Summary: His life was on pause...

|| Rewind ||

x

If he could rewind time,

he would pause his happiest moment

with her for the rest of his life.

x

He walked along the sideways, his steps light as feather as they sink in the thickening snow of Tokyo's bustling street. His face was devoid of emotions and his lips were fixed into a straight line as he calmly passed through the heavy passersby who were rushing for their appointments. He blatantly ignored as people continue to touch him, shoved and pushed him away to make way for themselves. Truly, he wanted nothing more then to just yell at them for pushing him around but held it back. As tempting as it was, he was in no mood to do so. It was Christmas night, after all.

He gazed blankly ahead him, the falling snow having no affect on him. He replayed the word in his head numerous times like a broken cassette. Christmas? It sounded dry to him.

He never was a fan of Christmas. Simply put, he hated Christmas. He hated how packed the city was during Christmas and the shivering skin-biting chilly weather. He especially hate those sickening wide grin on the citizen's face as Christmas eve came. He hated them. Period. Christmas are only for fools to celebrate.

But then, was he indeed a fool himself?

Eversince he met her, he would impatiently wait for Christmas to come. He would count days to see the first snow with her, picking expensive diamonds for her who would blatantly refuse them for a cheap bracelet bought on Tokyo's street, dine with her at her favorite cramp but cozy coffee shop, bickering with her who would have the comforter on the biting cold Christmas night, snuggling after their childish arguement, sharing warmth under the same comforter watching chic flicks, make love...

For the first time in life, he enjoyed Christmas. And it was all because she was there by his side, day and night. She gave him the happiness he yearn for. The affection he never have and the feeling of being loved and in love.

She completed his life. She was the missing puzzle in his life. She was his Muse, his other half yet his world. She was his everything.

"And I destroyed her..." he whispered hoarsely under his breath.

Past memories, now Christmas only brings bitter memories of him and her. Christmas once again sounded empty in his ears. Christmas was the day- the moment, the beginning of his remorseful life. On Christmas Eve, he pushed her away from his life. He hurt her. He ruined not only her but his life as well.

He was no kidding a stupid idiotic fool.

He let out a shaky sigh, breaking out from his chains of thoughts. He need to stop thinking about her. He need to stop having her in his mind. She was no longer a part of his life. She was no longer his. She was gone.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, punk!" He mildly ignore the man he bumped into and steadily gazed ahead of him, faintly ignoring the chatters of the busy people as they screamed through the noisy crowd on their cells. The man grumbled under his breath and walked away, muttering lines of curses under his breath but Sasuke paid him no heed. He continued to trudge forward, in mind and in reality.

X

As he walked, he felt himself reminisced the past,

"Sasuke! Look! The first snow of the year! I can't wait to celebrate Christmas with you!" She squealed, awed as the snow flakes melt in her hands. She twirled around, her cardigan fluttered in the air. Sasuke bit his lips, short of breath at the sight of her. Truly, she was the most beautiful girl he ever met.

He cleared his throat, fighting back the blush that crept up his face before shoving his hand in his pocket.

"Hn. Only fools celebrate Christmas, Sakura." He grunted, turning his back to her and walked down the streets. Sakura gasped before running to him.

"Christmas is special, Sasuke! It was the day we started going out after all. Besides, Christmas is a day we spend with our loved ones!" She replied hotly, a pout adorned her bluish lips. He paused on his tracks and locked gaze with her. He traced his fingers along her cheekbones before letting a small smile grazed his lips.

He pulled her into a hug, much to her surprise.

"Thank you, Sakura." He tightened his hold on her, her warmth overflowing to him as they eased down the shivers of cold. He planted his head at the nape of her neck and placed light feathery kisses on it.

She bit the giggles from escaping her mouth and knitted her brows together, "Huh? What for?"

Instead of replying, he just smirked. He looked up and pulled her in his chest. "Sakura..."

"Hm?"

"I love you."

"..."

He smirked. "You're red. Just like my favorite fruit."

Sakura rolled her eyes before grinning widely, breaking off from the hug and tugging his hand along her.

"Oh shush. Let's go in. It's getting getting cold. I don't want you to get sick. A sick Uchiha is too much of a pervert."

He smiled.

Once in a while, he would shiver as the cold bit the tips of his fingers of his gloveless hand. And during that time, he would put an abrupt stop on his track in the midst of the hurried people. He blatantly ignored their raged and angry shouts at his sudden pause as he let his past memories washed over him.

"Next time, wait inside. I don't want you to get sick- Gosh, your hands are so cold!" she cried out in panic, rubbing their hands together before kissing his cold fingers. Sasuke blinked his eyes- snapping out from his daze. He rose his hands to his eye view and gazed solemnly at his numb fingers. It never felt so cold... His breath hitched.

"You should stop making me worry Sasuke. You're making me sound like an old lady nagging her grandson." she complained but a small smile adorned her lips. He tore his eyes away from his fingers and ahead of him, expecting to see the woman he had long loved and always will standing in front of him with the cheeky smile he loved.

Only to see nothing.

He clenched his fist before hovering his frozen hand over his warmed face dripping with fresh tears.

She was gone.

He pushed her away. He hurt her.

He ruined the only woman he could ever love...

Haruno Sakura took his heart along her disappearance.

"Sakura... where are you..."

Haruno Sakura disappeared from his remorseful life.

x

He was nothing without her,

something in her life,

and everything when with her

x

He glanced at the watch on his wrist. He sighed before increasing his pace. He was late for a meeting and those bald people are impatient when it comes to his tardiness and punctuality. No, it's not that. They simply just hated him.

He grunted before jogging past the park that hold a thousand memories of him and Sakura. He mildly ignored the stabbing pain in his chest and continue his jog.

It has been almost half a decade since then and he wasn't doing anything better. He was now eating regularly but he was insomnia. He couldn't sleep. During the day, he could do various of things to keep himself busy, distract himself from thinking about her but at night, he can do nothing. His mind would always wandered off to her.

It hurts.

It hurts how his actions haunted him every night. If he had just believed in her then they could have been married and have four children and live happily ever after. But he didn't. He betrayed her trust for a cheap photo.

It hurts to remember the hurt look on her face. And knowing he was the cause of it hurt even more. If he had trusted her then he wouldn't have hurt her. He wouldn't have ruined her. She would have stayed by his side till the rest of their lives. But he didn't. He trusted a photo more than he trusted her.

It hurts to live without her. Everyday felt so long. Everyday he lives in regret. Everyday he would remember those three words that sliced his heart.

"I hate you."

If only he didn't accept Ami's photo then all this wouldn't have happened. All this chaos wouldn't have turned his life upside down. He would have lived his life with her together. They would have stayed together forever. But no. He just have to take that photo and ruined the life of his loved one.

He was such a scumbag.

How could he live on with such regrets on his shoulders? No- he can still live with that. How could he live without her?

Half a decade is more than enough for someone to move on. His friends had moved on but he still stubbornly refused to. She was special. He can't live without her. She was his life. How was he supposed to live without his world?

He shook his head. This isn't the time to be remembering the past. He needed to get there in time before they go berserk and fire him. This was his 132th job for the past four and a half years and he isn't going to let it end before a week even pass. He seriously needed to focus. His tardiness is destroying the Uchiha's taintless reputation.

Amidst the jogging, he caught glimpse of pink by the corner of his eyes. Out of habit, he paused on his tracks. He wasn't going to get his hopes up, after all 4 years had passed since then. But still, it doesn't hurt to hope.

He turned his head.

He saw a woman walking the opposite direction of where he was going. She was holding a stack of files on her right hand and a cell on her left. She was talking animatedly, from what he concluded as her chiming voice reached his ears even though she was a distance from where he stood. She was wearing a soft red long sleeve blouse, soft cream skirt that reached her ankle and a pair of black flats.

He noticed, as she walked, her long hair swished back and forth behind her back. Her long PINK hair.

His breath hitched.

"Sakura..." he whispered. Even without seeing her face, he knew it was her. He just knew it. He felt something stuck deep in his throat as he desperately tried to scream. Scream for her to stop, desperately preventing her from walking farther away from him. Walking away from his life once more.

"SAKURA!"

He trudged forward to the now stiffened and frozen woman. His bag was long forgotten on the ground as his main focus now was the rosette haired female in casual clothing. It was overwhelming to say the least.

His eyes remained fixed on her and he took in a sharp breath as the woman turned ever so slowly to meet his steady gaze.

It was as if time had stopped.

As the woman turned, he saw sparkling jade green eyes that he swore he could never see again.

It was as if he made a pass at heaven.

"Sasuke…" even from a distance, he could clearly hear her surprised whisper of his name. It had been long since he last heard that voice rolling his name and he loved them even more. He always loved that tinkle voice of hers.

He increased his pace, slowly closing the gap between them. He noted that she was slowly backing away from him but he refused to think about it further. All that matters now was that Sakura was here, in front of him.

He stopped just centimeters away from her. A smile crept on his lips. A sincere smile.

"Sakura..." He whispered under his breath.

Her eyes widened at the sight of him and he bit out a chuckle from escaping his mouth. She never cease to spark something in him.

"Sas-" he quickly pulled the tensed girl into a hug, cutting her off from her sentence and rested his face on her neck. He ignored as her files fell with a loud thud. All he care about was that she was in his arms and everything will go back to the way it was.

x

It was supposed to end with happily ever after

but

x

"I do." He firmly stated as he turned to her, a small rare smile adorned his maskedless face. Sakura smiled, feeling her heart fluttered at the soft gaze thrown to her by her soon to be wedded husband. If there will be a day she sees him smile, it would be when he was at his happiest moment. She was happy. Sincerely. But.…

She tore her gaze away from him and to the priest. The bouquet in her hand tightened. She felt her heart squirmed in uncomfort.

She wonder if this was the right decision for her. She glanced at the man beside her.

Gaara.

He was her hero. He saved her from the eternal darkness that was eating her. He was there when she needed him. He was the shoulder for her to cry on, her knight in shining armor. He was the only one who believed in her when the whole world turned their backs against her. He was just perfect for her. He trusted her like he trusted himself.

She returned her gaze to the ground.

Gaara was nice to her. He knew her inside out. But she was indeed jerk. She couldn't help but silently wished that the person next to her was -

"Miss Haruno?" She flinched before looking up. She let out a shaky breath before turning around. By now, she just noticed that all eyes were watching her in anticipation and curiosity. But amidst the crowd, she could feel a worried gaze sent to her. She turned to the person next to her.

Gaara was staring at her- pleading her not to mess up their long planned wedding. She took in a deep breath. She has no time to regret. She already made her decision three years ago. She will not disappoint Gaara who was there with her all this time. She will not.

With one last look to her fiance and a reassuring smile, she turned to face the waiting priest.

She nodded at the priest, a sign for him to continue. The priest nodded back before clearing his throat.

"Do you, Haruno Sakura take Sabaku Gaara to be your wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do you part."

Sakura licked her lips. 'This is it..'

"I- "

SLAM.

All head turned as they settled on the entrance of the church. Her eyes widened as she saw the cause of commotion.

"Sakura... "

Her breath hitched.

"Sasuke... "

Dun dun dunnnnnn

To be continue :3

Next chapter will be the last.