Tuesday, April 8th, 2014.

Sorry I haven't updated in a month, guys! I got a little busy and then procrastinated for the rest of my time, only finally writing a new chapter two weeks ago. But as I promised myself, I wouldn't try to pump out new chapters to make up for missed weeks and simply update on its designated week. I was planning on updating Sunday, but I didn't even get to use my computer (aside for 30 mins for homework) all weekend due to being busy. And I procrastinated yesterday.

Anwho. Here's a new chapter.

Fun Fact(s): I watched Kyoukai no Kanata two weeks ago (my Spring Break). I plan on starting Strike the Blood later today.

News: School ends early for the rest of the week because of testing, and hopefully, I'll have some chapters written. For both this story and ReWind.

Rec: Book: Divergent Series by Veronica Roth:
You've probably heard about it by now, but if you haven't, the Divergent series is one of the top book series around from the quickly-becoming popular dystopian genre. Specifically, the people-rise-against-the-oppression genre. That's really what it is. Despite that concept being used many time before, I've never encountered a series that didn't do well with it. Hunger Games did great, Code Geass to an extent was like this and that was a masterpiece, and this is easily one of the best books I've read.

The main character, Beatrice Prior (later known as "Tris") lives in a society where the remaining population, after a large war, divided itself into groups ("factions") each with their own certain quality they believe would best avoid war. There is Amity for Kindness, Dauntless for Bravery, Abnegation for Selflessness, Erudite for Knowledge, and Candor for Honesty.

At the age of 16, every one from all the factions must engage in a Choosing Ceremony to decide which Factions they will live in for the rest of their lives. They may pick their birth faction and stay with their family, or pick another and leave their family behind. "Faction before blood" is the way it goes.

Beatrice was born in Abnegation, but never felt she truly belonged there. During her Aptitude Test (a test taken before the Choosing Ceremony to help you decide your new faction), she got three results when only one should have been possible. She learns she is called "Divergent", for having aptitudes for more than one faction. All she knows is that she should never tell anyone and that it's dangerous to be Divergent, but doesn't fully understand why until far later.

She decides to choose Dauntless, one of her results, and while there, discover things about "Divergence", her government, and her own people that she never could have expected.
Despite how it sounds, it's a pretty heavy and serious series. There are character deaths, (3 characters close to her all died soon after another in the first book alone) controversial and questionable beliefs and modes of action, etc.

And if you're wary about Tris' Divergence and wonder if it's only something she has and the she's the "one", (which trust me, annoys me too when only the main character has super special and strong powers or abilities, putting them above everyone else) she's not. There are other Divergents. You find out about 3 others in the first book, and more later on. There are 3 books in total.

Check it out. And there's some romance for you romance lovers out there (like me).
The movie for the first book, Divergent, is out, too. Pretty good, and pretty accurate, for the most part.

AotW: Like I said, we have Valentine's Day. And no, I've been enjoying the single life for as long as I can remember, and my lack of experience is incredibly obvious with the way I write romance (horribly).

Disclaimer: IDNON.

Dedication: You all, because I apologize and I love you.

GRR:
Guest: Thank you! I hope you'll like this one, too. :)
Chloe: Glad you liked them. :) Sorry I updated so late. XP
Leo: Even if I take forever to do so, I won't stop updating til I'm done with this story. :) I'm sorry for the late update. XP

Chapter:
Content: Sasuke & Itachi confrontation (sort of), Sasuke & Sakura interaction. Both post-interrogation.
Romance: SasuSaku. That's it.
Warnings: Violence. Badly written violence. And language, if I recall (I couldn't bring myself to re-edit this chapter again when posting).

Length:
No AN: ~4.5k+
AN: Exactly 5.8k words.

Enjoy!


Chapter 47: Release and the Aftermath


Sasuke POV

What the hell is that supposed to mean?!

I traversed angrily along the ground, kicking up snow as I absentmindedly made my way through the training grounds.

Just before, I had finally gotten that chance to let out some pent-up frustration against Itachi, as promised.

I'm surprised they actually had let me do it, but the guards led Itachi (who was bound with chakra bracelets and strings and had a small, strange contraption piercing the place in his neck behind his ear) and I to a room with windows on every surface – on the top, bottom, and every side. A glass cube with a door on one side, essentially.

They assured it wouldn't break, and it was simply to observe from everywhere. Everywhere.

After that, they dumped Itachi on the ground and explained that the only chakra that wasn't controlled externally or completely sealed away was the amount enough to keep him alive. If he dared to use his Sharingan, he would get a shock administered by the small device I saw behind his ear.

There were more restrictions to what he could and couldn't do, but they did leave his hands free on a regular basis, and he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants and briefs (because boxers were too loose) administered by the prison; no shirt. Not that I needed to know why he was wearing briefs in the first place.

After that explanation, and ridding me of weapons (as it would be too easy to kill him that way if he didn't fight back; which he apparently hasn't done in return for the torture he had been through nor when Kiba and even Naruto had had their fill of him; they saved the "best for last", apparently) they told me to, and I quote, "let loose on him."

Supposedly, Itachi has been very compliant with everything that the prison and Leaf officials had had him do. Completely obedient. Which is odd, though only a select few, including the Hokage, know all of the information he had given them, and possibly the explanation to his behavior.

Ever since I had been notified that I could have my "session" with Itachi yesterday, anger and hatred had been slowly building up in my body. So the moment I was told to "let loose", even before the guards and officials (sent to observe Itachi's behavior) had left the room, I had already kicked him into one of the window-walls.

The curse mark had taken over me almost immediately, and I spent the next –hour? I don't know– who-knows-how-long beating the man who had tormented me for so many years of my life, had ruined my life, until I had to be stopped before I could kill him.

I was shouting in rage the whole time; taunting him, ridiculing him, begging him and crying for answers.

"Is this the power of a man who had massacred a clan of shinobi in one night? Pathetic!" Kick to his skull.

"Is this enough hate for you? WELL? Is IT!" Series of punches to his face.

"Why'd you do it? TELL me! You took them all away from me!" With tears streaming down my cheeks, I elbowed him in the stomach before kicking his legs out from under him and smashing his head against the floor. "You ruined me! You ruined me! I hate you!"

But no matter what I did, he didn't fight back. He only stood back up at certain times, as if to make it easier for me to hit him; knowing it pleasured me to knock him down each and every time.

"Are you happy now? HUH? Are you?!"

Near the end, I had broken all his limbs in at least two places each – it gave me sickening pleasure to hear them break. That pleasure was slightly lessoned at the fact that he didn't fight back, but it rose again at his light whimpers and gasps of pain.

He needs to suffer… Maybe then, he would understand a minuscule fraction about the pain he caused me!

Finally, I got tired of his ragdoll-ness, and threw him down on the ground, climbing him and straddling him, punching him over and over and over.

"Why did you tell me to hate you more so I can be strong enough to kill you that night! Why aren't you fighting me! Do you honestly wish for me to kill you that badly?!"

My "wings" (from my 2nd stage form) made gashes in his leg. I controlled one wing so one of the talons would hover over his neck.

"If I killed you now, it would all be over. You could do nothing more to me." As I said it, those words hit me as if they were a revelation.

And, for the first time, Itachi reacted.

He shakily rose his arm up, the arm that I hadn't dislocated (but I did break it; how'd he move it?) and I didn't stop him.

Somehow, I knew he didn't intend to hurt me.

But how would he, anyway? He can't do anything to hurt me now.

The thought sent what felt like a sharp, electric current through my body. A revelation. That's right – he can't.

The village will surely execute him, and for whatever reason, I don't believe he will find someway to break out of prison to avoid that, nor do I believe he will find some other way to escape death. Itachi is done.

He would die and be out of my life. I no longer have to strive to get strong enough to kill him. To grow more and more hate in my body in order to have a resolve enough to kill him like he told me.

Now that I think about it, why did I listen to him in the first place?! Followed every word he said. I didn't have to listen to him. So why did I?

Did he say them because he knew I'd obey? Almost as if he thought that the feelings I still had for him as an older brother (how'd he know about them? I didn't know about them until Sakura mentioned them) would cause me to continue to listen to him? After all – I followed him around and listened to every little thing he said when I was younger.

And whether or not I caused it right now, he would die.

Itachi can't torment me anymore. Not mentally, physically, or even emotionally.

He is powerless.

And I am free from him.

For some reason, that made my stomach twist, even though part of me felt lighter – the burden of the life of an avenger lifted.

But I had dedicated my life to being an avenger, killing Itachi. What do I do now?

I suddenly felt empty. But then a spark of hope appeared within me – a flash of pink, and of orange and green until it was it a plethora of different colors and light, so different from the bleak darkness I had been forcing myself to try (and lately failed, for the most part) to see.

I have friends now. I can do what I want now. I have Naruto and Kakashi and Sakur-

It was then that I felt the familiar touch of fingers against my forehead, something I hadn't experienced since…

"I suppose I can't," he whispered, with a smile, in response to my earlier words, of how I could kill him now and it'd all be over.

I was jolted out of my inner enlightenment to find my brother poking my forehead with two fingers, a smile so alike the ones I had seen on him when I was a child, but one that was so much more real and free. The blood and bruises on his face faded away until I was looking at my older brother again: the one that I loved oh so much; the one that I wouldn't have realized I missed without Sakura.

Just then, I was pulled back into my mind and words and colors and faces flashed through my mind, and just for a second, my eyes flashed with a Sharingan design never-before-seen, but somehow familiar to me. Itachi's eyes, whether it was my imagination, real, or a result of whatever he had done to me, also flashed with a sign that I knew.

Is that the Sharingan he had when he confronted me in the Massacre?

I fell back from the rush that went through my head and rolled off of my brother, whose arm was back on the ground. I off-handedly realized that I was back to my normal form – my Curse Mark wasn't even in Stage 1; there were no marks around my body. It was dormant – and not even my Inner could hear it.

The guards and "officials" (who were all ANBU, as I now realize) rushed in and pulled Itachi onto a stretcher, one of them pulled me to out of this room and into another one.

He sat me down in a chair and looked me in the eye. I was in a slight daze, but I looked back at him to let him know I could still understand him.

"I'm not sure what happened there, but Lady Hokage had expected that he would do something similar to that. Poking you, I mean. Whether it was because he himself had told her he would, or not, I do not know. However, we were told that if that had happened, that you go to the Lady's office for an interrogation and overview of what had gone on here. Until then, you are free to leave now."

I nodded, exiting the room and soon the prison entirely without fully realizing it. But that word resonated with me. "Free."

Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head.

Itachi's voice.

"You are free from me now, Little Brother. Free to explore a new life and be happy with the threat of my interference to stop you. Take advantage of that, but be warned – your trials are not quite over yet. There are hidden evils out there that will soon make their debut. Prepare, Dear Brother. Make friends that will help you fight – this does not only involve you."

And that was the end of it.

Since then, I headed to the training grounds in hopes of finding some kind of relief in the solitude of the snow, my insides swirling with a mix of dissatisfaction, disappointment, confusion, anger and relief all at the same time.

I knew I was angry and confused about Itachi's words, and how he dared to give me "advice" after all he'd done. I was disappointed that he had not fought back and was quite subdued, save for the-… that gesture.

It was as if the demon that I built to identify to be my former-brother (created by his own nurturing; his actions and words) was gone.

Well, he was gone:

What I attacked (not "fought"; that was no fight) was not the demon I had had nightmares about for 6 years of my life – all that was was an empty shell of a demon, if one at all. As if the one I hated all these years was a fake persona that Itachi had forced me to believe in and hate, encouraging me to hate him more and more and more.

And maybe that is true. I just don't know that yet. Not for sure.

What I do know, however, was that that was a worthless excuse of a man whose brain would always be active. Itachi's mind was always one of his greatest assets, and now I am tormenting myself by trying to figure out his cryptic message.

He never ceases to shock and confuse me.

When I heard noises ahead, I looked up and scowled, realizing there was someone already in this field. Just great. Tch.

As I headed over to scare them away so I can vent in peace, I realized the chakra signature was somewhat weak. Not dangerously, but they were definitely tired. Must've been training for a while.

They may be done soon, then.

I hurried my pace slightly, wanting to watch them and decide whether I should test my patience by waiting for them to leave, or waste energy by getting rid of them.

But when I got to the clearing (or what used to be a clearing, and is now covered in snow), I found that it was someone familiar, and they were done, punching a tree trunk one more time before sitting down ungracefully with their back against the tree, breathing heavily.

"Sakura!" I ran toward her.

She looked up, brushing her hair out of her face before smiling and attempting to stand, instead failing miserably as her knees buckled below her.

I rushed and caught her, adjusting my grip and her body until I was holding her bridal style.

"You can set me down, you know, Sasuke-kun," she said, a small pout on her lips. "You don't have to hold me."

I shook my head, already feeling myself calming down and peace almost taking over my body. She always does this to me, even if it's not on purpose. I can't say I don't appreciate it, though.

"But I will anyway." I didn't look directly at her, choosing instead to survey the area for weapons of hers as well as to see how much she destroyed the place.

There was noticeably less snow in this area, as well as cracked ground. There were holes littered all around the ground as well, as well as in trees. Some trees were also tearing apart from where she had left imprints in them, and many branches of several trees were broken.

But as I scanned around, I didn't see any weapons. Or any belongings of hers.

"I decided to focus on taijutsu and my body alone today," Sakura said, reading my look. "The only ninjutsu I used was to make a clone (1) so I can fight myself. I brought the bare minimum of supples –like med stuff– and put them in my pouch. There's nothing lying around."

I nodded. "In that case, we can get going."

I readjusted her in my hold again, before turning around and headed towards her apartment.

"Get going where?"

"Your apartment. You're totally worn out and need rest. I'm taking you there."

I could just feel her eye roll.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm not 'totally worn out'. I just a bit tired, that's all. Which is expected."

"Hn," I hummed, not believing a word.

In my arms, Sakura was still panting slightly to gain her breath. She was incredibly limp in my arms, bruises and scratches peaked out from the skin of hers hidden by her clothing, and her eyes struggled to stay open.

"Just a bit tired", my ass. She would've fallen asleep against that tree had I not been there. She can't even stand on her own.

"Honest!" She insisted. "I'm fine!"

"You should know by now that I wouldn't fall for BS (2) like that," I said, smirking down at her.

Her face flushed slightly, and I knew it wasn't from the cold, nor from the adrenaline from training as vigorously as she did. It's nice to know that she's not immune to me just yet.

"A-anyway, what'd you go do today?" she asked. "I remember you mentioned you had something scheduled today."

My jaw set. Her eyes filled with worry the moment she saw it.

"It was my turn to 'go all out' on It- him today," I said a bit quietly, anger starting to bubble in my chest.

I hurried to the apartment, wanting to talk to her in a more private setting.

"Oh?" she said softly, raising her hand to place on my arm comfortably. I sighed through my nose, feeling as if her peaceful aura was coursing through me from wherever our bodies made contact, similar to the way her chakra flowed through her patients' bodies when she performed medical ninjutsu. "How'd it go?"

"Better than I thought, for the most part," I said, setting her down on her feet and leaning her against me as her support, as she dug through her pouch for her key. She handed it to me and I quickly opened the door, got us through, and locked it behind us. "I have to go see Tsunade later, though.

I helped her to the couch, helping her pull off her shoes and jackets before taking off mine. Afterward, I picked her up again (she squeaked, not expecting it) and deposited her on her bed.

"What are you-"

"Go to sleep," I told her, taking a place beside her on the bed. "I'll make some food and put in in the fridge so you can eat it whenever you wake up. You need rest."

"No," she said, eyes shining with defiance at me. "I'm not sleeping."

"Oh?" I rose a brow. "That's what you'd be doing right now if I hadn't found you today."

She blushed but refused to back down. "How about this – you can still cook me food, as long as you make some for yourself, while I take a shower and we can eat together. Then after that, I'll sleep. Okay?"

We had a stare-down for a while.

Sometime during the stare-down, her cat, who had grown some, climbed on the bed and stared me down, too. Where had he come from?

Finally, I sighed, giving in after a while of Sakura's pouting face, which she had adopted after deciding her serious face wasn't going to work.

I stood up, heading toward her bedroom door. "Anything in particular you want to eat?" I turned and stopped in the doorway.

"No," she said, walking towards me. "I'll eat anything as long as it's not spicy." (3)

She rose her hand to my forehead. What is she doing?

When she brought it back, she frowned at it, and I noticed it was red. She licked her thumb and wiped the blood off my forehead, the way my mother would do.

I frowned to keep appearances up, but I actually didn't mind her antics.

"Got it!" She said, cheerful. "What was blood doing there, anyway? Aside from that, your face is pretty clean."

My almost-good mood fell nearly completely. "Oh. Um, some of Itachi's blood splattered, is all."

Judging by the stare she gave me, she had figured out what it really was. She knew what Itachi always did to my forehead before That Day, and she knew that it had happened this time, too.

"Alright." She lifted herself on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. "Make something good, okay? I'll be out in 20, 30 minutes max."

I nodded, turning around and closing the door behind me as I headed toward the kitchen.

"And if you want," she called, from behind the door, "You can snoop around, too. You may not find what you're looking for, but you'll find something, I'm sure."

I froze. I knew Sakura knew about what the guys and I had discussed the other day, expecting that Ino or someone had told her, but this was the first time we really interacted since that day.

I wasn't very angry with her like Gaara was with Matsuri, surprisingly. Rather, I was more hurt that she didn't see it fit to tell me. Betrayed, really.

But not to the point that I could hold a grudge against her. Suspicion and a bit of distrust? Yes. Outright grudge and/or hatred? Believe me, I've tried. I just can't.

No matter what I did, no matter how many scenarios I imagined –like her actually working with Itachi– I just couldn't bring myself mad at her.

Like the way Sakura once told she'd forgive me no matter I did, I can't help but want to forgive her for this.

Especially now, with Itachi no longer a threat to me (though I still want to hurt him, not quite satisfied yet), trying to build hatred and rage toward her was too much work and just didn't last.

So instead, I decided to observe her for anything suspicious, and search the apartment when I get the chance.

That was actually what I was planning on doing while I cooked, but it seems she beat me to it.

I unfroze and continued walking toward the kitchen, hearing Yoru follow behind me. He must have already had his bath and Sakura kicked him out… otherwise, he'd be with her right now. He doesn't mind water if Sakura's in it. Loves her too much.

I went throught the cabinets, familiar with her apartment already, picking out what I would need for yakiudon (4), a quick and easy, but tasty and filling meal.

After I was done, (about 20 minutes later), Sakura still wasn't out. I looked over at the bookshelves in the living room, which was only separated by the kitchen by a counter island, which resided on the kitchen side.

Just then, I felt a nudge on my leg.

It was Yoru, looking up at me.

"Oh, right."

I got his cat food bowl and filled it with food, as well as filling the water bowl up.

However, he only took a few bites before nudging me again.

"What, now?"

He started heading over to the bookshelves in the living room, which was separated from the kitchen by a tile-carpet barrier, and an island at the end of the tile marking the end of the kitchen.

Yoru jumped on said shelves and made his way over and along them over them.

"What are you doing?" I asked, following him. Not that he'd answer.

When I got to him, he was nudging a textbook that was hidden behind two others and between the bookshelf – I never would have noticed it had I not known what I was looking for. Suspicious, much?

I pulled it out.

It was a textbook about ocular ninjutsu, with several post-it arrows poking out of it. Sakura was studying it.

I turned it over and looked over it, realizing why Yoru had led me to it. This book is classified, and Sakura shouldn't have the clearance to get it. She knew I was going to search through her things – prompted me even! She must've told Yoru to show this to me. Now that I think about it – why does she want to show me these things in the first place? Is she planning on telling me everything little by little? Starting by what she's studying in secret? But why does she want me to know everything in the first place? And why start now?

I opened it to one of the places of the sticky-notes.

It was about the Sharingan.

I widened my eyes and flipped through the rest of the book. This book was solely about the different ocular jutsu about different clans, like the Hyuuga and Uchiha, and had details I had never known and doubt even Neji or Hinata knew.

Most of it, though, was about the Sharingan, and Sakura only had her tabs on the Sharingan, "Rinnegan" (whatever that was), and one on the Byakugan. Nothing else mattered to her, it seemed.

I started reading it, but before I could get far, Sakura came out of her bedroom, clothed in a loose shirt and tight shorts, a towel over her shoulders.

"So you found it, then," I jumped, turned around, and hid the book behind my back. But then, I realized I was being ridiculous and brought it out again.

She looked calm, though slightly embarrassed as if ashamed that I was reading one of her many (but one of the only classified) textbooks.

Meanwhile, I pretended that I wasn't totally staring shamelessly at Sakura. Guess it's not your fault she looks so good in something so simple. And damp hair. Damn, look at those shorts!

"You can read it if you want, but please don't leave the apartment with it just yet. I still have more to study from it. You can take the other one if you want."

I furrowed my brow. "Other one?"

"Oh," she said, surprised that Yoru hadn't gotten to showing me that one yet. "I'll show it to you later. You can take that one with you, as long as you hide it. And you can read this one after I sleep, which I'll probably be doing after eating. Again, just don't leave with it yet."

She headed toward the kitchen. "Is that udon I smell? It smells so good!"

"Why are you studying the Sharingan?" I asked, not caring about the food.

She turned to me, stopping momentarily.

"For you."

I was confused. "For me? Wh-"

"Enough talk, let's eat already! We can talk later, okay?" She gave me a hopeful look. "I can't promise I'll tell you what you want to hear, but it'll be something."

I sighed, knowing there was nothing on this world that was going to stop her from eating.

"Fine."

"So is it udon?" she asked, skipping to the pot.

"It's yakiudon."

"Awesome!"


We ate dinner on the couch, watching the Big Bang Theory(5) and commenting on the show. It shouldn't have been a surprise to me that Sheldon was her favorite character on the show. They're both nerds that only a few understand when they go into full-on textbook mode.

Afterward, she showed me where the other textbook was hidden (this time, it was about the history of the village), and we talked on her bed for a bit longer, instead about tomorrow.

Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, as well as Konohamaru's birthday. Everyone would gather at the Uchiha manor (and some would spend the night) for a week-and-a-two-day celebration of Konohamaru's, Hinata's and Lee's birthdays, as well as New Years' and Christmas.

Soon, she drifted off to sleep, after giving me a kiss on the cheek as a goodnight. Only after did I realize that I forgot to ask her to elaborate on why she studied classified texts on the Sharingan "for me."

As Yoru curled up beside her peaceful face however, I decided I didn't really care right now.

After reading the Sharingan textbook for a bit, I figured it was enough and time to leave.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead softly, pushing her hair aside, before turning off all the lights, putting the ocular ninjutsu textbook back where I found it and leaving the apartment. I locked the door behind me with the spare key she gave me with the Konoha textbook under my arm.

I think I ought to seek out that little "talk" with "Lady Tsunade."


(1): I don't understand why, but I've noticed that in a lot of fanfiction, people are under the impression that only Naruto can use the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and/or that he discovered it in the scroll he stole (1st ep of first season, peeps) or that he made it up himself. That's not true - EVERYONE knows that jutsu. It's pretty basic. And add on to the fact that that's the jutsu you need to perform to graduate the academy. Naruto's inability to do it (and main reason he failed the academy) was what made his using the MULTI Shadow Clone jutsu (MSCJ) so important. He didn't create either of the two jutsu - he saw the MCSJ in the scroll. And I'm pretty sure the only reason that that jutsu's in the scroll in the first place, is that normal people don't have enough chakra to properly and effectively use it. They'd use it all up and kill themselves - there's no other reason for it to be forbidden. While I'm sure there are select few out there that have enough chakra to use it decently, Naruto has Kurama's chakra, which is the only reason he can do it in the first place. Understand?
Naruto's not some prodigy who created either of the two jutsu. You can say he created the Rasenshuriken, but he did not create the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Everyone else is perfectly capable of using it. Except for Lee, who can't use ninjutsu.
(2):
Bullshit. If you don't understand its use in that sentence, it's a vulgar curse word that's slang for something that you know isn't not true.
(3):
According to the data book and wikia, Sakura's least favorite food is spicy food.
(4):
101(dot com)(slash)yakiudon(slash)
(5):
Very popular American TV show that I don't won.

Again, I'm sorry about the late update. X-Mas should be in the next chapter or two. Haven't written them yet (should this week). Don't know for sure yet.

QotW:
#1: X-Mas ideas. It'll be up soon, so I really need the ideas.
#2: School's over in a month and a half. What will you be doing when schools's over? (between this school year and the next school year) And if you're not in school, what do you do when you have a break or free time?

Apologies with love,
-Cherry.

PS: Don't forget to review!

Love you guys!