SasuSaku Fest 2017

Day 4- Sasuke's Regrets

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Title: I Should've Killed You

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Summary: Sasuke's rescue mission told from his point of view. They're trapped in that sinful, life-saving embrace and all he could think of was how he regretted not killing that pink annoyance before.

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A/N: Okay, first of all, I HATED THIS THEME! I mean, Sasuke barely has any regrets in his life, right? AHH! How annoying! Well, apart from that, I also have to thank tanubhatnagar for sending me a request that actually matched the idea I had. It's not long and it's basically all about descriptions, but I'm quite happy with the way it turned out in the end! I literally slept with three manga volumes this night, and I've lost count of how many times I kept looking at those beautiful SasuSaku panels XD Thank you, tanubhatnagar , I hope you and everyone else enjoy what I did to your idea! Please, leave me a comment with your opinion! Feedback is always important!

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He knew he shouldn't have done that.

He knew it, as soon as he laid his eyes on her, that he shouldn't have done what he did. He shouldn't have hoped, longed and certainly not struggled so hard to reach that closing opening created by Haruno Sakura's absurd strength.

He shouldn't have held her like that.

Blame the heat to which his body was exposed to just moments before, or even the sudden need to use his immature powers, but Uchiha Sasuke had done the one thing he could have never imagined doing during the war. He had his hand resting against the exposed skin of her arm, her body pressed against his chest and he could feel his fingers grazing a rough, wet bruise that he soon realized to be a scald.

Her perfectly pale skin was entirely ripped, as it burned red against his palm. His touch was probably stinging like hell, but in the state she was currently found, the Uchiha doubted she could even feel her arm at all. Whatever had happened to her during the time he was away, he could see her body and easily tell that she had gone through hell, barely coming out alive from it.

Sakura was sweating more than he was, as her pink hair was sticking to her head, only the end of her locks blowing with a passing breeze that hit their bodies. She was clearly defeated and vulnerable, as her entire weight was released on his chest. That girl couldn't take a single step by herself without him, and the reason behind that was clearly the fact that she had depleted her chakra levels in order to bring him back.

He owed her a lot at that moment, and yet, he regretted being there by her side, holding her up.

That action, he could feel, had changed not only what she thought of his current self, but also exposed a part of him he wished he could have long forgotten already. They were in the middle of a war against a goddess and his revolutionary ideas were still there, knocking on his mind and forcing him to keep going. Itachi's ideals could not go to waste, therefore he could neither die nor allow himself to have a change of heart because of a pink haired girl, who was all fucked up and who perfectly fitted his half embrace.

The avenger Sasuke could not let the annoying Sakura get in the middle of his mission. He could not let her get so close to his heart, for he knew- oh, and how he knew- that single, pink hired girl was strong enough to make a disaster out of his concealed and objective personality.

But what could he do, right? His body just moved on its own, not caring about the future consequences his actions could bring upon them, only thinking about doing something to protect that fragile, beautiful and strong warrior that was about to fall back.

She was going to hit her head, and that was definitely going to hurt. Someway, he had spared her from a concussion, and yet, he just knew that had been the wrong choice.

He should've let her fall flat on that stony floor and not held her close. He should've offered her another one of his risky words and not established such an intimate eye contact.

He should've killed her when he had the chance. When he had his fingers around her neck, compressing her carotid and a kunai in hands. He should've killed her, but he didn't and at that very moment, the Uchiha was aware that allowing her to live was his biggest regret.

And it was all because of their eyes, he knew. Just like back then, they were the ones to be blamed, in the end.

Those stupid, stunning emeralds he couldn't keep himself from drowning into.

Fuck those eyes.

By the way their gaze connected, the raven haired boy knew that getting lost in those deep, exhausted emeralds of hers had been the wrong choice, especially when his bloody heritage was activated. Through his red orb, he could see and record all the details and all the changes that were now decorating that girl's- woman's face.

Her cheeks were bonier, her eyes deeper and her lips fuller, making him gulp unconsciously. She looked absurdly weak and useless without those lines spread around her body, and that scent of iron and dirt was invading his nostrils, proving him that even Haruno Sakura could, indeed, bleed.

She could bleed and fight, and she could certainly bring him back from wherever the hell he had been sent to. She could charge a full attack against Madara in order to create a diversion, and she could heal her broken self until she seemed to be fixed. He could see and read her through his bloody eyes, and even if that was probably his last chance of ridding himself from another regret, Sasuke knew he wasn't strong enough for that.

Not while looking at her hurt form. Not while supporting her from falling and not when she had done it all for him.

Damn you, Haruno Sakura, he thought, as his own eyes sent hers a silent and deep 'thank you'. Those unsaid words had been the death of him, but by that time, the shit had already hit the fan. He was trapped in that trance of recording every single detail of her green irises, as he also scanned her brave and perfect body. At that moment, not even if he wanted, Sasuke wouldn't be able to say anything.

Fuck, she was beautiful. Even more than when they were kids, and even more than when she tried to kill him. For the first time since he first joined the battlefield, the Uchiha had completely forgotten about the enemy, as he just wanted to hold onto that moment, as he observed her in such pure and raw state.

But it was not like he had time to waste on her like that, right?

His eyes followed the salty, sweat droplets that originated from her skin pores and watched them sliding down, brushing her dirty skin. For her head was resting against his shoulder, he had complete visual access to her hidden skin, and apart from the small scratches spread all around, there was that one bruise on her sweaty neck that-

" …How?"

A hoarse voice broke him from his thoughts, making him protectively bring her body closer to his. She was still looking at him, trying her best to force her abdominal muscles to breath, and he soon realized his heart was beating a lot faster than he would've expected it to beat at such times. At first, he didn't break eye contact- another regret, for sure- as he tried to build enough strength to articulate an answer. He released a sigh he didn't know was trapped inside his chest, and he could feel her muscles relaxing against him as soon as they broke their deep connection.

With those eyes closed, at last, he could return to being himself.

" It's one of my abilities. I can shift myself between spaces… Though only over a finite distance." He looked down at her once again, secretly disappointed not to have her eyes on him anymore. He took a deep breath before allowing his right eye to turn the darkest shade of black. " But thanks to you, I made it."

The other Uchiha allowed his head to fall, with an amused smirk decorating his face as he tried his best to recover himself. Obito would still have to transport them home, so he consider it a good idea to take some minutes so he could rebuild some strength. The three of them spent some good minutes still, not being able to move a single muscle. That dimension created a calm and serene atmosphere that helped them forget a little about the war going on back where Naruto and Kakashi were.

It was peaceful and silent, and hell, they could all stay there forever.

But their responsibilities kicked in, and as always, the pink haired girl was the first to answer to that call.

As soon as they heard the flat sound of Obito's body crashing against the floor, he felt her body shifting under his touch, and he soon realized she was trying to create a distance between them. She was going to check on the man that was clearly as exhausted as she was, clearly not caring about her own situation. Sakura tried to move, but as expected of her very first attempt on doing so, she failed and fell back to her previous spot.

" Don't."

"W-We need to… I need to-"

" Rest a bit more. He'll wake up soon."

" But Sasuke-kun, we need him to get you back to where the others are. I need to see if he's okay and-"

" I said rest. You've done more than enough for us now."He tch-ed." Damn it, since when have you become so stubborn, Sakura?"

At his words, the girl could feel her body finally weighting down and her bruises finally starting to bring pain all over her body. Her arm hurt like hell, and soon she realized her consciousness was drifting away.

Soon, she would be just like Obito. She would succumb to her body's needs, but unlike him, Sakura knew he would be there to hold her. Even if she wasn't supposed to trust that, and even if she wasn't supposed to fully trust him, the pinkette knew, by the way they had exchanged glances, that he wouldn't let her fall.

And with a shy smile paying on her lips, her eyelids finally closed, as she muttered an almost inaudible 'thank you' before collapsing. At that moment, the Uchiha held her even more carefully, slowly shifting her body so they could both reach the floor safely. Sasuke realized himself he was also exhausted, and taking some moments to let his strength get back wouldn't be a bad idea.

Once again, he was taking care of the girl he was supposed to have killed, as he was now sitting on the floor, with her body brought close to his chest. Her pink hair was falling over his exposed chest, as her eyes were completely shut. Her chest was rising and falling along with his, and as he brought his fingers to brush a faint dirt from her cheeks, the Uchiha was aware of how screwed he was. After that moment, his plan would no longer be the same, and if he were to be honest, he couldn't care less about that at such time.

Another regret was born in his heart, and once again, it was all her fault.

He should've definitely killed her when he had the chance because if he had, he probably wouldn't be falling for her all over again.

Had Uchiha Sasuke killed Haruno Sakura, his regrets as an avenger wouldn't be so peaceful.

" Tch, how annoying."