Disclaimer/Warning: Nope...don't own Naruto. Warning language and sexual themes- no lemons

I would just like to say that this story is about Sakura finding herself and how she become stronger after Sasuke (Though there is more to this story then that). To answer a few reviews and future reviews: No Sakura will not have an a fair with Sasuke- just wait and see what happens!

Any who ENJOY!

Come What May

[How To Love]

See I just want you to know that you deserve the best

You're beautiful, you're beautiful

Yeah, and I want you to know

You're far from the usual

~How To Love by Lil Wayne

The day that Sakura met Sasuke was as normal as any other day. She was a sophomore at Fire Country University on a full ride scholarship with a major in Nursing. She was sitting in the library with various books and papers scattered around her, studying for an upcoming exam that she had to pass in order to get her B+ in Calculus II to an A. She had been broken from her trance when the sound of a chair moving across from her reached her ears. Looking up from her papers she saw it was a familiar raven haired young man from her classes- Sasuke Uchiha.

"Can I sit here?" He asked in his deep, dry tone.

Sakura felt her face heat up at the sudden appearance of the attractive man in front of her. How could she say no? "Sure." She wondered why he wanted to sit across from her of all people, but decided not to question it. Sasuke took out his laptop and the two began to work in a steady, but surprisingly comfortable silence. When both were done they simply gave a nod of acknowledgement and went about their way. Soon though this became a habit. Sakura would be studying in the library instead of partying with her roommate and Sasuke would soon find her to sit with her. On a Friday night when he wasn't there it through her off balance.

He isn't like you Sakura, She thought with a heavy heart. He probably has a life outside of the library. She gathered her things and headed out into the chilly night, going to get a quick snack before heading to her dorm for the night. She wasn't surprised that her roommate, Scarlett Hayes, was not there when she returned and started going through the motions to get ready for bed. Though her best friend from high school, Ino Yamanaka, asked her to go to a party she declined the offer; Sakura just wasn't a partier- preferring a cozy night with a book then a wild, alcohol induced night out.

"Sakura!" Scarlett shouted as she came into the room. Scarlett was loud and outspoken and had a knack of getting people frustrated with her though she was an overall good person. Her long wavy red hair complemented her name and her dark blue eyes always screamed mischief. "You missed your man playing a good game of basketball tonight."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at her roommate, used to her loud entrances. "What are you talking about?"

"That Sasuke guy you said you sit with at the library a lot is on the basketball team and he's actually really good," She replied, plopping down onto the futon. "I'm surprised that pretty boy has so much skill."

"He's on the basketball team?" Sakura questioned.

"You've been sitting with this guy for almost a month and you didn't know that?"

Sakura flushed with embarrassment. "W-well I never asked. We only talk about the classes that we have together and help each other on our projects."

"No wonder you're still single," Scarlett sighed out. "How much do you want to get to know Sasuke?"

"Well…a lot actually. I just don't know how."

Scarlett tilted her head to look Sakura right in the eye, blue eyes steeling in seriousness. "I'm telling you this as your friend: you need to break out of that shell you put yourself into. I'm not saying you need to have a wild night out and sleep with random guys, but you need to get out of that library more. I understand completely how important grades are to you, but take one night out for yourself. Once you do that you might start to gain more confidence in the way you speak to people which include Sasuke. Understand?"

"I understand," Sakura replied softly. She knew Scarlett was right- she was right most of the time. Scarlett was loyal and knew exactly what to tell her at any time and Sakura was grateful that she would always hear the truth from her. Being an only child, Sakura never had the experience of having a sister so as the two became closer she looked at Scarlett as such. "You're right…I didn't mean to, but I put myself in a shell...can you help me out?"

Scarlett grinned, "Of course I can!"

Over the course of the next few weeks Sakura started to become more confident and outgoing thanks to Scarlett's help. It was small changes- she joined a book club and writing club to branch out and meet new people as well as going to a few parties here and there with Scarlett (though she didn't drink). She met Sasuke twice a week in the library and felt more confident each time.

"You haven't been here as much," Sasuke stated, turning the page of a thick history book.

Sakura was used to his way of talking- he never asked questions really, just spoke in short statements. "I joined a book club and a writing club, so I've been busy. How's basketball doing?"

Sasuke shrugged, "Okay." He shut his book, glancing at his watch. "I'm going to get dinner at Fireside. You can come if you want."

Was he asking her out or was this an extension of friendship? "Okay…sure!" Sakura clumsily gathered her things and walked with him across the campus. For the first time she noticed how popular Sasuke actually was. People nodded to him in acknowledgment and some flashed smiles at him as they passed. Sasuke would return them with nods or raise a hand in a short wave. Her heart sped up as she tried not to stare at him. He's so cool! She squealed in her mind.

After that something changed between the two. They started expanding from conversations about their school work to deeper conversations. She discovered that if picked the right topic she could get Sasuke to talk for a whole twenty minutes without her having to ask a question to keep the conversation going. By the end of their sophomore year she could firmly say they were friends though they only went to the library and out to eat together after studying. It wasn't until their junior year that things got more interesting. It was a shift that was so slow that she didn't even notice that it happened.

She always knew she was attracted to Sasuke. He was intelligent, athletic, and extremely handsome. So, when he asked her out on a more official date she couldn't say no and she was hooked. She began to go to club meetings less to go with him out at night to various parties and functions around campus and even began to go to sporting events which she thought she'd never do. Sakura wasn't just Sakura Haruno, she was Sakura Haruno who was Sasuke Uchiha's girlfriend and she loved the title. It made fangirls envious and guys that were friends with Sasuke gave her respect.

"Sakura watch you're self around those fangirls," Scarlett had warned. "I'm not on good grounds with the campus police to get into anymore brawls."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" She had replied with a grin. "And seriously? How many fights have you been getting in?"

Scarlett simply smirked. "Oh yeah know…a few here and there."

Almost two years later, college ending and real life beginning, she was still with Sasuke and best friends with Scarlett and Ino though she didn't talk to them as much as she'd like. Sasuke continued to grad school to earn a law degree and work as a paralegal in the pre-law office while Sakura began working at the hospital on campus in order to be near Sasuke and so the two could share a small one bedroom apartment.

"Sakura I honestly think it would be better if you moved away from campus and back to Konoha. There are so many other opportunities there," Scarlett told her over lunch. Scarlett had moved back down south and came back to Kohaku (the suburb of Konoha that Fire Country University was located) to spend time with her "sister". "It just seems that…you're missing out."

"Missing out on what?" Sakura asked defensively.

"Missing out on opportunities. With your abilities you could get twice as much at the hospital in Konoha then you do here. That and you could go fulltime instead of part-time," Scarlett replied. "I understand that you love Sasuke and want to be with him, but do you really need to risk your career for him?"

"I'm not risking anything," Sakura huffed. She could never fathom being without Sasuke. She loved him and would do anything for him, with him, or to him. Though she sometimes worried if she was becoming clingy she pushed it to the back of her mind and continued on. "I'm happy."

Scarlett shrugged, dropping the subject. "Alright, fine no need to get moody. Though I will say this- you'll regret it later."

Sakura reeled back in her chair like Scarlett slapped her. "Regret what?"

"Regret no leaving this town. This suburb is great for college living, but not for trying to establish a career."

Now when Sakura looked back she wished she had listened to Scarlett and not shut her down for a month out of frustration and not wanting Scarlett to be right. What frustrated her more was when Ino almost said the exact same thing.

"I'm not saying leave him Sakura," Ino had said. "I'm saying reassess your options before it's too late. If he loved you he'd understand."

"You and Scarlett are acting like he's holding me captive."

"Don't you see it Sakura? Mentally he is holding you captive."

It wasn't until she had blown off all her friends and family that she realized how right they were. The shift was subtle- there was no huge fight or words that were said and never could be taken back. It was when she realized that their relationship was becoming lopsided. She was sure that he still loved her, he told her so in his own way, but maybe he wasn't as smitten with her as he once was. She had become a shell of her former self- weak, needy, and ultimately that girl. That girl who snooped into her boyfriend's things; that girl who dropped everything to be with her boyfriend; and that girl that eventually didn't even care about her career because she was so wrapped on in her relationship. Sakura wasn't looking to start a fight, but she found herself going through his dresser one day and found a small book that was full of writing from Sasuke. She wasn't sure what is was and asked about it out of curiosity; Sasuke was furious and through their fight he spat out: "This is why I don't want to get married. Not to you or anyone else."

"I'm sorry I won't do it again!" Sakura had cried in pure frustration and emotional pain.

"Marriage just isn't my thing," He said.

"Then what's the point of being with someone and telling them you love them?" Sakura snapped, tears rolling down her face. "I'm not asking for any time soon, but eventually!"

"I've got a lot more to think about then marriage," Sasuke said, his tone going from frustrated to a nerve grating dry.

"I understand that." She was now trying to appease him. "I'm sorry…"

He sighed, shaking his head as if he was speaking to a child. "Let's just drop it."

The subject was dropped and a few minutes later Sakura laid in bed with him, wondering if her relationship was really going downhill. A few days later she got her answer: her relationship was coming to end and fast. The two were out walking around the town hand-in-hand taking in the beautiful scenery of spring. They walked through a park where they witnessed a young man in his early twenties stoop to one knee and propose to a beautiful blond haired girl. The girl jumped up and down screaming "Yes!" and threw her arms around the man's shoulders in an embrace.

Sakura clapped along with the other spectators, looking at the scene longingly. She wasn't talking directly to Sasuke, but she accidently let slip: "That's so sweet. I hope that's us someday." When she glanced at Sasuke she was met with a cold glare that she continued to feel for the rest of the day. She felt numb until they arrived back at their apartment where they sat in cold silence.

"Sasuke," She began meekly. "Can we talk?"

"About what?" He glared.

She wanted to say that she didn't have to be married to him to be happy. That it really didn't matter as long as the two of them loved each other, but as she stared into his cold onyx eyes she knew she couldn't do it. Not because she wanted to get married that bad, but because she was beginning to see what kind of man he was. She decided to test the waters by saying: "I…I don't think this is going to work. I think it would be best for the both of us if we broke up."

Sakura didn't really expect him to jump up with wide eyes and get on his knees, begging her not to leave but she would have liked a reaction other than an amused stare and an agreement that they should end things. Sakura packed her things up in under an hour and met him back in the living room where he continued to look at her in amusement.

"Well…this is goodbye Sasuke," Sakura stated, trying to sound firm.

"Bye Sakura," He said softly, almost in a condescending way. She could tell that he wanted to say "you won't do better than me", but he instead said nothing.

Furiously, Sakura put her things in her beat up car and called Scarlett. "Can I stay with you for a while?"

Scarlett didn't ask questions. She didn't even make a snarky comment about the lack of communication over the last few weeks. "Of course you can."

Tears streamed down Sakura's face the two hours it took to get to Scarlett's. Can I find anyone better? She wondered as a sob escaped her mouth.

"…Kura…Sakura!"

Sakura's eyes snapped open, her green eyes meeting worried blue ones. "N-Naruto?" She sat up from her sprawled on position the couch and looked around confused, had she really passed out right after work? And did she really have a dream about the day she left Sasuke? "Did you go to training?"

Naruto reached and wiped his thumb across her cheek, wiping away tears she had not realized she was crying. He moved to sit next to her on the couch and wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah I did, it's pretty late…why were you crying?"

She leaned her head against his chest. "Just a bad dream…"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She didn't want to. How can you explain to your husband that you had a dream about your ex who by the way has appeared again? But, she knew she had to. "I…yeah I do." She took a deep breath before telling him everything from the time Sasuke appeared at the hospital with his daughter to the time where she talked to him in the hallways of the elementary school- not leaving a single detail out. By the end she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier…I didn't know if it was a big deal or not…"

Naruto stared off blankly for a moment in thought, before leaning his forehead onto the top of Sakura's head. "Sakura you can tell me anything, big deal or not, you know that. Him coming back after the way he treated you is a big deal. Especially since he wants to talk to you like he's your friend. Using his daughter as a means to talk to you is pathetic."

Sakura buried her face in his arms. "He makes me feel pathetic…"

Naruto gently pushed her back to look into her eyes. "That's in the past now. You're Sakura Uzumaki, my wife, and you're amazing. Every time you see him just remember that."

She didn't think it was possible to love this man anymore then she did, but in that moment she realized she could. "I love you." I found someone so much better than Sasuke.

He leaned to kiss her fully. "I love you too."

[Author's Corner]

~Yep, this was a flashback chapters and we met Scarlett! Yay! She is one of the main OCs in this story and you'll learn more about her as the story progresses.

~Leave comments/questions/and concerns through a review!

~I would like to mention that I normally don't update this fast- I've just had nothing to do for the past 3 days. I apologize but don't get too use to fast updates.