I have said it before but I will say it again; this is a fast-paced story! If you don't like that kind of thing then feel free to skip this one! I am working on my writing skills so I KNOW this one isn't that good but I'm trying so please give me a little slack. YES, Sakura is forgiving but that's how I wanted to write it and I'm not going to feel bad about it. Now that my rant is over; here is chapter 4!

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


It was now nearly three weeks after she had first met with Sasuke in her office, where they formed a 'plan' that would hopefully fool her parents into believe he was actually her boyfriend, when the pinkette found herself driving slowly down a very deserted road in the early morning hours of a brand-new day. That day in particular was the day that she would be traveling back home for the holidays...with the Uchiha himself. Her glove-covered hands were gripping the steering wheel of her car tightly as she neared her destination and she allowed herself a second to glance quickly at her phone that was sitting beside her just to make sure that she was still heading in the right direction before her bright, green eyes were focused once more on the road ahead. This was in no way shape or form going to be awkward, she tried to tell herself as her mind began to race with all of the possibilities of what could happen during their short visit to her family's home.

Her mother and father could find out the truth, but then what...

She could let herself forgive him and forget all of the hurt, but then what...

Everything could go off without a hitch; and then it could all revert back to the way that things were before she had ever even met him again in the first place, but then what...

Sasuke...

The baby-steps plan...

Boyfriend...

Her parents...

The party...

A whole week...

All of this constantly thinking about the what if's in this situation was starting to give her a major headache. She was just way to conflicted right now for her own good. Sakura ran a small hand through her pink-colored hair in frustration.

The young woman had spent a lot of time with Sasuke over the past few weeks; doing things like going out with their friends and having nice, pleasant conversations in her office; and she had come to realize that he indeed had changed. He was no longer the grumpy, slightly stand-offish teen whom she had fallen head over heels in love with when they first met. He had matured into a polite and very well-rounded individual; who just so happened to still be easy on the eyes. She felt their old bond start to reconnect the more she saw him... the more she interacted with him... the more she spoke to him. She felt like her baby-steps plan had begun to change; she didn't feel like she needed it anymore. Sakura was starting to think that being friends with each other again was definitely on the cards for them; but trying to rekindle their broken 'lovers' relationship... that would probably still take a little bit more time to fix. But, with how the young man was currently behaving towards and acting around her, Sakura didn't see it as a 'never going to happen' type of thing anymore. He would have to show her that he cared and wanted to make it work though for her to even consider it. The pinkette sighed when she saw that she was only a few houses away from his home. 'I can do this, damn it. I have to in order to get mother and father off my back about this whole dating situation! Although; it would be much easier on me if I wasn't still so completely and fully in love with the guy... ugh! Five long and lonely years had changed absolutely nothing for me. I still feel drawn to him; I still want him. Why do these kinds of things always seem to happen to me? What have I done to deserve all of this?'

It was just going to be for a week, though. 'One whole fucking week of just me and Sasuke with my parents!' That was all she had to deal with. How hard could it be? What could possibly go wrong? All she had to do was make it through the entire week and then she would be free of him for just a little while to hopefully sort out some of her storming emotions. Her small hands gripped the steering wheel tighter as she pulled up to the front of Sasuke's house; placing one foot on the breaks harshly before putting her car into park. Sakura left it running while she honked the horn once to let him know that she had arrived and before long, she saw him emerge from the front door of his home before he turned around to lock it behind him. Her heart began to pound loudly in her chest as he made his way slowly towards her.

Even though it was still pretty dark outside (with only a soft glow in the sky above), the pinkette noticed right away as she scanned him slowly that he had just brought with him a small, single bag and was holding it in one large hand while his other was stuffed securely in the front pocket of his ripped jeans. The Uchiha's posture and gait as he approached her car was both strong and confident; making the Haruno blush deeply and swallow slowly. She took a deep breath right before he opened the passenger side door and let it out slowly as he stepped into the car. She turning to him after he had settled into his seat; giving her ex the biggest smile she could muster as he nodded at her once in greeting before she took off down the street.

With her green eyes and body faced forward and his strong presence beside her; she slowly began to regret the impulse she had of inviting him in the first place. 'Why didn't I find someone else to do this with me? Anyone else could have worked out just as easily as Sasuke did. Ugh; why does he have to look so good all of the time too... and why does he smell so... nice. (Sigh) This whole entire thing is going to be a fucking nightmare.' She already knew that this week was going to be the biggest challenge of her young life; at least since those long-ago years when he left her, and she didn't know what would happen now but it was definitely too late to turn back. 'It was too late to tuck tail and run in the opposite direction.' She had to remain confident; she had to remain strong. She couldn't look weak in front of him, not anymore; she wasn't the same person as she once was either. Sakura Haruno had grown up to be a fine, well-accomplished young woman; she had matured. Sakura reached to turn on the radio and pulled onto the highway just as the first rays of the morning light began to shine on the far-off horizon. She allowed herself the chance to relax for the first time since she first set out that morning.

'A week. It's just going to be for a week. You can do this Haruno! Just keep your eyes on the prize.'

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The long, awkward silence that ensued between them (that lasted for several hours after they had first set out) was growing somewhat stifling and Sakura was trying to wrack her brain quickly for an idea, any idea, of something that the two of them could talk about that would hopefully help ease some of the growing tension that had seemed to settle between the two ex-lovers. Her mind though was almost complete blank and so she decided to try for the easy and probably safest route possible; hoping that Sasuke would at least take the bait and respond in some way to her inquiry. "So, how have you been?"

"Hn. Fine. How about you?"

'Okay. This is good, I guess. I mean at least he's talking to me. It's a start,' Sakura thought as she turned slightly in her seat to face him in order to give him a small but kind smile when their eyes met briefly before she averted her gaze back to the road ahead; hitting her turn signal as she moved to switch lanes. "I'm good...," the pinkette finally said after she successfully passed a black SUV that was going probably twenty miles under the speed limit. Sakura couldn't stand following behind slow cars; her road rage could be pretty intense at times. "School was a bit rough for me for a while, but somehow I managed to figure it all out and eventually I got to graduate." 'Good, these are topics we haven't really discussed yet,' she thought. 'Maybe I'm getting somewhere.'

"I think you did more than that Sakura...," Sasuke snorted as he glanced sideways at his traveling companion. "Getting top of your class is no easy feat after all." She couldn't have stopped the small gasp that escaped her lips if she had tried; her vibrant irises grew wide as her small hands clenching on the wheel tightly. Her heart racing.

'If we haven't discussed this yet... how does he know about that?'

"H-How did you...," she started to whisper but he waved her off dismissively before she could even finish her question.

"Naruto told me," was his only response before he was once again silent. 'I... I can't believe that they talked about me. Did he still think about me, after all of this time had passed? Was I still some sort of presence in the back of his mind, even though I wasn't physically there with him any longer?' She secretly hoped so because he had been on her mind; quite often over the past few years. Sakura didn't want the silence between them to linger this time around; she wanted to voice her thoughts, her concerns, her feelings; but she couldn't think of a proper way to respond or think of a way to bring it up without sounding too eager to know the answers; so, she just said the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh..."

Silence.

Sakura blinked.

Once.

Twice.

'Fuck. Really, Sakura? That's all you could come up with is oh... god, I'm so pathetic. Why can't we... why can't I just talk about this? We need to have this discussion at some point to help further our progressing relationship. We can't move on if we don't, I can't move forward with... us if we don't. If that's what ends up happening anyway; why do I want that to happen so badly still. Probably because I can't get over him... I can't (don't) want to get over Sasuke. I can't stop thinking about the plans we made those many years ago. (Sigh) Yup, I'm definitely a pathetic and weak woman; but...I'm still willing to be weak for him.' Her small hands clinched and loosed repeatedly on the steering wheel before Sakura let herself sigh softly; trying not to give away any of her conflicting thoughts and feelings to the man sitting beside her.

"Hn. I did ask Naruto about you a few times," he confirmed at least one of her thoughts as the Uchiha shifted in his seat so that he was facing her more directly. "I just... Sakura, I just wanted to... to make sure that you were... alright." Sakura completely missed the light and very subtle pink blush that stained the man's once pale skin right before he glanced away from her to look out of the car window. The pinkette didn't however miss the tone in which he used to speak to her. It was almost as if Sasuke Uchiha was... unsure; maybe because he didn't know how the young woman would feel about him inquiring about her?

'Was the Sasuke Uchiha actually stumbling over his own words just now? Surely, he, of all people, wouldn't do something like that...or would he...," Sakura thought as she rapidly switches lanes again; speeding up slightly to maneuver her way between two large trucks. "...Oh. You did..." She wished he would elaborate on his previous statement but to her great disappointment; he didn't.

"Hai." He looked at her side profile for a moment before sighing softly. "I hope you don't mind." His tone was almost a whisper but she still heard him easily. She shook her head once; diverting her attention from the road for a second to give him a reassuring smile.

"No not at all," she spoke calmly while waving a hand dismissively as she slowed once again to allow another car room to pass. She hated when people rode on her bumper. The male driving the older vehicle flipped her off when he drove past her but she tried her best to ignore it. Where her normal response would have been to roll her own window down before giving him a piece of her mind, she refrained; since she had Sasuke with her that is, but it was definitely difficult and a monumental task on her part to do so.

"Naruto told me that you two work together." She decided to start up their previous conversation after giving herself a little time to cool off. Sakura was trying for a more warm and playful tone of voice this time around; hoping that would keep the conversation going this time. "How is that going for you? Do you like working with him?"

"So... you asked about me huh?" She could tell without even looking at him that he was smiling and it warmed her heart just thinking about why it was there; it melted her heart to him just a little bit more. Although, she was embarrassed about being caught and once again felt the warm and familiar heat rising to her cheeks. 'I hate that he still has this kind of effect on me. It's kind of ridiculous but I'm sure he gets a kick out of it.'

"N-no." She was going to deny everything until he could prove otherwise. Sakura cleared her throat loudly, once, before continuing with her weak explanation. "I was simply talking to him about work related things one day and the idiot just happened to bring you up in the conversation. I didn't go out of my way to inquire about you Sasuke." She was definitely blushing deeply now; and completely lying to him. Somehow, she just knew that he knew that she wasn't telling him the truth; but he didn't question her on it, which she was thankful for.

"Hn. It's... interesting," was his simple response and even though she could tell that he really wanted to say more on the subject, he didn't.

"Just interesting, huh," Sakura questioned as she raised a single brow at him; curiously observing him from the corner of her eyes. She didn't notice much though, as his face remained neutral; his posture was relaxed though as he sat against the back of his seat and stared out the windshield.

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

'Well, what now?'

Another awkward silence went on between them for several minutes after that; where neither man nor woman could come up with anything else to talk about after that one brief exchanging of words. 'Seriously...," Sakura thought as she began to tap her thin fingers rhythmically on the steering wheel while humming softly to the music that was currently the only other sound coming from the small confinement of her car. 'Is Naruto the only thing that we have in common anymore? I didn't think so... but then again, who knows. If that's the case... this is going to be an interesting trip.' She felt slightly defeated at the prospect of things not working out in her favor. But, luckily for Sakura; Sasuke didn't have those same feelings. His voice startled her when he decided to finally speak up but his words; they utterly shocked her. "Do you want to play 20 questions?"

Sakura blinked; once then twice before finally... a soft, small smile made its way to her plump lips as a very old memory from the past, one that included a younger version of herself and the Uchiha in this same type scenario but with her asking that very same question to him, began to resurface in the forefront of her mind. "Really Sasuke? You want to play that game... right now?" If she remembered correctly, it had never been one of his favorites but she had always enjoyed it because she got to learn more about him; he had always answered every question honestly and she found everything about him to be absolutely fascinating. "I thought you hated that game."

He shrugged nonchalantly as he turned slightly in his seat to face her. "We used to do it all of the time when we went traveling. So, why should now be any different?"

"We were a lot younger back then, Sasuke," she chuckled softly before sending him a wide smirk; watching him closely as his own face began to contort into one that matched hers. Both of them remembering; both of them knowing what the other one was thinking in that moment. It was strange, to Sakura anyway, how so much time could pass around them but then so little could change between two people who used to be so close. She had felt (and still did) that they were truly meant to be together; soulmates as it were. She wondered briefly if that fantasy had died as well when he left her or if it was still a distant possibility. 'I'm starting to see a different side of him the more time we spend together; one that I remember from before that tragic day. I wonder... how he truly feels about me now? If he feels the same in his decision to leave me or if he regrets doing so. I wonder... if he still loves me as much as I still love him? Maybe... I can ask him later.'

"I just thought it would be a good way for us to get to know each other again. You know since it's been a while since we've last... communicated about certain things." The dark male's handsome features somewhat fell as he brought up the past and not wanting to stop their forward progress towards what she assumed for now was simple friendship, she readily agreed to play the game with him.

"Sure, why not... it'll be fun. Just like old times."

"Yeah... just like old times." His soft smile rivaled her own as they began to play.

.

.

.

Sakura learned that Sasuke's favorite color was still black (and surprisingly pink, though he said if she ever told anyone that, then he would have to punish her) and his favorite food was still onigiri. Even though she had known both of those facts already, it was still nice to see that some things hadn't changed. That somehow some of the old Sasuke she once knew was still there, in the current one who was sitting beside her. What she did find interesting however, is that his favorite band had changed over the years; he also had a new favorite book, a new favorite vacation destination and a few other things along those same lines. He seemed to have matured greatly since their breakup and she was happy about that. It was currently Sasuke's turn to ask her a question and so Sakura was waiting somewhat anxiously to see what he came up with to ask her next. The questions had been getting deeper and deeper...so she wasn't sure that she was prepared if he asked something really personal.

His dark, onyx-colored eyes glanced away from hers as he whispered softly (almost under his breath) his next question. "Hn...boyfriends?"

"Huh...what was that? I couldn't understand you. I'm sorry, Sasuke for making you repeat yourself." Sakura was slightly confused by his 'question'. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that she saw him blush but he had quickly turned away from her to look out the window; effectively blocking her view of his face before she could be sure if what she saw was real. Sakura frowned slightly at that. 'That's typical of Sasuke... trying to hide his emotions from me... again. That's going to have to change if he wants to pursue a relationship with me. WAIT! What am I even thinking right now? Ugh. I'm such a mess. Well, so much for baby steps plan right. That went out of the window almost immediately after I had it planned out anyway...'

"Have you had many boyfriends... you know, since we broke up that is." She heard the Uchiha mumble under his breath and was slightly taken aback by his question. 'Why on earth would he want to know about that? Why would he even care? He was the one that broke up with me so why should it matter? Unless... unless of course he's... maybe he's...jealous.'

She decided to answer honestly; though, she couldn't hide the slight irritation in her voice as she did so. "No, I haven't. I haven't dated anyone since...you."

"Hn. Good." She missed his relieved sigh as she glanced away to watch a car as it passed by them a little too closely for her comfort. Sakura didn't however miss the relief in his tone and she turned to him with a curious look after making sure the speeding car was safely past them.

"What about you then, Mr. Popular? Have you, the great Sasuke Uchiha, had many girlfriends since you broke up with me? No, I'm sure there haven't been many... it's probably more likely to be hundreds." The bite in her tone was due to the hurt she felt deep within her heart; she couldn't hide the pain this time. 'Damn, we need to talk about this... I shouldn't keep doing this back and forth with him. Being nice to him one second and a minute later turning into a complete bitch. I should definitely apologize...' Before she could, Sasuke had turned to face her fully in his seat. The look on his face was completely serious as he gazed into her bright and expressive eyes. He was staring straight into the window to her soul; it made her feel naked and vulnerable beneath his intense gaze. She shivered and the small gesture didn't go unnoticed by the young Uchiha.

"No, it wasn't hundreds. The only women that I have ever been even remotely interested in... has always been you, Sakura." The pinkette felt her breath catch in the back of her throat as her small body began to tingle all over; his gaze was still as intense as ever and it made her feel... well, she wasn't quite sure exactly what it was that she was feeling. But Sakura didn't honestly mind it. No, not one little bit. She licked her lips slowly as they suddenly felt very, very dry. 'Is it hot in here... or is it just him? Damn, he needs to stop looking at me like that. It's almost as if he... no, he can't still...can he? After all this time...' She swallowed slowly as she averted her gaze from his.

"That's...good," was the only think Sakura could think of to say as a response to his startling revelation.

She turned the music onto a new station to try and distract herself; one that Sakura was certain that Sasuke would probably enjoy better than the original one that she had been listening to before picking him up, and they both listened to it while sitting together in a now companionable silence for the next few hours. Both of them secretly grateful to the other that they had both willingly waited for each other. But, could they really get back together with the way things were left those many years ago; especially when they haven't discussed anything that went on with the two of them yet?

If Sakura had to guess; she would say that only time would tell, but she would have to bring it up soon if he didn't. The unknown of it all was killing her inside.

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The small, red pulsing light which had been going off now for the past couple of minutes almost relentlessly was indicating to Sakura that her car was running extremely low on gas. When they were finally able to find a decent enough looking place to stop and get some gas before heading back out on the road again; said woman sighed with relief as she pulled quickly into the parking lot then up to one of the empty pumps before putting her car into park. She cut off the car's engine quickly but just as she was getting up from her seat to exit the vehicle...so did Sasuke; which confused her greatly. Sakura gave him a curious look as he stared at her over the roof of her car. "You don't have to get out if you don't want to Sasuke. It won't take me but a minute or two and then we can head out again."

"Hn. I can pump the gas while you go in and pay." He reached towards the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his wallet; before Sakura could form any sort of protest against it, he had walked around the car and shoved a handful of bills into her outstretched hand. She was stunned silent for several moments as she gazed up at him with wide eyes. 'Why is he trying pay? It's my car and I'm the one who asked him to come with me; not the other way around. So then why would he...'

"Sasuke...," she whispered his name right before clearing her throat and giving him a stern look. "I can pay for my own gas you know. I don't need handouts for you." Sakura frowned at him while trying to hand him back the money but he just shook his head and put his hands in his pockets before taking a step back from her, so that he was now just out of her reach. 'Ugh. He is such a stubborn man.'

"It's not a handout, Sakura." Sasuke's tone was flat as he stared at her with a neutral expression on his face. The pinkette tilted her head to the side and raised a single brow at her partner; not fully buying his explanation. "I want to pay," he continued, shrugging his shoulders lightly as if it was no big deal; as if it was just a normal thing that they did all of the time together. "Now get going so we can get to your parent's house before nightfall hits. The road isn't that safe in the daylight as it is."

"But I...," she began to protest but he quickly shut her down with a stern look. The Uchiha's onyx- colored eyes darkened slightly; though, it wasn't from anger but from his annoyance at Sakura's stubbornness. She was just as bad as he was at times; which made them clash on rare occasions such as this but they had never been able to stay mad at each other for too long. Not back then and it seemed not now as well. Sakura watched his demeanor change drastically within seconds.

"Sakura." Sasuke's eyes softened just slightly as he gazed into her green irises, though his facial expression remained the same; he was looking at her expectantly. He was waiting patiently on the other side of her car now to see what her next move would be. Sakura swallowed slowly as she contemplated her options silently in her mind. She could either continue to argue with Sasuke or just let it go and pay using his money so that they could hurry up and get out of there. He was right; the road up to her parent's home was very curvy and it twisted its way through a very dense forest, which during the daytime had its own hazards to worry about let alone if they had to travel it at nighttime. But then, she didn't want to seem like she was taking advantage of him either by using his money to pay for her things. Sakura leisurely licked her plump, dry lips and watched as the male's dark gaze follow the slow moment before he met her eyes once more. 'But... oh gods. The way he just said my name... it was just like he did in the old days, and the way he's looking at me right now... it's as if he wants to... but, I can't be wrong, can I. There is no way in hell that he wants to be just friends with me; there can't be, not with all of these signals he's throwing my way. Sasuke Uchiha might as well be holding a sigh that says please be mine or something ridiculous like that. Yeah, I definitely have to bring that conversation up... and soon. I don't think I can handle much more of this pretending that nothing is going on between us; it's maddening.'

'Damn him!' The way he had just let her name roll of his tongue, was done so... suggestively. She had to bite her bottom lip to prevent herself from lashing out at him; though, she wasn't entirely sure if it would have been done in a fit of passion or anger. Her wicked tongue and quick temper would have both gotten her into a lot of trouble with the mother next to them who was currently trying to strap her child back in their car. Sakura chose to simply glare daggers at him instead but it didn't seem to faze Sasuke in the slightest. "I'm paying this time Sakura and that's final. Now, get going. I think it's supposed to storm sometime this evening and I'm hoping that we can avoid it if we don't have to make too many more stops along the way." Sasuke was getting the last word and they both knew it; much to Sakura chagrin.

Instead of arguing with him further, the way that she wanted to, she sighed and nodded her head bitterly. "Fine, but just this once." Sasuke smirked at her knowingly and as Sakura walked away from him, she could have sworn that she heard him say something under his breath along the lines of it won't be the last time. Either way, she chose to ignore it and went into the small shop that housed the cashier before moving to stand in line behind four other people. As she waited in line, her phone began to ring where it rested in the back pocket of her blue jeans. Confused as to who would be trying to call her, Sakura pulled it out only to groan softly shortly after when she saw her mother's name flashing in bold letters across the bright screen. Sakura already had five missed calls from the woman and decided that she better answer it this time. After hitting the right button, she brought it grudgingly up to her ear and sighed. "Hello mother. How are you?"

"Oh... Sakura dear! Why on earth did you not answer me the first time I tried calling you? I was starting to think that maybe something bad might have happened to you. You could have been in a bad wreck and been stuck on the side of the road somewhere...or maybe someone could have kidnapped you, raped you and then killed you and I would be stuck at home worrying to death; not knowing. Do you not know how..." Sakura let her mother continue on with her rant as she moved up slightly in line and tapped her fingers against the side of her thigh with her free hand, in slight annoyance. Her mom was too much of a worry wart sometimes for Sakura liking. The pink-haired woman was fully ready for this whole entire trip to be over and done with. She was in desperate need of a vacation; far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

"Mom, listen," Sakura started as it seemed like her mother wouldn't stop talking anytime soon. "We are just a few hours away from home now. I think anyway, so it shouldn't be much longer before we arrive and..."

"WAIT JUST A MINUTE YOUNG LADY!? DID YOU JUST SAY WE? Honey, Sakura just said we. She's actually bringing someone home this time! Oh, dear lord, thank you for showing me that miracles do exist after all. I really thought that I was going to have to invite that Kiba boy over this year to be your 'plus one'. So, who is he and do we know him? Have we ever been introduced? What is his name? We want to know absolutely everything!" Sakura rolled her tired eyes and shook her head gently at her mother's very overdramatic behavior.

'I hope my parents doesn't act like this when we get there; that would be so embarrassing. Ugh, I can definitely feel a migraine coming on too,' Sakura thought as she rubbed her temple slowly with her free hand before letting out a huge sigh.

"...sweetheart? Hello? Sakura dear? Are you still there? Did we lose the connection...? Honey, can you go check to see it the phones are still working properly? I don't think that she's there..." Sakura sighed again before responding.

"I'm still here mother."

"Oh, thank goodness. I thought that something actually happened to you that time. Anyway, tell me all about him! I bet he's so handsome. Tell me you at least found a pretty one dear..."

Sakura couldn't stop herself from glancing out of the storefront window and smiled softly when she saw that Sasuke was standing with his back propped against the side of her car and his legs crossed at the ankles in front of him while he waited impatiently for the tank to fill up fully. The Uchiha was playing around on his phone with one hand while the other rested in his jacket pocket; he looked...cool. His head was tilted at a downwards angle so that his dark bangs were hanging just right to cover up his side profile so that Sakura couldn't see his face fully but she didn't have to, to know that he probably had a bored express on his face; he had never been very good at waiting. "The guy is definitely... attractive."

'Wow, Sakura. I would say that is one way of putting it...,' the pinkette thought as she blushed softly; thankful that the man in question wasn't looking and that she didn't know anyone in this store.

"Good, dear. That's excellent news. So, what else can you tell me about him. Does the young man have any sort of hobbies? What is he like?" Her mom's question brought up old feelings once again; ones that seemed to be appearing more and more often lately.

Sakura closed her eyes slowly as she allowed her mind to conjure up a memory from the past. One in which she watched the younger Sasuke, the one that she once knew, look at her younger self with all of the love and devotion in the world. She swallowed past the thick lump that had formed in her throat as she began to grow nostalgic. But, the pinkette quickly shook off the bad feeling and opened her green eyes once more. Things had changed between them; even over the past few weeks and she felt that they were starting to go back to the way it once was. Sakura took a few steps forward so that she was now only second in line before finally responding to her mother's question. "He's... charming, thoughtful and he's caring. He is also gentle, at least with me he is, and he's also very smart. He's actually the same exact age as me too." Sakura didn't know if her explanation would be enough to satisfy her mother; but it turns out that it was. It caused her mom to squeal loudly in her ear as she began to ask a million more question that Sakura tried to answer the best that she could but soon the person in front of her was gone and she was now standing directly in front of the cashier; much to her relief. Handing him the money in her hand, she waited impatiently for the change. "Hey mom...," she spoke up rather loudly so that her mother could hear her over her own yammering. "I'm about to get back in the car. But like I said a couple of minutes ago, we only have a few hours left and then we will be there."

"Oh, okay dear. Please drive safe. The good Lord is the only one who knows what kind of yahoo's are driving nowadays." The cashier must have heard her mom because he smiled brightly at Sakura; his eyes shining vividly with unrepressed glee.

"Yes mother, I know." Sakura said calmly as she rolled her green eyes before thanking the man at the counter. She headed out of the glass doors and walked slowly towards Sasuke and her car. The Uchiha, upon seeing her approach him, rose from his previously slouched position to give her a curious look. "I will talk to you soon. I love you," she spoke softly just as she stopped before him to hand him his change. He stuffed it roughly into his pocket and it was her turn to look at him with a somewhat curious gaze. 'Is he... angry at me? What happened to him between the time I was in there and now?'

"Your father and I love you too, sweetheart. Be safe and we will see you soon." Sakura hung up her phone and stuffed it into her pocket while she watched as Sasuke's face turned into a deeply set scowl. 'Is he on his man period or something? I mean seriously; these mood swings are starting to get annoying. Why is he so upset? What did I do now?' His eyes narrowed as they met hers.

"Who was that... on the phone," Sasuke asked in a rather clipped tone and she watched silently as he nodded his head towards where she had just placed it; in case she didn't understand what, he was referring to, she assumed. Sakura folded both of her arms over her chest and glared back at him. 'What's with the third degree? What is his problem? If I had to guess... I would say that he's jealous. But that's crazy, because Sasuke Uchiha doesn't get jealous... or does he? Ignorant boy wouldn't have a reason to be if he is... he should know that by now. It's only ever been him; and it always will be.'

"It was just my mother on the phone... if you must know Sasuke," the pinkette practically growled at him as she took a small, angry step towards him where he still remained standing beside her car; arms crossed over his chest and body rigid with tension. "Now that that's settled, can we just get back in the car so we can go already. I'm starting to get hungry and tired. That's not a good combination for you as my traveling companion."

"Hn." Sasuke surprised her when he went around to her side of the car and opened the door for her to enter. She could only assume that it was his way of giving her a silent apology for the attitude he had just directed towards her; over something so trivial as a mere phone call. Sakura found herself blushing (deeply) before she thanked him softly and accepted his gesture without any form of complaint on her part. Soon after that, the two of them were off. Sakura wasn't sure if she was ready to face her parents yet but she guessed it was too late to turn back now. She had picked Sasuke and the Uchiha had agreed; so that was that.

She just had to make sure to keep herself moving forward and hope that everything worked itself out in the end. 'It will be fine; I will be fine...we will be fine.'

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.

With only a couple of hours left in their travels to go before they reached her parents' house, Sakura and Sasuke began to feel some hunger pains in their belly's and decided that it was time to find some place to stop and get something to eat. Sakura was the one who noticed a large sign that showed a picture of a quaint little diner that was just a mile off of their current path and after informing Sasuke of her new discovery, they both decided that it would be as good of a place as any to stop and grab a bite to eat.

When she parked the car, Sasuke got out of his side quickly; only to come around and open her door for her before she had a chance to do it herself. The pinkette looked at him cautiously but the Uchiha remained silent. 'What is he doing?'

When they walked up to the wooden doors that led into the restaurant; he made sure to reach them before her and opened the door wide to allow her room to enter first. The dark-haired male still remained completely silent when she gave him a questioning look. 'What is he up to?'

When they walked inside, Sasuke placed his large hand on the small of her back to help guide her over to the counter where they browsed the menu. 'He's definitely up to something...'

After they had placed their orders, he had been adamant about paying for both his and her meal. She frowned at him as they waited for their food. 'Did Sasuke think that this was some sort of date or was he simply just trying to woo her; win over Sakura's favor and affections by pampering her and being extra nice to her. If he was considering it a date, the Uchiha should have asked her first; but if it was just to try and win her over... well, he didn't have to do any of this. He already (even if it was unknowingly) had her as his; though she did like that he was trying so hard to be what he probably felt like she deserved. After everything he had done to her in the past; it was somewhat comforting.' Sakura wasn't exactly sure what his true intentions were since he was keeping that information to himself but she didn't reject the idea of him wanting her or of him wanting to do things like this for her; not completely anyway. It actually felt... nice and somehow, right. No matter what he had done, Sakura knew that she would always love him; she would always be able to forgive him...that's just who she was and who he was for that matter.

So, when Sasuke grabbed their tray of food and walked her over to a small, intimate table for two in the corner of the room... she didn't object or fight him on the seating arrangement. The dark-haired man was now sitting across from her, but due to the table's small size and squared shape, Sasuke's clothed knees were bumping against her own; their positioning now tapped her shorter legs in-between his much larger ones. If Sakura thought about it too much... if she thought about how intimately they were sitting with each other; she would have probably passed out. The two of them ate their meals for the most part in silence and Sakura chose to people watch to occupy her time once she had finished with both her burger and fries while she waited from Sasuke to do the same; surprisingly she was a fast eater. When she was done observing the small crowd, Sakura turned to face forward and her gaze instantly went wide when she realized that her companion was leaning over the table, towards her; looking directly at her. Her palms began to sweat as one of his large hands came up slowly to cup the soft flesh of her cheek gently within the warmth of his palm. His actions were hesitant but his dark gaze was sure; he was confident in his actions even if he didn't appear to be. The pinkette felt suddenly frozen to the spot; her muscles grew extremely tense as her heart began to flutter wildly within her chest. The unexpected contact of his warm skin on hers almost caused her to shiver; but she refrained the best that she could as she waited anxiously to see what he would do next. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute at this point; the anticipation was nearly killing her.

'What...w-what the hell is he going to do? This... this is new...' When Sasuke's thumb brushed at the corner of her mouth, her lips parted in shock; her green eyes bulged as they met his dark gaze. When he then proceeded to bring the appendage up to his own mouth and then licked off the small specks of red, she assumed was ketchup that he must had just taken away from her own mouth; she couldn't stop the loud gasp in response. She swallowed slowly and observed silently as the male's eyes darkened further. Unable or unwilling to hold the Uchiha's intense gaze any longer; she looked away as her face turned a darker shade of pink than her own hair.

'Damn it ... why was that so fucking hot and why did he do it in the first place! Couldn't he have just handed me a napkin or something. Ugh! This is going to be a long ass week if he keeps doing shit like that. Oh, dear god, please help me make it through the rest of this week with my dignity still intact.'

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Her small four door car rounded the last sharp curve in the road; right before they pulled into a large, very open clearing that her parent's house stood proudly in the center of, surrounded by the huge trees and brush of the dense forest. Sakura smiled warmly when she saw that both of her parents were standing outside on the front porch; waiting for them to arrive. Her mother was waving frantically from where she stood to the right of her husband and her father had one of his arms wrapped around his wife's thick waist protectively. He was smiling widely at them as Sakura's car came to a gentle stop directly in front of the house.

Sakura took in a deep breath as she turned off her car and reached in the backseat to grab her purse and other belongings as Sasuke did the same. 'Ok, Sakura. It's now or never. You can do this. Just remember that it's only for one week and then it will all be over and done with. You and Sasuke can hopefully work on your growing relationship this week and everything else will be just fine. It will all work itself out; you'll see.' She just hoped that they were both equally prepared for the shit storm that was bound to occur once Sakura's mother... and father for that matter, found out who exactly it was that she had decided to bring home for the holidays this year. Sakura turned to Sasuke then and attempted to give him a reassuring smile as she placed her left hand on the door handle; readying herself to depart into the cold winter air. "Are you ready?"

He looked at her softly and gave her a small nod with a small gentle smile of his own. "Hai."


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!

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.