Go Home, Sasuke

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

Chapter Seven; Painful Existence

Ame apartment complex; 9:15 AM

Emerald eyes stared back at her from the other side of the mirror, they stared back at her intently, wearing the same pained expression she did. Every inch of pale skin visible as she stood before the mirror of her small apartment bathroom, her skin forming goose bumps as the cold air touched her still dripping skin.

The scowl on her face was evident as she looked over her naked form, a form most women would beg to have. She felt her teeth clench as she looked back to the scar, all she had to do was tilt her head, and she could see where he marked her, the kanji for 'pain' never ringing more true in her mind until now.

The air was cold and whipped fiercely around the dainty pinkette, who lie bleeding and broken on the forest floor, panting desperately, her hands broken from creating powerful blows even past the point of her chakra running out, her small, raspy breathes were the only indication that she was alive.

"You are weak. Weakness will kill you, kunoichi." A smooth, baritone voice spoke from behind her, she would have raised her head, if she had any strength left in her body, so she simply offered a rude snort in response, wanting more than anything to offer an audible 'fuck you' to the Uchiha.

She could feel his crimson eyes leering at her, his footsteps crinkling the autumn leaves beneath his sandaled feet, she grunted in indication that she knew he was looking at her, and attempted to push herself up using the heel of her hands, crying out when her broken fingers splintered, face becoming instantly intimate with the ground.

"In battle, not knowing when to give up comes with a punishment." The Uchiha whispered, hands tearing the crimson shirt from her very back, she nearly cried out, but her throat was too dry to protest, she felt the tip of a kunai tracing along her back, not piercing the skin, almost like intimate touches. "I will not kill you, kunoichi, but I will teach you the punishment of ignoring your limitations."

She screamed as the tip of the kunai dug into her skin, sending adrenaline running through her broken and bleeding body, she attempted to scramble away, but his knee buried itself into the small of her back, keeping her forced into place, it dragged along her skin with no qualms, the tugging sensation numbed slightly at the adrenaline that shielded her from some of the pain, rawness flooding her as she felt the warm blood from her wounds dripping down her body, the tears in her eyes unmistakable.

His weight shifted and she felt herself being picked up bridal style by the older Uchiha, his eyes fixed forward as he flowed through the trees effortlessly with admirable speed, her short bubblegum locks whipping in the wind as she watched him with swollen, half-lidded, blurry eyes.

"You must know your limitations, kunoichi. The impossible isn't hard to reach for others, but those like yourself don't have such luck."

A humorless laugh escaped her lips, and she reached forward, fingertips meeting her reflection in perfect sync. Her eyes closed as her fingers met the cool surface of the mirror, her opposite hand swimming through hand signs as she faced the mirror, as she opened her eyes she smiled, letting the genjustu bleed her world black.

…..

Bright lights met her, the festival was brightly lit, laughter filled the air and children ran by, the pinkette watched with peaceful emerald eyes, allowing the traditional crimson kimono to flow around her as she followed the children with her eyes, she felt a cool hand touch her shoulder, and turned around with a smile, her eyes meeting a soft onyx.

"Itachi." She breathed with a smile, outstretching a hand so it met with his cheek, his skin cool under her touch, his lips tugged into that small, rare smile he would always save specifically for her, and he chuckled lightly, raising his hands to reveal two sticks of colorful hanami dango in his hands, the pinkette felt moisture well in the corners of her eyes, and took the stick from Itachi with a sad smile, he didn't seem to notice however, of course he didn't… he was simply an illusion, after all.

"What do you want to do first, Sakura?" He questioned her softly, and she offered a small smile, taking his much larger hand into her own, which he squeezed softly, looking down into her eyes with that sad longing, it'd been there ever since they met, even in her own illusion Itachi Uchiha was a haunted man, she never could take away his pain.

When she said nothing, he tugged gently on her hand, leading her through the crowds of people rushing by, until they came to stand before the sight of a stand, the game was initially throwing balls into bowls of fish and if you landed one in you could keep it.

He looked over at her with those tender onyx eyes he would only show to her, and asked the vender for three balls, to which the vender smiled happily and handed them over to Itachi, who from there stepped back, and tossed the three together, each landing inside a different bowl in one swing.

She looked at him with a teary smile as he put a hand to the small of her back and lead her forward, her eyes teary as he spoke, but the illusion of Itachi was unaware of her heavy heart, "Pick whichever you like best." He said with a small smile he reserved only for her, more like a curl of the lips than a smile, but Sakura knew it was genuine.

As she picked a gold and black beta from one of the bowls, the vender scooped it into a baggie and handed it to the pinkette with a crinkled smile, Itachi then thanked the man and turned to place a soft kiss to the pinkette's forehead, his lips soft and touch gentle and loving, as it had been when he was alive.

"I-I love you, Itachi." Sakura whispered, her voice hoarse and forced, tears streaming freely down her alabaster cheeks as she cupped the cheek of the man before her, he smiled and bent down to place a kiss on her lips, but before he could reach her for contact, the genjustu dispersed.

…

She stood there, hand still in place from where the illusion had once been, tears still streaming from her eyes as she dropped to her knees, ignoring the pain that spiked through her legs at the offending contact as she curled forward, fisting her hands into her pastel locks as she wailed in anguish, her heart feeling as if it were burning inside her chest.

The cries of anguish were inhumanly heartbreaking, the sounds of a woman who has lost her love. Sakura's cries died down to shallow sobs when she had nothing left to fight with, she simply curled against the white tiled floors of her bathroom, her bare skin chilled and now dry, her eyes puffy, red and burning from the tears as she lit a cigarette between her lips, her jade eyes glazed over and dead to the world.

Why? Why did Itachi let this happen to her? Itachi was always the one holding her up, even if the world was pitted against her…

A loud knock sounded through Sakura Haruno's shabby apartment building, followed by another, however there was no reply; the figure outside the door must have grown restless, because he simply entered. His tall, lean figure casting shadows against the wall.

"Sakura?" A calm, baritone voice questioned, to which there was no response, his footsteps were loud and relaxed across the floors of her home, filled with silence as Itachi Uchiha appeared before the couch, a small pink haired girl curled up against it, face pressed into the cushions, his hand came down, long, slender white fingers ran through her hair, down her back soothingly as he took a seat at the end of the couch, removing her soaked shoes and socks before dropping his Akatsuki cloak and lying down beside her, his long, toned arms wrapping around her small, shivering frame and pulling her against his chest, resting his head atop her silky pink tresses.

"You'll get sick if you stay in wet clothing like this." His soft voice spoke as he placed soft kisses to the top of her head, today was the day she had come home to find her mother dead on the floor, and no matter how bad she tried to rationalize, she always ended up like this.

She offered a small grunt of acknowledgement and Itachi pulled her closer to him, his breath warm on the back of her neck as he nestled his head into the crook of her shoulder, his touch soft and caring as he soothed her shaking form, his body warm against hers.

"I'll be here for you if it is able of me, I swear."

She felt fresh tears spill from her eyes, "Why aren't you here now, Itachi? Why did you let this happen? You swore you would always be here… but you let yourself get ripped away." She sobbed, curling into herself once more.

She stood as she heard the back door slide open, knowing instantly who it was as his chakra had flared. She tugged on a crimson silk robe, rubbing her eyes dry and applying a bit of healing chakra to disperse the redness before stubbing out her cigarette on the edge of the sink and making her way into her small living room, her steps shaky and forced as she came to face a drenched Sasuke Uchiha, his eyes a blazing crimson as he faced her, features stoic, yet with a kind of softness to him.

"I'm leaving." Were his only words as he stepped forward, an outstretched hand coming to gently cup her cheek, her emerald eyes dulling, she was used to loss. Especially where Uchiha's came into the picture, this was nothing new to her, but as he pulled her forward, and tenderly wrapped his arms around her frame, she felt her eyes widen.

"Ask me to stay." He whispered, but whatever answer she could have given him was undermined as she pressed her lips to his, a gentle kiss, different than the night before, it wasn't an animalistic need to feel as it had been the nights before, it was tender, Sasuke was intoxicated by her floral scent as she wound her hands together behind his neck as tugged him forward before they collapsed against the small white couch, he propped himself up on his palms, which rested on either side of the pinkette's head, never breaking the kiss, which was deepening with each moment that passed.

His tongue rubbed against hers softly, like a lover's caress, while she clutched a hand into his soft raven locks, dripping with moisture from the pouring rain. Thunder cracked in the background, lighting up the living room, casting shadows against the white walls. Sakura's pleased moan was when Sasuke began tugging off her robe, surprised to find nothing beneath.

Sakura's small hands pushed his own white kimono from his shoulder, the dripping fabrics leaving his skin moist and glistening, cracks of lightning giving them tantalizing views of each others naked forms.

Sasuke was slowly losing himself in the sensation of the slow and passionate action, but whatever he was feeling went far past just a physical attraction, he wanted to make her feel wanted, he wanted her to ask him to stay, he wanted Sakura Haruno.

She was fueled my sadness, by need and an emotion she wouldn't dare try to place as she desperately tried to ignore how kind and gentle Sasuke's touch had become, how his hands tenderly went over her body, leaving finger-light touches whereas he left bleeding tracks the night before.

As he pushed into her it was a gradual heightening of pleasure, instead of one powerful thrust. She felt a moan escape her lips as he began rocking back and forth, Sasuke couldn't take his eyes off her face, her eyes closed in pleasure, mouth slightly open, lips swollen and cheeks flushed, it was mesmerizing, striking feelings in his chest he'd never allowed himself to feel before, keeping a steady rhythm, he gently cupped her cheek, leaning down to place a kiss on her lips, hoping with everything inside him that it would show her just what he was feeling, because he doubted he'd ever be able to say it.

She stiffened a bit at the intensity of the touch, but slowly melted into it, her mind had shut down long ago, it was only her and Sasuke, and feeling right now.

…..

"Ask me to stay." Sasuke repeated once the two were lying in a tangle of sheets, her long hair mussed as the glow of her cigarette lit up the darkened room, the thunderstorm had ended, and she was ever so silent, irking Sasuke as to what she would be thinking.

When she looked at him did she really see him? Or did she wish to see his brother?

She stilled a bit, smoke pouring from her swollen lips; she remained silent, choosing not to say anything whereas she could have. She didn't know how she felt about this, the weight on her shoulders wouldn't allow her to forget, it wouldn't allow her to move on, but for some reason, Sasuke made the weight lighten a bit. Perhaps it was because Itachi wished so dearly for his brother to be happy, and it made Sakura feel closer to him to be around Sasuke.

"Sakura." He repeated slowly, noticing her silence, he placed a hand tenderly on her shoulder, noticing how she pulled away from his touch, a frown threatened to touch his stoic features, disappointment showing in his onyx eyes as he drew back to look at her, really look at her.

Sweat glistened on her alabaster skin, her jade eyes cold and calculating as she sat up, the satin sheets pooling around her hips, silky tendrils of pastel hair covering her eyes. The raven-haired teen beside her watched the woman he adored face him, eyes void of all emotion, "Go home, Sasuke."

He drew back, stunned at her reaction, unable to recognize the woman before him whom he had made love to. No, Sasuke Uchiha did not fuck this woman, as he had nights before, he made love to her, and now she was pushing him away, this was not the tender, caring Sakura Haruno he had once thought he knew, no, this was someone else looking at him through her eyes.

As he stood, mechanically, shielding himself from any further disappointment, he felt a small hand with a very tight grip clutch around his hand, "I mean, go to wherever you see as home. Stop traveling with Hebi Sasuke- For once, just do what makes you happy." She whispered, her voice slightly hoarse, but her eyes filled with kindness, and he felt his heart beat a little faster.

He kneeled beside her, not stricken by his lack of clothing as his arms encircled around her form, pulling her up bridal style, pulling the sheet up with her, she looked like a goddess with the flowing white fabrics constricted across her alabaster skin, long silvery-pink tresses drifting around her, jade eyes wide with surprise as he took a seat on the couch, her resting in his lap, his body perfectly holding hers as if she were a missing puzzle piece.

"Sasuke, what are you doing?" She questioned breathlessly as he rested his chin atop her head, his hands stroking through her silky pink tresses as he simply grunted, enjoying the floral scent that surrounded her, the addictive natural scent of rain and earth and beauty, she was perfect in every way he could imagine a woman.

"Sakura, you told me to go home, correct?" He questioned as he brushed her bangs back, staring intently down into her eyes, the intensity of his onyx depths nearly making her heart stop, and for once, she didn't see Itachi in him, he was Sasuke, plain and simple.

"Hai." She whispered, watching him tuck a stray hair behind her ear before pressing her against his chest in a gentle, yet demanding embrace, which she couldn't stop herself from leaning in to.

"Then ask me to stay, so I can be where I belong."

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Cheesy? Perhaps. But as a woman I know if any man ever said that to me I would tear up a bit. Lawl, anywhoo, hope you don't mind the lack of angst, I thought we could actually start falling into the original plot a bit so everything could actually get moving.

Reviews would be nice, tell me what you think about the romance vs. the angst.

-Sakura-Centric