tonight i'm gonna dance for all that we've been through / but i don't wanna dance if i'm not dancing with you / tonight i'm gonna dance like you were in this room / but i don't wanna dance if i'm not dancing with you

- holy ground, taylor swift (red)

walking in her heels after the party was over, sakura looks up at the night sky and lets out a breath she's been holding on for quite some time now. the chill of the upcoming autumn comes breezing in and ruffles her pink locks, and she shivers as she silently walks home.

alone.

she's not a stranger to it— being by herself; and she never really minds it. in her line of work as a kunoichi of konoha, she has to get used to it. sometimes you have to fight and hurt and grieve all by yourself. and over the years sakura has learned that no matter how many allies you have around you— when you die, you die alone.

it doesn't make it any less sad, though.

especially tonight with ino and sai's wedding party. her another blue-eyed best friend went all out for her special day. the weather was perfect and she believes half of the village was there earlier to witness their union. sakura has shed buckets of happy tears, evident on her puffy eyes, but is proud of her friends as they celebrate their love.

occasions such as this reminds her of how lonely it can be— being alone, that is. she was surrounded by loving couples in their loving relationships. temari and shikamaru were drinking together earlier and seemed unable to look away from one another. choji and his beautiful partner karui whom she met for the first time tonight looked so adorable feeding each other. even kiba was so attentive to his "close friend" tamaki who couldn't stop blushing whenever her "good friend" was close to her.

and when sakura saw hinata and her fiance who happened to be her other blue-eyed best friend, holding each other as they swayed to the music on the dancefloor, she couldn't help but feel envious of them. naruto saw her sitting in the corner and asked for a dance, which sakura gently refused.

"c'mon, sakura-chan! i can dance, don't worry!" the blond said earlier, his bright eyes gleaming with concern.

"i'm okay, naruto. enjoy the night with hina-chan!" she squeezed his hand that held hers. "don't worry about me, my feet are tired anyway."

there were a few people who wanted to dance with her but just like she did with naruto, she politely told them no. once she saw an opportunity, she bid her goodbyes to the newlyweds and she left with ino's worried baby blue eyes boring into the back of her head, and she was gone.

there is no one else i wanted to dance with anyway… other than—

thoughts are still swarming inside her head, making her head spin and almost causing her to not notice a shadow at the front of her apartment complex. her feet stop; so does her heart.

because in front of her home is the only man she wants to give her first dance to.

sasuke uchiha blends into the night flawlessly as he leans on the wall of her building, just a touch away from a street light, but sakura haruno has been in love with him her entire life. no darkness of night can conceal him away from her seeking green eyes because she's always gonna be looking for him; at him.

only him.

sakura sees his head turn towards where she stands still and she moves. slowly, with her suddenly-wobbling legs and wildly-beating heart, she comes closer. while she does, he slowly moves away from the wall to face her and keeps his eyes on her while she approaches. it never fails to light her insides when sasuke looks at her, no matter the situation.

she can't maintain making eye contact with him that's why she looks down, focusing instead on not tripping on her feet. she completely misses the appreciative sweep of his eyes from her messy pink hair down to her powder blue dress and her silver heels.

once she's close enough, sakura takes a subtle breath before raising her gaze to his handsome face that she hasn't seen for almost a year.

"sasuke-kun," she whispers. she hopes her voice carries out the longing and the relief that he's home once more. "welcome home."

sasuke looks into her eyes and gives her a barely-there upturn of his lips, "aa. i'm back."

the cool wind comes again and touches her skin, but sakura feels warm all over. "why didn't you tell us you'll be coming home? we could've greeted you at the gates."

"i didn't plan on it. i'm leaving again soon," his eyes are soft as he says this, apologetic even, and sakura fights the urge to say no; just like she's been doing all night.

no, don't go.

no, please stay.

no, don't leave me.

but in the end, sakura can never refuse sasuke. who is she, after all, to cage him in konoha where his deepest hurt still lies?

"oh," she ends up saying, praying that her eyes aren't misty once more and her loneliness isn't as evident. she forces a small smile at him, "would you like to get some tea, at least? d-do you have time..?"

for me?

sasuke's face frowns a little from seeing her disappointment but subtly nods his head. wordlessly, he guides her inside her building by softly pressing his fingers at the small of her back. sakura bites her lip to reign in her emotions. it's been so long since they've been this close.

when they enter her apartment, sakura immediately removes her heels and desperately cheers herself up. "how have you been, sasuke-kun? i was about to send you another letter in a few days since we haven't heard from you in two months. naruto's nagging me about it," she laughs softly while preparing the water for their tea in her small kitchen. "please make yourself at home!"

sasuke removes his cloak and neatly folds it, "i've been moving around a lot. i didn't have time to write a response to your last letter."

underneath his few words is his apology, and her heart softens. he cares, she thinks to herself.

"it's okay!" she says, moving back towards the living room where she sees him sitting on her couch. she wants to sit close to him, but she refrains herself. sakura's afraid she may not be able to move away, so instead she places herself on the other end of it— with a good arm's length away from the love of her life.

almost a year since he left the village once more and touched her forehead at the village gates, here they are again separated by mere centimeters and not vast distances, yet in her eyes he's still so far away. there's a clog in her throat that threatens to choke the air out of her, but she endures. she's always gonna endure for sasuke.

"sakura," his voice suddenly awakens her from her painful musings and she looks at him. there's a beautiful frown on his face and she is hit by how much she's been missing him.

"i missed you," sakura confesses, a small sad smile on her lips. her eyes roam around his face, now surprised from her words, and continues to open her heart out in front of him for the nth time.

"even now as i look at you, i still do. even tomorrow as you go, i will still do. every day, sasuke-kun…" she whispers while keeping her tears at bay. "is that okay?"

the feeling of being alone comes back tenfold, shaking her from the inside, and sasuke watches it all unfold on her face. his hand reaches out to hold her hand, and sakura's tears come rolling down her cheeks as she softly cries.

"ah, i'm sorry! today was just an emotional day for me… being sai and ino's wedding and all," she says while wiping her tears away with her free hand. she feels a calloused hand gently holding her jaw and his thumb wiping a stray tear on her soft cheek, and sakura gapes at him.

and just like his limited words earlier, his silent comfort screams i'm sorry and sakura weeps once more.

they quietly sit there for a long time after she calmed down, closer than they initially were. before the kettle comes to a boil. sasuke helps her prepare the tea and she even makes an onigiri for him, and together they eat and drink in her living room.

sakura feels much better than ever and continues the night by sharing moments of her life with sasuke. she has teased him by telling him that she didn't dance with anyone tonight because she's waiting for someone else.

"you owe me one!" sakura half-heartedly jokes, and sasuke only gives her a mysterious smirk.

"maybe next time," he answers, his tone playful and gentle, and sakura suddenly feels like dancing.

in return, sasuke also talks about his travels and the people he was able to help. he tells her of the time a kid with green eyes like hers reminded him of sakura.

"she followed me around all the time," he shares after taking a bite of his rice ball. "a little annoying, too, actually."

sakura impishly nudges him with her elbow as she whines, "sasuke-kun!"

as the night gets deeper, her smile goes back in its full glory as pride seeps through her pores from hearing his progress. but by the time she mentions the latest news of kakashi and gai's ridiculous shenanigans tonight at ino and sai's wedding party, sakura can feel the exhaustion in her body. she lets out an involuntary yawn and before she knows it, sasuke is already standing up.

"i don't want to keep you up any longer," he states. "you're tired. get some rest."

sakura abruptly stands up, "n-no, please… stay longer. at least for a night!" when sasuke just looks at her in contemplation, she adds another plea. "you can sleep here... i-if you like…" she looks away again, afraid of what he might think, and misses the swallow that sasuke made.

he briefly closes his eyes for a moment before gently calling her after opening his lids once again, "sakura…"

the pinkette blinks her green eyes at him, illuminated by the street lights outside her window, and sasuke falters. sakura doesn't know but she has so much power in her eyes, sasuke thinks— sometimes even more powerful than any other clan technique.

one look and sakura haruno can own you, and she's not even aware of it.

sakura's breath catches when sasuke moves closer to her. she hopes he can't hear how loud her heart is beating right now.

with a soft smile, sasuke raises his fingers and pokes her forehead once more. "maybe next time… i still owe you a dance, after all."

heat comes creeping into her cheeks down to her neck, and she is extremely glad that sasuke's back is on her as he fastens his cloak on his form. she pats her cheeks gently to calm her erratic heartbeat and walks sasuke to her front door.

"you're not gonna see naruto, at least?" she asks him, prolonging his presence in her vicinity. she's not sure when's the next time she'll see him again.

sasuke shakes his head, "no one knows i'm here. i'd prefer not to see the idiot tonight."

frowning, sakura has a question that comes to her mind. "then... why did you come home tonight? i actually thought you're needed by kakashi-sensei for something."

he stops for a moment to silently look at her before pulling out a small paper from his pocket. "It's because of this," he murmurs. when sakura sees his face, she's certain he has a pinkish hue on his elegant cheeks. her curiosity gets ahead of her as she carefully opens the note.

she knows naruto's messy handwriting even if she has her eyes closed, and she recognizes it right away with the words he sent to sasuke.

i know you don't care about weddings, or anything at all really, but come home! you should see sakura-chan tonight! she looks extra pretty today ❤️ you cannot miss it, bastard!

her eyes dart to his, only to see that he's already looking back at her. she furiously blushes again from the note, from the look in his eyes, from the implications of it all— she doesn't know anymore. all she knows is that sasuke is here just to see her.

"y-you... for m-me?.. to see… wha-" sakura incoherently stammers, her mind working faster than her tongue. her eyes are glued to this man that never fails to put butterflies in her stomach; this man that conquers her heart over and over again.

"the idiot may be an idiot, but he's right..." sasuke replies softly. his eyes are warmer than july sun and sakura basks in it before he takes her heart once again before he leaves.

"you look beautiful tonight, sakura."

a/n: woohoo! another update for this one lmao sorry it's taking so long for me to finish this series. it's been so hectic in my life, and it will be busier. i'll be moving again soon, and then i'll have more irl problems i have to face *insert crying in da club meme here* also, legacy the uchiha family zine is keeping me busy too! nngh wish me luck that i survive this month. thanks so much as always for reading my stuff. i appreciate u all!

ps. i wrote this during gojo satoru's birthday so i hope you saw his quote here ✍(◔◡◔) also, i attended my brother's wedding last month and i kinda felt lonely too, just like sakura here ehehehehe this is whY I NEVER GO OUT OF THE HOUSE I ONLY GET HURT JK LMAO