"This One Stands For"

By: Regina Guthrie

When I look At You I see forgiveness

I see the truth

You love me for who I am

Like the stars Hold the moon

Right there where they belong

And I Know I'm Not Alone.

....

Yea when my world is falling apart

When there's no light to break up the dark

That's when I, I...

I look at you

The howl of the cool spring wind rang lowly as the light rays from the sun beamed down onto the earth in the early afternoon. A smile crossed over her angelic features as she closed her eyes and felt the air hit her heated skin, content with the feeling. The skirt of her white summer dress twirled with the rhythm the gust of wind was setting, moving around her body, caressing her skin with the material lightly.

He watched as her pink layers mirrored her dresses actions, also swirling around her face and giving her more of an angelic look to her that she didn't need. He watched as she took a seat on one of the seven small steps that led into a Temple that had belonged to the Uchiha Compound. The marble was cracked and the whole thing was nearly falling apart.

The stone tablets that held the roof over the small unenclosed area were turning slightly yellowish and green vines began to form around them, growing thorns and small flowers that he did not know the name of. The steps Sakura was seated on were only five inches tall each; very small. He took notice to her position. The way her right leg was bent slightly and her left laid limp on the fourth stair, while she faced to the side, looking up towards the sky with a look of bliss on her face as she took in the lovely spring day.

"Come sit with me." She whispered lowly, patting the third step, offering him a seat there. Her eyes gleamed with happiness as she reopened them and offered him her loving smile before tilting her head slightly to the side, allowing the sun rays to hit every angle of her face and highlight her features. He hesitated, afraid to open up to her; afraid to show how much he appreciated everything she had done; everything she was to him.

After a moment, he did take those last agonizing steps towards her and seated himself, tilting his body slightly so it was facing her but not at the same time. It felt weird to sit with her like this. He could feel the trust and love radiating off her body and engulfing him. It felt strange and yet, so right; so welcoming.

"My mom used to bring me here sometimes." He whispered out, for the first time in his life bringing up a conversation without any help. He felt her gaze travel to him, but he kept facing forward, away from her eyes. The eyes that would in gulp him and make him want her, want to be happy, but most of all, let down the walls he built so well. "She used to love to watch the cherry blossoms bloom from that tree right there." He exclaimed, nodding his head towards the tree that was located to their left.

Sakura glanced over to where his gaze was settled and smiled warmly as she watched the now bloomed pink petals of the cherry blossoms sway with the breeze as the leaves rustled. Gingerly, she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder, letting the warmth of his skin seep and mold into hers. The contact sent tingles down her spine and she could only hope he wouldn't pull away. That he'd, for once in his life, let her love him. That he'd let her show him that every thing was okay.

"Sasuke. You don't have to live like you do. You don't have to push us all away and live in the dark. You can start over with me, and Naruto, Sai and Kakashi. We're all here for you, we've always been here. You just have to let us in." She whispered, watching as he went to pull away from her touch but then stopped. His dark orbs gazed over to her, for the first time since he had sat down. Their eyes connected and for once, he felt at ease. As if the whole world wasn't against him for once.

"Why don't you call me 'Sasuke-kun' anymore?" His low whisper was barely heard as he lowered his gaze down to his lap. His blueish traces curtained over his face, making it impossible for her to read him. Deep down, Sasuke was hurt when he had returned to the village and she had avoided him, not wanting anything to do with the Uchiha. But what really hit him was when he finally got the chance to talk to her, she left the 'kun' off the end of his name.

"Because I'm not a child anymore. I'm not going to wait for something that is hopeless." She whispered just as lowly as he had, withdrawing her hand from his shoulder as she gazed down at the marble steps with a frown overtaking her features.

"You've finally come to your senses, huh?" He murmured back, looking up at her with teasing eyes and a smirk plastered on his face as he withdrew himself from the steps he had been seated on. He could feel her gaze on his back but he just couldn't face her. He had a decision to make and he couldn't have her swaying it.

"W-what?" She asked in disbelief. She could feel the salty water raising from her eyes as she blinked twice, trying to push them back. Her mouth was slightly gaped as she stared at him. She couldn't believe after all this time, those words still stung. She was positive she had gotten over him, until the day he had walked back into the village. As time had went by though, it seemed as if she was progressing, becoming friends with the Uchiha. It rose her hopes, even though she tried not to let it.

She watched him as he carefully made his way over to the tree that harvest the spring cherry blossoms, stopping right in front of it. She kept her gaze locked on him as she watched the movement of the fingers on his right hand as they came up to one of the pink flowers and ran his fingers over the smooth texture. The smile that formed on her lips couldn't be helped, he was beautiful.

"These flowers used to make my mom happy." He whispered, yanking one of the fragile flowers off the tree. Sakura gasped.

"Sasuke!" She shrieked in disapproval but he ignored her. She watched him, now with a frown, as he began to pull the petals off the little bud in the middle. After he had finished, he dropped the yellow middle on the ground and pulled yet another flower off, repeating the same thing.

"Every year she'd make me come watch too." He dropped another bud to the ground and started on another flower. "I didn't understand how watching these flowers bloom was such a big deal. Every year, they did the same thing." He continued, pulling at the sixth flower he had pulled off the tree. His hands were filled with soft little pink petals and he just continued to add more.

Sakura watched as he let the seventh bud fall, and he began to fiddle with the petals in his hands. Her eyes never left him as she watched him walk up the stairs and stop when he was on the one right above hers, looking down at her as she looked up at him.

"I understand now, because while she was watching these cherry blossoms grow, she found joy in what they brought and what they stood for." He smirked as he picked one little petal up from the pile in his left and, rubbing it between his fingers gently. "Everyone of these petals stands for something." He whispered, letting go of the one between his fingers. His eyes traced it as it fell smoothly through the air, landing softly on the top of Sakura's pink traces.

"That one stands for the smile you give me that instantly makes me feel like I mean something to the world." She looked at him in shock, only to be met with another petal that landed on her nose and lid down the side of her face until it landed smoothly on her lap.

"That one stands for the laugh that let's me know everything is going to be okay." And he dropped another.

"That one stands for the eyes that let me see everything you feel for me, how much you care." And another.

"That one stands for the way you annoy me, but I still seem to like it for some reason." Sakura watched in awe as the man above her dropped yet another and another and another, naming off things about her that she didn't even know she had been doing. So many things he had acknowledged all this time.

"And then, there are so many more that to name them all, I would run out of petals." He whispered finally, letting all the remaining petals sprinkle down on her as he made a whole in his hands to let them slip through. She squealed in laughter as she brought her hands up to try to stop them all from hitting her face as she leaned back and laughed. Sasuke smiled at the sight. A true smile. She was so beautiful.

When she was completely covered in the pink petals and they are stopped falling from his hands, Sasuke took a seat next to her, gazing into her eyes. It was time to put everything behind him. It was time to except the fact that the Uchiha's were gone and that now that Itachi was dead, he needed to move on. His second goal was now yet to be completed. He was ready for a family, he was ready for Sakura.

"And this one" He murmured, pulling another one out from behind his back. It wasn't like the others, it was pink but also had a white streak doodling around the surface and if you looked close enough, you could see the shape of a heart. But only if you looked close enough. "This one stands for how much you mean to me. How much I want to hear you call me 'Sasuke-kun' for the rest of your life and how I wish to call you Sakura Uchiha for the rest of mine. This one stands for the family we will build together, but mostly, this one stands for how much I love you." He whispered to her, leaning in and placing a kiss on her forehead, letting his lips linger there for a bit. He took the petal and gently traced patterns on her cheeks, nose and chin with the edge as he watched her eyes flutter close and a sigh escape her lips.

Sakura smiled. "I love you too, Sasuke-kun."

When the waves

Are flooding the shore and I can't

Find my way home anymore

That's when I, I...

I look at you

....

You appear just like a dream to me

Just like Kaleidoscope colors that

Cover Me, All I need every

Breath that I breathe don't you know

You're beautiful...

I love that song. "When I look at you" by Miley Cyrus. I got this idea from her newest movie, The last song. I'm reading the book now but in the music video of "when I look at you" there's a part where her love interest in the movie drops these rose petals on her while they are like on these steps to an old temple or something and it's just gorgeous. When you get the chance you should check it out. I highly recommend the book too cause it's really good so far XD. Also I forgot to tell you all that I have two pic's on my profile of Sayuri and Ryu that I drew so you'd know what they looked like. I messed up on Sayuri though, just imagine her eyes a bit bigger then they are cause they are too small and it makes her look older then she is. XD please review =)