The Awakening

by stones

Day Six

On the sixth day, she felt lost and lonely.

A couple years ago you could have asked how she was doing, and she would have replied by saying "I feel like I'm on top of the world." For this is how she truly felt. She was a part of the greatest team in all of Konoha, Team Seven, and if anyone were to tell her differently, she would stubbornly disagree. Although Team Seven hadn't functioned like any normal person would say a team should, they always made it through in the end. They would train with their Copy-nin of a teacher watching over them. One of her teammates would call the other an idiot and the other would shoot back by calling him bastard. They would never admit it, but they would have never asked for any other situation than the dysfunctional one that had been given to them. Maybe after training, her blonde-haired teammate would suggest that it was ramen time and they would drag the dark-haired teammate along, no matter how stubborn or cranky he seemed that day.

Whenever her cheery teammate would say that the Uchiha was always cranky, she would correct him. She would shake her head and say, "He's not always cranky. It's just rare to see him show that he is in fact happy." She would pause and smile at her blonde teammate. "And you know what?"

"What, Sakura?" he would ask, excited from the sudden secret she was about to share.

"When you do get the chance to see him actually show his happiness," she would say, pausing once more to smile wider, "it'll be so genuine that you won't mind his otherwise cranky appearance."

"I think I know what you mean," the boy would reply, scratching his lower chin in thought. "I think I've seen it before."

And then they would push aside the thought and not think about it again. For they knew that the emotions he showed were meant for only special eyes, and when he did express them, they took this as his way of showing he cared.

Yes, Sakura once thought everything was perfect.

But that—that was when she ruled the world.

Sakura walked down the street, recently leaving her apartment for yet another day. The air loomed heavily above her. Thoughts of what the day would bring flooded her mind over and over until she could not clear the jumbled mess rumbling inside. Her gut felt empty, a feeling she had come to recall from that day that felt ages ago. And it still ached just as much. It was almost as if she was moving away and it was time to say goodbye to a new friend. But this was not realistic; they were not friends. They were far from friends, and this is what she had to tell herself just to cope.

"Yo, Sakura!" She stopped in her tracks and turned to see who was coming her way. "Wait up!"

"Kiba," she greeted, smiling kindly at him. Akamaru stood close to him, loyal as always. As long as she had known this particular Inuzuka, she knew he displayed his emotions quite frequently. She had been surrounded by such a lack of emotions recently that it was new and refreshing to seem them once more. But when Inuzuka was smiling, it meant he was excited. "What are you all smiley about?"

"It's exciting," he replied, nodding. She hadn't answered him and he took her silence as confusion. "You haven't heard? It's been buzzing around all morning. Didn't the Hokage tell you?"

"I was just on my way there," she explained, feeling out of place. Something was going on and the fact that she wasn't part of it made her feel a tad bit nervous. "What's going on?"

"I suppose I shouldn't tell you," he responded, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "I mean, it's pretty close to home for you. It'd be better if the Hokage told you first."

Close to home? She tensed and clutched her hands together. Instantly a smile fled to her face. Close to home. The first thing that shot to her mind was Sasuke. Sasuke was back. Sasuke was in Konoha. Sasuke was back for her. Suddenly a familiar feeling hit her. She felt the same as she had all those years ago. Yes, she was on top of the world once again. "It's about him isn't it?"

"Sure thing!" Kiba answered and Sakura wanted to run over to Tsunade's office but her feet stood rooted to the ground from the sudden flood of emotions that pulled at every inch of her body. "Finally, right? After all this time."

"It's been the longest," she agreed, words coming out considerably smooth in contrast to the rigid and frantic emotions that were flowing through her. "I-I…what's going to happen then?"

"It'd be cool if it was a hanging," Kiba answered, which made Sakura freeze. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words were lost. Did he really deserve to be killed? Her Sasuke? Gone, forever?

"Couldn't they just let him off?" she asked, voice rising hysterically. Tears stung her eyes. Her emotions were clearly running high as they usually did when Sasuke filled her mind. "I mean, he's done some stupid things and betrayed the village, but they just can't!"

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked incredulously. He stepped back on instinct upon seeing the emotional woman who was growing more edgy with each word. "You can't possibly feel sorry for him? After only a couple days?"

A couple days? No, he couldn't be talking about Sasuke.

"No, no," she said, bringing her hands to her head. Her hair ruffled as she wove her fingers through it. "I'm sorry. I misunderstood."

"Yeah," he shrugged, relaxing his tense shoulders after seeing that she had calmed down. "I figured."

Her disappointment had distracted her long enough so that she wasn't piecing it all together. All that she could think of was the tease she had just recently received. Her hopes had been so high. Was she really so excited to have him back? Yes, of course she was and to have that taken from her—it was hard. But now as Kiba mumbled a goodbye, taking his cue after seeing her deep in thought, she had finally gone over his words. Uchiha Itachi. He was going to die. She wasn't sure how to take the information. Wasn't this what she had always wanted? For the damned bastard to die? To finally pay for everything he had ever done? But for some reason, it wasn't as satisfying as she had expected.

"Wait, Kiba!" she called after him and continued when she saw him turn around. He nodded to her, signalizing to go on. "When is this happening?"

"Tomorrow," he replied and she quaked at the lack of time. She nodded and he turned around once more to take his leave, hands in his pockets and Akamaru following closely by his side.

And just like that, she had fallen off her throne once more.

"I'm here," she whispered, walking into the cell that she had grown used to. She looked back at him as he stared. She was sure she was meant to stare back, it was what they did everyday. But for some reason, he was surprised to see her look away all the while biting her bottom lip. "I suppose this is going to be a goodbye sort of party. I'm almost done."

She hadn't even stopped by the Hokage's office. Perhaps she was running from the news that would be no doubt delivered again. She thought she had convinced Tsunade to keep him alive, but even this, she could understand, was childish. He was a murderer, an S-class criminal and to keep him alive because some pink-haired girl had requested it was ludicrous. It was childish, and it was plainly stupid. She held back a choke of a breath and stepped towards him. She left her things by his cloak, skimming her fingers along the clouds.

"You will miss me," he said, though it was interpreted as a question by her. She completely knew he was teasing; it was what he usually did. But then again, a part of her wanted it so badly to be serious, that she believed it was.

"No," she answered. Whether or not this was the truth, she did not know.

"Your eyes linger on my cloak," he informed and she looked to him to nod. Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying anything, although she wasn't sure if she really had anything to say. She crouched before him and scanned him over once. The bruising was being healed nicely and after lifting his clothing, she noticed his skin was healing satisfactorily as well. The stitches had helped and along with her chakra, his deep gash had lightened considerably.

"It is you who is being shy today," she heard him say. With a sort of surprise, she lifted her head to look up at him, and his red eyes glanced down at her with a sort of look that she could not decipher, despite her knowledge of all his glances and looks that she had learned in the past few days.

"I don't have much to say," she said, which was a lie. There were so many words that lingered on the tip of her tongue. So many words that thrashed in her head and begged for release. But her mouth remained shut and not even Inner Sakura started to blab.

"It's surprising," he said and now she wondered why he was being so talkative. She looked away from him to run her fingers along his wound. This time he did not wince, making it clear to her that it was not as irritated as before.

"What is?" she asked, voice coming out in a low hum.

"You," he answered simply and she stole a glance from her work to glance once again at him. She looked into his eyes—those penetrating red eyes that seemed to move worlds with just a single glance. She blinked, moisture forming at the corner of her eyes.

"How so, Uchiha?"

"Sakura," he said and she opened her eyes once more. He was still looking back at her and had leaned forward as far as his restraints had allowed him. His breath caressed her face teasingly and she leaned further to the sudden comfort that was begging for her welcoming. Her breaths were surprisingly even despite her current state. "I feel it in the air. Things are going to change."

A tear trickled down her cheek. She didn't know how he managed to talk about his death so easily. The idea of it had always scared her, terrified her to no end. And here he was, talking as if things were going to change. But no, they were going to end.

"You know?" she asked, closing her eyes to regain her composure. A deep breath entered her lungs through her nose, and she could so clearly smell his fragrance that she was sure she could remember it for years to come. And his breaths were still coaxing her into an unknown sort of reassurance, one she was positive she had been missing.

"I suppose I always knew," he answered smoothly, voice sounding deeper than ever before. Unknowingly, she clutched the sides of his clothes and gathered the fabric in her fists. He tilted his head up, looking away from the girl in his lap.

"And you're okay with that?" she asked, beads of tears lazily making their way down her face. She raised her head to look at him straight on. "You're ready to die? Just like that?"

"It's not my time," he responded, voice sounding devastatingly vulnerable, and she dug her face into his clothing that smelt of dried blood, infection, and sweat. This was something she would have never done before. Even now, she second-guessed her actions. There was some unknown feeling that coursed through her and made her body move by itself, letting her mind rest for the time being.

"I know," she replied, voice mumbled through the clothing. She heard chains clatter and felt him shift under her. She looked up and noticed their lips were so close yet so far. She felt his breaths even stronger now, just as he was surely feeling hers. His loose strands of hair brushed over her forehead but her eyes remained fixed, ignoring the distractions that they made. This was wrong but it felt so right. His eyes seemed redder than before and yet, less dangerous. As she looked at them, she imagined that they were the onyx orbs that they had been before. She understood that this was many years ago. His eyes were dying. So was he. And although she knew he was evil, killed many innocents and could give the devil himself a run for his money, she said, "You are allowed to mourn for yourself."

He didn't answer. Didn't even blink but it was hard to tell since her gaze was locked on his lips and she wasn't planning on looking away anytime soon. A few moments passed and they seemed stuck in time, or perhaps they weren't stuck. Maybe they had chosen to stop time. Maybe this was where they wanted to be. But it wasn't and wouldn't be until he would finally push himself further and their lips would meet.

Sakura thought of Sasuke. She thought of his eyes, his hair, his arms, his lips and there she was, kissing Sasuke. This was what she had always wanted and would always come to want. Even though the past couple of days had been the biggest eye-opener that she would ever come to know, the facts remained facts. She believed that no one could get over another. It was either she loved him, or she never did. And she never doubted once that she didn't.

It wasn't until she pressed up against him more that she realized she was wrapping her arms around the older Uchiha. She wondered what he was thinking about this whole thing, but decided to push those thoughts away and for once focus on the moment that was offered. With the sudden conclusion that she would take every opportunity and not take any time for granted, she pushed herself up onto his lap, her legs straddling his waist and her arms reaching around his neck so her fingers could play with the ends of his hair. She could hear the chains move and had no doubt that he desperately wanted to reach his arms out on instinct and pull her closer and continue even more intimate ministrations. Either way, she wasn't going anywhere.

She felt his tongue against her lower lip, slowly coaxing her to deepen the kiss. Every fiber in her being was screaming yes, but her brain was still whispering no. No matter how much she tried to let go and concentrate on this special feeling, there was the still the fact of the matter that she was Haruno Sakura, a highly honored medic of Konoha, and he was Uchiha Itachi, murderer of clans and destroyer of lives. And yet she found herself in his lap, able to but not willing to pull away. A noise sounding slightly like a whimper rumbled in the bottom of her throat when he started to nibble on the tender flesh of her lower, swollen lip. He was getting restless and she was getting nervous.

So she pulled away, ending the moment that before she had deemed crazy and improbable. Instantly she regretted it and she wanted nothing more than to reach up and do it again. The moment wasn't awkward however, which she found surprising. She looked into his eyes once more and he spoke before she had the chance to.

"I will not feel sorry for myself," he mumbled as she watched those beautiful lips that had just been pressed against her own. She sighed deeply though it was more of a gasping breath, a refill of air from the breath she had been unknowingly holding. "And I most certainly will not cry." She almost wanted to laugh because this she knew. This everyone knew.

"That's alright," she whispered as he leaned his head to rest on her shoulder. His tongue moved passed his lips to lick her neck, applying pressure as he ran it along her jugular and with a subconscious reaction, tilted her head away shyly although he continued to bury his face into the crook of her neck. "I'll cry for you."

Sakura used to be somewhat rational. But that-- that was when she ruled the world.

She ran.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She yelled. She screamed. She continued to run. For what, she did not know. Her quick pace steadied into a slow jog and she glanced about the trees around her and the canopy that hung above her. The air was crisp and it gave her a new energy that made her feel alive. Everyone bone in her body ached and every muscle twitched in some sort of unknown adrenaline. It was keeping her restless.

It was close to sunset. The sky was brilliant in every shade and hue of blue, pink, orange, and red. She used to own that sunset and every good feeling that it brought. But now as she spared it only once glance, she could not help but notice that appreciation was gone, and along with it the comfort that those warm colors fooled her into believing. Grass blades swayed around her, some tickling her feet annoyingly. The wind was roaring and the trees shook and bent as it pushed against them. Yes, even the sky felt it. It was all about to change.

Her light jog slowed down even further until it was only a walk. The sharp, jagged breaths that escaped her lungs were proof of her continuous running. To the right of her was a pond and to the left, a small clearing. She walked into the clearing, noticing holes in the ground and scratches on the trees. She bent down to examine the holes and determined they were left by tent pitching. The scratches in the trees, she decided, were left from light training. It was then that she saw the fire pit that was covered with gray and black ash. It blew in the wind and dirtied her legs as it flowed around her. Someone was here. Someone was around.

She turned sharply, sliding into a fighting stance. Her nerves were on edge and every sense was channeled into. She could hear the rustling of the leaves. She could smell the rotting stink that came from the pond. She could feel the ground solid beneath her. She could taste the bitterness in the air—the bitterness that the wind carried around her. And when she turned her head to the right, she could see red eyes. She dropped her hands as her throat grew dry.

"Sasuke."

A couple years ago, you could have asked Sakura where she saw herself in the future and she would have said, "Next to Sasuke." Ino would chime in and call her stupid, saying that that would never happen for he would chose her over Sakura any day. She would tell her to get over it, that she would never be good enough for her Sasuke because she was too weak. Naruto would grumble in the corner, muttering things about bastards and ungratefulness.

When she was younger, Sakura was sitting on the swing on the playground, kicking the woodchips with her toes. The wind blew her long hair, the long hair that she would later cut. The sun beat down on her weak body, the weak body that she would later train. The sight of him in front of her jumbled her thoughts, the thoughts that would soon become confused.

He stood in front of her, dark hair and dark eyes, a sharp contrast to her bright, pink hair and vibrant green eyes. She smiled welcomingly, tilting her head to the empty swing on her left, beckoning for him to sit down. He did and she found it incredibly hard not to full out stare at him, though she was determined not to ruin the moment only to make it awkward. She supposed he saw this.

"We're going to make a great team," Sakura promised, her voice light, soft, and childish. Though the words were meant to be serious, he could not take it as anything other than her secret wish. "And you know why?"

"Hn?" he asked from the side of her and she lifted her feet from the ground, allowing the wind to sway her slightly.

"Because we're all different," she answered, taking a moment to pause and look at the sky that was filled with clouds. "And we all have different strengths. When one's feeling weak, the other can be strong. We're so different and yet the same." She wasn't sure if she was talking about the team anymore.

"Don't compare me to that idiot," he grumbled next to her and she took a small second to tilt her head for a glance of his cool demeanor.

"I didn't mean to," she replied, looking to her feet. Her hair fell down across her shoulders and the ends tickled her thighs. "I was just saying that, you know, it'll work out." Unknown to her, he stared her the entire time, not wavering those dark eyes of his. "Who knows? We could all become friends." She turned to look at him and was taken aback when she found that he was looking at her. "I promise I won't be weak."

He blinked once and looked away. A blush crept unto her face and she turned her head from him too. She could hear his swing creek from the slight sway he had set. They both sat in silence. For how long, she did not know. But the clouds passed above them. The sun moved down. She heard him stand, woodchips crunching under his feet. She wasn't sure whether or not to look at him, afraid once again of making the wrong move. Curiosity got the best of her and she turned her head.

He was looking at her once again and before he turned to walk away, he opened his mouth to say, "Don't listen to anything Ino says."

That was the day she was crowned. That was the day she was sure she ruled the world.

They stared at each other because that was all that they could do.

He had grown. There was no doubt about that. Everything she had admired in the past had been tripled and once again, she could feel her legs turn to mush like they had done when she was a young girl. She had forgotten everything around her. All that she could focus on was him—him and everything he symbolized to her. He seemed unfazed, but allowed her to continue. His red eyes glanced her up and down, no doubt realizing how much she had grown and matured over the past years.

"I-uh…" She needed some words, the simplest would do. All she wanted was for that devastatingly terrifying silence to be filled. She begged her limbs to move, pleaded with her muscles to budge, but all was lost. She was rooted to the spot. The past was standing in front of her and with it came the painful memories and hopeful, lost dreams.

"Sakura," he finally said, voice coming out much heavier than she had remembered it or possibly ever imagined it. She had waited so long. So very long. And here he was, saying her name. She wanted to crumble at the thought. He was a few feet away, but even that was far for her. Her silent complaint was heard, and he stepped forward, close enough for her to reach out to him. But she didn't. She couldn't. Her body still wasn't listening to her mind.

"Sasuke," she repeated through her cracked lips, though his name came out strained. She choked back a sob. This was everything she had ever wanted. This was the moment she had planned over and over. This was the time for her to say all she ever wanted, but none of it came out. She repeated his name and finally she was able to make some movement. She pushed herself forward, hands reaching out to touch his arm. It was a second long contact, but it felt like forever. And the feelings she felt were so electrifying, she found herself lost as her eyes started to blur with unwelcome tears.

He pulled away immediately and brought his arm up to push her away. She stumbled back a little, struggling to keep her balance. This little action had suddenly awoken her and brought her back to reality. He did not reach back. He did not hold her. He did not kiss her. He pushed her away. Once again.

"What do you want?" she asked, voice coming out surprisingly hard for the lack of strength that she was feeling. She gathered her arms back to her after realizing they were still held out, waiting for him to whisk her away.

"Don't be annoying," he answered, straightening himself out. This made him taller and overall more intimidating to Sakura. "My brother. Tell me everything you know."

It was crazy to her. Her heart was beating inside of her, telling her to beg him to come back to Konoha, which was what she had always planned to do, but he was in front of her and only after a few words shared, he had started demanding her to spill everything she knew. It angered her, but she could not bring it to herself to direct it at the man in front of her.

"He's in Konoha's cells," she answered swiftly and she saw his lips lower at her words. She was making him irate and she wasn't sure if she was feeling satisfaction or distress at this thought.

"No shit," he replied and stepped closer to her. And what she was waiting for happened. He reached out for her, but not in the way she had expected. His arms came down on her shoulders heavy, nails digging into her body painfully. She could feel the extent of his tension and felt it channel into herself. "Tell me something useful."

"I can't," she answered, partly out of her duty to Konoha and partly out of her newfound loyalty to his brother, but this was not a sure thought. She had seen the younger in the older, had done everything for the younger, and continued to blur the lines between to the two so much that it was difficult to determine which was which. She could not find her loyalty because in the end, she wasn't sure with whom it laid.

"Are you trying to protect him?" he asked, leaning closer and she could feel his warm breath escape from clenched teeth to hit her face.

He shook her once and her head, feeling heavy, rolled from the sudden quake. Her breaths were shallow, a mixture of fear and excitement. He was so close. All she wanted to do was fall into him and hold him tightly. But she continued to remain silent and put her head down in a way of defiance.

"That's really sweet." He paused, tilting his head. "Is he the one who gave you that hickey?" His words were calm and smooth, though she knew he was angry by the way his hold on her tightened. "All these years pass by and you've become nothing but a traitorous bitch who cannot keep her hormones in check?"

She grit her teeth at his mockery and closed her eyes shut, though his strong grip and tantalizing breath wouldn't let her forget where she was. "No, it's not like that."

"But you know," he started above her. She felt his rough fingers beneath her chin and her head was forced up. She squinted an eye opened and decided she had never found a pair of eyes so frightening. "You were my little medic before his."

"Don't do that," she hissed, jaw clenching tightly.

He continued to gaze down at her, observing what the girl had grown to. Her hands came up to his chest and instead of running her hands down it like she had always imagined, she tried to push away. Her mind was still unfocused and her body still in shock. She could not channel into her strength, though her shove did come out forceful enough to make him step back although he did not release his hold on her.

"Do what?"

Her tears had cleared from her eyes, and she could see clearly once more, although after looking into his eyes, she wished she couldn't. There was no doubt that he made her into that foolish girl she had been so many years ago, and she was crumbling under his gaze. So she tore her attention away from him and looked at his shoulder.

"Do not act like you have some claim over me," she said, though the words came out slow and stressed. Her hands came back up to clutch at his clothes and she pulled at them. "You were the one who left, Sasuke. Do not come back and act like everything is the same as it used to be."

"Oh? Because it isn't?" he asked, closing the small gap in between them even further. She could feel his muscles contract as they molded themselves around her body and clung onto her tight. "Do you not melt when I merely look at you? Do you not crumble when I hold you? How about when I do this?"

She bit her bottom lip as he dipped his head and leaned it against her neck on the same spot that his older brother had. She could feel him kiss and suck the tender flesh of her shoulder after he pulled away the clothing with his teeth. Her knees gave way and she fell limp against him, but he supported her as he pushed her back against what she felt was the rough bark of a tree.

"Isn't this what you've always wanted?" he asked, letting one of his arms unwind from around her to place at her waist. Slowly, he lowered it, letting it fall on her hip. His fingers played with the edges of the waistband of her pants and she took a sharp intake of breath from this.

"Sakura," he breathed into her ear, placing a kiss at the top. "I can give this to you, if you give me what I want."

Those words sounded so sweet to her and she wanted to give into them so badly. Wasn't this what she had always wanted? She was in Sasuke's arms and he was touching her intimately as she always wished he would. "I…"

He lowered his hand as he continued to kiss and nip at her neck. His fingers grazed over her thigh and she moaned into his ear. "Hell, I'll even bring you along with me."

"What I want is for you to come back to Konoha," she spoke, fighting all the groans that pushed against her lips. He did not stop his actions nor did he speak, but he did quite the opposite. His hand came to rest in between her thighs, his fingers rubbing a spot so sweet, her whole body shook. A light mewl came from her, a mix of a sigh and a breath of his name. How she wished she could just fall into his touch and receive everything she had ever hoped for. But Sakura was not weak, and she dug deep to retrieve some of her strength and she had gathered enough to keep talking. "Naruto has never given hope. Even Kakashi wants you back. All your old friends…"

"I have cut those ties years ago," he hissed, gripping her thigh harshly, making her cry out in protest. "I do not regret it and I'll be damned if I ever go back to that pathetic village to stay."

"You have to!" she insisted, once again trying to push from him. She could feel her focus starting to sharpen and her strength was beginning to course through her.

He sighed as she began small struggles. "I am not afraid to use my Sharingan on you."

She closed her eyes and focused on all her energy. She could feel it at her very core and directed it all to her hands, which she felt began to tingle. Once again, she raised them to his chest and with her super strength, pushed against him. She could feel the absence of his body around hers and a loud crash informed her that she had been successful. She squinted an eye open, making sure not to make any sort of contact with his. She was satisfied when she saw him approximately ten feet away, a tree bent from the collision he had made with it. Though what did surprise her was that he did not look angry, but instead, a smirk adorned his face—one that reminded her of his brother. She opened her eyes completely but had then focused at his feet.

"Well, well," he mused, regaining his composure. "That's surprising."

"I'm not weak anymore, Sasuke," she called out, hands clenching into balled fists at her sides.

"I can see that," he replied and she saw his feet step forward. Immediately she switched to a fighting stance, though it would be a disadvantage not being able to look wherever she wanted. "I tried playing the nice card, Sakura, and I will offer you one last chance."

"Fuck you."

She could hear him huff a laugh. The second she saw his feet leave the ground, she leapt away. Her fighting was relying heavily upon her hearing, which gave her an extreme disadvantage—she knew she could not be the victor no matter how much she believed in herself. It was time to think realistically and plan this out. If she could not beat him, she would have to leave. She would not call it running. No, she would call it saving her own skin.

A strong wind blew past and instantly she cursed. It caused enough distraction in her hearing and she felt a sudden pressure on her back. She landed forward, hands shooting out to stop her from landing head first into the ground. The wind blew her hair in front of her and when it ceased, she could hear him land softly behind her. Instinctively, she began to scurry away on her hands and knees.

"Sakura," he said as she continued to crawl away in a frantic struggle. She glanced around frantically, looking for some kind of thing that she could use to her advantage. "Maybe you really haven't changed all that much. Can't even face your opponent? That's some kind of strength you've got there. If you want to come with me, you've got to toughen up."

She brought herself to her feet in a stumble and she closed her eyes, frightened that he would catch her when she would give into the temptation to open her eyes and look at him fully.

"Sad really," he continued to muse, voice growing heavier—a clear sign that he was about to move again. "It seems I won't even get to use my chidori. Pathetic."

He leapt again and she flung herself away, landing a few feet away. He was quick. Really quick. Almost instantly she could feel his presence behind her and was not fast enough to move out of the way. He sent another punch coming her way, although this time she turned and he barely nicked her. She sent her arm out with extra strength and her palm connected with his chin. She could hear bones crack along with a grunt from him. Instantly, she felt the mood change. Before he was just playing with her and now she had gotten him mad.

She had only a few seconds to evaluate what was happening. His hands tightened around her wrists and he flung her away. She flew in the air amazingly fast and was dreading the hard collision with the ground. But instead of hitting the dirt like she had expected, she crashed into something and instantly felt cold. Water crashed upon her from all directions, and it was then that she realized she had landed in the pond. Instantly she could feel another person land beside her, and she thrashed wildly, now relying upon panic opposed to skill.

Déjà vu had hit her like a ton of bricks. Her dream was now reality and the events played out exactly as she had remembered. She was suffocating, drowning in her self-doubt. She opened her eyes and saw red. There was red all around. She wasn't sure if he had sucked her in although she doubted it. She was sure it would have been ten times worse if he had. Her feet kicked out, desperate to find the bottom of the shallow pond. Her sole connected with soft mud and she planted her feet firmly on it. Seaweed spun around her, tangling her and restricting her from making many movements. Something else was stopping her though, and it was a hand that was now clasped around her neck.

It kept her under and she was starting to see spots. They appeared everywhere and her vision was dying, her head pounding as if it weighed a hundred pounds. When she was sure that it was done, that she would die by the hands of Sasuke, she was met with a slap of fresh air and she gasped wildly for oxygen. He seemed to allow her to catch her breath seeing as his hand loosened around her neck. She coughed and gagged, water dripping from her hair and down her face.

Her eyes stung from the dirty water than invaded them, but now she kept them fully open. And once she had composed herself the best that she could, she glanced about her. He was standing in the water that reached to his waist. His grip was still around her neck and her hands flung to it, desperate to make it leave. He looked at her as if he was contemplating something, something that she could not figure out. She took no heed to it and instead spent her time and energy trying to struggle out of his death grip.

"Start talking, Sakura," he demanded, his words heavy with warning. She choked on the last bit of water and spit, ignoring the slimy feeling of saliva and vomit as it oozed down her cheek.

"It doesn't matter anyway," she began, the sound of the words coming out tense due to the lack of air coming from her lungs. "You lost, Sasuke! They're killing him tomorrow. Game over."

Sasuke released his hold and she fell back into the water. Once she managed to bring herself up, she saw him standing a little bit a ways back on shore, his back to her. She was silent although her neck and throat throbbed painfully from the bruising she was sure would come. Seaweed hung from her arms, gunk stuck to her les. She could see that the bottom half of his body was drenched along with the tips of his sleeves. There was no doubt in her mind that they both stunk like old murky water and ancient conflicts. Once again, like that day so many years ago, she was second-guessing every action she had considered doing. She didn't want to ruin the moment—the moment she wasn't sure was even there. She wasn't sure if she even felt the same way about him.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked, saying the words she had so cautiously chosen.

"I will never return to Konoha," he told her again, not turning to face her. She supposed that it was because he couldn't. There was not enough strength in him to face his past. She nodded although she realized he could not see. She seemed unfazed and no one would be able to tell that inside she was breaking. His words shattered every dream she had every built. The thought struck down any hope that lived inside her. They both entered their own thoughts, and silence filled the area once more into a peaceful lull that she found deceiving. They both thought about the older Uchiha. They both cursed him for living. They both cursed him for dying.

Sasuke was the first to say anything. "He won't die-"

"-he can't," she quickly said, cutting him off. And though both would never admit it, they hoped that somehow Uchiha Itachi's life would not end tomorrow.

"Sakura," Sasuke said and she turned his attention immediately to him. They stared at each other for a few minutes, recalling every moment that had just passed by. He nodded and smirked, then turned away. Sakura stood there, soaked to the very core. Although she was shaking, she felt very warm. And just like that, she had fallen for him again although frustration awoke inside her.

When she ruled the world, Sakura was very quick to be angry. It seemed she still was.

That night Sakura did not sleep.

She did not move. She did not think. Her skin was raw from the scrubbing she had done in the shower. She lay in bed, staring at that one spot in the ceiling that never seemed to change. She had healed herself right when she had entered her apartment, tears spilling every second of the way. It made her nervous when she thought about the real extent of Sasuke's power and was happy that she did not experience it first hand.

The whole night seemed surreal and now as she thought back on it, she wondered it if had even happened. She had planned that moment over and over, but it seemed that things don't always go the way one plans. Even now as she thought back to her encounter with Sasuke, she couldn't help but feel she wanted to go back. She wanted to go back and plead with him. She so desperately wanted to relive the moment only for her to beg him to come back.

The whole village seemed a lot lonelier that night and she was sure it would feel even emptier tomorrow night.

Sakura used to be happy. But that--that was when she ruled the world.

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