Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto 

A/N: I know that I haven't updated in forevers forever, but high school is alot different. It's not that I don't have time to write, its that I don't have time to type between homework, chores, and swimming.

c h a p t e r . f i v e

Normal POV

Sasuke heard Sakura's song and hasn't gone into her house yet. He can only go in once her sobs aren't so harsh. He can't handle the body wrenching sobs that he believes that he has caused again.

Naruto and Hinata are out at a club that Ino suggested. Naruto is learning the magical mixture of Tequila and his love. This equation explains his extreme happiness: Drunk Hinata + Hot MusicGrinding.

The sand sibling, Temari showed up in Konoha's streets today. This is strange because Gaara just left a couple days ago and returned home safely already. Her sudden appearance surprises many of the locals. Especially a lazy genius that was just lazily walking around at night. He sees her sitting on a bench.

Sakura's sobs let up, so Sasuke prepares himself to go into her house. He dries his tears and puts on his stonic face like he was supposed, but it quickly melts into a half-smile, half-smirk.

Shikamaru begins to walk over to his former chuunin exams opponent.

Naruto is still letting Hinata do her drunken dance for him but he hears her whispers and begins to worry. His head beings to clear from the ecstasy, realizes the situation and its dangerous with horrible, lifelong consequences as a possibility.

Sakura's POV

I cried when I read Sasuke's letter. He remembered Neji, he acknowledged Naruto and I too. He said he loved me too. I tried to stop myself from crying and shaking.

Suddenly a pair of warm arms wrapped themselves around me. The owner of these arms buried their face in my hair, and I noticed that their face was wet. I assumed it was my best friend, drunk. He probably had gotten his girlfriend mad when he tried to like, rape her. His hormones were the only thing about him Hinata and I regularily and the worst think about him when he was drunk.

"Naruto," I whispered chastely, "You idiot. Stop getting drunk. Hina gets awful worried—"

"No, Sakura-chan," a deep, familiar voice whispered in my ear that was definitely not Naruto's, "I came to visit you, tenshi. I'm here to mend your broken heart."

I began to shake uncontrollably and was speechless. He turned me around and I saw his face in the moonlight. He had a sculpted, handsome face with tears sliding down his cheeks. I gasped in surprise when I saw tears and sad eyes on his usual stonic, emotionless face. I reached up and wiped my tears away. After I calmed down, I did the same thing.

"Sasuke-kun," I whispered, still shocked.

He smiled and embraced me affectionately. I hugged him back and held onto him for my life, hoping this was real.

"Sakura-chan...my cherry blossom...please...stay with me. Don't leave me," he whispered.

His voice was so broken and sad. Like if I left right now, or when he left, he would fall to pieces. I felt reassured because then I knew I wouldn't be the only one.

"Will you sing for me?" he asked feverishly.

He made it sound like my singing would heal him in all ways. I didn't even need to think about the song, I already knew a song that would make him happy.

"Na na na na
Na na na na, yeah
You are the music in me

You know the words once upon a time
Make you listen
There's a reason"

I began to stroke his head and run my fingers through his wild, yet silky hair.

"When you dream
There's a chance you'll find
A little laughter
Or happy ever after

Your harmony
To the melody
It's echoin' inside my head

A single voice
Above the noise
And like a common thread

When I hear my favorite song
I know that we belong
Because you are the music in me"

I hugged him closer. I wanted to hear him sing too.

"Sasuke-kun, will you sing for me?" I whispered

He smiled a small, but genuine smile and said, "Of course, love."

A chill ran down my spine when he called me love. He really did mean everything he had written to me. I closed my eyes and prepared to listen to him sing:

"Yura Yura to yuganda sora e
Kimi no moto e tonde yuke

Zutto soba ni itta kara
Aita sukima ooki sugite

Namaiki na kimi no sunao na henji
Matte dare ga sabishii
Mirarenai machi de naiteru nara
Soba ni inakutemo egao wa todoketai

Yura Yura to yuganda sora e
Kimi no moto e tonde yuke

Konna ni mo chikazu ni kanjiteru
Futatsu no omoi"

His voice was so…rich and beautiful. He put my voice to shame definitely. I smiled happily and leaned into his chest. He was so warm.

"Sakura…," he looked down at me; Jade met onyx, "the song that you sang before I came in…it…do you really…"

He stumbled over his words, but his eyes had told it all.

They desperately asked, "Did I hurt you that bad? You're still broken? Do you still cry over me every night? Are you just playing with me? Will you really accept me no matter what?"

I sighed happily, knowing he was worrying over me.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm fine now that you're with me. I love you for you and that will never change," I explained.

He buried his face in my chest and cried. I looked down at his tear stained face and saw a genuine smile. I hugged him back and we just sat there for a while, savoring each other's warmth and memorizing the feeling of each other.

But then we sensed a familiar chakra approaching carrying another chakra familiar to me. Sasuke suppressed his chakra immediately as he pulled his face out of my chest.

"Hide in the closet," I whispered frantically.

Naruto's POV

This place was totally Ino's idea in the first place. She told Hinata to bring me here. It was her favorite club to go to and told her that if we went, I'd be hers forever. I had over heard this conversation and Hinata just agreed, being the agreeable one of us. But I knew that she understood that I wouldn't leave her by any circumstances and was already hers for eternity because forever was too short.

But I sure as heck am glad that she suggested it! Hinata had decided to try something new for a change. She tried some Tequila and absolutely fell in LOVE with it. At first, she had looked a bit sickly.

But after a while she had dragged me onto the dance floor. 'Little Duffel Bag Boy' was playing and she was twirking so freaking HARD. I didn't know where she had learned how to do it this well. Not to mention my suspicions that she had been out on some secret seduction missions I didn't know about were now stronger than ever. My train of thought was constantly interrupted by her, um, dancing, so I just decided to ask her later. She didn't stop for a couple songs in a row.

Then 'Bed' by J. Holiday came on and she whispered in my ear along with the song, "I wanna take you to bed."

She licked the shell of my ear and it sent shivers up my spine. I froze on the spot, quickly recovered and stopped her dancing. Then I tried to take her back to a table so I could talk to her until she was sober, but she kept trying to seduce me. I was going to give in at this rate so I knocked her out. We had promised ourselves that were going to wait until marriage. I had to do something before she woke up, because she would still be drunk. She had just grabbed a drink and drank it before I knocked her out.

Sakura-chan! She could get the alcohol out of Hina-chan's system! I hurried over there and luckily it wasn't far away.

Temari's POV

I looked up and saw Shikamaru, the boy who said all women were troublesome. The boy that I always saw…in my dreams.

I had developed a mad crush on him ever since I fought him at the chuunin exams. He was so smart. He didn't do anything stupid like Naruto, or make stupid smart mouthed comments like my brother, Kankoro.

He walked over and sat down next to me, really REALLY close. My heart beat in my ears loudly, like drums. I bet he could hear the thumping of my heart.

"Hey Temari. What are you doing out so late, troublesome woman?" he asked me.

I smiled, not being able to help it. His stupid nickname was just something that stuck.

"I'm out here thinking about everything. I'm a bit homesick too so I came out here to look out the stars," Shikamaru drawled.

He looked up at the stars and breathed deeply.

"Why are you in Konoha anyway?"

"I was sent here to find a husband. It was in my dad's will that I go find a husband in our newest alliance village."

He smiled slightly and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Really? Do you need help with that?" he murmured.

I swore my ears were on fire and my face would put Sakura's hair to shame.

"Y-yes. Any help I can get would be good. And I would never push away your help," I whispered back in a daze.

Was this really happening? Or was I imagining it all?

"That's good."

He began to make his move. I met him halfway for our first kiss.

When we parted, he whispered, "Will you marry me?"

I gasped, "S-shikamaru! But we haven't dated at all, ever. Do you--"

He cut me off with a kiss.

"I love you," he murmured between kisses, "Please say yes."

He finally stopped and looked at me hopefully, almost desperately.

"Yes. I love you so much. I will marry you."

He smiled and got down on one knee and pulled the little velvet case out of his pocket. He opened it and there was a large diamond ring inside. He took it out, kissed my hand, and put it on my finger.

I kissed him and asked, "How long were you planning this?"

"As soon as I saw you came here. I snuck into your room last night and measured your finger," he murmered. "Wanna go home? To my apartment?"

I merely nodded and we poofed to his apartment, both meeting each other half-way for another kiss.