is opponent twisted skilfully out of the way, narrowly avoiding the rush of fire he sent her way. With a growl of annoyance, he started forming familiar seals – when had she gotten so fast? Taking a deep breath, he focused the chakra inside him, raising it to his throat and exhaling an intense stream of fire, pivoting on the spot to burn everything around him.
The smoke cleared, and she was nowhere to be seen.
Part of Sasuke wondered if this was a good thing.
Then a shadow fell over him and he noticed Sakura moving in from above, fist ready to strike, momentum hurdling her forward at a favourable pace.
Leaping back, he barely escaped the attack, watching in silent awe as she dented the earth with a dainty fist. It wasn't the first time he had seen her use such strength during their battle, but he couldn't help being amazed by how strong she had become.
While she was still recovering from her own attack, Sasuke drew his sword and charged forward, moving behind her in seconds. In an easy movement, he slipped the blade beneath her chin, pressing the sharp edge to her throat, ready to finish their too-long battle.
He hesitated.
Glaring down at his resistant hands, he tried to brush away his inappropriate thoughts (avengers had no bonds, no attachments. They didn't spare lives without good reason) and remind himself of his goal. Sakura interfered; she chose her own death.
The cold steel metal bit into her neck, drawing blood. It wouldn't budge any further.
Tightening her bloody hold on the sword, the pink-haired girl pushed it away, her strength warring against Sasuke's. He grunted, trying to convince his own hands to "stop resisting and just kill her already!"
"Look at us," she laughed bitterly, humourlessly. "Is this how you want things to be?"
'It's how they have to be,' he thought. But his traitorous hands had won; rather than slicing her throat, he pulled his sword away and pinched a pressure point on her neck, causing her body to stiffen then slump forward, completely defenceless and harmless.
It would have been so easy to finish the job.
Instead, he dashed away, paying no mind to where he ran as he clutched his throbbing chest, wondering if she had somehow managed to elbow his heart.
Author's Notes: Cheesy, lame ending is cheesy and lame. 8D But I'm still happy with this fic. I've been writing a lot of SasuSaku Fightscenes lately, so I'm sorry if you start to see a pattern in my updates. I'll try to do something different.
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of its characters.