Disclaimer: No own Naruto.
-ANBU Headquarters-
"Uchiha Sasuke," the ANBU ninja said as he walked into the cell, locking the door behind him, "We have your lunch."
The ninja set the tray down next to his cot.
"Hm."
The ninja sighed, "This is the ninth day in a row! If you don't eat, you're going to get yourself sick. I know you don't want that."
Sasuke turned to his back and put his hands behind his head.
"I don't care… I wish I did though…"
There was a hard knock on the door.
"Visitor!" a voice on the other side of the door exclaimed.
The ninja stood up and walked to the door, unlocking it.
He half slipped outside.
"Behave," he said as he disappeared behind the large metal door.
After a few moments, the door cracked opened and Sakura slipped in.
She took a deep breath and spoke.
"So, I hear you haven't been eating Sasuke… Why?"
She took a few steps so that she was standing next to the cot.
He slowly turned his head and looked at her.
"Sakura," he whispered, as though his voice just wouldn't come out "Come here. I want to talk to you about something… important…"
Sakura slowly walked around the cot and sat down next to him onit.
"What's up?" she asked, her voice too keeping low.
"Sitting here is boring, so you get a lot of time to think…" he said slowly, as if not sure he was saying what he thought he was, "Ok, imagine this: Sakura, alone and on a full-moon night, sitting at that bench in the park. She's enjoying the cool breeze. 'Sakura' a voice called from down the street called, 'What are you doing out alone and on a deserted night like this?'"
Sasuke nodded to Sakura to continue the story.
Sakura was silent for a moment.
"'It's not deserted,' she answered 'There's you out…'"
"'Really Sakura,' he continued, 'What are you doing out here?'"
"'Imagining the better life our team would have had if you hadn't left…'"
Sasuke looked away, ashamed.
Slowly, he moved his hand from under his head to around her waist.
"'Sakura…' Sasuke said taking a few steps forward though not daring to come close. 'I'm not very good at expressing these-'"
But Sakura quickly interrupted, "'Does pride get in your way?'"
Sasuke paused for a moment, fearing that the conversation was getting out of hand.
At first, he didn't know what to say, but he slowly continued.
"Sasuke didn't know what to say, but he responded, "No, Sakura… Pride should never take the responsibility of stupidity. And it also isn't the reason why I left. You see, Sakura, after the chuunin exams, I got anxious. I had to kill my brother… it was eating away at me, day and night, and it wouldn't let me sleep. My mind became clouded, to the point that when Orochimaru approached me, I had to accept. I didn't completely think it through until I arrived at his hideaway. I stopped eating, didn't bother to block his attacks when training, and eventually became very ill. But through the whole thing… Orochimaru would just keep reminding me about Itachi… he didn't realize I was becoming worse from them. There came the point when I couldn't keep consciousness…' He hesitated to go on…"
Sakura bit her lip.
'From that far-away look he has in his eyes, I'm afraid it might be true…'
"'And what did you do?' she asked him, situating herself on the bench so that she can at least look at him face to face…"
Sasuke smiled at her.
"'I dreamed… they were wonderful dreams… the ones that you could feel yourself get lost in. And in those dreams… I dreamed of a girl. She was beautiful; words failed to describe her. Every dream, we would talk; every dream, we would laugh. I felt as though I knew her, but every time I woke up, for that short period of time I was able to, the image of her face would simply disappear. I convinced myself that I should ask her for her name. But whenever she came to answer, her voice just drifted out for my hearing. Determined to find out who she was, I search my memory for a girl who matched her beauty, personality, attitude. I soon realized that I had NEVER opened myself enough to know these characteristics… of anyone… I was upset… ashamed! To never have known a person like I knew my dream girl… not even my best friends! I became depressed, just to add on to my troubles. Starving, weak, mad, upset, ill, and now depressed! I was in love with a girl… who I never let come close enough for me to realize… And then it hit me! LOVE! Who, of all the girls that I knew EVER… had come closest to me…? That night… my dream girl came… I calledher to me by name… and she answered. She told me what to do… and that's why I'm here… Sakura…' he exclaimed. By now, he was standing in front of her, his eyes softer than ever before. 'Sakura… I'm sorry… I'm sorry I put you through all that misery and suffering. I'm sorry you had to stick out as the betrayed team. I'm sorry you and Naruto had to turn the world upside-down by its ankles and shake it to no end for me to fall back into Konoha somehow… I… um… I…'"
Sasuke stopped for a moment and blushed really hard.
Sakura hadn't completely taken in everything he had said when she started blushing too.
"'Say it, Sasuke… say what you need to say…' she whispered as she stood up, face-to-face with him."
Sasuke looked at her, his face still red.
"'I love you, Sakura… a lot…'"
Sakura smiled, tears forming in her eyes.
"'Say I again!'"
"'I love you.'"
"'Again! Louder! Happier!'"
"'I LOVE YOU, HARUNO SAKURA! I ALWAYS HAVE! And…'" he paused, "'And I always will…'"
"Sasuke…"
He looked up at her.
But the tears coming down her face confused him.
"Why are you crying?" he asked softly.
"Because…" she said as she laid down next to him on the cot, "I've waited… for so long… just to hear those three words… come out of your mouth…"
"Well, looks like your wait is over…" was all he said.
A knock at the door interrupted the near-perfect moment.
"Haruno Sakura. Time's up."
Sasuke sighed and moved his hand from around her waist.
"I guess you better get going then…"
Sakura looked down.
'Always on the perfect moments!' her inner yelled loudly.
"I'll come back later…and…" she paused, "I'll talk to Hokage-sama about your imprisonment…"
"Will it make a difference?" Sasuke asked, raising his eyes in a half-amused, half-surprised kinda way.
"Hopefully!" she exclaimed.
She hopped up to her feet and stretched.
"Haruno Sakura!" the guard outside the door exclaimed once more.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she responded.
Turning around back to Sasuke, Sakura said, "Now that you've got that out of your system, are you going to start eating or what?"
Sasuke sat up.
"Yeah, I guess so. I have no energy what-so-ever…"
Sakura walked over and felt his head.
"Hm, it seems like you're getting a fever…"
"Sakura! For crying out loud! Just GET OUT!" the frustrated guard exclaimed, "You can come back and talk more later, but for right now, you're going to be late for the Hokage!"
"Bye Sasuke."
She kissed his forehead and rushed out of the room.
"Don't forget to eat!" she exclaimed, closing the door behind her.
Seconds later, locking sound were heard and they echoed in the empty white cell.
Sasuke sighed.
Sleepily, he pulled the tray closer and started eating his food.