Sorry for the wait – again. Next chapter will totally be sooner this time. And I know I say that a lot, but don't be afraid to PM me if you feel I'm taking too long. Really; I don't bite.

Sinless
Chapter Three

Sakura rubbed her eyes as the first rays of sunlight entered through the glass doors leading to the back deck. Gaara was still in the den, and she was getting them both some breakfast.

She yawned widely, and blinked at her distorted reflection in the toaster. As always, the sight of her new hairstyle sent a shudder rippling through her. But she didn't want to think about it now – that was in the past, and she had already seen that the attack was just a fluke. It wouldn't – couldn't – happen again.

She spread cream cheese on two freshly toasted bagels and took them out to the den. "Get drinks," she told Gaara. When he didn't move, she snapped, "I'm the guest. Don't be so lazy."

"I'm not thirsty," he said.

Annoying. "Well, I am," Sakura said. When Gaara ignored her, she rolled her eyes and dropped down onto the couch beside him with a huff. "Fine. If I get dehydrated, it's on your conscience."

"I don't have one," he said, taking his plate from her and digging in. Sakura scowled. "You look tired."

She blinked. "I'm not." But even as she denied it, she felt another yawn coming on. "Maybe a little. Weird. I don't usually get tired until the afternoon. I guess my sleeping schedule got messed up."

"Yeah," Gaara said, fixing her with a gaze she couldn't read.

Sakura shifted, uncomfortable. She hated that look but, at the same time, she didn't want to ask what it meant. Instead, she took a bite of her bagel.

"Ugh." Sakura looked up; Ino was standing in the doorway, hair a tangle, too-large pajamas falling off her frame. She yawned, hiking up her pants so she wouldn't trip on them, and came over to drop onto the floor in front of Sakura and Gaara. "Why are you up so early?"

"Why are you?"

"I had to pee," Ino said, yawning again. "How do you stay up all night?"

"Lots of practice," Sakura said, offering Ino half her bagel.

She shook her head. "I'm on a diet."

"You don't need to be," Sakura snorted, pushing her bagel at Ino. She finally took it, smiling a little.

"Hi, Gaara," Ino said pointedly. Gaara finally looked up, offered a short nod, and went back to his breakfast. Ino laughed.

"He's shy," Sakura said. "So, how was prom?"

"Prom was prom," Ino said.

"Did Shikamaru dance with you at all?"

"Like once." Ino rolled her eyes, then brightened. "Naruto kissed Hinata! On the cheek, but still. It was cute."

"Wow. Go Naruto," Sakura said, thinking of Hinata. The usually shy girl had sounded so happy the day before. Now she knew why.

"I know. I wish you had been there. It wasn't the same without you," Ino said, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "But I should get used to it…"

"Stop right there, Ino," Sakura said. "Goodbyes at the end of the summer, remember? And you'll have Kiba and Naruto. They're fun."

"And you'll have Sasuke," Ino said. "What about you, Gaara?"

"I'm going to Oto."

"Oh, cool, you'll be with them! Make sure to send me all the juicy details about them, okay?"

Gaara just looked at her. Then, without a word, returned to his breakfast.

Ino sputtered, looking offended. Sakura bit back a laugh. "Ignore him. So? What else?"

"Hm… oh! I made Prom Queen! I brought my crown with me."

"You would. Who was Prom King?"

"You'll never believe it," Ino said, brushing crumbs from her lap.

"Let me take a wild guess," Sakura said, propping her chin in one hand, elbow on the armrest. "Naruto."

"How'd you know?!" Sakura only smiled, and Ino added, "Naruto texted you, didn't he?"

"Maybe."

"What a dork." Ino shook her head, sending long blonde locks flying. "Anyway. What are we doing today?"

"Stuff."

"Thanks." Ino stood up, stretching her arms high above her head. "I'm gonna go shower now. You should, uh, get to bed." She snapped a firm glare on Sakura. "Now. You can take my bed. Okay?"

"Okay, Mom." Sakura grinned up at Ino. For all her apparent shallowness, Ino was the best friend Sakura had ever had. Even without knowing why Sakura never slept at night, Ino never pressed her, only looked out for her. So many times had Ino covered for Sakura while she skipped class to sleep, so many times had she endured phone calls at three in the morning when Sakura was beginning to doze off, so many coffees had she bought her… Sakura owed her so much.

She yawned again once Ino had left, and Gaara looked at her. "Go to sleep."

"I will if you will," she said.

"Okay." He stood up, setting his plate down on the coffee table. He was trying to hide it, but his eyes were drooping closed.

Sakura laughed. "Gaara, if you're tired, just say so! You didn't have to stay up with me all night, you know."

Gaara shrugged and took her plate from her, setting it on top of his. "Like you said. You're a guest. I should host you."

Sakura tried to smother a laugh and failed. Gaara glared at her. She stood up, and the two of them walked back down the hall towards the bedrooms.

"Sakura."

Sakura looked up and broke into a great, beaming grin. "Sasuke! Morning!"

"Going to bed?" Sasuke asked, as Gaara slipped away towards his own room. "You can borrow my bed."

"It's okay; Naruto snores."

"I'll wake him up," Sasuke said, opening the door to the guest room. "Come on."

Sakura followed; she didn't really want to sleep in Temari's room, anyway. Much as she liked her, Sakura would much rather be with people she knew so well. If it wasn't in a room with Naruto and Sasuke, she would like to stay with Gaara, or Ino. There was more comfort there.

She dropped into Sasuke's freshly-made bed, not bothering to pull back the covers. It was hot, anyway. In the lower bunk across the room, Lee was just beginning to wake up. He saw Sakura settling down into bed and smiled, mouthing a Good morning to her. She smiled back, thankful that Lee was smart enough to not be loud early in the morning. Now she only had to worry about Naruto and Kiba, and Sasuke was already poking the former, in the bunk above his, to wake up and "be quiet, idiot."

It was only eight in the morning. Kiba, at least, wouldn't be up until noon. Sakura had four hours of peace. She closed her eyes, and soon fell into blissful slumber.

-x-

"Sakura…"

Sakura scanned the fields surrounding her, cast her eyes up to the candy-pink sky, and shifted her grip on her magic wand. Her pulse began to race. This wasn't real, and she was asleep.

With that realization came panic. Wake up, Sakura, she thought frantically, you have to wake up!!

The sky turned black.

A fierce wind kicked up, tugging at the hem of her magician's robes and knocking the wand right out of her hand, leaving her defenseless. Sakura took a step back, the grass from her nightmare field snagging at her bare ankles and winding up around her calves. She began to shake, and opened her mouth to cry out.

"A-ah…"

"Sshhh…"

There was the barest touch on her shoulder, and Sakura jumped. She heard a soft, familiar laugh, and spun around, bringing her hands up to defend herself—

"It's okay. It's just me."

Sakura felt hands on her fists, and then her arms dropped to her sides, and she was left facing—herself.

"You're me," she said.

"And you're me," said her other self. "Just the outer me."

Lightning – blood-red and angry – crackled above, and Sakura jumped again. She had nearly forgotten the nightmare.

"He's coming," she whispered.

"I know," said the other Sakura. "Don't worry. I'll stop him."

With a smile – familiar, and, at the same time, stronger than any Sakura had ever given in her eight years – the other Sakura – Inner Sakura – turned and ran.

Sakura slept easy that night.

-x-

Sakura awoke with a start, eyes snapping open and blinking in the semi-darkness. The door was closed, a shaft of light from the hall spilling in through the crack in the bottom. She could hear voices, laughter.

"You awake?"

Sakura turned her head, not entirely surprised to see Sasuke sitting on the floor by the foot of her bed. He had his laptop open in front of him. The sight of him made Sakura's stomach twist, and an unfamiliar frustration choke her. She sat up quickly, nearly banging her head against the bottom of the upper bunk and stared, eyes wide.

Sasuke returned her stare with a steady, even gaze of his own, shutting his laptop slowly. "What is it?"

Sakura shook her head, banishing all negative feelings. "Nothing." She smiled, pulse thrumming irregularly. That had been weird. Too weird. "What time is it?"

"One. Everyone else is eating breakfast."

Sakura laughed. "And I thought I had a messed-up schedule. Did you eat?"

"Yes," Sasuke said, just as his stomach growled. Sakura raised an eyebrow, and he said, not looking at her, "I wasn't hungry."

Sakura felt her cheeks warm. Sasuke could be sweet, really sweet, when he wanted to.

"Well, let's go eat now. I'm hungry again," Sakura said, slipping off the bed and heading towards the door. Sasuke was a step behind her. She stopped at the door, hand on the knob, and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a certain black ugliness creeping in the shadows of her mind.

"Sakura?"

She opened her eyes, flashed Sasuke a reassuring smile over her shoulder, and opened the door.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Sakura!"

"Finally!"

"Hi, hi, okay, I know you missed me…" Sakura said, coming up behind Ino. She sat at the head of the table; Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Shino had the other seats. Temari leaned against the back of Shikamaru's chair, criticizing his hairstyle, and Chouji was rooting around in the fridge.

"Hi, babycakes," Ino said, offering Sakura her half-finished plate. "Hungry?"

"Starved," Sakura said. "Kiba, move, let me sit."

"No."

Sakura scowled, pulled Kiba's chair back ("Hey!"), and sat down beside him, shoving him to the side.

"Guys don't like pushy girls," Kiba told her, glancing pointedly at Sasuke.

"Your mom doesn't like pushy girls."

"…That was so stupid."

Meanwhile, Shino was standing up to clear a seat for Sasuke. He took it with a nod of gratitude, and Temari brought him a plate.

"So what are we doing today?" Sakura asked Ino, sitting beside her.

Ino chewed on a piece of toast. "I dunno," she said finally. "Lee went running this morning and ended up at Neji's place. He called earlier and said they'd drop by after lunch so we could go out." She brightened. "Let's go canoeing!"

"As long as I'm not in your boat, sure."

Ino frowned. "What's wrong with me?" When Sakura didn't answer, she demanded, again, of the table: "What's wrong with me?"

"A lot," Chouji said with a grin. "It's okay, Ino. I'll go with you."

"Chouji's my new best friend," Ino told Sakura.

"Poor Chouji," she replied.

-x-

"How did you sleep?" Gaara asked Sakura when they stepped out into bright afternoon sun.

She squinted longingly at the beach in the distance. "Fine. You don't need to keep asking me." She ignored the pang in her gut, the roiling anger deep within her heart.

"Was Sasuke with you?"

"Yeah."

"The whole time?"

This time, more sharply: "Yeah." She half-turned to glare at Gaara, one fist propped on her hip. They stood eye-to-eye, and staring into his jade eyes was much like staring into her own reflection's, or that of—

Sakura took a breath. She hadn't dreamt of Inner Sakura in a while. Though, of course, she couldn't help her anymore. She hadn't been able to for a long time.

"Why do you sound so suspicious, Gaara? God."

"Whenever Sasuke's around, you don't get attacked. The minute he leaves your side, he shows up? How can I not be suspicious?"

Sakura stared at him, then laughed once: short, humorless, disbelieving. "What, you think Sasuke is my monster or something? Come on, Gaara. It's a fluke."

"Whenever you lose track of him, you get attacked," Gaara went on stubbornly.

The others were beginning to file out of the beach house now and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto heading for them. Sakura glared at Gaara. "Maybe you're just jealous."

Gaara's gaze darkened with irritation. "Or maybe I'm right. I don't trust him—"

"Hey guys! Who don't you trust?" Naruto looked from Gaara to Sakura and back, and his bright grin faltered. "Uh, am I interrupting something? Sakura?" he added when neither replied, shooting her a worried look.

She waved it off. "I'm fine, Naruto. You deal with him – I can't." With one last scowl at Gaara, she turned back to her friends. She met Sasuke's gaze and felt something in her warm. With a smile, she made a beeline for him.

Something inside Sakura snapped and twanged, a tightly strung band of anger and impatience. She faltered, then shook it off, repasting her smile on her face before Sasuke could notice.

-x-

For Sakura, the day passed much too quickly. She had enjoyed her time with her friends, fully living up her last summer before university separated them. As the sun began to set and the mosquitoes came out, Sakura picked at the remains of their barbecue dinner and wished for the moment to never end.

"So what now?" Tenten asked. "Not sleep yet, I hope."

"Duh. Midnight swim time!"

"But it's not midnight yet."

"In some part of the world, I'm sure it is."

Sakura smiled at the people around her, leaning back in her chair and tipping her head back. Purples, pinks, and reds splashed across the sky, and she closed her eyes.

Satisfaction – satisfaction that wasn't her own – flashed within her, and Sakura's eyes snapped back open. She stared around her, eyes wide. Nothing.

"Sakura?" She turned to see Ino peering at her. "Are you okay?"

Sakura shook off her sudden, irrational panic. She was safe. It was okay. "I'm fine. What's up?"

Ino beamed. "I have a surprise for you! Hinata, get the goods!"

"Get the—Ino, who even talks like that?"

"Shush!" Hinata appeared at Ino's side, holding out a duffel back and wearing a secretive smile. "Okay, so they got wrinkled, but I didn't want you to see—" Ino unzipped the beg and, with a rustle, pulled out a green, satin—

"Oh my God."

"We brought ours, too!" Ino said excitedly, pulling out more dresses. "I thought, why not end their time right? We'll go swimming in them!"

"Are you insane? Sakura asked, gaping down at the prom dress Ino held. She still remembered her prom night. It had been terrible.

"No. Are you?" When Sakura scowled at her, Ino said, "Oh, come on, Sakura. We can't wear them again – they're prom dresses; they stay at prom. So why not ruin them properly? The others agree with me," she added when Sakura didn't reply, and she shifted her gaze to Hinata, who nodded eagerly.

"It'll be fun," Tenten said, a gleam in her eye that Sakura both knew and feared.

"I found my old prom dress just for this," Temari said. "After this, I will watch it burn."

"That's a waste of money," Neji said with a frown.

"Yeah!" Sakura said.

Ino snorted. "Whatever, you got your dress dirt-cheap two years ago. Don't even."

Sakura exhaled soundly, ruffling her bangs. "Fine. Whatever," she said, pushing back her chair and getting to her feet. "Now?"

Ino clapped her hands. Sakura shook her head at herself. If anyone else had suggested such insanity to her, she would have ignored it.

She disappeared into the bathroom to change. When she was dressed, she eyed herself critically in the mirror. The dress was nice enough, but the memories it held—Sakura didn't want to think about it. With a sigh, Sakura ran her fingers through her hair; no sense in dolling herself up when she was just going swimming.

Sakura opened the door. Ino was already waiting, tiara and all, and Sakura followed her out onto the deck. Kiba whistled when he saw them, and Sakura felt her cheeks warm. This was such a stupid idea.

"You look beautiful, Sakura-chan," Naruto assured her as they walked down to the beech. Sakura was barefoot, swinging her sandals around one wrist and holding her skirt up off the sandy ground with the other hand. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried, just embarrassed." Sakura shrugged, trying to make herself even smaller so no one would see. "People keep looking at me."

"Nah, I think most of them are looking at Ino," Naruto said. Sakura followed his gaze to where Ino was bounding along ahead of them in her black, full-skirted prom dress, Her tiara glinted off her white-blonde hair in the moonlight. She positively glittered.

"Wrong thing to say, idiot," Sasuke said, shuffling along on Sakura's other side, hands in his pockets. Sakura laughed.

"Why do you look so depressed, Sasuke-kun? You're on a beach! Smile!"

Sasuke ignored her.

"Emo is his default, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, kicking off his sandals. "Race you to the water?" Without waiting for her to accept, he took off, kicking up sand. With another laugh, Sakura raced after him, and soon she could see Sasuke out of the corner of her eye, following, then overtaking them both. Sasuke was always competitive.

Sakura fell into the water, giggling so hard her stomach was starting to ache. Kankuro was splashing Tenten, who in turn shoved Chouji headfirst into the water. Sakura followed, wading out deeper. Her clothes were clinging to her horribly, people were staring, and some small part of her was horrified at what she was doing, but she loved every moment of it.

She let waves crash over her, and dunked her head underwater, submerging herself. She splashed Gaara and Sasuke, and they glared. Neji was the only one to strip down to swimming trunks, and Ino mocked him for it. Lee swam laps around the group until Naruto leapt, clumsily, onto his back, nearly drowning them both. The moonlight shone down on them, and Sakura's voice grew hoarse from laughter.

"Am I good, or am I good?" Ino asked after nearly two hours, as the group straggled back up the beach.

"You're good," Sakura said, breathing hard. "Very good. I'm never getting rid of this dress."

"Wanna have a slumber party in them now?" Ino asked excitedly.

Sakura made a face. "No, thank you. I'm cold."

"Pansy."

"Piggy."

Ino laughed and took Sakura's hand in hers. "You look like hell."

Sakura stifled a yawn. "Just a little worn-out."

"Why don't you sleep tonight, for once? I think you need it."

Sakura was about to refuse. Then: "Okay. I think I need it." She would only nap for an hour. Nothing would happen. She was sure of it.

Temari set up another bed on the floor of her room for Sakura while she took a hot shower. When she remerged from the bathroom, yawning, it was to find Sasuke waiting for her.

"Hi there. Sorry, did I take long?"

Sasuke ignored her. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked as she stepped out, following her down the hall to Temari's room.

"Of course!" Sakura felt oddly sure of herself. She just knew it would be okay. "I'll be fine. You worry too much, Sasuke-kun."

"Sakura…" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, searching for words. "You've been… weird. Today."

She frowned up at him, tucking a lock of wet hair behind one ear. Sasuke could see a small silver hoop in her cartilage; her only piece of jewelry. "Thanks a lot. You sure know how to charm a girl."

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. Sakura didn't even look embarrassed, so he brushed it off. "You know what I mean. Is—is something bothering you? You can tell me. Or Naruto…" He trailed off, thinking of Sakura's prom night. Why hadn't she told him? He didn't want to admit it, but it was bothering him.

Shino passed by on the way to the bathroom, and Sakura bade him a cheerful good night. Then she turned back to Sasuke, and fond exasperation made her scrunch up her nose and furrow her eyebrows. "Seriously, Sasuke. I'm fine. Totally fine." She bit her lip and dropped her gaze. "Um, maybe a little tired still. That's why I need sleep. Just this one night. Okay?"

"Sakura—"

"Good night, Sasuke."

She disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind her and leaving Sasuke out, alone, in the hall. He stared at the closed door, worry tightening his eyes and the corners of his mouth. Somehow, something felt off.

Maybe it was his turn to stay up all night.

-x-

For three weeks, Sakura had been able to sleep at night. She was so thankful.

And yet, there was a rising frustration in the depths of her heart, a frustration she didn't understand and couldn't quite place. She shook it off, settling down in her bed for a good night's sleep. She pulled the comforter up to her chin and snuggled deeper into her pillow – she no longer slept with stuffed animals. She hadn't for a long time.

With a sigh, Sakura closed her eyes and fell into blissful slumber, knowing that Inner Sakura – as she had dubbed her – would be there, guarding her, when she landed back in her dreams. Her five-year nightmare was over. She could sleep again. She hadn't been able to since she moved into her own bedroom at night, away from her parents.

Sure enough, when Sakura blinked her eyes open, she was sitting on the swings in a park, barefoot, toes sinking into the sand, and Inner Sakura was sitting at the top of the slide.

Sakura called out to her, but her inner self (dream self? imaginary self?) didn't seem to hear. With a shrug, Sakura began to swing, going higher and higher, until the star-sprinkled night sky was close enough to touch. She jumped, arms out, fingers skimming the ice-cold sparkling globes of light, then landed, catlike, in the sand.

"Sakura!" Sakura called out, a grin twisting her lips. It was weird to call her by their shared name. She scrambled up the ladder to the top of the slide and came to kneel behind her other self, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Hey, Sakura—"

Sakura's light poke sent Inner Sakura's torso wobbling forward, and Sakura, alarmed, reached out to catch her by the collar. She pulled the body back—

—and the head toppled off, rolling onto the metal of the slide and all the way down, leaving a trail of blood as it went.

For a moment, Sakura stared down blankly at the wide-eyed face of Inner Sakura – of herself – before reality sunk in and she started screaming.

She let go of the body as if scalded, and, unsupported, it fell back onto her. Shrieking with white-hot terror unlike any she had ever known, Sakura pushed the body away and scrambled backward, nearly toppling off the edge before some sense slammed back into her and she was able to gather her wits enough to climb back down the ladder to the sand below—

She set one foot down, shuddered at the strange squelch under her toes, and looked down.

The sand was a moving, oozing, semi-liquid red—something, something that burned her and pulled at her and oh, God, it moaned and shrieked and she could hear Inner Sakura's, or maybe her own, screams in her ears and there was laughter, low, evil laughter that chilled her to the bone.

It was never going to end.

Never.

-x-

Sakura woke up and knew something was wrong, on instinct. That was a split-second before she smelled the blood.

She sat up, and felt her hands run over something sticky and liquid and terrifying. Before she could tell herself she didn't want to, Sakura turned her head.

Nearly glowing in the semi-darkness was Ino, covered in cuts and bruises and lying, unconscious, , hair streaming around her face like a halo, in a puddle of her own thick, dark blood.

Sakura opened her mouth.

And screamed.