Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and Kudozaki Lucine. The rest belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Uchiha Sasuke

The same second the Sound Five gave me the invitation, I had already made my decision. This is exactly what I need. This can solve everything. I can gain the power to finally kill Itachi, and protect Lucine from harm. I don't see why I shouldn't take this great opportunity. Leaving the village isn't that bad, I have nothing that matters here that ties me to the village.

Except for Lucine... But I can't bring her with me. Orochimaru is not someone that should be anywhere close to her. Although he's the one who is going to give me power, I don't trust him anywhere near Lucine. I could feel my heart ache at the thought of being away from Lucine for who knows how long, but I knew it was for the best.

That's why I stood by her bed, watching her peaceful face while she slept. She was deeply asleep, breathing steadily. My stomach twisted and turned at the thought of her waking up alone, with me out of the village. She'll feel betrayed, and will probably hate me. But she'll forgive me eventually, I know she will.

I sat down on the bed, close to her, and gazed upon her face for the last time. "I'll miss you." I whispered, even though I know she won't hear me. "And I know you'll miss me too."

I cupped her cheeks and pressed my lips against hers, giving her a soft kiss. "I'll come back for you, I promise." I said after pulling away. I let my hand run through her hair gently, "And when I do, I'll be strong enough to be next to you. After all, you only deserve the best, since you're a princess." My eyes darkened slightly, and as they did, my hand moved down to her shoulder, "My princess."

As if to show my claim, I kissed her again, more harshly this time. My hands slowly found their way under the blankets, moving their way under her shirt. I was only caressing softly, moving higher up slowly, till I was cupping her breasts. I inhaled her peach scent, burying my nose in her neck, "Mine, mine, mine. Only mine."

I could hear Lucine let out a low moan when I squeezed a little too hard. My heartbeat speed up. This is the first time I've heard her moan.

Just to make sure, I pulled away to look at her face again. She was still asleep, not even stirring. Looking at her like this, sprawled on the bed with me on top of her, made me wonder if I should justtakeher. Just once. To see what's it like to completely have her before I leave. But in order to do that, I'd have to wake her.

I sighed in disappointment, and then stood up from the bed. I don't want her to be asleep when we do it. Bending down and leaving one last, lingering kiss on her plump lips, I whispered in her ear. "Goodbye, my Lucine. Don't forget me." Then I left the room.

A tear left my eye and rolled down my cheek as I left our house. My heart was hurting so much, and the farther I walked away, the worse it got. The pain was so great, it made me wonder, how am I going to survive without her?

How I even managed to walk this far without running back to her was a mystery for me. Maybe I should have just taken her with me. She probably wouldn't want it, but I don't mind using force. As if she had read my thoughts, I heard a voice speak behind me.

"Sasuke." a very familiar voice called out behind me. My heart nearly burst out of my chest.

"Lucine..." I whispered, turning around to face her. There she stood, barefoot and still in her night clothes. Her hair was loose and messy. She was panting, so she must have been running. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, "What are you doing out of bed? It's late." I stated nonchalantly, trying to keep my voice monotonous.

"Idiot, don't try to play stupid." she said harshly, "I know what you're doing. And no matter what you think, it's wrong. This is not the right way to get stronger."

I kept silent for a moment. I had already reached the gates, I could just teleport out of the village. "I've already made up my mind, Lucine. Not even you can change it." I was surprised, my voice was monotonous and it didn't waver even once. Despite the fact that inside, I was a complete mess. It was difficult to keep myself from running up to her, wrap my arms around her and never let go.

She frowned and shook her head, "I won't let you leave. Your place is here. Leaving with him is a wrong path." She tried to reason, but her attempts were useless. I need to leave. This is a necessary sacrifice.

"Goodbye, Lucine." I said for the second time that night, and then turned my back to walk away.

"No!" she shouted. Her raise of voice took me off guard and made me stop in my tracks again, but I didn't turn around. "If you leave, I'll never forgive you."

Her words hurt, but I didn't dare look at her. Instead I forced myself to keep walking.

"Sasuke!" she screamed again, not stopping this time, "Stop! Don't you dare take another step!" Her display of emotions was surprising, she always keeps herself so composed.

Am I affecting her this much? Despite her words, I kept walking without looking back. It was only when I heard the tone of her next word that I froze, "Sasuke..." she pleaded, her voice low and almost cracking.

Quickly I turned back to her. The sight made my heart completely freeze. Lucine was on her knees, looking up at me with begging eyes. In a flash I was right in front of her, getting on my knees and grabbing her forearms. "Don't leave." she whispered, looking into my eyes.

My breath hitched. I can't reject those eyes. I can't say no to her. She's begging me.

This is why I didn't wake her up, because I know I can't resist her. I quickly hugged her close to me, wrapping my arms around her small form. She gripped my shirt tightly and buried her face in my chest. There is no way I'll be able to leave her now. Not like this.

In desperation, I came up with the only solution, "Come with me."

She tensed, and kept silent for a long time. I hugged her tighter, placing my face in her hair. "This is my home, Sasuke. Our home. We're staying, both of us."

It was at that moment that I realized there was only one way this could turn out. There was only one thing I could do. Slowly, I pulled away and looked into her honey colored eyes, "I love you." I confessed, smiling softly. She sighed, of what I guessed was relief, and relaxed her shoulders. I grabbed both sides of her head and kissed her deeply. She, of course, didn't kiss back, but she stayed still. For once, she didn't tense up. She was just letting me kiss her. Even when I slipped my tongue between her lips, she didn't push me away. To my surprise, she gripped the sides of my shirt and relaxed, and granted my tongue entrance in her mouth.

When I finally did pull away, she looked up at me. I took in her face, her honey eyes, her button nose, her rosy cheeks, her kiss-swollen pink lips. She has always been so beautiful. Then I said the words, "I'm sorry." I whispered, watching as her honey eyes widened. In a split second, I vanished from her warm embrace, and left her there.