Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Naruto or any of the manga series' characters.

Summary: Sakura's extensive drug abuse is slowly tearing her life apart; will anybody be able to stop her before it's too late?

Author's Notes: Wooohoo! Finally Another update! Yes, I Know! It's been a while, BUT I've been working on another fic AND studying because of the impending doom known as exams. On with the story! Oh and one more note, I hope Sasuke isn't too OOC...he's difficult to keep in character sometimes.
[ ] =Characters thoughts

        A glimmer of morning light had found its way through the parted, pale curtains of Sakura's bedroom window, shining down upon the resting frame in the large, comfortable bed. A halo of pink locks streamed across the pillow and framed the exhausted girl's delicate face. Sakura was laying down on her back, her face was tilted to the right and her right hand was resting next to her face, her tiny fingers curled slightly as her left arm was gently draped across her waist. Her full lips were parted slightly as steady breaths escaped her; she finally looked peaceful and content, as she had fallen into a deep slumber the night before. Sasuke stood at Sakura's bedroom door, leaning against the wooden doorframe with his strong arms crossed against his well-defined chest. A perplexed look plagued his sleep-deprived face and his dark eyes never trailed off from the sleeping girl inside the room. He didn't dare wake her up, even though it was already 3 in the afternoon. Sasuke had paced around Sakura's quiet household all night, attempting to wrap his mind around the events of the past 24 hours. He hated to admit it, but Sakura had him worried sick and when he stumbled across her crumpled body in the bathroom he had feared the worst. He let out a sigh and shook his head of any unpleasant thoughts; he was just relieved that he had gotten to Sakura in time before anything worse had occurred. Turning on his heels he silently slipped out of the room and quietly padded down the hall to the living room, the couch that sat there seemed awfully inviting now.

        With an exhausted sigh, Sasuke fell back onto the plush cushions of the couch and rubbed his temples with his fingers. His eyes trailed to the small plastic bag he placed on the mahogany coffee table the other night, staring at it with intensity. He peered down at its white crystal like contents with a hint of curiosity before anger made his blood boil. "Kuso, why did you do it Sakura?" he cursed under his breath to nobody in particular. "I'm gonna kill the bastard who was selling you this shit." Sasuke closed his eyes shut and clamped his fists together until his knuckles blanched. Letting out an unsteady breath of air, his eyes snapped open as he slowly stood up, calming his nerves. [You haven't slept in almost 2 days] he thought to himself [I need a shower]

 "Hmmph" the raven haired Uchiha groaned inwardly; a shower would be good indeed. Checking up on the sleeping Sakura once more, he headed towards her bathroom. A tiny "click" was heard as Sasuke closed the bathroom door behind him and looked into the mirror at his tired reflection. His onyx eyes were clouded and dark circles had appeared under his eyes, his pale complexion only enhanced his worn out features. His usual stoic expression graced his face as he brought his rugged hands to the hem of his black mesh shirt, pulling it over his head and fully exposing his muscular chest. Stripping the rest of his clothes, his black khakis fell to the floor along with his boxers. Stepping out of his clothes, goose bumps promptly covered his flesh because the sudden lack of clothing made a chill quiver down his spine. He shivered and hurriedly stepped into the shower, turning the water on.

        The pressure of hot water splashing down Sasuke's skin made him relax; the heat soothed his sore muscles and he felt his stress melt away with the water that beaded down his body. Sasuke let out a content sigh and continued washing his muscular frame enjoying ever second of this well-deserved hot shower. After about 10 minutes, he shut off the water and peeled back the shower curtain, exposing a steam filled bathroom and foggy mirror. Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist as water dripped down his body. The raven-haired boy glanced at the small pile of clothes that rest on the bathroom tiles [I need to go home and get a change of clothes, but I don't want to leave Sakura in the state she is in] "Kuso" he cursed again. He decided that after he got dressed, he'd go wake Sakura up and have a talk with her, only then would he quickly race home for a change of clothes.

        The emerald-eyed girl stirred in her sleep as locks of her cotton candy hair framed her frail face. With a quiet yawn she brought her hands to her eyes, rubbing them gently before opening them and realizing her surrounds. Memories of the previous night had flooded her mind; she had woken up in her soft, comfortable bed but the last thing she remembered was passing out on the bathroom floor…

 "Sasuke-kun" she gasped out as she sat up and her heart began to race, her eyes frantically scanned her room but he was nowhere in sight. A sudden thought hit her and she froze [oh god, I hope he didn't find my meth!]

"Fuck!" she swore out loud as she shoved the blankets covering her body off to the side and hopped out of her bed. Without warning, a dizzy sensation had crept up upon Sakura and she almost lost her balance, she had stood up too quickly and her body was still weak.Getting a hold of herself, she recovered her bearings and stepped out her door, carefully paying attention to her surroundings in hope of finding her meth before Sasuke did. As she turned the corner in the hall, something caught her eye before she entered into the living room. Her green eyes scanned her front door that had been kicked in the previous night, the wood was no longer slivered and it was locked shut. Somebody had fixed it.

         Sakura was surprised but relieved to say the very least, fixing a door is definitely not something she wanted to deal with today. Continuing with the task at hand, she walked into the living room concentrating on finding her "things", until her eyes crept to the coffee table and an all too familiar dime bag was spotted. Panic set over her, it was in such an open place meaning that Sasuke must have found it.
"Shit" she grumbled, flopping her body onto the couch, she brought her right hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. [What am I going to do? What am I going to say? He's going to hate me! You're such an idiot Sakura!] Her spiteful thoughts didn't help the situation at all and she felt tears threatening to escape her tired eyes. [Why am I such a failure? Why do I have to be so weak? I've never done anything but hold my team back, and now I've grown into this..this worthless garbage. This is why Sasuke could never love me, I'm not strong. I never was]

 "Please don't hate me" her voice barely squeaked out.

 Giving up hope she pulled her knees into her chest and hugged them tightly. Sakura's long pink strands fell down her shoulders and her back as she lowered her head to her knees and cried, tears silently cascading down her pale cheeks. Sniffling quietly, her mind raced of ways she could even begin to explain anything to the man she loved, but her mind was drawing a blank.

         Steam pooled out of the bathroom as Sasuke opened the door, dressed only in his black khakis. He emerged from the bathroom with his left hand rubbing his hair with a towel and his right hand clutching onto his mesh shirt and forehead protector. He felt refreshed and somewhat more awake then he had been just over half an hour ago. Rationalizing that Sakura would most likely be thirsty upon being woken up; Sasuke thought that he should bring her a glass of water, but as he turned towards the kitchen he stopped in is tracks. What he heard worried him and he dropped his towel, shirt and forehead protector, rushing down the hall towards the tiny sniffles. Sasuke thought Sakura was still in her bedroom, but as he swiftly ran his onyx eyes caught a flash of pink in the living room and he came to a halt, pained by the sight in front of him. Seeing Sakura hugging her knees for dear life and crying made his icy heart melt, she looked fatigued, pale, and most of all lonely. [Loneliness] The thought echoed in the Uchiha's mind. It was a feeling that Sasuke knew all too well and he had spent most of his childhood repressing it. She seemed so engulfed in her thoughts that she didn't sense him.

         [That's odd] he thought [Sakura had become exceptionally good with charka control and excelled in charka detection…has she really become so sick and weak?] Sasuke's brow furrowed as he gazed at Sakura's frail body, he was having a difficult time just to move towards the girl and he pursed his lips together in annoyance. A strange feeling came over his senses and made him extremely uncomfortable, and for the first time in years, Uchiha Sasuke was afraid. He paused as an eerie thought came to his mind…what if HE was the one to cause her all this pain? The thought alone terrified him and he realized it was what made it so hard to go to her and comfort her. [Idiot, What have you done to her?] His mind screamed at him.

         Shaking his head, it had become clear to him. Sasuke's musings only hindered his actions momentarily, as he carefully walked over to the pained Shinobi that was sitting on the couch and spoke "…don't cry, Sakura." Her name rolled off his tongue in a slow, languid purr.

         Startled, Sakura's head snapped up and her frightened eyes widened. Her red rimmed, emerald orbs were glistening with fresh tears as they looked intently up at the ebony eyes staring down back at her.

 "S-sasuke-k..kun" she stuttered. Her heart was pounding and her mind was swimming in troubled thoughts. Sakura gaped at Sasuke; the fear was evident in her expression. His eyes remained dark and his expression stoic, mysterious and unreadable. Typical Sasuke. She felt like a deer in headlights, she could barely form the words for a sentence yet she couldn't tear her eyes from his mystifying orbs.
 

It's two in the morning
And I'm calling your name
Your voice on the line is
So far away
And my heart reaches out there
And finds you gone
You walk a path lonely
But you're never alone


         Sasuke's raven bangs covered his eyes as he tilted his head down and looked away from Sakura. His body stiffened as he stood there hovering over the teary-eyed woman, the pace of his breaths quickened and his heart wretched in pain. He squeezed his fists tightly and shut his eyes.

 "Onegai Sakura" his voice faltered, ever so slightly " Don't cry…it-" he paused and took in a breath of air "it hurts me to see you like this"
He was scared, scared to look back into her eyes too see her reaction, but what frightened him the most is what SHE would see in HIS eyes, he had let his barriers come crashing down and he was absolutely terrified.


And I'm begging you please
Please
Let me in
Please
Please
Let me in

         There. Sasuke had finally confessed it to Sakura, and most importantly to himself. He cared for her, more than he would ever let anybody know, and yet hearing himself say those words felt so surreal, yet strangely right.

        The pink haired shinobi gaped at the 18 year old boy in front of her, pure shock written all over her face. As his words slowly sunk in, her voice hitched in her throat, before she turned her face and hung her head in shame. Sakura's empty eyes stared at the floor in front of her; Sasuke could barely make out her quiet words.

 " Gomenasai Sasuke-kun…I- I never meant to make you worry."

         Sasuke reverted his attention back to Sakura upon hearing her words, but instead of meeting the gaze of her jade eyes, he saw her staring at the floor in a daze. He could see the wheels turn in her head, her collective thoughts seemed to be nothing more than a self-inflicting loathing, he could tell by the anguished look on her face.
[…Do something!] His conscience nagged [stop being such a coward!]

 Instinctively, Sasuke took the initiative and sat down next to his distressed teammate and his body shivered, not only from the fact that he was shirtless, but he was nervous. He had never felt this way before, but he needed to do this, for Sakura, his teammate…his friend.
Over the years the essence of Sakura had bloomed, and she had never once faltered from Sasuke's side, it was now his turn to be there for her.


I know there are times when
In ashes you lie
Each one has a shadow
We can't deny
But there in your darkness
Living your pain
Wanna wrap you in love, babe
Again and again

And I'm begging you please
Please
Let me in
Please
Please
Let me in


        The weight on the couch shifted and Sakura felt the warmth of another body in close proximity of her own, slightly dazed, her mind had just registered that Sasuke was now sitting next to her. Her body quivered; even now he had such a great effect upon her. If this had happened a few months earlier her cheeks would be blushing profusely at a half naked Sasuke sitting so close to her, but the poor girl was in such a state of shock and confusion that she couldn't even think straight. She was afraid.

 "Sakura" his low voice spoke " Look at me, Sakura"

Sasuke's tone had a slight pleading manner to it, unlike the more demanding one Sakura had become accustomed to over the years, but even now she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Realizing that Sakura was not going to glance in his direction, Sasuke's actions spoke louder than words and caught the restless girl off guard completely.
The raven-haired Uchiha placed a firm but gentle grip on Sakura's delicate shoulder and brought his left hand up to her soft, tear stained cheek. He stroked it gently as he tilted her face up towards his and surprised jade eyes met dark ebony ones. But what Sakura clearly noted was how the look in his eyes were no longer that of solid stone, but a glint of sadness. Staring into her eyes with intensity, Sasuke's genuine voice quietly rang out

 " I want to help you Sakura" he paused "Onegai, let me help you… you're important to me"

Listen my tiny one
Gonna make it on your own
Look at what we have done to heal

Please
Let me in
Please
Please
Let me in
And I'm begging you
I'm begging you
I'm begging you
Please
Please
Let me in

         Disbelief overwhelmed Sakura's weak mind and body. Had she just heard Sasuke correctly? [Is this really happening...is he really touching my face and looking at me with such soulful eyes?] Sakura had dreamt about a day like this on many occasions, but not in this context. The fact that he still cared about her had welled up fresh tears in the corners of her eyes, but a million questions were running through her mind and she hadn't had an answer for a single one of them. Her eyes were frantically searching Sasuke's, not knowing what to say or do she let her instinct take over.

        With a muffled cry, Sakura pushed herself forward into Sasuke's chest and she took comfort in his warmth, the side of her face was pushed against the crook of his neck and her tiny hands were pressed up against his muscular chest, feeling is rapidly thumping heart. The salty tears were streaming openly down her face and familiar sobs wracked her body, she had finally let Sasuke see her truly vulnerable state. Sasuke's somewhat shocked expression quickly softened as he glanced down at the small form pressed up against him. Wrapping his strong arms around the weeping girl, he gave her a comforting squeeze and held her, letting her cry in his arms. She needed Sasuke to be there for her, and so he would be.

Authors Notes: OH MY GOSH! FINALLY- I know plot progression is slow and im SO SORRY I had to stop it there but I felt it was a good place to cut it off. ONCE again I put yet another song by Lamb in this fic- that one is called "Please" from Lamb's new album "Between Darkness and Wonder". Its such a wonderful song and it went perfectly with what I needed to write :)  So Sasuke and Sakura finally had a bit of a moment…next chapter they will discuss everything and Sasuke will have a BIG realization. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, REVIEWS are ALWAYS APPRECIATED!  Thanks!