Ok. I just got this idea last night when I was trying to go to sleep! I'm going to write short one-shots for my favorite couples all into one story. I know… different… but… hey! So here's my first one-shot for Sasuke and Sakura! My absolute favorite Naruto pairing! Take place AFTER the Chunin exams. After Itachi's appearance.

A Full Moon Rising

It had been another long day training with Kakashi-sensei. Sakura really thought her skill was improving! She'd managed to beat Naruto today while they were sparring. But… unfortunately, Sasuke didn't even seem to notice. Which was one of the reasons Sakura had been training so hard lately. She remembered what Sasuke had said to her before the Chunin exams. 'Actually, you're worse than Naruto.' She could hear the words ringing in her head and today she'd actually beaten Naruto! So she figured Sasuke would have noticed. But instead he was working on chakra control with Kakashi-sensei. Sakura sighed as she slumped down the road to her house with Naruto and Sasuke close behind her. The sunset made beautiful colors on the horizon, Sakura noticed, as she was walking staring at nothing but the beautiful sky above.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Sakura's peace was disturbed as a certain fox-boy's annoying voice broke her out of her dream-like state. She frowned, sighed, and half-turned her face so she could just see the boy out of the corner of her eye.

"What is it Naruto?" Sakura let the words roll off her lips with the most annoyed tone possible. She turned around fully and noticed Sasuke hadn't moved ahead once she and Naruto had stopped. 'Weird…' Sakura thought as she and Sasuke's eyes met. She blushed a light red and mentally shook her head and turned her attention back to Naruto.

"Ano, I was just wondering…" At this point Sakura could foretell that Naruto was going to try and ask her out for some ramen. Right now Sakura didn't care. She'd probably even say yes! She waited, and eyed Sasuke again, he looked uncomfortable but made a cool pose to hide it by placing his hands behind his head and leaning back a little. 'He's SO cool when he does that…' Sakura couldn't help but think as she watched him. And as Sasuke's eyes met her's once more, she swore he blushed a little a turned his attention away from her.

"What is it Naruto?" Sakura repeated, fully turning her attention to Naruto. He blushed and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well… you see… would you like to… come with me and get some ramen or something…?" Naruto offered, still blushing and watching as Sakura frowned and gave Naruto an apologetic look. Naruto cut her off before she could even get a word in edgewise. "It'll be good for you! You know? Like… an energy boost!" Naruto smiled and prayed she'd agree.

"It's dinner time, dobe. Who would need an energy boost at this time?" Sasuke had that annoyed tone in his voice, now moving his hands down to his sides and walked closer to the other two members of team 7.

"Actually…" Sakura began. Sasuke looked at her, surprised. And Naruto looked hopeful. "Actually…" She repeated, now her tone had turned a bit sour. "I'll just… train some more I think…" Sakura began walking back to the training grounds.

"But… Sakura-chan!" Naruto began and out-stretched his hand dramatically. Sasuke smirked and Naruto and sighed. He turned and glared at Sasuke as he made his way home.

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Sakura was just angry now. She wasn't training. She just punched the tree in front of her continuously. Angry thoughts flew in Sakura's mind. 'Worse than Naruto!' Sakura repeated in her mind with a mock-Sasuke voice. 'You'll never make it as a ninja!' She thought of how her parents shunned her for wanting to be a ninja. 'Instead of flirting, why don't you work more on your training?' She felt tears of frustration dripping down her cheeks. 'You won't succeed. You're not meant to become a ninja.' Sakura noticed her punches becoming weaker as tears fell faster. 'No!' Sakura yelled at herself. 'No! No! No! I will succeed! I will show them! I am not weak!' She punched her final punch and fell to the ground as her emotions overtook her.

"Shinobi are not supossed to show their emotions." A cold voice spoke. Sakura froze and tried to stifle her sobs. It was Uchiha Sasuke. Sakura didn't even want to hear his voice right now, as much as she'd like to jump up and run to hug him she just wanted to cry and be alone now. This was how it worked for her at night.

"Go… a-away Sasuke-kun." Sasuke stopped moving. Sakura was on the ground shaking. And not from the cold. Her voice was wet with… tears. But she still called him 'Sasuke-kun'.

"You shouldn't be out here." There it was again. The cold and stoic voice. He didn't mean to use it with her all the time. Especially now, when she saw crying. He hadn't seen her cry a lot. Just twice. But he prayed he'd never see her cry again. Not as long as he was alive anyway. "I mean… what's wrong?" He only stepped a bit closer. It was raining this entire time and neither one of them paid any mind to it.

"Nothing you would care about…" Sakura was done crying and all she could think of was why Sasuke even cared. Maybe… he really did like her. 'Stop it Sakura. You're just a little child with a fantasy.' She told herself. Even her parents had told her this. But- she couldn't help but hope… pray… that maybe she meant more to Sasuke then he let on. "I…" She was going to open up to him but she felt her heart brake as she really thought about what was happening in her life. Her tears renewed themselves.

"Sakura…" Sasuke whispered solemnly as his eye's narrowed in concern. He began moving closer to her slowly. "It's… alright…" The poor Uchiha survivor had no idea of what else to say. But telling her to 'suck it up' was not going to work. He was tired of hurting her just to keep her safe. If she felt weak he'd be there to help her fight. If she was sad he'd be there to cheer her up. And when she's happy, he will be the cause. But his life is too complicated for that. She probably cries because of him. Oh, the irony.

"No. It's really not Sasuke-kun. You… you… don't even know… what it's like." Sobs made Sakura's voice shaky and a bit harder to understand. "Y-you miss your family… and… and I want mine dead." Sasuke froze in his steps. Now he was towering over her small and shaking form. He kneeled down and began slowly rubbing her back. Sakura stopped sobbing and looked up from her hiding place in her arms. Sasuke, the Uchiha Sasuke, was consoling her. More than that- he was making physical contact with her out of battle!

"Why is that?" He asked in a very un-Sasuke-like voice. It was soft and soothing, not cold and hurtful. Haruno Sakura was deeply surprised until her sadness hit her again.

"My… house. My family. It's… not like most would think. Remember that day when Naruto transformed to be you, and when I was talking to the real you, I said Naruto didn't know what it was like to have his parents yelling at him?" Sasuke nodded slowly as the memory flashed in his mind. He was afraid of where this conversation was going. "Well… he doesn't. And nobody should… because it hurts. My mother hates me because I want to become a ninja and because I'm… different." Sasuke was now holding her in his lap as the rain slowly pattered on them both.

"Nani?" He asked in a small tone as she was still curled in a ball. Sakura looked up at the rainy sky and smiled sadly. "What do you mean, Sakura?"

"I mean I have a demon inside me, Sasuke-kun. And both my mother and father hate me because of it. I've always been a good child, but they've always hit me for no reason. Even if I was only being a little bad. Y-you have no idea of how cruel they can be sometimes." Sakura stopped there so her words could sink in. Sasuke heard all of it and he began to wonder just what demon was inside Sakura. Almost as if answering his thoughts, Sakura began to speak again. "Less of a demon and more of a voice. I always get headaches because of it."

"I… really don't know what to say, Sakura. Demo, I do know this, if they're really hurting you… stay with me." Sasuke's mind was running with ideas, and he just couldn't stop them from rolling off his lips. "I promise, you can always come to me. Don't feel like you can only trust Naruto and Kakashi." Sakura felt one last tear fall from her eye as she smiled a true Sakura smile at Sasuke. He actually smiled in return. "So? What do you say?"

"I say…" Sakura looked back at the rain. It was falling at a slower pace now. She began to feel really cold and her outfit was dripping wet. It was seeped through! "I'm cold." She shivered as Sasuke pulled her closer to him.

"I'm here." Without thinking, he put her down and she watched as he stood up. At first she thought he was just going to leave and be done with it. But he leaned back down and picked her up, bridal style, and began walking. Sakura blushed as she latched onto his neck.

"S-Sasuke-kun…" Sakura stuttered out. Sasuke merely smirked when he noticed her blush. But he didn't tell her a thing as he headed toward the Uchiha Mansion.

As nightfall was now upon them Sakura watched the full, yellow moon shining in the midnight sky. It was like an artists painting with splashes of yellow on a navy background. The moon slowly rose up higher into the sky, and Sakura had to blink against the raindrops to watch as it rose. "It's amazing." Sasuke looked up to see the moon as well and he smiled. 'My mother said the same thing when I was a boy.' He thought to himself. 'They are very much alike. Sakura and my mother. I guess that's why I love them both so much.'

"Sasuke-kun?" He merely 'hned' in response. "What do you think about the moon?" Sakura was just so curious. She had to ask.

Sasuke stopped walking for a while and looked at the moon, and then back down at the shining emerald eyes of the girl in his arms. "I think… it's a sign of peace." Sakura gave him a confused look and Sasuke chuckled. "Whenever I look at the moon it reminds me of my mother. And you." Sakura blushed while thinking: 'Great. I remind him of his mother.' "I think of everyone I love when I watch the moon. It gives me the peace I need." Then Sakura's thoughts turned from sour to excited. 'He loves me! Oh Kami! He actually loves me!' She blushed a lit shade of pink and Sasuke chuckled again. "What about you? What does the moon remind you of, Sakura?"

"I know what the moon reminds me of." Sakura spoke in a saddened tone. 'I made her sad again…' Sasuke noted. "My aunt. The moon reminds me of my aunt. She died just a few months ago and she's the only member of the Haruno clan I was ever close to." Sasuke mentally gasped, but opted to widen his eyes on the outside.

"Gomenasai, Sakura." Sakura smiled. 'Odd.' Sasuke thought. 'Why's she smiling?'

"Arigato, Sasuke-kun. I shouldn't be sad. Whenever I look at the moon I should be happy. Even though my aunt took her life, I'll live what's left of it for her. I won't let the Haruno clan keep my spirits down." Sakura spoke in a determined tone. Sasuke smirked. Naruto's attitude could be very contagious.

"Well, you're staying with me for the night." Sasuke said as he opened the door. Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but Sasuke beat her to it. "I won't take 'no' for an answer. Just let me know what you want for dinner." Sasuke let her down as they were now inside, but he left his hands on her shoulders. "So? How about it?"

"Well I can't say no to that, now can I? You're so forceful." Sakura teased and Sasuke smirked.

"Hai, I am." He leaned down a kissed her forehead. "Let's eat, Sakura-chan."

Sasuke had called Sakura: Sakura-chan. Even though he had yet to kill his brother, Sasuke would still take care of his Sakura.

'Hear that, dobe. Don't try anything with my Sakura.'

(A/N: lol! I just love making Sasuke-kun possessive! Please review!)