Early next morning, when the sun had risen, Uchiha Sasuke stood by Sakura's bed and gazed at her pale smooth face, as she lay asleep.
'God, she looks like an angel. So peaceful, so innocent. sigh.'
His heart beat faster as he slowly held his hand up and covered her with a blanket. Then, he held her pink cheeks gently and caressed it ever so slowly, as if it were something delicate and breakable. He savored every moment of it and never allowed any second of it to pass.
This was probably the last time he would ever see her.
'She's been crying. Probably cried herself to sleep last night.. Oh Sakura.'
He moved his hand towards her eyes and wiped away her tears. Sakura moved her face sideways and Sasuke couldn't do anything but gape at the beautiful face of his precious love. His angel stirred and immediately, he removed his hand and moved away. But it was too late. Sakura had sensitive ears and was now awake. Sasuke froze and felt his knees dissolving.
'What should I do?'
"Naruto? Is that you?" Sakura said feebly as she wiped her eyes but found them dry. She felt something on her cheeks and on her eyes; a feeling so indescribable that she thought she was just dreaming. Then she got up, and felt her blanket.
"Wha-?"
She didn't use the blanket last night. Did someone come to her room while she was asleep? And if there was, who could it have been?
Suddenly, she felt movement in the shadows and her ears twitched the moment she heard light footsteps in the room.
"Hello?" she croaked. She went down from her bed and tottered across the room barefoot, looking around for the mysterious person. "Please, whoever you are, show yourself."
Poof.
She heard a familiar sound, and out of the darkness came Kakashi.
"Ka-kakashi-sensei?" she approached him on the left side of the room, near her table. "What were you doing in my room..?"
Sakura paused and studied Kakashi. Something was very wrong here.
"What's wrong Sakura? I just wanted to check on you." Kakashi answered, his accent sounded a little different. He moved away from her and walked towards the door.
'There's something unusual about him.' Sakura knew the answer but she couldn't put her finger on it. She was still unsure. Finally, as Kakashi glanced back, the answer came to her. 'Could it be? No-Of course!'
"Wait." she said, trying to catch up with him.
She moved towards him and Kakashi stopped to face her. As they came face to face, she gazed at his eyes and then edged closer. He tried to avoid her as Sakura touched his torso gently.
"No.." Kakashi said to himself. He backed off and tried to get away, moving away from her as fast as he could but Sakura followed and when he was cornered, she went for another try.
".Sakura..No." Kakshi said, still not believing what Sakura was trying to do.
His reaction only confirmed Sakura's suspicion. Now that she was sure, she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. Kakashi couldn't do anything but give in. His knees melted as soon as he felt Sakura's breath on his face, and eventually, her tender lips on his trembling mouth.
Flashback
"I need to get away Naruto. I don't belong here." Sasuke said softly. He arranged his thoughts and paused for a while.
"Are you sure?" Naruto started walking towards the other side of the rooftop as he thought about what Sasuke had just said.
He sat down on the other side of the roof and waited for the sky to change from pitch black to a deep shade of pink and orange. He stretched his arms and yawned lightly.
Sasuke went along and sat beside him as they welcomed forth a new day.
"I have to leave you.. I'm going to start a journey by myself. I need to find myself and start a new life, away from here.. This is not where I should be, here with you, Kakashi-sensei and Sakura." Sasuke spoke as if he was still convincing himself. But he was firm with his decision and had resolved to do the right thing, even if it would cause him more pain. "And, I want you all to be happy. ."
"That would be hard. Hmmm.. I imagine myself leaving my family in the middle of the year, and the only explanation I have is that I want them to be happy. That's quite Ironic, isn't it?" Naruto replied with a smile, displaying the same energy he had the night before. "But I understand what you want. Whether you deny it or not, I know that you only want Sakura to be happy. Uh-huh. But, do you think that the only way she would feel a sense of joy is to be with Kakashi-sensei? What if she becomes more miserable with you gone?"
"I know Sakura, she's tough and wise. She will forget about me, you'll see. And I know that she will eventually love Kakashi-sensei. Until that moment comes, he will patiently wait for her, loving her more as each day rolls by.." he felt the wind's cool breath and closed his eyes. It was heartbreaking, but he had to be strong.
He opened his eyes and stared at the pink skyline, which was now brighter and richer because of the golden rays of the sun.
"That is where she rightfully belongs Naruto: in Kakashi's arms." he said, his wound growing deeper inside. But that was the truth, and he had to accept it no matter how harsh.
"You're such a cynic Sasuke. No wonder you feel so helpless and morose."
"That's just who I am." Sasuke said calmly as he breathed out the last of his sorrow. He breathed in the new day as a new person. 'All this will come to pass, and afterwards, all of you would feel sunshine all through out your lives. This phase is just one of those moments when everything is enveloped by darkness, just before the sun breaks free.'
They watched the sky and the fresh sun awakening before Sasuke stood up.
"Where are you going?" Naruto fumbled and got up hastily.
"I have to prepare myself. I leave this morning, before you three leave for your next mission"
"What time would that be?" Naruto queried.
Sasuke didn't answer and hurriedly jumped off the rooftop and went towards his room. Naruto didn't stop him anymore. He just remained on the rooftop and sighed.
"Some people grow up too fast." he said to himself. "But I'll miss that guy."
End of flashback
With Sasuke disguised as Kakashi, he allowed their lips interlocked, and he couldn't help but slip his hand on Sakura's back and the other one held her neck. For one brief moment, the two teenagers felt like they were waiting for this moment to come alive, like they knew all along that they were in love with each other.
Quietly, their lips parted and Sasuke admired Sakura's eyes for a time as he brushed her hair away from her eyes. Sakura held his face as she gazed at the bare soul visible through his eyes. And then she whispered his name, as if she saw him as Sasuke and not as Kakashi.
"Sasuke." She had said as her hand rubbed his cheeks gently.
As soon as he heard this, he pulled away and avoided her eyes.
Poof.
His form came back and Kakashi vanished in an instant.
Sakura was right. Kakashi-sensei wasn't really Kakashi-sensei. While he hid in darkness, Sasuke didn't have any more options, so he deliberately changed his form and became a shadow replica of Kakashi.
She held her lips and remembered Kakashi's own soft full lips two nights before.
Sasuke clenched his fists and punched the wall. He felt so stupid after realizing that he had fallen for her trick.
"You left some clues Sasuke.. Your accent sounded more sly. The way you walked and carried yourself was also something that I had noticed. And the way you looked at me. I can recognize you even if you disguise yourself as the fourth hockage by just looking at your eyes." she told him without him asking, "Besides, Kakashi-sensei smiled more often."
And it was only then that he remembered. This girl, the one he had grown to love in clandestine was Haruno Sakura, the most intelligent Geshin in their batch. How could he forget that small important fact? Sasuke weighed down the facts and thought about his next step silently.
Not knowing what to do and a bit shock with her own actions, Sakura looked out the window and watched as the rays of the sun came shining through the trees, the wind playing with the light as the leaves moved along.
"Gomen." Sakura said uncomfortably. She knew there wasn't really anything to be sorry about. Still, she felt like apologizing knowing that she had started all this when she kissed him.
"No. I should be the one apologizing." he faced her and took a step closer as he bent his head. "Sakura, I failed. I failed you."
Not understanding this, Sakura backed away and sat on her bed.
'This isn't right. Why is he apologizing all of a sudden? And why did he give failure as his reason? He never failed. Why? Why are his eyes so full of sorrow and regret, like someone had died? What is going on?!' Inside her head, so many questions kept popping out, but none of those questions were voiced out. She was too afraid that Sasuke would answer her what she had feared ever since she fell in love with him. 'Is he going away? It can't be possible. Is it?'
She looked back at him and was surprised to see him sitting beside her, looking at her with, was it pity or were those hidden tears in his eyes?
"Sakura, I.." he didn't know what he was supposed to say. He wanted to tell her that he was leaving, but he had a hard time. Sakura faced him and held his hand.
"Tell me that everything will be all right Sasuke. Please. Ju-just for once, hold me in your arms and promise me that you will always be here by my side. Tell me that you will always be here." She said with glassy eyes. "That kiss. It meant something, didn't it? I can feel it."
He almost regretted his decision to kiss her back although he knew that the kiss was unavoidable. Even if she was asleep right now, there was still that possibility that Sasuke would seize the moment and kiss her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and keep her by his side to ease her pain. More than anything, he wanted to be able to say the words that spoke of his love for her.
But he held back. He took back his hand and stood up to leave. His thoughts were all tangled, and he didn't know what to say or do. He walked slowly to the door and Sakura just stared at him.
'Should I tell her that I'm leaving? Or should I tell her the truth about my feelings? No, no, my place is not here. Besides, it would be more painful for her if she knew that I love her. It's better if she would hate me as I leave. That way, it would be easier for her to let me go.'
After deciding on what to do, he stopped on his tracks, put on his famous smirk paired with sarcasm and answered back.
"If you want open arms, go to Kakashi's room. Soothing your soul seems to be his new job." he said cruelly, just to hide his bruised heart. "A kiss is just a kiss Sakura. Nothing more. Don't be stupid, you've caused us enough trouble already."
"Please. I can sense your sorrow and I want to help you." She said tenderly as her tears fell.
All she really dreamed of was his love. But even his smile was just an illusion. She only wanted him to understand her, to appreciate her, to share himself to her. But maybe that dream was also deteriorating, just like her hopes.
"Tuh. Dumb girl. My heart stopped beating a long time ago." Sasuke spat back. "Don't you understand? I can't feel anything, even your love." And then he continued to walk away, pretending that he never felt his chest tighten. Yet it was more difficult to hear his angel speak sadly because of him.
"Sasuke.." Sakura muttered in despair.
Tired of his insults and hostility, Sakura ran to Sasuke and pulled hard on his shirt. He turned around, and she started punching him everywhere like a wild animal. She kept pounding on him even as her vision was nothing but a blur. Her eyes never dried out of tears, but she never released him.
'That was too harsh for her. What have you done!' Sasuke thought angrily as he tried to placate her.
"How could you be so cruel? How could you ignore me like that and treat me like, like dirt? You're. Such,an-Igno-rant bastard!! If only, if only you knew how emptiness has haunted me. Do, do you even know that you're killing me Sasuke..?" She reprimanded him in between sobs. "How could you..? Sasuke.. How..could you..?"
She continued to strike him with her fists, weak as they were, because she knew no other way to express her frustrations. She wanted to break his bones and squeeze out the soul behind this impassive facade. Somewhere underneath this proud and heartless genius, she knew that there existed a lonesome little boy, quietly weeping in his solitude.
Sasuke placed his arms around her as she continued to try to cause him physical pain. All of her punches only left Sasuke bruised and depressed. Yet no matter what she did, it was her heart that ached the most. Sasuke was almost down to tears due to the misery that he felt inside, but he knew that Sakura had every right to hurt him like this.
'I deserve every bit of the pain I'm feeling right now, physically and emotionally. Sakura, please forgive me. Someday, you would understand all of this. Most of all, you would know why I'm doing all of this.. Don't you see? I'm doing this for you. I only want you to be happy. I love you so much, that it hurts me so. You don't deserve me. Be happy with Kakashi because you belong together.'
Sasuke held her closer as she finally gave up and just cried. He embraced her tight and never allowed any of his tears to fall, no matter how difficult it was for him.
"I never gave up on you, you arrogant little boy. I know that you're as lonely as I am.. But you didn't have to hurt me like this.." Sakura murmured breathlessly. "You know how much I love you.."
Sakura continued to shed tears with Sasuke's arms around her and little by little, Sasuke's tears began to crawl. He bent his head down and wept without saying a word.
Silence filled the room as the sun rose to the sky and the birds outside began to twitter in unison.