Disclaimer: The usual.

"...text" present/dialogue

'...text' past/dream/flashback/thoughts

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holly- Yeah, love triangles get to me too well... THANKS!

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DreamCatcher16- Find out if Sasuke does or not! THANKS!

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mad-killer-bunnies-alert- Sasuke, evil? Hm... That's a chin scratcher... THANKS!

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And for other reviewers, I'm sorry for not giving you feedback for your reviews... I accidentally deleted some of them on AOL... Stupid mailbox.

Equilibrium

Two

Knock. Knock.

The peaceful atmosphere inside the dim house was disturbed by the crisp sound of knuckles rapping against hollow wood.

Grunting, he pushed himself up from the couch's leather surface unwillingly and dragged himself until he came face to face with the door. When the young adult gained control over the knob in his hand, he twisted it, and pulled it back enough to allow bright sunlight to enter through the opening in an instant.

The blinding rays were not the only things that had caught his sight.

For a second there, he had totally neglected the newcomer who stood to be at his height.

Cool onyx connected with depths of snow white.

Those were the eyes that he vowed to never forget-the eyes of his rival, Hyuuga Neji.

" Uchiha."

His tone was almost as emotionless and aloof as the mask he wore on his face.

" What do you want, Hyuuga?" Suspicion obscured his senses immediately as he thrust a hand at his hip. It wasn't just every day that you'd expect a Hyuuga, especially Hyuuga Neji, at your door.

Kami, how he despised the man who dared to share the mind of a "genius"with him. There was not one thing he didn't hate about him.

His adversary still wore that baggy beige sweatshirt of his with coffee colored knee length shorts that matched his long flowing strands. The silver Konoha metal plate gleamed proudly at its proper place against his forehead.

The Uchiha wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp just by laying his eyes on him.

" Where's Sakura?" The Jounin ANBU captain demanded. " Hinata-sama wants to talk to her in person."

Even a year after their separation, Sasuke could have sworn he detected a unique change in the Gentle Fist Specialist's voice when he pronounced her given name. It was the special tone he knew too well of.

Oh, he could just feel his insides burn with a raw feeling.

Jealousy, was it not?

" Not here, obviously."

" Where is she, then?" His orbs narrowed, daring him to tell a lie.

He accepted it enthusiastically and threw back a challenge himself as an arrogant Uchiha.

" She's with Itachi."

The Hyuuga paused, the grim line set between his lips became more appealing.

" And how did she end up with an S-Class criminal?"

" That's none of your damn business." His tongue was equivalent with his skills in battle-shrewd and merciless.

A hand dressed in bandages grabbed the collar of his dark shirt, wrinkling it in the process.

" You know damn well she's every part of my business. Had I not made myself clear a year ago?"

This had caused the dark-haired male to snicker.

" Don't you have that Ten Ten girl now? Or is she just not enough to fit your taste?"

" Ten Ten's with Lee." He commented dryly. Without a word of caution or warning, his other hand, unwrapped, came up to attack his clothing as well, allowing him to shake the prodigy with strength from both hands. " But that's not the point right now. You know what? Maybe I should have just ignored her pleads and shut her up when she wanted me to let her go back to you, knowing her feelings for you did not die. Tell me, Uchiha, after all that she's done for you, how could you just sit here like nothing has happened! She's in the hands of the most dangerous man alive."

" You know what! If you really do give so much of a damn about her, then why don't you go get her back yourself?" He wrenched his shirt free from the other's claws, causing the brunet's arms to fall back at his sides, shaking with fury.

" Hmph. I think I will! And when I find her, I don't care if I have to lock her up to keep her away from you, but you're not getting her back!"

His declaration ended, so did his visit. With that, the Shinobi leapt out of sight.

The door became the object of his anger when he slammed it shut forcefully, pounding on its glossy surface. Then, pivoting around, he supported his weight against it, shoulders slump, and thick bangs shadowing his sight.

Uchiha Sasuke was tangled within the sticky web of exasperation.

' Sakura... You'll forgive me... right?'

Just once in the thirteen years of his life after the massacre of his clan, he wanted to live a day without being plagued by nightmares of the past.

He would pay any price.

Even if it ended up as an ultimate sacrifice.


She was being lifted, the warmness of the blankets torn away from her.

Moments later, her shivering body was covered by a heavier sheet, much warmer than the one she had lost in that case. Another pair of structures secured her figure against a soft surface. At the same time, positive feeling after feeling surged through her nerves.

Peaceful. Safe. Protected.

She snuggled up against it immediately, delighted by the way her body reacted.

' Sasuke-kun...'

The gentleness in those hands could only belong to that of the man who claimed her heart.

" Hm. Expect a pleasant surprise on the next full moon."

' Surprise...? Full moon...?'

The voice that came from above her head did not belong to the last survivor of the Uchiha clan.

Or did it?

Delirium had long raided her mind, sleepiness preventing her from opening her eyes.Perhaps she was dreaming again. After all, only she and her Sasuke-kun were present in the room.

Right?

" Hmph. You better keep your word, Itachi."


Author's Crap:

I think I update too frequently... Man, I need to catch up with school...

I hope some of you here didn't mind the one sided NejiSaku I put in here... Those of you who know me... Great.. Heh heh!

THANKS FOR READING!