Posted: 3-09-09

Always Second

by DreamDevourer

Chapter Two

The Past

Fours years earlier…

He was late again.

Twenty-four year old Sakura Haruno sat at a table for two in a dimly lit restaurant. She gazed out the window with a dazed look. She should have known this would happen.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but if your companion doesn't show up in the next ten minutes, I'm going to have to ask you to leave…I have other couples waiting to be seated," a waiter, possibly in his late thirties, said to her as he refilled her glass cup with water. He felt bad for the young lady who had been waiting for well over an hour. If she had at least ordered something to eat, he wouldn't have asked her to leave.

The green-eyed beauty sighed tiredly, and nodded without saying anything.

The waiter hesitated a moment before saying, "If I may so, ma'am, a gentleman who is late by five minutes can be forgiven, but one that leaves his woman waiting for—" he paused to look at his watch, "eighty-three minutes, cannot be worth much."

Sakura gave him a small smile, but no humor was in her tone when she responded, "It isn't so bad, I once had to wait two hours out in the snow for him."

The waiter looked at her weirdly. Most, if not all, the women he knew would dump their boyfriends right in the spot if they were kept waiting for more than thirty minutes, and yet this girl still waits for the man.

"Not that it is any of my business, ma'am, but why do you continue to wait for the gentleman, much less agree for another date, if he keeps you waiting such as you're doing now? What's keeping the gentleman at the moment, do you know?"

Sakura's bare shoulders slumped, she should have predicted this outcome. She should have canceled on their date, knowing perfectly well that he wouldn't have been able to make it. God, when he arrives home later tonight she was going to kill him. "Sir, you always wait for the one you love, no matter what," she replied with a genuine smile, reminding herself continuously that she loved that coal-eyed man. "And at the moment, he is working…as usual," she added, her smile turning into a frown.

Oh, yeah, that job of his. That job that never failed to keep them apart. She wondered what he was doing at the moment—shooting someone? Arresting someone? Or did he forget about this dinner date?

God help you if you did forget Sasuke Uchiha, she thought grimly.

"Eight minutes, ma'am," the waiter reminded her before walking away. Curious to find out who her date was, and whether or not he actually was worth the wait, the waiter opened the reservation book and scrolled down to the reserved Table 4, for 8:00 p.m.. He let out a quiet shocked gasp at the name.

Sasuke Uchiha.

He couldn't believe he unknowingly kicked out Sasuke Uchiha's girlfriend. But could it actually be the Sasuke Uchiha? Well of course it is him! There aren't many people with the name 'Sasuke Uchiha', let alone the Uchiha name itself, his inner conscious scolded him.

He chuckled a bit, surprised that an Uchiha would actually be late for something, let alone a date with a beautiful woman. And then his chocolate colored eyes read the inscription near the reserved table.

Table 4, 8:00 p.m., Sasuke Uchiha, Engagement Special

"Engagement Special?" he questioned himself, bewildered at the fact that not only was Sasuke Uchiha late for dinner, but he was late for his own engagement! He was slightly amused now because his boss was going to throw a tantrum over the fact that the "engagement special" food was prepared for nothing. And ever so slowly, his amused expression turned into a saddened one as he gazed over at the young lady who now stood up.

Poor dear, he sadly thought, and to think that this night could have been the happiest night of your life…well, depending if you actually wanted to marry the guy.

Sakura thanked the young woman for her jacket and gave her a tip. She placed the thin black jacket on and stepped out into the breezy April night. What a depressing night it turned out to be, she thought, annoyed at herself for bothering to wait for him. She should have left the moment she stepped into the restaurant. Or better yet, she shouldn't have even agreed to the date. No, she should had declined his offer and stayed home to watch the comical drama, Hana Kimi.

What made her angrier was the fact that she really thought he would show up tonight. That for once, he would disregard his job and spend time with her, even for an hour. She thought she had gotten used to this daily ritual—of him never showing up, and of her going home alone—but guess not. Each time he did this, each time he forgot her, she hurt more. And the feelings of neglect was growing into something bigger, something she prayed she would never feel towards him.

She would never hate him.

Never.

But if he continued on this way, she wouldn't be able to love him as strongly. And if you don't love someone anymore, then what is there left to feel for that person but hate and disdain?

I love that idiot with all my life, no matter what, she thought, slightly happier with herself, but still angry at him.

Sakura crossed her arms over her jacket as she waited for a taxi. Cars zoomed by her but still no taxi was spotted. Her bare legs shivered due to the crispy cool wind. She wished she had worn something more warm, but no, he had said she was suppose to 'dress up' because it was a 'special' occasion. What occasion that was, she didn't know.

"Special occasion my ass," she mumbled, anger rising again. She didn't bother to move aside her pink locks that blew in her face. The wind was picking up and she hoped it wasn't going to start raining, at least not until she got into a car.

To her dismay, rain drops started to fall in minutes, and then it began to pour. "I swear to God, Sasuke, you are sleeping out in the rain tonight!" she screeched as she raised her jacket over head.

She arrived home half an hour later, shivering from head to toe. Her shoes were ruined, her legs wet, her jacket soaked, and her black-off the shoulder dress was glued to her body. The house was quiet, which could only mean that Sasuke still hadn't returned.

"If that man knows what's good for him, he'll stay away for a whole week!" she grumbled, walking up the marble steps barefoot. Entering her room, she dropped her shoes onto the floor, along with her jacket, and walked over to the walk-in closet.

The Present

The ceremony was beautiful. Tears rolled down Sakura's cheeks when her best friends exchanged vows. She thought no one had noticed her red eyes, but when she took hold of Sasuke's arm while walking out of the church, he leaned down to her and whispered, "Crybaby."

Of course he had noticed. He never missed anything.

Then again, did he know why she really did cry? No he didn't. He always knew what she was doing, but never why she was doing it. Crying being one example.

"I wanted a wedding like that," she murmured more to herself than to him, but he still heard.

Despite himself, Sasuke decided to comment. "Wanted?" he inquired.

They neared the door and Sakura let go of his arm. "Yes, Sasuke, wanted," she said, not looking at him. "Every girl wants a wedding like this." She gave him a quick glance before stepping out into the hallway. "Minus the agents of course," she added with a dry chuckle and cast him a look over her shoulder.

The sad thing was, she could have had a wedding like this. That is, if she had waited. But waiting for Sasuke to do something—to commit to something other than his work—was like waiting for the sun to burn out.

While walking to the limo, she tried to think of something happy. The last thing she wanted was to be gloomy on Hinata's and Naruto's wedding.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen rode together in the bridal limo to the park where pictures would be taken. The brides' and grooms' close relatives rode in a separate limo behind them.

Once in the park, the photographer first started taking pictures of the entire group. The bridesmaids stood in a line on the bride's side, and the groomsmen stood on a line beside the groom. After dozens of pictures of different lineups, it was finally time for individual pictures. While one photographer took the bride and groom to a different section of the park, the other started taking pictures of the bridesmaids and the groomsmen.

The first to go was the maid of honor and the best man.

"Alright, this spot is perfect," the short middle-aged man said as he placed his tripod on the green grass facing a thick cherry blossom tree. Its leaves were already falling due to the autumn season. "Great, now you—" he motioned for Sakura to step forward. "Yes, Pinky, you. Come and stand in front of the tree."

Sakura gave him a dark look as she walked to the spot he indicated.

"And you, Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome, please stand near the lady."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh once she saw the photographer wink at Sasuke. Though once he stood next to her, she started to feel uncomfortable especially when the photographer demanded that he place his hands on her waist.

"No, no, darling, you are doing it all wrong!"

Sakura wasn't sure if he was referring to her as darling or Sasuke. The photographer walked to them. "Don't hold her as if she were diseased."

"As if I'm what—"

"And you, Pinky, don't look as if you want to kill someone."

"Well, maybe I do want to kill a certain person who calls me pinky!" she exclaimed with a huff.

Though the man did not look threatened. "Now, show some elegance on that face of yours, and you, Handsome, remove that sour expression off your face. This is a happy day for crying out loud! So smile and look poised!"

Sakura noted that Sasuke only looked more gloomier and annoyed. The photographer took hold of Sasuke's hands and placed them correctly on her waist.

"Now hold her firmly while facing the camera. As for you, Pinky, rest your head on his chest and also look at the camera." The balding man walked back to his camera and raised his left hand. "Okay, one…two…smile!"

Sakura tried her best to muster up a sweet smile but she disliked that man so much that it was hard to smile pleasantly. Her hands were at her sides, her neck started to ache since she was straining to keep it off his chest as much as possible.

"No…no…not good, not good at all!" the man said with a scorn on his face. "Act like a couple, dearies, a couple. Do you know what that is?" He walked towards them again.

Sakura straightened up and was about to retort but held back when Sasuke tightened his hold around her waist. He was warning her to not cause a scene—he knew well enough how hot tempered she could be. She sighed and waited for the man to finally reach them.

"Okay, think 'man and wife', can you two do that? Just like the bride and groom are doing over there." He waved his hand to where Naruto was standing with hands wrapped around Hinata. "Now, I want you to wrap your hands around her—just below her bust." He took hold of Sasuke's arms and pulled them higher up her body. "And I want your hands resting on top of his arms, as if you are embracing his arms." She would have protested if the man wasn't so aggressively demanding. He placed her arms over Sasuke's and then slowly backed away. "Good, good. Lean your head a bit closer to her head, and tilt it so you are still looking at the camera." The man grinned, happy that the pose was working out. "And you, pinky, lean your head back onto his chest…think of his chest as pillow."

A pillow? That wasn't a hard thing to do. She'll just pretend that she was resting her head on a soft pillow and not his chest. Images of herself resting her head on his bare chest flashed through head. Then images of herself wrapped in his embrace, cuddled under blankets followed next. It all seemed like it was yesterday, not two years ago, that they were together.

"Ah, perfect, perfect! Again, another one!"

Sakura dazedly looked at the photographer, confused as to when the pictures were taken. She raised her head to ask Sasuke, only to be lost in his intense coal eyes. She wondered what he was thinking. Did he hate being this close to her just as she did to him? But she didn't hate it as much as she would like to. No, in fact she enjoyed his embrace, having missed it for so long. Did he miss this comfort as well?

"Splendid! Stay like that, do not move an inch!" The photographer said, quickly running back to his camera. The two were wrapped in each others arms, her head tilted upward, his lowered. They gazed at each other with such intensity that the photographer just knew this would be the million dollar photo. "Ah, beautiful, just beautiful," he cried, snapping more pictures. "And for the last one, you two shall kiss!"

Immediately, the two turned away from each other and narrowed their eyes at the man.

"Excuse me!?" Sakura was the first to speak, appalled by the notion that she would have to kiss him and then relive the past.

"Why, it says in the instructions that each couple will be photographed sharing a kiss." The man squirmed under their glares but he held his ground nonetheless. "And you two are listed as a couple." He put new film into the camera and clapped his hands. "Already then! Go back into staring at each other just as you did moments ago, and then kiss each other."

"As if!" Sakura pulled herself away from Sasuke and crossed her arms over her chest. "I wrote down that the groomsmen and bridesmaids were to take a picture together for old times sake, I certainly don't remember writing down anything about a kiss!" She huffed. She knew very well that she was acting like a child and not like a twenty-eight year old, but she didn't care at the moment.

"The bride and groom gave me their instructions of how they want the pictures, and it says so right here…" He paused to pick up the clipboard from the ground. "That the couple is to be photographed kissing."

"We are not together," this time it was Sasuke who spoke. He wouldn't have minded if he had to kiss some other girl, but her—no, her he couldn't. It would be too much. "Move on to the next pairing, we're finished." Once saying this, he expected himself to walk away, but he didn't. He stared at her stiff back, waiting for her to say something. But what could she possibly have to say that she hadn't said in the past?

"I don't make the rules," the stubborn man said. "I was specifically told that couples were to share a kiss for the final album, now get back into each others arms and kiss!" The man's face turned a light shade of red with anger. He was a respective photographer and having his 'models' refuse to do something angered him to no end.

Sakura glanced around. Everyone was watching, waiting for something to happen. Were they waiting for her to finally snap? Their curious gazes made her think something else.

They can't possibly think that I am actually going to kiss him? she thought, disturbed. With a sigh, she pulled her emerald dress up to her calves and removed her silver shoes. The heels kept on digging into the ground with every step, which added more to her fume, so she decided to walk barefoot until the time came to go back to the limos. With her shoes dangling in her left hand, she walked to Sasuke.

He didn't stop her from unbuttoning his jacket. When she pulled the gun out of the holster, he simply gave her a cautious look.

"Now tell me again what the instructions said," Sakura ordered, aiming the gun at the horrified looking man's head.

"I-I-wi-will no-not beh-be int-intmidated!" the man stuttered, his voice betraying his statement. He straightened his posture and glared. "I am a wedding photographer and I do as the bride and groom say since it is their wedding! Now you two will stand together and I will take this picture!"

Sakura had half the mind to shoot the man but then where would that leave her? Obviously in prison. She dropped her hand to the side and turned to Sasuke. "You're the one with the gun permit and badge, so here…" She shoved the gun against his chest. "…you shoot him."

He had missed this—this interaction with her. Since they had broken up, she always appeared to be calm and collected, but when they were together she freely expressed herself. She did the oddest things without a care; the things that drove him crazy. He took the gun out of her hand and at the same time grabbed her wrist with his other hand. He gently yanked her towards his body and leaned forward to capture her lips.

She was stunned that was certain. She also was confused by his actions. Why would he even want to kiss her? What on earth compelled him to give into that photographer and kiss her? Didn't he detest her? She did break up with him after all. She left him, so he should hate her. Right?

It wasn't a deep kiss, nor did it seem passionate, not like the kisses from the past. She kept her distant, trying to move away but he only came closer, kissing her chastely. He let go of her wrist and wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her more steady. Her hand was lightly placed on his chest while the other held the shoes beside her body.

It was when the light kiss turned into a demanding one did she remember where she was and what she was doing. Well, not exactly what she was doing since she hadn't responded, but what he was doing. He was the one kissing her. She pushed him away and although the small push on his chest didn't move him one bit, he stopped kissing her.

"What are you—"

"It's just a picture," he said, breathing unevenly. He knew very well what kissing her would do to him. He'd want more. He gave her a peck on the corner of her mouth, and mumbled, "Just a picture."

I guess I can't keep yelling at the photographer…it is just a picture, she thought. Her eyelids were getting heavy and his were already closed. It was getting hard not to kiss back. And every so slowly, she moved her lips against his. For the sake of a picture…

Was it just her, or was this getting a bit too comfortable? A bit too familiar? Both of his arms were around her, and her own were around his neck. She no longer was hesitant with kissing him. She responded with as much hunger as he did. The photographer wasn't their problem anymore. They were each others problems. Each now wanted to indirectly prove something to the other; that they didn't miss this. That neither of them missed the comfort of being in each others arms nor the tingling excitement each kiss brought. That they could share a simple kiss and think nothing of it afterward.

The photographer nearly had tears in his eyes. He managed to get twenty-six perfect frames of the two. He looked at the couple with awe as he continued to snap more pictures. They held each other so lovingly, as if they indeed were lovers even though they claim they weren't a couple. But it wasn't the fact that he was able to take pictures of them kissing which excited him. No. It was the way they were standing, the items they were holding, the way they slowly moved. It was every photographer's dream to capture a real image such as that.

The young man held her firmly. One hand was around her upper torso, and the other around her waist, which also held the gun. The young woman had one arm around his neck while the other rested on his shoulder, her shoes dangling on her finger tips. A small breeze made the cherry blossom petals fall of the tree. Some landed on the young man's jacket and a few on her hair.

It was as if they were actors in a movie. But better. The passion was not staged, it was real. A person had to be blind not to see the fire between the two.

He grinned slightly. He could make thousands from selling these photos to movie writers because if he felt inspired to write something—him, who hated to read and write—about these two from the picture, then certainly the big top screen writers would pay big bucks for this newly found inspiration.

"Magnificent, simply genius," he muttered and finally stopped taking pictures. He had only been photographing the two for fifteen minutes, from the beginning of the shoot until now, and he would've loved to continue with the two, but he had dozens of people to photograph with limited time.

"Alright lovelies," he turned his attention to the other bridesmaids who stared at the kissing duo with awe. "Who is next?" He pointed at a random bridesmaid and called over her partner. "We shall take your photos by the lake," he told them, deciding not to disturb the couple standing under the cherry blossom tree.

Sakura felt lost. Her thoughts were muddled, her feelings mixed. She needed air, but doing so would mean to pause the heated kiss. She definitely wasn't thinking straight, for if she were, she would've stopped this small interaction with him the moment the photographer took the first picture. But that old man wasn't even in her mind at the moment.

There was him and there was her, and her surroundings were a blur.

Her feet were hurting, tired from standing on her toes. She inwardly cursed his height and wished she had kept her shoes on. Speaking of her shoes, they had slipped out of her hand awhile ago. Discarded somewhere behind him. Her right hand was entangled with his dark hair and her left gently held his face. It was when his hot tongue probed her mouth did she slowly seep back into the present. Her eyes gradually opened and she pulled away, breathing unevenly.

Sasuke looked at her ardent gaze. He had gone too far. He should have stopped the moment the camera flashed for the first picture. But he didn't, couldn't. If they were in a room taking pictures, he certainly would have taken this farther then just kissing. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he did miss her. Even after two years, he still didn't completely understand her opposition toward him. He took deep breaths to make up for the minimum oxygen.

Sakura retraced her hands to her sides as soon as she came to her senses. She wondered if he could feel her beating heart. She was afraid to look at him, so instead she turned to the photographer but he wasn't there. It wasn't just the photographer who was missing, but the entire wedding group. Great, he took the damn pictures and just left without telling us, she grimly thought.

Being aware of her position, she looked up at Sasuke. "Let go," she hadn't meant to sound so abrupt, but she spoke before she could think. All she wanted to do now was to get far away from him.

He removed his hands without protest and placed his gun in his holster, buttoning the tuxedo jacket right after. Whatever passionate glow she had in her eyes seconds ago was gone now. For her to be able to so quickly forget him pained him a bit. She had matured and was finally able to control her feelings. She showed only what she wanted others to see, keeping everything else inside of her. Even he had difficulty reading her now.

She picked up the shoes and without saying anything, started to walk away. She needed to put a great distance between him. She managed to walk a good one yard before her hand was grabbed and she was turned around.

"Where are you going?" he asked monotonously, gazing down at her green eyes.

"To break all of those cameras, where do you think I'm going?" she remarked, pulling her hand out of his grip. She didn't wait for any reply. For some reason she felt angry. Angry at herself for letting him make her feel the way he did. Only he was able to provoke such emotions. Only he was able to hurt her the way he always did. And only he was able to make her lose track of time; to delude her of reality, and take her back into the past.

She turned on her heel and walked away again.

For some reason he felt as if he needed to explain himself. He did use the necessary photograph to kiss her, a selfish act on his part especially since he knew how she felt about him.

She loathed him.

"Sakura…" he called after her. "Wait…"

She turned around one last time and said, "Do tell Naruto that he won't go unpunished."

He knew she forced that smile on her face. She was far from happy with him. This time when she walked away, he didn't try to stop her. He watched as she picked up her dress so it wouldn't get dirty from skidding on the grass. The light breeze caused the white ribbon around her torso to move in different directions. Her hair, as well, moved along with the breeze. Her hair…

Her luscious hair that he had never gotten tired of running his fingers through. It was something he always had done before going to work. She would be washing the breakfast dishes and he'd wrap his hands around her waist, slowly turning her round. He wouldn't say anything, but stare into her innocent green eyes as he raised his hand and combed his fingers through her silky pink hair, always mesmerized by it's texture. And then he'd place a kiss on her forehead and leave contently.

It was a small gesture he did every morning to remind himself that she was safe at home, and when he returned she'd be waiting for him. That she would be his, always.

He nearly chuckled at the word always. To think that he thought she would always be with him, what a joke.

As expected, she didn't walk to the lake where the photographer was, instead she walked away from the crowd to be alone.

Sasuke sighed as he looked up at the clear blue sky. He hadn't expected to get himself entangled with her today or ever again. But he was never able to control himself when it concerned her. She was the one that kept him in line, and when she left, he sought out numerous women to replace her.

Tsk, replace her. As if that were possible, he thought with a scowl.

"Yo Sasuke! Come on, we're heading over to the reception!" Naruto shouted from yards away.

Sasuke nodded and headed towards them. He watched with envy as his best friend walked alongside his bride. Whatever happened to his hopes of getting married? Everyone was certain that he would be the first in the team to be married, but no. It turned out that Naruto, the least expected person to get married, got married before him.

It wasn't like he didn't want to get married because he did. He had wanted to commit to her. He had always wanted to be with her only. And he had already given her the ring…

Her.

It was her fault.

She returned the ring.

She left him.

The limo driver shut the door behind him, and Sasuke settled beside the groom, the bride on the groom's right, and the maid of honor beside her. He stared wearily out of the tinted window, cursing the last fifteens minutes of his life.

Thank you for reading!
DeeDee