dedication: to Sasuke. Happy birthday, you beautiful asshat.
disclaimer: disclaimed.
note: Review babies. I do enjoy them. :)

title: i'm here with you

-just breathe

"You're kiddin' right?" Naruto asked from across the bedroom, where they were stuck.

"Sasuke," Karin's voice shook, her eyes held fear. Sasuke looked from the window and to the rest of the room. He didn't say anything. Itachi spoke.

"We have no choice."

"Like hell we don't!" Naruto yelled, Sakura noted he had his hand clasped around Karin's.

Finally Sasuke spoke, "We don't. The door won't hold."

No one spoke. Sakura was sure that she wasn't breathing. But when Karin caught her eye, her lungs expanded.

This was not happening.

"How can you be sure everyone will get out safely?"

Sasuke's eyes hardened, he spoke low, "I can't."

Sakura swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She would not be crying now.

They were only surrounded by zombies.

"Guys," Karin spoke, her eyes glassy and hands shaking. "You... We can't do this. They'll go away, right? They have to."

Itachi stood up from the bed, "No. We are going to do this. I'm not dying here."

Sakura still didn't say anything, she hadn't spoken at all since they ran to the bedroom. The only sound in the room at that moment was the grunting and gurgling that came from outside the door. Then the pounding on the door took over again.

Sasuke spoke over it, "It's either we jump out the window or we're dead here."

Naruto looked as if he was going to continue arguing, but he didn't. When he nodded Sasuke nodded too.

"The window leads to the roof, from there we can jump down by the car," when he was done speaking Sakura felt as if she was going to be sick. Sasuke didn't guarantee anyone's safety, and she was terrified.

What if something went wrong?

What if she broke her leg?

What if she broke her neck?

What then?

"Let's go."

She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder. She looked back and found Karin.

"Y'know," she said, "Sasuke wouldn't suggest something if he didn't think that everyone could make it out. He might have said there's no guarantee but he does believe we will survive."

Sakura nodded, a smile smile playing on her lips, "Yeah."

Then Karin stepped onto the roof and began walking, only Sakura was left in the bedroom. She breathed out and bit her bottom lip.

She was terrified of heights.

She closed her eyes and listened to the pounding on the door. She heard the woof give way, her eyes opened and she looked towards the door. She watched as a hand came through and reached inside the room, grasping for something—for someone. Her heart pounded and she hurried onto the roof. Height or no height, she wasn't dying. She turned and closed the window. The zombies had already broken through half of the door. She hurried to the edge of the roof and stared.

They all stood, waiting for her at the bottom.

"Haruno, come on," Sasuke said his patience already gone.

Sakura swallowed and closed her eyes.

"Haruno!"

"I'm coming!"

Then she jumped.

But, her feet didn't touch the ground. Instead her body was cradled. Her eyes opened and she stared into black eyes... Sasuke's eyes.

"You closed your eyes Haruno," he let her onto her feet, "could've broken something."

"Well," she shrugged and smiled up at him, "aren't I lucky to have you."

Karin made a gagging noise, "Get a room."

Sakura chuckled and they piled into the car. Her neck craned as she watched the zombies flood the roof. She worried her bottom lip when she realized something.

This was her life. Maybe not with these people in the car. Maybe she would be alone. She didn't know. All she knew is that these monsters, this running, this hiding, they were all her life.

No one was going to save her. No one was going to come and save them from what was happening.

Her life was no guarantee.

And that scared her to death.

She didn't want to die. She didn't want to be scared for the rest of her life.

"Sakura, what are you thinking about?" Karin's soft voice pulled her back. She turned back to the front and shook her head.

"Nothing," she whispered, "nothing at all."

But even as she stared down at her jeans she could feel someone's eyes burning into her skin.

Later that night, she watched Sasuke pump gas into the car. He was leaning against the car, ankles crossed. His skinny jeans low on his hips and that stupid v-neck that always got her a little turned on.

He was hot, what was a girl gonna do?

He opened the door and climbed in. When he gunned the engine he turned to her.

"What?" He asked, placing one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on the console.

She ignored his question and watched the veins in his arms. His long fingers flexed around the steering wheel.

Oh, god, everything about him was hot.

"Haruno," he hissed, "stop staring at me."

Her green eyes traveled up his arm, to his beautifully built bicep, to his face. He raised an eyebrow in her direction. She shook her head and looked away. She watched the road, listening to the iPod that was plugged into the radio.

She could feel his eyes boring into the side of her head. Smiling she didn't bother turning her head, "Now you're staring."

"Because you've been acting weird."

Sakura went stiff. She knew she had, and she knew people noticed. She hadn't talked since the morning they left the house. She hadn't done much at all since that morning.

"It's nothing," she whispered, her head turning towards the window.

"Okay," he said and didn't say anything else. She knew he wasn't going to push her.

"I'm scared." It was quiet, barley audible.

"I don't want this. I don't want my life to be like this. I want to go back. I didn't even get to go to college."

Her eyes glossed over and her throat tightened.

"I just... I just want to not have to live in constant fear." Her voice broke, but tears didn't come.

Sasuke's hand tightened around the steering wheel. He couldn't tell her that everything was going to be okay, because it wasn't. So, he was quiet. He didn't talk, just let her do it.

"But," she said, turning her head towards him, "I'm glad I found... Well, you guys found me and Naruto."

"Well," a voice pipped in from the back, Karin, "I'm glad we found you too."

Sakura turned her head and watched as Karin snuggled into Naruto's side, "I'm sure you're more glad to have found him more."

Karin smirked, "No. You're prettier."

She smiled. And in that moment she knew she would be okay.

"Oh," her eyes widened and she turned to Sasuke, "Happy birthday, asshole."

She swore she saw him smirk.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Sasuke, yes!"

"Haruno, no."

"Oh for the love of all that's holy! You suck!"

Sakura growled at him, then stomped her foot. She knew she was acting childish, but she really, really wanted to drive the car.

Problem was, she didn't know how to drive.

"Sasuke, please." She jutted out her bottom lip and clasped her hands behind her back. Sasuke raised and eyebrow, she could see the amusement in them.

"No," he shrugged and tried to get around her to the driver's seat, "Sakura, move."

"Not until you let me drive!"

"Oh for fucks sake, Sasuke. Let her drive." Itachi groaned as he came up from the bushes.

"Itachi! Jesus fucking Christ at least fix your pants before you walk out in the open!" Naruto yelled, shielding Karin's eyes. Her finger nails dug into his hand and he hissed from the pain.

"Don't do that! I'm not a child."

"He's your brother!"

Karin barred her teeth, "Then if I see his dick it won't mean anything!"

"He's your brother!" Naruto repeated giving her his best 'what the fuck' face.

"Oh, shut up! Itachi fix your pants," she pointed to his jeans which hadn't been fastened.

She grabbed the keys from Sasuke's hand and shoved him, "Sasuke, stop being such a bitch."

She turned to Sakura and smiled, "Here you go."

Sakura beamed, taking the keys from Karin. She stuck her tongue out at Sasuke and raised her middle finger. She loved the sneer that painted his face. They all piled into the car.

The pinkette gunned engine and smiled, "So how do I drive this thing?"

She could feel Sasuke's annoyance rolling off of him in waves.

She loves it.