Hello. This is my first story that I'm allowing people to read. So I if you would, please leave a review with pointers, constructive criticism and such. Thank you.

Ignore the fact that Pain destroys the Leaf Village. -Tiff

I don't own anything.

I sit here silently (as usual) as I watch the two go back and forth with accusations and defenses. I'd like to say that it's bothersome to listen to but I'm secretly captivated by the drama of it. I pick sides and silently defend one or the other but I don't get involved.

I'm just a bench. You know, like the kind you sit on. I'm the only bench on the road to the main gate of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. People walk past and talk around me about things they wouldn't say if they knew someone else was listening. Hence why I get a front row seat to these two's personal affairs.

But let's back up six years.

The pink haired girl (about 12 years old or so) sits on me sulking about something I don't know of when the boy with black hair stands in front of her. He says something flirty that made me role my nonexistent eyes. He sat on me next to her and asked her about a boy named Naruto. She answered his question with a "He doesn't understand me" and changed the subject with a "He doesn't understand I really just want you to accept me, Sasuke-kun." He looked shocked as she confessed her feelings to him. Next thing I knew, she was leaning in trying to kiss him. Then he (quite literally) ran away before it could happen.

When he came back a few minutes later, he was like a completely different person. He was angry and it seemed like every time she opened her mouth it irritated him further.

"Why are you being this way?" the pink haired girl asked. "Because… you're annoying." was his reply. The girl watched his retreating back as she stood in shock.

Fast forward one year and you could hear the slow, solemn footsteps of the black haired boy named Sasuke. The sun was set and the stars had been out, it must have been midnight or so. The grave expression on his face and the tightly stuffed pack on his back made it obvious his intentions. He was leaving. For what, I didn't know. I didn't care at the time.

And then she was there, stepping onto the path in front of him. His feet slowed to a stop and he asked, "What are you doing here?" She hesitated, ignoring his question and stated "This is the road you would take if you were leaving." He ignored her this time as he resumed walking and he told her "You should go back to bed."

She looked terrible, like she'd been worrying. Her hair was much shorter than it was before. He walked past me, then her, and when he was a safe distance behind her a single tear slid down her cheek. She turned her body halfway to face him. "Why won't you say anything to me? Why do you always shut people out?" She pleaded, she didn't noticed he'd stopped. He cut her off before she could say more. "Why do I have to tell you?" A pause, "I'm telling you not to meddle too much. Stop bothering me all the time."

She turned away from him again and more tears fell. "You always act like you hate me Sasuke-kun." She turned to fully face him this time and began to ramble about the past and how vengeance wouldn't make anyone happy. He told her he knew and that he did consider staying but continued with saying he's not the same as her and he lives for revenge.

"I...I love you more than anything!" ,she screamed, an act a desperation. "I'm begging you, please stay with me!"

He half turned to her, looking over his shoulder, giving her a mocking glance and said, "After all this, you're still annoying."

And even though I thought her a fool, I couldn't help the breaking of my nonexistent heart for her when I saw the look of absolute hurt written all over her.

He turned and started walking again. "Don't go! If you go I'll scream out loud!" I couldn't believe my nonexistent eyes when in a flash, he was behind her. "Sakura," he started. I almost felt bad for the equally heartless boy when I noticed him staring at the back of her head with such grief. He bit his lip as if he didn't know what to say. "….thank you."

He paused, reluctant to do what he did next. With a thump, he knocked her unconscious. She sighed his name before slipping into the world of dreams.

He lay her on me to sleep and resumed walking his solemn walk out of the village.

Since then she'd come every year same day, same time. She'd sit on me and cry sometimes, she'd stare at the stars in weighty silence other times but she'd never miss the day.

Four years later, people would walk by and I'd hear them talking. They would say "Did you hear? Itachi Uchiha was killed!" To witch they'd reply "No way! Who killed him?" "His younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha." "That's incredible! He should get an award!"

At first I was disappointed in Sasuke when I heard the news. But when they would glorify him I was proud of him. This 'Itachi' must have been some messed up guy if people wanted to award his killer. And hope swelled in me when the thought that maybe this was his revenge. Maybe he would come back as a hero and Sakura wouldn't cry anymore.

I knew I shouldn't have cared but it's like when you see a lost puppy. You don't want that puppy but you want someone to want the puppy.

"I heard Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura were already out of the village when it happened." "Really? I haven't seen them since before Sasuke attacked the summit. Do you think… you think, maybe he…" "of course not! Sasuke may be crazy and crazy strong but there's no way he'd be able to hurt his own team! I mean even if he was physically able, surely even he wouldn't be emotionally able." "You're right, that's crazy. Either way, he's still an enemy of the Hidden Leaf village-of all the Hidden Villages."

I didn't really know how to feel. Shocked, angry, scared, disappointed. It all came to fast. One minute I'm still hopeful, the next my nonexistent brain is trying to suck in all nonsensical information as it comes. And then when people walked by they would speak of a war that's been waged on all the Hidden Villages. Were they connected? Did Sasuke have something to do with it? I found it hard to even consider the fact that it was the same Sasuke the smart, kind girl I'd known Sakura to be had loved so much.

And even more than all that, I'm just a bench! It's not like I can do anything about it. Not like I can comfort this lost puppy. It's not like there's a possibility that one day he'll come home and apologize for disappointing me or for hurting the lost puppy. And even more than that, I'm a bench! I'm not supposed to care!

But I digress…

The next day I hear them say, "Yeah, I guess she just snapped or something. She knocked out everyone she was traveling with so she could search for Sasuke. She went there with the intention of getting close to him by deception and killing him when his guard was down but he was one step ahead of her." " Oh my God, did Sakura make it out ok?" "Yeah, Kakashi saved her butt before Sasuke could put a hole in her. Then when while Kakashi was distracting him she had the perfect chance to end it for him but she just froze up! Then Naruto had to get her out of that mess." "Poor Sakura, that had to be a hard decision to make." "Yeah, well she should'a finished the job."

Sakura cried on me that night. And yet again, my nonexistent heart broke for her

Everyone was running around because of this war people kept talking about. They were in a panic. Shinobi were training, doctors were stocking up on medical supplies, civilians were scared for their loved ones going into battle. Sakura visited me the night before she marched onto the battle field.

The war didn't last long due do the Hero of the Leaf: Naruto. Apparently he almost single handedly ended the war by taking out the enemies leader, the rest fell apart from there. They kept saying he brought an enemy back with him. They said he begged the higher ups to give him the lightest sentence possible. And they said he was given two years of monitored probation only because the highest of the ranks was previously acquainted with him.

I was relieved when I saw Sakura walking wearily my way, pink still short hair swaying as she walked. It was midnight again. She collapsed on me, shinobi vest already being shed off her shoulders. She laid her head on me grinning a ridiculous grin. Her hand was grazing my back rest as she mumbled, "Thought I'd never see you again…" If I had a mouth, I would have been smiling. She fell into a deep sleep, so deep I would have thought she was dead if it wasn't for the slight moving of her chest caused by her breath.

After an hour or so I heard footsteps. Instinct made me embarrassed for Sakura that someone had to catch her sleeping on a bench. I noticed it was a man, that made me scared. I noticed he looked familiar. I noticed he was taller than my nonexistent brain said he should be. I noticed he was Sasuke. And I noticed the need to wrap my nonexistent arms around the metaphorical lost puppy.

He stood in front of us without any readable emotion on his face for at least a minute. Next he fixed her shinobi vest, then he pick her up off me and cradled her in his arms. I wanted to yank her out of his undeserving arms and yell at him to leave. But obviously I didn't.

He carried her out of my site and I was left just to hope she was safe.

Fast forward two months and it is the annual 'Sakura Stays Out Way Too Late' night. She sits on me and stares at the stars reminiscing as she's always done. There are no tears this time but I know she hurting.

The footsteps of Sasuke could be heard again, and they seemed to be echoing way more than they should be. Sakura doesn't look at him once until he stops in front of her. He doesn't say anything but he looks down at the empty spot next her with almost a questioning look. She looked him in the eyes, then down at me, then back up to him, and back to the stars. He took that as silently giving him permission to sit and so he did.

They stared at the stars silently for a long time, all the while I wanted to wring his perfect neck. He spoke first. "Did you mean what you said to me all those years ago?"

She looked nervous when her eyes faced forward and quietly answered, "I did." I wondered what they meant until Sasuke continued, "Do you still feel the same?"

Sakura turned her head away like she was embarrassed and he was already staring intently at her. She didn't answer him. And I have to admit, even I wanted to hear her answer.

He looked down at his feet, disappointed. Then she asked, "Did you think about us?" he looked taken aback by the question but answered her nonetheless, "More times than I would like to admit." She smiled to herself, but the smile vanished soon enough.

I can't quite recall how everything escalated so quickly but I do remember him saying something stupid and her getting up to leave. He yelled, "What would you have me do?" To which she yelled back, "Apologize! To Naruto, Kakashi. To everyone!" He defended from and avoided her accusations and demands and so on and so forth.

And so, finally, you're caught up. They've been going at it for longer than I originally thought they would. But here we are, listening to the two go one on one.

He rolled his eyes from her, seemingly had enough. "You're so annoying."

For the third time, I felt my nonexistent heart break for this girl. But it looked like sadness was the farthest thing from her eyes. Rage, impatience, offended, that's what I saw just before she turned and began walking away.

Almost unnoticeable fear was marred his face momentarily. Then, in the same flash as before, he was behind her, gently (more gently than I thought he could possibly manage) grabbing her hand. "Sakura…" slipped from his mouth. He spun her around to face him, pulling her closer than a friendly distance. He didn't release her hand as he looked deep in her surprised green eyes. Lifting his free hand to her face, he pushed strands of her pink hair out of her face.

"…I'm sorry." He whispered. His hand, which had still lingered, slowly slid down her cheek, past her jaw, and rested on the back of her neck. A moment's hesitation was all it took, and his lips melded firmly against hers, without any complaints from Sakura.

I remained silent on the outside allowing the two their moment but on the inside I was screaming 'What does this mean? Will he keep her? Will she come back next year? Will he work on his attitude?' I couldn't be happier for the two of them, namely Sakura.

One year later.

The sun was out, the wind was blowing, the faint scent of cherry blossoms surrounded everything. I was content as I watch green leaves sway in trees and dirt tumble across the ground. Tonight would be the night Sakura comes by, that is if she's coming.

I still see her walk past me and linger for a few moments if no one is around. Sasuke is with her sometimes, they look comfortable. They look happy.

Familiar footsteps are heard on the stone path and I wait for the black and pink come into view. They're walking alone, hand in hand. She has the same contented smile on her face that I would if I had a face. He stares straight at me as soon as I'm in his line of view. He looked nervous, or anxious.

He slows their pace until they're stopped in front of me. He pulled her hand towards me gesturing for her to sit. He avoided eye contact with her, looking more and more desperately uncomfortable with each passing second.

When she sat she looked into his face and noticed the same obviously worried expression that I did. "What's wrong Sasuke-kun?" She asked. He still didn't look at her but answered her by saying "I'm not really sure how this works, but…" he hesitantly got on his knee and finally looked at her. Surprise was written all over her as Sasuke reached into his pocket pulling out a small black box.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura's eyes widened when the gleam of a clear white diamond and a white gold band came into view as Sasuke opened the black box. The inside of the box was white silk with a white and red fan on the back. The band of the ring it was holding was melted to look twisted and make an infinite loop.

"Sakura Haruno, I, Sasuke Uchiha, am asking for your hand in marriage-" Sakura barely let him finish the last word before she launched herself at him. Putting both of her hands on his cheeks she pressed her lips to his.

"Yes." She managed to get out between kisses. "Yes." She repeated after another kiss. He pressed his forehead to her as he looked back down to the ring. He plucked it out of the small box and slid it onto her left hand. "Oh, Sasuke-kun… it's beautiful." She whispered, gazing dreamily at it.

"It was my mother's." Sasuke informed her, looking back at her face again. A smile stretched across her face, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I love it." She said before she added, "I love you."

He almost smiled at her but instead responded, "I love you."

I sit here silently (as usual) as the two go back with kisses and grins. I'd like to say it's bothersome to watch but secretly, my nonexistent heart swelled with joy for them.

Finish.