A/N: Oh my god, guys! I'm so sorry I haven't updated those past weeks. I was occupied with my friends since they wanted to go out with me when I came back home. Now I'm in my actual home while I'm studying at the University - ah, stop, I need to stop blabbering. Okay, what I want to say is: I hope you guys won't hate me for this chapter! Actually I didn't plan on SasuSaku's love confessions so fast but it just happened - damn it. It's going fast you think? I'll make up for it and place obstacles in their way, I promise. You'll have enough chapters to read - the story does NOT end yet! There are still many mysteries left unsolved... ENJOY! :)

Chapter 10

"Uhm… Sasuke, what are you doing?" Sakura asked nervously. She couldn't bring herself to ask him how much and what exactly he had heard.

"Standing here. Is it forbidden?" He raised his eyebrows and cast her an indefinite glance. Was he trying to figure her out or rather – her words?

"N-no, it's your house after all. I mean… How long have you been standing there?" she whispered wide-eyed.

Sasuke pushed himself off the frame and slowly walked into the kitchen. She followed him hesitantly. What answer would he give her? Would he embarrass her because of her unrequited love for him?

"Why does it matter? I just didn't want to interrupt your conversation so I waited for it to end."

Sakura looked confused. "Why? What is it?"

Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair. "I need you to go through this and make arrangements. You can choose whatever. Anything is fine." He handed her a pile of big books. Wedding cakes, table decorations, wedding dresses…

"Do I really have to? Are you really going to throw all that money away for a fake wedding?"

She didn't want to admit it but at that moment all she longed for was to be able to break this whole thing off. Those beautiful dresses were mesmerizing and she'd wanted to wear one of those and look like a princess since she was little but she didn't want it like that. She wanted to be led down the altar to her husband-to-be who she loved with all her heart – and who loved her back. She didn't need any cake or decorations as long as the wedding was real and out of love… not for any other reason. But she'd already promised him and she'd do anything for Sasuke if it meant he'd stay by her side but was this really right?

"I don't care. I don't want to leave this country no matter how much money I have to pay for that," he told her in his monotone voice. However, when she looked closely she could almost see that he was a little bit edgy. She longed to hear if he had heard her indirect love confession.

"That reminds me. I have a question. Please tell me the truth," Sakura said. She looked down to her fingers playing with each other.

"Aa. What is it?" He turned around and went through a drawer. He took something into his mouth and swallowed it but Sakura couldn't see what it was. Did he have a headache? Was it his lack of sleep?

"You told me that you grew up in this mansion. So why is it exactly that your visa is running out when you've lived here since your birth? Did you lie to me?" Sakura didn't dare look him in the eyes.

A long pause came after that. Slowly Sakura began to believe that he'd lied to her all along. He really was cruel, huh?

"Actually… I didn't grow up here. I grew up in a town called Konoha but I moved here to my parent's house after their accident to take over the company, even though that's not the only reason. Anyway, this mansion was still part of my childhood because my family used to come here a lot. It was like a second home because the whole clan used to gather here." Sasuke looked directly into her eyes. "Are you satisfied now? Do you still accuse me of lying? Go ahead and cancel the wedding – I certainly won't stop you."

Sakura shivered as the coldness of his voice reached her body. Ashamed of herself, Sakura avoided his glance and put her arms around herself. How could she have doubted him so much? It wasn't like her to be so skeptical. It was like she'd turned paranoid…

"I'm sorry, I didn't- I-I won't cancel the wedding but please- Can't we get along again? I don't know what happened to us but I can't handle it anymore…"

"Why are you crying? You should be relieved that you're free to go. All you do is complain about everything. You don't want to wear my mother's ring, you don't want me to waste money on our wedding, you talk to my brother behind my back and you don't even trust my reasons behind all of this. So why don't you just leave me alone if you don't want this?" he growled at her.

Sakura took a step back as he made one towards her. "I don't know. I just can't leave you alone…," she smiled sadly. "It's not like you don't know the reason, Sasuke. You couldn't have missed it but still you don't care. You don't care about my feelings at all or you would have made the pain go away by giving me a proper answer."

Sasuke narrowed his eyebrows. "I don't even know what you're talking about, woman. But don't give me that crap. I never forced you to stay here and I never promised to be considerate."

Sakura smiled as tears fell from her eyes and Sasuke couldn't help but feel the pain of making her cry yet again. Had he not promised not to ever again? Had he not promised to make her happy a very long time ago? He felt miserable and yet he didn't do anything about it. First, she had to remember.

"I know and yet you need me. If I was able to leave on my own will, maybe you'd treat me better but you already know I can't, right?"

"And why can't you?"

His eyes were of such beautiful deep black that she wanted to drown in them and never face reality again.

"Because I…"

She wanted to put an end to this. She wanted to tell him those three words which she longed for him to say to her. She wanted him to know so she could finally let him go. But she didn't want to let go. Not just yet.

"Because I've yet to remember who you are to me."

Sasuke had stood frozen in front of her while gazing at her face. She hadn't been sure before about Itachi's words but now she was certain that Sasuke was part of her childhood. He was hidden inside those long forgotten memories alongside other people.

Now she was lying in her bed, arms crossed behind her head, staring at the ceiling. She was trying to remember but every time she felt something stir inside her, her grasp made it go away.

It felt similar to a word that was on the tip of her tongue. It was frustrating – she had to find out what had happened in the past. At first she hadn't wanted to remember but now that she knew Sasuke was part of it, she just had to.

"Hi, Ino. I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" She'd heard Shikamaru's annoyed voice.

"No, it's fine. I'm guessing you calling me so shortly after last time has something to do with your memories. Have you made a decision?"

Sakura smiled at how well her best friend knew her. "Yeah. I need to find out about it as soon as possible. Please… help me out?"

"Do you even need to ask? Of course I will."

"Thank you. Let's start with… hm, what was his name again. Nagato? Do you know him?"

"Nagato? Distantly. But that's not who you mean. The one who is important is called Naruto."

"Naruto… Naruto, Naruto, Naruto… There's something familiar about him. Who is he?"

"Let's try something out. Close your eyes. Now, think only of the name Naruto. You see anything?"

Sakura heard distant laughter. It was extremely cheerful und carefree. It was contagious. "Yellow… sun… and blue… like a deep ocean, it's beautiful… I want to go deeper… ahhh," Sakura let out a scream as a stabbing pain went through her head.

"Sakura! Everything okay?! Stop thinking, it's alright, it's enough already."

"It's enough? What does yellow and blue mean? I only saw colors. That doesn't explain anything… God, it's so frustrating!"

"I said it's enough because it actually means something. Naruto has blonde hair and blue eyes. Don't you see? It's all there – you just have to be patient. A little training every day and you'll get back all of it, I'm sure. You're doing great," Ino promised.

"Okay. One more," Sakura said determinedly.

"No, honey, you can't. It'll hurt too much. You're too fragile!"

"I'll be fine. I want to. I need to know something. Please help me." Sakura closed her eyes again and took deep breaths. Then she let her heart and mind wander towards Sasuke. In her mind he stood before her, looking at her softly. The pain came abruptly. It shot through her head like a lightning strike. She coughed and grasped for air but somehow her lungs burned and wouldn't let her breathe. "Black… it's all… black and white… Air… Ino…"

"Sakura? Sakura! Answer me, Sakura! Damn it, Shikamaru, what should we do?! Help me, oh my god, she can't breathe! What? Are you sure? You mean… Sasuke?"

In her mind, Sasuke's expression turned from soft to longing. He approached her, looking desperate as if he needed her right now. She gasped in surprise when his lips touched hers. The kiss was soft at first but it got hungrier and passionately each second. "Sasuke," she breathed as if in agony and yearning at the same time. "Why won't you love me?"

"What?"

Sakura's eyes flattered open and looked directly into Sasuke's. She still felt the kiss on her lips and she desperately wanted to go back to that dream. "Sasuke… Why are you on top of me and why are you touching my breast?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, not even the slightest embarrassed. "Are you serious?"

Sakura felt confused. "I am. Did you, by chance, kiss me?"

Sasuke sighed and let go of her. "I was giving you CPR but if it disturbs you that much that I kissed you I probably should have left you to die."

Sakura sat up. "You… You wouldn't have."

"You sure about that? Because you're giving me nothing but trouble."

They looked at each other challengingly but then Sakura remembered what she'd done before. "Black and white," she whispered.

"Hn?" Sasuke asked but she didn't seem to hear him.

"How did you know I was in danger?" she asked as if in trance.

"I heard you scream… well, it was coincidence that I passed your bedroom. Lucky, I guess."

Sakura knew he was lying. She didn't know how but she could feel that he couldn't quite compose himself. He looked shaken up and wasn't able to keep up his non-caring appearance. Maybe that was why his lie was so obvious.

"I should call Ino. I was on the phone with her when it happened. Can you… can you give us some privacy please?"

Sasuke stared at her for a moment but then shook his head. "I won't. I have to make sure you're alright first. And after that call we'll go to the hospital."

Sakura sighed and wanted to object but she knew it wouldn't change anything. Sasuke seemed determined.

She dialed Ino's phone number.

"Oh my god, Sakura, I was so scared! What happened to you? How do you feel now?"

"I'm fine again. Hey, I need to ask you something. What does black and white mean to me? Mainly black, though."

"I… I don't know. That could be anything, I guess." Sakura could hear Ino swallow. She imagined her sitting next to Shikamaru, casting her boyfriend a meaningful glance.

"Then I have another question: Why is everybody lying to me?" Sakura felt tears sting in her eyes as her heart felt the betrayal. Probably every single person around her knew everything but nobody told her anything. All they did was lie.

"Sakura, no, I'm sorry-"

"Yeah, me too, Ino."

She hung up without letting her friend say anything more. Then she turned her phone off and looked at Sasuke, narrowing her eyes.

"You should have told me that you know Ino. After all, she's the one who called you so you'd help me after I broke down, am I right?"

Sasuke stayed silent, contemplating on what to say next.

"I don't know what I did to deserve all of this – a fake engagement including constant fighting with you and friends who lie to me - You lying to me. I don't remember what I've done but I'm sorry, alright? I'm trying to be a good person. I'm willing to marry you, aren't I? What did I ever do to fall in love with the wrong person? And Ino knew all along… Why? I don't understand any of this, I feel so… cheated…"

"Sakura, stop rambling. What do you mean by you don't know what you've done? You didn't do anything-"

"I did or I wouldn't be punished by all of you. Just tell me why you hate me so much. It all lies in the past, doesn't it? But I don't know what happened because I can't remember so please just tell me and get it over with. I want to at least understand why you hate me…"

Sakura felt Sasuke's hand on her cheek, wiping away her tears and caressing her face. He let it rest there even after he'd finished and it felt like an intimate moment. She wanted to savor every second of it because she feared that it would stop as soon as it began – but it didn't.

"I don't know what's going on inside you but you didn't do anything. It's true – I know Yamanaka and I knew you but that was a long time ago. I can't tell you because you have to remember yourself. After all, I am the one who hurt you. I did everything wrong."

Sakura didn't want to open her eyes because she didn't want Sasuke to stop touching her but at the same time she wanted to see his face. It felt like he'd look like he was in pain. She searched for his hand and took it in hers.

"Please tell me…"

"If I do, you'll hate me. Well, you'll hate me either way. You'll find out yourself and then you'll tell me to break off the engagement."

Sakura touched the hand on her cheek. She liked the feel of his hands – she liked everything about him even if she didn't understand all of him.

"You're hurt. Why?"

"That doesn't matter. Why are you still with me when you already fell in love?" His voice was quiet.

"What?" Sakura opened her eyes in confusion. "I thought you knew-"

"You were rambling and you were angry. You didn't even ask for my opinion. So no, I don't know who it is." Sasuke looked out the window and gazed at the sky.

"That… Oh… I… You didn't listen in on my conversation with Ino?" Suddenly she felt embarrassed about her behavior.

"I didn't. That's impolite."

Sakura's cheeks flushed. She had thrown a tantrum without him knowing what that was about. She'd thought he knew that she was in love with him but didn't care. She'd accused him of being a total heartless jackass.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I said all those things. It was a misunderstanding on my behalf…"

"So who is it then? Is he taken? Why are you still with me?"

Sakura thought he sounded like a lonely child. It was heartbreaking. "He's… already engaged."

"To whom? Do I know him?"

More loneliness. Could it be?

"I guess… He's engaged to me," she whispered sadly. "A blessing in disguise, huh?"

His eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"Because you don't love me, right?"

Sasuke was frozen. "You… love me?"

Sakura looked away. It was painful. "Do you have to rub it in? Yes, I'm in love with you and it's clear you don't love me back so just… let it go."

"How could I?" He tugged at her hand so she fell into his arms. "And for the record… I do."

He grabbed her chin softly and pressed his lips on her mouth. It felt even better than in her dream.

Sakura was crying. It felt too good to be true. Sasuke claiming he loved her, Sasuke kissing her. He laid her gently on the bed, then he was on top of her, still kissing her like there was no tomorrow. His hand was caressing her face, stroking her neck, wandering down her arm and igniting fire everywhere he touched.

Somebody cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt."

They groaned in protest. Sasuke gazed into Sakura's eyes, telling her they'd talk later about their past and his mean boss-like behavior he'd put on at the beginning. She smiled hesitantly, still hoping this wasn't a dream where he'd suddenly pretend that there had never been something like this between them. Sasuke recognized the doubt in her facial expression. To assure her, he pressed his lips once more against hers, then entangled from her so he could stand up and face… his brother.

"I should call the police, you picklock," Sasuke growled. He helped Sakura stand up. "I guess the one you want to see is her and not me. Go ahead, tell her. I won't stop you."

Itachi stared at his brother in this big-brother way. "You want me to destroy your new found happiness the second you got it? You still are foolish, little brother."

Sakura felt uncomfortable. It was like they were talking through the exchanged stares and she felt left out. "Itachi… You're part of it, too. You wanted to tell me last time but… Sasuke doesn't."

Itachi sighed. "I see. You know at least that much. I suppose we need to talk. You might want to sit down."

Sasuke was holding back the anger he held for his brother, Sakura felt it. Maybe she could find out why these two hated each other.

It was like the intimate moment had totally vanished – not only from outside but inside, too. Sasuke didn't act as if they were lovers and she didn't feel very much of her love for Sasuke right now. All she could think of was her past.

"You might already know this but I am in contact with Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi. They were not very keen on seeing me either. Nevertheless, I have told them about Sakura and her situation – both of them want to meet her as soon as allowed. I should warn you, though, that they have made it very clear that… well, they are not very fond of you right now."

Sasuke groaned. "What? You want to tell me that they want to kill me? Because I've kept it from them that I'm with Sakura? They should get over their jealousy already. Way too overprotective," he rolled his eyes.

"Who are they? Why haven't I ever met any of you guys until now? What's going on here?" Sakura felt nervous and aghast.

"Naruto was one of your closer friends back then. Kakashi was our teacher and we all were close, I guess," Sasuke told her. "It's hard to explain what happened but you'll find out soon, I promise."

Itachi looked at her curiously. "I should have come sooner. My little brother's plan to marry you in order for you to regain your memories… Sasuke, you know that plan absolutely sucks, right? I cannot even begin to understand how you came up with that. You ought to think I raised you to be more intelligent."

Sasuke glared at his brother for mocking him.

"This was your plan? For my memories? Well, sorry, Sasuke, this plan really sucks…," Sakura laughed.

"This wasn't my plan originally. I had to protect you. What's better than having you work at my company and moving into my house?"

"Protect me? From what?" Slowly, Sakura got exhausted. Every time they told her something, more questions came up.

"You're tired. You can't learn too much all of a sudden or you'll break down again. Your brain needs to work slow and constant."

Sakura knew it was the truth but she couldn't wait to hear the whole story. At least she had Sasuke at her side and he wouldn't leave her, right?

"I'll take her to bed. Wait here," Sasuke said to Itachi who nodded.

Sasuke took Sakura's hand and led her to his room. She looked confused.

"It's because of the past. You told me you could sleep better in my bed. Do you want to sleep in your own?"

She shook her head. "No, I want to sleep here. Will you stay until I've fallen asleep?"

The question was innocent, she was afraid to be left alone but she still felt embarrassed. It would take some time to get used to this.

Sasuke laid beside her and put a blanket on them, then took Sakura in his arms. Her head rested on his chest and she could hear his heartbeat and steady breathing.

"I loved you back then, didn't I?" she whispered suddenly.

Sasuke hummed a yes to that. "Did I love you, too?" he guessed her next question. "I always did but I was too blind and I hurt you."

"If I learn the past, it'll hurt you all over again but I don't have to. We can live like this. I only need you," she said to him.

He hummed again. "That would be too easy. I don't deserve that. I don't deserve right now but I don't want to hurt you either. I'll wait for you to remember so you understand why we can't be together."

"We can't? Then why did you find me?"

"Because I wanted you to remember your friends. It's for Naruto and Kakashi – they weren't allowed to get in touch with you, I wasn't either. They said it could make your situation worse but I owe them. I owe you happiness and you have to get over your past in order to achieve that. You can only do that if you know what happened. Your brain blocked it out to protect yourself but it'll always be a lingering shadow. You're not as cheerful as you were that time. It was locked away alongside your friends and me."

"Whatever happened, I could never be without you, Sasuke. It's alright, I'm not capable of hating you. I've always loved you. It was there when I was your secretary – I always felt that way about you but I didn't know what it was. Now I know."

Sasuke didn't answer. He knew better than to believe her innocent words. As soon as she found out, she'd shut him out and push him away.

"You should take her to the hospital. Tsunade should take care of Sakura," Itachi told his brother when he came back.

"I know. You don't have to tell me that. But she needs to rest. The hospital will make her feel stressed and she hasn't slept well this past week."

Itachi stood up and went for the door but he turned around when Sasuke's hand grabbed his shoulder. "Why did you come back? For her? Or is it because you like making my life a living hell?"

Itachi's mouth quirked up on one side. "I have never done anything for myself, little brother, much less for my entertainment. You have yet to understand my reasons. My days will be long gone when the time has come for you to find the truth."