"No need to struggle dear Sakura. All will be over very soon," Sasuke licked his lips. She looked into his eyes. They were dead, as if he himself were already dead. They weren't focusing on any one thing, but looking at everything. She shivered. She was going to be killed. She was going to die. For a moment panic gripped her and she struggled harder against his vice-like grip. But realization came upon her. When she was dead she would not have to think of Sasuke-kun any more. She would not have to worry about the Akatsuki getting their hands on Naruto. She would not have to worry about missions or people or anything! Not even herself, because she would already be dead. As this thought came to her, she decided before she went she would have to tell him one more thing, for the last time. She smiled softly at her love for one more time.
"I love you Sasuke-kun, and not even death can change that." She told him softly. Sakura closed her eyes, waiting for death to come.
She waited and waited and waited. She opened her eyes, only to see Sasuke standing in front of her. Which shouldn't be possible since he just snapped her neck. She heard it snap. She looked around, and her eyes widened.
"It wasn't my neck snapping, was it Sasuke-kun? You don't want to kill me do you?" She looked at the arm that still kept her above the ground. It was twisted the wrong way, but still managed to hold on to the maniac strength that came from his curse mark. What had she been thinking? Of course she would worry about everyone! Life! Death! It didn't matter. It was just a way of trying to permanently escape. No more. She smiled. And it broadened into a grin.
"Even if you don't want to kill me Sasuke, I'm going to kill you," She brought upon the same chakra reserves that Tsunade had taught her how to store, and healed her wounds. She grabbed his broken arm and twisted. Sasuke's eyes bulged in pain, but he refused to scream out.
"What's the matter Sasuke-kun? Why aren't you saying anything? C'mon I want to here you scream," and she gave him another painful yank of his broken arm. And scream he did. "Not over yet," she said sweetly. Grabbing him, Sakura pushed Sasuke up against the cliff wall. Her expression then turned serious. He watched Sakura as the kunai was lifted from her pouch and raised above his head. Before it came down, he parted his dry lips, drops of blood pouring from the corners of his mouth.
"I love you," he whispered. She froze.
"What are you talking about?" she exclaimed.
She gave his arm another painful twist. He winced.
"I love you; I... could barely stand when we were apart. It was just the thought of taking down my brother that finally pulled me away from you. Now that my life's goal is finished, I don't know what to do with myself." he cried.
He then closed his eyes, waiting for the feeling of a kunai across his neck to tell him that eternal peace was immanent. After several minutes he opened them to stare at her. Her face was streaked with tears. She pulled him off of the wall, and slammed him into the one behind her. She turned to face him.
"Why would you say something like that? Everyone has something to push on for! Naruto, he has to push on to prove to everyone how strong he is! I have to push on to show everyone that I'm not the weak link I was four years ago! You! You had to push on to find and kill your brother! Now that you've done it, it doesn't mean you give up on life! You're supposed feel light! Because the burden that was there almost all of your life is gone!" She pulled Sasuke down and turned away, furiously wiping her tears away.
He looked at her. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms. To smooth her hair, and tell her everything was okay. To make her feel safe, to protect her. But she could protect herself. It wasn't the burden his brother left that hadn't been lifted. That was gone as soon as he made sure his brother was dead. It was the thought that Sakura, his Sakura, didn't need him anymore. That she could take care of herself. That she wouldn't run to him, and ask him if he needed training, or if he would have lunch with her, because she didn't need him anymore. Right now he was a luxury. He was no longer a necessity.
But he needed her.
He needed to sit in her arms and pour his heart out. Tell her how sick to his stomach he felt when he killed his brother. Or how angry he felt when Naruto killed Orochimaru instead of himself. All he ever wanted, all he ever needed was Sakura.
"I love you," Sasuke whispered once more. "I need you." he said, his voice filled with conviction.
Sakura looked into his pleading eyes, and seemed to understand everything that went unsaid.