Author Note: Please excuse the Sasuke OOC-ness… Not too good at writing him… I've made him smile less throughout the story so far… but… some things are too large to change… Like him in 'fluffy situations'.

Eripmav

Part Four, Chapter One

"Dude, come back. You've been out here for a day and a half." Naruto walked up the path towards Sasuke. "If you come back, you could get some sleep and we could help you look. Like planned, remember?" Sasuke sighed.

"I can't Naruto, I can't."

"Seriously man, even Sakura's worried, and she's pissed at you for some reason she won't talk about." Sasuke snorted. "Care to fill me in on the details?" He asked after a moment and sitting next to the brooding raven-haired young man.

"Why?" Sasuke glared up at him.

"Because I'm listening," he gave Naruto a disgusted look.

"You're so…" Naruto shrugged. "Whatever." He was silent for a moment then he took a deep breath. "We… When you left, we start… kissing…" he peeked at Naruto, who wasn't laughing, and continued. "Then she pulled away saying you could come back at any moment. And you did. We both jumped up at the same time, and we lost our balance… Then you walked in." he sighed, frustrated. "This is stupid, Naruto, why—"

"Sasuke. Get it off your chest. You know you want to, you're killing yourself over this."

"… When you closed the door, she snapped. She asked me where I stood with… us… She started crying before I could even answer. She blamed me for lying to her. Pretending to love her so I could get her to her blood or something… And she left." Naruto raised his eyebrows.

"I really do love her, Naruto," Sasuke turned to the blonde looking anxious. "I really, honestly, truly do! D… Don't you believe me? I'm crazy about her!" Naruto nodded.

Really, he would have thought Sasuke the last person to love Sakura. But the look in his eyes proved that he really did. Something, somewhere, Naruto thought Sakura irrational for not listening to him earlier. He was seriously heartbroken now that she hadn't.

And it was clearly visible.

What surprised Naruto the most was Sasuke admitting his emotions. It was something he almost, if not never did. But after getting together with her – finally according to Sakura, she had waited for so long – Something had changed in him. He wasn't a bottled up mystery for the most part.

But he was slowly shutting down again.

"Harsh…" Naruto stood. "You gonna come?"

"Harsh? Harsh! Is that all you're going to say? Harsh!" Sasuke rose to his feet so fast, he had to steady his balance on a nearby tree. He curved his fingers angrily, tearing at the moss on the tree trunk. A bird sitting on an upper branch squawked disapprovingly.

"Are you coming, or not?" Naruto repeated as he turned to leave. Sasuke watched with a horrified expression; then he masked all emotions, following Naruto stiffly down the path.

---

"Oh my god, Where did you find him!" Sakura rushed to the hotel rooms' door as soon as Naruto and Sasuke walked in.

"Cliff path. No phoenix there, by the way." Naruto walked to the small fridge in the hotel room and pulled out an apple. "I think we should try the furthest one tomorrow. It looks like somewhere I would live if I were a phoenix." Sakura shrugged, matching Sasuke's glare. They started at each other, unmoving, eyes flashing a deep red. Sakura's arms hung stiffly at her sides, hands balled into tight fists. Sasuke shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"Guys? Hello?" Naruto grinned. "I'm thinking of a word – whoever guesses it gets a million dollars!" (AN: should be in Yen, but I'm not sure what a million dollars would equal to…)

"Ramen." Sakura said monotone and automatically.

"Well, no… close though… It starts with an 'F'. Give up? Forgiveness! Eh? You like? Since neither of you got it, you both owe me a million dollars!"

"Whatever," Sasuke turned away, Naruto frowned.

"OH MY GOD, A CRUCIFIX!" Both Sakura and Sasuke jumped and turned to face him. "Now that I have your attention, you guys need to talk. No, Sasuke, you should talk and Sakura, you should listen." She glared at him. "Oookay, I'll talk, you BOTH need to listen." Sakura turned and walked to the bedroom, closing the door behind her. "Wow, she's stubborn…" Naruto mused; Sasuke rolled his eyes and left the hotel room completely, the door clicking shut quietly behind him.

------------------------------------

"Eerie." Naruto frowned at the sky. "It's so quiet…" Sakura fanned herself wildly, looking around for shade.

"God. It's hot." She swore under her breath and stalked up the path. A wall of rock was on one side of a narrow mountain path in which the trio walked; a sheer drop on the other. "Oh, thank goodness," Sakura sighed when she edged her way around a bend, "shade." She grinned and made a beeline for it as fast as should could. Sasuke smirked and followed her. The rock opened up into a small clearing, with grass and a few trees.

"You guys, its really not that hot." Naruto rolled his eyes and trailed behind them. But when he looked up, he froze. "Sakura? Scorched treetops were a sign of a phoenix in the area, right?" She nodded and followed his gaze upward.

"Silence," she mused. "There are no birds around. That's why it is so quiet… Man, this 'complicated' procedure to change back sure isn't complicated." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh?" Naruto's good mood plummeted; Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. He volunteered no further information. (AN: Referring to the Sasuke/Sakura argument.)

"Why don't we stop here for a while, maybe the rest of the day? We can travel at night when it is not so hot." Sasuke lay back in the grass, Sakura shrugged.

"So…" Naruto plopped himself down (good mood returning). "To pass the time… Sakura, what do you plan on doing once you're changed back?"

"Eat." She glared at him, but couldn't hold it – she broke into a grin. "Pickled sour plums, Cheese burgers, pizza, ramen even!" she giggled. "Then suntan." She cocked her head. "What about you? What are you going to do once we get back?"

"Eat ramen," he smiled. "And you Sasuke? What are you going to do?" Sasuke was silent for a minute.

"Move." He turned onto his side and propped his head up in his hand. "Then go look for Itachi."

"Finally gonna kill him, eh?" Naruto smirked.

"I didn't say that." Sasuke said calmly, seriously. All humour drained from Naruto. "I'm going to challenge him," Sasuke continued, "but I don't think that I will be able to beat him." Naruto sat straighter.

"Why don't you train more first, then?" he asked, blue eyes wide.

"There is no point."

"Excuse me?" Sakura rose to her feet, face red with anger. "You're thinking about letting Itachi kill you?" Sasuke shrugged eyes cold and face pale, all emotions masked. "Uchiha Sasuke!" she screamed. "You can't just throw your life away like that! You cant just…" she shook her head and screamed. "You can't do that!"

"Why not?" Sasuke drawled.

"Because!" Naruto was shocked. "That's throwing your life away! Why would you even think of doing that?"

"You have dreams, Naruto." Sasuke sat fully. "My dream was to kill Itachi. But, what will that accomplish? What would I do with myself afterward?" He shrugged again and smiled.

"Sasuke," Sakura clenched her teeth. "Is this some kind of… of way of getting back at me for… for —"

"For figuring me out? No. Because you didn't figure me out. You didn't even let me answer; this is just my way of dealing with it." His smile grew.

"You're sick." Sakura growled.

"Maybe I am, but I know I'm telling the truth, and that's as good as it's gonna get."

Sakura's mouth hung open. /He can't be serious/ Inner Sakura started to shake. /And what was that supposed to mean. 'But I know that I'm telling the truth', huh/ Sakura shook her head in disbelief.

"You're going to kill yourself because I don't believe you?" she asked quietly.

"No, I'm going to let Itachi kill me because you don't believe me and 'I wouldn't be worth anything if I wasn't a part of such a high and mighty bloodline'." Naruto paled and Sasuke turned away, ending the discussion.

'He has pride,' Sakura thought laying down on the grass and closing her eyes. 'This could just be some act to get it back.' /Pretty damn good act, then/ Inner Sakura pointed out. 'Or he could be telling the truth…' /…Yeah…/ 'Or…' Sakura yawned, closing her eyes and drifting to sleep.

---

She awoke that evening, but did not open her eyes.

"…Itachi killing you? Truth please." She heard Naruto whisper frantically.

"I finally admitted, after all those years, that I truly loved her, and have loved her all along." 'Probably noticed me wake…' Sakura thought. 'Putting on an act…' She was just about to sit up, but she stopped herself, craving to hear more. Sasuke continued.

"I had found… happiness. But I lost it because I am… shy… I guess." Sakura's heart skipped a beat. 'Defiantly an act. He'd never admit that…!' "I'm not going to try and win a losing game. Once her mind is made up, it's made up. No changing it." 'Yup.' She smirked. 'At least he's smart!' "And if she didn't… couldn't accept me telling her a few mornings ago that I did love her, then," Sakura heard the rustle of clothing as he shrugged. "So be it… My first dream was to kill Itachi, but the day she got changed, it became my second. My first was… to… Never mind, it'll sound stupid to you." He sighed.

"Sasuke! Don't do that to me! What? What was your first?" Sasuke glared at Naruto for a minute then sighed again.

"…To make her happy. To protect her. To… eventually, hopefully, marry her. But, that's gone now." /Or he could have been telling the truth…/ Sakura sat bolt upright.

Sasuke and Naruto turned sharply to look at her with shocked and maybe slightly horrified expressions. She didn't know what to say now that they expected her to say something…

"D… Don't count your chickens j-just yet…"

"S…Sakura!" Sasuke scrambled to his feet, Naruto did as well.

"You really wanted… I…" She began sobbing. /IDIOT! IDIOT! IDIOT/ Inner Sakura started slamming her head against a wall. /You should have believed him! WHY did you even THINK he was lying/

Great sobs that made her hiccup raked over and through her body. She had dared doubt Uchiha Sasuke, and this was her payment. You never question an Uchiha… well, the one she knew at least… He was usually right and almost never lied. She buried her face in her hands and started to rock herself back and forth. Now not only would Sasuke think she didn't trust him, she was an over-emotional crybaby. Ino was better than her. She had fallen below scum. And Ino wasn't quite scum level. Which meant Ino was probably looking pretty good to the Uchiha at the moment.

"What the hell happened to her?" Penelope suddenly appeared. Naruto looked up, flustered; Sasuke slowly raised his eyes. "What's wrong?" She looked from Naruto to Sasuke.

"I…" Sasuke trailed off then fell to his knees.

"You…" she looked to Naruto. "He…?" Naruto reached out and grabber her elbow he said, "Let's go for a nice long walk." He steered her away.

"Sakura, please stop crying. Every time you cry, something bad happens…" She looked up at Sasuke her eyes swollen and puffy. She was surprised to see his just as swollen. (AN: Yeah, yeah, WAY out of character. But give me a break. He needs emotion SOME times. Hope this doesn't bother you too badly…)

"You're… crying!" She squeaked. He laughed.

"Yeah," he looked down at his hands. "I guess… I am. Stupid, isn't it? I never cry anymore."

"Sasuke, I'm so –"

"Don't finish that sentence." Sakura closed her mouth, eyes wide. "Let's pretend that none of this ever happened, and you just asked me where I stand, okay?" She nodded dumbly.

"W…Where do you stand?" she asked, a few tears still sliding down her cheek.

"Hopefully not alone." He whispered reaching out and wiping her tears with his thumb. "Hopefully with you." Sakura laughed and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I'm sorry." He whispered ever lighter. "I really do love you. Please forgive me…"

"Sakura forgives." She half-giggled, half-sobbed. "Sakura apologizes too. Sakura –"

"Why is Sakura referring to herself in the third person?" Sasuke pushed her away and studied her face.

"Because," she smiled. "Sakura is busy praising that she got you back." She sighed and put her head on Sasuke's chest, just below his chin. "But she'll be back soon."

Sasuke nodded. "Good."