A/N: Happy New Years everyone! Let's start this year off right: With some MadaSaku.

"What do you mean you're not coming?"

Sakura stared at Sasuke, her cherry painted lips parted in shock. She took in his guilty expression and how his eyes would settle anywhere in the foyer of his parent's multimillion dollar home but on her.

"I told you, I can't come. Karin wants me to take her to this party and-" the Uchiha explained lamely, adjusting the cufflinks on his navy suit for the fifth time in the past minute.

"Karin?" Sakura harshly parroted in disbelief, "You, Naruto, and I had this planned since last year... Naruto can't make it because he caught the flu but you can't come because of your girlfriend of two weeks wants you to take her somewhere?"

"Not just that, she... She said she wasn't comfortable with it being just you and me. It would be too personal with just us."

"We've been best friends since middle school, same with Naruto. You and I both know that that is ridiculous," Sakura asserted sharply, her heels clicking on the marble floor as she took a step forward.

"I know, I just don't want to ruin this with her," he asserted, pulling his phone from the pocket of his coat and cringing at the message on screen.

"So you'd ruin the night we had planned for the past year?" Sakura's voice dropped in volume, her tone deflating from justified anger to genuine hurt, "You'd abandon me?"

"Don't be so dramatic. I have to go. We'll do something next year," Sasuke brushed off, stepping around her and heading towards the carved mahogany doors leading outside.

When he opened one of the double doors, Sakura spotted a car already waiting outside. When he paused in the doorway, hope rose in Sakura's chest.

"Happy New Years," he muttered before stepping outside, closing the door behind him and leaving her alone in the foyer.

Sakura stood in the receiving room of Sasuke's home, staring at the closed double doors in shock. She stared at the entry way for what felt like an hour, praying that her best friend would come back, before she realized that she had been well and truly abandoned.

Again.

Sakura felt as hot tears built in her eyes and dropped her head to hide her face. A stray pink hair fell out of her artfully pinned back bangs and she reached up to brush it back into place with a shaky hand. Like it mattered. She was dressed up for nothing now.

The formfitting black dress that she had bought for the occasion, the one that clung to her in all the right places and pooled around her like something a goddess would wear (and the one that had cost a whole month's paycheck), was useless now. The stiletto heels that made her feel like she stood ten feet tall and accentuated her favorite features had no purpose.

A single tear slid from her eye and, for a moment, she was terrified it would ruin her elegant makeup. She had even gotten her cat eye perfect, it was like it had been fate. But she realized that it didn't matter if her makeup got trashed.

No one was going to see it anyways. It's not like she was going anywhere tonight.

"My, my, Sakura. You look incredibly lovely tonight," a familiar voice piped up from behind her.

Sakura whipped around, her surprised gaze falling upon Madara Uchiha, Sasuke's uncle, as he descended the stairs. As always, he appeared to be the picture of nobility, even as he worked to finish piecing together his own appearance. He was dressed in a well pressed tuxedo, the jacket open and exposing the evening waist coat beneath. His nimble hands worked at tying his bow tie without even looking, his spotless, plain toe Oxfords making little noise as he descended the stairs.

His smile was teasing and catlike and, like always, made Sakura's heart quicken in her chest. She looked away so, when she sniffled, she failed to notice how his smile was replaced by a look of concern.

"Happy New Years, Madara," she greeted lamely, reaching up to rub at her arm, embarrassed at having been caught in such a painful moment.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he finished descending the stairs and completed the clean knot in his tie.

"It's, er... Naruto and Sasuke and I were supposed to go to this New Years gala downtown. We were going to meet the Sannin and I was really excited to meet my idol Dr. Tsunade. But Naruto caught the flu and Sasuke's... busy," Sakura explained, glancing up to take in the elder Uchiha's troubled expression.

"Busy?" Madara returned with a quirked eyebrow, "Haven't you all been planning this night since last New Years?"

Sakura just nodded, feeling as another wave of heat built behind her eyes. She couldn't think of a worse fate than crying in front of Madara after being abandoned on New Years by her best friend and forced herself to remain in control.

There was a long pause before the Uchiha spoke but, when he did, it was once again with a smile in his voice, "What do you think of spending New Years with me? I can assure you that it would be just as exciting, if not more, than the night you had planned with my ungrateful little nephew."

Sakura's eyes flicked up to meet Madara's, her painted lips parted in surprise, as another tear slipped passed her control.

"Why would you do that?" she questioned, confused.

"Because it's far too much of a shame to see so much hard work go to waste," he asserted with a smile, tugging the scarlet handkerchief from the inner pocket of his coat and offering it to her.

She accepted it, staring up at him through her lashes as she brought the cloth up to her eyes and dabbed away her tear.

"What would we be doing?" she asked shyly, running her fingers across the soft fabric in her hands.

"It's a surprise," he replied with a catlike smirk, buttoning up his coat as he spoke, "But it will be a night where you can show off that lovely outfit of yours."

Sakura felt a blush rise to her cheeks even as she fought to conceal it.

Well... What did she have to lose?

"Let's do it," she agreed, meeting Madara's gaze with a smile.

If someone had told Sakura that she would have the funnest New Years of her life with Madara of all people, she would have told them that they had lost their mind.

She never really knew what Madara did in his free time. She knew that he was one of the executives of the Uchiha's family company and, as such, was a well respected individual. She knew he worked hand in hand with Fugaku, Izuna, and their father Tajima to make the Uchiha clan millions. She also knew that he had a habit of drinking scotch more expensive than her car and that she had never seen him in anything but formal attire.

Aside from that, she would have had no idea what he did for fun.

The night had begun with startling style. They had taken a limousine to the Akimichi family's world famous restaurant. The one where Sakura would have to spend a year on the waiting list just to enter if she had gone by herself.

When she had panicked over the amount of money she would be spending there, Madara had chuckled and told her not to worry for the night. That, as an apology for his nephew's despicable behavior, that he would take care of everything.

Sakura's assertions that she could pay for herself had fallen on deaf ears.

It was in the absurdly high class restaurant where she had been introduced to Madara's business partner Hashirama Senju (who had promptly asserted that they were actually best friends and that he was thrilled to meet her), Hashirama's wife Mito Uzumaki, Madara's brother Izuna, and Hashirama's brother Tobirama. She had fallen into an easy conversation with the group, something only made easier by the trays of champagne that kept being delivered to their table.

Sakura enjoyed the conversation with the men at the table but she had made instant friends with Mito and was absolutely enraptured by the woman. She had at one point asked why the elder woman had kept her maiden name after marrying into the Senju family. Mito's answer about how she had built her company from the ground up and how it was a Mito Uzumaki company and not another Senju company had not only appealed to every feminist bone in Sakura's body but had peaked her interest in the red head's history.

Sakura had become so wrapped up in conversation that she hadn't noticed Madara and Hashirama speaking privately or the megawatt smile spread across Hashirama's face before he excused himself for a few minutes.

Contented with the most expensive meal she had ever eaten (and probably would ever eat) in her stomach, she had been surprised when Madara had asked if she was ready for the next part of their night.

The next part of their night which had involved a gala that was so far removed from the one her, Naruto, and Sasuke had planned on attending that it might as well have been on a different planet.

The event was seated on the top floor of the exclusive Hokage Tower in downtown Konoha. The glass walled ballroom offered a spectacular view of the city, the lights below them looking like an expanse of multicolored stars. Despite it being a formal event, she felt incredibly comfortable among the crowds of well dressed individuals. There was a relaxed tone to the gala and, despite being surrounded by insanely famous (holy crap, was that Hiruzen Sarutobi?) and mindbogglingly wealthy people, she didn't feel out of place.

Sakura wondered if it had something to do with the pounding dance music or the overly excited rock stars from the famous group The Sound Four pulling off fireworks indoors. She knew it definitely had something to do with the professional MMA fighter A,"The Raikage", and the world famous wedding dress designer Mei Terumi racing each other to see who could down the row of shots fasted.

Sakura hadn't known what to expect but this certainly was the farthest thing from what she had imagined during the limo ride over here.

She had been pulled into a drinking contest that rivaled the one she had witnessed earlier and, soon after, had been pulled onto the dance floor by Hashirama. After sharing an infinitely amusing dance with the kindhearted man, she had shared so many dances with so many partners that the fog of intoxication made it difficult to remember how many and who.

It had been Madara who had placed a gentle hand on her bare shoulder and guided her off of the dance floor. She had shivered under the contact, leaning farther into his embrace, too giddy from the alcohol and the dancing to restrain herself.

"Are you having fun, love?" he purred against her ear, his hand boldly slipping down from her shoulder to cup the dip of her waist.

"This is incredible!" Sakura replied earnestly, gazing into his ebony eyes as she pressed a hand against his chest and pressed herself farther into his side.

He gave her that same mischievous smile before gesturing off to the side. Her eyes followed the movement, confused, and when her gaze settled onto the subject of his focus, she released an undignified squeak.

The Tsunade Senju had been sitting at the bar next to Hashirama, pouring both of them drinks. The woman who was at the forefront of medicine, the surgeon who had earned the Nobel Prize for her innovative new surgery techniques, and the genius that Sakura had idolized since she was a girl and who she had modeled her entire life after was sitting right in front of her.

Sakura hadn't realized that she was fisting the lapel of Madara's tuxedo until his warm hand settled onto hers.

"Would you like to meet her?" he had asked.

"Yes!" she had replied, perhaps too excitedly, as she pressed herself closer to his chest to gaze into his eyes.

Madara had laced his fingers through the fingers of her hand on his chest and Sakura's heart fluttered from more than just her idol sitting across the room.

The conversation that followed would stick with her for the rest of her life. She had never gushed so hard but, based on Tsunade's fond smile throughout and the fact she kept pouring them shots, she hadn't scared off the brilliant woman.

Even more than that, after discovering that Sakura was currently in medical school and was looking at graduating that next year, Tsunade had given her her card and told her that she would be welcome to join her in making history.

Sakura very nearly thought her heart had stopped from her excitement.

Shortly after Tsunade excused herself (while complaining about something involving someone she referred to as "The Toad"), Madara's broad hand had settled on Sakura's waist once again. She immediately made herself at home against his side, pressing herself against his warmth. She shivered when his hand began to caress her waist, his long fingers dancing along her side.

"Come with me," Madara hummed as he lead her away from the bar and away from the throngs of party goers.

Pushing open a glass door, the pair made their way out onto a sprawling porch that wrapped around the entirety of the upper floor of the Hokage Tower. He lead her to the edge, careful to give the others enjoying the view their space, and she surged forward to lean against the guard rails. Sakura gaped down at the sea of lights beneath her feet and the expanse of stars above her. It almost felt unreal, stranding at the top of the tower and looking out at her home beneath her.

Konoha had never looked so magnificent.

"It's so beautiful," Sakura declared in awe, a overjoyed smile stretching across her face.

"It is," Madara hummed in response.

When her eyes shot back to Madara, he had a meaningful smile spread across his lips as he gazed at her with a heated expression.

The heat in his gaze brought a blush to Sakura's cheeks and she broke eye contact to gaze back down at the city, her heartbeat quickening. A gust of chilled air washed over them and she trembled from the cold, wrapping her arms around herself.

It was only moments after that she felt a heavy, warm cloth settle over her shoulders. When a distinctly masculine scent, one with a woodsy undertone and one that was embarrassingly familiar, washed over her, she shivered from more than the cold.

"Madara," she started before being interrupted by his strong arms wrapping around her, closing the jacket further around her and enveloping her in the warm cloth and his embrace.

"Yes, love?" the Uchiha purred against her neck as he pulled her against his chest.

Words forgotten, she leaned into his embrace, tilting her head to the side with a sigh at the feeling of his warm breath against her neck.

It was a long moment before she could come up with a response. "Thank you for this... This is the best New Years I've ever had. I know you just did this because Sasuke was being an asshole but... Thank you."

"As if I could resist with you looking so incredibly beautiful standing in my foyer," Madara admitted, "I should be thanking the brat for giving me the opportunity to spend the night with you."

Sakura could swear that he could feel his lips against her throat. When she tilted her head back to rest against his shoulder, baring her neck to him even farther, his arms tightened around her. This time she was positive that his lips were pressing gentle kisses to the line of her neck. Her eyes slid shut as she basked in his warmth and in his affection, her breathing growing quick.

"Hmm... Almost time," Madara hummed against her neck, pressing one final kiss her pulse point before pulling away.

"Time for what?" Sakura whimpered, her eyes finally sliding open to gaze at the stars.

Just in time to catch the first burst of color in the sky.

She gasped in surprise, perking up from her stupor as the resounding boom from the firework reached her. She felt more than heard Madara chuckle behind her as the firework show began in earnest, filling the sky with bright, beautiful flashes of light and color. At the top floor of the tallest building in Konoha, this fireworks show was the most incredible she had ever seen. She felt as if she could reach out and touch the fireworks in front of her. Like the show was being put on just for her.

With the alcohol rushing through her blood and the feeling of Madara holding her so close, the fireworks show before her felt magical. Every nerve in her body was alight and her heart sung. Sakura watched, enraptured, as the show continued, slowly working it's way to it's finale at exactly midnight.

Her gaze only broke from the fireworks before her to glance down with Madara at the watch on his wrist.

11:59

Her eyes flicked back up to the bursts of light and color slowly coming to a culmination before her, an awed smile at home across her lips.

"Sakura..." Madara whispered into her ear.

Sakura turned to face him, curious, and was struck by how incredibly attractive he looked, bathed in the flashes of colored lights from the fireworks show before them. She was pinned by his heated gaze, her heart racing in her chest when she became aware of how close they were. She could feel his body, hard and warm, pressed so closely against hers. His hand, still cradling her waist even through his thick coat, felt like a brand against her skin.

More than anything, Sakura noticed how close their faces were. Her gaze flicked down from Madara's eyes to his lips, her expression betraying her inner thoughts. She noticed the quirk of his lip before she felt his fingertips against her chin.

He gently tilted her head with his fingertips and she readily followed the movement. When he slowly leaned in closer, her eyes slid shut as she stood on her toes to meet him.

When their lips met, the fireworks within her matched the finale of the fireworks in front of her.

Their lips moved against each others' sweetly at first, both of them basking in the thrill of kissing one another, before slowly growing more passionate. Sakura turned in Madara's embrace and reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and beneath his mane of wild hair. Neither of them seemed to care as the coat which had been wrapped around her slipped off of her shoulders to pool on the floor.

His arms wrapped around her middle, pulling her flush against his muscled chest, as he kissed her more fully. She hardly felt the cool metal of the railing press against her back when she could feel Madara's presence dominating every one of her senses.

Even as the fireworks show faded away in the background, and even as the cheers of the crowds around and below them ceased, they continued.

When Madara finally pulled away from her, it took Sakura a moment to gather her wits enough to open her eyes again. Her half lidded gaze was met with his warm onxy eyes. The corners of his eyes crinkled with a smile as he dropped his forehead against hers.

"Happy New Year, love," he purred.

"Happy New Year," she hummed with a returning smile as she stood back up on her toes and pressed their lips together once again.