You guys have no idea how much your reviews mean to me. Thank you so much! And by now I'm sure you've realized that everything so far has been my interpretation of the manga, but from now on, I've changed things. But there still will be current spoilers!

I don't own Naruto.

Chapter dedicated to: JadedSiren who seems to be in competition with IDontNeedToReply for longest reviews. Lol. Thank you guys so much. Your kind words are what helped me with this chapter.

OOOOO

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Defense Mechanism

Chapter Four

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I go nowhere high; go nowhere warm, until you're by my side, your hand in mine.

And I've always known, you're like a feather; you go where wind and fire melt together…

-

There is an important decision to be made, and you are thankful it's not up to you.

Because if it was…you'd go after him.

But everyone already knows your opinion, so they don't ask.

"Mission status: Failure." From somewhere on your left, Yamato is speaking and you resist the urge to sigh. It still feels strange that Kakashi is not here. And you're almost uncomfortable with Yamato—as though he doesn't quite fit into Team 7.

And maybe he doesn't fit. But then again, he doesn't understand. He wasn't your teacher when you were twelve. He wasn't there to see everything that happened between the four of you, wasn't there for every failure and success.

Of course he doesn't understand. How could he?

Looking up from the ground, you see that Naruto staring hard at a point over your shoulder, a battle in his eyes. For him, you know that both choices are unacceptable. Abandon your best friend, or abandon your dreams.

…But there is another choice, harder than those.

And it's a choice that no one says out loud: Let him go. Not abandon, but trust that he will return.

But you know that putting your trust in someone who's betrayed you is a hard thing to do.

—but has he betrayed you? Has he ever done anything to you except tell you the truth that you didn't want to hear? Is that betrayal?

But if there is anyone who can trust him, it's the two of you. After all, you conscience is right…you never really gave up hope in the first place.

You don't know if Naruto saw the way Sasuke hesitated, but if he did, than Naruto should already know what to choose.

You both need time. Time to grieve, time to move on, time to grow.

Sasuke left because it was his time, and now it's yours.

"Naruto," you say firmly, no waver in your voice. His eyes snap to you, and you can see his eyes are slightly wet. You hold out your hand to him, a silent invitation, and he slowly walks forward. You grasp his hand and hold it firmly, ignoring the way he is shaking.

"Come on. Let's go home," you whisper as you look up at him.

"But Sakura-chan, we can't just—" He begins, but you don't let him finish.

"Not today, Naruto," you say, stronger than you actually feel, hoping you are making the correct choice. You do not break eye contact with him, as you wait for the pieces to fit together in his mind.

Today's not the day we chase him.

You shake your head slightly.

Not today.

Naruto looks at you like you're the strangest creature he's ever seen, his brows knitted together. But then he blinks, and the determinative look reappears. "Hm." He nods, and you know that you are thinking the same thing.

He is your best friend, and you are bonded. And for Sasuke, that means that there is no escape.

You don't let go of Naruto's hand as you begin to start the trek home.

-

If you had turned around, you would have seen the way Yamato was looking at the two of you. First, his face betrayed shock that you would chose to return to Konoha instead of chasing the missing-nin.

And then you would have seen Yamato's small smile as his head bent forward slightly, as though trying to hide his pride in the two of you.

It was that moment when he finally understood.

Team 7 had a bond that could never be broken.

-

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan," he says to you, his eyes sincere, as you approach the gates.

But you smile at him and shake your head slightly, your hands still connected.

"There's nothing to forgive."

And it's the truth.

XXXXX

It seems darker in Konoha than you remember, but you don't have to question why that is. Walking to Team 7's old training grounds, you stare off into the night, reveling in the quietness of the village.

Looking up, the stars are alight.

It seems strange to you that the darkness would give you hope, but it does. Perhaps because it reminds you of him—dark, but with qualities more beautiful than the sun. You smile wistfully, shocked that there are no tears in your eyes. You take a deep breath and wonder if he is looking up at the same sky as you.

Because if he is, he'd realize you are more connected than he chooses to believe.

Perhaps the breeze flowing through the trees is a sign, perhaps it is not, but you've always chosen to believe the best, so why stop now?

Don't give up, Sakura.

You knew that's what he wanted to say that night. He wasn't going to apologize for his actions—and you didn't want him to. But you knew that he needed you to have faith in him. Maybe that what keeps him sane—knowing that there are two people who believe in him.

And its nice knowing that at some level, he doesn't want to disappoint you.

A few yards away from you are the three stumps where Naruto was tied during the bell test. Smiling slightly, you walk over to them, remembering when Sasuke offered Naruto his lunch. You shake your head slightly, remembering that day three years ago; a day when you thought everything was fine.

Heaving a sigh, your head tilts as your eye catches a gleam of silver metal sitting atop the right stump.

The one that you had leaned against that day.

Eyes widening, you reach out and grab the metal object, your fingers clearing off the dirt and dust the object has accumulated.

It's a small silver key with an Uchiwa fan on it. You don't know what it's to, but it obviously Sasuke's, and he meant it to be yours.

You fingers wrap around it and you close your eyes, hoping wherever he is, he can hear you.

I won't give up, Sasuke.

XXXXX

Weeks pass, and the two of you find yourselves sitting at Ichiraku, trying very hard not to notice the lack of your third teammate. You've successfully been able to avoid the topic of him, but everything comes to the surface when Naruto snaps at a patron.

"What are you doing? You can't sit there!" Naruto is yelling at some poor man who tries to sit on the stool Sasuke usually occupies. Your head snaps forward, and you swallow in an effort to keep the tears at bay. It is a strange emotion you are feeling: a mixture of sadness that he's gone, and the heartbreak you feel that Naruto is so protective of a symbol. Because to him, Sasuke is there in memory. And it's one of the most heartbreaking things you've ever witnessed.

The man moves, not wanting to make an argument, and Naruto's head slowly returns to stare straight ahead, returning to gaze at something he has been looking at for the past ten minutes.

You look from your bowl of ramen to his profile, and you are not shocked to see his eyes glistening with unshed tears. Trying to swallow once more, your hand finds his shoulder.

"Eat, Naruto," you say softly because if you said it any louder, your voice would crack.

His head turns to look you dead in the eye, and you can no longer hold back the tears when you see how defeated he looks.

"Did we make the right decision, Sakura-chan?" He asks you, looking as though his life depends on your answer.

And even though it does, you answer him truthfully,

"Yes." And you nod slightly.

He blinks a few times, and studies you as though looking for conviction. Then his smile becomes wide, contradicting the tears in his eyes.

"Yes." He reaffirms, removing your hand from his shoulder to grasp it in his own.

He picks up his chopsticks and begins to eat, not letting go of your hand, which is now resting on his right thigh.

It is suddenly hard to speak when you realize just how much you need each other. Naruto asked you a question that his happiness very well depended on, and with your one word answer, he is satisfied.

And you pray—perhaps naively—that the two of you will always have each other.

"Yes, yes we did," he says again, and this time, he says it with confidence.

Your eyes flicker to the empty seat to his left, and you pick up your chopsticks, bringing the steaming noodles to your mouth.

One day, he will be sitting on the stool next to you.

And just like that, Naruto starts talking as though the previous ten minutes never happened.

XXXXX

You don't know what makes you do it, but a part of you needs to see. Perhaps if you see the way he lived, you can try to begin to understand him.

Removing the key from your pocket, you slip it into the lock of apartment number 18—the apartment Sasuke had inhibited everyday since the massacre of his family. The apartment was in a nice district of Konoha, and you figure its because the Uchihas were well off back then. And although it's morbid to think, Sasuke had probably inherited a lot of money being that he was the only (sane) survivor.

Pushing open the door, you don't like the cold feeling that meets you. You still don't know why Sasuke left you the key to his apartment, and you don't understand why he didn't just hand it to you, but then again, perhaps the confrontation would have been to much for him to handle.

You smile slightly, because for someone who claims to be unaffected by everything not involving Itachi, Sasuke really is quite emotional.

You step into his living room, keeping your eyes peeled for anything that Sasuke might want you to find. But everything seems to be in place: his living room has no furniture, and his kitchen is bare, save for a small white refrigerator.

That only leaves one more place: his bedroom.

Walking slowly to the room at the end of the hall, you push the white door open, ignoring the way it creaks. Sticking your hand in, you reach for a light switch and flick it. His electricity works for some reason, and you shrug it off to the fact that he can probably afford to pay his electricity bill for the next twenty lifetimes.

Scanning the white-walled room, your eyes pass over the bed in the corner that still had dark blue sheets on it.

Why did he never surrender his apartment?

As your eyes pass over his bare brown dresser, your gaze stops at an overturned picture frame. Something hits you hard in the chest, and you figure it is hope. Did Sasuke have a picture of Team 7? You don't know, but you find yourself walking forward.

But when you pick it up, your brow furrows when you realize that there is no picture in it. Why would he overturn an empty frame?

And then your eyes widen when you realize: whatever the picture was, Sasuke brought it with him.

And he wanted you to know.

It doesn't matter to you what the picture was of, because frankly, it could only be two things: a picture of Team 7 or his family.

It doesn't matter what it is, because to you it is another sign: there really is a part of Sasuke that has remained untainted.

And it is that piece that you must fight for with every fiber of your being.

OOOOO

Some of you have been talking about the ANGST! Lol, yes it will be angsty for a while, but stick with me and you will be rewarded.

NOTE: Sakura will hardly ever refer to Sasuke as Sasuke-kun! partly because I absolutely detest when she says that, and it makes her seem immature. It's for no other reason than that.

Until next time!