Hello everyone :) Thank you for the wonderful reviews, follows, and favorites. I truly appreciate it. I intended to post this yesterday, but I was very busy, and well...Naruto's manga came to an end. Take that and the fact the final Hobbit trailer was released, and you'll see that I've been emotionally compromised :P But Naruto's farewell is absolutely tragic. I'll take a moment to honor T_T

This is it. It is over. After 15 years of following the loud, impulsive number one ninja at surprising people, Naruto has come to an end. 700 chapters. Kishimoto Masashi is brilliant, his work full of life, passion, dedication, emotion; themes of love, hate, war, sacrifice, and friendship. Through Naruto, he has inspired me as a person. Through Naruto, he has inspired me as a writer like nothing and no one ever has. I cannot put into words what I am feeling. I cannot even begin to describe the heartache of losing something that has been with me for so long; the story I have grown up with; the characters I have laughed with and cried for. We come to it at last. Arigato-gozaimasu, Kishimoto Sensei 3

And I'm glad to still be writing this story. I'm excited to further explore Itachi's struggle in Shippuden. I am beyond happy that all of you are invested in this story, so a thank you to the readers as well :) Now...to the angst! Enjoy the chapter.

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She saw him for a split second, as he was; the quiet, observant boy with kind eyes. She saw her friend, her mentor, her family, the one who gave her everything and then stripped it all away. She saw Uchiha Itachi.

The shadows disappeared as he stepped closer, and she realized the silhouette was not Itachi, but Sasuke, and deep in her heart Kokoa knew all along it was Sasuke, but there it was as always, that desperate bit of hope, that part of her clinging to the image of the innocent Itachi burned into her mind. Still, she gasped in relief.

"Sasuke –" She paused, what small smile she wore fading, fingers gripping the bars at the look plastered across his face, the fire in his eyes, the curl of his lip. She shivered at the sight, afraid. For the first time she stood afraid of Uchiha Sasuke. For the first time she saw a passion in those ebony eyes of his that she had never before seen, a passion that was anger towards her, and she knew would morph into to utter hatred the moment he confronted Itachi. For the first time she wondered just what Uchiha Sasuke was capable of.

"Sasuke, I –"

"Be quiet."

"Just let me explain –"

"Enough."

"I promise it's not what you thin –"

"Shut up, Kokoa!" he shouted, both flinching at his volume, at his words. She stepped away from the gate, eyes wide. He never looked at her like that before. He never yelled like that, never told her to shut up. "It's not what I think, huh?" he finally spoke, gazing off to the side. "What am I supposed to think? Tell me. What am I supposed to think of you running off to meet Orochimaru? Please tell me."

"Sasuke, I –"

"Tell me!" He faced her, furious. "Is that all you can say? Sasuke, I, Sasuke I? I think I deserve more than that. Tell me what the hell you were doing, what you were thinking? What – I – you meeting up with my brother made a lot more sense than this."

She remained quiet, biting at her bottom lip.

"Nothing? You have nothing to say? Kokoa, look at me!" he commanded.

"Why are you yelling? You never talk to me like this."

"Can't handle it?"

"Sasuke, enough."

"You're the one at fault, not me. Tell me, Kokoa."

"Tell you what!" She threw her hands apart. "Huh, Sasuke? What?" She rubbed the same spot on her cheek, annoyed the bit of dirt wouldn't disappear. Sasuke winced, realizing it was a bruise.

"Why did you plan this? Why did you track him down? No one runs into Orochimaru just like that!"

"Don't you know…?" She stepped forward, leaning against the bars, her gaze low, arms hanging at her sides. He saw the sadness, the despair in her eyes, heard it in her voice. She had fallen apart again. She was hurting, in pain, and he didn't want to be the one causing it. He walked over, as close as he could get.

"Sorry."

"Hm?" She met his eyes.

"I don't like yelling at you. I just…" He rubbed his arm. He yelled because she had done something stupid. He yelled because he was worried, afraid she had gotten hurt or worse. He yelled because he loved her.

"Can't you see it, Sasuke?" she said. "Why I did what I did."

"Kokoa, you can't."

"You're going to leave me for him. I had to try to stop it. I had to fix things," she whispered.

"I told you not to interfere. I told you not to get involved, not to stop me."

"You can't blame me. You're all I have. The thought of losing you, and to someone like him, Sasuke I can't lose someone else. I can't lose you too. Why can't you understand that?" she pleaded, clutching the left of her chest, her heart, tears swelling.

"Why can't you understand that this is something I have to do, Kokoa? I made it clear, what I intend to do. I need my revenge, and to get it, I need power from Orochimaru. It hasn't changed." He made sure to keep his voice low.

"No you don't need revenge. We can make things work. We can stay here, we can –"

"We can what, be happy? We tried. We've been trying ever since Itachi left, and we've never been truly happy, Kokoa. You know it."

"I'll try again, I swear –"

"You're as obsessed with finding your truth as I am with revenge. We're no different. When will you stop pretending?" He crossed his arms, leaning with his left shoulder against the door like her. "I believe you when you say you don't want to lose me, but I also know you've been trying to keep me here in Konoha away from my revenge because it'll mean Itachi can live. I'm not stupid. I can read you like an open book," he said. She nearly gasped. Itachi was the one who read her so easily, and for the longest time Kokoa was the one who read Sasuke. Now their roles had switched.

"Sasuke…" She didn't know what to say. What could she say? He was going to leave. There was no denying it. Sasuke was leaving, and he was leaving soon. Nothing she said would change his mind. Nothing she said would keep him beside her. He had made his decision.

"Pease stay with me, Sasuke," she whispered, tears breaking free and trickling down her bruised cheeks. "I'll change. I'll be – I can be there for you. Please – I need you." She sobbed quietly, eyes shut tight. He swallowed hard, saddened by her begging and crying. He always hated seeing her so low. He wanted to make it all better, to tell her it would be all right, but he couldn't lie. Not this time.

"No, Kokoa, you don't need me," he said, no longer leaning but standing upright directly across from her, clutching the bars with both fists. "And I don't need you." He spoke gently, watching her with sad eyes. She stared on in shock.

"You've made your decision, Kokoa. You love Itachi. I didn't get it at first. I was angry. I felt betrayed. I just couldn't understand it. Hell, I still don't, and I told you it was ok, but I lied because it wasn't, because it made me mad. It made me so mad, but Kokoa, this time I mean it when I say I accept it. I don't understand how you can love him after he's killed everyone, after he's lied and abandoned us, but I accept it. I can't change it. I can't change you. It's important to you, and because you're important to me, I accept it. So I need you to accept that I am going to get power, and when I'm ready I will find Itachi, and I will make him pay for every Uchiha he killed, for every lie he spoke. You have to accept that." He spoke firmly, eyes narrowed, serious but also kind towards her.

"You made your choice, Kokoa. You don't need me. You want me, and the idea of the two of us staying together in happy, little Konoha is comforting, but you don't need me. I haven't done anything for you except be a burden and remind you of the man who took everything –"

"You're wrong, Sasuke! You helped me. You were a friend, family, the only one who understood. You were there for me. Sasuke you gave me a home, a place to return to, someone to return to. I needed you – I still do! I took you in by my own choice. Don't you ever fucking think otherwise!"

"Even so, you don't need me now. I can't do anything for you anymore. We've been stuck, only arguing and hurting each other. You don't need me. And I don't need you. I have my own road to follow, my destiny. I'm an avenger. Your role is over. It's time I do things for myself. And it's time you do the same. You're a mess. Start taking care of yourself. You deserve so much, Kokoa. You deserve peace, happiness. If I could give it to you, I would…" She had returned to holding onto the bars. He moved a hand, placing it over hers.

"I have to do this. I have to go. I will end things, and then I will come back. I'll come back for you, and we can start over. We can be happy, Kokoa."

She shut her eyes, crying once again, crying at his promise, the promise so similar to Itachi's.

"There is no happy ending. There is no going back to those days is there?" she sobbed. "I'll never have peace. I'll never be whole again. I'll never get to watch the sunset."

"Kokoa –"

"I'll be a criminal for the rest of my life for something I never did, a criminal for ever loving Itachi, and I'll be alone, always watching your back, you and Itachi, watching everyone leave me, like my father, like Itachi, like you. Perhaps you're better off without someone like me –"

"Shut up with that," he snapped. "You're making me say all this awful stuff to you. Just stop, Kokoa." His voice cracked slightly. The moment was getting to him. She did not know, but this was his goodbye. He would leave tonight while she was in jail.

"Kokoa," he said softly, gaining her attention. He leaned forward to stick an arm between the bars, cupping her face with his hand. He aimed to pull back, but mustered the courage to stay. She leaned into his touch, controlling her breath. He glanced away, bothered by the heat in his face, praying she couldn't see the blush in his cheeks.

"Right now revenge is my main focus. I need it to ever move on. I have to do this for myself. But don't you ever think you're not important to me, because you are. I owe you everything, and I will make it up to you when this is all over. I will fix everything. But you have to help. You have to help yourself. Take care of yourself. Figure out what's causing your migraines, get stronger, sort out your priorities and what it is you want." He searched her face for an answer.

"Kokoa, I still have to train and get stronger. In that gap – during that time Itachi is free. Do what you have to," he whispered, resting his forehead against the metal. "Get your answers. Go get your truth. It's ok. It's ok, Kokoa. Get your closure. Find Itachi, make him talk."

"Sasuke…"

"I'm serious. If I can get my revenge then you deserve your peace. Just know that when the time comes, I can't wait. So act fast. It'll be a race between us, both trying to get to him. Just promise me you'll do whatever it takes to be happy, Kokoa. Promise me you'll stop living as a criminal for the village and as a support system for me, and that you'll start living for yourself. Promise me."

"I promise, Sasuke." She nodded. He leaned further, his heart racing at his sudden and bold gesture. Never before had he touched her that way. Had he thought about it? Of course, but he never thought he'd find the courage to do it. It would be the perfect moment, the perfect opportunity to tell her, to confess. His secret had threatened to leave his lips countless of times, but he always held back. He always kept quiet. How could she love the little boy she took in? How could she when she didn't know about Sasuke's own feelings? How could she when she still loved his brother?

I love you, Kokoa. I love you with everything in me, every fiber of my being, and if I could take away all your pain and sorrow, I would! I'd shoulder it all just for you. I'd give you the world. If you didn't love Itachi perhaps I would have told you I loved you, and perhaps I wouldn't have to leave you now. If things were different I would have stayed, and we could have worked to be happy together, but that isn't that case. It's not so simple.

He felt himself cracking. He gently pulled his hand away, playfully tugging at her hair with a sad laugh.

"It's longer. You let it grow."

"Yeah," she said, a tiny smile lighting her face.

"I always liked it long," he said.

"I want to grow it out, wear it like I used to." She met his eyes, and there it was. She saw his true intentions. She saw his farewell.

"I'm glad. It looks better long. Don't be so boyish all the time. It's ok to be a girl you know," he teased.

"Hai, hai. For you, Sasuke. I'll take care of myself."

"Do it for yourself, not just me. You're worth it."

"Hai." She nodded. He gazed off to the side in thought. This was it.

"Thank you for everything, Kokoa. Thank you for…just…arigato, Kokoa."

She reached out, pulling him by the collar of his shirt. She did all that she could, sticking both arms out between the bars to fold around him. He stared at her, surprised, embarrassed.

"I'll see you once they let me out of here. That's if they do any time soon. Try not to make a mess at home," she said. He saw in her eyes that she knew this was the end, but he also saw that tiny glimmer of hope that perhaps he'd change his mind and she would in fact find him safe at home.

"When you do get out, Kokoa, don't do anymore stupid things. No more stunts. Stay out of trouble. I can't come bail you out all the time."

"No promises." She released him. He stepped back.

"I should go. Take care, Kokoa," he said. She nodded, feeling the hot tears once again. He dragged himself over to the door, pausing to look back at the broken girl one last time. One last time.

"Sayonara, Kokoa."