Summary: The boy is best friends with the girl. Whatever she wants, he'll always get for her. Whenever she falls, he'll be there to catch her. Whenever she breaks, he'll pick up the shattered pieces. Why? It's because the boy loves the girl.

Standard disclaimer applies here

What She Wants
by: MikazukiDreams

It is summer. A young girl giggled as she plops down on the grass next to her best friend. Her long, pale pink splayed out in all directions are she lay down and stared up at the clouds.

"You know," the girl sighs, "I want to be able to fly in the sky, and float on the clouds. They seem so fluffy…"

The dark-haired boy looked at the girl. Despite only being eight, he knew that the clouds were just mist and water drops. Oh well…

The following day, he took the girl on his family trip to Florida. Sasuke sat next to her on the plane, as Sakura gazed out the windows in awe. "Thank you so much, Sasuke-kun!" the little girl exclaims, throwing her arms around his neck. He blushes furiously.

His parents smiled at the two little children. Mikoto glanced at Fugaku, and they shared a look. Sasuke loves Sakura, doesn't he?

~*X*~

The girl, Sakura, now nine years old, sits down by her window and sighs loudly. For days, it hasn't rained; her lovely garden was dying of thirst, no matter how many times she watered it.

Sasuke looks at her. "What's the matter?" The girl looked so sad… and well, he didn't like that.

"My garden…" she says. "I want it to rain; my flowers are dying, and… I worked so hard making this garden!"

Sasuke glanced at Sakura, then outside to her decaying plants. He leaves.

Five minutes later, he returns with a brand-new sprinkler. He sets it up outside and turns it on. The sprinkler comes to life, spraying generous amounts of water to the plants. The sunlight reflects off the water, creating many tiny glistening rainbows. It seemed as if the garden had come to life.

Sakura gasps in surprise. She rushes outside and once again, embraces the boy tightly. "Thank you so, so much Sasuke-kun!" He smiles.

~*X*~

They are both ten. Sakura is feeling feverish, and Sasuke comes and visits her.

"I want ice cream," she mumbles. "Lots and lots of strawberry sundaes; my throat is killing me."

The boy runs to the grocery store, and buys out all their ice cream sundaes. The cashier smiles at the boy. "Having a party?" she asks.

"No," Sasuke replies. "My best friend is sick, and she wants ice cream." The cashier hid her surprise. She…?

"Well, that's very nice of you. I'm sure it'll make her feel better," the cashier said, smiling pleasantly. She packaged the cold treats. "Have a nice day!"

Sasuke returns back to Sakura and hands her a tubful of ice cream sundae. She takes a big bite and sighs contently. She smiles and hugs Sasuke.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun. You're too kind." The boy smiles and hugs her back, a cute pink tinting his cheeks.

~*X*~

Sakura and Sasuke are eleven now. Sakura is envious of the other girls' charm bracelets; the newest ones from Tiffany & Co. They were very expensive, and her mother and father told her that they couldn't just waste money like that.

She sits in class, excluded by the other girls, and eyes them all enviously.

"What's so special about those bracelets?" she mutters quietly. "Why are they so expensive?"

Sasuke sees the sad expression on Sakura's face. She was excluded because she didn't have a bracelet like the other girls, and it wasn't fair.

So the next day, Sasuke goes out and works. He mows people's lawns, walks their dogs, and cleans their yard. After a week, he makes enough money for a bracelet. He rushes to the Tiffany & Co. jewelry store and purchases a bracelet.

The cashier is a lovely lady in her twenties. She smiles at the boy. "Why, hello there. Who are you buying this for?" she says pleasantly.

Sasuke replies, "It's for my best friend. She really wants one, so I'm buying her one."

The cashier smiles understandingly. "Ah," she says. How cute. "Have a nice day! I hope your friend will like it!" Sasuke gives her a curt nod and hurries to Sakura's house.

When he arrives, he rushes upstairs to her bedroom and holds out the box containing the jewelry to Sakura. She opens it and gasps loudly, giving him a bone-crushing hug and a smack on the cheek.

"Oh my god Sasuke-kun! I freaking love you!" She squeals.

He blushes and touches his cheek, still tingling from her kiss.

~*X*~

She wears the bracelet every day. It's been a year since he'd bought it for her, and it's still in perfect condition. He's secretly ecstatic that she wears it all the time.

One day, she walks home with her carefully done project. A large, forceful gust of wind whooshes past her, capturing her work and tossing it in the air. She screams and runs after it.

"No! Come back!" She cries. She runs into Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun! Please, please, can you help me get my project? It's due tomorrow and I still have to put my finishing touches to it, and… and…" she sobs loudly, panic consuming her.

Sasuke throws down his backpack. "Stay here. I'll get it for you," he says, and runs after her work. Sasuke was the fastest runner in the entire school, and he catches it easily. He makes sure it's perfect and returns it to her.

She smiles at him gratefully, and kisses his cheek. "Thank you!"

The boy turns red, once again, at her touch.

~*X*~

It's their graduating year from elementary school, and she's valedictorian. She prepares a nice speech just a week prior and is ready.

Looking out into the audience, she is suddenly nervous. Too many faces, all waiting for her. All eyes, on her. Too many eyes.

Her eye catches a handsome black-haired boy. He smiles at her and mouths, 'Good luck! Don't worry, you can do it!'

Her confidence is back. She finishes her speech with flourish.

Later that night, Sasuke walks up to Sakura and smiles lightly. "That was a wonderful speech, Ms. Haruno," he says. She gives him a big smile in return. "Would you," he continues, "do me the favor as being my dance partner for the night?" He asks as he bows down and puts his hand out.

"Why, of course, kind sir," she giggles as she places her hand in his. They glide onto the dance floor. He pulls her close to him and he smells her wondrous scent; strawberries.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She whispers in his ear. He suppresses a shiver.

"For what?" he asks, twirling her.

"For helping me with my speech." When he looks confused, she gives him a peck on the cheek. "It's okay. Just know that I'm grateful that you're always there for me."

He pulls her in tighter, wishing this moment would never end.

~*X*~

It's freshman year. They're still best friends; she still wears the bracelet.

She wants a cellphone, yet her parents won't allow it. She must buy one on her own.

She's nervous. She doesn't want to ask for a job alone, simply because she's a shy girl. She stands in front of her front door, resumes in hand, staring at the street stretched out in front of her nervously. Should she go? Would she go?

Sasuke walks by and sees a nervous-looking pink-haired girl chewing her lip anxiously as she gazes at the street. His eyebrows crinkle; what was wrong?

He walks up casually to the said girl. She is surprised by his presence, and then relieved.

"Sasuke-kun?" She says nervously. "Would you… could you…? I mean, if you have time… could you come with me to hand out resumes? I feel all nervous walking in on my own."

"Sure." He gives her a nod and is secretly glad that she asked him; it gave him an excuse to hang out with her for the entire day.

They walk amongst the streets, chatting and laughing and generally having a great time. It made Sasuke feel happy and it made Sakura feel confident.

At the end of the day, when he dropped her off at her house, she leans in and gives him a kiss on the cheek (as usual) and a great big hug.

"Thank you for coming with me today, Sasuke. It's really nice of you." She's grateful, he can tell.

By the end of the week, she got twenty job calls, which she took four.

~*X*~

Sasuke and Sakura are both sophomores now. They're still the best of friends, and she wears the bracelet still.

She likes a boy named Kiba. Sasuke feels happy for her, but on the inside he's hurting; hurting hat it's not him that she likes.

"Sasuke-kun?" She rushes by him one day. "Did you see Kiba?" He wants so very, very badly to say no but he says yes anyway.

"Can you tell him I like him?" Sakura looks at him with large, pleading eyes. He, again, wants to say no; but he says yes.

The following day, they're dating.

Two weeks later, she's crying in Sasuke's chest.

"H-he cheated on me, Sasuke!" she wails in his chest. "Why? Am I ugly?" He pats her back and whispers no. He wants to tell her she's beautiful, that's she's so damn perfect, but he doesn't.

Later that night, he finds Kiba and punches him in the face. When Sakura comes upon the fight between the two teenage boys, she intervenes and breaks them up.

He expects her to be mad, but instead she's happy. She kisses him on the cheek and whispers, "Thank you."

~*X*~

It's junior year for the two friends. She wears the bracelet.

They get into a fight. She's so angry that she screams at him and throws the bracelet in his face. She runs off, crying.

He picks up the bracelet, shocked, with trembling hands. She didn't want to see him anymore?

He puts it in his pocket and walks home numbly.

They haven't spoke in weeks. His heart is shattered, and little does he know; hers is too.

One night, he walks home late from his hockey game. He hears a loud, familiar scream, screaming his name. He rushes towards it.

He sees a group of thugs, hurting his girl. Anger, bottled up in his system for so very long, explodes.

Before he knows it, they're gone and he's holding her by his side. She trembles. He hugs her tightly.

"T-thank y-you, Sasuke-kun," she says quietly. She looks at him with her gorgeous green eyes. "I'm sorry."

He instantly forgives her. He misses her. Sasuke reaches in his pocket and pulls out the bracelet and clasps it onto her tiny wrist. "I'm sorry too."

They smile at each other. He gets up, but she pulls him back. "Stay with me, Sasuke-kun. I'm… I'm scared to be alone right now."

"I wasn't planning on leaving you," he says. "I won't ever leave you unless you ask."

She kisses his forehead. That night, both shattered hearts are mended.

~*X*~

It's senior and final year. She wears the bracelet, and he still yearns for the girl to reciprocate his feelings.

One day, she asks him, "Sasuke? I wish my Prince Charming would ask me to prom."

His heart pangs. "Who's that?"

She taps her chin. "Well, he's tall, and pale, and has lovely black hair. He's very, very kind and has amazing onyx eyes. He's always there for me, no matter what. And I love him, so very, very much. Do you think he likes me?"

His heart is beating at an erratic pace, and he leans in close. "If you're talking about who I think you're talking about, then no."

Her emerald eyes widen with hurt. "…No?" She gets up and turns and walks away. "Never mind then. I'll see you later, Sasuke."

He gets up as well, and she is surprised when she feels a pair of strong arms wrap around her petite waist.

"You didn't let me finish," he murmurs as he buries his face in the crook of her neck. "He doesn't like you. He loves you, and he's been in love with you for a very long time."

She whirls around and faces him. "Is that true?"

He nods. "Have I ever told you a lie?" She smiles, a bright, beautiful smile.

She tilts her head up and places a kiss right on his lips. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She breaks away, but he leans in and captures her lips once more.

"You know that's not what I want to hear," he mumbles against her lips. He breaks off the kiss and stares into her eyes.

After a long moment, she laughs, a light, melodious laugh.

"I love you, Sasuke-kun."

He smiles.

"I love you too, my Cinderella."

Fin.

Note... Not the greatest, I know, but I think it's cute.

-A