Chapter One:

—Sasuke—

"I'll take you home. Or to get your car. I'll take you wherever you want to go."

"I called Ino before. She should be here in a few minutes. I just want you to leave me alone."

"Sakura, what did they say to you?"

"You think I'm running because one of your sluts said something to me? You think I'm scared of them or what? You think I have to flee because I'm helpless and you think you're just going to come over here and make everything better?"

"No, I don't."

"Good, because you can't. And no one said anything to me. You don't get to blame other people right now. This is your fault, Sasuke."

"I know."

"Why did you let it get this far? After everything… you thought that if you spent more time with me that all this would be okay? You live in a huge house with countless people that you've fucked! How screwed up can you get?! And you really thought that if you waited to tell me, that it would make it better? A word of advice—this should be your opening line! Because then maybe you wouldn't hurt anymore people!"

"I know I hurt you—"

"You're damn right, you did!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Fuck you."

And then she turned in a whirl of soft, pink hair, and got the fuck out of my life.

I stood there for what felt like a few minutes, and when I turned, they were all looking at me. Everyone heard that and a part of me understood now. They'd always be listening, and of course that would bother her. It would bother anyone. I'd just become so used to it over the years that I barely noticed them anymore. But now I noticed them…

"What?!" I screamed, and some of them jumped in surprise. I never yelled at them. Most of them just stood still and watched me, like I was some kind of angry pet.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Anko asked. "You know she doesn't have a ride."

"She doesn't want to see me anymore."

"So, you're just going to give up?"

"If she wants to talk after this, she'll call."

"I thought she was your new Jinko," she added, and I knew she was only trying to get a reaction out of me. And I was suddenly hit with the fact that I really needed a cigarette.

"Fuck off."

Anko smirked. "Well, sweetheart, I have somewhere to be, so I'll catch you later. Try not to get too upset while I'm gone. Maybe you should take someone to bed with you now to relieve all that stress, hmm?"

Anko walked past me, showering me with a wave of vanilla perfume, and when she was finally gone, I was left standing there in front of everyone. Some look worried. Others had bright eyes, hopeful from Anko's final words. I looked down and walked away.

I was so blind.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Four and a half months later…

—Sakura—

I stared out the window of the coffee shop, happy that the rain finally decided to stop for a few hours. It was the middle of summer and the sun hadn't been out in three days.

Not much of a summer, if you ask me. I wanted a heat wave, but Mother Nature decided to be a bitch, as always…

And my inner voice was as narcissistic and chatty as ever.

"...Sakura?" I looked across the table. Ino was frowning at me. "Quit spacing out, will you? I'm trying to talk here."

I rolled my eyes with a smile. "Sorry, go ahead."

"So! As I was saying… I think it would be a great idea for all of us to go to the beach. And what I was trying to get at,"—she threw me another glare and I shook my head—"was that we only a have a limited time before the weather goes back to being cold and windy and sucky in general."

"I like the fall," Hinata cut in shyly. I called her one day before graduation and surprisingly, she showed up for the cap-and-gown event, and we just decided to start hanging out again. It was just like the old days. I hadn't seen her since high school before that.

"I have to agree with Ino for once," Lee said. "The summer is the best season. The warmth and the sun… And the beach is a great idea. I'm all for that."

After "the Incident," as Ino liked to refer to my previous relationship, Lee and I were closer than ever. When he picked me up that awful night, he stayed with me for days. My parents had driven down to see me for a few days, and Ino showed up not long after. I was never alone through all of it, and I think that's how I survived. I was forever grateful to my friends. Everyone who mattered had been there for me.

"Okay, so that's two votes yes. Anyone else?"

"I'd love to go," I said, shrugging.

Why the fuck not? I need a vacation… And a tan.

"Wow, don't sound too excited about it."

"We should get a hotel and stay for a few days," Lee added, lifting his eyebrows.

"See?" Ino said, throwing Lee a pointed thumb. "He gets it."

"Would you be bringing Naruto?" Hinata asked quickly, and I froze for a moment. Ino had been keeping me and Naruto apart for the past few months, for obvious reasons… If I had to see her blonde boyfriend… I knew I was supposed to be over everything by now, and that was the act that I'd been putting on, but the truth was that I was still scarred. I was afraid that I was always going to be scarred. He… He wasn't someone I could just forget easily, either way. But after the first couple months, I knew that nobody wanted to hear me crying about it anymore. So, I stopped. I hadn't been upset in front of them in quite a while. But that didn't mean I'd forgotten about Him.

"You know..." Ino crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Me and Naruto are actually going through a bit of a rough patch right now. I don't know what's up, but he's been getting on my nerves quite a bit, and I, like… don't even want to see him most of the time. When he calls, I ignore him. And I don't really read his texts anymore unless it's something important. I don't know... I'm getting irritated at little things that never bothered me, like what color shirt he wears or how he eats his food… I don't know…"

"Well, I'm sorry you've passed the lovey-dovey stage of your relationship," Lee said sarcastically. "It's only rainbows and butterflies in the beginning. You've been together for almost half a year. It's bound to die down at some point."

"Yea, but this feels different from that. I've been with guys for longer than this and sometimes that amazing part lasts a long time..." Ino paused and then scowled. "Did you just say, "lovey-dovey"? What are you, ancient?"

"Yea, that's what my grandma used to say," I laughed, and Lee flushed a bit, lifting up his coffee mug to hide part of his face.

"Yea..." Ino said, calling the attention back to herself. "Me and my girl Sakura are about to be single together, and then we're going out hunting for a good time. And see? If I was really in love with Naruto, I wouldn't be thinking about those kinds of things, right?"

"Maybe you should talk to him about it…" Hinata said softly.

"I think that's a you-problem," Lee muttered, and I wondered if he was right. The last I heard of Naruto, he was still very much in love with Ino. And he was still sending her texts and calling her every day... But if Ino didn't feel anything anymore, Naruto couldn't exactly have a relationship with himself... I didn't even want to think about that kind of stuff now, though.

"So… back to the beach! Sakura, Hinata, give me an answer so I can start planning."

"I said yes," I replied. "Thanks for listening."

"I wouldn't mind," Hinata said, sipping her hot tea.

"Okay, so I'll let you all know when we're going!"

"You're such a hothead," Lee snorted. "Why don't you just ask us what days are good for us instead of being so bossy all the time?"

"What? You don't like the way I plan? And if I remember, the last time I tried that with you, I couldn't go to the mall for like a week. And that was when I really needed something, and you never even told me when you were free. So now, I'm making the plans."

"Okay, well what if you pick a weekend that I'm not free?"

"Oh, please. You don't go to school. You don't have a fulltime job. You don't have any other friends. What the fuck are you going to be doing other than sitting in your room watching TV?"

"Okay, guys," I piped in, hearing Ino's loud mouth. "You're attracting unwanted attention, and we've been kicked out of places before, Ino..." I threw her a glower and she mocked me with her expression.

"Fine," she said, standing and grabbing her purse off the back of her chair. "Let's go walk around now that the rain stopped. I saw a cute thrift shop on our walk over here. And you,"—she pointed to me—"You need to find a new job, too. Two more months and the interest on those student loans is gonna kill you."

Don't remind me...

"I know, I know," I sighed. I hadn't looked for a job, even though I should've been right after graduation. After "the Incident", I sent Him a very formal email saying that I wouldn't be returning to work for him. He never responded, probably because I told him not to. But I focused on finishing my exams and I graduated with a 3.8 GPA. And then the weather got warmer and I lived as a bum in an apartment with Ino. I would have to pay her back for the rent costs eventually, but she was a good sport about it… for now. I knew I'd have to find a job soon, though.

We didn't live in the same town anymore. The student apartment had been only temporary, and after graduation, we moved about a half hour away, closer to home. It was easier for me to see my parents that way. And we were closer to Lee and Hinata, too, so everything worked out.

"I'm actually gonna have to catch you guys later," Lee added, standing and throwing some bills on the table. "I was gonna go visit my grandparents today and I almost forgot."

"Okay," I said, "Have fun."

"Yea, I'll see you guys later." He headed out before us and walked down the street as Hinata and I stood and pushed in our chairs. We waved at him through the large glass wall before grabbing our purses and following Ino out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

—Sasuke—

It was almost five months ago now…

I would've liked to say I was over Her, but nobody would've believed me. It wasn't like I'd been trying to hide it, though. Some days it was easy not to think about her. But others… Other days… was like right now.

I didn't remember how many drinks I'd had. I didn't know what time it was, either, but as long as I was still here, the club never closed, and the people never left. I thought my cigarette fell out of my mouth, and I smelled something burning, but I didn't give a fuck about the carpets. I lit another one and inhaled deeper than I've ever done before. I blew the smoke out of my mouth and I heard coughing. A girl was in front of me, waving her hand through the smoke with a disgusted look on her face.

"Come on," I smirked, "You come into a place like this and complain about the smoke? Seriously? Get the fuck out."

She just rolled her eyes and continued her lap dance. She leaned in closer, grabbing my upper thighs with her hands and running her rough tongue up the bridge of my nose.

"You find me a girl who wants smoke blown in her face and I'll blow you so hard you'll see stars," she whispered above the noise.

"You," I whispered back. It took a few seconds, but she finally smirked and moved her head down to my belt. She reached for the buckle, but I quickly grabbed her hands and brought her back up. "That's not for you, sweetheart," I said, and she frowned. I just laughed in her face. She scowled for a moment before spitting in my face and walking off. I just kept laughing.

"What are you doing, hotshot?"

I looked over to find Anko frowning at me, standing next to my large, velvet couch with a hand on her hip. Her shirt was unbuttoned and her breasts were exposed. One soft nipple poked out from the right side of her shirt. A man was standing behind her, clearly waiting for her to finish reprimanding me so she could get back to whatever she was doing with him.

"Get back to work," I glared at her, nodding her off. "I don't pay you to stand there and look like a bitch."

"You're making our business look bad by being rude to the customers. Cut it out."

"Who's the boss here? Oh, right. It's me. Get the fuck back to work or I won't pay you."

"Maybe you've had too much to drink. You should call it a night, Sasuke."

"What are you, my mother?"

"Sometimes it feels that way, doesn't it? How unfortunate for me, to have to take care of a man-child."

My mind went blank and I couldn't think of a response. I could barely think of anything, nowadays.

"Sasuke, go home now. I'll call Orochimaru to bring you a car. Csilla will go with you. I'll let Kara know you're coming." And then she turned and walked back to the curtains. She pulled out her phone and sent a few quick messages before I saw the man behind her grab her roughly and throw her down before shutting the curtains behind them.

I sat there for a while. When did she even get back into doing this kind of thing? Last I checked, she just managed the money… Either way, If I didn't want to go, they couldn't make me. I was in charge. I was always in charge. There was no one who told me what to do besides me. No one else told me how to live my life.

And yet I couldn't have the one thing that I wanted.

Why was that? I had so much power that everyone in this room would obey me if I wanted it. I had so much influence that I could ran this company on the side and no one in the world knew about it unless I wanted them to. And yet… there was this one person… who refused to stay the fuck out of my head. What right did She have to do this to me? I never gave Her permission. I never told Her to do this. She just didn't fucking listen.

Well, I knew how to handle people like that. I pulled out my phone and scrolled down through the contacts until I hit Her name. I stared at it for a second. I wished I could forget Her. I wished that I could forget everything that happened. I clicked Her name.

I hit send.

And then I quickly stood up and threw my phone as hard as I could against the far wall. I heard it shatter, and a few lights went out. Some people screamed. Others cheered, like it was all part of a show. I moved to sit back down, but I missed the seat and fell backwards onto the floor, banging the back of my head. A few bouncers were there to help me up, but I angrily shoved away their arms.

"Get the fuck away from me!"

"That's enough!"

Anko was stomping over. Again. I saw her hand the man she was with his money back and she buttoned up her shirt. Her heels were in her hands and she was barefoot on the carpet in front of me. I noticed the burnt mark my cigarette had left there.

"Get up!" she screamed at me, but I just stayed on the floor, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

A younger woman came over and tried to hand me my now-broken phone. The screen was cracked and the battery came out. It was also in three pieces. Good. Now She can't even call me back. I slapped the girl's hand away and the phone bits bounced off the carpet and slid across the hardwood floor. I stared at each piece for a second until the moving feet of people walking by kicked them apart. I looked over at one of the bouncers.

"I want a new phone," I said, but my words were slurred. Jesus fuck, how many drinks did I have?

"Will you stop it already?!" Anko yelled. Her voice sounded awful—probably from all the screaming she'd done earlier in the night… "She's not coming back, okay?! That's it! End of story! Stop thinking about her and go the fuck home! You're embarrassing everyone! You're a fucking mess! Sober the fuck up!"

"You're fired."

"Fuck you, Sasuke!"

"Seriously. Don't come home tonight. You're done. I'm done with you."

"Shut your fucking mouth and go home!"

"Don't come back here. I'll make sure you can't get in, anyway. Get the hell out of here before I call someone to take you out."

"Excuse me?!"

"Kimimaro," I said, and the largest bouncer in the club was by my side in a second. "Please escort Miss Anko to the door, and make sure everyone knows she's not allowed back in."

"Sasuke..." Anko said, and her voice was instantly softer. "You're not serious…—Get your filthy paws off me!" Kimimaro grabbed her around her waist and carried her toward the emergency exit, kicking and screaming. "Sasuke! Tell him to stop! Sasuke! You piece of shit!" I could feel the silence when she was finally gone, even though it didn't really get any quieter. There was always some scene going on, so people usually ignored things like that. Anko was no different. I should have done that a long, long time ago. Her purse was still behind my couch, though. I leaned around to grab it before going through and taking out her keys. I removed the one to my house, her ID for the club and the car key I let her use, and tossed the rest of it onto the red velvet carpet. Kimimaro came back and I instructed him to drop the bag outside the door. He complied.

"Oh, and Kimimaro," I called to him. "Make sure that new phone has the same receiving number as the old one, will you?"

Just in case.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

—Sakura—

I took my car out for the day to find a new job. Ino had been constantly pestering me for the past few days, and I knew she was right. I needed to start putting my life in the direction I wanted it to go. Even if my degree couldn't land me a job I'll have for the rest of my life, who said a little part-timer on the side couldn't help. Working would be good for me anyway. Sometimes, I really needed something to do. Especially when no one was around and I had too much time to think…

I'd been to the pharmacy and the town's busiest supermarkets, but none of those places seemed interested in hiring me. The only other place I could have thought of that I wouldn't mind working for was the convenience store on the corner of the street where Ino and my apartment was, but I doubted they'd pay anything over minimum wage. Either way, a job was a job. So, I drove home and decided to walk the block to the corner store. It would be nice to not have to drive every day, too.

When I entered, the place was deserted, which wasn't a good sign for me. If business wasn't good, they wouldn't need extra hands. I sighed my disappointment and headed for the counter anyway.

"Hello," I said with a forced smile, and a man stood up from the back of the counter and scratched his head of white hair before glancing over at me. His face was covered with a dark blue mask. I blinked a few times. "I'm, uhh… I was wondering if you were hiring..."

Way to sound like a retard…

"Uh, yea. I don't know. You can write your name and number on a slip or something and I'll check back with you after if we are," the man said. He sounded so tired.

"Are you sick?" I blurted out without thinking. "It's just… the mask and… you look tired is all. Working too much?"

"Hmm..." He looked me up and down and then nodded. "Yea, I'm sure I'll give you a call back. I should really hire someone new. Hmm. Then I guess I wouldn't look so tired, huh?"

I couldn't tell if he was making fun of me or not. But before I could respond, he pulled out a pen and paper and slid it across the counter to me, pointing a long, thin finger down at it. I just picked up the pen and wrote my basic information without another word.

"May I have your name, sir?" I asked, sliding the paper back to him.

"Uh, it's Kakashi. I run this place, so no need bringing me up to the manager." He snickered at his joke and I paused, slightly confused.

"Oh, well. If you are interested, please give me a call back. I'm available whenever."

"Yea, sure. Of course."

"Thank you."

As soon as it was over, I knew I was rushing for the door. It wasn't anything other than being uncomfortable, but not even in the bad sense. I got the feeling that Kakashi wasn't very good with people. The social aspect of it was uncomfortable. Hopefully I'd get a call back either way.

A few minutes into the walk home and my phone rang. I looked at it and it was from an unknown number.

That was fast…

I put the phone to my ear and stood up straight, hoping it would make my voice sound more professional, and less like a man, like my mother always said.

"Hello, this is Sakura Haruno."

I waited, but there was no reply. And in the next second there was a loud staticky noise and then the line went dead. More static filled my ear, so I pulled the phone away and looked at the number. Something about it was familiar, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it. I called it back, hoping I didn't just lose my chance at a job.

"The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected. Please try your call again later. Thank you."

I frowned. Who makes a call and then disconnects their phone? I wanted to go back to the corner store, but something told me that wasn't what I should be doing right then. I turned anyway and stood there, staring in the opposite direction. I frowned again. What was this feeling in the pit of my stomach? I had butterflies, as if something bad was about to happen…

I swiftly turned and rushed back to the apartment.