Third-to-last chapter, guys!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!?! Okay, I've had my moment. …I can not believe what I'm about to do to you all… and it's all because of Framing Hanley. Blame them. And Breaking Benjamin.

Disclaimer: Steal this plot, and I will hunt you down, and I will KILL you. But Naruto doesn't belong to me.

Dedication: To Music 1s my s0ul, because she knows why I'm so unhappy. Sorry for bitching at you, girlie! I still love you!

---

It was dark, when we left.

I'd seen Anko and Kakashi, and they both seemed… better. So much better. Of course, the only time Kakashi actually let go of Anko was when she forced him to let her go, and she glomped Sasuke again, and then she glomped me (and broke every single one of my ribs, I think), and then the both of us had to sit through one of her Lectures.

That part was boring. But I'm used to Anko's touchy-feely-ness, so it doesn't really bother me anymore.

My ribs hurt, though.

And then Sasuke and I quietly slipped upstairs, while Anko made dinner, and, for the first time ever, Kakashi gave Sasuke his best I-am-her-father-touch-her-and-die-fear-me glare. I think that's not only the first time he'd ever used it, not just on Sasuke, but in his entire life.

When Sasuke and I were alone, afterwards, after dinner, when Kakashi and Anko had gone out, I howled with laughter, because, really, it was about damn time! He just growled, and shoved his hands in his pockets (a true feat, considering how tight his pants were… …Drool), and then he scowled at the floor.

I had an urge to pull an Anko, and throw myself at him. Part of me (a small, but very loud part) wanted to squash it into the ground, and stomp on it. The other part of me (the large, also very loud part) wanted me to give into said urge.

I went with the majority, and jumped on him.

He turned red, but he still managed to catch me. I'll never figure out how he managed it though, because one second, his hands were in his pockets, and then the next, they were around my waist.

I still made him topple over, and the two of us hit my bed with a soft thump.

What surprised me was how close Sasuke had pulled me, to keep me from hitting anything that might hurt me. My nose was pressed into his chest, and when I breathed, I got a nose-ful of the signature scent that was Sasuke. There was Axe, spicy soap, and then something that was just Sasuke.

So… yummy… I nearly died, he smelled so good.

He kissed the top of my head very gently, his lips pressing against my bubble-gum-coloured (haven I mentioned how much I hate that description?) hair and I tilted my head up, and blinked at him.

"Hi."

"Hiya."

We just looked at each other for a minute, his eyes so dark and dangerous like-a-wild-animal-so-very-very-untamed, and then I remembered something.

"Sasuke, what were you and Kaeleo talking about? Just after you'd woken up, and he was being all Kaeleo-ish?" In my mind, 'Kaeleo' had become synonymous with 'asshole'.

He blinked at me, almost sheepishly, and I knew he was going to lie to me. I didn't know how I knew it, but I did. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

I glared at him. "If it's nothing I need to worry about, then you can tell me, can't you?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?!"

"It's nothing, Sakura." The harshness in his voice wasn't something I was used to, and I pulled away from him, slightly shocked. And slightly hurt, to tell the truth.

The hurt intensified when he said "It's better if you don't know."

I closed my eyes, and pulled farther away from him. Obviously, I wasn't someone he wanted to tell his problems. Obviously, I wasn't very important at all. I let out a bitter chuckle, as I remembered a few more of his choice words, always the ones that hurt me the most.

"You still don't want anything to do with me, huh? You'll kiss me, but you won't even look me in the eye." I threw them back in his face, the hurt raging in my chest.

He looked taken aback. "No, Sakura, that's not what I-"

I cut him off. "Yes, that is what you meant."

And then I pulled off of him completely, and forced myself to leave the room. My heart was pounding in my chest, full of something like grief, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. How had that argument gotten so out of control so fast?

I slipped into the bathroom, and I locked the door. I curled up into the corner, and wrapped my arms around my knees, pulling them to my chest. Heavy sobs wracked my body, but I forced myself not to make a sound.

It took me a full half-hour to calm down.

I pushed the door open, or at least I tried. There was something pressed against the door from the outside that was stopping me from getting out.

So I forced it.

Really, what did you expect me to do? I don't like the feeling of being trapped, to be honest. It's kind of scary.

But there was Sasuke, standing in front of me, and I wanted to kick him so badly, it physically hurt. How can he have this on me, this constant hold on my emotions? It's so unfair…

"Sakura?" Sasuke's voice came, and I was shocked to hear how depressed it sounded. But I reminded myself that I'd been crying for the past half-hour, and that it was his fault.

"Move, Sasuke, I need to go pack."

"Not until you listen."

I pushed past him, feeling the previous hurt well up in my chest, and I totally ignored him. I didn't want to look at him right now, or I might start crying.

I slipped back into my bedroom, and slammed the door shut behind me. If he came in after me, there would be severe repercussions, starting with the fact that I may very well never speak to him again.

I heard him shuffle outside the door, and then sigh, and then sit down. I didn't know what to think of it, but I lay on my bed, and I let some more tears work their way out of my body. They wanted out, and who was I to stop them?

After I finished silently crying for a good bit of time, I went and started packing my things. I grabbed a single shirt, and a single pair of jeans, stuffed them into the bottom of my bag, and then I pushed my closet open, and then tried to decide which guns to bring.

I didn't realize Sasuke had slipped into my room until his arms were around my waist, his body behind mine, and I was pressed against the wall. Bastard.

He rested his head on my shoulder, and I could feel his breath against my throat and my ear. It made me shudder. "Get off of me, Sasuke. I'm not in the mood."

"I'm sorry."

My mouth tightened. "Sorry doesn't cut it."

"Then what will?"

I hardened my heart to the pleading in his perfect so-perfect-perfect-perfect-that-it-hurts voice, and forced myself to shake my head. "I don't even know right now. Just go away."

"If I tell you, will that help?"

"No. It's the principle of the thing, Sasuke. Maybe later, when we've both calmed down," I said.

"Fine," he whispered, his voice low and broken. He let go of my stiff body, his long fingers lingering sadly on my waist, before disappearing altogether. I winced when the door slammed shut as he left.

It was all I could do stay standing. In the end, that ended up being too much for me, and I slid down the wall, my hair obscuring the rest of the room from my view.

Oh my god, what have I done?

---

It took me another half-hour (and skin-tight, black clothes) to pull myself together. I found some concealer sitting in a dusty corner of my bathroom cabinet, and I swiped some under my eyes, to cover up the tell-tale signs the-red-eye-rims-the-bloodshot-eyes-the grubby cheeks-the-tear-tracks-all covered-up-and-hidden-away of tears.

I didn't want Sasuke knowing that he could hurt me so badly without even trying. And I think that if he had stayed, I might have forgiven him. But he didn't.

And that was the worst thing he could have done. He left.

I shook my head, and tucked a stray hair behind my ear, just as the phone rang. I knew without knowing that it would be Hinata, wondering where the hell we were. She would be wondering where the hell I was, because right now, I don't even think there is a 'we',

"Hello?" I said, my voice perfectly normal. Or, at least, I hoped it was.

"What's happened?"

"Damn it Hinata, could you please be less observant?! Just for once?!" Apparently, my lying skills weren't as good as I thought.

"You wish. Now tell me what happened with Sasuke."

"How do you know it's because of him?!"

Her voice took on an why-am-I-explaining-complicated-things-to-stupid-people-again? tone. "Because he showed up at Naruto's apartment like, two minutes ago? And he looked like he was about to break something. And the only person that can get under Sasuke's skin is you. So I called you, and there is very definitely something wrong here. So what happened?"

I sighed, and relayed the story.

"You two are fighting over something that stupid?!"

"It's not stupid! I asked a question, and he freaked out at me!"

"Sakura, he might not have told you simply because he really didn't want you to worry. Have you not noticed that Sasuke does everything he bloody well can to stop you from hurting?"

I was silent. She was right.

"You're being selfish," and I knew she was not only right, she was dead serious. "Sakura, if Sasuke thinks you're better off without him, he will leave. You should know that by now. After tonight's mission, corner him, and apologize."

I started to protest, but for once, she cut me off. "I don't care what it'll do to your ego. It'll devastate both you, and Naruto. I'll be affected, too, indirectly, because my two best friends will be miserable. Don't be stupid."

She paused for a second, as if contemplating her next words. "And hurry your ass up, you're holding us up. We're outside your front door."

And then the phone line went dead. I stared down at the phone, utterly flabbergasted.

Hinata grew some balls. Damn, I'd have to be careful around her from now on, because I think I'm actually slightly scared of that temper of hers.

I grabbed my bag, took a deep breath, and went downstairs, and opened the door, just as the doorbell rang.

The others were all standing there, Hinata and Tenten at the front. There was concern shining in both of their eyes, and I knew that despite Hinata's forced harshness, she really was worried about me.

I couldn't see Sasuke anywhere. My heart fell.

But then I caught a flash of pale skin, even paler in the darkness, and I took a breath of relief. He wasn't gone yet. I still had a chance to fix this.

I refused to fuck it up again.

"Are you ready to go?" Tenten asked.

"Yeah," I muttered with a nod.

"Good, you're riding with Hinata and I. We need some boy-free-time right now. I've had my stupidity gauge full for today."

I nodded, a smile slowly etching itself onto my lips. I looked at Hinata, and tilted my head. She just smiled back sadly, and I knew she wasn't mad at me.

God, life really sucks.

So the three of us slipped into the Viper (because I'm not letting Sasuke drive it without me in it), and I slipped the keys into the ignition.

The questions started as soon as we left the driveway.

"Are you crazy?"

"Did he see you cry?"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Did he cry?"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!"

I winced. "I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition…"

Hinata and Tenten went quiet, and I knew that they were looking at each other, deadpanned. "NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!!!" they both screeched at me, and I winced again, this time at the volume of their voices.

"I walked right into that one…"

"Yes, you did. Now tell us."

I sighed. "Fine. The answers to your questions in order: no, probably, no, god I hope not, and no, Hinata, I am not crazy!"

It went silent in the car for a minute, before Tenten voiced the unasked question. "How do you do that? That remembering-every-question thing?"

I shrugged, and watched the speedometer inch past a-hundred-and-forty kilometers an hour. Speed was the only thing keeping me sane right at this moment, and I still didn't feel very good.

I wanted Sasuke. But I knew that right now, I couldn't have him, as much as I wanted him. But even if I couldn't have him, he was still mine.

It was silent in the car as I drove and drove (Hinata and Tenten had passed out a while ago… good for them, the more sleep they can get now, the better), and I had time to wonder what Sasuke was thinking. It also gave me time to go over the whole situation in my head, over and over and over again.

It was a fucking train wreck, now that I think about it. You wanted to look away, wanted so badly to look away, but it was so damn twisted, that it was totally impossible.

My knuckles were white on the steering wheel when I looked next, and I reluctantly loosened my grip.

The street lights flashed over my face flash-flash-flash-bright-dark-bright-dark-bright-dark and I took another deep breath. The building where we were headed was the same one where we'd found the adults.

It seemed best to start there. Of course, if Kabuto was smart, he would have left the country. And we knew that.

But Kabuto doesn't seem like a street-smart sort of person (actually, he seemed like that really annoying know-it-all that everyone wants to punch…), and, taking a guess, he probably wants to take all his equipment with him.

Because seriously, there was some expensive stuff in that room, trashed suspended-animation jars aside. There was a reason Hinata had nearly been drooling while she collected that green guck.

I flicked my gaze down to the acid-green pill Hinata had given me. She told me to shove it into his mouth, if I could, but any other open, gaping wound would work, too. Apparently, she'd also soaked a couple of my knives (the ones that were currently holding my hair back from my face), in it as well, and so I'd taken extra care when handling them.

After all, we still didn't know what sort of effect they'd have on humans. And if it turned out to be a hell of a lot more potent, and therefore more dangerous, to humans, then I would have to be very, very careful.

I parked in the fairly empty parking lot, but I knew I needed to let loose a little bit.

So I drifted it, shoved the e-break backwards and forwards, and smiled at the tires' high-pitched, loud, squeal. It woke both Tenten and Hinata, each shrieking, obviously not used to the sounds a car makes when it's being misused.

Seriously, I've killed three e-breaks (not to mention several clutches, two gas pedals, and more breaks then I can count) in this poor thing already. Kakashi should just give up, and let me have it already.

As the car drifted to a halt, in perfect alignment with the yellow-paint parking strips on the asphalt, I smiled, and tossed my bangs back. I looked at Hinata and Tenten in the rearview mirror, and was fairly amused to see them clutching each other, terrified ofr their lives.

"What, you guys have seriously never been drifting before?"

The squeaked "No's!" told me that they'd obviously never been in a car when Sasuke was driving.

No, damn it, don't think about him. It'll just make things more difficult. I shook my head to myself, and unclipped my seatbelt, and got out of the car.

---

The boys got out, and we the six of us congregated right next to the Viper. My heart clenched when Naruto very carefully curled Hinata into him, and Neji and Tenten weren't even subtle about touching each other.

I couldn't even look at Sasuke.

So I was a little startled when I felt his pinky link through mine. I shot my gaze up to his, terrified about what I was going to see. Was he going to finish whatever the hell it is we have? Or… or…?

He just mouthed 'I'm sorry', an apology clear in his eyes. I blinked, shocked. Why was he apologizing? He didn't have anything to apologize for. He wasn't the one who was being a crazy, possessive, paranoid bitch.

Well, I'm kind of always a crazy, possessive, paranoid bitch, but that was kind of over the top. I took yet another deep breath, and I managed a small, sardonic smile.

"So, are we going to go?"

"Yes, I should think we are."

And so we went into the gold-black-and-white building three-colours-of-nothing-threading-through-each-other-like-a-sick-sick-sick-joke, pushing on the revolving door to let ourselves in.

The leech from before, Charlotte, I think her name was, was sitting at the front desk, filing her nails. She raised her eyes to us.

"'Bout damn time you showed up to finish the job. Father's been going crazy. Could you please make it quick? I need to feed."

I glared at her, glared at the implication in her words. "Which floor?"

"Thirteenth. But I suggest you watch yourselves. Father's got some traps set up along the way."

I blinked at her, suspicious, just as I knew the others were. "You helped us last time, too. Why?"

She looked down at her nails, all painted eye-watering red-orange different-then-Naruto's-bright-orange-much-bloodier. "Well, considering I hate him, why shouldn't I?"

"Fine, we'll see you later."

She smiled at us, and then went back to her nails. Once we were out of earshot, Hinata whispered "Let's take that advice with a grain of salt, shall we?"

All of us nodded, and Naruto slipped an arm around her waist, and murmured something in her ear that made her turn red. A smirk, so very, very reminiscent of Sasuke - I could see how they were best friends- flitted across his lips, and Hinata, still red as a beet, kicked him.

"Wow, they're turning into us." I muttered to Sasuke, and he let out a snort.

"Yeah, but you never blush, and my smirk's cooler then that." He said, and, just to prove it, he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "You're so full of yourself."

"Yup," he said, and his smirk turned into a grin.

I rolled my eyes again, and we stood in front of the elevator doors, and waited for it to ding, and open up, and let us in, and take us up to the top floor, and to let us kill Kabuto.

Well, it did ding, and it did open up. But out of the thing poured leeches. Lots of them. Too many of them.

I heard Hinata shriek in anger, but it was lost in the sudden onslaught.

Sasuke was at my back, and while I turned a really ugly leech to Swiss cheese behind him, he slammed the slender katana he seemed to like using into the leech that was just about to claw my stomach out.

He grabbed my wrist, and pulled me up against a wall, and then towards the stairs. I went with him, because I knew it would be easier to kill them in an enclosed space.

Or maybe not. Sasuke picked me up, and tossed me over his shoulder (damn him!), and he raced up the stairs.

"What are you doing?! They need us!!!"

"No, they'll be fine, princess. They've all been trained to deal with situations like these, and Naruto and Hyuuga have been fighting longer then they've been able to walk."

It took me a second to realize he meant Neji, not Hinata.

"And don't you want to end this thing with Kabuto yourself?"

I clenched my jaw, and nodded into his back. He put me down soon after that, and we slowed to a walk, both wary of what the slimy git might have thought up. Kabuto was flat-out, totally, completely, abso-fucking-lutely crazy, and seriously, underestimating crazies really hasn't helped me in the past.

"Yeah, I kind of do."

"That's what I thought."

We walked up another flight of stairs. I didn't even know how many that had been now, but if there's one good thing about this stairwell, it's that every sound made echoes. If any door opens, or anything above or below us moves, we'll know.

This is good, because it'll be almost impossible to surprise us.

"How high are we?" I asked, my voice soft, unsure. I still didn't know whether I should pounce on him, or slap him across the face.

"One more flight."

I nodded, and concentrated on anything except the fact that the stairwell was saturated with the scent that came with being around Sasuke Uchiha. And yes, I mean the mind-numbing-it's-so-amazing scent. Yes, that one. I could barely think.

Once we reached the top floor, I pushed the stairwell door open, and we walked into the highest-floor corridor.

It was different then the other one, two floors down. It was more luxurious, considering it was the pent-house level. There was only one room on this level.

And I knew, without a doubt, that Kabuto would be hiding behind it; the slimy little bug-boy. He was too much of a coward to come out and face me like a man, and so I'd have to go and be the heroine, and face him myself.

We walked all the way down the hall, and we stopped in front of a huge pair of double doors. "Sasuke?" I asked, as he took a strange breath, like he was about to say something important.

"Sakura, Kaeleo wants Kabuto dead. I don't blame him, but I'm leaving the git's death up to you. Can I just call rights to checking his body?"

"Why? He'll turn to ash, just like the rest."

Sasuke looked grim. "That's what Kaeleo and I were discussing. We don't think he will."

I looked at him, shocked out of my mind. If Kabuto didn't turn to ash, then that meant he had found a way to… to almost re-humanify himself. I shuddered. That was a creepy thought.

"Alright, I'm cool with it."

He carefully slipped an arm around my waist, wary that I might push him away. I didn't, and for a half-second, I curled into him. I pressed my lips against his pulse, the continuous beat of his heart calming my own, which was currently racing please-please-please-don't-die-on-me-me-me.

I pulled away from him, far enough that I could think, but he didn't let me go, and I was so grateful for it. I had a feeling that my knees would give out, if he wasn't holding me up.

He looked down at me, and whispered "Damn it, I'm worried about those idiots…"

I looked up at him, and smiled softly. "I'll be alright. I always am. Just don't die on me, okay?"

He looked at me, confused, and I drew myself out of his arms. "Go take care of Naruto, and I'll finish up here. We'll meet downstairs later, alright?"

He nodded very, very slowly, unwilling to let me go on my own, but we both knew this was something I needed to do. I had more issues with Kabuto then he did, and after the bastard was dead, then nothing would matter. As long as he stayed dead, nothing would matter.

A feeling of dread washed over me, as Sasuke walked away. My eyes didn't leave him until he was out of my sight, and there was a feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me not to expect much.

The taste of dread still thick on my tongue, I walked closer to the doors. I was just about to reach for the handle on one when they swung outward of their own volition, and in I went.