Disclaimer : I do not own the characters or the story of Naruto.

A/N : Ah, thank you everyone for all the amazing reviews you left for the last chapter. I am not a professional writer by any stretch of the imagination, this is nothing more than a hobby. But some of the unexpected high praise I received made me blush. Hence, seems like I lied, I am not too busy (during the weekends) to write updates for you, much to my fiance's annoyance (kidding, he'll get over it). So, here is another chapter but alas, it's not the one most of the readers have been waiting for. But that one will be the next update, and I have already started on it. Please read and review if you enjoy. Thanks!

Chapter 6

Six and a half months till she says yes

Sasuke had been patiently waiting in an examination room at the Konoha hospital for the last ten minutes. He had taken to staring at the bland white walls of the room, trying to ignore the irritatingly pungent smell of antiseptic in the air. If it wasn't for the sharp tug of pain that shot up his new arm right up to his shoulders every time he accidentally shifted that arm, he would have left already. It wasn't that the pain bothered him, it didn't, his body had gone through a hell of a lot worse. However he also didn't want all the hours he had already invested in this treatment to go to waste. Tsunade had been in a particularly bad mood the day his arm was transplanted and he had been forced to quietly take all her abuse for hours, while she struggled to transplant the new arm, being none too gentle or not at all.

He turned around when he heard the door to the room open, glad that this ordeal would be over with soon now. He saw Sakura enter the room meekly with a blush on her face, clutching a clipboard in her hands, as she greeted him, "Hello, Sasuke-kun", to which he only replied with a "Hn." He realised that she wanted to talk, when she just stood there near the door instead of coming up to check on his transplanted arm, looking at him with pleading green eyes. He sighed quietly and prompted her on, "Get on with it, Sakura", in a tone as gentle as he could possibly muster.

He knew already what she was going to say, he had gone through enough of her confessions by now to be able to tell the signs when it was about to happen yet again. Not that he didn't expect this, coming to the hospital, he somehow knew she would be the one to examine him and he would be forced to go through this once again. He hadn't seen her since he had changed his mind about leaving the village, so he couldn't really blame her for wanting an explanation for his sudden change of heart. Regardless of their history, he did value Sakura as one of his teammates, she had indeed saved his life in many occasions, had been instrumental in saving the world as well. He still felt some guilt for the way he had treated her in the past, she, of all people, didn't deserve that from him. Yes, she was annoying but that was no justification for his violence towards her.

"I heard you have decided to stay in the village, Sasuke-kun. Is that true?", she asked sheepishly, he could clearly see the hope shining bright in her eyes, a small smile on her lips. "Hn", he said, keeping his face straight, without adding anything else to his answer to prevent raising her hopes any higher. He watched as her eyes shifted to the side for a beat, abashedly, and then return back to his face as she asked with some hesitation, "Did you.. Did you change your mind because of me, Sasuke-kun?" He felt the pricks of irritation on his skin at her choice of words. 'Typical', he thought as he willed himself to be patient as he answered her, "No, Sakura", with a sigh.

He braced himself for what he knew was coming when he saw her brows furrow in her confusion, as well as her eyes harden slightly with annoyance, asking him, "Then why?", all signs of shyness vanishing along with her smile. He closed his eyes briefly, taking in a deep breath, preparing himself to not be too harsh as he started with his explanation, looking pointedly into her eyes. "When I decided to leave, it was for myself, nothing to do with you, Sakura and my decision to stay isn't about you either. I have determined that my presence in the village is more important at the moment for me." As soon as he finished, he heard her ask in her disbelief, "What could be more important to you than your team, Sasuke?", as her frown deepened on her face, looking at him with widened eyes as if he had grown a second head.

Sasuke felt his temper flare with her annoyingly incessant questioning, but decided to keep himself composed through it, he could do that much for her at least. She deserved some answers and this mess needs to be sorted out once and for all, he knew he would only get more impatient in the future as his guilt for his past actions towards her started to fade over time. He answered calmly, "There is someone important to me who needs me here", hoping she wouldn't pry too much about who this person was and if he knew anything about her at all, he was sure she would find a way to make it about herself.

As if right on cue, she shot back another question, "And me, Sasuke? I need you too", with hurt evident in her voice and eyes, which didn't hide her rising temper nearly as well as his own could. "You don't need me, Sakura", he replied calmly, keeping his face blank since he didn't want this conversation to warp into an argument. He stared at her, watching her mouth falling open in surprise before a flash of pain passed through her face quickly. Her mouth opened and closed several times, as if unsure what to say to that, then he saw her eyes glare at him as her face tightened in outrage. She spoke up in a restrained voice, despite the tense anger evident in her frame, gritting her teeth, "I do need you, Sasuke. I love you, I've always loved you. You know that already."

Sasuke kept silent, waiting for her to finish expressing all her thoughts, to finish her rant. If this is what she needs to do to finally get some closure with this chapter of her life then so be it, he could take some harshness from her. He did deserve it, he deserved far worse from her, he had given her nothing but heartbreak from the very beginning. He didn't give any visible reaction hearing her accusations as she continued, "I have sacrificed so much for you, to bring you back, Sasuke! I have tried so hard to help you, to make you realise how much I love you. I would have happily followed you this time too if you let me", except for a sharp intake of breath, keeping his anger restrained at her rising tone and choice of words once again.

At her pause, he saw her face contort in a pained expression, unshed tears shining in her green eyes as she averted her eyes to look down, her frame going slack, shoulders drooping, her fury draining out of her being. When she turned her sad eyes, brimming with tears, back on him, he felt the stirring of guilt in his stomach. He had never liked to see her cry, he always felt uncomfortable seeing her like this, guilt sitting heavy inside him. He was about to take a step closer to her, ready to offer her an apology and his gratitude for everything she had done for him, when she suddenly spoke up again, giving him pause. "How can you be so heartless, Sasuke-kun? How can you be so selfish to not even acknowledge my feelings for you?", she said in a voice barely above a whisper, laced with sorrow.

As soon as the fresh set of accusations seeped into his mind, he felt his restraint snap inside him, clenching his hand into a fist at his side as his eyes hardened, glaring at her, he asked in a harsh low tone, "Selfish? You think I am selfish, Sakura?" Gritting his teeth, he watched as her eyes widened in surprise and a gasp escaped her lips at his rude tone. "I have given up on everything, Sakura. Everything that I believed in, I have already lost everyone who meant anything to me. Do I not at least deserve to make the choice of who means what to me myself?" he said in the same cutting tone, feeling his rage seething inside him. He heard her blurt out quickly, in an attempt to calm him down, "You haven't lost everyone, Sasuke-kun. You have me, our team..", but he cut her off just as swiftly, grounding his teeth, with, "I'm not finished", as he watched her snap her jaw shut, looking at him guardedly, waiting for him to continue.

He continued at glare at her for a few moments, before speaking up once again, "You are the last person who should be accusing me of being selfish. How are you unable to see what you are asking of me is exactly what you cannot bring yourself to do?" At her confused and hurt look, he explained further, "Naruto. He has done so much for you, has always been considerate of you. But have you ever accepted his feelings? You refuse to even take them seriously. Ironically, he isn't even the only one whose feelings you have brushed off."

He felt some part of his anger melt away as a lone tear escaped her eye to fall down her cheek, her body frozen in shock at the implications of his words. He let out a heavy sigh once again and in a far gentler tone than he had spoken only a moment ago, he said, "You will always be important to me, Sakura. I am grateful for everything you have done for me and I regret all that I have made you suffer with." Once he saw the hope blossoming back again in her eyes at his words, he decided to quickly crush it, it would be far kinder in the longer run to be cruel for a moment. "But I cannot return your feelings. I have never felt that way about you and I never will. I am trying to fix my life, Sakura and it would be best if you moved on as well", he said in his usual, blunt monotone. He grimaced inwardly, watching her take in those words as a few more tears flowed down her cheeks, before her eyes hardened with determination.

"I can help you do that, Sasuke-kun. No one understands you better than me. Just tell me what I need to do to win your affection and I'll do whatever you want", she begged and he could tell that she was actually serious about it. He felt his annoyance rise up once again at that, a humorless smirk curved his lips upwards, as he took a deliberate step towards her and asked, "Anything, huh?" He watched with some satisfaction as she quickly took a step backwards away from him, unable to hide her fear, with her eyes glued to his own glaring at her. "Are you willing to die for me?", he asked in a threateningly low voice. At her hesitant nod of affirmation that came a few seconds later, he felt his annoyance peak inside himself. Taking another step towards her, satisfied when her eyes grew wider in fear, he asked once again in the same low dark voice, "Would you be willing to kill me if I asked?" He waited for a few seconds for her answer but when none came as she just stood there frozen in her place, he finished his thought, "You only think you understand me, Sakura. I don't need you to be a martyr for my sake."

He gazed at her, his face back to its stoic expression, as her lips quivered slightly and her labored breathing evident in the rise and fall of her shoulders with each breath. However, taking in the look in her eyes, he realised he hasn't managed to squash her hopes completely yet, as he heard her say, "But.. I love you, I really do, Sasuke-kun and.." He watched her eyes turn determined once again, her face resolute, but still she couldn't completely hide her unease, plainly displayed on her curves of her brow for his observant eyes to see. "..and I am certain I can win your heart", she finished in a shaky voice, not sounding nearly as sure as her words implied.

Sasuke felt conflicted in his mind, wondering how far he should go with her. He knew if he wanted her to move on, he will have to ruthlessly crush her obstinate spirit, but he also didn't wish to cause her any more pain. If only she would stop thinking about herself for once and look at it from his perspective. How much more blatant did he have to be to make her understand that he wasn't interested in her? She refused to stop being self-centered about this even when he so plainly pointed out her hypocrisy a while ago. It's almost like she didn't care about what he wants, as long as he does as she desires, thinking she could bend him to her will if she were to just be stubborn enough, despite being clearly afraid of him. Well, she certainly had another thing coming, as far as stubborn goes, he knew no one could be as doggedly single-minded as himself, except perhaps his other teammate. Once he makes a decision, it would take nothing short of moving heaven and earth to change his mind. She, of all people, should know that already, having witnessed what exactly it took Naruto to will him into submission, when they fought in the Valley.

He concluded it would be easier just to be honest with her, she would surely find out soon enough, now that he had set his mind to move forward with his plans. There was no point in delaying the inevitable, it would hurt her but also help her move on from him and a bit of heartbreak in the short term would save her from a lifetime of unhappiness. Taking in a deep breath, he gazed at her fixedly, allowing his sincerity to be reflected in them as he said lowly, "That's not possible, Sakura. It already belongs to someone else." He heard her loud gasp as soon as he finished, watching her shock clearly displayed on her face and he let her have a few moments to process that bit of information.

As soon as he spied the look of question in her eyes, he hardened his gaze into a dark look, making it plenty clear that asking that question wouldn't end well for her, feeling relieved when she snapped her mouth shut immediately, her lips pressed into a thin line. Seeing the conflict in her gaze, as if fighting with herself in order to decide if she was more scared of his reaction than curious to find out, he chose to end her misery by stating bluntly, "You'll find out soon enough." Tears shone in her eyes once again at those words, as he clearly heard the snap of the clipboard in her hands cracking in half. He kept his face blank, watching her slightly shaking form, as she spoke up in a whisper, "She will never love you as much as I do."

The last part of her statement didn't even register in his mind once he heard the beginning of her sentence, feeling rage pumping through his blood, a fierce scowl settled on his face and he ground his teeth to keep extremely unkind insults from slipping out of his mouth directed at her. He watched her drop the broken clipboard on the floor by her feet, as she raised her hands to her chest, her face contorted in horror, scared of him. "Learn to keep your mouth shut about things you know nothing of", he spat out to her, before taking in a silent breath and letting his face relax back to his signature blankness. As he felt his anger calm down, he realised that he was being unnecessarily harsh on her. It was only the truth in those words that he himself subconsciously believed that made him so agitated. He quickly let out a quiet apology to her, glad when she seemed to recover from her fear-induced trance a few moments later, keeping her eyes averted down, seemingly unable to meet his eyes.

Letting out another annoyed sigh, at her apparent discomfort being in his presence, he said, "I came here for a check up", and raised his left arm in front of him, ignoring the sharp stab of pain flashing hot up his arm at the movement. She kept her eyes lowered as she wiped her almost dry tears from her face with her fingers and cleared her throat to speak, "I just remembered I have another patient. I'll send someone for you shortly", in a tone reserved for professional settings. "Hn", was all he said as he watched her quickly leave, picking up the broken clipboard to take with her. He closed his eyes for a few seconds in relief as the tension in the air left with her, leaving him mentally tired from all the stimulation his mind had just been through.

He opened his eyes when he heard the door open once again as he saw Ino enter the room with a shy smile on her face. "Hello, Sasuke-kun. What can I help you with today?", she greeted him with fake cheer in her voice as she stepped closer to him timidly. "Hn. My arm hurts when I move it", he replied getting straight to the point, having had enough drama for the day. He raised his arm for her as she touched it, her hand glowing green with healing chakra. After a few silent moments of examination, she let go of his arm and looked up at him to speak, "I don't think your body is rejecting the transplant. Everything seems well to me. Its not uncommon for it to hurt in the first couple of weeks after the surgery. Try not to move that arm too much. If you want I could get you something for the pain", with a practiced kind smile on her face, but her eyes lacked the accompanying warmth.

Having heard enough and satisfied that his new arm was doing well, he quickly replied, "No need", and left the room, with a murmured thanks, without waiting for a reply. No sooner was he out of the hospital building, did he start making his way back to the forest in the outskirts of the village, craving the peace and quiet in the serene surrounding it provided after all the turmoil of the day. He knew he only had a couple of hours before he had to leave for another mission he had been 'hired' for. So far, he has had no problems, completing them successfully with ease, either physically or morally, his conscience hadn't been conflicted enough to refuse any. Once he found his spot, sitting down on the ground, leaning his back on a tree, he let his thoughts wander.

Since he wanted to forget the incident with Sakura ever happened, he turned his thoughts to his plans. Thus far, he had managed to save up enough money to rebuild the Uchiha manor as planned, taking all the missions Kakashi was both willing and unwilling to assign to him. He rarely went on solo missions at first, requiring a 'guardian' as Kakashi put it, adding to his irritation with the arrangement, however he had managed to bear through those weeks silently enough to earn the solo missions that came frequently after, which he much rather preferred. He was pretty certain that the Hokage trusted him enough to not question his loyalty to Konoha any more as he had done after he was released from prison.

'It's time', he decided in his mind to finally ask Kakashi to initiate the formal proceedings of restoring the status of his clan back. He had spoken with him already about transferring the legal rights to the Uchiha district to him, since he was truly the only surviving member of his clan now. This time however, he was going to make sure that nothing underhanded would take place when it came to his clan by the Konoha council. With both Naruto and Kakashi on his side, he knew he had the upper hand when it came to the dirty clan politics of the village. In due course, he would take steps to start improving relations with the other clans in the village as well, but first order of business would be to make arrangements for moving out of Kakashi's apartment as well as his annoying unofficial surveillance. Once these issues are resolved, he would finally be free to start pursuing her. With his next moves determined, he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to be consumed with images of her he had memorized whenever he had caught glimpses of her around the village, with a smile playing on his lips.

A/N : Yes, I realise this is SasuSaku month and if any of the readers take this chapter as my very cheeky unofficial submission for it, I wouldn't mind. The tumblr page is pretty much dead, regardless. Nevertheless, I am very excited for SasuHina month in a few weeks. I have some things planned already and the prompts are good this year. Since my birthday is also in August, it'll just be an added treat! I hope other SH writers find some inspiration to write as well, I know some of them read my story as well. That's all. See you next time!