Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

&& While she's crying…

She stood at her window. Alone. Always alone. Because too long ago, her boys had left her. Left her like this. Alone.

Naruto she could forgive. He promised her that he would be back. He gave his solemn vow. And when Uzumaki Naruto makes you a promise, you can be sure he'll strive to keep it. She had seen it before. And she had to believe it. There was no choice.

But the other one. The one who wasn't like her annoying little brother. The one who was an unattainable prize set up on a shelf. It was just too damn high for her. No matter how high she jumped, or how high she climbed, she would never reach him. It was like he was staying just out of her reach. On purpose.

…No, he was more than a prize. He was the man that she had wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She had craved to be the lucky girl to revive the whole clan. He was moody and incredibly rude, but she could look past that. She could see past that. She had always had brilliant observation skills. She knew what he really was. Lost. Confused. She saw right through him, and he didn't even know. She was not like the rest.

However, no matter how much she missed or pined over the second boy, she knew her hopes of his return were in vain. He wasn't coming back, and in her mind she knew that. Her heart, though. Her heart was a different story entirely. It was trying to scream at her to have faith in him. He will return one day. She gave a sarcastic snort. Yeah, right. If only her heart was right.

She started to grip at the ledge, and her knuckles slowly turned white with the sheer frustration of her inner battles. She wanted him back so badly. Damnit! Why must he always make her feel so weak? Even when he wasn't with her, he still had that same hold over her from back when they were Gennin. And it made her so. Damn. Pissed!

She heard slight cracking noises and looked down to where she was gripping the ledge. Her anger had enticed her brawny hands grip the ledge harder. She slowly pulled her hand away, to see finger-shaped dents where her hand had once been.

A single tear ran down her cheek. She missed him so badly. Damn him. Look at what he just did. She never cries. She's supposed to be strong. The strongest! Damn him, damn him, DAMN HIM! Through blurry eyes, she punched the wall, making yet another dent that would have to be fixed later. Her vision was clouded as she screamed her frustration out into the night. Screamed at him. For him. She just didn't know anymore.

And then the rest of her tears decided to spill over. There was no stopping them now. So she collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

"I love you, Uchiha Sasuke."

In his solitude, he was doing his own thinking. How to kill his brother? How to get to that point? How to shake off the snake manipulator? …What was he supposed to do after everything was done? His eyes widened. That was the forbidden thought. Only think of the plan. Nothing mattered but the plan. They could kill him afterwards, for all he cares. At least Itachi would go down with him.

But he wasn't thinking of that. Too many questions. He didn't like doubting himself. Especially his ultimate plan to avenge his clan. He decided to sleep, even if it would only be for a while.

He turned his light off, and rolled over to a more comfortable position on his hard bed. But before he slipped into oblivion, a pink-haired thing came to the front of his slurring thoughts, making them clearer once more. He gave a wicked smirk and snorted with amusement. She probably still thought that he was going to come back someday.

"You always were dense, Sakura."

…He laughs.

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