"Every Other Time"

Modern AU OOC. Because Sasuke and Sakura love each other truly madly deeply... except when they were ready to kill each other.

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I said let's talk about it as she walked out on me and slammed the door
But I just laugh about it 'cause she's always playin' those games
C'mon deep down I know she loves me
But she's got a funny way of showin' me how she cares
Last night she did a donut on my lawn and drove out with her finger in the air

Sometimes we sit around just the two of us on the park bench

Sometimes we swim around like two dolphins in the oceans of our hearts
but then I think about the time that we broke up before the prom
and you told everyone that I was gay "ok"
Sometimes I walk around the town for hours just to settle down

But I take you back and you kick me down

'cause that's the way uh-huh uh-huh I like it

Sometimes it's black, sometimes it's white
Sometimes she's wrong, sometimes I'm right
Sometimes we talk about it or we figure it out

But then she just changed her mind
Sometimes she's hot, sometimes I'm cold
Sometimes my head wants to explode

But when I think about it I'm so in love with her
Every other time

- LFO

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"This is not working out, Sasuke-kun. Let's break up." Sakura said out of the blue while I met up with her after her class.

I wasn't surprised. According to my calculations, we were due for a break-up anyway.

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Sakura was and is my first and only girlfriend and ex-girlfriend.

The first time she told me we were breaking up we were five.

She was older than me by almost 4 months and so she thought it okay to boss me around. (A fact she still does today.)Back then I was naive and docile and wanted to please everyone. (Still am actually.)

You would too if the cutest girl in class approached you during snack time calling you Sasuke-kun and asked you to be her boyfriend because according to her your hair was the shiniest in class and you had the prettiest eyes.

I was flustered and pleased with her attention so I tell her that her pink hair and green eyes were out of the ordinary and offered her the chocolate chip cookie my mother baked. She took it with a smile and kissed me on the cheek. I flushed further and must have looked like a tomato because she giggled.

I was cheering inside. I was a boyfriend! It means I am a grown-up because only older boys have girlfriends. I can't wait to tell Itachi-nii!

During naptime she asked me to sleep beside her. I was too happy to feel embarrassed. Naruto who usually sleeps beside me snores a lot so I couldn't really sleep much. I let her borrow dino-chan to sleep with out of gratitude.

We sat together during art time and she let me borrow her favourite red crayon which I promptly broke as I was colouring my drawing. For someone who looked innocent and harmless, she was positively scary. (Another reason I let her boss me and never really complained because an angry Sakura is oni-Sakura. I still have the faint scar of teethmarks on my arm to prove it.)

We were in a relationship for approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.

After classes, I told her I was sorry even if I was the one who got sent to the infirmary and had his arm bandaged. I gave her the heart I drew and coloured as an apology. I originally meant to give it to her as a gift for being my girlfriend because that was what boyfriends did or so Shisui-nii says.

She told me we could still be friends if I give her my chocolate chip cookies every recess. I agreed thoughtlessly. I didn't really like sweets anyway. (Still don't actually.) Sometimes I wonder if it was the cookie she was really after.

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I would've given it more thought if it weren't the 23rd or maybe it was the 24th time we broke up (according to her anyway.) Maybe I'll ask Naruto later. Amazingly Naruto remembers all the times we broke up. He has been around most of them and fancies himself the authority on all things sasusaku. (Yep, we have our own moniker.)

Then I remember it was definitely the 24th because around 3 months ago she broke up with me when I had my hair cut really short. She hated it because she couldn't run her fingers through my hair. A habit she has when I'm driving and she's sitting next to me or when she's kissing the hell out of me. I love it the most when she plays with my hair when I'm tired because it relaxes me and I sleep better not that she knows. As a consequence, she wouldn't let me play with her hair when we make-out and started wearing her hair in a bun. She knew how much I loved her cotton candy hair.

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This wasn't the first trivial thing we broke up about and not the first time she punished me.

We've broken up when I laughed at her when she thought Itachi-nii's friend Deidara was a girl. She laughed at me when I thought her sparring partner Haku was a girl and helped him beat me up.

We have broken up over my being minutes late to a movie we've already watched because she says the second time was better. Not if the lead still dies it wasn't. She made me watch chick-flicks for almost 24 hours.

We've broken up because I like tomatoes in every meal then made me eat natto. Ewww.

We've broken up because she claimed I spend too much even if I spend it all on her. It's not like my family's going to be poor anyway but still she made me spend on a budget.

We've broken up when I missed a karate tournament of hers because I got food poisoning from eating at Naruto's place. The idiot gave me expired milk. She told me I deserved it because I was stupid enough to eat something from Naruto.

We've broken up because I wear the same boring colours – black, gray, dark blue and white. The next time we shopped she made me buy this floral printed polos and cartoon-themed shirts.

We've broken up because she claimed I spend too much time with Naruto (like I chose to when it was Naruto who kept bugging me) and proceeded to tell everyone that I was probably gay.

During the first months of our relationship I wanted to fight with her about everything. Sometimes I want to throttle her when she's mouthing off or telling me about her next punishment or just stand my ground and be a man or to just let her go. But I always give in and we always got back together.

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"What is it about this time?" I asked her calmly.

"Your hair." She answered with a pout, the cutest pout on the most kissable lips.

"What about my hair? I thought you wanted it longer again." I was confused. Really? What's the problem this time?

"Sure I wanted it longer but the other girls wanted it too. They keep talking that you look like some prince or hero in a manga. I saw that red-headed girl in the hallway shoot googly eyes at you. Why do you have to be so good-looking?" She glared at me.

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And sometimes she says something or does things so unexpectedly sweet that I just want to kiss her senseless.

After helping Haku beat me up, she treated my bruises and beat Haku up in their next spar.

After making me watch chick flicks for almost 24 hours she let me and the guys have a Call of Duty marathon.

After feeding me natto, she cooked me pasta with her special tomato sauce, whose recipe remains a secret.

She helped me manage my allowance so I was able to save up and buy my own car without asking from my parents.

She took care of me when I was sick. Bringing me the waste bucket and rubbing my back when I was vomiting, making me drink lots of fluids to help keep me hydrated and kicking Naruto in the ass for poisoning me.

When I agreed to buy the clothes she picked she made me help her choose her lingerie at Victoria's Secret.

When the news spread that I was gay, many of the girls who used to follow me around disappeared and the guys steered clear of me even Naruto, which didn't bother me because then I had more time to spend with her doing stuff like watching her model her lingerie, making out and then some.

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Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. I would have laughed if I knew she wouldn't hit me. My girlfriend was jealous!

Sakura who was beautiful even without make-up, who was a tomboy that loved sports and a nerd for books and studying, who was a bit tsundere, who was amazing and exasperating at the same time, who usually doesn't give a damn what people say was jealous!

Aaah! I should commemorate this day when Sakura feels the insecurity I sometimes feel when I think I got lucky with her. I wasn't the best at anything but I always did my best. She has better grades than me. (Duh! She was only running for valedictorian.) She has a blackbelt at karate and was the president of the archery club. (Great! She could kick my ass at close combat and shoot my ass with an arrow from a distance.) She was easily one of the most popular girls at school among the boys and she could have any guy she wants yet she chose me and I didn't know why.

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The second time she asked me to be her boyfriend we were 15.

"I've decided 10 years is enough time. Don't you think, Sasuke-kun?" She told me as she approached me during lunchbreak.

"Enough time for what?" I asked confused as I handed her a chocolate chip cookie.

Sakura and I have kept on friendly terms throughout the years. I was still her cookie supplier after all and we more or less hang with the same friends- Naruto, Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Shino, Sai, Neji, Tenten and Lee. We've gone on outings and movies with our group. We've visited each other's houses and talked about our families, hopes and goals in life. She helped me study for exams and always chose me as a partner for projects and for labwork.

And throughout the years, I have only developed more than friendly feelings for her. It was a crush that wouldn't go away. Not when she's even more beautiful than cute now than when we were five or that underneath all her complexities she was a real softie. Not when my family loves her and is bugging me why I haven't made my move yet (my mother especially) and not when I have felt the stirrings of male hormones at work since we were 13 whenever I was around her.

"Enough time for a break, silly. We're relatively more mature now. (Mature my butt. Refer to her trivial reasons for breaking up.) I wouldn't bite you for breaking my pen. And I still think you have shiny hair and the prettiest eyes. So will you be my boyfriend?" She asked and stared at me with those greengreen eyes.

I could feel my heart speeding up as the world around me slows down. Inside my head ran multiple conversations. Say yes! It's not like you have the guts to ask her out anyway. Say yes! You'll regret it if you didn't. Why are you staring at her like at an idiot?! She's waiting for your answer.

"Y-yes." I finally managed to mumble.

"Great! This would have been less fun if I were to ask anyone else."

What!? I felt as if the carpet was pulled from under me.

"Just kidding, Sasuke-kun." She teased.

"It would have been awkward if I kissed you if you weren't my boyfriend." She said and proceeded to plant one on me.

She kissed me first! I felt my face heat up.

"Now I get to kiss you anytime." She teased me again. Only this time it felt more like a hint of things to come .

And oh! She definitely did.

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I know she loves me. She has told me many times and her actions let me know she does but I still wonder why.

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The guys ask me why I bother putting up with Sakura when I wasn't even getting any (according to Kiba) and when she was treating me like her personal roly poly (according to Shino) because I keep coming back up when pushed down. Sai postulates that I was a masochist and Sakura was a sadist (though that could not be far-fetched) and Shikamaru thinks the whole affair was just troublesome. The other guys like Neji, Lee and Chouji stay out of it.

Naruto was the only one supportive of us though he may be a bit biased since he was a close friend to both of us.

But they wouldn't understand what it's like to love Sakura. As much as it was like a rollercoaster ride, the high was so worth it.

I was the first one to say 'I love you'.

We were 16. It has been a long time coming. I've been mulling over it since a year ago and may have even felt it for longer.

I was walking her home one winter afternoon, bundled up in our thick coats, scarves, beanies and boots. Her gloved hand was in mine and she was smiling talking about the start of the holidays and no classes. She might have been telling me the secrets of the universe and I would not have heard any of it because I was too busy looking at her and the snowflakes that would brush upon her rosy cheeks.

"Sasuke-kun?" She turned to ask me when we were in front of her house, seeing as I had been quiet.

"I love you."

She gasped as I felt her stiffen beside me.

"Sasuke-kun..."

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know so now you know. Don't think like you owe me anything because you don't." I told her as to relieve her of feeling burdened by my confession.

"Thank you." She told me as she entered her home.

The first time she told me she loved me was during New Year's.

She was at our house celebrating and we were counting down the time to midnight. As the final seconds of the year ticked by she pulled me down and whispered 'I love you too' before she kissed me as the fireworks in my head exploded.

The 2 years I waited was worth it.

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"Well, first, they can talk all they want but it would only matter if you let it. I've never wanted to be a prince nor a hero. I only ever wanted to be yours. Secondly, you don't have to worry because I'm only looking at you. My eyes only see you. When I look at you, everything else fades into the background. Lastly, you can blame my parents. I'm sure my mother would love to hear that." I told her.

Honestly, my mother is probably in love with her almost as much as me.

"Hmp. Mikoto would probably tell me it's why I should marry you because we're going to have the prettiest babies." She said sounding disgruntled.

"Would that be bad?" I asked, feeling hurt, because I was seriously thinking of her and our not so distant future and including her in my long term plans.

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The first and only time we seriously broke up was when we were 17.

I learned that she was thinking about moving to Suna where they were offering her early entry to Suna University for their premed course. It wasn't even her who told me but Gaara.

Gaara was a friend of hers in Suna who I've met once when he vacationed here. He happened to be on-line the same time I was and asked me how I was taking the news about Sakura's possible transfer to Suna for her studies.

I was blindsided by the news and Gaara apologized for accidentally spilling her secret and causing us problem.

It was the first time I got really mad at Sakura.

When we met up that day at the park and she teased me about breaking up because I had a scowl on my face, I exploded with all my pent up grievances.

"Go ahead! Do it!" I challenged her.

"I was only kidding, Sasuke-kun." She said, alarmed. "What's wrong with you today?"

"When were you going to tell me?" I asked her.

It dawned on her what I was talking about and she looked guilty for a moment before her anger also broke out.

"It was my decision to make when I wanted to tell you."

"Fine! Then find yourself another boyfriend because I'm done always trying to understand you! Find someone you can toy with when you want to!" I said and walked away.

I haven't made it very far when I heard her pitiful sobs. It broke my heart to hear her cry because the only time I saw her cry was when we were 12.

It was the first time she brought me to her house which seemed empty. I've never met any of her family so I asked her where they were. She told me about her family, how her father left them and how her mother was living with her new family. How she stayed with Gaara's family in Suna before she was adopted when she was 5 by Tsunade who was very nice but always busy at the hospital.

I ran back immediately to hold her in my arms.

"Y-you left." She sobbed against my chest.

"I'm sorry.I take it back. I won't do it ever again. Forgive me." I said, as I rubbed her back and kissed her hair.

However tough Sakura appeared to be, I knew she wasn't. If there was one thing she feared the most it was being abandoned.

And I was ever regretful I did it to her even for just a minute. Because finally I understood Sakura, she pushes people away to see if they would stay.

Everytime we break-up and make-up, a niggling part of my brain asks 'what if she wants to break up with us again?' The answer was easy. I would let her because I only want to make her happy but if there was a chance that we could be together again then I would always take that chance.

"I love you, that won't ever change. When I told you I love you I meant it in a forever kind of way. I may be young but it doesn't mean I don't know how I feel. If you would break up with me after this, then I would understand. But if you'll still have me, I'll stay with you as long as you want me to be." I promised.

"I believe you, Sasuke-kun. Let's just forget the last 15 minutes happened. I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how."

"It's fine. Take all the time you need to think about it. I will support you whatever you decide on."

In the end, she didn't choose Suna. She said she always wanted to go to Konoha University anyway, which was Tsunade's alma mater.

And reading between the lines, I knew she chose me over Suna. It was the most important proof I have that she loved me even without her returning the words.

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"Do I look shallow to you, Sasuke-kun? If I were to marry you it would be because I love you and I see no point in living my life without you." She answered hotly.

"Okay." I acquiesced. There was no point prolonging this discussion. "So wanna go home now or maybe you want to stop by for some ice cream." I offered.

"Oooh! Ice cream! What are we waiting for?" She said excitedly and grabbed my arm hurriedly.

Because of Sakura, I have become good at deflection and distraction.

And of course the best thing after the break-up is the make-up sex. And as with everything with her, it's magnificent, glorious, incredible, and all the synonyms for amazing.

She still got me beat at everything. But I finally figured out what I was best at. I was best at loving Haruno Sakura.