"Maybe…"

"There's no maybe, Hinata. There's no excuse for an Uchiha."

"But-"

"No. I don't want to hear it."

Only Human

By Pisces28

"What did I tell you? That's bad for you." Sakura threw Sasuke a glare.

"It's my health, my life," he tossed back nonchalantly, taking another inhale from his cigarette.

Within a second, Sakura had yanked the cigarette out of his mouth, and with her sneaker, she stomped on the burnt end hard.

Sasuke's face held a look of astonishment, an unregistered feeling that unknowingly took away his usual scowl.

"Sak-"

"Look, I'm not gonna sit here letting you rot your life away like that. Maybe you don't care, but some people do, okay!" Sakura yelled with a cold fury she hadn't felt before when she was with him.

The look on his face told her he was not prepared for that too, and at that moment, she seemed to register her action, and her mouth slightly fell open.

Her glance waved from his dark eyes and the burnt stick on the ground, back and forth.

Since when have I've become so…

Without another word, she left.

…angry.

He did not stop her.

Cherryrampage015: about today

Cherryrampage015 has logged off.

It was a small deal, nothing big. That was what she kept telling herself. But for some reason, she didn't want to face him. She thought about calling him, passing by his house, maybe passing by Naruto's house since that was where he probably was anyways, sending him an email; heck even sending him an instant message was hard.

It wasn't that she didn't miss him; she missed him like hell. He was her life, after all. Ever since Naruto introduced her to him and the empty dark pools of eyes glared at her with hatred so deep she couldn't comprehend, her soul immediately latched onto him.

They were polar opposites; he was a cold bastard who cared for nothing in the world except for his own ass. She was warm; her heart was big enough to encompass any lonely soul, and she was more willing to care more about other lives before her own.

He hated her for that.

"You're weak."

Sakura ignored him, smiling as she watched the little boy sip his first milkshake, his eyes as wide as coins and a content feeling pasted over his face.

She patted his head. "Good boy."

He grinned at her like she was the sun, and her heart felt full.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," the boy bowed modestly. "I'll make sure my sisters get theirs too."

"Tell them I say hi," Sakura replied, watching as the little boy trudged home carrying four shakes to his chest, shakes Sakura had bought for him.

When she turned back to her companion, his eyes were filled with a dark humor.

Her eyes instantly narrowed. "What," she demanded.

He let out a sideways smirk. "One day I'm going to pass by a pink-haired freak by the sidewalk who will be wrapped in nothing but a dirty shawl."

He turned to walk out as Sakura's fist shot out to touch air. "Hey! You asshole!" she yelled, not caring that the whole restaurant had turned their heads to look at them.

Outside, he gripped her fists, his flat, dark eyes drowning her as fear shook her chest.

"Don't try, little girl," he whispered ominously before pressing her against the wall and letting go, strolling away as if nothing ever happened.

As she stared at his retreating back, she rubbed her sore fingers, feeling small and confused. She didn't understand how someone could be so cold.

As if he could feel her eyes, he turned his head right before he rounded the bend. "Prostitution, Sakura. There's some hope for you." He smiled, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.

And instantly, her lost dignity sprang back, and she couldn't help but let loose a string of cuss words.

But despite it all, he seemed to develop a level of tolerance for her, akin to the tolerance he had with Naruto, who once again, was as alike to Sasuke as water was to fire.

"Caring for someone and loving someone are two different things," he whispered darkly, his iron grip over her wrists as he leaned over her on the floor.

"What does this have anything to do with Gaara?" she retorted, her chest pounding up and down from trying to escape.

"Because you don't love him," he leaned closer, his glittering eyes meeting her icy ones.

"Who the hell are you to tell me who I love and who I don't?" she spoke frostily, her heart suddenly pounding furiously against her ribcage.

"Well, then, tell me you love him," he said scathingly, his taunting eyes gripping her frozen soul.

"I…." her voice trembled. She pushed against him one last time before falling back with damp eyes. "Why… why do you care?"

He didn't speak. His eyes continued to bore through her mockingly. "Poor little girl, wasting and spending so much energy on a prince she doesn't even care about. How confused she must be," his mouth twisted into a dark smile.

"I love him," she whispered, tears suddenly streaming down her face.

"You what?" his look faltered.

"I do. I love him."

He let go of her suddenly and she grabbed her red wrists between her own hands.

He suddenly let out a laugh. "Then why are you crying?"

She sat up silently, unknowingly scooting backwards and pressing herself smaller against the wall. "I don't owe you any explanation. Gaara's my own business," she whispered, shaking her head, more as if talking to herself rather than him.

"Why then?" he threw bitterly across the room.

Startled from the question, Sakura looked up to meet his hardened gaze.

"Because… Because he," she floundered, "…he needs me."

"And I don't?"

Sakura froze, her tears suddenly gone. Before she could blink, his face appeared in front of her. He spoke, his voice clipped but still filled with the mean edge she never quite understood. "I'm not some fucking wuss who'll tell and whine about what he fucking needs. All this time, you don't know this?" he withdrew. "You must not know me very well, after all."

Before she could think, she threw herself and grabbed on to what she could: his leg. He grunted, attempting to lift it from her clasp.

"What about me," she whispered.

His eyes bore down onto her.

"How am I supposed to read a guy like you? Someone who's utterly blank with no life whatsoever who never smiles who never laughs who never lets himself show who never cares—"

"You don't think I'm human?" he cut in icily.

She couldn't quite reach any more words after that. It never occurred to her before, even though it was the most obvious thing in the world. He was human.

"But you're right," he continued relentlessly. "I really don't show my emotions. You know why? Because I don't care about what I don't care about. As for you," he spat, looking down at her figure clutching desperately at his leg, "You waste too much time trying to care about things that don't even care the heck about you. You're just trying to hurt yourself, and you think some prince or something is going to come save your little dainty self? Forget it. No one's going to save you, little girl. To the world, you're nothing. You're not worth anything."

Her figure trembled. Subconsciously, she was glad she had his leg to lean on.

At that moment, words just slipped out her mouth. It was as if her mouth had a mind of its own.

"So you want me to be your girlfriend?"

He gave her a heated stare. "Break up with Gaara," was all he said, tonelessly, before he left her.

They all thought it was a prank. A hoax, a dare, a favor, an IOU. No one believed Mr. Soulless, Mr. Sasuke Uchiha, would date the warmest girl in the school. The girl who gave handmade cards to everyone on their birthday, baked cupcakes for everyone who had an achievement, took in foster kids under her arms every Sunday, who kissed the boo boo's of every kid who fell from the swings.

Just the idea of him dating was ridiculous.

But he didn't care.

Because Sasuke Uchiha doesn't care about what he doesn't care about.

A week later, Sakura passed by an empty court at school. Well, so she thought.

"Sakura-chan! Come be on my team and beat this bastard's ass!" Naruto hollered.

Instantly, she froze, suddenly feeling very itchy.

"Um…"

Before she could finish, the blonde appeared up behind her, his grin stretched from cheek to cheek filled with happiness. He threw his arms around her, his blond spikes tickling her neck. She couldn't help it but giggle. "C'monnnnnnnnn!"

"Okay, okay, I'll come over… but… I don't want to play. I'll… I'll just cheer for you."

Unwillingly, her final word came out distorted, and Naruto leaned back to look at her face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing," she bought a smile onto her face. "It's nothing at all."

But as she neared the court and watched the dark figure toss the ball in multiple times without making it in (odd), she was suddenly filled with a dread.

"Sasuke, I've got myself a cheerleader! HA!"

Sasuke barely gave her a glance. "Who says I want a cheerleader? Annoying, that's all they are. Stupid girls jumping on little white shoes dancing with pom poms held over their heads."

Sakura gritted her teeth. "No girl wants to dance for you," she shot back loftily.

"So you say," he replied calmly.

Naruto glanced between the two of them, finally looking back at Sasuke. "Dobe. Make a freaking shot," he yelled.

Sasuke stopped shooting, turning around with icy fury over his face. Naruto instantly cowered beside Sakura, pushing her towards him.

"Deal with your boyfriend. He looks like he can kill."

"Thanks, Naruto," Sakura shot, glaring at her so-called friend. It stopped abruptly when she suddenly froze, feeling heat pulsing towards her.

He regarded her flatly. "You want to break up with me."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Wh-wh-wh…" she started stuttering. She felt a movement behind her, and she glanced back, watching as a guilty Naruto scampered away, tossing a 'sorry' at her.

"Whatever." Sasuke was gone, back to shooting baskets that didn't make it in.

Sakura stayed rooted, blood leaving her face as her heart pounded furiously. No, I mustn't be like this, she scolded herself, even though she writhed and squirmed within herself. I must be strong… I mustn't be weak.

And so she found herself walking across the court and grabbing the ball before he threw it in.

Wordlessly, she threw the ball. It bounced once, twice, on the rim before dropping through the basket.

"And that's how you do it," she spoke, breaking the silence between them and running off to retrieve the ball.

When she returned with the ball cradled in her arms, he reached for the ball. She held it away from his reach.

His eyes hardened. "You forget I'm better at this game."

It was a perfect set up. She could run away, and he'll chase her, and they'll make up. Except that…

"Do you care about me?" she asked bluntly.

He paused, finally turning to give his whole attention on her.

"Oh. Is this back to the breakup thing?"

"Answer the damn question."

"Fierce, aren't you?"

She continued to glare at him.

"Yes," he finally answered. "Do you?" he shot, his mouth twisting into that smirk she hated.

"Do you like me?" she pushed.

He fixed her a stare. "What? Are you feeling insecure again, little girl?"

She took another step forward, growling, "Do you like me, Sasuke Uchiha?"

"If I didn't, why would I be dating you? You're not my standard."

Sakura flushed. Forget it. She couldn't do this. Not with him like this. His arrogant bastard self. She didn't even know why she tolerated him, why she even considered dating him. She turned to go, before his arm shot out and gripped her wrist.

"You don't just interrupt my basketball session without a point. Finish."

Sakura turned back slowly, not meeting his gaze.

"Why haven't you..."

"I don't have delicate ears. Louder."

Sakura bit her lip. Under normal circumstances, she would've laughed. Picturing Sasuke with dainty ears was not a normal sight to see.

"Why haven't you kissed me yet, Sasuke Uchiha?"

He froze, and finally, she looked up to stare at his dumbfounded eyes.

"I'm your girlfriend… you're my boyfriend… so why?" her voice broke.

"Hinata, he doesn't like me."

She bit her lip again. Her eyes stayed onto his, desperate for an answer, desperate to know why, this agonizing matter that's bugged her for months. She knew he wasn't someone who opened up easily, but two months? Honestly? How long does a girl need to wait?

Sasuke's eyes slid away from her.

"Sakura…" he started.

Her eyes started to burn. She knew it. He was a human, but he couldn't love. He was too arrogant to ever love someone other than himself.

Weakly, she slid to the floor, her limp arms letting go of the ball in which he caught. He twirled it on his pinky mindlessly. She remembered the first time when he twirled the ball for her, and she had grinned sappily.

"I'm an Uchiha."

Hot blood flowed from her ears. So I'm not good enough for you.

"… when an Uchiha doesn't know how to do something… it's shameful. The Uchiha …

"… is afraid."

Sakura's head snapped up. "So it's about your ego, huh? You're too scared to break my little heart? Well you know what? I'm not scared to break your little nasty black heart! I break up with you!"

With a huff, she got to her feet, but his cold fingers wrapped around her ankle and pulled her back down.

"You're my first girlfriend."

"I know that," she hissed. "And I'm your first breakup, and you fucking don't know how to break up with me, and your stupid ego is afraid to break or whatever. I don't-"

He pulled her closer until his arms were around her neck.

"I've never kissed before,"

He let out, weakly, faintly.

Sakura's eyes widened, and her body suddenly felt like jell-o. Her mouth trembled, and her fingers started to grip his collar shirt.

"You've…"

This time, his eyes wouldn't meet hers. And as she peeked a his face, she noticed his cheeks were red.

She couldn't believe it.

"There's no maybe, Hinata. There's no excuse for an Uchiha."

"But-"

"No. I don't want to hear it."

She wanted to yell, she wanted to scream, she wanted to slap him, she wanted to hurt him, she wanted to push him off a cliff, she wanted to break up with him, she wanted to….

She stared at him fidgeting, so unlike the Sasuke she knew.

"Sakura, I- I'm-that's pathetic-I-"

Sasuke, stuttering?

Sasuke, dissing himself?

She pushed him off her until his back was flat against the court.

She crawled over him, leaning down until her nose pressed against his. She still wanted to scream, hell yes, but… she also wanted to kiss him.

"Are you afraid?" she whispered.

His eyes searched hers for a mock, but there was none. "Kiss me," he whispered, hoarse.

"What if I don't?" she breathed against his lips.

His arms came around her back, and his hands pushed her down.

Lips crashed against lips.

"I'll make you."

~end~