Erestor here! Here's a little multi-chaptered fic that I wrote. Reviews and comments are very much appreciated! Thank you!

Edit: Modified Chapter 1 as I felt that it was too wordy. Hope you enjoyed the changes!

Summary: He's afraid of the one woman that could rob him of his senses, make him grovel and has absolute control over him. And she just had to fall in love.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It rightfully belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the plot.

Spring Bliss

Chapter 1

Happy endings…

She had always wanted one, particularly fond with the alluring idea of a charming prince seemingly coming off from nowhere to completely sweep her off her feet - a person only born just to be by her side, forever and always.

Someone that she could always count on in times of dire need…

Someone that would always come to love her for who she was, no matter what her background and status were…

Someone that would always come to cherish for her more than anyone and everything else in the world…

She had often wondered as a little girl what it would be like to be in the arms of a significant other. Would it be warm, comforting even, reminiscent of a trusty blanket that would have had always provided its warmth during cold rainy days? Or maybe even familiar, unrelenting company in times of almost unbearable loneliness, oftentimes found in the guise of a tattered, old teddy bear? Or possibly even overflowing, righteous sincerity, easily felt when one remembers the fond memories of the past?

But then she was proven wrong, forcefully wrenched away from the blissful stupor that she's hopelessly driven herself into all these years. There were no such things as happy endings after all. Nothing more but fabricated lies, the whole lot of them. Just an unnecessary bundle of misleading dreams, dangled incessantly for the adulation of the innocent and weak-minded. Admittedly, things had never really worked out for her, even from the beginning.

She knew that falling in love with the unattainable was her biggest mistake…

It was all a ploy and nothing more…

Just a callous ploy to get her to stop loving him…

All the good times that they had shared with one another, will never be nothing more but meaningless moments to him. She had loved him with all her heart, never even doubting once that he was the only one for her. But sadly, it had all been entirely one-sided - a grave mistake on her part for not noticing it earlier. She had been too trusting, and very much naïve to a fault.

Yet a tiny part in her had always wanted to believe otherwise, to just wish for once that things could have had ended differently. But she knew that she was only fooling herself more for even thinking such. And it had to stop, for nothing good would ever come out of it.

It had all been too much. To expect for things to happen whole-heartedly and then to get something else different entirely, she could only look on forlornly as everything had ended in disaster around her - powerless to even do a single thing to make things a bit better. It had been already out of her hands, even from the beginning.

The very first time that she had ever laid eyes on him, she knew that he was the one, there was never going to be anyone else – she had only wanted him, him and only him alone. Call her stupid for even thinking such, but she could not help the strong, vivid feelings that had coursed through her that moment – such intensity they were, it was like getting high and drunk just by his merest presence. She knew then that she could not get enough of him. And she never ever wanted it to stop.

She could clearly remember the silent yearning that then came after; slowly gnawing away at her insides as the days had idly went by. The mere thought of those mysterious eyes boring deeply into her person – unrelenting in their search – was more than enough to send sinful yet delightful shivers down her spine. Was it even possible to be this so hopelessly in love with one person, a mere stranger nonetheless?

He was like a welcome breath of fresh air, tantalizing and refreshing yet only accessible to a privileged few. He technically belonged to everyone, yet he had also taken to favoring no one. And for that reason alone, she knew that she had little to nil chance to be with him. But there was still that tiny unquenchable hope inside her that frantically wished otherwise. One that continually dreamed of a happily ever after, of a prince charming that would come to completely sweep her off her feet, of him finally noticing insignificant her…

And wish she did. But she knew that something was very well off when he had suddenly taken an interest in her of all people – a plain Jane at the most, just another nameless face in the crowd that constantly clamored about for his attention and adored him. Yet, she had willingly accepted it, turned her head towards the opposite direction, and made herself purposely blind to the glaring warning signs. She was that desperate to be with him, even if everything to be had were all on borrowed time. A brief taste of heaven, as most would opt to call it. Yet it was the price that she had to pay, and gladly pay it a billion other times, she would. She just had to fall for the unattainable, after all.

Looking back, she admitted albeit a bit grudgingly to herself that she was never really happy with their relationship in the first place. They lacked the familiarity expected between couples, and the awkward pauses in their conversations were utterly disheartening and far too many to even count. He was not exactly expressive of his emotions, and she had always taken to guessing on what he really felt about certain situations at the most inopportune of times. But still, there were those rare moments that she was absolutely certain that he had felt something for her too, and that was wholly enough for her then. She lived – no, breathed – for those moments that were all too far and few in between.

Maybe in time, she could lay her fears to rest, to just let herself go, and enjoy things for what they really were. Indeed, there was no need for her to be so high and strung over such insignificant things that have a nil chance of ever happening.

How utterly naïve she was then, to whole-heartedly believe that she had a fighting chance…

If only she knew better…

Fairy tales were for whimsical dreamers that have nothing better to do…

It was that joyous time of the year again wherein everyone would go about admiring nature in all of its flamboyant grandeur. Petals of the flower that she was fondly named after were plentiful and falling in pieces everywhere, once again never failing to momentarily lull and amaze the regular passerby with their pristine beauty. Alas, she would have had also taken the time to admiring the cherry blossom trees if she was already not too taken with her current predicament.

Sakura sneaked a glance at the stoic Uchiha beside her, sighing softly. She knew that it was particularly wrong of her to expect for too much at one time, but would it actually kill him to act like he cared for once? Truly, she was glad to have spent these precious moments with him, as they were all too far and few in between, but she had to admit that he could have been a whole lot more sincere about it.

If ever she was asked to faithfully recount in detail their little rendezvous for the day, she could only say one thing in particular - absolutely dreadful. It did not even help that he was acting like such a complete jerk over the whole thing, totally uncooperative and acting particularly bored at times.

Come to think of it, he was being particularly difficult lately, even more so than usual. The cold glares towards her direction, the callous demeanor at times, and his brash manner of speaking with her were turning out to be more than she could ever hope to handle at any given time.

She knew to a painful fault that their relationship was far from perfect, but it was already somewhat expected that they would have their little rough times every once in a while, right? Really, it was not for lack of trying to understand him, as she did all she could, but she could only do so much at one time.

Maybe it was that small hope inside her, of him someday fully returning her feelings that had made her hold on for so long. Truthfully, she had no clue on why he had even approached her that one time, charmingly asking her if she wanted to be his girlfriend – her, the one girl that no one ever noticed. Of course, she just had to say yes – who would have the gall to decline him if they were in her position? It was no secret that he was well-sought after by everyone – heir to the famed Uchiha clan, a known genius, notoriously popular and devilishly handsome to boot. She would have been absolutely mad to deny him!

She had been giddily drunk with happiness that one time and it seemed that all was right with the world then. An understanding and loving boyfriend, breaking out from the smothering facade that she had hopelessly hidden herself all these years and with her abrupt rise through the social ladder (though that had been a nice plus, but completely unnecessary on her part) – what more could she ask for?

She was content. Happy endings did exist after all. But she should have known better than to expect that things would always stay the same they were, forever unchanging.

Oh, how they have been happy at first, and deliriously so.

Their customary dates were almost done everyday and at the grandest of places. He spoiled her, had given her everything she had ever wanted though she had not even asked for it. It was almost perfect, had it not for the fact that there was always that small impassable distance between them. It was always there, invisible and intangible, but still there nonetheless, and they have come to an unspoken agreement that it should not be breached.

However, there were still those times that she was so sure that she could not fall in love with him more, but he could hardly disappoint and she had found herself to be eating her words time and time again. It did not take too long for it to grow to such a point that she could not deny it any longer, mere adoration developing into a much more sincere and serious love over time.

But then the changes came, they were small at first, but became more noticeable over time.

It seemed that the man that she had fallen in love with had disappeared overnight. In his place, a much darker version of his former self had taken the reins in their relationship and had quickly made a mess of things. Admittedly, even though their relationship was going through a rough patch at the moment, she refused to lose hope, still believing wholeheartedly that things would undoubtedly get better in the long run. Sakura bowed her head in thought, a wistful smile on her lips, sheer determination shining through her eyes.

Their relationship was worth it.

Her eyes softened, the smile on her lips a bit pained.

He would always be worth it.

"Sakura,"

With a start, she looked up from her wayward reverie, suddenly mindful of the stifling intractable tension between them. She inwardly shivered at the cold stare that Sasuke was currently giving her, immediately chastising herself for the momentary show of weakness.

Sighing wistfully, she was very much confused with the Uchiha's most recent behavior. She knew that he didn't like to do things of this sort without any viable reasons nor given the slightest provocation, but what more can she do? He was basically like a closed book at times, hard to pry and downright unreadable for most.

"Oi,"

Sensing his ever growing annoyance, she felt his glare intensify at the top of her head as she proceeded to gulp inwardly. Unflinchingly, her eyes tentatively met with his, anxiously waiting for what he was going to say next. She hoped with all her heart that what he had to say was nothing too bad, and that she was just over calculating things with her constant worrying. But she knew, deep down in her heart, that it was an absolute far cry from happening.

Sakura shifted her eyes away, slowly closing them in turn, not bearing to face him any longer. Things were definitely going downhill between them, and she did not even know what-the-hell she did wrong! She did not deserve this kind of treatment, even from him - never did and never will. She was in absolute turmoil, feeling a whole lot of conflicting emotions all at once.

Understanding.

Love.

Frustration.

Disappointment.

Anger.

Yes, anger was definitely good.

Suddenly feeling the long pent-up emotions from before shooting up her system, she was about to open her mouth to retort hotly on how he should start treating her better, but was duly interrupted by the Uchiha at the very last second, the first few words dying on her lips.

"I want to break up with you."

A sudden intake of breathe. Sakura had opened her eyes abruptly, unable to stifle the sudden gasp that had unfortunately escaped her lips.

Obviously nonplussed was the least she could say for herself at the moment. Though she was still in denial over what he had just said, it perfectly made sense on why he had been acting so differently around her all this time. She desperately searched his face for any misgivings that he would have had on his part, her heart breaking slowly when she had found none. It was then and there that she could feel the tears coming, but did her best to refrain from breaking down in front of him.

She had never remembered a time that she would have had come to hate spring so vehemently, in all of its liveliness and what it proudly epitomized. It seemed that there was nothing more she can do but to just stand by and watch regrettably as the tiny hope that she had once staunchly harbored slowly broke into a million indiscernible pieces in front of her, practically doomed to be brashly disregarded and forgotten, akin to that of an old toy to its owner.

Funny how she had wholeheartedly believed, once upon a time, that he was nothing short of perfect, that the boy behind the good looks and charming smiles can practically do no wrong to anyone, and that being with him was wholly more than enough for her, knowing that her one deepest wish had finally come true.

Smiling bitterly, Sakura clenched her fists tightly, her wayward gaze falling to the familiar crop of dark, silky chicken hair that she had oftentimes remembered to be nimbly running her fingers through so fondly. Pursing her lips tightly, her eyes had bravely decided then to trail even lower, the vivid emerald immediately turning into a dull green as it was met in turn with frosty onyx eyes.

With a tiny quirk of his lips, she had once again found herself to be staring fixatedly at the seemingly insignificant action, fondly remembering on how she had always teasingly pleaded with him to do it every so often. At that thought, her eyes became misty, immediately feeling a sense of loss and an indescribable sadness enveloping her person.

"Do you think that if I had wished for it hard enough… things would have had turned out differently between us?"

He continued to stare at her impassively, his lips in a straight line. The tension between them was stifling, and she knew that she was overstepping her boundaries, but she just needed to know. She stared intently at the Uchiha, patiently waiting for his answer. He appeared to dismiss her question for a moment before sighing tiredly altogether, irritably ruffling his black locks as he looked away, voice nonchalant.

"No, don't even bother to try. There was no 'us' to even begin with."

She could feel her heart breaking slowly as each word from his statement had briefly registered on her mind, utter disbelief etched in her features. So he chose to forget her after all, chose to forget all the good times that they had spent with one another as if it was nothing more but a bad stain that needed to be removed from his otherwise flamboyant life.

But heart still ruled over mind, emotion overruled reason. She still wanted to be with him, even after everything that he had done to her all this time. Indeed, there was nothing wrong with him; she was always the one at fault.

"Demo…"

Scowling, Sasuke strode forward menacingly, slowly backing her into a nearby cherry blossom tree. She flinched horribly as both of his arms moved abruptly, hitting the trunk beside her neck with harsh thuds, effectively caging her at the spot. Cherry blossom petals immediately rained down on them as he moved his face nearer to hers, a cruel sneer on his lips, Sharingan ablaze.

"How many times do I have to say it before it fully gets into your head?!"

Sakura focused her gaze downwards, frightened at the new side of Sasuke that she had not seen before. She completely missed the triumphant smirk that had promptly appeared on his lips as he continued on slowly, his tone frosty.

"What do you don't understand? I just proposed to be your boyfriend at that time because you looked like such a pathetic lovesick fool. You must have thought that I hadn't noticed the pair of eyes that would always devotedly trail themselves on my every move, drinking in the very sight of me. Imagine then my surprise to have found out that it was the outcast, the invisible girl of the school who had the sudden hots for me. Well, what do you know? Miracles do happen after all."

Sasuke chuckled to himself, grinning snidely. Eliciting no viable response from her, he moved a hand to slowly caress the side of her face, pausing momentarily in his ministrations as he said darkly.

"Who would have known?"

He gently raised her chin so that her wandering eyes would meet with his, as he continued softly.

"Honestly, I didn't know if I should be horribly disgusted or utterly flattered with such undivided attention. So I thought… what was there to lose in humoring you for a bit? Just a little something to make you feel special…"

Sakura could feel something horribly wet running down the sides of her cheeks, but she could hardly even give a care. It had been too good to be true at that time. But now, she knew the truth. She felt him move closer, closing her eyes dejectedly as he tenderly pressed his cheek to hers, his voice in a low whisper.

"Well, you did enjoy it after all, didn't you?"

He nestled his face at the junction of her neck, a manic grin on his lips as he repeated softly, almost child-like.

"Didn't you?"

Closing his eyes, he slowly moved upwards in turn, mouth next to her ear as he whispered almost wickedly, his delightfully warm breath making her shiver uncomfortably.

"Nothing more but a devoted fan girl that would always yield herself to me…"

He retreated abruptly, something akin to regret briefly flashing over his features as his eyes had settled on her prone form. He quickly looked away, suddenly unable to find the strength to meet her accusing eyes head on, as he continued on softly.

"Well, too bad that it was short-lived, na? We never were, and never will be. Don't ever make the foolish mistake to even forget that."

He then slowly turned away from her, effectively lengthening the distance between them with each small step he took. Pausing momentarily, he clenched the air in his fists tightly, the silent wind faithfully carrying his next hurtful words towards her.

"I don't need you."

Sasuke looked over his shoulder momentarily and she could have almost sworn that she saw him smiling sadly at her. He looked to be at a complete loss, as if he was trying hard to convince himself otherwise, before sighing tiredly altogether, the very epitome of defeat. She could almost feel the traitorous hope rushing through her at the miserable sight of him, but reminded herself to remain firm as she felt her whole world crumble at his next words.

"Deal with it. Use that pretty head of yours to good use. Don't continue to fool yourself even more with something that really never was. I never loved you. I didn't promise you anything, so I'm free of any obligation towards you."

She bowed her head silently, a few stubborn tears escaping, much to her chagrin. He gave her a hint of a small smile, silently admiring her unyielding resolve to remain completely indifferent amidst the circumstances. Though he knew that no words could easily undo the hurt that he had inflicted on her today, he could not stop himself as he said almost regretfully.

"I'm sorry... that things had to end this way."

He turned away from her a second time, about to continue on, but was immediately stopped at the last second as he heard her call for him weakly.

"Matte…"

Emerald met onyx, and Sakura could hardly keep the sadness out of her voice as she asked softly, her tone inquiring.

"Why are you doing this?"

Sasuke regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, a bitter smile on his lips as he shook his head slowly, dark silky hair effectively covering his eyes from view.

"I don't know the answer to that myself."

It was only when he had disappeared at the nearby corner did she let the incoming onslaught of tears fall more freely, as she tried her best to discern the conversation that had just transpired between them.

He is Uchiha Sasuke.

Uchiha prodigy.

Notoriously popular.

Devilishly handsome.

Any person would have given anything for a chance to be in his shoes. They had all desperately clamored about for his attention, but he had taken to favoring no one, well-aware that their reasons for befriending him were nothing more but superficial in nature. Being the Uchiha heir, his life was practically set into stone since birth. Everyone had assumed that he was happy and content with the life that he lived. A life presumably based right off a fairy tale, almost perfect.

But he had a horrible secret that no one knew.

He had come to care for someone strongly - a lowly girl, a nobody, someone that was practically invisible to everyone. He had originally wanted to play her, to shower her with loving words and gestures, and then to finally break her heart when he would eventually tire of her.

But something had gone amiss, and he had come to increasingly cherish the few moments that he would spend with her. At that thought, smiling vivid emerald eyes had immediately crossed his mind, as he proceeded to curse softly in turn.

Sakura…

Why did he even do it anyway? Why was he so affected over such a trivial thing anyway? He had done it a lot before, with girls prettier and smarter than her. Heck, she was nothing before he even came along. He then sighed tiredly, a pale hand deep in his raven locks.

"Matte…"

Emerald met onyx.

"Why are you doing this?"

He could only smile bitterly, his voice gradually losing its hard edge, head bowed in thought.

"I don't know the answer to that myself…"

Clueless, he was, and still is. But he could hardly even give a care. They were over now, and he can do nothing to restore things as they were. Why would he, though? He would never go back on whatever he would decide to do, wouldn't he? He was surely not one for regrets; he did all things with absolute certainty.

He blinked.

Vivid emerald eyes that have often looked on lovingly at his person.

Soft pink locks that were undeniably silky to the touch.

And a fond smile that would always make his day better, no matter what.

"I love you, Sasuke-kun…"

He closed his eyes, vainly trying to will away the memories. "Damn it."

Sasuke was sitting on the grass at the field located at the back of their school, lazily admiring the clouds, hands at his sides and legs lightly spread apart. He had never admitted it to anyone, but this was his usual hiding place, whenever he had wanted some peace and quiet from all the hustle and bustle that his life had always entailed.

Without warning, a pair of soft warm hands suddenly covered his eyes, soft locks tickling the sides of his face as the comforting sound of light giggles filled the air.

"Guess who I am."

He had a knowing smirk on his face as he said almost automatically. "Sakura,"

With a huff, Sakura pouted, sitting next to him as she looked up at the clouds just as he did prior to her arrival. "Mou, Sasuke-kun… you could've pretended that you didn't know."

He laughed lightly, his eyes glinting mischievously. "And give you the luxury of gloating it at my face? I'd rather not risk it. Besides, you were too obvious. It's not my fault that you are so transparent."

She lightly smacked him at the arm, smiling as she did so. "Direct to the point as always, Sasuke-kun. Well, it seems that I am a bit like that, aren't I?"

He suppressed the snort of disbelief that threatened to come out that very moment; for fear that she would unleash her unrelenting female wrath upon his poor person. "A bit?" He continued on teasingly. "Just keep believing that then, please don't let me stop you."

Sakura mentally rolled her eyes at the gesture, slowly shaking her head in disbelief as she decided to leave it at that but not before dealing a low blow to his ever growing ego. "Glad to know who's the mature one in this relationship."

He lied on his back, his arms folded at the back of his head as he closed his eyes momentarily.

"Hn."

They were together in comfortable silence after that.

"Sasuke-kun…"

His eyes slightly widened as he found her slightly bending over him, smiling softly. He pretended to act particularly nonchalant, but badly wanted to tell her off for invading his personal space.

"Hmm…?"

She shook her head slowly as she quickly retreated away from him, somewhat acting cold all of a sudden.

"Iie. It's nothing…"

He didn't know what came over him, but he suddenly had this actual need to comfort her, to tell her that everything would be alright, and to say that he would always be there for her, which was so very much unlike him. Against his will, his body had moved on its own, suddenly enveloping her in an awkward hug.

"What's wrong?"

He hated the very thought of her actually hating him, and he didn't know why he had strongly felt that way then. Fortunately, all his fears were immediately put to rest when she had returned his hug warmly as she smiled softly up at him.

"It's just that… I feel so lucky to have you here right now, with me."

He watched her intently as she continued on, a foreign warm emotion suddenly welling up at his chest.

"When I was a kid, I had always entertained the thought of someone being born just to be by my side, forever and always."

She raised a shaking hand to lightly touch his cheek.

"Someone that I could always count on in times of need..."

Her hand wandered lower to his lips, pausing momentarily before she started tracing it lightly.

"Someone that would always come to love me for who I am, no matter what my background and status were…"

She then proceeded to bury her face into his chest, her next few words sounding somewhat mumbled because of his shirt.

"Someone that would always come to cherish for her more than anyone and everything else in the world… "

He lightly flinched as he felt her bright smile shine through the thin fabric of his shirt.

"And I think I found him already."

She looked up at him adoringly, emerald eyes both anxious and expectant as she gave him a bright smile.

"I love you."

He buried his face into the crook of her neck, at a complete loss on what to say next. But there was something about the way that she had said it, whether it was that touching sincerity or the unyielding devotion behind her words, or the way that she had insinuated that it was the most obvious thing in the world, that strongly called out to him.

He could only smile lightly, hugging her closer to him, as if he never wanted to ever let her go.

"I love you too…"

It was then, he immediately realized, that things had to definitely end between them.

Scowling, he clenched his fists tightly, frustrated beyond relief.

"Why of all days do I have to remember that now? We were over a long time ago, there's no use mulling over the past and the what-could-have-beens like a lovesick fool would oftentimes do."

As if I'm truly and madly in love with her…

Irritably ruffling his dark locks, he stood up, proceeding to take his backpack from his seat as he waved a quick goodbye to his friends.

Better get to class early then…

"Sakura-chan!"

Swallowing a harsh expletive, he turned around slowly, and his breath immediately caught just at the mere sight of her. His eyes immediately narrowed a second later, a feral snarl on his lips as he caught sight of the man linking arms with what was rightfully his. He knew that it was wrong to even refer to her as such, but he had a lot of time to figure that out later. It didn't even help that her emerald eyes had refrained from meeting with his, and it irked him a lot on why it had affected him so.

What, Uchiha? Still expecting her to be with speaking terms with you even after all that's happened?

He would be taking care of that later. She would see. No one ignores him, no one. She was lucky that he had more pressing matters to attend to…

He smirked maliciously.

"Sai,"