Chapter 4

Quick A/N: I'm changing things up slightly. I'm making this entirely canon-based, which means NaruHina will be a thing. I had gone back and forth on how to do it, but I think I can make it work for what I want for this story. The updates and first chapter will reflect this as well. More will be said at the end of this chapter. Thanks for your patience!

Sakura sat outside her parent's RV, the sun shining brightly across the small playground centered in the middle of a circle of RVs. Looking to her right, she could see the moon reflecting off the water on the lake, a light sound of waves crashing against the beach could be heard. The night air was warm, which was not unusual for the month of July. They would be here for several weeks, which Sakura didn't mind as it gave her a reprieve from the usual and she could enjoy the new atmosphere. It also kept her parents busy with their friends who were also camping, which she didn't mind at all. A breeze came through, blowing her hair to her left and she pulled some strands behind her ear to keep it from tickling her nose. Her phone vibrated and she looked down to see a familiar name, one that brought excitement into her life. Standing, she walked several feet away to a more secluded area, sitting on a swing before answering the phone.

"I wasn't expecting you to call." Sakura giggled out as a way of greeting.

"My grandparents had me all day, so I think they can stand to give me a bit of time with you." Sasuke's responses caused her heart to stop for a moment, a blush forming on her cheeks at the statement. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, you know… enjoying the small amount of freedom I can get." Sakura murmured out, her eyes darting around, but anyone around was too far away to hear her. Sighing, she continued, "I'm ready to start college. How are you?"

"I'm ready to get out of here, as well. Shame we won't be near each other." Sasuke's voice was usually one tone, but somehow it still made her feel shy in so many ways.

"We can still find a way to meet up." Sakura said with a smile, hearing it in her voice. The breeze picked up, yet it wasn't enough to cook down the evening. It made her wonder if it was more hearing his voice that caused her temperature to spike up. They continued on chatting about mindless things, Sakura falling more and more at ease as they continued on. She decided to make herself more comfortable and sat at the bottom of a metal slide, leaning back against it slowly until her backside was on it. The moon now overhead, yet her parents didn't seem too worried about her whereabouts at the moment.

"Sakura, I have something to tell you." Sasuke started suddenly, his voice as calm as ever, but she caught something different that caused her to sit up.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, her brows sinking down in confusion.

"I need you to promise me something."

Her breath hitched, worry entirely etched on her face at this point. "Okay…"

"You have to promise me you won't say anything back. At least not until I have things sorted out on my end." Sasuke's voice continued to sound calm, yet she had picked up on the worry he held in that tone.

"I promise." Sakura said slowly, trying to make her voice sound far more confident than she felt.

The next few words out of his mouth were a shock, causing her eyes to widen and mouth to fall open, her hand clinging to the phone in desperation. As promised, she said nothing, did nothing but allow the silence between them to speak volumes for her and him. Sakura knew it would take a while for that statement to settle, yet she wasn't sure if it was real. Could it ever be real to hear something like that from someone you met? Were they just too young to understand, especially the circumstances they were in? Her face must look like a tomato at this point, but she continued to remain silent for a moment, his words still taking their time to slowly register in her head. Her life had always been filled with trauma in some capacity, so she was hesitant to cling to something from a person she had never laid eyes on. And like she promised, she chose not to acknowledge it until he brought it up again.

"... and then you blend this darker shade right into the crease!" Sakura said happily, watching as Keiko, her new roommate in college, looked in the handheld mirror.

"When the hell did you learn to do makeup like this?" Keiko asked, fluttering her long, dark lashes over icy blue eyes. "You sure you want to study psychology and not just become a makeup artist?"

"I work for a cosmetic company part time while I'm in college and watched a lot of videos." Sakura beamed proudly, putting finishing touches on Keiko's lipstick.

"I'll just hire you myself."

Sakura laughed, feeling proud of herself for bringing a bit of joy into her roommate's life at that moment. They were a month into the start of college courses and both of them had become instant friends. Keiko gave Sakura a hug before heading out on her big date, a look of confidence making Sakura feel as though she had done a huge deed when in fact, she had done something that she enjoyed doing on the side. It had become a sense of calm when she could put colors on her own face or, in this case, on that of a friend. Sakura glanced over at her nightstand, a picture of Sasuke's bored expression staring back up at her. A week after that night, he had officially asked Sakura to be his girlfriend. At this time, they had been together for nearly two months, and she couldn't be happier. They talked daily as he would work after his own classes, so late night talks were not uncommon for them as their schedules synched up most of the time. Their room had white walls and ceiling; the tan carpet helped to not make it look so sterile. Keiko's colors leaned on the blue side, so Sakura's pink and purple went well with it. Both girls had decorated it up with fairy lights, giving it a fun vibe when the overhead lights were turned off.

Her phone vibrated and she looked at the clock and knew immediately who it was. With a wide grin, she immediately answered the phone. "I didn't realize what time it was."

"It's a Saturday so I didn't have to work late." Sasuke said in return, the sound of wind in the distance letting her know he was driving. "Is your friend gone?"

"Oh, yes. She left a few minutes ago, actually." Sakura said, looking back at the door as though she would see Keiko walk back through. 'Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I wasn't sure if you'd be distracted or not. I know how you can be." Sasuke teased, though his voice remained neutral, she could hear the slight amusement.

"Oh, ha-ha, you're so funny." Sakura murmured, frowning slightly before laughing. "Going to spend the evening teasing me, Mr. Uchiha?"

"You make it too easy, Ms. Haruno." Came the quick response. "What's the plan for tonight?"

"I may watch a movie. She will be gone for a while, so I don't have to worry about what I watch too much." Sakura offered, glancing over at the TV that they shared. "What about you?"

"Probably hang out with a few friends of mine. Suigetsu and Jugo want to order a pizza and hang out." Sasuke said, his voice now completely neutral.

"I'm glad that they came with you." Sakura said with a smile. "Even if Karin is still a bother."

"You know I can handle her just fine. Don't worry about it." Sasuke's smirk was heard on her end, which caused her to smile. "Besides, I think she's finally moving on, though I think it's toward Suigetsu."

"That is an… interesting idea." Sakura hummed. "Has he noticed?"

"Don't get me started." Sasuke huffed out, earning a giggle.

"... and if that's all for today, dismissed."

A group of people scattered from the meeting room, a much smaller office than the headquarters of the Uchiha family company, but one that allowed Sasuke the ability to lead, which he had been doing since he started school. The meeting room was still large, able to seat a solid 15 people, now held 4. Sasuke stood, grabbing the folders he had brought along and made to move when he was stopped by a coworker, Maria Tanaka. She smiled up at him in such a shy way that Sasuke instantly felt annoyed, raising a brow at her before stepping to the side and making his way back to his office. He heard footsteps behind him and instantly felt even more annoyed. He knew that having a team in the evening after classes meant a more intimate setting with coworkers, but this was ridiculous.

"What do you want, Maria?" Sasuke asked, opening the door to his office and walking toward his desk, only now frowning at how large his office was. Being the Vice President has its quirks, but now he needed something between the two of them. Sitting down in his black, leather chair, he looked up at Maria who was idly fingering a few strands of hair. She had long, blonde hair and piercing green eyes. What most men would consider very attractive, Sasuke didn't bother to consider it. Sakura had been the only one he found himself looking at when he was with someone else. She had been special to him and even now, all he could think about was the picture he had on his phone. Her green eyes held something extra in them, strawberry blonde hair that he couldn't wait to run his hands through. This woman before him, this woman wasn't Sakura and she needed to leave.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after work." Maria started, fidgeting in place.

"No, I'm busy." Sasuke said plainly, typing up a few updates about the meeting to send off.

"Oh, well maybe tomorrow night?" Maria offered, looking a bit hurt.

"No. I have a girlfriend and have no interest."

"I only meant as friends, Sasuke!" Maria snapped, earning his attention.

"As friends? Then let me ask you something…" Sasuke started, standing slightly. "Friends don't twirl their hair and bite their bottom lip. That's flirting. That's what you do when you want sexual attention. I have no desire or need to give that to anyone but my girlfriend. Go find someone else to annoy."

"She doesn't even live here." Maria flinched, looking away from him.

"And you just admitted I was right. You can see yourself out." Sasuke retorted with a snort of irritation, watching her stomp off. Rolling his eyes, he went back to the document, sending it off a half hour later. With a yawn and stretching out his arms, he grabbed his things and headed out the door. Once he exited the building, the warm breeze blew past him, moving his hair slightly. Closing his eyes, he exhaled a breath of annoyance and made his way to the parking garage that was a short walk under a glass cover that was a blessing any time it rained. Walking inside the parking garage, he yawned again and then walked to his car only to see Maria standing near it, talking to someone. He looked to be a male around their age when they had both turned to look over at him. The male looked bored, and Maria stuck her nose up in the air. Sasuke smirked, got into his car and left, not bothering to waste his time and energy on the two of them. Stopping at the stop sign at the end of the parking lot, he called up Sakura, ready to end his day on a much better note.

"Hello Sasuke!" Sakura said in his ear a moment later, the happiness in her voice easing him slightly. "How was work?"

"Annoying. Maria decided to actually try asking me out this time." Sasuke said, yawning once more.

"You seem thrilled." Sakura said, amusement in her voice. "How did she take that?"

"She wasn't happy about it, but I don't really care about it." Sasuke responded, giving her a shrug, she couldn't see before smirking. "I'd rather look at you all night, anyways."

"You know how to make a girl swoon." Sakura teased back. "I wouldn't mind staring at you all night, either. Hopefully soon."

"Yeah, I hope we can meet up soon. How was your day?"

"So, I got back on the site again. Slowly of course. It gives me something to do when I need to take a break from school." Sakura stated. "I didn't think you'd mind, though I assume that you are done with it."

"I have no plans to get back on. I met you and I'm content with that." Sasuke responded. "Meet anyone new?"

"Yes! I met another woman! Her name is Hinata!" Sakura said excitedly. "She says she's shy in person, so talking to others she doesn't have to face makes her feel more at ease."

"And she talks to the one woman who can make friends with anyone she comes across. Figures." Sasuke mused, hearing her click her tongue on the other end.

"Oh hush, Sasuke. You could do the same if you were not always so closed off." Sakura murmured.

"Why would I do that? People are annoying and I have you. Besides, Suigetsu makes up for ten people on his own." Sasuke said, tapping his hands on the steering wheel, the dark world around him as he heard her laugh. Something about the sound warmed his chest and brought something to life in him that had not been there before she came into his life. He thought back to the night he was with his grandparents, and she was enjoying camping with family. The words he shared that night had scared him as much as he felt it scared her, but it didn't feel negative. It wasn't the first time he had said that to someone else. Usually, family and one girlfriend that he never talked about with anyone else. Sakura was the second person in his life outside of family that captured something in him that no one else truly had. And when he thought about it, this woman he had never felt near him, never kissed, never looked into lively eyes only a foot away had taken more. Sara had taken his heart first, his first love that he shared a lot with on a trip with his father. It was never meant to last and being in a country far from his own had made it more romantic and more intense.

However, this with Sakura was far better and far more intense, which felt impossible. She brought light into life that had always felt dark and boring. He didn't have to see her in person to feel a connection with her. Itachi had eventually learned about her, teased him before supporting him. Their parents were skeptical, feeling that Sasuke was making a mistake. Yet, hearing her talk and her laugh let him know he made the best decision of his life. And that night that felt like so long ago continued to make more sense. He wasn't one to be impulsive, but somehow this woman brought it out of him. He repeated those words once again when she had paused from telling her story, hearing her breath hitch at his words just as he thought back to that night.

"You have to promise me you won't say anything back. At least not until I have things sorted out on my end."

"I promise."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Sasuke." Sakura said, her voice filled with emotion. Causing that warm feeling that only she could bring to spread throughout his chest. They continued on until he pulled up near his college dorm, stepping out as he bid her a good night, smiling to himself when he hung up the device. Walking inside, he heard Suigetsu snoring in his bed, blue blanket nearly falling off the bed. Sasuke shook his head in amusement, grabbing clothes and getting ready for bed, only to remember he had a test in the morning and groaning in frustration. Choosing to study instead, he managed to get in a few hours before he fell asleep.

A/N: So, I decided to make this lean more canon as I have planned it out in a different way to make this work. I'm excited for the change and hope everyone else is too. So, as mentioned in this chapter Hinata, we will be slowly getting to meet the other characters soon! The focus will still be on Sasuke and Sakura, but they will have their moment, too! Hope everyone is enjoying the story! I hope to begin giving more details to feelings and thoughts now that we have established a relationship with our main couple!

Thank you all! Also, if you haven't heard, Sasuke is getting a manga on October 23rd. The focus will be on his relationship with Sakura. I'm excited as I haven't read the book but have heard a little bit about it. If you haven't looked into it! Especially for all my SasuSaku people. I'm actually excited to read about it. Even if I'll still occasionally write my SasuHina, I still support SasuSaku regardless, I'll never not like non-canon stuff, but that's my preference! However, I definitely want to keep this story AU canon as much as I can and not get the characters too OOC, but some changes will be made for reasons I hope are seen as we go forward!

Also, apologize for the late chapters and not being as active. I've started a new job and recently had battled a cold/sinus infection for a solid week. It's been chaos on my end. I hope to get to write some more.