Some lovely reviewers asked me to write a sequel to To War and I guess my muse was nice enough to comply LOL. It's not exactly the flow I wanted, but the message came across so done and done. Anyway, hope you enjoy it, requesters! But be warned, I DID NOT EDIT THIS LOL!

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, I'd be really bad at plots and all my stories would end up being fluffy romantic crap lol :DD Thank goodness we have Kishimoto -sensei writing the series and not me~

Aftermath

A SasuSaku Drabble

"You're such a FUCKING bastard!" she screamed as her fist collided with his face, causing a sickening crack. Then there was another. And then a third. "I hate you!"

He didn't move beneath her except for the momentum from the impacts of her punches as his head dug further into the crumbled earth beneath them. She didn't even pin him down seriously, her legs merely straddling his waist but leaving his spread arms free to defend himself. He was as prone as the dead, though, fingers curled up to an almost fist that laid exposed, while his once handsome features pooled in the red of his own spoiled blood. The familiar scent of copper was infused into the immediate space around them and for a small moment the pink haired kunoichi relished in the appetizing stench like a hungry beast. The slickness of her knuckles from the sticky red liquid was getting more viscose with every hit, but her mind wasn't even processing the damage she was inflicting. Her thoughts were centered solely on the cause of her demented anger and the heartache that brought it about. There was nothing she could do but focus on her clenched chest squeezing tighter as every breath from her apathetic victim grew more shallow. At this rate, she would actually kill him.

There were continuous shouts for her to stop from all around but there was no one foolish enough to try to reach her. Or at least anyone that hadn't already tried. Her best friend laying meters away was evidence of that, most likely with a dislocated jaw and a few broken ribs that her fellow kunoichi of the Yamanaka clan was healing. There was also the gently whimpering Akamaru, overshadowed by the profane language of the Inuzuka male she was friends with. The animal was certain to have broken limbs from the impact of her hits when he tried to control her rage during her initial onslaught. And the silent presence of the Hyuuga heiress who'd been on the unfortunate end of her high kick when Naruto had latched onto her in a desperate attempt to control her anger quietly sat near her blonde teammate watching the medical ninja in sadness.

Somewhere in the depths of her rationale, the pinkette knew that a heavy apology would have to be given to Hinata and the others, but at the moment Sakura could say she didn't give a rat's ass who became a victim of her wrath and tuned their noise out. The only person that mattered was beneath her in a mess of mudded clothing and blood and crushed bones, motionless save for the wisps of breath rattling from his swollen mouth.

His infamous eyes, stolen and yet given, were swollen shut and his typically perfect features were unrecognizable with the monstrosity her strength created. His body wasn't in much better condition either, if she were to be honest. To take the Uchiha down, Sakura took out her friends in equal turns before using her enhanced strength to break her dark haired teammate's left leg and landed a roundhouse kick to his chest for an effortless flooring. When he didn't show an inkling of putting up a fight, the medical ninja lost all sense and pummeled him from every possible point before settling on his face and creating the mayhem as it currently was. And now as her emotions dissipated into her dejection, Sakura let the sobbing out in time with her slowed whacks.

He had made her so furious with his arrogant attitude and his dangerous actions, risking his and Naruto's lives far more than was necessary as they battled in this horrible war. His painful words and dismissal of her strength all her life as well as the ungratefulness behind his actions were brought to surface. All the wrongs he'd brought upon the innocent and the guilty alike, the selfishness of his life and the greed he held for power, the craving of twisted justice and the hate he possessed; it all overshadowed the Sasuke she knew and protected within her heart in one instant. The medic unleashed her frustrations upon him physically as her mental state tried to catch up, but it was finally here, Sakura realized, as she screamed her agony out for all of the ninja world to hear.

"I HATE YOU," her words echoed out into their battlefield, hoarse and vengeful. Her fist slammed into his sternum with a thud as her words poured out of her. She vaguely registered the cracking sound that emanated. "You are a horrible human being! A fucking disgrace to everyone you know! Especially your cursed family!" At this point she realized her words were spiteful and unfair to the dead, but she would not curb her voice. There had been far too many moments where the pinkette chose that unsuccessful path.

"You disgrace even them! You are scum, do you hear me Sasuke-kun?! SCUM!" she continued, but with less ferocity and resolve from moments before. Sakura had, after all, just come from an extended fight and the use of her Strength of a Hundred technique; and then she threw all her energies into destroying the one person she spent her life protecting and loving. The medical ninja should have realized all this exertion would take its toll on her chakra reserves. But she would not refuse her retribution, not yet.

" You . . . you," she stuttered as her eyes welled up with the tears of hate and love that consumed her and her head fell forward to rest on the broken chest between her stilled hands. ". . . monster," is her whispered insult, allowing whatever dirtiness was present to mix onto her face along with her tears.

"Y-yes," she heard rumbled from above her head, though the words were barely there. She lifted her pink head a fraction to see bleeding lips fish mouthing repeatedly and Sakura realized the raven haired Uchiha was trying to respond to her. Unsuccessful sputters and wheezes resulted and for another moment of animalistic pleasure Sakura admired the struggle her teammate was suffering with. He deserved every second of pain he succumbed to, and it would be enough if he died, she pondered sadistically.

No Sakura, were the words her mind suddenly reminded. This was Sasuke Uchiha, the boy who protected her weakness before his hatred took him. The person who drove her to grow up and become the woman she proudly was now. The only ninja who refused to baby her and never gave her the opportunity to be weak by choice. The only person her heart ever beat for and the only one she would ever seek out. He had murdered and destroyed and turned to the darkness, but Sakura would not abandon him. Even if she hated him from the bottom of her heart, there was always a layer below that loved him more. And she felt this inescapable dichotomy clamp her to the truth as her eyes followed the struggling hisses of air that were supposed to be words.

"I-I'm . . . a . . . mo-mon . . . st . . . er," she managed pick out from the garble and the pinkette bit her lip in frustration. Did she even care what he had to say at this point? Would he beg for her mercy to end his life when he was so close to death? Or would he play upon her kindness, asking for forgiveness? Sakura wasn't sure if she'd willingly give him either option.

But even a dying man, should that be his ultimate fate, deserved the last words of life so Sakura pulled her tearstained face from his grime and gave him a weak glare. Her hands took on their familiar green hue and she allowed her already drained chakra to travel past the battered skin and deep into the bone of his chest to reconstruct the sternum and crushed muscles she had inflicted. The rattled hiss of his breath was a sure sign of a dying man and dying men could tell no tales. The process was slower than she was accustomed to as she focused her energies into the action, but she completed the task and moved onto his face where the damage was exceptionally severe.

It was a miracle words could come out of his mouth altogether, she thought with a bit of admiration. He shouldn't be able to squeeze an ounce of motion out from his body, she realized as his fractured jaw began to mend and his skin was morphing from a red coating to the pale and chiseled face she'd always admired. His shut eyes were losing their purple and crimson swells as her hands brushed over them and before long, there were just a few deep lacerations remaining on him that she felt no obligation to heal. After all, she was not here to make him well, but decent enough to speak.

Retracting herself, Sakura rested herself on his torso and watched him with deep concentration and a little of her returning fury. Looking at him back to a somewhat normal state made her want to beat him black and blue all over again. Maybe she would.

"Well?" she spit out, trying to implying her impatience outwardly. He had his eyes closed and was still spread eagle beneath her, but there was no sound of death surrounding his breathing now, and the kunoichi knew that he was in decent condition.

"You hit . . . really hard," were the words acknowledging her and somehow Sakura couldn't control the brief guffaw that escaped her lips. Hell yeah she could hit hard. But besides that momentary comradery, she continued to observe him with careful eyes, expecting more.

"Sakura," he breathed out, cracking open the mismatched eyes to watch her steadily. He never wavered when confronting danger, but Sakura felt he owed her more than that; he owed her his truth, his emotions, his sincere regret and redemption. Not just a uninterpretable mumble of her name.

"I'm . . . sorry." The apology was like a bee sting, probing her in the most acute and painful depths of her heart. She'd wanted so terribly to hear those words when she had been twelve. When her unwavering faith in Naruto was the only salvation a weak kunoichi like herself could muster. When she truly believed that he'd bring the Uchiha back to her side, battered and maybe upset, but apologetic for his choice. When she'd heard the unspeakable duty to destroy him from their deranged temporary Hokage, and her feeble attempts to return him from the darkness. In those circumstances, she would accept his sorry. But they were beyond that. Madara and Kaguya, their friends and allies nearly getting turned into mindless zombies, the earth beneath their feet shattering into oblivion had all uprooted what a simply sorry could request.

"You're sorry?" her trembling voice breathed out. She shook her head in disbelief as tears cascaded down her dirtied cheeks, anger pooling in her weary belly. "You're sorry?" was the reinteration when he made no move to acknowledge her venomous words. His eyes were focused solely on her, as the shouts that surrounded the battlefield were quieted. His mismatched eyes burned into her soul like she imagined an amaterasu would, though there was no jutsu affecting her. But the pain was what she presumed it to feel like.

"Do you think that is enough? Do you really think that is enough?!" Unable to control herself, her fist land against his cheek, and again she was met with no resistance. This antagonized her emotions more and she couldn't contain herself. Why did he have to be so heartless? Was sorry nothing more than a word of manners told to those they wished to pacify? Did the promise of restitution die as willingly as the roar of their battle not long ago faught?

"Damn you, Sasuke-kun! Damn you!" she screamed in agony, heart being shattered on all sides. Every time he did this, a small act of redemption, it appeared meaningless and insincere. He was playing games with her weaknesses, and she saw no means of combating this deficiency.

"Why won't you fight back?!" she continued with her renewed physical onslaught, which wasn't nearly as damaging as it had been the first time. There was no drive to pound him into oblivion now, only the darkness engulfing her own feelings and leeching away her minimal strength.

He grabbed her arms after a moment and she instinctively stilled within his grasp. She didn't look at him, but felt the Uchiha tensing his grip trying to get her to respond. She ignored his prompt, just as he had ignored her so many times before in her life. There would be no more concessions from the pink haired warrior. She had had enough.

"Sakura," he called to her, set on having her attention all to himself. It had always been that way, but the kunoichi did not want to fall back into that routine. She wanted to be above and beyond his control over her dedication and love. "I won't fight you."

Her gaze was focused on the crumbled pebbles beside his neck, but she could not rope in her eye-widened expression. "Never again," he firmly declared, hands on her covered arms tightening minutely.

"What do you mean you won't fight me?" she bristled. Was he once again deconstructing her into nothing more than a useless ally? Was this mockery of her prowess and training? As these musings filtered through her mind, the open viridian eyes squinted to hold back the pained tears. Why was she never good enough? Why did Sasuke deem it necessary to always destroy her in the gentlest of ways? The turmoil was that much more potent because of his disbelief in her. It was more damage than any ninja skill could create.

"I won't. . .You are too," here the words stuck in Sasuke's throat. Sakura could tell from the way his adam's apple bounced in her peripheral vision. "precious." It took her almost a minute of tense silence to absorb his words. The Uchiha's entire comment made no sense to her mind. When he observed her lack of response, the missing nin furthered his statement in an uncharacteristic show of patience.

"I never want those dear to me to be hurt again." This time she was forced to look back to him. The way the raven haired ninja mumbled that sentence to her, steady but just barely heartbroken, could not be overlooked. She saw, for the first time since their meeting at the summit's bridge, that same anguish of losing the Uchiha family so important to him. Except he didn't refer to their passing and the bitterness that drove him to insanity because of it. He referred to those he cherished now, the only people who ever fought for him despite his darkness, team seven. He was, in this instance, referring to her. It was obvious in the eyes that were back to polished onyx. Sasuke's real eyes.

"I'm sorry I had to take you down my path." The Uchiha was speaking in quieter intonations reminiscent of their genin days. The times when she'd been his companion hungering for acknowledgement and needed a patient presence. These were the sort of words that brought back the feelings of love, and it made it harder for the medic to see his folly. It pained her heart physically, and she fell a fraction of an inch closer to him. "I tried not to," he soothed similar to how he used to when her moods were uncertain in childhood, "But you were annoyingly devoted to following me. I didn't want any of this for you." And she knew his meaning was true. He watched her with weary black eyes, swirling with a hint of regret and longing.

He brushed a loose strand of pink from her cheek with a tenderness that should not come from hands so bathed in bloodshed and evil. It was unreal, how he pretended not to care and yet gave her the desperation she craved in her adoration. It made her question everything that had built up to this moment, Sasuke lying amongst rubble at her mercy, and Sakura filled with hate and deliberately searching for reasons to give it him.

"I deserve ever hit you give me. It's my sorry to you." Their exchange was for their ears only, despite the audience that had settled into watching them play their game. It was as if every single person in the world, as close as the wreckage of the final outcome or as far as the swirling oceans beyond the land of waves, did not exist. The only thing that mattered was Sasuke and his dark eyes and the fingers brushing her cheek in a slow, repetitive motion. "I will not fight you."

"You're so unfair," she squeaked, tears tainting her features. It was pure injustice the way his resolve crumbled her own when she'd been so set to hold on her personal revenge towards him. But Sakura understood her heart was not filled with those follies. Her heart was more oriented towards the kindness and forgiveness of others naturally. And the pink haired kunoichi understood that since she was tempered like this, she could never hate him, never let him go.

"Why couldn't you have just stayed by my side?" she choked out, reaching her own weary limb to him, his cheek cradled in her palm. If only he'd vouched to not fight against her then, when it could have saved them all. They wouldn't be two battered souls now holding on for something that wasn't meant to exist.

"Why couldn't you have let me help you?" she pleaded, seeing the uncomfortable wetness on her chin fall in droplets onto Sasuke's exposed features. Her blurring eyes and fatigue were making the world dizzy. "I could have saved you." And deep in her heart, if given the chance, she was sure the Uchiha knew she could have too. It was evident in the way his eyes, the most expressive part of him, narrowed at her in melancholy.

"No." The hand reaching up to her stilled and she felt his thumb rub underneath her eye. "You could only save yourself." There were a million denials on her lips, almost as many as her endless stream of tears. Sakura Haruno knew that, yes in fact, she had no real capability of saving him in the past. It was not her destiny to do so, she mentally conceded. "And you did."

"What?" she questioned uncertainly. It was unusual for her stoic teammate to reassure her of her advancement. It had been the issue she'd been upset about to begin with, the cause of her rage and attack earlier. Yet here was Sasuke Uchiha, battered and weary beneath her after a war, encouraging her of a success. Her shortcomings from the past and his abandonment created a drive of incomparable level, and she utilized it to be where she was today. No longer a girl of low caliber, she was a warrior and a healer and a wonderful ninja. The raven haired male acknowledged that she had saved herself, and now, her fate was left in her own power. A power that could, if she chose, save Sasuke.

"You saved yourself from me. I'm proud you did." They were words that left her drowning in exhaustion. They were impossible. She was trapped in a genjutsu. There was no possible explanation for the confidence and sympathy she had just come to hear. And yet there was Sasuke, the Sasuke she grew up with and admired, gazing at her with the fondness she'd always pined for. And it was what broke her inside all over again. She slumped onto his form from the overexertion and curled onto him as she spoke.

"And yet you've broken me on the inside." He watched the top of her head with furrowed brows as she hushed her mouth from saying more. Then Sakura decided she'd had enough with controlling her emotions. He obviously waited to share this and she had no more face to lose. He had broken her more than the deaths of close comrades, the war in its entirety, and the impossible first heartbreak had. Truly, in this moment, Sakura felt she was lost. "I'm irreparable," she mewled into his chest, strength both physically and mentally gone.

"No." She felt his fingers run up her arm to her face and tilted her chin toward him so they shared eye contact.

"I'll fix you," he promised with set determination. It was reminiscent of her own promises to Naruto lifetimes ago, swearing to bring their wayward friend home. Sasuke Uchiha now ironically carried that will of fire that she had finally abandoned. She wondered momentarily if he would be able to fix her merely with his resolve, and when he painstakingly dragged her limp body upward by her arms so that they laid chest to chest, faces almost touching, she saw the glimmer of the future. His breath fanned over her lips before he tilted his head the fractional distance to kiss her.

"And you'll fix me," he whispered when he pulled away, tone absolutely confident. Sakura could believe that they would.

=====(Fin)=====

So sorry for the depressive tones. It just seems like it'll happen similar to this in the manga. It's one of my headcanons: Sakura being broken by the thing she's always wanted most in the world, Sasuke and his admiration/acknowledgement.