First of all, to Lost Dreams... wow. O.o That was the longest review I've ever gotten in my lifetime at ffnet. XD

Mm. As for the rape thingy, it's not going to be descriptive, just so everyone knows... I'm not all that fond of... ; Well, you know. Details are good, but not in all cases. -Laughs head off- Yes, I'm crazy. =D

Since I have nothing else to say that's interesting, I'll shut up now and let you read the chapter. == Meow!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But I do own four pictures from the series, drawn by various artists from Anime North 2k4. :3 One features Gaara, one features Kakashi-sama (my bedtime teddy bear xP), one featuring Sasuke and Naruto, and a group picture of Haku, Naruto, Gaara, and Neji. And I am very proud of them. (:

Titled. Chapter Six.

Up in the high branches of a tree, concealed from the eyes of any below, Kakashi peeked out from between holes in the thick foliage. He watched as first - Sakura took her leave, and then Naruto, and then he blinked when Sasuke followed Sakura. That was odd. He would've expected the Uchiha to wander on his own and train or something. The fact that he was following Sakura interested Kakashi greatly. Perhaps this seven-day-together thing was bringing out inner feelings. Interesting. Very interesting. Kakashi made a mental note to check up on his pupils a few more times in the next few days. Maybe he'd even lengthen this week into a month. He grinned under his mask, and the last thought he had before fishing out his beloved Icha Icha Paradise book was, Sasuke, we're finally getting something out of you.

Unaware of the eyes on him, Sasuke was doing some quick thinking. Naruto liked Sakura. He liked Sakura as well. And now he wasn't too sure if Sakura still liked him. This could prove to be a problem. He sidestepped behind a tree, the shadows swallowing his dark-clothed figure. Allowing Sakura to go on by herself for a while - it wasn't as if she'd get lost - he considered his choices. Option one. He could go on living his pathetically lonely I-hate-everyone life. Option two. He could confront Sakura and find out whom she liked now. Hell no, muttered Inner Sasuke. Scratch that. Option three. He could throw Naruto off a cliff. This choice brought out a chuckle from the abstemious Uchiha. Reluctantly, he mentally 'un-scratched' option two, and unwillingly decided to go with that.

I hate this, complained Inner Sasuke, arms crossed. This is soooo incredibly embarrassing. You know you're throwing away your pride? This is insane! Stupid!

Oh shut up, sighed Sasuke irritably. He slunk out from behind the tree and walked in the general direction of his house, hands stuck in his pockets. He'd regret this later, probably, but it was driving him crazy.

Meanwhile, Sakura was home already, and she was actually drawing. It had been a lame excuse to get away from the two boys, but as soon as she entered the threshold of the Uchiha manor, she found herself subconsciously looking for pencil and paper. She sat down in a chair facing the open window, and bent over the paper, drawing without thinking.

"Nice picture."

Sakura jumped, and the top of her head crashed against Sasuke's chin. Sasuke's chin, said Inner Sakura blankly. AHHH! SASUKE! HE'S HERE!!!! She rubbed her head and glanced up at Sasuke, who had been peering over her shoulder and was now massaging his jaw. He glared at her. This was not how he had planned to start.

"Sorry - I'm really sorry - are you all right? - I didn't mean it - you just startled me -" Sakura babbled incoherently, cheeks flushing red.

Whoo! She's so cute when she's upset! Inner Sasuke cheered, snickering behind a hand.

"I'm fine," he said loudly, cutting over her talk. She fell silent, still sitting, looking a bit embarrassed. "Uh." He flinched inwardly. The great Sasuke said 'uh'. 'Uh' wasn't even a word! "You just draw. I'll watch."

What? screamed Inner Sakura in panic. Watch? No! I'm a bad drawer! This cannot be happening? But he wants to watch! He wants to watch! What do I do? What do I do?

"S - sure," she stammered, turning as pink as her hair. She turned her gaze onto the drawing she had just done, and found with surprise, that she had drawn Naruto. Whoa. That was a first. She hadn't been thinking, and her hands had moved on their own. She had drawn Naruto.

... Whoa, agreed Inner Sakura, nodding.

Damn it, growled Inner Sasuke. She drew Naruto? Why him? Sasuke moved back a pace, watching the tension in the girl's shoulders. She's nervous around me... He stepped back another pace, observing with mild interest as the taut muscles in her shoulders relaxed slightly. He moved toward her again and she instantly tensed up again. He let out a loose sigh, and stepped back to his former position, watching quietly.

Sakura wasn't purposely tensing her shoulders. It was a habit brought out from her over the years. Her body absorbed the routine of being nervous around Sasuke. She was actually concentrating on her drawing. The picture of Naruto looked sad. She lifted her pencil and temporarily forgot Sasuke - that was also a first - as she deepened the lines around his eyes, making the picture-Naruto look like he had missed out a lot of sleep.

Sakura put down her pencil. Naruto wasn't usually sad. Why had she drawn him like that then? Chuckling to herself, she drew Sasuke in the background, eyes narrowed, arms crossed, and then sketched out herself, an arm draped over the picture-Naruto's shoulders. She paused for a few seconds, and carefully, with the very tip of her pencil, drew little tears pooled in the picture-Naruto's eyes, but changed his frown into a small smile.

Aw, that's really sweet, Inner Sasuke said sadly. You're too mean to them, Sasuke.

Why the hell are you lecturing me, you are me, growled Sasuke to himself, dark eyes getting darker as he viewed the picture. Sakura was comforting Naruto in the picture, while he - himself - was making fun of them in the background! He shifted uncomfortably, and Sakura remembered that he was in the room with her.

She spun around and slammed a hand down on the picture, hoping against hope that he hadn't seen. From the look on his face, though, she could guess that he had. "I - it's not what you think!" she said desperately. Now he'll think that she hated him.

"Do you like him, Sakura?" he said abruptly, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. He had no idea how much he resembled the picture of himself.

"N - Naruto?"

"Yeah, who else?"

"Well - well, yes, as - as a friend," she stammered. Next moment, she gave a sharp little gasp as he seized the wrist of the hand that was holding the picture down. His grasp was tight - so tight that Sakura almost cried. "Ah - stop, Sasuke - that hurts..."

"You like him, don't you," he said angrily, glaring down at the picture. "You like him more now. You like him more then a friend, don't you."

"What's it to you?" Sakura snapped back, wrenching her arm away from him. She knew she shocked him; she shocked herself. She had never been rude to Sasuke. But he was hurting her. He was acting strangely. This was not the Sasuke that she knew.

In that second that he had accused her of liking Naruto, she suddenly - instantly - realized just how badly Sasuke treated her. And in that split second of clarity, she came upon a decision so quickly, that in future years, she never did remember how that choice came to be. Sasuke is the past. I'm letting him go now.

"What's it to you who I like?" she said between gritted teeth. "Maybe I do like Naruto a bit more now, but so what? It isn't as if you ever cared. I liked you for so long, Sasuke, and you never returned my feelings. So why the hell do you care? You're so mean, all you think about is revenge!" Her lip trembled. "You never acknowledged me, never even spoke to me unless you could help it. Don't you know how much it hurt? To be ignored? But you don't care; you probably didn't even consider me worth your time! Naruto's a much better person then you'll ever be! I give up, Sasuke. I used to think that you had some kindness in you. But you know what? Maybe you do. Maybe you're really just looking for love. But I'm done searching for it!" She took a shaky breath, watching the look of fury on Sasuke's face. "I'm going to the one who's always been there for me. Naruto! And as for you - you're heartless!"

"Of course I'm heartless, and you know who fucking stole my heart? You did!"

Mouth falling open an inch, Sakura gazed blankly at him, completely lost for words.

"I care because I like you, all right? I liked you from the fucking beginning!" Sasuke snarled, gripping her wrist again in that vice-like clench. "Look me in the eyes and try and say it, go on! Try and say that you don't like me anymore!"

Writhing and twisting, she tried to pry his fingers from the painful grasp, tears blinding her vision. "I - I don't love - you - anymore - Sa - Sasuke," she choked out, half sobbing, half whimpering.

"That's a lie! You --" Sasuke's heated words were cut off as he was tackled around the waist, completely caught off his guard. Both jounin were surprised for a moment until Naruto scrambled upright, growling.

"N - Naruto!" Sakura said faintly, feeling like she was going to black out. Things were happening at a terribly fast rate. She collapsed onto the chair, wide green eyes flickering from one boy to the next.

"Naruto, where the hell did you spring up from?" growled Sasuke as he got up from where he had fallen.

"You hurt Sakura," Naruto shot back, pointing a finger at Sakura's wrists - red from Sasuke's fierce holds, ignoring Sasuke's question. "Don't you hurt Sakura. Don't you dare hurt her!" Naruto clenched a fist.

"No, stop it, you guys," Sakura interrupted fearfully, throwing herself at Naruto. She grabbed onto one of his arms, and pulled him back, emerald eyes pleading with him. The blond-haired Naruto allowed himself to be guided backwards, away from his rival.

Sasuke seethed. Look at them. Look at her, clinging to his arm so fiercely, so tightly. Look at them, fear in her eyes, anger in his. If Sasuke could see himself, he'd see the hurt in his own eyes. But looking at the two, he saw red. Red like you wouldn't believe it. Out of the blue, his sharingan flared up. Such was the jealousy and rage coursing through his veins.

Even Naruto was slightly taken aback. He had not expected Sasuke to be angry at all, and certainly not to bring out his sharingan eyes.

"No," gasped Sakura, somehow forcing her weak legs to move. She stumbled between the two boys, a hand held out beseechingly to both. "Don't. No fight." She was feeling strangely dizzy. Could someone faint from just stuff like this? The room was kind of dimming... And look, Naruto's blond hair was melting away. She frowned, puzzled. How could his hair melt? But it was definitely melting, and she could hear their voices, though they sounded oddly slow and their words echoed. Blackness scratched at the edges of her vision. Black flickered - and she fainted clean away.

"Ah - Sakura --" Naruto made a clumsy save, Sakura's limp form draped in his arms. He peered down in worry at her. "Sakura? Sakura?"

"Oh dear," murmured Kakashi as he blinked down at the prone girl. He had not anticipated the situation to arise so quickly.

"Kakashi?" yelped Naruto in shock (Sasuke only widened his eyes at the sight of his teacher, sharingan disappearing), nearly dropping Sakura. "Where did you come from?"

"The open window," replied the elite shinobi vaguely, waving a hand. "Get her on the couch, Naruto."

Once the still-unconscious Sakura was placed upon the soft cushions, Kakashi sat the two boys down, and seated himself near them. His eye narrowed.

"I believe the two of you need to do some explaining for me."

End chapter.

Um... I don't think this was a good chapter. ; I mean, I sort of liked it until the ending... Man, I'm so bad at endings. Xx; But that's up to you to decide. Read and review? Suggestions, criticisms... Just don't flame me. I try to write. XD