Leave a review if you enjoyed this story.

"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

It's not warm when she's away

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

And she's always gone too long

Anytime she goes away"

Bill Withers' track played on a loop in Sasuke's headphones like a malady as he jogged through the street, to reach his house. His thoughts were preoccupied with how he would be breaking the news to Sakura or approaching her, given that her house was now complete. He didn't want it to be awkward, or impassioned, just the very few necessary sentences and handing her over all the keys and paperwork.

He knew she wanted nothing to do with him, and kissing her like that had only made things awkward for both of them. He wasn't even sure whether he should personally give her the keys to her house along with the paperwork or simply ask someone else to give them to her.

Since he assumed she was dating someone and that he had put up his facade of not caring so much about her feelings; he was at a disadvantage already. Which is why he'd abandoned any hope of reconciliation.

When he strode through the porch to open the front door, he was taken aback by the same pink-haired woman who had been clouding his mind for the past few days like an epidemic.

He climbed up the stairs but stood a good five feet apart from her, staring right into her eyes; the height difference forcing her to crane her neck far out. Her emerald eyes glistened even in the darkness of the night, and his eyes quickly consumed the expression in them, like he'd missed this sensation for quite a while.

There was a pertinent silence that lasted for more than a few minutes but it was calming. His heartbeat had settled into a cadence as he shifted slightly to lean onto the wooden pillar, waiting for her to speak first.

"How have you been?" Sasuke finally spoke up out of impatience.

Her feet shifted around before she replied, "Good. You?"

"Good."

Another weighty pause.

"I was going to come over to your place, to-you know, hand over the paperwork and the keys." His hand tugged his nape, chafing at the fresh growth of his hair.

"Then why didn't you?" She asked bluntly.

His eyes met hers as if ascertaining whether he'd heard her right.

"Well, uh. I am not so sure if I would have been able to." He replied in a spite of honesty.

Sakura sighed. She moved in her stance before walking past him and down the stairs as if to leave. His arm instantly twined around hers twisting her around to face him.

"I am not having you walk out on me this time." He declared.

Her eyes fluttered in a frenzy and her torso spun towards him, he stepped down to match her eye level. She nervously held her hand up curled into a fist and clenched it close to her chest in deliberation. Sasuke moved closer to her and held out his hand once again but this time in permission.

"You wanna come inside?" He asked her.

She hesitated for a moment before nodding. Her eyes crossed in strabismus and formed an array of frown lines around the crease of her eyes in surmise but she followed him into the house anyway.

He walked inside and pulled the scarf around his neck hanging it on the coat hanger before drawing his grey hoodie off his shoulders, revealing a thin white pullover. She also followed suit and hung her dark maroon overcoat on the stand before turning around to face Mikoto who stood in the living room staring at them.

Sakura cracked a small smile before Sasuke pulled her by her wrist and directed her to his room upstairs. Mikoto stared at them and her gaze trailed away as the two disappeared into his room.

Sasuke proceeded to walk towards the window that stretched across the opposing wall of his bedroom, just as the two entered. Sakura stood uneasily near the door that creaked as it spun shut on its own. Sasuke looked busy gathering the wooden logs to start a fire to heat up the room and a few minutes later he accomplished his task.

Just as he turned to face her, he noticed how drawn out she was in comparison to his enthusiasm and immediately succumbed to his emotional relapse. Bipolar was hard enough to deal with. But now there stood someone he truly cared for, right in front of him and his brain could only waver from one fluctuating thought to another.

Sakura held her fist again to her chest. It was almost a telltale for just how uncomfortable or defensive she was being. He immediately motioned her to come to sit on the bed. She moved slowly to where he'd pointed before he himself followed her.

They sat beside each other, not facing one another though and their shoulders brushed slightly when either heaved. Sakura placed her palms flat on her lap and twitched a few times almost passing as a shiver. Sasuke took note and his arms darted out pulling the quilt from behind, covering her shoulders.

She immediately crossed her arms repeatedly, cheeks all flush, "Oh no! Its okay, my body is just getting used to the temperature change. It's nothing, really." She allowed herself to complete as she retired back to her former posture and so did he.

They sat like that only until Sasuke turned to face her, several moments later. He realized that every time he would expect she would begin the conversation, he'd be proven wrong. Somehow the aggressive, defensive woman beside him would always recede into a subtler, less verbal and more perceptive form of hers.

This only bothered him. Was she guarding herself against him? Was she worried he would hurt her feelings? Did she even have the same feelings as he did? What feelings were these anyway? These were the questions he needed answers to. And he'd go to every length tonight to find them.

"How are things going for you? You said you were starting at Homura's right?"

"Oh yeah, well that is in a few more days so I suppose I'll just have to find out. I don't think it would be to occupying initially. This isn't really the holiday season anyway." She replied, her lips almost curled into a smile but passed off on it.

After a pregnant pause, he licked his chapped lips before speaking.

"Sakura, I-"

"Sasuke-"

The two immediately turned to face one another. Throats gulping simultaneously, and eyes fixed onto one another's.

"You first," Sakura lowered her face.

"No, you-"

"Sasuke, you were anyway gonna say something. So just say it. Whatever it is." She cut him off almost reflecting a little irritation in her tone.

He instantly receded his demand and settled back into his position, facing straight, before speaking.

"Sakura, I-I am sorry for the things I said to you that night. I thought I was right for having called you out on your personal business, for mistreating you and hurting your feelings. I had no respect for the amount of faith you had placed in me, and I used that negatively only to lash out at you because of how mentally confined my mindset was. I was stupid, selfish and faithless in our friendship and you had every right to have walked out on me like that. And then-"

Her eyes shifted directly to meet his. Instantly he was calm and he continued.

"And then. We... we kissed and all of that happened. I didn't even know I felt that way about you." Sakura's eyes widened for a second. As he spoke, "I am not trying to win back your confidence Sakura, but even a sliver of it would do right now. Just, please, just forgive me if you can."

His obsidian orbs were transfixed to hers. The fire flared for a fraction of a second and their gaze broke. Both of them lowered their eyes. Sasuke swallowed as his finger thread through his hair, his eyes now contemplating what would he do if she didn't forgive him or simply walked out on him again.

Instead, he received a warm embrace. She held onto him with both arms clasping his back tightly and her face pressed into his warm chest. His eyes instantly widened but settled again as he brought his arms to encircle her the way she'd done to him.

They held each other like that for what one could have called an eternity, but to them, it probably felt too short a moment to recoil from.

"Sakura, I have been meaning to tell you something important apart from just this," his voice muffled through the fuzz of her hair yet sounded so soothing, "I really don't know how you are going to feel about this but, I truly cannot bring myself to go on without letting you know. The thing is, I think I-"

He heard her faint snoring as he pulled himself away from her grasp a little to tilt his face deeper and look carefully to be sure. And he was right, she'd fallen asleep just like that, probably out of exhaustion.

He smirked and delicately pulled her close to him and put one arm below her knees, gently laying her on the bed completely before tucking her in.

He stood beside his bed watching over her for a while, before turning around and walking out of the room.

-x-

What awakened Sakura was probably the faint smell of Okonomiyaki being prepared in the kitchen, along with fried vegetables perhaps. She'd just have to go downstairs to check on what her mother was making to be sure.

This is when it struck her that she wasn't even in her own bedroom but in a totally unusual surrounding. It took her a few moments to realize she was in Sasuke's bedroom and the recollections from last night hit her like a tidal wave.

She recalled his apology, the hug and then her passing out. Nothing apart from that. God her parents must be worried about her. Just as she placed her palms flat onto the mattress to pull up and get off the bed, her fingers pressed against a piece of paper and something cold.

Her eyes fell upon a note he'd left her and a set of brand new keys. It didn't take an intelligent to figure out what they were yet her face turned crimson and tears welled up in her eyes.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she held the note in her hand that read-

'Will be back by the afternoon, gone to take care of something. -Sasuke.'

She wiped her cheeks blank, before holding the keys between her fingers and looking at them intently. Suddenly the door creaked open and a blob of black appeared.

"Oh, you're awake. Good, good. I was just making another batch of those pancakes, do you want to come downstairs and have a bite or do you want me to bring them here for you?" Mikoto beamed with delight.

Her eyes scanned Sakura's hands as they fell upon the shiny keys they held.

"Oh my, so he finally gave them to you. Must have been quite the conversation you two might have had last night." Mikoto muttered before stepping closer to the bed. Sakura folded her legs and coiled her arms around her knees. Mikoto sat right in front of her.

"What is it honey, you seem quite worried?"

"Oh no, well I am just thrilled but I need to be going home now since my parents must be worried about where I am. But then I won't be able to thank Sasuke and I can't really stay here until he comes back because I don't know when he would be back because it didn't say in the note. And the note wasn't really all that crumpled so I am assuming he wrote it just a while ago which means if he just left he'll probably be back late so that just means-"

Mikoto cut her off by placing her index finger to her lips and chuckling relentlessly. Sakura blushed at her own distressed babbling.

"Well, at least I am glad you two are talking again." Mikoto relieved her and smiled softly. Sakura turned to look at her and her eyes widened before she turned away again.

"Say, Sakura. Do you like my son?" she asked this time in a more earnest tone.

Sakura twitched, before turning to face her again, she only stared point blank and nodded timidly.

"Well, at least you have MY blessing," Mikoto finished and smiled again, bobbing her head to a side.

Sakura's eyes widened again as she watched Mikoto get up and walk towards the door.

"Come on downstairs and have breakfast alright? The hot water is still running, go shower." Mikoto said cheerily while standing in the doorway as her hand rested on the frame. She smiled and left as soon as Sakura got off the bed as well.

Sakura called up her parents once she had finished showering and had the Okonomiyaki Mikoto prepared for her. She sat on the sofa holding the cordless in her hand.

"Yeah mom, I was pretty tired so I konked off here itself, hehe..." Sakura laughed nervously while explaining to her parents on the phone.

"Oh, he did. Oh, okay. Well, I'll be there in half an hour so don't worry." She continued before tapping the call end button.

She got off the sofa and placed the phone back in its pod before turning to face Mikoto who was cutting vegetables on the dining table.

"I'll get going now, Mikoto." Sakura gently smiled as she turned around.

"Sakura."

Sakura turned around to face her again.

"If it is something that you must tell Sasuke, tell him before you regret not telling him." She glanced over the vegetables she was cutting and returned the smile before turning back to look at the cutting board.

Sakura's eyes widened and heat surfaced on her cheeks. Her knees pushed her towards the door and she made her way out. Mikoto only stared at the pinkette shuffle away as she kept on cutting.

-x-

Sakura ruffled through the porch and made her way into her house. She pulled the new pair of keys she'd been gifted and quickly hung them onto the keyholder fixed on the wall. Instantly, Mebuki appeared from behind and her eyes swelled at the sight of them.

"Is that...?"

"Yup."

"Oh, Sakura..."

"Heh, mom. You guys can finally get rid of me now eh?" Sakura finished for her mother as she scraped at her cheek.

Mebuki quickly brought her in for a hug. It was dense, warm and emotional. Sakura could even hear through her mother's grasp the muffled sobs that ran through the little space between them.

Kizashi suddenly walked past the sight and stopped in his tracks. Sakura instantly jerked a little as she took notice but did not budge from her mother's embrace. Kizashi simply smiled and walked away.

-x-

It had been hours Sakura had been staring at photo albums, of her and Neji. Some albums, filled to the edges and some with pictures of friends Sakura hadn't seen in the past few years. She packed every album neatly into a velvet bag and stuffed them in her drawers.

She turned to her dresser and looked at herself in the mirror. Her smile was unlike any other she had felt from the past few years. For the first time in a long time, Sakura was sure she knew what she had to do.

Christmas shone brightly in the streets, as she finally decided to step out of the house. Sakura walked on the footpath with the hands tucked deep into the pockets of her trench coat. Her hair whisked past her flush cheeks as she concealed the gentle smile that had begun to form on her lips. She finally knew what she had to say to Sasuke.

Just as she reached the porch of his house, her eyes froze at the sight before her. Through the windows she could see familiar figures; Ino was standing right beside Sasuke as the two shared a laugh with a glass of wine in their hands. They seemed...happy to her disbelief. Her heart felt a sharp pain, almost as if real as she turned on her heel and walked away.

"Sakura!" she heard her name being shouted. It was Itachi. He stood in the doorway and called her name out again.

"Sakura!" This time louder. She was sure this would have grabbed Sasuke's attention by now so she walked faster. Just as she was about to hit the curb down the street an arm grabbed her from behind and turned her around to face them.

"Sakura... what's the matter?" Sasuke asked almost not realizing that she must have seen him and Ino together.

"No, I shouldn't have come here. Really, I mean you were having a good time with Ino and I just ruined it, didn't I?" Sakura turned away from him. A tear almost escaping her eyes, as she released her hand from his grasp and moved a few steps away.

"What Ino? No... no. You got it all wrong. Sakura, wait. I have something to give you. Just, just at least take it before you leave." He frantically spoke as he pulled a letter out of his jacket's pocket.

"I have one more letter for you to read, okay?" He said as he handed her the letter.

"What? What the fuck is the matter with you?" Sakura screamed in anguish almost mistaking the letter to be addressed to Ino.

"Let me say something. You don't ever have to see me again if you just read it, alright?" He pleaded.

Her eyes met his as she saw the hopelessness in them. She held the letter and turned it open in her hands. "This is so fucked up," Her tears had spread across her cheeks and soaked into them.

"Yeah just read it," Sasuke said.

"Dear Sakura..."

She stops, surprised it is addressed to her.

"...I know you wrote the letter. " Sakura pauses before reading again, "The only way you could meet my crazy..." Her eyes met his for a brief second before he begins reciting the letter on his own right from where she left off.

"...was by doing something crazy yourself. Thank you. I love you. I knew it the minute I met you. I'm sorry it took so long for me to catch up. I just got stuck. Sasuke." I wrote that a week ago.

"You wrote that a week ago?"

"Yeah," Sasuke tucked the letter back into his pocket.

"And you let me lie to you for a week?" Sakura asked in extreme astonish.

"I was trying to be romantic, Sakura."

"You love me?" Her tears stroked her cheeks again.

"Yes, I do." Were the only words that escaped Sasuke's lips before they met Sakura's.

THE END 3