Fighting for You-

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto!

Chapter Sixteen-

Missed

If Sasuke thought his life was busy before, he'd never been more wrong. It had been too easy to take time each morning with Sakura and sometimes even have lunch or dinner with her but now, he barely had time to sit when he ate.

There was one interview after the next. Everybody was talking about him, everywhere he went people stopped him. His trainers were more like personal security these days. His favorite thing about moving to welterweight was getting to eat freely. He was having no issue gaining weight, even with the intense training he was undergoing.

Every morning when he woke up, he went into his sitting room where he and Sakura would practice their yoga and he'd do just as they did each day. It was hard keeping up with it without her, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to stop. After a session, he always felt relaxed, at peace. His mind would be clear and he'd be ready for his day. But all too often he would see her as if she were there, he would hear her speaking to him.

"You're doing great Sasuke-kun!"

It was in those moments that he'd lose all concentration, fall out of position and grow irritated with himself. It had been two weeks since they'd laid eyes on each other- even longer since they'd spoken and yet… she would not get out of his head.

That girl had really grown on him. It hadn't taken long for her to carve herself into him, where he didn't feel the same without her. He'd so easily imagined his life with her at his side, attending all his fights, coming to his practices… she was always smiling… always seeming so sincere, so pure… but… now he felt that she'd never felt anything for him at all.

With his pride in the way, Sasuke refused to reach out to her. Even when he did have a moment to do so. He'd been so busy that most days he left his phone at home. He was always with Kakashi and his trainers, and he saw Naruto most days. Sometimes the dobe would call him on his home phone, which was annoying, but Sasuke never said anything to him about it.

Today Sasuke finished his yoga on schedule but with Sakura on his mind, he didn't think about eating breakfast or even having a protein shake before heading out to the gym. Many days Naruto was there before he arrived, even though Sasuke wasn't much later than he normally was. He had a lot to look forward to, and even though Sakura kept popping into his mind against his will, he was focused on his future, on his goals, on where he wanted to be someday soon.

In just over a week he would have his first fight in the welterweight division with a man who'd fought for the title himself before. Sasuke had been researching him thoroughly, he fighting style was virtually identical to Sasuke's. It would certainly be one hell of a fight, possibly the toughest one Sasuke had ever participated in. Not that he was worried, he had every intention of finishing the guy off just as he did any other opponent he faced.

Before Sasuke could walk out of his door his home phone rang. He dropped his training gear by the door and jogged through the house to get it, grumbling in annoyance at the interruption. It had to be Naruto… nobody else would call him so early in the morning.

"What?" He snapped, not bothering to answer the phone like a normal person.

"Oy… Bastard… You better be coming to the gym this morning. I'm fired up!"

"What the hell are you on about, Dobe?" Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto should have known he was on his way to the gym.

"You heard me… You might better bring some pain killers because I'm going to wipe the floor with your face today. You think you're so high and mighty… Mr. Prodigy. Tch. Please."

"You must be itching for an ass-kicking today," Sasuke muttered. "I'm glad you're so fired up. I'm on my way."

Sasuke hung up then, not knowing what the hell Naruto was thinking. He'd never called him in the morning with such nonsense… it didn't make sense but then, this was Naruto… and he was the Dobe for a reason.

Upon arriving at the gym, Sasuke scoffed when he found that Naruto wasn't there yet. Now he was all worked up and going to have to wait on the idiot. That would only annoy him further. Not thinking much else about it, Sasuke got out of his car, grabbed his duffle bag and headed into the gym.

When he got to the bench he dropped his bag and sat down to remove his shoes and his shirt. He pulled his bag closer and unzipped it to pull out his gloves. Naruto had pissed him off enough that he didn't want a warm-up. He was ready to go straight to his ass as soon as he walked through the door. Once he found his gloves he sat them on the bench and stood to stretch out of habit. Not that he really needed stretching after his yoga session this morning.

The door opened just as he stretched his arms behind him and his eyes moved to the door to look at the dobe, but instead, all he saw was pink. It had been so long, and the sight of her was so unexpected that all Sasuke could do was gawk at her and she pranced over to him. She wasn't smiling but rather mildly glaring at him as she carried a large white plastic bag in her right hand and her purse in her left.

What the actual fuck.

"Sakura." He said her name, his voice low, barely audible. He was so stunned to see her, for her to be there… when they hadn't spoken in so long. Hell, she hadn't even sent but a single text. He didn't understand why she was there. "What are you doing here?" He asked before he could stop himself.

Her smile was gone and a fire was burning bright in her clear, green eyes. "You can't ignore me, not even if you are Sasuke Uchiha!" she burst out. It was clear she was angry, which made it all the more confusing for Sasuke. He continued staring at her, blinking quickly and unconsciously leaned back a bit.

"What?"

"You heard me!" She pushed a finger into his chest and walked closer, making him take another step back. "I've been texting and calling. You couldn't even take a second to get back to me? I was so worried. I get you're mad at me, Sasuke-kun, but you don't just ignore someone like that!"

"Excuse me, but I haven't ignored you. There's been no calls or texts. I think I would know about it." Sasuke snapped then. He thought this would make her backpedal, but she didn't.

Sakura let out a frustrated growl and pulled her phone out of her purse. She clicked away on her phone, and Sasuke was livid. Was she really going to use her phone, right now? After attacking and accusing him like this? He opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted when she shoved her phone up his face. There were a number of green bubbles on the right side of the screen. "You see this? Look at this, it's all me, on different dates!"

Sakura then changed the app to her phone log and Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes. His name was on the screen three times, all marked in red. "Three calls! Different days, different times. God, I even had to ask Naruto when you might be free to talk. I never had a problem contacting you until now, Sasuke."

He was still speechless, but it worried him when tears started pooling at the corner of her eyes. "Instagram! I even messaged you there, even if I know you don't look at it, but I tried and still nothing. What was I supposed to think?"

"Damn it, Sakura. I haven't received any messages at all-or calls. Your phone is telling lies!"

"You ignore me and call my phone a liar?" She was livid, irritation clear in her eyes. "What is your problem? I came here wanting to apologize but after hearing you calling me and my phone a liar, you can forget it! Check your notifications."

Sasuke reached towards his bag and searched for his phone, finding it after a moment's struggle. It hadn't been charged in days but somehow it had enough for him to look through it. "I don't see a damn thing." He muttered, mainly to himself because he really didn't think that Sakura's phone was a liar. For all he knew his phone could be the one telling the lies, but what was he supposed to think?

Sakura swiped his phone and started scrolling. "You have more than a hundred messages on Instagram!" she shrieked. "A thousand unread emails…" her pretty little face was contorted into such shock. "How can you live like this?"

"You think I have time for this phone nonsense. I had no interest in keeping up with it if I wasn't talking to you." He deadpanned and then his face heated when he realized what had slipped through his lips. "I mean… you didn't show up to my fight… never explained why and we quit talking. I don't talk to anyone else on that stupid phone."

"I'm really sorry. I tried reaching you…" her voice was nothing but a whisper. "I know you're not the type who wants to talk through phone so I didn't send you anything else than texts to meet up but you wouldn't respond."

Sasuke sighed then, feeling at a loss. "I didn't know there was anything to respond to." He assured her.

A brief sadness flitted through her features, but she puffed her cheeks—that determined look back in her face. "Look at this," she showed him his screen. Sasuke recognized the Instagram logo. "See?"

"Sasuke-kun, please talk to me. :("

"I would have never ignored you on purpose Sakura… even if I hated the fact that you missed my fight. Which I did. I would still like to know why you didn't come. I looked for you."

Her shoulders slumped and her eyes softened. "Would you please let me explain?"

"You've come all this way to talk to me, so yes. I want to know. And what's in the bag?" He asked, looking at the plastic bag in her hand.

A light blush dusted her cheeks. Sakura took the bag and pulled out a clear jar. She grinned and chirped, "breakfast muesli. Different one this time."

"Breakfast?" Sasuke swallowed, guilt washing over him like a tsunami. Damn her for being so perfect. He couldn't stand the fact that he loved it so much. "Fine, I should probably eat that while you explain."

Sakura laughed. "Is breakfast all it takes for you to forgive me?"

"I forgave you the instant you stepped into this gym. Breakfast was just an added bonus to your company. Especially since Naruto called me this morning and I forgot to grab something."

Her blush deepened. "Right… Naruto isn't coming. I—I asked him not to." Sakura refused to meet his gaze, looking even more sheepish by the second.

"Then why the hell did that idiot call me talking shit this morning?" Sasuke huffed before taking a seat on the bench, mouth watering at the sight of the breakfast jar still in Sakura's hands.

She bit her lower lip and handed him the jar. "I asked him and Ino for help to make you show up… I really needed to talk to you."

"Hn… well, I'm here to listen." He said as he opened the jar and grabbed a spoon.

Sakura didn't speak for a while, she seemed to be deep in thought as she watched him have his first spoonful. Her eyes lit up when Sasuke eagerly dug into the museli.

"Like it?" she smiled, a light teasing tone in her voice.

"It's delicious. Thank you." He told her, meeting her eyes directly for the longest of moments before returning to his breakfast.

Her smile brightened for a bit before she released a heavy sigh. "I'm really sorry I couldn't go, Sasuke-kun. It's a bad excuse, but I hope you'll understand." she fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, stealing a few glances at his face from time to time. "My dad surprised me for an impromptu trip. He remembered how I was raving about the beach and that I wanted to go back soon... He also felt bad he missed our monthly family dinner last time so he decided to whisk my mom and me away for the weekend to the Philippines..."

Sasuke couldn't help but feel even more disappointed by her explanation. He understood that her parents meant a lot to her, they were close. He couldn't blame her for wanting to spend time with them. Could he really expect her to show up to his fight when her father wanted to whisk her away half-way across the world for a weekend? It was more than that bothering him… it was the fact that their friendship had to remain a secret from her parents. He didn't need her to admit it to know that this was a fact. Just the way Ino covered up for him during the Golden Glove was enough of an explanation.

"Did you have fun?" He asked quietly, trying not to be an ass about the situation. He cared a lot about Sakura and he wished they could have more together… but he could accept what they already had if he had to.

Sakura forced a smile and tried to sound as cheerful as possible. "Sure. The beach is always fun. One of the most beautiful places I've been to, honestly. Maybe we should go some time." Though the way her hands were balled into tight fists on her lap made her feelings clear.

"I doubt it honestly… I've got a lot going on. I'm moving up to welterweight and will be fighting more often. I have another fight scheduled next week. My days are filled. Every day. A lot has changed since we last spoke."

A look of excitement flashed through her face. "This is good news, isn't it? I mean, the welterweight thing. Naruto told me you can eat anything now." She kept her tone as light as she could, but hearing him deny her invitation and the implication of his schedule weighed on her shoulders.

Sasuke nodded as he swallowed another bite of his museli. "It's great news. I'll be making more money… but I'll also be traveling more, training more."

Nodding solemnly, Sakura chewed on her lower lip. "That does sound great." Her voice faltered a bit before she continued, "I guess this means we can't see each other anymore, right?"

"You knew this was my profession when you met me. You know where I train. Where I live… and you're always invited to my fights. So you tell me… does it mean we can't see each other anymore?"

She took a deep breath before replying, "you make it sound like I have to do everything around here, Sasuke-kun." The words floated in the air for a few moments in silence.

Sasuke sighed as he sat the now empty jar aside. "I can't help feeling that you've never wanted me in your life… Except for when you want to be in mine. You act like your parents can't know we're friends. I mean… What do you want from me? I've welcomed you into my whole life with open arms. My mother asks about you almost on a daily basis."

Sakura hummed and nodded her head, a small smile on her face after she commented how cute his mom was, to which he rolled his eyes. Her gaze settled on the octagon in front of them. "It's not that I want to hide you from my parents, Sasuke-kun. It's just that..." she turned to face him and bit her lower lip. "I'm not sure you'd like them to know."

"You met my entire family... if it were up to me we would be much closer than we have been. It's like you're afraid and I get that. I really do. I've been scared since I met you… But not scared enough to give up on having you."

He would fight for her, but she had to fight for him too.

She looked away and tugged at the hem of her skirt. "I'm sorry. My parents are different. They're really… protective."

Sasuke snorted at this. "As am I." he said before sighing. "Look… I don't want to argue. I like having you around. I would make time for you no matter what and you know it. But I expect the same in return. That goes for showing up to my fights."

"I can't promise that right now," Sakura replied with her lips in a tight line. "But I can promise to try."

"What else can I ask for?" Sasuke forced a smile then, hating the defeated look on her face. "Stop frowning now. You know you're too cute for that."

Heat rose to her cheeks and her eyes lit up with glee, tears pooling at the corners. "Thank you." She smiled so wide and it felt like forever since Sasuke saw her this happy. "Does this mean we're friends again?"

"Depends… are you coming to my house in the morning? Or do I need to find a new yoga instructor?"

Sakura laughed. "Sure, tomorrow morning. If you're not too busy, maybe you can drop me off to the hospital after." A sly smile spread on her face.

"If you remember which hospital I work in, that is."

"Tch. Just who do you think I am? Of course I know and I will drop you off." Sasuke scoffed, unable to believe she doubted him so.

She giggled and stood up from the bench. "Sure you do, Mr. Prodigy. No asking Naruto for details." She stuck her tongue out playfully at him and picked her purse up. "I would love to stay, but I have…" she stopped mid-sentence and looked at Sasuke, still keeping that teasing look on her face.

"You have work?" He asked, standing alongside her.

She smiled. "Yeah, and then lunch with my mom. I'll be free in the afternoon. Maybe we can have dinner?"

"Hn. I think I could skip an interview for that. Who wants to be on TV anyways?" Sasuke smirked. It would be nice to have her back around and neglect his public duties.

"Hey! My co-worker will kill me if she found out my dinner plans were the cause of you not appearing on TV. You're a favorite in our lunchroom." She was laughing so much and god he missed the sound of it. "It's nice to see and hear you while I'm at work, you know? Even if it is behind a screen." Sakura smiled sincerely at him, clear that she missed him enough to say these little things to him.

"There will be plenty more interviews so don't worry. Tonight will be just about us." He promised, stepping closer to her and raising his hand to her face, fingers tucking her hair behind her ear ever so slowly. "I've missed you."

She leaned into his touch and smiled sweetly. "I missed you too, Sasuke-kun. I'm happy we're talking again."

"Me too… it's a good thing you stopped avoiding me." He said, but couldn't keep himself from chuckling.

The fire in her eyes returned and she hit him playfully. "Check your phone once in a while! You were the one ignoring me!" She huffed and crossed her arms. "And don't call my phone a liar again. It's done nothing wrong to you!"

Sasuke poked her nose playfully. "Guess I'll try to keep up with my phone… just to know when yours is telling lies."

"It doesn't!" She stuck her tongue out at him but laughed and held his hand in both of hers. "I'll teach you how to use Instagram. Your fans will love seeing you use it." Before he could even respond, Sakura burst out, "reminds me! Who's your media partner? Maybe I can come to your interviews."

"Media what now?" Sasuke's brows pulled together. "I don't know about any of that. Kakashi handles it. I could probably get you in either way."

Sakura chuckled. "Of course he does. Right. It's okay, I can ask Ino. But I will teach you how to use Instagram. Let's go to this cute little place tonight. I'll teach you how to take photos and everything." Sakura started chatting away again, getting carried away whenever she would talk about something she was passionate about.

"Whatever you want… But I don't plan to be active. It might sound shitty but… I'm sick of these fans. I've had enough."

"You'll change your mind once you see how many people look at it and say nice things about the things you post. Besides," Sakura grinned, "I'd like to see little snippets of your day too, you know? I'm a fan, after all."

"Is that right? Well then… that changes everything."

She giggled. "I thought it might. I'll see you later, then?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, you will."

As he watched her leave with a smile and a wave, Sasuke was overwhelmed with the amount of relief he felt. To see her again and let go of all the anger and misery he felt… It was exhilarating. She'd been trying to reach him this whole time and he didn't even know.

It was wrong of him to be so upset with her for missing his last fight. Things happened. She still supported him. He wanted her there, it hurt him to not have her there, but he couldn't blame her for it.

Sakura meant a lot to him, he knew this because it had hurt like hell not seeing and talking to her every day. She was the only woman besides his mother that he welcomed into his life and he didn't want to lose her over something so nonsensical.

With a smile on his face, Sasuke started his training for the day. He couldn't wait to see her again.

A/N:

Back with the update! XD

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This chapter had a little variety of feels and we hope you enjoyed it. Are you guys glad they made up?

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Tyy and Kairi