Author's Note:

So someone gave me a 100 theme thingy-ma-bob so I figured...what the heck?? might as well. The themes will be the chapter titles in the drop down list at top right but each themed chapter will have it's own title. I'm gonna give this a try...get where I can. I'm going to try to go in order, but I'll probably give up and jump around. idk. just depends on my mood. anyway. I could keep rambling or I could end it here and let you all read. But 1st:

I in no way shape or form own Naruto. FAN-fic 100%. fluff 150%. pure sasusaku goodiness 200%.

Doesn't Remind Me

By: l8alldai

The first time Sasuke met Sakura he knew she was annoying.

The first time Sakura met Sasuke she knew she was in love.

The day they saw each other for the first time since his return to Konoha was…eventful. He had finally killed his brother and upon returning home to Konoha he expected that the only people who would dare talk to him were the members of his old team. He was…well…wrong.

Everyone except Sakura was on speaking terms with him. For months she was only around him when they were in a group with Naruto or he needed some medical attention (to which Tsunade had to force her to attend to him). He had to admit that he sort of missed the annoying Sakura that always used to fawn over him and follow him anywhere and everywhere. Although he could understand why she would be upset with him but he figured she would grow out of it if he gave her time.

So he did.

And she never talked to him, let alone look at him, the same way as she had before he left. She also dropped the –kun from his name. He hadn't heard it once from her since his return and he would be lying if he said he didn't miss it. He was starting to get really fed up with the whole attitude, so much so that the entire situation was urging him to start a conversation himself to be done with the awkward silences.

So one day during a break from training, he did.

And she was still cold towards him.

"Hey Sakura." Sasuke raised one hand to greet Sakura, who was currently sitting under a tree, her head tilted back to soak up the sunshine filtering through the leaves. At his calling out to her she looked his way and smiled in acknowledgement, although Sasuke could see it wasn't a real one.

And then he didn't know what to say.

And the awkward silence came.

He knew it had to end right there.

He walked over to the tree and sat next to her, resting his back against the bark. Sakura continued to look up through the leaves above them. He cleared his throat to try and gain her attention but to no avail. Never in his life had anyone made him feel this…small. Sure plenty of people ignored him (or tried not to make their staring obvious at least) because he was the "Uchiha traitor", but Sakura knew him. They were old teammates. This should not be how they communicate; in nods and fake smiles (or at least he should be the one doing the nodding). She was the only person that ever worked him up this much and he resented her for it. He could care less what people thought about him, but not Sakura. They had been through too much together to end up like this.

He turned to Sakura, her eyes now closed as she basked in the light wind that was flittering by.

"Sakura."

No response.

"Sakura." He tried again

"Hm?"

"We need to talk."

At this there was a long pause and just about when Sasuke had enough Sakura responded.

"Are you gonna talk?"

He sighed (or as close to a sigh as an Uchiha would ever get). He might as well be upfront because Kami knows how long she'll decide to listen to him.

"Sakura, why have you been ignoring me?"

She turned to him "I haven't. I'm speaking to you right now aren't I?"

"That's not what I meant. You're never like you used to be…you changed"

She scowled "People change all the time Sasuke and I-"

"-kun" He interrupted.

She just blinked and shook her head.

"What?"

"Sasuke-kun. It's what you used to call me. I haven't heard you say it once since I came back."

She turned away from him. "I also don't refer to Kakashi as sensei anymore either. It's no big deal."

Sasuke was not feeling it. He was done with this….whatever it was she had against him. He was about to get up and walk away, leaving the rosette haired girl to her own vices, but then she spoke.

"You want to know why I don't call you that anymore?" She asked him, focusing her eyes on something in the distance.

"Hn." She took that as permission to continue. In Sasuke language that was basically what it was.

"Because when you came back you…you had changed. You weren't the Sasuke-kun from when we were genin. Even that first time we saw you in Sound, after you had left, you weren't Sasuke-kun. I… We'd lost him, and it wouldn't seem right to call you by that name when that wasn't who you were. It's not who you are. We don't know you anymore."

'Not like we ever did because you wouldn't let us'

Sakura kept her side remarks to herself. No need to add insult to injury.

Sasuke scowled. Of course they didn't know him. They would never know the pain of having to kill your own brother (and it did pain him, as sweet as the revenge was). They'd never know what it was like to see your parents lying in a pool of blood, dead. They'd never have to go through what he did. They'd never know.

But he wasn't totally ignorant. He knew they would never understand because he would never give them the chance to. He wasn't an open person and as hard as he tried he could never tell them everything. There were some things that weren't meant to be shared. But he couldn't get angry at them for wanting to be there for him. Since he came back he wasn't as stoic as his old self. He allowed himself to feel emotions other than hatred and vengeance. And he thought that was a vast improvement, but it still didn't erase the fact that he didn't let his team in.

He never talked about the massacre. Orochimaru and Sound were never mentioned. And above all he hated even thinking about Itachi. He'd never share those things with any member of his team. Talking about those things forced him to remember what he'd rather forget.

Like he had done many times before, he wished things could've been different. He wished certain things never came to pass. He wished things could just start over because then maybe he could be the Sasuke that, not only his team wanted him to be, but the Sasuke he wished he was.

Starting over.

It seemed to be impossible but maybe…

Maybe it could happen.

With a gesture that would make the old Sasuke fume at the ears and scowl till it hurt, he lightly placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder.

Her attention turned to the hand currently on her shoulder. After realizing that, yes, it was attached to an arm and said arm was attached to Sasuke, she raised her eyes to meet his.

"Sasuke?" A confused look graced her face.

He looked at her a few seconds before sighing. YES sighing. The Uchiha sighed. Stop the presses. The world is coming to an end the apocalypse is upon us: Cats and dogs living together. Mass hysteria…

Sakura was roused from her thoughts when he stuck his hand out towards her, looking like he wanted her to shake his hand.

She looked up at him expectantly.

He grew tired of her confusion and swiftly grabbed her right hand.

"Hi…"

"…Hi yourself." She hesitantly responded.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke..."

She rolled her eyes, "Sasuke I know your na"

"Jounin, eighteen, currently the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan, and it's…very…nice to meet you."

If she wasn't confused before, she was now. What was he doing? She knew he was a little psychotic, but this was unlike anything she had seen coming out of him before. This was new. And she didn't ignore the way he had trouble going through with that. The entire end of that introduction was said through clenched teeth. Teeth he had yet to un-clench.

She looked at their joined hands. He was talking as if they had never met. Which, she realized, they really hadn't. She said it herself. This was a different Sasuke. And this Sasuke seemed to want to meet the presently awed Sakura.

She smiled, gripped his hand tighter, and raised her eyes to his.

"Sakura. Haruno Sakura. Apprentice to the Hokage, Konoha head medic, and all around ass whooper."

Her smile grew as she saw a smirk forming on Sasuke's lips.

"Nice to meet you."

Their hands separated and dropped from where they were previously. Sasuke got up, dusted himself off, and turned towards Sakura.

"So, Sakura. How about we get to know each other over some lunch."

He offered her his hand to help her up. She gladly accepted.

"I'd love to…Sasuke-kun."

The two walked off the training grounds towards a restaurant nearby.

"Oh and by the way. I should tell you Naruto cleaned out my wallet when we had ramen before training. So, this one's going to have to be on you."

She scowled. He just smirked and walked ahead, knowing she'd follow. And with a loud sigh, she did.

The second time Sakura met Sasuke she knew he was going to be annoying.

The second time Sasuke met Sakura he knew he would love annoying her.