"Falling in love is very real, but I used to shake my head when people talked about soul mates, poor deluded individuals grasping at some supernatural ideal not intended for mortals but sounded pretty in a poetry book. Then, we met, and everything changed, the cynic has become the converted, the sceptic, an ardent zealot." - E.A. Bucchianeri

"Sakura..." Itachi whispered.

She freed them both from her grip, turning to Sasuke and hitting him hard in the jaw, sending him a few meters away. This surprised the younger Uchiha considering that the last time he saw her, she was still weak and needed protection. The raven haired man his a portion of the wrecked building's ceiling.

The anger pumped through the pinkette's veins. In a quick movement, she turned around, ready to punch the older Uchiha too, but even though he was deeply wounded, he still had good reflexed. He caught her fist in his hand.

"You asshole!" a waterfall of tears formed on her cheeks. She was broke. How could he do something like this to her? She trusted him and he played her. He watched her closely. He didn't have a legit explanation. He could have stayed at least until she woke, he wasn't in a hurry. But perhaps he was afraid of how she would react.

"I-i trusted you..." she sobbed, her voice breaking. "And y-you... You used me." she moved her hurt gaze to the ground. Her tears were hitting the grey rock. "You're just like the others." she whispered.

His face softened. He never meant to give her such pain. But also he never expected to react this way once she realizes who he is.

"Sakura..." she heard his raspy voice. The same raspy voice from last night. It was no doubt.

Sasuke got on his feet, wiping his mouth from blood with the back of his hand.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" he asked his old team mate calmly. He found it weird that Itachi didn't attack her after she attacked him. What was going on. She furiously wiped her tears, an angry look shooting towards Sasuke.

Her hand reached inside her bag, her fingers feeling the shape of a scroll. She took it out, tossing to Sasuke. It hit his chest and fell on the ground. His confused look followed the object that she tossed.

"Just read it." she said, her voice barely audible.

He bent down and picked it up.

She turned again to the older Uchiha "I don't even know why I'm doing this. I don't even know why I just don't let him kill you!" she shouted in his face. He narrowed his eyes. What was she talking about?

He lifted his hand to caress her cheek but she jerked away from his touch.

"Don't you dare to touch me ever again!" her words broke his heart. He deserved it, but hearing her saying it hurt more like ten thousad spears.

"How can you... How can you live with yourself? Just because you have suffered it gives you the right to wreck the others too?" she started crying once again. Her vision blurred from the tears. "Why couldn't you just tell me that you wanted that. At least I wouldn't have gotten my hopes so high." her tears soaked her pink cheeks. Her sobs, her pain, made his body tremble. What was happening to him? Was this a feeling long forgotten that threatened to wake?

He took her hand in his, looking at her fingers. She still wore that ring with his initials. His fingertips brushed the ring, remembering the first night when he saw her sleeping so innocently. A small smile appeared on his lips.

"It's not entirely like that."

She lifted her head to look into his black eyes. Her forest-like eyes were so exquisite, he observed.

"I was afraid... That you will freak out." he finally confessed his reason. She laughed sarcastically.

"Yes, cause making me hate you worked so much better." she mocked him. She had some guts. "Tell me, what else did you see on that night when you watched me? I mean, there must be a reason that you jumped on me like that."

The fact that she thought so poorly of him, made him feel a lump in his throat. He moved his gaze to the ground, avoiding her acusing eyes.

"It's not like that..." he whispered hurt.

What was that power that she had over him? All these years he kept his emotions and feelings in place then comes this little foolish girl and turns everything upsidedown. He felt miserable, untrustwothy, guilty. All those feelings seemed like they made a perfect connection from his brain to his heart, making his heartbeats increse.

"Despite all of those facts you really are someone who enjoy seeing people suffer, right? Because screw people's feelings. Haha. You and your brother are so alike. Tossing people when they become incconvenient to your sick desires. Yeah, it must run in your blood." she harshly spat. Her words cut deeper than a sword and countless kunais. Right now, he preferred physical pain, it was more bearable than whatever he felt now. Why did he feel like a rock of 10 tones was dropped on his heart? What did THIS mean?

His thoughts struggled to find a logical reason why he felt this way. He vague remembered the feeling but he couldn't put his finger on it.

His eyes moved to his own hand where the ring from the last night rested.

"I just hate you! I hate everything you are. You are not even half the man you think you are. I don't even want you to breathe the same air as me. You are a disgrace to my own person. I fucking despite you with all my heart, you freaking murderer." she shouted without even thinking. Her angry look was easly replaced by tears. Her fists hit his chest without using her brute strenght. She had no strenght left. She felt fooled, drained, weak, mocked, used. Everyone hated her and treated her like dirt. Why would she think that this time was different?

His eyes widened at her words, his lower lip started to tremble. This was the biggest hit that he took in his entire life. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her skinny body as a protection. He didn't want her to be harmed anymore.

But someone had other plans.

Sakura felt a sword piercing through her from behind.

She turned her head towards the person behind her. "Sasuke...kun?" she whispered. She could see his angered face with his Mangekyou spinning franatically. The sword pierced entirely through her, stopping right in front of Itachi's abdomen.

"This damned village will pay for everything. I will make sure that I will kill every last person standing and I will burn it to the ground for what it did to my clan." he confessed to her, venom dipping from his voice. "But to achieve that, I firstly have to cut the bonds. Starting with you." he finished, pulling out his sword. He turned his back and started walking like nothing happened. He completely ignored his aniki, being blinded by hatred towards the village that so many years he called "home". How could they do this to them?

He knew that his brother wouldn't help him. He was loyal to the village, after all, so why would he try? His brother wanted peace but he wanted war. Nobody will stay in front of his plan, not even the pinkette who made him have some sort of feelings, not even his best friend, not even his sensei. He had to keep the rogue title, but this time, with a new purpose.

Itachi's eyes widened so much that he thought that they will pop out of his skull. He hugged her tighter like he wanted to protect her even though the damage was already done. He completely ignored his brother who was blinded by hatred, he will deal with him later. He will talk to him on whatever it was on that damned scroll but right now, all that mattered was her. Blood started pouring from her mouth, making her cough.

"N-no..." he whispered. He was afraid. For the first time in his life he was afraid. Flashbacks of her letters and her innocent voice came to his mind.

"N-no... You can't..." he begged her, already feeling her body weak.

He fell on his knees with her almost lifeless body in his arms. His damn arms that couldn't do anything to save her.

She felt her eyelids heavy.

"No, don't fall asleep. Stay with me." he begged, slapping gently her cheek. A single tear rolled down his face.

Her weak hand raised and wiped it, making him gasp.

"'tachi..." she whispered right before he saw the colour drained from her eyes. It was the first and the last time he heard his name rolling off her tongue and between her sweet pink lips. He clentched her dress tightly in his fist, letting his tears hit her face. He gritted his teeth. He was pathetic. How in the world was he called a shinobi if he couldn't even prevent something so simple? He was a disgrace to the shinobi world.

"I am sorry... " he whispered the words that she will never hear.