Summary: She had given up on the idea of being anything more than a friend to him, concentrating more on her training than him. During the course of her training, he had begun to realize that what he felt about her was past peripheral vision. Sasuke/Sakura.

Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The only thing in this story that is mine will be the OCs and the plot itself.

Past Peripheral Vision
Chapter Thirteen – Remembering the Past

Murmurs rushed noisily throughout the crowd, a combined effort. They were trying their hardest to avert their gazes from him but found the task extremely difficult. It was the ninth year since the tragedy had occurred, leaving them shocked as to why it had happened in the first place. His soul was still torn, fragmented and injured to a point that mentioning anything about that day was taboo in his midst. Of course it was still disrespecting his family's honor to talk about it behind his back but it was almost an impossible task to fulfill, especially during the day that he was at his worst. Then again, if anyone was going to be in his place, they would probably act the same way, although their wrath wouldn't have been as hellish as that of the prodigious Uchiha Sasuke.

It was a sight that haunted him every single day, most especially on the day itself. He could remember how his muscles trembled and numbed. He could remember that surreal world that he had been ensnared in. The bloodied and mangled bodies of his parents flashed repeatedly and continuously in his mind's eye. He could smell the metallic scent of the caking of the splattered blood on the different houses that made up the Uchiha compound. He swore he could even taste it in his mouth, the carmine blood swirling in his mouth before it slid down his throat, burning a path through him as it entered his stomach with a merciless plop. Everyone had learned to distance themselves from him even more so than usual that day. Everyone had learned to continue on with their lives that day. Everyone had learned to pretend nothing was wrong that day. Everyone had learned except her.

Sasuke found it a pain that she would always go to him and offer him a sincere smile, saying everything was going to be alright. Back then, she never fully understood the reason why he had grown bitter, cold and distant. It was only fairly recently when she had fully understood the reason why this day was a day of sheer pain for him. He had heard that she had met crossed paths with that man, somehow, and by then, she had fully understood what happened to him in the past. He found his blood pulsing through his veins even faster at the notion of her meeting him, a chance he should have gotten and not her. However, when he had found out it was merely a high-level jutsu of the cloning nature, he had calmed down considerably, rationally assuring himself that the man who had caused his every nightmare wouldn't chase down one of an extremely lower caliber than himself. Suddenly, everything went black.

"Why are you dreaming of this?" asked a voice as Sasuke found his gaze blurring and merging into one another. One moment, everything was sharp and crystal clear. The next, he couldn't tell apart one thing from another, let alone a single color from a second one. "You are too weak, allowing yourself to be consumed by all this," continued the drone of the voice, an incessant ache in Sasuke's thinking breaking his concentration. He was breathing heavily as he looked around, trying to find where the voice was coming from. "It's been nine years and at your age, I have achieved much more," added the voice, an obvious insulting and mocking ring to it, "A Chuunin at ten, an ANBU Captain at thirteen, much better than your accomplishments of Chuunin at fifteen. You disappoint me, Sasuke. You shame the lineage that you are from." A floor had suddenly materialized beneath his feet, as well as his parents. They were looking at him with an expression which was throwing a threat of being disowned. "See, even they are ashamed of you."

"Shut up," he hissed as burning tears began forming in his eyes. He, Uchiha Sasuke, would never cry in public. He was far too strong for that. In the confines of his own home, all walls he had built to safeguard his broken and torn soul were wrecked and destroyed, allowing a time to let the flood of emotions loose. The voice continued to taunt him. "I said shut up!" he shouted as he covered his ears with his hands, his lips still moving. The voice did not heed the words of Sasuke. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" shouted Sasuke, his words like a mantra, "Just who do you think you are!" Recurring images from broken and fragmented memories began playing in his mind. He began to imagine himself as an innocent seven year old, running through the streets that lay in between the various houses of the Uchiha compound. He had no idea what awaited him at his own home.

His mind throbbed painfully as he slumped down to the floor. His head was reeling. Thoughts were being pushed into his mind as he unconsciously bit his lower lip so hard that it almost bled. His fists were clenched tightly that his knuckles started to turn white because of the strain. It was that day nine years ago and he could remember the pulsating pain he had felt as clearly as the day itself. He could remember seeing their bloodied, battered bodies, his towering figure with an impassive and indifferent expression on his face. He could remember the fear that was pounding in his body, the immense physical, emotional and mental pain that had surged through his body nine years ago. A soft, almost timid knocking sound resounded throughout the room, causing him to bolt upright, breaking in a cold sweat. In a panicked frenzy, he fixated his gaze on the slowly opening door. A face he never wanted to see again popped up as his voice let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Six in the Morning

Sakura smiled, assuring the Jounin that nothing was wrong. When Aya had come to pick Sakura up, a surprise seeing as they hadn't been seeing much of each other for the past week because of an important mission taking up most of the Jounin's time, she had noticed Sakura's sullen mood. When they were already on their way to their usual training ground, Aya had begun showing Sakura with an onslaught of questions, like a worried older sister or cousin. The Chuunin had always replied 'Nothing's wrong, Aya-sensei' or 'I'm just thinking about something, that's all' or something on similar tones. The Jounin was disbelieving of her answers and decided to interrogate the Chuunin even further. By the time they were already in their training ground, Aya had hardly gotten any more information out of the pink haired girl.

"Fine, fine, don't tell me about it," said Aya dejectedly as she ran a hand through her goldenrod tresses. A nervous and, at the same time, apologetic laugh escaped Sakura's lips. Shrugging her dejection away, Aya looked at Sakura with her sharp, crystal clear amethyst optics and stretched her lithe arms out. "Today, we're going to have more Nin Jutsu, Gen Jutsu and Tai Jutsu practice," began the Jounin as she rubbed her hands together, warming the skin. Sakura nodded as she waited for more instructions. "Although you will be allowed the use of Nin Jutsu, you will have to rely on your Tai Jutsu more," continued Aya as she eyed the female opposite of her, "Your Crescent Blade usage has been getting better and better since we started five months ago." A bashful smile graced Sakura's face, disappearing a few moments after. "This fight begins now," announced Aya, all tones of seriousness in her voice.

The two kunoichi had fallen into stance, eyeing each other dangerously. Aya had begun to hold her Crescent Blade in an unfamiliar position, the crescent-shaped metal curving over her head, the fingers on Aya's left hand resting gently on the front tip of the blade. The strain of her arm was enormous, as it was hard enough to even lift the weapon from the ground. To carry it over her head was simply amazing. Sakura's had hers in a different position than what she had been taught at the very beginning, learning to contort the basic style into her own version. Her Crescent Blade was lying flat, as if on a table made of air. Her fingertips were barely touching the steel but she felt the cold emanating from the metal. She was lunging forward slightly, her left leg stretched back and her right knee bent slightly. With a silent signal, the two kunoichi sprung forward into action.

"Aaaahhhh!" shouted Sakura, a somewhat battle cry, as she swung her Crescent Blade wildly. Aya, on the other hand, brought hers down. Both steel weapons clashed together with a deafening clang resounding throughout the otherwise quiet forest. The impact was enough to send both kunoichi back into a tree, Aya's pupils turning white momentarily before they managed to regain her senses and land squarely on their feet. Heaving heavy sighs, Sakura looked up, her vision darkened because of her hitai-ate, the action merely being a force of habit. She still hadn't broken those habits even after getting used to doing everything blindfolded. Setting down her Crescent Blade, she began to use hand seals that were familiar to her even when she was a Genin. Drawing in a deep breath of air, she prepared herself for her next attack. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" she shouted before releasing a fiery wave from her mouth. She could hear the flammable materials before her burn as the fire from her mouth began to dissipate.

"Too obvious, Sakura!" shouted Aya as she descended from above, almost managing to cut the Chuunin cleanly into two pieces before Sakura had reacted. The Chuunin managed to dive away from Aya, leaving behind her own Crescent Blade while Aya's had cut a long, deep gash on Sakura's arm, the sanguine liquid flowing freely and in a matter of seconds, Sakura's entire arm was red. "Don't do something that your opponent will expect!" shouted Aya once more as she began dashing towards the retreating Sakura. In a moment of panic, Sakura had contemplated on admitting defeat. However, Aya would never forgive her if she had done that. Ripping off her hitai-ate, Sakura had begun to perform the appropriate hand seals for the Chiyute no Jutsu. It would prove fatal if she let it remain that way for so long, the chances of her wound being contaminated higher the longer she kept it open.

"Chiyute no Jutsu!" hissed Sakura, wincing as she let her chakra-enveloped hand start regenerating the destroyed cells of her arm. She could begin to see her skin beginning to stitch itself up with the help of her chakra, managing to recreate majority of her skin cells. A long, slightly visible scar would still remain, reminding her of today's mistake. Over time, it would most likely disappear but not any time soon. The Chuunin kept her senses alert for any sign of Aya nearing her place of hiding. Sakura was already a fourth of the way into sealing up the long wound when the Jounin appeared, almost startling her out of her wits. "Damn it!" swore Sakura as she began moving backwards, trying to regain the somewhat comfortable lead she had over the Jounin just a few moments ago. "Damn it!" she swore again as she turned around, the game of cat and mouse continuing.

"It's no use, Sakura!" shouted Aya once more as she jumped forward, managing to catch Sakura with her free left hand and pushing the Chuunin downwards. Sakura fell on the forest floor with a loud thud, her pupils turning white as she lost all her breath. Aya had her Crescent Blade hanging right above Sakura's throat. "Guess this one you lost," said Aya casually as she set down her Crescent Blade and helped the Chuunin sit up straight. A groan managed to escape Sakura's lips as she tried to regain her vision. "You go seal up that wound of yours and I'll get your Crescent Blade and hitai-ate," murmured the Jounin as her goldenrod tresses obscured her vision. Sakura managed to exert enough effort to reply with a sound of recognition before focusing all her remaining chakra on sealing her wound. The scar that would be left now would be slightly more visible compared to the scar tissue left when she was sealing the wound earlier.

In the Evening

Sakura had managed to enter the Uchiha compound on her own. Luckily, Sasuke didn't change the locks since they were Genin. She and Kakashi had a set of spare keys as among the three of them, including Naruto, they were the only ones who could really get Sasuke back to his senses. Naruto would probably just further aggravate the already irritated Sasuke. She could hear her heart pound in the silence of the house as she made her way to Sasuke's room. The minute she was one step away from reaching the doorknob, the door swung open and she was pushed back against the wall. Warm breath danced against her skin, tickling her as she looked up, with worry painting her jade green optics as she met endless pools of dark black. "Sasuke-kun," she murmured breathlessly, looking down to avoid his sharp gaze, "I was worried."

"You didn't need to be," he muttered coldly, letting go of his hold on her. Sakura slumped down to the floor, her mind in complete disorder. "Why are you here?" he asked, his words cutting the air between them cleanly. She had done this once before, back when they had arrived in Konoha, back when no one had offered him their trust but her. Sakura replied weakly, though firmly, that she was worried and that she wanted to check up on him. "I'm not some little boy you know," he said, his frustration showing through. Sakura managed to get up, her knees still weak, as she watched him. "I'm not some little boy who still gets nightmares of that night. I'm not some little boy who needs someone to watch over him before he does anything rash," he hissed as he looked at her. Sakura swore that his eyes were scarlet for a few moments. "I need neither your pity nor your worry, Sakura!" he finished, his voice rising with his anger.

"Then why are you acting like a little boy then?" asked Sakura softly, still not looking at Sasuke. The emotional dam broke as Sasuke picked her up, his hand clamped around her neck, tight enough to start choking her, but loose enough to let her continue breathing. Her feet were dangling slightly above the ground as her fingers wrapped around his hand, trying to pry it open. "Sasuke-kun," she said between heaving breaths as deep as she could, "You will never get over them until you let yourself get over them." His hold on her neck grew tighter, Sakura wincing at the pressure that he was adding to her neck. In a few seconds, she was already gasping for air. If he continued this for the next five or ten minutes, he could effectively kill her slowly and tortuously.

"Your family has always been complete. I've never seen you a moment without someone near you," he hissed angrily, anger written all over his face, "You wouldn't understand how it is to be alone." He heard her soft, strained reply of 'Yes, yes I do.' His grip on her neck only tightened further. "You don't, you really don't, Sakura," he hissed as he narrowed his eyes. This time she was sure that his eyes were scarlet, even for only a couple of seconds. Letting go, Sasuke unclamped his hand from around her neck as she landed painfully on the floor with a thud. He didn't even flinch when he saw Sakura trying to regain all that lost air. He wasn't at all remorseful. "Get out, Sakura," he said monotonously, dangers of getting hurt coated his tone, if she stayed any longer, "I don't want to do something I'm going to regret."

"Fine," she murmured, her voice still strained as tears began burning in her eyes. Sasuke kept the cool gaze he had on her. "All I wanted to do was help. It seems that my assistance is not needed," muttered Sakura as she turned around and began walking away. The minute she had turned her back on him, her tears began falling as she covered her mouth in her hand. His onyx eyes remained transfixed on her fleeting figure as he remained where he was. He could still feel the warmth of her neck on his hand. He could still see the panic rising in her eyes when he had clamped his hand around her neck. He could hear her silent whimpers of pain as lifted her up slightly into the air. And even with all that, he showed absolutely no emotion even though it was eating him up inside when he had seen her tears.

"It's not like she should have been here in the first place," said Sasuke quietly, consoling himself as to what he had just done. Turning around, he began walking back to his room, a pounding pain in his head irritating him. He could taste the blood like in his dream. He could remember their quiet smiles, his father's normally unexpressive face and his mother's warm visage. He could remember the smiles of a person he didn't want to remember, no matter how vague that person's younger face seemed to be. "It's not like she needs to know that he had visited me," he muttered angrily, slamming his fist onto the wall. Small wounds opened on his knuckles as they bled slightly, his arm growing limp beside him. Tiny patches of red decorated the wall. "I'm weak," he hissed as he slumped down to the floor, falling into a crumpled heap, "I'm so fucking weak." No one was beside him when the tears began to fall from his face freely and unconsciously as he continued to breathe normally.

Tsuzuku…

Well. Things never go as planned. The story wasn't supposed to end this way but I liked it. It at least followed through the basic plan I had.

And thank you for your continued support for this fanfic! It's been getting good responses lately!

On a side note…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SASUKE-KUN!

Even though this chapter is kind of dark.

Now, it's time for my responses to your reviews!

TriGemini: Yep, Sasuke tends to take things just one notch above normal. But, I suppose that's how he is.

Sagitarious Devil: Actually, it's just because Sasuke doesn't understand his own feelings. Throughout the entire fanfic, at least PPV anyway and not considering PPV: Act Two, he's going to be like that.

Phoe-chan: Yeah, Naruto could have been at the dinner but I would have found it awkward. What would Naruto do at the dinner! And yes, waking up from a nightmare is really creepy. When that happens to me, my heart races and I look around to double check if I'm in reality or not, or at least what we consider reality.

mitchigirl: I don't have a regular update schedule, like I update every Friday or something. It's lucky enough I have enough time and inspiration to update once a week! So for now, it's just a weekly update sometime around the weekend.

cherri-chan: Yeah, I suppose Sakura should be happy but this isn't the normal Sasuke we're dealing with. This is the Sasuke who's emotionally unstable and does everything out of his norm!

And that's it for now!

As we speak, I'm trying to think of the flow of PPV: Act Two, which you keep hearing about. If you don't remember, I have everything in this story, PPV, planned out, from chapter one to the very last. There will be twenty-seven (27) chapters in this story and it will not be updated afterwards. There will be a second 'arc' called Past Peripheral Vision: Act Two which will start where PPV left off, sometime right before the start of the Jounin Exams in other words, and end… well, I haven't gotten that far yet. So when you see a story called Past Peripheral Vision: Act Two, think of it as a somewhat sequel to this!

Stay tuned for next week's installment!

Next Chapter: Chapter Fourteen – A Month Away

"That was a pretty fulfilling day, don't you think, Sakura?" asked Aya as she swung her legs lazily in the river. The pink haired Chuunin nodded as her jade green eyes watched the crackling fire, pale orange reflecting on her optics from the blaze. Taking a deep breath, Aya got a whiff of the roasting fish they were going to eat. There were about four or five medium-sized fish cooking by the fire. "I've never really been out on a training mission before," commented Aya as she looked up at the darkening sky. Sakura made a sound of understanding as she fanned the fire gently, strengthening the blaze. "At least not one-on-one with a Jounin," added Aya as she withdrew her legs from the river and patted them dry with a towel they had packed. Wearing her sandals, she made her way beside the Chuunin and sat down with a soft plop. "Let's eat! We've got a long month ahead of us, Sakura. Let's do the best we can with the time we have!" said Aya enthusiastically, picking up two cooked fish and handing one to the Chuunin. A smile of appreciation found its way to Sakura's face as she took the fish gratefully.