What happens is something sure to be controversial for us who love a certain main character. :'( Hopefully, it is the last time to do this, so please don't flame me for this. Some gore is in here, too.

Chapter title translation: "revenge".

Chapter Three

Fukushū

He was pleased she wasn't wearing that makeup and large hairdo when she stood before him. As far as he was concerned, it took away her natural beauty. And last time he saw her hair, it reached her shoulders, but now it was as long as the end of her rear.

Spending hours, an entire afternoon, or what time to even perfect it the way it is now?

She had that sparkle in her eye just like that night, accompanied by a wary maturity so as to protect herself. Because she'd lost her parents, so she couldn't trust anyone anymore. Sasuke half-knew what that was like, as well as what it was like to not lower your guard around just anyone. Although, he could still see that sweetness when she looked upon his face. He had to tell her that he was here on assignment with his brother and friend - and her reasons for being here other than her work was something just like him, but far more personal.

She was looking for the ones responsible for her parents' deaths. One was remaining, and here she was until she found him. He didn't know what to think or feel, other than wondering what she would do with her life afterward and if she would really be satisfied. "What are you going to do when your mission is complete?" he had to ask her, knowing full well that if she returned home, she would be so wretched. He didn't like thinking about that in the slightest. She deserved better than all of this.

Was he developing a soft spot for a girl he knew for a single night and then learned what happened to her family that she would be reduced to this?

"I don't know," she answered frostily, emerald eyes hard like beach rocks, "but all I can think about is spitting on the corpse of the final one."

"Do you even know who he is?" Sasuke asked because he doubted it in the slightest. She must have a good memory of their faces, however.

She shook her head, but he couldn't tell if she was lying or not. "There's a chance he could come here, and when he does, I'm ready for him. I know what samurai are like, Sasuke," she stated, hinting that she was looking at him as one example which disturbed him. She thought he was just like the rest of his lot now, but she didn't know that he loathed taking pleasure at any time.

"I'm not like that, and neither is my brother or my friend. I act on orders while these men did what they wanted to just to satisfy themselves."

Sakura huffed and turned on her heel, the lantern reflecting off of her hair in streaks. "I'm going to bed now. It was nice seeing you again after all these years." But he acted on his own, reaching out and grabbing her by the sleeve of her yukata, making her turn back around so they were once more face to face, the lantern in her hand serving as the middle point.

"What if you don't have to finish your revenge alone anymore? Your enemies are my enemies since they are both from the same place. I would ask you to come with us, but there is a chance more bloodshed in greater numbers could occur."

"I can take care of myself just fine now," she stated. "I'm stealthy."

Not that he doubted it in the slightest, because if two of the three were dead and she was behind it... "I suppose we could use you, then. I'll have a word with my brother." He backed away from her by a single step, the wood creaking beneath his bare heel.

There was a small smile on her face, reminiscent of that night. This time he wasn't annoyed, but he was taken in. He found he liked this besides the hard resolve he'd witnessed moments ago. "And when all of this is over, does this mean we might return home in time for the Hanami Festival?" she asked. "Where I see you smiling because you enjoy it along with my company unlike your attitude at the Shin'nen?"

Sasuke had no idea how to respond to that. He wasn't aware of the effect his lack of a smile had on other people, since no one dared cross an Uchiha - but she had. "I wasn't aware that a smile was appreciated of me, unlike from my brother," he said.

Sakura laughed. "Mother always said a smile connects from family to friend, lover, and acquaintance all in one. The smallest things in life form bonds."

The smallest things in life form bonds...

She sounded almost exactly like Itachi.

"Excuse me, Sakura, we should get to sleep before Mother scolds us," her blonde friend called after her, making her scoff. "And Master Uchiha, you can have a go at my friend again tomorrow during the day!" Taking a glimpse at her, Sasuke noted how she, too, was lovely, and how much longer her hair was in contrast to Sakura's in that it reached the backs of her knees. But it was far too common for his taste. Anything that was TOO large was overindulgent.

The way the rosette looked at that was something like jealousy as if she silently wished she had hair that long, but why should she? He didn't understand women any more than before.

But to look upon that waterfall of springtime made him want to run his fingers through it and see if it really was as soft as it looked, if it was as luxurious as men said it was. If Itachi meant his word as he always did...

"If it won't be an issue," he said suddenly, against his better judgment, "if your friend will kindly accompany me back for the rest of the night. We have much to discuss."

He was doing this against the rules for the girls, but he intended to go through the mother of the house if she ever discovered this. But either way, Sakura Haruno would go with him since she already agreed to it, and it was clear she didn't care what happened to her as long as she was satisfied. To look upon her now red face was amusing, to say the least when she must have gotten the wrong idea, never mind they were childhood acquaintances.

"Sasuke," she protested, "it's after hours!"

He grunted. "I know, but I don't care either."

~o~

Being in the assigned room for Sasuke, his brother, and that Naruto Uzumaki - was she dreaming?

His hand holding hers told her that she was really experiencing it. It was almost a dream in itself, and one she didn't want to wake up from.

Itachi and Naruto were sound asleep, and it was just the two of them in his area, the lantern still lit and them speaking in hushed voices. He had offered for her to come with him, but she would have to know she was facing against samurai as if he hadn't heard her say she'd already killed two of the ones responsible for her parents' deaths and her disgrace. He asked her what she would do with her life after her goal was accomplished, and she didn't care as long as it was satisfactory.

Now that she thought of it, marriage was logical, but she was too hesitant to fire the shot at HIM. It was too big a move to make. Though he was agreeing to help her get her revenge - except that left one problem now that they were talking about it.

Revenge within samurai and against them took place when they needed help from their spouses and other relatives. Sasuke Uchiha wasn't her husband or related in any form, so that was impossible - unless they truly wed or at least pretended to. She wasn't sure she would live with a false marriage, because it was a serious matter as far as she was concerned. This he surprisingly agreed with her on.

"We ought to just break that rule, even if it causes further scandal. No one should know except the four of us - you and me, my brother and Naruto."

She gasped in surprise, the feeling going throughout the rest of her body. "S-Sasuke, you don't mean that, do you? What of your family name? And what if they disown you for marrying a lowlife like me?" she uttered, biting her tongue when she noticed how he slid a little too closely for comfort for her.

"I couldn't care less what they think of me, Sakura. The only thing I care about is..." He stopped himself, but she had a feeling she knew what it was, and he wasn't going to fire the shot either. It caused the corners of her eyes to burn.

Then his mouth twitched. "And lowlife? That's a word for those three scum of the earth. As far as I am concerned, you're a...blossom that was removed from the tree too early."

It sounded like he felt unsure of saying such things which were still alien to him, but it made her feel...it didn't take much to say that he meant it, which was all she needed. "Sasuke, I shouldn't even expect any of this from you. It's almost too good to be true."

He chuckled. "I'm a samurai, and my job is to protect and serve. I step on anyone who gets in my way - and whoever offends someone near to me," he stated firmly.

He'd just told her that, despite the fact they still barely knew each other, she was someone he would gladly defend to his last breath. "Kami, you chivalrous Uchiha," Sakura said in spite of herself and did the one thing she dreamed of doing since she was a little girl to this particular young man.

Her lips softly touched his, but the simplest contact caused him to stiffen in his place. Suddenly she felt compelled to get up and flee from his presence because she acted based on her heart, which was a dangerous thing besides being wonderful and natural, but he latched his hand onto hers and insisted she stay. That she did nothing wrong. What a man he was.

And it was back to a certain aspect that mesmerized him, smoldered his eyes which made her skin boil with fervor. "Your hair...I remembered it ever since that night, and it haunted me day and night, but I never even thought I would see you again until now."

Sakura was too paralyzed to react when he leaned in closer than necessary, inhaling the fragrance that dominated both her skin and her hair. "Mmmm..." That murmur sensitized her spine. "...I don't know what this is, but I smell all kinds of flowers." An indescribable bouquet.

Now he was running a hand through her hair, combing through it the way she would during the day before each performance and at night before bed. If he kept this up, it might lead to something so much more, escalate out of control. "Sasuke, I don't think -" Her voice failed her when his fingertips pressed against the back of her neck where its base joined with the end of her skull.

"Sshhh, it's fine. I've been wondering if your hair was as soft as it looked - it exceeds all expectations."

Sakura heard herself moan, her body becoming mud in his embrace as she fell into it; she swallowed it down to prevent those two on the other side from listening - but then the screen door behind them opened, causing her to squeak and jump into Sasuke who glared at who was standing there. "Naruto, don't you knock?!" he snapped.

The blond snickered as he scratched the back of his neck. "Can I help it if my sensitive ears pick up giggling and soft voices - the fact my comrade finally picked up a woman who happens to be the same one we had the pleasure of companionship?" he teased, his lax attitude about to earn him a good punch, but that would alert Mother Konan and the rest of the house. She settled on growling at him through her teeth, which shut him up right away.

"I may be a pretty little girl, Uzumaki samurai, but I pack a better fist when someone talks about me like that."

Another man's soft laughter felt like velvet to your senses. It turned out to be Sasuke's older brother, the legendary Itachi Uchiha. "Sasuke, I must say I should applaud you for the man you're becoming," he said with an amused twinkle in his eyes. "It must be a pleasure to be reacquainted."

Sasuke started backward, Sakura in her own direction so they were a good distance away. "We were NOT doing anything of the sort," he defended heatedly. "She is here because of her parents, and I'm going to help her while we are on this mission. She should go with us, big brother."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly while Naruto's bulged. For a second she hoped Sasuke got through to them, but then the elder Uchiha became firm.

"Sasuke, you realize how dangerous this could be if she comes with us? And did you forget the unspoken rule that she can have her revenge only if you two were actually man and wife?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest. But his younger sibling wasn't deterred.

"I'm aware of that, but that rule will be broken on my watch as long as the four of us only know," he said, now in a quiet voice. "But she has already killed two of the three responsible for her life's roads now; I've decided to assist her with the final while we are all on this road. When we return to Konoha, I intend to marry this woman for real."

~o~

His brother and best friend coming into his area was something he never planned on since he thought they'd been quiet, but Naruto's hearing was selective. And it hadn't been easy to convince Itachi that Sakura should go along, that she didn't need their protection since she'd been on the road since leaving the village.

Before they left, he had to go through Mother Konan, explaining that he knew the girl long ago and intended to take her back to be his wife. Sakura had been packing up in her room, saying goodbye to her friend Ino, whilst he and Itachi negotiated compensation for taking one of the blue-haired woman's girls. She was calm and collected, but in those amber-esque eyes was a brimming fire that she secretly loathed the way samurai thought they were entitled to anything, but she knew nothing about their code of honor.

"Take the best care, Sakura," she said of her best girl whom she would miss greatly. "I hope you find what you are looking for. Things will not be the same without you."

Sasuke found himself wondering if this was the right decision he made after all, but everything happened for reasons, and reasons based on the decisions you made. Just as he decided that she would be his wife AFTER they got her revenge and his mission was complete.

It was a heartbeat choice he made that he would damn any consequences if he had to. He'd made the vow he'd find a wife if the time came, and in a night - like that night when they were children - he decided she was the one because they had some things in common. She wasn't what he ever thought she'd be.

Although, there was one problem, but that could wait until after all of this was over.

Sakura rode behind him on his horse, amusing Naruto more than Itachi now. It was here they explained to her what their daimyo, Orochimaru, tasked them with along with their brethren who were out there and hunting for the general of the Ame army - counting the disgraced ones wandering who might be one who was the last of Sakura's hunted - then return home with his head as proof.

"I'd love to bring his head in place this time!" Naruto declared. "Holding it myself, and all three of us get back with the glory!"

Itachi smiled lightly as he chided, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Naruto. It's one thing to let the words leave prematurely." Yes, Naruto, cool your head. We don't need to get killed by your reckless nature.

And that was exactly what happened that day which Sasuke labeled as the worst of his life, on the same line as the day he and Itachi lost their parents. They were ambushed by the general himself as well as two of his soldiers beneath - and in the competition were two ronin who thought to take what they could from the ones they hunted. Generally, masterless samurai who didn't live honestly as fishermen or traders became bandits.

He, his brother, and Naruto were left with the general - a red-haired pierced man wearing the Ame crest on his cloak - while Sakura dealt with the thieves herself, assuming one of them was the one she was looking for.

The lower samurai were no match for him and Itachi, but when his brother was done with his opponent after stabbing him in the man's valuable spot - thinking about that made him grimace - Sasuke found himself momentarily distracted when he saw his friend engage the general...only to be stricken across the abdomen which was a vital place.

He wasn't sure if he was screaming Naruto's name or not, but the distraction nearly cost him his own head before he returned to life and raised his katana, severing the other's head from his body, not bothering to see where it was going.

The Ame general was advancing his way after assuming his prey would die without any further observation - calm, cool, and without mercy - and he underestimated Itachi who was coming behind him. Knowing his brother, Sasuke let him do the job which they would be rewarded for and dove to Naruto's side, unfeeling the hot tears which fell down his cheeks.

"No, Naruto!" The code be damned, his best friend since childhood could NOT die like this. When their lord and the others as well as the rest of the village would hear this, they would know Naruto died trying to kill the general of the foreign army who infiltrated them years ago; if he returned home the way he was now, he was nothing but a useless disgrace.

But the blond smiled weakly. "Don't c-cry over m-me, Sas-uke." Then his smile was gone. "But Hanaru - I'm sorry, sister." Blood was coming from the left corner of his mouth. "Sasuke, g-give me what I need."

Give you a quick death.

"F-forgive me, my friend," Sasuke croaked, drawing his dagger from his belt. "May the gods guide you. You'll be...honored."

What he did changed him forever.

He squeezed his eyes closed when he drew the blade across his friend's throat rather than going through the long, painful process of spilling his guts out. Itachi must have watched it happen but said nothing. He wouldn't look at his older brother, ashamed at his own emotional weakness which was the first he'd shown since he was a child - but another caught the attention of his ears, some distances away when it was none other than the agonized howling of a man. Opening his eyes, he jerked his head in that direction and was stunned - and swelling with pride - at what he saw.

There she was, standing with some blood splashing on her maroon yukata - the stains darker than the fabric. Her short sword gleamed with the cherry-colored juices of life, reflecting off the shine in her spring-hued eyes. Her long hair which had been in a tie beneath the back of her head was a slight mess from tussling with the bandits who thought they could get the drop on a small girl of all people.

The men's blood on her wakizashi told him all he needed to know: she'd gotten her precious revenge. And by the look on her face, as she stood over this man with shark-like features, she was satisfied.

But Sasuke was far from it since he'd been forced to kill his own friend so that Naruto avoided dishonor, failing to kill the general which ended up being Itachi's task. The severed head was now wrapped up and tucked beneath his brother's arm, ready to be taken home as proof the mission was completed.

I swear to God that these women in Japan loved their own hair too much that they made it the way it was in those days. I read somewhere that someone named Murasaki Shikibu jealously mentioned a friend with hair several inches longer than her height. XD

Sometimes touching that fine hair resulted in sexual foreplay. ;D

On a heavy note which I did NOT take pleasure in, I read one or two stories with Naruto's death, one of them being "Cognitive Dissonance" by Alis Volat Propris (ItaSaku, a darkfic). :( It did hurt very much, but it was handled delicately.

Did anyone understand that this happens for Sasuke to grow up - and also affects him the way it did? I didn't kill Naruto off because I wanted to. Like I said, it plays a part in Sasuke's crisis throughout the rest of the story, besides what the tale's summary has mentioned.