Hello, this is my first story, so go easy on me.

I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

Best Wishes

Chapter 1: The First Letter

Sasuke entered his apartment with a heavy sigh. It had been two months since his return to the hidden leaf village, and he had yet to see Sakura. Her absence hadn't been a problem at first. He was too preoccupied with trying to avoid getting lynched by the masses of angry villagers. They called him a traitor, and they were right. He had turned his back on all of them, on their teachings, and most importantly his friends.

However his friends had been quick to forgive him. Especially Naruto, he welcomed him with a fist to the face and a back-crushing embrace. Sasuke would never tell him, but his acceptance by the highly energized ninja meant the world to him. All the others just seemed to fall in line behind Naruto. Kiba, Shino, and Choji were speaking to him as if he'd never left. Ino welcomed him with open arms, and it was refreshing to see that she had outgrown her childhood infatuation. The only surprising reaction was from Shikamara. Sasuke would have figured that out of everyone his betrayal would have affected Shikamara the least, but his demeanor towards Sasuke had bordered on animosity whenever he saw him.

When all the commotion began to die down that's when he really began to feel the loss of Sakura's presence. He didn't worry at first because he figured she was just waiting to get him alone. He would never admit it to himself, but part of him really hoped that was the reason she hadn't come before him. Weeks passed and still she made no appearance. He wondered if maybe she wasn't in the village at all. Perhaps she was on a mission. Things began to get troubling when he asked his friends about her. They all dodged around the issue and told him not to worry about it.

At first he was frustrated, but than fear began to course though him. What if she had died? What if the reason nobody seemed to be able to talk about her was because she was no longer a part of the living world? As soon as those thoughts sprang forth he squashed them back down. There was no way Sakura was dead. Somebody would have said something, and some part of him felt that he would have felt something like that. He stopped asking about her for the next few weeks, but she was always in the back of his mind. He really needed to talk to her, out of everything he had left behind; she was the one he thought about the most.

A soft knock at the door interrupted his train of thoughts. When he answered the door there was no one there. In fact the only thing out of the ordinary was the faint scent of cinnamon lingering on his doorstep. As he turned to head back into his apartment, he noticed an envelope taped to the door that was addressed to him. He recognized the delicate cursive right away, even though he hadn't seen it in over six years. "Sakura."

He grabbed the envelope and shuffled clumsily back into the apartment. He went to his living area and sat on couch. For a few moments he was paralyzed. All he could do was stare at the writing, To Sasuke. He finally gathered his wits and opened the envelope. There were a few items inside and he grabbed the papers in front first. He unfolded the papers and began to read…

Dear Sasuke,

I've cared for you more years than I'd like to admit, but you've always been completely

honest with me, so I'm going to return that courtesy. I don't remember a time that I wasn't

thinking about you. Even as children, before we understood about feelings, I adored you. People

thought it was superficial, that I only liked for what was on the outside, they couldn't have been

more wrong. The outside meant nothing to me, true you were easy on the eyes, but it was always

the sadness I saw in your eyes that drew me to you. Everyone said falling for you was just asking

for heartache. I didn't listen. I just felt that somewhere within the darkest recesses of your cold

exterior was someone just waiting to be loved.

I took every opportunity to show you my feelings, and you shot down every attempt. I

was not deterred. I kept on trying until were reached a mutual understanding. I would shower

you with adoration and you would pretend I didn't exist. Maybe that's a little to harsh, you

would acknowledge me, but not really as a person. You dealt with me like I was something in

your way, something that was constantly getting in trouble, and something that needed your

protection. I can't say that you weren't right; looking back I really was a nuisance. I'm sorry for

giving you more work to do, but thank you. Without your protection, I would not have made it out

of many situations.

When you left, my heart shattered. No matter how much I begged you wouldn't be

swayed, but that is one of the many things I admire about you Sasuke. You had a promise to

fulfill, and nothing was going to stand in your way. I tried everything in my power to bring you

home, I was a wreak without you. Naruto felt so bad that he promised to bring you back to me,

no matter the cost. The funny thing was, you were never mine to begin with. As you delved

further into your revenge, I fell further into despair.

Than something began happening to me. When it finally began to dawn on me that you

wouldn't be coming back, I slowly began to change. I became stronger, smarter….better. I think

that in the back of my mind I had deluded myself into thinking that on the off-chance that I met

you again, I could be the type of person you would be proud to associate with. Not just some

troublesome thing that gets in the way and needs protection, but a real human with depth and

emotions. After my life-changing transformation, something else happened in my life. Something

unexpected and wonderful. Someone came into my life, who had always been there, just in the

background. Despite his laziness and sluggishness, it was refreshing to have someone adore me

for a change.

He brought happiness and color into my life. Color that I didn't even know was missing.

After awhile I couldn't picture my life without him. When he asked me to marry him, I didn't

hesitate in my acceptance. How could I say no to the biggest joy in my life? After you left and

my family was killed I didn't know if I would ever smile again, but somehow Shikamara brought

hope into my life and a reason to smile again.

Than three months before my wedding you came home. Revenge complete, and

satisfaction etched into your features. You seemed lighter, like the person I always knew was

buried deep inside you. There were angry people, and there was punishment of course (which in

my opinion was a little on the lenient side) but overall everyone was overjoyed to have you home.

I was too, I just couldn't face you. Even though I'm stronger, I was afraid I would do something

humiliating, and I didn't want to annoy you.

Now here I am one month before my wedding, and I'm still avoiding you like the plague.

I wish I could talk to you. Even though our conversations were pretty one-sided I knew you were

listening. I still care for you. I don't think that ever went away, it was just pushed aside. Now

I'm getting to the main point of this letter.

I just want to apologize if my affections were ever an inconvenience to you. I would also

like to thank you, because loving you really shaped the person I became. Strong and

independent. I don't know if I'll ever be strong enough to speak to you face to face, but I

wanted you to know that if you came to my wedding I'd really like that. You were an inspiration

to me, and I hold you in the highest regards. I'm glad you were able to find your happiness, even

if I had nothing to do with it.

Best Wishes,

Sakura

Sasuke placed the letter down on the end table by the couch. He felt like someone had put hundreds of pounds of weight on his chest. He couldn't ever remember feeling like this. He could hardly breathe. A single tear ran down his cheek. After a few moments of panicked breathing he began to calm himself down. Thousands of thoughts were rushing through his mind. He had no idea that her feelings for him ran that deep, he like most, thought that they were just surface emotions with nothing underneath them. He couldn't have been more wrong. Her heart must have been breaking everyday when they were young, and yet she always kept up a cheerful facade. When had her parents died? How strong had she become? How could she remain so positive when her world had come crashing to her feet?

He picked up the papers again and stared at the words. They were beginning to blur, but one phrase stood out at the moment, "…but I wanted you to know that if you came to my wedding I'd like that." She was getting married. She was getting married in one month. She was getting married in one month to Shikamara Nara.

At this point he remembered the other item in the envelope. He pulled it out, opened it up, and felt like crying as he read,

You are invited to join in the union of

Sakura Haruno

To

Shikamara Nara

On the twenty-first of December.

One month, she was getting married in one month. He felt sick to his stomach, and couldn't stop the irrational feeling of surprise that she didn't wait for him. She had told that she loved him more than anything when he left. She had said that she would do anything for him. Maybe on some subconscious level he assumed that she would be waiting to welcome him with open arms when he completed his quest. That was unfair to her though. He had probably hurt her more than anyone had ever hurt her before. It was well in her right to fall in love with someone else and move on.

But wait, she hadn't mentioned anything about loving Nara in her letter, all she said was that he brought happiness to her life. That could be a million other emotions besides love, and she also said that she still cared for him and had never stopped caring. Perhaps there was still time for him to make things right. Not with everyone, but with Sakura at least. She needed to know the truth, the truth he had kept from her since they were children. With those thoughts floating through his head he began searching his apartment for a pen and some paper.