There was word in the streets that this would be the wedding of the year. In Naruto's words it would be the wedding of all years...believe it. Usually Sakura would tell him not to brag but she knew those weren't his intentions, and even if they were, there was no place for argument. Naruto's and Hinata's wedding was going to be the biggest event in the village ever.

After weeks of preparations, they day had finally arrived. People were coming in through the gates of the venue, a beautifully decorated garden surrounded by recently bloomed sakura trees. Many villagers were attending, most of Konoha's shinobi forces were present, the most important clans in the village could't miss it and even the Kages from other countries made the journey to the Leaf for the big event. It was incredible as to how many people Naruto had touched in his short life.

The sight of Hinata entering the venue was breathtaking. She looked beautiful in white, her makeup accentuated her features perfectly and her hair was pulled up in an elegant updo. Walking next to her was Naruto. Sakura had grown up along his side, she knew of his struggles before they met and the many more that he had to face after. He had had it too rough for a man his age. So going from that to see him enter the venue dressed in his black yukata looking as handsome as ever made Sakura tear up a little.

The ceremony was short, sweet and romantic. After, Hinata and Naruto went from one place to another greeting their guests for the first time as a married couple.

The atmosphere in the venue changed completely after nightfall. Loud music was playing while everyone danced around with the newly weds, lights of all colors flashing over the guests. Sakura watched from her table, too tired to stand on her feet one more second. Her heels had come off at some point during the party and she was sure her feet wouldn't fit into them anymore. She took a final sip of her drink and set the empty glass on the table. She wasn't sure how much she had had to drink. Her vision was slightly blurry but nothing that she hadn't experienced before being the fifth Hokage's apprentice. Barefooted with her pink heels in hand, she went over to where Naruto was dancing and pulled him aside. She congratulated him once more and gave him a tight hug. She didn't cry this time as her eyes had gone all dry during the exchanging of vows. She let an extremely happy Naruto know she was leaving and sent him back to his wife.

She decided to walk home. Taking on the rooftops would've been so much faster but in her state, it wasn't completely safe. She wasn't about to fall to her death on her best friend's wedding day.

Sakura finally made it to her apartment. She cleaned her feet on the rug before entering and placing her shows on the rack. She didn't bother to turn on the lights as she made her way to the bedroom. She couldn't wait to get rid of the dress. She had felt very pretty wearing it but after hours of wear it was getting uncomfortable. She grabbed a deep red t-shirt and some shorts to change into deciding to sower until morning.

Sakura was already laying down in her bed when her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten anything in hours and was too distracted in the party to sit down and grab a snack. She tried to ignore it but another growl came soon after. She stood up and went over to the kitchen, a light snack would be able to calm her hunger until the next morning when she could make herself a proper meal. The thing she wanted most at the moment was to sleep.

As the fridge was opened the light coming from it illuminated the room slightly. She had just grabbed an apple when she heard a sound coming from her living room. Her apartment was located in an old building so she didn't think anything important from it. Doors and windows often creaked and besides, there were many people coming back from the wedding. The noise could've been anything. Anyway, she decided to check it out. Just to be sure. Maybe she left a window opened or something?

Nothing prepared her for what was waiting for her in the living room. She blinked a few times thinking that the drinks or exhaustion were taking a toll on her, but nothing happened. On the contrary, if she still felt sleep or tipsy it all went away the moment she saw him.

Sasuke was sitting on her couch, his back facing her.

Sakura turned on the lamp on the corner and the room was dimly lit. She walked over to the other side of the couch so that she would be facing him. He wasn't wearing his cloak and his shoes were off. How long had he been there exactly?

"Sasuke," She whispered in disbelief more to herself than to said man "What..when did you...why did you…" So many questions were coming to her head at once she couldn't get a single one out. She took a second to collect her thoughts and try again but Sasuke beat her to it.

"I came to witness the ceremony." His expression was as calm as ever. His eyes studied her for a second before settling on her own. The eye contact made Sakura feel a little nervous but her features softened as she realized what he had just said.

"That is very nice." She took a seat next to Sasuke and remained silent for a second. It was almost as if she was waiting for him to speak but she knew that he wasn't going to.

"So you were there the whole time?", she continued. Sasuke nodded once. If he had been there since the ceremony then he had probably seen her when she received the note from his hawk and everything else she did after that. Sakura's cheeks turned slightly pink. The thought of him watching her all this time made her nervous once more.

"I thought you would be very far away from Leaf by now."

"I decided I didn't want to miss it." Sakura smiled a little. She liked this new Sasuke, the one that openly cared about his friends and was not afraid to speak his mind. He still did so in his own way though, he was never a man of many words.

"Sasuke, if you came all the way here why didn't you show up at the reception? I'm sure that Naruto would've been even happier if you were there and all our friends..."

"Not everyone trusts me here yet. I didn't want to ruin it for the idiot."

"Right.", she whispered. She felt a little sad about his first statement. Many people thought of him as a bad man when in reality he wasn't at all. Although Sasuke was pardoned publicly by the Sixth Hokage for his crimes, the opinions about him in the village were mixed. Some considered him a hero after he helped in the war, while others were unable to let go of his past actions. The true facts about the Uchiha massacre hadn't been released to the public yet, only a few people knew, so there was still bad blood between him and the rest of the village thinking that he acted against them out of pure hate. Sakura could see where he was coming from. His presence at the wedding would've attracted the wrong kind of attention and it could've led to disaster.

"You shouldn't worry about that though. Soon Kakashi sensei will release the truth to the public and they will see you for who you really. "

"I don't worry about that." The statement came out a little cold, but Sakura knew what Sasuke meant. He wasn't really worried about what the villagers thought of him. He believed his actions would speak for themselves and besides, the people he cared about the most already knew and trusted him, that was all he needed.

"Well, I still think that you should've let Naruto know that you were here somehow."

"Judging by his face when you gave him my note, I think he knew I wasn't very far." So he did see her giving the note to Naruto. She hadn't noticed it then but maybe Sasuke was right. Naruto had taken a moment to process the content of the note even though it consisted only of one word. He then had smiled, a different kind of smile than what she was used to seeing but completely genuine nonetheless. He had given her a hug before leading her to her assigned table.

Sakura's thought were interrupted when Sasuke stood up from the couch.

"Are you leaving?"

"Hn." Sakura would've offered for him to stay the night at least. He could sleep in a proper bed, have a nice breakfast and then he could take off. She decided against it. He would've probably denied it. Besides, she figured he would want to be out of the village before sunrise and attract the less attention possible.

"When will you be back?", she settled for asking. She hated to see him go every time, but the worst part was managing while he was away.

"I don't know yet, but I need to ask you something." Sakura stood up and he turned to face her. "It's more of a request, actually." This was strange coming from him. Sasuke Uchiha never asked for anything in his life. Much less from her. He didn't continue right away and the curiosity took over Sakura.

"What is it, Sasuke?" A few seconds of silence went by.

"Just wait." The emotion in his voice was something Sakura couldn't figure out. Her eyebrows furrowed showing her confusion. Wait for what? Was he not sure of what he was going to ask? Again, he didn't continue speaking right away.

"I am not sure I understand." Sasuke's features tensed as she spoke but not in a bad way.

"Just wait for me, Sakura." He stook a step forward. "Once more." The kunoichi's eyes widened as she realized what he was asking. He wanted her to wait for him. Her old self would've been thrilled about this and she would be lying if she said she wasn't happy about it at the moment. Her immediate thought was to say yes, but something deep inside her prevented her from it. Everytime he left she had managed with Naruto and Kakashi by her side, but now one of them had a wife and the other one was busy being Hokage. Her friends were pairing off and didn't have much time to hang around like they all used to. Tsunade and Shizune departed the village some time ago. If Sasuke left she would be by herself and she didn't like that idea. She wasn't sure if she could manage to be alone for an indefinite amount of time. Eventually she would need someone to keep her company and...she stopped her mind from wandering further.

"Sasuke," Her hand closed into a fist and went to her chest. Apparently it had been some minutes since he had made his request because his expression was almost anxious. "There is no one else in my heart but you, but you said it yourself...there's no telling when you will be back or even if you will decide to…"

Sasuke took one more step towards her. He was so close to her that she had to look slightly up to maintain their eye contact.

"I said it myself Sakura. I said once more. I'm not leaving forever," he made a pause and looked away for a second before returning his gaze to her. "I don't know how much time, but when I'm back we…", he trailed off as if he was struggling to say what he wanted. "I'll be with you, like you deserve."

"I will wait for you Sasuke-kun.", Sakura replied right after he finished speaking. His words were everything that she had ever wanted to hear from him. It wasn't a love confession, but he was giving her something to hold on to and that was more than enough for her.

For a moment, Sasuke thought she was going to say no and instantly regretted everything, from coming to see her to asking her to wait until his return. He smiled softly when she answered and Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as he closed the distance between them. He placed a hand on the back of her head to bring her closer and gave her forehead a soft kiss.

"Thank you.", he said almost in a whisper, not separating from her. Sakura could've teared up at his actions. When she came home she would've never expected to find him on her living room, much less to be in this situation with him.

After a few seconds, he pulled away.

"I must go." He walked over to the entrance where he grabbed his shoes and his cloak. Sakura wondered how she didn't hear him enter her home.

"Be safe." She followed him out of her apartment. The chilly air made her wrap her arms around herself.

"Hn." Sasuke nodded and took off to the rooftops not looking back once. Sakura watched him go until he was no longer visible.

She entered her home once more and sat on the couch. On the same place that Sasuke had been sitting a few minutes ago. Sakura thought the situation over. Things were different from his previous departures. She now knew for a fact that he was coming back. He said so himself. She wouldn't have to live with the uncertainty that he might decided not to return. That should make it easier to wait, right? He had just given her something that she could hold on to. If she ever felt alone she could find comfort in his words.

One question still lingered in her mind though. How long would it have to be until his return? It easily could go from a few months to a few years. How many years? One, three, five, then? She thought she might be exaggerating for a second but really, she had no idea how long she could go without him. Because his words hadn't only inspired hope in her, they had negative effect also. Now that she knew of his intentions with her, that would make her more anxious for his return.

She suddenly realized that she had made the wrong decision telling him that she could wait.

Sasuke descended from the tree branches as he felt the chakra signature come closer to him by the second. He had felt it following him for a few minutes but he hadn't recognized it. He slowed down his pace and when it got close enough so that he could figure out who it was he stopped immediately.

Sakura descended from the trees the same way he did, at a considerable distance from him. Still, she could see Sasuke's expression was pure confusion, something that she hadn't seen often in him.

"I changed my mind," she was walking towards him as she spoke. Instantly, Sasuke's eye furrowed while his eyes averted from her and stared deep into the forest, he was assuming the worst. "I can't wait for you any longer." Listening to it stung more than he thought it would, but he couldn't say he hadn't thought of it as an option. He had left her before, she loved him all along and he had done nothing but hurt her. Maybe she realized she deserved better. Because she did. Sasuke was just hoping it wasn't the case when he had asked her. He was hoping that she would be able to give him a chance at doing things right.

He realized Sakura was still walking towards him and turned to look at her once more. Then he saw it. She was smiling slightly and his confusion made a comeback for a second. As he studied her further he noticed the small red backpack hanging from one of her arms.

He smiled at what the object implied and extended his arm out to her.

She took it.