A/N: Dedicated to my partner in crime, my love, my ship buddy, the bae Miso. I wanted to write this for you so bad because LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS ARE CUTE but super fucking hard. I have a high appreciation/respect for relationships that are secure and stable, no matter how much distance you put between the two.

Sakura has always been consistent in her love for Sasuke throughout the manga, even when it hurts, even when he is too far away in body and in heart to give a shit. Through everything, you guys. THROUGH EVERYTHING. AND THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF THINGS. That is our OTP. Unconditional love that withstands all the dark moments. So why the hell wouldn't I write a fic that embodies that? So here, I give you angsty we-don't-know-where-we-stand, long distance!sasusaku. I love you Miso! I hope you enjoy okay. And I demand that you spam this on twitter for me to see.

Also I have school in the morning. SOBS. Please leave me reviews to wake up to! I'd die with happiness.

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He was an ocean away, thousands of miles of sea and sand and land mass away from her grasp.

But underneath the same sky - where she would fall asleep to the same stars he would come home to on nights out with his friends - he isn't so far away. There is an intangible connection that she finds in the safety of her phone, tucked safe and secure in her pocket for whenever she wants to reach out to him. She could not touch his hand, she could not taste the coffee lingering on his lips with a kiss, she could not fall asleep curling her fingers through his hair, but the expanse of blue overhead always kept him in mind.

Distance was nothing compared to how far her heart could reach.

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Sakura watched him, teary-eyed and heartbroken.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she murmured to him, watching him place one box on top of another. Everything that had made his subdued, minimalist room alive was sucked away into the boxes and suitcases. The large camera that he left sitting at his nightstand was gone, as was his few video game posters and the old vintage rug that she and Naruto bought him in the sixth grade when they told him his room was too boring for just hardwood.

She wondered for a second if he'd packed it away too, or decided to leave it behind with the rest of his friends.

"It wouldn't have made a difference. You knew I couldn't stay here in the first place," Sasuke replied succintly. There was a dangerous edge to his tone, seconds away from blowing her off and storming away. It didn't deter her in the slightest. "It was only a matter of time."

It was late - past ten. Maybe eleven. Itachi was in his room, but mostly likely eavesdropping on them. Naruto was sulking in his room, bitter and restless. Sakura couldn't find it in her to care. Her parents could shout and yell at her for the rest of the summer. She didn't care. The only thing in the world that mattered was that Uchiha Sasuke was taking a quiet exit out of her life on a 2am flight to New York and she hated it. She wouldn't let him leave quietly. There was nothing quiet about her life, her friends, her reckless heart.

The romance novels tucked away under her bed couldn't hold a candle to them. Sakura knew that, like she knew the curve of his half smiles and the callouses on his palms.

"I still wish I could have been...prepared, I guess." Sakura ran a hand through her choppy pink hair, wishing it was long again so that she could play with it and toss it over her shoulder and tilt her head and smile and talk and convince him to stay.

He stayed silent, bringing his duffle bag onto his right shoulder and finally turning around to stare at her.

She'd never seen his eyes so cold.

"I love you so much," Sakura murmured, the tears finally running down her face. They left her unbidden. "And I don't care how young I am. I'm always going to love you. I could make you happy every day. Me and Naruto - we could - we could make you happy. I know it. You'd never be bored or sad again. So...so please just stay."

"Sakura," he said, finality in his voice. She looked down, clenching her fists and let the rejection wash over her in cold, murky waves.

She did not hear him cross the room to her, his socks against the dark wood silent as her grinding teeth. But she felt his presence, the warmth of his body in front of her own, she felt her shoulders shake relentlessly, she felt the arms wrapped tight around her shoulders, and she felt herself shatter into a thousand tiny little pieces.

They didn't speak for a long time.

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To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
Good morning, Sasuke-kun! Don't scowl too much today! Frown lines aren't cute.

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
Good night Sakura. Take off all your make up before you go to sleep. (since you probably haven't yet)

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
LOW BLOW UCHIHA. LOW BLOW.

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"A history project doesn't even need that much glitter. Nothing needs that much glitter."

"Blasphemy."

"It's supposed to look professional," Sasuke said smoothly. Sakura slid the bridge of her glasses up her nose and looked at her computer screen with narrowed eyes, watching him continue to scroll away at his phone.

Smart boy.

"Fuck professionalism. If I have to slave over this stuff, then it's gonna be the way I like it," she replied. True to her word, the white tri-board had been decorated with pastel pink lettering, hot pink trimming for the necessary texts pasted onto the board, and copious amounts of gold glitter.

"They might deduct points," Sasuke warned.

"I dare them! My essay is gonna bring the judges and Kakashi-sensei to their knees," Sakura announced.

Sakura sat on the floor of her bed room, with her AP European History project in front of her, the necessary decorating supplies to her right, a variety of snacks to her left, and her laptop propped open on a chair farther away from the chaos. She wore a white t-shirt with old blonde hair dye stains and a pair of running shorts. Her choppy pink hair was tied up in a short little top knot and the bags under her eyes that were rarely ever seen in the light of day were on full display tonight. She was quite sure that she looked a bit ridiculous, if not in need of a hot shower, but it was Sasuke, and he wouldn't care if she was wearing a cocktail dress or a bear suit.

Haruno Sakura was a woman on a mission. Decorating a tri-board was a full time job, and she'd been at it for four hours already, cutting and pasting and glittering and finding new pictures to slap onto the board since the ones she'd picked out before hand (weeks and weeks ago when she finished the research and eight page essay) weren't to her liking. There were also a lot of breaks for food and essay proofreading, but otherwise, she spent her times showing off her arts and crafts skills. But Sasuke had time after school to talk with her so he'd been keeping her company for the past couple of hours.

Skype was opened up in all it's white and pale blue glory, depicting Uchiha Sasuke sitting at his desk in a black muscle shirt of her favorite band looking distinctly gorgeous - and distinctly her's.

Sakura remembered buying that shirt for him the summer before the last. They were out with Naruto and Hinata, running around Shibuya, armed with a semester's worth of paychecks from work and boba milk tea. She'd found a small little music shop. She looked through the clothing section while Sasuke insulted Naruto, and Naruto complained, and Hinata tried playing mediator. Then, she'd spotted it - stark black with loud, bright red characters, cut off at the sleeves - and wondered if it was just an excuse to see Sasuke's.

But she'd bought it anyway.

A heavy sweep of possessiveness and affection bubbled up in her chest, making her smile happily at him for a long time. A full row of teeth were displayed for viewing.

It was a full six seconds until he realized she wasn't talking anymore.

"What?" he asked, his brows puckering in the beginnings of a frown.

It's three in the morning and I am stupidly in love with you. "You're really pretty, Sasuke," Sakura said, shrugging innocently.

She was surprised she could make out the pink tinge of his cheeks. "Shut up, Sakura."

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To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
Good luck today. And don't fall asleep in your food during lunch.

From: Sakura
To: Sasuke
My face is so red right now. Why did you bring that up. WHY.

From: Sakura
To: Sasuke
But thank you! I'm ready for it. Goodnight Sasuke-kun!

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"And then a magazine with this lady nearly naked falls out of his bag when he goes to take out a folder, right? Completely misses it! He doesn't notice for at least three minutes!" Sakura exclaimed, trying to be heard in her phone above the morning-rush noise of Starbucks.

It wasn't working out that well.

She'd focused on her makeup today: she'd ran a flat iron through the fly aways for an even bob that settled right above her shoulder, slapped on tons of concealer, smudged black eyeliner onto her eyes, swiped piles of mascara onto her eyelashes, and slathered her lips with a pale lavender lip gloss. Sakura even took care with her outfit - jean jacket, thick black sweater, burgundy circle skirt, black stockings, and old, worn ballet flats.

It was a shopping day with Ino, and she was grabbing some caffeine before she was dragged around the city for dress hunting. The winter formal was two months away, and the blonde was starting off strong. She wanted to find something early, something unique, something that no one would ever have. It was going to be an ordeal. There might have been casualties. Either way, Sakura was ready for war.

(Or, well, intense shopping.)

"Who the hell brings porn to school?" Sasuke said through a snort.

"Inuzuka Kiba! I swear to god, he's twelve years old. I don't know what Ino sees in him," Sakura bit out. They continued on with the story from yesterday, involving a until she got to the barista.

"What'll it be?" the pretty brunette asked.

"Venti caramel macciato, please," Sakura said politely. She still had her phone pressed up against her ear and shoulder, as she reached for the wallet in her messenger bag.

"You always order frappuchinos. I don't even think you like caramel," Sasuke deadpanned through the phone. It made her pout with embarrassment. She could hear the sound of water running in the background, falling against his sleep-heavy voice. It did made her chest strum with warmth.

But Sakura was feeling a little brave today.

"Yeah, but I'm sort of missing you right now so I'm ordering your usual," Sakura replied succinctly. Her cheeks bloomed with color. When she finally managed to get her money out of her wallet and hand it over to the barista, the woman was smiling at her.

Sakura blushed as she mouthed 'adorable' before handing back the change.

He was quiet for a minute, and between her shoving her wallet back into her purse and shifting over to where she would get her drink. She stood beside several other strangers, some looking bored, others looking stressed. "Anyway, you're going to bed soon, right?"

"Yeah. Just have to get to some Calculus homework first."

"Gross. Well, good luck." A different barista slid Sakura's drink to her across the counter and she smiled in thanks at him. "I'm about to shopping for winter formal dresses with Ino."

"I should be wishing you good luck," Sasuke murmured. Sakura smiled as she brought her drink to her lips and took a long sip as she heard him yawn loudly.

"Whatever. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah. I'm free tomorrow night. If you're even awake this time."

"Oh whatever. I can wake up early just fine if it's for you."

"I'm flattered."

"You should be!" Sakura exclaimed, laughing as she left the Starbucks. "Later, Sasuke-kun. Love ya."

She hung up before he could answer.

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Sakura went through dress racks at Olympic speed. She forcefully focused on making herself into a goddess for the formal, formulas on different shoe and clutch combination that she already had stored away in her closet, because she wants to look gorgeous even if the one person she wants the most to see won't be there. She was going to be beautiful and make everyone do a double take.

"Maybe something white?" Ino offered.

"Nah. I don't wanna look too pale," Sakura replied.

"You said you wanted something pastel, right? That involves some paleness. Kind of a lot. And there was this really cute blue mini dress you completely skipped over." The blonde's flats clicked against the linoleum floors, hips swaying to the One OK Rock song blasting through the store's speakers as she made her way over to her friend. Sharp blue eyes roamed over her friend's face as she danced around her. "You okay? You're kind of off."

Sakura looked at her, smiling and running a hand through her hair. "Of course," she lied cheerfully. "But yeah, now I'm thinking different. Red. Super red. Like, a drool worthy red."

Ino cocked a brow dangerously. "Is there someone we're trying to impress here?"

"Not particularly." She just knew it wasn't just for her own reflection.

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He left when they were thirteen.

It was a quiet spring day. She even wore a dress, making her more feminine than she had since the hair-cutting incident. She went over to his house, his older brother Itachi letting her in upon seeing her. She walked through his house as usual, stopping to check her hair in the hallway mirror that led to his room when she heard the arguing.

"It's still not fair! Nothing's fair anymore!"

"Life isn't fair, Naruto! Kids starve to death! People get murdered! It's life!"

Sakura flinched, hearing the strain and aggression in Sasuke's voice that she hadn't seen before. She clenched her fists and inched her way over to his door.

"Why can't you just convince him to let you stay!?" Naruto snapped back. "You're just going to willingly!"

"Because I don't want to stay here!" Sasuke shouted. "It's too much!"

Her long fingernails bit into the skin of her palm hard enough to break skin, but she didn't wince. She pressed her ear up against the doorway and tried not to let the oncoming gasping hiccups catch her throat and expose her.

"I hate it here! I hate the way Itachi looks at me! I just want to be gone already!" Sasuke continued. Sakura flinched when she heard a loud crashing sound, but didn't step away from the door.

"What about me and Sakura?! Huh!? You can't just abandon us!"

"You're not family, damn it! You're not my parents! Nothing you can do will replace them! I don't need you two!" Sasuke yelled. Her chest ached suddenly, spasming in on itself in a painful mockery of her heartbeat. Her eyes stung immediately with tears.

Sakura walked away from the door, hands falling away from the door knob.

She walked brusquely down the hall towards the front door, ignoring Itachi calling out her name and trying to keep the tears from her eyes to fall.

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To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
Sasuke-kun why did you leave the tongue emoji on like 12 of my pictures

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
Are you okay

To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
No lmfao it's Karin. I stole Sasuke's phone and now I'm trying to ruin his life.

To: Sasuke
From: Sasura
OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH KARIN

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
AND USE THE EGGPLANT EMOJI TOO.

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"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked up from her work table at the library to see two freshman huddled together, looking at her questioningly. It was just after seventh period, and she decided to do a bit of homework before going to her after school band practice. "Are you and Uchiha Sasuke, like...together?" the dark haired one asked, whispering as if she were speaking of a diety.

"A lot of people are talking about it now," the blonde piped in, smiling mischievously. "And long distance relationships are so cute. There's so much untapped romance."

"It's complicated," Sakura said with a shrug - which wasn't really a lie. It was complicated to know why neither of them had breached the subject of togetherness for the past year. It was her default answer, honestly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! You don't use the egg plant emoji on a girl's pictures unless you're serious about her."

Sakura smirked.

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"This is really fucking good."

"I know!"

Sasuke's Instagram page with heated interest, watching the different pictures pass by her. They ranged from sunsets, city sky lines, candid shots of his brother working at his desk, different parts of his school, his neighborhood, his daily breakfast, local graffiti, random tattoos of a boy with white hair that she vaguely remembered as one of Sasuke's friends from school, and even the rare selfie that Karin forced him into. At the moment, it was clocking at just over two hundred thousand followers, and since Naruto hadn't stalked it in a while, they went through it together.

Naruto and Sakura were in the cafeteria, hunched over her phone secretly as she scrolled through the pictures on the app, her pastel-blue painted nail sifting through the posts on the screen. Their cups instant ramen lay forgotten in front of them.

"Itachi is an asshole if he thinks Sasuke should give this up. I don't know shit about photography, but I know talent," Naruto said, taking the phone from Sakura's hand and bringing it closer to his face as if it wasn't already too big for his hand to hold. "I mean, look! Even the ones taken on his phone look artsy and shit!"

"I know. I think the ones on his phone are better. They're more spur of the moment," Sakura added, smiling brightly. "He hasn't shown Itachi this yet. He's being so dumb."

"Why not!?" Naruto snapped. He set down the phone and reached for his cup of ramen. "It's all quality and popular."

"He says that it wouldn't matter because Itachi expects him to go to major in business anyway, but I think that he's just afraid of his brother rejecting him. I don't think he could take his brother not approving of something that he's really passionate about," the pink haired girl said triumphantly, snatching up her own food. "I'm trying to convince him otherwise."

"Good luck with that," Naruto said sarcastically through a mouth full of noodles. He picked back up Sakura's phone and tapped away at it while handling his chopsticks. They both knew how much Itachi's opinion meant to Sasuke.

"Oh come on. Give Itachi more credit."

"Hell no. I've still got a grudge against that bastard."

"Because he took away your boyfriend?"

"Shut up!"

Sakura cackled, shoving him by the shoulder, when a hand abruptly slammed on the lunch table in between them. Naruto and Sakura jumped and looked at Ino who smirked down at them, sleek white phone in one manicured hand. She brought it down for them to see the screen.

"Look at what your man just posted on Instagram," she said triumphantly.

The pink haired girl stuttered, face turning a hot red when she saw the picture of a sleek silver laptop on top of a bed of messy sheets, with a plate of onigiri (that she knew were stuffed with tomato) off to the side. It was nighttime, with lowlights and the lamp on his bedside dresser clicked on to give everything a warm yellow glow. The computer screen had Skype open, and on it, a picture of Sakura looking off to the side and putting on mascara It was bright and sunny from her screen, with her window open and light everywhere. The caption read 10am to 11pm.

"Aww!" Naruto said aloud, slapping Sakura on the back rough enough to make her cough. "Look at Sasu-chan being romantic!"

"That's not even romantic," she hissed, shifting away from the two blondes and beginning to eat. Ino merely sat on the other side of Sakura and leaned forward to look at Naruto.

"So are they a thing now? Officially?" She asked, ignoring the furious sputters coming from Sakura. Naruto shrugged.

"Not sure. Whenever I ask the bastard, he sidesteps the question."

"Typical. They're both such cowards."

"I know right!?"

Sakura shrieked, slamming down her cup of ramen and grabbing her purse, slinging it over her right shoulder. She stood and stomped away from the two with all the dignity she could muster - which wasn't much, because behind her they'd continued their conversation of how obviously Sakura would jump Sasuke the second he got home.

She blushed all the way to fifth period.

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To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
Where are you now?

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
WHY ARE YOU AWAKE

To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
I was just at a concert. It's nothing

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
WHY ARE YOU GOING TO A CONCERT ON A SCHOOL NIGHT

To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
Just answer my question Sakura.

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
FINE. I'm at a soccer game with Hinata and Tenten. Naruto's kicking ass.

To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
Hope the idiot doesn't fall.

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
Don't just rain all over his glory. He's kicking ass. Just accept it.

To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
Whatever tell me when you get home. I wanna talk.

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
Did anything happen?

To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
No. Just feel like it.

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
Well then if it's not important I don't think I can? I have a Biology project and Lit homework that needs to be worked on.

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He didn't reply back.

Sakura gripped her phone - the lifeline tethering the most important boy in the world to her at all times - as tightly as she dared, bright green eyes following Naruto's form as he tossed the ball back and forth with Shikamaru before kicking the goal. Hinata laughed at her boyfriend's elated backflip and Tenten shrieked in support along with the crowd as Neji walked onto the field, retying his ponytail over his head and clapping Shikamaru on the back as they spoke.

She held still for a long, long time.

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Sakura shut down her phone and computer the second she got home.

She washed off her makeup, took a shower, changed into pajamas, tied her hair up for sleep, and flopped onto her bed and looked out the window.

It was dark, moonlight spilling onto her pale skin and making it look papery and silver. She watched the window with sharp intent, gazing at the stars with the calculating gaze of someone searching long and hard for something.

Sometimes she just missed him so much – the world could be spinning in the opposite direction and her house could be uprooted from the ground and all her friends could be swept away and she'd still be worrying about him. He was always a text message or a phone call away but some moments he was infinitely farther. She could not lean in and smell his t-shirt when she wanted to. She could not kiss his jaw when she wanted too. She could not hold his hand in public when strangers walk pass and let everyone know he was her's.

And he didn't understand. It was so easy for him to with draw and pull away with just the click of a button when he's already pulled away too many times for her to even count. It wasn't fair.

It made her heart swell and burst and bleed.

Even underneath the same sky, he was still so far away.

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How did the stars look out from his window? How much brighter would they be?

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"I am ninety eight percent sure that Gaara has a crush on you," Temari drawled, slamming her books down next to Sakura in the library.

The pink haired girl jumped, looking at the blonde with wide, scared eyes. "W-what?" she whispered, looking around to make sure no one else heard her. The school library bordered on huge, and had the tendency to echo. Sakura watched her pull up a seat in the desk next to her, open up her physics book, and pretend to look interested in the page as she continued to speak.

"My little brother's into you. And I'm just giving you forewarning since he's being an punk about it," Temari said.

"I – uh – can't reciprocate those feelings?" Sakura stammered out, ending it more like a question than anything. She couldn't even process the words very well. Because Gaara. "There- there's someone else for me."

"I thought so," Temari said, a smirk curling at the edges of her lips. "So how's Sasuke been doing?"

Sakura flushed bright red, turned back to her book. "Fine, actually."

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She confessed again when she was fifteen.

He came home for the summer with his brother – the summer after freshman year was always imprinted in her mind as the best summer of her life. Naruto's god parents didn't drag him off on a three-month vacation like they usually did, and her own parents gave her her first cell phone.

Every afternoon she'd call them up and propose a plan to do something. Sometimes it was the indoor trampoline house, and sometimes it was laying around watching old movies.

Either way, Sakura was the happiest she'd been in a long time. She hadn't spoken to Sasuke since he'd left. She had stayed bitter about his words to Naruto in his room for so long, it carved holes in her chest. She had refused to try and contact him.

But that summer was the summer of love and forgiveness and hope and happiness and everything she'd ever wanted.

So on one warm July night, Naruto went home early, and she stayed in Sasuke's room while they finished the rest of the pizza they ordered and the movie that was still playing.

He'd just looked so perfect in that moment – legs crossed, wiry muscle flexing underneath pale skin, jaws moving sharply every time he chewed. There wasn't a time that she could recall thinking that any other boy she'd seen was beautiful. It was always just Sasuke. It was always just Sasuke moving and talking and laughing too quietly for anyone but her to notice. Sakura smiled at him for a long time and before she knew it she was already leaning in.

But no matter how many times she whispered that she loved him between kisses and touches and too soft sighs, and no matter how many times he didn't reply, he always kissed back.

That had been enough for her.

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To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
Stop ignoring me.

To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
You could do better, Sakura.

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
I'm starting to think that I could.

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But Sakura wasn't fifteen anymore. Sakura wasn't the careless fool she was before. Sakura spent so many months sitting in her room and crying over a boy half way across the world. Sakura spent so many months crying over a boy that made her feel worthless with just a stretch of silence between them. She was tired of it. Sakura was tired of the heart that beat so hard and so hot in her chest, always giving so much of herself away. Sakura was seventeen and looking at a future at a good university, and looking for an apartment in Nakano, looking at scholarship applications for Todai - looking at a future without him. Sakura was looking at friends who called her name in the halls, looking at kind boys who gave honest smiles with hands offered so easily in her presence.

Sakura was looking at a life that did not include him. If she closed her eyes, closed her phone, closed her laptop, Uchiha Sasuke did not exist. Not where it counted. Not where it mattered.

How had she thought this would be enough?

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December went like this; sleeping in until the last possible minute, too hot showers, two layers of concealer, three coats of mascara, lip gloss lip gloss lip gloss, thick tights, thicker scarves, high buns, low gazes over bubble sheets she scratched dutifully away at, new boots that squeaked against the linoleum floors as she made her way to class, after school cram sessions for Advanced Biology V, too much Red Bull, too much takoyaki, conferences with Tsunade-sensei, more studying, more hair pins, more concealer, low lights against thick text books, late nights, and one very needed snow day spent marathoning a drama Ino demanded she watched, back in September.

Sasuke left like this; irregular texts, quiet Skype conversations, Snapchats left unread, tweets left unreplied, and too many calls left to ring while she gripped her phone through it's case, hearing his voice mail drawl to her that he couldn't pick up right now, so leave a message if you want, and she gripped the phone through the flimsy case and pretended it was him.

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To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
I can't give you what you deserve.

To: Sasuke
From: Sakura
Go to sleep, Sasuke-kun.

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Sakura looked up at the vanity mirror in front of her, processing the text messages like a math equation she could not comprehend - she did not want to comprehend. But the words still settled in her head like an old, dusty blanket, making her skin feel too cold.

She set down the phone, looked at it for a long time, looked at the name on the screen with a small heart and crown beside it, looked at the words typed away in the gray bubble, looked and looked and looked until she knew she'd be dreaming of his voice murmuring goodbye in her ear that night.

Her eyes found the mirror of her vanity again, amid the array of cosmetics and perfumes and lotions she's stuffed onto it, none of which were currently on her face. The blank canvas of her skin looked more haggard than she remembered. Her skin looked blotchy and angry with her. Had she always looked this tired? This old? There was a sort of thinness to her face that she hadn't noticed before, the loss of baby fat that she wasn't ready to part with. The bags under her eyes went from shadowed marks to sunken-in skin, scary and too purple against her pale skin.

Sakura picked up her concealer, shaking the little bottle up and picking up her phone. She tapped on Sasuke's name, watched the screen shift to the dial, and smiled tightly when it rung too long. When the messaging system allowed her to send in a message. "I deserve a kind, loving boyfriend, who calls me stupid pet names, and plays with my hair when he's bored. But I chose you. I always chose you. That was supposed to be worth something, right?" she said quietly, feeling her eyes begin to sting. "I love you more than you could even comprehend. More than you could grasp. My feelings aren't something you can blink away when you want to."

There was a breath of silence, a moment she could only hear her own breathing, the almost-catch of her voice, the concealer bottle held too tightly inside of her left hand. "But it's very tiring, Sasuke-kun. Loving you is very tiring," she half-whispered. She pulled the phone away from her face and ended the call, feeling her throat tighten painfully.

Sakura felt her grip loosen on the bottle, watched it tumble from the vanity's table and onto the floor, watched her tears fall onto the carpet in small, clear drops.

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"I must say, you have to be the best student I've had in the last fifteen years. This is university work, Sakura," Tsunade said, setting down her reading glasses and giving Sakura her famous shrewd stare. Her hands still held the seven page essay in her hand while a smile still toyed at the very edges of her lips. "Excellently written."

Senju Tsunade was Sakura's favorite teacher. It was a culmination of her teaching her favorite class, and best subject, Biology, but being her teacher for the last three years by sheer luck with schedule changing. It was meant to be, in her opinion. She'd always been interested in science. She had goals of becoming a surgeon, and it was very distant at the moment, but Tsunade had always been encouraging to her, if not a little aggressive. No matter how intimidating she was, Sakura could not help but love the woman like a second mother.

Sakura gave a short bow and a bright, luminescent smile. "Thank you, Tsunade-sensei. I've been working very hard this year for the university scholarship you showed me. I think it's...in reach now," she allowed, chagrin in her voice. "I'm happy."

"Good. I'll handle your recommendation and have it in by January. Next semester, just focus on keeping up your grades and exams. You'll be fine."

"Alright, thank you."

"I didn't say I was done."

Sakura blinked, staring at the blonde with confusion. "Um...anything else, sensei?"

"Yes, actually," she said, dropping the essay onto her desk and leaning back in her seat to cross her arms. "You look terrible. Lack of sleep, poor diet, too much stress, it's written all over your face."

She should have expected that, really. Sakura turned red, looking down at her shoes and mumbled out something that sounded like an excuse. There was work to be done, anyway. She'd taken on a number of difficult classes this year, and she knew was she was getting herself into. If there was work to be done, then she'd do it. She couldn't help that.

"Take it easy this break. Rest. Spend some time with your family. This month has worn you out," the older woman said, sitting up once more and slapping a hand down on her desk. "Alright, you're free. And remember what I said! I proud of you, you know. Don't you dare disappoint me."

Sakura nodded hastily, biting down on her lip and giving a tough smile to her teacher before scurrying out of the room.

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On the last day of school before semester break, it snowed.

Sakura walked home with the flurries sticking to her skin and her clothes and her hair, and thought of the first time she walked home with Sasuke in the snow.

It was a happy memory. He'd helped her carry her text books, grunting about how many books she was always walking around with. They argued and teased for a while without her even knowing. The first flurries came when she nearly shoved him into the grass. She'd spent fifteen minutes walking around with her head tilted back and her tongue out, trying to catch snowflakes, thinking about how perfect an afternoon could be.

All of her memories of him were fresh and well kept, without the slightest hint of blurring. For a moment, she wondered how tightly she was clinging to the past like a child.

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.

The day of the winter formal was almost disgustingly hectic.

Everyone congregated at Hinata's house, because her bathroom was the biggest, which was where they spent the rest of the night. They all had their dresses hung up in her closet in garment bags, zipped away until they had to change. They'd set aside twenty minutes to squeal on their choice of outfits - "Ino, seriously, you are going to look like a goddess." "Look who's talking! Tenten, I swear to god, if you let your hair down and curl the ends, Neji's going to have a stroke." "I'd really, really love to see that." - until they got down to work.

Sakura brought seven different eye shadow palettes, Ino brought curling irons, Tenten brought her facial exfoliating creams, and Hinata took out her drool-worthy collection of nail polishes for their perusal.

Sakura was in the middle of dusting a pale, silvery shadow all over Hinata's lids with a flat shader brush. Ino was painting her nails with a matte black polish and Tenten was in the bathroom, working on her hair, and singing loudly to an old EXO album with surprising accuracy. Ino was in the middle of a long-winded comparison between pumps and stilletos for formal events when her phone rang. She snatched if off the vanity and went outside the room, skipping through pleasantries immediately and saying things along the lines of "yeah, she is" and "we'll all be ready" a few times in a suspiciously low voice. She came back muttering on Naruto's stupidity under her breath.

"Naruto called?" Sakura asked, switching up to a fluffy blending brush and swishing in into the black. Hinata's eyes opened and she blinked, looking at Ino in question.

"Yeah he did. Wondered when he was supposed to bring the limo. Your boyfriend is a mess, Hinata," Ino drawled, going back to the small table set up beside the vanity to go back to doing her nails. She dipped back into the matte black polish, going to work on her ring finger. "Remember how Naruto told us he's supposed to pick him up today?"

The dark haired girl suddenly gave a large, bright grin. "Yes."

Sakura blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Nothing you need to know," Ino said dismissively. "Anyway, the dork is out with him buying him a tux right now. They're supposed to be back in thirty minutes, but he isn't sure. They think they might be late, but they're not sure by how much. The traffic is shit."

"As long as they aren't too late, it shouldn't be a problem."

"I know right? Fashionably late entrances are my thing."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Sakura said accusingly, pointing the fluffy brush in Hinata's direction as menacingly as possible. "Spit it out!"

The blonde merely smirked, shrugging a shoulder. "You'll find out."

"You guys suck!" Sakura snapped, dipping the brush back into the palette, but not before poking Hinata in the nose with the back of her brush. "And keep your eyes closed!"

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By the time everyone was dressed and ready to go, Sakura with still shaking up a bottle of hairspray while the rest of her friends congregated in the living room. Naruto shouted at Kiba and Ino to stand still for their pictures, trying to angle a professional looking black camera at them.

The Hyuuga living room was thankfully free of any parents. Specifically, the fearsome intimidation tactics of Hyuuga Hiashi. There was lots of loud laughter, shouting, cooing over cute shoes, and kisses between couples. For a moment, she wondered if they'd all fit inside the limo. She stood beside Shikamaru, who was the only other person who was as dateless as her, standing stoic and careless and slightly irritated from the half-twist of a frown on his face.

"It's adorable, honestly," Sakura said aloud as Ino wrapped around Kiba and pressed a soft kiss to his jaw as Naruto kept snapping pictures. "Until they start making out."

"At least you don't have to deal with it through first period every day," Sai replied, shrugging slightly. "It'll probably be worse tonight."

"I expect nothing less."

But Sakura wanted to be happy, even if she didn't have her own romance to turn into a fairy tale for the night, because her dress was bright red and movie star classic, a full tulle skirt that fell just past her knees and an empire waist that wrapped around her middle flatteringly. She felt pretty. She felt powerful. She felt like she could cast a spell with just a twirl and a smile. She felt like sweating out all her make up with dancing. She felt like listening to heavy, pounding music all night long.

And she felt like dragging Shikamaru along with her just because she wanted to. Maybe drag him over towards Temari for a little fun. Maybe get them to stop being such stubborn idiots. Who knew?

So she smiled, gave a little shrug, and doused her soft pink curls in hair spray one last time.

Tonight would be a good night.

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It took her seven songs to lose her friends in the crowd of the dance floor, but only one for a random sophomore boy to start hitting on her. She shooed him away with a sharp glare and the click of her heels against the linoleum floors as she walked away. Sakura eyed the refreshments with determination. The bodies she twisted and slid through were almost unyielding to her. When she finally got to the punch bowl, she looked out among the mass of jumping bodies and bright lights over her shoulder before turning back to the food and drink lined up on a table with neat, white table cloth.

Off to the side, she could see Temari and Shikamaru leaning against the wall and talking in low voices, subtly leaning into each other. It took a heavy amount of conscious effort to keep from grinning like an idiot, but she managed, focusing on pouring herself a cup of punch.

Sakura smiled, holding her drink in front of her for a moment before deciding she didn't mind if it was spiked.

Tonight was a good night.

Her phone buzzed inside her clutch and she frowned, juggling her drink in one hand as she tried extracting the device from her purse without spilling anything. When she finally made it, she shoved the clutch under her arm and unlocking her cell, staring at the screen. The name that popped up on the screen made her eyes narrow into hard slits.

And then she promptly dropped her punch all over her shoes.

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To: Sakura
From: Sasuke
Turn around.

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Sakura turned around slowly, stepping around the spilled liquid and staring behind her as Uchiha Sasuke walked up towards her, dressed in a sleek black suit, fitted around the shoulders, and a bright red tie around her neck. One hand was shoved inside his pocket, and the other held his thin black phone.

He is gorgeous, and she wondered for a solid minute why she was so shocked in the first place, because she knows he doesn't deliver anything other than inhumanely beautiful in that intimidating way that used to make her stammer and stutter as children in his presence, because she knows he is handsome like she knows the sun rises in the east.

But it struck her - a year and a half was so long. A computer screen did not do him justice.

He stared at her for a quiet moment, before a muted smirk found it's way to his face. Suddenly self conscious, Sakura looked down at her dress, her ruined shoes, and then back up at him.

The urge to pinch herself very strong in her body.

She clicked off her phone and worked on shoving it inside her purse as she walked forward, trying not to slip. Her mouth was moving before she even consciously realized it. "What the hell are you even doing here?" she snapped, stiffling the urge to whack him with her clutch. "Do still have school for another week, you idiot! Does Itachi know you're here? I know damn well he wouldn't let you come all the way here on your own!"

"Did you get taller?" Sasuke asked dismissively, reaching out to play with a strand of curled hair that hung just over her face. She slapped his hand away, pointing her clutch in his face.

"I'm wearing heels! That you made me ruin!"

"You spilled it."

"Because- because you're not supposed to be here!"

"I am," Sasuke said, taking a step closer and officially into her personal space. She flushed red, tried stepping away, but he already had a rough, calloused hand pressed against her cheek and his ink-black eyes set on her. There was no moving now. "I told you that I can't give you what you deserve. I was honest when I said that."

Sakura ripped her face away, tears stinging at her eyes as she gave herself a moment to breathe deeply. "You wouldn't even try," she muttered. "And you promised you would."

"But I want to try now. I understand why it hurt so much to step away from you. I like ruining my sleeping schedule just to talk to you. And I like talking to you. And I like the way you say my name. And I thought this wouldn't be enough for you. For us. This is my fault, so it's my responsibility to fix it," Sasuke said, his hand finding her waist, drawing her closer to him. She let him. "I was scared and acted without thinking. I thought I could push you away and things could be better for both of us."

"Love doesn't work like that."

"I know."

Sakura sighed, pressing her forehead into his chest and breathing in delicious cologne and something else that was so distinctly boy, so Sasuke, that her head swam with memories that she was hard pressed to drown. "How much did your plane ticket cost?" she muttered.

He chuckled, low and deep. "Most of my savings account."

"Does Itachi know?"

"Nope."

She sighed. "You're not supposed to be the impulsive one."

Sasuke stayed quiet for a moment before pulling back, pressing his forehead against her own. Sakura could see the grayish hue of his irises against his black pupils in the bright lights, the slight pout of his lips, and the sharp line of his nose. "Worth it," he mumbled.

"Better be," she mumbled back. The words were clawing out from her throat before she could stop them, because he crossed the ocean to be with her today. "I love you so much, Sasuke-kun."

And he's kissing her before she can close her eyes all the way

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.

.

It's been a year and a half since the last time Sakura kissed Sasuke.

(Far, far, far too long.)

She remembers things that are out of place from last summer she'd seen him, and the summer before; he's still taller than she remembers, even with her heels on, and he's wearing cologne that makes her want to kiss his neck. His hands are a little rougher, his hair a little longer, and his body a little firmer against her own. There is probably new muscle hiding behind his suit that she wants to explore, take up every single second he has left with her until she has memorized him for the months to come.

And his touch a little more desperate, matching her own heat, just barely acceptable for public viewing.

Sakura pulls away from him for air, breathing hard with her red lipstick smudged all over his face, and she laughs so loud in his face he blinks and jerks back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kept laughing, snuggling against him until he got the message and pulled her into him.

"I love you too," he murmured.

"Well finally!"

They almost jerked away, turning to see the audience. Naruto stood among them, thumbs up and grinning more brightly than a supernova. "It took you assholes long enough!" he shouted.

Sakura had never seen Sasuke turn so red.

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.

They all manged to cram back into the limo, this time with Sasuke and Temari in tow. She sat beside him, legs curled up over his own, and beside her Tenten leaned into Neji's shoulder as she babbled on about how her feet hurt. Sakura kept patting the dark haired girl's knee, saying consoling things. Sai sat across from her,

It was loud, and boisterous, and Sakura didn't think she'd ever heard Hinata laugh so much, so loudly before. But Naruto was next to her, telling terrible jokes and brushing the hair from her face, so what could she expect? It felt very beautiful, in that second, even though Sasuke was still subdued and her shoes were completely ruined with splotches of soggy red stains. Her friends were all idiots. Loud idiots. They were arguing about what fast food place they could fit the limo through and who's house they could all crash at until tomorrow morning.

She didn't think she could be any more in love with a moment than she was now.

Sakura shouted out her very insistent desire for ice cream, which was echoed by every female in the car. Naruto and Kiba groaned aloud.

Sasuke's hand curled around her own, and she stared at him with wide eyes. "Still as loud as ever," he murmured, smirking widely.

She smirked back, leaning in and sticking out her tongue at him. "You know you love it."

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.

Sakura knew he'd be gone in the morning.

There was Monday morning exams to slave through, and a very angry Itachi to deal with. But it didn't matter. Not anymore. Not when she'd tasted the ice cream on his tongue under the same stars that she fell asleep to every night, dreaming of him. Not when he left his heart in her safe keeping two thousand miles away. Not when he only played prince just to keep her from dropping the fairy tale all together. Not when he'd came so far from home to chase her doubts away.

Patience was a learned trait. They were still just practicing. So she would take him to the airport, kiss him goodbye, and wait for him to text her when he landed.

Distance was nothing compared to how far her heart could reach.

She just had to remind him.