Hello People of the fanfiction world!

i'm back again for another new chappie! and in this chappie...well...yeah...you know... -sniff- poor lil Sasuke-kun...:( anywaiz...

DOMO ARIGATOU TO ALL MY REVIWERS!
272 reviews! WOWzers! O.O
Thank You guyz so much!
-hands out x-mas pressies toreviewers and readers-

I'm so happi -cries tears of joy- LOVE YOU GUYZ SO MUCH! even though the recent chappies have been so freaking boring you still stuck by! I'm so touched! thnx so much pplz! anywaiz...enough of my nonsense ramblings...

Anywaiz, Here's Chapter Twelve! Its yet again another long chappie...longer than the last i think...though i'm not sure..erhmm...so umm...enjoy!

Happy Reading pplz! Please review if you can at the end!
and umm, i have an annoucement at the end but i've kept you waiting long enough with this long a/n yet gain...T.T i'm falling back into habit...meep! O.O
on with the story...


"Text" Normal dialogue

"Text" Dialogue on the phone (other line)

'Text' thought/ what the character is thinking

'Text' Inner Sakura/Sasuke

(Text) Authors Notes (A/N)


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters from the anime/manga. Kishimoto-sensei does XD
Forgotten Love- Chapter Twelve
Keep Your Heart Broken

Silence overcame the two and after a while Gaara decided to break it.

"What would you have, Sakura?" He asked her in hope to start some kind of conversation.

"Huh? Oh umm…" she was caught off guard for her mind had wandered off with other thoughts. She pretended to quickly scan through the menu in her hands.

"Ahh…"

"How about the caramel latte?" Gaara suggested. He remembered that since the last time they had came to this café together, Sakura had quite fancied their caramel lattes here.

"Huh? Oh umm…no…not today…" She replied as thoughts of yesterday once again flooded her mind. Then she remembered the image of Sasuke with the milky moustache and started to giggle a bit. Gaara looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Sakura?"

"Oh umm…hehe…nothing!" She grinned at him with the mental image of Sasuke still plastered in her mind. "I'll just have the mocha for today then." She smiled at him and Gaara's heart melted ever so slightly at the sight, temporarily forgetting his concern before.

"Ok…" Gaara replied before ordering their drinks with Miyaki.

-

"So Sakura…" Gaara began after a few moments, "Did you figure out what next Tuesday was?" he asked her with a smirk on his features.

"OMG! YES! I can't believe that I had almost forgotten!" His smirk grew wider. "Has it been five years already?" She asked in disbelief. He simply nodded.

"So what do you want to do to celebrate?" he asked her as he rested his head on his hand and gazed into those emerald orbs of hers. He had this dazed look on his face, with eyes narrowed slightly in this dream-like state. Sakura giggled and blushed ever so slightly at his action. He just looked so cute with his head slightly tilted and propped up like that, it kind of resembled that look of a naïve little puppy dog.

"U-Umm… I don't know…do you have any ideas?"

"Hmm…nope"

"Hmm…" She thought for a while before an idea came into mind. "Oh yeah! Neji-kun and Ten-chan are going out sailing that day, and she did ask me if I wanted to join them for a double date. Why don't we do that?" She suggested. "And then afterwards you can come over to my house and we could spend the night together."

He smiled at her, making the pink tinge on her cheeks glow brighter.

"Sure. Why not?"

"So it's decided! I'll give Ten-chan a call tonight and tell her that we'll join them. Umm…I'll meet you in the morning sometime…"

"6.30?" He suggested playfully.

"What! No! I'll still be asleep then!" She protested.

"Of course. We'll be sleeping together the night before right? And we'll wake up together…" He chuckled innocently at her reaction, where her cheeks glowed a bright red at the thought.

"Gaara-kun!" She called out rather flushed. Of course their relationship have not reached that base yet and just the thought of it in Sakura's innocent little mind made her feel so uneasy.

"Heh. I know. I'll come over sometime closer to around nine then.

"Hai! This is going to be great!"

And so it was decided. The happy little couple sat there at Blossoms for a few more moments, just making small talk and enjoying each other's presence.


"And this one was when me and Sakura became friends again and we went out to celebrate… Oh and this one was when Shika-kun and I went on our first date… Oh and this one…"

Sasuke sank into his seat out of irritation and from absolute boredom.

"Blah! Blah! Blah!" were the words that entered his mind through one ear and then out the other. The occasional mention of the name "Sakura" perked up his sense for a split of a second before resuming to the blankness like before. Though through all this he still managed to keep a lazy eye on the current photographs Ino was pointing at and rambling on about.

'What the hell am I doing here?'

'That was the exact same question I was about to ask you usratonkatchi'

'Gah… I don't even remember how this blonde managed to convince me to stay here…'

'You could be doing way better stuff dude…like TELLING SAKURA HOW YOU REALLY FEEL! Oh by the way, have you figured out what you're going to say to the girl?'

'…No.'

Sasuke's inner self fell over anime style.

'Then get a move on it! Why don't you use this time to think of it if you're so damn bored out of your mind? Geez…and I thought that you were a genius…some genius you are…'

Sasuke's eye twitched, though it went unnoticed by Ino, who was too busy rambling on about another photograph of her and Shikamaru. Sasuke was about to scold back at his inner mind but something else caught his attention.

"And this one…" Ino began as she turned the page of the fifth photo album she had shown Sasuke that day.

One the double-page spread, a certain photo had caught the Uchiha's eye, making him widen them slightly in surprise, them narrowing dangerously. Ino was pointing at a photograph opposite to the one that Sasuke was gazing at right at that moment and began her ramblings about it. It was a photo of Sakura, Ino and Naruto, each holding a stick of pink fluffy cotton candy at the spring festival last year, but that was not what had caught the prodigy's attention. He sat up in his seat and began leaning closer towards the picture in response to his curiosity. His eyes narrowed further for the photograph before him became clearer and clearer as he drew closer.

Sakura was to the left side of the photo and in her left hand she held the cotton candy stick with a cheerful smile. Her left arm, however, was linked with another's and judging by the well-toned muscles, Sasuke presumed that it was a guy's arm. The photograph though, cut off at the edge of the anonymous person's arm, making Sasuke slightly annoyed that he was unable to identify that culprit.

Ino suddenly paused in her ramblings about the spring festival when she took note on Sasuke's glare. She gasped when she noticed what had caught his attention.

'Uh oh…'

Quickly turning the page and putting on an innocent façade, she searched through her mind for a good excuse whilst at the same time praying that he wouldn't question her about it. She was about to begin her long talk about the new picture before her when Sasuke cut her off.

"Who was at the spring festival?" He asked in a calm tone, a little too calm for her liking that a little hint of fear began to erupt through her senses.

"Err…Everyone! The whole town was celebrating!" Ino began, trying to stray the conversation elsewhere. "It was so fun and Shikamaru bought me a stuffed teddy bear! It was so cute and--'

"Who was with you guys?" Sasuke cut her off once again. He didn't want to be too direct on his motive of finding who the culprit was, though it was pretty obvious.

"Err…well, there was me, Shika-kun, Naruto, Hina-chan, Neji…" Sasuke flinched slightly at the Hyuuga's name.

'So he was there also…'

"…With ten-chan and Kiba, Shino, Lee…oh yeah! Mizukai and Miyaki were there also, our new friends and Temari and Kankuro were there also and finally Sakura!" Ino smiled, feeling proud of herself for remembering to leave Gaara out of the list, though she was oblivious to the fact that she had named his siblings.

'What are the sand nins doing here?' His eyebrows furrowed. 'But she didn't name the Shukaku boy…he might've been there too…would he be here in Konoha now?'

Sasuke began to clench his fists as the memory of five years ago how the Sand had ambushed Konoha and began gritting his teeth at the recalling of the time when he was helpless to save Sakura. He loathed that day.

Sasuke felt a sudden feeling surge through him. He felt the desperate need to know, to find out, and in his currently jealous mind, to tear that person into tiny pieces and burn his corpse then step on the ashes for touching HIS Sakura. Whoever it was, they had better watch out for the wrath of the jealous Uchiha.

Without a second thought Sasuke stood up abruptly and began walking towards the stairs. He felt the sudden will to see the pink-haired kunoichi. He wanted to see and confirm it for himself that she is not with someone else and that she was still HIS.

'She is still the same Sakura…still the same girl who still loves me…still the same…still the same…' He began to chant in his mind, trying to ease his heart and reassure himself of what he still has.

Or what he used to have.

'No! Think positive!' For once in the Uchiha's mind he was thinking of the positives and not the negatives.

"Chotto Matte Sasuke-kun! Where are you going? Err…there are still plenty of photos to s—"

A loud thunder cut her off from her words, which was closely followed by a flash of lightning.

'Kuso! It's raining.' He cursed the weather and decided to quicken his pace before the storm would get any worse.

"Sasuke!" Ino called out, but her words were ignored as the Uchiha dashed down the stairs, out the door and into the heavy rain. Ino sighed in defeat.


PITTER! PATTER! PITTER! PATTER!

The rain poured down in bucketfuls and looked like it was about to get worse too. Sasuke ran down the concrete streets full of puddles of water. It poured so heavily that there were little streams running down the sides of the roads, searching for another route. As he ran, he also carefully shielded the single red rose under his jacket. He didn't care if he got wet and guarded the rose like a lifeline of his. One that held a special meaning.

His foot skidded on the slippery surfaces occasionally, even though his ninja skills provided excellent footing. His sudden wanting to see her, no, his NEED to see her, gave him the strength and determination that he so needed at that moment. The rain poured continuously, thick sheets decreasing the visibility of the path in front of him. The fact that Sakura's house was at the other side of town didn't help either. Still he ran with the thought of catching a cold being the last worry on his mind. That was not important now.


Sakura and Gaara stepped out of the café and were met with a crack of lightning followed by a loud roar of thunder.

"Oh no! I forgot my umbrella!" Sakura panicked as she dug through her bag in search of the item. "Did you bring one Gaara-kun?"

"Who needs one?"

She looked up from her task just to catch a glimpse of Gaara forming some final hand seals to a jutsu. He proceeded to walk out from under the shelter and took a step onto the drenched pathway. A covering of sand appeared above the red-haired shinobi, shielding him from the heavy down pours. Sakura stared in awe. Feeling quite satisfied with himself, he turned around and held out a hand to Sakura, gesturing her to follow. She smiled at him, before taking his hand and falling into his arms, bringing a smirk upon his features.

Sakura gazed up at the sand-made shelter, slightly doubting its ability in acting as an umbrella. Gaara reassured her by wrapping an arm around her shoulder and bringing him closer to him.

"Let's go." She whispered softly and with that Gaara began to walk her back to her home. Sakura's house was quite close to the Blossom's café for it was just two blocks down the road. It didn't take too long to reach the road her house was situated in.


Sasuke dashed down another busy street in the village. Even in the rain, citizens still continued their daily lives only now just under an umbrella. He dodged them with ease and decided to pick up his pace, for he knew that he was drawing nearer to his destination. Turning another sharp corner, he zoomed past the café he was at yesterday with Sakura.

'Almost there…' He thought quickly to push away the hurtful words that she had said to him in that place. He shifted the rose's position under his jacket, checking that it was sill whole.

'Sakura…'



Footsteps stopped at the gates to the Haruno residence. Sakura lived by herself now ever since the death of her parents three years ago. Her mother was just another average villager but her father was part of an elite ANBU team. He had died in an A-rank mission a year before and due to shock and naïvetivity to the dangers of the mission, her mother had ran off in search of her husband. Both their bodies were never found and were presumed dead after three months of searching.

Sakura visited their empty graves every Sunday, just to pay respect for their spirits and to mourn for their loss. She had gone for weeks with out leaving her room and had even refused to eat.

At her time of need, Gaara had travelled to Konoha the moment he had received news of her state. He comforted her like no one else could've. He was the only one who managed to convince her to move on with her life and that it would've been what her parent's would've wanted also. He was there for her when she needed him most, holding her in his arms and letting her weep with her head against his chest. Gaara wasn't a man for words and had always shown his affections through his actions and even sometimes through sweet gestures. Still, she was ever so grateful to have loved someone like him and she still does.

Sakura linked her hand with his as she gazed up at his features. Over the years they had been together his "Ai" scar had begun to fade for he had learned to love another and not just himself. He had discarded his gourd of sand as his strength and power grew and thus was able to summon the sand through great distances, just like now. The sand-shelter never once faltered during the trip, showing how powerful he had become.

Her eyes met his and she smiled up at the man before her. Gaara gazed into her emerald orbs lustfully with deep affections. She took a small step closer towards him, looking up at the red-haired jounin in a cutesy manner.

"Thank you for walking me home Gaara-kun." She smiled sweetly at him. They were very close to each other now, so close that their bodies touched with their faces just a few mere centimeters apart. Their eyes began to droop as they leaned in closer and closer until they could feel each other's warm breath against their cheeks.


Another roar of thunder spread across the gloomy grey skies. Sasuke leapt down off the roofs as he came to the corner of the street Sakura's house was in.

'…So close…' he thought as he dashed around the corner and abruptly stopped in his tracks. He could not believe the sight before him as his eyes widened from shock. He blinked hard to make sure that it wasn't a hallucination.


Sakura's eyes fell shut as their lips met. Her hands unlinked from his to wrap her arms around his neck, making the moment last longer. He in response had wrapped his arms around her small waist, pulling her body to lean in against his and deepening the kiss. The kiss started off soft, then turned into a passionate one as both longed for the taste of each other's mouths.
Sasuke shook his head in disbelief; droplets of water flew off his bangs in his movement.

'It can't be…'

A foreign emotion soared through his senses as he activated his sharingan to see better through the thick sheets of water. His sight was sharpened as the object of his attention became clearer and he regretted his action. At first it was just the outline of the couple but once he had activated his advance bloodline, the details became so fine that he could see right down to the last freckle. He first thought that it was just another couple that just happened to be at the front of the Haruno's residence but after recognizing that distinctive pink hair, he knew instantly that he had mistaken. This was not what he had wanted to see. This was not what he had planned.

'…This is no happening!'

He felt his heart wrenching, breaking, shattering into millions of pieces but this feeling was unlike the one he had felt the day before.

No.

This one felt more painful.

No physical pain that he had endured throughout his life compared to the pain he was feeling now, inside. This pain could not be healed through bandages or ointment like a physical wound could and right at that very moment, he felt that his life had finally lost all its meaning.

'Why?'

This question rang over and over again in his mind as he felt a sudden rush of a mixture of emotions surge throughout his whole body. He wanted to scream out in agony, wanted to curse the world out loud for putting him through all this pain, but found his voice stuck at the back of his throat.

The rain poured down harder, drenching him from head to toe yet he did not care. He felt so lifeless and numb at that moment. His hand that held the rose clenched until his knuckles became pallid before releasing its hold as the sorrow overtook him. His arm went limp and fell to hang loosely by his side. His grip on the single flower loosened and the stem slid off his fingers. It collapsed onto the cold wet concrete with a small splash, droplets of the liquid bouncing off the object.


Sakura broke the kiss when she felt another presence, like someone was watching them. Being careful not to alert the red-haired shinobi, she laid her head on his firm chest in a slight embrace as she sharp green orbs scanned the area. A ninja must always be alert was one of the shinobi rules she remembered so distinctively.

The area was clear.

Maybe she was just being a bit over paranoid. The rain continued to fall and come to think of it, it was quite a romantic scene to be standing in the rain under a sand-made umbrella with the one you love.

"Mmm…bye Gaara-kun. I'll see you next Tuesday ne?" She whispered against his chest.

"Aa." Gaara had to return to the sand village tomorrow and so she would not see him until their next meeting which would be their anniversary.

"I'll miss you…" Sakura spoke in a sorrowful tone. He tightened his embrace in response.

"Ja Ne Gaara-kun." She bid as they loosened their hold on each other.

Just as Sakura was about to enter her house, Gaara caught her by surprise with a quick peck on the cheek. She turned around but he was already gone. Blushing slightly, she entered her house and closed the door.

Just down the road at the corner of her street, a red-haired figure stood next to an almost wilted rose in the heavy rain. The sand-made shelter still towered over the boy as he picked up the single red flower. A smirk crept onto his features as he crushed the stem in his grip.

"You're too late…Uchiha Sasuke…"

In a blink of an eye, the Sabaku boy was gone.


TBC...

and so... there...Sasuke-kuns found out about gaara...-sniff- so sad...my poor lil Sasuke-kun...:'( i just wanna give him a BIG hug to make him feel better...and to make me feel better...-winks- XP hehe. I hope that this chappie wasn't boring...i tried my best to descibe Sasuke's emotions and hopefully the quick scene changes, in which I tried to create suspece, did ok...

hehe...anywaiz...those who have placed an 's2' at the end of their review have earned a place to be appreciated here! hehe...i'll list them...oh and for those who were cofused as to what 's2' meant, well, its supposed to look like a heart...i wanted to do the arrow and the 3 one but the arrow doesn't turn out for some odd reason...hmm...anywaiz.


A Special Thank you to these reviewers who read my A/Ns:

Kurenai Chinoumi, Kuro Rei , saki-kun, RabidNilagaLover , heartillyangel, sasukerox, Miyuki Tsukada, Aya-angel-of-happiness, senx2,Hao'sAnjul


Wow...so quite a few do read my unnecessary A/Ns...kool! Thanx pplz! XD

Oh yes...my Announcement:

Unfortunately pplz, this will be my last update for this year. -Readers gasp-Coz i'll be leaving for holidaiz on the 24th.
W00t! i'm heading over to HONG KONG! i've waited agez to go! hehe...gonna do LOADS of SHOPPING!
so yeah...i hope that i didn't leave you guyz on a cliffie or anything with this chappie...cozI won't be able to update until next year.
So i'll wish you guyz a Merry X-mas in advance and a Happy New Year! I'll leave you guyz with a little summary for the next chappie...


Next Chapter: Chapter 13- Heart of Misery
Sasuke, with his heart all shattered feels all lifeless and numb. He feels as though his reason to livehas lost all its purpose and walks down a lonely road...until he bumps into someone. An old friend of his.

anywaiz,

Until Next Time,

Ja Ne pplz!

--(Aitashiaku©)-- 2005 MeRrY X-mAs & a HaPpY nEw YeAr PpLz!