A month had passed since the attack on Konoha by the Sound and the Sand Villages during the Chuunin exams. Sasuke was forcibly given a Curse Mark by Orochimaru in order to seek for more power, while Naruto had managed to defeat the One-Tail's Jinchuuriki, Gaara of the Sand.

Sasuke would often feel immense pain due to the Curse Mark and his Sensei and teammates got really worried about his condition. Sakura was worried the most. During the time they spent together as Team 7 and all the adventures they've gone through, Sakura seemed to have obtained a special bond with both, Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto was one of her most important friends, although he could be annoying sometimes, and her love for Sasuke had also gotten stronger. She couldn't imagine how it would be to loose either of them. It just wouldn't be the same..

"Aaaaaahhhhhggg..!"
He agonized in soreness while holding onto his bed sheets and filling up himself with anger. The Curse Mark begun to tear him up inside once again. Although Kakashi had put a seal on Orochimaru's jutsu, Sasuke couldn't rest from all the pain. Some days it wouldn't bother him at all, but some others it was just unbearably painful.

Night had broken already and he wasn't allowed to leave his home for a few days. The Elders thought it would be best if the Curse Mark was kept under surveillance, so he hadn't gone on a mission for quite a while.

Sakura was on her way to visit him and bring him some medicine for his stomach-ache. Due to the pain, his metabolism had gone crazy and he couldn't get any food inside, so he always ended up vomiting whenever that happened. Naruto was also very concerned about his best friend, so he would always help the medical ninjas to find the herbs for his medicines. They both did what they could until now.

She was standing in front of his door, being a bit nervous about seeing him that late at night. Clenching her teeth and taking a deep breath, she gathered all her courage and knocked.
"Um.. S-Sasuke-kun? It's.. me, Sakura! I brought you some medicine."
She waited for a while and then heard a strange sound coming from inside.
"S-Sasuke-kun?"
He felt like he was slowly suffocating and that he would lose consciousness any time. He couldn't risk it to open the door, but Sakura insisted.
"Sasuke-kun! I'm coming in!"
He couldn't speak. His throat was dry. He wanted to scream and tell her to get away as quickly as possible, but it was hopeless. The Curse Mark would make him run amok again.
"…Sa…kura…!No…"
He grabbed all of his sheets and wrapped himself inside. He needed to stimulate his breathing and stop the Curse Mark from taking over his body.
Sakura bumped through the door and found his room being dark with not a single light on. She took off her shoes and slowly approached while holding the bag with medicine. She watched her every step as to not tumble over anything and saw a mass of white cloth laying on the ground. She sensed Sasuke's chakra coming from it.
"S-Sasuke… kun…"
"Sa..kura.. get.. out of… here… now!.."
A rough voice pierced through the cocoon of sheets and warned her to stay away. But she couldn't bring herself to leave him alone in this condition. She knew it wasn't his fault. Besides, it wasn't the first time something like that would happen. She stopped him once from transforming… and she could do it again.
"Sasuke-kun!"
She screamed and fell down on her knees to face the Uchiha. It breaks her heart to see him like this. He didn't deserve such a cruel torture.
"Sasuke…"
Her whole body was shaking and trembling in fear. She gently touched the white bed-cloth and she could feel stroking his cheek. He was trembling as well. Her eyes were filled with tears. She was afraid, but she would never leave his side. Her hands moved on their own and she found herself embracing him very warmly and tender. She couldn't see his face, but she could sense his warmth and feel his heavy breath. Then the sheets fell down and uncovered his face.

He saw the girl hugging him tightly and tried to calm himself down. He didn't want to hurt her, but then… The Curse Mark took over and he couldn't control it anymore. He didn't want anything to happen to her. He couldn't forgive himself if he would hurt her..
She sensed the vast amount of chakra that got released from his body and decided not to let go. She closed her eyes and hoped for it to end.
"Sasuke-kun… please… That's not you…" she said with a trembling voice as tears fell down her cheeks like a waterfall.
He couldn't hear her anymore. Unconsciously, he grabbed her by the hair and pushed her head back to see her face.
"Aaaaaahhh~!"
She was screaming as an instant pain flowed through her body. They were now facing each other and she could look him in the eyes. Those weren't Sasuke's eyes anymore..
He let go of her hair and gripped her hands to lift her up. He threw her on the bed and pressed down her arms with full force. The black marks had appeared on his body again and his eyes were glowing. She was crying in fear, but suddenly gasped and nothing was heard. She didn't know what would happen now, but she had to stop him at all costs. It was already too late to call for any help.
"Sasuke-kun… I beg you… Please don't let the Curse mark overpower you!"
And then, she abruptly yelled at him.
"PLEASE, SASUKE –KUN! DON'T YOU RECOGNIZE ME?"
Her screams became louder as the tears wouldn't stop falling from her eyes.
"I'M THE ONE WHO CONSTANTLY KEEPS REMINDING YOU OF HOW MUCH SHE LOVES YOU! I'M THE ONE WHO CARES THE MOST ABOUT YOU! I DON'T MIND IF YOU KEEP IGNORING ME, BUT I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU… YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME, SASUKE-KUN! SO PLEASE… PLEASE DON'T BECOME A MONSTER… I BEG OF YOU!SASUKE-KUN!"
Her tears had reached the bed's bottom sheets and she couldn't even see him clearly because of how blurry her eyes were. Her voice had calmed down and Sasuke had loosened her hands. He had a somewhat neutral expression on his face… almost completely emotionless..
"…Sasuke…" she said with a teary voice. Her wirsts slipped through his hands and she blandly touched his cheeks. Her upper body lifted up from the bed and her hair was stroking his hands that were tamped on the mattress.
".. I love you so much.." she whispered.
She looked into his gold glowing orbs and then lowered her eye lashes, placing her forehead on his.
".. Even if you can't hear me right now… I love you…"
One last teardrop escaped her left eye and she slowly leaned more forward until their lips touched. It felt so relaxing.. that kiss. His body had calmed down and he begun to transform back to normal. He closed his eyes and returned the kiss to her while placing his arms around her waist. When they broke the kiss, she had already passed out and he gently laid her back on his bed and covered her with a blanket. He would later carry her back home, he just had to rest a bit.

While looking out the window, he turned around to see her sleeping face and mumbled..
"… I did hear you… Sakura…"