Betrayal

Chapter 4: Me Before You

Disclaimer: This chapter talks about suicide.

Itachi's POV

"Sakura, no!" I yell as she takes a step forward. Thankfully I was quick enough to grab her hand at the last moment. I pulled her back from the edge of this damn clift and pull her into my body, holding her tight as we stumble backwards into the grass. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I ask breathless.

"Nothing. I slipped," Sakura says almost emotional less. She loosens my grip on her and we both stand up. If I wasn't so madly in love with her I would've back handed her for being so damn stupid. This woman has been driving me crazy ever since I met her. I don't think I ever met someone more stubborn than Sasuke.

"Don't give me that shit, Sakura," I say bluntly. "You knew damn well what you were doing."

"So what I felt like free falling. I would've caught myself," Sakura lies and turns her beautiful face away from me.

I don't know what over came me, the fact that she just tried to kill herself, the same way my best friend did or that she lied twice to my face. Before I could stop myself I grabbed her by the neck and pushed her up against a tree. "You know I don't like you lying to me," I hissed angrily.

"What are you going to do? Hurt me like the first night I stayed with you?" she says trying to catch her breath. I let go of her, admittedly hurt.

I've regretted the first night she stayed with me. She was already hurting and I just added on to it. To this day I can't stand looking at myself when I think of her.

I turn away facing the damn clift. "I would never hurt you like that again, I'm sorry. I just... It makes me so frustrated when you get reckless with your life, not caring if you get hurt or end up dying. It's like you enjoy it."

"Itachi, it's okay. I know, it just came out. I'm really sorry I said that," I heard Sakura say. "But what does it matter if I'm not here anymore. What's the point when everyone I loved or cared about already sees me as dead. What's the point when everyone I cared and opened my heart up to, only sees me as weak and unworthy. Nothing's been the same for me since I've joined the Akatsuki."

"What do you think killing yourself is going to do? Make everything better for you? Let me tell you now that it's not. It just proves their point, that you're weak, but you are not weak, Sakura," I say a little too harsh. "Life is hard, I get that, but no one has ever said it was easy. When life beats you to a pulp, no matter how bad it gets, you have to get back up and continue to fight. Even when you feel like the your whole world is crashing down on you, when everyone is against you. Take a step back, recollect yourself, recover from the last hit and when you're ready get up and make your next move. Even when you can't push yourself any further, you have to keep trying. To prove not just to others, but to yourself as well that you can defeat this enemy we call life. Killing yourself is letting life win when you know you could've done something about it because life isn't going to stop for no one. It's just going to keep going and bring as many people down with it. Don't let something so small and weak bring you down. Life is just another opponent you have to figure out how defeat."

Sakura didn't say anything for moment, hopefully understanding what I'm trying to get through her thick, beautiful skull.

"Thank you, Itachi," I hear Sakura whisper.

"I care about you a lot. You give me this feeling that drives me crazy some times, but it's just I want nothing, but the best for you. I want to help you overcome this, help you achieve your goals and see you prove them all wrong," I say softly. "I want... I want to be there for you... I want to be with you."