I Do Not Own Naruto

Reluctance

His words echoed in her head most of the day as she worked in the labs of Suna looking for cures against this poison master's poison samples from his failed attacks. Sakura didn't know how to feel about what he had said, she just didn't know what it meant. She had already decided to give him up and move on and yet here she was wondering if he meant what he had said. It would be nice if he meant what he had said but she feared that if she hoped about what he said that another irreplaceable part of her would shatter into a million pieces and her already broken heart would finally just stop working.

Why did she love Sasuke?

Well that was the question of the millennium, because she still loved him. She had always loved him, even when they had been children. She remembered him when he was happy, when he would be with his brother and smiling as he played. Sakura remembered the brooding boy left in place of the once happy child and remembered loving him because she knew he needed love. There wasn't much she could do for him, after all she was merely Sakura and nothing special. But she loved him, he hadn't wanted her love though and gone about shoving her away and breaking her heart.

Closing her eyes she remembered the night he left her, he had thanked her and then he was gone and the world around her was also gone. Part of her argued that he at least cared, after all he had put her on the bench rather than left her on the ground, but another part of her was certain that Naruto or Kakashi had moved her before hunting after him. She sighed then opened her eyes to continue her work.

Reluctantly she had loved him when he was with Orochimaru. True she had tried to force herself to fall in love with Naruto; he was nicer and cared about her but for whatever reason she couldn't fall in love with her blonde friend. She loved Naruto, loved him with all of her broken heart, couldn't think of a live without him there irritating her or comforting her but she was not in love with Naruto. She loved him like a brother, always had and their bond had only deepened once he got past that stupid crush of his.

But her crush, for whatever unknown reason, was no crush. Sakura had fallen for the Uchiha and she had fallen for him hard. And it had nothing to do about his looks, or money, or even his prowess, or his Sharingan, or any of the million reasons people told her she was in love with him for. She was in love with him because of reasons she didn't know and she just knew that despite his need for love and affection that he'd never receive it because he never wanted it. That hurt but she could live with it, what destroyed her was his hatred of her and the way he ignored her. And now he was here again and his words were echoing through her head.

Why couldn't she just give up on him and fall in love with someone like Gaara or Lee or anyone else!? Sakura sighed as she worked quietly creating antidotes to the known poisons she had.

Sasuke sat there silently watching over the desert. He was careful to keep out of everyone's path and sight, he was still hated in many parts of the world and Suna was one of them. And he wasn't fool enough to think that he'd be welcomed here. So here he was, perched atop the Kazekage's office watching over the village which wasn't even his. It was fair, he supposed, after all the damage he had inflicted upon the world that he watch over the cities and nations he had once attempted to destroy. At least in this small way he could repent for his crimes.

"Uchiha," he looked down at the redhead of Gaara. The man was still someone who Sasuke had great admiration for but that would never be said or pointed out because he never revealed anything.

"Kazekage," Sasuke answered then resumed his watch.

"Why are you here? Haruno is more than capable of being here on her own and handling this matter on her own." He frowned at the obviousness in Gaara's statement so he looked down to reassess the man. He was just as indifferent as Sasuke was but indifferent people were good at reading one another and those around them. And what Sasuke was seeing was something he didn't like and had him tightening his hold on his blade in anger. But it had been near eight years since he had left and he didn't spend much time around Sakura so what else could he have expected; especially when she was so annoyingly easy to like. Others would fall for her, it was inevitable, and he didn't like the fact that it was Gaara who was one to have fallen for her.

"The Hokage wanted her to have an escort, I was traveling this way anyway," he lied. But it was something he wasn't going to reveal to anyone. No one would ever need to know he had volunteered to come with Sakura.

"Hm, so you have not told her yet. You should Uchiha, you should tell her right now because we all know she loves you." Gaara said and Sasuke glared at the man.

"Tch," his tongue clicked in annoyance as he continued his watch. Gaara said nothing as he walked back into the office and Sasuke sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, but he didn't know how to tell her. Expressing...emotions, it wasn't easy and honestly he'd rather be tortured. At least with torture he knew how to handle the pain and what to do, but with revealing what he was thinking or how he was he didn't have a clue what he was to do. And there enlay the problem he had been suffering from since the massacre of his family.

Wow, I am so sorry I haven't kept up with this. I'm not making excuses here but just so everyone know September, not my month; never has been and so everything usually gets messed up for me then. Sorry about that, I'll be more diligent about the updates for this story and I apologize for the wait you had to endure. Again sorry about this.

Now, there's lots of updates today! So take a pick at what you want to read!

That's all for now folks!

Enjoy Only Tears! =)