Rolling in the Deep

There's a fire starting in my heart, reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark…

...See how I'll leave with every piece of you, don't underestimate the things that I will do.

... I can't help feeling we could have had it all…

You had my heart and soul, in your hand.

-Rolling in the Deep, Adele

Her legs were on fire.

Harsh breaths were sucked in sharply with every bounding step she took. The foliage surrounding her passed by in blurred shades of yellow, emerald, and brown. Viridian eyes looked ahead with steadfast determination, pink brows pulled together as Sakura propelled herself forward.

She had left Kiba, Sai, and Lee behind several moments ago, and though she knew that there would be some time before they were able to regain consciousness, she needed to take care of this quickly. It was time that she finally took on the full weight of the burden she had placed on Naruto three years ago and also come to terms with the fact that the person whom she loved most dearly was quite possibly gone forever.

A small bead of sweat rolled down her neck, physical proof of just how far she was pushing herself on both physical and psychological levels. The nerves that she had thoroughly stomped down just moments ago began to ascend from the dark recesses of her mind and it took all of Sakura's will power to keep them at bay. She could not lose herself in this; she could not allow her heart or her mind to stray her from the path she had chosen to take.

The choice to take matter into her own hands and put an end to Sasuke's destruction, even if it meant receiving Naruto's rage and shattering what was left of her heart.

The distance between herself and Sasuke grew short as Sakura pushed herself forward, knowing that in just seconds she would come face-to-face with the boy she had loved and the monster he had turned into. The final few yards were covered easily and she burst through the trees with one powerful leap and landed neatly on a demolished stone bridge, her eyes locking almost immediately with the uchiwa fan that was proudly set upon Sasuke's back. His arm was raised and engulfed in crackling electricity as he prepared to strike a fallen kunoichi.

"Sasuke!"

Her forceful shout filled the air; loud enough to break through chidori's piercing shrieks and reach his ears. Sasuke paused momentarily, the electric current dissipating as his hand clenched tightly when he tore his gaze from the redhead's broken form at his feet. Obsidian eyes snapped in the direction of his intruder's voice and narrowed dangerously as he met her level gaze with his own.

"Sakura." He said; his voice devoid of any emotion as he watched his former teammate make her approach. "Why have you come before me this time?"

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath as his words fell upon her ears like liquid velvet. His voice carried the same baritone as the one she heard several months before, but there was something about it now that was laced with something cold and dark; something sinister that threw her off-kilter. For the umpteenth time in the past few days, Sakura was reminded of just how far Sasuke had fallen from the person he had been. Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to keep her voice from wavering.

"Sasuke, I'm leaving Konoha and coming with you!"

Dark eyes narrowed sharply as he turned a frightening glare to her, making her pause momentarily as she stared at him, pure distrust in his voice. "You wouldn't gain anything by following me. What are you plotting?"

Her heart ached at the unfamiliarity of the man before her. Was this truly Sasuke? Was this what became of the boy she had given her heart to three years ago? Was this all that was left after his rage, and thirst for vengeance, consumed him?

A single drop of sweat trickled down her neck in barely-contained anxiety. Had he been able to see through her so easily, she thought frantically before mentally getting a grip on herself. Now was not the time to begin doubting herself; regardless of her thoughts and fears, she would press on and she would finish what she set out to do.

"I'm not plotting anything, Sasuke. There's just the heavy weight of regret that's filled me ever since I didn't leave with you. Besides, not everything about life is about gaining or losing something." Though it was partly true, the statement left a bitter taste in her mouth.

He stared at her pensively for a moment, his dark eyes flickering towards the bloody kunoichi on the floor before returning to Sakura. He had lowered his guard fractionally. It wasn't for show of trust, in fact it was quite the opposite; more of an insult if anything about how seriously he took her as an opponent, but Sakura seized the chance regardless. She was never one to take an opportunity for granted, at least, not anymore.

"I'll do whatever you want me to," she continued. "I just don't want any more regrets."

Sasuke said nothing. He merely stared at her from beneath the messy bangs that hung over his forehead as he silently contemplated her words. Sakura took this opportunity to close the distance between them and jumped the gap in the bridge she was sure he had created. As she stood from her crouch she gathered her courage and took several tentative steps towards him, her gaze pleading.

"Do you know what it is I want?" he asked her after a moment.

This is my chance, take it! Her mind seemed to scream. "It doesn't matter. I'll do whatever you want me to—"

"I want to destroy Konoha." He interrupted. "That's what I want."

Her heart began beat erratically in her chest at his words before she forced herself to remain calm. However, even when her heart rate returned to normal, she was unable to keep her mind from forming countless questions. Destroy Konoha? Why would there be any reason for him to do that? What had their village done to make him want to unleash his fury upon them? It didn't make sense, yet as she watched him with wide green eyes she knew that he was completely serious. He truly wanted them to burn, and the reason was lost on Sakura.

"Would you really betray Konoha for me?" His rich voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Sakura forced herself not to start at his voice, so different from before but familiar enough to make her heart ache and fill her mind with memories of better days. She took a deep breath after a moment, willing her nerves to calm themselves as her chakra flexed slightly; she didn't miss when Sasuke activated his Sharingan as he stared at her. Taking another deep breath Sakura reminded herself of why exactly she was here. Her intention had been to kill Sasuke; to finally put an end to all of the pain that he had caused and would continue to spread, and to save him from himself.

You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved. Her Inner murmured quietly, almost in forfeit. It had been quite some time since Sakura had heard from her psychological counterpart.

I know, she responded weakly, sounding just as drained as she felt. That's why I have to do this, even if it kills me, even if it makes Naruto hate me. I have to, because I love him too much to keep seeing him destroy himself so completely. I love him, and it's something that will ever change.

Her inner said nothing and with one final breath, Sakura clenched her gloved fists tightly and locked her viridian gaze with Sasuke's scarlet one.

"Yes, if you say so."

"Then you'll have to prove it." He challenged, his kekkei genkai watching her intently as he continued. His left hand came down to point at the fallen kunoichi by his side.

"Kill her and I'll let you come with me."

Sasuke watched Sakura intently; his Sharingan activated as he sought any form of deception Sakura may have tried to pull. When he found nothing but the normal signs of unease that other people displayed around him he vaguely acknowledge that her poker face had improved during his absence.

"Who is she?" she asked as she took a step forward, her voice almost melodious. It was such a far cry from the high-pitched squeals of her girlhood.

"One of the members of my team, Taka. As you can see, she's of no use to me now." He said as he watched Sakura take another step forward. "You're a healer, aren't you? You'll make a good replacement for her." He continued, taking note of how oblivious she was to his penetrating gaze as she walked forward rigidly. Or perhaps she had noticed?

Sakura paused when she was shoulder-to-shoulder with him, her eyes glued to Karin on the floor. The unmistakable scent of blood and charred flesh filled the air and Sasuke knew in that precise moment that Sakura would not be able to go through with it. She may have improved in certain areas and learned a few tricks here and there but she would undoubtedly lose herself in her thoughts, and the moment she did he would not hesitate in striking her down.

He readied himself for her pause in hesitation, but did not expect her to whirl around and face him. Her face contorted in steadfast determination as her green eyes looked to his grimly. Her voice was firm and steady, not at all like what he had expected of her.

"No."

"No?" he prompted. "You think I'll let you come with me if you can't handle the face of death; if you can't even bring yourself to eliminate one opponent?"

"She's not an opponent; she's defenseless and half-dead." Sakura said severely.

"Which should make eliminating her all the easier for you." Sasuke retorted brusquely. He had been right, despite the years of distance between them she was still the same spineless little girl that could barely strike down an opponent even when presented to her on a silver platter as Karin was now. How hard could it possibly be to slit their throat with one swift flick of the wrist?

Sakura's face turned fierce as her eyes burned brightly with a barely restrained fury, captivating something in him for the first time that was unable to look away. "I will kill when I have to but I'm not going to take her life when she'll be dead within the next few hours."

"Then you'll be as useless to me as she is." He snarled.

Had he not been keeping a close eye on her as he was, Sasuke would have missed what that final statement had done to her. Something within her had snapped and in the next moment a gloved hand reached up to undo the knot of her hiate-ate. It fell to the ground with a clink and Sakura made her way to him, only stopping several inches shy of him. Viridian eyes were aflame with determination and he could almost feel the heavy breaths she was taking.

"I'm leaving them for you. I'm not out on a quest for revenge; I'm not here to try to make you come back. I'm here for you." She snapped.

Sasuke said nothing as he closed the space between them in an instant, his dark eyes boring into hers as he noticed just how much they had changed within the past three years. He took her in as much as his vision allowed him to and even then, for reasons unknown, he raised a bloody hand to her face, taking note of the heat beneath his fingertips from the flush of anger spread across her cheeks along with the furrow that formed between her brows and the firm set to her lips. His thumb lingered over her full lower lip for just a fraction of a second longer than necessary, smearing blood across it in the process before it ran across her jaw, down her neck, and finally stopping at her chest. Over her heart.

How easy it would be for him to channel a surge of his electrical chakra to his fingertips and stop her heart permanently. How easy it would be to rid her of this world forever and leave her to waste away with the other kunoichi on the floor.

A dark chuckle nearly escaped him as he felt the steady beat of her heart. Despite the slight quivering of nerves she was not afraid, not really anyway. Not in the way she should be. He snaked his hand around the back of her neck once more, fingers entangling themselves painfully in pink locks as he brought her face closer to his. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, neither saying a word. This was the closest they had ever been to each other, and the dark thrill of knowing just how easy it would be to end her here and now weighed on his mind heavily; he could practically feel the rush her death would bring. His eyelids grew heavy at the thought, his senses simmering with the euphoria that would undoubtedly fill him as he crushed the leaf-nin.

It was intoxicating, he thought through the haze in his mind. The skin burning beneath his icy hand brought his attentions back to her, emeralds burning fiercely into rubies as they stared at one another. Her gloved hands lay flat upon his chest, fingers splayed slightly as she looked at him through thick lashes.

In that second, Sasuke had made his choice.

She felt the spike in his chakra only a second before searing pain enveloped her.

Sakura jerked violently in his iron grasp, her body writhing in pain, and all he had was a twisted smirk on his face as he watched. She bit her lip violently, breaking the skin and allowing drops of blood to trail down her chin. She was in agony but she would not scream; she would not give him that satisfaction. After a moment the pain ceased instantly and she was falling, her head cracking against the broken pavement of the bridge. Her body twitched jerkily, a side effect of having been electrocuted within an inch of her life.

She could barely hear the sound of his nin-sandals as they scraped along the broken stone, coming to a stop before her. It was with all of the will she possessed that she was able to make her head turn slightly towards him, jade eyes clouded in pain as she regarded him silently. He was going to kill her now, she knew. Why would he not when she was nothing to him? Sakura braced herself for the inevitable blow that would come, but lay frozen in shock when he turned around and began walking away from her instead.

Bitter tears began to gather unbidden in her eyes as she watched him walk away for a second time. How, after all this time, after all of her hard work, could he just walk away like nothing? She had spent the last three years of her life training for this one moment, to bring him home. To put an end to all of this pain that had engulfed all of them for so long. And yet she lay there in plain day broken and beyond help.

His back receded as he continued forward, not even sparing her one final glance before he left her for a final time.

No. Her mind stated. He won't walk away from me, not this time.

With a strength Sakura didn't know she possessed she sent a wave of her healing chakra throughout her body, repairing tissue and slowing the flow of blood his electric current had given her. After a moment she braced her tattered gloves on the hard ground and with shaky arms, pushed herself halfway to a sitting position. Her hair hung around her limply and she swayed dangerously, but she did not miss the pause in his step.

He looked over his shoulder at her, onyx eyes smoldering in something she was unable to give a name to. A small sense of triumph filled her then, and it was all the motivation she needed to keep going.

Sakura continued to push herself up, her teeth grit together during every wave of pain that washed through her. She finally got onto shaky legs, her hand coming up slowly to unfasten the cloak that now felt as if it had been made from lead. It pooled at her booted feet, brushing all of the scorches on her exposed skin and sending ripples of pain throughout her body. Sakura took a step in his direction, ignoring the fire that shot up her leg. She sent another wave of healing chakra through her system, easing the crushing weight on her chest and urging herself to keep moving forward.

Sasuke turned towards her now, the dark tracks of dried blood flaking from where they had settled on his skin. Sakura took a deep breath as she pushed herself forward, her gaze penetrating his own as she neared him.

After several grueling seconds, she stood before him a third time, but this time without proclamations of love, nor any false statements. She stood before him as Haruno Sakura, kunoichi of Konahagakure no Sato, apprentice of the Fifth Hokage, and a member of the original Team Seven. She stood before him as his teammate, friend, and enemy.

Her heart clenched painfully; she knew that beneath all of this, beneath the fury, lay something completely unfamiliar to the two of them. She saw it in his eyes as he watched her, she saw it in the way he had continued to watch her when she had taken her stand before him, and she saw it now. Even with her ragged appearance and blood staining her clothes and face, he looked at her as if she was the only thing that existed in that moment. It sent long-awaited shivers down her spine and trepidation to course through her system.

He took a step towards her, his hand reaching up to grasp her shaking chin firmly. He closed the distance between them once more and this time, Sakura did not hesitate.

She felt what remained of her heart shatter as she plunged her kunai forward, the tears she had fought so desperately poured steadily from the corners of her eyes. Memories of their childhood ran through her mind, slightly easing the agony that seared through her as his chokutō plunged into her torso easily.

Sakura looked into his eyes then, the life slowly draining from her own as she closed the space between them. Cracked lips met his as she kissed him fervently, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth when she twisted the kunai in his stomach sharply. His lips were unresponsive for a moment before responding to her in full.

She could not help the small smile of triumph that twisted her lips as her eyes closed and she fell limp in his arms.

A/N: Review?