The resort town was tranquil and quaint, which was unsurprising, given its purpose and clientele. As Sakura took in the scenery, she saw sparse, loosely-grouped buildings made of natural materials such as stone and wood. The population was low, possibly numbering a few hundred, and that was counting both the residents and the staff. Resort buildings made up nearly two thirds of the total real-estate, but there were a few other businesses and homes comprising the other third.

As she walked alongside Sasuke through the village's main street, Sakura estimated that about half of the guests she had seen so far were shinobi. The quality of the transformations ranged from very poor to masterful. Those that Sakura could sense weren't the handiwork of any ninjas whose chakra signatures or appearances she recognized. The information only served to remind her of the fact that the place in which she found herself was paradoxically safe and extremely dangerous at the same time. It was best not to cause trouble, she reminded herself, which was probably why Sasuke had already been planning a supply run there. Even though his pursuers were now dead, it would still serve as an excellent place for the duo to rest up before going their separate ways.

"Remember, Akane, we're just here for a brief stop," Sasuke whispered, echoing her thoughts.

Sakura nodded, too emotionally exhausted to raise much of a protest.

Not much later, the pair of shinobi had made their way to a market area littered with small wooden stalls and shacks. Most of the merchants hawked curios and souvenirs, but there were several stores for basic sundries. Sasuke began to lead Sakura in that direction by her hand.

"Shun, you didn't have to do that," Sakura complained when they had walked away from the stand. The Uchiha had insisted on paying for the supplies, most of which had been intended for her return trip anyway.

Sasuke glanced around, seeing that there was no one within whisper-shot. "I can tell you've had nothing but food pills for the past week," he explained. "That's not healthy, Sakura."

The kunoichi bit her lip. She had to admit that her companion had a good point. Her proclivity for overworking herself and substituting with food pills instead of proper meals was well-established. What surprised her, though, was Sasuke's concern. In the past, he had shown no signs of caring about her well-being. What right did the pompous Uchiha have to start caring now of all times, after all he had done to her, after all of the distance he had worked so hard to create between the two of them?

"You're not my guardian, Shun, I'll do what I…" Sakura began, cutting herself off. She had seen something in the background behind the one-armed shinobi that made her blood turn to ice.

The red glare of Sharingan.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, his voice far too much of a monotone for her to tell if he was genuinely concerned.

"Shun, you're not going to believe this," Sakura whispered back to him with a look of what she was sure was fright on her face, "but I just saw a Sharingan."

The Uchiha raised a cool, skeptical eyebrow. "Are sure about that?" he asked.

Sakura nodded. "I'm sure."

Sasuke seemed to consider the notion. "It's highly unlikely, but…" he started. "Where?"

"Eight o'clock, about a hundred feet behind you," Sakura replied with a careful stare, her eyes fixed on the man she thought she'd seen flash the kekkai genkkai of the Uchiha clan. His back was turned and he was standing casually with a group of other shoppers. His hair, skin color, and build were all perfectly average and nondescript—so much so that it was suspicious, making him ironically stand out.

Sasuke said, "We'll turn around and walk past. I'll use mine to scan the chakra signature."

Sakura shook her head. "No, it's too risky. Someone could see."

"True," Sasuke admitted, "but it's worth the risk."

Before she had a chance to argue, Sasuke had firmly turned around, pulling Sakura with him. The corners of her lips curled in a frown, but she continued to play the role of starry-eyed girlfriend.

"Third one from the right," Sakura informed him as they were passing, "by the incense stand with the flashy banner."

Sasuke slowed his walk and pretended to casually glance in that direction while shading his eyes with a hand. After making sure no one was looking, he activated the swirling red tomoe patterns in his eyes for an instant. Sakura looked around nervously, hoping that no one had noticed. It didn't seem like they had…or at least they weren't showing it.

The eyes turned off, converting back into a purple rinnegan shaded behind ebony locks and an ordinary iris.

"What did you see?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke waited until they had put the market stall far behind them. "I'm…not sure," he admitted. "I couldn't get a good read on him. Whoever he was, he had a very skillful transformation. The chakra signature wasn't familiar, either. But if he was an Uchiha, I would have been able to tell."

"That makes sense," Sakura replied. "It is possible for a non-Uchiha to have a Sharingan eye, though, like Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. "Fair enough. There's not enough information to speculate beyond saying 'it's possible', though. What you saw could have been a trick, or maybe you were mistaken. Regardless, it's not worth the risk trying to confirm."

Sakura scowled at him, her inner Sakura raging. "I know what I saw," she huffed, pulling her hand away from him and stepping back.

The black-haired ninja shrugged non-chalantly. "I'm not saying I don't believe you," he explained. "It just seems impossible. Obito had a collection of the last Sharingan. With he and Madara's deaths, my original eyes and Itachi's should be the only ones left."

Sakura continued to glare.

A sigh. "I'll get our room. We had best keep to ourselves tonight." Sasuke turned away on his heel with an air of annoyance and walked swiftly towards the main building.

"It's nice," Sakura observed as she slid the door to her and Sasuke's room open.

She was right. The floor was made of well-varnished, smooth, elegant wood. The walls were painted with hand-brushed images of roses, petals, and calming nature motifs. There was one large bed—easily queen-sized, and it had luxurious-looking silk sheets. The furnishings were simple, but both practical and aesthetically-pleasing. All in all, the room looked like a romantic bedroom in a getaway resort should.

Sasuke gave a slight nod, though it was obvious he didn't really care. "It's acceptable," he said, walking right past Sakura and heading for the bathroom as he dispelled his transformation.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sakura complained, her muscles tensing. She stepped into the room, shut the door, and removed her own jutsu with puff of air. "What happened to ladies first?"

Sasuke smirked over his shoulder. "I've been fighting and running for more than a week straight."

Sakura froze, then slumped over in defeat as the bathroom door shut forcefully. Like always, the smartass Uchiha had a point. Plus, he'd taken a stab wound for her. She owed him. It was not a feeling the kunoichi liked.

All these years later, and he's still the one saving me, Sakura thought. I'm pathetic.

Sakura heard the shower faucet turn on and stomped angrily outside. The 'backyard' of their room had an intimate charm but was way too small for training. The Haruno eventually settled on mediating next to their small, private pool, hoping the steam and sound of gently bubbling water would calm her.

Striking up the pose, Sakura concentrated for a few seconds with her eyes closed. The deep breaths were calming, and she let her muscles relax. It wasn't easy, but the pink-haired woman eventually found her stress beginning to melt away. The chaos and psychic trauma of the pitched battle with four shinobi, as well as the emotional battering she had inflicted on herself with Sasuke, still lingered. However, the kunoichi began to make progress at removing her earthly concerns and attachments.

The latter aspect was the harder one to deal with by far. Although she did her best, Sakura could not fully block the background noise of rushing water from Sasuke's shower. Instead, she found her mind wandering as images of Sasuke's wet, naked body burst unbidden to the forefront of her consciousness. Within seconds, Sakura felt herself flushing and was sure that her cheeks must have turned red.

She mentally cursed herself as she did her best to push the vivid imagery of Sasuke sensually cleaning his perfect form from her mind. Then Sakura forced her thoughts to fill with nothing but mantras and recitations of medical textbooks she had memorized. It was an effort of immense concentration, but the Haruno was able to pull it off…though just barely.

A deep breath in, and out. I have become one with the void, Sakura mentally told herself. The burbling water of the spring was soothing, and she focused on it with the entire force of her will. Before long, the kunoichi began to feel as if nothing but her and the sound existed, though even that seemed to be a distant, raw sensation, devoid of all meaning and judgement. It was if her awareness was impassive and impartial, merely existing without conscious thoughts. Sakura told herself that the few thoughts she did have weren't truly hers, but were merely an expression of one part of the universe recognizing itself.

"The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the leg," Sakura heard someone whispering as if in a trance. "It enters the thigh from behind the inguinal ligament as the common femoral artery, a continuation of the external iliac artery," the voice continued.

As it spoke on and on, listing medical trivia, even the words slipped away until all Sakura could perceive was unidentifiable sound. Even concepts, such as 'human' and 'voice' and 'words' melted away. All the woman knew was that she existed, and she had impressions of senses.

At last, Sakura had found peace. No longer was she a lonely, clinically depressed woman whose heart ached with unrequited love. No longer was she a world-weary shinobi who had already seen far too much suffering and death for her youthful age. No longer did she bear the heavy burden of paradoxically nurturing and reaping life.

No longer did she think of Sasuke.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" an intense, masculine voice reached out to her.

Everything Sakura had built instantly came crashing down. Her serene numbness burned away as if blasted by one of the voice's fireball jutsu, returning self-awareness, sensation, thoughts, stress, and everything else to her mind.

It was agony by comparison.

Sakura forced herself to open her eyes. The rush of sensation was overwhelming at first, but she fought through it.

"I'm fine," the kunoichi lied as she glanced up at Sasuke. She had tried to keep her tone friendly, and half-succeeded.

The Uchiha had changed from his usual attire to a lose set of plain cloth pants and a shirt with the left sleeve tied in a knot. He had re-done his transformation and wore a vacant look on his face, though one eyebrow was raised doubtfully.

"You've been there for hours," Sasuke stated by way of explanation.

Sakura blinked, then noticed that the shinobi was right. The sun had dipped lower in the sky, and now cast faint, golden luminance over the area. The air had grown more chilled, and the wind had calmed. It was dusk.

"Oh, I was just mediating," Sakura said with a forced, disarming smile. "No need to worry, I must have just lost track of time." The behavior was automatic, and she found herself unsurprised that she couldn't help but try to keep Sasuke from worrying, even though it was obvious that the effort was wasted.

Sasuke clicked his throat and turned away as if disinterested. "You should get cleaned up. They'll be serving dinner soon," he said commandingly.

Ordinarily, Sakura would have taken issue with him trying to boss her around like that. However, she could not ignore the emptiness of her own stomach, especially when it groaned audibly, removing her only chance for an excuse. Besides, if she was stuck in this situation, she was resolved to at least get something out of it. If she ate dinner with Sasuke, it would at least give them a chance to catch up, even if the Uchiha's persistent dodging of detailed conversation made the attempts difficult. Besides, having a meal in the Inn's public restaurant would support their cover, anyway.

"All right, Sasuke," Sakura replied as cheerfully as she could manage. She stood and brushed swiftly past the him as she headed for the shower.

"Right this way," the waitress said, gesturing at the two disguised shinobi as she ushered them into the cozy dining quarters.

Sakura noted that the woman's voice was not as energetic as she might have expected. In fact, she seemed...subdued, if anything. There was a strange glaze in her eyes, and she moved slowly and deliberately, as if dazed. Even stranger still was the fact that she didn't seem tired, either. There was a kind of tense alertness in her frame that set Sakura on edge.

Ultimately, the pink-haired woman decided to ignore the suspicious details. It was too easy to chalk them up to a stressful day or a mistake caused by the low, intimate lighting of the room. Sakura could not suppress a jolt of annoyance and jealousy; even acting like that, the waitress was probably much better looking than her.

As such, Sakura didn't say anything as she stepped past the other woman. Sasuke didn't either, though he did incline his head politely.

The main interior of the restaurant was highly similar to the private rooms in terms of decorum. In addition to the soft lights, it was adorned with a wide variety of beautiful, calming works of art. The wooden tiling was clean and elegant, and compartments draped in lush cushions and pillows framed the tables.

"Last one on the right," the server drawled lazily.

As the duo started walking in the appointed direction, the low murmur of private conversation instantly ceased. all eyes in the room seemed to flicker briefly over the pair, before hurriedly looking away as if trying to conceal their interest. One man held his ceramic cup of sake frozen in midair, then glanced casually away as if pretending to find something else just as interesting.

Sakura gulped. Saying that something was wrong would have been a grand understatement. Yet, there was nothing she could do without attracting even more attention except retreating to their private seating. She shared a knowing glance with Sasuke before taking an extremely comfortable seat at the table opposite him.

Despite the stressful circumstances, she found herself enjoying the light, pink kimono she wore. It had been a long time since she had luxuriated like this. The woman usually wore her ninja fatigues or medical scrubs to bed after collapsing from overworked exhaustion every night, only to change directly into another pair. She guessed that Sasuke, who now wore a matching azure male version of the kimono, had similar experiences.

The waitress spoke a few words and then silently passed the duo a pair of menus before leaving. Sakura looked around and saw that their position kept them out of sight of most of the other patrons. The few that were still capable of seeing them resumed their normal activities, continuing as if nothing had happened.

"Shun…" Sakura began.

The Uchiha nodded. "Something isn't right," he confirmed.

"What do you think we should do?"

Sasuke took a sharp breath. "We should eat and head back without attracting too much attention to ourselves," he reiterated. "I thought that coming here would allow us to blend in. either we're getting rusty, or…"

"Or what?" Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow. Already knowing the answer. She wanted to hear him admit it.

Sasuke was silent for several moments. "Or there really is another doujutsu user here."

Sakura wanted to gloat but settled for a slight smirk instead. The prospect of another sharingan wielder being in the area deeply unsettled her. The kunoichi wasn't quite sure, but she thought she may have seen a slight crack in Sasuke's mask. He was worried. And if that were the case…

An icy chill ran down her spine, though she tried not to show it.

"I sensed genjutsu on the woman," Sasuke clarified. "She showed all the signs. I've hypnotized enough people to know."

Sakura made a mental note to ask Sasuke just how many times he had done so, and why. There were more pressing things to discuss at the moment, however.

"Then we ought to release her, and see what's really going on!" Sakura blurted under her breath.

The rogue ninja shook his head. "No. The surge of chakra that would occur in the release would also reveal our identities. If enemies of mine are here, they'll most likely have a sensory type, in addition to the sharingan user. Anything more than genin-level ninjutsu will carry our distinct chakra signature."

Sakura bit her lip and nodded. She didn't like it, but the man was correct. It was too risky to do anything. The best option was to hope that they wouldn't get discovered, and that the genjutsu caster would release the woman without hurting her. Anything else might put even more innocent lives in danger. Plus, the kunoichi didn't like their odds against all the other shinobi at the resort, even with their hokage-level (and beyond, in Sasuke's case) abilities. Especially given Sasuke's no-killing rule, which she had to admit possessed a certain degree of charm.

The kunoichi frowned, then looked at menu dejectedly. Damn the Uchiha and his cold, pragmatic intelligence. Sakura didn't think of herself as a dumb person; in fact, she knew herself to be quite intelligent. Sasuke, though, was on an entirely different level. His ruthless calculus was brutally efficient and logical to fault. She found herself admiring it as much as she hated it. Truly, it was a trait that mirrored her overall feelings about the shinobi.

"The tonkatsu ramen looks good," Sakura chimed with as much cheerfulness as she could manage. If they were going to put on an act, she might as well double down.

Sasuke smiled, or at least performed his approximation of the act. "Please," he complained with a profoundly serious eye-roll. "Don't talk to me about ramen."

The duo shared a laugh that was half-forced (decidedly less so on her end) and went about their business without whispering any more messages involving shinobi-oriented topics. The performance was awkward, as it quickly become evident that neither had much experience with the opposite sex at all, particularly in the arena of adult dating. Sakura had secluded herself to the point where her friends, especially Naruto, had begun to refer to her as a shut-in. And Sasuke…well, she doubted he ever spoke more than two words to half of the people he had met over the years, which couldn't have been many.

It quickly became apparent that the only way they could keep up the charade was to continue discussing ninja-related subjects. They started slipping into their secret shinobi code language, which used innocuous phrases and pre-set conversational paths to relay information that would be undetectable to outside observers. At first, Sasuke had some trouble following along with her, since the intricacies of the code were ever-changing. He hadn't had a chance to brush up ever since his self-imposed exile, but did eventually catch on. It was still a somewhat clumsy affair. At best, the two could convey vague impressions and generic ideas.

Still, Sakura found herself with answers to many of the questions she had been burning to ask. She pressed her advantage, knowing that Sasuke would be unable to deflect her curiosity for fear of seeming cold to his pretend wife. He did shoot her several subtle glares over the course of the meal, though, to which she replied with mischievous winks.

It seemed that Sasuke had spent a great deal of time training in secret and had made significant progress in developing his rinnegan powers. In addition to planetary devastation, she had learned, the Uchiha had developed a unique teleportation skill that allowed him to swap places with another object or person he looked at. It was this ability that had allowed him to save her life, apparently. Other powers, such as Nagato's mechanical transformations, ninjutsu absorption, and soul-ripping seemed to elude him. Sasuke theorized that this was possibly due, in part, to the fact that he lacked senju chakra, which both Nagato and Madara had possessed.

However, the last Uchiha was not without the means to protect himself from the hordes of reckless shinobi who were willing to kill for his eyes. Sasuke had honed his visual genjutsu, and while he would never be able to wield it in the same time-dilating fashion as his departed brother, Sakura learned that he had formed his own unique twist: the ability to implant or alter memories with a fair degree of accuracy. It was this skill that had allowed him to hide for so long without eventually being forced to unleash his full power. Those that had seen his susanoo, amaterasu, or chidori had had their minds wiped of the experience, suggestions to spread disinformation and confusion about Sasuke to others existing in their stead.

This information matched the reports Sakura had skimmed: it seemed half of the world believed Sasuke Uchiha to be dead, while the remaining half wanted him so. Of those half, the reports the Leaf had received were entirely contradictory. Nearly simultaneous eye-witness reports placed Sasuke at opposite ends of the world, and if the conspiracy theorists were to be believed, Sasuke had done everything from re-started the Akatsuki to ascended to Madara's level of shinobi godhood with a second rinnegan and six paths power. It was only due to a combination of pure luck and the efforts of several highly-trained Leaf jonin that Tsunade had acquired accurate information about the enigmatic man. Clearly, whatever Sasuke was doing, Sakura knew it was highly effective, just as she had expected.

The particulars of the situation troubled her, though. The idea that Sasuke could influence people's actions by deceiving their very memories was very frightening, indeed. For a brief moment, Sakura wondered if even she was under the influence of his spell.

"Shun," the kunoichi started, suddenly serious. Her eyes flickered between the Uchiha and her food several times before Sakura continued. "How do I know you haven't done the same to me?" She was no longer speaking in code.

For a split second, Sasuke showed a hint of real emotion. Sakura would have placed the expression as 'intense hurt', though she wasn't certain.

The black-haired ninja's mouth opened wordlessly, then jerked closed. He repeated the process a few more times, as if he, for once, couldn't come up with a curt response.

"I…" Sasuke started, unable to meet her gaze. He picked at his food for a moment, then turned back to her. "I wouldn't do something like that to you, Akane," he spoke with a low intensity that surprised her. "Though, you're right to question me, after all the things I've done," he followed up with a wry smirk at his own expense.

Sakura's heart did a flip, and she felt sick to her stomach. It hadn't been her intention to injure the man's feelings in such a way. She was glad that she had asked, though. The sincerity in Sasuke's voice was enough for her. Besides, she supposed, if Sasuke did genjutsu her (which she was particularly adept at resisting, due to her specialty in chakra control), then he most likely would have simply made her forget him. Still, there was a lingering doubt in her mind.

"But why not, Sasuke?" she asked incredulously. "You could have had me forget you."

The kunoichi regretted her words almost as soon as they had left her mouth. Unfortunately, simple regret was not enough to somehow take them back.

Sasuke turned even more pale than normal and frowned. Sakura felt like the whole world had frozen in that moment. The subtle murmur of hushed couples faded into nothingness. It was as if she wads meditating again, only this time, nothing existed other than Sasuke and his angry features.

"Tch!" Sasuke growled, the noise infuriated and harsh. He slammed his chopsticks on the table and stood up. "I'm getting some air," he spoke, his voice sharp and emotionless. Then, before Sakura could react, he pivoted on his heel and strode away.

The kunoichi stared in wonderment for a moment, then leaned back and ran a hand over her face as she fought back sobs. Great. She'd gone and fucked everything up again. This had been her one chance at a very, very faint hope of reconnecting with Sasuke…and she'd gone and blown it by pushing the Uchiha too far.

Deeper still was the pain of knowing that she had trampled on Sasuke's character with her implication, of which she was supposed to be the sole champion, the only person in the world (other than Naruto) who seemed to care. Sakura should have known that Sasuke wasn't as bad of a person as everyone made him out to be. It would have been excessively out of character for him to take advantage of her with his memory alteration.

The realization of what she had done struck her like a ton of bricks. She began to breathe heavily as tears glistened her eyes. Sakura had forgiven Sasuke long ago for his attempts on her life. Even more importantly, she had forgiven him for putting her in a genjutsu after the battle with Kaguya.

Evidently, Sasuke hadn't forgiven himself.

"Idiot!" Sakura cursed, unsure if she meant herself, Sasuke, or both. Stupid girl, inner Sakura berated inside her head. What on earth would possess you to be so insensitive! He's got the world against him. You're supposed to have his back! How can you honestly sit there and pretend that you love him?

She reached for the untouched bottle of complementary table sake that the waitress had placed there earlier before. The enraged, self-pitying kunoichi filled both her and Sasuke's cups to the brim and downed them immediately. The alcohol stung her throat, but she barely noticed. Unsurprisingly, the woman took after her mentor's acquired taste for sake.

Sakura blinked away the sudden rush of dizziness. "To betrayal," she whispered to herself as she prepared another round.

Approximately thirty minutes had passed before the waitress had come looking for her, yet Sakura had already managed to get herself completely drunk in that time. As it turned out, the kunoichi was an adorable lightweight, especially while pity-drinking.

"Are you ok, miss?" the waitress asked.

"Yes, yes," Sakura lied. She shook her head a little, removing the unfocused haze. "I mean, no," she said, wiping her eyes. "Where's Sas-I mean, Shun?"

"Oh, your partner left a note saying that he felt ill and went back to your room," the woman replied with a cautious look. "Do you need help?"

"No, I think I—" Sakura smiled as she attempted to wave the waitress off. The room swam as she tried to stand, and her stumble told her that it was obvious she had been wrong. The kunoichi couldn't bring herself to care, though.

"Here, I can help you get back to him," the woman said, nearly as dazedly as her.

Sakura didn't relish the idea of facing Sasuke again, but she had little room to argue. "Ok, please, thank you," she said as sweetly as she could.

Minutes later, Sakura was standing in front of her room with barely any memories of arriving there. She knocked on the door a little roughly, then remembered that she had a key. The waitress was nowhere to be found, so Sakura let herself in and then clumsily closed the door.

"Ssshhhunnn?" she asked at length while stumbling into the dark room.

There was no reply.

It was just as well. Sakura was tired, so tired, and could only think about the soft mattress in front of her, and how sleeping the night away would be much easier.

Without a touch of her usual feminine grace, Sakura flopped on the bed and kicked the sheets into submission. She became a messy tangle of limbs, hair, and bedsheets as she tried her best to ignore the electric tingle in her body and fall asleep.

"Sasuke…" she whimpered without realizing it as she clutched a random pillow and pulled it tight against her chest.

The next thing Sakura knew, there was a presence in the room. Her eyes shot open despite her drunkenness (which had faded into a mere buzz by that point) just in time to see the sliding door to the spa area close with extreme gentleness. Evidently, her trained shinobi senses were good enough to pick up even the slightest sound no matter what circumstances she slept in. Despite Sasuke's efforts not to wake her, Sakura had been alerted all the same.

The interruption of sleep annoyed her, but Sakura was glad to at least know that Sasuke was ok. She had begun to grow worried. Sitting up, the kunoichi called his name through the screen.

The shadow on the other side hesitated, then walked away. Sakura groggily rose to follow it, but was stopped when she noticed something. There, over her exposed and splayed-out legs was a deep, black-blue cloak: Sasuke's.

Sakura instantly blushed in embarrassment once she processed the implication. It wasn't the thought of Sasuke seeing her that way, of seeing any part of her body, including undergarments, that bothered her. No, she felt ashamed to be seen by him in such a fashion for the simple fact that it made her feel like a classless and unattractive lush.

At least her legs were warm.

Sakura stood with a smile despite herself, appreciating the uncharacteristically kind gesture. She didn't feel like she deserved it, though, after what she had said to the Uchiha.

Sakura spent a few minutes cleaning herself up and gathering the courage to go outside. She didn't want to disturb the man, but she also felt that she owed him an apologetic word of thanks. Checking the clock, she saw that it was nearly midnight. She had slept away four hours, which explained why her stupor had downgraded to slight tipsiness. There were certain perks to being a superhuman warrior, after all.

The door slid open and the kunoichi stepped outside. There was a bitter chill in the air, and her breath fogged from her mouth. Sakura shivered and wrapped her arms around her thin-kimono-wrapped body as she looked around, spying Sasuke sitting in a meditative pose at the other end of the small space.

"Shun," she reiterated. "I'm awake."

"I can see that," he replied, opening one eye. "How are you feeling?"

"A little buzzed," Sakura replied, skirting the edge of the hot spring as she walked closer. "I owe you an apology."

Sasuke looked up at her. "Sit," he requested, gesturing at the mats arrayed in a semi-circle around a fire pit with lumber ready to go.

Sakura hesitated, suppressing a shiver, but eventually acquiesced. As soon as she had, Sasuke leaned over and touched one of the logs with his finger. A flash of chidori ignited the log, which eventually went fully ablaze.

The blast of hot air from the fire soothed Sakura's skin, and she found herself purring contentedly. The light of it illuminated the scene and let her see that Sasuke had switched back to his shinobi attire.

"Thank you," Sakura said across the fire.

"Don't mention it," came the unfeeling reply.

Sakura sighed. "Look, Sasuke, I'm…"

"Shut up."

Sakura blinked. She had grown accustomed to directness and casual disregard from Sasuke, but she hadn't expected this.

"Just shut up." Sasuke said with a frown. "You don't need to apologize for anything."

Sakura stared in puzzlement for what felt like years as thoughts and feelings churned in her head. "Why do you say that?"

Sasuke shook his head. "You think too highly of me," he stated. "I overreacted. I deserve your skepticism. I deserve your scorn, because deep down, I'm not a very good person, and I know it."

Sakura felt sick for the second time that night. The inherent wrongness of Sasuke's words reverberated against the foundation of her very being. It was all she could do to huddle next to the fire calmly and resist the outburst. Whether the outburst would have been anger, sadness, or something else, the medic-nin did not know. Part of her wanted to scream at Sasuke for being such a colossal fool. The other half of her just wanted to weep at the futility of it all. Somewhere between the two was the voice that urged her to just reach out to the Uchiha and console him with her body.

The kunoichi listened to all three voices, and ended up scooting closer to Sasuke around the rim of the fire pit. "That's not true," she said without looking at him. It was easier to stare into the flames.

Sasuke chuckled for the first time she could remember, the sound simultaneously rich and bitter. "You're the only one who feels that way. Other than Naruto, that is, but that's only because he's a loser."

"Maybe they're all wrong," Sakura offered. "No," she stated, more firmly this time. "They are all wrong. They don't know you like we do, Sasuke. Like I do…"

Sasuke harrumphed. "And what do you know about me, Sakura?" he spat.

Sakura didn't know how to respond to that, so she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of crackling embers, bubbling water, and night insects. She thought back to all of her experiences with the last Uchiha…the feelings of loss when he had joined Oorochimaru, the rage at his evil actions with the Akatsuki, her murderous intent towards him…there was enough pain there to fill whole libraries with descriptions of it.

Yet for all the suffering, there had been just as many positives. Sakura remembered how hard she had cried after discovering the truth of the massacre…how she had hadn't slept for weeks. She recalled the testimonies during Sasuke's trials that he had spared as many lives as possible while working for Oorochimaru, minimizing the death toll wherever possible. She remembered the way he had selflessly stood up to a goddess, when it would have been much more tempting for him to simply give in to the infinite Tsukuyomi, to live in an idyllic dream world where his brother, his parents, his whole clan were still alive. If anyone had stood any more to gain from Madara and Kaguya's scheme, and had had any less to lose, it had been Sasuke.

"You are a good person," Sakura nearly whispered. "Even if you don't want to believe it at times."

Sasuke brooded for a while, and Sakura was patient with him. She knew that things like this were difficult for the other shinobi, and she patiently gave him his space. He would talk when he was ready.

Minutes had passed in silence before the inscrutable Sasuke eventually replied. "Either you're the stupidest woman I've ever met, or you're far too forgiving for your own good."

Sakura winced, her pride injured. Something told her that Sasuke hadn't really meant it, though.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Sasuke," she scolded him. "I can tell that you don't really believe that. You're just trying to push me away, for a reason I can barely imagine."

Sasuke pulled his signature move and looked away, feigning disinterest. "Think whatever you want. That doesn't make it true."

"Do you want to know what I really think, Sasuke?"

"I don't care."

Sakura ignored him. She turned to face the Uchiha, her gaze boring into the side of his face. Perhaps it was the lingering effects of the alcohol, or perhaps it was simply a false sense of bravado instilled by the adrenaline coursing through her, but the kunoichi spoke evenly and calmly, without the slightest hint of regret or hesitance.

"I think you're an amazingly strong person," she began with a deep breath. "I think you got dealt the shittiest of all hands a person can possibly be dealt in life. The fact that you came out of it sane is a fucking miracle. Sure, you've made some mistakes in life, but for every foul thing you've done, you gave back tenfold.

"I know you know that I know you care about people's lives. Even when you fought Naruto to the death, it was because you thought you were doing the right thing for the world. As a result, you lost your arm, and no one even cared enough to offer you a replacement. You paid for your mistakes…hell, you're still paying for them. Yes, you betrayed the village, but they betrayed you. By all rights, the score is more than settled, yet here you are wandering the land and protecting the Leaf from afar while doing work that could one day save the planet from another Otsuki attack. Naruto may be beloved by all, but he was set up for success from the beginning. I know you feel its unfair, and that's because it is.

"Now your life has become a living hell. You're alone, and the whole world is out to get you for one reason or another. It would be easy for you to kill anyone who tried to hurt you, yet you do not. You risk maiming and death to avoid hurting people. I've heard the stories, too—a red-eyed, katana wielding vigilante who stopped a sex trafficking ring in the land of earth, protected villages from bandits in the land of grass, and freed slaves in the hidden cloud. I believe those stories are true, because I know you, Sasuke. You're the kindest and most caring person I've ever met. It's because you were the victim of the ultimate crime that you selflessly sought power at the cost of your own soul. You didn't want anyone else to experience the same thing.

"I've had years to reflect on this, Sasuke, and if there's a single thing I figured out, it's this: no matter how cruel your methods were, or how clouded things got along the way, your intentions were pure. Being with you for the last few days has only confirmed my hypothesis.

"So what I'm saying, Sasuke, is that there is someone who understands you. There is someone who cares. You don't have to be alone any longer. I'm here for you."

There was a tense silence as Sakura's chest heaved. Her whole body shook from the powerful emotional release. The silence was oppressively disorienting, deafening. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Sasuke no matter how hard she tried. Instead, Sakura waited patiently for the Uchiha's response. Her impassioned plea had surged with hope. Even if her words made only the slightest chink in the man's stoic armor, the kunoichi would count it as a victory. It would be worth all the sleepless nights, all the loneliness, and all the heartache.

Much to Sakura's relief, she got exactly what she had hoped for.

Sasuke sniffled.

It was such a small thing, but it made Sakura's heart beat that much faster. A euphoric feeling rushed through every pore in her body and she had to resist the urge to smile. While she couldn't see Sasuke's face, she knew that her words had affected him: she had never heard the Uchiha sniffle once in his entire life.

"You're wrong," Sasuke choked out.

"Oh? I don't think so, Sasuke," Sakura said coolly. "I think I'm dead right."

No response.

"I know you're hurting. I know it's difficult for you handle things like this, but it's not your fault. You just have to let me in, Sasuke, and I can help you. I wore myself ragged studying mental health and trauma theory alongside my ninjutsu. So please, let that be worth something. Let me help you."

Sasuke brushed more hair in front of his eyes, then attempted a scoff. "I don't deserve your admiration."

Sakura shrugged, even though she knew he couldn't see it. Her euphoric rush and pounding heart was too strong to be overcome by her nervousness and fear that the Uchiha would say no, so the words kept pouring out before she could process them.

"Maybe not. But this has nothing to do with admiration, Sasuke. I know you'll never feel the same way about me as I feel about you. It was difficult, but I've accepted that. I don't want or expect that from you anymore, Sasuke. What you deserve may or may not be admiration, but you definitely deserve a friend, at least."

Sasuke's jaw quivered in the firelight, and he seemed to be considering something. Sakura let him have his space, thankful for the chance to unburden her soul.

Long minutes passed in silence, save for the ambient sound of the evening. Sakura closed her eyes again and relaxed, the tipsy feeling washed away by the seriousness of the conversation. She listened with baited breath for any sound from Sasuke, any sign that she truly was getting through to him.

When it became apparent at length that the Uchiha wasn't going to say anything, the kunoichi sighed, disappointed. Still, she supposed that she couldn't blame the man. What she had thrown at him was undoubtedly a lot to process.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts," Sakura spoke. She cast Sasuke a glance as she stood up. The shinobi was still pointedly avoiding her gaze, though his frame was tight. His remaining hand flexed back and forth, an outlet for the maelstrom of thoughts that was no doubt swirling in the Uchiha's head.

Sakura took a deep breath and walked back into the hotel room. Turning her back on the man was among the hardest things she'd ever had to do, but she knew it was for the best. The kunoichi may not have received the response she'd wanted, but it felt as if she had made progress. Well, most likely, anyway. It was possible that Sasuke would simply retreat even further into his shell. In all honesty, this thought terrified her…but it was a risk she was willing to take. If Sasuke continued down the path he was on, Sakura knew it would be a slow, painful, miserable atrophy.

The pink-haired woman could scarcely believe what had just happened. Sakura tried to go about her nightly routine as best she could without letting her thoughts linger on the conversation they'd just had with mixed success. Minutes stretched like days, but she eventually made her way into a set of pajamas and set up a sleeping mat conjured through one of her ninja scrolls.

Just as the Haruno was about to lie down, there was a knock at the door.

"Are you decent?" she heard Sasuke's voice ask. It sounded strained.

"Yes," she replied carefully.

The screen door slid open, revealing the form of Sasuke. He seemed to struggle with taking a step forward, then gave up. His arm twitched with restless energy, and he could not meet her gaze.

If distraught was personified, in that moment, it would have been Sasuke.

Sakura was honestly confused. She hadn't expected a reaction like this. "I'll let you have the real bed, since you took care of me when I was-"

"Tell me," Sasuke blurted suddenly.

Sakura was taken aback. "Tell you what?" she asked.

Sasuke stomped heedlessly forward, ignoring the open screen door. He closed the gap between himself and Sakura faster than the kunoichi could blink. She jerked a bit, startled as he came within a couple feet of her. Cold air was leaking into the room and his boots had scuffed the floor with loud noises, but the man didn't seem to care. It was clear that all that existed to the Uchiha in that moment was Sakura.

"Tell me," Sasuke repeated as he slowly rose his head to look at her straight in her two eyes with his one. "Tell me why you care so much about me."

"Sasuke, I…"

"Tell me, Sakura," Sasuke barked again. A hand shot up to his face and flipped the locks of ebony hair away from his permanent rinnegan. His right eye flashed crimson, the little black tomoes swirling energetically within. Yet it was not just sharingan that colored that eye, but bloodshot irritation within the sclera itself.

"Please."

His voice was pleading, and Sakura knew that the haunting look in his eyes of sheer desperation would haunt her for all her days to come. Her voice caught in her throat.

It was clear that the Uchiha wanted to remember what she was about to say, wanted to immortalize the memory by burning every minute detail to the forefront of his brain with photographic accuracy through the power of the dead Uchiha bloodline.

Sakura had a sudden urge to appease him, to satiate that desperation with the words that both knew he wanted to hear. For a moment she considered going through with it, but then a lance of pain shot into her heart.

"Oh Sasuke," she practically whimpered, her words breathy and barely audible. "You can't ask me to do this."

A pause.

"You know the answer as well as I do, Sasuke. There's no point in me spelling it out. You can't…it's too cruel to admit…" she said, degenerating into a tearful sob.

"Please, Sakura," Sasuke begged. "I need this. More than you could possibly understand."

Sakura stared back for a moment, then wiped away her tears and nodded. "Ok. I'll do it."

Sasuke sighed, and it seemed like ten tons of stress lifted off his shoulders.

"Sasuke Uchiha, I lo-"

Sakura was cut off as the door to their private room exploded inward, wood chips, bamboo, and screen material flying violently in every direction.

Sasuke and Sakura looked up, each with a shocked expression on their face. There stood a man wearing a ninja vest, fatigues, a metal headband with unidentifiable, scratched-out markings, and holding a hand scythe with attached chain.

"He was right, it's Sasuke Uchiha," the man blurted over his shoulder. "Get him!"