Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Summary: When she died, he noted, it was beautiful. SasuSaku, oneshot

Prepare for angst and sadness! I hope for this one to be quite sad. An odd thing to hope for, I know. Yes, even though I am technically giving Sasuke a break by pairing him with Sakura in this fic, it isn't going to be a light break. More of a story about Sasuke's thoughts and feelings and stuff...toward Sakura, of course.

Anyway, don't kill me for writing a SasuSaku, since it's extremely overdone (although I still rather like the idea of them together...)!

All Falls Down

"Sasuke..."

The rain dribbled down her pale skin which was illuminated ivory in the moonlight that fell down upon them. The wet droplets were clinging to her pale pink locks, falling down her cheeks in rivulets mixed with the saltiness of her own tears.

The last wall in Sakura's facade had fallen, crumbled, beside her feet.

"I love you, Sasuke. Please don't leave! I'll do my best to make you happy...if you just stay here. Not just for me, but for Naruto...Kakashi-sensei...for Konoha..." She trails off, shaky emerald meeting the back of his head.

Sasuke wasn't shaken. Or at least, he pretended not to be. It reality, her words, her voice, just her - it tore at his heartstrings. But he couldn't show that, for she might end up winning if that was the case.

"I love you...so much..."

The warmth of her voice was sickeningly sweet and sincere. Oh, how he wished...how he wanted it to be that easy. To stay in Konoha. With all the people he had grown to care about. With her. With Sakura.

"Stay. Please."

He kept a stony facade as he turned to face her, the mocking smirk forcefully placed on his features, the rain giving him the same treatment as the carnation haired girl in front of him. He met her gaze, and it almost broke his act right then and there, "You haven't changed, Sakura."

Sasuke looked at her with that still demeaning gaze that he had learned to forge so well throughout his life; seeing her eyes widen in somewhat hurt at that comment, he suddenly, quickly, disappeared from her vision to reappear behind her.

She knew he was there, but she did nothing to stop him from his next action.

"Thank you, for everything, Sakura..."

Then, the side of his hand connected roughly with her neck, forcing her into unconsciousness.

It was surprising that this particular moment was racing through Uchiha Sasuke's mind as he faced her for the first time in eight years.

Konoha was in ruins behind them, burning with the sounds of the anguished and terrified residents of the once great, impenetrable city. It made Sakura's blood boil, he knew, for the people around them to be treated like that.

"Teme..." She growled, facing him with a fiery determination that now reminded him of Naruto's.

She had grown stronger in the past eight years. He could feel the buildup of chakra around her as her anger bubbled within her, far past the boiling point. Her hair was kept short still, and this pleased him for some sick reason. He rather preferred her with short hair. With a sick irony, he realized that the only reason she had long hair was because of him, but he actually liked shorter hair on girls. She had grown taller, matured, and had a lean, muscular physique, much unlike the last time he laid eyes on her.

"Sakura - " He began, but was immediately cut off by the pink haired kunoichi.

"Don't even try to talk to me." Sakura said, her emerald orbs darkening, as she began to build up chakra in her fists and legs, a trick courtesy of Tsunade. "You're not worth my time."

Sasuke merely shrugged, readying himself for his first assault on his former teammate. There was no arguing with Sakura when she was in determined mode. He knew he would not win. Any affection she might have had for him before was now replaced with pure hatred. He knew this, although he still actually wanted to talk to her, for some odd reason.

She was the first to charge, teeth bared, eyes flaring, fists clenched and ready to do some major damage against this traitor of Konohagakure. She punches, blinded by her rage, and he dodges, but her fist leaves a large crater in the earth where it impacted. Where Sasuke had once been.

He was behind her, in that oh-so-familiar position of years past, back when the rain had been soaking the both of them, and the only emotion felt had been that of utter sadness, affection, and betrayal.

"Sakura..."

She spun around, while saying, "Didn't I say - " Her chakra infused fist connected squarely with his jaw, sending jolts of pain throughout his form, " - that I didn't want to talk!?"

He flew back, through many trees, over a pond, and landed squarely embedded in a rocky wall, allowing it all to happen. Before he could even peel himself from the cliff, Sakura was there, as angry as ever, and punching away at him.

He felt several ribs shatter and break under the pressure of her punches, under the hatred of her assault. She was attacking him like she hated him with all her being. And he knew it was true.

Grunting as she elbowed him at the crown of his head, she sent him downward, spiraling, falling, into the dirty rocks and gravel below. The pink haired girl was off in a flash, following him, wanting to finish everything that had started as soon as he had been placed onto Team 7.

As he watched the form of the pink haired girl come closer, closer, Sasuke was stunned in the irony of it all. The relatively weakest in strength was the last one left.

She was the last one left.

Orochimaru, Itachi, Kakashi...even Naruto. They had all fallen by his hand. She was the last piece that remained. The last part of him that he needed to rid himself of. He needed her dead so he could leave all his emotions, all his feelings for Konoha, behind in the dust that he and his squad of shinobi had returned the once great city to.

But he didn't want this over that quickly.

So he let her beat him.

He let her purposely, wrathfully, throw hits into his chest and face and stomach; she growled in anger as she did so. Cursed him. Gave him names like bastard and asshole. Not even once did she call him by his given name, he knew her pride wouldn't allow her to resort to something that had so stunned the growth of her genin progress back in the days when they were young.

In some sick way, he actually wanted her to beat the shit out of him.

He knew he deserved it, for leaving Konoha, for betraying the trust that Sakura, Naruto, and so many others had for him. All for power, all to give him a superficial rush of getting the power he desired to defeat his arch nemesis, his own brother. He knew he deserved all the pain he was getting from the emerald eyed girl in front of him.

"Ha!" She grunted as she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pummeled a feminine fist straight into his face. She didn't release her grip from his shirt, only kept punching and punching away at that once oh-so-heavenly face until the shirt itself ripped under the force, sending the battered Uchiha skidding across the ground, away from her.

Sakura was breathing harder as she walked, slowly, confidently, toward the former object of her affections. Her head was down, bloodied knuckles clenched and the ruby liquid dripping from the palms - a result of her nails digging into the flesh of her hands as she played everything out. Cherry pink colored hair shaded her eyes and face from his view. He didn't know what the kunoichi had in store for him now, so he just waited...

He watched her disappear, then emerge right in front of him in an impressive feat of speed. Her head was still down, eyes still shaded, fists still clenched as if she hated the world and the position she was put in right at this moment.

"Why?" She choked out, seemingly pouring all her emotions into that one world.

Sasuke looked incredulously at the woman in front of him, quirking a brow with some difficulty, for it was sore when he did so from her repeated assaults to his cranium.

She raised her head finally, to reveal forest green pools rimmed with unshed tears. It shocked him to see it, for he expected to see no remorse from her, the woman who grew out of the sobbing little twelve year old girl he had left behind so long ago.

The pink haired woman blinked, causing the tears to fall down her cheeks, and managed to croak out with a fire that nothing could seem to quench, "Why don't you fight back?!"

"What?"

"Fight back, dammit!" She stumbled forward, sending a punch his way. He let the blow hit him squarely in his face, knocking him back several paces away from her.

Sasuke scoffed, his head still looking to the side as a result of the punch, and a smirk formed on his lips, "Why? Shouldn't you be happy that I am letting you do this to me?"

It was quiet for a while, only Sakura's hard, tired pants were heard.

"No." She said firmly, staring him directly in the eyes with a look that her twelve year old self could have never mustered before, "No, I can't take any happiness in doing this to you..." She trailed off, looking for the words to say.

"...although I know I should be happy..." Sakura continued, "...you killed Kakashi-sensei, Naruto...you've destroyed Konoha. You betrayed us all, so long ago. But I can't - " She paused in mid-sentence, "I can't take pleasure in hurting someone that I was friends with for so long. You might not have viewed it as a friendship, but I certainly did...and I can't do that to someone I loved."

Loved? Sasuke, though he knew she didn't love him any longer, was shocked to hear her say it in past tense.

"We were all a team...we all had our fights, but we all got through it somehow or another. But this...what you did to Kakashi-sensei...and Naruto - " Fresh tears began to spill down her reddened cheeks at the mention of the brash Uzumaki, " - you...you..."

Sasuke looked at her, somehow wanting to go out and touch her, to reassure her, but he knew he was in too deep and could never get back in her good graces, even if he tried with all his might.

Still, he had a job to do. No amount of pity could deter him from that.

He disappeared from Sakura's line of vision and in a flash, he was in front of her, startling her a bit. "Sakura." He said her name with care, letting the syllables gently roll off his tongue. He grasped her chin, pulling her face closer to his, "Power. I needed power. And the only way for me to have that completely was...I had to kill everyone I ever cared for. So no one could hold me back from accomplishing my goals. So I could reach true invincibility. I could kill anyone. Even those I..." He trailed off, onyx orbs seeming deeply in thought.

At his pause, Sakura began trying to pry herself from his grip, but his fingers didn't loosen from her chin. He only pulled her closer, slightly bruising her in the process.

"There's only one left...then I can truly be free, Sakura."

Sakura began, "Sa - "

She was cut off by his lips forced against her own in a passion filled, bruising kiss that shook her senses and confused her greatly. He reached his hand to the back of her head and pulled her closer, as if waiting for this moment forever. Sakura was stiff against him, but she relaxed when the kiss softened somewhat, but still had the lingering passion in its soft caress. They parted, their faces only centimeters apart, his large palm still resting on the back of her head.

Sakura's puzzled green eyes met his intimidating, stony stare. "Sasuke..."

He never lightened up, not even when she began to get worried and struggle against his grip, but she had used up most of her chakra in the minutes before this event. He said firmly, "I have to do this."

She never saw it coming.

Shlunk!

The kunai embedded itself deep into her stomach, tearing major organs and leaving a huge hole in her stomach. A fatal wound even for the most experienced medical-nin.

A stream of red blood dripped out of the corner of her mouth, a stark crimson contrast to her porcelain skin. She looked up in confusion and frustration, as well as anger, "Bas...tard."

She was not only angered at Sasuke, but angry at herself for allowing her guard to be let down so easily. As he looked at her with those cold, indifferent eyes, she could feel the life draining from her as she fell back, her weakened form coming into contact with the hard ground.

Sasuke knelt on the ground with her, cradling her head with his hand, "I'm sorry."

"Liar." She spat out in a fury, specks of crimson flying everywhere with the accusation.

Her eyes were starting to close, her vision becoming blurry...no, no! She couldn't...die here...

But she was. She was dying. A pool of red blood was forming itself around her immobilized body.

"Sakura..."

Nothing. Sakura didn't want her last words to be what she was thinking at this particular moment.

"Ne...?" She replied weakly. At this point, she figured she might as well hear what the bastard had to say.

He then said the words that she would have died to hear eight years ago, but even hearing them now, it was a small victory for her.

"I love you."

Sakura only smirked, chuckling, before coughing up blood. "Liar."

With that, she closed her eyes, and in an instant, Sasuke knew she was gone.

Red lines of blood continued to spread around her, covering his knees and the fronts of his shins with the sticky, ruby colored substance. He had a feeling that even after this blood had been cleaned off, he could truly never wash her off of him.

He looked down at her body, swallowing hard before rising.

Pink hair was matted with specks of blood, creating an odd contrast between the two - such a light pink, and such a dark, deep red. Once bright, innocent, shining emerald green orbs were shut in a peaceful look. The slight, peach color she had when she was living had faded away, and in its place was a cold pallor that almost gave Sasuke a chill. Her slightly muscled, chiseled limbs were covered in the crimson liquid that Sasuke had grown so accustomed to over the course of his lifetime.

He could hear her voice, resonating throughout his being as it had when she was twelve, and also when she was a raging woman, just a few minutes ago.

"Sasuke..."

"Teme!"

The wind, whirling and spinning around them, blew Sakura's hair about her and Sasuke just stared at her body, almost not being able to stomach it all - seeing her like that. He leapt up into the trees and began his escape from Konoha once more. And while he was racing amongst the leaves and branches of the trees that he was so familiar with, a rather odd thought crossed his mind.

When she died, he noted, it was beautiful.

End.

Wow, leaving the angst factory for a while now. I'm sorry if you didn't like it; I guess writing oneshots is now my filler for being to lazy to update my other stories. But this idea wouldn't leave me alone, so here it is!

Okay, and really, I can't imagine Sasuke telling Sakura he loves her, unless it is in her/his final moments, so this fic was born from that. And also...well, I dunno. Sasuke was prolly really VERY OOC, but I hope you liked it. It is rare that I even do find a SasuSaku where Sasuke IS in character, but...whatever. I just hope you liked it.

Alright, please and thank you to anyone who R&Rs!