This is Dedicated to riza-akai, for asking me to write a fic, and getting me to try out that upload thingie out one more time.

Thank you!

It was alot less scary and complicated than i thought! (in truth, that thing where it asks for a document name always tripped me up. I kept thinking 'Name? but i already gave you a file path!' and didn't realize that it meant a title for the story instead. Wow, i was very blonde right then. I do not blame my hair.)

One heck of a fluffy moment here, I think Sasuke is sooooo Ooc, that it might make you all barf, IF you like to see him only as a little ice statue that stands in the punch bowl, the center of it all. I was also in a mood where i wanted to write things deep. You'll see if you read on.

This is inspired by a little e-mail I got, maybe some of you have too. It relates very closely, but that is because I want it too, or I fear the meaning might get lost (was there one? I'll have to check)

Well, here goes!

Oh! and i accept all reviews of any sort!

Nice ones are like candy, and flames are used to heat my hot-tub! So bring em on! (though i can't understand why some peole like to write mean things about someone's story and not even take credit for it. If you're mean, you're mean. Why not just tell us that then and try to be a little bit helpfull to whoever is your current flamee of choice? In fact. If there's someone you want to be just plain mean to and flame for no reason at all, flame me instead. I can take it.)

Story!


Sakura was nervous, why did she have to go through with this?

Naruto and Hinata getting together made her really think. And it was now or never for her, she had decided.

Plus, Ino had forced her, too,(Shikamaru had even helped her with the plotting, she really had him wrapped around her finger. And the sickening part was, they both knew it, and they BOTH loved it.).

She walked up to Sasuke in front of half the town. He was there because he was doing his shopping for the week; he did this every Monday, unless he was out on a mission.

She really knew him too well

She could see Ino and Shikamaru in the crowd, Ino threatening her with her mind control powers to make her do it if she tried to run. Inwardly, Sakura was grateful.

Ino had been using her powers slightly for the past hour to give her confidence. A great friend, that pig-headed girl...

Sasuke was watching a merchant wrap up and bag his groceries. He had made no motion to show he had sensed her.

Sakura felt the confidence in her waver, as Ino took it back. She must do this for herself, or it would forever leave her feeling guilty.

Taking a deep breath, she faulted.

Naruto and Hinata were there!

She whipped her head around, sensing someone else.

Tenten and Neji!

Gai Sensei and Lee! Though she had to admit, Lee wasn't as cheerful. He had let go of her because he loved her, but he would snatch her back up if given the chance. (Ya know the he wants to see her happy before himself kinda thing? It's so sweet how he's so self sacrificing!)

She heard a chuckle.

Kakashi was leaning against a tree, smiling into the pages of his 'Icha Icha Paradise', Iruka, Asuma, and Kankuro right beside him. Even Gaara and the sand siblings were there. Inwardly she groaned.

There was no way she'd live through this.

Sasuke had definitely noticed all of the other ninja there, and knew something was up.

He turned to face her, his cold dark eyes shaded by his raven's black hair.

Hair that she had longed to touch.

"S...S-sasu-ke..." She managed, her voice wanting to fail her completely.

"Sakura." His tone was blank, nothing in them to read. Her heart skipped a beat. This was going to be so hard, and she knew how it would end too.

"S-sasuke..." There, she managed only a small stutter. She could feel the silent encouragement of her friends, willing her through this. And Naruto and Ino's rambunctious silent cheers for her as she stopped only a few feet from the man she loved.

Now or never.

One sided love.

Now or never.

He hated her.

Now or never.

"Sakura..." It was a question that time. She could tell even though it hadn't changed much from his greeting. She knew him all too well.

Now or never.

"Well..." Now or never. Those words echoed, giving her strength she hadn't know she'd had, but knew she'd need.

"Sasuke, do you think I'm pretty?" she asked. Her heart fluttering in a pitiful attempt to raise her hopes. She'd be crushed again, like every other time she had asked something like this, though this was a lot worse. A lot worse.

"No" Her heart fell to the bottom of her ribcage. She hardly noticed Lee in the background grinding his foot into the earth.

Now or never. She mustered up the courage to say the rest.

"W-well... Would you want to be with me?...Forever?" she asked. She knew the answer, though this time it would crush her even deeper, break her to the core.

"No" His ice cold voice filtered into her shattered remains of a soul, her heart having been long gone with the first blow. Like she had known it would be. This was far more personal, and important, and final, most of all, final, than all her other attempts at love from him combined.

Now or never. The last shot. She would die when he gave the answer she knew was coming. All the other people around her, ones she didn't even know, were watching this scene with their own hearts breaking, and they all knew somehow it was a thousand times worse.

"I-if I were to...leave, would you...cry?" Her own heart was crying now, her own eyes too. She was going to die.

"No" The emotionless voice sent her over the edge. She slumped her shoulders as ninjas all around gritted their teeth at his heartlessness. Even Neji's fists clenched and Temari's eyes misted over. Gaara was having a hard time with his own sand, wanting to rip the Uchiha from the earth permanently and end her pain.

All the ninjas of Konoha loved this little kounichi for helping them in their own time of need, whatever it had been. Naruto and Hinata got together because of her, Tenten and Neji had finally got past their barriers of the Hyuga code, Ino had managed to get mad enough to profess her love for Shikamaru, Shino had found a girl, a gardener, who loved him and his bugs, Kiba had found a girl, a cat lover, who just clicked with him, and they both didn't care about the other's favorite animal anymore, Kakashi had shown more kindness and emotion, Gaara had even found someone who wasn't scared of the demon in him like everyone else was. They all had been helped, even those not named, they all wanted to help her now; and now they could do nothing.

She would just get away from them all. She knew they would leave her alone for a few hours to give her time to cry it out. They wouldn't find her body till it had cooled and stiffened. She was not the type to suicide, they wouldn't even think of her doing that.

Now or never. Those words breathed into his thoughts, into his very soul. He knew what the kounichi was thinking. Had known her too long to not know what she was going to do now, though he also knew just as well that no one else knew her heart so deeply. She was going to go and...Die.

He had to say it now.

He couldn't do never.

"Sakura" His hand reached out and grabbed her arm as she walked away; tears streaming down her pale pink cheeks, wetting the strands of her hair as it fell into her face. Her eys were broken, lifeless.

"You're not pretty..." He started, her eyes distanced even more to hear him acknowledge her in such a way. Other ninja, Kakashi and Naruto, now knew what she was going to do when she walked away, and were cursing Sasuke down to his very soul, as well as themselves for not seeing it till he went back for another shot.

"You're beautiful." He breathed. Her eyes snapped back into themselves. He had said that. He had. No dreams.

Lee's heart clenched less painfully now. Even though he knew it should hurt worse. He wanted to see her happy. He wasn't sure when he had, but he had started to love her as a sister, one to be protected and cherished. Like all the other ninja had.

Sasuke needed more courage for this. He felt it welling up inside himself, and sent a thankful glance at Shikamaru, who smirked back and held Ino's hand in his own. She had her eyes closed, and was concentrating for a few bare moments, then she stopped, taking it back. For the rest, he needed to be on his own.

Now or never.

"I don't want to be with you forever." He stated, her heart was going to shatter again; Kakashi gripped his book, no longer watched it with false interest. It was all on the pair in front of them all.

"I need to be with you forever." It was easier, his heart was lighter. Gaara's sand stopped screaming for blood and revenge for the kounichi's wounded heart. The Shukaku, quiet. Even he had been affected by the little pink-haired kounichi, who had shown him kindness, in the form of giving it to his vessel and not fearing her own demise, but his safety and happiness.

"And if you left me, I wouldn't cry" Her face clouded, was he toying with her? Was it all a game? Her love?

"I'd die."

Those words, those simple words. Almost as good as the others she had wanted to hear so badly for so long.

His lips brushed past her ear, the feel of his soft breath on her skin pulsing through her.

"I love you."

Her heart leaped. All the ninja around, even Gaara, celebrated with cheers, though his and Neji, and the other few with cool shells, only smirked or clapped slowly.

Kakashi had hugged Iruka Asuma and Kureno all at once, giving them a bear hug that almost killed them.

Almost.

Sakura felt tears fall from her cheeks at his words, before he pulled her into a tight, lovingly chaste kiss.

Suddenly, the tears on her cheeks and in her hair were not only her own.

She pulled back, her eyes staring into the Uchiha's own.

His black orbs, once devoid of even life, were glowing with love. The first true emotion shown since his clan's death was love, for her.

They kissed again, while Tsunade, forgotten in the crowd, uncharacteristically high fived Ino and noogied Shikamaru, who wiggled out, now very disgruntled, but not for long.

"Good job you two! Mission success!" She cried.

"We KNEW they were perfect for each other!" Ino cried. (Yes, even Shikamaru saw it, and perhaps he was the only one who saw that while Sakura loved him; which everyone could see, Sasuke loved her back.)

The rest of the evening was spent celebrating and all couples in Konoha made it a very special day. (Not that way you pervs! The gutter's not that deep!) The day their special kounichi had finally found someone to love.


Well, all that from me wanting to write about that poem, and in a few "now or never"s, make it very deep and angsty, in a fluffy kinda way, and use the word 'orbs' and least once, in reference to someone's eyes (especially a certain raven haired hottie!).

Hope it isn't too superbly weird. I don't always try to write them that way.

Oh, in case you wanted to see it, here is the original, just a section of the full e-mail, it was one of those that you're supposed to send on to everyone you know and like as a friend, and this was the fluffy part in it to make you laugh and wanna cry at the same time, and possibly send it on just so others can enjoy. (it really is almost a girls' only thing too, but so what? I bet tons of guys got sent this one too!)

without further ado...

A girl asked a guy if he thought she was pretty,

He said...no.

She asked him if he would want to be with her
forever...and he said

no.

She then asked him if she were to leave would he
cry, and once again

he replied with a no.

She had heard enough. As she walked away, tears
streaming down her

face

the boy grabbed her arm and said...

You're not pretty you're beautiful.

I don't want to be with you forever, I NEED to be
with you forever.

And I wouldn't cry if you walked away...I'd

die...

See? you can clearly see where the words are from up in there, though the 'now or never' part was mine, (I think).

Well, i might write more on this one, using different parts of the e-mail as my guide, if you all want me too. It can also be after this, or have nothing to do with this 'chapter' in it, and this can be like a drabble thing.

It all depends on if you want me too.(if you want another chappie, and don't specify, i'll make it like it has happened in the next chappie, and this is something after it.) K?

So, Read and Review! I'm stereotyping, everyone says that...

Alright then...

Read and Review,

don't be a prude,

so Read and Review!

There! i made a review poem for you! now go and do it!

Plllleeeeaaaaaaassseeeeeeyyyyywweeeeeezzzzeeeyyyy?

I don't want to have to ask Lee to come in here and cheer me up!

Lee: you called?

Well, at least he's not as bad as-

Gai: I came at the call of suffering youth! Assistance is needed i presume? I shall chase away the discontent of this young authoress's heart!

Heeelllllpppp! Review so i can get out of here!