Chapter 9: Sakura-chan

-That Evening-

The hospital was familiar territory to Sakura. She had spent so much time here it was almost like a second home. And so when she came into Usagi's room to check on her and found Sasuke sitting alone with a dozing Hinata and a sleeping Usagi, she didn't leave. She realized later she probably should have, but this was the hospital. She had home court advantage, and she felt like she was safe.

"Sakura," Sasuke looked up as she entered the room, pausing in the doorway as she realized he was the only conscious person there.

Sasuke stared at her. "What's the matter?" he asked when she didn't sit down, and when she shook her head, he laughed, "I'm not going to bite you, Sakura."

His tone was light and friendly, and for a moment Sakura scolded herself for thinking what she'd thought. Naruto had just died, for goodness sake, and she was worried about her love life. She pulled up a chair and sat down by Usagi's bed, next to Sasuke.

For a while they sat there in silence, Sakura's eyes flicking over the various instruments by the bed, checking to make sure they were working. Sasuke just stared at Usagi pensively. When she was sure everything was working properly, she turned to Sasuke.

He seemed to notice she was looking. He leaned back in his chair, his arms draped lazily over the arms of the chair as he sank back into it. "She really does look just like Naruto," he remarked quietly.

"Yeah," whispered Sakura, so as not to disturb Usagi or Hinata. The dark-haired woman had crawled onto the bed with her daughter, her head resting on one arm coiled around Usagi's head on the pillow, the other drapped across the little girl's stomach.

"She acts like him too," Sasuke continued, looking fixedly at Usagi, "she really is her father's daughter."

"Naruto even taught her the shadow clone jutsu," Sakura told him in agreement, "and I think she even knows the basics of the rasengan."

Sasuke shook his head, but he was smiling. "The rasengan at age six," he muttered, "he's really pushing her."

Sakura shook her head. "She asked. Naruto wasn't going to show it to her until she was older, but she begged him to at least give her a general idea. He told her about the three steps, but he didn't show her much. Still, if she tried she could probably master it on her own."

Sakura looked at Usagi, and there was a slight catch in her voice as she spoke. "She wanted so badly to be like Naruto. In that respect I suppose she takes after her mother."

"In that respect she's similar to us all," Sasuke replied, stretching.

Sakura stood up. "I should get going," she said idly, taking another moment to look sympathetically at Usagi before she turned towards the door, "I need to get home."

"I'll walk you," Sasuke said, standing up as well. His voice was still very light and unconcerned, and it was perhaps his casual tone that did it. Sakura allowed him to walk behind her as she stepped out into the hallway. It was late, and the building was all but deserted.

"It's strange seeing you like this, after all this time," Sakura remarked as Sasuke followed her out into the hall and closed the door behind him. "Everything has changed so much. Things are so different."

"Do they have to be?" Sasuke whispered huskily from behind her. Sakura gasped as she felt his breath on the back of her neck. Before she could react, before she could move or speak, she found her back to the wall, Sasuke's body pinning her in place as he kissed her hungrily. Her hands pushed against his solid chest, but instantly she found them held firmly above her head by one of his. Sakura pressed her lips together and whimpered against his mouth as he held her in place, helpless and completely subjugated to his will.

Sasuke's free hand traced down her throat to cup her breast, then moved to the hem of her shirt and slipped beneath it. She squirmed under his touch as his palm glided over her belly, fingering the hem of her skirt before moving upward to run his finger tips along the under-wire of her bra.

When she refused to allow him into her mouth he instead trailed kisses along her jaw line to her ear. "Sakura-chan," he breathed, fanning her ear with his hot breath.

"Sasuke . . . Sasuke get off me!" Sakura whined, struggling against his hold.

"You didn't say please," he licked at the shell of her ear.

She jerked against his hold, twisting her hands desperately in his grasp.

"Nah-ah," he teased, holding her firmly in place.

"Sasuke please, please stop!" she sobbed. She felt like crying. He held her helplessly in place while his free hand continued to explore the area under her shirt. She knew she wasn't strong enough to overpower him. For all her inhuman strength, he had her trapped.

"Shh, Sakura-chan," he whispered against her ear, bringing his hand up to grip her other wrist as he brought her hands down to press them against the wall at her sides, "shh, its alright. You and I both know you want this. Just let it happen."

Sakura whimpered again. She felt like a trapped animal. God, Sasuke had never been this bold, this demanding before. He'd never attacked her like this, not when he knew she could tell Naruto and he . . . and that's when it hit her. Naruto had been the only person she'd ever known who could defeat Sasuke. And he was dead. Now she knew no one who could beat him. There was no one to protect her.

Sakura went berserk, thrashing wildly, twisting from side to side as she writhed in his hold. No, this couldn't be. She couldn't honestly be defenseless! He couldn't honestly be about to . . .

"Don't fight me, my love," he whispered, pressing his body gently closer to her's and holding her still, "don't fight me. I can give you what you want Sakura-chan. Anything you want."

"I want you to let me go!" she squealed, her struggles giving way to terrified shivers. She couldn't force him off. Her only chance was to get him to release her.

"But you haven't even heard my proposal yet!" he protested, his voice laced with amusement. His body was shifting against her's as he rubbed himself against her, brushing over all her most sensitive places, trying to get her to respond.

"Return to Sound with me, Sakura-chan," he nuzzled her cheek, then drew back a little to press his forehead to her's, his eyes burning into hers. "You would be a Kage's wife, respected, honored, beloved. You would have anything you desired, and everyone would call you Sakura-hime."

Sasuke's hands stroked up her arms to cup her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Come with me willingly, and I'll take you away from all of this. From missions and danger, from monsters, from blood, from death and loss."

His face drew closer to her's, until their lips were almost touching. "I can give you everything, Sakura . . ."

He'd thought he had her. He was wrong. Her hands freed, she placed them onto his chest and pushed with all her might. That managed to get him to stumble back and step, and in that second she darted out of his hold, coming around behind to bring both fists down onto the point between his shoulder blades.

With a cry he fell to his knees, one arm braced against the wall to keep him from falling forward. He crouched there a moment, while the dull ache in his back subsided.

When he stood, wincing, she was still there. She had not fled, but was standing a few feet away with her back to him. She appeared to be crying. She whirled around when he approached. For a long moment they just stared at each other.

"Sakura-chan," he whispered. She flinched when he reached for her, but he merely grasped her chin and forced her to meet his eyes again. "Has so much changed, Sakura-chan?" he asked, his eyes full of sadness, "You used to love me, but now you reject me so violently? Is there really no place left for me, in your heart?"

She looked back at him, her eyes misting over with tears. "There is," she choked, "but not the one you'd like."

"Sakura-chan," Sasuke repeated, his eyes full of longing.

"I offered you that place a long time ago, Sasuke," she continued, her voice cracking, "but you rejected me."

"That's a decision I regret every day, now," Sasuke assured her, still not releasing her chin.

"I know," she replied, "but that doesn't change things. You didn't expect me to just wait for you, did you Sasuke? I gave away the piece of my heart that I offered you that night to someone else a long time ago, and he has treated it with the utmost care. I can't imagine my life without Lee anymore, Sasuke. I can't imagine giving you the piece of myself I gave to him."

"I love you, Sakura-chan," Sasuke pleaded.

Sakura couldn't stop herself. At last the tears spilled out of her eyes and let them run down her cheeks. "I love you too, Sasuke," she sobbed, "I love you so much! But not like that! Not they way you'd like! You're my friend Sasuke! And right now I need you to be just that, my friend! Naruto is dead! I need you right now!"

Tears were now streaming down Sakura's cheeks as she spoke, her words coming out in high, breathy gasps. "I need you Sasuke, I need all the friends I can get right now! But so help me I will shut you out if I have to! I don't want to shut you out of my life Sasuke, but I will! And you know I can do it! I'll surround myself with friends and family, and make sure you never get near me! I'll tell everyone what you've done, not just this time but every time you've been here, and they'll believe me, because Lee already knows! If you make me choose, Sasuke, if you make me choose between you and Lee, I'll pick Lee, no matter what! Please don't make me choose Sasuke! Please don't make me choose!"

And with that she crumbled into his arms. He held her close, not trapping her but supporting her, pressing her gently against his chest. She burried her nose in his shirt, breathing in his scent, remembering a time when it had meant safety.

"Of course, Sakura-chan," Sasuke replied softly, kissing the top of her head. "I won't make you choose. I'm here for you. This won't happen again, I promise."

She knew he was lying. He'd told the same lie before, and she knew he was lying. But between Naruto's death and Usagi's injury she was a little too weak, a little too tired and a little too broken to care.