Why Do You Fight For Love?

I feel very disappointed right now because I might miss the deadline for this story. I'm am very sorry, everyone. I got completely consumed with other stuff. Wow, simply wow. Please forgive me. :(

Anyways, the poll for the future stories is going on so, if you want to vote in that, go on ahead. (Located in my profile. Details on the stories and poll itself.) The poll has 3 votes thus far, or the last time I checked anyways, and The Blood Shed to Save is winning so far! I'll end the poll whenever this story is finished.

If anyone disliked last chapter, then they surely will like this one. (hopefully.)

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto, never will.

Onto the story!

Chapter 9: Tears Must Fall

"…Sasuke?" Sakura whispered, her eyelids drooping slightly. Sasuke glanced at her briefly, his crimson gaze quickly shifting back to the battling shinobi. "…Never mind."

Sasuke grunted slightly, feeling blood seep out his bandaged wound. "Tell me, Sakura." Sakura's gaze dropped to the ground, not looking back up again. She wasn't watching the battle. She wasn't even beginning to tend his wounds again. Something was obviously wrong with his ally and Sasuke knew it.

"Tell me." Sasuke said, knowing his voice rang slightly with authority. Sakura said nothing. Silence fell on the two teammates, even the sounds of the intense before them dying down. "…Tell me."

"…I said never mind, Sasuke." Sakura replied, her tone colder than usual. Sasuke resisted the urge to growl, instead lowering his gaze onto the unconscious Naruto. Naruto would badger her until she told him what was wrong. However, I am not the same way. I'm different then them. No matter what will happen, I will always be different.

More silence fell upon them, completely drowning out the battling shinobi. Minutes passed, the silence never seeming to end.

"…Why aren't you watching the battle?" Sasuke broke the silence after about five minutes. Sakura glanced at him, locking their gazes.

"I could ask you the same exact thing." Sakura replied simply, not looking away. Sasuke could see the pain and hurt from a few hours ago still dwelling in her emerald depths. It wasn't surprising in the least, but it still bothered him. It was obvious that Sasuke was still expecting the old Sakura from the Genin days to replace this different kunoichi.

"We both have our reasons."

"Yes we do."

"Then tell me."

"…No." Sakura repeated, finally looking away. It was evident she did not want to further talk to him now. Sasuke let out a sigh of agitation, knowing he wasn't getting anywhere at this point. I'm not the only one that's different now though, Sakura is too.

"…Why?" Sasuke asked even though the subject had been dropped. He watched Sakura open her mouth slightly to reply, but then closed it again. Sakura's lips trembled, speechless.

"…I said…I have my own reasons, Uchiha." Sakura retorted evenly, her tone having the hidden message of not to bother her at the moment.

"Maybe so, Haruno, but that doesn't mean you have to be a bitch about it." Sasuke's crimson eyes hardened on the girl. You can't possibly be Haruno Sakura. You have to be something else…Something that's replaced her for the time-being.

"...We agreed to be allies only to save Naruto, and we have nothing else bonding us together anymore. It is done, and nothing else allows us to ally with each other anymore." Sakura explained harshly, her hands falling to the ground below them. She proceeded to carefully rip the blades of grass with precise strength, letting them fall back to the ground.

"…We are-"

"No, Sasuke…" Sakura interrupted him, already knowing what he was going to say. "We are not allies. We are not teammates. We have nothing that bonds us together anymore. Team 7 has fallen and will not be revived again." Her gaze was narrowed on Naruto.

"No matter how much Naruto will try to join us together again, it won't ever work." Sakura continued, not stopping her small rant. "We are all different from before and that fact will remain true for the rest of our lives." Sasuke opened his mouth to reply, but she didn't let him interrupt her.

"You left Team 7 to join Orochimaru. I left to find you and ended up joining the Akatsuki. We all have different goals now and we will pursue them with the best of our abilities." Sakura's voice grew softer, just barely above a whisper when she paused. Her gaze had a faraway look, almost as if she was remembering something from the past.

"…You are wrong. We will not always have different goals." Sasuke spoke up, still undecided on whether to speak while her mind was wandering. After a few seconds, Sakura looked at him questionably.

"You want power to kill your brother, Sasuke. I want the village to remain safe and protected. Naruto wants us to join together again. See the difference?" Sakura replied, ignoring the rain that dripped down her face.

"No, I don't." Sasuke truthfully answered. Sakura blinked at him, her emerald eyes showing nothing but pure confusion and curiousity. "I know we all will have the same goal eventually. Someday, I will kill my brother. Someday, Naruto's wish will be fulfilled. Someday, the village will remain safe and protected with Team 7 in its arsenal."

"Someday, Team 7 will be at peace and will remain that way." Sasuke finished, watching Sakura's reaction carefully.

"…Sasuke…?" Sakura whispered, her gaze narrowing slightly.

"Yeah?" Sasuke inquired, raising an eyebrow. Sakura laughed softly, shaking her head in disagreement.

"You got one little problem there, Sasuke."

"…What would that be?" Sakura stood up abruptly, facing the fight. Sasuke stared at her in confusion, not understanding where the conversation was going.

"You forget that whoever tries to kill Itachi…" Sakura growled lowly, clenching her fists painfully. Sasuke merely stared in disbelief, slightly backing away. Sasuke could sense his former teammate was definitely opposing his theory. This cannot be Sakura. It can't be.

The real Sakura wouldn't have objected to his theory. The real Sakura would be weak and need protection. …The real Sakura would love me and not my brother. Sasuke's eyes widened when she stepped toward him once, his crimson eyes meeting smoldering emerald.

"They'll have to make sure I'm dead before Itachi dies."

Naruto blinked at the darkness. He couldn't understand why he was in such a horrible place. No light seemed to seep through any unseen cracks; it was only the darkness.

He scratched his head, wondering how he could possibly end up in the dark. It was troubling, but he seemed at peace for some unknown reason. Yet, darkness and peace could never mix. It was impossible for such an event to occur.

Suddenly, without warning, two glowing figures appeared before him. Naruto covered his eyes, blinded by the crimson light. A few minutes past before Naruto could open his eyes again, noticing the glowing die down. He slowly lowered his hands, confused by the scene in front of him.

The shortest figure, his former teammate, his newfound ally, Sasuke, had his arms folded across his chest casually. Sasuke blinked at him in acknowledgement.

The taller figure, his enemy, his former teammate's brother, Itachi, had his eyes closed to the world. He stood still, like a wax figure. Naruto couldn't even tell if the man was breathing or not.

Naruto couldn't help wondering why Sasuke wasn't attacking Itachi at the moment. Why wouldn't Sasuke attack Itachi after all these years of trying to gain enough power to destroy the man that destroyed their clan? The Uchiha brothers seemed to be at peace for the moment.

Minutes passed and yet, the same scene played before Naruto.

Finally, Itachi opened his eyes and faced Sasuke, who responded in the same way. Naruto felt his body walk until he stood between the two brothers without his own authority. The brothers merely gazed through him as if he wasn't there at all.

Naruto's gaze flickered to Sasuke. Sasuke no longer had any peaceful expression on his face. Instead, his expression showed nothing but shocked disbelief and some emotion that was related to pity. The younger Uchiha smirked bitterly, his crimson gaze narrowed on his brother.

Uchiha Sasuke's figure was beginning to glow white. It almost looked like he was being purified for his sins or something, but that was impossible. Sasuke couldn't be purified. He had killed so many people and committed so many sins that it was simply impossible.

Unconsciously, Naruto turned his head to look at Itachi. Itachi's expression was impassive even though his motionless figure was encompassed by black-purplish fire. Naruto's gaze switched between the two brothers several times; he couldn't figure out what was occurring between the two brothers.

Naruto felt himself step back as the brothers edged closer until they stood mere feet apart. The brothers both lifted a right hand slowly, their gazes never leaving each other. Sasuke's left sleeve slipped a little, showing the curse mark that Orochimaru had given him in the Forest of Death.

The brothers' hands grew closer to one another, their fingertips almost touching until they both gripped the others hand. Sasuke murmured something inaudible, but Itachi seemed to have heard it. He answered back, his voice inaudible as well.

Sasuke blinked at his brother. Some unknown emotion showed in the young brother's crimson depths. Naruto had never seen it displayed before by his former teammate and it was truly unsettling. The fact that was more unsettling than any other reason was especially because the emotion was directed towards his brother.

Before Naruto could even comprehend what was happening, Sasuke and Itachi both exchanged bitter smirks. Purple colored chakra traveled from Sasuke's body through the link of their hands into Itachi's body. Naruto heard Itachi grunt in pain, but still stood despite the newfound pain.

Naruto could hear someone screaming in the background, but his focus was still on the purple chakra that quickly spread over Itachi. The purple chakra swirled around Itachi, flaring all around him. Finally, the last of the purple chakra escaped from Sasuke over to Itachi.

Sasuke dropped to the ground, breathing harshly. He clutched his shoulder where the curse mark was placed on his shoulder, covering it from Naruto's view.

Itachi dropped to his knees as well, his hand also gripping his left shoulder. Naruto slowly stepped closer to Itachi until he could touch him if he wanted.

The screaming in the background grew louder until it reached across from Naruto. A figure was coming into his line of vision, Naruto watching in growing horror. Tears dropped to the ground, staining the ground forever. He could already identify who it was, but Naruto couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

The figure stood motionless once it reached them, the sound of sniffling and the sight of silent crying before Naruto. Sasuke noticed the figure and turned away so his back would face the group. Itachi collapsed onto the ground while the unusual chakra color began to diminish.

Naruto couldn't understand what was happening, but he couldn't help and feel his own tears threaten to fall. After a few minutes, he found himself crying as he covered his face with his hands.

"Naruto…Please wake up." The recognizable figure begged desperately. He could sense the needing in their voice. "Please…Please."

The glowing chakra completely disappeared from Itachi's body. His form was beginning to disappear, his body slowly fading away into the darkness that surrounded them all. "Naruto, wake up!" The voice screeched frantically, the owner dropping to their knees.

"W-What's happening to him?" Naruto asked, his voice choked by tears. "Sakura, t-tell me." The pink haired kunoichi merely shook her head, unable to communicate to him. Itachi's form was almost gone, his figure barely visible.

At the last second, Sasuke turned around as well. He watched Itachi, lifting his hand hesitantly towards his older brother. Sakura let out another sob, covering her face with her hands. Naruto wanted to turn away, but his body still wasn't in his control. Naruto couldn't help wondering if this was a punishment to torture him for his own failures.

Sasuke's fingertips were mere inches from Itachi's face.

Naruto felt himself dropping to his knees in horror as more tears ran down his face.

"Please wake up…Please wake up, Naruto…Please."

Itachi smirked bitterly as some emotion close to regret showed dully in his fading crimson eyes. Before Sasuke could even reach him, Itachi's form disappeared completely.

Sasuke's hand fell to the ground, smacking the place where Itachi's figure would've been. His eyes slowly closed, biting his lip in frustration. "No…"

"Naruto, wake up please!" Sakura cried out as her hands falling to her sides numbly. "Don't let it happen, Naruto. Please…" Sakura whispered softly, desperately.

"I-I don't know if I can." Naruto whispered back faintly. He knew it was a dream, but it all felt too real. It made him question if this what was happening in reality except he was still asleep in the sidelines.

Sakura murmured something, barely above a whisper. Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief and shock. He was simply speechless, unable to speak worth his life. His lips trembled as his mouth tried to form words.

"…Sakura, I don't know if I can keep this promise." Naruto began as he shook his head. "I know I didn't fulfill my promise of bringing Sasuke back, so I don't know if I'll be able to keep a promise to you or anyone."

"It only matters if you try." Sasuke muttered with his gaze still on the spot where Itachi had left the dream world. "Try, Naruto. I know you can."

"Naruto…"

"You just have to try…"

Both of his former teammates' voices echoed around him, encouraging him and calling out his name. It was too much to bear. Naruto slowly felt himself gain control of his body, be able to wipe his tears away.

"…I…" Sasuke and Sakura stopped speaking when they heard his voice sound. Their gaze flickered to him, awaiting his answer. Naruto gulped as he felt his lips tremble again.

Team 7 is important to me. The village is important to me. My wife, Hinata, is important to me.

Naruto stood up as his hand wiped the rest of the tears away.

The success of being the sixth Hokage is important to me.

Naruto couldn't help the genuine confident smile that formed upon his face. He lifted his hand, giving the thumbs up to both of them.

"I'm not making you a promise, Sakura." Naruto answered seriously, his gaze boring into them both. "…though, I will try despite all the limitations and obstacles that stand in my way."

Sakura's form began to fade as her tears dripped onto the ground. She smiled at him, as her body completely faded away.

Sasuke smirked at him, closing his eyes to the world. His body soon faded away as well.

All those things are important to me.

That's definitely true and always will be.

…Yet, there is something more important to me…

…

…

…

I know that their happiness will always be more important to me. That's what will ensure peace among the village and the shattered Team 7.

I don't care if it doesn't solve all our problems…I really don't.Naruto smiled sadly, knowing Team 7 would never join together again. It was simply impossible at this point. The village would never be completely safe or protected even if he is Hokage.

Naruto could feel the darkness around him shattering, light beginning to shine in.

The only that matters now is that Sakura and Sasuke live their lives to the fullest and that they can be happy without anything interfering with this life. I know it won't be easy, but I can still try.

That was the last thought Naruto could think before the light shined on him as the dream world completely disappeared, revealing reality.

Itachi resisted the urge to grunt in pain as Orochimaru punched him in the stomach, sending him down onto the ground below. He twisted in the air slightly, changing his position. Itachi landed on his feet, slightly stumbling as he looked up to see Orochimaru already following him.

The older Uchiha jumped back a few paces just before Orochimaru's punch slammed into the ground. The Sanin's punch created a small fissure, shaking the ground with great power. Itachi enhanced his feet with chakra, using the extra boost of chakra to jump away from the range of the fissure.

The fissure ended in mere seconds, even though it had showed disastrous results. In the small range of the fissure, you could see uprooted trees and upturned ground. It looked as if a tornado had blown through the area, only wreaking havoc within a certain part of the forest.

Itachi's crimson gaze flickered to his surroundings, realizing that he had entered a denser section of the Leaf Village Forest. The great mass of green leaves in the trees prevented raindrops or sunlight from reaching the forest floor. If Itachi had the time to focus on the scenery, he would've thought it was depressing. Anyone would have thought so.

He couldn't detect Orochimaru's presence nor his chakra signature. It was evident that he had gained a major disadvantage. Itachi gazed around his surroundings again, searching for any sign of his opponent.

"Are you that much of a coward?" Itachi quietly commented, searching for any reaction from the Sanin.

No response.

Itachi closed his eyes, relaxing his posture. I'll find you one way or another, Orochimaru. He listened intently, only focusing on finding his enemy.

He stood there for a few minutes before he could hear anything that caught his interest. A swooshing sound came from behind him, in the camouflage of the tree branches. Itachi spun around, withdrawing a kunai to block the shuriken that flew towards him.

The shuriken bounced off the kunai, dropping to the ground. Before the shuriken even landed, Itachi sprang into the tree branches to find Orochimaru. Only green and brown met his vision, nothing but leaves and branches.

Again, he searched for the chakra signature. He knew Orochimaru was only playing with him and it was incredibly irritating. The same results showed. Absolutely no trace of the snake-like man.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream pierced the sky. Before he could locate the sound, it faded away. Itachi narrowed his eyes dangerously, already heading towards the direction of the clearing where he had left the reunited team. Only one thought controlled his mind.

If that bastard has done anything to hurt Sakura…

Sakura gasped out in pain, coughing out blood. "W-What the hell…?" She gripped her side, feeling blood drip through her fingers. She fell to her side, her vision blurring slightly.

"Ah, ah, we wouldn't want you to ruin our plans now would we?" The attacker asked, shaking his finger at her in disapproval. Sakura growled at him, gritting her teeth in pain.

"You waited until we were off-guard…and you separated us to deal with us one on one, didn't y-you?" Sakura asked, spitting out blood onto the ground to get rid of the metallic taste. The man nodded, smirking at her.

"Yes, I did. Thank you for your services." He commented with no explanation. What is he talking about? What services?

"W-What are you talking about? I did nothing." Sakura asked, trying to hide her confusion. She hadn't done a great job. He merely smirked wider, unable to hide his own wicked amusement.

"My dear, you merely were bait." Sakura struggled up to a sitting position. Her hand was already glowing green with medical chakra, healing the injured wound. Is that all I ever will be? Bait? A burden or weakling otherwise?

Her smoldering emerald eyes gazed at him warily. The wound was almost healed, but she wasn't taking any chances by alerting him of her recovery. The attacker was too busy focusing on something else.

"You will deal with the other one?" A second voice answered, another familiar voice. Her eyes widened in shock when her vision returned to normal.

"Yeah, no problem." The attacker replied, already beginning to speed off into the trees.

"H-Hey…Kabuto." Sakura called to the man who had attacked her, her gaze narrowed on him. He turned towards her, stopping in his footsteps. Kabuto's eyebrow was raised in question. "I hope you die."

He smirked at her. "Likewise." With that, he ran into the trees before she could say anything else. I hope Sasuke finds you. He'll kill you, there's no doubt in my mind.

Her attention returned to the other identifiable man. "What are you planning on doing to me…Orochimaru?" Sakura snarled at him, her gaze narrowing further. He merely shrugged as he already started to walk away.

"You'll find out soon enough." He smirked arrogantly, his back still to her as he walked away. "Anyways, I would be more worried on how this all would affect you and your village."

"...You're just going to let me live?" Sakura whispered, her tone disbelieving. Orochimaru stopped, turning towards her slightly.

"Why would I let your skills go to waste, Sakura-chan?" With that, he threw a kunai towards her. Her reflexes were too slow as she tried to move away. She winced when the kunai lodged itself in her shoulder, breaking the skin.

"I said you were the key to my plan, didn't I?" Orochimaru slyly asked, clearly enjoying her horror. Before she could say anything more, his figure disappeared from her view.

Sakura shakily drew up her hand, forcibly taking the kunai out and throwing it to the ground. "You bastard…" Sakura whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You run away to finish your plan and you let me suffer here?" Sakura struggled to her feet, stumbling at first. Damn you, Orochimaru, Kabuto.

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Sakura shouted, ignoring the pain that rippled through her shoulder. "You better be alive! You better survive!" Sakura growled, trying to run after Orochimaru.

She stumbled again, feeling her knees give out. Sakura dropped to her knees with a grunt. I'm not letting the village fall…

…Not when I can do something about it.

Sakura stood up again, refusing to let herself fall back to the ground again. Without hesitating, she enhanced her feet with chakra and surged forward into the forest. There was no way to stop her now. No one would stop her from protecting her village or her precious people.

Everything blurred past her, the trees and the foliage. She couldn't sense Orochimaru's chakra signature, but that didn't mean she was too late. Not yet.

Sakura barely realized she had tears flowing slowly down her cheeks. She smirked bitterly, not caring if they fell. Maybe she was weak, maybe she wasn't.

Tears must fall.

Whether we like it or not.

I think it actually…

…makes us stronger.

Yay! The chapter is finally finished! I'm glad. It's getting very intense now. The ending is coming and it will be (hopefully) awesome. I'm guessing 2-4 chapters left right now.

Again, the poll is still up and running, ready for voting. Only 3 people so far has voted, I wonder how many more:P

I'm in a rush right now guys, I have to go get the other chapter started. It will be up in a week or less, hopefully. I'm busy, but I WILL find time to make it.

Please review, and I promise to answer any questions about the story or polls when I have time.

See ya, thanks for reading and reviewing.

SharinganAnbuSakura