Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Author's note: Hi everyone! I know it's been a few years since I last updated... I'm really sorry! As an apology I there will be two chapters at the same time this update, this one and the next one. I really do want to finish this story, but I cannot guarantee how long longer it will take me. I've also been reading the past chapters and I can pick up quite a lot of plotholes... Again, I can't guarantee a rewrite, but I might consider it after I finish writing the story. Nevertheless, thank you for continuing to read and support this story, and for those of you new to this story, I hope you like it!

"Aniki."

Itachi looked up from listlessly staring at the table, only to see a very dishevelled Sasuke with deep bags beneath his black onyx eyes. To any outsider looking in right now, Sasuke would just look slightly tired, but otherwise, he was still his expressionless self. But Itachi knew better. His eyes, especially, were dull and lifeless, the windows to a no longer existent soul. It had been just a day after the fire in the main building of the Uchiha Corporation. Their parents weren't among the list of survivors but they haven't been confirmed dead either. To the Uchiha brothers though, they might as well have been. It was only a matter of time.

Hues of red, orange and yellow are still burnt clearly into Itachi's brain. The bright, fierce fire that engulfed the building was dancing, as though taunting, mocking their loss. Itachi only dazedly processed the people screaming incoherent words and the strong arms of his colleagues as they barricaded and forced him away from his parents' doom. The firefighters had arrived by then and were desperately trying to extinguish an inferno that had no desire to be vanquished prematurely. They were too late. Much too late.

A soft clutter on the table brought Itachi's thoughts back to the present. Sasuke had placed a slim, black object in from of him. In his disorganised state, it took Itachi a few moments to realise that it was Sasuke's phone. The lock screen was turned on, proudly displaying the picture of his little brother and Sasuke's pink haired crush. It was the picture that Naruto had taken of them on prom night.

Itachi looked up with what he hoped was a vaguely questioning face. Saying or feeling anything that wasn't buried with anguish or guilt was a bit beyond his capabilities right now.

"Don't bother contacting me. I'll be leaving my phone here. I'll find some other way to contact you when I need to."

Itachi simply stared blankly at him. It took a while for his brain to process Sasuke's words and what he is implying at which point his brow furrowed.

"You need to cool your head first. Now's not a good ti-"

"Now is the perfect time!" Sasuke snarled.

"You and I both know that fire was no accident and no coincidence. Even if you're too busy wallowing in your self-pity right now, I want revenge."

Sasuke was already at the door, with his hands gripping the knob so tightly that his knuckles were white. His posture was slightly slouched, as though defeated and hesitant. Yet still rigid and determined all the same.

Itachi said nothing.

For a few moments, it was like this, Sasuke staring at the door, and Itachi staring at him. Neither could see what the other was thinking but they didn't have to. They already knew. It was the reason why Sasuke wasn't already out the door. The reason why Itachi was still at his position at the table. They knew that this might be the last time they saw each other.

Itachi knew that he should stop Sasuke. He didn't want to lose his younger brother too. But deep down, he knew what Sasuke said made sense. This was the opportunity that they had been waiting for for months.

Any rational person would take it. Itachi knew he was just playing a losing game of ethics. One person's life for the sake of others? It was easy when everything was anonymised. But this person was his brother.

Itachi's thoughts were interrupted when the door creaked open. Sasuke was still staring straight ahead, posture straighter. His mouth moved and Itachi barely processed Sasuke's parting words to him before he was gone.

"Take care of her."

Sakura's jaw was hanging open so wide that on any other occasion, Sasuke would playfully close it for her. But this wasn't any other day. After the slight humour of Sakura's amazement faded, he finally realised the weight of the situation. He had shouted at her. Screamed at her. Kept her captive in here for months, even if it wasn't directly. And with each second of silence that passes between them, the urge to just turn tail and run was growing. Would Sakura even trust him anymore? Would she even want his help at this stage?

His inner rambling was interrupted when he felt a tug on his arm and was suddenly pulled forward with surprising strength. Sakura wrapped her arms around him and settled her head snuggly under his chin. She wasn't saying anything. After a while, when Sasuke finally broke out of his shocked state to tentatively snake his arms around her waist, was when he heard the beginning of sniffles from the girl in his arms. And soon enough, she had broken out into sobs and her tears were soaking through his shirt. That wasn't what he was worried about though. With panic rising in his chest (because Sakura's tears has never sat well with him), he pulled away slightly to get a proper look at her red and slightly puffy face.

"What's wrong, Sakura? It's because of me isn't it? It's ok, I'll lea—"

But Sakura merely pulled him back into the embrace and vehemently shook her head no. She still said nothing.

Still nervous and worried but glad to be with Sakura again, Sasuke just let it be and indulged in the feel of her in his arms. It has been a long time since she has hugged him like that.

After a few moments, Sakura appeared to have calmed down enough to let go of him, and sat back to fully look at him. After the confusion wore off, she opened her mouth to let forth a flood of questions, "Are you okay Sasuke-kun? What happened to you? What happened to your memories? How do you remember me now? What-"

Sasuke signalled for her to stop. He looked around suspiciously, before deeming it somewhat safe to speak.

"I can't tell you everything. At least not yet, and definitely not here," he said in a hushed voice.

Sakura nodded in understanding.

"But long story short, I think the Akatsuki were feeding me some pills that were blocking my memories except for my most prominent thoughts," here, he paused a bit, and Sakura thought he looked a little angry at himself but he quickly schooled his face.

"I stopped taking it after I felt a little weird, and I think most of my memories are back now. How," he sounds a little strangled and cleared his throat before continuing, "How is everyone?"

Sakura smiled a little, before her memories made her feel like crying again, "We all thought you were dead Sasuke-kun. Well, except for Naruto. He stubbornly refused to believe you were dead and kept telling everyone you were coming back, looks like he was right."

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle slightly despite the situation, feeling free for the first time in months, "I see the dobe hasn't changed."

"Ever the optimistic idiot. Our optimistic idiot," Sakura smiled fondly before continuing, "Kakashi hides his emotions well as always, but I could see he was really worried and sad too. I wanted to believe Naruto, but at the same time, you've been gone for so long…" she trailed off. It would be a lie to say that she coped well with Sasuke's disappearance. It took many weeks of locking herself up before she managed to hide her emotions well enough to function relatively normal again. She had the feeling that going further down into her own emotions was going to open a new set of floodgates, which she doubted Sasuke would appreciate at this exact moment. So she fell back on her newly developed skill and deflected elsewhere.

"And Uchiha-san, I mean Itachi-nii-san… He took it the hardest. I didn't recognise him anymore. He never said anything, his face was always blank. He always dropped by my hospital with fresh injuries and wouldn't say anything when I asked him what happened… After a while I felt like Itachi-nii-san was gone as well. But I'm sure when we get back he'll be fine again!" Sakura looked hopefully up at Sasuke.

A myriad of emotions were flickering across his face—sadness, regret, pain and most of all anger at himself. Again, Sakura had to wonder if she was just imagining it, but she knew him too well for that. She suspected that this situation was more complicated than she initially thought.

She was proven right when Sasuke stood up and with a hurriedly said in a low voice, "We have to get you out of here. Tell Itachi what happened to me but no one else. I'll create a distraction so hopefully you won't run into any trouble on the way out. Walk straight, turn right at the second turn, then turn left straight after that, turn right again on the third corner and you should find some stairs up. The code for the trapdoor is 38943. We're underground, but once you get above ground there's a road not too far from here and you should be able to find someone to get you back to Konoha."

Sakura could only blink. It wasn't the information overload that was confusing her—she had already memorised it all. It was the fact that Sasuke was helping her escape. Only her.

"What about you? Aren't you coming back too?"

He hesitated, and then slowly shook his head.

"I-I can't. Not…" he deliberately avoided her eyes. He could never lie with those piercing green eyes boring into his, "…yet."

Sakura knew he was hiding something from her, but before she could question him, she faintly heard the sound of sluggish footsteps moving slowly towards them. She knew from the way Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally that he had noticed it too. Their time was up.

Muttering quickly, "I don't know what you are hiding, Sasuke, but I trust you know what you are doing. You better come back to us you, you hear me?"

Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally before he directed his stare into the ground. His teeth were practically being grounded together as his knuckles turned a paler shade.

"Ah."

Sakura was not convinced but there wasn't much she could do at this point before whoever it was coming towards them saw them. So she settled for giving him one last bone-crushing hug that lasted for a split second before Sasuke pulled back hurriedly while mumbling something so softly she nearly didn't catch it. He hurriedly rushed out of her cell, and swung the door in place without actually locking it. He gave her one last glance before marching away in his cold façade.

Sakura, for her part, had not moved at all and was sitting shocked as her memories of a different time overlapped her current thoughts. Sasuke's words registered into her brain.

She knew what she had to do.

Thank you for reading!