Disclaimer: As it says in all my other fan fics, I do not own Naruto's plot/character.

"Tsunade-sama! Uchiha Sasuke is missing!" A nurse assigned to making sure Sasuke didn't go missing burst into the drunken Godaime's office saying she had failed to follow orders. The nurse stood at the doorway, awaiting orders.

"I gave you orders, and you broke them! Get out of my sight!" Her words were slurred. The nurse screamed as Tsunade threw a sake bottle at her. "Oh and get Shizune! Tell her it is of upmost importance!" The nurse quickly bowed then rushed out of the Hokage's office before she was killed. "Stupid nurse…" And with that said, Tsunade's head slammed against the desk, falling asleep.

Sakura was rooted to the spot, not believing what had just happened. Before she knew it, she could hear Naruto and Kakashi calling for her. Looking to where Sasuke was standing, she saw he had vanished. Sakura raised an eyebrow, wondering whether what had just happened was just a dream. But the stinging on her cheek was no dream.

"Ah, Sakura, we've found you! What happened to you?" Kakashi spoke lazily.

"Hey Sakura! Did you hear? Sasuke's come back!" Naruto grinned widely. Kakashi just slapped his face at Naruto's stupidity.

"Oh Naruto, I admire your intelligence! Brilliant idea telling Sakura that Sasuke's back." His tone was heavy with sarcasm.

"Thank you!" Naruto remained oblivious. Kakashi sighed.

"I kind of got a teensy bit tipsy yesterday. So I went home and fell asleep. I know I forgot about the meeting with Tsunade." Sakura answered Kakashi's question as truthfully as she could, but found it impossible.

"Oh, well I'm going back to the hospital to see if Sasuke is awake now! Wanna come with?" Naruto questioned.

Hospital… but Sasuke was just here… "Umm… okay."

Sasuke stood on the top of Hokage Mountain, hands in his pockets. His obsidian eyes watched over Konoha as he thought about Sakura and how he had hurt her…. Again. But this time he knew… he knew he had a good reason to have hurt her. Though his brain was hurting with thoughts that contradicted the latter.

Sasuke constantly muttered the same thing to himself over and over again, not being able to understand anything about anything. He shut his eyes as twilight began to take place, deciding that today was one of ugliness, not of beauty.

Sasuke put a hand to his chest, feeling as if his heart had been torn out. A noise escaped from his mouth, only to be bitten back inside again. He screwed his eyes shut tighter, trying desperately not to show emotion, trying not to show any weakness. And for now, it was possible to suppress the emotion, for Sasuke opened his eyes again, sighing in relief.

He kept telling himself that Sakura was a fool, just being annoying … annoying. The same word he used to express his hate for her…. Maybe it was his fault she gave up on love, the reason why she prefers to be lonely…

Sasuke held his head in his hands, pulling on his hair. A million thoughts flitting through his head. A million pointless beings prancing about unwanted in his head. "Everything wrong in her life is my fault… it always has…. So why did I come back if it would only cause her more pain…?"

Sasuke, after being locked up in the shadows for so long had forgotten what light looked like. And he had always thought that Sakura was the light to his darkness. But he was wrong. He was the evil to her innocence, feeding on her soul, destroying every last bit until nothing else was left.

Sasuke looked at the few twinkling stars up in the purple sky, tears rolling down his pasty cheeks. Smirking, he blinked the tears away, combing back his bangs with his hand. "You've always followed me into the dark… always there for me…" Sasuke whispered, the words being spoken with such care, almost lovingly. As he sat down on the edge of the cliff, Sasuke continued to look to the heavens. "Big brother… why does life have to destroy the good things in life… leaving nothing but sorrow behind?"

And if Itachi was alive, I'm sure he would have simply shook his head while smiling warmly, saying, "That's the way life tests you. Sucks don't it?"

"Sasuke's not here! Oh Baa-chan you've really screwed up this time!" Naruto received a skull crushing blow from both Tsunade and Sakura. Kakashi chuckled, going pale when Sakura shot him a death glare.

"I've sent a group of Anbu to survey the area. We're doing everything we can to look for him… but it may be that Sasuke has just run off again. He may have only came here looking for something, and if he was, then what?" Tsunade rubbed her temples, furrowing her brow in thought.

Everyone went silent. It was like a lump was stuck in everyone's throat, leaving them incapable of speech. Closing her eyes, Sakura remembered the days before Sasuke left, before anything had fallen apart, before Team 7 was distant, painful memory. A single glistening tear trickled down her cheek, one that was left unnoticed by all but Kakashi.

His single eye narrowed, black, hollow eyes filling with concern.

A/N: Well, this chapter is short and may suck, but I've been stuck with so much homework, and my beta was taking a long time to get back to me. I decided to give you the best of my work so far. Hope you like it.