xxxxx

Sometime Around Midnight

The top of the high rise looked over the city of Tokyo illuminated in the glow of colorful lights and small crowds gathered to welcome the new year together. The notable lack of large celebrations was in stark contrast to the American cities Sasuke had grown accustomed to over the years. Sasuke observed the scene of his childhood home, drowning out the noise of the party raging behind him.

After five years he had finally come back, but still couldn't feel like he had come home. He let out a jaded sigh, turning back to navigate through the crowd of celebrities and other 'elite' members of society, whatever that was supposed to mean. Although many of them were familiar faces, he only cared to see a very small number. Perhaps a party wasn't the best way to reintroduce himself to them, but he hoped the surrounding drama might distract people from the shock of his return. It doesn't take long before one of the people Sasuke was searching for appears in the middle of the crowd, his yellow hair wild and cerulean eyes beaming.

"Oy, Bastard!" Naruto's voice seemed to drown out everything else, and before he knew it, Sasuke was engulfed in a suffocating barrier of his childhood friend. He shouldn't have expected anything less, though, considering he hadn't told his supposed best friend that he would be in attendance tonight. In fact, he hadn't told anyone. He struggled for a moment before finally wrenching himself out of the grip.

"When the hell did you get back to Tokyo?!" Naruto yelled, excitedly grabbing him by the shoulders, his grip far too tight. Sasuke shrugged, talking just loud enough to be heard over the crowd, "A couple of hours ago. I thought I should stop by." Sasuke knew it was an understatement, and he knew Naruto likely knew that as well. Truthfully, he had been debating coming or not for the past month. He still couldn't tell if it was the right decision.

"Yeah, no shit?" Naruto finally began to calm down, turning to look at the large projection of the countdown. "Yo, it's only like 15 minutes until midnight. You gonna be my first kiss again?" He teased, elbowing Sasuke, who quickly shoved his arm back away.

"Shut the fuck up, idiot." Although his face was obviously bothered, the blush on his cheeks reminded Naruto of the old Sasuke. He smiled at the clear look of disgust on his best friend's face before throwing his arm around Sasuke's shoulders.

"Hey, hey, chill. It's a joke!" Sasuke looked unenthused, and the blonde finally got the hint, quickly changing the subject. "Well, hey, I heard you said yes to the role. That the only reason you came back?" Sasuke could hear the question, but in some fucked up kismet moment, someone caught his eyes across the crowd. Although her back was turned, he could never mistake those pink tresses curled in a loose bun on the top of her head. Sasuke froze, taking a moment to calculate how long it must have been since he saw her in the flesh.

'Sakura...'

The sight of a man approaching her interrupted his thoughts. He had placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, and she jumped under his touch. Sasuke quickly recognized the man as her fiancé, the newest update of the starlet's life. His body tensed at the image of him curling a strand of her hand around his finger. His jaw clenched as his eyes followed her lover back to her.

A long white dress adorned with small diamonds clung to her, ending at the middle of her calf. He had seen her in movies, but even the best cameras in the business couldn't capture the true vision that stood before him. The light reflected off of the stones of her dress, creating an illusion of beaming light around her. She looked just like a star.

Her finely toned legs led to her filled out hips, and he wondered when exactly she turned from the woman he knew to the one in front of him now. He traced the silhouette of her curves back to her face, only to notice that she was turned toward him, her eyes locked onto his. She had a small smirk on her face, leaning back against the bar as she took a sip out of her drink. Her fiancé was nowhere to be found.

"Bastard! Hey!" Sasuke was jolted back to his immediate surroundings, turning to look back to Naruto, who was now frowning. "I said, if you're so desperate to drink, let's just go over there!" Sasuke nodded in agreement, although inside his stomach had formed complex, nervous knots at the thought of facing her so soon. What was he supposed to say to her? Would she even want to see him? The last time they talked was...

He turned to look at her once more, but when they started to approach the bar he couldn't find her anywhere. As he followed Naruto through the crowd he quickly pulled out his phone, sending a quick message to his brother.

[11:49] I didn't know she was supposed to be here?

Within seconds, his phone buzzed with a reply.

[11:49] Sakura's there?

Sasuke rolled his eyes, not even bothering to dignify the message with a response. Who else would he be talking about? He shoved his phone back in his pocket, only to feel it buzz a couple seconds later. As he arrived at the bar, he pulled it back out, realizing it would be the easiest solution to the problem. If he didn't at least read the messages, he would never hear the end of it.

[11:50] Don't talk to her.

"Tch." He muttered, shoving his phone in the pocket more forcefully this time. Itachi could complain about it later. He grabbed the drink off the bar that Naruto had ordered him, but a stranger to Sasuke instantly preoccupied the blonde. Not caring about the conversation, Sasuke settled against the bar and began to scan the crowd for another sight of pink hair. But surrounding him was just a sea of faces he couldn't place.

'Has it really been this long?'

Sasuke could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket every few moments, but didn't care to listen to his brother's incessant nagging. He was an adult, and no matter how much he respected his brother, he was going to do whatever the hell he wanted. Although, he had to agree that Itachi usually steered him in the right direction. And it's not like Itachi is only doing it for Sasuke's sake. He wouldn't blame Sakura for not wanting to talk to him, either. He knew the two had becomes friends since he left. But just as the thought crossed his mind, the whispers of jealousy of his older brother poisoned any loyalty he felt to him.

He sighed, realizing that he was acting like a petulant child, but was still unable to shake the annoyance. Fuck what Itachi thought was best for them, he didn't know anything about what they had. He had to see her.

He closes his eyes, downing his drink, barely noticing the burn in his throat. In fact, he couldn't even smell the abrasive scent of ethanol. Suddenly all he could smell was the soft floral scent of… something familiar? He couldn't distinguish the emotions stirring inside him, some kind of oxymoronic feeling of comfort and anxiety; a distant whisper of the past. He opened his eyes when he heard a small giggle next to him, and there she was.

Sakura stood inches from him, her warmth detectable through the chilly night. His breath caught in his throat, and it took everything in him not to flinch away from her.

"Hey, Sasuke." Nothing about her seemed even slightly nervous, both of her hands gently wrapped around the martini glass in front of her as she leaned forward onto the bar he leaned back against. She had a calm smile as she continued, "How have you been?" She was not looking at him as she spoke, looking straight forward, distracted. Her hair has started to fall from her bun, perhaps intentionally, but he fights the urge to tuck the loose strands behind her ear like he used to. The vision of her sleeping figure curled up in his bed invaded his thoughts, and he wondered if her fiancé also liked to watch her sleep. After a moment, he notices she's still waiting for his answer, and finally replies softly, "Fine."

She laughs lightly at his response, trying to pull herself back up to a standing position, and he notices from the way she almost spills her drink that she must have had more than a few drinks tonight. Now that he thinks about it, her cheeks were flushed and she moved less fluid than usual. He had heard from Itachi that she was doing 'better' but then again he never really knew the depth of her status. What, exactly, was better?

She notices him staring again, and thankfully she just smiles, turning her attention back to the crowd as she turned around. They watch the pulsing movement of the party together in silence for a moment before she speaks up once more.

"So… A little birdie told me you accepted the contract. You're moving back to Tokyo?" For some reason, this casual conversation felt wrong. He couldn't place why, but his anger began to build at her, and he snapped back, "How's the wedding plans?"

He immediately regret his tone, as her smile turned to a frown. It was the first shift he saw her in mood—for a brief second rage flashed across her features. But after that, she settled into an apparent apathy, muttering "Fine," before finishing her drink and grabbing another prepared one off the bar.

Before she even started the drink she placed it back on the bar, turning towards Sasuke and placing her hand on his arm. The warmth of her felt like fire through his jacket. She stumbled more, and he inwardly cursed. How did he not notice how drunk she was? Buzz. Itachi was right. Buzz. This was a bad idea.

Sakura placed her other free hand on his cheek, turning his attention directly into those endless green pools. 'God, she is so fucking beautiful,' he thinks before he can stop himself. Her words are starting to slur but he can see them on her mouth, "I don't want you to be a stranger." He nodded.

"You'll always be so important to me, Sasuke." She seemed insistent, and he felt guilty for not wanting to reject her touch. He knew he shouldn't give her any ideas or hope, but the contact warmed more than his face. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribs, and he wondered why she still commanded it so well.

"I wasn't planning on it." Sakura seemed disappointed by the short response, as if she could feel the dishonesty in his words. It was only the second time this night she wasn't smiling, and for a moment he was overcome with guilt. He wanted her to smile again. He was tired of being the reason she stopped smiling.

"Yo! Sakura!" Naruto's voice and body crashed next to them, and Sakura quickly began to beam again, spinning to greet their friend. Her hand remained on Sasuke's arm, and he thought he should shake it off but couldn't bring himself to move. "You look like you're enjoying yourself? I haven't seen you in forever!"

Sasuke suddenly turned his attention to their conversation—He hadn't seen her? They lived barely a block apart. Was he being hyperbolic? That didn't seem too far off for him. Sakura fervently nodded, "I'm having the best time with us all together again!"

Her laughter filled the air as she removed her hand only to snake her entire arm around his, leaning into him. Although he knew he should push her away, he convinced himself that he couldn't embarrass her in front of the crowd. It had nothing to do with the way her scent calmed him, or the way her laughter hummed through her and made him feel something. He was simply trying not to be selfish, not at all because he was drowning in the feel of her.

Suddenly the crowd erupted in a chant, "Ten!" Ten seconds to midnight. Sakura's grip tightened and she spun to face him. "Nine!" He reached his free arm over to catch her from stumbling, and he blamed a distant muscle memory for resting his hand against her hip.

"Eight!" The world was quickly melting around him, his hands buzzing from the contact and his heart beating against his chest. "Seven!" She was staring right into his eyes, her hand coming up to rest over his heart, where she could surely feel it quicken.

"Six!" He let his hand fall as he tried to push back the desire to stay exactly where they were. He knew he should be panicking, but everything felt so perfectly fine.

"Five!"

Wait, five? He turned to the clock, not believing it was already almost midnight. Wait, is that-? At some point Naruto had joined the party, his arm thrown over Sasuke's shoulders. His phone was out, facing the three of them.

"Four!" Sakura's chest suddenly pressed against him, and he turned back to her, letting his anxiety melt into the memories just like this. "Three!"

Five years had passed but she still looked the same. She still made his heart stop and beat faster at the same time. She could still take the breath out of his lungs, filling them with the calming scent of her. "Two!"

His arm tightened around hers, encouraging her to come closer. All doubts and hesitancy be damned. Her loose hair tickled his neck, her breath hot against his jaw.

"One!"

Wait, was she going to actually kiss him? Before he could protest he started to turn his face towards her, but her lips pressed softly against his cheek. He felt his face flush and he couldn't help the small grin that tugged at his lips.

"Happy New Year!"

The confetti rained across the crowd, but all he could focus on was the shaky breath that smelled of gin quickly receding. The studded fabric of Sakura's dress began to slip from his hands. He went to grab her arm but couldn't quite catch her in the movement, his voice weakly calling for her, but he couldn't be heard over the crowd. She darted around him, wrapping both arms around Naruto's neck, planting a big kiss on his cheek. Sasuke didn't know how to feel about it, and so he just stared at the scene quickly unraveling before him.

"It's so great to have you both here again." She sighed, and pulled back to be standing in an equal, appropriate distance. Sasuke's heart was practically punching him in the chest, and some part of him was upset that she could be so casual. What happened to the wrecked fangirl who fawned over him?

"You know… You can have me anytime, Sakura!" Naruto joked, and it didn't take long before Sakura punched him straight in the chest in a way that bordered a joke and a serious attempt to hurt the idiot. She turned back to Sasuke, and he swore if he blinked he would have missed the quick wink she gave him before gracefully whisking the blonde away in locked arms.

A strange sort of hurt pride and anger swelled in him, and he took a step to follow her, ask her what the hell she was doing. Why did she think she could act like nothing happened? Why was she being so casual and confusing? What the hell had happened? Surely thing haven't changed this much. Right? Before he could lift his other foot he felt one long buzz from his pocket, indicating missed messages.

[11:55] Sasuke, leave her alone.
[11:56] What are you doing?
[11:57] Little brother.
[11:58] Dammit, Sasuke!
[11:59] I'm on my way.

Even further frustrated that flip phones didn't exist anymore and therefore he couldn't slam it shut, he shoved the phone back in his pocket. He took the first drink he could find on the bar and downed the entire thing in one go. The harder he tried not to focus on what just happened, the more invasive the thoughts became.

When did Sakura change into this? Surely, she cannot be that different. Was she always like this? When did he become just like everyone else? 'When I left her.' The voice inside his head crept into the line of questioning. How could he blame her for treating him like this? She was the one who wanted him to stay. He was the one who didn't.

He ran a hand through his hair, noticing that he was practically hyperventilating. He grabbed another drink, and the bartender gave him a cautious stare before being frightened off by the cold look Sasuke gave. He tried to find something to distract him from the way her perfume seemed to stick to everything and the burning on his cheek.

But no matter how many old coworkers and acquaintances he found in the crowd, he couldn't find anything even remotely as exciting as the moment he saw her. In every conversation, he found his eyes wandering in the crowd for any sign of pink. As he scanned the women around him, he barely noticed the person he was talking to shuffling off. The familiar buzz of his phone grounded him again.

[12:15] Seriously? What the fuck?

And the second he opened the text, his heart sank and surged at the same time. It was the reason Naruto's phone had been out at midnight. Pictured was him, Naruto, and that damned woman, embracing each other as her lips were anchored to his cheek. It was a screenshot from his social media feed, captioned, "Finally got the gang back together!"

The first glance was a mixture of anxiety and… Relief? Happiness? The moment had been captured; he hadn't made it all up. That she really was that close, that she existed and this entire night wasn't a product of some fucked up, drunken mess.

Sasuke was drawn to the look on his face, a comfortable flush with red in their faces. If he didn't know any better, he'd think they were happy to be together again. But the longer the stared the more he was forced to remember. Him and Sakura hadn't been together for years. The last photo of them together was when he left. Him and Sakura weren't together anymore. He was alone. She wasn't.

… And now he had to explain this photo, which shows the exact opposite of reality. He was barely happy to see her, and he definitely wasn't happy she kissed him.

Right?

It was so hard to think when he was getting progressively drunker. It wasn't until after he downed another drink that he realized he had picked it up. He should really stop, but his phone started buzzing again. He jutted the drink into a server's face and onto their tray before grabbing his phone, fully ready to call Itachi and tell him to shut the fuck up. But when the screen lit up again, it was an unfamiliar number.

[12:16] Hey come meet me in the sunroom by the garden.
[12:16] It's Sakura btw

Sasuke stared at the screen for an uncomfortable length of time, trying to decide if this was all an elaborate ruse, or if he was making it all up. Was this really her? But then again, who else would bother? It definitely wasn't Naruto. Then it occurred to him that she didn't have his number. He switched numbers last time she...

He looked around at the crowd, particularly trying to get sights on the entrance. Itachi should be here any moment now, but Sasuke quickly shook that thought off. Fuck his brother, he can make his own decisions. He tapped his foot impatiently on the ground before finally managing to move his fingers to formulate a reply.

[12:17] How did you get my number?

[12:17] I'm a crazy stalker.
[12:17] I'm kidding. I got it from Naruto's phone when I tried to delete that picture.
[12:17] … I guess those two things aren't mutually exclusive.
[12:18] Listen, Sasuke, I just need to talk to you…
[12:18] Please?

He had to laugh at the fact she still loved the rapid-succession messaging. The brief smile on his face was enough motivation to push off from the bar, dodging through the crowd of people to get to the entrance to the small building jutting off the garden.

As he went to grab the doorknob, the door was quickly opened and her tiny hand took his, pulling him in and shutting the door swiftly behind him. The first thing he notices is the way she's holding her shoes, which she gently places on the counter a few feet away.

"Sakura…" He mumbles, determined to tell her this is all a horrible mistake, but then she turns around, and he sees the light redness around her eyes. 'Was she… crying?'

Sakura can see his confusion and discomfort clearly, and so she tries to smile, but it's so obviously fake it almost makes things worse. Noticing this, she lets her smile fall, but doesn't make any move closer to him. Her body was shivering, and he wondered if it was just due to the temperature and her terrible, beautiful choice of dress, or something else. Her voice, sounding surprisingly sober, breaks the silence.

"Would you still want me, Sasuke?"

The question sets him off, and his face immediately contorts to annoyance.

"Tch. I'm not doing this with you, Sakura." This was the kind of welcoming he had suspected, and it's exactly the one he didn't want to deal with. He couldn't deal with it, especially with both of them being drunk. But Sakura became more urgent; finally taking a step forward and shouting, "Just answer the question!"

His hand shot out, grabbing her left one and pulling her towards him forcefully. Her face was tilted up to him, their eyes locked in a terrible stare as he yelled back, "Here's a question, Sakura, where's your ring?" After the moment passed he realized that might have been a mistake, as she ripped her arm back from him without backing up.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about, so don't you dare judge me. I'm not the same girl you knew back then, Sasuke. You barely know me."

"Yeah, you don't say."

When he met her eyes he barely noticed her lip trembling, her clenched fists, and the way the liquid pooled in her eyes. "I made a mistake, okay?" The tears started falling in full, and her shoulders fell forward, and it was the most real he had seen her all night.

"He just… He's not the man I thought he was." Her body trembled harder as she crumpled in on herself like a dying flower. 'Fuck, and she's crying again.' He could barely keep the thoughts straight as he tried to connect the conversation. He had just seen the two of them together not that long ago. What happened?

Sasuke suddenly remembered that those stupid tabloids always made everything picture perfect, and in his jealousy he forgot it's almost never that simple. And now he had clearly just ripped off a bandage of a wound he didn't know the severity of.

She was right. He didn't know what he was talking about. But she was wrong that he didn't know her. If there was anyone in this world that Sasuke knew, it was Sakura. No distance of time nor space would change that. He felt his guts twist into knots as he tried to find some way to undo the damage he had done yet again.

Sasuke cupped her face gently in his hand, wiping away the tears while turning her to look at him. "Sakura, stop... I-" Her bright green eyes were only brighter against the red halo from her tears. He wished more than anything his pride would let him admit the truth.

'I have never stopped wanting you.'

"You had nothing to do with why I left." She choked on a chuckle as he spoke, and he knew that saying she had nothing to do with his decisions might have been a little insulting to the girl who devoted so much of her time to helping him. He continued softly, continuing to wipe any resulting moisture from her cheeks.

"There is nothing wrong with you, Sakura." For a moment, he wondered if he had still said the wrong thing. But, at least this time he knew with full certainty what he said was the truth. Sakura could be irritating, abrasive, and annoying, but in the end her heart was the purest he'd ever seen.

When Sakura Haruno loved you, she loved you unconditionally and with reckless abandon. His eyes softened when she looked up at him and smiled, leaning into one of his hands on her face as she hums contentedly. He wondered how someone could hurt such a heart, but stared at his reflection in those crying eyes and realized he knew the answer already.

His voice was suddenly rough as he quietly asked, "Is your fiancé coming to take you home?" He didn't mean to break the mood, but this was the most drunk he'd ever seen her, and he's be damned if he didn't make sure she was safe. He knew that it was still a risk, having not known the true reason behind Sakura's tears, but he also knew that taking her home with him would be nothing but painful for everyone.

Sakura shook her head no, her smile faltering only for a moment. "No, I'm not going home tonight." He nodded slightly, afraid to ask what that meant, and she reached out to touch his face as well, effectively cutting off that thought.

"I missed you, Sasuke." And when she says it, he can't help but feel it in the very core of his being. He wanted to open his mouth to say anything contrary, but he was too scared that if he did, he might tell her he missed her, too. He missed her so much more than he thought possible.

He kept one of his hands on her face, and she stared up at him with those emerald eyes sparkling with the reflection of her dress. His other hand slid down her arm, finding its purchase on her hip for the second time that night. His face slipped down to her painted lips, and wondered how many kisses it would take for it to wear off.

Sasuke never claimed he was a perfect man.

So when Sakura stood up on her tiptoes and pressed those soft lips against his, he didn't resist. His body buzzed with an energy he had almost forgotten. It was as if she were pouring five years of repressed feelings into this one moment. He closed his eyes, allowing the scent of her perfume fill his lungs as her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Her erratic heart was beating against his, and he swore they were in perfect harmony.

When they parted to breathe, all he could taste was her gin soaked lips, and he couldn't help but wonder if he could literally get drunk from her. Her forehead was pressed against his when she finally opened her eyes, and he realized what had happened. The absence of her lips for that one moment rocketed him back to reality, and Sasuke knew it had already gone too far. Itachi was right.

Fuck.

"Sakura…" Sasuke whispered, and another fake smile spread across her face, as if she knew exactly what he was about to say. He hated that smile. But she softly whispered back, "I know."

They sat in silence for a moment in each other's arms, not wanting to shatter the moment any further. It took all of Sasuke's strength to not tighten his grip on her, to tell her to stay with him here. He wanted to tell her that he was the one who made a mistake. He wanted to hold her while she cried about the things he made her endure. He wanted to apologize for every night she spent alone. But his throat was dry and his head spun from the alcohol. They stayed silent and frozen, trying to come up with the words to help salvage this night, but nothing came. The silence was broken by an unfamiliar ring tone.

"Oh, shit!" Sakura blurted out, springing away from him and grabbing her shoes, trying to fasten them as she stood. Sasuke was taken aback by the abrupt change in demeanor, and so much of him wondered who the hell could rip her from him like that.

"I-I'm sorry, I have to go. S-someone has been waiting for me." Sakura stuttered, frantically grabbed her purse off the table.

Sasuke could feel the objection in his throat. He wanted to stop her and demand to know who was waiting for her. He wanted to know who it was that replaced not only him, but her fiancé. But he knew he couldn't. He wasn't part of her life anymore. The past few moments were nothing but a mistake.

He knows it's for the best, anyway. She was not going home with her fiancé, and nothing he did would make her life better. He should just leave her alone. Besides, he was still waiting for Itachi to come drag him from the party by the cuffs on his shirts. He groaned internally at trying to explain the mess of this entire night. But one thing was certain: Itachi could never know about this.

"Hello~" Sakura's voice chimed, and he realized she had answered the phone. He heard a man's distant voice talking on the other end. "I'm sorry!" She said while laughing, finally calming down the stumbling and trying not to slur her words.

"You're so paranoid. I'll be down in a minute… Yes, less than a minute. Yes. Yes, I promise." She promptly hung up, seeming to be in a much better mood than even a minute prior. It's in that moment that Sasuke actually notices how much better she seems to be without him. Just a moment away from his exposure and she is back to normal.

He should have never come back.

She approaches him cautiously, and then embraces him in a big hug, burying her face into his chest. Sasuke does not resist, welcoming her embrace as he wondered if he would ever be able to hold her like this again.

He rests his chin against her hair, and the way she smells and clings to him awakens the old memories. The way her bare skin felt against his fingers as he traced circles across her back. He can draw the curve of her body as they wrap around each other, kissing the air from each other's lungs. He remembered the way she looked when she told him she loved him. He thought of the vulnerable, not-so-innocent part of her that only he got to see. It wasn't his anymore.

As he let out a shaky sigh, he let his feels overcome the logical side of him that knew this was a terrible idea.

'Sakura...' He wonders, 'Would you still want me?'

He hugs her back, a bit too tight. Sakura is the one to break the embrace, and with a final glance she slips from his grasp, and she is gone. Again.

Once he finally built up the courage to leave the empty sunroom, Sasuke took a deep breath of the cold winter air. He tried to settle back into the much rowdier rooftop, but within moments Naruto was grabbing him by the shoulder.

"Hey! You didn't tell me Itachi was coming!" He ungracefully pointed across the crowd where Sasuke spotted his damned brother's back. Itachi had his hand comfortably draped around her waist, leading Sakura gently to the edit.

"Yeah." Sasuke answered, trying to swallow any obvious emotions he had about the scene unfolding before him. Of course she was leaving with him. Itachi couldn't ever leave things alone. He had to touch, ruin, every fucking part of his life.

"He's not staying long, obviously." He tried to suppress the glare burning into the weasel's back, but the drinks got the better of him. He was suddenly glad he wasn't holding anything; convinced his grip would have shattered it. The only thing that broke his gaze on the now empty exit door was Naruto's suddenly, uncharacteristically concerned tone.

"Well, I'm glad he came and got her. You know, considering everything." Sasuke raised his eyebrow, suddenly intrigued as to what he did not, in fact, know. Naruto's genuine concern and purposeful vagueness was even more unsettling.

"What do you mean?" Part of him became irrationally paranoid that he might have discovered what had just happened in the sunroom. Was he just talking about how drunk Sakura obviously was? The picture? Was there something else going on? He knew her and Itachi were friends but had something else happened between them? He rejected the thought immediately.

He tried to read his friend, but unfortunately Naruto only waved a hand, not indulging him any further. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. We can party without her! The night is still young! Let's go!" Sasuke sighed, the idea seeming more and more repulsive by the minute. But he also knew there was nothing else for him to do tonight, so he might as well stay and have a few more drinks with, very possibly, the only friend he had left in Tokyo.

But not even an hour later, Sasuke felt like he was being suffocated by unwanted memories and emotions. Naruto was drunkenly capturing the attention of everyone around them, and while that was usually enough to keep him somewhat entertained, he found himself scrolling mindlessly through his phone. He wanted some kind of buffer between him and the real world. He knew it would be nothing but trouble, but at least he didn't have to deal with most of this trouble.

He had gotten hundreds of notifications immediately after the picture had been posted, and even a few in-person comments. Luckily for him, however, it seemed people were still quite scared of him. Just a few seconds of silence and they were more than happy to drop the subject.

But online was another story. He knew him and Sakura had quite a following, even now. But he also knew that after they had broken up Sakura had... lost, for a lack of a better word. He figured as time passed, people would leave her alone. He was wrong. There were dozens of recent comments, all with the same questions. The further he scrolled, the more heated his blood became.

"What a whore."

"What about the wedding?"

"Not surprising. She's always been obsessed with him."

"I wonder if the rumors are true then?"

"What, did she get bored with his brother?"

He had promised himself he would only stop to look at the comments on the original picture, but he could barely stop his thumb from hovering over her username. He hesitated, as if he were begging his treacherous finger not to move.

But it did not listen, and soon enough he was staring at a screen of dozens of selfies and well manicured photos. He noticed she had been in several photos throughout the party, and he swiped between them to see her cheeks getting increasingly flushed, and her eyes further glassed over.

'Sakura... What are you trying to drink away?'

"Eh, what are you looking at those for?" It was Naruto who eventually broke his concentration, the blonde leaning far too close to Sasuke's phone.

"Tch, did you already forget?" He muttered back, quickly switching to the photo the blonde had posted earlier. Naruto suddenly realized the problems the picture would cause and gave a nervous laugh, scratching his head.

"Well, to be honest I didn't think about it like that!" Sasuke only rolled his eyes. Naruto, suddenly guilty, continued to whine. "I was just so happy we were all together again! And to be honest, that drama stuff went way over my head anyw-."

"I'm leaving." Sasuke interrupted, deciding there was no point in continuing this conversation. Naruto could say he didn't get the drama all he wanted, but it wasn't going to undo it all now. But before he could leave, Naruto grabbed his arm, a bit too forcefully.

"Honestly Sasuke... I think you should stay." It almost sounded like a demand. Sasuke had to bite his tongue to stop him from telling off his best friend. He was tired of people making his decisions for him. "I'm going to talk to her."

"That's... Not a good idea, Sasuke." The previously playful blue eyes narrowed into a threatening stare.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'm known for." Sasuke spat back at Naruto, refusing to be chastised over something so simple as a conversation. Besides—Who was Naruto to talk? He knew nothing about what had transpired just an hour ago. And honestly, if he didn't want him to talk to Sakura, he shouldn't have roped him into the same petty bullshit as before. He didn't turn back to see Naruto's disapproving stare, but he felt it boring into his back the entire way out.

But unfortunately Sasuke's spite only got him so far. He cursed quietly to himself when he finally got to his car. Unable to even appropriately click the unlock button, he immediately realized he was way too drunk to ever make it home in one piece. But he still refused to take this as the universe telling him talking to Sakura was a very bad idea. Not really sure what he was going to do yet, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed without another thought.

"Hello?" Itachi's voice came through the other side. The memories of the earlier unanswered messages and Sakura's exit from the party flooded back. Sasuke's jaw clenched at the sound, and he immediately yelled back, "What the fuck do you want me to do, Itachi? What do you want from me?"

There was a long pause, silence filling the night around him. He opened his mouth to continue yelling, but Itachi's calm voice interrupted him. "You're drunk. Talk to me in the morning when you're done being a fucking idiot."

"What the fuck are you even mad about? She's not a child and she's not your... S-She can make her own goddamn decisions!" He could feel his words slurring together, and his mind was spinning at an unsettling speed. Truthfully, he knew what he was saying was so jumbled and incoherent it barely made sense. He was really just playing into his brother's predictions. His free hand balled into a fist as he leaned forward against his car. When he was about to hang up, sure that his brother was going to do it first, Itachi spoke again.

"You don't even know her."

Sasuke's blood was boiling, his body shaking as he tried not to lose it completely. Sakura had said the same thing. But it was bullshit. It was utter bullshit. He knew Sakura better than he knew himself. He may be behind in the recent events, but if he could just talk to her it would be okay again.

Right?

Itachi was acting like this wasn't the girl who had been his first of everything. Everything they were today was a result of what they built together. Sakura had once been his entire world, his purpose for everything. She was even the reason he had...

Left her. The pain in his chest was unbearable as the memories crashed down onto him. He left her. He left her. She wasn't supposed to forget him so easily. He raised his fist, slamming it down on the car as he yelled.

"She was mine first!"

Suddenly, a soft laughter filled the silence on the other end of the phone. His eyes widened as he recognized the sound. He could hear her smile through the phone, and it only made the fury and pain inside him worse. She wasn't crying anymore, no thanks to him. He wanted to reach through the phone and grab her, take her back to him, where she should be.

Itachi's words bounced around in his head, 'You don't even know her.'

"…Goodnight, Sasuke." Was the last thing Sasuke heard before the dial tone, and without much thought he reared his foot back, kicking the car in front of him with a shout. The alarm started to blare, and the couple of passersby turned to look at him. He managed to move enough to turn off the alarm, pushing himself away from the car and starting to stumble into the direction of his old home.

After getting about a mile away, he dials the number of his driver that he had kept in the event he would need it following the party. When he got off the phone, he found a small park bench and finally took a moment to breathe.

The air was cold, stale and somehow comforting. The way the air burned his lungs meant that he could still feel something besides anger, and for that he wasn't entirely grateful. He looked at all of the people walking happily around the city on this holiday, wishing that he could be more like them. Wishing he could go back in time and never go to that stupid fucking party.

He listens to the cheers of music among the normal city noise, and he closes his eyes. It takes him a moment to realize his phone is buzzing, and he pulls it out expecting it to be his driver, only to be surprised when it's a text from the same unfamiliar number. Hesitantly, he opens it.

[1:32] I'm sorry.

He stared at the text, feeling anger and something else he couldn't quite name when another came through.

[1:33] Happy New Year, Sasuke.

Author's Notes: Hello lovely readers! Happy New Year!

This is the modern celebrity AU I have been thinking of for over a year now. I thought this was a fitting day to release it. This is written in a way it can exist on it's own. If I do decided to publish the rest, I will warn you now it is written in mostly flashbacks. It involves ItaSaku, SasuSaku (as endgame), and other ships I cannot name for spoilery reasons. The characters are unabashedly, at times, OOC. This story has a lot of inspiration from my own experiences, and the reasons why I relate so much to Sakura in the first place.

If you enjoyed this story and want some of your questions answered through more chapters, please let me know!