, denting the bark to the middle. Fury and adrenaline heated his blood. He grunted as the energy leeched from his body and he collapsed in a pile at the base of the Sakura tree.

"Sasuke…? What have you done now?" A soft voice asked him. His eyes wearily met emerald green ones, before they rolled back into his head. "Oh no," she whispered.

Sakura placed her hands on either side of his head as she quickly called up her healing chakra and sent it scurrying down her fingers.

With a small smile she gently told him, "Don't think you're fully forgiven, Sasuke. Naruto and I still have some hell to pay you back for…"

Sasuke grunted in pain and his eyes opened, hazed over with a green glaze. Sakura jerked her hands back.

"Hey…" She smiled.

"…Sakura…I…I…" Sasuke hesitated.

"…You… what? Sasuke?"

It's hard to say that I was wrong. It's hard to say I miss you. With a sigh he shifted and cried out in pain. Sakura frowned.

"You're an idiot, Sasuke. You were in the Critical Ward in the hospital, you moron." Sakura rebuked him softly.

"Sakura…"

Sakura paused, cocking her head slightly.

"…you're… annoying…"

Sakura smiled and with a gentle touch to Sasuke's temple, knocked him unconscious.

"Welcome back, Sasuke."

- - -

A week later…

Sasuke watched Sakura as former Team Seven sat at Ichiraku's… excluding him, of course. Kakashi sat to her right and for once his book was not in sight. Naruto was chatting as she moved the food in her bowl around without eating, until Naruto offered to finish it for her. Sakura had genuinely smiled and pushed the bowl over. Kakashi leaned into Sakura and mumbled something that surprised her into laughter.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, jumping away effortlessly. His incredible speed had yet to return but he owed what he had now to Sakura.

Idiots… all of them… But somewhere in the depths of his mind he was apologizing for hurting them. Cause after all is said and done, memories are all your lonely heart has left.

+Author's Note+

I know... short but its better than my second shot at a one-shot... I think... well, I at least like certain aspects of it...

read me like a book.