A/N: Oh dear and sweet goodness. A Sasusaku. ((Totally a secret fan of the pairing coming out of the closet.)) And, I do not believe in this pairing happening Post TS cannonly, but I'm all for it cannonly happening Pre TS. Or something like that. WARNING: WEIRD AS HECK TENSES, SO I MIGHT SLIP UP EVERY NOW AND AGAIN. I like melding things to the canon, I think. (Story deeply reminds of Narusasu oneshot done a little while ago.)

GUIDE FOR Y'ALL:

'blah blah blah' Sakura

'blah blah blah' Random people aka Tazuna

'blah blah blah' Sasuke

'blah blah blah' Sasuke thought (flashback wise)

"blah blah blah" Sasuke present thoughts.

You Held Me

Vivid, attention-grabbing pink hair, long back then.

'Huh? What about Sasuke-kun? Naruto!! Where is Sasuke-kun!!!'

Bright, inquisitive green eyes, with dark lashes which loved to flutter, set below a large forehead.

'I'll go with you. Then you won't be breaking your sensei's orders.'

'Ok.'

Pink lips, framing a mouth that could say the sweetest, and most obnoxious, things.

'He's cold . . . this . . . isn't an illusion.'

'Don't mind me . . . it's best to let it out and cry.'

'I . . . I always scored a hundred percent on my ninja academy exams. I memorized over one hundred shinobi sayings . . . I always wrote the correct answers . . . on one day's test the question appeared . . . "write down shinobi saying number twenty-five" . . . I wrote down the answer as usual.'

Red dress, with movement allowing split sides, green shorts, white circles, fore-head protector worn like a head band to pull back her hair.

'"No matter what the situation . . . a shinobi must keep emotions on the inside. You must make the mission your top priority . . . and you must possess a heart that never shows tears." . . . uuuh . . . (sob) . . . uuh . . . Sasuke-kun!'

A girl who's name is Haruno Sakura.

A heart-warming girl who could reach him at his darkest moment, or at least try with so much effort.

'(sob)'

Thump.

'Sasuke-kun . . .'

'Did I die?'

'(sob)'

'S-sakura!?'

'(sob)'

'Am I . . am I . . . !?'

'(sob)'

'Sakura. You're heavy.'

'SASUKE-KUN! SASUKE-KUN! WAAAAA!'

That was way back then, of course. Their first real mission. Before that, she was a nuisance. A cute nuisance, who almost seemed to be honest in her liking of him. Whatever drove Sakura into liking him, she at least was in it more for his looks, skills and family name.

Despite this, she was annoying. He had, on several occasions, found himself enjoying Naruto's (of all people) company over hers. It was just something about the things she said, and how she acted like she didn't have a brain when she did.

A major thing was how Sakura had talked. At first he couldn't stand to hear the voice screeching his name. Privately, he had enjoyed it more when it was said softly as she gazed at him through half-lidded eyes. There were moments when she was unintentionally attractive, and he would forgot all her faults.

Which had led to many difficult experiences for a boy just beginning to realize that girls were for more uses than just being kunoichi. When Sakura would wrap her arms around him, sometimes he just wished he could have turned around and wrap himself around her slim figure right back.

And sometimes he just couldn't stop himself for being jealous of the dobe, because even if Sakura had treated him like nothing more than an annoying little brother, at least he could be open about his feelings for her.

Something he shouldn't do . . . couldn't do . . . hadn't done.

Even the fuzzy-browed, spandex-wearing Lee was more confident than Sasuke had been in telling the pink-haired girl how he felt. It had been maddening for him to see male after male show affection for her.

Yet it didn't matter know, for he had turned his back on his village and the one girl who truly loved him, and whom he truly loved.

He supposes he started to really care for her seriously during the Chuunin exams. Her changing, her metamorphosis, had begun as she flowered. After getting branded with the instrument which would tilt his path directly into Orochimaru's waiting grasp, all he could remember before blacking out was the horrible pain, and Sakura.

Her hair had been dull and dirty, her eyes rimmed with exhaustion. She had been scraped and dusty. Yet, she had resembled nothing less than an angel in his pain-flooded eyes, as she cried out to him---

'Hang in there, Sasuke-kun!'

---and laced her fingers in his own, before he hit the ground as he attempted to escape the burning feeling in his veins. Then, his eyesight was blocked by red fabric as she held him close.

"Sakura . . . you held me, even though it was clear something was happening that could make an even bigger rift between us."

And when he had awoken . . .

'Sasuke-kun, you're awake . . .'

. . . to find this girl he had tentative feelings for, bloody, bruised and being threatened . . .

'Sakura . . . who did that to you?'

'Sasuke-kun!'

'Who is it?'

. . . and the anger pulled through, and the seal marks crawling across his skin felt like the only things that understood how furious he was.

'Sasuke-kun . . . your body . .'

'Don't worry. Not only that, I feel overwhelming power from within me. I feel great . . .'

He had been granted the strength to hurt, kill and torture anyone who angered him. And maiming Sakura, causing that pretty face to be so defaced, gave him as good a reason as any to exert this strength over her attackers.

'. . . I am an avenger . . .'

And those sound ninja, they were the perfect targets to practice this strength, and it was obvious they were responsible for Sakura's state. He didn't even bother pondering why he cared so much. Sure, he had had a slight crush on her, but nothing serious.

'Now . . . it was you guys, right?'

After that, it became a blur of trying to rip off the arms that the sound nin so favored. And they would have very well came off, except he had to maintain his priorities.

SNAP.

Turn.

'You're the only one left. I hope you let me have more fun.'

'STOP!'

The feeling of a warm body flinging itself at his back caught him off guard, as those two arms circled him, a desperate plea for him to return to his senses.

'Please . . . stop . . .'

And then the crawling had reversed directions, and his sanity was saved for at least a little longer.

Yet more importantly, as he had stood there, he had realized what she had done, and how she had risked getting even more hurt for him, by him, and it all clicked perfectly in his mind. "I loved her. Still do."

Time passed, events that he didn't want to really think about passed, and he was poised to leave Konoha. This was the last encounter he'd had with Sakura, and one which stood out particularly strong in his mind.

It had been a balmy evening, with a slight breeze blowing. Pack strapped to his back, he had walked the road to leave Konoha. She had intercepted him, and said so passionately---

'I love you!'

---those words. Yet no matter if he returned those feelings or not, he had a goal set in life. He couldn't have told her how he felt. She would have clung more desperately, and his resolve would have wavered. Also, experience had taught him that loving was okay --- he had loved his family, after all, and it had been happy when it lasted --- but you would hurt when they died. He had hoped distancing himself would help with this issue.

So only two words could have summed up how grateful he was to her, for helping him in his dark moments and giving him his light moments.

'Thank you.'

And that was that.

After all, Uchiha Sasuke had already stated the one important truth for his life.

'My future is not where my dream is.'

The End

This was a pain to write because I had to keep referring back to the manga online for quotes. At which point I got distracted by one of my many sites I had open. xP