A/N: Thank you again to everyone who has put this story on alert. I meant to update a bit sooner, but one thing led to another and I ended up climbing under a waterfall in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley. Good stuff. But yeah, chapter 4…read, review and be merry.

Disclaimer: Naruto is to Masashi Kishimoto as this fic is to me.

Chapter title derived from Pieces by Sum 41.

Tsunade's Office

"And then he just let you go?"

Sakura nodded, "I could feel his chakra flooding through his foot shackles. He could have easily killed us all. But then..." The girl's body shivered for only a second.

Tsunade could sense she was still trying to process what happened. The wiser woman let her student take her time.

"He let me go and he was…stunned."

"Why?"

"I don't know," she shook her head as if in an attempt to shuffle up the cards her thoughts were written on so a useful one could come out on top, "but it was like he was startled by something, almost frightened even."

"Frightened? Uchiha?" Sakura confirmed with a nod before Tsunade continued, "What was he frightened of?"

"That's the thing. It was something I said…" The Hokage waited for her to finish, but nothing followed.

"Well, what did you say?"

Sakura shrugged.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I don't know."

"How the fuck could you not know? Just tell me what you said."

Sakura's eyes darted around, searching for eavesdroppers, "Well…I don't remember saying anything to him. I've replayed it over and over. One second he was bent on killing us all, the next second he let go of me. No in between."

The Hokage sat in silence with her head resting on her entwined fingers. After a long while she spoke with defeated sigh, "Go home, Sakura. Get some rest." Her pupil nodded and went to leave, stopping at the door.

"Hokage-sama, if I may, I'd like to share some observations with you."

"Of course."

Sakura contorted her face like a child being forced to tell the truth, "You won't get anything out of torturing Sasuke. If I were you, I'd just find a way to let him be free."

"You think he deserves freedom?"

"He doesn't deserve it, but think about it Lady Hokage. If Sasuke's telling the truth about the information and he doesn't tell us where it is, that's a major loss. And even if he's lying what could we lose from giving him a reason to be loyal to Konoha? Plus we retain the Sharingan and Sasuke's other skills for the battle field if we do go to war with Kumo."

"Say he is lying about the documents, and he's a spy for Kumo sent here to get information on us or worse destroy Konoha from the inside. How do I know he's loyal to the Hidden Leaf?"

Sakura sighed and unwillingly admitted, "I just know. Something tells me he still cares about his home."

"Something tells you?" Tsunade repeated to be met by a pink haired nod, "So essentially it's a hunch."

"Trust me, Hokage-sama, Uchiha Sasuke will not harm Konoha."

The teacher considered her student's words, "Sakura, I greatly value your opinion, and genuinely thank you for your input…" a short pause dragged itself out, "But I can't jeopardize the safety of the village without a legitimate reason. I'm sorry."

Sakura nodded silently and left.

Six Months Later

The torture of Sasuke continued three more weeks after he attacked Sakura. Each week he was brought into treatment once, and each time the treatment was performed in utter silence. Green and black eyes never catching one another. Eventually, the message got through to Tsunade and even Ibiki that Sasuke simply wouldn't break. Not once did he scream, not once did he allow himself to whimper or show any sign of pain. So the Hokage had him thrown in jail for a few months before finally deciding to take her advice and let him out, but not without any consequences of course.

Sakura wasn't exactly notified of what they did with him, but rumor had it his chakra had been sealed, he was getting mental treatment and on house arrest with fifty ANBU guards. Of course, she assumed that last part was an exaggeration, but that's what the rumors said. Don't shoot the messenger.

But imagine her surprise when the doorbell rang and none other than Sasuke Uchiha stood on her steps.

Even through the haze of her surprise she could see the bags under his eyes clear as day. His onyx orbs were only partly visible in his drooping, bloodshot eyes.

"Sak—erm—Hello, Sakura." Sasuke initiated a conversation with her. Is there something here I'm missing?…Again?

"What are you doing here?" she demanded an answer. Her hand lingered close to her kunai sack, not escaping Sasuke's notice.

"Nice warm welcoming I see," the signature Sasuke sarcasm was there, but the typical tone and attitude was nowhere to be found. His voice was even more detached than usual. It seemed not only detached from people and his surroundings, but himself. Like the words he spoke were coming from somewhere else. A very empty somewhere else at that, "Relax, Sakura, don't look so terrified." He told her.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated, louder.

"Dr. Tatsuya…my psychologist, says," he cleared his throat then began speaking as if quoting the doctor word for word, "the road to recovery begins with seeking forgiveness from those I have wronged so that I too may learn to forgive." He handed her a slip of paper, "So if you could just sign this that'd be great."

She looked at the paper, which evidently was meant to be proof that she had forgiven him. Simple enough, but one small problem…"So you just want me to sign this to make it all go away?"

"It'd be greatly appreciated," he droned.

"Oh, that was heartfelt." Sakura shook her head and shoved the paper back to the raven-haired boy, "But it's not that simple."

"Come on, Sakura. Just help me out here."

"Why should I? Have you ever helped me out?"

Sasuke made an effort to roll his eyes, "And here we go," he muttered.

"Yeah! Here we go! How can you expect me to just help you out? You! Of all people! Why would I waste any time, or energy helping the great Uchiha Sasuke?"

A subtle hint of anger showed on his face, though Sakura was almost certain he would normally be steaming by now, "Sakura…please," he whispered edgily. Please? "Just sign the goddamn paper and let me be on my way." Why isn't he pissed? I'm yelling at him, why isn't he yelling at me? Aren't we fighting?

She decided to at least try to return some of this alleged civility, "I can't. After everything you've done to me and to this village. You don't deserve my help." She began to shut the door, but it was stopped by Sasuke's foot. A single black eye met a green one in the small gap left by the unclosed door.

She wanted to finish this, "The answer is no, Sasuke," Once again finality failed her.

"You don't understand what—"

"No, I never understand. I can't understand hardship, or solitude, or you. I know. I get it. Save the speech because I've come to terms with it!"

Sasuke's neck seemed to grow tired of holding up his head and he leaned it against the door, "I'm not talking about that," finally she could sense anger in his voice, but only faintly, "I'm really trying, okay? You think I want to be like this for the rest of my life? You think I enjoy being a fucking monster? I don't! I'm talking to the damn shrink. I'm doing the treatments. I'm taking the pills," Pills? "And it doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere because you're still scared! So—you know what…" He pulled back his foot allowing it to slam shut.

"I'm done. Have a nice life, Sakura." She heard him drag out the words from outside the door. His unbalanced footfalls slowly fading. I'm going to regret this…Sakura opened the door.

"Sasuke…" he turned around at the sound of her voice, "you want to come in?"

He gave a small, spastic nod and came back towards the door and into Sakura's house.

"I have some left over Chinese in the fridge if you're hungry."

"That would be nice. Arigato." His voice was almost robotic, programmed to carry on a normal conversation.

After a few minutes of radiation cooking, they sat at the dining table to begin eating.

"How is Dr. Tatsuya? I've heard good things about him."

Sasuke shrugged, "He seems to give a damn."

There were only so many ways to respond to that and none of them seemed right, so Sakura nodded and allowed the awkward silence to sink in. After letting it run its course, she said stupidly, "So, what kind of pills does he have you take?" That was your worst silence breaker ever, Sakura. Officially. She thought disappointedly to herself.

Sasuke's fork and knife movements slowed and he took a few moments before saying, "They keep me…composed." He went on eating at his previous below average pace.

"What time do you have to be back?" Sakura tried to once again to pump some blood into their dying little dialogue.

"Have to be back?" He repeated with a slightly lost expression.

"You can't be out forever right?"

Sasuke furrowed his tired brow, "I can't?"

"Aren't you on house arrest?"

"No."

Sakura felt a wave of stupidity come over her, wash her onto Beach Gauche, and leave her there with a massive, sandy wedgie, "Oh—I'm sorry. I just heard from—I meant…never mind."

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear." He practically lectured her with his tone.

"Yeah, I didn't. They said something about fifty ANBU guards too, but I could tell that wasn't—I'm really sucking ass at not making this awkward, aren't I?"

Sasuke shrugged, "You could do worse."

"Let's talk about something else."

A fascinated eyebrow rose on the Uchiha's face, "Such as?"

Asking about how he's been in the village has been a dead end…And I can hardly ask about his time outside of the village while still keeping the conversation light. "It's been nice and warm lately hasn't it?" Weather, Sakura? Really? She viciously thought at herself.

Sasuke smirked, "The weather? That's the bet you've got?" At least the pills didn't blur his sharp eye for the uncomfortable.

"Sorry, it was either this or I commented on what a fine blue shirt you have on."

"In that case, yes, the weather has been nice lately." Sakura gave a smile equivalent to a round of applause him for being able to carry on the witty banter. "But I feel there's going to be rain later." Sasuke added with his neck craning to look up at the clear sky through her window.

"Always the positive one." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Hn." Despite his stoic disposition it was evident to Sakura that the black haired boy was quite pleased with himself.

Then unfortunately that was about as much as they could stand to talk about the weather without a certified meteorologist present, so Sakura took another shot at shooting the breeze, "Where are you staying?"

"My old apartment."

"You kept it after all these years?"

"My landlady put the apartment in my name. Not that anyone wanted to move into it anyway, but still."

"Well, that was…extremely nice of her."

Sasuke shrugged, "She was always nice to me."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Every once in a while she'd bring dinner over and talk to me. She was an old widow and her daughter moved away so she was just lonely, I guess."

Sakura smiled at the thought of a teenage Sasuke eating dinner with a sweet, little old lady, "I'd like to meet her someday."

"Can't. She's dead."

"Huh?"

Sasuke nodded, "Been dead for a year now, apparently and she left the apartment to me in her will."

"Oh…that's too bad…about her being dead I mean. Not the fact that you got the apartment."

"Yeah, she was nice."

"And no ANBU members have to live with you?"

Sasuke shook his head, "Two did until about a month ago. I just had to agree to take stronger pills."

"Well, that's good. I'm happy to hear you're getting better."

The pale boy's head dropped into a jerky nod of appreciation.

"But I hope you understand why I can't quite sign that paper and forgive you."

Sasuke's light mood dimmed, "Of course not."

"Please, Sasuke, it's not that I can't forgive you it's just not yet, okay?"

Yet another jerky nod, "I understand."

"Thanks." She whispered weakly.

"I've got to go," he stood up and headed for the door.

"Um, okay," Sakura jumped up and power walked to head him off at the door, "It'd be nice if we could continue this conversation."

Sasuke made a noise in his throat to make what Sakura assumed to be a grunt of affirmation as he began walking down the path towards the street. The pink haired girl called out before she could stop herself, "Sasuke," he stopped, not turning around, "In the hospital…Why'd you let me go?"

"Because of what you said."

"Refresh my memory on exactly what that was."

Sasuke turned around, "How can you not remember?"

"Besides the point," she shook his question off, irritated at how easily he saw through her I-forgot-the-wording type inquiry and saw straight to her did-I-said-something bit.

"Fair peace becomes men, ferocious anger belongs to beasts," he sighed, seemingly too tired to go into a line of questions with her.

Before Sakura could even say 'what the hell?' he began to answer her question, "It's a quote of the Roman writer Ovid…my mother used to read me all the Greek and Roman stories, including his myths when I was young, and that was her favorite quote of his. When you said it…you sounded just like my mother."

Sakura looked down at her feet, "Oh…" Sasuke once again headed for the street. "Goodbye, Sasuke," she said before closing the door.

"Goodbye, Sakura."

He hadn't taken a single step into the street before a bead of water dropped from one of the darkening clouds above.

A/N: How was it. Please tell me in the reviews! By the way, I've figured I'll probably update on the weekends, it gives me enough time to read over the chapter a good amount of times and stuff. So expect Saturday and Sunday updates from me.