I am so, so grateful that so many of you have followed my story and enjoyed it! I'd love to give you more, but this story is about done. I've been brainstorming about what to do next, and I'd really love all of your input!

Also, I've included my socials on my page. I'll be using my tumblr to post previews, polls, whatever features I can figure out lol I'm still torn between an original story and another Sasusaku story. Maybe I'll do both? Idk.

This is the second to last chapter...*internally cheering/weeping at the same time* Warning: There's a few time jumps in this!

PLZ R&R! It helps me be a better amateur writer. Constructive criticism is fine, but no flames. Thanks!

TBT 29: Wrapping Up

"I thought I'd lost you." Sasuke finally said after a long moment. It didn't have the effect he thought it might.

Something snapped in Sakura. Like a guitar string snapping with a twang.

His arms around her weren't comforting anymore, they were stifling. She ripped herself from them, grabbing onto her IV pole when she became unsteady. Sasuke looked at her with a mix of worry and confusion. She ignored the endearing looks. Her emotional scales tipped, the fury violently winning against the love she still had for him. Still being in love with him was one of the things that aggravated her so much.

The unconscious abyss of grey she'd been in after being shot wasn't her first trip to the darkness. She'd been stuck in it for months, not sure how to get out after he had callously cast her aside. Finally, she'd begun figuring things out without him. To get over the hurt. And here he was, sending her mixed signals and trying to suck her back in.

"You didn't lose me," She seethed, and took his gaze head on with hard eyes. "You let me go. Months ago."

Sasuke's face dropped. He knew he was guilty.

"Sakura, I-" Sasuke started, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I messed up. I shouldn't have done that. You know I'm terrible with feelings-" Sasuke stopped himself.

That was true. Sasuke was terrible at talking about feelings. But if he really loved her, he would put in the effort to try. Not just give up because it was 'too hard'. Sakura's nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed. "That's a bullshit excuse and we both know it."

When they argued, which had been rare when they dated, she was always the sensible one. The considerate one. Not anymore. This time, she would push him away because that's what she needed to do. She needed to lick her wounds, and then get on with her life. All this time she'd wasted by moping and wanting him back. Well, right now, she didn't want him anywhere near her.

"Sakura-"

"I don't want to hear it, Sasuke." She snapped, then instantly felt tired. Anger was draining. She hobbled the last few steps to her bed. Sasuke tried to help her, but this time she tore her arm away and gave him a fiery glare. He huffed and stepped back. Their reunion obviously wasn't going the way he expected it to go. 'good.' She internally seethed.

Sakura crawled back into bed, using the sheets as another protective, comforting barrier. Sasuke was her weakness. If she didn't get space from him, she was afraid she'd lose steam and start to change her mind. Sasuke stood there, unsure of what to do or what to say. She sighed, her demeanor softening.

"Just go, please." She said tiredly.

Sasuke looked like he was about to argue, but she reiterated before he could say anything. "Please go before my parents get here."

Sasuke shifted his weight, a frown on his face. "Okay." He answered quietly. "I will, but only if you promise to call me tomorrow. To let me know how you're doing."

"Fine." She said, exasperated. He hesitated, unsure how to say goodbye. "See you later." He said quietly. His footsteps were just as quiet as he stalked out of the room. Sakura held back a sob. She felt like she was going to cry. 'So much for being practical.' Had she hoped that he might stick around? A tiny part of her did, but he needed to go. She couldn't think straight when he was around her. Seeing him leave didn't give her relief she thought it might, but she was still convinced that this was for the best. Not finite; she just needed a break. Some time to herself. Sakura held back a sob; she felt like she was going to cry. 'So much for being practical.'

Ino entered the room nearly right after Sasuke left, tossing a concerned glance over her shoulder. Had she been listening? Ino quietly walked across the room and sat down in the chair next to Sakura's bed. "Are you okay?" She asked, and they both knew she wasn't asking about her shoulder. She had definitely been listening.

"Yeah, I think so."

There was a pause, and Sakura found Ino's silence strange. Where was the 'you go girl' cheer and the womanly slap on the back for taking the power back from her ex or something?

"Are you sure that's what you wanted?" Ino inquired.

"Weren't you the one encouraging me to empower myself and move on?" Sakura retorted, annoyed. She was now yanking at the frayed sheet as if she could rip it in two. Ino shrugged. Her blonde friend was being abnormally quiet, and her high from having a small win over Sasuke was squashed.

Sakura noticed a deck of cards on the table behind the flowers. "What's that?"

Ino shrugged again. "I asked Sheila if they had anything for waiting around besides the TV. We didn't want noise from the TV to disturb you."

Sakura glared at the deck of cards. They'd been civil enough to play card games together. In the same room? She unreasonably felt betrayed by the girl code. Wasn't Ino supposed to hate Sasuke? What had happened to all the fire she breathed over the past couple of months? 'What the hell did I miss while I was out?' Inane jealousy lit up as she thought about Sasuke and Ino being close, but she immediately dismissed the feeling. There was no reason to feel jealous; she was just frustrated that she didn't know why Ino had suddenly changed her mind about the 'oh so terrible and douchey'- paraphrased from Ino's words- Sasuke. She didn't like being cropped from the scene while the cameras were still rolling; like she had to buy the movie just to see the uncut version.

"What's up with your sudden truce with Sasuke? I thought you hated him?" Sakura finally asked outright.

"I do! I mean, I did. Ugh. I still hate how he hurt you. But Sakura…you didn't see how he reacted after you, ya know, got shot."

"What do you mean?"

"It means I think he has deeper feelings for you than he was willing to admit; he couldn't hide it when he was worried sick about you. It's hard to explain, but…maybe we shouldn't give him such a hard time."

Sakura gaped at Ino. Why was she suddenly on his side?

"Listen, I don't get why he even broke up with you or why in the hell he did it in the way he did, but I truly believe that he really does care about you."

Whatever changed Ino's stubborn mind must've been a good reason. Sakura hadn't lied to Sasuke. She did need time to think. He'd talked as if he'd never broken up with her. Like he never hurt her. Whether he meant to hurt her or not, what happened between them couldn't be erased, good or bad. At some point, they had to move forward and Sakura wasn't so sure that would be together. She raised a weary hand to her throbbing temples.

"Can we talk about this later? I don't want to think about it right now. It'll have to wait. When everything isn't so overwhelming."

Ino nodded. "Of course. I'm just trying to help because I've watched you struggle. And I know you miss him-"

"Sakura!"

Sakura winced as her mother's loud voice pierced her ears. It broke all tranquil silence of the room immediately. She always thought her mom would make a great ventriloquist, because she talked so loudly that her voice could reach room's she wasn't physically present in. Her mom's voice only beat her parent's hurried steps by a couple seconds though. Soon enough her mother was barreling into the room, with dad hot on her mom's heels. Even if her loud voice worsened her headache, she loved hearing it and seeing them. There was a comfort only a parent could provide their child. Sakura found herself instinctively reaching out to them. She was embraced in tight hugs, and she loved it so much that she could ignore the sharp sting that shot through her shoulder when her mom accidently bumped it.

Sasuke could wait. Sakura was going to let this moment be about her.

Timeskip to December

"Why am I here again?" Sakura muttered to her steering wheel. She'd been sitting out in her car for at least five minutes. Debating. Contemplating. It was almost two months since she'd been shot, and the chaotic time had gone by fast. She still wasn't allowed back at work, and the only time she was allowed to step on hospital grounds was for her repeated checkups for her shoulder. The sling was finally off, and Tsunade said she was healing fast. It didn't feel like it; every time she raised her arm just a little too high, she was hit with twinges of pain. She was going to be out of commission for at least another month. Still, she did what she could to keep busy. She visited her parents often, and Kakashi kept her filled in on the upcoming trial for Hidan. No one had told her how long legal practices actually took, and it sounded like it could stretch on until the spring. Sakura felt safe with Hidan behind bars, but she wanted him brought to justice. To be judged, like he had hastily "judged" all those poor women he sacrificed. The death penalty was illegal in Konoha, and she didn't know how to feel about that. She'd always been against the death penalty, but that was before she'd seen into the dead eyes of a predator. A monster. The goodness and forgiveness in her heart could only go so far. Men like Hidan thrived in jail, but at least he wouldn't be out on the prowl to kill anymore.

Kakashi repeatedly told Sakura not to worry about it. Their case was ironclad. She believed him. Thankfully, the holidays were a good distraction and something that boosted her mood. She loved Christmas time. The twinkling lights and decorations seemed to lift everyone's spirits, even when the winter sucked. She'd even been excited to see Sasuke again, seeing as he had time off to visit for the holidays. Now that she was here though, parked outside his house, her stomach twisted with anxiety.

'Maybe it's not a good idea to see him again.'

The last time she'd seen Sasuke was at the hospital, when she kicked him out. The next day she "forgot" to call him, but he didn't forget. He called her in the afternoon. The conversation was short and awkward. She used her parents' constant hovering as an excuse to hang up. She didn't hear anything from him for a couple of days, and then he was texting her every day. They started having full blown text conversations throughout the day. It felt good to develop a social link again, but she was careful not too broach on anything more than platonic.

Agreeing to hang out with him, alone and at his house, might've crossed that line.

Sakura caught movement from the back of the house, along with a door shutting. There was a small stream of smoke she could see past the corner of the house, where the back deck was. Sasuke must be outside smoking. Crap! Could he see her? 'Too late to turn back now.'

Sakura shut off the car, opened the door, got out, and immediately regretted it. The wind blew the safety curtain of hair away, letting the cold bite at her exposed neck. At least she remembered to wear gloves. Cursing the snow as it crunched under her shoes, Sakura made her way to the back deck. Sasuke offered a quick wave before stuffing his hands back in his pockets as she went up the small steps.

"Are you crazy? It's too cold to enjoy smoking out here." Sakura said as she stood face to face with him. It took everything in her not to scan him from head to toe, looking for small changes or differences. She tucked her gloved hands between her sides and arms. Even with the gloves her hands were freezing.

"I don't; I think that's why they call it addiction." He joked halfheartedly. She chuckled while shaking her head. Silence stretched after that. Sakura squeezed her coat tighter.

"You can head inside if you're cold. I'll power smoke and be inside shortly." He told her.

The idea of warmth was tempting, especially when her teeth were close to chattering from the brisk chill. It felt rude for her to go inside without him, so she figured she could brave the cold for a couple more minutes.

"That's okay. I can wait until you're done." She responded.

He gave her a soft smile in return. "You're always so thoughtful." He meant to comment lightly, but his eyes were serious and burned into her. Was there something on his mind?

She tilted her head, giving him a weird look. "Thanks…?"

He blew out the next puff like a hiss, and he looked out into the snowy yard.

"The snow is pretty, but it's too frickin' cold. Suna must be nice this time of the year." She said, attempting to feel casual even though she could feel her heart pounding through her coat.

"All there is in Suna is sand. The only plus side there is that it's warm." He took another drag of his cigarette. "Besides, there's too much here that I miss…"

Now she could feel the heart pounding in her ears. "Like what?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"Like trees, for starters." He replied, his gaze sweeping out into the yard.

The left side of her mouth quirked upward. Of course that's what he meant. Text conversations were a lot smoother than having to talk face to face. At least she could keep her emotions in check when all she had to do was look at a screen.

'You can do this; you can be friends.' She told herself, but she was believing that less and less. How could you be friends with someone who had hurt you so deeply, but you still loved? She still held a torch for Sasuke, no matter how many times she tried to snuff it out. Maybe she needed more time. Or maybe it was impossible to go half with him; either they would be lovers, or nothing at all. She'd have to cut her losses and run. Was she stupid for wanting to hold on?

"How have you been? How's the arm?" Sasuke asked, tapping ash into a small ashtray resting on the handrail.

"Oh, good. I'm not back to work yet, but I'm gaining mobility quickly. They said maybe another week before light tasks, and a month before I can handle work tasks again." She explained. Most days her shoulder felt normal, and it took the smallest jerk to remind her that it was still healing.

Sasuke nodded. "That's good. I still feel shitty about the whole thing."

"Don't. It's nothing that you could have controlled." She replied. The irked frown on his face told her that he wasn't going to let it go. He'd already repeatedly texted her about how guilty he felt that she got shot. Hidan was the one that pulled the trigger, and if she hadn't pushed him when she did, he might not be alive. He had enough regret for the both of them, and he didn't need to. As far as she was concerned, they'd come out on top. When the pout didn't leave his face, she flashed him a comforting smile.

"You're thinking of me when you're the one that has a hole in your arm." He pointed out.

"Hey! It's not a hole anymore. Don't insult my battle scars; they make me look cool." She playfully retorted, making him chuckle. He flicked the nub left from his cigarette over the rail but didn't make a move for the door. She shuffled her feet, ready to be out of the cold but waiting for him to lead the way. Sasuke stared at her for a long minute.

"I still love you." He blurted. The confession caught them both by surprise. Sakura flushed from her cheeks down to her neck. 'well, now my neck isn't cold anymore.'

"…" Sakura was speechless. A resurgence of hope entered her mind. Her heart had been holding on to hope, but her mind had been clamping down any renewal of what they had. It was the only way she kept sane. 'I knew this was a bad idea.' She thought, but damn if she didn't have to fight the smile trying to work its way onto her lips.

"I fucked up. I realized that I didn't give us a real chance and pushed you out as soon as I thought it would get tough. But if these last two months have taught me anything, it's that it wouldn't have gotten tough at all." Sasuke intently stared into her eyes. He meant every word he was telling her. Proving the point that he did care enough to try and work out his feelings.

"I have some friends that are girls, but there wasn't a lot of talking with the girls I, uh," Sasuke scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "had relations with. Dating was mostly physical for me." Sasuke paused and dragged in a long breath.

"But you're different. I enjoy talking to you. Every day." Sasuke reiterated. "I know I fucked up and I hurt you. And that you're not just going to forgive me, but I thought you deserve to know. I'm still figuring it out, but I know I love you and that you're important to me."

Sasuke started to get nervous as Sakura just stared at him. She hadn't said anything through his spiel and the silence was stifling. Her pink lips parted, her breath coming out as small clouds thanks to the chilly weather.

"I still love you, too." She replied softly. Relief washed over Sasuke. Stepping forward, Sasuke wrapped her in an embrace, resting his cheek against her head. Her heart was still going wild, but her body melted into his like it belonged there.

Deep down, this was what she hoped for.

"I'll…I'll even watch the notebook for you." She heard him say reluctantly near her ear.

Sakura snorted. "Pft. I haven't even seen the Notebook."

"Oh thank god!" Sasuke exclaimed. He pulled away just enough to look at her, a playful smile on his lips, then gently cupped her face. Her eyes fluttered close, instinct and want kicking in.

The kiss was soft, but it stirred her lower belly. She wanted to go deeper, but his shoulders tensed under her arms. He pulled away gently, a strained breath coming out as he did so.

"Sorry. I just said it wasn't about the physical stuff, and here I am-"

"Shush."

She grabbed his face to keep him close. Sasuke's kisses always brought something out of her, and she returned the fierce feelings in the next kiss. His lips were cold but they heated up fast. Reservations washes away from both of them.

Sasuke abruptly pulled away. Sakura glanced at him in confusion, hadn't she made her intentions clear? The unspoken question was answered from the longing in his eyes. Sasuke's arms snaked around her. He picked her up, her laughing as he did so, and hurried them to the door.

Sakura got a glimpse of the house as they stumbled in and Sasuke pulled away to lock up. The furniture was the same, but everything looked stale and clean. Like props. She remembered that his parents were renting the place out as an AirBNB until he could get a detective position in Konoha. They must've left the place empty over the holiday so he could have his own space. They had the whole place to themselves.

Sasuke spun her around, and her innocent thoughts about the house vanished. As he kissed her neck she ran her hands down his back, feeling the taught muscles there. How was it possible for a back to feel sexy? But she loved the feel of his hot skin as she slipped her hands under his shirt. Sasuke's hand moved to the back of her neck and came up to lock her lips in a hard kiss. His other hand moved to cup the curve of her butt. She groaned and his grip tightened in response. Just having those fingers so close, and remembering what they could do to her if they just moved an inch farther…

If they didn't go upstairs now, they wouldn't make it to the bed in time.

"Sasuke-mmf." Sasuke cut her off with a swift kiss as he pressed forward. Her back pressed into the wall. She pushed back, pressing her chest against his chest. He mistook her redirection for passion. Soon she found her hips pressed against the kitchen counter with Sasuke behind her, his hands more daring and she could feel his ...hard excitement. They weren't going to make it upstairs, but she couldn't find it in herself to care at the moment. She reached back, found what she wanted, and lightly squeezed.

Sasuke groaned deeply. He prodded at the button on her jeans.

Nope. Definitely not making it upstairs.

Timeskip to February

"How much stuff did Sasuke send you?!" Ino gaped.

Sakura laughed. Sitting in the apartment with lots of flowers, candies, and stuffed animals, was Sakura, Hinata, and Ino. It was their monthly girls night, and they were having an early friends valentine's day. They had planned to go out to eat until Ino and Hinata saw Sakura's place littered in Valentine's gifts. Instead, they ordered in, cracked open a bottle of wine, and helped Sakura eat through the candy.

Ino leaned back in the armchair she sat in as she took in Sakura's apartment. Then took a long sip of wine. "One would think you guys are back together." Ino stated suspiciously. Sakura shrugged and popped a chocolate truffle in her mouth.

"No, I turned him down about two weeks ago." She said nonchalantly.

Hinata was about to toss a Hershey kiss in her mouth and stopped mid-throw to gape at her. "What?" Hinata shrieked.

"You rejected Sasuke?! Why?" Ino demanded, popping forward in her seat.

Sakura sighed, eyeing her almost empty wine glass. She needed more if she was going to get through this interrogation. "Because I want a normal relationship; that's why." She replied in a blasé tone.

Sasuke broke it off with her once because he said he couldn't handle the long-distance thing, so now she was afraid to commit.

"Girl," Ino tucked her chin, enhancing the incredulous look on her face, "You guys talk constantly. Flirt constantly." Ino bit off a chunk of candy bar. "Not to mention you two barely left the bedroom over the holidays when he was here." Ino finished, waggling her eyebrows.

Sakura struggled to call it a casual hookup because she was still very much in love with him, but she hesitated to start a new relationship with him. She was also really enjoying the chase.

Sasuke was going in hard. After her. And she was loving every second of it. She was afraid that a shift in their dynamic might shatter his need to woo her, even though they all knew that she wasn't fooling anyone. She was still head over heels for Sasuke.

'He'll stop chasing eventually. You have to make a decision.' She thought as she got up to grab the wine bottle, and she knew it was true. That was why she was very open with him when she turned him down. "I'm…kind of scared that it'll all fall apart again." She told him over the phone. "I want a relationship where we can take the time to actually date. And it's hard to do that over the phone."

"It won't." He had responded confidently. "It was my fuck up. I won't let it happen again."

Before, he was a book that was barely cracked, and you had to tilt your head to the side and try to guess what was written on the pages. Now, he was an open book and they were closer than ever before.

It felt too good to last.

"It's not fair for you to string both of you along because now you're the one scared of commitment." Hinata added thoughtfully.

"Ignore Hinata. You get it girl, and you do what you want." Ino replied.

Sakura sighed from the kitchen, and brought out a new rosé bottle. "No, Hinata's right." She popped the cork and returned to her seat on the couch, thankful to have a full glass.

The tables had turned. Now she was the one that was afraid to be fully invested, and she knew how that could end. It would hurt them both just like Hinata said.

But dammit, she was really enjoying all these flowers and candy.

DING DONG

"Oh my god. Another delivery?! I hope it's more of these Lindt chocolates, we're almost out." Ino proclaimed as she dug to the bottom of a red and gold bag. Sakura got off the couch as she laughed, heading for the door. She peered out the keyhole, but didn't see the same delivery guy that had been dropping off her gifts for the past two weeks. Instead, she sees nothing. "There's no one there?" She wonders.

"Maybe the delivery guy just left it this time, I'm sure valentine's is a busy time of year for him." Hinata suggested.

"Makes sense." Sakura agreed, and opened the door. What was it this time? Her counter space was already filled with flowers, and the three of them already couldn't get through all the chocolate Sasuke had sent. There wasn't a box on her doorstep. Just an envelope.

"ooooo," She exclaims and scoops up the envelope. "Something new!"

Not wanting to wait, Sakura tore it open and pulled out folded printer paper. Tilting her head, she unfolded the stack. Inky black covered most of the page, and the typed text was in red. The familiar look struck fear into her as she read the title of the page.

It was a printout of the maiden ritual, from the spooky website she'd found when researching Hidan's cult.

At the bottom, written in scribbly handwriting, was her name. Then a note.

No one escapes from Jashin! You will be punished, bitch!

"What the hell…"

"What is it?" Ino called from the living room, but Sakura barely heard her. She wanted to rip this paper up, burn it, and completely forget about it. Hidan was in jail and she was supposed to be safe. This couldn't happen to her again! Wiping out her cell, Sakura immediately dialed Kakashi's direct number. He picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"I thought you said you got everyone in the cult?" Sakura asked shakily.

"We did, Sakura." Kakashi started. He explained as best he could about the hysteria that surrounded big cases such as hers, especially once the news got a hold of the story.

"Sakura?" Ino asked, tone raising to concern.

She was so angry she could cry. Kakashi thought someone was messing with her, but there was clearly a threat written at the bottom and the ritual printout was clearly suggestive. The police had tried to take down that disgusting website but had run in to discrimination arguments. Whoever would argue that this sick 'religion' deserved any virtual space was demented. Since there was no direct evidence that the website led to her kidnapping and the murders of other women, the website couldn't be included in the case.

"I'll send someone down ASAP. Stay in your apartment and lock your door." Kakashi instructed. Sakura nodded then felt stupid. He couldn't see her nodding.

"Okay." She croaked, and hung up. She glanced down both ends of the hallway, dreading the feel of déjà vu, before shutting her door and locking the deadbolt.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" It was Hinata that asked this time, right behind her. Sakura turned to see her friend's concerned faces. Sakura simply showed them the papers, not wanting to get more prints on it.

Sakura got a knock on her door twenty-five minutes later. Feeling protective, Ino went to check it out as Hinata and Sakura sat on the couch. Hinata hovered protectively over Sakura, trying to reassure her that she would be fine and that it was just some stupid prank.

"It's Kakashi!" Ino called. She unlocked the deadbolt and let the police captain in.

"You came?" Sakura asked.

"I thought it'd be best to check it out myself." Kakashi pulled out a pair of nitrile gloves from his carhartt, and put them on before asking for the papers. She handed them over, holding the tip between two fingers as if the papers were dirty. In a way, they were. He sighed as he read over the papers.

"I don't think you should worry too much." He told them.

"What do you mean? Last time we thought this was over, Sakura got kidnapped." Ino said accusingly.

The small jab bounced off the calm and collected man. "I was just downstairs looking at the security tapes. It has a clear image of the teenager that dropped this off."

"Teenager?!"

"Looks to be about fifteen."

"How did he know where I lived?"

Kakashi gave her a sardonic smirk. "That's the real issue isn't it? Were just gonna have to pick him up and ask him, although I have a feeling with all this media that there's more than one place that has 'accidentally' posted your personal information."

"Isn't that illegal?" Hinata asked.

"It's not black and white. It means there's probably a leak at the police department, since we've kept your involvement confidential. I'd expect to start seeing your face appearing on the news pretty soon if a teenager knew you were involved."

Sakura groaned. "No no no. Just when things were looking up…"

"It'll be okay. I promise that a lot of people are getting fired today."

Two weeks later

"Do you need me to come up there?"

"No; Kakashi's made do on his promise."

The leak, an officer on one of the squad teams, was fired, along with the reporter that had paid him for the information for putting Sakura's life in danger. The paper was probably just trying to save face by firing the reporter, since the editor ran with the story and now all of Konoha knew what had happened to her. Sakura gave her landlord a week's notice of her moving out, and thankfully they were understanding. They must have seen the article about her too. For now, she would be moving into Ino's spare bedroom. Her name wouldn't be on the lease. The last week at her apartment went by without another envelope or any other twisted strangers. One or two producers called her about making a documentary. She swiftly hung up on them. She didn't want to be memorialized or glorified as a survivor, and the evil of Hidan would never gain notoriety if she had anything to say about it. Just in case, her parents were helping her pay for a civil suit against him, ensuring that he would never make a penny from any books or movies made about him and his disgusting cult.

Often, her friends and family reminded her that it was almost over. The excitement would blow over, and the weirdos would find something else to obsess about. Honestly, it did feel like it was over, and she was just experiencing the aftershocks that came after an earthquake.

"I'm not getting calls anymore. Especially since there's bigger news out there than my kidnapping." She told him.

The Akatsuki, the gang that had cast a blind eye as one of their members became deranged, pushed Hidan aside once he was arrested. She wasn't supposed to know this, but Kakashi confided in her that there were three attempts on Hidan's life while in jail. All from felons with connections to Akatsuki. Since the Akatsuki had labeled him as distrustful and tried to get rid of him, he finally talked to the police about the dealings of the upper 'mob bosses'.

It was all over the news today; the biggest drug bust in Konoha history, and two more mob bosses, Deidara and Sasori, had been arrested. All the dominos were falling, and the Akatsuki was crumbling. Sakura was forgotten about, there were bigger stories out there. Other people to harass.

Everything would be okay.

"You know I would do anything for you, right?" He asked her.

She closed her eyes, listening to his beautiful voice. She did know, and she felt the same way. Hell, she'd taken a bullet for him.

So why was she dragging this out? Forcing them into some relationship limbo.

"Sasuke," Sakura breathed in resolution. "I'm coming up this weekend."

There's a LOT in this chapter, but I really need to get it all in and wrap it up. I'm not exactly happy with the flow and maybe I should've stretched it out more, but I couldn't think of how/ it didn't work. In the end, this was the way it worked.

I hope you liked this one! NEXT: The epilogue, and we get to see what the future holds for Sasuke and Sakura