Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it.
Green Tea: Welcome to my latest Naruto one-shot! This is a sad SasuxSaku one-shot... sigh Please read and review!
Day One:
Thirty red leaves fell from the tree above him...
Twenty-nine cicadas sung as he sat on the creaky swing in the park...
Twenty-eight rust-worn metal links he counted, holding up the swing fragilely. Like her love for him. It was bound to break in time.
Twenty-seven blades of grass rustled as he sighed. He'd taken too much for granted and paid for it... dearly.
Twenty-six letters he'd written to her since his return. All sent back to him, untouched.
Twenty-five days since he came back, and he couldn't understand why... Was her heart so fickle?
Twenty-four times she cried a day, after he left, until she could cry no more... Unbeknownst to him.
Twenty-three attempts in vain to get her to open her door to him, except it stayed silent and cold.
Twenty-two thousand questions he had. Why.. Why... Why... and Why...?
Twenty-one seasons it had been since he left, and now he was back. Was she really gone?
Twenty minutes was all he needed to realize she wasn't coming back to him.
Nineteen people tried and failed in getting him to understand... He brought it upon himself.
Eighteen people didn't understand that he didn't mean to. He just wanted the best for her.
Seventeen years of age they both were. Five years older than before.
Sixteen empty bottles of liquor on her table. Trying to forget, but even her dreams were plagued.
Fifteen minutes of drunken peace she earned, before returning to darkness.
Fourteen memories of him plagued her every minute. Fourteen knives driven into her heart every second.
Thirteen suitors asked and were turned down. Why did they not understand that her heart had died, dehydrated from all the tears she shed... for him.
Twelve months it took for her to cry no more...
Eleven occasions on which he cried in his life.
Ten of them were within this month.
Nine out of ten, he fell asleep afterwards, dreaming of her smile, her voice, calling him from far away... Sasuke-kun!
Eight seconds of her last pain, before everything was numb and still is.
Seven birds took off in flight, startling him from his thoughts
Six reasons he didn't tell her before. To protect her... to protect her... to protect her... and perhaps himself.
Five years it'd taken for him to finish his dream, to lose another when he returned.
Four lonely swings next to him. For a moment, he thought she was next to him. He blinked and she was gone...
Three words he'd been dying to say for a long time.
Two chances to tell her, but past and gone. Only now did he realize his foolishness.
That he'd loved her from the start, from day One.
Green Tea: Thank you for reading! Please review!
