He was able to walk now, albeit he was only allowed to walk around in the small space of his hospital room — confined and trapped in walls of white like a helpless animal. He could also move freely without feeling pain, which was a big improvement for the brooding Uchiha.

It was a slow process — recovering. And Sasuke wasn't much of a patient person. Not only that, but he was certain that Naruto was recovering at a faster rate than him (although he, himself, could not confirm this) and that alone made him angrier than usual. As if the nurses weren't all deathly afraid of him already. Now, Sasuke noticed, they're barely in the room for over a minute. They set down the food and would run out of there, as if he would kill them. They wouldn't even check on his progress or try to make him comfortable.

With the sounds of his footsteps echoing in the room, Sasuke's frown grew a bit deeper. It's not as if he could even kill them even if he wanted to. He was still way too weak to generate a quick, clean kill. They weren't even worth the kill anyway.

It seemed to be around the time Hinata would usually come, but Sasuke wasn't sure. They didn't even let him have a window in his room — in fear that he may escape. He doesn't blame them either. If given the chance, he probably would have left Konoha — probably.

Ever since he had spoken to Hinata last week, she seemed to want more responses from him whenever she had come over. Usually, she'd go on and on about her boring daily life, while Sasuke gave grunts here and there. But now, he really had to listen to her, or she'd stay silent for the full hour.

And having those Hyuuga eyes stare you down was really uncomfortable, Sasuke had to admit.

Whilst his pacing, he heard footsteps approach the door. Thinking it would be a certain female, he opened the door leisurely before 'Hinata' would knock politely.

Instead of being greeted by dark locks and the smell of something sweet, obsidian eyes took in the sight of pink hair and inhaled the smell of medicine. Her hand, which was in a fist, was currently suspended in the air. She was probably going to knock, Sasuke thought, letting go of the door handle he didn't know he was grasping onto so tightly. After a disorienting second, she quickly displaced her shocked look with one that made her seem apathetic. Unclenching her fist, the medic-nin let her arm fall to her side as she offered a fake smile to her former comrade.

With the smell that screamed 'hospital' finally hitting him, Sasuke reminded himself where he was. And who was in front of him.

"Sakura." He acknowledged her brusquely, unable to handle the smell she was giving off. God, he was acting just like that mutt of a teammate Hinata talks about. The one that was really sensitive to smells. Indicating that she'd like to get in, Sasuke retreated back into the room, with Sakura following in behind him. Sasuke walked back to the bed and sat as he waited for Sakura who was currently closing the door.

In the quiet, he watched his former teammate and her actions.

"It's been a while." She commented, making her way over to Sasuke's bed. He watched silently as she put a strand of her hair behind her ear.

It was still short.

"I guess." Sasuke replied, after a moment of deliberation.

By that time, she was already standing in front Sasuke. For a split second, she seemed a bit taken aback once again, once she had heard Sasuke replying to her.

Sasuke watched as her eyes widened for a second. Back when they were kids, they seemed brighter.

Now they just seem dull.

Laughing off the awkward silence, Sakura spared Sasuke a smile. Her smiles used to be filled with warmth.

Now they just seem to be filled with faked politeness.

Sasuke drilled into his head the fact that he, alone, was the cause of this — the cause of everything. And with the somewhat pitying glance he received from Sakura, he wanted to run. Run and hide. Hide from what he did, and run from who he did them to.

When the hell did he start feeling like this? He was sure the first month he was in Konoha, he didn't give a shit. But now, it was entirely different. And Sasuke had a hunch on why he had 'changed' in such a short amount of time. Not like he'd ever admit it.

"You'll be able to leave in a week," Sakura informed him. She was now doing what Sasuke was moments before — pacing around the room, harboring a different reason to do it than why Sasuke did it. Sasuke simply wanted to loosen up his muscles and get used to walking.

Sakura didn't want to stay directly in front of the man she tried saving many times.

A minute of silence passed by as Sasuke comprehended what she had said. He was going to be discharged in a week. By then, he would have stayed a rough estimate of 3 months in this hospital. He was giddy at the thought of leaving. Well, as giddy as the lone member of the Uchiha clan can be.

Before he could ask where he would be staying, Sakura answered.

"Tsunade had requested for you to stay at the Uchiha compound. While you were situated in the hospital, she had taken the liberty of cleaning what she could, if there was anything to be cleaned." Sakura explained. This time, she was looking at the wall, as if the solid white wall was so goddamn fucking interesting.

Everything she said to him sounded like it came straight out of a textbook and Sasuke felt himself getting more and more peeved as the clock ticked. But, he deserved it. And in order from lashing out, he needed to keep reminding himself that he indeed deserved any hostility he may receive.

Turning away from the wall, Sakura walked with silent steps. She walked over to the chair near Sasuke's bed. Sasuke got up as she did, and watched her movements keenly. She didn't notice the look Sasuke gave her as she neared the seat. The seat that Sasuke was beginning to believe was reserved for his one visitor.

"You'll be under heavy anbu surveillance and —" Sasuke tuned her out. Before he knew what he was doing, he was already holding Sakura's wrist with a tight grip in order to stop her from sitting. Before he knew what he was doing, he was acting like a selfish little brat. And he shouldn't be. Not after what he had done.

Whipping her head to look at Sasuke, Sakura looked at him with probing eyes. Eyes filled with curiosity, hurt, and regret stared back at him. He dropped her hand as if it had burned him and before he could stop himself, he stated his reason.

"That's Hinata's seat."

If he could take that back he probably would — probably.

Although he didn't show it, the second of pure anger that Sakura showed shocked him. And to cover up that anger, a look of a gut wrenching sadness placed itself on the female's face. And the small frown that had settled upon the face of the female seemed to beat Sasuke relentlessly.

"I see." Sakura said listlessly.

She thumbed the back of the chair, examining it all the while. An unsteady, chilling silence fell over them. And then, Sakura sighed.

"How many times had she tried to save you?" Sakura asked. Sasuke didn't answer the sudden question. With her thumb still outlining the figure of the hospital chair, Sakura left all the unsaid things out in the open.

"Did she ever spend nights crying over you?" Sakura questioned. She stopped the movement of her hand and simply rested it on the head of the chair, gripping it somewhat tightly.

Sasuke kept quiet, not knowing what to say. But he knew what Sakura was getting at.

Taking an abrupt turn, Sakura was now facing Sasuke. Both of her hands were clenched into fists, and eyes of emerald were narrowed in anger and frustration.

"I tried everything. I was your goddamn teammate. I still tried to help you even when you tried to kill me!" Her voice was no longer a whisper. It was loud. And regrettably, Sasuke could feel the pain behind the words.

"I was with you all the fucking way!" She took a step forward and was now directly in front of the indifferent Uchiha. He listened, and he understood.

But he didn't know what to say.

Had it been anyone else yelling at him, it probably wouldn't do much. But this was Sakura.

Wait, actually, when Sasuke thought about it, it wasn't Sakura. It wasn't the one he grew up with. The girl standing before him is scarred and in pain.

The Sakura he knew before was happy.

And he had knowingly molded that happy girl into a depressed one.

And yet, he didn't feel that bad. He felt a bit of remorse, yes, but not as much as he should. He was trained to kill, and had betrayed all those who cared for him, after all.

Things like this don't get to the Uchiha.

Suddenly, Sakura jabbed Sasuke's chest with her finger and continued to berate him. He didn't flinch.

"And then Hinata comes along for about what? Two fucking months?" Sakura shouted, unable to contain her anger. Sasuke continued to remain devoid of any emotion which made Sakura even madder. When she asked him if he was going to answer, Sasuke still remained silent.

Removing her finger away from his chest, Sakura felt tears prickling at her eyes.

She wasn't sad.

She was fucking mad.

Not at Hinata, but at Sasuke. After all she had done, all she went through — for him — and he had the audacity to stay silent! It frankly pissed her off. She wanted to skin him alive and make him suffer the way he had made everyone suffer.

But she couldn't. So instead, with a chakra infused palm, she did the next best thing.

And this time, she was able to evoke emotion from the Uchiha, as he remained stunned from the sudden slap he had received. He couldn't even look at her now.

Feeling oddly at peace now, Sakura smirked, as she brought her arm to her side again.

"You're a piece of shit, Uchiha."

And with that, she was gone.

Even after she left, Sasuke stood silently in the same place. He didn't move. He didn't speak. He just thought and thought.

Even though she was gone, the sting from her slap was still there.

And unbeknownst to him, and the female who had just left, there was a certain Hyuuga that had heard — and witnessed — everything that had occurred.

And said female walked in after a minute or two, trying to compose herself.

Sasuke had only looked up once Hinata had shut the door with a 'click!' He turned to face her, and immediately noticed the worried look in her eyes.

Hinata greeted him with a smile, both of them awkwardly standing in the middle of the room. Sasuke said nothing, but watched as her eyes flickered to his cheek for a split second. Her carefree smile contrasted with the worried looks her eyes brought.

And he realized that she had known what happened.

He stared her down. She looked everywhere but at him. Approximately 5 minutes past after Hinata's empty greeting was said.

"You were there, weren't you?" He asked.

Quickly, she feigned innocence, as she told him she didn't know what he meant.

What a liar.

Sasuke knew she was bluffing since she started to fidget slightly.

What a bad liar.

"Don't lie to me, Hyuuga." He said. Almost frantically, she denied any accusation of her lying.

God he fucking hated females.

Narrowing his eyes at her, he tried to break her resolve.

Strangely enough, it didn't work. She stood there, trying to make it seem like she was looking at him. But she was actually looking past him. What a clever little girl.

Not too fond of liars, Sasuke decided to take matters in his own hands.

Suddenly, his hands were around her neck, making her take a step backward in surprise. He put on the most menacing glare he could muster and directed it on her. Hinata took a sharp intake of breath as he brought his face close to hers. He watched with twisted delight as fear danced across her face.

She was scared, and he knew it.

"I could fucking kill you right now, Hyuuga." He whispered threateningly. She flinched a bit, as much as she could in his grasp, when he had cursed. She didn't necessarily care for profanities. Eagerly, he waited for her reaction. It was a while since he had made someone this terrified and he was having fun — like the sick bastard he was.

But the desired reaction never came. Instead, Hinata's breathing returned to normal and she seemed calm, even though her neck was currently captive.

And with a ghost of a smile, she stuttered, "Y-You wouldn't."

On impulse, Sasuke gripped her neck a bit harder, but not too hard. It probably still didn't even hurt her.

"I killed thousands of others." Sasuke replied chillingly. "What makes you think I can't kill you?"

And without a second to waste, Hinata replied confidently.

"You could have killed me on day one. B- But you didn't."

Her words made Sasuke loosen his grasp as he tried to comprehend what she had said. His hands were still around her neck, however.

Sasuke didn't like being proved wrong.

Probably knowing this, Hinata continued to say something that ultimately shook up Sasuke so bad that he had let go of her.

"A-And I'm starting to t-trust you… a bit." She confessed.

His eyes widening only a bit, while the rest of him looked impassive, Sasuke slowly let his arms fall to his sides, as he replayed her statement.

Trust.

He didn't think he'd hear that word directed toward him for a while.

And here stood the timid Hyuuga, with the scent of lilacs clinging on to her desperately, saying she was beginning to trust him. After what? 2 months? 2 and a half months? She trusted him?

Him.

Sasuke Uchiha — the traitor.

Sasuke came to conclusion that Hinata was fucked up in a way, and really dumb.

While Sasuke stared blankly at her; Hinata took this chance to step closer to him, her arm outstretched.

And the spaced out Uchiha was dragged back to reality once he felt a cooling sensation on his cheek.

In his peripheral view, he saw her fingers barely touching the cheek where he probably gained a bruise due to the slap.

And that's when Sasuke continued to ask himself one question.

Why?

Why was she doing this?

Why was she here?

Tilting her head, Hinata looked at him, her fingers still on his cheek, as Sasuke mentally questioned her motives.

"Does it hurt?"

a/n chapter two wow progress haha. Just a sidenote sakura is one of my ultimate faves and I love her! Also, big big big thanks to aisha89 for giving me a helpful suggestion! I would love to know your thoughts guys Thanks again!