Hate Me

A Naruto fan-fiction

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Interlude of the Senses: Piece 5

Suddenly, a bright light filled her eyes!

The light hurt her eyes, and she closed them, and then cracked them open again, seeing one lazy eye looking down on her.

That was her first memory of waking up after the fight in the exam-Kakashi leaning over her, carefully inspecting a new bandage under that great florescent light.

After that, she passed out again.

Two days later, she was asked the question that she has carried with her ever since.

She was sitting up in bed, and next to her, lying down, was Sasuke. He kept waking up, and then falling back into a deep sleep again, back and forth. He never spoke when he woke, but he did this time. This time, he looked straight at her, with her leaning against her bedpost, covers pulled up, and a large bandage across her forehead.

He looked at her with a sleepy seriousness, his eyes glazed but his brows furrowed.

"Sakura…Sakura-chan…tell me, can you forgive him? Sakura, tell me how you forgive him, because I know you. He took away so much…tell me how to forgive him, Sakura."

Then, Sasuke closed his eyes, and that deep sleep, induced by drugs and exhaustion, once again claimed him.

It was then that Sakura had begun to relive the previous happenings, with Gaara.

He had destroyed Lee's dream, revealed Naruto, almost killed Naruto and Sasuke, and herself…he had threatened, and almost had, taken away everything….

Could she ever forgive him?

She carried this question in her heart for days, weeks-maybe a month. When she began to dig deeper was when she realized that Gaara had only done what he had known to do. Only, what he had really known to do was kill…yet he had spared her. Why? Because of her connection with her teammates, because she defended Sasuke's injured body, scream for Naruto, and they had done that and some. Gaara had cracked!

Maybe, she then thought, Naruto's speech had truly changed him…he had become a totally different person, pondered the words. Maybe their meeting was so he could turn his life around, make it even better.

She later found, in the present, when she was reunited with Gaara, that he had hardly

changed. It was during those days that she realized that his pain was deeper than his skin, but also his mind, his soul…if he had one. She made it her mission to save him, give him an opening to live and think normally. But it was in her final moments that she realized that he was not only insane, but had a kind of pain, a kind of indescribable hate, suicidal disgust, and such a blackened heart and mind, that, if the idea that if you go so far you can only go back was true, he could only become normal. All he needed was something to get him moving…but the things that flashed in her mind told her other wise.

They told her he was what he said he was….

"I am worse than any murderer you have ever encountered, and even more insane and hopeless than any serial killer."