Alright guys, since it was requested on Twitter that I post the next few chapters that I have done for this story I will do. I'm hopefully going to work on the rest of them over the next few weeks or so to maybe try and finish it. In the future, I may add other chapters or things as I see fit but for now, it's ONLY going to be a 10 chapter short story! That is one reason why I have written it the way that I have. Again, if you don't like it that's fine, I understand. I only share so that maybe at least one person will enjoy what I do and I realize that this one won't please everyone. I apologize for those who find it's not to their liking.

I hope you all have a very blessed day and please stay safe!

-bbarnes93

P.S. Sorry if it gets a little repetitive!


He couldn't see it due to the way he was sitting but he could definitely feel the way that her gaze was focused on him; or more specifically on the back of his head. The small, fine hairs on the back of Sasuke's neck were all standing on end and he clenched the large fist that was currently wrapped securely around his glass of water tighter; his own dark gaze was remaining firmly forward, though not without some effort on his part. He wasn't staring at anything in particular at that point in time; for his focus was elsewhere. 'Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Whatever you do, don't fucking turn around!' This had become a mantra for him as he waited (rather impatiently) for her to approach them; for her to approach him more specifically. He could hear the sounds of them softly arguing behind him and knew that both Sakura and Ino must be discussing (or more than likely were talking about) him and his presence at tonight's dinner. Sasuke didn't mind though because he wanted Sakura to be thinking about him; because the dark-haired boy was most certainly thinking about her and he was rather selfish in that regard. To distract himself as they approached the group, he took a sip of his drink; trying to appear as nonchalant and as unaffected by her presence as possible, though on the inside he was a jumbled mess of nervous energy. 'Focus Uchiha. You can do this. Just breath... don't forget to breath.'

The first thing that Sasuke saw once she had finally moved into his line of sight, was her eyes. They were the same bright and vibrant shade of green that he had remembered, though this time when she stared at him, it was with caution and apprehension; not with the love and devotion in which she used to. Sasuke had to admit that he was slightly disappointed in that observation but he knew that he deserved it; he deserved worse than that if he was being truthful. He should have expected hate or loathing for what he had done to her; it was all his fault that they were in this 'mess' in the first place. He knew that he just had to fix things with her. Sasuke's dark eyes took in the rest of her and the next thing that he noticed was her maroon-colored dress, if you could even call it that. 'Why the hell is she wearing that? What even is it? That thing can't be considered a dress...can it? It barely covers anything at all! It was obvious she didn't know I would be here so then...does she wear stuff like that all the time? Does she want to catch the eye of every man in the room?' He swallowed past the huge lump in his throat as his eyes wandered further...

Thin sleeves rested directly in the middle of each of her shoulders...

The swooping neckline plunged deeply, giving him, and every other male occupying the small space, a pretty great view of her petite cleavage (though he tried not to stare at it for longer than necessary; he didn't want to be seen as a pervert; by her especially) ...

The length of it reached just above her knees...

...and he was fairly certain the back was missing as well, though it was hard to tell from this angle.

Her delicate features...

Her soft curves...

Her once short hair that was now much long and flowed freely down her back...

Her warm smile...

Her bright, green eyes...

...Sakura Haruno had grown into an absolutely stunning woman. 'Fuck me.' Sasuke swallowed again as his eyes met hers once more. When he realized she had been analyzing him as well; a soft, knowing smirk pulled his thin lips upwards and he was delighted to see that he still had some sort of effect on her when she blushed a deep shade of red before quickly looking away. 'Maybe there is still hope for us after all...maybe, I still have a chance at winning her back; to make things right. To undo my past mistakes...'

.

.

.

It wasn't as awkward as Sakura had first thought it would be and that's mostly because the Uchiha kept to himself the majority of the time and only really spoke when a question was directly spoken to him; which seemed to help put the pinkette at ease almost instantly and she felt herself quickly relaxing as she engaged in small conversations with everyone around the table. Even conversing with the Uchiha himself on occasion (which surprised her). 'It's just like the old days,' Sakura thought as she relaxed her back against the soft cushions of the booth before smiling softly at the fond memories this dinner was dredging up for her. She brought her glass up to her lips to take a long sip, sighing contently as she made direct eye contact with Ino, who was sitting directly across from her; a warm playful smile on her lips as if to say, see I told you that you would have fun didn't I. 'Maybe she was right," Sakura thought as she leaned forward slightly. 'I'm glad I decided to come tonight. It's been really...nice.'

"So, Sakura. I'm surprised Ino got you to come out with us tonight," Naruto observed, grabbing her attention, as he shoveled a large mouthful of noodles into his open mouth. Some of the liquids from it began to seep out of the corner of his lips, only to then run down the full length of his chin before dripping and forming a small puddle on the table top below. She inwardly cringed at his 'caveman-like' behavior but outwardly smiled as she waved off his statement with a practiced ease.

"Uh, yeah. I didn't have as much to do at work today so I got off early."

"Oh please...," Ino interjected as she rolled her blue eyes before narrowing them at Sakura. "You were doing absolutely nothing when I came into your office. You were on your cell phone, talking with your mother... again." The blonde turned to the rest of the group and leaning over the table so that she could half whisper her next words; as if she had some big secret to reveal to them that even Sakura herself didn't know about. The pink-haired woman rolled her own green eyes at her best friend's antics before bringing her glass to her lips once more. "Her mom was complaining about how she never brings a date home for their family Christmas thingy. She told Sakura that this was the last year for her to find a boy to bring home herself before she found a suitable man for her daughter to date. I think she was planning on asking that Kiba boy to come over for the week if she doesn't bring anyone this time around."

Sakura spewed her drink all over the top of the table in front of her; coughing uncontrollably as her lungs seemed to fill with a liquid fire, burning her harshly as she fought for a proper breath. She felt a strong hand roughly patting the middle of her back repeatedly as someone seemed to be trying to help her with her coughing fit. The pinkette turned slightly and saw a concerned looking Sasuke staring intensely back at her; his large hand was placed firmly against the middle of her upper back and he began to rub soothing circles against her bare skin in a comforting way when she had finally stopped coughing. Sakura tried to smile at him as a way to say thank you but felt her pale cheeks grow hot and had to look away. The humiliation and the embarrassment; both a combination of Ino's statement and her spitting her drink all over him and everyone else, was the cause of it. He didn't seem to mind though as he continued to rub her back soothingly with his open palm and at first... Sakura didn't push him away. She wanted him to touch her because she could pretend for a second that what happened between them in the past, didn't occur...

...that they hadn't been apart for years...

...pretend that he hadn't broken her heart...

...act like nothing had changed between them.

But it had and it did.

Her heart had slowly begun to mend; but it was still riddled with small cracks from where he had crushed it into a million different pieces. She had hoped that those would have heeled with time as well, but it seems that so far... that wasn't the case. She was trying to push the hurtful feelings to the side because five years was a long time to stay angry at someone. Five years was a very long time to hold onto a grudge. It was still somewhat painful to be around the Uchiha but she didn't want to be angry with him forever; she didn't want to be angry any longer. She wanted to let it go; she had to or she would never be able to truly forgive him for what he had put her through. And maybe, someday soon, they could be friends; or possibly more than just simply friends her heart still protested, but she ignored it. She needed to do this strategically; she had to take a small step back and assess the situation fully before making any rash decisions.

'Baby steps, Sakura. It's got to be all about the baby steps.'

Sakura swallowed slowly before gently pushing him away from her, but not before whispering a soft thank you to him for his help. She looking at Ino then and completely missed the soft frown that pulled the Uchiha's thin lips downwards. He was sad at the loss of contact between them but he also fully understood her need for space and so he didn't try and push her any further than he already had; placing his arm on the back of the booth where it hovered behind her, close but not to close. Sakura watched as Ino, not so subtly, elbowed her boyfriend in the side, who then turned to look at her with curiosity at first before his eyes lit up when recognition and realization suddenly dawned on him; understanding what she was silently telling him to do. Sakura's eyes narrowed at the two of them. 'What are they up to? They must have a plan... It better not be what I think it is. She wouldn't dare...'

"Oh yes, I have a great idea," Sai said; grabbing everyone's full attention. 'Here it comes,' Sakura thought as she waited anxiously to hear what he had to say; along with everyone else who were currently watching the dark male with wide eyes. "Why doesn't Ugly take Sasuke with her to this Christmas 'thingy' as her date? Since he doesn't have any plans for the holidays that is. He can go as her plus one." Sai's horrible smile was back in place and he was looking directly at Sakura. 'I guess she would do it wouldn't she... Damn it, Ino! You are so fucking dead!' Out of the corner of her eye; Sakura saw Sasuke's hands flex slightly before he bawled them up into tight fists. She could feel the angry vibes coming off of him in thick waves; it was strong and... suffocating. She turned to him, only to find that he was glaring daggers at the dark-haired, pale-skinned boy across from them; the male didn't seem to be concerned or even aware of his impending death; that is, if Sasuke could get to him. Sakura swallowed slowly and felt every muscle in her body grow tense; she was feeling a silent storm brewing in the air between the two and felt the need to act quickly, before anyone got seriously hurt.

"What did you just call her?" The dark, deep tone he used was deadly and Sakura placed a small hand unconsciously on his upper arm to try and sooth his growing rage. Surprisingly, it seemed to work. The Uchiha's gaze moved to her for several seconds as she silently pleaded with him, using just her eyes, before Sasuke finally relented and began to relax beside her once more; his gaze softening the longer he looked at her. With his body, and hopefully mind, now much more at ease; she smiled softly at him before releasing her hold on his arm.

"He didn't mean anything by it Sasuke. The first time we met I hit him for saying something stupid and so he told me that my attitude was ugly. The dumb nickname seemed to just stick after that. It doesn't bother me anymore, I'm used to it now," she shrugged before turning back to look at Sai; giving him a silent warning with her eyes to keep his mouth shut. Lucky for her he obliged and held his tongue as he remained quiet. His creepy smile was still in place however; which made the Haruno shiver. "And besides Sai, I'm sure Sasuke would much rather stay here and hang out with you guys. The party at my parent's place is super boring, you know that from past experience; it won't be much fun. If he wants, he can come down when you all do. I'm kind of betting that I can find someone else to go with me anyway so that he wouldn't ha..."

"Actually...," the boy in question spoke up softly from beside her; interrupting her long speech and gaining her full attention at the same time. Sakura snapped her mouth shut quickly and her green eyes grew wide at the intense look he was giving her once she met his dark gaze. He leaned into her personal space slightly; causing her poor heartbeat to accelerate rapidly and she bit her bottom lip gently as she waited for him to continue. "I don't have any plans. I could go with you, if you like," he whispered the confession softly and it took absolutely everything Sakura had to keep her breathing even. Still, she couldn't stop the soft gasp that left her parted lips when she opens her mouth to speak; his gaze holding her hostage as everything else around them seemed to disappear. 'It's just like the old days...I guess some things, never truly change do they. He's all I can think about and I don't want to say no to him; even after all of this time, even after everything. I can't believe that I still feel this way...'

"So, what...," Sakura scoffed somewhat rudely after regaining some control over herself; her gaze was curious but doubtful at the same time as she too leaned unconsciously into him. The pinkette didn't even notice that their friends were exchanging knowing looks behind her back. "My mom is expecting me to bring my 'boyfriend' with me. Are you saying that you will go willingly with me and then pretend to be by boyfriend for a whole entire week? That's really funny, Sasuke. You know, you should be a comedian with that type of act; it's priceless. You could get a lot of laughs with that one, that's for sure." Sakura laughed somewhat girlishly at her own lame joke. That is... until she saw that Sasuke was being completely serious; his face was stern and his dark eyes were stormy with a mixture of swirling emotions. She shut up almost immediately as their irises clashed; connecting fully with him in that moment and Sakura was able to completely shut out everything else; apart from him... apart from Sasuke.

Black versus green...

...and dark versus light.

A silent conversation ensued between the two ex-lovers as their friends watched on silently. 'Waiting for their friends to realize that they truly belong together. Hoping that they can fix all of the hurt and pain between them. Wanting them to finally kiss and make up already so they can get back to how things used to be.' Sasuke whispered a response to her silent, unspoken question which caused Sakura's poor heart to stop beating for several seconds before it began to stutter frantically back to life again. "Yes."

'Holy shit! How could he know exactly what I was thinking? But in all seriousness, can we really pull this off? It's an absolutely insane idea; isn't it? Pretending that Sasuke Uchiha is my boyfriend in front of my family for an entire freaking week... straight! Yeah, it's most definitely a stupid idea and will surely just end in some type of disaster. I mean... I'm still wanting to take things slowly with him; I want to take baby steps with Sasuke but... ugh, this whole entire thing instead just feels like a gigantic leap to me. I mean... I must be the stupidest person alive for even considering this as an option...right? (Sigh) Can I really accept that Sasuke Uchiha seems to actually want to be my pretend boyfriend... can I accept that we will be stuck in the same house together for a whole fucking week? This surely can't be good for my blood pressure, nor is it a good idea for my baby steps plan...I'm going to cave; it's just a matter of time. But, do I have any other good opinions? If my mom is considering Kiba of all people... then probably not.'

Sakura shook her head before finally coming to a decision; one that she hoped she wouldn't soon regret. She found herself nodding her head in the affirmative as a response; unaware that the two of them were just inches apart now. Everyone else had noticed and smirked at one another.

'I guess it's time for me to find out what Sasuke is all about. It has been a while since we've spent any real time together... I just hope he's okay with easing back into a relationship. I don't think my poor heart can handle it if things move to quickly... even if it's just as friends. He's been sending me signals already though that he's still interested in me...in that way; and even though it's been years since we've seen each other, I feel like I still know him so well, somehow. The light flirty that we've done throughout the evening, the looks, the touches...it reminds me so much of when we were still dating; of when we were still together. I just hope I can handle him; I hope I can keep my emotions in check...this time.'

.

.

.

Sasuke stared longingly at her as she conversed openly with their mutual friends. How he wished for Sakura to be able to read his mind. He wished that she could feel the way that he was feeling in that moment; understand just how much she actually means to him... how much he regrets his decision those many years ago. How much he regrets leaving her...

'I have so, so many regrets...'

She had been there for him through every trial and hardship in his life up until that point...and he pushed her away.

She had been there for him when both of his parents died...and he pushed her away.

When his brother, Itachi, followed them shortly after... and yet again, he pushed her away. Little did he know that he was doing the exact thing he wanted to prevent. Sasuke didn't want to hurt her because he loved her more than anything; but he had and he had paid dearly for it. He hoped to change that... soon.

She had brought him out of the darkness. Sasuke Uchiha saw Sakura Haruno as his lighthouse. She was a beacon in the darkness that had once surrounded his heart. She was the light that he could sail to through any storm; for she had always stood strong and firm in her love for him and that is what kept bringing him back to her. Every time he had lost his way, every time he felt the darkness surrounding him begin to take over; she had been there. Holding him close to her heart; holding him close to her light...and now...

It was his turn to be there for her.

His turn to be her light.

Her shoulder to cry on.

Her everything.

He wanted to make things work between them again. Sasuke needed for this to work out in his favor. Because he didn't honestly know if he could live without her in his life anymore. That thought scare him; it scared him more than anything ever had. But he was finally ready to settle down and be with her; ready to start a family... with her. He was finally ready to love her fully and unconditionally. Sasuke just hoped that Sakura was ready for him as well. He hoped that her feelings hadn't changed; he hoped that she would forgive him for everything, eventually. He didn't expect for it to happen right away.

But he was hopeful...

...and he was desperate.

.

.

.

A few days later...

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Sakura sighed softly as she placed the pen that she had been using to do some paperwork on her wooden desktop before sitting up a little straighter in her chair; tucking a couple of loose strands of her long, pink hair behind her ears before adjusting her clothing to be a little bit more presentable in their appearance. She knew exactly who it was on the other side of her office door (having made plans for him to meet her here the last time they met to discuss certain... things that would be happening in the near, not so distant, future) and she wasn't quite ready to see him again so soon after the friend's dinner they had both attended just a few days ago; not yet anyway. But then again, would any length of time ever be enough to make her truly ready for this moment? No, probably not. She sighed and counted to ten before she was able to find the courage to answer him. "...Come in...," she called; hearing her own voice crack slightly due to her anxiety over the whole thing and she watched as her soon to be 'boyfriend' strutted wordlessly into the small room. She was instantly taken in by his dark eyes; her green irises glued to his dark ones before he finally managed to come to a stop directly in front of her. "You're here." She mentally face-palmed at her lame greeting but outwardly gave him a gentle, almost shy smile as she stood from her seat.

"Hai. You have a nice office," he observed as he looked at his surroundings for a brief moment before returning his full attention back to her.

"Thank you." Sakura cleared her throat as a dark blush dusted her cheeks. She cursed herself silently before moving to stand in front of her desk; feeling a little more confident when there was some distance between them but knowing she needed to get this over with. "So, do you want me to write out a contract or..."

"We can just discuss your conditions, Sakura. We don't need to write anything down." He waved off her concerns as he stuffed his large hands into his pants pockets; his posture was relaxed and his gaze was soft. She had to glance away for a moment to regain some composure before she felt comfortable looking at him again. His dark onyx-colored orbs seemed to be dancing with mirth when she met his eyes again but Sasuke remained silent; much to her relief.

"You don't have to do this Sasuke...I..."

"Sakura...," his tone stopped her before she even started to protest and she bit her bottom lip lightly to keep herself from speaking; waiting (she was always waiting...) for him to continue. She felt her heart skip a beat when he took a large step forward; closing the distance between them slightly. "I'm not doing this because I have to or feel obligated to do so. I'm doing this because I want to. Just... let me know what your conditions will be. I don't need a contract. Nothing so set-in stone is necessary for this transaction."

"..."

"..."

Silence.

Silence.

More silence.

And then...

"There will be absolutely no sex!" She blurted out the first thing that came to mind before she even took the time to think about what it was that she was actually saying. Afterwards though, (once she had fully understood the exact words that had just come from her lips) Sakura clamped a small hand over her huge mouth; green eyes widening. Sakura's cheeks began to burn hot at her embarrassment and she watched with slight horror as the Uchiha's thin lips slowly pulled up into a wide smirk. 'Why in the hell did I just say that first of all things? Is that consider part of my baby steps plan? Obviously, the no sex for sure is but blurting it out like that... probably not! How humiliating! Sasuke's going to think I'm some kind of huge pervert or something now. Oh god...'

"Are you sure about that," his tone was teasing as he tilted his head to the side and looked her up and down. Her body was shaking at the dark look he gave her. She watched on silently as he slowly licked his thin lips; taking another step forward; another step closer...to her. "You know Sakura, we could always..."

"Don't play around with me, Sasuke...," Sakura groaned and sighed as she wrapped her small arms around her waist for a second before letting them fall limply to her sides. She gave him a stern look and watched as his face went from playful to stoic in a split second. "I'm trying to be serious here. Also, we will be sleeping in separate beds and when my mom asks you how we got back together, I want you to just say that we rekindled our love for one another during a friend's vacation or something along those lines anyway. She will probably believe that over anything else that I've been able to come up with honestly."

"Okay," he said; nodding his head in understanding. "Anything else?"

"I guess not...but... if I think of something else, I will let you know."

"Hai," was his simple reply.

They had been staring at each other for a few minutes when Sakura took a small step closer to him and tucked a loose strand of pink hair behind her ear before clearing her throat loudly. She sighed inwardly while outwardly she thrust her hand out to the man who once broke her heart; the man whom she was still in love with and the man who she was going to bring home to 'meet the parents'. "Do we have a deal then," she asked; holding her breath as she waited for his answer. 'You can do this, Sakura. It's all about the baby steps. Be confident; you've got this. I can't give in...(sigh) not yet anyway. I have to make him work for my affections a little at least if that's what he wants from me; and from the subtitle signals he's already been giving me... I would say that's not far from the truth...but I'm to chicken to ask him if that's the case; plus, that's kind of really inappropriate to be discussing right now. Ok, get your head in the game. You can do this.'

The man was looking at her with an unreadable expression for several seconds before he finally took her hand slowly within his much larger one. Sasuke's touch (she noticed) was so gentle as he shook her hand briefly. "We have a deal."

"Good. So, one week. With zero attachments and no expectations."

"...Hai. One week, Sakura," he shook his head as he agreed with her. Then, after releasing her small hand he turned around and began to slowly walk away but just as he reached the door, he paused and turned; glancing at her over his shoulder. Sasuke allowed her to see his dark eyes fully and Sakura watched as they slowly began to soften. "Just so you know...Sakura," he began; his tone of voice was gentle and soothing. "There has never been anyone other than you." He turned away from her; pulling the door open before whispering these departing words. "It was and always will be you. Because Sakura Haruno... you hold the key to my heart."

Long after he was gone, she found that her own heart was still beating a frantic rhythm behind her ribcage. She clutched her hands to her chest tightly before slowly sinking into the closest chair she could find. Her mind was racing just as quickly as her heart. The pinkette was filled with so many conflicting emotions; her mind and heart at war with each other.

'One week. I can do this...right? Just one week and taking things slowly. This isn't going to be a mistake...or is it? Can I ever let him in again and if I do, what will happen to us? I can't see myself shutting him out forever. I can't see myself pushing him away either because... well because I love him. Still to this day my heart belongs to him... but if things get more serious between us; will he leave me again... I don't think I could handle it a second time; in fact, I know I couldn't. What should I do...'

.

.

.

Sakura failed to notice that Sasuke had indeed agreed to one week... but nothing more.


Author's Notes:

(Sasusaku au. Sakura is a very, very forgiving person in this fanfic just a heads up and it is a little fast pace. I hope you still like it anyway. I will most likely go back and improve this short story in the future but for now I hope you enjoy it as is.)

Sakura is very influenced by her love for Sasuke. She is also a very forgiving person so I feel it effects most of her decisions to so readily forgive him; just a little heads up!

Also, I'm sorry if parts of this story repeat themselves... once again I'm much better at writing snippets than actual stories lol

If any of these sound like your own writing or another you have read I apologize but I didn't copy anyone's work. This is entirely my own writing.