To some of you who have read the prison part can read them again or just skip to the new scenes. Because I feel bad for making you guys confused with chap 15 and 16 (and 17), this one is kinda longer than my usual word count.

And, um, about last chapter...yeah, he didn't pull out his hotdog, but that doesn't automatically mean he 100% impregnated our poor Hinata. Bold of all of you to assume so XD

Happy read!!!

Chapter 17: Home

Pain prickled at every corner of her body and limbs like minuscule needles—most of all her spine. For the last few days since she was brought here against her own will, she had been sitting in the same seiza position with folded hands over folded legs and straightened spine. Her face mimicked her father's after years of studying on how to reach that level of professionalism—making it clear to anyone out there who wondered why Hinata Hyuga was keeping a true regal face that she was, in fact, a true Hyuga after all, a significant one. Even while her dark tresses sprawled in spirals and ringlets of mud and dirt, and her beatific face caked with the same substance, even when all of her attire was torn and bruised—so unlike the heiress of a prestigious clan she was—she managed to emit the tranquil yet lethal aura.

Four days, 7 hours and 38 seconds, four days, 7 hours and 39 seconds, four days, 7 hours…she whispered the numbers of days in her mind like a mantra and continued to mediate, soulless eyes wary of any movement in the line of her vision. She worried. Soon the Chakra she had been saving since she learned of her own captivity would be discovered by the guards guarding her cell outside, and once they do, they'd do more than just throw her into layers after layers of Genjutsu until she lost her mind.

Despite the tarnished ground of the prison cell, walls splattered with residues of dried blood, handprints, scattered human innards and disinfectant stench that roamed the constricted air, she stood in contrast as the only mesmerizing being in there; like someone straight out of a fairy tale. Torn slit decorated the side of her yukata exposing a piece of translucent pearly flesh that was marred with dirty handprints—the clear consequence of her loyalty to her birthplace. It was a miracle she had her insanity intact after all the trauma she had undergone the past four days in this solitude.

After all the beating, groping and fondling, watching her body being violated by foreign hands, she was thankful for the smallest thing she could salvage; her sanity and virginity, but she refrained herself from thinking that once again. Despite driven by fear for the unknown, she was happy that her precious thing was first taken by her ANBU bodyguard, albeit that would get her into trouble among the Hyugas once they found out. Momentarily she was grateful that none of these interrogators were willing to go as far as tainting her insides as well. And her clothing was still covering her. Ay had the decency to permit her some privacy at least.

Creak, the result of the massive iron door being swung leisurely open, grazing against the stony terrain, pulled the Hyuga out of her reverie, but she never strayed her bottomless white eyes from the point in front of her. A big spike of energy excited every matter in the room whilst the large man entered the prison cell with two of his ANBU bodyguards by his sides, each donning different Kumo's mask.

"Hinata Hyuga," The man who called himself the righteous and just leader croaked his deep voice. If he ever showed the slightest emotion of pity, he didn't show it. "Are you ready to talk?"

No word. But her petal feminine lips moved as inaudible words escaped them.

A sigh drew out of him, like every morning he planned to get anything out of her without the means of ferocity, but apparently she insisted on making it quite hard every time she kept her mouth shut. Not that that using brutal force and violence ever loosened her tongue, but he was confident she would. In the right time. When she lost all hope. Ay was highly against breaking a spirit because that wasn't the ways of a great Shinobi but Kasuke was adamant about it, pleading him to do anything that was for the safety of his village. But how was holding the companion of Sasuke Uchiha under cruel treatment be for the safety of his village? This would only result into more chaos. Despite him hating the guts of the Uchiha—curse his name!—he didn't deny the immense amount of power the brat obtained. He will level this village for her.

"Have it your way." He only motion his ANBU's with his head jerked before slipping out, and the sinister aura commenced as the two elite Shinobi neared her cell.

With a sheer force, they opened the barricading bars, satisfying themselves with her faint sweet fragrance despite nights of no shower. The first ANBU, the military one, formed a few hand signs, swiftly locking her in her position until her mind melded into the world of Genjutsu. There, it began like any other day. Inside a vacant house with no other subjects walking the empty street, she was occupied inside the house with only a man slithering himself between her thin legs and rocked her body until she couldn't take it anymore. A single tear fell as the effects of the illusion took toll on her body. She felt so dirty. Hinata wanted to die, but she couldn't allow herself to be repelled by this mere illusion of her body not belonging to her anymore. The lives of her fellow villagers depended on her.

Amidst the session of her interrogation to which they threw her into many random Genjutsus, satisfying their eyes only, one of the ANBU was bold and lustrous enough to reach forward and caress her bruised neck, etched with constellation of ferocious bites from previous night and harsh handling. Soon his hand travelled south, relishing in the feel of her smooth bare thigh under his fingertips.

Never go too far, their Raikage warned. Since she was left to rot in this dungeon, all they had managed to do was violate her mind as well as performing minor atrocities on her voluptuous body. Never going beyond sucking, touching, fondling. But this particular ANBU couldn't withheld the pain of his erection standing tall inside the compacted part of his pants, so he merely brushed against her core before a scream of horror was elicited out of the Hyuga girl.

Their eyes shot open, astonishment clear on their halting ministrations. No matter how much they had tainted her body, she never screamed before. This led one to investigate what changed until the Hyuga heiress fell sideways from her seiza position and hit the ground, eyes open. A tear slipped through her lush lashes.

After a long ringing quietness, the one that planned on more than touching her delectable body started forth again, gripping her calf. She didn't fight back because all the Chakra she had been saving had dissipated again after the swipes of Genjutsu after Genjutsu. That was the sole reason she screamed, never because she knew she couldn't keep something a woman deemed precious to them anymore. When they were about to reach for her core, the door to the prison opened, hitting the wall behind it loudly, resonating the echo throughout the place.

"Yo!" came the voice of a man. Soon Killer B entered the scene, but he didn't comment on the devastating sight. Instead, he proceeded to dance and began to speak in his rap language, "Yo, ya fools, my idiot brother called upon your asses up in the Raikage tower, yo! He's angry too, yo! Better get going. I'll take care of the Hyuga princess."

Through their masks, their faces were etched in confusion, simply befuddled that the Raikage's younger brother was already back from his mission from the Land of Mist. But although Killer B radiated nothing but foolish yet carefree demeanor they were aware of his position and the authority he had on them. Without batting an eye on the lifeless girl suffering in her own misery, they flickered out of the room.

Adamant on keeping her eyes forward, on one point only, she didn't see when the two ANBU's tasked to interrogate her in the most cruelest way scattered out the space, leaving her alone in the dark chamber, except she wasn't really. Before she knew what was about to happen, her faint senses detected a powerful Chakra signature that almost alarmed her. Somebody grappled her shoulders and effortlessly pulled her up into a sitting position.

"Yo, Hyuga princess, are—you—okay?" The man that greatly resembled the Raikage spoke, putting emphasis in each other as though they were both speaking different languages, and she was the foreigner.

Regardless of his heightened energy that almost intimidated her, she was trained to tell the enemy from the ally. Mustering enough will, she croaked, her voice scratchy and hoarse, "I'm—I'm okay."

He gently patted her shoulders gleefully. "That was some bravery there. Holding your own against our Shinobi for four days? Damn, gotta put that into the lyrics—Wait a minute, where's my lyrics book?" The man searched himself. "Why is this Village so dependent on me? The second I left for mission hell broke out, yo. This is not suppose to happen, yo. I bet Naruto is trying to save the world again, yo."

"Please, help me." She begged so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

"Don't cry, girlie," Instead of his note book, he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. When she looked at him curiously, he spoke seriously, "Lady Tsumi is like a nanny to me. As soon as I came back, I went to her for healing where she told me that as soon as your bodyguard left that afternoon you were drugged and taken hostage without her knowing. She asked me to help you, yo. I can't believe my brother is a psycho, yo. He's a fool, everyone's a fool." He motioned to the piece of torn parchment and the pen. His shades gleaming under the single light funneling through the crack of the barred window. "I can't get you outta here. My brother Ay has this place surrounded with ninjas. But you can write to your village."

"No!" She pushed away his hands, white eyes breaking into tears. "I won't want to burden my people. I can take anything the Raikage sends me. I'm to act as a spy." She really wanted to take back the words because no matter what, this man pledged his allegiance to Kumo.

"This is not a suitable job for you, little lady."

"I will send a message to my village," she scrambled with shaky hands for the paper and the pen from his hands and flattened the crumbled piece against the ground as she scrawled a few words. "But I won't mention that I'm held hostage. The last thing I want is a-any—" She took a deep breath to calm her stutter. "—anyone stepping a single foot in Kumo. This place isn't safe anymore. Your brother has tried many times to get the information he needed out of me. I just—" Hinata stopped and raised white pupiless eyes to stare at Killer B. Those ghost eyes squinted a millimeter but it scared the wits out of him.

"What is it, yo?" He voiced his query after a minute passed.

"Can you—Please, can you tell me everything about the Raikage's plan. I overheard yesterday that he requested a meeting between the Kages."

Uncertain, Killer B contemplated his decisions. Albeit sometimes neglecting the idea of helping his brother in something he had no business sticking his nose into, he wasn't always keen on betraying people, especially the only person he currently had. From what Tsumi had summarized for him, that Uchiha boy managed to make yet another global conflict. Not only in Kumo but before the event happened there had been numerous of incidents in the Land of Mist where the locals were reported experiencing psychotic tendencies and killed their loved ones. So Sasuke Uchiha wasn't at fault according to his musings. And Ay clearly took things too far. A declaration of war was already frowned upon in their era, but starting it with the Leaf Village was one of the ways to die a rather gruesome death because they have two literal gods guarding it. If he told the Hyuga girl everything he knew so far, he was considered a traitor, but then again, even some of the Cloud ninjas were becoming more skeptical about their leader and questioned his motives. If Bee didn't find a way to put a stop to this, more blood would be shed.

He looked her in the eyes and nodded. "I will tell you everything according to what he told me and what I heard. But only because I'm a friend of Naruto, yo!"

Then the smallest smile appeared on her face, and she became lovelier than before. "Thank you, mr. Killer B." And she began to write what they both knew. After they were done, she handed him the letter to which he promised to deliver to Konoha. "Hawk, you better stay put."

The aromatic smell of familiar scent of his favorite food—literally the only thing he eats—invaded his nostrils the moment he stepped on the dreaded oaken floor of his lonesome home. Somehow to the homey feel, the foreign aura of this massacred and haunted mansion being homed and filled with undeniable warmth, put a sense of uneasiness in him. Eyes scattering around the blackened halls, trying to distinguish the difference from before, what has changed, who changed them. Without putting much endeavor in his frantic attempts to search, he found the difference, a clear proof that even the shallow ruined district of the Uchiha wasn't his. The glittering light transmitted through the opaque panel of the window of his foyer.

His bare feet took quick strides towards it and witnessed with a hint of indignation at the koi pond, reflecting the afternoon sun from above. The supposed empty pond. Distinctly he remembered before leaving the village for his last expedition, the pond was empty, clean-less, unoccupied. As vacant as the rest of the district. Just the way he liked them. Albeit the ominous atmosphere that made the padestrians outside these walls uncomfortable walking beside the walls of Uchihas' place, he wanted to keep as much misery this mansion pertained as long as possible; Sasuke wanted the ghosts of his clansmen to stay as his only company. He wanted to die alone in his pit of misery, not have someone meddle with his possessions without his consent.

Clenching his jaws together, he turned away from the revolting scene of his house being dolled up without his knowledge, he tried to focus on the source of that delicious smell of food only to have his coal eyes widened slightly at the familiar sense of Chakra.

With an exasperated exhale, he sauntered off to where he remembered his kitchen was at and was granted a serene sight of a woman—though not donning the wavy dark lock and pearly white complexion with the loveliest pearl eyes. Pastel pink strands were pulled back to a high ponytail revealing toned nape, complexion a healthy sun-kissed shade. Each move she made flowed with her grace and beauty, and Sasuke would've been the biggest liar if he stated that the sight wasn't at all attractive and managed to put his heart at peace, slowing the beat and clearing away his ticks. But he knew deep down, an indigo doll was the one holding the power to clench at his vital organ, making it beat rapidly to an extent he'd think he'd explode.

And that was how the unholy image of her flushed naked body thrashing pleasantly under his hold came to his mind.

"Sakura," he spoke, leaning himself against the frame of the kitchenette's entryway.

Shoulders jolted at that sultry and husky sound of her beloved darling, she turned around, jaded green eyes lit up at the sight of him. Sasuke Uchiha. Well, Sasuke Uchiha was beautiful as always. Like a dark prince willing to whisk her away into the dream of bliss. Those obsidian eyes focused on her solely hindered by thick, unique eyelashes that rivaled most girls' fake ones. Those aristocratic nose with sharp bridge complimented his soft yet heated eyes. With sculpted cheeks, it only made sense to speculate that his whole face was carved from god's own hands. Dark manes had been longer than she remembered, adding more to his wild rugged handsomeness than she wanted to admit. Under his ANBU cloak she saw a glimpse of red scarf. this confused her but she didn't dwell on it much.

Sakura wanted to faint. He was just too beautiful she felt something stirred inside of her.

"Sasuke," she whispered hopefully. "You're back."

"Hn." He closed his eyes, gathering his last thoughts before flashing her a short smile that had her tripping. "I'm home. I don't recall giving you permission to enter my house. What'd you do, break yourself in?"

His tone was anything kind, but anyone who knew him long enough knew that that was just Sasuke's way of talking. He meant no offense and Sakura knew this. In fact, when they were younger he used to treat her even more harsher than now.

"I…I didn't. A couple of days before you arrived I asked Naruto for you house key so that I could fix you something when you're home." She quipped cheerfully and placed platters on the table whilst he sat, rubbing his face. "How…How are you?"

"Fine."

"Sasuke," After placing the spaghetti on the table, she slipped into the seat facing him. A swift move and her rosy hair was unbound from her ponytail bouncing against her shoulders despite them barely reaching them. "Listen, I wasn't aware of your self-investigation. Had I known you were in Kumo this whole time, I—"

"You would've come after me and get yourself killed. So Kakashi told me how you found out. You weren't supposed to." Belatedly witnessing the look of turmoil dawning her face, Sasuke took a short sip of his drink and amended calmly, "You know I don't mean anything by it. It was originally a secret between the Hokage, the unnecessary third party—Ibiki—and myself. But that doesn't matter now."

She pursed her lips and rested her chin on her palm, delightfully observing his lips calmly devouring the food she made for him. "You're absolutely right, it doesn't. Whatever it is, I'm glad you're alright now." She didn't want to seem weak but she had been missing him like second nature for days and weeks, always fearing for the fated day to come. Despite this she had long vowed to herself that she was willing to commit any treason and criminal acts if it meant saving him. "I'm sure we can worry about everything else later. Maybe tomorrow, but let's just enjoy this afternoon together, yes?"

"Hn."

Green eyes heavily rained on how his eyes closed carelessly while slurping the sauce of her spaghetti. Contrary to popular beliefs, Sakura was actually a decent cook and managed to use narrowed ingredients in the fridge rather than fancy ones. An affectionate grin quirked her lips as she saw how her Sasuke pulled aside the noodle pasta and instead gulped down the tomato sauce. Unable to withhold herself anymore, she slowly stood up from her chair and began to stalk around the table. If Sasuke knew this, he didn't comment nor spare a glance. He was eating, after all.

Finally stopping, she knelt beside him, sitting on her hunches whilst marveling at his side profile as he continued ignoring her existence beside him and the intrusive feel of her hand roaming his tone arm. Not a flinch from his side so she took this as his normal response and proceeded to move forth, sprawling her palm against his juxtaposed pecs through his shirt and the slow beat of his heart. Her head rested against his shoulder, her hot breath fanning across his neck.

"Sasuke." She rasped cooingly, eyes half-lidded, glossy red lips, half-opened, made to eject restless breaths. "I miss you."

But he merely continued to eat, unbothered. And Sakura was fine by this. In many ways did Sasuke truly showed his affections. To Naruto was the life-threatening spars. To Kakashi, the cheeky comebacks. To Sakura, well, he had his own private ways to express them. But not now. Or ever anymore.

When her hand dared to go past the touching and simple caresses and dared to go way below until—without him realizing—she rested it against his crouch. He sighed haggardly, place down his utensil, and clutched her wrist before moving them away. "Not now, Sakura."

She blinked. Not now? Forcefully she pulled out her mind out of the trance where she delighted in the feel of his rough hand against her much smaller one. It had been months—almost a year—since she felt his skin grazing against hers. But not now? "Sasuke, what is wrong? You don't like me touching you?"

"I never liked it, Sakura." He blankly popped a tomato cherry in his mouth and began to chew.

"But…" Her mind crashed as she abruptly stood up, looking down at him in astonishment. "You've always—"

"Naruto's here." Upon sensing, Sasuke's eyes rose from his food for once and stared ahead, fists twitching, excitedly anticipating the rush of adrenaline throughout his body. For once after weeks, it wasn't due to toxic lust and sexual frustrations for the Hyuga girl. Other method to vent his vexation other than meaningful sex.

Before Sakura could blink a second, Sasuke already palmed his Katana that rested against the leg of the table and blocked the incoming blow of a Kunai to his face, alarming Sakura in the process as she smartly took a mile step away from the building explosion coming from the two men who apparently intended on killing each other.

For a split second, a full conversation turned to heated discussion passed between Naruto, who grinned in the most malicious way, and Sasuke, who broke past his stoic mask and smirked amusedly, as their blades continued to shoot sparks across their surroundings before Sasuke channeled Chidori to his blade, knocking Naruto momentarily backwards.

Wiping away the mild burnt from his palm as the beast inside him began to generate power to heal, Naruto gleamed with pride at his counterpart, his blonde locks pulled back from his forehead. The moment he sensed the powerful Chakra that could only belong to one person, he dropped everything, politely canceling his date with his precious ramen after slurping dozens of bowls, he dashed towards the Uchiha district clad in his casual wear.

"Heh. Still alive, bastard?"

"What do you think? That I should just drop dead out of nowhere?" countered Sasuke as he cracked his muscles, slowly sighing as he warmed himself up for another beating. Maybe that was just what he needed to calm his agitated nerves, his mind brimful with the thoughts of a white-eyed princess.

"Um," Sakura tried to voice her concern. "Boys, maybe—"

"Oh, you're in for it, asshole. No holding back. I'm beating you up real good for having us all worried for your sorry butt again."

"Naruto, I really think—" Sakura was interrupted again as these imbeciles continued to wrestle each other to the extent she had to run for the kitchen counter before their bigger bodies could clash against hers.

Gone. The wall was broken down like paper walls after their conjoined strength threw it down, and the pinkette Kunoichi would've thought that that was a massive wake-up call for them to finally quit it before they had this very ground shattered and battered and scared the living lights out of the villagers who just happened to walk by this catastrophe. But unfortunately instead of finally getting it through their thick skulls, this only added gasoline to their fire as Naruto and Sasuke redrew from their basic hand-to-hand combat and turned into a full out Rasengan-Chori at each other. Dusts and grounds, trees after trees flew into the air like simplistic confetti. Even the water pond where Sakura tended to not long ago was mixed with mud, curtesy of Naruto as he dug underground like a mole and intercepted Sasuke's rebuttal blow.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" panted Sasuke coolly, wiping the sweat from his jaws and utilized his sword as a support. "You've become weaker than before, dobe. And you look stupid."

"Yeah? Well, you look like an actual criminal," he retorted, jumping back on his feet. Then he muttered quietly, "Not that you don't always look like one."

That was it. "I'll gutter you, fucking loser!" He raised his sword, channeling his Chidori into it.

"Alright, bring it on, you emo punk!" Naruto as well already had the swirling blue of generated energy in his hand, ready to turn the grounds into ashes.

That pretty much summed the reason behind Sakura's sour mood that afternoon.

After their chaotic spar that almost destroyed the Uchiha district, Sakura couldn't contained her anger and demanded that they leave the place at once as she tried to pick the pieces of the place she clearly cleaned for Sasuke, much to Sasuke's dismay. He, in all honesty, had not much disagreement with Sakura invading his privacy because really, he grew accustomed to it. But he wasn't fond of the idea of her touching his things without asking and proceeded to kick him off his own property like no other. When he regained senses enough to move his mouth and speak in hoarse, panting voice, Naruto beat him to it, harshly pulling Sasuke by the neck in a tight headlock and promised Sakura that they would be back in a while.

So that was what led to their silent stroll in tattered clothes and burnt all over through the darkening path of Konoha's forest, the place where they all used to train back when they were mindless children, knowing nothing of the world and determined to start their adventure in life. At the beginning, Naruto immediately refused to abide to Sasuke's suggestion of walking in the dark forest where unknown creature stirred, but since Sasuke insisted—more like dragged the blonde by the hair—that they steered out of villagers' attention due to Sasuke's current reputation, he had no choice but to follow. Somehow Naruto had forgotten that his self-proclaimed best friend was currently the biggest threat, a menace who should be in jail.

"Alright, bastard," Naruto stopped and clenched Sasuke's front shirt in his fist, stopping him as well. The blonde caught a glimpse of folded rouge scarf under his tattered shirt, shocking him since Sasuke wasn't one to wear scarves. The Uchiha sensed a shift of demeanor in Naruto and turned to him with a quizzically raised eyebrow. "What's the deal?"

"What?"

"In case, you haven't noticed, I've been talking to you for the last few hours since we walked and all you did was mope around, completely ignoring what I'm tryna tell you."

"What were you trying to tell me?"

"That Ichiraku Ramen is closed for a few days and I can't have Ramen for a month," Naruto whined dramatically.

The Uchiha was dumbfounded. His eyebrow twitched, and he slapped Naruto's hand away from his shirt. "Go bitch about that to someone else." He continued his trek.

"I'm serious, Sasuke! What am I supposed to eat, huh? What am I supposed to consume? Why couldn't the old man just renovate the stand while still opening it for hungry customers?"

"Listen up, I don't care if you eat shit. Might as well die from hunger."

"Hey! What the hell's wrong with you lately? Ever since you're back, you've been…different." The Uchiha shot him a cold look over his shoulder before turning away. The blonde Shinobi continued suspiciously, reading through his façade. "Moodier. What happened to you? I only got to hear bits from Kakashi-sensei."

"If it helps you process my current state, than sure," he taunted his stupidity. "Black Zetsu is after my Rinnegan. He set me up and now the whole nations is out to kill me. A war is coming, catalyzed by something I didn't do—well, actually I did, but that was completely out of my control. My head will roll in approximately ten days."

Naruto had the sudden urge to punch Sasuke until he was crippled for the things he stated. Hadn't Naruto been through fire and storm just to get his vengeful ass back to the village? Was his efforts that irrelevant that he couldn't tell that Naruto Uzumaki would never allow such thing to occur? Never to his comrades or anyone.

Losing the battle, a fist collided against Sasuke's jaw, making him fly across a few miles, knocking down about three trees before the momentum slowed. Coughing and breathing harshly, Sasuke fixed his jaw back to place, sneering at the blonde staring at his coal eyes with intense sapphire ones. "The fuck?"

"Go ahead. Say any more bullshit and you get another one. Want more?"

"Alright, loser. You wanna go again? Let's do it. I'm all for it." He grinned, standing up. He merely blinked and Naruto was already in his face, knuckles meeting him straight in the face again. There Sasuke went again, knocking a couple of trees with blood running down his nose.

"Come on, bastard. You're not even fighting back. Usually I get the bloody nose and you get the dislocated jaw. What the hell is wrong with you?" When he received no response, just heavy breathing, making it known to him that Sasuke wasn't planning on fighting anymore. Naruto approached his hunched figure against the half-broken tree. "I'm making it clear to you, Sasuke, and you better listen up or you'll have trouble explaining to Sakura why you got dislocated jaw, bloody nose, broken ribs, fissure in your skull, punctured kidneys, whatever. You are not dying. Clear?"

Finally the angsty one out of the two of them raised his head, sporting a malicious manic grin, tongue shooting out to lick away the blood from his nose. Naruto almost got scared right there if Sasuke had finally lost it again. Before Naruto could utter his concern, Sasuke crushed his face, slamming his fist into his cheekbones. This time Naruto was at fault for knocking couple of harmless tree, possibly alarming the villagers.

"Okay, you got me there," Sasuke nonchalantly wiped his own blood and faced Naruto's pissed expression. "I asked though, if you wanted to go again. Let me make it clear to you, and probably also to Kakashi, that I am going to die and there's nothing you could do about it."

"Why are you so desperate to die?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He shrugged his shoulder. "I've lived enough to face different types of obstacles. Besides, Black Zetsu couldn't get the Rinnegan once I'm dead."

The blonde grunted as he tried to sit up against the rubble. He continued to stare at Sasuke as if he possessed two heads. "I still don't get it. What about us? Your friends? What about Kakashi-senses? What about me?" Then he thought for a second before blurting. "What about Sakura?"

Sasuke stuffed his pockets, looking at him with equally annoyed face. "What about her?"

"What about—Sasuke, you know more than anything that she'll kill herself once you're gone. She loves you more than anything. What about restoring you clan? Haven't you been messing around with her lately? I thought you guys were—"

"Enough. Sakura will learn to cope with it, as will all of you. Might take some time before you all realize what a nuisance I am."

"Oh, how I feel like beating the shit out of you again,"

"I've been trying to make amends to her, and maybe at some point I did think of her as a way to restore my clan, but I can't think of that now. Sakura wants something that I can't give her." Sasuke lowered his eyes. "Love. And after everything she went through for me, it's what she deserved."

At this Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You mean to tell me that…all this time, you two humping each other like animals in heat, had meant nothing to you? I—You simply did that to get her—No, wait, scratch that. You were simply messing around to satisfy her needs? Not because you love her?"

Sasuke wanted to answer him, but it proved to be difficult, especially the real reason. "Like I said, I tried to make amends to her. It's not the best way at all, but she insisted. But I can't give her that anymore." His mind recalled the Hyuga girl and the way he took her in the darkness. "She'll hate me sooner or later. That's why I don't mind dying."

"Well, I mind," hissed Naruto.

At that, Sasuke quirked a lopsided grin, maybe a genuine one. "But you'll survive the grief. You always have."

When Sasuke began to walk other direction, Naruto called out to him. "Where are you going now?"

"Back to prison. Kakashi's having a meeting with the Kages, and the Raikage's dying to see my ass to make sure I'm ready and polished for the appointed execution in a couple of days."

R.E.V.I.E.W