Summary: After trying to drink his emptiness away, he wanders around the streets of Konoha, thinking about what had happened in the past seven years to find a reason for living. He would have never thought she was that other reason.

Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei. The song is When I Met You by APO Hiking Society.

As Time Passes

Another Reason for Living

All eyes were on him at the bar as he took a sip of sake from the disk. He had taken the opportunity to lead the ANBU Team assigned in killing Uchiha Itachi at last. It was under twenty-four hours when he had engaged with the S-Class Missing Nin in battle, a few meters away from the gates of Konoha. Bandages were wrapped liberally around his arms, even his neck. Plasters were stuck on his face to stop the bleeding of the wounds. He had rubbed the skin off of his right hand raw because of gripping the kunai so hard. His hands and fingers were gloved in white linen strips.

Eyes continued staring at the hunched form, occasionally breaking their gaze from him as to not make him suspicious of their actions. He, however, didn't care that they were looking over at his sorry form. He had snuck out of the hospital to drink the night away. He had no more purpose in the world, now that he had finally avenged the murder of his parents, done in cold blood all those years ago.

Pouring more of the drink from the bottle, he watched as the hot liquid began to settle in the ceramic disk. It was the only thing he could do now; drink his troubles and problems away. In his mind, it was the only thing he could think of doing with a life that had been suddenly thrown to uselessness.

There I was an empty piece of a shell,
Just mindin' my own world;
Without even knowin' what love and life were all about.

"Excuse me, sir, it's time for the place to close," spoke up bar tender. His voice held a certain amount of fear and nervousness. Almost everyone was when they were speaking with him.

"Oh, really?" he drawled as he looked up at the person speaking to him. The bar tender nodded, hoping that he wouldn't get into any further trouble. His onyx eyes intimidated him enough. "Here," he muttered as he slammed a few ryo on the table before getting up. For someone who had drunk five bottles of sake and still be able to walk straight was a feat.

It was quiet when he had stepped out of the dingy bar. He frowned as he turned his head away, the light from the street lamp blinding him. Pocketing his hands, he decided to roam around the streets of Konoha. It wasn't like anything or anyone was waiting for him back at home. No one had waited for him for twelve long years.

Then you came,
You brought me out of the shell;
You gave the world to me
And before I knew,
There I was so in love with you.

Closing his eyes momentarily, he saw a face he didn't want to see. A simple grin from her could make all his troubles melt away, even for just a split second. The endlessness of her beautiful jade eyes puzzled him. The silkiness of her rose colored hair intrigued him. The scent that emanated from her intoxicated him.

"Kuso, I don't need this," he muttered lamely as he ran a hand through his raven bangs. His cheeks were already starting to redden, the effects of the sake he had drunk starting to overcome his senses. "So annoying," he said as he rubbed his temples, "Even when you're not here, you're so annoying."

"Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun, look here," came a female voice from behind him. Jerking his head suddenly, he half expected to see her with a grin on her face, holding something trivial in her hands. For a split second, he thought he saw her in the dead of the night, standing closely behind him. Closing his eyes, he tried to regain a sense of rationality. Opening them once more, he saw that no one was behind him.

You gave me a reason for my being
And I love what I'm feelin'
You gave me a meaning to my life,
Yes, I've gone beyond existing
And it all began when I met you.

It had been seven years since they had become teammates. It had been seven years since he had betrayed the village to become stronger. It had been four years since he was brought back, against his own will. She was with the team that had been assigned to bring him back. He was impressed that she had grown strong enough to help subdue him and bring him home.

It had taken months to regain the village's trust in him. He had taken the Chuunin Exams when he had been allowed to. For her, it was different. It had only taken but a few minutes for him to get her to give him her trust. She was a loyal girl, loyal to the village and still loyal to him no matter how many times he had pushed her away.

"Kuso," he muttered again as he stopped. He was starting to get dizzy, the effects of the five bottles of sake starting to really hit on him. He was already starting to experience vertigo, something she had warned him a year ago on his birthday. Eighteen was the legal age in Konoha and to celebrate his adulthood, he had been given a bottle of sake to down all on his own. Being a Medical Specialist, it was her duty to warn him to drink the stuff moderately. She had known a number of ninjas who had died because of vertigo when they were suddenly ambushed during a mission.

I love the touch of your hair
And when I look in your eyes
I just know, I know I'm on to something good

Images of his early days as a Konoha Genin flashed through his mind as he continued walking. His feet felt heavy as he dragged himself around the streets of Konoha. He didn't mind, however. He had no reason to go back home yet.

"Sasuke-kun!" she would always say gleefully, trying to grasp his attention.

"Sasuke-teme!" he would always shout angrily, trying to challenge him to yet another useless duel. He had always been the victor repeatedly. As of late, it was hard to tell who would win a match between the two of them.

"Now now, Sasuke," he would always say, peeking up from his orange book, to try and calm him down so he wouldn't slaughter his blonde teammate for pissing him off yet again.

"Sasuke-kun, would you want to go out on a date with me?" she'd ask shyly at the end of the day, still hopeful for a yes. He had always answered a cold and angry no, muttering she should have trained instead of wasting her time to ask him out on a date. She never gave up, in the end.

And I'm sure my love for you will endure
Your love will light up my world;
And take all my cares away with the aching part of me.

It was so different when he had come back four years ago. Of course, she had still tagged along with him but there were days, many in fact, that she wasn't there. She was either training with the Godaime to further polish her existing skills as a Medical Specialist or learn even more. Otherwise, she was training with the Jounin named Mikizuki Aya for her Tai Jutsu skills as well as her skills on the usage of the Crescent Blade.

No matter how much he vehemently denied that fact, he missed the person who had constantly cheered him up, despite the chance of her receiving an onslaught of verbal insults and punishments. He never showed it, however. He had simply nodded, saying it was a good decision for her to pursue her training as a kunoichi of Konohagakure no Sato over mingling with an avenger like him.

It took him a while to get used to the fact that even if he looked over his shoulder, he wouldn't see her grinning back at him. He wouldn't see her infectious smile, a smile that had passed on from her to whoever she saw except for him and a few others.

You taught me how to love,
You showed me how tomorrow and today
My life is diff'rent from the yesterday;
And you, you taught me how to love
And darling I will always cherish you
Today, tomorrow and forever.

His eyes widened as he realized where he was standing. Familiar buildings took shape, albeit fuzzy, in his mind as he stretched out his hand, tracing the contours of the buildings in the air. A single coherent thought ran through his mind as he let his hand droop down at his side.

"Why in hell am I here?" he managed to mumble as he stared harder at where he was. His vision blurred momentarily as he staggered, trying to take a step forward. He felt something crush beneath the soles of his sandals. Lifting his foot, a scowl found its way to his face.

Bending down, he picked up a fallen cherry blossom petal. Its usual pink glamour had been lost because he had stepped on it, dark lines following the pattern of his sole evident against the otherwise pink petal. Sighing, he pocketed it and walked up to a door. Ringing the doorbell, he rested his forehead against the wall to steady himself.

And I'm sure when evening comes around
I know we'll be making love like never before;
My love, who could ask for more?

It seemed like forever while he waited outside, his eyes closed as he tried to get out of his drunken stupor. His head pounded painfully as he continued just standing there. Thankfully, no one was wandering anywhere near where he was currently standing. The door had opened while he was still leaning on the wall.

"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed as she looked at him worriedly, her brow creased into a frown. Looking at his face, she frowned even deeper. "You've been drinking, haven't you?" she asked worriedly, noting the redness of his face. Standing up straight, he opened his eyes, his vision still slightly blurred. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his body, seizing her lips. She could still taste faint traces of sake from his mouth.

"Sorry," he mumbled in between fevered kisses. He didn't care that he was outside, that there was a chance of someone seeing them. Taking an unconscious step backward, she shifted her weight between her feet, causing them both to come crashing down. Their tangled bodies were inside, their feet sticking out.

You gave me a reason for my being
And I love what I'm feelin'
You gave me a meaning to my life,
Yes, I've gone beyond existing
And it all began when I met you.
When I met you.

"Sorry for what?" she managed to mutter, returning the kisses with the same intensity. If she had been younger, she would have died and gone to seventh heaven with all the euphoria running through her body.

"Sorry for all the times that I never noticed you, that I pushed you away," he explained simply as he reluctantly pulled away. Helping her up, he looked at her with his sharp onyx eyes, never once looking back as he closed the door. "Sorry for everything that I've done that hurt you," he said once more, his cheeks reddening further.

She didn't need any of his apologies; she didn't need any of his sorrowful looks. All she needed was to hear him speak, to know that he was going to be beside her always. All sense of shyness was gone from her as she pulled him in another passionate kiss, tears flowing gently from her face. He had pulled away from her lips to kiss the sticky trails away, only to seize her lips once more when he was done.

They had somehow managed to stumble to her bedroom, drunkenness from alcohol and desire aside. All their frustrations, all their feelings, all they had wanted to say were said in the silence of the night. Actions counted for a lot more than words. Honey-coated words ended up deceiving most, if not all. Actions could never be reverted and taken back. What's done is done.

You gave me a reason for my being
And I love what I'm feelin'
You gave me a meaning to my life,
Yes, I've gone beyond existing
And it all began when I met you.
When I met you.

He had woken up the next morning, soft rays of sunlight peeking through the windows. His head was pounding as he sat up straight. The sheet fell away from his body, revealing his well toned torso. On a nearby chair, his clothes were folded neatly.

"Sasuke-kun, you're awake now," she said with a simple smile as she walked over beside him. He looked up and nodded. She had at least taken the liberty to cover herself with a towel, water dripping from her skin and hair. "Drink the medicine, it'll help with the hangover," she instructed as she sat down beside him, her forehead against his arm.

"Another reason for living," he said simply after downing the tablet with a generous amount of water. She lifted her face and looked at him, a confused expression written on her countenance. Looking at her, he spoke once more. "I found another reason for living," he spoke as he looked at her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "You, are my reason for living, Sakura." Pulling her into another kiss, their world blackened until they could see nothing else but each other.

--- Owari ---

I wanted to make another songfic so this one came out. I was actually having a hard time looking for a song to use until I found this one. I asked cherri-chan's opinion if it was suitable and she said the song screamed Sasuke/Sakura.

So, this one-shot goes to cherri-chan!

Hope you like it. I personally do since it sort of followed Caught in a Deadlock but totally spins off as well. It follows because it's also about Itachi being dead. It spins off because in Caught in a Deadlock, Sasuke realizes he loves her already. In this one-shot, he doesn't yet.

Check out my fanfiction archive. The URL is: http // fidelis .hakkai .net

Take out the spaces and you're there. I advise you to check it out because there may be fanfics there that aren't in fanfictionNET.

In any case, these stories aren't going to be long, since they're the type devoid of any major storyline. If these one-shots inspire you to write any more, by all means go ahead.