The grass felt cold against her flushed skin. Her chest rose and fell dramatically as she caught her breath. The adrenaline still pumping through her veins even with the fight over and done. A small smile graced her lips as she stared up at the sky.

She felt slightly better after her spare, some of her earlier frustration gone.

"Are you going to tell me what that was all about?" The blonde asked. His jacket off and rolled into a makeshift pillow under his head. "It's been a minute since we've done that."

Sakura didn't say anything for a moment, just enjoying his company. It had been twelve days since she had seen her loudmouth best friend. His bubble energy was so contagious, somedays all she needed to feel better was to be next to him. Naruto hadn't even questioned her when she showed up at his doorstep early in the morning asking to spare. He just quickly dressed and followed her to their favorite training ground. He hadn't questioned when she asked for full body contact or for the clones to keep coming. Every time Sakura took out a clone, two more took its place. Pink and yellow danced around the field for two hours before they had called a truce. By the time they stopped Sakura's knuckles were red and swollen and Naruto was supporting a black eye and twisted ankle.

"There was a meeting last night. The Akatsuki have captured another tailed beast." Naruto's bubble personality disappeared at the mention of that organization. He quickly sat up and stared at his former teammate. "There are only three of you left."

"Am I next?" He asked, his voice so small. Ever since they captured Gaara, Naruto had been struggling. Gaara had been taken out so easily. Sasori and Deidara had used the Sand Village against Gaara. Naruto cared for his village just as much as Gaara did. Ever since that day he had worried they would use his village or his friends to get to him.

"Unlikely. Their next target will most likely be the three tails. Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, was the last known host. When the Akatsuki attacked they killed Yagura before they could extract the three tails. Current rumors seem to think its free without a host. If they were smart, they could go after the three tails first. The eight and nine tails are both protected by strong hidden villages. You're not the easier target." Sakura explained, her eyes still locked on the sky.

"That didn't stop them from going after Gaara. All it took was one of their members to destroy Gaara's ultimate defense." Naruto could still remember Gaara explaining everything that had happened in horrible detail.

"Your forgetting one thing Naruto" Sakura said finally sitting up and turning toward her friend. Her hand found his easily, holding it tightly she said, "you have me."

"Sakura-chan what if-"

"What if nothing Naruto." She cut him off, her grip on his hand only tightening. "You're not alone in this. Me, Kakashi-sensei, Captain Yamato, Sasuke, even Sai, we are your teammates. We have your back. Besides I have a plan in mind." And when her eyes harden and a dangerous smile spreads across her face, Naruto feels some of his panic begin to lessen.


His younger brother was avoiding him. It had been four days since they had talked in Shisui's hospital room, and he hadn't seen much of Sasuke since. Sasuke had only come to the hospital with his mother or aunt and had avoid the house until it was dinner, only to disappear into his room right after. It seemed Sasuke wasn't the only one avoiding him. He had yet to see Sakura. The last time he had seen her was the morning they had awoken her in the room. However, over the last several days there was always evidence she had spent the night in Shisui's room. An empty coffee cup, an extra folded blanket left on a chair, her vanilla perfume always lingering in the air.

One of the nurses told them Sakura had taken Shisui under her direct supervision and that she was his primary doctor. Mikoto had been delighted when she learned Sakura was handling Shisui's recovery personally. Even his father had made an off handed comment that she had improved since he had meet her as a genin. To say the girl had improved had been such an understatement it could almost be taken as an insult. Itachi hadn't had time to check the archives but he still had every intention too. Itachi could hear the whispers of the doctors and nurses walking through the halls. It seemed what Sakura had done with Shisui was nothing sort of a miracle.

Sakura Haruno was almost eighteen. From what he had already gathered she was an anbu, a Tokubetsu jounin and a powerful medic. How they hadn't crossed paths before now was a mystery. His anbu unit was one of the most sought-after units to work with, surely, she would have wanted to further her career by working with them. Itachi had never really thought they needed a medic but thinking back now he couldn't deny their usefulness. He only wonder if her combat skills matched her medical capabilities. Sasuke would know but after his reaction the other day Itachi knew he wouldn't openly share information.

"What can you tell me about Sakura?" He asked his younger brother, and he saw Sasuke shift his weight in his chair. When Sasuke didn't respond right away Itachi knew something was off. The two brothers had never really had an awkwardness when it came to talking, especially if they were by themselves.

"Why?" Came Sasuke's defensive reply.

Itachi fought the urge to give him a pointed look. He was asking because he wanted information, why else would he have asked the question. "She is a member of team seven, is she not?"

Sasuke's focus shifted back to Shisui. "She hasn't been a member of team seven for over a year." The tone was monotone but there was no mistaking the way his hands formed into tight fists at his side. "Sakura left a month after team seven was officially reformed." Sasuke took a deep breath and leaned further back in his chair. "I haven't been on a mission with her in a while Nii-san, I am not sure what I could tell you."

That information was news to Itachi, though thinking back he could remember coming home form an extended mission to find the clan training grounds trashed and Sasuke pissed off for several weeks after. He had never asked what had caused the problem. But the two events could be related, the timing would match. "What caused her to leave the team?"

"She was already a jounin when we got back together. Sakura wanted more flexibility between the hospital and missions." Sasuke answered the obviously rehearsed explanation. Itachi knew they team fought to stay together. So why did she walk away from it?

When Naruto had returned to the village, the clan had stepped in and tried to get Sasuke assigned to another team. The clan had been blamed for the nine tails attack and wanted Naruto no were near Sasuke. Then there was Kakashi, a shinobi that held no Uchiha blood that was known throughout the world as the Copycat Ninja. Hatake was better at using one sharingan than majority of the clan was with two. His father had also expressed his displeasure of having a member of his younger son's team that was so weak. Sakura hadn't even made it into the finals of the chunin exams their first time taking it.

"Who is her jounin partner then?" While chunins and genins traditionally did missions in four-man squads, jounins usually traveled in pairs.

Sasuke took a deep breath and held it. "No one, as far as I know. Sakura spends most of her time inside the hospital. What she does on missions she doesn't say, and I don't ask."

Itachi found it extremely odd that she didn't have a mission partner. It was very rare that he took solo missions anymore. He was either with his team or deployed with Shisui. To say she didn't have a partner raised red flags. Either she had a partner and his younger brother was unaware, or there was something else going on. The only other explanation would be she was assigned to different teams for her medical abilities.

"Why are you so interested in her all of a sudden?" Sasuke asked, his control on his anger slipping slightly. "You have never asked about her before this mission. Why now?"

"She impressed me." Was his only answer. Itachi didn't know why he was so suddenly interest in the pink haired medic. But he wished to learn more about her. He felt like he had missed something, somehow and it didn't sit right with him.

"Out of all the medics you could have retrieved, why did you get Sakura? Surely Tsunade or Shizune would have been the medics you would have called for." Sasuke glare looking to his brother. Itachi could tell his pervious comment had pissed him off, though he wasn't completely sure why.

Itachi said nothing, instead choosing to watch his younger brother. The rise and fall of Sasuke's chest were quickly increasing as his temper flared. Itachi knew his brother had watched him watch his former teammate. His attention on Sakura had stuck a nerve with Sasuke. Interesting. "She had already proven herself once before."

"When the hell have either of you two had any interactions before a couple days ago?" Itachi could see specks of red forming in Sasuke's eyes. Their blood limit reacting to his anger.

"The night you attempted to leave the village; Sakura was the one who informed me of your intentions. She is the only reason why I didn't lose you to Orochimaru."

Sasuke had immediately stormed out of the hospital room, slamming the door behind him. Itachi had contemplated going after him but decided against it. His younger brother would come to him when he cooled off. Through it made Itachi question if Sasuke was more pissed off that he had brought up that incident or that Sakura played such a large role in it.


It seemed a permanent scowl had been plastered on Sasuke's face since he had stormed out of the hospital. Things had only gotten worse from there. He hadn't even been able to talk to Sakura about what might have happened, he hadn't seen her. The next day when he had gone to check on his cousin with his mother, Itachi said she had been gone before he got there. Sasuke had even gone by her apartment several times but no one was ever home. He was beginning to wonder if she was actively avoiding him. Not that it mattered, sooner or later they were going to finish their "talk".

Sasuke entered the hospital, his eyes searching for any pink as he made his way into ICU. He only felt his irritation raise when he finally made it to his cousin's room and realized his aunt was absent. It was too late to turn back now. He knew Itachi knew he was there. To leave now would only raise more questions, and he really wanted to get an update on Shisui. Tsunade had told them yesterday that while Shisui was making progress, there was no way to tell when he would wake up.

"Nii-san" Sasuke greeted as he took his seat across from Itachi. "How is he doing today?" Sasuke was hoping the answer was better. He noticed at least two of the machines that had been in the room yesterday were now absent, and there was only one IV going instead of three.

"He is showing progress" he answered simply. The younger Uchiha could feel the moment his brother switch his attention from Shisui to him. The hair on the back of his neck stood, his body already reacting to the possibility of danger. Because that was exactly what this situation was. Danger. "I'm surprised mother didn't accompany you today."

Sasuke went to say a smart reply about their mother being busy preparing for tonight's clan meeting that he was sent to specifically remind Itachi that his presence was requested when Shisui's heartrate monitored started beeping loudly. Both brothers were on their feet instantly. Sasuke watched the number jump by a factor of thirty in a matter of seconds. He could see his brother turn to yell for a nurse when a person suddenly flickered beside Itachi.

Sakura was responding the second her feet hit the floor. Her new seal had performed perfectly. The second Shisui's condition had changed, she had felt it.

Shisui was finally waking up.

Itachi stepped back to give her room, and she quickly took his pervious place. She watched as Shisui's arms were trying to rise and reach his throat. His body trying to fight through the confusion. Sakura catches his right hand in hers and squeezes it. Her other hand hovered above his throat as she numbed it. "Shisui clam down, you're okay" she said gently, already casting her genjutsu. "You're home. You're safe. I'm going to help you."

Two nurses came running into the room, having heard the alarms sound but both paused when they saw Sakura. Instead of approaching, they chose instead to wait by the door. Their eyes glued on Sakura.

"Itachi and Sasuke are here with you." Sakura said in an almost motherly tone. She let go of Shisui's hand when he stopped trying to move, the clamming genjutsu taking affect. Not taking her eyes off Shisui she reached next to her and grabbed Itachi's hand in hers.

The Uchiha heir would have been startled by the sudden contact if he to had not been feeling the affects of her genjutsu. When the alarm had went off Itachi had felt a sudden wave of adrenaline hit him full force. A sense of urgency had filled him. A mixture of hope and fear had left Itachi wanting to do something to help but not knowing what to do. But he felt none of that now. He couldn't even appreciate the fact Sakura had casted a genjutsu without hand signs, or that both him and his younger brother had been trapped in it along with his cousin. All he felt was clam, as if he had just finished a vigorous workout and was now taking deep relaxing breathes.

Itachi didn't fight her grip and allowed her to pull him closer to the bed until she moved his hand into Shisui's. Feeling the warmth coming from his older cousin's hand was such a contrast to how his cold lifeless body had felt on the journey home. "Shisui" he called his cousin name and felt another wave of emotion when Shisui squeezed his hand back.

"I know you're confused sweetheart. You were in a fight and got hurt, but you're safe." Sakura reassured, her hands glowing over his chest and throat. "You have a breathing tube right now. I am going to take it out. When I count to three, I need you to cough okay." Shisui nodded his head slightly. "1…2…3" Shisui coughed and Sakura quickly slide the tube out of his throat. As one hand pulled it out the other repaired the damage left behind.

The male nurse finally moved from the door, taking the discarded tube from Sakura and turning the breathing machine off. Sakura turned her attention to the monitors and watched as his oxygen count evened out at 92 percent. His lungs were functioning at a normal compacity.

"You're doing great sweetheart. Your throat is going to be raw for a little while. It's going to hurt to talk, so take it easy." She said her hands switching from his chest to his eyes.

"W-what…ha-pp-end?" Shisui's raspy voice chocked out. His body struggling to sit up but was quickly pushed back into his bed by small gentle hands. His head was spinning. He couldn't see but he could feel the warm sensation of healing charka pushing through his eyes. Shisui still had Itachi's hand in a solid grip and it helped ground him.

Itachi went to explain, not giving a damn that Sasuke was in the room. He knew what it was like to wake up from a fight and not remember how he got hurt. But before he could even get a single word out Sakura was beating him to it.

"Let's just say you need to spend a little more time sparring against me instead of watching me do my stretches." She laughed, a small smile gracing her face.

"Sa-kur-a?" He questioned, his free hand slowly reaching up and grabbing her wrist.

"Like I would let anyone else be your primary but me." Her hands stopped glowing, her eyes falling on the two nurses. "One of you get me a glass of water, the other find a messenger and send world to Soichiro that his son is awake." The two nurses took off instantly

to fulfill her request. "I know you want to be filled in on all the details" she said turning her attention back to Shisui and using her free hand to push some of his disheveled hair out of the way. "But right now, I want you to relax. You gave us quite a scare."

"But-" Shisui tried to argue but Itachi was having none of it.

"You've been out for five days." Itachi informed. "Whatever Sakura-san says is what you will do."

The male nurse enters the room and quickly hands the water to Sakura. "Sasuke help me sit him up." She says already rising the bed's head rest. Between the two of them, they slide Shisui into an upright position. Sakura put the drink to his lips instructing him to take small sips, so he didn't make himself sick. She allowed him to gulp down the water until it a quarter of the way empty before putting the cup on the table. "Sasuke, Itachi would you mind stepping outside the room for a moment?"

"Why?" Sasuke immediately questions. The second she had asked him to help move Shisui he realized he had been stuck in one of her genjutsu…again and he was not happy about it.

"His parents will be here any moment; I would like to have him as presentable as possible. So, unless you are willing to help me undress him, please step out."

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice, he was already turning to walk out the door. He didn't need to see his older cousin naked.

"I'll help" Itachi assured softly. Sasuke just shock his head and shut the door firmly behind him.

Sakura had already moved to the other side of the room where the cabinets were, pulling out a new hospital gown, a small bowl, towel and a small green bag. "Can you fill this with water?" She asked tossing the bowl to the Itachi.

"I always imagined I had to at least take you out to dinner before you undressed me" Shisui joked, as Sakura began undressing him. The water had soothed some of the pain in his throat, making it easier to talk.

"Oh please, like I haven't seen you naked before." Sakura teased back, feeling so relieved to hear the humor in his voice. She wasn't sure how his recovery was going to go. The damage he took. The amount of time it took to get to the hospital. There had been so many factors that she was scared that she hadn't done enough to give him a fighting chance.

She's seen him naked? Was Itachi's only thought when he returned with the bowl of lukewarm water. Sakura had placed a towel over Shisui's private area, but the rest of him remained exposed. Ugly colors of blue, yellow and green colored Shisui's skin. Several bandages had been placed along the right side of his body. In the middle of his chest he could see the seal Sakura had placed on him. It was placed right above his heart, and even now it glowed a slight green. The seal looked simple. Just an infinity symbol was visible, but Itachi was sure there had to be more to the seal than just that.

Sakura washed Shisui's face with a gentleness that surprised Itachi. The village had dubbed Sakura a miniature Tsunade, and he had heard the stories about what she could do with her fists. To have that much power in her small hands, to have the power to crush a man's skull, yet be so gentle, was an oxymoron. Yet gentle was the only word he could use to describe her movements now. Once she was done sponge bathing him, she reached into the green bag and began pulling out the personal hygiene products. Itachi could only give her space and wait instructions while she worked. By the time she was done, he was not only bathed, but his hair had been fixed, his teeth brushed, deodorant applied and in a fresh hospital gown before this aunt and uncle even entered the hospital.

"Why are my eyes wrapped?" Shisui asked once she finished.

Itachi watched her give Shisui a sad smile before reaching up to cup his right check. "Your eyes were damaged pretty bad, I'm fixing them, but you have to give me some time. Okay?"

Shisui nodded his head and she dropped her hand. She looked like she wanted to say more but stopped when the door was slammed open. Sanae and Soichiro stood in the doorway, out of breath, as if they had run all the way cross town to make it to their son.

"Shisui?" His mother called, the mix of excitement and pain clear in her voice. He didn't need to see to be able to tell his mother was crying.

"Mom" was the only word he was able to get out before his mother closed the distance and threw herself over her only child.

Sakura stepped away giving the family their space. She knew Shisui had questions, a lot of them, but they could wait. There was no point working him up about his eyes when she almost certain she would be able to repair the damage. Besides Shisui was just as much a mommy's boy as Itachi was, his mother would be able to comfort him in ways Sakura couldn't.

"Thank you" Soichiro said, stepping further into the room.

"I've already checked his vitals, and everything is showing signs of improvement. If something changes the nurses will summon me. If you or your family need anything, please do no hesitate to ask our hospital staff." Sakura informed before leaving the room.

Sasuke was waiting outside the room for her. They were going to finish their talk, and they were going to do it now before she could run away again.


"She isn't going to be happy about this." Kakashi said as he read over the report.

The three anbu teams had finally returned after searching the area Itachi and Shisui had their fight against Orochimaru and Kabuto. Their findings hadn't been what they had been expecting. There made been a small trail of their pervious movements that lead them to the area that had them crossing pathways with the Uchihas. The snake and his henchmen hadn't been coming from the Sound, they had instead been coming from Mist. The same direction Sakura had been coming from.

"It could just be a coincident" he suggested.

"When it comes to him, there is no such thing. Every move he has ever made has been calculated." Tsunade was leaned forward in her chair, her elbows on her desk, her head resting on her palms.

To make matters worse was they had left no trail after the battle. Ninja hounds had search, but they couldn't pick up any scent outside a ten-mile radius. Kabuto had been injured; it was very likely they had used a teleportation jutsu to leave the immediate area.

"Is it possible Orochimaru knows?" Kakashi questioned, speaking very vaguely, even through it was only him and the Hokage in the office.

Tsunade took a deep breath before leaning back in her chair. "Highly unlikely. Sakura wasn't his target during the Chuin Exams, if he wasn't aware then, there is no way for him to know now. All the documentation was destroyed the second I discovered it. Besides her parents and the third, only you and me should be aware."

Kakashi wasn't convinced, but there was always the possibility he was after her for her medical abilities. Perhaps something was wrong even Kabuto couldn't fix. Or, they were wanting to use his female student as bait to lure out Sasuke. He was already getting a headache. "Are you certain partnering her with him isn't going to cause more harm than good?"

A ghost of a smile touched Tsunade's features. "Shisui isn't going to be assigned missions anytime soon. I need to keep Itachi busy to prevent him from running off on his own to handle these delicate situations. Besides if there is even a small chance Orochimaru is after Sakura, no one is a better partner than Itachi. He is already itching for a rematch."

"She isn't going to like this" he warned once more. No, Sakura was going to be pissed when she was told she was being assigned a partner.

"I don't need her to like it, I just need her to follow orders." Besides Tsunade a feeling this arrangement was going to solve more than just one problem. There had been a few whispers about the other night. Sakura didn't just take a walk in the training grounds with just anyone.

Kakashi could see the wheels turning in Tsunade's eyes. Somehow this was going to come back and bite him in the ass. All he could hope was he was somewhere hard to find when she found out.


Sasuke tried jumping on her the moment she walked out of the room. He was offering to walk her home, making it very clear in his tone that it was not a question. Her only saving grace had been another doctor calling her name the second they passed the nursing station. The doctor wanted a second opinion on the correct course of treatment for a chunin who had crushed several bones in his right hand. However, the only way Sakura could give her professional opinion was if she physically saw the patient herself. Sasuke had offered to wait in her office until she was done, but she waved him off. It was never as simple as just looking at the patient or their file. Nothing was ever just five minutes, especially if the primary doctor was asking for another viewpoint. The doctors in her hospital were not incompetent.

Sakura's assumption had been correct. The chunin had completely shredded his radial collateral ligament. If the ligament was not repaired correctly, the chunin would lose movement below his elbow. He wouldn't be able to weave charka signs. It had taken two and a half hours for them to decide the right course of action, but Sakura felt confident that the chunin would be able to regain full mobility after the necessary procedure.

At that point it was already a little after five, and Sakura decided there was no point in rushing to get home. It wasn't like someone was waiting for her return. So instead she made her way to the upper levels of the hospital where the older medical records and files were kept. After passing through the chakra signature field, she sat back down at her makeshift work desk. When Shisui had woken she had been busy grabbing old files on the sharingan. Sakura had doing treatment on his eyes the last few nights and something didn't sit right with her.

She had read Itachi's report on what happened, and some things weren't connecting. Sakura had been sparing against Shisui for the last three years on and off again. She knew his fighting style. In Itachi's report he said Shisui had pushed him out of the way and took the final blow, which resulted in injuries to his right side. However, it didn't explain the damage to his eyes. Shisui had taken on Orochimaru, while Itachi fought against Kabuto. The Sannin didn't have the ability to form charka scalps. Even if he did, the scalps would have cut through the corneas. A medical scalp would have cut completely through his eyes.

Both of his optic nerve had been damaged. The retinal blood vessels had been cut. Sakura remembered reading a medical file a few years ago about how an autopsy that had been performed on an Uchiha that had been killed during the second great ninja war that couldn't explain how the shinobi had died. There had been no external wounds on his body, all his wounds had been internal. She couldn't for the life of her remember the shinobi's name, but she knew there had been several notes about his eyes that was familiar with Shisui's injuries. Sakura had come across it when organizing the room and had taken a look when her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

After checking the fortieth file she gave up on her search for the night. She had already spent another two hours in the archives and was starting to have a hard time focusing. The last five days had been busy, and she hadn't really slept. She had napped here and there, but just barely enough to get by. Even when she finally left Shisui's hospital room and returned hope, her mind wouldn't shut off and she just ended up tossing and turning. So instead of staying and searching for the correct file she collected the scrolls she decided she needed to spend more time reading in depth and packed up her things, deciding she needed to go home for the night.

Shisui was finally awake. All the tests were showing positive results. Plus, Sakura was fairly certain Shisui was going to spend the rest of the night sleeping. Waking up from something like that was still physically draining. Her seal was still intact, if something changed, she would know. She didn't have to stay in his hospital room like the last few nights. She could already hear her bathtub calling out to her. A nice long soak was just what she needed.


Sasuke had left the compound as soon as he had been dismissed from the meeting. It was hard enough to sit there and listen to what the elders normally had to say, but tonight was especially hard. The elders were making it perfectly clear that they were not happy that Itachi hadn't found a wife yet. They said Itachi's and Shisui's last mission should be a wake-up call. If Itachi was to be killed in action the responsibility of the Uchiha Clan would fall to Sasuke. They had made it perfectly clear that the preferred option was Itachi. His older brother was a genius and excellent shinobi. Itachi had a natural talent that Sasuke would never have, no matter how hard he fought or long he trained. The elders had drove in the point their parents had already been married and had a child by the age of twenty-two. All Itachi had said in response was that he had found someone of interest, and then wouldn't comment any further, regardless of what was ask.

Then to top it all off, Sasuke hadn't been able to get Sakura off his mind. Sakura had ditched him at the hospital. He was willing to wait for her, no matter how long it took, but she had easily dismissed him, and it pissed him off. He no longer cared for the peaceful and clam talk he had initially planned to have. Sasuke no longer felt the need to be sensitive to whatever she had going on, because damn it he wasn't going to allow things to continue as they had been. Naruto had informed him of their spare. Sakura always made time for Naruto, but as soon as the two of them were left alone she always had an excuse why she couldn't stay.

Why didn't she want to spend one on one time with him? Why did she seem to actively avoid him if she could? He didn't understand, but more importantly he didn't understand why it had bugged him so much. When their team had first formed, he would have given anything to get Sakura to leave him alone. She had always wanted to train with him and won't leave his side during missions. But everything was different now…and he knew he was to blame for most of it.

What Itachi had told him was still swirling around in his head. He had no idea Sakura had been the one to stop him from leaving the village that night. Sasuke had always assumed that his brother had just seen what was going on and knew what he had planned to do. He always thought the extent of her involvement that night was limited to her tearful confusion and nothing more.

So, when he got to her apartment, he didn't even brother to knock, instead choosing to use the spare key she had given him for emergencies to unlock the door and pushed it open. He was tired of her running away. It was already ten at night, there would be nothing to interrupt their talk. When he walked further into her apartment, he found her seating on one of the loveseats in her family room. Her body was twisted sideways in the chair, her back against the arm rest, her legs bent over the over side of the chair. It was easy to tell she had just gotten out of the shower. Her wet hair was twisted into a bun and the scent of her vanilla soap still clung to her skin. She wore an oversize long sleeve that Sasuke was almost positive wasn't hers, and a pair of black spandex shorts. The cup of tea next to her on the table still had steam rising from it.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Sasuke asks, stopping only a few inches from the loveseat.

"Tell you what?" She questions putting down the book she had been reading before turning her attention to him.

"The night I attempted to leave the village, you told Itachi what I was planning to do." His voice was clam for now, but he could already feel his emotions building within him.

"I did." She answered simply as if that should explain everything. Sakura took a long deep breath before correcting her position in the chair, so she was completely facing Sasuke.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was unaware you didn't know."

"That's bullshit. Its been over four years since that night. If I had known, we would have talked about it." Sasuke wasn't going to let her talk way out of it, not this time. She wasn't going to be able allowed to downplay this. Her tone and body langue were as if they were taking about the weather, and not a major event in their relationship.

"What is there to talk about Sasuke? Itachi stopped you from leaving the village, the sound four were killed, and Orochimaru was chased back to the sound village." She said standing from the loveseat. "If you came here to continue the same argument from a few weeks ago you can leave. I'm to tired to have this same fight again." Sakura walked past him and made her way into the kitchen.

"Was everything you said that night a lie?" Sasuke questioned following her into the kitchen refusing to allow her to put any space between them. He could tell he struck a nerve because she immediately turned to him, her features twisting with emotion. "That night you begged me not to leave. You promised to do anything for me. You said you were so in love with me you couldn't even stand it. But those were just empty words, weren't they?"

Slap! Sakura had reacted immediately to his words. The words had meant to hurt. But even he couldn't stop her hand from connecting with his check as she slapped him hard across the face. She hadn't even added charka, but his skin still stung even after she pulled away.

"Fuck you." She spat; her anger clear as day on her face.

"Did you ever really love me?" He pushed further. "All you have been doing since team seven reformed is push me away. And now after all these years I find out that night all you were trying to do was stall and buy time for Itachi to get there. How could you lie to me all these years?"

"You know nothing about how I feel." Sakura said her charka flaring in warning.

"Cut the bullshit Sakura!" He challenged stepping closer to her, essentially pinning her between the kitchen cabinets and him. "If you loved me you won't have pushed me away when I asked you to marry me." They had danced around this topic long enough. Enough was enough.

"Did you honestly think after everything that had happened that my feelings for you weren't going to change?" She paused, waiting for Sasuke to give an answer that wasn't coming. "I poured my heart out to you! I confessed my feeling to you and in return you fucking knocked me out! When I was younger you were my everything. But that night I realized I would never be enough for you. You were so desperate to get out of your brother's shadow that you were willing to risk everything. You were willing to turn your back on your friends and family and betray the village. How could my feelings not change for you?"

"I was thirteen. Orochimaru took advantage of my anger." Sasuke could feel his sharingan activating.

"And I was a thirteen-year girl who was to stupid to know what love truly was. I meant what I said that night, but things change Sasuke. I've changed." Sakura stared into his eyes, unafraid of his blood limit. "To many things have happened for our relationship to go back to the way it was before all this."

"Why are things so different for Naruto? I wasn't the only one who left you."

A single tear ran down her face and the voice that been screaming at Sasuke to push to get answers was finally silenced. Sakura turned her face away from him. "I never loved Naruto the way I loved you. When my parents died, I needed my team. My whole world came crumpling down around me and neither of you were there. Naruto was training with Master Jiraiya. But you Sasuke, you were inside the village. When I needed you the most you weren't there. I so desperately needed someone to tell me it was going to be okay. I needed a shoulder to cry on. I needed someone there, so I didn't feel so alone, and you were nowhere to be found."

"Sakura I-" he said reaching out to wipe her tear, but she jerked away from him.

"I can't give you what you want. The marriage you want, the kind you need to satisfy your clan, it's something I can never give you. I would never stop taking missions, I wouldn't cut back my hours at the hospital. I couldn't give up everything I am just to become your wife."

"Sakura" he said reaching once more for her. His hand cupping her face and turning her back toward him. "I-I was never aware you felt this way. I've made many mistakes, but I'm trying to right them. Are you telling me you don't care about me at all?"

Sakura tried to turn away again but Sasuke refused to allow her to move. Instead he stepped closer to the point their legs were touching. "It's not that simple Sasuke. There will always be a part of me that loves you but-"

Sasuke didn't give her a chance to finish her sentence. His lips crashed into hers. She had said she loved him, maybe there was still a chance if he showed her, he had changed, that things were different now. Her lips were so warm, so soft and sweet. His free hand circled around her waist and pulled her closer into him. For a brief moment she responded back to kiss. A feeling Sasuke had never felt before sparked within him. Ever since the trip to Suna he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. She had changed so much in those three years they had been separated. Whenever he thought of the future it was always with her, there could be no one else.

But she kissed back for only a few seconds before her hands pushed against his chest, breaking their kiss. Several tears were running down her face, and he felt like he had just been punched in the gut. "Sasuke I'm sorry, but I-I can't do this." Before he could respond she disappeared in a cloud of cherry blossoms.

Leaving Sasuke Uchiha alone in her apartment to wonder if he truly fucked up the best thing that ever happened to him.


Author's Note:

Wow I was not expecting the response I've gotten for these two chapters. I really do truly enjoy reading your comments. Seeing the comments make my day. Thank you to everyone who has left reviews.

Hope everyone is staying safe in these trying times. 3