Hello everyone!

I'm terribly sorry for not updating for AGES guys.

Junior year has been KILLER, I know, feel sorry for me XP

The ideas for this chapter have been in my mind forever, but it's so hard to get it down, you know?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

(Actually, you guys might not, since this one is gonna be a downer for all you SasuSaku fluff fans. Sorry!)

Chapter 10- It's All My Fault

As the slam of the front door resonated throughout the mansion, Sasuke opened his eyes. He had heard everything: Naruto and Hinata coming in, opening his bedroom door, gasping, and running out.

"Why were they so surprised?" thought Sasuke as he faced his head towards the ceiling and gasped.

Sakura was leaning against the bedpost with a hand to his head, the other holding his own hand, sleeping heavily. He also noticed that HIS head was in HER lap.

Sasuke was in relief that Sakura was still asleep, since she would have freaked out if she saw them in this position, but his eyes grew wide when he saw the expression on Sakura's face.

She looked as if she was in a huge amount of pain but trying to conceal it even in her slumber. Then he noticed that one side of his hair was clumped and touched it with the unoccupied hand. There was dry blood caked on that side of his head. He then turned his head abruptly to Sakura's abdomen and saw the gigantic wound.

"What happened to her while I was sleeping?" thought Sasuke while he thought back to the previous night.

All that he could remember is that he fell asleep and had one of the worst nightmares in his entire life.

The story line was still the same as all of his previous nightmares: He could see Sakura getting stabbed by the poisoned kunai, her falling over in pain, and Orochimaru cackling in satisfaction. Except in this nightmare, Orochimaru was in front of him rubbing it in his face how he had hurt Sasuke's precious cherry blossom. So, by instinct, he transformed into a demon of the curse mark and lunged out at the snake. And for some reason, suddenly his nightmare flashed back to the Forest of Death incident, where Sakura embraced him from behind to stop his curse mark's rampage. In his dream, however, she embraced him from the front where he could see the fear, pain, and despair in her eyes clearly as her tears cascaded down her porcelain cheeks. And, he also noticed, this Sakura was older than the one from the memory: the Sakura of the present.

When he took another look at the gash, he saw that her clothes as well as the wound looked like huge scratch marks. He looked around his room and saw that his door was slightly ajar, like something crashed into it. Did she get attacked in the middle of the night while he slept? And did she protect him who obviously didn't and couldn't wake up?

He then got up from Sakura's lap, removed her hand from his quietly as to not wake her up, laid her down carefully on his bed into a comfortable position, placed the blanket over her body, and trudged to the mirror. He definitely felt and looked like crap this morning, probably from the horrible nightmare. He appeared to be ten times older from the added stress. Then, he noticed his shirt was very ruffled and wrinkled and couldn't help but think there was something wrong. He turned his body around in the mirror and his eyes grew huge as he saw a sight he never wanted to see ever again: his shirt had two forced holes on the back, exactly right below his shoulders.

His mind suddenly clicked as it brought everything together. It was him. He hurt Sakura in his sleep. He gave her the wound on her stomach.

He didn't know that Sakura was there with him at the time of his nightmare and couldn't believe that he was so engrossed in the dream to physically move while sleeping. But the evidence was plainly there before him. He must have attacked her with his massive claw wings thinking she was Orochimaru, thus the force of the attack sending her flying against his bedroom door. But she was probably too busy trying to help him to even notice her deadly wound.

Sasuke slowly walked back next to the bed, staring at Sakura's face and the wound in complete horror, removing his usual cool façade. He knelt next to her sleeping form and just stared at her.

"I-I am a…monster…" thought Sasuke, trying to hold back frustrated and angry tears that suddenly built up in his eyes.

"…A monster that hurts the one he cares about the most…"

Then, at that moment, small tears from the corners of his eyes cascaded down onto his cheek as he held Sakura's right hand tightly in both of his. He lowered his head to her enclosed hand as his whole body shook with uncontrollable silent sobs. He then realized that her hand was ice cold from losing so much blood. Coming back to reality, Sasuke placed his right hand on her stomach and a blue chakra emitted from his palm. Sakura's wound started to heal little by little with passing time. Soon enough, only a small scratch was left on her abdomen. Sasuke silently thanked his horrible experiences with Orochimaru where he himself had to treat his own wounds. Back then, he had learned by himself how to heal with chakra from Kabuto's stolen books.

Suddenly, through his tears, Sasuke made a silent promise. His eyes glowed with determination and a hint of searing pain.

"I can't do this anymore. Every second she spends with me puts her life in peril, not only from the dangers in my life, but also from me as well. I need to try to distance myself from Sakura," thought Sasuke.

He then looked down at Sakura's now peaceful face and brushed a lock of hair off of her cheek.

"Trying to ignore her, distancing myself from her, is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. But I must, for Sakura's sake," thought Sasuke as he whispered quietly, "Haruno Sakura, Please forgive me for what I say and do from this day forth. But I have to do this to save you from me and my problems, like I tried all those years ago for you and Naruto. I'll find another way to get your memories back for me, for you, and for Naruto."

Sasuke slowly removed his hands from hers and gently placed it on her stomach. As he was walking away from the bed towards the door, he turned and took one last look at her serene face and engraved it into his mind. Then he turned around again and left the room, washed up, and went to train to not think about Sakura, slowly practicing to be able to conjure up his cold, stoic manner the next time he saw her.

Hahaha thought that I would write more, did you? :)

I actually think this is my shortest chapter yet in this story, right?

I know it's not an excuse, but junior year with three AP classes has been taking its toll on me.

I mean, I have this WHOLE story all planned out in my head but I never have the time to get them into full chapters on Microsoft Word.

Anyways, thank you so much to all of the remaining supporters I have out there!

Arigatou and with love, Cilla :)

Oh, and don't forget to review! I love reading them!