Disclaimer: I wished I owned Naruto, or at least SasuSaku
...
Her breath is caught in her throat. Her hands, her whole body is shaking. She feels the horrified stares of everyone in the room, but when he turns his head ever so slowly and meets her gaze, everything around her disappears. In that moment in time, it is just the two of them.
In that moment in time, Sakura feels the weight of their memories, their happiness and their love. And she knows he feels it too.
She feels her lips tremble as she holds his gaze, and she loses herself in a daydream.
...
It is late at night and there is an urgent knock on the door. Hurried, desperate. Uchiha Fugaku opens the door to the cool, crisp night air, but sees nobody. He takes a step back, about the close the door, when he hears a whimper. He looks down and is confronted by eyes so green it is hauntingly beautiful.
A girl no older than two stares up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. They are a beautiful emerald green. Her hair, a beautiful pastel pink. She clutches on to a stuffed bear and she sniffles. On her neck, a sign. "My name is Haruno Sakura. Please look after me."
They are two when they meet for the first time. Sasuke is introduced to Sakura at breakfast. He holds on to his mother's hand, unsure of the girl in front of him.
Mikoto kneels down so that she is at eye level with Sasuke. "She's going to live with us from now on. Look after her, Sasuke." And she gives him a gentle push towards the pink haired child who is looking at her youngest son as if he were the prettiest thing she's ever laid her eyes on. He blushes as he offers her his favourite stuffed dinosaur.
Mikoto smiles as she witnesses the beginning of something beautiful.
Sakura holds on to the stuffed dinosaur tightly, eyes shining with excitement as she listens to Itachi-nii's story of The Little Mermaid. Next to her, Sasuke's eyes travel between his older brother and Sakura.
They are six, and maybe, possibly in love. Itachi is Sakura's brother too, but Sasuke is special. Giddy from tales of love and happy endings, she turns to Sasuke and grins toothily.
"Someday, I'll marry you Sasuke-kun."
He blushes and looks away. Itachi's eyes soften and he chuckles fondly.
...
The Uchiha are a pristine, well known clan. Famous entrepreneurs, they are the frontrunners of military technology. To Sakura, the Uchiha were a godsend. They are the only family she has ever known, and she knows she will be forever indebted to them.
One day, Sakura comes home with a resolve of steel.
"You don't belong with the Uchiha. A nobody like you shouldn't be mingling with Konoha's elite. How about you think long and hard about where your rightful place is, and show them some gratitude for taking in a stray like you?"
They are twelve, and Sakura learns her place in the Uchiha household. Her eyes widen and tears threaten to fall as Mikoto pulls her into a hug and tells her that she is family. Sasuke walks up to her and pries her from his mother's arms, pokes her gently on the forehead and tells her that one day, she will bear the Uchiha name.
...
At eighteen, she is a sight to behold. But Sakura looks up at Sasuke, unsure. She has makeup on for the first time, and he can tell she is uncomfortable with how she looks. Her eyes are framed by a touch of eyeliner and long, black lashes. Her skin is glowing and her cheeks are dusted a pale pink. Her lips are pink, soft and supple, and for a moment he contemplates on what it would be like to give her a chaste kiss.
Her hair is a beautiful mess of soft curls, and he thinks he has never seen a shade of pink so breathtakingly alluring. The baby blue of her gown brings out the green in her eyes, and Sasuke thinks she has never looked more beautiful. He cups one side of her cheek with his left hand, and tucks a stray pink lock behind her ear with his right. "You look beautiful." He tells her earnestly.
He turns and stares at their reflection in the mirror. He takes note of his sharp aristocratic nose, his chiselled and masculine jaw and his dark, smouldering obsidian eyes. He knows they look too different. She is colourful, and he is dark. But he couldn't deny that they looked perfect together.
Later that morning, they witnessed Itachi marry the love of his life. Sakura watches in awe as Itachi makes promises of everlasting love to Izumi, and slides a gold band on her slender finger, officially welcoming her to the Uchiha clan. She steals a quick glance at Sasuke, and he is looking at her. And can't deny the butterflies in her stomach.
...
The smile on her face is the biggest and brightest he's seen. She throws herself at him, laughing as he catches her by the waist and twirls her around graciously before setting her down.
He stares down at her as she catches her breath, face flushed. "I made it Sasuke-kun. I'm gonna be a doctor," she says breathlessly. He smirks, and she looks up at him intently. He pokes her in the forehead, and she knows he is proud of her.
He shows her his own acceptance paper. She wasn't surprised, but her smile grows bigger than he thought possible. "You'll make a great successor for the Uchiha, Sasuke-kun."
At nineteen, they are looking forward to new beginnings.
...
Sakura blushes lightly as she takes a bite of her strawberry shortcake. She is having her weekly coffee date with the girls, and they are pestering for progress on her relationship with Sasuke.
"Is he ever going to ask you out?" Ino asks. Hinata and Tenten stare at her sympathetically as she sighs softly.
He hadn't so much as hinted that he had wanted to take whatever it was they had any further, but then again he was Sasuke and she was Sakura and they would always be different.
At twenty two, Sakura dreams that one day, like the princes in fairy tales Itachi used to tell her about, Sasuke would sweep her off her feet.
...
Sakura drops the plate in her hands, and watches as it falls and shatters into a multitude of tiny pieces. She apologises profusely for breaking Mikoto's expensive china plate, and bends down to pick up the broken pieces with trembling hands, tears falling silently.
Mikoto's heart clenches as she watches Sakura pick up the broken pieces on the floor. Itachi grabs her wrist and pulls her up and into his arms. She sobs softly into his warm chest, tears soaking his shirt, and remembers that he always gave the best big brother hugs as he rubs her back soothingly.
Itachi and Mikoto share a look of sympathy and disappointment as Sakura cries her heart out.
This is the scene that Sasuke walks in to. They are too engrossed in the moment to notice his presence, but Itachi doesn't miss a beat. "Foolish little brother." Sakura's grip on his shirt tightens, but Sasuke knows all too well who Itachi was talking to.
At twenty three, Sakura is heartbroken.
Two weeks later, he watches silently as she loads the last of her boxes with Itachi's help into Ino's car. He had tried to help, but she had shrugged him off and told him that there was nothing he could do to help her.
Sakura's smiles were always half-hearted now. Forced, even. And Sasuke can't help but sigh in frustration as he runs his fingers through his hair. He can't understand why his mother chose to break the news to Sakura without giving him the chance to do it himself. He didn't understand why his aniki was disappointed in the choices he had made. He didn't understand why his mother couldn't see that he was doing it for the sake of the Uchiha legacy. But he couldn't blame her for the way she was acting.
There is a strange bitterness as he watches his brother load the boxes that holds her entire life into the car and he knows that his actions, his choices have ultimately led to this. What would be of her room now that she was leaving? Would his mother keep it, in case she chose to come back? He wouldn't see her at breakfast or dinner, and he wouldn't see her for their late night study sessions that occasionally turned into nights with ice cream and soft whispers of hopes and dreams for the future. Their future.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his stuffed dinosaur peeking through a box. That stuffed dinosaur that held so much of his promises to her.
At twenty three, Sasuke finds out what it means to make sacrifices.
...
His back straightens as his father enters the room, bringing with him the most gorgeous redhead Sasuke has only seen grace the covers of business magazines. She gives him a polite smile and a firm handshake. A business transaction. "Sasuke, it's nice to finally meet you."
Uzumaki Karin. She was beautiful, she carried herself with pride and confidence, and she was smart. But she wasn't Sakura. She didn't say his name like Sakura did, and she didn't look at him the way Sakura did. But Sasuke was an Uchiha and Uchiha were successful and to be successful he had to think like an entrepreneur. And to be an entrepreneur was to be unforgiving, which meant making logical decisions and abandoning emotions.
Later that night, Sakura comes over for dinner and she meets Karin for the first time. She has seen photographs of her and Sasuke gracing the covers of newspapers and business magazines, but Karin is a thousand times more breathtakingly, heartbreakingly beautiful in person.
Mikoto distracts Karin after dinner and Sasuke catches Sakura alone in the gardens by the fountain. Their fountain. She is making a wish, and he watches as she tosses a coin into the fountain. In his mind's eye memories from the past are on replay. He remembers a time when they were innocent, when they loved freely.
"Sakura." His husky voice is deep, rich, and beautiful. She stiffens visibly but doesn't turn to look at him. She feels the tears threatening to fall, but she does her best to blink them away. She berates herself for her inability to be happy for him and tells herself that he doesn't deserve this from her and so she puts a smile on her face and turns to face him.
Despite their time apart, Sasuke still knows her like the back of his hand. He still reads her like an open book. He sees the unshed tears, the heartache and the disappointment. But he also sees love. His dark obsidian orbs are boring into her own, speaking volumes. He knows, that he has always loved her. He loved her when they were two and he offered her his stuffed dinosaur, and he loved her now, even when he was promised to another. But he wants her to understand why he chose Karin. He wants her to understand that no matter who he marries, she will always have his heart. And it was selfish of him, but he wants her to forgive him.
She looks away, unable to hold his gaze. She closes her eyes and swallows thickly, trying her best not to cry. But she can't help the tears that are beginning to find their way down her cheeks. "I know," she whispers. "I know, Sasuke-kun."
"Thank you."
At twenty four, they know what it means to be star-crossed lovers.
...
Sakura smooths out the invisible crinkles in her lavender dress and gingerly knocks on the door. It opens to reveal Itachi, dressed in a tux. He guides her in and she sees Izumi, Mikoto and Fugaku, who offer her apologetic smiles. She smiles back.
Sai and Shikamaru are on the couch, eyes on her as they offer her empathetic smiles. Naruto and Neji are crowded around Sasuke, fixing his tie.
The air in the room is heavy, filled with silent tension. Itachi can't help but contrast it to his own wedding. Weren't weddings supposed to be a joyous occasion? The silence resonates as she hears Karin's voice rising. She is yelling at a bridesmaid somewhere in the adjoining room.
Sakura walks over to Sasuke, and Naruto and Neji take their que to leave and join the others. She pretends that they are not all staring at her with bated breaths. She straightens Sasuke's tie and rests her hands on the lapel of his tux. She leans into him and closes her eyes, taking in everything about him in the moment. She feels him kiss her forehead in a silent apology and feels her already broken heart break just a little bit more.
At twenty five, Sakura tries to hold herself together as she waits to see the man she has loved all her life marry another woman.
...
It is a small and private affair, but an ostentatious one. As Sakura takes her seat next to Ino, she can't help but take in the beauty of the church. The aisle is lined with the deepest of red velvet carpets she has seen. Red roses in their prime surround the aisles and seats. The guests attending are all of Konoha's most elite socialites and capitalists. She takes a deep breath, and can't help but feel insignificant. These are the people Sasuke should be surrounded with, and it is only fitting that he marries one of their own.
The chatter dies slowly and turns into one of hushed whispers of admiration. She follows their gaze, and her breath hitches in her throat as Sasuke walks down the aisle, accompanied by Itachi and Naruto. He is undeniably the most beautiful creature she has ever set her eyes on. She can't take her eyes off him, and once he takes his place in centre stage his dark eyes find her and lock onto hers almost immediately. She looks away, blinking back the tears.
The organ starts to play a song that sounds like a death march, and she hears the regal oak doors behind her open once again. She turns to get a glimpse of Sasuke's bride, and her heart clenches as Karin walks in. Looking like a goddess in the most beautiful wedding gown Sakura has seen, she floats down the aisle like a pageant queen. Sakura turns to look at Sasuke, and he is looking at her. Looking at her with such sorrow and longing in his eyes, and she knows that he wishes it was her walking down that aisle.
She closes her eyes. This was surely not how they both imagined it would be.
She watches as Karin reaches Sasuke, and the guests take a seat and the preacher starts to talk.
"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, and always with the same person. The bible tells us that love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
Sakura cannot hear anything, cannot see anything around her except Sasuke. She watches as he holds Karin's hands, watches as his eyes shift from her face to the ground as the pastor talks about love and marriage.
She's loved him. No. Loves him. She has been loving him for as long as she can remember. She remembers what it was like when he smiled at her, what it was like when their hands brushed against each other's, but never touching. She remembers late night ice creams and making wishes by the fountain. She remembers what it felt like being in his arms, feeling so safe, so secure, so at home. Like they belonged together. She remembers the promise of being his. All of a sudden, the air becomes thick and suffocating. Didn't love mean fighting for each other? Didn't love mean wishing for each other's happiness? She wants Sasuke to be happy, more than anything in the world. So why does she feel like she's giving up on him? Why does it feel like she's watching him commit his life to a woman he didn't love? Why does it feel like she's letting him marry the wrong girl?
"Speak now, or forever hold your peace," she hears the preacher say. Speak now, he had said. She felt everyone around her fall silent, as if daring her to say something. Her hands tremble in her lap. She knows she is running out of time. Ino squeezes her hands, as if offering some sort of support. She looks at Ino and smiles weakly. Could she really stop the wedding? She isn't the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion. But Sasuke isn't the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl and her heart is screaming at her to do something.
The silence around her is deafening. She stands up with shaky hands, and all eyes are on her. Her knees buckle beneath her, but she tries her best to stay standing. She can't back down now.
Her breath is caught in her throat. Her hands, her whole body is shaking. She feels the horrified stares of everyone in the room, but when he turns his head ever so slowly and meets her gaze, everything around her disappears. In that moment in time, it is just the two of them.
In that moment in time, Sakura feels the weight of their memories, their happiness and their love. And she knows he feels it too.
She feels her lips tremble as she holds his gaze, and she loses herself in a daydream.
"I…," her mouth opens, but her words are lost to her. She stares at him, dumbfounded by her own actions. Her heart is desperately pleading, begging for her to stop the wedding. But logic is telling her that she can't afford the consequences. That Sasuke can't afford the consequences.
She tries again, this time the words coming out in a soft murmur. "I…I wish you every happiness in the world."
...
She is huddled up comfortably in her plush blanket in front of the fireplace. She takes a sip of their – her – favourite drink. Hot chocolate. She smiles bitterly at the realisation that she has once again brought him into context. She pushes back the tears as she reads the letters from Ino and Itachi, thumbing through photographs from Sasuke's wedding three weeks ago.
She stares out the window and watches as the snow falls gracefully, and wonders if Sasuke is happy. She hasn't seen or heard of him since his wedding. As soon as she realised that she had tried to stop the wedding, she had pushed her way past the seats and ran. It was foolish, stupid of her to think for a second that it would change anything.
She remembers the tears that wouldn't stop as Ino came running after her. She remembers the comfortable silence that they had shared by the beach, her in Ino's arms and neither of them had said anything. She remembers counting her blessings in Ino as they drove to the airport. Sakura hadn't told anyone else about her plans to leave, not even Itachi. She remembers the numbing pain as she boarded the plane, leaving behind everything that she knew and loved. She remembers the selfish disappointment when she doesn't hear of Sasuke's wedding being cancelled.
Sakura had abstained from reading the news and magazines, afraid of what she would read about Sasuke and Karin. She had eventually mustered up the courage to call Itachi and swear him to secrecy before apologising and telling him where she was and what she was doing. She smiles fondly, remembering how Mikoto had snatched the phone out of Itachi's hand and bombarded her with a million questions. Where was she, was she safe, was she alone, was she alright. She hugs her knees close to her chest and rests her chin on her knees, staring wistfully into the fire. No matter what had happened – or didn't happen – between her and Sasuke, she was still grateful to the Uchiha.
A knock on the door startles her from her reverie, and she gingerly places the letters and photographs on the coffee table as she gets up from her haven by the fireplace. She pulls the blanket over her shoulders and walks over to the door, curious as to who would be knocking on her door on a cold Sunday morning.
She opens the door, tucking a loose strand of pink hair behind her ears, and she stiffens. Her blanket falls into a pool at her ankles, forgotten. Sakura cannot register the sight before her. Achingly familiar dark eyes are staring back at her. She takes in the sight of him, hair dishevelled, cheeks pink from the cold. His hair and coat are peppered white by the snow, and in his hand, a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers she has ever seen.
She is sure she is staring, but she doesn't care. "You're…here," she manages to croak out, eyes still wide. He stares back at her, amused. His voice is hoarse and raspy when he speaks, but she doesn't care. "Aren't you going to hug me?"
Impulse takes over and before she knows it she throws herself into his arms, barely able to see him through the tears. Her arms find their place around his neck, and she feels his arms around her waist immediately, without hesitation. She could smell him and his cologne, and the flowers he had brought with him. She is overwhelmed with so much emotion, she isn't sure she can convey them all. Her passion, her hopes, her dreams. Her pain, her heartbreak, her contentment. She doesn't care if he is married to Karin, and she doesn't care if they will regret this moment. She doesn't know what he is doing here or how he found her, but she knows that in this moment in time, Sasuke is here and she is in his arms. She can hear his voice and feel his breath against her skin and his warmth against her body, and this is enough.
Eventually Sakura finds herself in his arms with her blanket around them in front of the fireplace. She leans into his chest and feels his hold around her waist tighten as he rests his chin on her shoulder. She looks at the bouquet intently as he explains what each and every flower signifies.
Peonies. Her favourite flowers. They were a beautiful combination of different shades of pink, and he tells her they remind him of her. The embodiment of romance and love, an omen for a happy marriage.
Roses. The red roses to tell her that he loves her, the white roses to symbolise the purity of love. "But given together," he had said, "symbolises unity."
Lily of the Valley. To symbolise the return of happiness in his life, and to tell her that she completes him.
Forget-Me-Nots. The representation of the cherished memories between them, the representation of a love that is faithful and true.
Arbutus. "You are the only one I love."
"Sakura…I…when you left the wedding, I realised that I had been so, so stupid. It was foolish of me to make the decision to marry Karin for the sake of merging the Uchiha and Uzumaki empires together. Watching you run out of the church, I finally understood the gravity of the decisions I made. And the truth is, I didn't want to lose you. We called off the marriage. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to find you. There was a lot to settle."
She doesn't say anything, absorbing the magnitude of his words. He hadn't married Karin. She feels him draw a deep breath before placing his fingers on her chin, turning her head to face him. Her breath hitches in her throat as she looks into his eyes, and she knows.
"Sakura…I've always loved you. I've loved you for as long as I've known, and I don't want to waste any more time missing out on this…on us."
She cannot hold back the tears any longer, and she grins like she is six again and presses her lips gently against his. Outside, the snow starts to fall heavier, but she doesn't care. All she knows is that Sasuke is kissing her with a fervour she never knew existed, Sasuke is holding on to her as if his life depends on it. All she knows is the excitement when he moves one hand to cup her cheek and the other entangles itself in her hair. All she knows is the feel of his body against hers, his warmth, and his love. And nothing else mattered because she was complete.
They are twenty five, finally, finally learning that all they need to be happy was each other.
...
AN: Thank you guys so much for reading!