Not Even a Memory
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Naruto characters. None of them are mine. Please R&R!
Sitting in the empty classroom, she tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear and gave a soft sigh. Is he really going to leave… again? When Sakura saw him walking through those village gates five years ago, she thought that he was here to stay…
Flashback…
"Sakura-chan! Come have some ramen with me!" Fifteen-year-old Naruto ran up to the pink haired chunin, trying to catch his breath. Fifteen-year-old Sakura shook her head and gave him a smile.
"Gomen nasai, Naruto, but I'm afraid I don't have much of an appetite," she said. She began walking towards the West gates of the village.
"Whatcha doing?" Naruto asked as he followed her. Sakura just shrugged.
"Nothing, I just wanted to take a walk to the West gates," she replied.
"You know he's never coming back." Sakura stopped walking.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said coolly. Naruto scuffed his feet in the dirt.
"Yes you do. Every day you would take a walk to the West gates and sit there for about an hour or so, waiting for him, Sasuke," Naruto said quietly. Sakura glared at him.
"Are you stalking me Naruto? I thought I told you I would never talk to you again if you did," she said stiffly. Naruto shrugged.
"I'm not stalking you and besides, Kakashi-sensei sometimes sees you too and so do Shikamaru, Choji, Ino and Hinata," he said. Sakura felt her face heat up. "Like I said, Sasuke's never coming back. He made his decision just like we made ours."
"Sh-shut up!" Sakura hissed, feeling tears threatening to spill. "I-I don't care what you say! He's coming back! I just know he is!"
"No he isn't Sakura, and you know it!" Naruto yelled. "Why can't you let him go? If you really do care for him, you would accept the choice he made!" Sakura felt like Naruto had just slapped her. Her face went pale and her deep jade eyes widened. Naruto's ocean blue eyes held her gaze. Tears slipped out of her eyes and there was no way she could make it stop.
"Ai Naruto you baka. After all this time, you're still making her cry aren't you?" Sakura lifted her head and whirled around. There standing behind her just a foot away was…
"Sasuke!" Naruto glared at him. Sakura didn't know what to say. The Uchiha ninja walked closer to Sakura and his fingers gently brushed away her tears. She trembled slightly at his touch.
"And you Sakura, after all these years…" Sasuke smirked, letting his hand drop slowly. "…You're still a cry baby." Sakura flung her arms around his neck, crying softly against him.
"Sasuke-kun… you've come back," she whispered…
End of Flashback…
Sakura gave another sigh and stared out the window. Clouds were starting to gather and she could see tiny raindrops gently splashing against the window. Why is he leaving again? Does anyone know that he's leaving? Did I do something that's making him leave? She wondered. Shaking her head, she slowly got up and started towards the door when…
"Sakura, it's not good to contemplate over one thing for such a long time." Sakura jumped about a foot in the air.
"K-Kakashi sensei! You startled me," she stammered. Her former sensei was standing on the ceiling smiling at her while hanging upside down. He landed lightly and looked down at his former student.
"You're thinking about Sasuke aren't you?" He said, running his fingers through his grey hair. Sakura felt her face heat up.
"W-what makes you think that?" she asked nervously. Kakashi gave a low chuckle.
"Sakura, I've known you since you were a genin and I can tell that you're thinking about him just by the look on your face." He sighed and leaned against the wall. "So I guess you've heard that Sasuke will leave soon." Sakura's eyes widened.
"W-what… How did you know?" she asked. Kakashi scratched his head and sighed.
"We've been keeping an eye on him since he got back. Any sign of him leaving without notifying the Hokage or myself, we have to go after him." Sakura shook her head.
"What are they going to do? Kill him?" Kakashi didn't say anything. The color drained out of Sakura's face. "You're going to kill him?"
"Sakura… understand this. The last time this happened, Konoha was almost destroyed and the Hokage himself died. We can't let this happen again." Kakashi shook his head. "I don't like this anymore than you do but the Hokage-sama said that we can't let anything like that to happen again. Gomen nasai, Sakura. I just thought that I should tell you that," he said softly. He started to leave but before that he said, "The ANBU will be waiting at the gates when he leaves at midnight." And with that, he disappeared. Sakura slumped against the wall, running the words through her head again. Sasuke-kun…
Sasuke glanced at the moon that night. It fifteen minutes until midnight. He knew that the ANBU would be waiting for him and he couldn't afford any time wasted. He would give them what they wanted. A ghost of a smile was on his face and he jumped onto the rooftops. He was a few ways away from the West gates when he suddenly stopped.
"Sakura, you're not very good at tracking still," he said aloud. The seventeen-year-old chunin appeared from behind him.
"Please Sasuke! You're not leaving again are you?" she asked. Sasuke didn't turn around. She started again. "Please don't leave, not again. You just came back, please!" she said. "Sasuke…I love you, please don't leave. I never gave up on you, doesn't that mean anything to you?" she begged. Sasuke shook his head and smirked.
"Sakura…" he said. Sakura held her breath as he turned around. "…You are so annoying." Sakura felt her spirits crushed.
"Please! I promise I won't drag you down! Just please…" she whispered as she felt tears gather in her eyes. "…Take me with you." Sakura blinked, trying to fight the tears. She let her head fall slightly and when she looked up, he was gone. Tears freely fell down her cheeks and her vision blurred.
"Sakura." Sasuke suddenly appeared from behind her. His arm gently slipped around her waist and she could feel his cool breath against her neck. He gently kissed her neck and whispered,
"Arigato." Suddenly he covered her mouth and nose with a cloth. She could smell a strange scent and it suddenly overtook her senses. She felt everything spin around and her head was bursting and suddenly, everything went black. Sasuke caught her just before she fell. "It's time I returned what I stole from you…" he murmured as he lay her gently down on the roof. "…by erasing my very existence."
Sakura, Sakura! She could hear a voice calling her but she couldn't reach whoever it was. Where am I? She thought. Her eyes slowly opened and she stared up into the face of…
"N-Naruto? Is that you?" The seventeen-year-old chunin peered anxiously into her face. He helped her up and steadied her. Kakashi was there along with Hinata, Shikamaru and Ino. "W-where am I?" she murmured.
"Never mind that, what happened to Sasuke?" Ino yelped. Naruto nodded.
"Yeah! Sakura, do you know where Sasuke went?" he asked. A confused look crossed her face and it filled her eyes. That was when everyone thought that the world had definitely gone wrong.
"W-who's Sasuke?" she whispered.
Deep in the forest, a dark figure waited. He was immediately joined by another, bearing the Uchiha symbol. "Well? Did you do it?"
"Of course I did baka, or else I wouldn't be here," Sasuke said coldly. His companion smirked.
"That memory jutsu did just the thing didn't it? Now that girl won't remember a thing," he said.
"Shut up, let's just get moving," Sasuke growled. His companion left and Sasuke turned towards the direction of Konoha one last time. Gomen nasai, Sakura. But now you won't have to waste your time waiting for me, you'll be free now.
Sakura watched as the leaves fell from the old oak tree that stood in the courtyard of the Ninja academy school. Her eyes sparkled as a bird flew down and landed on the lowest branch.
"She won't remember him, huh?" Naruto stood by the window at the Hokage's office, watching Sakura. Kakashi, Gai, Lee, Ino, Hinata, and Shikamaru were also there. Tsunade folded the piece of cloth and placed it in front of her.
"No," she sighed. "She will not remember him, Naruto. He placed some kind of a memory jutsu on her along with some kind of chemical that ensured that her memory of him will not come back. I did an analysis of her and of the cloth. Even if he were to stand in front of her, Sakura will not even have the slightest remembrance of him."
"But why? Why would Uchiha do that to her? Does it really matter?" Shikamaru frowned. Ino nodded.
"Yeah, I mean, Sasuke never really did like her in the way she liked him," Ino said. Hinata was silent and so Naruto but it was Lee who spoke up.
"It's because he cared for her," he said in a heavy voice. "In a complicated way that I don't think a lot of people would understand." Naruto frowned.
"I don't get you fuzzy eyebrows," he said.
"Allow me," Gai said stepping forward. "Sasuke cared for her in the end to the point that he would erase himself from her memories. Sasuke's destiny and ambition is to go his own way and he knows that Sakura wouldn't accept it that easily. Sakura no longer has to suffer the pain of his absence and leaving because…"
"…she won't remember anything about him." Kakashi finished softly. Naruto watched as the bird hopped onto Sakura's finger then fly away. Sasuke…you're quite different from everyone else. You're not even like that bird. You're never going to come back to Sakura, because…you're not even a memory to her.
Fin
A/N: I took part of the idea from Fruits Basket. This is my first one shot of Sasuke and Sakura. They're an ok pairing but looking at Sasuke's personality, I don't think he would end up with anyone. That's my opinion but w/e. Please R&R and no flames please. Arigato gozaimasu! ♫