Disclaimer: Not my characters. Written after Chapter 402. Spoilerific- You've been warned.

Deceit

Chapter One
Deceit of Emotions

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"You're going back now?"

"Yes, it's time."

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Sakura was working the sixteenth hour of her shift today. It was a busy day. A huge Akatsuki infiltration mission had failed miserably. So many, too many, ninja had been hurt.

Sakura walked briskly through the busy, yet silent halls of the hospital. She had another patient. She smoothed out the scruples of her white hospital cloak. She came to the door of her patient- a routine check-up. She rapped on the door twice, first softly then gruff. She stepped in and felt the hot air of the room rush out. The sudden heat made her uncomfortable; she pulled the cloak off and hung it over her arm. While she did all this she walked swiftly to the edge of the bed- her movements practiced, she'd done this so many times it was routine.

She still hadn't looked at the patient- they were quite silent, and very still. She pulled up the chart from its position on the end of the bed.

She skimmed through the past health issues, and past reasons for admission.

"Well, you seem to be quite the healthy man Mr.…" She paused to look up at the name. Her face froze for a second, she hadn't been expecting that- him. She put her cheery smile back on- seemingly unfazed by the surprise.

"Uchiha Sasuke."



Sasuke smirked; he was quite pleased with himself. He had expected her to freak out and try to jump his bones the moment she's seen him- but this turn of events was slightly more entertaining. Here she was, pretending to be completely unaffected by his sudden reappearance.

Sakura stepped toward the door and hung her coat up on a hook. She turned and walked calmly to her patient. She closed her eyes and pushed energy to her hand- her chest felt hollow for a few seconds as the chakra was drawn away.

She lifted her hand- still as stone and incased in serene green chakra. She ran it along the contour of Sasuke's body. She looked for broken bones, cuts, bruises, anything out of the ordinary. She kept hopelessly focused on this so she wouldn't have to think about the man before her. He had been gone six years. He was a missing-nin; he was an S-rank criminal. He left her limp, rain-soaked body on a bench with an unrequited confession of love left on her lips.

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"Just go home and go to sleep." Sasuke began to saunter past her, either apathetic or unaware of her newly flowing tears. Sakura figured this was the end, she may never see him again- may as well lay it all on the table, right.

"Why won't you say anything to me? Why do you always keep so quiet? You never say a single word to me…"

"I told you: I don't need your help. Don't try to look after me…"

The tears dried slowly in the brisk night. The faint traces of a smile ghosted across her face. "No matter what, you just always hate me don't you… you remember, don't you?"

Sasuke stopped but didn't turn around. The only acknowledgement he gave that he was listening was his halt. She talked about the first time they had been alone together in the very same spot- when their team had first been assembled. - "You're annoying." -

"I don't remember that." Sasuke said flatly.

"I guess it was a long time ago, but that was when it all started. Even though it was tough at times, even through everything…I still enjoyed it."

Sasuke's face twitched at this.

"I know all about your past, Sasuke. Even if you do get revenge, it won't bring anyone happiness… not even you, Sasuke… nor me."

"I already know…" He spoke, Sakura hadn't expected him to respond.



He told her he had known that he was different from his team, from the others. He had to follow a different path then them. Sakura's eyes formed more tears that took the same trails down her cheeks as the previous ones.

"I'll never be like you and Naruto."

Sakura knew he was set on leaving now. She cried out. "Do you really want to go back to being alone? You told me how painful it was to be alone! Right now I feel your pain! …I have friends and family, but…if you were to leave…to me…I would be just as alone as you…"

"From here on out, we all begin new paths." He was unmoved by her speech. She couldn't let him leave. She had to say it… now.

"I…I love you with all my heart! If you stay with me…there will be no regrets…because everyday we'd do something fun, we'd be happy…I swear! I would do anything for you! Please just stay with me…" She tore out her heart- beating with promises of her undying love and affection. She presented it on a silver platter for him, showing it was already his all along. Anything to get him to stay. She even offered to go with him.

She looked up through glistening saltwater- everything was blurred now. She couldn't stop these tears. She heard Sasuke give and indignant huff, "You really are," he began, turning to face her now. His smirk stung her.

'Please don't say it.'

"Annoying."

She felt like she'd been struck across the face. Where had her heart gone, now? She'd given it to him, but he didn't want it's burden- so where was it now. The ache of its absence was excruciating. Sakura saw him turn and begin to move forward again.

"Don't leave! I'll scream if you do!"

Then he was gone. A cold wind brushed across her back, then hot breath brushed across her neck. The temperature change gave her goosebumps.

"Sakura…thank you." She felt him touch her neck and then she blacked out. She woke on the bench, face dried with tears. Puffy, blotchy, nose swollen with snot. Surely she wasn't attractive, now. It didn't matter. Her face hung- he had left. She had failed again.

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Sakura felt her eye refocus as she drifted back from the memory. Her heart ached again, it had been gone for so long and here was the one who'd lost it. She was using chakra to hold back the tears, now. She wouldn't cry for him again.

"Sasuke…" She sighed as she stood away from him. She turned around and grabbed her cloak off the hook.

"Sakura?" He was confused now. She was trying to ignore his presence and then all of the sudden as she'd finished examining him her face looked so pained. He wondered what it was.

"…you shouldn't have left. You got your revenge, I'm sure?" Sasuke nodded slowly, questioningly. "Are you happy?"

She didn't even have to turn around to know his eyes had glazed over. He was thinking- what about she had no idea, but it was something painful.

She nodded. "Thought so." She put the coat on in one swift movement and walked to the door. As she held it open she spoke monotonously "Mr. Uchiha, you're perfectly healthy. You can leave whenever you're ready." The door clicked shut seconds after she uttered her last word.

The Uchiha prodigy quickly filled with anger. "You don't know anything! You could never know my pains!" He shouted as loud as he could and punched the bed he sat on. He felt it bend under the pressure. He stood and left the room quickly.

"She had no right to assume she knew my pain- to assume I was wrong to want revenge." He was steaming. He paused at the side of the hallway, breathing heavily. With one last deep breath he calmed himself. After he was sure his pulse was normal, he proceeded toward the exit.

At the front desk, he smirked as he saw the door. His reaction had been immature and stupid. "I don't care about her. I never did and I never will."

A small child giggled loudly and Sasuke turned to glance and met with a set of emerald eyes. She was smiling- playing with a child.

He turned quickly and sprinted out the door.

Today, the great Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha. Now, Sasuke ran as fast as he could pump heady amounts of chakra through his muscles, from the very person he claimed to care nothing about.



-"Those with the capacity to hate passionately, have the same capabilities of love."-