So I decided to rewrite the ending not because of any fan requests but because I wasn't satisfied with the ending myself. I felt I wasn't doing justice to my main characters, especially Sakura, with how I'd ended it before.

In order to rewrite the ending I've had to segment the chapters differently. This is chapter is identical to the first half of the old chapter 31. Nothing is new, so if you guys have read the old chapter 31, then you don't have to read this chapter again. The next update will be completely new material.

Sasuke caught sight of Sakura only after she exited Konoha's gates. Her invisibility jutsu couldn't fool him; he could see Sakura clear as day as she ran through the night, tears leaking in rivulets from her eyes.

Was she crying because of something he'd done again?

He found himself asking this question as he leaped from tree top to tree top, following Sakura as she ran towards wherever she was going.

Because he knew, that no matter where she went, he would always end up following her.

After she'd figured out everything, Sasuke had rescinded within himself. He'd retreated back from everything, retreated to living in a cave near the outlying villages of Konoha. The reason Sasuke chose it was because…the closer he was to Konoha, the closer he felt to Sakura.

He'd just let all of his reanimations fend for themselves against the shinobis that fought them and the forces of nature that sided with them. He didn't care about any of that anymore.

And now as he watched her cry, Sasuke felt that constricting pain once again inside his chest. The pain that pierced his heart whenever he saw Sakura crying. He knew he had hypocritically been the cause of her tears many times in the past…but that…was just the way things were. The way things had to be for them to be together.

Because real life was a bitch.

It had played Sakura her entire life and even after her death: for her to love a sociopath like him that couldn't reciprocate to her until it was too late.

Until she had lost all memory of him.

The Underworld in which he'd retrieved her soul back from had for some reason given her false memories. It had created a world, in her mind, that mirrored her life except for one thing: there was no Uchiha clan in that world of hers.

The only way for her to find peace…

Sasuke had eventually realized the implications of this: Sakura had died resenting him. That's why her soul couldn't be at peace until it had forgotten everything about him.

She must have been happy in the afterlife without him. Sasuke acknowledged this as sorrowfully as he continued watching Sakura run. She had made it far past Konoha by now and was reaching the outskirts of Miyabi Forest. The tall sycamore trees had now changed to slightly shorter evergreen ones. There would be no more trees soon enough.

He couldn't imagine what it must have felt like…being torn out of that blissful peace, to force her into a world that hunted, abused and raped her on a daily basis.

Sasuke buried his palms into his hands as he stopped now right where he was. Sobs once again ravaged his body as he stayed perched at the apex of the last pine tree, Sakura's form running right past him, some 70 feet below.

The full moon was the only witness to his breakdown as he cried.

He'd been wrong.

So…so wrong.

…somewhere deep down he had always known he was going about everything the wrong way but…he hadn't been able to stop.

Or maybe unwilling to stop. Too proud.

Or too ashamed.

Because he couldn't bare to admit to being wrong his whole life.

About Sakura. About his revenge. About his clan. About everything.

Sakura had tried to save him time and time again but he had never been willing to listen, because if he had…it would have undermined everything he'd worked for in life.

And so he'd continued on his path of self-righteousness, too stubborn to ever look back or question his actions.

Because he'd always thought it was too late for himself.

Everyone else had thought so, he knew it. He'd seen it in their eyes. The wanting hatred. That deep loathing.

Tch. Like he cared about what they thought of him.

From the first day of his defection, Sasuke had known that he would never be able to reintegrate himself into Konoha's society.

So what?

That was the path he'd chosen for himself, why couldn't Naruto and Sakura accept that? Why did those morons have to continue pursuing him?

Because they were pathetic: too weak and too driven by their feelings.

That's how he'd looked upon their actions back then.

But now…

Sasuke's dark irises once more fell on Sakura's small form. And once again he felt a strong tug on his heart, constricting and agonizing from his turmoil of wanting to hold her yet being too fearful to face her.

Because he was afraid of what she could say.

What she would say.

What she should say.

Because he knew he deserved anything she could throw at him.

Eventually Sakura's steps slowed to a stop, her breaths ringing hot and heavy across her body as she slouched onto the ground and eventually fell on her stomach, face falling sideways onto the grass.

Sasuke's breath stopped when he saw her collapse. He hastened to her side, landing gracefully to crouch next to her prostrate form.

He checked the pulse at her wrist. She was fine, just overexerted. Sasuke exhaled in relief before scooping her up into his arms. She felt lighter than before, was she not eating properly? He couldn't help wondering.

The wind picked up slightly then and in his arms, Sakura snuggled closer to his warm frame, unknowingly burying her face into the soft texture of his over-washed white shirt.

Sasuke closed his eyes and exhaled through his nostrils, trying to calm his racing heartbeat that had picked up infinitely from this small gesture of hers.

"Even if you don't kill me today, I'll find a way to do it myself when you're away!"

Her words from then rang suddenly across his mind, deep and solid. His arms cradled her form as tightly as he dared to, wanting to hold her close, yet at the same time terrified of the possibility of her waking up.

Because he couldn't bear to see those eyes again.

He could bare the whole world reviling him, calling him a traitor, spitting at his name, or anything else they wanted to throw at him but…he cowered at the potential of Sakura doing any of those things.

Which is why he'd ran away.

Why he'd gone into hiding, afraid to face her after she'd learned the truth of her death.

After she figured out the reasons he'd done everything to her.

And now…there was no possible future for them anymore. Sasuke knew this.

Because she would never be able to find it in herself to forgive him.

And he couldn't ever force her to be by his side again without her threatening to harm herself.

She knew her parents had been fakes and probably had figured out by now the truth about their deaths.

It wasn't that Sasuke hadn't tried to revive her real parents, it was that he couldn't actually find their bodies, deep within the ocean depths that had inundated them.

The First Myael forced souls back into their owner's bodies, even decayed or skeletal ones, restoring the flesh and organs in the process, but to start The First Myael, a large portion of the original subject's body/DNA has to be amassed together, so the ceremony has something to build upon.

The First Myael, as a result, was ill-suited for those lost at sea. Even if he could by some means locate their carcasses amongst the millions of other corpses that were swallowed in the sea's history, Sasuke doubted there would be enough DNA leftover from the endless washing of currents.

Which is why he'd had to resort to the Second Myael that altered chemical makeups, literally altering the composition of molecules in living organisms: he'd kidnapped two random strangers, muted them so they couldn't speak while performing the ceremony to alter their appearances into identical copies of Sakura's parents. That's why he had never let Sakura speak to them, no matter how much she begged.

But she knew the truth now.

And Sasuke knew that he wouldn't ever be able to pull that same trick on her again.

In a second, he was hugging her, his face buried into her soft hair while his palms curled around her in desperation.

Once again Sakura felt herself floating inside her mind's eye. Her mental self a ghostly figment sleeping on her side, resting with her head on the back of her palms. Soft melodic fingers gently combed through her hair, both in her mental form and physical self.

She could feel it. The fingers were slow and careful. Kind and loving.

She needed this so much right now, some method to take her away from this place. This world and all its worries.

But…even as she slept, Sakura's mind still replayed the scene she'd desperately tried to run away from:

Sakura collapsed onto all fours as the vision of Gaara's death faded. Two thick streams of tears running down her face.

She understood everything now.

Naruto had been the one to bring back Gaara after he died. After she and Sasuke went on the run, Naruto had finally recovered from his comatose state after defeating Ten-Tails.

He'd blamed Tsunade for not be able to stop the Five Kage's harsh verdict against Sasuke and forcing Sakura and Gaara to have to save the man on their own. Tsunade had never known about Gaara's death, since the man had asked Temari to keep it a secret (and that's why they'd left Konoha on the premise that Gaara was injured and needed to recover in Suna).

Temari had probably elected a temporary leader under Gaara's "edict" while everyone believed her youngest brother was recovering.

Upon waking up and being told about the current status of all his best friends, Naruto had promptly set off for Suna, wanting to check on Gaara. It was there, by some means that he managed to learn the truth of the Kazekage's demise.

Temari must have asked Naruto to keep this hidden until the appropriate time, but the determined jinchuriki had wanted to do more than that. Just like he'd done before with Chiyo's help, Naruto sought another way to bring his friend back from the dead.

During the year Sakura used to find a way to restore Sasuke's chakra, Naruto had used that same time to discover the First Myael. He must have been taught its ceremony by someone besides Tobi. Sakura couldn't be sure by who but it was probably someone that had corresponded with Orochimaru.

Naruto had succeeded: bringing Gaara back to life around the same time Sakura healed Sasuke, and subsequently dying as a result.

Because Sasuke had originally abandoned Sakura's body atop Mount Ghorma, it'd been discovered at the same time with the Fourth Raikage, L's body, and everyone had assumed that the same person had murdered them both.

Sakura couldn't be sure...but Naruto had probably tried to revive her as well, with the First Myael, and failed just like Sasuke. Only he hadn't known about the other two Myaels…specifically, the Third one.

Her doppelganger dropped down onto one knee next to her but Sakura barely noticed through her racing thoughts. It was only when a hand came out to trace over her cheek, swiping away a few drops of tears did the pinkette finally turn to face her once more.

"Poor baby," her evil twin whispered mockingly. "At least that fool's sacrifice didn't go in vain."

Sakura's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Her twin's grin spread into a full cruel smile. "Well, he did all that so you would love him, didn't he? The least you can do is shed a few tears in his wake."

The real Sakura's jaw fell open in her shock and outrage. Was this person even human?

In a second she had moved to slap her twin across the face but the doppelganger reacted faster and caught her wrist in midair.

Her twin's eyes turned absurdly excited then. Insane even.

"Oh you're mad at me? That's so adorable," her twin whispered at the height of her breath, grip tightening across Sakura's wrist.

"LET GO!" the real one cried while trying to unhinge her grip. Her twin wouldn't abide; she continued to laugh while her hold turned menacing, nearing tourniquet degree. The real Sakura was starting to lose feeling in her left fingers.

She reached into her shirt pocket with her free hand to pull out a kunai. Sakura moved to slash her twin but the doppelganger once again moved faster, catching her other wrist as well. Now Sakura's arms were forcibly crossed in front of her chest, a second before her twin shoved her flat onto the grass, moving up to straddle her waist.

"Come on, weren't you going to hit me? Hit me!" her twin shouted again with that crazed smile, eyes looking akin to a demon's.

Her twin forced her wrists above her head so that she could press her own body flush against Sakura's, face lining right over hers.

"You know what makes Gaara's predicament so funny?" her doppelganger whispered right over her lips. "Because he made the same sacrifice that you did for Sasuke."

The real Sakura gasped, eyes widening to their max.

"Both of you were idiots." The twin's nails dug painfully into Sakura's skin, drawing blood. The real kunoichi cried out in absolute agony but was still unable to break free. "Morons that were willing to do anything for love!"

Tears pricked the corner of Sakura's eyes but she fought to keep them from falling.

"Why do you think this?!" she cried out in exasperation. "If you're really me-"

Her twin chuckled, grip loosening in taunting mockery. "I should what? I should understand exactly the reasons why you sacrificed yourself?"

Her twin suddenly bent down and bit into Sakura's shoulder. Hard. The pinkette once again screamed, wishing that someone could hear her but where they were right now was outside of the sound shield justu that protected and silenced Konoha from outsiders at night.

"Don't make me LAUGH!" Her twin emphasized that last word by slamming her forehead against Sakura's. Her cry for this attack was shorter, because her mind became dizzy now, surely the beginnings of a concussion.

Her twin laughed at her pathetic state. "Even after everything that's happened, it seems you still haven't learned your lesson, Sakura."

The real kunoichi couldn't even summon the strength to resist anymore.

"What Gaara did for you, what you did for Sasuke: ultimately led to you becoming one man's dehumanized sex slave. He didn't show an scintilla of gratitude towards you. Never gave you a shred of decency or respect!" Her twin lined her face parallel with Sakura's. "You got nothing in return for your so called true love's sacrifice!"

She emphasized that 'nothing' with another slam on the girl's wrists against the cold hard ground. "How can you still say you did the right thing?"

Sakura felt uncertainty rising inside her chest as she turned her head to the side. Everything her twin said…was true. She had wanted to save Sasuke to prove to him that she could be useful but ultimately…she had done it because she'd loved him.

Was she really…just being selfish?

Her twins eyes curved upwards in her glee. "Yes, yes you were."

She headbutted Sakura again, making the girl's vision blur while she continued speaking: "And you know what the saddest thing about all this is?"

She leaned down now to whisper into Sakura's ear. "You still love Sasuke."

Real Sakura's eyes widened at these words, causing her evil twin to laugh scornfully. "What you feel for Gaara is gratitude, guilt and even some remorse…but not love. I can see it, Sakura, in your soul, you're still thinking of that disgusting bastard."

Sakura shook her head, refusing to believe this statement.

Her twin laughed again. "You tried to lie to yourself because you felt it was owed to Gaara, because he never would have died if you hadn't asked him to rescue Sasuke. Because you know, in the end, everything he did was for himself: he needed to help you...otherwise he would never be able to live with himself 'seeing you unhappy.'"

"And you know…that if you don't love him back then you're just an ungrateful selfish bitch," her twin chided before laughing darkly again. "In the end, which one of us is the hypocrite?"

At these words Real Sakura finally broke free from her twin's grip, throwing the girl off before taking off running.

No…no it wasn't true.

Gaara.

Sasuke.

The latter male's image formed in her mind, against her permission. Stoic and heartless. Cold and inhuman. And yet, there was something else…it was only a sliver of an emotion but…she recognized that feeling…

She continued to run, far from her cackling twin and the grave they both shared.

Every step she took down the hill only made the pain in her heart grow larger in depth. She couldn't stop the way her body shook up and down with sobs, tears that stained the dark grass that crunched beneath each of her steps.

No matter how hard she tried, Sakura couldn't stem the flow of tears as she ran. Her heart ached like it was broken into a thousand pieces and the world felt numb around her. She felt like she didn't belong here. Like she didn't deserve to be here.

Gaara's sacrifice…

Sakura swiped at her face again as she ran now through the barren landscape of Konoha's outer perimeter. Itachi's invisibility jutsu must have still been in effect because when she reached the gates and the only exit from the Hidden Leaf, the two night guards stationed there didn't show any sign of seeing her.

Sakura didn't know where she was heading or where she wanted to go but she refused to stop. Or couldn't stop. Her emotions compelled her to keep running; a desperate attempt to vent out the frustrations of her heart.

She didn't deserve Gaara to do that for her! She didn't want him to do that for her.

He had been Kazekage. One of the strongest shinobis to ever live. One of the best souls to ever exist. Kind and compassionate. He….he….

She wasn't worth him doing that.

Because…because…

Sakura's eyes opened.

She was lying across Sasuke's lap, propped against the man's legs with one of his hands resting underneath her neck.

Sakura's eyes widened and instinctively shoved against his chest, trying to get distance between them.

She didn't see that they were actually right on the edge of a riverbank and therefore her abrupt movement almost sent her plunging into the current –Sasuke saw this and reached out at the last second to grapple onto her wrist, jerking her back into his hold.

This familiar action sent panic through Sakura's spine and she unwittingly cried out at the top of her lungs.

Sasuke was taken aback by this action but still kept his grip on the girl he loved long enough to pull her away from the river's edge. She threw punches at him the entire time but Sasuke endured the pain until there was at least three feet of distance between them and the river. Then he reluctantly let Sakura go.

She stumbled at this abrupt action, about to fall on her butt but Sasuke's hand once again reached out to catch her wrist.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed furiously, fresh tears starting to fall from her eyes from her frustration and fear.

Sasuke obliged, letting Sakura fall the meager distance to the ground, causing a tiny cloud of dirt to erupt.

Get up. Get up. Get up.

This mantra chanting itself again and again in her mind but her panic gave way to fumbling and Sakura could only rise up to her feet before stumbling again. This time she tumbled backwards and would've hit her head if not for Sasuke catching her once more, this time with an arm around her waist.

The touch felt too intimate and Sakura screamed again, at the top of her lungs. Sasuke winced because she cried out right into his ear but he endured it, as well as the fists currently landing on his chest.

"Let go! I don't need your help!" she screamed indignantly, and despite her pride, tears continued to fall down her cheeks.

Sasuke ignored everything she threw at him as he continued holding her with all his strength.

Eventually, her limbs grew sore from all the movement and she had no choice but to collapse right into his hold, her now soft sobs getting buried into the warm confines of his shirt.

Her next words came out weakly despite their message: "…Sasuke…I hate…you..."

The man's posture stiffened but he remained silent, not even reacting in anger like she expected him of him.

He only continued holding her, one hand behind her head, keeping her pressed into his chest and the other behind her shoulders, as she continued sobbing into his chest.

He couldn't force Sakura to stay without her threatening to kill herself. He couldn't blackmail her with her parents anymore because she knew about the Second Myael now.

And…he wasn't sure if he was even willing to do any of that ever again.

He still wanted to keep Sakura, more than he'd ever wanted anything else in the world but…

-just hearing her quiet sobs right now-

-just seeing her broken form-

-made him feel again the full weight of everything he'd ever done to her.

He'd always made her unhappy.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."