It was one of those nights; she'd had another nightmare and had gone to the hill. Whether it was on impulse or not, Sakura couldn't remember, but all she knew was that she wanted to forget that dream.
She shouldn't have been this scared – really, did she still like him that much? Maybe. The thought of Orochimaru taking over Sasuke's body…why did she care what that bastard boy thought? He'd abandoned her. He'd abandoned everyone. Did he know how much they missed him? No…of course not. All he knew was that he had to kill Itachi and rebuild his clan.
All the same.
She hated this; she hated the longing she had for him, she hated how weak she was, she hated everything. She wanted to believe she hated him, too. Hadn't he wrenched her heart out and crushed it along with Naruto's? Of course he had! Of course he had.
Two months after he'd left, Sakura had gone to that dark, starry hill. It had been deserted except for her, though she imagined the fourth – the late Hokage – would've been there as well. As she stood there – alone, the breeze fondling with her pink, pink hair – she began wondering. Where are you? Are these thoughts reaching you, Sasuke? Do you feel any guilt? Any at all? Do you wish you'd found another way to get stronger? Do you wish you'd stayed? I would've kept my promise, you know. I would have done anything for you – anything – just to make you happy. Just to make you stay. Don't you remember what it was like? To be by our sides? To be by my side?
We miss you, Sasuke. If my fleeting thoughts are reaching you, please – just come home.
He hadn't of course, and now, a year and a half later, Sakura's hope was almost gone. Not a single trace of him, not one. She wondered if he wanted to make them cry. For a while, she'd had this insane thought that he sat by their windows every night, smirking that infamous smirk as he listened to their sobs. Her sobs, anyway. The idea of it made her sick, but by then she hadn't known what to think so anything that had popped into her head had been true for her. It had been real, and she'd lived each miserable day, thinking one twisted thought after another. It had stopped, eventually. But that was when the dreams had come. They were, in some ways, worse than those little ideas that had stormed Sakura's sanity. But they were oh so much easier to live with, because she only had to deal with them at night, and when they did come, she slept on the hill.
For a while, life was easy. Well – maybe not easy, exactly, but easier. She believes she doesn't - didn't - love him, she was just desperate to make a boy see something other than her forehead. After some time, though, she'd merely been desperate to keep a close friend nearby.
Tonight, though – tonight she believes differently.
Tonight, she remembers how fast her heart went whenever he was near.
Tonight, she remembers the countless times she offered him a hug or a helping hand.
Tonight she remembers the countless times he refused.
Tonight she remembers his cold eyes.
Tonight she realizes she still wishes they weren't so cold.
Tonight she wishes, even more than before, that he would come back to her.
Tonight she doesn't care if it's for a minute or for eternity.
Tomorrow night she hopes she'll dream a good dream. Yes, she loved this hill and was happy to come to it, but it held so many memories. She wondered when it would burst.
Sakura raises her eyes to the sky and clasps her hands together. She speaks outloud, "Where are you, Sasuke?"
A pair of cold eyes are watching her. They are betraying their master and screaming out the wish to hold Sakura, tell her he wants all those hugs and all those hands, and they wish they could tell their master's mouth to move. The mouth and voice do not need telling tonight, though. The longing has built up the past year he's come to watch her, and tonight, the voice and the lips betray the master as well.
"Not as far as you may think."
And then the legs – they realize it's their turn, and they carry the furious – and embarrassed – master to the girl. Her green eyes are as big as her mouth, and they are full of shock and love and confusion. Her hands are trembling at her sides - Should I punch him, slap him, or squeeze him? - and this does not go unnoticed by Uchiha Sasuke. He's smirking - I need to punch him. - and Sakura is faintly aware of his head coming closer until his lips are brushing hers. Sakura clamps her mouth shut and glares at him.
"And just what do you think you're doing, you bastard?" she snaps, although she does not mean it. Sasuke just smiles and bends down again to kiss her completely. This time, Sakura crumbles; she falls, straight into his waiting arms. Relief floods over her, as well as a mix of other emotions. Sasuke does not care. All he knows now is that he's stopped her tears – at least for now.
When he finally pulls away and opens his closed eyes, she's already clutching his shirt so hard her knuckled are white and she's leaning on him in a manner that says it might not be so easy for him to leave. It doesn't matter, though. He told Orochimaru he'd be back in a day, and that would be long enough.
"Why are you here?" Sakura whispers, the silence suddenly breaking. Sasuke waits before answering.
"You wanted to know where I was."
A crooked smile touches his lips, and a tear of happiness rolls down Sakura's cheek. He kisses it away gently and releases her from his embrace. She understands, and smiles.
"Come back soon, okay?"
He smiles faintly and nods. She watches him return to the shadows, and listens fore silence before turning and running home to sleep. She smiles the whole way: He kissed me!
The next night, she dreams of the happy family that she and Sasuke will create.