A Change of Heart.
A Fanfic by Punished by Love.
I do not own Naruto or any of its characters; I do own the plot line though.
And please keep in mind this is my 1st fanfic so NO FLAMES!
She was in love with him, that much was obvious, that much she could handle. Her need for him, on the other hand, was out of her control. She needed him like a drug addict needed to get their next fix of cocaine. Her need for him was like a voracious animal that had made its home deep with heart delicate heart, slowly devouring her internally, leaving her hollow and empty, making it so that her love for him could grow and blossom, until it filled the hollow space. She was all but consumed by her love for him, helpless to its tender yet stern ways.
• • • •
When she was around him, her soul was flooded with a deluge of joy, while her heart paid the price. For he held no love for her in his own cold and stony heart. He found her annoying and unnaturally bubbly, which contrasted too harshly to his own dark and icy demeanor. He did all he could to avoid her, unknowingly increasing her desire for his company. For when he made himself scarce she hungered for his company only more than she had before. To be in his presence once more after such a long time of not seeing him only made her joy sing a little louder, almost audible to the world that excised outside of her head.
• • • •
But a heart can change, given time, for better or for worse a heart can change.
• • • •
It had been five years since she had seen him last, five years since he had moved to further avoid her. She had spent those five years trying her hardest to squash her love for him, to make it cease to exist. Her soul lay tattered in torn, and her heart rawand bleeding in her chest, for her desire for his company did not like this lack of his presence. The only times she ever left her small apartment were when she ran out of food or shampoo and other nessesities. She once short pink locks were now to her waist and fell in soft ringlet's, due to the fact that it had not been cut in five years.
It had surprised her when Naruto, her best friend called. They had all stopped calling soon after the third year. It was nearly impossible to have a conversation with someone who was dead inside, so after a while, they just stopped trying.
"Hello," she answered dully.
"Sakura? This is Naruto?"
"Naruto?"
She gasped quietly, she had missed him terribly, but she refused herself the right to visit, him knowing he would remind her of him, and she had been fighting her need for him at the time, still was to this day. Another reminder of him wouldnt help her end her addiction.
"Look, Sakura, I think you need to get out of that house, staying in there isn't going to help you move on with your life, be sides Hinata misses you, we all do."
Sakura flinched at his words. She hadn't realized that Naruto had known about her internal battle. It made her wonder how much else he had noticed with out her realizing it.
"Naruto.." she groaned softly.
"Seriously Sakura, holing yourself up like that isnt going to help anyone, " he paused and when he continued his voice was softer, gentler and slightly pleading, " Please Sakura, if not for yourself when for us, for Hinata."
"Fine, what do you want to do then," she sighed.
It had been so long since he had acutally done anything, perhaps she could begin to live again...perhaps.
"How about we go to your favorite club downtown, Sakura, I'll pick you up at five,I think this will be good for you," his smile could be hear through the phone, and it lit Sakura's battered heart.
"K," was her only response. A nightclub? For her fisrt true outting in 5 years? Wasnt this a little much she thought. The steady beeping on the other line told her that it was too late to back out now.
She looked at the clock. It was currently four now, that gave her an hour until she had to leave. She walked into her room, and opened the closet door. Excitement began to bubble inside her, an emotion she haddnt felt since the last time she knew was was going to be seeing Him. She then fell to her knees so that she could pull out a box from the closet floor, which she quickly opened. The box contained clothes that she had worn before He had left. She quickly pulled out a pair of artfully faded blue jeans an emerald green v neck top, which she quickly changed into. They slid into place smoothly, reminding her of happier times and of the sound of laughter.
She walked into the bathroom and turned to face the mirror, seeing for the first time, the damage she had done to herself over the past five years. It wasnt a pretty sight and she flinched at her own reflection. With a sigh, she pulled out a red make up bag and began to buff and polish her face until she had erased the worst of the external damage, until the person in the mirrior looked like Sakura once more. When she finished, it took her a moment, to realize that something was different about herself, not off, just different. She studied her reflection trying to pin point the change that lay hidden in the face she saw before a start she realized that for the first time in five years she was happy, she was truly happy, and with that she let out a timid laugh. The door bell pulled her from the raging rivers of her thoughts; the time had come, to move on with her life, and for the first time, she wasnt thinking of him and his fold on her began to lift.
• • • •
Naruto watched from the bar as Sakura and Hinata danced and giggled on the pulsing dance floor, smiling as they occasionally were lost from his view in the mass of body's, moving to the beat. It was different for him to be seeing Sakura. for a while he had thought she was dead, no more than a vegeteble. He was glad to find that such was not true. He wondered if he should tell Sakura that Sasuke had returned, but a look at her smiling face told him that it would ruin all of the good that this trip was doing for her.
• • • •
Sakura tried to catch her breath was she moved to the beat, but found herself only gasping for air like a fish out of water.
"Hinata! I'm ganna go out side to get some air ok?" She hollered over the loud bass of the music.
"K."
Was Hinata's reply, although Sakura got the feeling that she was only half listening. With that Sakura wove her way through the mass of dancing people toward the exit door.
Sakura let out a sigh as a cold blast of air hit her face. it was now late and the sky was on fire as the sun began to dissapear. It was beautiful. she had seen many sunsets before, but how could it be that this one was more beautiful then all of them put together?
"Sakura?"
A deep voice called out her name, causing Sakura to whip around to find the source. It was a voice she would know anywere even after all these years.
Sasuke walked calmly towards her, unchanged.
"Sasuke? W-w-what are you doing here? After all those years why are you here?" Sakura stuttered.
Sasuke stepped closer until he stood not two feet away from Sakura. She shivered at their closeness, she had not been this close to him since the day before he left five years ago. It made her heart pull at the edges of the empty hole where her love for him once resided.
"I decided to return after I realized that I had left something of great importance here."
"What would that be?"
She asked nervously and saracsitcly all at the same time. She knew him well enough that she could see him returning for something like money. It would be so typical of him to come back for something like that.
"My heart."
This startled her and she looked up in surprise.
"Y-your heart?"
"Yes, my heart, after all those years of pushing aside my feelings I realized that I could do it no longer."
He turned to look at Sakura with brooding eyes that gave her no clue as to what his emotions were, and took a step towards he
"Sakura, I'm in love with you."
"No," she gasped after all those years, after having spent five year trying to get over him, he decided to come back now and say he loved her? She felt her love for him tug at her heart and she knew just how easy it would be to fall back inlove wtih him.
It had started to rain, but Sakura took no notice ,even though her clothes were now drenched. It made no differnce to her, her whole world had been under constant cloud cover anyway ever since he had left. What was a little rain compared to that?
Her thoughts were interrupted, when his lips crashed hard against her own, his arms embraced her and her hands lay upon his chest. His kiss was full of passion and unsaid emotion, that sang through her blood stream. She had dreamed of this kiss but now, she had lived her entire life waiting for this kiss and now… she didn't want it.
She pulled away and gave his chest a shove so that he stumbled back several feet. She gasped for breath, her cheeks flushed a crimson red. It had take everythings she had not to lose herself in that kiss but she had pulled away to save herself from temptation.
"Sasuke , you cant do this…." she goaned softly, she heart aching as the words esacped her lips.
"I think I can,"was his reply and with that he roughly reached out to pulled her to him once more, but this time she was ready for him, and she stepped back before his arms could embrace her once more. Sasuke looked at her in surpise, he had not expected her to pull away from him.
"No you cant" tears were streaming down her face, " You left me five years ago," the tears then turned into sobs, " and I spent all that time beating myself up trying to get over you."
Sasuke stood there motionless, shock evident on his face. What did she mean by that, he did not know.
Sakura continued.
"I loved you, I always have, but now," She paused to catch her breath and let the tears subside, "I have to move on before loving you kills me."
"Sakura..." Sasuke reached to to comfort her, but before he could reach her she ran off into the street, leaving Sasuke to stand there alone in the pouring rain wondering what he had done to destoy her soul.
How was that for a 1st fan fic? Please review, NO FLAMES! If you like it feel free to give me ideas and I'll try to make another fanfic for you!
Every review helps! (Except for flames, keep those dirty things to your self!)