And yet, she couldn't let him think for a minute more that she was worthy of his love, because after what she had done to him, she was worthy of nothing. Not death, not a life full of suffering and dwelling on every last mistake that continued to build. She was not worthy of anything in this life, nor the next.

Dropping her arms, Aoi backed away from Sasuke, "I can't... I want so badly to enjoy this moment, to let you savor it, to tell you how much I missed you, but I don't deserve that luxury... I can't..." She tried to shake away the tears rolling down her cheeks, but her bloodstained eyes could do nothing produce more, "Sasuke, I can't marry you."

It was honestly the last thing he had expected her to say to him, the teen at a loss, "What?"

She would have sighed if she could, "I... I did something horrible..." She wanted to look away, to see anything other than his face as she ripped his heart out, but she couldn't look away from his orbs of onyx, "I cheated on you... While you were training, working to get stronger, I fell in love with someone else... I never meant to, but somehow, I fell in love with the one person I never should have..." Backing away, she shook her head, unsure of how to tell him what she did, "I gave a part of myself to the man that did this to you. I fell in love with your brother."

Ok, that was the last thing he had ever expected to hear. Forgetting for a moment the fact that she was his fiancée, how in the world could anyone have fallen in love with the likes of his older brother? Itachi was the root of all evil, so how could she possibly have formed any sort of a bond with him? Unless... was it possible that even despite his training, Itachi had been too strong for her, and as a final form of disrespect had manipulated her into believing some outlandish lie? Because there was just no way that she could have given her heart to him. Was there?

"I know that you want to believe that I'm lying, that I'm mistaken, and a part of me wishes that too, but it's true... I can't explain it to you, no matter how much I wish that I could, but I promised him that I wouldn't..." Aoi would have cried more, but she had spent the last several hours crying, so it just wasn't in her, "I fell in love with Itachi, knowing exactly who he was, and I gave myself to him. I know that we were engaged to be married, but I was so hurt, and we... We connected. I wish that I could explain why I did what I did, but there is no justification... I tried so hard to fight it, because I love you so much, but... Sasuke, I wish I could make it better, say that it was a lie or something I regret, but as much as I love you, I can't say that I regret it."

"..."

"I know that you will never forgive me, and I don't blame you, but you have to know... I love you too much to keep this a lie. I know you can never trust me again, that you doubt that I can love anything, let alone you, but you have to know that I do, from the bottom of my heart." Falling to the ground on her own, she bowed before him, "I understand if you never want to see me again, or if you want to kill me, and I want you to know that I don't blame you, and that I will honor whatever it is you wish of me."

"..."

Expecting some form of reply or other, Aoi looked up just in time to see Sasuke waver in place, knees buckling as he fell from consciousness. Of course he would have rushed to find her before resting after his fight...


Another! So, I put out two chapters in a day the last time... And worked on this one. What can I say, I'm on a roll!