The Uchiha's cold black eyes stared intently back at Sakura. It was the same piercing look that he's given her before, and she remembered it well. The same shadowy effect of his gaze showered over her like fog after a rainy morning. Her body suddenly ran as cold as ice.

"Long time no see, huh, Sakura?"

"What…What are you doing here, Sasuke?" Sakura replied distantly.

Sasuke stood up from the bed. "What? I can't come back to visit my old teammate?"

Sakura knew better than to believe his lies. He had abandoned the village and her team, but worst of all, he abandoned her. For whatever reason that Sasuke was standing before her, it surely wasn't because he missed her. It couldn't have been.

"What are you talking about?" she questioned. "Why would you want to come back here? What happened to getting your revenge?"

He didn't answer. He merely lowered his head and shook it lightly. When he looked back up at her, he had a sly grin on his face. In the darkness Sakura could hear his footsteps gradually getting louder has he walked toward her.

"Stay back!" she shouted, raising her Kunai to her chest. "Don't come any closer!"

As Sasuke came closer and closer to her, Sakura took a few steps back, hoping to evade his movements. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the handle of her blade, ready to defend herself with everything she had. But why even bother? Sasuke was obviously superior in strength, and she couldn't bear even touching him with the tip of her Kunai. She only had the strength to destroy him in her thoughts; she didn't even expect to ever see him again.

"Come on, Sakura. Didn't you miss me at all?"

By then he was standing right in front of her. She hesitated, slowly drawing her Kunai up to his neck. Her hand shook uncontrollably the closer it got to Sasuke's skin, so she grasped her wrist in hopes of stopping the shaking. But it was no good. Fear clouded her mind and she broke out into a cold sweat.

"You aren't going to kill me…" Sasuke leaned forward slowly. Sakura could feel his warm breath on her shivering skin he was that close. This was her chance. The blade was already at Sasuke's throat, and in one fluid motion she could easily slit it open. But suddenly she froze. Her hands immediately stopped shaking and her eyes grew wide. Too shocked to protest, she stood stiff as Sasuke's soft lips lightly grazed her skin from her jawbone down the side of her neck and kiss it gently. "…Are you, Sakura?"

What was happening? She never would even dreamed that this would happen; not in a million years. But here he was. Sakura could hardly understand where all of this had suddenly come from. All of these…strange feelings. Without even knowing it, Sakura was lowering her blade from the Uchiha's neck.

"Atta girl," he whispered with a smirk. Taking the Kunai from her hand, Sasuke set it down onto the dresser. Her hands felt ice cold to the touch, so he intertwined his fingers with hers.

"I don't understand," Sakura said sadly. "Why did you come back?"

"Why do you think? I wanted to see you." Unable to reply, Sakura stood still while Sasuke's hands brushed up the sides of her arms and onto her tense shoulders. His touch was light and cold, making Sakura shiver.

"Are you cold?" he asked her. She nodded slightly. Loosened his belt, Sakura watched his shirt slide down his shoulders, revealing his bare torso. From what she could see, he had chiseled six-pack abs and well-rounded arm muscles. He was altogether captivating: his gripping black eyes, perfect figure, and smooth skin, which was defined by the light of the moon. Sasuke removed his shirt completely and wrapped it around the kunoichi's trembling shoulders. She gratefully accepted it.

"Better?" Sakura nodded again.

Sasuke smiled in reply. Again, she could feel his hands on her, but they moved down to her hips this time. He pulled her close to him so the lower halves of their bodies touched. A certain sensation swirled in her stomach as Sasuke's lips met hers and his arms slowly continued to wrap around her waist. Sakura wasn't sure how to feel about Sasuke's sudden change of heart, but she thought about taking advantage of this moment for her own benefit. He could have truly changed for all she knew. Besides, his lips were very soft. Their lips moved together slowly but passionately, the heat of the moment escalating quickly. One of his gentle hands rested on Sakura's blushing cheek and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders in response. Of all the people she'd met in her life, she never would have expected her first kiss to be stolen away by someone as coldhearted as Sasuke. But she wasn't going to argue with it now, for she could feel Sasuke's tongue trying to make its way into her mouth. She parted her lips a little, allowing his tongue to make its way in. Their grips tightened around each other as the kiss became more and more fervent. Every negative thought in Sakura's mind was now gone, fading away like the ending scene of a movie. Surprisingly, she couldn't have asked for a better moment.

But Sasuke suddenly stopped. What? Why had he stopped? Sakura didn't understand, but she didn't want him to stop.

"Is something wrong, Sasuke?" she asked him with a disappointed look. It was still difficult to see, but Sakura could sense his wandering eyes scan her body in the darkness. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel: embarrassed or relieved. Mixed feelings spun in her mind.

"Sakura," he began. "Do you still love me?"

Her heart stopped. She didn't know how to respond to this. After everything he had said or done to her, it was clear that he never loved her. But now he was asking if she loved him? What was he expecting her to say? "Yes Sasuke! I've loved you forever and always!" Yeah, not likely.

"Oh Sasuke," she sighed. "Do you know how long I've waited for you? How much I wanted you to love me? Why this sudden change of heart? Please, Sasuke. For once, just this once, can you answer me? I don't understand any of it."

"Do you need to understand?" he snapped. "Why do you have to always pry your way into my business? Can't you just accept things for what they are and not try and stick your nose in things that don't concern you?"

Sakura couldn't speak, but she completely understood what Sasuke had said. She had to admit, that was one of the most common things she did to Sasuke, which was probably why he hated her so much in the past. Sasuke had always been the type of person who kept to himself, so she should have known to just leave him to his own thoughts instead of trying to get him to talk to her.

"I…I'm sorry," she stammered. "All those times that I tried to get you to talk to me, I was just trying and help. You were always all by yourself, always alone. Do you remember what you told me the day we were assigned to our three-man squads? And again right before you left the village? You told me that solitude is a painful thing, so I just thought that…" Sakura could feel a large lump in her throat and tears forming in her eyes. "…I just thought that maybe you would want someone to talk to. Someone who could help you when you needed it."

Sasuke didn't say a word. All he did was stand in front of the window as still as a statue. The lump in Sakura's throat grew larger and larger as he continued to stand silently, not even giving her the time of day. But the silence suddenly broke.

"I'll ask you again," he said with his back still to her, "do you still love me?"

Sakura didn't answer. She didn't know how to. On one end, she didn't want to say anything, but on the other she wanted to tell him to stay. Her mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. Her throat felt as dry as a desert, but she tried her best to voice her reply.

"I…I…" she screeched. For Sakura, it seemed like it wasn't enough, for Sasuke began to climb out the window. As his body passed through the light of the moon, all Sakura could do was again admire his shirtless torso. The room suddenly grew cold as he threw open her bedroom window. Before he could go through the window, Sakura finally found the right words.

"Sasuke! Don't leave me!" Running as fast as her feet could take her, she collided with the Uchiha and she embraced him tightly. Tears streamed down her face and fell onto his bare shoulders. "Please, Sasuke. Stay with me. I love you, Sasuke."

Normally Sasuke would have brushed her aside, but he let the cherry-haired girl cry in his arms.

"I knew you hadn't given up on me, Sakura," he whispered to her. "But if you really love me…you'll prove it to me.

*To be continued in chapter 3*