"Sasuke, what do you like most about me?" I had asked the question a few weeks ago, back when everything was still all right. I rolled onto my stomach and gazed up at him.

He glanced at me briefly, before continuing his staring match with the ceiling.

"Why do you ask?" he had replied, causing me to frown.

"I'm just curious as to why someone like you chose someone like me." I mumbled, resting my head on his stomach and tucking my legs into myself- I now laid on my side.

His gaze flickered back to mine again, a hint of annoyance in their depths from what had once been serenity. "What do you mean by that?"

I frowned- he knew exactly what I meant by it; there were tonnes of girls that were prettier, nicer, and stronger kunoichis than I was, so why me? Why the scrawny, crazy, jutsu-less moron that was me? If I had huge boobs like our new Hokage, maybe I could understand it... but I didn't. I was as flat as a boy.

I chewed on my lip, folding my arms between my chin and his stomach. He narrowed one eye at me.

"Look. You're kind, caring, cute, funny, and more than a little insane," I scowled at him slightly, but he just smirked, "But more importantly, you're the only one that I want. So stop being so self-deprecating, bakayaro."

Only Sasuke could call me a Moron so fondly... it was rather strange.

Still not satisfied, I crawled up to snuggle into his side, his arm moving to accommodate me.

"But what's your favourite thing?" I pressed, then smiled, "I'll tell you mine about you if you tell me yours."

He rolled his eyes, "I don't want to hear about that, baka." he sighed, but his eyes were fond as he continued, "If I had to decide, I would say your hair and your eyes. There, happy?"

I grinned, and nodded, "Your eyes are my favourite part of you, too." I said softly, "And your smile. The true smile... that I only see you do around me."

The corners of his lips pulled up, but in a smirk, "That's because you're the only person worthy of seeing it."

I had laughed, and smacked him playfully, scolding him for sounding conceited.

I wondered, as I watched Kakashi make chase of Sasuke, what had brought that memory to the forefront of my mind. I rubbed my forehead and sighed, re-forming my grip on my crutches and hobbling away. Sakura remained, too stunned to move.

"Rawr!" this one was only a day or so ago.

Sasuke caught me and swung me up into his arms as I jumped at him, having thrown my crutches to the side, and rose his eyebrows, "Rawr?"

"Rawr." I affirmed, nodding my head. Amusement sparkled in those onyx eyes that I loved so much.

"And what does 'rawr' mean, exactly?" I giggled with closed eyes, then leaned in and pecked his lips gently.

"Rawr means 'I love you' in dinosaur!" I informed him happily, and he gave me his award-winning smile.

"Well, in that case, rawr, to you too." he said, but then his eyes trailed downwards. "Though I do sometimes wonder about your mental health..."

"What?!" I exclaimed, "It's relevant!" I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck, "And cuddly!"

Sasuke appraised my dinosaur onesie and moment longer, before beginning to walk again. I blinked.

"Sasuke, you can put me down now." I said. He shrugged, causing me to squeak and grip him tighter.

"Nah, I don't want to." he said, unable to contain his gleeful expression, "It's your fault for being too cuddly."

Of course, he had put me down and and I had retrieved my crutches. But I still didn't know why these memories kept resurfacing...

My stomach churned, and I headed home, back to the house that seemed like it was no longer my own because of how long it was since I had been there. I snapped on the lights and frowned, rubbing my eye to get rid of the sleepiness. I hadn't been able to get to sleep at all here- probably because I didn't have the company I was accustomed to. But I didn't want to think about him right now- didn't want to think about the cold anger in his eyes earlier.

I pushed open my bedroom door, seeing Phish curled up on my bed, and briefly wondering how he got in and how long he had been here. But then I saw the sketches that covered my walls, of all of the different people in my life, one in particular drawing my attention. I went and picked up Phish in one arm, and his eyes lazily opened before rolling shut again. I carried him as I hopped through to the kitchen/ front room and curled up on the sofa with him. His warmth seemed to soak through my chilled body- even though it was warm out.

I laid my head back on the sofa cushions and gazed at the ceiling, then closed my eyes. My head throbbed, and my stomach swished sickeningly.

However, as my focus drifted, it wasn't too difficult to fall asleep.

- - -

It was dark when I woke, the clouds forming such a thick layer that six PM, which was dusk at this time of year, seemed like night. I got up with a chill in my bones, so went to make myself a hot chocolate. I swore as I noticed the disgusting smell wafting from the milk, and then realised my lack of, well, anything edible.

I felt wide awake, so pulled on a coat, adjusted my hold on my crutches, and headed out, trying to remember the location of the one shop I knew of that opened until eleven PM every night except Sundays. I heard a loud cry, and was distracted- I headed towards it even though it was in the complete opposite direction. It sounded familiar...

"Don't leave! Or if you have to leave, take me with you!" I hung back in the trees, squinting at the scene. I could just barely make out the figures. "I can't manage without you, Sasuke-kun!" my eyes widened as I realised, and my throat closed up, "I love you so much that it hurts! If you stayed, we could be together, and you would be happy... I would be happy! I would give you everything you need!!"

"You haven't changed..." Sasuke said quietly, his voice rough. I missed the warm tone it usually held. "You're still annoying."

Sakura's expression grew even more desperate, and though I felt that I should be angry that she was trying to get him to be with her, I just couldn't. I knew how she felt. "If you leave, I'll scream, and-!!"

She cut off as he disappeared from her view, and my body suddenly convulsed. My head throbbed, and I clutched at it. When I looked up again, Sakura was unconscious, and Sasuke was nowhere in sight. My heart pounded, and I scrambled from my hiding spot, charging after him as fast as I could, despite being handicapped.

"Sasuke!" I shouted after him as his figure drew into my sights. The first few spits of rain fell. "Stop!"

He did so, and I ran faster, stopping a few feet from him. He didn't turn to face me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I demanded, "Leaving without even giving me an explanation?!" my voice was thick- it was painfully obvious that I teetered on the brink of hysterics.

"I can't get stronger in this hole of a village. What other explanation is there?" he spoke lowly, his voice uncaring. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't hurt.

"But why?! How could you do this to me?!" I shouted at him, aware of how selfish I sounded but not caring, "Leaving like this- don't you understand that that man is no good?! And as for Itachi, you're letting him rule your life!!"

"I no longer care for this village, or the puny weaklings in it. The only thing that matters is my revenge." the words were like knives. Tears pricked in my eyes.

"Maybe if you keep telling yourself that, one day it will be true! What about us, huh?!" I grit my teeth, "If you leave like this, I'll never forgive you! Hell, I'll never need to forgive you because you'll be dead!" I snarled, "You're such an idiot!" I noticed how tightly his fists were clenched, and they were trembling. The wind was knocked out of my sails, and I wrapped my arms around my chest in an attempt to soothe my aching heart. "Please don't leave." I whispered, begging softly, "I need you." the tears finally spilled over. He finally turned, and walked towards me. His eyes turned from hard and cold to soft and pleading. His hand reached up and brushed a few tears from my cheek, then ran over my trembling lips gently.

"If you love me, Sachi, you'll let me go. You know I have to do this." I stayed silent, trapped by his words, "It's the only way."

He leaned down and kissed me, while my heart broke into tiny little pieces. When I opened my eyes again, he was gone, and I dropped to my knees.

"If you loved me you'd stay!" I shrieked into the empty dusk, "You'd never leave me like this!!" the silence that followed only enraged me more, "Baka, Sasuke, baka!!"

Then I crumpled into the dirt, weeping softly.

- - -

Two more chapters to go, and then book one is complete! I'm buzzin' for book two!

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