AN: Whooo…the last chapter was pretty long…thanks for the reviews guys….

Uhm…for those asking if itachi would be in this story, well of course he would!...

Well then…carry on….: )

CHAPTER 5: Burning Regret

"Demo, I'll always love you Sasuke-kun, no matter what you say or do."

It had been playing in his head ever since he left.

He considered it his weakness, yet his source of strength when he felt he couldn't take one more step. His life was full of ironies, and despite their situation, he let out a dark chuckle.

He was somehow cornered into a secluded area of the forest, his other teammates where nowhere to be found.

They were being ambushed, but it was nothing to the powerful shinobi. These pathetic attempts were grating on Sasuke's nerves. Although the weak enemy nins kept on coming, they needed reinforcements. Since Konoha was near the chosen battlefield, Jiraiya's men came to rescue, among them was Naruto.

A stray kunai grazed his cheek before embedding itself on the tree.

"Oi teme! Concentrate or you'll get killed."

"Shut up dobe."

Sasuke cursed himself for being so careless, this was one of the reasons he refused to have emotions. Still it didn't stop him from asking his question.

"Why are you here anyway? You're supposed to be guarding Sakura."

"Worried about her aren't you?" He gave the raven haired man a wolfish grin.

"Hn."

"Don't worry, the attempts to kidnap her have stopped. Besides it was boring back there, now that the princess stopped being so cheerful." Naruto glared at him.

He knew it was his fault, but no matter what the consequence, he could never take back what has been said. He wasn't looking for forgiveness, he could care less if he never saw Sakura again. But the more he lied, the more he became aware of the light material resting in his breast pocket.

He and Naruto were back to back, waiting for the enemy to hunt them down. They came in hundreds, all brandishing some sort of weapon. It was all they could do not to show fear on their faces when they saw who they were up against.

The moon was half illuminating Sasuke's and Naruto's faces, effectively showing their dangerous profile.

One with red eyes.

The other with four tails.

The question now is…who's the prey and who's the predator?

"Time to end this dobe."

"Last full-show teme?"

"Hn."

"CHIDORI!"

"RASENGAN!"

And they came, the formidable duo with their lightning fast speed.

The last sound the Mist nins heard was the chirping of birds.

The last things they saw were the sharingan and a bright blue ball of chakra.

Dawn broke. The sun rose high in the sky, two figures remained standing.

Silence ruled over them, each taking in what had just occurred. This was war, death is inevitable. It would always come down to who is strong. They won, but there was no victory, the winner was long ago decided. It is a wonder though, why some still persevere for something unattainable. Everything about them was tarnished, desperately seeking for something whole and pure, but the source was miles away. Perhaps sleeping peacefully, unaware of the turmoil brewing in each man's hearts. Her innocence not yet tainted by the war that has ruined the lives of many. It was too much to say they were doing it for the country, but it seemed right tot think that what they've done was for one special person.

"Do you know Sasuke? I have loved her the moment I realized she was no longer someone that must be protected."

He remained silent. The pain in Naruto's voice was carefully concealed. He had an inkling, but never really paid much attention to it.

"But I knew I stood no chance, her heart already belonged to you. Then you went and broke it. I should kill you."

"Why don't you?" Sasuke had a feeling he wouldn't put up much fight.

"Because she'd hate me. And because I somehow understand why you did that, it might be for the best. Those who are haunted by darkness must never touch the pure hearted."

Relief surged through him, he looked at his friend and smirked.

"Hn. Didn't know you were so deep dobe."

Naruto returned it.

"Don't get used to it. Come on, time to head back to camp. I want some ramen."

They made their way through the bodies.

Peace came when they least expected it.

--------------------

"Something doesn't fit here. Everything was so easy." Kakashi commented.

"I agree with you, it might be a trap to catch us off guard." Sasuke replied.

"Aw come on you guys maybe we were just too strong for them, or they under estimated us." Naruto whined

"Shut up you moron! Sasuke-kun's talking!" it was Karin.

All in all everything was giving him a headache. He couldn't shake the feeling though, that something terrible might happen, he hated being kept in the dark, and so he vowed that he would find out what was going on. With that in mind, he went to his quarters, a small nap would do for his investigation later.

He was in a deep slumber the moment his head hit the pillow.

Nightmares came.

A little boy stood alone in the middle of a great manor.

There was so much blood, on the walls, the floor, splashed across the windows. He was trembling, the dead bodies on the ground seemed very familiar. They looked like his mother and father, those sprawled on the grass resemble his aunts and uncles. Tears involuntarily fell from his eyes. He did the only thing he could think of, he ran…as fast as he could.

Someone was following him but he didn't look back, afraid of what he may see. The boy tripped on a rock, unable to get up he curled into a ball. The footsteps were closer, he still kept his eyes shut. Slowly, something cool grazed his cheek. It stung, he felt the blood come out.

"Don't be pathetic little brother." His cold voice pierced his soul.

"I-itachi ni-san?" his small one sounded scared.

"Be grateful Sasuke, I killed them for you. Be strong and I will come back for you. See for myself if you are worthy of my mercy. Hate, little brother. That is all you are allowed to feel from now on."

"NO! NO! NO!"

The dream suddenly changed.

He found himself in HER garden, why he was there he didn't know why. But something was different, the ground was barren, the flowers were dead, the trees were splintered. He heard a pitiful whine, and his blood grew cold. Sasuke ran towards the sound, his insides clenched, Naru-chan was there, skewered by a large piece of wood, the wolf gave one last bark then his head lolled to the side. Dead.

He ran away from the scene, looking for her. He tried screaming but no sound would come out. His feet dragged him to the pond, he expected clear water, what he saw was a pool of blood.

In the middle of it was Sakura.

'NO! Wake up! Hime lool at me!' His lips merely moved, nothing came out.

But her eyes suddenly opened and looked at him straight in the eye. He couldn't breathe.

"This was what you wanted right Sasuke-kun?" her voice, as sweet as ever was mocking him.

'NO! Never! Who did this?!' he tried to say, clutching his throat.

"You did, Sasuke-kun. You said you hated me, so you killed me. Goodbye." She closed her eyes once again.

'You're wrong! I could never do that! Sakura!'

"You disgust me." Another voice came from the other side of the pond.

His eyes widened in horror as he stared at himself. He could not move, paralyzed beyond fear. He could only watch as his other self approached the floating Sakura. The other Sasuke stared at him for a while, then pulled out a katana from behind. He poised it above her still form.

"What's wrong? I'm giving you what you desire."

Then the sword plunged towards her body…

"SAKURA!!!"

He sat upright, panting heavily as sweat traveled down his torso. It was only a bad dream, he chanted to himself over and over. But it had been so vivid, he was having a hard time convincing himself. This was the first time he had a nightmare about Sakura. He tried to calm himself by breathing deeply, it worked partially. He got up and dressed. The urge to do something to distract himself was very strong.

The flaps of his tent suddenly opened.

"Sasuke-kun! We heard you screaming! What's wrong? Did they attack?" Karin was at his side, Naruto and Kakashi nearby.

"I'm fine. I'm going out to investigate."

He felt stupid for showing some kind of emotion, his face was a mask once more. He looked at the men before going out. They knew.

--------------------

The sun was still up when he went out of his tent.

Sasuke went back to the area of the forest where he and Naruto fought. Searching the bodies there for something that was out of place. So far, he was having no luck at all. Then something glinted, he went towards it. His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he picked the ring up.

It was a signet of the Akatsuki.

The next moment he was jumping up in the air, narrowly escaping the huge sword swung at him.

"Nice reflexes. Did you like my little present?" Sharp teeth greeted him.

"Kisame." He growled the name. His charcoal orbs turned red.

"I'm touched little Uchiha, you remembered me."

"Why are you here? I thought you sided with no one?"

"It's none of your damn business boy."

"Where's my brother?"

"I don't know. I'm not the one seeking revenge. YOU should know." He mocked the sharingan user.

Sasuke lunged at the other man, flinging three kunais at him. Kisame deflected it using his sword then jumped at a branch.

"Hold your horses little Uchiha, I'm not here to kill you, yet." He smirked.

"What are you doing here then." Sasuke still remained in a fighting stance.

"To deliver a message."

If he was a lesser man, he'd fall on his back at the bone chilling grin Kisame gave him.

"She dies tonight."

--------------------

A week came by quickly.

"The truth is, I hate you."

Her room was dark, but she was accustomed to it. This had been her routine for a while now. She hadn't been to her garden since that day, haven't played with Naru-chan and it made her feel guilty.

Ever since he left, Sakura found it hard to wake up every morning. She tried to be cheerful when she was with her parents, but when she's all alone, she felt heavier and heavier. Not once though, did she cry. At least she was able to keep that promise.

Night was something she had come to dread. Unwanted memories came back each time to haunt her. She tried to block out the unpleasant thoughts.

Yet something was unusual, she found herself pacing, something was wrong. It was too quiet, she couldn't hear her wolf's whines, the ANBU stationed at the gates were very still. The servants' hurried steps couldn't be heard from the hallway. Her heart suddenly pounded hard.

She debated whether she'd go out or stay in her room. But her worry over Naru-chan clouded her judgment.

Sakura ran stealthily towards the garden, there she found the wolf sleeping by the pond, when she came closer though she knew something was definitely wrong.

Naru-chan wasn't breathing. She saw a snake bite on his neck.

Immediately her hands glowed green and placed it above the wound. After quite some time, the wolf's condition stabilized. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. Her joy was short lived, an unknown presence was behind her.

She wasn't able to figure out who it was though, the moment she felt it, she blacked out.

--------------------

Three figures were running at top speed, jumping from one branch to another. After Kisame gave the message, he disappeared instantly. Sasuke relayed the message to Naruto and Kakashi. Hence, the reason for their abrupt departure from the camp. He left the authority to Karin along with his two trusted subordinates.

They were running for hours without stopping, night finally caught up to them.

"Slow down Sasuke, we'd be there in less than a day."

"If you can't keep up then stay behind." His eyes were cold. Naruto couldn't help but shudder at his frightening gaze.

There was no more conversation after that.

Because as soon as they heard something explode and saw the dark sky illuminated by an eerie red glow, they concentrated on getting to Konoha as soon as possible.

The nightmare kept on playing on and on in Sasuke's head, her dead eyes was staring at him, mocking him.

This was what you wanted, right Sasuke-kun?

--------------------

He stood atop the highest tower. His long hair billowing in the wind. The fire behind him illuminated his slender profile. He looked like the god of destruction.

And he struck Konoha down.

He descended effortlessly on the ground. There stood his beloved, and the one he hated the most.

"Long time no see my dear friends." His words came out in a hiss.

"Orochimaru." Tsunade's eyes were burning with rage.

"Ah, hime…you are as lovely as ever. The same as the little princess over here." A snake uncoiled from his body, spitting Sakura out from its huge mouth.

"Sakura! What have you done to her Orochimaru?" it was Jiraiya.

"Ah, my rival. You don't have to worry, she is merely sleeping though. But, if you want her back, then you must kill me." He gave them a sinister smile.

"Why are you doing this?" Tsunade asked.

"It's all your fault hime, if you had chosen me. None of this wouldn't have happened. Konoha wouldn't have been destroyed."

"Stop this Orochimaru! Couldn't you accept defeat?" Jiraiya moved in front of his wife.

"Defeat? By you? Never you fool!"

Then their battle began. Was it fate that dictated the events? They wondered. It all started with a fight, and it would end in the same way. They were transported back to the days when they were younger, when things weren't that complicated. But one thing remained the same.

She was always watching from the sidelines. Fists clenched as they fought for her.

Not again, she never wanted for this to happen once more.

He called upon his snake, the other called upon his frog. The creatures fought ferociously, finding each other's weaknesses. But both were evenly matched, simultaneously falling to the ground with a big thud.

Now only the two men remained. Kunais and shurikens flew, swords clashed as one tried to kill the other. Fists were blocked, kicks were aimed.

Bones were crushed and blood spurted from everywhere. Dust flew as every jutsu missed the target and hit the ground. Trees were splintered in the process.

Finally, both were almost at their limit. Their chests heaving with exhaustion.

Jiraiya gathered chakra into his palm, his final move.

"Hurry Tsunade, get out of here." He said when his wife finally reached Sakura.

"Ah, clever move. I didn't notice that. Without her help though you will die. And I will hunt them down. You took something from me Jiraiya, I'm about to give you the same favor."

"Go now Tsunade!" he yelled.

Tsunade was reluctant, but then on the last second, she decided to leave, sprinting towards the forest.

Jiraiya watched them until they were out of sight.

"It ends now Orochimaru."

"For once I agree with you old friend."

--------------------

They have reached the clearing, no longer in Orochimaru's grasp. She was safe.

Tsunade stopped running. She laid Sakura down on the ground and woke her up.

"Sakura, Sakura! Wake up child."

Her green eyes slowly opened. Then they widened in fear. At once she was enveloped in a hug.

"O-okasan? What's going on?"

"I want you to live Sakura. Go to Snow Country and live a normal life, away from everything that could harm you. I only hope, that when you remember, you'd be able to forgive me and your father."

"What are you saying okasan? I don't understand."

Tsunade clasped Sakura's face in her hands and looked deeply in her eyes, her hands glowed red, chakra veins traveling across the girl's face.

"Okasan? W-what are you doing."

"Farewell my cherry blossom."

Tears obscured her vision as she saw Sakura's eyes cloud with darkness. Then her body limped forward. Tsunade gave her one last kiss on the cheek before letting her go.

Then she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

When Sakura wakes up, she would remember nothing but her name and her journey to Snow.

--------------------

She returned in time to see them both charging at each other. Jiraiya's rasengan hit Orochimaru in the chest, his eyes shone with victory. But then the body turned to smoke.

"Kage-bunshin…"

Too late, he saw him coming from behind, sword pointed towards his heart. He accepted death and closed his eyes.

The physical pain never came. When he opened his eyes, he saw Tsunade's back. She had protected him. He could do nothing but catch her as she fell, she was a medic-nin but he knew she had used most of her chakra on 'that' jutsu.

There was no way to save her.

"I-I don't want to watch from the sidelines anymore. You're n-not f-fair, I w-want to p-play too. I did it anata, Sakura, our cherry blossom, would live normally from now on. I-I love you Jiraiya. Tell O-orochimaru as well." Tsunade, the strongest kunoichi and best medic-nin, died.

"That's good. She'll be happy. I love you too Tsunade."

He looked at his opponent and wasn't at all surprised to find the snake-nin slumped on the ground, tearing at his hair.

"I killed her, I killed her, I killed her."

Jiraiya walked over to him. Orochimaru doesn't seem to care anymore. He looked up as Jiraiya patted his head.

"I was always jealous of you. She has always loved you, even to her death I knew I was only second best."

Then he too crumpled to the ground, his side bleeding profusely, even with Tsunade as her shield, the sword still reached him. He was fine with that though, at least he would see her soon.

The snakes Orochimaru summoned seemed to sense his loss of control, they retaliated against him, but he was already numb. He closed his eyes as he felt consciousness leaving his body. This was one of his morbid secrets, to die together with his beloved and his rival as well as best friend.

On that burning day, the three great Sannin passed away. Their bodies forming a triangle, in the end they were finally united.

That was how the three younger shinobi found them.

--------------------

They looked for her after they had buried the Sannin. But the only living they found was Naru-chan.

Three days have passed, they have searched the entire village but there was no sign of Sakura.

"She's not here Sasuke." Naruto said.

"Maybe she's de-"

"No." he said flatly.

He refused to believe them, he turned his back on them and walked towards the pond, now filled with rocks.

He remembered three days ago, how horror spread throughout his body as he saw the majestic village of Konoha being engulfed in flames. When it died, there was nothing but ruins. He had frantically searched everywhere for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

He didn't entertain the fact that she might be dead.

No. She's stubborn, she wouldn't just let herself die…she has so much life in her, there's no way she would succumb to death's call.

With one thing in his mind, he went back to his friends.

They looked at him warily, gauging his reaction.

"I'm going to look for her." He declared.

"We'll be coming with you of course." Kakashi said as he gave him an eye crease.

"Well then let's go Naru-chan." Naruto called to the dog. It gave a soft yip then followed them.

Their new mission was born the same time the sun rose in the sky.

The lost cherry blossom.

He vowed that when he finds her, she would never fleet away again.

It's your turn to come home to me Sakura-hime.

AN: This was even longer!...hehe…hope you enjoyed! happy holidays...