Sorry it took a while to get this up.

And this one isn't as long as the others...my apologies.

Hope you enjoy, though. Please review!

Chapter Five:
Mistakes To Make

"I am vindicated. I am selfish. I am wrong. I am right. I swear I'm right. Swear I knew it all along."

"Ah, so you just let him go then?"

"There was nothing else I could do. I'm sure he's still around here though. I can almost just...feel it."

Naruto was sitting on the wooden porch in the backyard of Hinata's home. He was sitting with Neji, watching Hinata train. Shikamaru was just leaning against a tree to their left, listening to the conversation. He had been training a lot with Neji lately, because they had been on a lot of missions together, along with Hinata. Lady Tsunade had mentioned once or twice, that she was hoping to bump those three up into the ANBU soon, so she was loading them with missions together, to build up some chemistry. And for the most part, everything was going good.

And right now, Naruto needed somebody to talk to. He had gone looking for Sakura, but she wasn't home, and he wasn't sure where she would be. But he could only assume she'd be busy at a time like this. It was early in the morning now, and Naruto was over at the Hyuuga's because he couldn't sleep. And lucky for him, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Neji had already been training.

"Oi, Hinata...take a break. You're going to kill yourself." Shikamaru shouted. Hinata stopped focusing her chalkra and turned around, nodding. She took a deep breath and slowly walked over to the other three.

Also, Hinata's shyness level had gone way down. Her stutter problem was completely gone, and she could manage to hold a conversation with Naruto pretty well...as long as it didn't get personal or embarrassing. She had matured quite a bit.

"It seems strange with all these things happening. I mean...Master Jiraiya passing away...and now Sasuke Uchiha all of a sudden returning." Neji mumbled, moving his legs back and forth over the dirt. Hinata watched his actions. Apparently, he was in deep thought.

"Yeah, and if he came back...all different like you say, Naruto...then that's even weirder." Shikamaru added, crossing his arms in front of him. Naruto nodded.

"He did. He seemed kind of...violent. Like the way he was when we met up at Orochimaru's lair a few years ago." Naruto said, scratching his head. A look of concern crowded his face, making Hinata uncomfortable.

She still had that big crush on Naruto. Go figure.

"I think...it'll be okay, Naruto." She spoke gently, taking a step toward him. When he looked up at her, she flashed him a small smile. He just stared at her for a while, and then the corners of his lips raised a bit, too.

"Thanks, Hinata. I hope you're right." He said.

She nodded, a strand of her long hair falling in her face.

"Hey, Naruto. Does Sakura know he's back?" Neji asked curiously, looking over to Naruto. Naruto's eyes widened, and his smile faded.

He hadn't thought of that.

"I...I'm not sure. But...she has so much to deal with right now. I don't think she can take anymore, you know? I mean...he's not the same as when he left...and Sakura's been...well..."

"Distant...very cold." Neji finished, making Naruto glare at him.

"She has not been cold. Sakura's going through a rough time. I mean...it's a rough time for all of us." Naruto said, running a hand through his hair.

Hinata starting twirling her fingers together. Naruto had told almost all of his friends about the Akatsuki and how they were after him. Well, actually, some of them already knew...because he was a big target for them...and along with the village...the shinobi of Konoha had to help protect him as well.

"Naruto, you can't worry to much about Sakura. She's strong. You need to look out for yourself. You're strong too but...it would kill her even more if something were to happen to you." Shikamaru said, pushing off the tree. He walked over by Hinata and rested his elbow on her shoulder, shooing Naruto a small smirk.

"Yeah, Naruto...if...it would help...I can go talk to Sakura today." Hinata said, her face turning a little pink. She knew Naruto had something going on with Kalei...but she also knew his friendship with Sakura was tighter than ever. It was just more competition for her. But she wanted to help.

Naruto smiled at her and stood up. "Hinata, that'd be great. You do that. And I think I'm going to see Grandma Tsunade now...see how she's doing. Come to think of it...maybe Sakura's even there...do you want to come?" He asked, nodding his head toward the wooden gate. Hinata just stared at him for a second and then nodded, following him as he walked out.

It was cold.

He could feel something warm...sticky on his fingers...something caked on his arms and his face.

Something extremely uncomfortable.

Blood.

He opened his eyes to see ruins all around him. It was dusty...foggy. He tried to move but his body ached everywhere. He felt his eyes burning, and realized he was taking deep breathes. He couldn't breath. It was like needles running through his chest. He looked all around him but everything grew dark. It got blurry, and he felt something trickling down his legs.

More blood.

He fell onto his knees, feeling his throat grow dry. Closing his eyes slowly, he felt sharp pains shoot through his eyes. He needed to cough...but he was struggling for air the way it was. His hands started shaking...and that was when he heard it...he heard that evil, disgusting voice.

Foolish little brother...

His eyes shot open and all of a sudden his breathe cut off. He looked down to see a bright red puddle beneath his knee's. Was this really his blood? When he looked up...it was all black. Completely dark. His eyes narrowed as he seen a shadowy figure walking up to him in the distance.

Itachi.

He tried to stand up, but he couldn't. He felt as though the ground was sinking below him. Why couldn't he move?

Panic started rising in him...and his air supply was running low. How much longer could he go on without breathing? What the hell was happening? His heart started racing as the figure slowly got closer.

Tell me, little brother...why are you trembling?

And all of a sudden, Itachi appeared in front of him. Half his face was covered in blood, and his mangekyo sharingan was piercing through Sasuke's eyes. Blood was falling from Itachi's eyes, and slowly dripped into the puddle of blood underneath Sasuke.

Sasuke wanted so bad to move, but he couldn't. His eyes slowly examined Itachi's torn cloak...the blood stains on it. His eye slowly made their way back to Itachi's face...and a sadistic smirk was placed on his lips.

All of a sudden...he felt a splitting pain wrench over neck...like a vice grip, and he felt little droplets of blood running down his face.

Itachi slowly picked up Sasuke's katana that was lying by his feet and raised it over his head, letting out a evil laugh.

Time to die, Sasuke!

And as the sword started to fly down, Sasuke shut his eyes quickly.

All of a sudden, he took in a deep, ragged breathe. His eyes shot open violently and he found himself staring at a white ceiling. After a moment, he realized that his hand was lightly wrapped around his own neck. So that's why he couldn't breathe. And then he realized...he was taking deep, loud, hoarse breaths. He was in a cold sweat, and his head was throbbing viciously. His fingers were tingling as well.

So it was just a dream...

He heard a small bang come from a different room, and quickly, and unconciously, shot up from the bed, so he was sitting up. He looked at the door, eyes wide. He clutched his shirt where his heart was, feeling it pound. His heart was beating so fast. He swallowed hard and wiped some of the sweat off his forehead. The throbbing in his head started growing...and he realized he was probably going to have another violent episode. He unclenched his hands and raised them in front of them, staring at them. All of a sudden he had a flash back from his dream...his hands were soaking in blood, and he could hear Itachi's hoarse breathing.

The sound of his breathing before he had died.

Sasuke quickly closed his eyes and looked away, clenching his fists. He swallowed hard and then reopened his eyes, taking in the fact that he was lying in a bed...in a very familiar room.

His room.

So Sakura had brought him here this time...and not the hospital.

After a moment of trying to clear his head...he pushed the sheets off himself and stood up walking to the door. He opened it and ran a hand through his hair as he walked down the long hallway. He brought his hands in front of him once more...just to find them bloodstained. They were clean, in all reality...but they felt dirty. He needed to clean them...to wipe away any memories of that gruesome fight. He reached the living room, where he seen Sakura leaning against a table. She quickly looked up to him with worried eyes as he walked into the open space. He also seen Taru sitting on the couch in the living room. But it was quiet. And here he was...alone with Sakura.

Well, basically. The living room was a ways off, down another short hallway...so Taru, really, wasn't near them.

Awkward.

After a moment, Sakura pushed herself off the table and took a few steps forward, eyes to the floor. She slowly turned around, facing him, and lifted her eyes to meet his. Hers were gentle...caring...while his were only emotionless. Sakura's eyes widened as she seen him. Pale...sweating...breathing hard. But before she could ask, he shuffled in between her and the table, over to the sink. He turned the water on and threw his hands underneath the running faucet, scrubbing at his hands viciously. He never took his eyes off his hands, though he felt Sakura turn around and watch him.

He just kept scrubbing harder and harder. She didn't understand why. After about a moment, she heard him let out a little 'uck' and murmur 'damn it' under his breath. He turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel on the side...drying his hands just as roughly.

It didn't matter what he did...the blood was still on his hands...at least, when he looked at them. It made him sick. Angry.

Not to mention...his headache was growing worse by the second. He needed to get Sakura out.

Now.

He sighed and turned to face, noticing the concern on her face. It was almost pathetic.

"What are you doing here?" He asked sharply, causing her to raise an arm up against her chest, acting like a wall between them.

And with that, he felt a sharp pain course through this neck, down his body, and up to his head again. He grunted and started to walk away, but as he reached the table in front of Sakura, he felt himself get dizzy, almost like he was going to faint. He stopped and turned to face the table, taking deep breathes. Flashbacks of his dream kept coming back to him, making his head hurt worse. He rested one arm on the table, and closed his eyes.

Sakura watched him curiously. She took a step toward him and swallowed hard.

"Sasuke...if you're in pain..."

Her words were cut short as Sasuke slammed his other fist on the table. It startled her, making her jump back a bit.

Foolish little brother. You don't have enough hate...

And the words just kept ringing in his ears. Why couldn't he just get Itachi out of his fucking head?!

And he couldn't see it, but he could feel Sakura reaching out to rest her hand on his back. He quickly spun around, slapping her hand down furiously. She gasped and held her wrist down by her hip. Her eyes met his to see his infamous sharingan stirring in his eyes. Sure, she was a little scared...but she was more worried than anything.

"Get out." Sasuke demanded firmly, barring his teeth at her. She slowly shook her head, feeling her eyes start stinging. This upset Sasuke, making him want to just shout at her...but then he felt more pain shoot through his skull, and he brought both his hands to his head, and leaned back against the table.

Sakura's heart started racing. As she listened to Sasuke groan, she took a few steps toward him.

"Sasuke! I can help you! I can make it go away!" She said loudly.

And those words upset Sasuke.

The next thing he knew, his hand was wrapped tightly around Sakura's neck, squeezing the life out of her. Her hands rushed up to his fingers, digging their way into her neck. She felt her eyes tearing up, and her chest start burning. His eyes were black, and beads of sweat were falling down the side of his face. His other hand was still on the side of his head, clutching tightly.

"What makes you think you can make any of this go away? It won't just go away." He snarled angrily.

"Sakura!!" Taru shouted, running down the hallway. He stopped when he reached the kitchen, curious as to what the hell was happening.

As Sasuke watched Sakura stare at him with her jade eyes, his vision started getting blurry. His dream kept popping into his head, and the hand fastened around Sakura's neck looked bloody to him. He clenched his jaw tightly as his brothers words kept coming back.

He was losing it. Completely.

In his mind, he wasn't strangling Sakura...but he was strangling Itachi.

Time to die, Sasuke!

And his insanity got the best of him.

"Die!" He shouted angrily at Sakura, ready to forcefully crush her neck.

But all of a sudden, he felt a sharp pain through his chest and felt something cold hit his hand.

It was a tear. Sakura's tears. She was crying.

He quickly released his grip, leaving his hand positioned around her neck. His eyes shot open wide as he realized what he was doing.

He had almost just killed her. What the hell was he thinking?!

He looked at her chest moving up and down slowly, and her calm, tear stained face. She hadn't fought back. Was she really prepared to die? Why wouldn't she fight him...at least for her life?

And then a burst of pain erupted in his skull. It shot down his neck, and he instantly pulled his hand back to his head. It was unbearable. He needed help.

And how he wasn't too afraid to admit it.

After a moment of silence, he heard Sakura's voice...soft, but firm.

"Just...sit up on the table."

He registered her words...knowing that if he did what she said...he'd be accepting help from her. Accepting her in general...something he didn't want to do.

But it was too much.

His hand slowly lowered and grasped onto the edge of the table tightly. He pulled himself up onto the edge and sat there, bringing his hand back up to hid head. His legs were spread open, and he rested his elbows on his knee's, cradling his head in his hands. Well...he was really more pulling the hair out of his head. His head was tilted down, hands on the side of his head...and his eyes were shut so tightly that it hurt.

Sakura took a deep breath, controlling her crying, and took another step toward him. She slowly poured chalkra into her hands, and raising them up.

Just do it. You can do it. Be strong, Sakura.

She heard Taru slowly walk out of the room, down the hallway...and that made her a little more nervous. But as she heard Sasuke grunt in pain, she realized now wasn't the time to be nervous. She very gently rested her hands on his, controlling the chalkra to slip in between his fingers, into his skin. The feeling on his hands underneath hers calmed her down a bit...but made her wonder...

And after a few minutes, his breathing calmed down, and he was no longer trembling. His hands slowly slipped off from under her hands, allowing direct contact from her fingers to his skin. His elbows slipped off his knees and fell limply between his legs. Sakura continued to heal him, watching as his breathing grew soft, like a child's.

"I don't understand."

Her eyes grew wide as she heard his voice. It was strange...it was...soft...fragile. He was relaxed now, and she could almost just feel his heartbeat.

"Don't...understand what?" She asked him, just as gently.

Silence.

"Why you're doing this..."

She sighed, curious of that herself.

"I'm a medic...I...help people..." She whispered, thinking back on how worried she was about him. How scared she was that she was going to lose him...

"Is that really why you're here..."

Her heart started racing again. What...what did he mean?

"Of-of course...why..." She muttered, hearing a very soft chuckle escape his lips.

"Just wondering." He said, slowly opening his eyes. He stared at the ground...wondering why he felt so relaxed.

She slowly moved her fingers a bit...taking in the silkiness of his hair. She missed him, why lie? She missed his scent...his voice...his feel...

"I like your touch." He said, causing her to take in a sharp breath.

Oh great, now what do I say?

"You like it because it heals you." She replied, turning a bit red.

He chuckled again.

"I like it...because you like it."

Her throat went dry, and chills ran up and down her spine. How did he...how did he know?

She wanted to give him some smart-ass reply...she really did...but he had just beat her to all the words.

"But most of all..." He started...slowly raising his right arm up. He slowly reached up to Sakura's stomach, and grabbed her shirt, pulling her in closer, between his legs a bit. He rested his head on her chest, closing his eyes once more, treating her almost like a pillow. And this had screwed up Sakura's position terribly. Her hands were just outstretched behind him...trembling. What was he doing!? He was making her so...flustered.

"I like it because it's your touch. It's...familiar..." He whispered under his breath, letting his arm drop into his lap again. Sakura was sure he could hear her heart racing, which was a little embarrassing.

"S-Sas...uke...you don't...you don't mean that..." She stuttered.

Silence.

"Just...let me borrow...your chest...just for now..." His voice was so soothing...it sounded like he was dozing off...

"...Sakura..."

And just the way her name rolled off his lips...everything came flooding back.

Their dates.

Their kisses.

It just...all came back. And strangely...she didn't know how to feel.

She slowly, and maybe a bit reluctantly, wrapped her arms loosely around his head, closing her eyes.

Maybe just for now this was okay.

Maybe...

Just for now...

...Sasuke...

Next Chapter

When You Find The Rain