As weeks passed by since the incident, Sakura fell out of contact with the Uchiha family, ignoring even Itachi's calls. She started falling behind on her classes as well, Sasuke noticed but didn't say anything about it. It was only a matter of days after that she dropped from school completely. Sasuke began to search for her more when he stopped seeing her and decided to ask Naruto about it.

"You don't have the right to ask about her Sasuke. You don't even know what the hell you are doing to her." Naruto said before taking HInata's hand and leaving, making Sasuke wonder what was going on. Ino ignored him and shot him glares, Gaara threatened to kill him for his actions, Naruto turned on him, Kiba stopped hanging with him and even worse, his own family stopped wanting him around.

He left the school as the bell rang and walked till he reached Sakura's house. He walked up to the door and asked Tsunade if he could talk to Sakura. Tsunade, not knowing what went on smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Sasuke but she isn't here anymore. Kakashi took her out for a hike for a while hoping the fresh forest air might cheer her up. She has been so unhappy as of late and I just want my happy Sakura back. Do you know why she has been so saddened?" Tsunade asked, Sasuke shook his head and thanked her before leaving.

'She's gone…..' he said softly. He really needed her and she wasn't there. He went to see Karin in hopes she could make him smile again and found her with Suigetsu in the closet. Itachi was right all along and he didn't see it. 'Sakura was the one for me this whole time and I blew it' he thought to himself. He walked into his room and flipped through his cds and found the one Sakura burned for him and he put it in and sat at his desk to do homework.

As her favorite song played he wished he could change his words. He looked at the stereo and frowned when back to December played. He thought back and remembered she was so happy back in December, he had bought her the necklace she wanted so badly. It was an elegant locket that he had put his picture and her own picture in it and she always kept it close to her.

****************TIME SKIP********************

It had been several months since Sakura was last in Konoha, she walked through the gates feeling refreshed and had a smile on her face. She saw Naruto and HInata…she looked again….A ring carrying Hinata. She walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder, Hinata spun and hugged her friend while squealing. "OMG YOU ARE HERE! I MISSED YOU" she said.

Sakura smiled and hugged Naruto. "I see you two married, congratulations. This is for you guys, I saw it where I was and picked it up for you." She said handing them their gifts, Naruto opened his and his eyes watered, he had been given the best present. A Booklet of Ichiraku's ramen coupons, Naruto hugged her and jumped around screaming in joy.

Hinata opened her gift and smiled. She asked Naruto to put on the beautiful butterfly necklace before thanking Sakura. She smiled, glad her friends liked her gifts. Looking around she saw Ino and excused herself to get bear hugged by Ino and a smaller hug received from her new husband Sai. 'It would seem everyone got married' she said, wondering if Sasuke married Karin.

She gave Ino her gift and was hugged to near passing out when Ino opened her box of new hair ribbons and Sai hugged her when he opened his new art book and drawing utensil kit. Ino looked at Sai before telling her. "Sasuke has become a recluse Sakura. He moved from the Uchiha compound and into an apartment and has not left it since you have been gone. I think you leaving took its toll on him Sak." She said softly.

She handed Sai a small box and asked that he could give this to Sasuke for her, Sai nodded and took off instantly leaving Sakura to wander to her own home, smiling when Tsunade hugged her tightly and welcomed her home. Sakura walked up the stairs to her room and looked at the picture of her and Sasuke before pulling the picture out and putting everything of her and him in a labeled the box with "painful memories" and put it on the top shelf in her closet.

She heard a knock on her door and regretted telling the person to come in when she walked out of her closet to see Sasuke. She moved past him in silence to put her things away. "What do you want? You asked me to stop bothering you basically and now here you are bothering me" she said. Time made her stronger away from him, now she was as cold as he was if not more.

He held out his hand and when Sakura held her own out he dropped the gift she gave him back in her hand. The necklace he bought her. "You can have it back. I already removed the pictures, I want nothing more to do with you, not even the memories Sasuke. The few months separation between us has made me stronger and able to walk away." She said as she put the necklace back in his hand and turned her back to put the rest of her things away.

"I don't doubt it Sakura, all I am asking for is a chance to apologize to you" he said softly, Sakura's hands slowed as she turned around, not hearing him right. "He walked up to her and unclasped the chain to put the necklace back on her. "These few months have made me think and I realized something Sakura. I don't want a lifetime without you in it. You told me once that I was the kind of flawless you wished you could be, you are flawless Sakura. Everything about you is perfection."

He stepped back and shoved his hands in his pocket. "I'm just sorry I messed things up and I know you won't ever give me a second chance, but I wanted to apologize for it. I don't want anyone else to have that heart locket because giving it back to you now, Its more than the locket now. I am giving you what you wanted most, my heart"

He walked out of the room knowing that she now had the power to break his heart, he left that power in her hands because he knew he deserved that fate. Sakura sighed and walked out of her room calling him back up, shutting the door behind their entry she sat on her bed. "Look, I am not saying that I forgive you just yet, but MAYBE we can work on trust and friendship before we go further. And so help me Sasuke if you screw this up again I am going to screw you up" she said, Sasuke smiled and hugged her as he breathed in her scent of cherry blossoms.

"I am sorry I didn't see you Sakura, and I am even more sorry I did what I did" he said, Sakura hugged him back before shooing him from her room so she could finish unpacking and putting things away. Sasuke left the room with a smile. He may not have her as a girlfriend but if he could prove to her she was the one for him, he would never let her go and never make her regret being with him. 'one step at a time' he thought to himself as he walked to his parents' to tell them of her return.