Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto"

Chapter 4: Rejected

"When I'm with you, I wonder if this is what it's like to have a brother." Naruto had said.

Maybe that's why he hadn't been able to kill him. Naruto was his best friend… more than that, really. They were brothers. And though Itachi had said that he had to kill his best friend to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke couldn't. The opportunity had presented itself. After the merging of his chidori and Naruto's rasengan, Naruto had been left unconscious… but Sasuke hadn't been able to bring himself to kill his best friend. He would find his own way. Their battle had been a long time ago. Sometimes, Sasuke regretted leaving Konoha. Sometimes he regretted having rejected the comrades who had risked so much for him. And then, he would come to his senses. Orochimaru was training him, giving him exactly what he needed; power, enough to get his revenge one day.

Sasuke stretched out on his bed and put his hands behind his head. He winced as he carelessly knocked his knees together. Bruises dominated his body these days; training was brutal. He couldn't keep his charcoal eyes open. He let his lids close and the scowl on his face slowly relaxed. He was able to empty his mind of all the horrible things that had happened during the day. Meditation was the only peace, the only escape from his reality. Even sleep brought no comfort, for his dreams were full of terror. He might be able to distract himself for an hour or two before complete exhaustion took him. And then he heard the screech of a hawk. Sasuke opened his eyes to find the bird of prey perched on the desk. How it had gotten all the way to his dungeon room, he had no idea. It held in its claw a scroll. Sasuke took it and the hawk took off down the hall. He unrolled the parchment and read it.

Dear Sasuke,

I hope you're happy now. I'm all alone, just like you… I hope you're happy. Naruto's left, he won't be back for a long time. Apparently he didn't love me quite so much as you thought, otherwise he might have stayed. I would have gone with you. I hate you for leaving me, for making me know what it is to be alone. I hate you for making me hate you.

I miss you so much… when will you come back?

All my love… always,

Sakura

Sasuke sighed. This was never his intention. He never wanted to hurt her. But that didn't matter now, because only his goal mattered, just like he had told Naruto. He rolled the scroll back up, tied it, and placed it neatly in his top drawer. Perhaps one day he would respond to what she had said, but not tonight. He glared. He would have to get back into his meditation, but with Sakura on his mind, it would be difficult. He thought more often of her than even the horrible place he was at.

"Idiot Naruto!" Sasuke yelled. I told you to watch after her. How could you leave? He wondered.

Sakura felt rejected. Everyone was abandoning her. She sulked about Konoha, causing a black cloud to drift wherever she went. When she looked around, she noticed that the staring eyes were no longer there. Ino, Hinata, Tenten… they weren't there. Sakura sighed deep as tears streamed down her face. Was she not good enough? Was she truly 'annoying' like Sasuke always said? Sasuke… just the thought of him filled her with anger, sorrow, and longing. She hadn't seen him in a long time now, and she wondered if he would ever get her letter. If he did get her letter, would he even write back? Probably not. Her head sank lower. And then she saw a pair of feet appear in front of her. She looked up to see Kakashi Sensei.

"Sakura, what's wrong?"

"Kakashi Sensei…" she sniffled. "Everyone has left me. Everyone's rejected me."

"Everyone, huh?"

"S-Sasuke… and now Naruto." She looked down again. "I'm all alone,"

Kakashi lifted Sakura's face with his thumb. "I'm still here, Sakura." When Sakura's brow wrinkled, his one visible eye creased as he smiled. "You still have a lot of friends here."

"But why did they leave?"

"You know why they left, don't make it about you."

She leaned her forehead against her sensei's chest and cried.

Kakashi was uncomfortable with the gesture, but decided Sakura's comfort was more important than his own at the moment. He patted her back gingerly for a short moment, and then firmly straightened her up. He smiled.

"Shouldn't you be training also?"

Sakura smiled. "I suppose."

"You shouldn't keep Lady Tsunade waiting."

"Thanks, Kakashi Sensei."

"For what?"

She just smiled and walked passed him.

Kids… Kakashi sighed.

A/N Sorry that one was short. Trying to move into the story... what'd you think? R&R