Entry no. 6: Obsession

A/N: SasuSaku. Sorta. AU, because I don't know Naruto Shipuuden and this is happening somewhere in it.

Difficile est dolori convenire cum patentia.

"It must be me."

"No, Sakura."

"It must be me who does it."

"Sakura, listen to me."

Sakura shot a quick look at them, Kakashi and Naruto standing in the front.

"Go away. All of you. It's personal."

"Do you listen to yourself, Sakura-chan?!" Naruto yelled. "You're like him!"

Sakura backed away, frowning. "What are you talking about, Naruto?"

"I mean that whole "it's my revenge, everyone step away" crap. You drive away people who want to help you."

"During every our training, you insisted to test your skills against my sharingan. I know… we know you train so you can kill him."

"I has to be me!" She shouted at them, backing away. "I failed when I was supposed to keep him in the village, and I have to atone for my blunder."

"Shut it, Sakura-chan! It was me! I promised to bring him back, not you!"

Sakura's hands fisted. "Naruto…"

"Sakura, clear up," Kakashi said slowly and reasonably. "This whole uproar about Sasuke… it got to you. You're obsessed by him."

Sakura's chin quavered.

She was.

She was obsessed by him.

She always had been.

When she met him, she immediately fell in love with those brooding onyx eyes of his.

And the first roots of obsession grew as she watched his every step, every little movement of his hand with almost religious attention.

And the obsession grew as she worked hard in her classes to stay in the upper half of students, to keep up with him, to be closer to him.

It grew as she got into one team with him and sacrificed her meal so that if it came to it, it was her who would be dropped, not him.

It grew as she thought he died on the bridge in the Land of Waves, as she cried atop him.

It grew when they passed the first phase of the chuunin exam together.

And in the Forest of Death, when he seemed ready to back out from the fight with Orochimaru, when he got his cursed seal and seemed prepared to kill the Sound-nins…

The roots went somewhere deeper, so deep it hurt.

When he left, numb to all the things she told him…

Something snapped.

She couldn't stand the pain.

And what was mildly obsessive child love…

Became obsession.

There was nothing but Sasuke in her head for a long time…

And now he's back.

And so is her obsession.

But the strong person she was now, the person who shook off the childish naivety, knew her aim wasn't bringing Sasuke back anymore.

It was stopping him, forever.

Killing him.

Making him pay for all he had done.

Because she failed to make him stay.

Leaping away, she left Naruto and Kakashi behind.

"I'm going for her," Naruto said, ready to follow her.

But Kakashi's outstretched arm stopped him.

"No," he said simply. "You can't. I will go. If Sakura does that, if she kills him, we will lose her forever." He let his hand drop. "I'll kill him for her."

And he set off towards Sakura.

Naruto stood where he was, hands fisted, fighting with himself.

It's hard to be in pain and be patient. – Pubilius Syrus

A/N: Shit. Everything with Kakashi and Sakura I write ends up in hints of KakaSaku. I shouldn't have began reading Naruto fanfics with reading KakaSaku. EVERYTHING I do smell like it.