Well, hi everybody. Sorry for the several-month long randomly unexplained absence. I was going through a really tough time, practically a quarter-life (because I'm way too young for a mid-life crisis) crisis and I just could not get the energy to write. I'll try really, really hard to work more on Criminal Intent but for the being, enjoy my depressing (but I guess almost therapeutic?) one-shot. I had to play with ages slightly (Sakura's 16 and a grade younger than Sasuke, who is 17, and Itachi for all intents and purposes is a lot less older than Sasuke), and this is an AU. I'm not a fan of SakuSasu and I don't think I've ever written it before, but I thought the couple would really fit with this story.
Review please!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
She met him. Sakura was surprised when Sasuke approached her; they were in the same class for one period a day, but had never even made eye contact before. She could only reply with a friendly hello and carried on the conversation; making a new friend was always nice.
They talked and the conversation was quite excellent, and he made an off-handed comment that she was pretty. She never got much complements anymore—though she was in a two-year relationship with Naruto. It made them quite well-known, as they started dating in middle school and even a high school couple that lasted that long was rare. They appeared to be the perfect high-school couple on the outside; in reality, they fought constantly and he was always aloof, inconsiderate and making her cry.
The complement made her heart pound once, though she brushed it off. She gave a nonchalant response thanking him. They proceeded to make normal small-talk (he discovered her best friend was dating his brother), and he complemented her again. She gave a thank you in a tone that made her seem uncomfortable; she was in a relationship and had no idea how to handle this situation. He asked her to homecoming next year; she said she had a boyfriend. He hid his awkwardness about the situation well. They exchanged phone numbers.
They began texting when he wished her a happy Easter; seemed like a normal way to initiate a conversation. They were constantly talking, inseparable; they became good, close friends. Maybe even like best friends. She noticed the shaking in his voice when he spoke to her. Sakura and Sasuke stayed up all night constantly talking, and their conversations became deep. Sasuke mentioned that after high school, he was leaving for the Sound village; probably over a thousand miles away. He would go there with his dad, who he would move in with; his parents divorced when they were young. Sakura felt a pang of loneliness, though she brushed it off. After all, nothing would happen between them, right? He asked if she wanted to come with; she gave a noncommittal "maybe."
He told her he loved her; she told him to give it more thought. He said he had.
They decided to hang out for the first time. She went over to his house, and was impressed with its size and cleanliness. Her best friend was over, visiting his brother. They both gave her a strange look. They went to his brother's friend's house.
She admitted her feelings toward him; music was loud so they passed notes to communicate. Each time the paper and pencil was passed, her heart beat sped up ever-so-slightly as brief eye contact was made. He had nice, big dark eyes that were just wonderful to stare into. He asked to kiss her; she said no, she did not want to cheat on Naruto. He apologized for asking. She said she would leave the blonde. She was not a heartbreaker; this brought watery unshed tears to her eyes. He pulled her in for a hug; it was the first time they touched. It was long and she loved his smell; it was a natural smell, of suede leather (in a pleasant sense) with maybe a slight hint of vanilla. She never smelled anything like it and it made her heart race and was comforting. It wasn't like every other guy she saw, who always smelled like cologne and Axe. He felt warm and stroked her hair. They cuddled the rest of the night. It stormed badly; from then on, any storm or rain at all would remind Sakura of that night. It made her smile and feel lovesick.
Her best friend knew her well and confronted her later about the two; she said they were good friends. The friend knew better though. She admitted everything. Her friend was a cynic.
The next day, Sakura approached Naruto. She said they needed to talk in private. He said that if they couldn't talk now, it must not be important at all. She insisted it was. He maintained that he could not hang out the rest of the week.
She decided to visit Sasuke instead; they cuddled. He whispered that she wouldn't worry about Naruto, and pulled her in for a kiss. It was a long, romantic kiss, and it was his first. They kissed more, and more, until they were making out half-naked. He asked if she loved him; she said she needed more time. She felt bittersweet; he later admitted he felt very guilty. They both felt nice though.
She dumped Naruto the next day through text; it was their only means of communication. She cried for two days straight, but immediately began a relationship with Sasuke.
It was sweet and loving. She remembered the first time she said she loved him back; her heartbeat was rushing so fast that she could barely comprehend what was going on. His voice shook a bit.
They consummated their relationship a few days later. It was after he got back from visiting his dad. He mentioned how he had to choose between staying for her to graduate or going straight to the Sound with his father when he did. She casually brushed off the conversation.
They both shook; it was his first time having sex. Afterward, they slept. He would always comment on how they slept for so long afterward; truth is, she was wide awake. She was in tears, terrible emotional pain; it was a relationship with a timer on it, a destined time to end. It was almost doomed to fail, and she loved this man. It was the point of no return. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep because she needed to slow her heart beat, drown the pain, and prevent any tears from falling; she needed to calm down in quiet solitude. She tried to enjoy the feeling of laying with the man she fell so hard for she practically crashed, that would inevitably one day leave. It was a pleasant feeling while it lasted.
She got caught in the middle between her best friend's relationship with Sasuke's brother. Her best friend quit speaking to her. Several other friends followed suite. She had no one besides Sasuke, and a couple friends that were also graduating that year.
He mentioned one day how he would drive with his dad to the Sound, instead of fly. He talked about their plans to stop at hotels, and she felt a quiet pain. It was so planned out; he definitely must have made up his mind to go at this point. She knew he would not stay for her, no matter how much he tried to make it seem like there was a chance.
One day, Sasuke asked Sakura if she would like to move in with him when he graduated. She said "yes." She figured this was a ray of hope; maybe Sasuke would stay with her until she graduated. Maybe he wouldn't want to leave at all.
He mentioned another day that he would probably leave to go with the Sound with his dad. She held back her tears with great success, but held onto him tight. She said she would miss him. He said he would be back to visit during every break, and return for the summer in time for her graduation. She then would move in with him there.
Summer came, and went. Their romance was loving and happy. The school year came and Sakura's anxiousness returned. It reminded her of how little time they would have together. The school year passed quickly. She ended up crying so hard all her makeup came off on his last day.
He stayed for the entire summer. She couldn't hold back her tears on the night before he left. She had hardly been able to cry in front of him before; he didn't know what to do. She cried and cried for hours. He only was able to hold her, in the same manner he did the first time they hung out. It rained the next morning. She never cried so hard in her life.
They talked on the phone regularly. All the friends she had left graduated, too. She was in much pain. When he came back for winter break, as promised, there was nothing but ill-concealed sorrow in her eyes, which grew slight bags underneath them. She couldn't sleep well, yet that was all she wanted to do. When he left to return after break, it was not the slightest bit less painful as the first time.
It was Valentine's Day. Since it was not a break, he was still in the Sound. All of her old friends were out on romantic dates and receiving thoughtful and usually expensive gifts. She stayed at home in her room, and talked on the phone with Sasuke.
She would wait for him, and spend every lonely night at home talking with him, because goddammit, she loved him.