Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me in any way, shape or form...but I can dream can't I?

Italics mean thoughts or something said in the past.

Thank you

Sakura walked through the dark empty streets, the light of the moon her solitary guide. Leaves swirled around her feet gently kissing her legs. A tender breeze blew on her face. She was alone.

Sakura sighed. It's just like that day...that day he left. There was a full moon on that day too.

Sakura walked on, her feet carrying her to the edge of the village. She stopped. There was the gate, the gate where she had stopped him three years ago, stopped him and told him she loved him, stopped him and told him that she would be completely alone with out him. She had cried, begged and pleaded for him to stay. She had even offered to go with him. But he said nothing. He stood there, his back turned to her, not caring that she was pouring her heart out to him. 'You're still annoying,' was his cold reply.

She had done everything, tried every which way to stay by his side. Everything. But it was hopeless; a futile effort. He wouldn't listen, he wouldn't stay, he wouldn't let her go with him and he wouldn't let her forget him.

His words still tormented her. She couldn't forget them. 'Sakura...Thank you,' he had whispered in her ear. She shivered every time she thought of them. She could remember how his hot breath warmed the back of her neck, how those gentle words made her heart leap and how her eyes fell into darkness when he left.

She would have moved on but, those words kept coming back to haunt her, holding on to her. She kept wondering, 'What could they have meant?'

Every year she came back to this very spot, every year she asked herself the same question. 'Thank you for what? Why did you thank me? What did you mean? It doesn't make any sense. One second you say I'm annoying and the next you thank me. Which is it? Am I annoying? Or am I worth thanking? How did you really feel about me?'

She walked over to the cold stone bench, where he had laid her down to sleep. She sat down, still lost in his words, wondering and asking herself over and over again the same questions. 'Why?'

Her eyes glistened with tears, tears of sadness, love, remorse, she cried them all. She looked back at the gate, the rising mist enshrouding everything that lay beyond them.

Through her tears she could see a shadow in the mist, a shadow standing tall and strong. It had the same hair, same shape, same pose, with its hands jammed in its pockets. Surprised, Sakura stood up and ran a few steps toward the gate. Her eyes searched the depths of the mist, her ears listened for every rustle in the leaves, her nose picking out every scent in the breeze. Nothing. There was nothing. Nothing but a shadow.

--------flashback--------

"I'll scream if you try to leave," Sakura threatened with tears in her eyes.

Swish. He disappeared form in front of her eyes and reappeared behind her.

"Sakura...Thank you" he whispered before knocking her out.

"Sasuke...kun...?"

------end flashback------

"Just what did you mean by thank you?" Sakura asked the cold, empty night, her tears shining like crystals in the moon. Swish.

"Sakura...thank you..." Sakura's eyes widened, and she gasped. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck, tickling her ear; she could feel her heart pounding through her chest; she could feel his calm, steady body behind her own. Her eyes wanted to turn around so she could see that porcelain face that had left her so long ago. But she wouldn't allow it, lest it be her imagination playing cruel tricks on her again. Countless times she had envisioned his return, all had seemed so real yet none had been nor would they ever be. She wouldn't be tricked again.

"Thank you for trying to help me...for caring for me, for holding me so close to your heart...for loving me." His voice spoke again. Sakura's voice caught in her throat, her body went numb, her tears stopped falling, and her lungs threatened to burst.

A hand gripped and held her wrist. The heat from his hand surged through her arm straight to her heart, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in its wake. His other arm reached around her and gently turned her around. She looked down, not trusting her eyes. His hand moved from her shoulder to gently lift her chin. She looked up into his pale face, his raven colored hair cascading around his face. She looked into his dark eyes longing eyes with her own.

He brought his face closer to hers and whispered, "But most of all, thank you for waiting for me." Sasuke presses his lips against hers, tasting her sweetness and sorrow. Her face was salty with tears but he didn't care. He could feel her feel her knees trembling. He wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in his embrace. He could feel her sobbing into his shoulder, her hands clinging to his shirt, refusing to let him go. "I'm sorry, Sakura, I'll never leave you again. Ever" he murmured into her ear as he held her more tightly. "I'll never hurt you like this again," he said to her pulling back just enough to look into her eyes so she would know he meant every word. He pressed his lips against hers kissing her until she had no more tears left to cry.

A/N: so...this was kinda a sequel to Under the Moon but I guess it can be a oneshot on its own as well. I hope you liked it. Much thanks to Nae'ka for the inspiration behind this story!! Please review and tell me what you think!!