At very long nlast, another chpater! Sorry, that took me a while... It is very short, but it had to end there! Sorry! As for any one who wasn't overjoyed with the last chapter's abnormally light mood, I apologize. I had to write something brighter to cheer myself up. Thank you sooooooooo much for all of the reviews, they make me so happy! Well, I hope you like the chapter!

Larissa- Aw, thanks! I'm glad you liked it! Well, here's the next chapter!

xX Aya Marie-chan

Sasuke grumbled in reply, "I got a fan girl to steal it from a fan boy of yours. I had to give her a hug…"

Sakura thought to herself, 'What the fuck! Curse those goddamned fan boys! Curse his fan girls too! He needs to get the hell out of here before I give him a worse beating than I gave that bench! He was the cause my morbid depression and he thinks he can just walk in my life and strut around like he owns me! Definitely not!

If there is one thing I have come to understand since I first saw him yesterday, it is that he isn't worth all of the suffering I endured and all of the tears I cried for him. He pretty much did own me, since he controlled my heart, soul, hate, and love. Only Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Tsunade-shishou were here to dry the tears he caused, regardless of the fact that they didn't cause them. I am through with crying, just as I am through with him.

The minute I left to return to Konoha I comprehended the fact that I am broken beyond repair. I'm not dying inside- no, I'm dead. There is nothing that can revive a lifeless being; no jutsu, not even Med-nin can accomplish such a feat. I have come to grips with the bitter truth; I have stopped fighting the darkness and let the shadowy abyss encase me.

Instead of being sad, I took comfort in loneliness. I accepted it. Even if I have Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Tsunade-shishou, I am alone. I am inevitably empty and alone, empty and alone.'

'You'll never be alone, not as long as I'm around!' Inner Sakura exclaimed in an attempt to lighten the mood. Sakura didn't even react, which stunned Inner Sakura.

"Well, either way, it is trespassing. So get out of my apartment," Sakura stated calmly.

Sasuke snorted, "Yeah? And since when did I become a law-abiding citizen of Konoha? If my memory serves me correctly, I left three years ago; ergo I am not under their area of legislation."

"I suppose you are correct, you never have been the most honorable person around. After all, who considers a traitor respectable?" Sakura asked nonchalantly.

'The little prick needs to get out of our house! Hopefully the Snake-sannin pedophile sends for him…' Inner Sakura said in an annoyed tone.

Sasuke contemplated a moment before replying, "I suppose you are entirely right. After all, I was the betrayer as much as the avenger. Anyways- as for why I suffered that hug for your key…"

Before Sasuke received a chance to continue, Sakura abruptly said through clenched teeth, "Get. Out. Of. My. Apartment. Uchiha." Sakura's patience was waning and he persisted to grate her nerves.

"Sorry, but you won't be able to get rid of me, Sakura," he smirked, then whispered, "Don't you understand that I'm truly sorry? For everything that I did. I just wish that you would listen…

I understand that you would be afraid of me hurting you again, but I want you to know that I will do everything within my power to make sure that I don't." Sakura shook her head; she didn't want any part of this. He was torturing a dead soul with his painstaking words. She began remembering all of the things she was forcing herself to forget. She was at fault for her own coldness in a sense. After she met him in battle, her subconscious self-declared that she would forget; that she wouldn't feel anything anymore. She wasn't only running from him, she was running from the agony that followed Sasuke like the plague. Her mind began to overflow with flashbacks like the night before when she almost fell for his act.

Flash

"You're annoying."

Flash

"You're just as bad as Naruto."

Flash

"No, you're worse than Naruto."

Flash

"No, I won't go out with you Sakura."

Flash

"And after all of this time, you're still annoying."

Flash

"Sakura… Thank you."

Flash

The last one hurt the most. It lacerated her heart every night as she stared at the ceiling. She had become somewhat of an insomniac, similarily to Gaara.

He was asking her to forgive him… Yet, just the mere possibility that it was another lie forced her to hate him- no, not him, just his actions. She would probably always love him; just as well she would always hate his actions.

Was forgiving him going to be too much? He was asking a lot, but was it over-the-top? Or was she being selfish? No, she wasn't being selfish; it's probably just a defensive mechanism she built up after so much emotional abuse…

"Please, Sakura, I'm begging you to believe me. I'm truly sorry, what more do you want from me? I'm not asking you to forgive and forget; I know that you are always able to forgive, but it is impossible to forget, regardless. Please Sakura, I have nothing more too offer…" Sasuke pleaded.

Sakura looked him in the eye as she shot back, "Oh really? It's always possible to forgive, you say? Such hypocritical words coming from an avenger. I'd like to see you walk up to Itachi and give him a great, big hug! You're right- I wouldn't be able to forget- I would always be worried and scared that you would abandon me again. That's why this is harder than you can seem to comprehend. Please, save your philosophical phrases for someone else."

Sasuke then looked at the floor, his onyx bangs hiding his features from Sakura's view. His fists clenched, and her once hard eyes softened. Her words hand probably struck a chord. She wouldn't take them back; no, they were the truth put bluntly. She walked up to Sasuke and comfortingly placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Sasuke, as you have already stated, you know I can't forget… but I am willing to give you another chance. We'll have to completely start over, like we are meeting for the first time, do you understand?" Sakura asked quietly. She was risking any remainder shred of her purpose of life; it was a make-it-or-break-it situation. Yet, she was willing to do it for him.

He looked up to her and nodded like an eager little boy. For the first time in her life, Sakura saw him wear a true smile.

"Well then, you are forgiven," Sakura said while smiling slightly. This time was different than the last, however; Haruno Sakura meant those words of amnesty with all of her heart and soul, which was exactly what she was risking.