DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Naruto"

Chapter 13: Betrayal

There was one for almost every day… every day that they had been apart. That was a lot. Most were scraps of parchment, others were small scrolls… but every single one was from her. A girl—woman now—with rosy pink hair and jade green eyes, a kunoichi with a contagious smile and a bubbly personality, an ex-teammate with irrational feelings and the tendency to cry. That's how he remembered her. These letters frustrated him, they reminded him of her and the lie she had told. She had convinced him… he had believed her when she said she loved him. He had believed that for these past years. In a way, his belief in her love and loyalty had given him hope. He was not willing to say that it kept him going or motivated him. No… revenge was his inspiration. But, her love had always been a light in his darkness. It was a devotion he knew he didn't deserve. At least… it had been.

If he hadn't already seen a photo of Sakura, Sasuke would be paralyzed with shock of her beauty. If he hadn't already known she was there, he wouldn't know how to control his emotions. Looking at her—the photo really didn't do her justice—he had control and his face portrayed disinterest. She was screaming at a pale boy with black hair. Sasuke wasn't sure how long he should let her yell at the boy who had attacked him… really, he was surprised she hadn't noticed him yet. Tch…

Dear Sasuke,

Naruto came back home today! He has grown so much; well that's what I thought at first. He's taller than me now, sadly to say, he's improved his sexy jutsu. I couldn't believe it! He was so inconsiderate, just like the old Naruto. I gave him a punch to knock him into tomorrow. He'll know better than to use that around me again.

Actually, I asked him if he thought I had changed. He laughed. He can be so frustrating! But I am so happy he's back, I missed him so much. I gave him an earful for leaving me behind, and a bruise to remind him to never do it again… but, he's back. There's really only one thing that would make me happier… and that's to see you again. For you to come back—

Why had he read that letter? He certainly couldn't recall anything past her pleads for him to come home. He hadn't been able to finish reading… it angered him too much. And now, that anger boiled beneath his skin and it took all his self-control to keep it from affecting his reasoning. He was torn between the desire to hurt the girl and the desire to hold her. Hold her? Hold…her? Is that really what he wanted, to reach out for her? She had been there for him… figuratively speaking. She had shared her world with him… though he had ignored it. She had cared. He hadn't. He had trained. He had trained to be cold, but all the training seemed to melt like ice when he saw her.

"Sakura," Her name was like honey on his lips. It'd been so long since he had spoken it aloud.

Her eyes slowly shifted up to his direction… shock evident on her glistening green eyes.

He had said her name in so tender a way. His voice was like velvet, so smooth and deeper than she remembered. As Sakura's eyes traveled up to the dark figure above, a knot formed in her stomach, an ache clutched her heart, and her tongue grew thick in her throat. He was there. He really was standing before her. Sasuke. He looked so much like the boy who had left her and yet… so different. His dark hair was styled the same, but it was slightly longer. His eyes were just as black as before, but now they were filled with… remorse? She couldn't quite identify the emotion she saw. His jaw was more angled and masculine… masculine. She felt her eyes travel over his exposed chest and felt a blush rise to her cheeks. He was so tall. He was there. It was truly him.

Any chance of a conversation was shattered when Naruto came running out.

Idiot. Sasuke thought when he saw his former best friend. He had just ruined the one chance he had to speak with Sakura. There was so much he wanted to say… but couldn't say. He needed to know if she still loved him.

"Naruto." He said with a smirk. "Let me guess, Kakashi is here as well."

He wasn't. Some other man was in Kakashi's stead. This wasn't exactly the Team 7 reunion he had envisioned. And that boy, that fake looking boy who drew creatures into existence… who the heck was he? Sai. That's what Sakura had called him. Sai was yabbering on about bonds. Why was Sakura so silent? Was she so shocked that her brain had stopped functioning?

Annoying.

"My brother and I share a bond, a bond of hate." He found himself replying to what Sai had so ignorantly said about protecting bonds.

Suddenly, he flashed stepped to Naruto and poised his katana for attack. Of course, Sai blocked his arm. Surprising. Sasuke decided to try his new technique on his opponents. He'd been perfecting it for years now, practicing on prisoners and experiments of Orochimaru's… but he'd never used it on the field. He let the chakra course through his body and released it with a growl. The chidori stream bolted in all directions across the broken terrain. A bolt struck each of the men, but he was conscious of where Sakura stood and made sure that no harm came to her. She still had to answer her questions.

And then, in a heart rending moment, it was as if she answered him. Sakura was running toward him, her fists clenched and glowing strangely. Was she truly going to attack him? Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The wind rushed through her hair; he could see the force of the punch in her flexed biceps, but her face… her face unsure. There was something in her tearstained eyes that said she was sorry for what she was about to do. He wouldn't let it happen. He couldn't show any weakness, especially toward the girl he hardly knew. He again took his katana as if to strike, and instantly the kunoichi's eyes filled with fear. He wouldn't harm her, he would be sure of that, for he was certain she would freeze in fear. But he was never proven right because that man playing Kakashi's role stepped in. Wrong move. Sasuke's sword lodged itself into the man's chest!

Sakura couldn't stop the tears. It should have gone so differently. He had been so quick to attack them… and why hadn't she said anything? She was so angry with herself. She should have run to him and embraced him. She should have said something, anything! She was upset that her chance to show her strength had been squashed. She hadn't wanted to hurt him, but she couldn't let him hurt Naruto. She couldn't believe she had been prepared to smash her fist into him… it had been necessary. There had been a part of her that wanted to prove she was strong… but in the end, Yamato had been hurt, and she had proven nothing.

She had seen something in Sasuke's eyes in that moment. Was it surprise? Anger? She could see his face so clear in her memory and it only broke her heart all the more. The tears continued to fall down her face, but she knew she had to be strong. Not only for herself, but for Naruto as well.

"Crying won't change anything." She said a little coldly. "Crying won't bring him back." She couldn't bring herself to say his name. "We have to be strong. We'll bring him back, Naruto."

Sasuke had promised to return one day… but now he wondered if there was anything left for him to return to. He hadn't gotten the opportunity to speak with her and he never would. Sakura had changed.

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A/N: I was getting a little bored with continuing their seperation. Sorry if I skipped a lot and rushed to this... but I felt I had covered quite a lot in regards to their emotions. I thought, "Hey, they need to see each other again!" So that's what I've got for you. Sorry the romance is nonexistant at this point, but it's gotta build. What do you think? Good bad? Let me know your thoughts.