There was a buzz in the air as the shinobi of Konoha gathered outside the courthouse in the early morning. The villagers were curious as to what all the commotion was about and also congregated close to the where the ninjas were waiting. Whispers floated around and soon word got out that the Uchiha Sasuke had finally returned after a seven-year absence. Several theories and rumors passed between members of the crowd, as everyone had his own take on what was going to happen.

Like any other shinobi, Sakura, Naruto and the rest of their friends who knew Sasuke best as a child were also present. Sakura was not tall enough to look over the multitude of people, so she would tug on Naruto's arm every few seconds to ask him whether he saw Sasuke yet. Naruto would stand on the tips of his toes and scan the area for any sign of his former teammate but would find nothing. Sakura wrung her hands periodically and squinted in the bright sun.

The clock tower chimed 10:00, and after a few more anxious minutes, a loud voice struggled over the murmurs of the crowd.

"Please make way, the Godaime and the village elders are coming through!" cried a chuunin-level ninja. He attempted to push through the masses and the crowd divided slowly. When a clear pathway formed, the shinobi stepped to the side and extended an arm in the direction of the Hokage.

Shizune passed first with a visibly concerned expression on her face, and then Tsunade, concealed in her Hokage cloak and headpiece, made her way through the walkway and up the marble white stairs. Next, the village elders joined them. Finally, when the people making up the tail end of the group came into view, the crowed shushed abruptly. The shinobi in question, Uchiha Sasuke, was led by a couple of ANBU nins and tied behind the back with chakra strings. Sasuke kept his head lowered, observing the nervous shuffling of many feet as he passed.

Sakura was in the middle of the left crowd, and her heart raced painfully as she tried to push her way toward him. The people in front of her did not yield, and Sakura found it frustratingly difficult to gain a better view. She cursed the voyeuristic crowd—they only wanted to get a glimpse of him to satisfy their perverse curiosity. Sakura, on the other hand, had barely gotten a wink of sleep last night, tormented by the unpredictable events that would come to pass of the following day. The image of Sasuke, still injured and sleeping alone on the cold prison floor, had festered in her mind and precluded any chance for a decent rest.

"Sasuke—!" Sakura cried out weakly.

A few people surrounding Sakura turned to look at her as she attempted to navigate around them.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto warned from a few feet behind her.

Sasuke had heard her familiar voice, but he chose not to look her way. Her face now would be filled with a frightened and anxious expression, and he did not want to remember her that way. She was still ignorant, too—completely unaware of what she would hear this morning. Sasuke remembered how he had scared her by recounting one particular violent story that night in the woods. What she would hear today would be a thousand times worse.

"Sasuke—I'm here! Sasuke..." Sakura squeezed past a few more people, but by the time she got to the end of the crowd, Sasuke had already started up the stairs.

He and the ANBU wardens walked past the Hokage and Shizune and entered the courthouse. The Hokage stood at the top level of the stairs and addressed the crowd.

Tsunade cleared her throat and began in a serious tone, "As you all know, in a few minutes, we will commence the trial of an S-class criminal. I ask all shinobi to attend, as the man accused is a missing nin of Konoha. This will be a sober warning to you all about the consequences of betraying out village. As for the other citizens of Konoha, you also have the right to know the fate of traitors to the leaf, so you may listen in if you wish.

"That is all. Everyone who stays is expected to remain quiet. Anyone who disrupts the trial at any time will be forcefully removed."

Sakura swallowed and thought she saw the Hokage glance at her at that moment.

Tsunade surveyed the crowd and narrowed her eyes before turning around and walking through the courthouse doors held open by two chuunin shinobi. The Hokage cloak billowed threateningly after her brisk steps.

After checking back to make sure Tsunade, the elders, and Sasuke were properly positioned, Shizune ordered the Konoha shinobi to file up neatly.

Many of the younger nins seemed excited for the chance to see a real S-class criminal. Some other village girls exchanged flippant remarks about how unbelievably gorgeous the defendant was. Their giggles of the uninformed filled the courtroom with an incongruous levity. However, the older shinobi and citizens, who had either been friends with Sasuke or seen him grow up, wore expressions with varying degrees of anxiety and disappointment.

Sakura entered gripping Naruto's hand like a vise. The distinct smell of old wood penetrated the air as they walked along the aisles and aisles of empty benches.

At the end of the large, undecorated room sat the panel of judges made up of Tsunade in the middle and the elders by her side. Two Chuunins were positioned by Tsunade holding thick files.

Three men stood in the big empty space between the elevated level where the Hokage sat and where the public gallery was. They remained still with their backs turned to the crowd as the other shinobi settled into the seats. There were no chairs where Sasuke was, and the two ANBU kicked his calves forward to force him into a kneeling position before the Hokage. He fell hard on his knees but kept his head lowered. The ANBU-nins then moved to opposite sides of the courtroom, leaving the lone figure alone in the wide space.

It was upsetting to watch him, but Sakura kept her gaze fixed on Sasuke's familiar figure. His body looked so insignificant and vulnerable against the menacing backdrop of the Hokage and other officials of Konoha. She felt the urge to hold him and lend him what strength she had, but there was a significant distance and sizeable barrier between where Sakura sat with Naruto and where Sasuke knelt.

A few minutes after the audience had settled down, the Chuunin standing next to the Hokage called order and introduced the trial.

"Citizens, shinobi of Konoha, good morning. We will now commence the trial for the Konoha S-class criminal and missing-nin. Name: Uchiha Sasuke," he began, reading from a file. "Birthdate: July 23rd; Age: 20; Hair color: dark blue; Eye color: black; Blood type: AB; Surviving family: Uchiha Itachi, brother; Years of absence: 7; Number of cases on file: 66." He placed the file in front of Tsunade, and stepped back with a bow.

There was a murmur that swept through the crowd, betraying the surprise at the sheer number of crimes the younger Uchiha brother would be judged for. Sakura's eyes were wide as she sat up straight on the bench with her cold, idle hands in her lap, but she commanded herself to remain calm.

"Order!" Tsunade called out firmly. After a few more seconds, the crowd began to quiet again. Soon there was complete silence except for a few coughs and the sound of shifting bodies.

Tsunade flipped through some of the pages momentarily before looking down at the single figure in front of her. The weakness she experienced yesterday had passed. Since their last meeting, she had realized that this person was not a defenseless boy, but a cool, deliberate criminal. Before her were sixty six reasons why this traitor did not deserved an ounce of pity. Tsunade had told herself prior to this morning to remember the duty of her job. It was easier now than she had imagined.

When the Hokage finally spoke, her voice was calm and formal. "Uchiha Sasuke, I will now list the crimes that you have been accused for, either as the sole perpetrator or main accomplice. There are too many to go into much detail, so I will state them quickly. I will pause after each page, and at this time, you will be able to include any additional information in your defense if you feel what I say is incorrect or incomplete. Do you understand?"

Sasuke looked up at the Hokage, who appeared more ominous wearing her proper cloak and headpiece.

"Yes."

The first words he spoke sent a shiver through Sakura's body. She wondered then if she would have the heart to sit through the entire trial.

Tsunade's eyes turned down to the papers in front of her. She took a deep breath, and then began reading down the first page.

"You have been linked to the following: organizing a coup to displace the elders of the Hidden Cloud village...accepting numerous bribes totaling 500,000 gold coins from private businessmen... assassination of three feudal lords in the Country of Wind...destruction of the main bridge of commerce of Tanzaku-gai..."

With each allegation, Sakura felt her body sinking further and further down the bench. The Hokage listed these crimes so casually, but Sakura knew that each one had its own story. Every mission, no matter the nature, had to be formulated, calculated, and executed systematically. Maybe one or two of the crimes could have been excused citing a temporary lapse of judgment, but taken together, these transgressions were overwhelmingly condemning.

Tsunade paused at the end of the page and looked at Sasuke expectantly. "Do you have any objections to the list so far?"

After Sasuke shook his head, Tsunade turned the page and continued.

"Robbery of forbidden scrolls and weapons from the Hidden Mist plunder and devastation of the Hidden Waterfall village...kidnapping and torture of the Raikage's elder son...five counts of blackmail...assassination of twelve civilians in the tea country..."

Sasuke kept his gaze on the wood floor. He expected the list to be long and that Tsunade-sama would not be finished for some time. An uncomfortable knot twisted his stomach, not because he was hearing a recount of the "missions" he had assigned himself over the years, but because he sensed the growing horror of the shinobi and villagers in the building. His back felt like it was burning from the force of hundreds of terrified stares igniting his skin. All of them were bearable, save one.

Sasuke could not concentrate on the words that came out of the Hokage's mouth; he only shook his head in response to her obligatory question when he heard silence. His thoughts were focused on a particular young woman who was in the crowd somewhere behind him. Sasuke had warned her about her feelings, but he doubted she had anticipated him being as guilty as this. All this time he knew she had tried to think the best of him. She must be disappointed and stunned by the realization of his record. Maybe now she hated herself for trusting and healing him, and for letting him sleep with her at night. Perhaps she felt deceived and wished now their paths had never crossed.

Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts momentarily as he heard the Hokage pause and turn the page again.

"Arson in the forest of in Kusagakure, murder of 12 hunter-nins, conspiring against..."

For the next ten minutes, Tsunade-sama listed the many crimes Sasuke had been linked to. When she finished, Sasuke was actually surprised that they had only documented about half of his exploits. He had expected this to go on for another ten minutes.

For Sakura, however, the accusation list already extended to an unfathomable length. There was no way she could convince herself that the situation was not serious; Sasuke's fate appeared to be sealed after the first page. Moral transgressions like bribery and blackmail that would themselves cause Sakura to shrink paled in comparison to the more violent crimes. Surely no person with a conscience would have been able to torture an innocent individual or someone who begged for his life. In some allegations, Sasuke had even killed a stranger just because he had looked at him the wrong way or accidentally bumped into him.

Sakura's hands turned white as they gripped the end of the bench for support. It was as if Sasuke had sought out trouble and derived some sadistic pleasure from cold-blooded murder. This man—her former teammate, her friend, her—

Sakura refused to believe it.

Tsunade closed a large folder and clasped her hands over the table. She looked down at Sasuke's figure kneeling on the hard, wood floor below. His midnight colored hair obscured his face.

"Do you deny any of this?" she asked him steadily.

Sasuke had not listened carefully to the reports, but he remembered some of them and figured they were all true. At any rate, it did not matter; small modifications would not change the overall picture.

"No," Sasuke replied quietly.

Sakura closed her eyes and inhaled a trembling breath. The disappointment was growing steadily in the pit of her stomach. Each of Sasuke's crimes felt like a weight on top of her body. As she pressed her lips together hard, the soreness of her tense muscles began to overcome her. She believed that physically she would not be able to hear any more.

The Hokage remained still, observing Sakura's reaction from the corner of her eye. She then asked Sasuke, "Are you sorry for what you've done?"

That was a strange question. He was sorry he was caught. He was sorry Sakura had to hear about his crimes. But at the time, power had been an addiction, and the fear in his victim's eyes a satisfying testament to his strength. There was a comfortable swiftness in his movements during an assassination that was rehearsed and experienced. He could even break it down into stages—first, the victim would fight, then when he sensed his vulnerability he would start to negotiate, and finally when Sasuke did not relent, the victim would resort to shameless begging.

It was not difficult to take the life of a stranger, but no matter whom it was, there was always a point right before Sasuke delivered the death stroke that he thought he did not have to do this, that he could stop. It was then that Itachi's face would invade his consciousness, mocking him for his weakness. This taunting always solidified his determination, bringing Sasuke to deliver the final blow amid pathetic screams for mercy. A shiver of pleasure would roll down his spine as he felt the sticky, warm blood percolating through his fingers. He swore sometimes he could sense the weight of the soul vaporizing in the air as he extricated it from its body.

Whenever he silenced his brother's words, Sasuke felt like he was one step closer to defeating him. Itachi would eventually see that he was not the weak little brother anymore; Sasuke had the heart to kill, and he proved it to himself time and time again. Each instance he soiled his hands, Sasuke vowed that the moment he finally faced his brother, he would not hesitate.

Ending another person's life was a challenge at first, but soon it became a strikingly cathartic experience.

It had been enough to live for.

"Well—?" the Hokage's voice interrupted his thoughts, "I asked you if you were sorry."

He would be honest.

"No."

Sakura felt as if her body were falling, suddenly swallowed up by the ground below. The decisions she had made, the world that she had believed in, nothing was right anymore. Sasuke could not even say anything in his own defense. Sakura shook her head steadily in a mixture of disbelief and frustration. He had his chance to tell everyone he was mistaken and misunderstood, but he had not. Everything the Hokage had accused him of then must be true, and Sasuke felt no hint of shame or remorse for any of it.

What they experienced together—could that have all been a lie? Was she just a way for him to heal his body so he could go on committing crimes and writing them off as the means toward some damn ambition?

"Please repeat that for the court," the Hokage requested.

"No...I am not sorry for what I did," Sasuke said clearly.

The Hokage began speaking again, but Sakura did not register a word. It was no longer enough to sink down in her seat or bury her face in Naruto's shoulder. She felt like the walls were closing in and suffocating her, and she was powerless to stop them. Her vision was getting blurry and there was a sharp pounding on her temples. The only option was to get out of this room as soon as possible.

"Naruto," she whispered weakly.

He faced her with saddened blue eyes.

"I...I have to go."

His expression turned to one of concern. "Sakura-chan, you can't," he reminded her.

"I have to."

"Sakura-chan, you'll get in trouble," Naruto said. But as soon as he uttered the words he knew that the last thing she cared about was getting in trouble with the Hokage. He searched her expression for something unsettling. "Sakura-chan, should I be worried about you?"

She tried to force a reassuring smile. "No...I just need some air."

With that, Sakura stood up quickly and scooted herself past the knees of many shinobi to get to the aisle. When she did, she ran as quietly as possible toward the exit. People turned their attention away from the trial to watch the pink-haired kunoichi dash out of the courthouse.

The Chuunin guarding the door tried to make eye contact with the Hokage, awaiting her order. Without uttering a word with regard to the matter, Tsunade met his gaze and nodded at the Chuunin guard. He stepped out of the way and Sakura used her weight to pull open the heavy doors, freeing herself from multitude of curious eyes.

The sudden burst of sunlight surprised those who did not see Sakura run out, and inquiring voices broke out in the courtroom.

The last thing Sakura heard as she rushed down the stairs was the Hokage yelling, "Order! Order!"

The tremendous confliction in Sakura's heart begged to be resolved as she sprinted through the deserted streets. She needed to be alone to sort out her feelings, even if it meant not knowing the result of the trial when everyone else did or seeing Sasuke for what might be the last time. As she rounded the corner of the main street, she asked herself if she even wanted to. Right then, she could only think of how he had confused, tortured, and frustrated her for so long—too long.

When she reached her apartment, she fumbled with her keys to open the door. After securing the three locks on the door behind her, Sakura threw her keys on the table and proceeded to draw the blinds in the living room. With a possessed energy, she also shut the door to the bathroom and quickly closed the curtains in the bedroom. When she finished, the cool stillness of the apartment contrasted sharply with her agitated state.

Without thinking, Sakura took of her shoes and threw them to the side, and then she climbed into bed and curled up under the covers. She buried her face into one of the pillows, trying to drive out the anxiety that had taken a secure hold on her mind. Before long, however, she noticed the distinct smell of the sheets and realized then she was on Sasuke's side of the bed. Her eyes tightened shut as she rolled on to her back, brushing the hair out of her face and trying to control the swelling of tears. When she opened them again, she sat up suddenly and gripped the pillow, throwing it across the room in a paroxysm of anger.

For a minute she breathed heavily and stared distrustfully on the white pillow lying still on the floor as if it were contaminated. She looked around her room and much to her dismay, the photo of team seven sitting on her dresser caught her misting eyes.

Sakura leaned over and buried her face in her trembling hands, feeling the warmth of the tears trickling down her cheeks.

It was so unfair; how could one man affect her like this? She knew about his past, so why did she feel so frightened and betrayed?

In the back of Sakura's mind, she had always held on to a small hope that it was all a lie and that Sasuke exaggerated the nature of his crimes to push her away. When he was with her she had never gotten the impression of a killer; she had been confident that the owner of that peaceful sleeping face she had adored the last few days they had spent together could not have done all those things.

This morning, however, seeing the heaps of files implicating him and hearing the words spoken directly from the Hokage's mouth forced everything Sasuke had done into the limelight. It was all excruciatingly real now.

Still, Sakura had told herself before the trial that no matter how bad it was, she would stay by his side. And she might have, in spite of all the condemning evidence, had he not made it so difficult. It was one thing if he was sorry for the crimes, but his responses showed that he was completely unrepentant.

How could she love a man like this—bloodthirsty, merciless, with no regard for human life? Now, it was more than just about what he did, it was who he was that troubled her. That was scary to admit, but Sakura was tired of being disillusioned and feeling helpless. The fact was, Sasuke could not give her his love and protection. She realized now how foolish she was to have ever expected it.