The room was still filmy dark as Sasuke opened his eyes. The pain washing over his new vision had subsided in the week since he'd received his brother's eyes, but the burning inside his head was still strong.
He gritted his teeth against groaning and tried to focus on the ceiling. "At least...finally alone," he breathed. It was little consolation. He'd sent Taka on errands to be rid of Karin's annoying chattering. He took a moment to sit up, and then his vision seemed to clear more by shock alone.
He frowned, making a poor attempt to glare at the figure standing at the opposite wall from his bed. "Sakura?"
She tilted her head to one side, her face a blur to him, her pink hair falling to her shoulder as she studied him.
Sasuke fought back the throbbing pain behind his eyes, straining to see her as his vision sharpened on the girl. "Say something."
"How could you?" She took a few steps toward him, not enough to reach him, but enough for him to see her clearly. "Can you tell me now?"
His reserves of hate came back in force. "I told you before. Get out of here. I won't be so lenient this time."
She shook her head, her voice softening. "You think anything you can do now can hurt me more than you already have?"
He didn't like the way the words inched under his skin, sliding beneath the callousness he'd built up. "You know nothing of pain. You'd never understand."
Her gaze dropped to his hand clenched in a fist at his waist as he attempted to ignore the pain leasing his eyes. "Is all this worth it? Driving yourself mad and blind for vengeance?"
He carefully stood up, watching her levelly. "Yes."
She shook her head, looking into his new eyes, his brother's eyes, as he stood before her. "I don't accept your answer, Sasuke."
He stiffened against the pull of her tender look. "You don't have to. Now get out of here."
She shook her head, eyes wandering over his face, considering the work done to his eyes, trying to see glimpses of the boy she'd trained with. "Danzo-sama is Hokage now. He's declared you a rogue. They'll kill you if they find you."
"They can't do either." He shook his head, wishing his vision would cloud over and he didn't have to see the malleability in her green eyes, the hurt she didn't hide. "Is that what you are? An advance team to trap me?"
"I'd never turn you in. You know that."
He did know that. He watched the pout at her lips pull into something harsher, an obstinate frown, the same way she'd always purse her lips to keep them from trembling when she cried. "Get out before Karin comes back. She'll know you're here."
She frowned. "Is that it? Her? Is she worth –?"
"She's worth nothing."
She sniffed, shaking her head. "Come back, Sasuke. I'll help you. We'll hide until you're healed and then we'll explain everything to the Council –"
"I don't want to go back!" He lowered his voice, wishing she'd flinch or recoil. She just stood there, accepting whatever he'd throw at her. "You can't understand, Sakura."
"I understand that I love you." She took a ragged breath, swallowing before attempting to speak again. "I do, Sasuke. Come back and –"
"What's wrong with you?" Now he saw her flinch slightly, but not move away. "Can't you get it through your head? It's not enough."
She blinked a few times, digesting the words, sorting through them. "Then what do you want? What do you need?" Urgency lent her tone as she stepped closer. "Just tell me, Sasuke. I'll do it. I'll, I'll be it, whatever you need. Just don't stay away from me."
He shook his head despite the wave of pain skyrocketing behind his eyes. "More than your feeble offer of love," he said, nearly choking on the words as they twisted wrong in his mind, "I need to vent this. You don't understand hate, do you? Of course not," he said, grinning before she could speak. "You understand love and friendship, embraces and kisses," he added, gaze lowering to her lips. His eyes rose to hers. "Silly things."
She shook her head, eyes not wavering from his. "They're not silly, Sasuke. Love is strong. That's why I'm here."
"I don't need it. Keep it." For a brief second something under the layer of deep hatred in him pricked against his conscience, but he buried it. "I need the hate now, Sakura. I need that more than love. You don't understand the bitter fire of hate, the way it licks at your soul and consumes every shred of affection."
She shook her head. "This isn't you, Sasuke."
He stared at her dauntless belief. "You're a stupid girl. Go back to Konoha."
He didn't see it coming, whether it was his new eyes or the sharp pain radiating from his temples, but before he knew it her hand was on his face, her gentle fingertips to the side of his left eye. He wanted to slap her hand down, fling off the caress, even shove her to the floor – anything to make her stop.
He didn't, instead holding his breath as her fingers slowly traced his skin, her eyes studying his face, hoping to see something in him he claimed he no longer possessed.
"Get out of here," he bit out, stepping back, giving her a glare that made his healing ocular nerves scream in pain. "And don't come back."
For a moment Sakura's hand hung in the air between them, arm outstretched with him out of reach, her fingertips still yearning to touch him. She hurriedly found her voice. "At least let me heal your –"
"Get out. Now."
She ignored the threat in his pain-heavy eyes, but not the words. She took a hesitant step back.
Sasuke nearly stepped forward as she did, a part of him still wanting to keep that proximity between them, to close that distance, pull her to him even as every other part of him wanted to kill her. He shook his head, steeling against the memories trying to well within him.
"Now leave."
Now the tears Sakura had held down for years wanted to break out. She didn't let them, pulling the protective callous back over the wounds of her heart. She didn't nod; that would be too much like agreeing with anything he'd said.
She turned her back on him, knowing it may be the last movement she made if he decided to kill her.
"I won't say goodbye, Sasuke," she said in a voice barely audible. She sniffled, holding back the tears, not looking to him as he remained immobile.
"Goodbye, Sakura."
She closed her eyes against the finality of those words, and left.
For a long moment Sasuke stood there, enjoying the pounding pain in his temples that fought behind his new eyes. As long as he had pain to keep him company, he needn't think about his friend with the soft voice and the pink hair.
Former friend, he corrected to that thought.
He wouldn't think of those years.
And he certainly wouldn't think of the way she fought the tremble of her lips at his scorching words.
No, he wouldn't think of that at all.