Bittersweet Blossoms

By: purplebaer

Note: This is my first story, so I apologize for any bleeding eyes, or any other side effect of bad writing. I don't mind if you give me harsh criticism as long as it's reasonable/fair. I'm more of an artist than a writer, but I've always wanted to try writing stories. Anyways, I hope you like it! If someone on tumblr comes across this oneshot, don't worry, we're the same person, haha.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kishimoto.

It was like any other day; it was passing dreadfully slow. She turned the corner for the market place to pick up a few necessities. Mindless chatter was made by the people on the streets. Stories of families.

Friends...

Lovers...

She smiled painfully at the words. These type of people had changed and affected her so much. She loved them. Cared for them. Fought for them and at times, with them. It was only a few years ago when she was so.. innocent. So bright. Free, from all this.. darkness.

She continued to mindlessly shop for groceries and new ninja tools. Until she heard a familiar voice.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" it called out.

It was Naruto. She could see him from the distance, dodging and bumping into people as he came closer.

He is so bright, wonderful, and full of hopes and dreams. It was no wonder that she eventually fell for him. He was always there for her. So kind. So warm.

But that too, was a long time ago..

She smiled, casting a mask that mirrored the happy sixteen year-old Sakura perfectly. It was funny how horrible she was at lying as a child. Over the years, she practised concealing her emotions. It was difficult, but she manage to find a way to deceive her family and friends.

The two friends talked. She laughed, scolded, and yelled. Just like she used to. In a sense, she is still the same 'Sakura'. But, she is not genuine. She is just an act. A projection of the past.

"Ah, it's getting late. I should go look for Hinata-chan now. I'll talk to you later, Sakura-chan!"

She nodded in response, and waved as he ran off to look for Hinata.

Once he was out of sight, she dropped her act. Her heart clenched, feeling slightly abandoned by her close friend. It was so unexpected, so out of the blue when she realized how much she loved her blond teammate. It was also a strange sensation for her to move on from Sasuke. She never expected that to happen. She was so sure that she loved the dark Uchiha, but her new feelings proved otherwise.

Despite the change in feelings, it was no longer mutual. Like Sakura, Naruto had also moved on. He began to fall for Hinata, and she was always faithful to him. Even though they share the same feelings, they were oblivious to the other person. Sakura didn't have to heart to get between them.. or to confess to him again. It hurt him the first time because it wasn't genuine. And it hurt her too.

She believed she loved him like a lover, though maybe because of how vulnerable she was then. She was left heartbroken and empty when she realized Sasuke would never love her. Sakura needed something to fill the empty void, and out of desperation, she went to Naruto. Her love for him was only a delusion to fill the hole that Sasuke left behind.

She shook her head to rid herself from the thoughts. It's in the past. No need to deal with it now. There's no point of it anymore. Sakura abandoned the ability to love. Or that's what she likes to believe.

To distract herself from anymore thinking, she quickly went into to food market to pick up her groceries. The market was filled with mothers and housewives. It was crowded and loud; the customers and grocers shouting and bargaining. With many people in the shop, it was difficult for Sakura to move around, so she decided to finish this task quickly.

After choosing and purchasing the freshest ingredients, she moved onto her last stop; the weapons shop. She was the only customer, so she was glad to be able to take her time. At the door was a few small stacks of baskets, for the customers' convenience. The shop was set up in rows of shelves, each neatly organized and filled with different weapons and tools for various types of ninjas. The shop would be very good, if it weren't so dark. The only source of light was from the large door opening and from the dim lamps on the wall.

She took a basket and threw in two sets of shuriken, senbon and scrolls, after carefully examining each item for any deformities. She walked over to the stand with the kunais; the last item on her list. She picked up three sets and took out all thirty two for examination. From the corner of her eye, she could tell that the owner was irritated due to her actions. It seems that he took pride in the quality of his merchandise. She ignored him, but decided it was better for her to examine them at home.

As she was repackaging the tools, another person entered the store. Sakura glanced over. What a coincidence. It was Sasuke. Now is not the time to deal with him. It would be too much. Meeting with Naruto was already enough to drain her. It'll bring back all those feelings Sakura tried so hard to suppress.

She shoved the remain kunai into the boxes and headed to the cash. She paid the said amount, and turned to leave. Thankfully, Sasuke didn't get in her way. She continued to the exit, and her heart started to beat quickly. She was nervous. She wonders if he was going to stop her.

He didn't.

Her heart sunk. She beat herself over it. Why would she be feeling this way? Despicable. She clenched her fists; nails digging into her palm. Get your feelings together, Sakura! There's no way he'd ever talk to me. Not that I want to talk to him anyways. I gave up on him. Remember that!

"Sakura."

That voice. She was so into her thoughts, she didn't realize that he caught up behind her. She flinched.

Sasuke.

Her heart clenched once more, and this time, she couldn't put up her facade. She didn't want to speak with him. It would be too strange if she didn't respond. She stood, hesitantly opening her mouth to speak.

".. Hello, Sasuke."

There was only silence between the two. He stood there emotionless behind her. She stood, waiting for a response. Then, there was a shuffle. Sasuke walked closer, and turned to face the pale pink hair girl.

He lips tilted upwards into a small smirk. "What, no acting today?"

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed and she turned to look away. She could feel his stare. It was as if he could see right through her.

"What do you want?" she asked bitterly. "I need to head home soon, Sasuke."

He scowled. "What the hell is up with you lately? Everyone else can be fooled, but you can't fool me."

Sakura closed her eyes, pained. "What do you know about me?" she said, quickly transitioning from pain to anger. Her emotions started to pour out, and she couldn't prevent it from spilling. "I haven't seen you for YEARS, Sasuke! And, and you expect me to welcome you so easily?"

He continued to stare blankly. It fuelled Sakura's anger even more intensely. "You can't expect that, after all that you have done! You tried to destroy our home! You tried to kill Naruto! And you even tried to kill..!" she paused and stared into Sasuke's eyes. She saw a flicker of pain in those pools of black.

She calmed, with a hurt expression. "..You tried to kill me."

She looked away, pained by his blank expression. There were more reasons behind her pain, but she wasn't ready to expose them to Sasuke or anyone else just yet.

There was more silence. What was there to expect though? He barely talked. After a while, Sakura assumed she wouldn't get an answer, she began to walk away. "Whatever, this is pointless. Sorry about the outburst. I'll be going now. Bye, Sasuke."

After a couple of steps, Sasuke spoke.

"What was that?" she asked, turning her head.

There was another moment of silence. Whatever, this is going nowhere. But before she could take another step, she heard it loud and clear.

"I'm sorry." He apologized. Sasuke had apologized to Sakura.

She quickly turned to look behind for Sasuke, but it was too late. He had already left.

At this point, her walls have shattered. Tears began to form. She ran home as fast as she could. There was no time to go through the front door. She jumped in through her window. As she landed she threw her bags aside, and went straight for her bed.

She cried all night, wondering why and how things went so wrong. She wished for the simpler days. However, her encounter with Sasuke gave her a small hope. Somewhere, she found relief in Sasuke's apology. Maybe there's still time. Not for love, but for Sakura to find herself once more.

There was hope, but it takes a little more than just that. She had to work for it, and that she knew. There is hope. There's a chance. Sakura's heading for spring and is slowly blooming once again.

For once, after so many years, Sakura slept in peace.