Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Fairy Tail. They belong to their respective owner.

A/N: Thank you to fellow readers, old and new especially AnimeMyWorld, Purella, NeonElement, Badwoman, Guests and Lith Rose for reviewing the previous chapter and also to those who favorite/follow this story. I really appreciate it. Special thanks to AssassinErik. SOme of the idea for this chapter comes from him. =)

Sorry in advance for any mistake.

Chapter 28

Sakura descended the stairs with hurried steps and walked straight pass the living room, heading to the door. She got a mission to do today and she didn't want to stall it. She was hoping that Kabuto would do his job as instructed. She was willing to pay him any price he asked for.

Erza Scarlet needed to go. She would pay dearly with her life for stealing Sasuke away from her.

Just as she was about to open the door, it was swung opened from the outside. Her eyes widened when she saw who came barging in through the door.

"D-dad," she stuttered. She didn't expect her father to come home at time like this. His unexpected arrival put a damper to her plan.

"Where do you think you're going?" Her father practically growled out the question at her as he walked through that door towards her. Behind him, she saw the figure of her mother entering the house with a distressed look on her face. She had a guess that they heard about what had happen today and they were clearly not happy about it. At least her father was not. Her mother tended to sided with her ever since she was a child.

"I'm going out. I'm meeting with a friend," she answered him.

"Going out? At times like this?" Her father scolded, making Sakura flinched in response. Her father was always calm and collected. It was hard to see him raised his voice like that in anger. But when he did become angry, he sure didn't hold back. "Do you think it was a good idea, being seen outside after the controversies you put yourself into? There's reporters stationed outside of our house right now. Do you want more trouble by putting yourself in a spotlight?"

"You shouldn't believe everything those fool say Dad," Sakura tried to defend herself.

Her father looked at her incredulously. "You yourself openly admit that you're dating Uchiha on air and then he denied it. Honestly, I don't freaking know what to believe. But knowing you, I can say that what Uchiha said was true."

"Honey, how can you believe an outsider than our own daughter," her mother chastised her father, going to her side, enveloping her with a warm hug.

Her father turned his calculating glare to his wife and shook his head in disapproval. "It's because of you babying her that she grows up to be like this. You give her everything she wanted and never say no to her."

"She's our child," her mother cried out indignantly.

"That didn't excuse her behavior!"

Both Sakura and her mother were silent for being yelled at by the patriarch of the Haruno family.

"Now go back to your room. You're grounded for a week."

Sakura gasped in horror. "You can't do that," she protested. She needed to execute her plan today. She cannot be grounded.

"Yes I can, I'm your father," he said in a no nonsense tone, daring her to challenge his authority. "Use that time to reflect of on your recent behavior. Or else you'll be grounded for a longer time," he said threateningly.

Sakura wanted to yell at him but she knew that she had to keep her emotion in check for now. It was wise not to antagonize her father any further when he was angry. That didn't turn out well for everyone, especially her. She needed to retreat for now, at least until her father no longer was keeping a watchful eye on her.

"Fine!" She grudgingly said before she stormed back up the stairs and went to her room with a really bad mood. She shut the door with a loud bang and threw her car keys at the wall in an angry fit. "Damn it!" She yelled as she paced back and forth inside her room. Everything was not going according to her plan for now. She needed to postpone her plan for Erza Scarlet and she needed to let Kabuto know about the change of plan.

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Kabuto walked out of his room in a languid pace and took the bag on the couch. Checking the content of it for the last time before he went out, he noted that everything needed for his job was there. Zipping it up, he slung his bag on his shoulder while whistling a tune as he made his way towards the door.

Somehow, he couldn't wait to see the beautiful red head again. This time, he could do anything he wanted with her. His sick mind was already imagining different ways he would make Erza Scarlet screamed.

Kabuto chuckled in glee. It had been a long time since anyone caught his interest like this and he sure was going to take his time playing her.

The vibrate coming from his pants pocket made him stop walking. Wondering who was calling him, he took his phone out and frowned when he saw Sakura's name popping in view. He pressed the answer button and said. "Hello."

"Where are you?"

"I'm heading out to do the job," he answered with a roll of his eyes at the demanding tone she was giving him.

"The job needs to be postponed."

Eyes narrowing, he glared at the wall opposite him as if it was Sakura standing in front of him. "Why is that?" He asked, getting annoyed at the pink head for her indeciciveness. He was getting excited about his job and being told off like this sure pissed him off.

"I'm being grounded," came the reply in an angry tone. Kabuto mentally rolled his eyes. Ah, the joy of having nuicanse called parents controlling your life. "Resume the job a week from now. That gives you the time for a careful planning and make sure that it doesn't come back to us."

That was true. He didn't agree of the sudden job she requested from him in the first place. Now he had the extra time to plan his mission, just the way he liked it.

"Fine!" He growled out. "Keep me informed of any changes to the plan. I'll keep watch on her whereabout for the time being."

"Good," Sakura replied. "A week from now is a go. I'll make sure to be at the wharehouse no matter what it takes."

"Noted," Kabuto said before he disconnected the call.

It looked like his meeting with the red head needed to be postponed but that was okay. It would only give him more time to prepare for the special occasion and planned about what he was going to do to Erza Scarlet.

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Sasuke exited the elevator and walked towards Erza's house with his hands in his pockets. He was taking his time as he entertained his thoughts on how Erza was taking the news about his act today. He knew that she hated for her life to be made public and what he did today sure put her in the spotlight once again. He had no choice. It needed to be done in order for him to not lose her.

He stood in front of her door for a few minutes to collect himself. Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the knob with his key and opened the door. His eyes saw her form sitting on the couch as soon as he stepped inside. Her head rose to meet his eyes and Sasuke could see the distressed in hers. He silently closed the door and locked it behind him before he made his way towards her without breaking eye contact.

"Why did you do it?" She asked once he stopped in front of her. She rose from her seat to stare at him with determination waiting for his answer.

"Because I can't lose you Erza," he whispered softly. His hand rose to cup her cheek and his thumb slowly swiped across it to remove the single tear that trailed down her smooth skin. His arms slowly snaked around her waist and gently pulled her in a secure hug. She buried her face in his chest and he tightened his hold on her, burying his face in the crook of neck. "I'd die without you, so please don't say that you don't want to be with me anymore. I can't take it," he pleaded with her.

"Everything is changing Sasuke," Erza uttered, sounding scared and lost as she gripped his shirt in her fist. "I'm afraid-"

"Don't," Sasuke interrupted her. "You don't have to be afraid of anything Erza," he grabbed her shoulder and pushed a little so that he was facing her. "I will protect you. I won't let you be hurt again," he promised her.

More tears spilled from her brown eyes. "I'm not worthy for you Sasuke," Erza said as her face contorted with shame and sadness it broke his heart to see it.

Sasuke shook his head at her statement. "No, you're the perfect woman for me Erza. No matter what happen, you're the only for me and nothing can change the fact that I love you with my whole life," he declared from the bottom of his heart. He knew what she was feeling right now. She felt that she was not worthy of his love because of the tragedy that had fall upon her. He didn't care about that. It was not her fault that Jellal rape her. She tried her best to fend him off, but she was not physically strong enough to stop the bastard who ruined her life.

Erza cried harder and buried her face into his chest, clinging to him like her life depended on it. "I love you. I love you Sasuke," she declared in between her sob.

Sasuke smiled when he heard that. "I know babe," he whispered softly. "I love you too."

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Erza stared at the ceiling of her bedroom as she lay on her bed with Sasuke's arm wrapped securely around her body. They both had fallen asleep after the mind exhausting event today. She had awoken when she felt his arms snaking around her waist and bringing her form closer to his body, and she couldn't go back to sleep since then. But that was okay because she felt secure and protected being in his arm like this. Sasuke made her feel safe. She unconsciously snuggled closer to his body, seeking his warmth. Now that he was here with her, everything felt alright again.

Erza looked up to watch his face as he was sleeping. He looked so serene and innocent with his eyes closed. The rise and fall of his chest was steady showing how calm he was when he was dead to the world. Or was it because he was with her that he could sleep soundly? She knew that she slept so much better with him next to her. So she wondered if she did have such effect on him like he did on her.

Staring at her handsome face, Erza wondered how she got so lucky to have him as her boyfriend. Sasuke was understanding, compassionate, kind and possesed many other good qualities that she didn't bother to list down. But most important of all, he loved her. He did everything to make sure that they were together, even jeopardizing his own career to prove that he really want her beside him even after all that happened with her.

Suddenly, Sasuke stirred and groggily opened his eyes. Erza gasped softly when she was caught staring at his gorgeous face.

"You're awake," he said with a knowing smile on his face.

"Yeah," Erza answered shortly. She felt Sasuke brought her even closer to his body if that was even possible and tightened his hold on her. They were cuddling on the bed and both of them didn't want to get up anytime soon. Erza was comfortable where she was and she knew that he felt the same way.

"What are you thinking?" He asked softly as he looked at her deeply in her eyes.

Erza shook her head. "Nothing," she whispered.

Sasuke looked like he didn't believe her but he didn't press her any further. Erza closed her eyes and buried her face further into the crook of his neck and sighed softly. Erza was content being in his arm like this, she didn't want to spoil the peaceful atmosphere resulted from his closeness.

"I'm sorry I was being rough with you yesterday," he suddenly spoke.

Erza looked up to his face once again and saw the pain and regret in his eyes. "It's okay," she tried to console him. "You didn't hurt me anyway."

Sasuke planted a soft kiss to her lips and she marveled at the warm feeling that kiss gave her. But the kiss was too short for her liking since he retracted his lips and left her wanting for more. A week without him was too long and she almost lost him because of her own decision. Se felt like never letting him out of sight again. She wanted to hold on to him like he was her lifeline. Sasuke made her feel complete and loved. She loved this man too much.

"I can hear the gear in your head turning," he said softly with a smile. His hand trailed up her arms, her shoulder, her neck and cupped her cheeks before he pushed the stray hairs away from her face.

"I was thinking about how much I love you," she confessed. She knew she always said the three words to him but she won't get tired of saying it over and over again to him.

"I know," Sasuke replied. "And I love you too."

Erza responded by giving him tiny kisses on his neck before she kissed him with passion.

Then, a loud grumble broke the sweet moment and Erza stopped her ministration to see Sasuke giving her a sheepish grin. "Apparently I'm hungry too," he said with a blush.

Erza giggled at the cute face he was making and entangled her body from him. She got up from the bed and took his hand, tugging at him to force him out of bed and headed to the kitchen to fix them both some food.

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Sasuke watched in silence as Erza worked on the porridge for their dinner, the same porridge she made when he had a fever that one time. He was sitting at the small island in her kitchen waiting patiently for her to finish cooking while taking a bite on the fresh strawberry he took from the fridge. He felt content simply by watching her moving around the stove. He could get use to this.

He was glad that everything turned out to be alright. He was so close to loose his mind when she asked him to break up with her and he was blinded by rage when he knew that Jellal hurt her.

"What's wrong?"

He was startled out of his thought by her voice. Sasuke looked up to see her looking at him worriedly. He shook the thought of Jellal out of his mind. Rage tended to cloud him whenever he thought of that bastard and it must have shown on his face.

"Nothing," he quickly put on a smile for her sake and tried to change the subject by asking about the porridge. "Is it done yet?" He asked with a hopeful voice. Now that he can smell the fragrance of the porridge wafting through his nose, he couldn't wait to stuff his growling tummy with the tasty goodness.

He saw Erza smiled beautifully at him as she forgot about the troubled look on his face earlier. "Yes," she said before she turned back towards the stove and scooped the porridge for the both of them. They both enjoy theor simple dinner and he trew in compliments towards his red headed girlfriend for her amazing skill in the kitchen.

"You know, I really can eat this everyday if you cook it for me."

Erza stared at him in disbelief. "You'll get bored of this before the end of this weekend."

"No, I won't," he said indignantly.

"Yeah right."

"Maybe you can cook something else once in a while. That roast chicken you made me two weeks ago was also delicious," he said as he remembered the taste of the chicken served with mashed potato and salad. "I really love your cooking."

He heard Erza snorted at him. "What am I? Your wife?"

Sasuke smirked as he gave a sexy stare. "I don't mind having you as my wife. You practically are anyway," he said. "Maybe we should just get married and make it official."

"What… what are you talking about?" Erza stuttered.

Sasuke chuckled at her flustered face. She was blushing heavily from his teasing. "You know what I mean," he replied, staring at her dead in the eyes, the mirth never leaving his face.

Erza looked away from his heavy gaze and mumbled under her breath, loud enough for him to hear it. "Idiot."

The loud knock on the door wiped the cheeky smile on his face and kill whatever smart remarks he had for her. He stared towards the door with a frown before he set his eyes on Erza again. His heart clenched when he saw her trembling form as she too stared in the direction of the door with a scared look in her eyes. He could guess who she was thinking came knocking on her door at times like this. He quickly slid from his seat and went to her before he circled his arm around her form, trying to break her out of her stupor.

He heard her gasped softly.

"Hey, it's me," he quickly said as he tightened his hold on her to make her feel safe. A moment later, she relaxed in his warm embrace and Sasuke loosened his hold on her. "You stay here okay. I'm going to go see who was at the door," he whispered softly.

Erza nodded silently at him.

"Alright, stay here," he said before he kissed her cheek and proceeded to the door.

Sasuke turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door. He sneaked his head outside and was met first with a familiar scowling face of Naruto. Behind him were Natsu and Mira who sported a worried look on their faces.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" He asked as he opened the door wider.

"You didn't answer my call," Naruto spoke. "I was worried," he said without any further explanation. Sasuke knew that Naruto had a good reason to be worried giving his reckless behavior these past two days.

"Damn," Sasuke cursed. "I forgot to charge my phone. Sorry."

Naruto nodded, looking a bit relief, probably because the blonde knew that he was not in any trouble.

"Where's Erza?" Mira asked, stepping beside Naruto.

"She's inside," he replied. "Come on in," he gestured for them to come inside.

The newcomers stepped inside and when Sasuke turned after locking the door, he saw Erza walking towards the living room and stopped when she saw the visitors. He could see the tension in her posture. She was uncomfortable in the presence of other people and the way she kept fidgeting on her feet told him that she felt like running away from them.

"Erza," he heard Naruto uttered her name. Naruto made a step towards Erza and subconsciously, the red head took a step backward. As if realizing her action, Erza nervously put on a smile which everyone knew was fake and greeted them. "Naruto, Natsu, Mira. What are you doing here?" She asked, trying hard to sound friendly but failed miserably. She averted their gaze and found the tile on the floor suddenly interesting as she kept pushing her hair behind her ears when it was not even out of place.

Sasuke couldn't see his bestfriend's face from his position but he knew that the blonde head was sporting a dismayed look. Sasuke chose that moment to intervene mainly to save Erza from having a mental breakdown in front of everyone. She was not ready to see everyone else especially when she knew that the trio knew about what had happened to her. "Why don't you guys take a seat first," he suggested. "I'm going to have a little talk with Erza."

Without waiting for any reply from any of them, Sasuke walked to Erza and gently grasped her elbow gaining her attention. "Hey," he whispered softly, not wanting to startle her. "Please follow me for a moment."

At the nod of her head, Sasuke gently dragged her away towards her bedroom and closed the door behind them.

"Did they know?" She asked as she searched his gaze.

"I told Naruto after he stopped me from killing Jellal," he told her truthfully. He felt a little guilty for telling about her secret to Naruto but he was not in his right mind at that time. "Natsu and Mira probably knew as well if they were coming here with him," he said. He watched as her breathing became heavy and she trembled again. Sasuke gathered her in his arm as he whispered soft reassuring words to her. "Hey, it's going to be okay."

"No it's not," she countered. "They will hate me," she whispered brokenly.

"No one's going to hate you Erza," Sasuke told her with a firm voice, shaking her shoulder so that she would pay attention to him. "Our friends care about you, that's why they are here. They love you." He could see that she desperately wanted to believe him but doubt was clouding her mind. She was confused. The tragedy that had befallen her messed her up. She was afraid to have an interaction with other people, especially men. That was why she recoiled when Naruto tried to get to her earlier. "Erza," he cupped both her cheek lovingly. "Do you trust me?" He inquired.

"Yes," she nodded as she grasped his hands in hers. Sasuke was glad to hear that. He was glad that she at least trusted him and didn't push him away like she was pushing everyone else away.

"So you have to trust me when I say our friends love you, okay."

She nodded albeit reluctantly.

"You stay here. I'm goind to send Mira in."

"Okay," Erza agreed.

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Mira sat on the couch with a forlorn look on her face. She was quietly sniffling as she realized how bad the situation really was. Her best friend was broken and there was nothing she could do to fix her. Her eyes trailed to her boyfriend who sat on the couch opposite her. He had his hand in a tight fist as he glared daggers at the innocent coffee table between them. His face was fixed in a murderous glare and she knew that he was probably murdering Jellal Fernandes in his head for his part in making Erza this way. Natsu was also the same. He was clutching too tightly at the armrest and a full scowl was seen on his face. These two brothers were similar in many ways since they were twins afterall and they both share the same temper that was hard to quench when it started to surface. It was better to not utter a word until they completely calm down.

She had a feeling that something had been going on with Erza but the red head was not returning her call much to her frustration. She was even more suspicious when Sasuke pulled the stunt with the press conference and all. She was worried for everyone. So earlier that day, she called Naruto for a talk since she knew that Naruto was in the know of what had been happening with Erza and Sasuke. She had the shock of her life when Naruto told her of what had happen to Erza and she couldn't help but broke down in front of him after that. Since Naruto himself was worried when he couldn't get a hold of Sasuke, they chose to come here instead together with Natsu. The salmon head also had just known about the truth.

She still couldn't believe what had happen to her best friend. This was like a nightmare. She sighed heavily and Sasuke chose that moment to come out of the room. She got up and walked to him expectantly. "Can I see Erza?" She asked with a hopefull tone. She really wanted to see her best friend.

Sasuke nodded and Mira wasted no chance before she entered the room Sasuke just walked from.

"Erza," she whispered as soon as she closed the door behind her.

"Mira."

Mira couldn't stop the tears that automatically spilled once she set her eyes on the poor girl standing in the middle of the room looking nervous. She neared Erza and wrapped her in her arms, crying as she imagined the pain her good friend was going through. "I'm so sorry Erza," she sobbed. "Why did this happen to you?" She questioned to no one in particular. It was not fair. This girl had gone through so many hardships in her life. Was it not enough the suffering that she had to face. Misery followed her around like a curse. "I'm sorry I was not there for you."

She felt Erza awkwardly pat her back. "Mira, please don't cry. I'm okay now, that's all that matters," Erza softly whispered.

"You should have told me Erza," Mira said as she faced her best friend. "I can only imagine what you have gone through alone."

Erza averted her gaze away from her and stepped away to sit on her bed. "Let's not talk about that," she said uncomfortably.

Mira's face hardened seeing Erza was being reduced to this state. Gone were the confidence she exuded and the proud way she held herself. It was all Jellal's fault. "I'll kill Jellal if I ever see him," she growled dangerously. It was a bad move on her part when she spoke his name in front of her.

Erza covered her ears with both her hands and closed her eyes tight. "Don't speak of his name," she pleaded out, close to tears herself. Her demeanor changed from hearing his name alone. Erza looked scared and she was trembling. Mira should have known better than to utter the assailant's name in front of the traumatized victim. Earlier Erza said she was okay, but the truth was she was not. She was so not okay. Mira could see that.

Mira went to Erza and plopped next to her as she tried to console the panicking girl. "I'm sorry, Erza. It's going to be okay," she said gently. She hoped it was going to be okay because seeing the state her friend was in, the road to recovery was going to take a long time. Mira did her best to get Erza out of her frenzy state. It took some time, but Erza finally calmed herself and started to talk aboutwhat had happened. Mira could see that it was hard for Erza to talk about it, but with gentle coax from her, Erza started to tell her the story that led her into Jellal's vile clutches. Mira had to control herself from cursing and breaking things when Erza began her tale. She felt like murdering a certain blue head man for what he had done.

Mira knew that it was hard to relive the torturous moment but speaking about it was also part of the step to recovery. Erza spoke of how she felt after the assault and her insecurities resulting from it. It was a normal reaction from a victim.

"What if everyone knows about it?" Erza asked desperately. "I'm afraid-"

"Erza," Mira interrupted her. "No one's going to look at you differently okay," she told her. Mira knew how Erza felt. It was nonsense but Erza was ashame of herself because of the incident. She was afraid that everyone was going to know about it and she was terrified that everyone was going to judge her. Especially since she was dating Sasuke. She felt like she was not worthy of Sasuke.

"You don't know that Mira."

"It is the truth," she tressed out. "You don't have to worry about it okay because the public won't know about it."

Jellal better not leaked out the recording or he would regret the day he was born. She would personally see to his demise if he dared to do it. Much like she wanted to see the man go to jail for what he had done, or better yet dead, Erza's reputation was at stake here. And they don't actually have any evidence that the incident was not the result of mutual feeling except for the video in Jellal's hand. He could deny the existance of the video when asked since Erza deleted the one he sent her earlier today after Sasuke saw it. They were at a disadvantage here and a trial would simply broke Erza. They would prod her and force her to relive the moment again. Every aspect and every detail of her life would be put under scrutiny and Mira didn't think that Erza could face it at the moment.

Hell, she didn't think she herself could face it it was to happen to her.

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"Now I understand why you were so hell bent on killing Jellal," Naruto spoke in a calm voice. Sasuke stared at the blonde head with a cool stare. Naruto couldn't fool him. He might look calm and collected but he was boiling on the inside. Naruto was always protective of his friends and seeing Erza being afraid of him must be a blow to him.

"Seriously, if I know of this beforehand, I wouldn't have stopped you from killing Jellal," Natsu interjected. "In fact, I'll kill him myself," he stated with a dead voice.

Sasuke sighed heavily as he looked at his two best friends. "The good thing that comes out from you two stopping me is that, Erza still has someone as her rock. She doesn't trust anyone except me right now. And I don't know if I can help her through this," he said, raking his hand through his hair nervously.

"You can."

All heads tuned towards the voice and saw Mira standing outside of Erza's room as she closed the door. She neared them and took a seat beside Naruto.

"Only you can help her Sasuke," she said with a sad smile.

Everyone was quiet at that.

"How is she?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence.

"Not good," Mira said grimmly. "She fell asleep from the mental exhaustion."

"What do we do about Jellal?" Natsu asked. "He has some hold on her because of that stupid video."

"I don't think he's going to release it to the public," Sasuke said.

"Why do you think that?" Naruto's gaze hardened on him. "Who knows what that bastard plan to do with it?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No," he countered. "Jellal's a bastard and all, but he's a bastard who loves Erza. He wouldn't do that to her. Plus he's a smart guy. That video are the only prove of his misdoing. Releasing the video is like a death sentence to him."

"What if you're wrong?" Mira voiced out. "This is Jellal we're talking about."

"I know I'm right on this one Mira," he replied. Of course she was not convinced of that but she kept her mouth shut.

Sasuke had to admit that Mira had a point. It was frightening to think that he could be wrong. He refused to believe that he could be wrong because it was not an option. If he was wrong, then everything was over. Erza would be devastated and he didn't think that she could face the world. And he would kill Jellal's life for sure and nothing could stop him from doing so. Not Naruto, not Natsu, not Erza.

"I hope I know what you're doing Sasuke," Naruto spoke from his seat, giving him a pointed look.

"Me too Naruto," he uttered with a sigh. "Me too."

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To be continued

Teaser for the future chapter:

"You're fucking crazy!" Erza yelled.

Sakura gave her a manic grin in return. "I might be crazy but I will get out of this mess alive. You on the other hand-," she said as she trailed a finger on her temple down to her cheek before she roughly gripped Erza's chin in her grasp. "- will be very much dead."

Erza's eyes widened and fear slowly crept into her. Sakura laughed evilly when she noticed the panic and fear on her face.

Kabuto placed Erza on a wide table and tied her hand and leg tightly to it, leaving no room for her to wriggle free.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Erza whimpered slowly. She was going to die here and there was no one coming to save her.

"You should know why I'm doing this," Sakura replied, looking at her with hatred. "You're disgusting. Sasuke was supposed to choose me and played along with everything that I've set. Instead, Sasuke chose you even after everything! If I can't have Sasuke, no one can."