Sakura meandered through the door of her hotel room, grains of sand flaking from her skin and falling from her hair. The ruffles of her dress were bogged down by the water that dripped from the edges. Her milky skin was just a shade darker after having soaked up so much of the sun's glow. She had quite enjoyed her time on the beach, despite Sasuke's insistence of staying behind. They now had plenty of time to be together anyway. "Sasuke-kun?" she called, dusting herself off. "Sasuke-ku…" She felt the presence of someone behind her, and quickly spun to see that it was him, a suggestive glare and devilish grin on his face. "Hello, Sakura." She could watch herself in his empty, black eyes, as he roughly placed his hands on her hips. His entire being was encompassed by an overwhelming sense of intimidation. Despite normally having such a lively and emphatic personality, she always seemed to melt in Sasuke's presence nevertheless. Slipping one of his arms behind her, he motioned her backward, guiding her with his prodding until she felt her head thud against the wall. Her face was flush, cheeks pinker than her hair, and found herself too flustered to speak.

It was straight out of her wildest dreams, feeling the weight of his body against her as she backed herself further against the wall. She rested her arms against his chest and turned her head to avoid his gaze. Seizing the opportunity, he dove his face into the crane of her neck, causing her to giggle his name sweetly to herself, and relaxed into the wall behind her. As her eyes roamed the room, she spotted a photo sticking haphazardly out of her bag. The colors were faint and beginning to fade, but even without squinting she recognized it immediately. It was her photo of Team 7; she never went anywhere without it. She thought of Naruto again, and found it difficult to enjoy herself. I wish I could just talk to him…I can only imagine how he's feeling. She thought fondly of their time together, and desperately wished to have her friend back. But why would he say something like that? Something so vicious? It's not like him. Sasuke'shandscrawled further up her body. Could he…no, no, no, you're being paranoid. There's no way that he…I mean… Her hysteria was beginning to get the best of her. I know it's not true… Naruto was the only one who knew this truth about her. In an effort to alleviate her doubts, she decided to bring it up to her husband. "Sasuke-kun," she muttered, seizing up underneath him. "Hold on."

"Is something wrong?"

"N-no, no, I just…I wanted to tell you something before we…uh, y'know."

"What is it?"

"Well, during the war, I worked non-stop in the medical tents."

"Yes, I know that."

"We used a couple of rather…experimental drugs. That, combined with some risky jutsus and techniques, were necessary to save as many shinobi as we could."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Well…soon after, I was informed that long-term exposure to a number of these drugs could cause an array of side effects, and…"

"And?"

"…I'm infertile. I-I can't have children."

"You're what?!" Sasuke growled, forcefully stepping away from her. His hands instantly fell from her body, and his glare hardened. There was an intense, horrible, frightening look in his eye. Sakura was shocked by his reaction, and hastily stammered. "S-Sasuke-kun, I-I know you want children, but I was waiting for the right time to—" In the blink of an eye, she felt his hand brutishly strike her. A large, red imprint stung the soft flesh of her cheek, and she reluctantly lifted her fingers to graze across the mark. I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming. This isn't real. He didn't just do that. He didn't just hit me. Shewarily turned her head to face him, and found him leaning against the dresser with his back to her. His grip was forceful enough to turn his knuckles white. Her tears were blinding, sweltering in her eyes. "…Sa—"

"You should have told me this a long time ago, Sakura."

"I…I didn't think it was—"

"Necessary? Important? Worth mentioning? You didn't think your inability to bear children was something I should know?"

Sakura felt herself shrinking into the wall. Her voice became small, akin to a whimper. "I thought…we could work it out when the time came." She slumped to the floor with her face tucked into her arm. Sasuke whipped his head around, and saw his wife in tears. His better judgement knew that it was wrong to hit her, to yell and make her cry. All he could feel in his heart was contempt, as he made his way over to her. "I find it difficult to believe that there's really nothing you can do. You're a medic after all. There should be something you can do to fix it." He watched her sniffle pitifully on the floor, and thought laying a hand on her knee could console her. That is, before he saw the scowl on her face once he did. She shot her head toward him, eyes burning with anguish. "Is that the only reason you married me?!" His hand jerked at her outburst, as he struggled to hide the shock in his face. He felt no need to defend or rebuke himself to her. They stared at each other, not a word between them. "Oh my god…it is, isn't it."

"Sakura, do you honestly—"

"The only reason you married me was so I could have your children."

"You're being—"

"I should have listened to him," she cried, covering her mouth. Sakura shot up from the floor and glanced the room for her bag. The shaking in her legs was desperately trying to tell her to leave. "Listened to who?" Sasuke interrogated as he blocked her way. "Get out of my—" He clasped her arms in his hands, and furiously pressed her back against the wall. His energy was dark and malevolent. "Sasuke, let go of me!"

"To who?"

"Please, I just want—"

"To who?!"

"To Naruto!" She shouted, wrangling her arms out of his grip. As she briskly rounded the corner of the bed, Sasuke followed directly behind her, his voice rattling with resentment. "Naruto? You're going to listen to him? That fucking idiot?" Without thinking, Sakura ground her teeth and wildly flung a fist to his chest. "Don't you talk about him like that!" Unfazed by her aggression, he slammed her into the corner, his veiny fingers coiled around her throat. "That moron never has any idea what's he's talking about. All he does is run his mouth, and if you believed him, you're even dumber than I thought." She became uncomfortably short of breath, and fought his grip in any way she could. "You're not going anywhere. Not yet." In one fell swoop, her knee darted into his stomach with monstrous force. The air flew right out of his lungs, as he doubled over in agony. Struggling to catch his breath, Sakura nimbly stepped past him and collected her things in her arms, laying them frantically on the dresser to stuff them inside. She shook her head to keep from crying, focused solely on exiting as quickly as possible. There was no time to mourn the subtle end to her brief marriage. There was no time to mourn the loss of her dear companion's friendship. There was only time to leave.

She grasped the knob of the door, but hesitated to open it. She looked over her shoulder, and glanced at Sasuke behind her. He was beginning to stand, air returning to him, still heaving. The very sight of him disgusted her. Never in a million years did she ever think that she could say that about him. Even though he had tried to kill her before, she had always assumed it was because he was in that dark place that leaving the village had put him in. She had hoped that she, alongside her teammates, were truly precious to him. After the events that transpired before her in mere minutes, she knew now that it wasn't that. His heart was made of darkness. It always would be. "So what," he huffed. "So what…if it's the only reason I married you. This is what you wanted. This is all…you've ever wanted. You made that…perfectly clear over the years." Easing the door open, she whispered, not knowing whether he would hear her, but still needing to be say it nonetheless.

"I would rather die than bring one of your sons into this world."

Finally allowing herself to cry, Sakura tearfully walked away from the boy she once loved.