Three times she thought he would but didn't and once he did.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Four by kacau

Sometimes, words won't come out and the gestures are too hard to execute. And I wish with all I have that you could just feel the love that radiates from all the cells of my body.

They were fighting.

Sakura tried to concentrate chakra in her hands, throwing punch after punch against him. With the speed and talent of the last of the Uchihas, Sasuke escaped her atempts with grace, defending himself but never attacking.

She could see the amazement under his cold stare and she felt proud of her improvements, even if they still weren't good enough to defeat him.

She did a double flip, gaining some space. With precision, she punched the earth under her feet, making the ground crack. Surprised by her tecnique, Sasuke partially lost his balance, what gave Sakura the chance to finally hit him.

The young man went flying against a tree and fell to the ground.

Panting, Sakura wipped her forehead, approaching him carefully. She tried to control her pain as she saw the boy she once loved, so different and so similar to when he still was a konoha ninja. A bit distracted by her memories, she knelt besides him, ready to use her medical chakra to give the final blown.

She hesitated.

And, in a second, he wasn't there anymore. She looked around, shocked. It was all she could do before she felt herself being lifted of the ground by her neck, his cold hand clenching her throat.

Sakura gasped, not being able to breath properly.

They looked at each others eyes, his dark orbs disturbed with some hidden emotion, her green eyes slowly losing their brightness. She felt Sasuke's grip relax and she could breath again. His hand descended to her shoulder and, then, to her waist.

Sakura stared at him, surprised, her heart beating so fast she wondered if he, with all his improved senses, was able to hear it.

Sasuke leaned a bit, their foreheads touching. She didn't understand. Why was he doing this? Was this some kind of trick? Sakura kept trying to tell herself to ignore her emotions and do her job, she had to eliminate Sasuke Uchiha, Konoha's missing nin.

But how could she focus at such a thing when he was so close, smelling like peppermint and tomatoes, touching her.

Sasuke slowly brushed his lips against hers in such a light touch that she wondered if he was really doing it.

But, then, there was a loud noise and the distinguish sound of people approaching.

Sakura blinked and he wasn't there anymore. Instead, she saw Naruto and Hinata entering the clearing, running straight to her.

She hadn't expected him to be there. Hell, how could she? Tsunade hadn't said anything about a possible encounter with the missing-nin, this was supposed to be a mission in order to help the relationship between the villages. Sakura was here to train a group of future medics in the preparation of antidotes.

"What are you doing here?" She heard herself ask, noticing, then, that she had dropped the herbs she'd just collected from the hospital's garden. Sasuke turned around slowly, clearly surprised to see her.

"Sakura..." His voice was low and he looked around, adjuting the coat around him. "How did you find me?" She could hear the anger in his voice and wondered if he would have attacked her if they weren't in such a public place.

"I didn't." This time, her voice was irritated as she knelt to the ground and started gathering the herbs. Sasuke stared down at her, his cool eyes looking a bit confused.

"Then why..." She interrupted him.

"My life doesn't revolve around you, you know? And I'm not silly to try and take you on my own. We would end up hurting the civilians. Moreover, you probably have that new team of yours rounding the place." Sakura's answer was cold and she felt proud of herself for not letting him realize what his sudden appearance had done to her emotions. The woman straightened herself, glaring at him. "I would appreciate if you just left this village, since I'm not in the mood of sending a letter to Lady Tsunade just so Naruto can get his hopes up again and come back crushed like he always does after his meetings with you." With that, she started walking away.

Much to her surprise, Sasuke followed. Sakura felt her stomach flip with the closeness between them but tried to keep an indifferent exterior.

"What do you think your doing?" She murmured through grinded teeth.

"Keeping up appearances. Their kage doesn't know I'm here." Sakura suddenly stopped at his words, turning around. They had gotten to a more secluded area, behind the hospital.

"Go away. Don't meddle in our lives anymore, just disappeare. Would you do that, please?" She tried to keep her words low, though Sakura felt like screaming of despair. "Why won't you let me - us - be happy, Sasu..." She wasn't able to complete the sentence, since said man had slammed her against the wall.

"Do not say my name." Her eyes were wide in shock and the medic-nin felt a strong pain in her back. He had probably broken one of her ribs with the impact.

Despite all, she could feel their proximity. It was like an eletric field was circling them. Sakura wanted to break free but, as always, she found herself trapped, not only by his grip but also by the depth of his eyes. She gasped, trying to breath through the pain.

Sasuke leaned towards her, the intensity of his glare softening. She felt his cold lips touch hers, lightly, in someting that wasn't yet a kiss. Sakura felt tears form in her eyes, asking herself what kind of game was he playing.

"Let me go." Her words came out between sobs, in a breathless tone that she had used with him so many times before. When she realized she was crying, it was already too late to stop the tears.

And, just like that, he was gone.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, unsure of what had happened. She remembered fighting a bunch of ninjas but the rest of her memories were a bit hazy. And her head hurt so much, as if someone had banged it against a wall.

"We can't keep her here, Sasuke-kun!" A woman's voice came to her, it was loud and annoyed.

"That's not your decision to make, is it, Karin?" A resonant voice was also heard but Sakura's mind was still foggy and she couldn't connect all that was being said.

"Just heal her already, woman! You know better than to disobey him." Reprimanded another man. The medic-nin felt a figure come to her side and turned her head, her green orbs taking in the sight of four people. Sakura realized her vision was still blurred and, despite her incapability of association, she understood that she could be in serious danger. She closed her eyes as she felt chakra flowing through her body.

The Konoha ninja awoke hours later, when the sky was getting brighter. The sun warmed her skin and Sakura shifted in the ground, adjusting to the clarity. The memories of the previous night came quickly to her mind and she sat up, opening her bright green eyes in shock.

There, by her side, knelt Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke...

"Lie down, Sakura. You lost a lot of chakra." His voice was nothing more than a whisper but the coldness was still there. Always there, she realized. The woman looked straight into his eyes and, then, moved them around the cave.

"Why did you help me?" Her tone was demanding and Sakura wondered if Sasuke could hear the hope his antics had brought her. Being the almighty last of the Uchihas, he probably could.

Still, the man just shrugged, offering her a bowl of water. The medic nin accepted it but not before checking for any poison. When she looked back at Sasuke, he was smirking.

"You don't trust me." It was a fact, both of them knew it. Sakura asked herself if that truth hurt him as much as it did her.

"How could I?" The sorrow in her voice was impossible not to notice.

There was a sudden motion behind them and Sasuke's new team was back.

"We should go, Sasuke-kun. She's fine." Sakura realized there was a badly hidden jealousy in the redhead's voice.

"Go ahead, I'll follow in an instant." He answered. His tone left no possibility of questioning. The three left the cave without another word. The Uchiha turned back to the pink haired woman. "I should kill you."

Sakura sighed, a sad smile appearing in her pale complexion.

"I know." She hesitantly moved her hand to his face, caressing his cheek. "But you won't."

Sasuke closed his eyes.

"But I won't."

And, just as many times before, he leaned towards her and brushed his lips against hers. Only, for the first time, it didn't feel like a goodbye.

"What are you going to do, Sasuke?" Sakura tried to keep her emotions under control, but her lips still trembled against his.

"Whatever I need to so I can go back." His rough, caloused hand moved to the base of her neck, stroking her muscle gently. "Thank you and see you soon, Sakura-chan."

She, then, drifted back to sleep.

Sakura smiled.

She just couldn't believe what was right before her. There, in the middle of the bridge - their bridge - stood Sasuke Uchiha. He smirked, his arms casualy crossed in front of his well-built chest.

"I thought you wouldn't show up." His grave voice floated in the air along with the petals of the cherry blossoms that surrounded them. They were blooming, she noticed.

"I thought of doing so but couldn't bring myself to." Her own voice was soft and Sakura thought to herself that she hadn't felt in such a peace for a long time.

"Why?" They both knew why but the woman found it hard to actually say it.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

"I don't know."

Sasuke smirked again and she smiled at him. It was a lie, obviously.

"Why did you call me here?" Sakura asked, a sly twinkle in her eyes.

The man scoffed.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

"I have no idea."

And, just like that, Sakura walked straight to him and hugged the Uchiha, her thin, strong arms around his neck. Sasuke, despite a bit unconfortable, snaked his arms around her waist.

"So why don't we find it out together?"

Her smile was so bright and her eyes, so green, he couldn't stop himself.

Sasuke leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, moving them in a passionate kiss. They thought for dominance until Sakura was being pressed against one of the cherry trees. The couple parted, panting heavily.

"I would love to."

With a rapid movement, the man slid a gold ring in her finger, planting light kisses in her jaw line. The medic nin stared at it, joy and surprise in her face.

Sakura had never been happier. And Sasuke would make sure she would be like that for the rest of their lives.

I hope you liked it. Not an english speaker, so tell me about any mistakes. If any of the people that might read this are interested, I'm looking for a beta. Thank you. Review, please.