The Return

Chapter 20

Come Back to Me

Sakura's eyes flickered open. She saw Karin, Naruto, and Sasuke standing over her, looking concerned. Sasuke looked pale and his Mangekyou Sharingan was activated. "W-what's going on?" she croaked, trying to sit up.

Naruto broke into a big grin, his eyes overflowing with tears, while Sasuke stood and looked away, masking his face.

"Take it easy, you're still not fully healed yet" Karin commented.

Sakura looked at Sasuke and Naruto. "What happened?" she groaned. Her abdomen and legs burned with pain.

"Sakura! I'm so glad you're okay. You don't know how worried we were." Naruto glanced over his shoulder nervously.

She followed his gaze and saw Sasuke quietly standing by the edge of the ravine. What was he thinking right now? She hated that she caused him to worry. All she remembered was her fight with Daichi and then racing forwards, pushing her comrades out of the way in the cave. She must have looked like a mess with all those rods in her as she struggled to protect them. Looking down now though, she saw that they were all gone. Her Mitotic Regeneration Jutsu had worn off as well, but she knew the 100 Healings Seal hadn't faded. At least she didn't need to use chakra reserves to keep herself looking young like Lady Tsunade.

She looked over at Karin and smiled. "Thank you, looks like I owe you one" she chuckled, then winced with the pain.

"Don't mention it" Karin said, turning away. "We can call it a draw."

Sakura looked across the path. She tried to stand but faltered. Thankfully, Naruto was there to help her. She glanced over at Sasuke as he gazed out towards the sunset. He was as unreadable as ever. Those eyes though, they worried her. The Mangekyou was in full force and she could see the darkness shrouding him once more. She gathered her strength and smiled at Naruto, letting him know she was alright.

She slowly walked towards Sasuke, placing a hand on his shoulder. When she saw his face though, she froze. "Sasuke?" she gasped.

Blood and tears streamed down his face. It reminded her of the curse mark in the Forest of Death. The darkness was taking hold again, she could tell. He was slipping further away from them, as cold as ever. It was her worst nightmare all over again. If there was one thing the Akai Hebi's mirage had shown her though, it was that only she and Naruto could bring Sasuke back out of the darkness again.

She paused, then hugged him from behind. "It's okay now. Please, just stop" she begged.

Sasuke cringed and pinched his brow, remembering his dark past. He felt terrible but still, there was no choice. He remembered her broken body and how he felt when he thought she'd died. It was awful and on par with when his clan and brother died. He couldn't do it. He couldn't let it go. "I'm sorry Sakura," he said, shrugging her off. "Not this time."

Sakura looked down at the ground and took a deep breath. She turned to face him and looked directly into his cold and weary eyes. She wouldn't let him destroy himself, not after they'd come so far. His eyes were so full of pain, but she knew that the time for comfort was over. Kind words wouldn't save him now. If she wanted to help him, she had to take drastic measures. She brought her hand back and slapped his face.

"Sasuke Uchiha, I swear I am not going to let you fall into the darkness" she claimed, staring into his shocked eyes. "Have you forgotten what happened at the Final Valley? Have you forgotten why you didn't use Hashirama's cells as a new arm? Have you forgotten everything we've worked for over the past few weeks and even the past few years?!"

He looked away. "Sakura, my sins...they have nothing-"

"Oh, don't give me that crap! We're Team 7. You were supposed to come to us for help. Your path has everything to do with us when you try to break our bonds over and over again!" She realized that in saying those words, she wasn't just talking about their current situation.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. "It's because of incidents like this that I didn't ask you to come in the first place! When I saw you...when I thought..." tears trickled down his face.

"Sasuke," she said more softly, laying a hand on his face. "We're shinobi. We face the threat of death every day. We survived a war together, let alone this. The Akai Hebi is just another threat that we have to overcome. I know you want to protect me, but you have to understand that I feel the same way about you. We need to work together and fight as one, as Team 7 and...Team Taka too." She looked over at Karin.

"Sakura" Sasuke whispered her name with tears still flowing down his cheeks. "I'm sorry for everything."

"No, I should've been more careful even so. Still, this is something we can learn and grow from, right?" She gave him a slight smile.

She was about to walk back over to Naruto when Sasuke grabbed her arm. He shook slightly as he pulled her into a tight hug. Sakura looked over at him, surprised but also contented. It looked like he really did love her no matter what.

Naruto let out a sigh. "Let's go...Karin was it? Let's go find your other teammates. I suspect we're going to need all the help we can get." He smiled and held his hand out to her.

She took it grudgingly and glanced once more at the couple before her. If Sakura ever made him unhappy or hurt him, she'd come after her with a vengeance. She turned and stormed off, feeling a little heartbroken. It seemed that if she wanted Sasuke to be truly happy, she had to let him go.