DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Naruto.

A/N: A short drabble, somewhat dark. Erm.. please review? please? Oh, and I'm thinking of turning this into a drabble collection.

NEGATIVITY

"No."

He knows that she's on the brink of tears. But he pretends not to notice.

He realizes that he's been saying "No" quite often lately. "No, you can't go to Ino's party", "No, your friends can't visit", "No, you can't go on that mission", "No, you can't take the ANBU exams", "No, you can't continue working in the hospital". And he wonders if he's regressed to his toddler years, when negativity was a distinguishing trait.

He wonders, what was he saying no to again?

Ah yes, she had asked if she could go live with her parents for a while. They had had a big fight, and apparently, his wife needed some time to 'get away from it all'.

And he had said no.

He hears her mumble a faint "why". And he realizes that her voice is weak and trembling. But again, he pretends not to notice.

"Don't question my authority, Sakura."

He dismisses her, just like that. And as he watches her slink away, he wonders if he did the right thing.

And he scoffs at himself. What a stupid question – if he did the right thing indeed. He knows that he didn't do the right thing.

But can he help it? No – because he's selfish.

And as he hears their bedroom door close, he thinks that his wife is probably crying again. And he congratulates himself for being adamant in his denial. He congratulates himself for keeping his secret.

No, I don't want you to let you go because I'm afraid that you'll never come back.

He is afraid… afraid that after spending months with him, she realizes that he's not worth the effort and the moment he lets her go, she'll bolt.

She has proven her loyalty a million times over, but not to 'him'. She proved her loyalty to the boy she barely knew. The one she couldn't grasp – the 12-year old teammate. But now that she knew 'him', he wonders if she will still be loyal. Now that she knew the depths of his insecurity – his selfishness – his darkness. She has yet to prove her loyalty to the real 'him'.

So, no, he wasn't taking a chance. There would be no more risks for him. Not after what had happened – not after he learned how painful it was to lose something.

So he keeps her caged inside the cold walls of his ancient manor – a willing and pliant prisoner.

And he wonders if he's ever going to free her.

And he scoffs again because he already knows the answer.

"No."

Negativity is some sort of trait that toddlers have. It's when they say "no" to everything. You ask them if they want milk, and they'll answer no, even if they did want some.