Thanks to those that reviewed:

NewLordofDarkness, Mysteriya, RubberDuckiesWhoLikePieAndCake, Kakashi-Erro-Sensei, Lady Inari, Sakura0890, Reiyuka Yumikoto, GinaCat, BankotsuAngel, Stoictimer, MistressBlossom

Pirate Shinju- Thank you for the heads up -embarrassed- I'm kinda anal about these type of things so I'll reread my chapters so far and fix it. I can't believe I did that. . .presences, yeah I know the difference. -feels stupid- Oo

So thing about the pocky was true. My friend and I had Giant Pocky which we shared but being the gracious person that she is she gave away most of it. But fortunately for me she saved me the last stick.

Which was melted

and broken.

I then wondered whether I could have stabbed her with the Giant Pocky stick. -sigh- Let's get this started.

Hellbent

Chapter7: On keeping everything broken

She could hear it, pulsating in her ears. It echoed loudly, mocking her.

His voice.

Focused on the feet in front of her Sakura slowly made her eyes travel up to the young man. By now the tears had stopped and she just laid there on her hands and knees. It was that familiar sense of being a burden when her intentions were good that kept her down.

She could feel it in his glare, askance, disgust. . .betrayal.

And it was enough to conform all of her suspicions as her eyes met his. Dewy, her eyes maintained a laser light intensity as she critically analyzed her once upon a time team mate, and comrade. Because as of now it was lost, he could never forgive her and she wasn't even going to ask for his forgiveness. She just wanted one last final glimpse before his words shattered.

He has that same distant look on his face, just like Itachi. Placid, cold, I can't even tell if he cares. . .if he even acknowledges it's me.

So she took the silence as time to photograph how handsome he brutally became. The stoic black spikes of his hair, onyx vortex eyes, broad shoulders, lithe body. An appearance similar to Itachi which made her tense.

And when she realized that he had been examining her as well she wondered how she managed not to fall dead to his gaze.

His eyes burned with fire and smoke and something which made her involuntarily gag. Like she had something stuck in her throat and couldn't breathe.

". . .What are you doing?" He finally asked, in a voice which made her shiver.

She licked her lips nervously. Her eyes fell back down to the ground. " Sasuke-kun, I. . ." She paused took and took a breath.

" Is this all a joke?" He continued. " You are not an Akatsuki, what are you doing? Where is my brother?" She noted how he refused to say her name, as if it pained him.

Sakura stood her ground her face darkening to the disdain and arrogance to Sasuke's voice.

It was all for him, for Naruto. Everything she sacrifice, her village, her friends and he never even considered thinking about a former teammate before his brother. She sighed, it was what she expected.

Her hands were clenched at her sides and she gritted her teeth. There was no point in crying or feeling sorrow he didn't want it and she didn't need it. She blinked clearing her vision.

" Itachi-san is here dealing with Orochimaru, I am here dealing with you." She made a move and grabbed onto his sleeve just as it seemed he was going to leave. He crooked his head and hissed at her.

" What are you doing?" He repeated with more ferocity, spitting fire and venom. Sasuke pulled away from her touch, Sakura winced.

Sasuke-kun

" . . .Sorry." She managed a mutter, apologizing for everything but nothing at the same time. She knew that it was a waste of breath.

" Is he with you? Right now is he?" A pause, voice still calm and tepid. " But why would they need you? A bunch of S-class criminals and one girl foolish enough to join." He looked at her as if his gaze would some how deter her. Like she was twelve again and foolishly thought he was a god.

" I am not going to let you fight Itachi-san." She walked steadily forward with a stern gaze on her target. " I will break each bone in your body before I let you."

He smirked. " . . .I've heard that somewhere before. "

The wind blew and in a shadow he appeared behind her with stealth she never imagined. In turning around she punched and kicked only to have her efforts dodged. She noticed how he avoided her touch so when she noticeably slowed he came in closer. Aimed for the ground Sakura landed a kick and watched how the ground reacted with a canyon.

She slouched. Sasuke hopped over gracefully keeping his distance from the panting teenager.

She wanted to see his reaction and when she looked over to him his sharingan was on.

He didn't say anything and that was good enough for her.

" Well, Sasuke-kun." She smiled cynically with good humor. " It wasn't an empty threat when I said I would break every bone in your body."

" You know. . .A missing-nin is a missing-nin no matter what the persons' reasons are." He started in a matter-of-fact tone meant to sear. " Even if you think your reasons are just and of altruistic self sacrifice you're sadly mistaken. You left with the unrealistic thought that you could somehow motivate or 'drag' me to go back to Konoha when you yourself cannot."

She kept her gaze low, because of the sharingan, because of the look on his face. Sasuke still had a chance to live, not like her. She already committed herself.

She would die an Akatsuki.

And he obviously knew but sardonically he decided to make it sting.

" I know what I am doing." She said nonchalantly. " And I would say that I am doing this for both you and Naruto but for myself as well. I have much to prove. . .to everyone. I must over come this factor."

'Emotions make you weak. They make you do foolish actions for worthless people. In the end everyone is selfish, for power, for wealth, whatever. . .you can say you're doing this with the thought of another in mind but really it's for yourself.'

"I am selfish, I left my life in Konoha for the ability I was never able to achieve, for the actions I could never commit."

Her gaze wavered as she came to the conclusion she knew was inevitable. " And- and I could have just lived. . .lived like I'm telling you to. . .but I guess"

I'm a hypocrite

"It wasn't good enough."

Her throat was raspy and prolonged movement caused her brain to register the physical marring and drained chakra. He and Naruto, they always had a bond which disregarded her. She wanted at least the strongest part of team 7 to be prolific.

"As for you Sasuke-kun, my intentions were to motivate you into returning by your own volition. But I can see that idea was a waste." I knew it was a waste.

In careful movements she motioned to the ground and picked up the black mask from where it was knocked off of her. She searched for its comfort and the fact that kept her face hidden.

There was no sound but when her face was disguised the black paint of the mask started to drip to crimson. As if the eye holes bled.

Sasuke's scrunched his face and looked away. " . . .So what? Why do you care so much? These stupid fantasies of yours. It was a waste for you to come."

Stupid fantasies?

It was so similar as it constantly mocked her. His voice.

'You cannot perceive the reality of your actions because you're stuck in your own illusions of what you want to happen rather than what will actually happen.'

She bit her lip and ignored the voice realizing that she didn't have an easy response. It was planned out in her head, her motives but when faced with the question she gulped hard. She felt as torn. Sakura remembered, back then she didn't have a response either.

It's the only thing I have to hang onto.

" I will fulfill my own desire and bring you back to Konoha." She evaded the question.

" . . ."

With one last warning she decided to give him a fleeting glance. " I love you Sasuke-kun. Remember, I told you once."

And you said 'thank you'

"Stay away from the Akatsuki. Because it is the same I would die for you but also kill you rather than let you die by the hand of Itachi." It needed to be said, she needed to remind herself, it was her fuel.

"It's always the same damn story." He interrupted in a deep tone. " Revenge won't make me feel better. . . Sakura you're here because of me and 'Naruto', I'm here because of Itachi, Naruto is also endangered because of Itachi. Do you see how one person effects the rest of us? You say that you love me yet you betray me and join a organization of criminals. . . Your words are faulty and I'm annoyed of you and everyone else getting in my way."

You. . .you don't understand. . .

" I cannot allow that to happen. Live your life not the one owned by Itachi."

" There you go again with that crap. "

. . .not at all.

Something in her brain finally snapped, or perhaps registered. " I know you care, don't fucking play like you don't. And Naruto. . .Naruto too."

He has been sulking, with pseudo hopeful smiles. He and Sasuke always had something that I never could grasp. A bond that I was never a part of even though I was just as close.

"He won't understand but-but you will tell him that I love him too, ne?"

" Hmph"

A kunoichi with no special abilities that's what you are.

Sakura clenched the wet ground beneath her, grabbing the grass her senses took in the threatening stench of the blood. Her own, coagulating on her clothes, dripping down fatally. She wondered if it was fatigue kicking in that made it feel like a tickle as her bare arm twitched sporadically.

Sasuke, noticeably heaving, deliberately walked steadily towards her fallen form, stepped on her fallen robe. . .the blackened sky, the bloodied clouds.

She clenched her shoulder her hands and body becoming warm. Her own attempt to slow down the bleeding.

His footsteps stopped and silently she noticed the change in temperature as the cool metal contrasted with the soft skin beneath her neck. She looked up at him with a painful smirk, covered discreetly by the porcelain mask.

His body was marred and bruised of blood and dirt was soaked on his clothes. If anything snapped or if anything was broken he eluded her medic eye with a complete look of apathy. She herself was exhausted and worn, torn but not broken. And the fact that the nerve endings of the her shoulder were lacerated and ripped to shreds only provided a natural endorphin produced by her brain. This kept her focused on the person in front of her rather then the hole in her shoulder.

His face looked blank and almost pitiful, his eyes were calm and tranquil. She stared memorized by his eyes which returned to their natural hue of black.

His sharingan isn't on. . . I'm no longer a threat. . . I'm dead.

The scene which mocked her Sakura grew annoyed, frustrated by all that remained unchanged. Clenching the torn flesh and gushing blood of her shoulder she gingerly slid the mask off with her free hand. With furrowed brows she gave him a stern glare. It took her all the power she could muster to get to her knees as his katana followed, it's tip positioned precariously at the base of her neck.

She swallowed hard. It sliced into her flesh.

" . . .Well, kill me." She hissed slowly, rasing her hands to steady the cold metal blade. She was tired of being undermined, his vindictive ways were pissing her off. And now. . .now she wanted to prove Itachi wrong. That Sasuke still thought about her and Team 7 and that he wasn't as detached as he believed himself to be. But if he should kill her, then her actions were foolish and for naught. The question was. . . did he really want to be saved?

Her hands started to bleed.

If it's all a waste and hopeless. . .then maybe. . .

He looked away. " . . . you do not belong here. Leave." With contemn he pulled away the katana.

The first thought that popped into her head was that Sasuke had spared her probably because of pity or the fact that she was eventually die of the blood loss. But suppressing the negative and probably true thoughts Sakura looked up at him with admiration and relief that there was still part of him that cared.

More importantly she would be able to drag his sorry ass back to Konoha because as much as she cared for him he still saw her as the weak little twelve year old who so pathetically professed her love thinking that was enough.

For Sasuke, nothing was ever good enough.

The wind grew thicker and Sakura shuttered. Sasuke's head shot around to the presence of the black and red of the Akatsuki robes.

Fuck

Sakura hung her head in frustration, cursing the Uchihas silently. Itachi was gingerly took off his hat showing revealing his face to spite the his younger sibling.

" . . .I suppose Sakura isn't the only one who has a weakness for her teammates."

". . ." Sasuke didn't say anything as his eyes furrowed. His body took a step forward before he realized that something was holding him back. Sakura sent a Sasuke-like glare at Itachi as she desperately attached herself to Sasuke's leg.

"Let go." He hissed.

She ignored him

"Itachi, what are you doing here? I said I would handle this myself." Sakura spat annoyed by the intrusion. It was her mission and her concern.

Kisame was courteous enough to respond. " Sorry kid, we got bored."

She let out a huff.

Sasuke would only be focused on his brother now.

Sorry this chapter wasn't talking to me which sucked because I had it all typed out but then I didn't like it and I rewrote it and. . .and yeah. . well the next chapter will be up sooner. . . I think.

Reviews please!