Hi! I'm back again! Thanks for the reviews! And I'm sorry I made Sakura scream in the last chapter. I agree it was a bit out of character. Thanks for giving me your opinion! Here's the next chapter, and I'm glad you guys helped me decide what to do, I just couldn't! I agree with this choice though! Thank you, cuchygirlmc, LittleAngelGirl97, Fire Valkyria, and the anonymous reviewers!!!
-NoOnesGirl1848
(a/n: The beginning of the chapter isn't so great but I think it gets a bit better towards the end.)
Ch. 4
I'm Sorry
'Baka?' Sasuke thought. 'She's never called me anything but Sasuke-kun. She's changed.'
"Hn, Sakura."
"What?" She scowled.
"I have a mission to take you to Orochimaru. Just come with me and you won't have to get hurt, okay?"
"What?!?! Who do you think I am?! A five year old?!"
'Hn, she really has changed.'
"You're despicable." Sakura muttered, getting into a fighting stance.
"Hn, what are you planning to do, Sakura? Fight me?" Sasuke replied coldly.
"Yep. You'll pay for what you did to Naruto and the others."
'What the hell is she talking about? I haven't seen Naruto or anyone else from Konoha in-'
His thoughts were interrupted, as a very angry Sakura rushed at him with a punch. 'Hn, she thinks she can beat me like that?'
He caught her fist with his right hand, skidding back on his feet about five yards. 'She's strong. But not strong enough. There still must be some of the old Sakura under that tough exterior. Hn, maybe I should test out my theory.' Sasuke thought, still holding her fist.
Sakura's POV
I threw a punch at him, which he caught, pushing him back. He smirked at me and I couldn't believe what happened next.
Sasuke, still holding my fist, intertwined his fingers with my own; my expression caused him to smirk even more.
My eyes widened, then my cheeks went light pink. 'This is so not happening.'
Sasuke's POV
The look on Sakura's face was priceless, thus widening Sasuke's smirk. 'I knew it. Sakura's still got the same weakness. Now it's my turn-'
Sakura's expression quickly changed as she plunged her fist into Sasuke's stomach, causing him to fly backwards and hit a tree. 'Ugh… How did she get that strong? Shit. This mission is going to be harder than I thought.'
"Now do you see, Traitor? I'm not the girl I used to be. I don't runaway or let anyone push me around anymore. And I've waited years for this chance… to kill you."
"Hn, kill me? I'd like to see you try. You're still the same person inside Sakura. You can't ever change that. You will always be the weak Kunoichi you were two years ago." Sasuke replied with ice in his voice as he stood up.
"Take that back." Sakura said looking down at the ground, her fists clenched at her sides.
"What?" Sasuke tormented.
"TAKE THAT BACK, YOU TEME!!!" Sakura shouted, running at Sasuke with a kunai in her left hand.
He pulled one out too, holding her off. He pushed her back to her staring position.
"Hn, you really think you can kill me like that?"
"No. I was just getting warmed up. The real fight begins now!" Sakura said making some hand signs. Green chakra flowed around her hands. 'So this is the kind of chakra control Orochimaru was talking about.'
"So are you just going to stand there or fight, Sakura?"
"Hm." Sakura smirked.
Sasuke felt something wrap around his ankles. 'Shit!' He thought looking down. 'Genjutsu. But how did she-?' He looked around to see a clone behind him. 'So, two techniques at once… interesting.' Now Sakura ran to him, ready to strike. He broke the Genjutsu, escaping from the vines that bound his ankles. Just before Sakura was able to hit him square in the face; instead she hit him on the shoulder, destroying some organs and cells. 'Ah! Dammit. I can't kill her, so I can't use chidori, and I can't keep getting hit either.'
Sakura cracked her knuckles and rushed at him again. He disappeared, as he did in the chunnin exams.
Sakura's POV
'Crap! Where did he go?' She thought, her eyes scanning the area. 'Well, I can't see him. So I only have one choice.'
Sakura pulled back her fist and punched the ground with all her strength. Rocks flew everywhere, giving her some time to sense his chakra. She spun around to find him running up to her with a kunai.
"You didn't think you could hide from me did you?" pulling out a kunai of her own. She threw it at him, he used replacement and turned into a log. "You're holding back! Fight me for real, Sasuke!!!"
"As you wish." The real Sasuke said appearing behind her, making some hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu!"
"Oh. So that's how you wanna fight? Then I'll play it that way too." Sakura did the same, as two giant creatures appeared out of the smoke surrounding them. One a slug and the other a snake.
Sasuke's POV
'Summoning Jutsu? She can do it too? And she summoned… a slug?! The old Sakura would have freaked out seeing a slug… let alone a giant one. I wonder what Naruto is like if Sakura has changed this much. Maybe I shouldn't have left- what the hell am I thinking?! If I didn't leave, who would train me? Kakashi isn't quite strong enough and no way would I train with that perverted sannin. Leaving was the best choice… right?'
"Hey?!?! What the hell are you doing?! Fight!!!" Sakura shouted from on top of the pink and white slug. 'What is wrong with him? The old Sasuke wouldn't miss a chance to kill his opponent. Was he holding back? Does he think I'm not strong enough? … Not worth his effort? I'll show him.' She clenched her teeth and fists, glaring at the emotionless Uchiha standing on top the snake.
"What?! Am I not good enough to fight you? Am I not worthy of your talent?! Huh?!?!"
"…"
He replied with one of his famous glares, showing no emotion. She hated that glare. It was like he was looking down upon her. Like he always used to. He still thought she was the same… weak,… helpless,… just something there to annoy him, get on his nerves and in his way. Her temper flared, nails digging into her palms, drawing blood. 'I'm going to kill him…'
Sasuke was deep in thought, and at first didn't notice Sakura was making more hand signs. He immediately pulled out a kunai and threw it to distract her. 'What could she be doing?' She easily dodged the kunai, continuing with her hand signs. She stopped and Sasuke smirked. 'Hn. So it was just a distraction. And now, I bet she's going to attack me from behind…' He looked up and Sakura disappeared into a poof of white smoke. 'A clone.' He turned around to find Sakura rushing at him, kunai at hand. 'Hn. Same old Sakura. She must have already run out of jutsus.' Instead of attacking him she threw it, making more hand signs.
"Kunai Shadow-clone Jutsu!" She shouted, as the kunai multiplied.
Sasuke caught one and used it to knock the others off course. Sakura once again disappeared into a cloud of smoke. 'What is with the clones?'
He knew where she was next. Sakura may have different jutsus and a way different attitude, but her battle plan would always be the same.
Sasuke spun around, to face Sakura who was once again making hand signs; a concentrated look crossed her delicate face.
'Hn, she looks kinda… cute.' He thought, his head tilted sideways, attempting to sort out his emotions.
Sasuke may have been in a daze, but that didn't stop Sakura continuing with her jutsu. The last hand sign was made and once again, green chakra flowed around both of her fists.
Noticing Sasuke's slightly dull, absent-minded look on his face; she took another run at him, ready to punch.
She pulled back her glowing right fist and thrusting it straight towards him. It hit. Her chakra filled fist hit an unaware Sasuke square in the face. He was sent flying back landing and skidding across the ground, bringing up the dust, as it suspended in the moist, afternoon heat.
Sakura's POV
'Yes! Bull's-eye! He's finished for sure now. If I could, I would do a victory dance. I can't believe he's finally-'
"Heh, heh, heh…" Sakura was immediately cut off by a strange noise echoing through the descending dust.
She squinted through the thick curtain of brown, to see a figure, surrounded in glowing chakra. He stood up, the dust clearing away. Sakura's green eyes widened.
There stood Sasuke. He was covered in black curse marks and large amounts of bright purple chakra flowed from his body, forming the shape of a fire. His hair was long and dark gray. An evil smirk spread across his face as he chuckled maliciously.
This Sasuke reminded her of… Orochimaru. For the first time in a long time Sakura felt a very strange emotion that had been harvested inside her for years… fear.
She stared into Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan activated eyes, a deep feeling of worry and terror vibrated in her mind. Bringing back images of the time when Sasuke got the curse seal. Back then his face held the same expression as it did now… an expression of evil, of murderous intent. And the thing that scared her most was… he looked like he enjoyed it. He looked like he didn't mind being possessed by evil. Being used and controlled. He looked like he wanted to kill. Kill out of pleasure, joy.
'What happened to the old Sasuke? The Sasuke who was on my team? The Sasuke who fought the curse seal? The Sasuke that… I loved. Where did he go? What did this new Sasuke do with him? Where is he? …Where?' The voice in her head grew quiet and distant.
Sakura fell to her knees, salty tears trickled down her cheeks. She just sat there, slumped and trembling.
"What-What's happened to t-the old Sasuke-k-kun?" Sakura mumbled, barely audible.
Sasuke, still smirking, walked over to her. He stood in front of her, kunai raised. Sakura knew exactly what was about to happen, yet could not bear to look up into his face. She knew it was the end.
Sasuke's POV
'What the hell am I doing?! Dammit! Don't let it gain control of you. Don't kill Sakura!'
He raised the kunai, ready to strike her with it. Ready to pierce her through the heart. To end her life. To end the life of the woman, that deep down, in the bottom of his stone cold heart… he loved.
'Why the hell do things have to end this way?!?! Why?!'
Sakura's POV
'Why must it end like this?' Sakura thought, quivering as she awaited the sharp pain of cold metal break through her skin.
'Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that when this first started I couldn't do anything. If I could have helped… things might not be this way. If I tried harder, trained more, got stronger… I could have saved you. I could have stopped you. But because I couldn't, I let things get too far. I let you get out of hand. I let you get possessed. It's all my fault. I couldn't do a thing. I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun… I'm so sorry.'
Sasuke's POV
'Goddamn curse seal! I- can't even- control my own- body.' Sasuke thought as he struggled to regain control and lower the kunai.
'Sakura… I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot. I'm such a coward. You were never afraid to show your feelings for me, but I was always too afraid to ever admit it to you. I always thought people would think I was weak if I did something like that. I should have told you long ago… that I felt the same. But instead, I was too scared and put you into this situation. I always told you, you were annoying, but you were the one person who kept this curse seal from taking over for so long. I'm sorry I never told you how I felt, Sakura, I'm sorry.'
End POV
The kunai advanced towards Sakura's back, as she trembled.
Sasuke had a look of hurt on his face, as he struggled with himself to release the kunai.
Images of the past flicked through both of their minds like an old movie. They remembered the mission in the land of waves, the chunnin exams in the forest of death, the time Sasuke left the village.
The sound of metal cutting through flesh pierced the air around them and a cry of pain echoed throughout the woods…
Then all was silent.
Thanks! Please review! Oh! I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! We were buried in projects and tests in school!!! What a troublesome week… (Shika's influence. He's my BFF's fave character.) I need some more motivation for this story. Okay. Thanks! See Ya!!! XD
-NoOnesGal1848