Okay, so here it is, the first chapter revised and all. I'm kind of dissapointed; revising made the first few chapters a bit dull, but don't worry-it'll get better. Enjoy! This has become somewhat of an eyesore for me... Dx

And I hope I didn't dissapoint any of those who've been waiting for the next chapter. Don't kill me!

After a day of substituting for one of Iruka's classes, she was relieved to return home after the adventure she had been in. Today, she took the class out into the forest near the training grounds to go over the cases of an overnight mission. After one of the kids tossed a twig and awoke an angry bear, she spent the other half of the class's time escaping near-death for all of the kids and healing scrapes and cuts and God knows what else while giving a lecture on wild animals.

'A friggin' twig! What is it with kids and sticks these days?'

After taking a quick shower, she threw on her clothes and work apron and tied up her hair. She worked a few hours a week at the Konoha Café-just for some extra bucks and for something to do. Teaching class, being a busboy, and mountains of office work-she seemed to do everything except be a shinobi lately (really because Shizune was gone and Tsunade-shishou had nobody else to do paperwork for her so Sakura was automatically her replacement work-slave, "unable" to do missions at the time being.) All of it was a complete bore, but it was better than feeling useless at home.

She headed to the café drowsily. Despite the refreshing shower, that class really did take a lot out of her.

'My arms are crumbling…hmm… I promised Ino "fantasy karaoke" tonight too…aughh.' Inwardly sighing, she hoped sneaking a few cups of coffee would help her energy deficiency at the time…the last time she was tired, she found herself in a cup of decaf hearing the faint demands of her stout boss.

Reaching the glass doors, she went to pick up her card and punched it in.

"Oi Sakura! You're late!"

'Aw man.'

--

'I've succeeded. So he's gone forever… I've only got one more to go…' He jumped branch from branch, limbs still searing with pain from that fateful night. An opening with a brighter light was coming up about five jumps away.

'It's guaranteed that this won't be easy…'

--

After a few hours of unappreciated labor and a lousy kid throwing pudding around, Sakura finally sat down and took a few minutes to doze off for a while. It was about 9 'o clock right now and more people had been streaming in to see the Friday Nights' Special Performances at the café; it was basically an amateur talent show that everyone went to because the café prices were half off during the show.

She drifted off slowly, her eyes aching intensely. After a while of ignoring loud sounds and blurred visions in the background, she was suddenly awoken.

"Sakura! You're up-be the MC and keep yourself awake for once! There's a big crowd out there tonight, so show some enthusiasm!" Her manager rapped on the table in little knocks, making her head violently shake inside like a gong.

"Yeah, yeah..." She answered and swerved through the crowds as she made her way to the room leading backstage. Her mouth pulled into an automatic scowl.

'Hmmm…I may just quit.'

She stopped mid-step – feeling as if the air was pressuring her body, making it dense…it was suddenly hard to move. Sakura gripped the old microphone from the stand and walked hesitantly, but smoothly, from the curtains and onto the blinding stage.

"Hey there…" she uttered. Her lips trembled oddly. The crowd became somewhat hushed.

She paused and sensed an irregularly large force. It was compressing her lungs, making her even more nervous. She looked up and saw a shockingly familiar face.

--

A few minutes earlier…

If it was anyone, it would definitely be her to take him back in-no matter what the circumstance. She had, after all, followed him around like her life depended on it. All he had to do was find his "little lost puppy."

He had been searching for her for at least 30 minutes already and the sky had started to sprinkle. She probably moved from her old house, and he already checked the training grounds, the academy, and the team's old usual spots. He even spied through the Godaime's place to find that she wasn't in there at all, but just a drunken Hokage sleeping.

'Dammit, it shouldn't be this hard!' he grimaced.

He settled down for a bit from his rooftop search and began walking towards the market. How could he not even find her of all people? Her hair and chakra could be found a mile away, and obviously he couldn't just go ask someone-he was wanted (and not in the usual way) and it would look suspicious. The rain poured harder. He poofed up a disguise and walked under the safe covering on the side of a local restaurant.

'KC…' He read to himself off of the labels on the small table and its two chairs that sat next to him. He sighed deeply as he slicked his hair back and settled himself on one of the café's chairs. He busied himself by tracing the metal engraving on the table.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiieeeeek!

Hearing deafening feedback, he turned his head and looked through the glass windows of the café towards the source. He saw a trembling woman holding a microphone…a pink-haired woman. A crooked smile subtlety spread across his face.

"Here she is! Our ever perky MC!"

He smirked silently to himself as he watched her ruffle her fingers through her pink hair while bending over to pick up the fallen microphone.

'Bingo.'

She stood nervously in front of the crowd and held the microphone clumsily. She never had stage fright of any sort, but today…there was some kind of…disturbance.

'Damned, bright stage lights.'

She looked out at the crowd directly to look professional. She took a deep breath and was ready to continue speaking, but she froze. In the distance, in the back of the crowded tables, there was a man. His clothes were a bit different but…

'He looks like him…Sasuke!'

He had slipped through the doors of the café. He watched her carefully and waited to make eye contact with her.

When her mouth became dry, her eyes started to dart around and landed on the same, Sasuke-like man again. He suddenly glared at her intently, and his gaze alone was powerful. It was all too strange; it made her dizzy.

"Umm…" She spoke into the microphone.

There was a loud thud on stage and horrible sound feedback when she collapsed on the stage. With blurry vision, she could see the very same boy giving a devious smirk before vanishing before her eyes; everything was back to black. She could hear the gasps of the audience and loud chatter before her hearing, too, faded. He quickly dashed with immense speed and carried her off the stage and out of the café before anyone could even catch a glimpse of him. He seemed almost invisible as he headed towards her apartment.

Before losing consciousness, she felt cool arms scoop her up. She took a whiff of the person and frankly, he didn't smell very nice. Looking up, the man looked down on her and his silhouette quickly faded to dark -she was out.

"Hello…Sakura."

--

After rummaging through her bag and finding her address, he found and slipped into her home easily and set her on top of her cushioned bed. The moonlight shone on her as she breathed; it was somewhat calming. Sasuke scanned her home thinking that he would soon be bunking here soon. The estates where he lived so long ago were old and rotting from the neglect to tend to it-it would take at least a week just to restore just his house.

Her abode seemed refined and simple, how his old home used to be-except less…girly. Blechh. He walked out into the balcony in her room and looked out from it. Her apartment was seemingly grand from inside but it was a mere room on the third floor of an old apartment building. The rain had stopped and the night was at its deepest and darkest shade of blue tonight-just how he liked it.

He set off to find "the gift." Well, after he rummaged her refrigerator for a small tomato snack.