A/N: I had this written right around the time I posted "Already Gone" but I never actually posted it, because well… I thought it sucked, but a lot of people liked the story and kept asking me to post another chapter to it, but sadly "Already Gone" is only a one-shot, so I decided to make this its sequel, although it would make it easier if I just posted more chapters to it, but I decided against it. So, alas, here's a part two to "Already Gone" which may end up being ongoing, possibly about 5+ chapters, but it all depends on how I feel about it, and how you feel about it.

If you have not read "Already Gone" I suggest you go back and read it before you start this story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto… sadly. Nor do I own the song "Everything Changes" by Staind, which helped me write this story. The song is the exact definition of Sasuke and Sakura. I swear I think of them every time I listen to it.

A/N 2: The characters are slightly OOC… sorry. This story is Rated M for safety.

Summary: "I love you, I always have." Sasuke apologizes to Sakura once more, and this time she doesn't deny her feelings for him.

Everything Changes

"If you could learn to forgive me, then I could learn how to feel and we could stay here together."

Sasuke lay in his queen sized bed passively.

It had been two whole hours since he visited Sakura in the middle of the night and apologized to her. His chest ached, that dull ache was back and he reached up and clenched his chest through his shirt.

He had never felt this feeling since the massacre of his clan all those years ago.

The sound of Sakura's pleading voice, screaming for him to leave filled his head and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Why!

Why does this hurt him so much?

Sasuke pushed the sheets off his body and he sat at the edge of the bed, his hands holding his head up while his elbows rested on his knees.

He remembered the look in her eyes when he apologized to her. The way her green eyes shown nothing but confusion and anger hardly confused him, he understood why she acted in such a way, but…

Sasuke squeezed his hands in his slightly oily hair, and clenched his jaw, creating a very uncomfortable feeling on his teeth as they scraped together.

He could feel the small strands of hair being ripped out of his scalp as he pulled his fists away and dropped them to his side. His dark eyes stared blankly at the wooden floor of his apartment, and he sighed deeply.

But, as he took a breath, it was very shaky.

What happened next was something he couldn't control. His feelings were starting to get the better of him, and he started to sob freely on the edge of his bed. He couldn't understand why he was crying.

Why did he care so much?

Sakura meant nothing to him.

She was just his teammate when they were younger, an annoying girl he got stuck with. But, over the years he had grown to like her and befriend her, he started to care for her. Maybe even… love her?

He reached up and softly pressed the pad of his thumb and index finger over his eyes and wiped the tears away. Sasuke never thought he could love anybody again – it had become such a foreign word that he himself didn't know the meaning of it.

Maybe that was the answer he had been looking for though.

It was all starting to make sense. These emotions, Sakura plaguing his thoughts, the dull ache in his chest, and the sudden sobbing episode is a result to his feelings for her.

He loved her, and he doesn't know how to take it.

Sasuke laughed shortly.

This is ridiculous… I don't love her… do I?

"You look terrible."

Sasuke ignored Tsunade's comment as he stood quietly in front of her cluttered desk. She rummaged around the piles of paper work and snagged a piece of paper with scribbled looking handwriting.

"Ah, here we are – today you will need to repaint all of the fences around the new apartment buildings on the east side of Konoha." Tsunade said, her brown eyes looking up from the piece of paper and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I already did that." He said.

Tsunade started muttering to herself and began looking through the piles of paper on her desk. Sasuke began to grow slightly impatient and he shifted his weight from one leg to another. Tsunade pulled up another piece of paper and began reading it off.

"Have you cleaned the bathhouses yet?" Tsunade asked.

"No… but I don't want to do that." Sasuke muttered.

"It doesn't matter what you want," Tsunade started, "you need to think of others, and others need you to help clean the bathhouses. You start in an hour."

Before Sasuke could protest, Tsunade waved him off and he bowed to her and left the office. He walked down the hall and rounded the corner, bumping into someone haphazardly. A bunch of papers had flew over his head and landed on the floor, and he realized it was Sakura.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!"

Sasuke stared down at the mop of pink hair that crouched beneath him, trying so desperately to pick up all of her notes, and he waited for Sakura to finally realize it was him, and when she looked up at him, her green eyes started to burn holes in his skin.

"It's you."

Sasuke ignored her fiery remark, and held his hand out to her. Sakura glanced down at his hand and refused it.

"I don't need your help." She clumsily got up and brushed by him. Sasuke turned his head to follow her and watched as she entered the Hokage's office, faking a smile. He sighed and continued walking out of the building.

Just as he entered the dusty streets of Konoha, he was greeted by bright sun that instantly blinded him, and he lifted his hand to shield his sensitive eyes.

He dropped his hand and walked in the direction of his apartment. It wasn't too far, but he was too tired to care. Sasuke lazily dragged his feet on the ground as he made his way to the apartment building.

Up ahead, he saw Naruto entering Ichiraku's ramen shop, and decided he would drop in himself.

Sasuke lifted the cloth and took a seat next to the blond.

Naruto looked next to him and his bright blue eyes widened in shock.

"What are you doing up so early? Have some community service to do?" He asked, propping his elbows on the counter.

Sasuke nodded and looked over the menu. He wasn't that hungry, but he didn't like working on an empty stomach. The only thing he had was a glass of water this morning and a pain killer to get rid of the headache he had previously had.

"You look terrible, are you sick?" Naruto commented, eyeballing the dark circles under Sasuke's puffy eyes.

"I hope so." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto arched his eyebrow in confusion, and decided not to pester him about it anymore. After ordering their meals, they sat in silence. Sasuke yawned and rubbed his tired, sore eyes. Naruto was very observant this morning, and when Sasuke glanced over at Naruto from the corner of his eye, Naruto quickly averted his gaze and waited patiently for his bowl. Sasuke sighed.

"I was up all last night, I couldn't sleep… and I went to see Sakura."

Naruto quickly glanced at Sasuke.

"What for? What did you do? Is that why she was so angry this morning?" He asked quickly.

"I didn't do anything, despite the fact that I woke her up really early. I just showed up and apologized to her." Sasuke said nonchalantly. "She was angry?" He added curiously.

"Who? Oh, Sakura? Yeah… I was training with her this morning, she was more powerful than usual. I asked her if something was wrong, and she just kind of didn't say anything." Naruto responded.

Their meals were set down in front of them and both Naruto and Sasuke broke their chopsticks and began eating. Naruto quickly slurped his noodles while Sasuke pushed them around with his chopsticks.

"She was crying." Sasuke said.

Naruto looked over at Sasuke with noodles hanging from his lips. "Do you blame her?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shook his head. He didn't blame her at all, he was just not expecting the response he got from apologizing to her.

"I just expected a different response." Sasuke said before he began eating.

"Well, before you showed up a year ago, Sakura and I were talking about you." Naruto said as he picked up his bowl and began drinking the warm broth. This new information grabbed Sasuke's interest and he waited for Naruto to continue, but he didn't say anything.

"What did she say?" Sasuke asked, trying not to sound desperate.

"Why do you have such a sudden interest in Sakura?" Naruto questioned.

Sasuke scoffed. "Nothing. I'm leaving." He got up, dug into his pocket for some money and paid for his meal, leaving the hut, ignoring Naruto's call. Sasuke decided to head to the bathhouses early, he needed to clear his mind. As he made his way there, he was thinking about what Naruto said. What did they talk about?

He decided it wasn't important and when he entered the bathhouse, Sasuke walked to the elder lady standing by the door.

"Are you the young man who's going to clean today?" She asked.

Sasuke stared blankly at her and she smiled wholeheartedly at him. "All you'll need to clean is our largest room."

Sasuke suddenly felt relieved, but when she led him to the back room and showed him his chore, he regretted getting as excited as he did. The woman had left him with the cleaning supplies and she shut the door behind him. He looked around the room. It was rather large, with a cherry blossom tree growing out of the middle and the tub was emptied of water, with jade stone wrapping around the rim of the tub, and white marble tiles on the floor. He picked up the bucket and pulled the bleach out. Thankfully he wore clothes that he didn't really care for, and started pouring the bleach all over the tiles to disinfect it. He began scrubbing the tiles vigorously, his mind on Sakura again.

Over the course of the year he had always tried to find a way to approach her. What he did last night was his idea of a good idea. Arriving at one o'clock in the morning was a little too risky, but after not being able to speak to her all those times he had a chance, it made him do irrational things.

Sasuke scrubbed the tiles harder to the point where the force started to hurt the muscles in his right arm.

He thought about the orders Tsunade gave him, about keeping away from her. Sasuke assumed Tsunade knew that was going to be a difficult task for both Sakura and himself. Though, he wondered if Tsunade had told Sakura to stay away from him. Or, if Sakura had chosen this on her own. He knew the obvious answer. Sasuke moved all around the tub, scrubbing the bleach into the marble and tried to ignore the cramp forming in his arm.

Sasuke thought about what he could do to fix the problem he had started last night. Maybe he could try and talk to her again? Sakura wasn't going to listen to reason, though. He knew this was a possibility, but if he approached her a different way, she could try and forgive him.

Or, he could stop trying so hard.

Sakura arrived home from the hospital around nine o'clock PM.

Tsunade gave her the rest of the night off after she admitted what happened the night before. Sakura entered her apartment, tossing her things on the couch. She walked in the kitchen and made her way to the fridge and pulled the jug of water out. She walked to the cabinets and opened it up to grab a cup of water. After she poured herself a cup of water, and chugged the liquid down. Her throat was so dry and she felt light headed. After last night she had hoped to not have another repeat of it, but she sighed deeply when she heard someone knocking on the door.

Sakura placed the glass inside the sink and walked to her front door. Another knock.

"Who is it?" She asked beyond the door.

No answer, another knock.

"Who is it!" She asked again, only more forcefully.

"It's me…"

Sakura's heart stopped and her hands balled up into little fists.

"Sasuke…" She whimpered.

Why is he doing this to her? Why was he torturing her?

"Sasuke… why are you here?" She asked through the door, trying to sound calmer than what she was putting herself out to be.

He didn't answer, and Sakura wanted nothing more than to open the door and kick him out of the building, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. After he came in last night at those early hours and apologized to her, her mind started reeling with unanswered questions and weird thoughts. So, she opened the door, cracking it and saw his face. She noticed the tired look in his eyes and swallowed hard.

Sasuke asked, "Can I come in?"

Sakura slowly nodded her head and she pushed the door open more and allowed him to enter her apartment. Sasuke stepped in and when Sakura closed the door, she turned around and looked up at him. After last night, Sasuke decided to keep a good distance between them, making sure he didn't make her feel uncomfortable.

The silence between them made them both feel uneasy. Sakura dropped her eyes to the floor and decided to be the first one to speak.

"Sasuke I – I want to apologize to you… I was angry at you for so long… I didn't know how to react when you came home… and when you came over and—

"You don't have to apologize to me. You did nothing wrong." Sasuke interrupted her.

Sakura lifted her gaze and her bright green eyes softened.

"You did nothing wrong… I was the one who hurt you all those years ago. I was the one who left you alone… I hurt you…

Sasuke clenched his jaw, cutting his sentence short. He could feel the tears starting to gather in his eyes again, but he refused to let her see him this vulnerable. But, Sakura could see how hurt he was, and she silently wondered if this is the same Sasuke she grew up with. Who is this Sasuke?

What happened to him while she ignored him all those months? She wanted to walk up to him and hold him, but was afraid if she would cross any boundaries. Sasuke walked up to her and slowly (cautiously) reached up and touched her cheek.

Sakura flinched from his gentle touch and leaned into his palm.

She closed her eyes and Sasuke brushed the pad of his thumb over her cheek bone and Sakura suddenly started sobbing. Her warm tears wet his hand and Sasuke stopped touching her to wrap his arms around her tiny form. Sakura couldn't resist and she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face deep in his chest.

"Sasuke… I'm so sorry it took so long for me to forgive you. I'm so sorry, I'm sorry!"

Sakura cried heavily in his chest and felt some comfort when Sasuke rubbed the back of her head, her thick pink strands slid in between his fingers. She pulled away and looked up at him. His dark eyes were clouded with some kind of emotion that she couldn't quite read.

Was it fear? Or maybe it was anger?

Or maybe it was—

"Mmmph!"

Sakura squeaked and her eyes grew as wide as saucers. Sasuke kissed her.

Sasuke Uchiha… is kissing her!

Sakura didn't know whether to kiss him back or to shove him off her. Her emotions started getting the better of her and she only did what her heart wanted.

She kissed him back.

The way he kissed her made Sakura weak at the knees.

He licked her bottom lip and sucked it right between his teeth. Sakura didn't have much experience in kissing guys, but she caught on pretty quick. She clenched his shirt in her tiny hands and Sasuke reached down and placed his on her waist.

She closed her eyes and deepened the kiss on her own and crushed her lips harder over his. Sasuke made a small noise in his throat and made Sakura's heart beat faster against her rib cage.

Sasuke broke the kiss and both breathed heavily against each other's lips.

"That was… uncalled for…" Sakura said.

It wasn't meant to be a joke, but both Sakura and Sasuke laughed.

"Sakura, this isn't easy for me…, but please believe me when I say it…"

Sakura cocked her head to the side and stared curiously at him.

"What do you mean? Say what?" She asked.

Sasuke hugged her tight and pressed his lips against her ear.

"I love you, I've always loved you."

Sakura gasped and a fresh round of tears formed in her puffy eyes.

"What?" She whimpered.

Sasuke hugged her tightly and gripped the hair on the back of her head tightly between his calloused fingers.

Sakura pulled away and smiled wholeheartedly at him. She had never stopped loving him, no matter what, or how she tried to hate him, she couldn't do it. Sasuke meant the world to her, and the feelings being returned to her made her heart beat fast out of joy.

Sakura had many questions running through her head that she wanted to ask him. But, before she could do or say anything, Sasuke had kissed her again, only with more force. It caused her to stumble back, and Sasuke had reached down and grabbed the back of her thighs, and hoisted her up. Sakura couldn't help the small moan that formed in her throat when she felt how close their sexes were and how he rubbed himself on her.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her fingers through his silky hair and tugged at the strands and tried not to absolutely love the moan that formed in his throat. Clumsily, he carried them to the couch and climbed over Sakura's body when her back came in contact with cushions.

Sakura's body reacted in ways she never would have thought. The way Sasuke's hands rubbed her sides and gently massaged her skin made Sakura writhe beneath him and she parted her legs and blushed when she felt his erection poking at her center.

"Sasuke." Sakura gasped.

He pulled away and looked into her deepened green eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly while he cupped her cheek and rubbed her bottom lip.

"I don't want to… do this right now. I love you so much but I don't know if I'm ready for that." Sakura said, feeling embarrassed.

Sasuke nodded and kissed her softly.

"I didn't expect you to have sex with me right now." He said.

Sakura nodded. "But I do want to eventually…" She whispered, her cheeks turning red.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile.

"One day. When everything changes."

Sakura leaned up to kiss him and they were a tangle of limbs on the couch.

"I love you so much."

Sasuke smiled. "I know."

But everything changes if I could turn back the years, if you could learn to forgive me then I could learn how to feel; then we could stay here together and we could conquer the world if we could say that forever is more than just a word.

END

What do you guys think?

Should I continue it?

I'm sorry for any mistakes. I wrote this a long time ago and really just skimmed through it to edit it.

Please leave a review, I would like all the feedback I could get. flames will be promptly ignored!