Title: Begin Again

Summary: She had thought that was it for him. That he would never again be the Sasuke she knew. That he would always be trapped in darkness, and his only freedom, his only real relief, would be death. That sadness would forever engulf him until death came to embrace him.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Rating: M

Author's Notes: Hey guys, thanks for reviewing! Here's the next chapter, enjoy!

Chapter Two

Sakura hadn't expected it.

Mind you, she hadn't expected a big, warm hug as a greeting, but she hadn't expected something like this.

Almost as soon as she walked in, Sasuke's tired eyes turned to something so bitter. She should have known to leave right away, when he looked at her with those eyes.

But she didn't.

She stayed. She walked closer to him, plastering a fake, tight smile on her face. She should have known. She should have known. He had made sure to show her that no, she was definitely not welcomed there. He knocked the apples out of her hand, and the familiar feelings that tugged at her heart made her feel small and pathetic.

"Throw the flower out, too," he snapped at her.

"Sasuke, I don't understand-"

"That's right. You don't understand. You never understand. Get out."

"Sasuke-"

"What's the matter? I'm no longer Sasuke-kun?" he mocked, and the cruelness in his words brought tears to her eyes.

"Y-you're being a jerk, Sasuke. S-stop it."

"Stop stuttering. Get out of my face."

"I-I just wanted to make sure that you were-"

"Get out, Sakura. Stop crying. You look pathetic."

She remembered the way her hands had been trembling, and she remembered how his eyes flicked to her hands and then back to her face, and he almost looked vulnerable. She remembered the hatred on his face slowly fading as she backed out of the room, stuttering a bunch of apologies, but she did not hear what he said to her because she didn't want to know. She didn't want to hear anymore. Her heart hurt too much.

XX

I don't need her. I don't care.

Sasuke told himself this repeatedly, but the more he said it, the more he knew it wasn't true. His mind could echo the words forever, and he would know that he couldn't deny the way his heart constricted painfully in his chest when she walked out the door, hands shaking and all. He had said such awful words to her, but only because the moment she walked in, his whole body went tense. There was something different about her, something different about the way she held herself. She was nervous, but brave. She looked strong, yet weak. She looked...beautiful.

Sasuke did not remember her being beautiful.

He did not remember paying attention to the way her pink hair fell perfectly, or the way her green eyes sparkled, or the way her skin looked so milky white and perfect. He did not remember paying attention to the details of her face, or anything else. He did not remember paying attention to how beautiful she was.

Back then, she had meant a lot to him.

But he realized that he never actually took the time to look.

And when she stepped into the room, he definitely looked.

And he liked what he saw.

And it scared the shit out of him.

So he drove her away.

He hadn't planned on being such an asshole. He had planned to listen to her talk because all she ever did was talk, and nod and agree with whatever she said and they would be done. He hadn't known his body would react so strangely to her beauty. Damn, he hadn't known she was that beautiful.

He sighed, frustrated with himself. He had found girls attractive before, sure. But he never wanted to touch them or talk to them or anything. He just wasn't interested, and he didn't think he would ever be.

All Sakura had to do was step into the room and he found that he could definitely get interested. He suddenly wanted to touch her. He wanted to touch her pink hair and run his fingers across her soft-looking skin. He wanted to make her laugh, and he wanted to kiss her.

To kiss her.

Can you believe that? Sasuke Uchiha wanted to kiss Sakura Haruno.

The annoying forehead girl.

What was wrong with him?

XX

One month passed. Sasuke was released from the hospital. Things were slowly getting back to normal.

Except now, Sakura refused to have anything to do with him. When Team 7 was together for missions, she would stay as far away from him as possible. She ignored him when they passed by each other on the street, and it pissed him the fuck off because she laughed with Naruto and trained with Naruto and talked to Naruto and smiled at Naruto.

He wanted to hit the dobe. He wanted to punch him so hard his teeth would be knocked out of his mouth.

Sometimes, when it was late at night, Sasuke would be strolling through the village, only to find himself staring at the little flower shop, eyes set on the white roses. This was one of those nights. It was warm outside, and the air smelled like grass and mud and summer. It was deathly quiet, and there was no one around.

He wondered why he had ever been so stupid.

Footsteps approached, but for some reason, Sasuke had already guessed who it was.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke glanced up to find Sakura standing there, looking nervous. She bit her lower lip and he realized he was kind of blushing. He looked away. "Hn."

"Why...why are you standing out here in the middle of the night, staring at the shop?"

Because I miss you. I miss you, loser.

Her voice was soft and tentative, as if carefully inspecting her words before saying them. As if she did not want to upset him.

When he didn't answer, she said, "You're not planning to leave again, are you?" She let out a breathless, tense laugh.

He stiffened. "No."

A moment went by before she replied. "Good," she said softly. "Good, because I wouldn't want you to."

His eyes flicked up to hers. "...I thought you hated me."

She smiled, but it was a smile that Sasuke hated, because he knew it was fake and he knew he was the reason for it. "I could never hate you."

"Hn."

"Well...I guess I'll be going now, then. Good night."

"Yeah."

As she began to walk, Sasuke suddenly muttered, "Wait."

Her green eyes pierced through him. "Yes?"

He wanted to say something. Anything that would make her stay. Anything to show her how sorry he really was, and how much he appreciated her and regretted what he had said. He wanted to say something. But he didn't.

"Nothing," he murmured, averting his gaze. She smiled at him, and his chest tightened because her expression showed that she knew he was not going to say anything to her. She already knew he was not capable of fixing things. She already expected his murmured nothing.

She continued to walk and he continued to stare at her until she was behind him. And when he looked back, he realized that this time, she was walking away from him.

And he wasn't so sure he could handle that.

How was it? Heh, I hope you guys enjoyed! Reviews are appreciated! Thanks! Much love xo