Chapter II. Uchiha Sasuke

Sasuke laid on the makeshift bed in his cold, dark cell. He wasn't sure about the time nor day. It appears he was still weak from the aftermath of the Great Shinobi War. He barely noticed himself slipping in and out of consciousness in the past days.

He slowly opened his eyes to find that the electric bulb providing the solitary light in his cell was flickering. He didn't mind the poor amenities. He was a high-profile rogue who betrayed the Leaf, after all. He wasn't expecting special treatment.

He was, however, expecting her to visit him. She always did.

Haruno Sakura was relentless that way. In the past, he would have found it annoying. But after everything he put her through, it just goes to prove how unbelievably pure she was. She was kind. Too kind, it was unbearable for his already guilt-ridden conscience. This was the main reason why he wasn't expecting forgiveness. For everything he's done, forgiveness was one thing he didn't deserve. But even so, he made up his mind to atone for his crimes. In any way he could.

Sasuke-kun… A young, timid voice that probably belonged to a 7 or 8 year old girl.

Her voice kept echoing in his head. In different tones, different years spoken like a mantra on repeat.

Ne, Sasuke-kun? Uh…Etto…Sasuke-kun…? One that sounded hyper. Full of admiration. As if it came from a giddy school girl.

Sasuke-kun! Onegai… Sasuke-kun … And yet another one calling his name, from the same school girl's voice. But this time, pleading. Asking him to stay. Hopeful and desperate at the same time.

Finally, a mature voice that could barely utter his name. …Sasuke-kun…

A mere whisper amidst the ongoing battle cries.

When he arrived at the battlefield, he expected everyone else in the frontline.

But not her.

Still, calm and even stoic as he is, he had no problem masking his disbelief.

"You sure took your time getting here, Sasuke." Naruto was the first to speak. He could see from his peripheral vision and extraordinary visual prowess that Naruto was grinning smugly.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura followed in a soft voice; it was barely audible. She wore an expression of disbelief.

"Is that you, Sakura…" He said coolly, barely turning his head towards the kunoichi. He had gained intel in the past about her training with the Fifth Hokage and practicing Medical Ninjutsu.

From his sources, he also learned that her skills in the medical field were incredible and may even surpass the Fifth's capabilities. Therefore, it made sense that she would be assigned in the medical corp. To be in charge of healing the injured fighters. He wasn't expecting to see her in the frontlines, of all places. He assessed her swiftly. Her short hair, albeit mussed was still the same, toned-down shade of pink he remembered from their last encounter. Her eyes, a light green shade, was alert and stared back at him. She wore a Flak jacket that was a bit grimy and torn in some places from the battle. So she's a chuunin now, huh.

"Sasuke-kun…Nande – ?" Sakura seemed to have muttered more strength this time to say his name.

Everyone within earshot who heard Sakura say his name turned towards him in shock. There were a few seconds of silence around the perimeter, till the blonde one from Yamanaka landed a few meters away in front of him. He thought he recognized the high-pitched voice that was always competing with Sakura's during their Genin days. The long blonde hair was also a familiar trademark of most of the shinobi's from one of Konoha's Mind Sensory Jutsu users.

"Sasuke-kun – " The Yamanaka kunoichi blurted as she was about to run towards him.

But he was quickly cut off by the Nara and Akimichi kid, if he recounted their names and looks correctly. Banking on the fact that they were the former 3-man team back then, anyway, so it made sense for them to flank their teammate from the Yamanaka clan.

"Hey! Ino, stop!" Nara shouted, instantly appearing on a defensive crouch in front of the kunoichi. His right hand raised towards his teammate as caution to stop. "He's an enemy!"

"Ino…you better keep your distance!" The other one, the huge Akimichi kid also flanked the other side, appearing in an offensive position. Ready to attack with brute strength.

"You're still ALL as noisy as ever." Was the katana-wielding avenger's reply.

From his left view came the loud one that he immediately recognized because of the familiar facial markings and the white dog. The Inuzuka boy, huh. Only this time, his dog seemed bigger. Or was it a different one.

"Why the hell are you here, you bastard?!" The canine user shouted and pointed at him.

Sakura's voice came again from behind, repeating the canine user's words but in a softer, albeit brave voice. "Why are you here…Sasuke-kun…" It wasn't a question. And there was no trace of aggression in her tone when she spoke.

Sasuke could feel all eyes trailing onto him. But he could care less about the looks his former comrades were giving him. Instead, slightly turning his head back, he addressed his former teammates nonchalantly. Sakura and Naruto.

"A lot of things have happened. I've decided to protect the Leaf Village. And then I'll…become Hokage." Sasuke answered, loud enough for everyone within earshot to hear.

That was his recollection of seeing his former comrades. Most especially Team 7. There were a few other conversations but he could care less about them. It was war. He still had an ambition, a goal left to do.

Although, he would be lying if he said there wasn't a part of him that felt nostalgic fighting alongside the others. Especially alongside his former teammates, the usuratonkachi and the annoying one.

Memories of Naruto using his Sage Jutsu against Obito in his Jinchuuriki form and the Chakra Transfer Jutsu to coat each shinobi in the battlefield came to mind. I guess your not so much of a loser anymore, dobe. No, he became stronger. He was still adamant as ever. His ninja way. His dream of becoming Hokage. His belief in bonds was still the same.

And Sakura. He was more impressed and shocked with her than he was with the Naruto. Somehow, when they were still Genins, he knew that Naruto was not all-talk. He was seriously considering and doing his best to become strong. Sakura, on the other hand, didn't aim high enough to become as strong as himself or Naruto. Most of the time, Sakura was just content to call herself a full-fledged Kunoichi and a part of Team 7.

Her skills were only average back then. She definitely had better chakra control than him and the dobe. She always kept following him around from when they were still at the Academy. Along with the Yamanaka girl and other giddy, screaming girls he didn't know and cared about. Being in the same team with Sakura and the dobe before were only due to: a.) cooperation as required by the shinobi authorities to be allowed on missions and b.) protecting the annoying kunoichi and bailing the dobe out of trouble on missions.

But during the war, Sakura proved him wrong. Without using Susanoo and the Rinnegan, they would probably be an even match. Sharingan wouldn't work as well because Sakura is quite capable of breaking free from a Genjutsu. In the few glimpses she had of Sakura fighting, it was evident that she had changed and improved massively over the years. Most of all, she was no longer the girl who was aware that her strength and skills were limited. Now, she moved and carried herself with the stance of a really formidable kunoichi. The reanimated First Hokage himself was even impressed enough to declare that she might even surpass the Fifth's.

He remembered how Sakura ran past him and Naruto with her fist raised. At the time, he was studying her movement even while battling the ten-tails mutations. In fact, he was ready to back her up in the quickest manner.

But when Sakura's fist came in contact with the large mutation in front of her, Sasuke realized she did not need saving. With a loud thud, Sakura's punch landed heavily, sending the monster flying back a mile. She certainly was not a damsel in distress. Hell, she was a warrior. His visual prowess allowed him to see the pooling of her chakra into one massive and harnessed point in her fists and legs. The controlled chakra was SO strong and precise, that every contact she made with the enemy was like an earthquake.

He and Naruto had to put up their arms and cover themselves from the chunks of earth and boulders that were sent flying due to Sakura's punch on the ground. The damage was so large that it took out about 30 of the mutations in just one blow. From his peripheral view, it seemed Naruto didn't knew about Sakura's 100 healings Jutsu and massive strength, considering he looked a bit scared at the same time he was shocked. He could only smirk in admiration for Sakura's newfound strength and even briefly imagined what a sparring session with her would be like.

At that time, Sasuke found himself staring at Sakura's back. She had come such a long way from her younger self.

She's not the same girl I used to know. Sasuke thought to himself. She's become unreachable.

She might even be a good candidate for the Hokage's seat. She was clearly brought up well by the Fifth. And no doubt the village people would adore her. Everyone did, after all. She was a like the spring breeze. Cool, calming. Peaceful. She carried a sense of peace and happiness.

After his and Naruto's fight at the Valley of the End, she was quickly on her knees, trying to heal and stop the bleeding of their torn arms. It was at that time when Sasuke could no longer delay what has already been a long overdue apology.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"For everything."

"You should be."

Sakura cried right after her reply to his apology. A mixture of sadness and happiness. He was fully to blame for her sadness. But deep inside, he was glad to give her a bit of happiness as well. After all, it was her who had waited for him near the gates of Konoha years ago. It was her who begged for him to stay. And he was grateful for the kind of person she was. Sakura – with all the wrong things he has done to her – was part of the reason why he decided to surrender to the Leaf. To atone for his sins as a rogue-nin and as a comrade of Naruto and Sakura were his responsibility and next step.

"You're awake."

Sasuke sat up slowly and turned towards the voice. The metal doors of his cell opened, gently revealing the kunoichi that was just occupying his reverie a few seconds ago. She was dressed in her usual sleeveless red qipao dress that reached her upper thighs. It had white trimmings on the edges and a white circular design on the back similar to her Genin attire. She also wore the usual black shorts underneath the qipao, black gloves, pink elbow protectors and black shinobi sandals. There were prominent additions to her attire, too. For one thing, he had a black obi tied around her thin waist and a few simple, silver bangles on her wrists. She also donned a white knee-length coat marking her as an important and high-ranking member of the medical corp.

Sakura came in, flanked by two Anbus. She was holding a metal case on her left, and a woven basket on the other.

"Eh? That's not good." Sakura looked up the ceiling and saw the flickering light. "I won't be able to do your check up and treatment with that kind of light."

"I'll take care of it, Sakura-san." One of the anbu's said. He pulled out a small, handheld shinobi radio and reported, "We need a quick change of the lighting here in cell 89."

Hai. We're sending someone on the way to fix the problem. Came the quick reply from the other line.

"Thanks." The anbu said and switched the radio off. Then turning to Sakura, "Sakura-san, we should wait outside."

"I'm fine here." Sakura instantly replied.

Sasuke smirked slightly. It was clear that the two Anbus were concerned for their and Sakura's safety, while holed up inside a cell with a rogue-nin.

"Maybe you should follow their suggestion and wait outside." He said.

Despite the dimming light in the cell, he could faintly make out a small smile from Sakura.

"I can handle my own, Sasuke."

There it was again. He didn't know why it affected him this much. It was unsettling and confusing. Annoying. She always called her Sasuke-kun. Always with that honorific. Such a minor detail that had a big impact as soon as she dropped it.

After apologizing to Sakura at the Valley of the End, he somehow thought there was a passing understanding between the three of them. That they can at least return to normal. Comrades. Teammates. Friends.

But right after waking up in this cell for the first time…

"It doesn't matter if they were former teammates. Even if he did help during the war. He's a rogue. A really dangerous one, at that."

"I agree. I don't understand why Sakura-san is even making such a big effort in that traitor's treatment."

There were guards, probably Anbu's patrolling the bunker. Sasuke was sure his cell was heavily guarded. And he couldn't help but overhear their conversation as soon as he gained consciousness the first time.

"I heard Lord Fifth was supposed to look after the rogue's treatment. Sakura-san practically begged to Tsunade-sama to switch places with her."

"It's a disgrace, if you ask me. For Sakura-san to beg just to be allowed near the traitor…"

"A disgrace, huh." Sasuke whispered as his consciousness slowly slipped into darkness once more.