Hellbent

Chapter8: On letting go.

Sorry, I've been busy.

Thanks to all my reviewers and a shout out to Rubberduckieswholikepieandcake. . . for a such a nice note.

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And there is nothing left.

But I can't let go.

Even though I said I would.

I continue

To live

and die

Sakura gritted her teeth at the situation. Her jaw muscles were taut and causing unneeded tension to the already strenuous situation.

Itachi and Kisame were in plan sight silently taunting the younger Uchiha, who was currently caught in her desperate grasp. She was a leach, a rock, an anchor and Sasuke was caught in her hold. Sakura, herself was sipping her teeth of the excess fluid in her mouth while becoming steadily flaccid.

Itachi tilted his neck slightly and Sasuke immediately tensed.

" Fuck." She hissed blood licking her lips as she attempted to contain her thoughts. " Can you. . .understand. . . " Useless jargon.

She thought out loud. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

I can't let go.

" Sakura, we've accomplished our objective. " Itachi said clinically.

Even though everything is so fucked up.

She attempted to control her breathing and heart rate

" I've given you a chance but it seems as if you've fail–

Sasuke twitched.

" No, Itachi-san, Kisame-san. . .keep your distance!"

Itachi continued. " -ed to complete yours."

" I was hoping to see his broken body in your grasp." Kisame folded his arms.

" Sakura, let me go." Sasuke crouched slightly, white knuckles clenching the katana.

Too many of them, they can't here me.

She didn't listen.

They're not listening.

When the wind passed conspicuously she held on tighter to Sasuke's leg. She clenched on, like she never wanted him to leave her. Sasuke snarled in protest, falling slowly, stubbornly. He felt a literal spark electrocute his system and he involuntarily twitched. He could hear it. The empty sound of bones shattering, slicing through muscle and flesh. He could see it. Her venomous chakra, like fire around her arms, rupturing, piercing through his veins slicing through his system.

Meanwhile her eyes were clenched shut.

They're not listening.

Itachi appeared like she thought he would; in front of her. He stood over her and Sasuke in a usual distant gaze and something else which made her quiver. Her eyes trailed.

I know.

Shaking with wide green eyes she moved gingerly. Sasuke had no words and just narrowed his eyes.

I can't make them . . .

Understand.

From Sasuke's point of view he could see the world around him in a vicarious shadow. Where he was falling into the pits of hell, where Sakura had willingly threw him. Where she knew she could watch him.

She looked ridiculously tall from where he laid.

From his leg the bone protruded out of his flesh and left an intricate trail of blood on the ground from where he collapsed to where she was currently standing. Sasuke watched as her body seemed to be involuntarily shaking. Face to face to his brother, she whispered something barely audible.

"He's mine. . .I will kill him."

Itachi looked indifferent and when his eyes gazed upon his brother's fallen body they narrowed mockingly. Those lashes daunting in their feathered beauty. Itachi took a breath as if to speak and Sakura punched him.

Don't speak,

don't look.

" Don't touch him. He's mine." She hissed and licked her lips.

And Itachi, with the same placid look painted on his face barely let out a noise with his head drawn back.

Out of the corner of Sasuke's eye he barely saw how Kisame's face widened with a toothy smirk or how his brother discreetly blinked. His eyes were focused, half-lidded with confusion on Sakura.

In turn, Sakura didn't see hear Kisame's synd remark or hear Itachi's buttons open when his hand crept out of his cloak. She didn't see Kisame's quizzical quirk of his eyebrow. And she especially didn't see how Itachi slid his fingertips to his mouth and back to the reddened skin of his cheek.

Her sights were turned to the younger Uchiha, the one who was still stubbornly conscious. Because Sasuke couldn't see any reason behind Sakura's actions and in some form he didn't know why he cared.

"Hnn. . ." He let out an strained breath which came out as a snort of contempt.

She positioned herself directly towards his form. Her hands were twitching at her sides and her lips red, contrasting with her banal pale skin.

". . .stay down." Sakura's eyes slanted slightly, jaded. She frowned in disappointed like she thought he would be rational enough to listen to her.

But she wasn't being rational herself.

And Sasuke just leered as he felt his vision waver then intensify. As if his eyes were on fire and he realized the Sharingan was on again.

She was beyond annoying. This girl who said openly that she would sacrifice her life for him and her morals and soul for her team.

He was confused, what team?

She walked in black and red, saying her reason was because of him, because of Naruto, because of team 7. Yet she stood over his body, along side his brother and looked at him with a empty gaze he never knew she could possess.

Perhaps, he never knew her at all.

He didn't understand.

He didn't want to.

However he couldn't help to notice how her eyes shook no longer alive with fire and how she grew deathly pale with each strained breath she took.

He heard her splutter as he struggled to stand. His knee popped and hung loosely, but keeping the weight off he was able to get into stance. A well-developed numb look took over his face and he watched her face downcast.

Sakura was a medic but even without the experience she knew pain when she saw it, she knew determination when it spat at her and she knew death when it lingered hungrily in the air.

She looked at him and he didn't like it. Not with love, not with hate, she just looked at him with hollow eyes.

Dead eyes.

I'm tired. Just. . .

" Stay down, Sasuke-kun." She reiterated this time with more feeling. And for a fleeting second that familiar gleam of love appeared.

Listen. Please.

He shuffled his feet when she walked casually over to him.

Sakura didn't look at his face as she forwarded a punch into his stomach.

She didn't watch as he coughed up blood until he collapsed.

Her gaze was in the distance.

Sakura was tired, and malaise but mostly she just wanted it to be over. Everything was visceral; nothing was rational, just feelings.

As Sasuke remained motionless on the ground his thoughts were of her and her annoying foolishness. And with the last of his consciousness he could see that picture of her smiling twelve year old face before it melted back into her present form. He failed to notice before but she was beautiful.

No

She was more than beautiful, she was shivering, with pale white-washed skin, and covered in blood.

His blood,

her blood

He could see it, so clearly hazy. They are seventeen and his perception of Sakura is still. . . Sakura. The curves of her cheek bones, the waves of pink hair which frame her face. But the picture is broken, and his memory is only a memory. She isn't who he thought she was, she isn't the one he remembers. She isn't smiling.

She's frowning.

And he forgot that he had struck her shoulder with a chidori. And he forgot why he had purposely missed and struck her shoulder instead of her heart. And he forgot how much it all meant to him.

Her heart.

He didn't want it.

And he scowled before everything went dark.

". . . I won't say it again." She said monotonously.

It was the only time he ever listened to her.

Thank you.

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She could see it.

The rise and fall of his chest.

So she fell to her knees.

Her eyes looked at shine of her reflection of the crimson puddle and she wondered whose blood it was. Was there enough shed? Enough for her to die? Or just to watch Sasuke die? If somehow she was able to find peace in collapsing she would have done it already. But she would die an Akatsuki, not a Konohagure-nin, or apprentice to one of the renown Sannin, not Sakura-chan or anything memorable.

Just another missing-nin

A criminal

An Akatsuki.

When Itachi shuffled his feet slightly she looked up out of her stupor.

" We're leaving." She didn't possess the strength to lift her head and it fell lower and her breathing fell more shallow. But she attempted to crawl over to Sasuke's body.

Instead she was halted, her eyes confronted with those obtrusive colors which sent dread through her body.

Sakura stopped breathing when Itachi bent down, and gulped when she was once again face to face with him. A thought popped into her mind how he didn't want her to collapse next to Sasuke and she attempted a frown. When he gingerly placed his hand under her chin to look into her hazy eyes she discreetly noticed the slight pink of his right cheek.

She ended up half-smiling instead.

When Itachi's grip grew tight around her face she cautiously grabbed his wrist, in fear of a sudden silent payback for the punch. But his face remained casually idle and he tilted her face, watching the blood drip down her cheek.

" Your chakra is nearly depleted. Your blood loss is fatal."

A strained breath and Sakura bit her lip, too fatigued to start senselessly crying." . .why are you telling me? I know that I'm going to die."

He narrowed his eyes, feathered lashes darkening his face. When Itachi's other hand grabbed her left wrist she writhed slightly then went limp. Realizing that her eyes had instinctively closed she opened them slowly with the strange sensation of cold metal on her finger.

All that she could think of was how it contrasted with the warmth of Itachi's hand.

" This ring connects all of the Akatsuki member's chakra. Make use of it." She shivered as his breath tickled her ear. She felt him lean forward, his words husky and his lips hovering over sensitive skin" It would be in your own best interest not to die and a waste of my time to watch you die." He release her and moved away leaving her stumbling in her own hazy thoughts.

Sakura looked to the cold band on her left pinky finger. It was an azure color with the symbol Kūu or sky on the gem.

Akatsuki are connected though this. Their chakra. . .

She didn't notice that the blood on her cheek was wiped away.

When she looked up again Kisame was visible and standing over Sasuke. She managed a possessive growl.

" He's still breathing you know." The shark-man said menacingly.

She didn't respond and there was a strained silence before Kisame spoke again. " You know I kinda wanted to see you prove Itachi wrong." He nudged Sasuke's body. " He's always right, it gets annoying sometimes."

Sakura looked up lethargically. " Nnn. . .What, you don't think I got to him?" She motioned to Sasuke's bleeding body.

Kisame smirked before leaving. " . . .maybe."

Sakura smiled sadly after Kisame was out of sight.

. . .Nnn

Alone with Sasuke, Sakura rose to her feet with the weary feeling of chakra warming her body. It was the same sensation she got when drinking tea on a frigid morning; like fuel, only it was tainted and she could feel it eat up at her moral.

She was officially part of the organization. Her soul, her life, everything was gone. Her fate would now be decided as an Akatisuki.

Itachi was already gone before she had the chance but she muttered it anyway, ". . .Thank you." Whether it was the lack of blood through her system or not she had a feeling he heard her.

In careful steps she picked up her torn robe and her mask. The robe acted like a sheet blanketing Sasuke's face and a proportion of his body and the mask she placed over her face. With his arm around her good shoulder she steadily trudged through the forest. A green glow warmed her body and hovered over Sasuke's form.

Now she only had to endure the longest walk of her life.

Destination: Konohagure.

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Just some clarification for the little dialogue between Kisame and Sakura. Kisame is referring to the conversation he had with Itachi about how Sakura should realize that it's basically pointless for her to go after Sasuke. And at the time Sakura was determined to prove Itachi wrong and show that Sasuke would listen to her. I think that's in chapter 5 ; p

Thanks to all my reviewers.