Next chapter and in less than two weeks! Yay! Unfortunately, I didn't have time to proofread, otherwise you would be waiting another day and a half, so I apologize for mistakes. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter, and this chapter is a turning point the story, so read and enjoy! Oh, and please, please, please review! I love them! I live for them! I get all excited and giggly whenever I get one!

The metallic shriek repeatedly echoed through the apartment, slicing the tense silence between the two occupants. Each ring was followed by a consistent thud of the knife against the cutting board as Sakura sliced onions for lunch. Her lips were drawn down into a permanent frown, and her whole countenance was rigid as she absentmindedly completed her task and tried to ignore the presence of the criminal a few feet away. How could he say those things!

"She means more to me than you ever have…she understands."

Her memory contained the callousness that made very word a fatal bow to her heart, and it was clearly heard in her thoughts. Who the hell does he think he is saying that stuff? Kami, it was Karin who started it! As she mentally ranted, the scream of the stone against his newly acquired Kusanagi sword pierced her thoughts. She was vaguely aware that her jerky movements were a little too forceful, and that she was cutting deeper into the board and having to heave it out with more gusto as time went on, but this observation was drowned in the boiling of her blood that left her feeling burned.

It wasn't just the words that left her feeling ten degrees warmer, no it was more than that. His words only prove how foolish, how pathetic I truly am. They ripped her into the harsh reality that all of those times she cried so hard because she was just missing him that her eyes hurt for days,

After thoroughly chopping one onion, she grabbed another and began ripping the outer layers off as she looked up to find him completely focused on his stupid weapon.

That her loyalty even at the expense of ridicule,

That all of the memories of them that she held so, so close,

That her life promise with Naruto,

That the endless hoping that he would one day come back to her- for her-,

That all of her hard work and prayers,

She once again picked up the knife,

It all meant nothing.

She was stripped of the belief that everything they did and sacrificed was not for a lost cause- that no matter what they would get Sasuke-kun back. It proved that the little whisper of doubt that told her he didn't care, yet she childishly pushed away, was true, and that was a hard pill to swallow.

His nonchalant exterior as she was processing this revelation made her feel that much worse, and the ringing of the stone against the metal seemed to get louder and louder. It's almost as if it is drilling it into me. Stupid me, stupid Sasuke. How, after everything that we went through, can he feel nothing? Why did he come back, why did he agree to marry me if I was nothing? He could have just married Ino, or someone else. Kami, what did I expect, he never showed that he cared not even…

"I love you with all my heart!" He turned to look back at her with a cold smirk adorning his beautiful face. "You really are annoying." She gasped past the sob that erupted from her throat and forced herself to continue breathing against the painful burn inside her chest. "Don't leave!" Think of something think of something! Don't just let him go! I can't just let him go. "If you do I'll scream!" She didn't even register the shift of air before her name was a harsh whisper behind her ear. The pain and helpless knowing that she wasn't going to be able to stop him was muddling her thoughts, making her senses dull.

She waited with baited breath, praying that this was not happening and he would tell her he was just kidding

"Thank you." She blamed her watery eyes on the onion as she turned it to begin cutting in the other direction. "Thank you." She made a noise in the back of her throat as she lifted her right hand to brush the back of it hastily across her eye. "Thank you." She sniffed once as she began diligently chopping once,

"Thank you."

Twice,

"Thank you."

Distantly she watched the projectile before there was a blur, and it crashed into the corner lamp with such a clamor that she wanted to cover her ears. She blinked once before it registered. Oh, I did that. She then narrowed her green orbs into slits.

"You bastard!"

"What the fuck!" He whipped his head from the demolished lamp to the furious woman stomping out from the kitchen area. She threw a fucking knife at me! The shock of her attack was something he hadn't felt in a very long time, and he was once again grateful for the training that allowed him to distinguish the slight shift in the air that told him something was flying towards his head. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and placed his poker face on as he studied her next move. She stopped by the dining table and screamed in frustration as she shook her head quickly back and forth, her face lost in the pink tangle of her hair. She finished by flipping the locks back over her head and staring at him with blazing eyes. To Sasuke she looked insane. Heh and everyone thought I was crazy.

"How dare you say those things to me after everything I've done for you!" This is just some stupid temper tantrum because of earlier? He bristled with annoyance. "What exactly have you done besides annoy the hell out of me?" His voice was calm. I must not loose control, must not loose control. "What do you mean what have I done? I cook, and clean, and smile, I do your damn laundry! And all you do is brood and go poor fucking you." Her face was becoming extremely red, and Sasuke focused on it like a bull on its target. Poor fucking me?

"You have no idea what I have been through!" He hissed the words, his calm rapidly deteriorating. Her eyes shone with fire, and he could feel the anger radiating off both of them in waves. "You think you are the only one who has suffered for your selfishness?" Selfishness? She is so stupid, she has no idea. She continued without a breath. "You- I sacrificed everything for you! My reputation, my family, my love life! Everything I did for your sorry ass that was obsessed with petty revenge and didn't give a fuck what happened to me!"

"My love life!" The words struck Sasuke and created a new anger. A cheated feeling coursed through him, and his aura darkened to a frightening coolness that Sakura, too caught up in her own emotional breakdown, didn't notice. "You mean Naruto." His murmur stopped her short, and she dropped her arms, that were previously waving around, in confusion. "W-what?" Sasuke let out one short bark of laughter and took a small step forward: She countered by leaning slightly back, as if even that small amount of space lost was too much.

Sasuke dropped his head to look at the bamboo rug under his feet. "You sacrificed everything for Naruto. Not me," His thoughts were obscured by what he had heard exchanged the previous night. "…It's just Naruto needed me to do this …" "Your love for him gets in the way." "Naruto, Naruto, Naruto, everyone just loves him so much, especially you after you realized I wasn't going to return your pathetic feelings." His breathing was regulated, but when he raised his face to look back at her once more, it was contorted with ugly fury, something that had her mouth opening with surprise. . "Was that why you wanted to kill me Sakura," Yes I know about that you self-righteous bitch, he hungrily lapped up her wide, surprised eyes as he continued, "So your precious Naruto wouldn't have to get hurt? Is that why Naruto had to beat the shit out of you?"

He took another step forward, but this time she took one step towards him as well, her jaw snapping shut with fury. "So you wouldn't have to deal with dark, mean Sasuke?" Her answer was immediate, although he wished it wasn't.

"Yes, I love Naruto. He has done more for me than you ever will! He deserves my love, unlike you who had your head shoved so far up your ass that your were practically killing yourself because you couldn't get over your brother!"

"Don't you dare talk about him! You have no idea what you are talking about!" All thoughts of control were banished; replaced with the urge to punish her for her insolence.

He saw red at how her face twisted into a rueful smirk that did not suit her face. Sakura isn't supposed to look like that. "Oh, I don't?" The sweetness in her voice made him nauseous. "Tell me Sasuke, how did it feel to kill him? How did it feel to find out that he wanted you to?" His regulatory breathing turned into short, heavy pants. The look in her eyes was merciless as she went in for the kill. "How did it feel to know that you sacrificed everything to foolishly slaughter your loving brother?"

In a flash he was before her. She didn't change expression, but kept her eyes locked with his as he roughly grabbed her throat and slammed her into the wall. A pleasure shot through him at the painful crack that echoed when her head hit the wall, but she stayed calm as her hands came up to grasp his arm that held her throat. He could feel every beat of her heart, every breath, the blood flowing through her veins. I hold her life in the palm of my hand. "You know nothing! You have no right to talk about him after what he sacrificed for you and your precious village!"

Sakura fought back the groan that threatened to erupt from her lips as a flash of white light temporarily blinded her. She clenched her jaw shut tight as her eyes focused on the enraged boy in front of her. This is not Sasuke. Something tore through her chest as she looked at the monster in front of her that bore no resemblance of her old teammate, even of the person who uttered the words that shattered her reality earlier that morning. No, this is something that was meant to be locked up and never brought out. Even as the thought resounded through her head, she felt electrified. A sick adrenaline rushed through her at the ability to get this reaction out of him. More than just a slant of his eyes, something true.

This scared her more than the temporary loss of mind that her husband seemed to be suffering from at the moment.

With this new power, she couldn't keep her inner self from speaking out and seeing what a reaction she could get as she grasped onto the muscles in his arm that were bulging from the effort to hold her up. "Tell me Sasuke, how many pills and needles did you stick up your arm to get that power to kill hi-"

"Shut up!" His scream sent spit flying out of his mouth, but she didn't notice since he had thrown her from the wall to the table with a flick of his wrist. She gasped as the edge hit her stomach, forcing her to bend over, and the wind to get knocked out of her lungs. Before she could gain it back, he was behind her, his hand on the back of her neck, holding her face to the surface as he pressed his back against her. "I told you to not speak of him." His harsh whisper and hot words brushed passed her ear as she gasped in the first gulp of air she could, only to expel it with her next blow.

"How many drugs did you take without question, just because you were so desperate to-" Her sneering sentence was cut short as he lifted her head and slammed it into the table once more. The light from the sliding door reminded her of something. "Hmm. Don't you think the ANBU is going to do something about this?"

To her aggravation, he only barked that harsh laughter into her ear. "Sakura, we are husband and wife, this could be just harsh foreplay before the big event for all he fucking knows." His casual manner of speaking gave her pause and tense. Suddenly, she was very aware of the position they were in, and a new type of fear washed through her. He wouldn't, he wouldn't no matter how dark he gets. She swallowed thickly, trying to not move and to control her face. "What are you going to do Sasuke, rape me?" To her relief, her strangled whisper made his breath still, and the force of his hold let up just a little bit. She used this momentary lap to jab her elbow upwards towards his face, of course he leaned back and she missed, but then she brought her leg up to round-house kick him. He grabbed her foot and her right shoulder, and threw her over the table. She collided with the wall on her right side, and the rough texture scratched up the side of her arm, but she was able to land on her feet before turning to face him with a glare.

"Get out." She bit the words out at him. He looks calmer. Even so, she wanted him gone. He didn't move. "I said leave! I've had enough of you!" He seemed unaffected by her words. Huffing in frustration at the inability to make him do anything, and feeling useless once more, she stomped right passed him and out of the apartment, not sparing him a second glance.

Sasuke, how did it get like this?

Damn it. "Tch." He reacted only after she was long gone, and the slam of the door stopped reverberating through his head. He stood, staring down at the cherry table for a moment, lost in thought. I hurt her. But she was talking about Itachi. That's no excuse to loose my cool and attack her. He replayed the entire conversation, slowly. She didn't even mention him until after I was yelling at her. Damn it. Stupid Sakura.

He raised his gaze until he was looking straight ahead before he turned, as if he was going to sit on the couch, but he glanced outside on the way there. That was all it took to capture the person in the tree and erase all memory of what happened, replacing it with Sakura finishing lunch and both of them eating lunch before she announced she was going out. Foolish Danzo, as if his ANBU could really stop me from doing what I want.

He couldn't help the smirk that crept onto his features as his eyes transformed back into their endless obsidian. He saw that the ANBU did not even move from his position, not even a shake of his head. Good, he didn't realize I cast the genjutsu. He turned back and went to take a shower to cool off the anger lingering after his fight with Sakura.

"Wow that's harsh." Sakura looked up, past the flowers she was toying with as she leaned against the counter with her right hand propping her head up. "I know, he should have just whipped open a kunai and stabbed me in the chest!" She sighed as she went back to tracing the veins one of the broad green leaves. She was aware of Ino finishing her arrangement with a final tug on a purple ribbon. "There." The blonde looked over at her depressed friend. "You know, Sasuke is a guy, so he probably doesn't understand what he said, and it seems like he was only trying to stop a fight between the two of you."

She resisted the urge to sigh once more as cool disappointment trickled down into her belly. She doesn't understand. Sakura graced her friend with a dry look,"Ino, we were at the training grounds, we were there to fight. I don't know, it seemed like he just wanted to tell me off, like he was itching to do it." Sakura watched as her friend focused on the wooden counter top, biting her bottom lip suspiciously. Ino doesn't act like that; she doesn't want to tell me what she thinks. Suddenly it felt like it was her against the world.

I wish Naruto was here, he would understand.

Sakura turned her head slightly away from her companion, hoping that it seemed like she was inspecting the flower more closely, and rapidly blinked the blurriness from her eyes. "Hey forehead you know what we should do?" The cheerful tone had Sakura swinging her face back towards the now smiling blonde. "What Ino." The soft voice made the smile waver, but not drop completely. "We need to have a girl's night!" The exclamation had Sakura's lips pulling up automatically. "Yeah, that's a great idea, you better be ready because I think I really need to let loose tonight." Ino raised one neatly trimmed brow, "Don't kid yourself forehead, you've never been able to keep up with me." Sakura playfully narrowed her green eyes, "That's because I don't use my mind jutsu to gain access to alcohol." Ino took in a breath to retort, but she was interrupted. "Who is using their mind jutsu?"

Both of the girl's eyes widened before they plastered on toothy grins and turned towards the questioner. "Oh just this really crazy girl from the academy Mrs. Yamanaka, no one you would know." Sakura's voice raised an octave automatically whenever she was talking to adults she wanted to impress, especially when talking to Ino's mother who wasn't exactly ecstatic with Sakura's marriage to Sasuke. The woman who donned an apron with flowers sewed to the bust hummed at the two teenagers with the disbelieving look. "Mama, Sakura and I were thinking about a girl's night tonight. Can I go out?" The woman looked from her daughter to the pinkette beside her. "Your…husband isn't going is he?" It seemed she had just as much trouble as Sakura had in trying to wrap around the idea that she was married. It still throws me for a loop whenever someone calls me Mrs. Uchiha. That bastard. Inside, Sakura was breaking glass at the mention of her dearly beloved. The outside barely wavered in it's tight grin. "Oh no," She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Just Ino and I, the girls. We do have an extra bedroom if we stay out too late though, and Ino is welcomed to stay if it is okay with you Mrs. Yamanaka." The woman pursed her lips in thought, once again looking between the two. "I suppose it is alright, if you are home early tomorrow Ino, we have a wedding order to do." The blonde jumped up and down in excitement, and Sakura pushed off of the counter to stand up straight with a true grin. "Okay, well I suppose I should go now, I'll see you later Ino." Said girl sobered enough to ask her friend before she exited the shop, "Same place as usual?" Sakura threw a hand over her shoulder in departure. "Yeah, yeah, around eight thirty."

He inhaled deeply as the cooling wind blew across his face. He could feel the shift in the air and was starting to become aware of the shimmer of sweat that formed on his face, making it feel sticky. It's going to storm. Opening his dark eyes, they were met with dark grey, billowing clouds that had rolled in swiftly, obscuring the setting sun. Sasuke liked this weather. It was as if the air was filled with electricity, lying in wait for the battle of the storm. Loud cracks and explosions from the sky could be heard in the distance, signaling its approach.

This would be a good time to practice chidori. His aim was a bit off when attracting the lightning. The left corner of his lips pulled down when he recalled the last time he had used that technique. It almost killed him. Even so, he couldn't practice his chidori; it broke his chakra restriction agreement. He resisted a sigh. Too many witnesses. When the first flash of light made pseudo daylight, Sasuke rose from his position on the roof with a push of his hand. Familiar whistling made its way to his ears, and he looked down to see the ex-mist ninja sauntering down the dirt street. Sasuke gracefully dropped onto the balcony below, absorbing the shock of the landing by letting his body move into a squat.

Shifting his eyes to the sliding door to his left, Sasuke found that his view was blockaded by the curtains draught shut. He straightened. Stupid girl, having another temper tantrum. He had been aware of the girl returning to the abode about an hour before while he was lounging on the roof above. He pulled his lingering gaze from the closed door, and made his way to its twin that led to the living room. When he stepped out of the bedroom earlier, he was surprised to find that instead of two, there was just one long balcony that ran the length of the apartment.

He entered and took the time to twist slightly behind him and soundlessly glide the door closed. Turning, he walked towards the kitchen, only to diverge off of his path when a series of rapid knocks changed his course to the front door. Sasuke opened it to be met with the unsurprising view of Suigetsu's grin. Wordlessly, he turned and continued to the kitchen, leaving the door open for the white-haired teen to enter. "Oh, why thank you, I think I will come in if you insist." His sarcastic comment was followed by a toothy grin that went unnoticed by Sasuke, who had seated himself on one of the barstools. I'm not in the mood for you right now.

"Did you get it?" He laced his fingers before his face with the elbows on the counter, but he kept his dark eyes trained on the other ninja as he walked around the side of the granite counter, into the kitchen. His large sword was not present. Hm, interesting. "Yeah, yeah I got it." The water-nin dismissed Sasuke's question with a wave of his hand, before he made a face of repulsion with his nose scrunched up. "Why do you need so many onions?" Sasuke didn't look at the offending objects. Because Kohona ninja are a bunch of weak, overemotional,

"How dare you say those things..." Bitchy girls.

His fingers braced each other more forcefully. "Ask Sakura." The sneer in his tone had the other boy raising his eyebrow at him in question. "Should I ask her where some food is also?"

"Check the fridge smartass." The comeback had Suigestu smiling again before he turned around to begin his quest for food in the fridge. "Ah, I'm surprised you didn't have me ask Sakura, you do have some host qualities Sasuke." He pulled out some raw fish and brought it over to the counter in front of Sasuke.

Sasuke frowned internally at his expensive choice of food. Why couldn't he grab one of her stupid fruity snacks, or onigiri? Damn smooching bastard. Sasuke watched as Suigetsu drew a fork out of one of the drawers and took a bite out of the fish before he grinned cheekily once more. Annoyed by his divergence from the topic, Sasuke creased his brow at him. "What did you find?" Suigestu calmly continued his motions as if he was simply eating, but when he bowed his head in the appearance of cutting the fish with the side of the fish he murmured his reply, "They didn't know anything." His words hidden from the observer in the tree by Sasuke's back.

What? Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean they didn't know anything?" Suigestu flicked his eyes up once. "I mean, that he hasn't moved, there is no activity what so ever." Doubt immediately filled Sasuke. This doesn't seem right, not after him being so close to his goal. "How can you be sure they weren't lying?" Damn it, if we don't know what the hell he is doing, how are we supposed to counter it? Suigestu breathed a laugh before looking at Sasuke fully with sparkling eyes. "Thirty-six hours of torture from me, and then that Ibiki guy, would you still withhold information?"

If only you could see this side of your precious Suigetsu, would you still fool around with him? No. Sasuke had the urge to storm into the bedroom and drag her out by her hair to see that this was her light-hearted friend; he wanted to shatter that image of a watered down Naruto and have her cringe away from Suigetsu just like she seemed to cringe away from me, she hates me.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Suigestu's false shutter. "Man, I wouldn't want to be left alone with that guy. He's almost as frightening as you Sasuke." Sure, whatever. "This isn't like him, there is something wrong." Suigetsu nodded his head in assessment before popping another piece of fish into his mouth. "That's what I thought, but maybe he is waiting for that baka to come to him, you know during a mission or something." Immediately, Sasuke threw that explanation out of the window. "No, they are only sending him on B missions within fire country, not more than thirty miles from the village, he told me himself. No, there must be something he is waiting for." But what? With his abilities, he could easily move in and take Naruto from within Fire country. His eyes darkened with frustration at not being able to determine the enemy's motive.

"Hey, what happened to your lamp?" Sasuke snapped his attention back to a dumbfounded Suigetsu. He narrowed his eyes at being reminded of that afternoon. "What are you going to do to me Sasuke, rape me?" What? No, no of course not. The slight fright that slide through her voice at those words, which were absent when he held her throat in his hand, squeezed it, left him feeling queasy. "We had a disagreement." The white-haired boy snorted before slightly shaking his head and returning to his food. "Yeah, some disagreement, it looks like-" The boy, who had looked up while talking froze, his eyes wide, and his mouth left open for the next word he was going to utter. His fork slide between his fingers and landed with a clatter on the counter. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his expression; he could only guess who it was since he saw the figure move in the reflection of Suigetsu's eyes.

"Hello Suigetsu." Slowly, Sasuke turned in the direction of his current bane of life. What he saw made him widen his eyes in disbelief. "H-" The addressed boy cleared his throat with a cough. "Hello Sakura, where are you off to looking so nice?" The girl laughed at his words, her head thrown back as she laughed up at the ceiling, even as a faint blush rose to her cheeks. "Oh, no where special, just going out with a friend." Sasuke felt himself heating up when she cut a look that could only be described as seductive in their direction. He saw the anger and scorn directed at him though. If she is going out like that she is crazy. The only thing that's going to do is- oh. At the realization of exactly why Sakura would dress up in such a way, Sasuke felt his pride prickle, and he tightened his jaw in response to the feeling.

Her hair, which was just slightly past her shoulders, was sporadically curled in spirals and left free to hang. Her normally makeup free face, well, since I've gotten back, had smoky eyes with black liner around them. Her lips sparkled just as much as her green eyes do to the makeup bringing out the color. When she got up from tugging on her knee-high black stiletto boots, which a pair of dark wash jeans were tucked into that hugged her ass in such a way that- She can not go out like this, she was two inches taller. Her shirt, when she turned to pick up her keys and money Sasuke was left wondering if it could even be considered that since the back was simply strings that ran up her back to the halter top, seemed to be a thick belt at the bottom, the way it clung to her lower hips, and it was cut so that the rest of her hips were viewable, and the material went from skin tight at the bottom to rippled as it dipped dangerously low between her breasts and continued up her shoulders to where it connected at the nape of her neck.

The black color brought out the bright uniqueness of her hair, and made her slight tan more defined. There is no way I can let her go like that. "I can escort you Sakura." Sasuke snapped his head around to glare daggers at Suigestu's request, and the crack at "escort", and then he just as quickly turned back around to glare at the girl.

"You can't go out like that." His statement only made her hum at him before she looked back over her shoulder. "Watch me, besides it's not like you care anyways." I wouldn't care if you weren't my fucking wife, having guys drooling over her as she parades around like some whore. Even as the thought crossed his mind, Sasuke knew it wasn't true, it was something else. There was some other reason that his blood seemed to boil whenever Suigetsu or Naruto got too close. Or if some guy sees her in that, it's different now that she actually attracts men. But he couldn't let her know that, sosomehow, he stayed rooted to the spot even as she stepped out of the door, slamming it with a bang.

"That seems like more than a disagreement to me." Sasuke closed his eyes in an effort to obliterate the annoyance beside him who had resumed eating.

"'esides, she 'uked 'ot."

His fingers twitched with the yearning to gag him.

Sasuke slowly made his way up the steps of the apartment building later that night, his back straighter then when he was younger. Now that I'm stronger. When he glided up the last two steps that would lead him to his designated floor, he became aware of people in the apartment that was his destinatoin. His eyes blankly slide to the door, never once betraying his thoughts. So she decided to come home after a night of dicking around. Anticipation, anger, and somehow relief all washed through him in a swirl of emotions before they drained out. He didn't even pause at this revelation as he grasped the cool door knob with his long fingers and turned it. When the door swung open, he was met with the sight of Sakura and Ino, who was even more scantily dressed than Sakura, dancing around the living room to a western song he wasn't familiar with and devouring red popsicles. At least she didn't wear a skirt like that. I don't think even Karin would wear something that short.

Ooh, baby, baby
Baby, baby
Oooh, baby, baby,

The pair didn't seem to notice his enterance since they continued their dancing around, facing each other as they sang the song off tune. He wanted to flinch at the earsplitting cries that were the result of their attempt at singing.

Yo, yo, yo, yo, baby-pop
Yeah, you come here, gimme a kiss
Better make it fast or else I'm gonna get pissed,

Once he removed his shoes, Sasuke turned back to the kunoichis who seemed to have had temporarily lost any sort of dignity whatsoever as they continued moving suggestively with the song. How the hell can they do this? Aren't they supposed to be goody-goodies?

Can't you hear the music's pumpin' hard like I wish you would?
Now push it
Push it-

"Hey! Why did you do that?" Sasuke removed his finger from the stereo system that he had effectively shut off, and met Sakura's whine and angered face with a blank stare. Her brow was wrinkled, and she looked slightly sweaty from the dancing. I hope it was from the dancing. He banished the conjectures about what she could have been up to all night, and instead turned his attention to the blonde, who was obviously intoxicated. His bland expression twisted into one of displeasure at her blood-shot eyes and swaying manner. His eyes flicked back over to the sober one. "It's two in the morning."

She placed her hands on her hips and raised her nose in a haughty manner. It's how she deals with opposition. He immediately recognized the position. "Yeah, which is why we came back here." Oh right, the bars all close at one, how could I forget? She was being purposely obtuse, and this prickled his annoyance. "She needs to go home." He flicked his head in the other one's direction. Sasuke was extremely aware of her mooneyes, and it was slightly unsettling. "No, she's staying here." What? Dark eyes stared threatening down at the self-righteous pinkette who had her eyes closed in finality. "No she is not." He hissed the denial through gritted teeth. I've dealt with too much today; I am not in the mood for another round with her.

Sakura opened her eyes to slits, but before she could open her mouth, which seems to piss me off more and more, the blonde opened hers. "Ne, Sasuke-kun, are you that mean that you would throw me out?" The feuding couple both turned their attention towards her, one with an incredulous stare, and one with annoyed disgust at her drawn out, whining voice. He quickly returned his obsidian eyes to his wife. "She is not staying here." His tone was one of finality, so of course she challenged it. "You can not honestly expect me to allow my best friend, who is inebriated, to wander the streets at two in the fucking morning." It wasn't a question. Sasuke was well aware that it was a statement that was meant to persuade him to allow the annoying, drunk, obsessed girl to stay over. "It isn't my problem." He stood proud with his hands on his hips, regarding her coolly in the stance he reserved for annoyances like Karin and her, but she only rolled her eyes in exasperation.

He distinctively heard her mutter "Kami-sama," before she turned and took her companion's arm around her shoulder. "Come on Ino you're staying in the guest bedroom." His top lip rose in a silent snarl at her disregard of him and his wishes. He turned sideways to further watch them travel down the hallway. "You're right Forehead, he is an asshole." What the hell? She called me that? Of course she would go crying to her friend after mean Sasuke pissed her off and hurt her feelings. His mental tone was mocking. "Tch." Turning away, he still managed to catch Sakura's dry reply. "You want to switch Pig? I'll let you drool over him all night long." Stupid girls.

After she finished tugging a passed-out Ino into the guest bedroom, Sakura made her way to her own bedroom. She walked over to her designated dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts and tang top for pajamas. She was not oblivious to the threatening presence that was leaning against the bedroom wall by the bed; however, she did ignore it as she unbuttoned her jeans and began the struggle to remove them from her person. Damn things, I love the way they look, but it's a pain to try to put them off and get them back on.

Normally, Sakura was a modest girl, and never in a million years did she think that she would strip in front of Sasuke, well except when I was little and daydreamed about being married to him, her mouth curved slightly in a self-mocking smirk. Congratulations, wish granted, but at the moment, she didn't really care that he was standing across the room from her as she slowly itched the pants down to reveal her lacey black underwear. It's not like he even cares. The material continued to be stubborn as she wiggled he butt, shifting her weight from one leg to the other in an effort to make them slide down.

"Where were you?" His deepened voice rang out with a demand to be answered, but she did not bend. Stubborn as a mule, she focused on the task of removing her clothes. Finally, the jeans loosened and easily fell down her thighs, and she gracefully stepped out of them. Picking them up, off the ground and beginning to fold them, she replied nonchalantly, "I told you I was out for a girl's night."

"So that's what you call going out looking like a whore and getting shit-faced? How did you get the alcohol, some appreciative guys buy it for you?" Her mouth momentarily went slack at his accusations, but she quickly tightened it the next moment. Don't let him see how he affects me, some whore? I did not look like a whore. Keeping her self-control, she calmly replied,

"You mean Ino getting shit-faced." And yes I had a drink. Sakura grimaced a little as she turned away to place the jeans on the dresser and begin taking her shirt off. The alcohol always burned her throat terribly and left her feeling sick, so she never drank much. "And the alcohol was obtained by Ino's…expertise." Her mind jutsu actually, but Sasuke could interrupt that however he wanted to. And yes there were boys. She silently added, but she didn't want to be called a whore again. She smiled slightly at the thought of the golden-eyed boy who had accompanied them with his friend from one place to another and had danced with her practically the whole night. I had almost completely forgotten about Sasuke until he came home.

She shrugged the tang top over her head before turning around. "And yes, I did dress up, because Kami forbid I like feeling like a girl every once in a while!" She finished her half yelled sentence with wide eyes and slightly irregular breath. She looked down at the floor beneath her feet for a moment to calm herself before turning around and grabbing the shorts and stepping into them as she continued in a resigned voice. "Look, I don't want to fight tonight, so let's just," She paused, taking a deep breath that raised her shoulders as she searched for the right word. "Stop, let's just stop." I'm so tired. Tired of fighting, tired physically, emotionally. "You had no qualms about fighting when you through a knife at my head."

She looked at him in disbelief, her mouth parted just slightly and her brow scrunched. Why is he keeping this up? "Well earlier, you practically ripped my pride away from me and drove me into the ground with humiliation in front of your team!" She spat the detested word at him. "And where were you while I was gone, huh?" She placed her hands firmly on her hips as she turned the tables on him. How do you like it? He lifted himself from the wall and took two steps towards her. "I was with Karin, and sorry to ruin your little dream world of us being a perfect couple." He was bent at the waist towards her, and his hand swiped through the air as he spoke. The words were a hot poker of blatant insensibility.

"I was with Karin." Of course he would be with Karin. Sakura kept her voice soft, conscious of Ino slumbering in the next room. "I didn't want this. I didn't want you. I- God, who wants to get married at seventeen! I wanted to date, and giggle, and blush when my boyfriend kissed my cheek after he walked me home! I did not want to marry a selfish, uncaring dick! So stop assuming that I am obsessed with you!" She sighed in tired-frustration then began to purposely walk to her side of the bed, fighting back tears. "I'm going to bed you can do whatever you want. Go back to Karin." She sneered the last part at him before plopping into bed and pulling the covers up to completely cover her as she turned away from him. Why does he keep doing this?

Sakura focused on blinking the tears away and biting her lip to keep he unstable breaths in check as the light clicked off and the other side of the bed sank under Sasuke's weight as he slid into bed, as far away from her as possible.

She groaned as she blinked her heavy green eyes open. Her whole body felt weary, and it was still dark. Noooo, I need more sleep. She blinked a few more times and turned her gaze to her nemesis alarm clock that read a quarter to five. I've only been sleeping for what and hour and a half maybe? Ugh. I have work in three hours.

She was brought out of her self-pitying thoughts by a shift in the bed, which was then followed by an arm that bumped against her shoulder. It was startling, and she jumped a little, now completely awake. Sakura braced her hands on either side of her and rose to a half-sitting position as she looked over at Sasuke's dark form in the dark.

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light that filtered through the blinds of the sliding door behind her as she focused on him. He seems to be having a nightmare. Every few seconds, he would shift or throw his arms somewhere as his feet slide up and down the bed alternatively. Sakura's features arranged themselves into an expression of concern when he groaned and whimpered. This isn't right. I haven't seen him like this since the chunnin exams. A white tooth came out to bite her bottom lip at the reminder of one the scariest times of her life.

Deciding that it would probably be best to wake him out of his pained dream, she tentively whispered his name.

"Sasuke." Her voice, hoarse from sleep didn't have any effect on the distressed boy. She cleared her throat and called out a little louder. "Sasuke." He just groaned and turned away from her. She rolled her eyes and knelt forward to crawl over to him. "Sasuke!" She leaned over him and called his name harshly to no avail. She scooted her knees closer, the sheets making her movements smooth and easy. She leaned further over his figure to see that his face was covered in a sheen of sweat. "Ugh. Mph."

Brushing her bangs back, she lightly settled her hand on his upper arm and called out again as she shook him slightly. "Sasuke, come on, wake up. Sasuke wake up, Sasu-" It was like watching it all in slow motion even though it happened in the blink of an eye. With wide eyes, she watched him raise and turn quickly, his red eyes filled with fury and hate as his hands came up. Her kneeling position over him made it impossible for her to move out of his reach quick enough, and the scream was caught like a mouse in her throat as, in the blue light, his furious eyes turned to wide ones of surprise. She could only close her eyes in defense before there was an awful burn, and then nothing.

"Shit." Sasuke quickly threw the covers off of him as he rushed to Sakura's side, not even bothering to call out her name; it would be useless. She had flown backwards, off of the bed, and had landed with a thud on the hardwood floor at the foot of the bed. Sasuke was by her side, inspecting her. Why the hell was she leaning over me? Kami, Sakura be okay, be okay. He tried to ignore the stench of burnt flesh already as he pulled her shirt down harshly, ignoring her breasts that were left viewable. Sasuke was too focused on what was under them. Swiftly, he leaned his head down to her chest and listened.

There was nothing.

He pulled back and scanned her face, which made her look asleep. Don't, do not do this. Sakura. You can't. Without another thought, he transported them to the hospital.

In a swirl of smoke, they appeared in the middle of the emergency reception. He gripped the paling girl tighter as he tried to open his eyes against the sudden, blinding light. "Help, she isn't breathing. Help." He was aware of people shouting and footsteps getting closer as he looked back down at her. He was still seated on the floor; the same position he teleported in. Come on, come on you're not just going to die on me. He mentally screamed at her, trying to get her to do what he wanted. Like when we were younger, please just this once stop being so stubborn and do this! He let one of the nurses slide her out of his arms, and he rose to follow the gurney into the emergency room.

Everyone was yelling at someone else. There was urgency in all their voices as they fought to be heard.

"Get the heart monitor going!"

"Start CPR!"

"She isn't breathing!"

"Get an IV!"

Sasuke, in a daze, backed up to a wall as he watched the chaotic scene unfold before him. I did this to her, this is my fault. Guilt gnawed at his insides, and he turned his head away from his dying wife to see Shizune enter the room through the swinging doors. "Start the defibrillator!" Her voice rang out with a commanding tone that all the others lacked. A nurse cut Sakura's shirt down the middle until it was left in two halves, and her whole front was exposed. "Clear."

Shizune took the paddles and placed them on her upper right chest and lower left. Sasuke held his breath as the frail-looking girl's body jolted with the shock. The heart monitor was still flat-lined. Come on, come on there's still time. Come on Sakura! Sasuke kept his eyes trained on her pale form. Her lips were turning slightly blue when Shizune cleared for a second jolt. Again Sasuke held his breath, but to no avail.

"Damn it! Okay one more time. Come on Sakura!" He was unaware of the slight shaking of his hands as he watched the blue in her lips become more prominent. "Clear!" Suddenly, he was ripped out of the room by his shirt as the machine jolted Sakura for a third time. No! No! Damn it! He tried to push the hands off of him, but the person had a vice grip on him. He turned his head, as he was being forced to shuffle backwards with the person as they walked, to give the dirtiest look he could. She's dying, she's dying! "Stop, let me go! Release me!" His capturer halted and yanked Sasuke painfully until he stood beside him.

Three ANBU stood before him in the lobby where he had teleported. Breathing heavily, Sasuke regarded them with the darkest glare he could muster. He was still unaware of his shaking, but the gritting of his teeth was painful. After a few moments of tense silence, the middle ANBU spoke up.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you are under arrest for domestic violence and the breach of chakra usage regulated to you by the Hokage during probation. You are to come with us."

Oh dear, now what's going to happen? What happened to Sakura? I'm finding it increasingly more difficult to keep the characters, in character. I know Sasuke seems all over the place right now, but he is an enigma that will be explained later. Thanks for reading and review please! :) Lyrics are "Push it" by salt&pepper.