Author's Notes: Whew, finally updating. Guess I'll leave most of my A/N's for the end. Thank you for the reviews!

Twisted

Part VI

. . .

How long had he been wandering the corridors of her mind, twisting and winding around every corner, searching. There was no concept of time; days, weeks, months, even years may have passed yet he had no way of knowing. Everything blended and at times, he could scarcely tell the difference between up and down.

With every turn, he was confronted with a new door, a new memory. Usually a new way that he hurt her. He saw everything. Learned all of her deepest thoughts and emotions, from the time she first laid eyes on him as a stubborn young boy, to the day he left Konoha and beyond. He even had to relive that memory, the one of the day her body launched itself forward on impulse to save both of her male companions.

It was hard, yet easy. Hard because he had to see all the hurt and pain he caused her; the constant rejections to her advances, and the years she spent in loneliness from his absence. She suffered both, in his presence and apart. How was something like that even possible? Then there was the confusion. How could she still love someone who had tried to kill her, who had threatened Naruto, and who had promised to destroy the village she knew and loved. She asked these questions to herself repeatedly when she was alone in her bedroom, sitting at her window and staring up at the starry sky.

There was much to be repentant for. It would take a lifetime to atone for all the damage he caused her.

The harsh confrontation of all the ways he hurt her was only tempered by his strong conviction that somewhere, in this maze of memories, of fragments in her subconscious, the real Sakura dwelled. It made continuing to move forward easier because no matter how long he had to search, he would find her. Of that, he was sure.

What would he say? What would he do? He didn't know the answer to either question. Nor did he know how she would react. Had she changed while locked inside her own subconscious? Would she hate him or say that she no longer cared? Perhaps, in all this time she had achieved some epiphany on why she no longer wanted him. He shivered to think and tried to dispel the thought, because it made his stomach drop in dread, his body fill with a panic and for the most deafening emptiness to settle in.

All he knew for sure was that, even in her last memory of him, she held feelings of affection for him. She truly and deeply held a genuine sense of adoration for him. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt from another human being. It warmed his frozen core, and encouraged him to continue searching. Even if she had somehow grown to hate him, he would find a way to remind her of her feelings for him. He had to.

He came to a halt at the end of the corridor he was walking down. It split into two additional hallways in opposite directions. Briefly, he shut his eyes in contemplation, trying to decide which path to follow. Whether or not one would bring him closer to his destination, he had no idea. As far as he had gathered, there was no way of knowing whether he was closing in on the innermost part of her mind or simply trudging further away.

His eyes opened and he started to turn to the right, only something in his peripheral vision caused him to swing abruptly to the left. One of the doors on the far end of the corridor struck his attention. In silent deliberation, he looked back down the corridor on the right, wanting to walk down it but being pulled in the opposite direction. With a steady sigh, he turned and took several light steps down the corridor on the left, passing a couple of doors without a second thought.

He approached the door that was so unlike all the others he'd come across up until that point. It was peculiar, familiar. He would recognize the traditional Japanese style door anywhere, with its dark wooden frame, and the small frosted glass windowpanes.

It was the door to his own house, but what was it doing in here? Inside her memories, of all places.

Slowly, his hand rose and gasped onto the small, circular doorknob. His heart raced with unease inside his chest. He couldn't help the hesitation he felt for discovering whatever was on the other side. The anticipation only amplified as he pulled the doorknob, sliding the door open but remaining rooted in place.

Behind the door lay a vast meadow, inclining slightly and with a beautiful blue sky overhead. A gentle breeze blew, swaying the green strands of grass. It appeared to be late spring or early summer. Way up at the top of the hill, a large Sakura tree was in bloom and he could see the faint outline of a small figure leaning up against the trunk in a sitting position. Knowing what he must do, he stepped inside and gradually made his way up the hill.

It took him several minutes to finally reach the hilltop, and he paused several feet away from Sakura, who was staring out at the scenery, unmoving and unaware of his presence. Her soft pink hair blew occasionally in the wind and a few loose strands caught in her red lips. She seemed so at peace, yet her expression betrayed a small hint of worry.

Something about this memory was unusual. The space was so vast and entirely unrecognizable to anything he'd ever seen before. Surely, this memory wasn't of Konoha or any hidden village he'd been to before. Not only that, but everything was so... quiet. There were birds chirping and butterflies fluttering about, the tree branches swayed in the wind, but the contents of this memory seemed empty. Usually he heard or felt her thoughts and emotions. Here, he felt nothing. It was as if her mind was blank.

Sasuke remained still, observing her and waiting for something more to take place, when abruptly her vibrant emerald eyes gazed up at him sharply. The eye contact was brief, and she looked away all too soon but the moment lasted long enough to still his breathing and cause his heart to tremble.

In all the memories he'd been in, she'd never done that; never paid any attention to him. It was only ever him watching. Hastily he turned and looked behind him to see if the glance was nothing more than coincidence, but there was nothing there. He was the only one. Had she really looked at him?

Taking a step forward, he gulped and fisted his hands at his side, wanting to talk yet remaining silenced by uncertainty.

Once again, green eyes peered up at him, only this time they stayed fixed on his form. Sasuke was too stunned to look away. The shimmer in her eyes was so lifelike, so raw and real, much stronger than any of her previous memories.

"You're different from usual," she spoke the observation in a clear and scientific manner, letting her gaze roam his form completely.

At the sound of her voice, his body stiffened. She had never spoken to him inside here before, and although he'd heard her voice many times, he hadn't had it directed at him in a long time.

"I didn't even realize I was thinking of you. Normally I," Sakura hesitated and shifted her sights to some point further down the hill before continuing, "remember you from another time."

He followed her gaze, witnessing a younger version of himself materialize midway down the hill. It couldn't have been a version of himself any older then twelve, probably him from the time before he left Konoha. Slowly, the fake ran up the hill and came to a stop at Sakura's feet, shoving his hands in his pockets. Next to her, a plate with peeled apple slices appeared, which she delicately held up for his other self.

"Make sure you eat all of it, Sasuke-kun," Sakura gave a small, sad smile when the fake took the plate with a familiar 'Hn' before vanishing.

Sasuke pondered shortly if this was part of the memory, but he couldn't remember something like that ever having taken place. The scenery was not one he'd forget, and the Sakura sitting against the tree was not the right age to share a memory with his twelve year old self. As he worked to calculate the meaning of it all, she spoke.

"It's always the same," she mumbled to herself while still staring at the spot where the illusion had disappeared. "I can picture you so clearly, but I never know what you will say so you just stand there," with tired eyes she looked up at him, "saying nothing."

At her honest words, the inside of his mouth suddenly went dry with realization hitting him like a powerful wave. This was not a memory. She was speaking and looking at him clearly, the honesty in her tone, the emotion in her eyes, and his inability to hear her thoughts; it all meant one thing.

"You're real." The statement came out breathlessly and his eyes widened minutely. He had been waiting and wanting to reach the real Sakura for so long, and now that he was confronted with her, it all felt entirely unreal. Inside his gut, nervous energy flapped wildly against the walls of his stomach, his heart skipped several beats and his limbs started to grow numb. What would she say? What would he say?

Her eyes widened in a mirror image to his own but she remained unmoving. The air around them seemed to grow thick with anticipation, and Sasuke couldn't tell if it was simply his own body's reaction to finding her or if it was her doing through control over this space.

"What did you say?" She replied faintly after a long pause. The disbelief at having heard words uttered from him written clear across her face.

"Sakura," he tried to rein in his composure as he took a step forward and lowly sought her affirmation; "You're the real one, aren't you? You're not a memory."

Hastily she jumped to her feet, but refused to close the distance between them. "I'm real," her voice filled with a sense of desperation and her eyes begged him to believe her. "But what are you?"

Sasuke could hear the hurt in her voice as she questioned him, which caused his fists to tighten at his sides. Had he managed to hurt her again? It seemed as though it was all he was capable of.

"I'm real," he repeated her words steadily.

"But," she took a fearful step back, "You can't be. You can't be here." She was terrified, like a wounded animal confronted with a predatory beast. Her entire body shook. Even her lips trembled, Sasuke took note.

"Sakura," matching her, he took a step forward and reaffirmed firmly, "I'm here, and I am real." He tried to break through to her, to quell her foolish panic through the strength and conviction of his tone, but she seemed not to notice and only descended further into denial.

"No! There is no way you can be real, you're just going to disappear again," her tone grew shrill, and she stomped her foot in desperation while squinting her eyes shut to expel the illusion.

"There's just no way..." she continued, lost in her incoherent thought.

In frustration, Sasuke bit out, "I am not an illusion," but her response was to cover her ears with her hands so she could no longer hear or see him.

He was never known for his patience.

Swiftly, he closed the gap between them. Wrapping his fingers around her wrists, he easily pried her hands from her ears and held them to her sides. "Stop this," he hissed in an effort to break through to her. "I assure you, I am not going to disappear."

How long could she go on denying him? His hold around her wrists tightened, as if to prove that he could not be ignored.

Sakura's eyes slowly opened, tears clinging to her lashes. Sasuke held her gaze firmly, waiting for her to accept the present reality.

Her mouth opened and shut, unable to form words for several seconds until finally she managed to ask hesitantly, "How is it possible? How can you be inside my mind?"

When she tugged on her right hand, he released her, no longer fearing that she would try to run or block him out.

Transfixed, he ignored her questions and watched as her free hand gently drifted over the fabric of his shirt. Her fingers grazed so lightly on the material that had he not been watching, he might not have felt it.

In similar fashion, her gaze followed the path her hand travelled, coming to rest on the spot just above his heart, "I can actually touch you." The statement was more for herself. She had been alone for so long with nothing but illusions created by her own mind to keep herself entertained.

At her gentle touch, Sasuke resisted his body's instinct to shudder. Her touch was so soft that he almost wanted to grab her hand and press it more firmly to his chest, just to make sure he wouldn't forget the feel.

Again she spoke, a sense of ease started to fill her as she asked once more, "What are you doing here?"

When he did not answer, she looked up at him expectantly, "Sasuke-kun."

The sound of his name from her lips made his breath hitch unmistakably. How long had he waited to hear her say that?

"I..." onyx eyes shifted to the side and with some embarrassment he reluctantly admitted, "needed to be with you." It was more than a need though; he couldn't survive in a world without her. At least, his mind couldn't, perhaps his body would linger but there was no way Sasuke could remain as himself without her in some way. Of that he was sure.

He didn't know what he'd been expecting in reply, perhaps a slap or harsh words, something dramatic or bitter rejection but instead her soft laugher filled his ears.

"Now I know you can't be real," her laughter grew until her shoulders wracked with shakes.

The raven-haired male frowned in displeasure, not appreciating her lack of faith in the sincerity of his sentiment. The one time he is honest with his feelings toward her, she mocks him with laughter. "Sakura," he ground out sternly to snap her attention back to him.

"I know, I know," she wiped the tears from her eyes before grabbing his hand and giving a small squeeze, "You're real, I can feel it."

He found it remarkable that she could still laugh and smile for him after all he'd done. How was it possible for someone to be so forgiving? He was selfish, wanting her, but he couldn't describe the feeling of knowing that there was someone capable of loving him through all his faults.

"I'm not the old Sasuke," he spoke with some worry in his voice, for fear of disappointing her. When her brows lowered slightly in confusion, he continued, "I can't go back to the way I was before..."

In so many of her memories, she spoke of missing the old Sasuke, of wanting to save him from what he'd become. Hadn't she once tried to kill him in order to preserve her memory of the Sasuke he once was? She couldn't bear to see him travel down the path of darkness. She wanted things to return to the way they once were, but to go back to that time was impossible. His experiences changed him and molded him into something new; he was no longer the twelve year old boy she fell in love with, and he wanted her to know that, so she wasn't deluded into think he was someone he was not.

"I know. I was wrong, to want to preserve you," she began solemnly, shaking her head a little.

"No, you—" He wanted to say that she had never been wrong, only honest with her feelings.

"I didn't think about what you were going through. I didn't know enough to understand." A frown grew on her face, though it was what she was saying, that he found irritating.

"Stop that," he grit out harshly, finding it impossible not to glare when she blinked in confusion.

"You're blaming yourself and making excuses for me." His tone was full of frustration. Despite it being contrary to his plan of winning her over, he wanted her to be angry. To yell at him, scream, something; not to forgive him and pretend he had no faults. He wasn't the perfect person she made him out to be.

"I don't want you to be lenient with me." He frowned, wanting to grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her but instead he settled for bringing her hand back to his chest. How many times had he imagined holding her this close? Now that she was standing before him, he wanted nothing more than to keep her there forever.

"You should be angry," he pressed on.

"I don't want to be angry with you," she replied bluntly. Her eyes shimmered with honesty, nearly succeeding in eroding his frustration but he stubbornly held onto it.

"I did so many terrible things, Sakura." To her, to Naruto, to Kakashi. His list of victims was long and he didn't even know where to start in order to fix it. It was an insurmountable task.

"But you're here now. Isn't that enough? You came all the way here for me." Her eyes started to fill with tears, and she had to shake her had a little to prevent them from falling.

Of course he came for her. Why did she make it seem like such a surprise?

"You're still Sasuke-kun," she smiled warmly and tugged his hand to her chest. "People change, even me. That doesn't mean we're worse or better than before. Just different."

Somehow, she continued to astonish him, and he couldn't help but stare down at her in disbelief before finally managing a curt nod. She made everything seem much simpler then it was. They had both changed a lot from their genin days, a fact he had never given her much credit for.

In the next instant, she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest, the momentum of which almost tilted him off-balance but he managed to catch himself with a small step back. His arms remained stiff at his sides, unsure of how to respond, while she clung to him with urgency.

"I'm so happy," her voice cracked with tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "I'm so happy you're here with me, Sasuke-kun." He could feel her small frame shaking against him, and his arms rose on their own accord, hesitating briefly, before delicately wrapping around her form. One arm around her waist, the other rising to let his fingers snake into that remarkably soft, pink hair of hers.

How was it possible that someone like him could make her happy?

It didn't take long for his grasp around her to tighten, fingers digging into the fabric of her clothes and hair, matching her hold with equal desperation. His eyes closed as he buried his face into her hair, breathing in that familiar scent that he'd gone so long without. It seemed to massage his senses.

"It was hard, without me?" She asked with a knowing tone.

"Yes," he sighed, feeling his heart constrict. Too hard.

"You thought about me often, didn't you?"

"Always." He replied quickly, without having to think. More than you know.

He wished he was better at expressing himself, though his strength had never been in that area. All he could do was attempt to show her through actions.

"I missed you too," she said softly. He gave a small nod in response.

"Sometimes, I could feel your emotions," one of her fingers traced small circles on his back. "I don't know what happened, but at times I could feel your anger, your sadness... your loneliness."

He held her impossibly close for she was the one who filled him and made him whole again.

"You suffered enough," she hesitated before uttering the most unexpected words, "I'm sorry."

Onyx eyes slithered open, staring blankly at the blue sky ahead. Everything was so calm and peaceful. Wasn't he the one who should be apologizing?

After several unmoving minutes, he finally pulled his head back to look at her.

"Why didn't you wake up?" Somewhere along the way, in all this time of searching her mind, he had gathered that she could've woken up, ended all of this at any time, yet she continued to remain in self-induced exile.

She bit her lip, turning to stare at the side before silently muttering, "I was waiting..."

"For what?" The question came out rougher than he meant it to for lack of understanding, but she didn't seem to notice.

"For you..." green eyes met onyx, "to forgive yourself."

His shoulders sagged a little. Of course, she would cause herself further pain just for him. When would she learn to put herself first?

"I don't know how," he responded in slight frustration, though it was directed at himself rather than her. Everyone else seemed to know how to do these things instinctually, whereas all he could think about was how badly he messed up.

Her pink lips quirked up in a teasing smirk as she leaned in closer to his face, "So, there is something that the Uchiha prodigy doesn't know how to do."

The mischievous gleam in her eyes caused him to scowl. "I never said I knew how to do everything," he grumbled out, sounding every bit like a defensive child while trying to preserve his infamous pride.

"Sasuke-kun," she began sternly though a smile continued to reach her eyes.

God. How he wanted her to continue saying his name. Every time he heard her say it, he forgot everything else and just wanted to sweep down and claim those lips of hers.

"You have to let go of the past. It's the only way to move forward, towards happiness," she reached up to fiddle with his raven hair, brushing his bangs aside while grinning.

"It's not that simple though," he breathed lowly, finding her actions oddly comforting.

She held too much faith in him.

"It is," she insisted firmly. "The only person who won't forgive you is yourself. I don't hold any resentments for you, you won't make the same decisions again. That's what counts, Sasuke-kun."

Again, she simplified everything in a pleasing way, though he found he couldn't refute her. Perhaps, he could forgive.

Sighing contently, he leaned into her comforting hand, letting his lips brush against the palm of her hand while his half-lidded eyes remained fixed on hers with a strong yearning. "I don't want to be alone anymore."

"Then don't," her chin tilted up, as if challenging him to argue otherwise. He wouldn't, however. The motivation to fight her logic didn't exist. Instead he felt emboldened that he could have all that he wanted.

In the next instant, her viridian eyes dropped from his own gaze to his lips. Unconsciously, her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and he couldn't resist the smirk that pulled up the edges of his mouth. He knew that look, having experienced it many times himself.

"Sakura," he emphasized each syllable of her name, taking enjoyment in the feel of his lips brushing against her palm, and noticed with strong interest how her shoulders stiffened in response. "What are you thinking about?" His eyes darkened at the taunt.

She said nothing, but her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink and she swallowed nervously. Still, her stare remained focused on his mouth, unable to look away. It only served to propel him further, sending a rush of excitement up his spine.

"If there's something you want," he paused to let his hand on her waist trail a lazy path up the side of her ribs, "You need only to ask."

Abruptly she went to pull her hand away from his cheek in embarrassment, but his hand shot up to keep her in place and to allow him to place a slow, sensual kiss on her palm. The action caused her to gasp, "Sasuke-kun!"

Don't stop looking at me.

At the sound of his name, any resolve he possessed shattered. He had gone without hearing it pass from her lips for far too long. She had so much to make up for, and he would have her pay her dues.

Tilting her head back, he crashed his lips to hers, watching through narrowed eyes as her jade orbs widened in surprise. His hot tongue darted out, begging for entry, to which she obliged. For once, he didn't have to imagine her participation.

At first, her responses were hesitant and full of second-guessing, but he soon coaxed her tongue into action with his own. Twisting and rolling, he brought her into his mouth so that she could begin a curious exploration of his moist cavern. The entire time he kept his eyes trained on hers, unblinking and forcing her into a heated stare. The hue of her jade eyes etched itself into his memory.

As they kiss senselessly, his hands traveled her body, searching for—

She moaned into his mouth when his fingers brushed over the spot just below the swell of her breast. It was one of the most pleasant sounds he ever heard.

One of her hands came to rest at the base of his neck, bringing him in even closer. Her legs started to slacken, and she came to rely more heavily on him to keep herself upright. She had no idea the way she affectee him, but he would be sure to show her. Actions speak louder than words, right?

He pulled back to rain kisses along her jaw. "Promise you'll stay with me," his voice is raspy, as he comes to rest at the base of her chin.

Nodding in a haze, she somehow managed to speak, "As if you need to ask." The way she said it almost soundsed like she was scolding him.

Dragging his mouth down a scorching path on her neck, he gruffly releases his signature response, "Hn."

When she opened her mouth, probably to protest his use of the meaningless syllable, he started sucking the tantalizing skin that hid her racing pulse. It forced a whimper from her lips instead.

"Wake up," he sighs against her skin, expecting some sort of answer. When she says nothing, he lazily drags himself away from her neck to her eye-level. It's a surprise to find her brows knitted together and eyes full of worry.

"I'm scared." At her nervousness, he blinks, not understanding what she has to be fearful of. If anyone had to be worried of the consequences, it was surely him. Yet, he found himself empowered by her presence and willing to accept whatever consequences lay in store for him.

"Why?" He asked softly, tenderly resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes.

"What if I don't remember this?" She bites her kiss-swollen lip.

Her question hangs in the air for several seconds while he thinks. Then, slowly, his eyelids lifted to reveal a pair of red orbs. It was a sight she hadn't seen in a long time, though oddly she was not afraid of them.

"If you don't remember, then I'll show you."

"How do you know you'll remember?" She asked in exasperation.

"I will."

"But—"

"Have I ever lied to you before," he challenged her. He was many things, but a liar he was not.

Unable to refute him, she clamped her mouth shut, puffing her cheeks out in a bit of a pout. The action was so typical of Sakura that he found himself leaning in to kiss lightly her in a manner of amends. With his lips still brushing against hers, he informed her, "Now, you can wake up."

Once again, his eyes drifted shut, waiting to be dragged out of her mind and back to his own.

"Sasuke-kun," she stalled, and he sighed in response, somehow knowing that she never stopped talking that easily.

"Yes?" He asked in his typically impatient tone.

"It's just... I never got to say that..." He didn't need to open his eyes to know that she was flustered. "I love you, Sasuke-kun!"

Lazily, his eyes cracked open to stare blankly at her face, which was full of determination. "Aa," he replied lowly.

Apparently, his demeanor displeased her because she frowned and lightly slapped her hand down on his chest. Her pink cheeks grew even darker in colour, this time from an emotion other than want, "I might not remember this and you're not even going to say it?" She chastised him.

"If you might not remember," his eyes closed, "Then I should just say it when you're actually awake."

"I see you're still as stubborn as always," she huffed.

"And, you're still annoying," he smirked.

It was her annoying qualities that he found he liked most.

Sakura gave a light giggle, kissing his cheek before concentrating her efforts on waking up. Gradually, Sasuke started to feel himself being pulled from her arms, her form disintegrating in his hold and his body or mind, he wasn't sure anymore, drifting into an empty plane. There were no sounds, there was no light. There was nothing.

Soon, he lost all sense of awareness entirely.

We'll see each other soon.

.

.

.

The room was dark and quiet.

He wasn't sure when he first became aware that he was regaining consciousness, but those were the first two observations he made. Then, more coherent thoughts started to enter his mind. First, that he didn't seem to be lying in a bed that was familiar to him. Then, how his body felt heavy and filled with lethargy.

The next thought was a flash of pink. It roused a sudden sense of urgency to his being.

Sakura. He had to find her. The command repeated in his mind, reaching a deafening pitch and alerting every nerve-ending in his body. More than anything, he needed to be next to her when she woke up.

What was he doing still laying down? He should be running to her. His hand twitched, slowly coming alive. Move, move, move. He demanded his body to obey.

Instinctively, he bolted upright in the bed, though instantly regretted the rapid movement when blood rushed to his head, blackening his vision and making the room spin. White noise filled his senses. Any awareness of his surroundings vanished before he really had any time to take them in.

Clenching his eyes shut, he buried his face into his shaking hand in an effort to subdue the wave of light-headedness. He didn't have the patience to deal with his weakened body. Inability had always sparked the greatest aggravation in himself. Sakura could be waking up at that moment and she would be all alone.

It took a couple of minutes before he regained control over his senses and could truly start to analyze his whereabouts. To find her, he first had to figure out where he was. He cracked an eye open, peering through his fingers which were still tangled in his bangs. The room was dark, the only source of light coming from a moonlit window to his left. He could tell from the tiled floor and ceiling that he was in the hospital. How long he had been there, he couldn't even guess. A flimsy white sheet covered him, and he was dressed in a navy blue yukata with capris.

Turning to glance out the moonlit window, he froze. He was not alone in the room.

Not more than six feet away stood another hospital bed. He knew right away who was in it. Her pink hair took on a purplish hue in the moonlight and her skin seemed to glow, creating an ethereal image. It was beautiful and breathtaking. It calmed him, at first. He didn't have to go looking for her, she was already here.

His awe and sense of ease slowly, however, started to simmer away, transforming into unthinking observation and then concern.

Why wasn't she moving?

His eyes narrowed as he waited anxiously for her to make some form of movement, to twitch, utter a sound, anything.

Minutes passed and still, she did nothing. He found his heart rate doubling and his breathing grow fainter, but she continued to give no indication of rousing.

Had something gone wrong?

Panic started to take root, his mind racing to figure out how it could possibly be that he had awakened while she remained unconscious. No, no. He tried to quell his fears, she would wake up. She had to. Again, he impatiently implored her unresponsive figure with his desperate eyes. He forgot to breath, as he was afraid to make a sound and miss the smallest of utterance squeeze pass her lips.

The pendulum swung, sending another, stronger rush of panic through his body. She wasn't waking up! He wanted to call out to her but his voice was stuck in his throat and refused to come up. He didn't understand. It didn't make sense.

His blood ran cold with the deepest feeling of dread, shaking him to the core. Would he have to go through everything all over again?

There was no way he could. Not again. Never again.

Hadn't she promised to stay with him?

His fingers dug into the sheets and he let out in a shaky hiss. She said she was going to wake up. Had she somehow tricked him? His teeth grit together and his entire body tensed as betrayal wracked through his body, filling him with such anger he could hardly contain it.

He would force her awake.

Sasuke tore his attention to his legs and glared as he attempted to force them into use. However long he had been unconscious for, it was long enough to weaken his muscles to such an extent that the slightest movement took a great deal of effort. His brain struggled to coordinate its control over his lower limbs, only gradually remembering how to send the proper signals to his feet, toes and legs.

Slowly, he collected chakra and sent it to his legs so that he could move with greater ease then what would otherwise be possible. Even with chakra, his movements were laboured, but he willed them to slide out from beneath the covers and over the side of the bed. Hastily, he ripped the IV from the back of his hand, not even wincing at the action.

Bare toes touched the cool tiled floor before he sucked in a deep breath of air and shakily lifted his weight from the bed and onto the ground. It took several seconds to grow comfortable enough with simply standing before he attempted to take a step.

As soon as one foot lifted from the ground, he lost his balance, the link of chakra to his legs snapping and sending him into series of stumbled steps in an effort to keep himself upright. Midway between her and his own bed, he managed to steady himself, remaining rooted in place until he could stand without shaking. He shifted his focus from his legs to her form, glaring determinedly while he closed the gap with heavy steps.

The final two steps were more of a hurried shuffle, forcing him to clutch the edge of her bed tightly to support himself once again. The state his body was in truly was pathetic. With all of his remaining strength he yanked her white bed sheet down and climbed onto the bed, intent on shaking, slapping, punching her if necessary to wake her up.

Enough was enough.

With his body close to hers on the small bed, he raised his hand to grab her shoulder roughly.

"Sasuke-kun... ?"

He froze at the groggy utterance of his name.

Did she... really just speak?

To confirm his hearing, his uncertain gaze flickered down to her face. Shining emerald eyes peered up at him through cracked open eyelids. Immediately his frown faltered and eyes widened. He hovered over her awkwardly, in mid-reach for her shoulder, unable to move as his mind tried to comprehend whether what his senses told him were actual reality.

"Sasuke-kun, it's cold," his heart fluttered at her small, soft voice. Her eyes blinked shut and instinctively, she curled in closer to his body in search of warmth.

"Put the covers back on," she whined lightly as she buried her face and fingers in the fabric of his yukata.

He continued to stare at her, aghast for several long moments until she peered up at him with a mixture of worry and disappointment.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun," she hesitated, glancing down as she disentangled her fingers from his top, "You probably don't—"

The withdrawal snapped him from his stupor. Immediately tsk'd, fuming in annoyance at her insecurity while gruffly reaching down to pull up the white sheet he'd torn down shortly before. In the same motion he flopped down beside her, grabbing her hand roughly and returning it to its previous location on his chest.

She certainly made him wait long enough.

"Annoying," he mumbled under his breath. All the panic she caused him for nothing. It was as if she enjoyed sending his mental state into a tumultuous tailspin. He rested his chin atop her head and silently memorized what it felt like to have her smaller frame tightly bound to his own.

After the comfortable silence had stretched between them for several minutes, he found himself wondering first, if she had fallen asleep, and then, if she remembered their conversation. Feeling her shift slightly against him, he decided to ask her, opening his mouth to speak, only to be beaten to it.

"Sasuke-kun," she began in a questioning tone, and he waited, unmoving, for her to continue. "Aren't you going to say it?" Her index finger drew absentminded lines on his chest, leaving the skin below to tingle.

"I think you promised," she tilted her head to look up at him but failed in her goal since his chin prevented her from looking up more than a couple inches.

"Hn." He adjusted his position so that he could look down at her but balked at her eager expression. It wasn't that he couldn't say it, but the words themselves were so foreign that it felt unnatural having them slip past his lips. The last time he said that to someone was as a small child, and with a completely different significance to them.

Her green eyes shone with such hopeful excitement that he had to look away to avoid blushing in embarrassment. She was making such a big deal over something so... small. It was so like her.

"I," biting his lip he chanced a glance at her to ease his discomfort, but discovered the same eager expression awaiting him so he quickly averted his attention to the window.

"If you don't then..." She let her sentence hang thickly in the air, both taking a moment to swallow their nerves.

"I do," he grumbled in defense, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in closer so that he didn't have to see that ridiculous expression on her face. As if him saying something so simple was the most important thing in the world to her. How childish.

With a final sigh and tightened grip, he quietly breathed out a faint, "I love you."

Perhaps, in time, saying them would feel less silly and foreign. She had ensnared him, body, mind and soul. Every part of him needed her, depended on her for survival.

Sasuke didn't have to look at her to know she was smiling. Her emotions were so easy to read.

"You see, it's not hard to say," she grinned.

I love you.

It was easier said without words.

Contently, he listened to her talk about random, unimportant things while she doted particular attention to his yukata and ebony hair.

.

.

Outside, the full moon shone brightly over the peaceful, slumbering inhabitants of Konoha. It was a full moon that brought new memories and meaning. A different significance from the past. The stars twinkled above, and crickets chirped their music below. All was as it should be.

He fell into one of the sweetest dreams amid her chatter. A habit he cared to repeat many more times.

A/N: I apologize it took me so long to update this. I actually finished writing most of this some time ago but got too distracted by other things to finish (my other hobby is drawing so takes up a buttload of my time eep). If you can believe it, when I started writing this chapter, I seriously wondered if I could even manage to write 1000 words -_- /turns out longest chapter in this fic yet. I wanted for this chapter to be sweet but not cheesy, hopefully I succeeded in that u v u

I think part of my difficulty writing this chapter was that I pretty much (mentally) felt this fic was over in the previous chapter ^^; (Also that none of my favourite fics were being updated and my fuel for life is basically SasuSaku fics fml) I'm not so good at ending things. Oh, that full moon thing is symbolism (haha, lame lame, the Uchiha massacre happened during a full moon). Lots of reviewers want a sex scene but it didn't fit this chapter and I can't really bring myself to write it into a place where it seems forced, sorry!

Not really sure how I feel about this chapter. It has its ups and downs. Thank you for reading and being patient with me.