An idea popped into my head, and I decided to try writing in 2nd person. I don't know why, but it's probably because I got really tired of Sasuke said or Sakura said. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this.

Usual disclaimer applies.

OOOOO

Summary: The first time he broke her heart, they were 12. The second time, they were 15. The third and final time was when they were 18. The only difference was that this time, he was going to do something about it. SasukeSakura

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Defense Mechanism

Chapter One

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Ought to be easy, ought to be simple enough.

Man meets woman and they fall in love.

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As you cleared the table all those years ago, you knew that when your plate broke, something was wrong. You froze and your heart rate increased, but what really bothered you was the foreboding feeling in your gut that told you what this was about. You laughed quietly, not because the situation was funny, but because of the irony. This was the person who you had thought about every minute of every day.

You laughed because you knew something like this would happen.

Sasuke.

You didn't know how your feet knew where to take you, but you had no choice but to follow them. The foreboding in your stomach did not leave, if anything, it intensified. Your eyes widened and you felt the tears start to surface when you realized the path you were on was the road leading out of the village. He's leaving, you thought, and you felt a sudden urge to strangle the snake yourself. You held back the tears, but you couldn't swallow the lump in your throat because you knew you wouldn't be able to stop him. A small voice in your head whispered, you can't stop him because you're too weak, and you believed it. It would take years, but eventually you'd realize it was exactly the opposite.

He was the weak one . . .

But all the thoughts left your mind and you became numb when you saw his midnight blue hair in the distance. Your chest clenched, not only because you didn't know when you would see him again, but because you finally realized just how lonely he was.

And then it hit you—you would never understand him, and you probably never did.

He stopped, and you could see the tension in his shoulders. He knew it was you. You knew that his snide remarks were his defense mechanism, but it did not lessen the pain you felt from his rejection. You confessed your love to him, but in the back of your mind, you knew it wouldn't help. Perhaps more heartbreaking than the rejection, was the way shock and sorrow passed quickly through his eyes at your admission. You knew he was more emotional than he let on, but you couldn't stop the hope from blossoming in your chest. And then his eyes turned dead, blank, and your heart broke even more. He would reject you because he couldn't afford to have you by his side. The rational side of you knew it was because he didn't want you to get hurt, but the more emotional side only heard the word burden. You vowed to banish that word from your vocabulary for the rest of your life because no one deserved to feel as hollow as you did. You did the one last thing that makes sense: you threatened to scream, hoping someone would hear you and stop this. But before you could blink, he was standing behind you and you knew what he was going to do, but you didn't stop it. He was silent and still for what seemed like forever, and then he whispered two words that would stay with you forever.

Thank you.

Part of you was angry that that was all he said, but years later you would realize that those words meant more than anyone besides yourself could understand. He thanked you for loving him, for showing him that someone cared for his well being, that someone would give their life for his happiness. It was his way of letting you know his appreciation. You would also come to realize that he probably hadn't said those words to anyone in his life, and for some reason, you realized that he had given you something that no one else had. You felt him hesitate slightly before he hit the pressure point on you neck, and you knew that on some level, no matter how small, there was a part of his heart that would always be reserved for you. Only you. You whispered his name softly, as you collapsed, and you could only hope that he heard the realization in your tone. As his arms caught you as you fell, you knew that in that small part of his heart, he loved you. And if it were possible, your feelings for him increased.

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It would be the next day when you realized that when he hit you, your neck was slightly wet from where his fingers had met your skin.

He had been crying.

OOOOO

Well, there you have chapter one. This isn't a light fic, but it won't be as sad as this chapter lol. I hope that makes sense.

Until next time!