Sorry that this came out a little later than expected guys, I've been a little busy, but here you go, the monthly updates that I have promised. Enjoy the chapter and leave a review to tell me what you think!

"No." Sakura told Sasuke sternly.

"You can't tell me what to do Sakura," Sasuke said stubbornly, not eager for the scolding that was soon to come. Besides, couldn't she see he was doing this for her?

"Uchiha Sasuke, you will not do it. I'm warning you. Because I promise to God you will get yourself in so much trouble," Sakura said as she plopped back onto his bed. "Besides Sasuke, it isn't worth it. I'm not worth the trouble. Break up with her, do what you have to and what you want to. Don't worry about me and just do it."

Sasuke growled and knew that she meant every word she said. She'd much rather chop her own hands off than make things difficult for him or anyone else for that matter. She was being extremely difficult and Sasuke has just about given up on trying talking at all.

"Forget it Sakura," he said after concluding to himself that they were both tired and needed a good night's sleep before they could talk to each other without wanting to kill the other. "I'll ask for a meal to be delivered up here for you. You can go and freshen up if you want, I'll go ask someone to prepare some clothes for you for now," Sasuke said and then stalked off.

"Sasuke! Goddammit you stubborn duck-assed bastard, get back here!" Sakura shrieked to his back that disappeared all too soon. Dammit, she thought to herself. She knew that Sasuke was going to do what he said he would do, Sakura was all too sure about it. She told herself she had to do something and talk him out of doing it and just break up with the redhead without contemplating her wellbeing. She felt like the unknown in an equation, making what could have been a simple equation to a complicated and tedious problem that no one wanted to deal with.

She tried thinking of different ways of deterring the Uchiha as her thoughts led her back to his plans.

"What's wrong?" She asked the Uchiha, knowing that something was weighing on his mind.

He growled; something that he's been doing very frequently recently and Sakura was sure that it wasn't good for him. Although it did make him a lot more attractive, but Sakura wasn't going to say anything about that.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Frustrated didn't seem to cover how he felt about the day, it seemed as if he was having a hard time trying to grasp today's events and he didn't like that. If there was one thing Uchiha Sasuke extremely disliked, that would be the inability to grasp something. He liked things under control and most preferably, his control.

"I'm going to ask Karin to stop driving you into a corner," Sasuke said with finality and purpose. "And I'm going to make her stop no matter what, even if I have to bring my father into this mess to make her stop. And I know Karin's father; he'd do anything to make his only source of income stay."

Sasuke's father, a world renowned business man, was and is Konoha High's most generous donor and associate. The Uchiha Company pays generous amounts of money and support for anything the school so needs. They are also the school's supplier whenever Konoha High's in need of things like desks, tables, stationaries, etc. And as the school chairman and active PTA member (more like president), Karin's father would most likely do anything that would keep himself in the older Uchiha's good books. After all, it is expensive to take care of a school and pay for school electricity and water bills; he needed all the money he'd be able to leech off of from the Uchihas to keep himself and his family filthy rich.

"What?" Sakura said more than asked. "Sasuke, are you insane?" She asked with an incredulous look on her face.

"I'm not Sakura, and you know I will. You've been through too much of this shit to go through with it anymore," he said as he glared at the wall. "Because if no one is going to do anything about this, I will; I'll drag the police into this if I have to. Heck, get a restraining order for you if the need be. I don't care; all I do care about is that you're safe and Karin is nowhere near any of us." At this, his glare darkened and intensified. If looks could kill, anyone within his one mile sight radius would be better off dead.

Sakura quietened at this, carefully laying out what she would say next and all the possible conversations that would take place. She opted for the safest route.

"Sasuke," she slowly called out as she hoped that it came out as soft and reassuring. She needed to calm the dark haired teen down before she could do anything. His gaze seemed to soften a tad bit although it was still a deathly glare. She called out to him again, this time he turned to face her.

She took a deep breath the moment she was under his gaze, although it wasn't a glare, it was still a look that Sakura couldn't help but shudder under. His gaze was filled with many emotions, most of them being worry and anger, but there was something else underneath it that made Sakura just want to look and make sense of it and not give a damn about anything else. Under any other circumstance, she would have, but right now wasn't the time for anything except to stop him from doing what he was going to regret.

"Sasuke, listen to me." She said firmly, "You are going to regret doing anything you're thinking of doing, alright. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but please listen to me when I say I'll deal with Karin myself. I know it may seem impossible to you but I am capable of dealing with her and her gang of friends." She paused and looked at Sasuke, waiting for his reaction to what she just said.

Sasuke sighed and said, "Sakura, you can't tell me what to do. She's my supposed girlfriend," he spat, "even though all I want to do right now is just strangle her to the brink of death and drive a knife through her throat, this is still between us until she stops trying to put you through this shit you have to go through every day," Sasuke's tone left no room for argument even though Sakura was going to anyway.

"Sasuke," Sakura started out calmly, even though all she wanted to do was scream into his face for being an idiot and being extremely difficult. So she face palmed herself and dragged her hand down her face and then proceeded to put back on her lap, "Sasuke, look, I know you're just trying to look out for me but don't you think I'm capable of that enough?"

"No, Sakura, that's not what I'm implying-"

"Then let me handle Karin myself." She told him. "I'm tired of being treated like I'm this- this wounded dog that has to be sheltered from everything when I'm completely capable of taking care of myself." Sakura reprimanded him.

Sasuke went quiet. Not know what to tell the pink haired girl because what she said was entirely correct. He knew that she was entirely capable of doing what she set her mind and heart to. But Sasuke wasn't entirely sure that this implied when matters included Karin. He was almost positive that no matter what she'd do, it would be brushed off and taken as a joke. The teachers wouldn't do anything in fear of losing their jobs; the students would just brush her off and treat it as if it were another day. And Sasuke couldn't stand it, he couldn't stand another day of just standing by when Sakura had to deal with the shit that she had to put up with because no one was brave enough to take a stand against one idiot girl who had a little more leverage just because she had someone like the chairman to back her up; and if no one would take a stand, he would.

"Please Sakura," he said softly, trying to use the same tactic as she did to make her listen, "Let me deal with Karin, I'm not saying that you can't I'm just trying to make this easier for you. I don't want you of all people to have to go through another practically impossible task just so you can make a stand."

At that Sakura fumed, 'just so I can make a stand' he says; well now you've done it Uchiha.' "Uchiha Sasuke, I am not just making a stand as you so easily said it. I am trying to make a stand for myself and not look weak by letting you deal with my problem. And nothing is impossible as you so put it. I can deal with one stupid, over-her-head girl like Karin, you don't have to do my dirty work for me."

"Sakura, this isn't a stupid game where you can win just because you put your mind to it!" Sasuke exclaimed, a gesture that wasn't very Sasuke-like. But when anything concerned Sakura's wellbeing, nothing Sasuke-like would apply, he would be a very different when anything concerned Sakura. "And no one said you weren't strong, but this isn't a battle you can win by just being headstrong and stubborn, okay! Karin is a two headed snake that will go back on her word and you know it as much as I do that we can never trust her, and the only thing that she won't do is cross me or her father so I have a better chance of going up against her than anyone in the world so will you just please stop being stubborn and listen to me and let me deal with this?!"

By the end of the rant, Sasuke had to collect himself and catch his breath. This was the most he's ever said in a long while, and it took a lot out of him just too drop his normal façade of brooding and being cool to being hot-tempered and short fused. He never liked being like this as he preferred to keep his own emotions in check but whenever Sakura was in the picture she always came first, not because he did it out of responsibility but out of the need to protect and shield her from her own dangers, because he just cared so much for this pink haired girl that he called his sister and best friend. He couldn't stand to see her in any pain or discomfort and in a heartbeat he would go the extra mile for her even if she didn't need it.

Sakura on the other hand was stunned speechless. Although she has seen Sasuke speak a lot more in her presence and be even more temperamental when anything had anything to do with her, but she had never seen him do both at the same time. It was a rare that he even speak so much even when he lost his temper, but this was just challenging fate. Sakura knew now, how much he meant when he said he would get Karin out of the picture for her, but she didn't want or need him to protect her from one stupid girl that couldn't put one and one together when she was perfectly capable of protecting herself from her. Although it didn't sit well with her that he spoke so much in such a short amount of time, she still didn't want to relent to his request of helping her. She would take care of Karin herself even if it killed her.

"Please Sakura, I know that it doesn't seem like it but I'm doing this for your own good Sakura… please," although Sasuke wasn't exactly happy that it sounded like he was pleading, he would do it many more times if it meant that he could keep Sakura out of the trouble that was for sure about to happen.

Dumbstruck didn't really suit Sakura's current feeling right now because Uchiha Sasuke did not just plead. Especially not to her of all people. No, this is just a dream and I will wake up on the floor of that cold tiled bathroom. Sakura told herself and shut her eyes, unwilling to believe that this was really happening and that this had all just been a dream. But when she opened her eyes, all she saw was the Uchiha standing in her view, staring at her with eyes so sincere that it almost broke her heart to say,

"No."

Yea, I dragged these few chapters out a little too much, but this is all needed for the later chapters (well I hope so). Anyway, please forgive the typos, errors and etc, but I need to put something on the table don't I? Also, a little (really) cliched this chapter, but I just wholeheartedly hope that this chapter didn't turn uot too crappy! Hope you enjoyed and leave a review!