Author's Note: Hi everyone! Happy holidays! Consider this a gift from me to my loyal readers! So I know it's been a while since I could update this fic but I appreciate everyone who has stuck with it. I am sorry it has been a while but as I've said before, I have a lot of work. That being said, I would really appreciate it if I didn't get comments like "Hurry up" or "Update faster next time." Seriously, it does nothing to encourage me and I've heard the same from other authors. In fact, its pretty irritating, especially since I try my best to update when possible. Thanks, (end rant.)

I'm going to try to update my other fics around this time as well. Some of you may have already checked out my other Naruto fic, Waking Up On the Right Side of the Bed, and seen that I updated that one earlier this week. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to post a review. It really does not take long and it really is a 'thank you' to the author for writing. Please Please PLEASE review after you read a fic!

Finally, thanks so much for sticking with me and my fics! You all are the best and it's because of you that I keep writing! Happy Holidays!

Chapter 6: Lose Control

Last Time:

The aura he was emitting was more dangerous then Sakura cared to admit.

Her foot began to take a step backwards when she suddenly felt the air around her disperse and Sasuke reappeared in front of her.

Shocked, she stumbled backwards, her back hitting the wall with Sasuke following her movement, caging her in.

When did he get that fast?

Looking up into his face, Sakura was sure now that she had never seen such a sight; hauntingly beautiful yet terrifying.

She had never seen him make such a face.

Sasuke was usually so indifferent to everything, never forfeiting his blank mask for emotions. The closest he came to any sort of expression when they were genin was an occasional scowl at Naruto. But since seeing him again at Orochimaru's base, the boy she once loved looked at her with such blank indifference, she couldn't help but wonder if his black heart had finally died.

Feelings and emotions were just not Sasuke Uchiha's "thing." Not when they were younger. Not when they first became a team. Not when Naruto spat insults at him. Not even when Sakura spouted her undying love for him (which she now cringed at.)

Yet his face now… was of pure rage.

Sakura's mouth fell open slightly.

She watched in awe as crimson red flooded into the onyx black of Sasuke's eyes as his sharingan activated.

No matter how many times she had seen him use his blood-line technique in the past, it was still mesmerizing. The strange colors… black morphing into red or was it red bleeding into the black?

As soon as he closed the door on Suigetsu's face, he turned to her, his prey, she imagined, and stalked towards her.

With every slow step he took forward, Sakura took a hesitant one back until her back was against the wall. But with Sasuke advancing forward, Sakura suddenly realized a few things.

In her time here so far, for some reason she had not felt scared of Sasuke yet. Not really. She supposed it was because, even though he had threatened her, Naruto, and the rest of their team a few years ago, he hadn't done anything yet to suggest he would hurt her.

Until now.

Sasuke was angry. That much was obvious to her. However, what quickly became apparent that he was also dangerous.

Sasuke's entire body was tense and Sakura could see his normal calm façade breaking slowly, replaced with a searing, furious expression. His entire body was shaking from suppressed rage.

Directed at her.

But most of all, Sakura could feel his intent. His intent to hurt her.

It was so strong that a blinding fear suddenly overtook her. She had to get away from him. Desperately, she pushed herself off the wall her back rested on and turned towards anything that could save her.

The only door that led outside was blocked by Sasuke's advancing form. There was a closet door and finally, a window that led outside.

She was a konochi, she could take her chances leaping from the window to escape the unstable man in front of her. Racing towards it, she moved to kick the glass away when suddenly he caught her wrist and pulled her into the center of the room with him.

He released her wrist almost immediately and she took the moment to race towards the closet door. What she hoped to do when she got to it, she didn't know. Did she really think she could hide from Sasuke in a closet? Whatever her reasoning was, fear was clearly controlling her as she made a mad dash towards her salvation.

This time he flashed in front of the door, effectively blocking her off again. With a smooth step forward, he once again moved towards her.

Strong hands clasped her upper arms and slammed her back into a wall while his weight pinned her against it.

By now the intent to hurt her was so strong, Sakura felt she might pass out.

Her neck craned upward to look at Sasuke's face as his figure towered over hers.

Blood red eyes with a furrowed brow met her widened emerald eyes. She tried to struggle against his hold but he only tightened it, causing her to bite her lower lip at the painful grasp.

She choked back a sob as he slammed her back into the wall again, making her see stars for a moment.

She couldn't meet his eyes again. Her own squeezed shut as she swallowed nervously, her breath coming out in shallow pants.

His silence was deafening and threatening. Sakura tried to say something to fill the silence. "I-"

Both his hands suddenly reached up and slammed against the wall on each side of Sakura's head. She flinched from the sound of the impact. The gesture was purely Sasuke, using actions instead of words to convey what he wanted.

And right now his actions showed that he wanted her to shut up.

The action caused her to open her eyes and look up into his face. Breathing suddenly required effort as Sakura found herself forgetting how exactly to bring air into her lungs.

His face was mere inches away from hers, his eyes still spinning wildly.

However, if Sakura thought he was as close as he could get, she was wrong as Sasuke took a step forward and leaned his body impossibly close.

It seemed incredible that the room could shrink even more than it had when Sasuke had entered her room but Sakura quickly found that wasn't the case; now, there was just Sasuke.

His step forward was to prevent her from escaping, that much she could figure out as his height towered over her. His body was flush against hers, his chest to hers, legs knocking with her knees.

But still, his eyes were captivating her. That and his expression.

The tomoes in his eyes slowed to almost a stop before twisting and spinning wildly again. Ebony colored spikes framed Sasuke's handsome face, and because of their proximity, a few currently tickled Sakura's forehead and face. His lips, though he was hard and cold, ironically seemed to be soft, even though they were pressed into a tight line on Sasuke's face. Sakura could feel his warm breath on her lips, coming unevenly as he tried to control his fury.

"What were you doing?" he whispered in a voice so soft, Sakura had to strain her ears and focus just to hear him.

With Naruto, his anger was conveyed through shouting and destroying things. With Sai, it was simply drawing aggressively and throwing kunai. With Kakashi, it was the furrow of his brows and a masked frown on his usually happy face.

But Sasuke… Sasuke seemed to only grow more and more rigidly calm.

And that was dangerous.

"You are testing my patience," he breathed out, closing his eyes.

Sakura knew better than to relax. Sasuke closing his eyes did not mean by any means that he would back off soon. Instead, Sakura felt it was something akin to the 'calm before the storm.'

Sakura opened her mouth and in horror, realized that no words would come out of her mouth.

Suddenly a hand shot up and Sakura found her chin in a tight grasp. Sasuke's eyes opened and the Sharingan tomoes stopped momentarily before warping and spinning uncontrollably.

A gasp left Sakura's lips as Sasuke lifted her chin forcefully, his grip firm but not bruising. Slowly he inched closer to her. The hand holding her chin tightened slightly, making it impossible for Sakura to pull herself from his grasp.

Panic was setting in, rendering her speechless.

It finally hit her.

Blatantly.

She no longer knew this Sasuke.

Since the last time she had seen him with Naruto, that much was obvious as Sasuke attacked Naruto and turned towards Sakura with similar intent.

She couldn't recognize this Sasuke. The one in front of her with such cold, fury.

"Speak, Sakura," Sasuke hissed, as he moved Sakura's chin higher and higher until she was staring up into his face.

Sakura was having trouble breathing by now due to her panic and because Sasuke was refusing to bend his head down to look at her, instead inclining her face until it was practically vertical. She feared that he might actually break her neck if he tried to raise her chin any higher.

His stupid pride, she thought. He can't even bend down a little.

Her anger quickly replaced the previous panic she felt. Pink eyebrows furrowed together as she clenched her teeth against Sasuke's now-bruising hold.

Instead, he had lifted her face until she was basically staring upwards at the ceiling, her neck craning just so that Sasuke could look at her.

"I… I was just talking… to Suigetsu," she spat out, jerking her face to try to rid herself of Sasuke's hold.

"Wrong."

Leave it to the Uchiha to ask a question and then deem the answer unworthy.

Her eyes widened momentarily before rage set it. "Wrong? What the hell do you mean, 'wrong'? You asked what I was doing! I told you I was just talking to Suigetsu," she shrieked at him, wrestling against him hold.

This stranger with such a beautifully haunting face. So familiar yet completely different.

"Sakura."

That voice. That voice that reached her even in her deepest dreams. Always in the back of her mind. Always haunting her. Reminding her of her hopes, her losses, her greatest fears.

Her thoughts couldn't stop then. Not when he was pressed against her. Not with his warm breath on her cheek, his voice saying her name… him being right in front of her.

I can't take it.

My head…

… my body…

Heart.

You being this near…

I can't take it!

That sinking feeling that she hadn't felt in so long had slowly returned the moment Sakura laid her eyes upon Sasuke's crimson ones.

What?… Still?

After all this time, I… I still want him to acknowledge me…

… or is it more?

Sakura's eyes widened at the path her thoughts had suddenly taken. No way. She still didn't think of Sasuke like that. Not after everything that had happened between them. Not after he had tried to kill them all.

"I didn't think I needed your permission to speak to someone!" Sakura said furiously.

If anything, Sasuke's expression flickered to something darker than Sakura had ever seen before the impassive mask set back in. "Wrong," he whispered again.

Having enough of Sasuke's "interrogation," Sakura quickly channeled chakra into her fists, ready to set the arrogant Uchiha in front of her in his place.

But before she could even finish the movement of her arm upwards, a bruising sensation was suddenly around her wrists as she felt them slam into the wall behind her.

She grimaced.

Sasuke had grasped both of her wrists in one hand with a steel-tight grip before slamming their joined hands into the wall by her side, leaving her in the awkward position. He still held her chin upwards at an impossible angle while her arms were pulled to the side of her.

"Tell me then! Tell me what exactly I was doing since you obviously know better!" Sakura screamed, clenching her eyes shut so that she didn't have to see those empty eyes anymore.

Empty. Completely empty.

Unfeeling… towards anyone…

Least of all, you, a malicious voice inside her head said.

Her heart began acting strangely from the moment Sasuke had appeared in the hallway. Why? Why now did she feel so light-headed? Why was her heart racing, her pulse quickening?

She didn't want to think it was because of the man in front of her, but what else could it be? It was him.

It was always going to be him.

What the hell made her think she could get over him so easily? Sure he had left her, had made her cry in the past, but when he left, it did not allow her to move on.

For her to truly move on, she needed to see him everyday and fall out of love with him. Yet she knew even if he had not left, she would never get over him. Because seeing him everyday would make her fall for him again and again.

But him leaving… only prolonged the feelings she currently battled with. She didn't want to believe that she would always be in love with the traitorous man in front of her.

Now is the perfect opportunity to get over him, her inner reasoned. That's right, get over him now while you're near him. Use this time to finally move on from the one-sided crush she had to endure all her life.

Especially since there is nothing there of the boy who left you.

That's right. There was only a stranger in front of her with a familiar face.

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and looked at the man in front of her. His chakra rolled around her in angry waves, surging into lightening-like sparks.

Upon seeing her apple-green eyes open, Sasuke moved his face to the side of hers.

Sakura froze. She could feel his warm breath against the small hairs on the nape of her neck.

His fist holding her hands clenched and her face contorted in pain. Turning his head towards her profile he pressed his forehead harshly against the side of her face, his nose pressing against her cheek.

To an outsider, it might seem like a couple in love, a young boy pressing a kiss to the ear of his lover.

Suddenly he released his hold on both her chin and hands before fisting his hand and slamming it into the wall.

Directly next to Sakura's head.

She flinched and instantly cursed herself for appearing so weak and scared. She couldn't really help it though, not with the murderous aura he was emitting around him.

The hand in the wall clenched and Sakura could see the muscles of his arm work as he fisted and relaxed the hand over and over again.

Was he trying to calm himself down?

She had never seen the Uchiha lose control but the panting against the side of her head suggested that he was making an effort not to do the same to her face as he had done to the crater in the wall.

"I'll tell you. You were being fucking annoying," he breathed on the side of her face before releasing her against the wall.

Sakura's eyes widened before she heard the door of her room slam shut.

She crumpled against the wall and sagged to the ground.

The words reiterated in her head.

Fucking annoying.

Annoying.

Annoying. She was so fucking annoying.

He flashed into his room, scaring the poor maid that was trying to tidy his room up.

"Leave," he all but growled and she fled, scurrying down the hallway.

He was breathing hard, the aftermath of his anger still coursing through his body.

Sakura.

He wanted to hurt her so badly. He was so close to it too until he suddenly stopped when he caught hold of her emerald eyes, crippled with fear and uncertainty.

Uncertainty about him and what he would do.

It wouldn't have stopped him until a memory he thought he had long forgotten, awakened in his head.

Her eyes held the same uncontrollable, desperate fear that he had seen reflected in his own dark irises when Itachi had stepped towards him in their final battle.

He had seen his fear reflected through his brother's eyes.

And the same fear was present in Sakura's eyes.

He had never seen it there before. Not in her emerald eyes.

Not when looking at him.

The thought of his brother and the foreign look in Sakura's eyes brought him back from his darkness.

He wouldn't lose himself because of his stupid, insignificant ex-teammate. He wouldn't lose sight of why he needed her alive.

To use as bait to lure that dobe away from his precious village so that he could walk in and destroy it before dealing with his ex-teammates.

He would not lose control. Could not. His future goals were too important for that.

Well? What did you think of Sasuke's little temper tantrum? And we're finally progressing a bit more with our favorite couple! Er... at least Sakura seems to be thinking more about what she felt for Sasuke... Sasuke's... well, Sasuke is thinking only of his revenge.

Please please please R E V I E W!