Author's Note: It feels like it's been forever since I last updated even though it's only been like a month. Anyway, marching season is pretty much over now since we've done all of our scheduled competitions and there are no more after school practices so I can have more time to write and edit. I wanted to finish writing and editing this chapter Friday night but I had a game and I was really tired when I got home so that's why I'm updating on a Sunday. I had trouble writing this chapter because it's one of those important ones and I felt like it had to be absolutely perfect. That being said, I hope it doesn't feel rushed or anything like that. Enjoy!

"... Hold him down!..."

"... He's going in and out of consciousness!..."

A scream of pain.

"... I said hold him down!..."

"..."

"... Sasuke... he's... okay..."

Those were the only things Sasuke remembered when he slowly regained consciousness. He had been poisoned while pursuing Kenshi, he recalled. The sound of rushing water filled his ears when he lifted his eyes open, his head turned to the side. There was a small waterfall and a stream about ten feet away. The area was dimly lit and the ground where one of his hands rested was cold. He was in a cave, but sunlight hit the wall he faced. The Uchiha's other hand lay on top of his bare chest, covered by many layers of blankets. His shirt, headband, and weapons were off to the side. It was then that he noticed something slimy and sticky on his stomach. Sasuke turned his head forward and threw back the blankets. The only thing preventing him from shouting out of surprise was the pain in his body.

A large slug slid off of his naked torso. "Oh, you're awake."

Sasuke calmed down as he realized the slug was Sakura's summoning. The Uchiha relaxed and laid his head back down. "Uh... Katsuyu, is it?"

"Yes," she said while slithering up beside him so he could see her. "Sakura summoned me during the night after she took the poison out of your system. I split into multiple bodies in order to take care of everyone."

A grave look settled on Sasuke's face. "Where is Sakura?"

Katsuyu nodded towards his other side. Sasuke immediately twisted his head around to find the pink-haired medic lying close to him. He wasn't sure if the Haruno was asleep or unconscious. Another slug slid out from behind the woman's body. Sasuke saw that all of their comrades were outside the large cave, discussing something as a group.

"We've been healing you two ever since we were summoned. The others have been taken care of," the second Katsuyu explained.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in acknowledgement. He stared at Sakura's still form in silence. A sorrowful expression grew on his facial features when something else came to mind.

Kurushimi's threat was something he still had yet to consider. The two choices he had were to give himself up and his comrades would be safe, or they could take a stand together. The problem with the latter was that they were recovering and would be put up against countless shinobi. To add to that, Kurushimi said there were a lot of other ninjas in his army like the one Sakura faced, elites. No matter which option Sasuke chose, it'd only lead to heartache and pain, both for him and his comrades. Sasuke would much rather stand and fight, but there was no possible way they could win in this state. That meant his only alternative was to willingly give himself up.

A wide frown settled on the Uchiha's lips. It was over... He'd lost...

"Sakura..."

Sasuke had to do it. There was no other way. He was going to give himself up. Now that he'd made one decision, there's still another to make... Should he tell Sakura how he really felt? If he did, then they would both suffer after he gave himself up. If he didn't, he'd regret it and both of them would still suffer. He stopped pondering on that subject and went back to the earlier one. Did he even have to go at all?

Sasuke took both of his calloused hands and rubbed them over his face. He had no clue what he should do. The Uchiha twisted his head to the side once more so he faced Sakura. "I promised I wouldn't leave you again..." That thought weighed on his mind the most. Did he have to break that promise? "Why did this have to happen? No matter what I do, it always seems like something bad is bound to occur..." He felt like his journey for redemption would all be a waste if he was killed now. What real choice did he have though? Kurushimi would definitely, without a doubt, murder him if he gave himself up. If they were to stand and fight, there was an extremely high chance of him and his comrades perishing. The Uchiha couldn't stand the thought of everyone losing to Kurushimi. That's when it hit him...

Sasuke's lips seperated slightly and his eyes widened. "If I choose to hand myself over, then they'll be safe... But... We'll still have a chance... Kurushimi said he won't harm any of them if I do this. He needs to be stopped though, no matter what the cost. They can go back to the village and get help. That means..." He swallowed. "I'll have to sacrifice myself in the process." The Uchiha didn't pay too much attention to the "sacrificial piece" part, but all of this had a gigantic dilemma in the middle. What should he do about Sakura?

Parts of his comrades' heated debate drifted to his ears. Sasuke did his best to catch as much of it as he could.

"... e can't... keep... ightin... ke this!"

"... we nee... a... terattack!"

A wide frown grew on Sasuke's lips. His friends had clearly been driven close to their breaking points. What if all of this had been meaningless, without a point? Another thought crossed his mind once more. If he were to give up, then what had his redemption journey been for? Sasuke shut out those conflicts, forcing them to stay at the back of his troubled mind. His eyes averted from the cave's ceiling and landed on Sakura's face again. He slowly made his stiff joints move so he could rest on his side. The Uchiha lifted one of his hands and extended his arm far enough so that he could rest it on her cheek. "I don't want to leave you..."

"Kenshi," came a call from behind.

The master swordsman grunted in annoyance and twisted his head to the side so he could see over his shoulder. "What is it now Kurushimi?"

The man's face contorted to show an expression of irritation mixed with something vague, almost like distrust. He quickly changed it so Kenshi wouldn't see because it would only lead to an unnecessary argument. He sighed heavily and cleared his throat. "I was going to say that I need you to complete another task."

Kenshi fully turned so he faced the male with strange eyes. "Another task?"

Kurushimi gave a small nod of confirmation before elaborating. "I need you to be the one who brings Sasuke here. In the vision of myself he saw thanks to the poison, I explained how he would be granted entry into the caves. There will be only a single path to follow until he arrives at a certain point. I want you to wait at the spot and lead him to me."

He narrowed his eyes. "How do you know he'll actually come, huh?"

The man snorted in amusement. "Does he really have much of a choice?"

A deadly silence filled the air after that, Kenshi staring at the ground in front of him with entirely blank, emotionless features. No matter how hard Kurushimi pondered on the subject, he couldn't tell what his friend was thinking. What had caused all these sudden personality changes in his best friend?

Sakura didn't get it. Ever since she had woken up, Sasuke clung to her side, literally... He'd grab her by the arm wherever they went around the campsite, tightly gripping her hand but not enough to hurt. At first, the medic thought it was only because of how worn out she'd been from their previous encounters with the enemy and the countless healing sessions. After she eventually felt well enough to walk on her own, he still refused to leave her side. Sakura had seen him act somewhat like this before, but there was something different about the Uchiha this time...

Sasuke gave Sakura's hand a light squeeze when he noticed her zoned out look. She turned her head to see a concerned expression cross his features. "Something bothering you?"

She smiled. "I'm fine, just a bit tired still."

He ran his fingers through his dark locks and decreased the pressure on their entwined hands. "Sakura, I..."

The Haruno stared at him while waiting for the man to continue, her eyes slightly narrowed. She decided to voice what was on her mind. "Sasuke, I think the real question is, what's bothering YOU?"

The look he gave her sent a shiver down Sakura's spin. It was like all of his other emotionless, stoic expressions, but she could tell there was much, much more behind his "mask"...

He swallowed and spoke again. "I..." A long, quiet, drawn out sigh of frustration escaped his lips. "I..."

She grinned. "Is it what you were trying to tell me a long time ago? I told you to wait until you were ready to say it."

The Uchiha froze, not knowing what else to do except frown. "Sort of, but not exactly."

"Don't force yourself to do something you're not ready for," she said softly.

The sound of rushing water hit their ears and they watched the small waterfall silently. Sasuke's frown grew wider. "What do I do? Sakura, I don't want to leave you, but... I don't think I have a choice..." Sasuke put his hands together under his nose as they continued to stare at the waterfall. He had been weighing his options since the moment he'd woken up and he was still currently trying to come to a final conclusion on the subject.

Kenshi stared at the ceiling noiselessly, his arms crossed behind his head and his lips set into a small frown. He shifted his legs on the bed and let out a huff of annoyance. The caves were always so freaking cold and his sleeveless top did not help the situation very much. Earlier in the day he'd been studying some of the army members as they trained. Eventually he got bored of seeing the elites beat the crap out of the weaklings. "Hmph! That's all they ever do is train. Ever since Kurushimi convinced them to work under him they've been this way. Whatever... some of them will always be pathetic fools no matter which way you think about it."

The sound of footsteps echoed through the halls outside his room. His ears twitched at the sudden sound.

"I can't wait until it's our turn to get some action!" someone shouted eagerly.

A laugh. "I know right! Pft, I heard the other groups that got sent out blew it and got themselves killed. We'll show the enemy what real shinobi are once we get our hands on them."

Kenshi smirked in amusement and shook his head. "Idiots," he muttered under his breath. The master swordsman vaguely recognized both their voices. He'd heard them talking about the exact same thing while he surveyed the army's training. They were a couple of the "weaker ones" as he liked to call them frequently.

The next few minutes passed and more voices found their way to his ears, over and over. Normally, Kenshi would complain about it and wonder why he didn't get a room change. The army members did not have their own living space. All they had were some blankets and pillows where they slept a few feet away from each other in the one of the larger parts of the hideout. Kurushimi never offered them food or water. The shinobi had to venture out into a nearby village and steal it for themselves. In here, it was hardly ever about teamwork or trust. Of course, people made alliances or truces with each other. Others were blood relatives and usually stuck together. Nonetheless, there was always a chance that fighting among the group or family could brew, leading to the alliance being broken or brothers and sisters to give each other the silent treatment. Nearly every day, Kenshi could spot at least one group that had been formed or split.

Kenshi yawned and sat up to stretch prior to lying down on his back once more. He knew later on in the day he would have to meet up with Sasuke to take him into the main part of the hideout, that is, if the Uchiha came. The scarred male thought back to Kurushimi's words in one of their previous encounters.

"Does he really have much of a choice?"

He narrowed his eyes at the ceiling above him. "Kurushimi is hiding something... from all of us..." The man had been suspecting such things for quite some time now, but this was the moment where it'd become as clear as day to him. "It's impossible to figure out right now. I can't put my finger on it. Hm..." Kenshi frowned in deep thought, appearing outwardly troubled. "This always crosses my mind nowadays... Is what we're doing worth it?"

Failure. It was one of the things that Sasuke Uchiha hated the most. Throughout the day he received concerned and curious looks from his comrades repeatedly. To his satisfaction, they did not outwardly question or confront him. He needed time to think, and a lot of it. Willingly handing himself over to Kurushimi meant failing. He would not only be failing the mission, but all of his other goals as well. His clan would not be revived and the Uchiha would be extinct, his redemption journey wouldn't have an ending he had hoped for, and a handful of other things to add. Sasuke was going to leave all of his friends and comrades behind if he did this.

The wind ruffled his hair lightly, causing him to open his tired onyx orbs. The last Uchiha stood in the middle of a small clearing watching the sun begin to set. Sasuke spent most of his spare time that day with Sakura, trying to work up the courage to do... something. He constantly failed to do so, not wanting to imagine the crushed look on her face after he left.

It had come down to this. He only had a few hours left until everyone would attempt to get some rest. Sasuke was going to take care of whoever was on guard duty first shift, perhaps putting them in a genjutsu. Maybe he would even apply one to the rest of them. The last Uchiha concluded not to since the cave would only be open until he walked through the special entrance, or at least he hoped that was the case.

Sasuke Uchiha stood in the middle of that small clearing for even more hours thinking of his options. He needed to be alone in that amount of time, otherwise his thoughts would get mixed up. He was going to leave very soon. The sun was no where in sight and his comrades would head in for the night shortly. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I should stay away from Sakura. There's no need to make this more difficult than it needs to be." A wide frown grew to rest on his lips. "I guess this is... goodbye..."

"Sasuke?"

He twisted his head to the side at the sudden interruption. "Hn, you should be resting back at camp."

"I wanted to check on you first," Sakura replied. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," he lied emotionlessly. A mixture of feelings surged through his entire body. Of course something he didn't want to happen ended up happening. It was like the universe itself was begging him not to leave. He knew that he had no other option on the matter and attempted to control himself. "Just... don't worry about me."

Sakura smiled. "That's never going to happen and you know it. I love you too much." The Haruno turned a light shade of red at her last few words. She hadn't meant to say it out loud.

A pang of sorrow slammed into Sasuke's chest. He frowned and stared at his teammate with the feeling visible in his onyx orbs. It was too late to confess. He couldn't do that to her now, not when he was about to leave again, probably for good this time. The Uchiha knew there was no point in trying to hide the emotions seen in his eyes because he just couldn't help it. He had to say goodbye, even if it wasn't direct.

"S-Sasuke?"

He continued to gaze at her with a mysterious look in his eyes. The last of his clan shuffled forward an inch so that their bodies nearly touched. "Sakura, thank you for being my friend and never giving up on me." Before she could respond, the medic felt two fingers gently press against her forehead. "Hn," he smirked at the red coloring in her cheeks. "Always annoying."

Sakura forced a timid smile onto her lips. "Yeah, I know. And you're still a jerk."

His smirk grew wider as he removed his fingers. They stared at each other for what could have been seconds, minutes, even hours it seemed... Finally, Sasuke began to lean forward. Sakura was frozen in place at his action. His hand moved slowly up her arm and the kunoichi's heart started to thump wildly. Just when the Uchiha was only an inch or so away from her, he switched directions and pulled her into a hug instead of going forth with his original intentions. "S-Sakura, thank you again."

The medic wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

Sasuke heard the crickets chirping into the quiet night. He carefully and noiselessly got out of his position lying on the grass. He took a deep breath and grabbed his belongings that had been set next to him. This was it. Time to leave, for good... The Uchiha glanced in the direction of the person on guard duty. "Naruto..." He knew that he had to do something in order to stop his best friend from coming after him. "First, I need to take care of him. Then, I'll place a genjutsu on the rest. Naruto will have to go down quietly though." The troubled male started to make his way to the Uzumaki.

"Ugh... so tired... I have to... have to stay awake and... and take out the bad guys..." came Naruto's exhausted words from a short distance away.

Sasuke smirked in amusement. "Idiot. You're always trying to be the hero." In truth, the Uchiha was somewhat relieved. Naruto's awareness was lower because of his stubbornness which meant that this would be easier for Sasuke. Not that he thought he'd lose in a real battle with his best friend, but things would be a whole lot easier right now if he left quickly and noiselessly.

The Uzumaki came into view, attempting to keep his drooping lids open.

"Dobe," Sasuke called a few feet away from the whiskered male.

"Wh-What?" Naruto questioned while rubbing his blue eyes. "Oh, it's you. What do you want? I'm busy keeping you guys safe!"

"And you're doing a great job of it," Sasuke commented sarcastically in his head. "Well you'd be doing better if you help me take care of a problem."

"Huh? What're you talking about?"

Sasuke pointed behind them towards the campsite and stepped closer to Naruto. "I'm pretty sure there are enemies approaching from behind. I don't want to wake anyone else up. We can handle them by ourselves. It's only a small pack."

The Uzumaki hopped to a crouching position and scoped out the area. "I don't need your help. I can do this by myself. Where are they coming from?" he finished drowsily.

Sasuke pointed once more. "There."

"I don't see anything."

"Look harder!" Sasuke whispered, sounding annoyed.

He inched forward a bit and tried to focus his tired eyes on the place his best friend indicated. "Are you sure th-UMPH!" The Uzumaki fell flat on his back, holding his now bloody nose. "WHA-!"

Sasuke jumped on top of the male and put a hand around his teammate's throat. "Naruto, when your consciousness returns get out of here and take everyone else with you. The enemy won't be a problem after tonight."

"What are you- ACK- doing?!" he was able to croak out.

"Saving all of you," Sasuke answered before delivering the knockout blow. His friend's body went limp against the ground and the Uchiha released his grip on Naruto's throat. Sasuke sighed and dusted his hands off. He surveyed the campsite to make sure no one's slumber had been disturbed and to his satisfaction, all was still. The male prepared to cast a genjutsu onto his comrades, one that would definitely give him time to get to his destination without disturbance. Right when everything would be set, the last of his clan stopped. His mismatched eyes landed on a certain pink-haired medic. He only allowed himself to take a few seconds to study her sleeping form before he snapped himself out of the trance and longing feelings. Sasuke put his hands together in a seal and placed the genjutsu onto his comrades, trying to keep any emotions from flaring up inside his chest.

The conflicted Uchiha stood in place for a minute after, taking a moment to compose himself. It was then that the male turned and never, not once, looked back. It would only bring unwanted pain into his heart.

Sasuke heard the last of the opening slam shut behind him. He'd immediately traveled through the cave hole and continued on at a brisk pace, wanting to put as much distance in between him and his sleeping comrades as possible. After the Uchiha was a hundred yards or so away from where the opening had been, he stopped and surveyed the area around him. "No crystals," he observed quietly. The dark-haired male put his bandana around his head and activated the Sharingan, or tried. "Ack!" he grunted out as pain shot through his mismatched orbs. "I can't use my eyes again, just like before. He's doing this. It's all just a cruel game to you, isn't it, Kurushimi?" A string of curses escaped his lips. "Fine, have it your way," he muttered angrily while stomping along the wide path.

An hour later, the path ended. Sasuke stared at the cave wall in front of him, confusion written all over his features. He looked everywhere in front of him, trying to find another opening. Nothing. Suddenly, the damp rock he was facing seperated and made a hole big enough for him to walk through, just like the "door" he came through to get in the caves. He scowled and wondered, "Are you watching me?" The Uchiha found no answer to this question and had no way to figure it out at the moment. His frown deepened and he stepped into the new hole. What he saw made his lips seperate slightly. He had walked into a very large area, one like he'd seen on his first journey into the hideout with his comrades. Pillars were left and right all around, small holes in the high ceiling letting moonlight in, rocks jutting out of the walls, moss growing on quite a few of them. Sasuke even heard the sound of water trickling across a few of the rocks. To him, if the situation was under different circumstances, it almost seemed like a peaceful, beautiful place.

He sighed and trudged on, trying to ignore most of his surroundings. His efforts proved to be futile as his attention latched on to a particularly large spot of dim light in the middle of the cave. Once he reached it, the Uchiha looked up with a puzzled expression. The moon's light came out of an open chunk of the ceiling, illuminating the spot he stood on. It made his thoughts travel, that light... "No, I have to keep going," he commanded himself silently. With that, he reluctantly forced his feet to move forward once more. He kept repeating the words "Don't think about anything else but this mission" in his mind. The Uchiha hated every bit of this, especially that his eyes were useless at the moment.

Crack.

It was a very faint sound, one that Sasuke strained his ears to hear. He halted and pivoted on his heel, flinging a kunai in the process.

Clang!

The kunai was deflected and hit the ground with a thud. The cave filled with silence, Sasuke and the other person staring at each other soundlessly. He couldn't see the other very well because of where he stood. "I don't feel like fighting right now, so why don't you come where I can see you and tell me what you want."

The figure took a shy step forward. Another and another, until they were in the dim moonlight.

Sasuke's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock. The surprise he felt was more because he hadn't detected the person rather than who it was. "What are you doing here?" he asked quietly.

"I knew something was up..."

His frown returned. "Sakura, how did you-?"

"Like I said," she interrupted, "I knew something was wrong. You never caught the real me in your genjutsu."

"You shouldn't be here," he spoke in a low monotone.

Her voice came out as a harsh whisper. "Why? What are you doing?" He narrowed his eyes, and in that look, she knew exactly what the Uchiha's plan was. "Sasuke, you don't need to do this to protect us. We can fight together. We can win."

"No, you almost got killed yesterday. I'm not going to risk that again. If we continue to fight, we'll all get killed eventually. It's better this way. Kurushimi said he'd leave everyone else alone if I give myself up. None of you will have to suffer for my wrongdoings anymore. Leave Sakura."

"No!" she shouted, taking another step towards him. Sasuke saw that she was about to cry. "I know I can't stop you physically, but... Sasuke... please don't go. You promised that you wouldn't do anything stupid."

"This isn't stupid," he responded with traces of anger in his voice. All he wanted now was for the Haruno to leave. It would make this a million times easier. "I'm trying to save you, let you live. My life has no worth anyway. The only thing I can do is destroy and cause pain."

Sakura shook her head as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "That's not true and you know it. Sasuke, your life has just as much value as everyone else's. And... without you... I won't be happy... No matter what you do or say... I love you..."

Sasuke averted his eyes from her, not knowing what else to do or say. Feelings he'd been trying to shut away, to put under lock and key, seemed to be prying at the chains, attempting to break free of their confinements. He heard her take a few hesitant steps forward so that she was out of the spot of dim light. "Leave," he repeated. "I have no choice in doing this." Sasuke knew he probably needed to take action soon, but he wanted to try and talk her out of it, even though he knew it wouldn't work.

"Sasuke-" She stopped when he looked up at her, onyx and purple meeting emerald.

Sasuke smirked for a moment. "Hn..." His lips settled into a small frown. "There's so much I still wanted you to know, but... I can't now. I waited too long..." He recalled many of his comrades' words saying not to put it off. Of course, Sasuke was too stubborn to listen to them. All of his hidden emotions burst out of their cage at once. It was then that Sasuke truly realized this might be the last time he'd see her in this world, and pangs of sorrow mixed with regret surged through his body. He needed to leave now, but not without making sure she knew first.

Sakura stared at the Uchiha with confusion and worry. She hoped her confession had been enough to stop him and she saw that he was visibly shaken by it. However, she also knew that his intentions were fully set on leaving. Nonetheless, she could see something else there, something that wasn't normal for the usually stoic male. Sakura gasped when he disappeared. The medic surveyed the area around her for any sign of the dark-haired male, afraid that he was gone for good and she'd failed. A light breeze hit her and the man reappeared only a foot or so in front of the kunoichi. Their eyes met again for the millionth time that day, but there was more meaning in it than ever this time.

"Before I go, there is something that I need you to know," Sasuke said while slowly raising his right arm. She remained unmoving as he placed his calloused hand on her tear stained cheek. He moved closer so that they could feel each other's warm breath hit their faces. "But, I'm really bad with words." With this, he closed his eyes and leaned forward to gently press his lips against hers.

Sakura was definitely surprised by the Uchiha's words and actions. Everyone told her that he felt this way and she even suspected it herself sometimes, but it was actually happening now and it was difficult for her to comprehend the fact that he was kissing her, for real this time. Sakura finally closed her eyes and slowly moved her arms up Sasuke's chest and around his neck. Sasuke removed his hand from her cheek and instead used it to pull her closer, deepening their kiss. In that moment, it was just them. The rest of the world didn't matter, Sakura wasn't trying to stop him, and Sasuke wasn't leaving. All they were focused on in that instant was each other. They broke for air and Sasuke tilted his head to the side, this time crushing his lips against hers in a more heated kiss. He was making absolutely sure she knew how he felt. It was the first and most likely the very last time he would kiss her.

After what seemed like forever, Sasuke pulled his lips away from hers. He rested his forehead on Sakura's, both silent and breathing heavily. She let her hands travel from his neck to the sides of his face, still trying to take in what just happened. "W-When did you...?"

No response. He carefully gripped her wrists and placed her hands down by her sides. Then, he let go. The only contact they had was with their foreheads which were lightly pressed together.

Sakura was reluctant to open her eyes, knowing what he was thinking. "Sasuke, don't..."

"Sakura, you need to get out of here and go back with the others."

She couldn't resist the growing urge to open her emerald orbs. As soon as she lifted her lids, a swirling red eye came into view. "Don't..."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

The last thing she saw before everything went black was a single tear roll down the side of his face.

Author's Note: The feels... I will try to write the next chapter as soon as I can. I pretty much covered everything else in my first author's note. Thanks for the support! Hope you enjoyed! Please review!