I've been to many places…

I've met so may people…

Yet I've never met someone like you…

The cherry blossoms that blooms all throughout the year…

And never wilted by any seasons…

That was you…

The Shattered Pieces

I'll place them back for you…

Chapter 1: Empty

The Uchiha residence was never a happy place since the night of the massacre. And even after Sasuke had found the person that would help him restore the clan, the compound still held the same eerie atmosphere and the lone heir had remained the same old him. He didn't change a bit. As a matter of fact, he had become colder if that was even possible.

Haruno. The name Sakura owned before she was married. Back then, she had been living a simple life.

Uchiha. This was when she took Sasuke's name as hers.

22. This was her age when she had decided to take a full turn towards a new light. She stood her ground even if it would break her and everyone around her into small pieces.

It had all begun that night when summer had started to fade into autumn. It was also when a group of wounded ANBU returned to Konoha after a successful yet bloody S-rank mission.

Sakura, being the head medic of the Konoha Hospital, was almost always on duty for emergency situations. And, that night was not an exemption as she led all the other medics in dealing with the number of shinobi that were severely injured and in need of immediate medical care.

Sakura was doing her nightly rounds when she was called into the emergency room right after the ANBU team's arrival. Her response was quick that she immediately headed to the tension-filled room with other medics tagging along behind her.

One of the medics had informed her that one of the members of the ANBU was seriously injured and required her urgent attention. Being in her specialist-mode, the pink-haired kunoichi quickly decided to attend to the said wounded ninja.

Approaching the hospital to which the wounded was laid on, she had quickly realized who her patient was. A look of discomfort graced her usually peaceful face. It was he, her husband.

"Sasuke," she acknowledged him, carefully lifting the ANBU mask off his face.

The kunoichi hurriedly assessed Sasuke's injuries. It was when she found the bleeding incision on the lower left of his chest that that she was able to decide where exactly she should start healing.

The Uchiha watched her as she concentrated on the bleeding wound on his chest and he remained quiet so as to let her do her job. Something welled up inside him when he didn't see any emotion on her face. Sad to say, it held no concern at all. But then, as stubborn as he was, he didn't inquire about it.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Sakura said in her soft voice, not really expecting for an answer.

Sakura checked for any other deep and life-threatening wounds but she found nothing so she asked the nurse to give the final touches for her. After all, she had to conserve her chakra for the others who required her expertise.

Sakura gave the other medic some instructions as to what should be done to her husband. She had finished with the final pointers and was about to leave when Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"What is it?" the cherry-haired woman asked coldly.

Sasuke held her wrist for a while and stared at her lifeless green orbs before he decided to let it pass. He had noticed during those past few days that Sakura was being colder than usual. He didn't mind at first but it had become more visible as she continued to behave the same way. However, he never thought of talking to Sakura about it.

Sakura allowed it, allowed them to fall apart ever so slowly.

Sakura walked over to the next patient and all the Uchiha was able to do was watch her from the stretcher as the nurse finished dressing his wounds.

The cherry-haired medic moved to another patient who was next on her priority list. Unlike her husband, the next ANBU did not seem to be suffering from fatal injuries. But, it was quite evident that the said shinobi had depleted chakra, more exhausted compared to his comrades.

A petite-looking medic approached their head medic in order to give her some of the medical assessments that she had done. Sakura took the chart from the medic, thanking her in the process.

She finally arrived at the side of the stretcher where her next patient was resting. Her next patient was none other than the Hyuuga prodigy, Hyuuga Neji.

"Hyuuga-san," Sakura called out softly yet her pale-skinned patient remained still.

The head medic had performed follow-up evaluation on the weakened shinobi and found out that he was running a very high fever due to a potent poison. The point-of-entry of the poison seemed to be a very shallow gash on his abdomen. It was then that she suspected that the poison was the rare of its kind that it can quickly spread even if its entry point were to be just a small cut on the skin.

Sakura heaved out a sigh at how careless these ANBU men were. Of course, the missions being covered by these elite ninja were high-ranked and extremely dangerous. Then again, it could have helped them if they were a little more cautious than they let on.

Sakura asked for assistance from the other medics in order to hasten the process of draining the poison from the Hyuuga's body. She placed her hands a few inches above the small wound on his abdomen and chakra had started to seep into it. What seemed to be a thin, dark green smoke leaked from the opening and the edges of the gash had begun to close up.

Extracting the poison and healing the shallow wounds all over the silver-eyed ninja's torso took almost an hour. It was after the lengthened healing time the woman had decided that he was finally several feet away from the death's door. She wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead and it was followed by an exhausted sigh.

"Is everyone alright?" Sakura asked in an authoritative tone, which was somehow laced with fatigue.

The chief of the medic team received tired nods from her staff and it gave her the peace of mind she needed. It was not the most challenging situation that she had encountered in her career as a medic-nin. But, a mix of her husband and a childhood comrade in the scenario, in some way, brought more complication into the picture.

"Hyuuga-san," she said and a pair of silver eyes gazed at her.

"You'll have to remain here for few days for any side effects of the poison."

It was a professional advice on her part but it earned her a painfully annoying glare from the Hyuuga prodigy. He was supposed to be drained but he still had the energy to send a defiant stare to her direction. Sakura just had to smack him for that if only he were not in that condition.

"It's for your own good." Sakura added mockingly and it led to a fiercer glare.

The roseate-headed medic shrugged it off and displayed a blindingly winning smile. "Listen to me or you'll regret it. You might just feel dizzy, pass out, and the next thing you know,"

Sakura paused to add a dramatic effect on her lecture. She watched for even a bit of a reaction from the Hyuuga but she did not get any. And so, she placed her index finger over her neck and dragged it roughly in a horizontal direction.

"You are dead." The pink-haired medic said in the most irritating tone she could muster, one that was usually used in pseudo-horror movies.

The female medic tilted her head downwards to look at the coffee-haired man on the hospital bed. She felt pleased to hear a short response from Neji but it was just too low and soft that she was not able to hear it.

"What was it, Hyuuga-san?" Sakura inquired kindly, an honest smile pasted on her pretty face.

"Woman," the Hyuuga genius started.

The medic's face contorted in puzzlement as she waited for her patient to finish his statement.

"You are annoying."

Shaking her head at his antics, she thought it would just be a losing battle to argue with him about something so trivial. Her thin eyebrow lifted slightly before she turned her back and made her way to another patient. But, she felt the heavy gaze of the Hyuuga as she walked towards another patient at the other corner of the room.

Sakura lost her shine when she married the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan. But then, whenever she had a chance to speak with the proud Hyuuga genius, there was a tendency for her to feel a tad lighter.

In some ways, she learned that annoying the Hyuuga to hell could make her day better than usual. The pink-haired kunoichi loved the death glare Neji threw whenever she freaked him out. That was her little joy.

Of course, those who had the chance to witness their verbal exchange would think she was flirting with him. However, she never thought of their banters as such. Those were just like friendly (borderline aggravating) encounters with a close friend, a very close friend.

Morning sunlight peeked through the bleached draperies hanging on the hospital windows. Gentle breeze circulated in the room and touched the pale skin of the Hyuuga prodigy. Everything had been so peaceful until a certain pink-haired woman woke him from his deep sleep.

"Good morning, Hyuuga-sama!" Sakura said in her cheery voice.

The silver-eyed ninja was having second thoughts on whether he should bite on that or not. He thought that his serene morning would remain as such if he would just pretend to be asleep. In that case, the pinkette would just leave him be and he could have the rest of the morning in silence. Then again, where was the fun in that?

Pale eyes met jade orbs.

"What do you want, woman?" Neji replied in his exhausted voice as he rubbed the remains of sleep from his eyes.

"Wake up, sleepy head!" Sakura exclaimed with a big smile on her face.

The Hyuuga found that smile tremendously exasperating especially if her big, innocent green orbs held the same intensity of exuberance. He didn't like the feeling he had when the pink-haired kunoichi was physically close to him. It was as if something bad was going to happen whenever she was within ten-foot radius.

"It's early, woman. Go away," He muttered harshly.

Sakura scowled playfully at him but it was quickly replaced with a sweet smile only the pink-haired woman was capable of giving. And, every time she did that, the Hyuuga would cluck his tongue noisily in response.

"Ah," Sakura said in a singsong voice then she put her hands on her hips.

"You're so mean."

"What do you want?" Neji asked in an attempt to throw the lady out of his room as fast as he could.

"Let me remind you, Hyuuga-san that I am a medic." Sakura stated in a firm tone.

"Don't try bossing me around because this place," the candy-haired medic added while pointing to the floor.

"This is my territory."

"You are one, bothersome woman, you know." Neji commented, sneering at the crazy-looking woman at his bedside.

"Bothersome? Who? Me?" Sakura inquired, playing her favorite innocent act.

"Stop, you are getting on my nerve."

"What?"

"Nothing," Neji uttered in his beaten tone.

The Hyuuga prodigy felt that any conversation with that woman would never end unless one of them would admit defeat. Furthermore, five minutes of exchange with the medic wore him out so early in the morning. He raised an eyebrow at the beaming woman, who found herself a seat on his left. It was just useless to continue a useless banter with the pink-haired woman so he just settled into giving up just on that day.

Yes, Hyuuga Neji would never lose to anyone especially to a certain medic. But then, he considered that his dignity was more important and he could keep it guarded by ignoring the woman.

He always thought it was the best thing to do but the pink-haired kunoichi thought otherwise. She loved the defeated aura surrounding the Hyuuga whenever their small 'friendly' talk ended in an abrupt manner.

Sakura reverted to her serious medic mode and directed her attention on the Hyuuga's coffee-colored hair. She faked a cough so as to get Neji's attention but it was a failure seeing that the Hyuuga would not turn his head to her direction.

"Well, I am here to check on your condition but you look well-rested to me so," she said as she ruffled playfully Neji's hair.

"I'll be leaving now."

The irked Hyuuga caught her wrist and held it so tightly that her skin almost turned white.

"Don't touch my hair, woman." He said with intense aggravation in his deep voice.

After seeing that the woman had gotten the message, he released his hold on her thin wrist. But, the displeased look remained frozen on his pale face.

That tone never failed to cause the woman to have a shiver running up and down her spine. It was similar to the harsh tone she would always receive from her husband. But then, Sakura knew it was far different from what she usually heard from the Uchiha heir.

Neji's tone was different. He may seem to be a cold-hearted bastard like Sasuke but there was something in him Sakura thought was special. Something she could see so clearly but could never touch. After all, Neji was untouchable.

"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized with pseudo- pained face before she left the fuming Hyuuga for the umpteenth time.

"What the hell?"

Neji lifted his gaze back to the morning sky which he always loved to watch. A bright new morning, indeed.

Neji was finally freed from the cold, boring, and infuriating walls of the Konoha Hospital. Shinobi loved drinking and they used the Hyuuga's recovery as another reason to mess around and get drunk. Hence, some of the members of the Konoha 11 agreed that his full recuperation was a cause for a celebration which then led them to their favorite hangout venue, Mystique.

Being discharged from the hospital, the disinterested pale-eyed Hyuuga was dragged by the bunch of annoying friends to the bar for a couple of drinks. It was once again a successful S-class mission after all regardless of the fact that their team came home wounded.

Ninja are good at fighting but they are better at drowning themselves with liquor. Some, or maybe one of them, ate as excessively as he drank like there was no tomorrow. Well, except for the lone silver-eyed male in the pub.

The brown-haired ANBU captain sat alone by the bar, playing with an empty crystal glass which was previously filled with dark red alcoholic drink. He occupied himself with petty things as he waited for the night to end.

He had not found anything amusing that evening except for a blonde loudmouth who seemed to be failing at holding his liquor. Being pessimistic was not like him yet he was not exactly anticipating anything that could brighten up his usual gloomy night.

Suddenly, he heard a woman's voice from behind him and he immediately thought that he did not like the sound of it at all. It was a familiar voice of a woman, specifically a jovial pink-haired woman. Sighting to himself, he concluded that the night would get longer than it was supposed to be.

'Oh brother' he thought.

After a few moments, he found the pink-haired kunoichi sitting on the empty seat on his right side. He gave out a worn out sigh, which was accompanied by the rolling of his eyes at the sight of the lady beside him.

"What?" Neji asked in his accusing tone.

The candy-haired lady slumped over the counter with her head lying on its side. She tried to focus her eyes on the Hyuuga's silver ones but her green orbs appeared to be dazzled by the glare of the light from the top of the counter.

"What 'what'?" Sakura asked naively as she shut her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Neji inquired almost impatiently as he watched the pink brows furrow deeply.

"Why? Am I not allowed to be here? I don't see any sign that this place is a Hyuuga property." Sakura countered angrily then the expression on her face shifted back to something almost peaceful-looking.

"Not again," Neji murmured to himself.

The Hyuuga did not really mean to have a childish banter with him as he preferred to end the night as uneventful as possible. But, it seemed that his remark had reached Sakura's ears.

"What? Tired of me as well?" the medic retorted in her disappointed tone.

"What's with your new antics?"

Unwillingly, Neji tried to figure out what was happening to the lady who he had long considered as the bane of his existence. It was almost unsettling that the woman was not acting like her usual feisty self.

"I knew it…you don't like seeing me, too" the medic grumbled then her eyes shot open with a tinge of sadness visible in them.

Neji raised an eyebrow at her but tried not to question her further. It was not like him, right? It was not his business, anyway. Right.

Sakura sat up straight and called for the bartender. Neji was surprised that the woman ordered for a glass of liquor that was terribly strong. Upon receiving the shot glass, she quickly downed the contents then slammed the empty glass back on the surface of the counter.

Sakura turned her seat to the people, her back leaning against the counter. She remained silent for a while before a growl escaped her slightly parted lips.

"That Sasuke…" she started, in rather furious tone.

"What about him?" Neji found himself asking.

'Screw me.' He reprimanded himself.

"He's a real jerk."

"But you married him." The silver-eyed ninja responded haughtily, which then earned him another snarl from the lady.

"I was young." Sakura complained.

"You were old enough to decide for yourself back then." Neji uttered in a deep tone as he signaled for another order of the same liquor from the bartender.

"But I thought I loved him…"

"It's no excuse. Face it." Neji replied.

Sakura glanced at him and scowled. "Are you a friend or not?"

"Since when, woman?" the maddening prodigy shot back.

The green-eyed medic clenched her fists and drew her sight back to direction of the rowdy people in the dim-lit bar. "I consider you as a friend because I feel like I trust you. I don't know if you feel the same."

"I don't." he stated firmly and shrugged.

"You don't? Honestly, Hyuuga?" she retort disbelievingly.

"You heard me, woman."

Silence lingered between them, which prompted Sakura to ask for another glass of the same hard liquor she ordered previously. She sipped a little of it before she placed it back on the counter.

"Sasuke," she started, feeling a little sorry for herself.

"I married him. Yes, I did. That was when I thought I was deeply in love with him. I thought my feelings for him had matured over time. But I was wrong,"

The woman continued as she kept her gaze on the dark-eyed shinobi at the other corner of the room, talking to an inebriated loud blonde. Meanwhile, Neji rested his eyes on the bottles of liquor beyond the counter, finding them more interesting than the beautiful flower beside him.

"Marrying him was the end of my wonderful dream. I found out that my already painful heart was…empty."

He glanced at the woman beside him when there was a long pause and thought she had already passed out. Finding that the woman was wide awake, but intoxicated, he quickly turned his attention back to the colorful bottles on the other side of the counter.

"I had once thought I could make a happy place out of that Uchiha compound. You know, filled with love and lots of laughter. I was wrong. Living there won't make any difference. I would just make it lonelier than it already is." She added then she took the glass from the counter and took a sip once again.

"Our relationship would never be perfect. It was never better, anyway." she added bitterly and a quick, sad smile crossed her face.

She drank the remaining contents of her glass and requested for another one from the flashy bartender. Her face was slightly flushed yet she still appeared to be sober. Two shots won't get her intoxicated so easily. Of course, that was to be expected from the Fifth's apprentice.

"You want to know a secret, Hyuuga?" she asked teasingly, dropping the suffix.

The Hyuuga prodigy sustained the silence, which the woman took as a sign that she still held his attention. He almost smacked her head for the playful smile that was dancing on her lips.

"You know why I haven't gotten pregnant, yet?" Sakura said then she chuckled humorlessly.

"I am taking extra protection." She whispered, loud enough for the Hyuuga to hear.

"You know what I mean? You are a genius after all."

The emerald-eyed woman gulped down the liquor with just one shot again then she gently placed the glass on the counter. Subconsciously, she brushed her soft, pink hair with her fingers.

The silver-eyed man stared disbelievingly at the woman beside him. He never thought of her to be as conniving as she had just showed she was. Curiosity was all over his face and Sakura caught it with her green orbs.

"I got you, Hyuuga-sama, didn't I?"

"Now you can see how miserable I am." She mumbled, followed by another sigh.

"I don't want a child that would grow up just how his father did. He's hopeless…"

Sakura asked for another glass of alcohol and Neji was slightly amused at how good of a drinker the woman was.

"If I could just turn back the time, my life would not be as broken as this one." she said depressingly as she grabbed the glass being offered by the bartender.

Neji watched her closely, his full attention now on the pink-haired woman beside him. He found her more interesting as she spoke of riddles he never thought she was capable of.

"My life, it's like a glass shattered into small pieces. And if you ever try to put them back together, you will find out that it will never be flawless again" Sakura added then she finished her drink just how she had finished the previous one.

Despite being a genius, Neji did not know just how to respond which was why he kept his mouth shut the whole time. He didn't know how to console a woman simply because he had never done it before.

Sakura's face was beet red from all the liquor she had consumed that evening. Still, she was still conscious and clear-headed. But then, a part of her wanted to detach itself from reality.

"Ne, Neji-kun," Sakura called out, a new suffix slipping smoothly off her tongue.

Neji eyed her suspiciously but allowed the woman to continue. He quickly glanced at the direction of the bottles and allowed himself to be entranced by them again.

The pink-haired woman turned her seat towards Neji but the Hyuuga kept his eyes focused on the bottles of liquor. She smirked and tugged at the man's sleeve. A single eyebrow lifted at the contact and he finally spared her a glance. He was shocked to see glazed jade eyes looking at him meaningfully.

"Neji-kun," the woman uttered in tone that was totally not like Sakura.

It was definitely more mature, a more seductive tone.

Neji frowned a bit, but still stared at her seriously.

"Neji…" she mumbled then she pressed her lips on his slightly parted ones.

Before Neji could think properly, he had found himself kissing her back. It didn't start with a gentle gliding of lips. It had begun with a rough kiss, one trying to dominate the other. Despite the passion lingering in each touch flesh, it was still nothing but a kiss shared by two people who were not even lovers.

Sakura reached for Neji's neck and pulled him closer to her, their heated bodies pressed to one another. Meanwhile, her other hand was clutching his vest as tightly as she could muster. The silver-eyed man's right hand had found its way on her chin while the other held on to the hand, which was holding his vest.

The kiss deepened as if nobody was around them. Fortunately, some were too busy celebrating what Neji considered was nonsense while others were just too drunk to care. Even Sasuke was in a deep conversation with a certain blonde blabbermouth.

They parted a little, trying to breathe in some air. The space between them was too little that it might set off a more aggressive touch. Neji stared at the cherry blossom's glassy green eyes but he could not decipher anything from them. Sakura, on the other hand, was lost in a distant memory of her childhood romance.

"Neji…" she whispered against Neji's already swollen lips.

The man remained passive, waiting for Sakura's words.

"I always felt lonely," Sakura murmured between harsh breaths.

"I regretted everything I've been through…" she continued and still, no word came from the Hyuuga.

"Would you help me do something I would never regret for once?" Sakura pleaded with her sad green eyes.

Neji didn't cease from looking straight in her eyes. The only response he was able to give her was a small grunt and he received a small, thankful smile from the miserable-looking, pink-haired woman.

She would risk everything, even her crumbling relationship with her husband.

For this one chance.

To feel the happiness she gave up for Sasuke…

Even if it meant unfaithfulness…

If it was the only way for her to be happy…

Then so be it.

End of First Chapter.