Title: Begin Again

Summary: She had thought that was it for him. That he would never again be the Sasuke she knew. That he would always be trapped in darkness, and his only freedom, his only real relief, would be death. That sadness would forever engulf him until death came to embrace him.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Rating: M

Author's Notes: Well, this took a while...but here it is! Thanks for the reviews xo

Chapter Three

Naruto had never been one to back out of a fight.

Oh, no. He would never admit defeat, and that was why he couldn't be beaten. He had too much strength to lose.

So when Sasuke had the audacity to waltz up to him as if he was a king, and demand that he fight him right then and there for reasons unbeknownst to the blond, he had to accept without hesitation.

Even though he was in the middle of his ramen.

"Teme," Naruto hissed as the black-eyed boy landed a hard punch to his jaw. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," he snapped, pulling away. "Nothing's the matter with me!"

They had been going at it for hours. They were both sweaty and bloody, and for the first time Naruto was not in the mood to fight his best friend.

"I'm done with this," Naruto said, panting. "I'm not fighting anymore. I just want my ramen, man."

Sasuke, who was also impossibly breathless, opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when a certain pink-haired girl showed up with a shy Hyuuga at her side.

"What are you guys doing?" Sakura asked, but she was looking only at Naruto. Sasuke glared.

"Teme won't leave me alone to finish my ramen!" Naruto said in annoyance. "He's trying to kill me!"

"Is that so?" Sakura replied, giggling, but she still wasn't looking at Sasuke. "Well, don't let us get in the way of your ramen also, Naruto. We're here because Hinata wants to ask you something."

Naruto's attention went to Hinata, and immediately a blush spread to her face. "U-um...N-Naruto-kun, I was just w-wondering if you wanted to, um-"

"Go out on a date with her," Sakura finished, grinning. Sasuke twitched. She never smiled at him like that anymore.

At first, Naruto's eyes widened in confusion. Then, his face broke into a big smile, and he wrapped his arms around Hinata, despite the sweat covering his body. "Hell yeah, I would!"

"Naruto, don't-"

Sakura's words were cut short when Hinata's body fell limp with unconsciousness. She sighed. "Give her to me," she said.

"Well, since I've got a date tonight, what about you two?" Naruto suggested as he handed Hinata over to Sakura. "We can double date."

"Who's 'you two'?" Sakura asked, frowning.

"Y'know, you and Sasuke-teme."

Sakura flushed and Sasuke's glare intensified.

"How about it?" Naruto said, oblivious to their reactions. "It'll be fun!"

"Naruto, I don't think-"

"Just shut up, dobe."

"Since Sasuke over here has never been on a date before, I think it's fitting that he goes with the only girl he actually tolerates-"

"Naruto," Sasuke growled. "Enough."

"Maybe you guys can even kiss-"

At that moment, Sakura's vibrant green eyes flicked up to Sasuke's, and when she saw the look on his face, she flushed again, but this time in anger.

"Forget it, Naruto," she snapped, not taking her eyes off Sasuke's. "Clearly the idea of going out with me is horrifying to your friend here."

Sasuke's eyes sliced into hers, and the burning look in them made her very nervous. "I get...I get that you don't like me that way," she mumbled to him, taking a step closer so that they were face to face. Well, kind of. He was taller than her, but whatever. He stared at her. "But...you know how I feel about you. So you don't-you don't have to be a jerk about it!"

He didn't answer for a moment, which bothered her, because it gave her time to think about their close proximity. Gave her time to notice the sweat glistening his chest, and the dried up blood on his cheekbone, and the smell of him, and those piercing black eyes that haunted her every movement, her every dream. Her heart beat sped up, and she wondered when she'd stop feeling like this about him.

"I know how you feel about me," he said, keeping a blank look on his face. "And you should stop."

She gaped, waiting for an explanation. "Excuse me?"

"You should stop feeling that way about me. Because I don't feel that way about you." He paused, wondering if it was normal to want to kiss someone so badly. He didn't realize how good of a liar he actually was. "I...don't need you, Sakura."

Her eyes filled with tears.

"You need me."

This was true. She couldn't deny it. But she hated hearing it, and she hated knowing that he knew it.

"That makes you weak. I don't think of you that way." His jaw clenched at the lie, and then there was something, something small in the pit of his belly, a sad little hope that maybe she could see right through him. Maybe she knew he was lying. Maybe she knew what he really wanted to say, and could understand the emotions that he could never put into words. "So forget about me. I've already forgotten about you."

When he saw the look on her face, his hope vanished, and he knew that she believed him. She believed him, and it killed her.

"Fine," she croaked, despising the way her tears rolled so effortlessly down her cheeks. "Fine. If that's what you want, Sasuke-kun, then fine. I'll leave you alone from now on."

His eyes narrowed at the mocking way she said his name.

"I'm going to forget about you, and find a guy who really appreciates me. I'm going to find a guy who actually cares."

He scowled.

"I hope you're happy alone, Sasuke, because you should know that there's no one in the world who loved you more than me."

He twitched.

"Good-bye, Sasuke."

He looked away. He was not going to watch her walk away from him. Not again.

"Teme," Naruto mumbled, shaking his head in disappointment. "What did you do?"

"Nothing."

XX

"It's time to let it go."

Sakura crossed her arms against her chest. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do." Ino rolled her eyes. "Stop trying to lie to me of all people, Sakura. I can tell when you're lying."

"Let go of what, exactly?"

"The impossible dream that Sasuke will love you. He won't."

Sakura glared. "I think he already cleared that up. Thanks for the reminder."

Ino sighed. "You know, Sakura...maybe he just needs time."

"Time? Time? I think he's had enough time." She shook her head furiously. "No. He doesn't need time. He tried to kill me before. That's-"

"You tried to kill him too."

She gaped. "I-what? No! That's different!"

"Is it? Is it really that different? Can you imagine how he felt, turning to see the one person who promised to love him forever and never give up on him, holding a kunai to his back?"

"I-I didn't want him to slip further into evil, I-"

"Because you thought there wasn't another way. You thought there was no hope for him." She shook her head. "You gave up."

"Pig," she scowled, turning away, trying to ignore the gnawing at her heart. "It was different."

"I'm sure it was, Forehead."

Sakura said nothing. She had nothing really to say. Sasuke had been evil at the time. How could he have possibly even felt something when she tried to kill him? Did it actually hurt him?

No. It couldn't have. Sakura had seen the look in his eyes. She had seen the madness swirling in them. That part of Sasuke didn't feel anything but hatred and anger and bloodlust. Right?

Right?

XX

Ino would probably be proud of her.

Despite everything she had said, there she was. Standing on his doorstep, holding a bag of tomatoes.

To apologize.

Maybe he didn't deserve it, but then again, it wasn't really his fault. She had found him with the full intent of ending his life. She was the one who couldn't handle the fact that he didn't feel the same way about her. Even though it hurt a lot more than necessary, it wasn't his fault that he didn't love her back. Hell, at least he told her the truth.

She cleared her throat, swallowed her pride and knocked.

That was chapter three! What happens in the next chapter will probably be unexpected, but it's better that way! Review please! Much love xo