A group text from Naruto got him out of the house in middle of the night he debated it for about second. He knew why Naruto had reached out, and that's why he got his hoodie and left his house. It had been ages since he last spoke to anyone in the group that wasn't Ino. Since apparently, she knew more about his missing memories than he did. However, the rest of the group, not since Sakura went missing, not since he woke up in a hospital bed, with two months' worth of memories gone. Sasuke had been interviewed relentlessly by the police, but nothing could make him recall the events.

He could not stand the pitiful looks they gave him, so he had pulled away. He asked to be transferred and hadn't spoken to them since. However, things were different now, Sakura was officially dead, not just missing. The group text had not been unexpected, and if he was honest with himself, it was not entirely unwanted either.

He found the idea of being alone terrible. All his thoughts revolved around his guilt, his inability to recall what happened when Sakura went missing. They say he was with her, that he was the last person to see her, but the fact was useless to him, to them. Sakura's mother had begged him to remember, she had gotten on her knees and pleaded with him. Sakura's father had simply asked him to go to the police if he remembered anything. "Anything, it doesn't matter how big or small the detail is." It had been four years; four fucking years and his memories of those two months were gone.

He took Itachi's keys and left, he was not able to drive legally, but he was technically supposed to be in bed. He wasn't worried about being caught, his friend had been found dead, he could get away with just about anything at the moment. Naruto's text had not mentioned a destination, all it had said was "let's meet up at the old place." His phone had gone off multiple times since, all of the texts in agreement. Sasuke had chosen not to reply.

The old place was by Sakura's house, they always hung out by there because her parents are bakers, or they were before she went missing. While he never had much of a sweet tooth, the rest of their group did. Kizashi would often leave some baked goods for Sakura to share with her friends, it just became easier to hang out at the park by her house. It had an old gazebo where they would eat the treats. He turned on the radio unable to be alone with the memories, but the moment he turned it on he heard her name, "I still can't get over this tragedy. I don't think our community can recover. Haruno Sakura, this poor girl was missing for four years, and they found her remains three days ago. Reports say that at the time they found her body they believe her to have been dead anywhere between twenty-four to twenty-eight hours and what's worse-"

He turned off the radio. He knew what was worse he didn't need the reminder. He didn't want his thoughts, but he didn't want to hear about how she had been alive for the past four years. Because fuck was that worse, a million times worse. She had been alive, and helpless up until a few days ago.

When he arrived at the park, he saw light by the gazebo, now what? These weren't his friends, not anymore, he had come on an impulse. A need to remember days long since passed, to remember her. This is for her, he reminded himself as got out the car. When he approached the gazebo, he saw the whole group was there. Ino was crying leaning into the hug Hinata was giving her. Clearly Hinata had also been crying, and if Sasuke had to guess she only stopped to comfort Ino. Shikamaru, Shino, Choji and Kiba were not crying but they were solemn. None of them had noticed him yet. Naruto wasn't in the gazebo, he looked around and found him sitting on a swing eyes downcast.

Sasuke never thought he would be in this situation, approaching Naruto first after so many years. He sat on the swing besides Naruto, "I thought everyone would be here?"

Naruto looked up surprised, but he did not comment on the oddity of their situation, "Lee is on a track competition in Suna, Neji decided to stay to cover for Hinata. Ten Ten got caught on her way out." Sasuke sat on the swing next to Naruto, "I thought meeting in the gazebo would," Naruto sighed, "I don't know, give us all a moment." He paused, "but the moment I saw it, I knew I couldn't get any closer." Sasuke said nothing, but he understood the sentiment, he had hoped the same. After a few minutes of silence Naruto spoke again,"it's not your fault."

"I've been told by many." Sasuke replied, he had heard those words so many times, by the police, by his parents, his brother, his fucking therapist. Yet, the guilt remained and grew by day. "Does not change that I was there that night, it doesn't change that I can't remember what fucking happened." They could say it all they wanted, it didn't change his reality, or his nightmares.

"I guess it wouldn't." They fell quiet after that, until Naruto broke it. "I didn't know how much hope I still had." Sasuke said nothing, Naruto's words rang true probably to all of them who knew her. "Dad said her parents are already planning on selling their house."

It wasn't surprising, the whole town knew they had only stayed in the house with the hope that Sakura would find her way back to them. They had been in the process of selling their house before Sakura went missing. He remembered she had been excited about getting a bigger bedroom. She had wanted to help her parents pick the house, so that she could help decorate. However, when Sakura went missing her parents took the house off the market almost immediately. They were desperate, what if she got back and she didn't know where to find them?

Her parents had gone on television multiple times hoping she could see them and tried to let her know they were in the same house. To come home if she could. He had always thought it was pointless, but now he wondered if she had seen her parents pleading on television, if it had given her hope that she would get to come home to them.

Neither said anything after that, but the sounds of footsteps approaching made them both look behind them. "Hey," Ino greeted, Sasuke stayed silent, Naruto nodded, it was obvious no one was really here for conversation. They had all come to find some sort of peace a form of comfort in the recent turn of events. Even Ino seemed reluctant to break the unspoken agreement of the group but she had approached them. "Sasuke, can I talk to you for moment?"

Sasuke nodded stood and followed curious as to what it could be about. They went by the slides. Ino reached into her pocket and handed him a small cherry blossom necklace. "It was Sakura's," he didn't need her to tell him it was hers. He had recognized it instantly, "her parents gave it to me a while ago." Somehow that stung. "I thought I should keep it safe for when," she stopped, didn't finish the sentence, but he knew the direction it was headed.

He was about to refuse when she stopped him, "I know you don't remember, but when you and Sakura started dating, you gave her your ring." Ino started crying, "it- it was too big for her," paused to compose herself. "So when she showed it to me she was wearing it on a chain. She told me that she wanted to give you this necklace since you gave her your ring.

"She," Ino's tears were on free fall now, "she was very nervous about giving it to you, she thought you wouldn't want it or that it was too girly. I thought she had given it to you I was surprised when Mebuki-san gave it to me."

"Her parents wanted you to have it." He didn't deserve it.

"And, Sakura wanted to give it to you. I am simply honoring her wishes." Ino left, leaving him gripping the necklace.

The only thing left of his first his first and only relationship was the necklace in his hand not even the memories. "Yamanaka," he called, his eyes on his hand, "thanks." She said nothing in return.

A/N: I meant to write more two weeks ago, but shit happens... anyway this AU will not leave my head. as always thanks for reading