Author's Notes: I promised the wait would be short, and so here it is! XD Enjoy the next chapter of Re-Writing a Fairytale! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

Disclaimer: I have nothing witty to say here so no, I do not own Naruto or its' characters, but I do claim ownership of this story plot however stereotypical it may be.


Chapter Eleven: A Sliver of Moonlight & A Slight Chance

Sakura had ridden long and hard, but eventually she had to stop. She couldn't see through her tears anymore.

She gently pulled the horse to a halt, and managed to slip off its side before collapsing on the ground right then and there and dissolving into tears. Finally allowing herself to explore every emotion that was threatening to overwhelm her.

Time passed.

She wasn't sure how much, but eventually the wracking sobs dwindled down to the dull numbness that usually followed heartbreak. Her body felt cold, damp, and stiff; her tears had slowed but continued to wet her face. And her thoughts drifted.

Unwanted memories surfaced.

Her bright fluttering childlike feelings from when she was first introduced to the Uchiha brothers by their warm and loving mother.

Her complete astonishment and wonder upon realizing just how deeply she could love one person, and how entirely different it was from loving her parents.

The mind shattering pain of losing such a person, and the earth shaking amazement at realizing that the person had never truly left.

The warmth and passion of her first kiss, and being able to share it with the one person she couldn't imagine life without anymore.

The indescribable joy and whirlwind of emotions when the same person promised to be with her for the rest of their lives together if she would accept him and be with him in return.

And then…this…

As her mind wandered through the roller coaster of emotions and remembered moments, the one person's face she wanted to forget more than any other stubbornly refused to leave her sights. And with the face came the Gift that connected them.

She began to become irritated and confused over the resounding emotions of Pain traveling down the line, and finding her where she was amongst the dark leaves and branches that she could hardly see in the darkness of the near-moonless night.

She tried her hardest to ignore it, and instead allowed her mind to keep wandering, resting it upon the thought of everyone and everything else she had left behind.

She hesitated in her musings and misery.

I know he doesn't want me, but…can I really abandon everyone else? He said that I was too weak for anyone, but never that they didn't want me.

Do they want me? Am I really too weak to help anyone?

Her thoughts ventured to all the training she had put herself through in the last twelve years; both Tsunade's tutelage and Kakashi-sensei's strict routine, and her eyes sparked with an inner fire.

No!

I am NOT weak! I put myself through all that for this. I've prepared myself for this my whole life. The Resistance recognized my strength at the meeting and approved of me, so who cares if he won't.

Her eyes traveled up to the small patch of night sky she could see through an opening in the tree branches above her, and noted the position of the sliver of moon that was left.

I traveled further than I thought. It's late. They should be preparing to act now.

She sighed miserably; one last sob escaping, alerting her that she had finally stopped crying, and her thoughts strayed to the plan.

They're going to free everyone from the dungeon cells first. That will add Hyuuga Neji and Aburame Shino to the fight.

And then it hit her.

"Hinata!" she suddenly exclaimed loud enough to startle the horse, but her thoughts began racing forward too fast for her to notice.

What if I set her free on my own? That's one last thing they have to worry about, and it'll show him! I can too be useful. I'll prove to them I'm worth keeping!

With her mind set and her bleeding heart still aching, but determined to show the world differently she climbed to her feet and dusted herself off before climbing back on to her horse. She turned around and headed back at a quick pace. She didn't have much time.

----------

Dawn was just rising over the horizon, alighting everything in its glow when she came into view of the tall sandy colored fortress once more. She was damp and cold, but she pushed her physical aliments aside and focused on the task before her.

Sakura was careful to keep to the shadows of the forest so that no one would notice her approach if they happened to look out a window. She slipped silently off her horse and stole through the darkness until she was crouched just under the nearest window.

Her dark cloak was still wrapped around her body and hiding her for only a few more precious moments as the sky lightened by the minute. The heavens slowly but steadily drifting from a dark grayish blue to an ever-deepening orange of sunrise as she rose up just enough to peer in through the nearest window.

Noting that the coast was clear she stealthily opened the window just wide enough to hoist her body inside. She landed gently on a rug on the other side, silencing any noise her feet would have made, and just as quietly slid the window shut once more.

The sun was now filtering through the trees, but inside the castle most of the halls were still darkened. Sakura used this to her advantage, and stole up a few of the hidden stairwells that she knew would be empty, and in no time at all was pushing the lever that opened the door to the tower.

Sakura took one last glance around the room before slipping into the other side of the mirror and making her way up the stairs, only breathing a sigh of relief when she had made it to the tower and ensured that she was alone in the hallway.

The without hesitation she approached the door, pulling a sturdy hairpin out of her inner pocket as she drew closer, and immediately set to picking the lock open.

"Who's there?" An alarmed feminine voice sounded in the silent room.

"Shhh," Sakura hushed. "It's just me Hinata."

"Sakura?" Hinata's anxious voice sounded from the other side of the door. "What are you doing? Where is everyone?" She kept her voice low, but it rose in pitch as she became more worried.

"There's been a slight change in plans," Sakura responded, her mind focused on the lock and concentrating on finding the catch. "I'm here alone."

"But-…what? What happened?"

Sakura hesitated a moment before figuring that they had always been honest with each other and plowing on ahead. "I left."

"You left?" A confused and incredulous Hinata asked.

Sakura spoke softly, willing herself to focus intently on the lock so that she wouldn't respond to the question with her emotions. "He told me I would only be in the way. That he didn't want nor need me, and once he had taken care of Itachi, the contract was null and void…but I came back. I'll prove that I'm not weak, even if I have to shove it down his throat to prove it," she bit out the last part in nearly a growl.

"…Sakura."

Click.

"Got it!" Sakura exclaimed proudly, before tugging the heavy lock aside and throwing the door open wide. Hinata stumbled out and nearly fell over before Sakura caught her.

"Careful," Sakura grinned happily. She set Hinata back upright, and allowed the Uzumaki fiancée to straighten herself up for a moment before grasping her hand and heading back down the hall toward the stairs. "Come on, let's-"

Sakura froze on the spot as a flurry of echoes slammed into her. Fear. Panic. Anger.

Danger.

Pain.

"Sakura?" Hinata's frightened and alarmed voice reached Sakura's ears as if through a filter. "What's wrong? You're as pale as a ghost, and your squeezing my hand too tightly."

"Something went wrong," Sakura murmured with a certainty that grew with each passing moment.

"What?!" Hinata voice was now filled with overwhelming distress and fear.

Sakura turned to her companion, to discover that they had identical looks of fear etched across their faces. "Something's happened! We need to-"

A massive echo of Pain burst into Sakura before everything cut itself off abruptly.

"Sasuke!"

What color that had remained drained from her face. Without waiting another moment, Sakura grasped Hinata's hand more firmly and half-dragged her down the stairs and ran in a blind panic from the tower. Together they raced to the area where the inside Resistance should have been- the dungeons. Forcing them to slow only when they drew upon the door, and stopping right in front of its entrance.

Panting for breath Sakura grabbed the nearest torch off the wall and eased the door open a crack. Hearing a noise she came to her senses enough to shove Hinata behind her, signaling her to keep silent. They waited, absolutely silent, listening to the noises below, but not hearing it draw closer.

Sakura turned to Hinata and whispered. "I'm going alone."

"What? No-"

"You are not coming with me Hinata," Sakura argued back. "Naruto would kill me if anything happened to you, and if anything happens to me I want to know that you at least got away. Please," she pleaded. "Promise me that you'll leave and stay hidden no matter what happens."

Hinata opened her mouth to argue, but caved after studying the look in Sakura's eyes. She sighed heavily. "Alright."

Sakura embraced the young woman before her. "Thank you." She smiled ruefully before giving Hinata the exact directions to the window she had entered through, where she had left her horse, and the way to the Resistance. She stayed put until Hinata was out of sight before bolting down the stairs, her feet barely whispering on the cold, damp, stone ground beneath her.

Down and around she went until it suddenly cut off and Sakura doused her light, praying that no one had seen it, and cursing herself silently for being so stupid. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before peering around the corner, stifling a strangled gasp in the process. What met her eyes was the entire Inside resistance scattered about the room in a sorry looking state.

She heard and felt the stirring at the same time, and immediately located a beaten and exhausted Sasuke trying to fend off Itachi, too hurt to defend himself properly.

"Bastard, I'll kill you," said person hissed out through his teeth and pain at his older brother.

"Foolish little brother," Itachi's even monotone voice reached every corner of the room even though he never made an effort to raise his voice. "You're not strong enough from our last encounter to even begin thinking about that. If you had kept her here, you might have stood a chance."

"Like I'd let you touch her," Sasuke bit back. "She's my fiancée."

"According to the contract Haruno Sakura was yours, but since you're 'dead' I do believe that she now belongs to me." He leaned closer. "And I can do whatever I want with her."

"Bastard," Sasuke snarled and tried to use his good hand to dig a dagger into Itachi's arm, but Itachi merely caught it with the ease of swatting away a fly, threw it aside, and instead applied increasing pressure to Sasuke's still healing arm.

The resulting cry of pain stopped Sakura's heart cold, and she felt a wave of nausea rise in the pit of her stomach. She slammed a hand to her mouth and bent over, before noticing for the first time that the thrown dagger had all but planted itself at her feet.

And suddenly…it didn't matter.

The entire argument Sasuke had picked with her the night before didn't matter to her. She realized now that he had purposefully said all those things to enrage her.

To make her leave. To keep her out of harm's way. To protect her.

He had said it himself, she was his fiancée and that was all she needed to forgive him in that instant and throw her into the fight without a second thought.

She picked the dagger up off the ground, and rushed forward as Itachi drew out his own sword and raised it high above Sasuke's neck.

"Now die with the knowledge that your revenge was always in vain," Itachi stated bringing his arm down in a sweeping arc.

Metal clanged against metal, resounding off the walls in an almost musical wave of resonance.

The silence that followed was almost deafening as everyone who could was staring at Sakura like they had seen a ghost. She stood firmly over Sasuke, muscles straining against the force and weight from the older man bearing down on her, but her face set.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, hardly believing his own eyes, finally making the first sound. "When-? How-…Why?"

"I came back," Sakura replied as if she were stating the obvious.

"Foolish woman. You should have never returned," Itachi commented offhandedly. "You have only ensnared yourself further into this." His face showed no strain as he continued to bear down on Sakura, who in turn could feel her arms begin to shake from the exerted pressure. "Move."

"No," Sakura all but hissed out, never wavering or flinching away.

"Sakura, stop it. You can't handle this on your own," Sasuke tried to reason with her, cursing himself for not being able to be the one fending off Itachi.

"I can handle this just fine," Sakura retorted back.

"Take a look around you woman," Itachi stated. "Look at how the rest have ended up."

Sakura's look of determination and disgust deepened. "I did look. That's why I'm still here." Her breathing began to come uneven slightly, knowing she couldn't stand there much longer without breaking off the standstill; her arms were burning. "I can do this all day," Sakura bluffed. "I won't budge. So what now?"

All eyes turned toward Itachi. He studied the intense stance of the young Lady before him and contemplated his options. He was sure she wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer, but he too was drained of his usual energy. He didn't want to admit it, but going up against the entire Inner Resistance on his own had done him in a bit. Even his younger brother had been…troublesome. "Let's make a bargain."

Sakura's facial expression changed from surprise to wary in a matter of seconds. "What kind of a bargain?"

"What do you want?" Itachi questioned back.

Sakura's mind raced, and her eyes swept the room hurriedly, sparing a moment to glance behind her as well. "I want you to not kill a single person in this room," she finally made her decision.

"A high price. And what do I receive in return?"

"Me."

"Sakura, no!" Sasuke's alarmed voice rang out the loudest amongst the rest of the room's occupants that were still conscious.

"Interesting," Itachi responded, not even batting an eye. "In what way? Death?"

Sakura grimaced and steeled herself, collecting all of her thoughts together and forcing out the words she had sworn to never utter to another. "I'll marry you.

"If I marry you willingly my parents will have no reason to seek outside help, and rise up against you. They'll know it was my decision."

For the second time in a matter of minutes, the room rung with a stunned silence, its occupants wondering if they were hearing correctly. Their mouths lay agape, but too consumed by shock to form the words.

"Done," Itachi's controlled, low voice rang out with authority, sealing the deal without ever raising his voice. He immediately released the pressure he had continuously wielded, and Sakura struggled not to sag in relief. Her muscles all but limp from exhaustion. "Prepare yourself," was all he said before sweeping out of the room without a second glance back. He knew he had nothing to worry about from the pitiful fools lying and bleeding all over the stone floor, and they would be dealt with shortly. But he wouldn't kill them. He would keep his promise. And, if nothing else, Itachi always made good on his promises.

As the train of Itachi's own black and red cape swirled out of view, Sakura's legs collapsed from under her and she sat absolutely still on the ground, once again not caring what she sat in and vaguely aware that every pair of eyes were now on her.

"…Why?"

Sakura felt her eyes immediately tear up and leak over, trying to understand how she had any tears left to cry before answering. "I did what I had to do." She slipped off her shoulder pack; faintly amazed at how it always managed to stay right where it was needed, and opened it, taking out the ever-familiar medicinal kit.

Through blurry eyes she opened her wooden kit and stared at its contents, contemplating on how she would spread out her supplies amongst this many.

"Sakura?" Sasuke's voice broke through her musings.

"I'm not weak," she whispered. "Not anymore."

"…I know." He responded, his voice just as low. "I'm sorry."

And Sakura's own emotions clashed, collided and mixed with the echoes that swirled around inside her like a never-ending hurricane until she wasn't sure which were hers and which were Sasuke's. All she knew was that she had suddenly spun around and collapsed in his waiting arms, crying for all she was worth and wondering just how much life hated her, and what else it could possibly have in store for her.