Dreams
the sixth night.
Sakura had to admit something. Indeed, her dreams meant something. A lot of the time, she couldn't even remember what her dreams were about—she could only recall the ones that occurred more than once—so she could never really determine anything from them.
She supposed she was good at detecting genjutsu for a reason. Genjutsu was nothing more than an illusion—which was, maybe, what dreams could be considered as.
She thought she had a good grasp on her dreams, and maybe what they were telling her. When she dreamt of Naruto, Kakashi and Sai, she knew they were saying something along the lines of, "Treasure them more!" When she dreamt of Sasuke, she got the message, "He'll be back soon."
Yeah. She thought she had a good grasp on her dreams.
x
When she woke up the next morning, he was gone.
She couldn't expect less from him. At least she wouldn't see him again unless in battle; she was going to begin her shift today.
She lay in bed for a long while, not wanting to get up. Her spot on the mattress was so warm, and she was sure to be cold once she left it. She could still feel his touches flitting over her skin; warm and light, giving her indescribable feelings.
Maybe they were good feelings. Maybe they were bad. She wasn't sure.
Sighing, she finally hauled herself out of bed, frowning at the scratch marks on her arms and thighs. As she went around gathering her clothes, she winced at the pain in her walk.
Inner Sakura laughed. "He really did you in, didn't he?"
When she entered the bathroom, she saw that a towel sat on the counter. Not her usual pink one—that was where it should be, hanging on its hook—but a crimson one that she kept when her pink one was in the wash. She glanced around, sighing slightly at the humidity and the steam on the mirror.
He really didn't ask for anything. If he wanted it, he'd just take it.
Heedless of the slight mess the Uchiha made in her bathroom, she prepared her shower. She was somewhat disgusted in herself; she could still feel the hopelessness from the night before, just wishing for him to take her away and never let her remember. And the thing she hated the most was that she wasn't as disgusted as she knew she should be.
She was certain that scrubbing her skin with as much soap as possible wasn't going to remove the memories of him—his lips, his voice, his words—but it was worth a try. It made her feel better about herself.
She could put everything behind her now. Sasuke was gone, and it was only a matter of time before they found him. And if he ever did appear before her again…She shook her head defiantly. She would fight him. The numbness that he had sent her into with everything that he did had ended. If she couldn't win against him, she would report him. No, she'd report him first, and then fight if it was necessary—
Rubbing the fog away from the mirror, she was mortified to see bite marks decorating her neck and shoulders. Did…Did he do all of this? She could barely remember.
Without thinking, she brought her hand to the reddened areas and promptly healed them, as well as the scratches on her arms and legs. She didn't need reminders of him. She had enough of those already.
"How was it, Sakura?" Inner Sakura taunted. "Did you like it? Did it feel good?"
Even if she wanted to answer, she couldn't.
After pulling on her ANBU uniform, she stared at her room and the weapons that decorated it. She supposed she should clean them up; she couldn't win against Sasuke with just her fists and willpower. Up until now, she didn't realize how little weapons she had; how little defense she had.
She glanced at her clock. It was about time for her to meet Tenten at the main gates. Quickly stuffing the last shuriken into her holster, she grabbed her mask, put it on and headed out.
When she arrived, the weapons mistress was already there, waiting. Naruto stood beside her, and he gave her a strained smile.
"Ready to go?"
They answered with firm nods.
x
"Sakura, who did this to you?"
"I did!"
She was terrified. As she stared at him, skin marked with the devil's signature, she couldn't help but begin to feel fear. Not fear for herself, or the one he was walking towards—but rather, him. She had never seen him like that, and she never wanted to. It was horrifying.
Her head pounded with pain, and one of her eyes was swollen. Her arms and legs were stinging from the cuts she received from kunai, so she sat there, helpless.
That wasn't the Sasuke she knew. The Sasuke she knew would never let loose such emotion; he would never hurt someone when they're begging for him to stop, he would never have that hungry grin on his face when he was fighting. And most of all, he would never show any concern for her.
This wasn't the Sasuke she knew.
"Stop it…" Tears welled up in her eyes, and she began to cry. Cry the tears he could never cry, expressing the pain he could never express.
His body was trembling in her arms. She wasn't sure if it was from the power or the surprise—maybe both. But she was so glad, so glad the black marks on his skin began to retreat.
It was the only time he had ever listened to her.
x
Sakura blinked slowly, registering the sight before her.
She didn't even begin her search, and it was already over.
Inner Sakura crossed her arms. "What the fuck?"
A small area of the wall surrounding Konoha was damaged. Badly. It looked as though parts of it were cracked, others charred, and she swallowed hard when a large chunk of it was just plain gone.
Two ANBU members whom she recognized as Neji and Yamato held Uchiha Sasuke, who wasn't showing any form of resistance. Her jaw was tempted to drop—she was sure Naruto didn't hesitate to do so. Out of the corner of her mask, she saw the blonde trembling slightly.
"That was…fast," she finally managed to say. "I didn't think we'd even get anything today."
A male around her age, also with a mask on, approached her. She didn't recognize him until he began to speak. "Haruno Sakura, you are now under arrest for committing treason against Konohagakure."
It was then that her jaw really dropped. "Sai—what?" She felt someone take hold of her arms. "Tenten?" Hesitantly, she turned to the captured Uchiha, who met her gaze blankly. "Sasuke…-kun?"
"Bet you he turned you in." Inner Sakura nodded as-a-matter-of-factly.
But…how would that benefit him? If he was using her to infiltrate the village, what good would it do him if she was found out as well? Unless it was just out of spite—spite for making him touch her body, to kiss her, to say such comforting words—to smile that seemingly genuine smile—just so she would believe him. If only she wasn't so hard to persuade…
He didn't say anything to her, and she was glad for it. She wouldn't have known what to say in response, anyway. Her mind was flooded with thoughts of the night before…
Her cheeks blushed a bright red, and she was ever so grateful for her mask.
"Treason?" She started slightly at Naruto's voice. She had completely forgotten he was there. "What do you mean?"
Sai cleared his throat and read from the scroll held in his hands. "It is proven that Haruno Sakura has come into contact and conversed with missing-nin Uchiha Sasuke, and did not report back to squad captain Hyuuga Neji, or the Hokage." He paused, tilting his head. "There are pictures, too…" After studying a certain photo, he held it out for the world to see. She could just hear that smile in his voice. "See?"
It was her and Sasuke. Lying in bed. And, thank God, it was before they were nude—but there was also a high probability that they had more pictures…
But if they did have pictures, that meant that Sasuke wasn't the one who turned her in. "How…?"
"Neji and Shikamaru were a little suspicious of you. Ever since the night you fell asleep against the tree," Tenten offered. "They never had any real proof that something was up, so I didn't believe them, but apparently Neji kept his Byakugan on for some of the nights and saw something. So he and Shikamaru reported to Hokage-sama after we left…"
Sakura opened and closed her mouth continuously. They had noticed…
Neji nodded. "Take them to the holding cells." She felt Tenten murmur a low apology to her as she began to lead her back into the village, right behind Sasuke, Neji and Yamato. Naruto followed indignantly behind Sai, refusing to be forgotten.
"What's going on?" he demanded to the artist, who was calmly tucking away the scroll.
"Everything has been explained just moments prior. But I suppose I can't expect you to concentrate, when you're too busy mourning the loss of your penis."
You could tell the Jinchuuriki was mad when he didn't take the time to retort angrily with an insult of his own. "Stop fucking with me, Sai! What do you mean Sakura-chan came into contact with Sasuke and didn't report it? That makes no sense! She wouldn't do that!"
"It is apparent that she did."
She began to feel tears well up in her eyes. She hated it when she turned her back on her friends like that. They trusted her, and yet she was still weak enough to give in to Sasuke and his stupid words…his stupid words and stupid voice and stupid actions.
Naruto grabbed their pale teammate's collar, snarling. "Sakura-chan wouldn't do that! Someone framed her!"
She and Tenten paused for a moment for them to calm down. Sai calmly took the blonde's hands in his, and pried his fingers off of his clothes. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" It was then that she realized his hands were shaking. Even if only slightly, they were shaking, nonetheless. Did she affect him, too…? After years of being emotionless, some of those feelings she had taught him were finally leaking out. At this point and in this situation, she wasn't sure if that was such a good thing.
The blonde turned towards her, cerulean eyes sparkling with hope. Just waiting for her to confirm his thoughts.
"I…" She faltered, voice cracking. "I'm sorry, Naruto…"
He looked as though his world had shattered in that one moment. The throbbing in her chest made her think her heart split in two, too.
x
"Your forehead is so wide and charming. It just makes me want to kiss it." She blinked in surprise as Sasuke walked towards her. He laughed sheepishly. "Sounds like something Naruto would say, doesn't it?"
She managed a laugh of her own, refusing to admit that the lame line actually made her heart flutter. "Yeah, it does."
It was the first time he had ever complimented her…even though she found out about a year later that it was actually Naruto transformed into Sasuke.
x
She was placed in a holding cell with nothing more than a plank on the wall that could be used as a bench. Her weapons were confiscated, and chakra seals were placed on the door.
She had never felt so miserable and broken in her life.
"At least you have company," Inner Sakura pointed out. She lifted her head and looked past the bars of her prison to the cell across from hers, where Sasuke sat on the same bench she was resting on. She wasn't sure if she would consider that company.
"Sasuke-kun, why did you let yourself be caught?" she asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to him right now.
He glanced up at her, obsidian to emerald. "Did you think I wanted to be?" His tone was harsh, cold; completely different from the night before. She scolded herself for even thinking about it. He was never compassionate from the start. She should've learnt that by now.
"Don't talk to me like that," she hissed, hoping to sound venomous. "I'm only human. I don't know everything that goes on in that fucked up mind of yours."
He didn't respond, and she was glad for that.
The blissful silence only lasted for a couple of minutes, until footsteps began to resonate down the cold, empty hallway. When they stopped, Sakura looked up and found Sai, changed back into his normal attire. She couldn't describe the sudden relief she felt in seeing someone normal, someone who she knew should be there. She had been sitting across the hall from Uchiha Sasuke for a mere hour, and she was already going mad.
When Sai looked at her, a ghost of a smile met his lips. "Out of all the things you've taught me, you've never even approached the subject of sex. Will I ever get to hear about it?" At this statement, her cheeks blushed a furious red, though she was glad for it. He wasn't taunting her—he was relieving her of the tension she was feeling.
"Of course," she responded haughtily. "Once I get out of here." If she got out of there.
His smile widened. "Will I get hands on experience?"
She rolled her eyes. "Ask Ino for that."
After their short banter, the artist brought out a key in his hand, and for a moment, she wished the key belonged to her cell, and that maybe she was somehow free and not accused of treason. But that moment soon fled when he turned around, and instead, disabled the chakra seals on Sasuke's door and unlocked Sasuke's cell.
She watched, not sure of how to feel as the door closed behind him with a definite clang. Seeing those two together was strange; they took the same spot in the team, so she always saw one without the other. Never together like that.
Sai's back was facing her, so she wasn't sure of he was wearing his smile or not. "It's nice to see you again, Sasuke-kun. I had hoped to meet you on better terms."
The Uchiha didn't respond. It was almost expected that he wouldn't. So her pale teammate continued. "Did I ever tell you that I hate you?"
She blinked. Whether or not he had the capability to hate yet was beyond her, but hearing him say something as blunt as that tempted her to laugh. Maybe he did listen to her sometimes, after all.
"When you think a girl's ugly, you don't call her gorgeous! Most of the time, being honest is a lot better than covering it up with sweet words. But, in certain cases, it might be better to say nothing at all.
"Certain cases, as in, with you and Naruto?"
"Nah. Just be blunt. Oh, and be blunt with Ino, too. She needs a slap in the face from reality."
The word hate seemed to catch Sasuke's attention. Naturally, it would. "And what is it that I did to trigger this hate?" His tone was challenging. She took a deep breath to calm herself.
Sai turned slightly, pointing towards her. "That."
Sasuke chuckled darkly. "What exactly do you mean?"
"Look at her. She held onto feelings and bonds for you, so you play with her mind and stick her in a cell." His voice was surprisingly calm. In fact, everything about him was surprising. The last thing Sakura expected him to do was to come here to defend her.
The Uchiha sighed. "But you have to admit, it was entertaining."
She heard the distinct sound of flesh to flesh before she could even begin to feel hurt from the words. She blinked and stared—because she was sure she had hallucinated that—but there Sai was with his fist held out, ready to throw another one at the prisoner sitting on the bench calmly.
"You don't deserve her," the artist said quietly before stepping out of the cell door and locking it behind him. He glanced at her one last time before he left.
How he ever got his hands on the keys to Sasuke's cell was beyond her, but she supposed he had a way of slipping past the rules. After all, he was from Root—everything he did was (supposed to be) rationalized and calculated. Never fuelled by emotions. That was why the higher-ups trusted him.
Sakura was eternally grateful for him. A few years back, she would've never thought that there'd be a day when she would thank Sai.
It was quiet for a long time, until she said, very quietly, "You deserved that."
"You have no right to justify what I deserve and what I don't." His voice bounced off the walls, cold and harsh.
"I do," she responded defiantly. "I might not know what you've done after you left, but I know how you affected the people here and I know that a single punch is not going to make up for all of the pain that you've caused."
"You speak of this pain that I've inflicted people, and yet, you have no idea what I went through." He spoke with no hesitation, as if he had the lines written out in front of him to read out loud. She glanced up and him and found him leaning against the stone wall behind him, staring idly at the ceiling. Maybe counting how many stone slabs there were altogether.
Her head dropped, and she inspected her feet. "I know you've been hurting, too, but that doesn't give you the right to be selfish."
She felt his hard gaze on her, and she met it just as fiercely. "You've never understood how I felt," he growled. And for the first time that day, she was glad for the bars that separated them.
She scowled, surprised that she actually felt a slight tinge of anger towards this man. "Never understood how you felt? If you mean betraying and being betrayed, I know exactly how that feels, Sasuke-kun. Don't think I'm as oblivious as I was before."
He was about to respond, until a voice interrupted them. She was so caught up in their slight argument that she didn't even hear the footsteps.
"My, my, lovers' quarrel?"
She blinked. "Kakashi-sensei!" Again, she was relieved at having someone walk in on them. As the silver-haired shinobi turned towards her, his visible eye crinkled with that knowing smile.
"Hey, Sakura. Feeling alright?"
She shrugged. "It'd be better if I was out there and not in here." And after a pause, she asked quietly, as if not wanting to know that answer, "What's going to happen to me?"
He didn't hesitate with responding. She didn't know if it was because she was allowed to know, or if he just wanted to tell her. "Hokage-sama is searching for loopholes. She knows you, Sakura—we all know you. You would've never done that unless you were forced." She swallowed guiltily at the last part. But she wasn't forced. That was the problem.
Sasuke gave a 'ha' if amusement. "Favoritism, huh? This village is still as weak as ever."
She was surprised how the Copy Ninja could was able to stay calm. For a moment, she even thought that he was going to blow a punch at him, like Sai had. "Hey, Sasuke. Long time no see. How are you?" The lightness in his voice was detectable, and she knew immediately that the Uchiha found him incompetent.
The prisoner looked away indifferently. "What are you here for? Come to scold me? Bring me to interrogation?"
Kakashi held up a finger. "Congratulations! Indeed, you're right. To interrogation we go!" He turned towards her, all traces of his previous humor gone. "You come, too, Sakura."
Her blood ran cold. Interrogation? Her? She was being interrogated, too?
She swallowed the painful lump in her throat as she waited at her cell door, watching her former teacher undo the chakra seals and unlock Sasuke's door. Promptly clicking chains onto his wrist—that probably did the favor of sucking chakra out of his system—he released her from her cell as well. She noted gratefully that she didn't require those chains.
The taller man walked in between them, and her hand reached out for his, feeling the contrast between his warmth and her chilled fingers. As if telling him quietly, I'm afraid. His grip tightened on her hand, and he didn't let go.
Sakura had only been in these quarters of the Hokage tower once or twice, to heal shinobi that had infiltrated the village and needed to be kept alive for interrogation. So when she arrived at the first interrogation room, seeing Morino Ibiki there, she felt eerie shivers running down her spine, wondering if she was going to end up like those shinobi—or worse, if Sasuke was going to end up like them.
A smirk met the interrogator's lips. "This brings back memories. I remember this kid from the first chuunin exam years ago." His eyes held a hungry expression, and Sasuke met them with silent defiance. "I'll take care of him from here." Grabbing the chains that held the Uchiha's hands together, he pulled him into the interrogation room and shut it loudly behind them.
And Sasuke didn't even look back at her before he disappeared.
Sakura stared, hand tightening in Kakashi's. They were beginning to grow clammy with fear. "What's…going to happen to him?" she asked, voice no louder than a whisper.
He began walking back the way they came, and he had to tug a little at her to get her going. "If he cooperates, he might be put under arrest for a couple years, and then probation for even longer. If not…" He paused, as if he didn't want to say it. "They're going to execute him."
She couldn't breathe for a long moment. "Even Shishou agreed…?"
The man looked down at her. "Hokage-sama has never been close to Sasuke. She didn't have the chance to become close to him. She can't give him exceptions like she can to you and Naruto."
"So…" She took a deep breath. "What's going to happen to…me?"
"Hokage-sama has been talking to the elder council, trying to rid you of your punishment—or lessen it, at least. She's looking for a loophole."
"Did she find one?"
His large hand holding hers was comforting. "No, but I think I did. We're going to talk about it now at her office." She felt more comforted as she was led up the stairs back to her usual surroundings; the warm colors of the hallway, and even a medic or two that she recognized. She thought she heard the clinking of interrogation tools echoing off the hard walls behind her, and she shivered slightly, but ignored it and continued walking.
Whatever happened, Sasuke would be alright. He had to be.
x
She couldn't believe it. Naruto was staring at Sasuke so intensely, as if he had the right to…She wanted to punch the lights out of him.
The blonde inspected him and leaned even closer, speculating every single detail of his perfect face. Even she had never been so close before…
And then their lips met.
It was a kiss that sealed their fate as Team Seven.
x
"Shishou…" Her bottom lip trembled when she saw the woman who had trained her for three years straight. She couldn't find the right words—if there were any right words in the first place.
"I'm sorry, Sakura." The woman sounded stressed and tired as she stood with her back to them, staring out the window as she often did when she was stumped. "I can't stop it."
There was a long silence, until Kakashi spoke up. "I think I can, though."
Their attention turned onto him and he shrugged his shoulders, letting go of her hand—a sign that it was safe, now. "I mean, now that you think about it, it makes sense, right? Sasuke's got the Sharingan, so he can practically do whatever he wanted to her."
Tsunade's brow furrowed. "Explain."
"The Sharingan has two eyes, correct? The eye of insight, and the eye of hypnosis. The eye of insight is used to copy moves, and the eye of hypnosis is used to show illusions. Am I wrong?" His mask curved slightly, showing his lips growing into a faint smile.
The woman looked unconvinced. "We're all aware of the Sharingan's strength, Kakashi. Get to the point; my patience isn't going to hold out for much longer."
"Patience is a virtue," the Copy Ninja said cheerfully, although he continued with a tone of seriousness. "There's also one more ability that isn't as well known, simply because it isn't used as often. Sakura, you should know; the eye of hypnosis also has the ability to alter thoughts."
The world seemed to stop at that moment.
"Given, Sakura already has a soft spot for Sasuke, but it's obvious that in the circumstances that she met him on the mission, she would immobilize him and bring him back. Her thoughts only needed a little push in the right direction for her to fall right into Sasuke's hands." Kakashi shrugged. "It's kind of simple, once you think about it."
Sakura recalled the first night, after she fainted. Fainted, knocked out, whatever. At the moment, it didn't seem to matter to her much. She did have a dream of when Kakashi was fighting Zabuza, and she did take note of his eye of hypnosis.
Her dreams did tell her things. God, why the hell did she not take notice before?
"Because you're stupid," Inner Sakura conveniently answered for her. She mentally rolled her eyes.
"So you're saying…" Tsunade's eyes were narrowed, signalling that she was deep in thought. "That Sasuke manipulated Sakura to do what he wanted." The sparkle returned to her hazel eyes. Maybe there was hope for her after all.
Kakashi nodded. "The possibility is very high."
"Sakura." The Hokage's attention averted to her, and she tensed under her gaze, determined to give her the right answer. "Do you remember if Sasuke had his Sharingan on whenever you began to submit to him?"
Submit. What a sick word. But, slowly, as she thought back on it, she nodded her head. Save for maybe the night he…he…She couldn't seem to find the phrase—
"Felt you up in the forest?" Inner Sakura offered in her mock polite voice.
Sure. Save for the night he felt her up in the forest, she was sure she saw the Sharingan every time. She couldn't control her primal urges very much—especially since she had never been touched that way—but she felt that that little piece of information didn't need to be shared. "It was on," she confirmed, her breath leaving her lips with a relieved whoosh.
"So all we need now is proof," the Hokage said, smiling softly.
Proof? Where the hell can they find the proof? Definitely not in her memory. Maybe Ibiki could dig a little deeper with his work…She shivered when she thought of what would happen to Sasuke. Strange, she mused. Now that he wasn't around, she couldn't quite feel the same affection for him anymore.
She supposed it was the work of those blasted eyes of his.
"I have a little proof, but not enough to back it all up," Kakashi piped up. "Sai was talking to Sasuke a while ago, and the entire place is under surveillance. I could take the tape out and find the part; Sasuke indirectly admitted to fooling Sakura."
Did he? It was probably the part about it being entertaining. She tasted bitter on her tongue as she thought of it. Entertaining. That was what he found her.
The Hokage nodded. "Sakura, I'm going to have to keep you in your cell for now, until further proof is found. I'll have the chakra seals removed, though, in case something happens and Sasuke's team comes around. We still haven't found them, yet."
She nodded. That was understandable. Turning towards Kakashi, she gave him a silent thanks, knowing that she could probably never repay him.
She really, really couldn't live without him.
x
On the sixth night, Sakura was calm and collected.
Being half-freed, she was allowed visitors. It came as a surprise to her when Tsunade confirmed that these visitors could come inside her cell and stay there, as long as they didn't mind being locked in there with her while visiting.
After the news went around, Naruto and Sai promptly walked into her cell and closed it behind them, hearing the lock click and still have grins on their faces. Well, Naruto did, anyway.
"You guys are crazy to actually want to be here," she told them, crossing her legs on the bench.
The blonde laughed. "It'll be like a sleepover! I already brought all the stuff!" He promptly brought out his pack and began pulling things out. Manga, pillows, blankets…Actually, how any of that even fit in there was beyond her.
Sai sat against the wall, and she was surprised how he didn't get cold at all when his bare skin pressed against the chilly surface. "Sakura, how are you feeling?" It was ironic for a boy who didn't have any feelings in the first place to ask something like that.
She smiled. "A lot better now, after what Kakashi-sensei told me and Shishou. I'm just worried about Sasuke-kun right now."
"I don't understand why you're worried someone who most likely has less of a penis than Naruto. Is it part of the love you have for him?" At this, said blonde reeled back to punch him in the face, and she laughed.
"He's still part of our team, I guess. I really don't want him to die…"
Naruto nodded in a business-like manner. "He's a bastard, but we began with him. He might've been just as bad as you, Sai!" He pointed accusingly at the artist, who merely smiled.
They talked until the early hours of the morning, and even with her anxiety poking her at the back of her mind, Sakura couldn't help but enjoy herself with her two teammates. Without a doubt, she loved them—more than she could probably love her real family—and for some reason, she was glad about that.
Just as they were about to turn in and give in to sleep, they heard the door at the end of the corridor creaking open, with some loud yells as well.
The three of them tensed, and waited until two figures approached. It only took her a moment to realize it was two figures all but dragging a third.
"S…Sasuke-kun?" she asked fearfully, rising to her feet and walking over to her barred door. In the dark, it was hard to recognize him, but his trademark spiky raven hair was easily outlined against the grey stone walls. Crimson dotted his face, and a trickle of blood left his lips, causing her to tremble slightly. "Did they…torture him?"
One of the figures turned, and she saw that it was an ANBU member. "What does it look like?"
She didn't answer.
She flinched when they threw him into his cell none too gently. Naruto and Sai came to stand on either side of her, and she reached out to grab both of their hands, holding them tightly, watching the figure lying there on the hard floor even after the two ANBU escorts left.
"Do you think they went into his mind?" she asked quietly, voice shaking.
"If they did, then they should have the proof that you're innocent," Naruto said in a low tone. "He's back, so I'm only worried about you, now, Sakura-chan."
She managed to smile to smile lightly, and turned to the artist on her other side when she felt his fingers twitch lightly.
His voice and expression gave nothing away, but his words were so heavy and full of emotion that she thought he might've burst from all of it. "I do find it hard to believe that I had to replace scum like him."
"He's not scum," she whispered quietly, but when it all came down to it, she didn't quite believe in her own words anymore.
"S-Sakura…" All three of their heads snapped up when that low, strained voice echoed throughout the level of the building. Sasuke struggled to sit himself up on the floor, and it made her ache so, so much just to see him like that. Sasuke wasn't meant to be weak. Sasuke was supposed to be strong.
Her grip tightened on her teammates' hands. "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"
"I do…l-love…you…" Those words alone acted like a giant wind in her heart, sweeping up all of those feelings that had finally settled throughout the day. Passion, confusion, betrayal—and the pain. It felt like she was being torn apart—torn apart by him and her friends.
She pulled Naruto and Sai closer as some pathetic form of protection. When she locked eyes with the prisoner across from them, she was met with Sharingan and immediately turned away, sure that he was about to manipulate her thoughts again.
But nothing changed. The emotions raged on, and she was reluctant to admit that these feelings and thoughts were hers, and hers alone.
It was probably true that he manipulated her to do what he wanted, that he didn't need much effort. Just a little push, and she was there. It was like in the old days; she manipulated herself to become a love-struck fan girl, to become devastated at his leaving. It wasn't his fault.
Not entirely, anyway.
So she said and did the same thing that he said and did when she confessed to him, even though he was most likely lying to her, anyway. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." And she turned around and tugged Naruto and Sai back to their pillows and blankets, going to sleep.
On the sixth night, Sakura was calm and collected. At least, she was on the outside.
A/N: Much thanks to xx. false - deception for beta reading this entire fic. Go and drop off a review or two for her.
Okay, no, this fic is solely and entirely SasuSaku. There's no KakaSaku, NaruSaku, or SaiSaku—although, SaiSaku does intrigue me. The holding of hands was just a sign of their bonds that had grown over the years that I wasn't able to show all too well in the fic. It's all friendship.
Hm, I've developed a love for Starbucks as of late…XD
I'm working on another SasuSaku. It's an AU; romance/comedy, and maybe even a little fluffy—a huge contrast in comparison to this one. Put me on alerts, or something, if you're interested in it when it comes out. Check out my page if you want the summary.
Reviews are nice. Constructed criticism is loved.