A/N: I am repostig this story, as I have been editing it lately, and I want people to read the better version. Normally I wouldn't have done so, but I added things to the chapters and stuff, and I wanted the people who had originally begun to read this story to be fully caught up, and have the opportunity to read the awesomeness. XD

This was one of my very first stories, and now that I am a better writer, I wanted to go back and redo my earlier stuff. So, if you have read this before, tell me if you like the changes, and if you haven't, tell me what you think. =)

Because You Live

Chapter One

-A Whim-

He could feel the earth trembling beneath his feet, accompanied by the sound of screaming, and what could be described as mountains breaking. Curious, he decided to go check it out. So he cloaked his chakra, and headed for the source of all the commotion.

What he saw astounded him. There stood Sakura, Jounin vest splattered with blood, face smudged with dirt, and emerald eyes glowing with adrenaline. Surrounding her was a demolished camp, and several dead shinobi. The earth around her was torn to pieces, her work no doubt.

He felt what could be called pride at her actions. She had become stronger than he originally thought she would be. A kunoichi worth fearing, a kunoichi worth his attention. Something he never thought she would ever become.

"It's rude and cowardly to just hide in the bushes you know. Why not face your death head on?" he heard her ask as her eyes landed on the bushes he was hiding in.

Anticipation welled inside of him. She had sensed him. He couldn't wait to see just how much she had grown since their last encounter. Slowly he stood up, and walked into the clearing.

When she saw him emerge and walk towards her, her eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe it. He was here. Sasuke. He looked like he was doing well, from what she could see anyways. He finally stopped wearing that ridiculous purple rope around his waist at least, instead wearing something similar to what his older brother, Uchiha Itachi used to wear. The only difference was that he didn't have a necklace on, and his clothes were black, instead of a dark blue. Nor did he wear a forehead protector or Akatsuki cloak.

She watched him warily as he approached her, not knowing what his intentions were. Having just destroyed an entire camp of rogue ninjas, she had depleted a little over half her chakra. If he wanted to fight her, she wouldn't stand a chance.

"Sakura." He said in his monotonic voice.

Oh, the way her name sounded coming from his mouth always made her melt. But she stood firm. She would not appear like the fan girl she used to be. She wasn't like that anymore, and hadn't been like that for a long time. Her words from earlier coming back to her, she asked,

"Are you going to kill me, Sasuke?"

Instead of answering, he reached out his right hand to cup her face. Using his thumb, he gently stroked her cheek. And, before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her.

And what a kiss it was. His lips were so soft, and the way he was kissing her made her feel as if he were afraid she would push away. Instead, she stood frozen in place, unsure of whether or not she should be angry or happy. She had dreamt of this moment for years after all. But before she could make up her mind, he had pulled away, and just stared at her, his hand remaining against her cheek.

What he had done was for purely selfish reasons. When she had spoken, said his name, all he could do was stare at her. She had changed so much from the annoying twelve year old girl she used to be. Then, the thought of kissing her crossed his mind, so he decided to act on it. She wouldn't mind, after all, he knew she still loved him.

When he pulled away, Sakura had a look of pure shock on her face. It was so funny that he almost laughed.

"W-what was that for?" she stuttered, her emerald eyes wide.

He decided to answer her question in a similar way to how he had spoken to Naruto when they had found him and Orochimaru at their base, since he was unable to come up with a better reason. "I kissed you on a whim."

It was close enough to the truth, if not all of it. She didn't look very happy though. Her startled look turned into a glare, and she stiffened before moving so that her cheek was no longer being held in his hand.

"Well, if you are done with your whims, Sasuke, I'd appreciate it if you'd answer my first question. Are you going to kill me or not? Some of us have responsibilities to fulfill you know." She said, crossing her arms. How dare he touch her that way? As if they were close. They hadn't ever been close, and probably never would be. So what was he doing? Just screwing with her?

Oh yeah, she was pissed, he thought with a smirk. He could see it in the way she was standing, as well as that alluring spark in her eyes. Might as well have some fun with her while he had the time. "I won't kill you today, Sakura. I want to fight you when you have all your chakra. At least then you might challenge me."

She bridled at his words. "Might? I'll show you might, you arrogant, self-assured piece of-"

Before she could finish he kissed her again, though this one was nothing like his first one. It was like he was branding her, his lips pressing against hers harshly, making sure that even after they separated, she would still feel the lingering effects of his mouth over hers. Just as Sakura regained her senses enough for the thought of raising her arm to punch him square in the jaw, he pulled away from her. "I'll be seeing you again." He promised, giving her one last smirk before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. They would meet again, and when they did, he hoped to see her full potential.

Left standing in the middle of the ruined camp, Sakura let out a frustrated shriek, stomping her foot before fuming silently to herself. Oh, he could bet his emo ass they would meet again. And when they did, she would use all her strength to pound him into the earth, just as he deserved. She would prove to him that she, Haruno Sakura, was no pushover. Not anymore. At that thought, she turned and headed back to the hidden leaf village to tell Naruto what had happened. He was the Hokage after all, and would want to know of her encounter with the last Uchiha.