Anthology

By Laura-chan

Pairing: Sasuke/Sakura

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Of course everything related to Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei, praise his genius! OOC characters and plot do belong to me.

Warnings: I am Italian, English is not my first language, please forgive my mistakes.

XXXII.

MISTAKE

Things shouldn't have gone like this.

She shouldn't be smiling and laughing like nothing had happened: talking with other males and ignoring him as if he were invisible.
She should be crying her eyes out, she should be depressed, not eating, not sleeping.

After all, he had broken up with her. He, the great Uchiha Sasuke, had broken up with her, Haruno Sakura.

Instead, she didn't seem sad at all: she acted like nothing had ever happened between them. Hell, she even acted like he didn't exist!

"…you want to…"

"Yes, finish it." He said carelessly, his stoic façade in place. His shoulders were relaxed as he waited for the screaming and the tears he knew were going to arrive.

"So that's it?"

She surprised him: she was completely calm, serious… her expression almost blank.

"You had your fun… and then you're throwing me aside." She nodded to herself. "I was expecting that: you were distancing yourself from me, not answering my calls, never wanting to go out anymore…" she shrugged. "I guess I'm a bit hurt. But I don't care anymore: you already wounded me so much that there's nothing more to break."

She sounded so helpless and resigned that he felt a pang of guilt.

"I hoped I was different from the others: but I guess I was just deluding myself, wasn't I?" she smiled bitterly and he wanted to say something, anything.

He'd gone out with her because he liked her: she was the first girl he'd dated because he'd really wanted to. She was cute, funny, easygoing and a bit crazy, but that made being with her even more enjoyable and unpredictable.

"Well then, Uchiha-san." She looked at his straight in the eyes, and the formality she called him with made him winch. "It had been fun, these seven months. We'll see each other at school."

And he watched her walking away, her back straight, her posture confident.

Why did it felt like he had done the biggest mistake of his life?

It had been a month since their break-up, but he had been unable to go out with another girl and to erase the feeling of being a jerk. Other girls simply didn't interest him anymore: not that he had been really interested before Sakura, he'd gone out only with three or four, but his fangirls annoyed him and he couldn't stand a girl who only cared about looks, fashion and money.

As Sasuke watched Sakura going on with her life, laughing with her friends, excelling in her classes, having fun, he truly felt like something was wrong: why was he miserable, when she should be?

---

Two more weeks had passed and he was exhausted. He found out he missed Sakura, very much. He missed her laughter, her smiles, her cute even if a bit childish behavior… he missed spending time with her and was haunted by vision of her giggling at another man's joke.

Sasuke couldn't take it anymore – he had realized he had done the worst mistake of his life so far.

He wanted her back.

Sasuke needed Sakura back.

So he approached her when she was with Ino and Hinata at her locker: she was changing her shoes with the slippers and her two friends were laughing at something she was telling them.

"Really, how idiotic!"

"I know, I know: I looked at him and was, like, 'Are you kidding me?'!" Sakura closed the locker and brushed her bangs away from her eyes. "He wasn't able to look straight at me for a week!"
Ino stopped smiling when she noticed the boy walking over from behind Sakura: she tapped the pink-haired girl on the shoulder and nodded toward him.

Sakura turned around confused, then jade eyes widened when she saw him.

"I need to talk with you." He said brusquely; he liked to go straight to the point.

"What do you want?" a blank expression was on her face. "I thought we had already said everything weeks ago." None the less, she noted the dark circles under his eyes and frowned slightly.

"Please, hear me out."

Sakura didn't know what shocked her more: that he was saying 'please' or that he wanted to talk with her. She shrugged and waved to her friends, who didn't look convinced.
"I'll be okay." She mouthed to them, then followed him to the roof.

"So?" she asked when they stopped, crossing her arms.

Sasuke stared at her for a while, watching how the wind played with her long hair; he didn't know exactly how to put what he wanted to say in words – he'd never been good at expressing himself – but he knew he had to tell her the truth or he'd go crazy with jealousy and regret.

"When I asked you out, it wasn't because you were one of the others: we've known each other for years and I was perfectly aware that you weren't like those rich air-heads I've… dated, because my father wanted me, since they were daughters of important businessmen. You are the first and only girl I've gone out with that I wanted to date; I enjoyed our time together, you're fun and nice, even if I know better than to make you angry."

Sakura seemed frozen, her fingers digging into the skin of her arms.

"I was starting to get attached to you and… and I didn't want that: I know I'd have to marry someone my father approves, that is an heiress or something like that. I didn't want to… care for you, only to have you taken away from me. So I decided to broke up with you."

He sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Evidently it was a mistake. I miss you, I miss going out with you, I miss being with you. I've been jealous of any other guy who talked to you, I haven't been sleeping."

Sasuke hesitated a moment, then walked to her, his hands closing on her shoulders. "It was already too late to break up with you. I already loved you."

Her breath caught in her throat and she gaped at him. Before she could stop him, he leaned down and kissed her on the lips: she remained still, totally shocked.

The boy she had been in love with since… well, forever, had just reciprocated her feelings.

Tears.
The tears she hadn't been able to shed weeks before fell down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around his neck and finally kissed him back.

Sasuke decided that he didn't care about what his father would say: he loved Sakura and wanted to spend his life with her.

They parted to breathe but didn't move from each other; Sakura smiled against his lips – "We'll get through everything – together this time."

Anthology XXXII – End

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait! I wrote this chapter a long time ago, but I didn't know how end it. I'm still very busy with university, exams, my degree thesis and life – but I'm writing the second chapter of The Red Butterfly! Oh yeah!

I'm so tired guys, it's almost 1 a.m. …

Hope you have nice holidays and a happy new year!

Reviewers' Corner: Thank you for your heart-warming support!!

Sofiao8, Cookie Yuki, Sharingan Blossom, Jill-kun, k00ky, Sakura0chan (thanks for all the nice reviews! Je parle un peau de francais aussi…), XyoushaX, crazilyinsanelady, Twinnet, els1324, kattylin (the lemons will come, don't worry!), Chikako-chan, Hansha-otoku, Rationalized Insanity (love your name – glad you liked the angst, and Sakura in a way wanted it), Wayward Victorian Girl, Deidara's4Ever, sasuke2sakura, inu-babygirl, KiRaTwinkles (no sadistic stuff this time!), Sam-aka-SakuxSasuLover, Amanda, me-ninjakitty, priscalthum (thanx for the amazing reviews!), ctclove4mommy, MayakoPapoika, demon sk8ter, Petite x Femme (there's always space for improvement! :D I just love naughty!Sasuke – nous pouvons parler francais, si vous voulez!), Lonely-Girl14, Nameless Blossom (I don't have my top 5, there are some stories I think are better than others, but that's it :D), NorthernLights25, luv hate it, the Dream Eater, SailorManga, Wingless-Crying-Angel, Namie-chan, Violet-Kat, ., Maye Uchiha, md5will, roxnroll, JadeMesmerizedByOnyx, ArtStar, JediJaina, rallybabe89, M i M I, gaarsaku4ever, Snickerdoodle-sensei, Neitzarr, SpiffyCookie, eleanaleone, Lady Nightshade, Obsession no es Amor, Ayumi Night Beauty, -amour.x (thanks for the lovely and long review! Ehm, yes, I have a problem with the position of the words – I hope to improve!), Quiet Moon, Spread-My-Wingz-And-Soar, Jester08, Miss Aerith, .ish-p.e.a.c.h, Blu3-Appl3, SasukeandNejicuties, Livvy22, narutofan821007, SakuraUchiha14, asianangelgirl (no, not everything can be flowery and sweet – life has a dark side), kirei na yukki, STEVEO, lioness91, Romantic Egoist (wow, that was a very nice review! Thanks!), sasusakufan2357, Eriisu, Odat, Jay95, C.A.M.E.O., Chibi Strawberry Neko, SasukeSakuraxxxItachiSakura, BrokenDreams, HPBabe91, blueMnM415, Kirei Cherry Blossom, Melissax3, sweetcherry99, Sienna Maiu, GothFairyLover, bella-bijin, MidnightShadow909, Ch0c0Add1ct.., JadeOnyx, flowerangel050, SharinganBlossom, unforgettable, Kikumaru1128, candyluver, ladyDV011, Sakura4eva, xo meow -, Faeliva, AntoSama, Kaoru-chan, r i a n e xx, SakuraHaley, Onyx met Jade, Sakura Uchiha123, CamiUchiha, chaotickittie03, ItssAllaaDream, MadHatter45, pooky's-sunshine, Jaylene, WildCherryLollipop, blueberry08, Amentrine Iolite, blueberry08, ApplelovesApples, Dagon ng LIkha, Anjelik, CrisSS