Sasuke collapsed, panting.

"Look at you, weakling," Orochimaru snarled. "You can't even kill the amount you killed yesterday! Surely the training isn't taking a toll on you! You tire much too quickly. Even Haruno, with her awful endurance, held out longer! In fact, these soldiers should be weak—she had to heal them! You'll never kill Itachi this way. It's more likely that Haruno will find him first!"

Sasuke swept an anguished glare his mentor's way. How dare he insinuate that he was worse than some girl. And he had killed more than yesterday. He'd counted. Why wasn't Orochimaru pleased? Not that Sasuke cared about Orochimaru's pleasure. But surely he could not be expected to go too far beyond his limits—

"Get up, swine."

That was it. That was the final straw. Sharingan whirling, Sasuke turned on Orochimaru, launching a vicious frontal attack with only kunai. How dare he insult the last Uchiha—how dare he! Sasuke didn't like the snake's change in attitude, ever since the girl had arrived. Orochimaru flickered and dodged the kunai immediately. Sasuke charged at him openly, his mind focused on one thought: kill. Kill. Kill. He drew back a fist—

Only to have it caught and squeezed to the point of breaking.

"If that's the best you could do against Itachi," Orochimaru's silky voice hissed, penetrating his skull, everywhere around him, "You're…too…weak, Sasuke." He released Sasuke's hand, letting the boy fall to the ground. "Your training will continue at this same time tomorrow." He left Sasuke lying there, clutching his hand, gritting his teeth and fighting back tears that he knew he couldn't cry.

"Sasuke, I've left your lunch in front of your door, when you care to go back in. Should I bring it out?"

…

"Okay. I'll be right back."

"Here's the food, Uchiha-san. Try to eat it eventually."

…

Uchiha-san?

"It's dinnertime. Here's your food. Eat it quickly so you don't attract any animals."

Sasuke awoke to realize that he was inside. The cold air was no longer slapping him in the face. There was noise other than the whistling wind, outside his door.

"Sasuke-kun missed his training today, so you may, if you wish, have another session."

"Thank you. He seemed a little ill when I last saw him."

"Kabuto performed an examination. It is exhaustion, nothing more. Now, will you come?"

"Yes."

Sasuke closed his eyes and slept once more.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun. I see you have decided to start training again."

…

"You did miss yesterday, you know."

…

"In fact, your friend was able to have a double—"

"Shut the fuck up and train me, you bastard."

Knock. Knock.

"I've left your dinner by your door."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Silence.

"Aah! Aah! No, I hate you, leave me alone! Leave me alone, I'm done, I don't want to--"

Heavy pants, gasps. "Kabuto, she's delirious. Sedate her, for the love of Kami."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." Thump.

"Now we will see if she will survive. If she does... perhaps she will be fit for real training."

"Do you think it was wise to give this to her so soon?"

BANG. CRASH.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun--"

"What did you do to her?!"

"Sa--"

"You've hurt her!"

"Sasuke--"

"She's--"

"SASUKE! She is merely receiving the curse seal. In fact, we were just about to ask you to watch her, since we have work, and--"

Grab. Slam.

"Well, that seemed to work."

Laugh. "Uchihas. The possessive bastards."

Sasuke dabbed at Sakura's abnormally large forehead with a cold cloth. She was shivering wildly at the moment, only whites showing through her almost closed eyes. Sasuke knew that he should have left her to suffer. That was the best way to receive a curse seal: endure the most pain in your life ever, and come out stronger from it. But something feral in him had acted on its own. He remembered when she had been attacked by Gaara. He knew then that he could never watch another friend be hurt.

She's not my friend.

Yeah, right.

She's not. I'm not allowed to have friends.

Pfft. As if--

I have no feelings other than hate.

Really? It doesn't seem like this is helping you kill Itachi.

Sakura murmured barely audibly, "Sasuke..."

Slam. Sakura was coldly shoved out into the hall and left twitching and writhing on the floor in pain, unable to scream because of the sedative.

Five days later, Sasuke was coming back from training and noticed that Sakura was coming the opposite way, in full Sound attire-- an outfit much like his own, but green, with a Sound headband holding back her hair, which was also in a ponytail. Sasuke didn't miss the new mark on her neck. They slowly walked toward each other. Sakura's gaze was focused straight ahead.

When they passed each other, there was a sudden chill in the air. Both stopped in unison, still facing opposite ways.

"Lunch is in two hours, should you care to join us, Uchiha-san," Sakura said stiffly.

"..."

Sakura started to walk again.

"Sakura."

She stopped. Waited. But Sasuke had nothing to say, so she started walking away again. Sasuke stood until he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore, which, in the echoy halls of Orochimaru's base, was quite a long while.

AN: Yeah. Sakura's not gonna be wildly in love with Sasuke either. At least not as much as she was before. At least not in the same way. Interpret Sasuke's actions however you want.

On a side note, this takes place before the meeting in Shippuden, just a few months after Sasuke joins Orochimaru. Therefore, he's not yet evolved into his totally emotionless self. Sakura seems to be halting his growth. And in case it's not clear, Sasuke stayed out there on the ground, curled up like that, while the middle conversations happened. He only goes back to his cell when he realizes he's inside.

Short chapter. Sorry. I have a lot of ideas, and it's difficult choosing which to use. Now, if all of you lovely people who put this on fav story and story alert, which I am very grateful for, could leave a review or two as to what you want to see, that would be awesome! :)

By the way, whenever there's a separator bar, it implies that there was a change in time.

Next chappy may be from Sakura's P.O.V!