Long chapter, sorry! New reviews, yay! LittleNightmare92: I'm glad you like it so far! I hope I don't disappoint, it's tough to balance having drama, but still having everyone be more or less good people :P YES I'm so glad you liked the flashback, I friggin luuuv SasuNaru, but realized I'd never written any of it before, so I just wanted a little peak into it ;)

Thanks for the reads and reviews! :) Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Past memories

"Itachi, what happened?! What happened to father? He-"

"Sasuke, you need to go, hide in the closet, and call the police."

"No, please, I don't like it in there! I don't want to be by myself!"

"Sasuke, get out! Go!" The terror in Itachi's eyes looked like anger, and it was all Sasuke could usually remember. The blood on his clothing, something shiny in the middle of the floor, and the livid look on his fathers eyes as the light left him...

Friday 4:15pm

The week seemed to drag on endlessly, but with each day, Sakura managed to carry herself with more and more confidence. She still couldn't look directly as Sasuke, and she definitely didn't think she could approach him anytime soon, but she no longer cowered in her desk when he walked by. Gaara noticed this change in her, and he really liked it.

"Feeling better already? You mind telling me what happened between you two, anyways?" Gaara inquired, following Sakura to her locker. He'd been flirting with her all week, and it was getting less and less subtle.

"Nothing happened between us, we just...used to be friends. We grew up together." Sakura slowly gathered her things, somewhat lost in thought. "And then, he disappeared."

"You liked him though, didn't you?"

She looked up at him with surprise in her eyes. He wasn't really that much taller than her, but she wasn't really tall in the least. "Am I that obvious."

"You are to me." He said softly, for once, his words sounded genuine. Most of the time he seemed to just be playing with her, not that she minded. In this moment though, he looked sincere and looked at her warmly, that sly smirk was absent, replaced by something remarkably unique that she couldn't quite identify. "I see right through you Sakura. So just tell me, you liked him?"

"Yea. I did, but he rejected me." She said, the words felt cold and harsh on her tongue, it wasn't something she liked discussing. It was bad enough that she was remembering it more often than ever now that he was back.

"Then forget about him. Sakura, I really like you." Gaara said, leaning into her, his face hovering just near her lips, and she rested her back against the locker. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering those same words coming out of her mouth when she uttered them to Sasuke. Gaara was right though, it was time to forget, and she was tired of feeling that sickening pit in her stomach that longed so deeply for Sasuke. She wanted so badly to fill that hole, and maybe now she was finally ready.

Gaara kissed her gently, just grazing his mouth over her shaking lips. He ran his thumb over her cheek, her head was swimming, and she kept her eyes closed. Once again, she didn't see that Sasuke had been watching, but Gaara saw. He gave Sasuke a smirk before pressing his lips deeply onto Sakura's pink ones.

"Hey, get a room you two!" Said a jesting Chouji, who smiled at the couple while walking by. Sakura looked up and smiled at Gaara, who was dawning a devious grin.

"Don't forget about the party tomorrow okay?" She nodded, flushed and embarrassed now. She didn't expect that they would actually kiss in the middle of the hallway. "I'll text you tomorrow, 'kay? Send me your address."

"Okay." She said quietly, smiling as he walked away. When she turned, she saw another familiar back walking away from her. Sasuke... I wonder if he saw. Somewhere, in a dark shut away part of her soul that was screaming to be set free, she both hoped he had and hadn't seen.

Saturday 8pm

"Sasuke." Naruto knocked on the door leading to the room Sasuke had been staying in since he'd moved in to his home. "Can I come in?" Naruto asked quietly, in case he was asleep.

"Sure..." Sasuke said lazily. The TV was on, but Sasuke just laid there on the small cot like bed, staring at the ceiling fan, wearing only some loose sweat pants.

"So, there's that party tonight. I know it's being held at your house. You should probably go and let loose a little. I think you'll feel better if you do."

"Hell no." Sasuke said sharply, and the words hit Naruto like a flat board.

"Ugh, Sasuke, come on, just give it a chance. Look, I really want to go, but I can't show up without you.." Naruto came over and crouched by his bed. "Please? Pretty please?"

Sasuke scoffed and rolled over. "Fine, whatever. But we're not staying for long."

"Okay! Well, you better get ready, we're leaving soon." Naruto perked up, leaving his room, but not before getting a second look at Sasuke's pale and sweet bare skinned back. It had been a long time since he got over his crush on Sasuke, but having him close like this made it easy to remember what it had felt like. More than anything, he wanted his friend back, smiling and warm. He really didn't need anything else from him, not anymore.

Saturday 7pm

Gaara moved through his home quietly, hoping not to arouse any suspicion. He was an eloquent and seemless dresser, but tonight he had put a little extra outfit into his appearance, and his ever keen family would be sure to notice if they saw him.

"GAARA!" Shit, too damn late. Gaara froze with annoyance, he was so close to the door too. "Where do you think you're going, Mr. Fancy Pants. Got a hot date or something." It was his sister, but not his real sister.

"Yea, actually I do, and I'd really rather not be late, so I better get going." Gaara said, backing up towards the door.

"Oh Gaara, that's great! Is she cute? Why didn't you tell me, I would have let you borrow my make up!" She teased him a lot about the eyeliner her used, but it was a habit that he'd gotten really good at, and didn't feel like breaking anytime soon. Besides, he pulled it off so damn well, and it made him different. He never seemed to be able forget that he was different, so at some point he just embraced it.

"God, just drop it okay, Temari? I'm leaving now."

"Wait, come here! Let's take a picture first! Kankuro, come here! Gaara's going on a date!"

Gaara left as soon as he could, he didn't like the overbearing and overly caring nature of his family, his adoptive family to be knew they loved him, but he had trust issues that he wasn't able to so easily overcome when it came to family.

He hopped into his convertible, another one of the overbearing reminders his family gave him to try and prove he was in fact their son, and their little brother. He really did appreciate them, but the effort was so obvious, and just further singled him out.

He arrived at Sakura's house after a short time, they didn't live far apart. Both of them were in fairly nice suburban neighborhoods, clean cookie cutter homes. They looked similar, and fit a very controlled appearance. Gaara figured Sakura led a very average life, only so much could happen in this kind of environment.

"Hey there beautiful." He said in a cool tone as she met him at her door, and she really did look beautiful. Her hair was lightly pinned up, and she wore a modest but fitting light blue dress. He was always intrigued by her, and he felt lucky to be spending this time with her. However, he didn't usually stick around with just one girl, and he didn't think this would be any different.

"Thanks." She whispered shyly.

"Do your parents know you're spending time with a dangerous guy like me?" He said in a teasing tone, but she didn't seem to pick up on the joke.

"Nah, they don't really care." She said, rather plainly. Sakura had such an air of charming innocence, the wind tossed her soft pink bangs across her porcelain perfect face. If he wasn't driving he'd happily spend the afternoon staring at her, admiring her beauty.

"So, you can do whatever you want then?" He asked, trying to distract himself with driving. The attraction he felt for her was starting to concern him, it seemed different than what he'd felt before, and he really didn't want to fall for her.

"I guess so." She said, some sadness in her tone.

"We'll have fun, I promise, okay?" Sakura just smiled at him, and it wasn't long before they arrived at the party location. It was hard to miss. The house was stunning, large, completely lit up, with loud music booming from inside. Sakura almost didn't recognize the home, surrounded by stumbling people, and cars everywhere. This was the Uchiha home.

"I thought this was Hidan's party?" Sakura said, not sure how to explain the sudden shock she was feeling. She just couldn't shake the Uchiha's this week, sadly, since she was really looking forward to spending time with Gaara, free from other distractions.

"It is, why?"

"This...isn't his house, is it?"

Gaara genuinely didn't know what she was talking about, as far as he knew, this was where the Akatsuki lived. Sasori, Deidara, Hidan...fuck...and Itachi. Gaara hadn't even considered Sasuke being connected to Hidan or the Akatsuki. Some part of him was glad that things turned out this way. He very much planned on getting as intimate as possible with the pink beauty, and certainly wouldn't mind the jealous eyed Uchiha happened to see him making his claim on her. Gaara smirked wickedly, suddenly very excited to see where the night would lead them.

He took her hand, helped her out of the car, and they entered the large house together.

"Welcome! Welcome!" A thundering voice yelled, "Sasori told me you'd be here," Hidan said, greeting them. "He didn't tell me you'd be bringing a such a lovely lady." Hidan was the ultimate player, never serious in any aspect of his life, particularly relationships. Though, it was rumored he was actually a hard working student, making his position in the council much more appropriate.

"Drinks are in the back, there's food...somewhere around here.." It didn't help that he was already tipsy. "Plenty of bedrooms upstairs!" He winked at them, and Sakura blushed madly. Gaara put his arm around her shoulder and began to lead them elsewhere. "Have fun you two!" Hidan was already distracted by more people coming in the door to care that they were walking away from him.

"Okay, thanks man!" Gaara said as they dodged the heavy traffic area, leading Sakura through a mess of people littering every area of the home.

It had been years since she'd been here, and she could barely recognize any of it. The living room was definitely the most different. Before, she remembered a white and red theme, but now it was just a drab navy blue. The rest looked the same, aside from the passed out people, red cups, and other paraphernalia here and there.

"This is crazy, you doing okay?" He yelled, it was so loud she could barely hear him. He handed her a drink, taking a sip from what he had in his hand. She just nodded at him. The energy in the room was crazy, she was actually starting to get excited. She too had a drink, and it wasn't long before one sip turned into several, and she was already getting another cup. She was starting to feel really good, and it made the things other people were doing a lot less crazy. There was a darkened half of the house where people were dancing and going wild. She pulled Gaara along with her into the crowd, and she really started to let loose. Gaara was immensely amused, and the hesitation that he initially felt in letting himself fall for her was starting to dissipate.

"Naruto, this is awful. Why did we even come?" Sasuke said bitterly, trying to plug his ears, begrudgingly accepting a drink from Naruto.

"It's not so bad! Just have a few drinks, and let loose!" Naruto downed his drink, while Sasuke eyed him with disgust. He appreciated the gesture, but parties were not at all his thing. Adding to that the fact that he was here, in this god awful home, with all those memories...He didn't think it could get worse, but then again, the night was still very young.

Konana and Yahiko came to greet the young Uchiha, friends of Itachi that he'd known nearly all his life. "Sasuke! We're so glad you came, how are you doing?"

Sasuke just shrugged, blushing a bit. Konan was like an overdoting parent, and since he never really had a motherly figure, he actually enjoyed being around her. He didn't dislike Yahiko either, but he wasn't interested in a father figure, and Yahiko tried to hard to be just that. For a while the four of them stood around talking. Naruto was as enigmatic as usual, social and captivating, and Sasuke couldn't help but watch him with admiration. He assumed the alcohol was already going to his head, because the blue eyed blonde was starting to sound rather interesting, and looking much cuter than usual. He decided he needed some air, and headed for his old bedroom. There was a balcony there, and he could hide away from the noise and hoards of drunk people.

"I-I'm gunno go- to the bathum, k?" Said a clumsily drunk Sakura, trying to slip away from Gaara, barely able to navigate her way through the mass of moving bodies.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I-I'm fine! You- are the one that's not okay, you're not even drunk yet?! What's wrong...with you?" she slurred. Gaara had less to drink than she did, and really wasn't as much of a light weight. He was still amused by her, but she seemed to be really out of it. He thought about just taking her to an upstairs room, and getting in some action with her before she was too far gone. Instead she skipped away, and disappeared into the crowd towards what he assumed was a bathroom.

In a whimsically drunk stupor, she walked up the stairs, passing several equally drunk people, and found her way into a familiar room. She hadn't even noticed the muscle memory that took her there, as she was sure she had forgotten it. It was Sasuke's room... She felt surreal and completely out of touch, and being there was like a dream. Even when someone walked in the room, she wanted to pretend it was someone else. Her vision was blurry, but she blinked her eyes until the boy in front of her had dark hair, dark eyes...

"Sasuke...You bastard! I have been waiting so long for you to show up!" *hiccup*, she stumbled a bit, moving towards him. I should hit that pretty face of his, that'll show him. She swung her arm, sure that she had just slapped his perfect face. She felt accomplished, but something was off.

"I'm sorry Sakura, I'm here now."

"Why...why did you leave..." Without any notice, she started crying, her emotions going completely haywire inside her. The alcohol had completely shattered her stability, and the chemicals were mixing her hormones in terrible ways. "Why did you leave me?" She stumbled over to him, collapsing in his arms.

"It's okay, Sakura. I'm here now."

Things started to go black, and she fell into the most wonderful dream. A young, sweet Sasuke, sat next to her in his bedroom. Unprovoked, and full of innocence, he leaned over and kissed her gently for the first time.

Saturday 9:35pm

It had been a long time since he'd been in his room. It didn't have any bad memories, he just couldn't stand what the rest of the house made him feel. Of course, it felt a lot different now, littered with inebriated bodies...Very different. His room though, it actually had good memories. Though he had learned that such memories could end up being just as bad in the end. He stood at the door for a moment before walking inside, remembering playing hide and seek with Naruto, having play dates and sleep overs with other students from his class like Shikamaru, Kiba, even Lee and Neji were in their circle of friends. They were good memories, but the best one was the most painful. One time, a beautiful green-eyed girl with long pink hair, sat nervously next to him on the floor against his bed. They were only in elementary school, but he was sure she was the most beautiful person he'd ever met, or would ever meet. He leaned over and kissed her, for the first, and last time. She probably doesn't even remember that now.

He pushed the door open, and his eyes widened at the figure before him.

"Sasuke...You bastard! I have been waiting so long for you to show up!" *hiccup*.

"Shit. Sakura?! What the hell are you doing in here?" She swiped at him clumsily, missing him by a few feet. Stumbling forward towards him, tears in her eyes. "Are you drunk?" He didn't have time to process what he was feeling at the sight of her in his room, vulnerable, and looking as stunning as she did. More than anything, he wanted to make sure she didn't end up falling flat on her face.

"Why...why did you leave..." She burst out crying, and he felt his stomach in knots at the sound of her fragile voice. "Why did you leave me?" She stumbled over to him, collapsing in his arms, but not before throwing up all over herself, and him.

"Oh, fuck.." Sasuke whispered under his breath. Trying to assess the situation. This is bad, did she just pass out? I have to get cleaned up, or this is just going to get worse. "Sakura, wake up!" He shook her slightly, but she was completely out. Thinking fast, he closed and locked the door behind him, carried her to his bathroom, and began to remove their vomit soaked clothing.

Sasuke, shirtless, gingerly wiped Sakura's dress down, before propping her up and mentally preparing himself to undress her. He took a good look at her, brushing away the sweaty strands of hair sticking to her face, admiring her soft glowing skin. "Sakura, god, you're still as beautiful as ever." He played with one of the straps on her dress, before stopping himself, shocked at his own loss of control. He took a dry towel, put it over her, and stepped out of the bathroom. He whipped out his phone, and prayed that Naruto wasn't too drunk to pick up.

"Sasssssukey!" He heard on the other end of the phone.

"Naruto, can you walk straight?!

"Yea, I'm okay..I think." Sasuke sighed. It was going to have to be good enough.

"I need your help, come up to my bedroom." And with that he hung up. He didn't see the heavy blush Naruto was getting on the other line, who hesitated for a moment before running up the stairs.