Disclaimer: not mine

Dedication: to Selene (seleneswan) , you're wonderful and amazing. Have a very happy birthday filled with bright firework colours and the ever-present wonders of fairy tales and happily ever afters.

Colouring In

By: Just Lovely.

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

But, when life gives you a blind prodigy and a hopeful dreamer who wishes on every glistening star; what do you do?

.

.

.

Fairy tales. Happily ever afters. Love at first sight.

Those were all imagery weren't they? Just a bunch of figments, pretty words and fantasy right?

Because not every girl was a princess and not every guy was a prince in shining armour – reality didn't really start in once upon a times or really end in happily ever afters either. So, what was the point in trying, in looking, in believing?

That's what started everything, from this to that, from that to this; when she stopped.

.

.

.

It had been coming for a while now. Her silences, her head-shaking, her monotone voice, her everything, really; it had been slowly coming in cracked white scenes to the one moment when she would finally let everything fall back into the rabbit hole and never to be seen again.

Let the coloured become the uncoloured, from rainbow to white.

.

.

.

The pages littered the floor, freshly torn and frail with age. The covers lay upturned, broken and destroyed.

She stood in the middle of it all, pink hair hanging limp, jade green eyes hard and scarlet lips pressed into a tight line. And she was so sick and tired of waiting, so sick of giving second chances, third chances – a million more. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, it wasn't all shimmering wings and pretty things.

It just wasn't. Not perfection, not happiness, not anything she wanted.

She walked out the door.

.

.

.

It was like a drug, once injected, unable to ignore the craving for more.

They fuelled her, kept her going, kept her hoping, kept her believing. But not anymore. And that was how it was supposed to be, wasn't it? No longer waiting for the perfect guy, the right moment, the precise occasion; they were just voids now, nothing more and nothing less. Useless useless useless.

She shrugged on typical teenager clothes: a t-shirt and skinny jeans, there was nothing special, nothing pretty to look at because her pink hair was dull, her green eyes were plain and she was nothing special. She broke out of routine, leaving her ruby stoned ring on the vanity table, tugging off the loose metal chain around her neck and stepped out the door into cloudy sunlight. It was like a normal day.

.

.

.

The first moment he noticed it was part one of their everyday routine (where he drove her to work on his way to his); she didn't get in the car as he stopped in front of her house.

His car trolled quietly beside her as she walked on the sidewalk; one foot placed in front of the other and again and again. Slowly, he rolled a dark-tinted window down and casted a long glance with obsidian eyes; she looked worn out, like she had ran a marathon during the night. The usual pink tinges that occupied her cheeks weren't there, there was a stretched ashen look on her face that he couldn't read and there was a hollow void in her usual glitter green eyes that put him on edge.

"Sakura." he said, forming her name into a simple greeting because he refused to say that she was ignoring him. Haruno Sakura never ever, ignored Uchiha Sasuke.

She didn't seem to have heard him, stuffing her small hands into her pockets, she kept walking; head staring forward and eyes never wavering.

And for a moment, he thought he saw her feet twitch – just momentarily – over to the road, saw her put on a small smile at the sight of him, saw her look lovingly at him like instinct, routine. He shook his head and grit his teeth, he ran a hand through raven spikes and let out a long sigh.

"Sakura." he called a second time.

Her head didn't jerk like it usually did when she heard her name. Her form was slack, her posture erect; she seemed damn adamant about ignoring him.

There was a loud screeching of tires and cars honking at the intersection where they were as the traffic lights turned colour; the sound was loud and the pollution was thick in the air.

"You can't take me where I want to go, Sasuke." Sakura murmured softly, her voice soaring lightly in the car rush before disappearing. But he heard her as clear as glass, "Because where I want to go, you're not there."

All he could comprehend was the sudden ache he felt as her words rang sharply in his head and he no longer could pretend he had heard something different, no matter how much he wanted to.

.

.

.

There was a time when life was simple, when things were easy and there wasn't any need for pondering.

That was when they were fifteen, when there was homework, boyfriends, girlfriends, and best friends who made everything better. When they had established this friend-thing, called it mutual and formed a routine of sorts because there were always those comprehension issues they had. (In which she would say something neutral and he would retort with a sarcastic comment and it led harshly from there.)

That had been and was apparently no longer.

Sasuke remembered those times; glares that changed into acknowledging head nods, sarcasm turned meaningful and slowly, a distance that faded out.

Those moments that happened so rarely in a lifetime, he wasn't going to let them end; he wasn't going to let four years of promises be left behind, stories, memories, them.

She just meant to damn much to him to make him let go of her so easily as if she was nothing.

...

She stared down at the object that lay perfectly innocent looking in the palm of his hand. Her eyes scrunched in confusion, words caught in her throat as she looked up hesitantly at him. His face was stoic, patiently waiting for her to pluck the item out of his hand and murmur a calm thanks, like she would any other day.

But, she didn't.

"Uchiha," Sakura started, words fell but didn't make a sound as she struggled to say something to fill the weird silence.

"Sasuke." he was quick to correct her because that was part of their little friendship establishment; first name basis only and naturally, she always forgot it.

"Sasuke," she continued. "um...this is nice of you and I'm flattered but I don't think I want to get married or engaged now..."

There was a silent pause that was deafening as his lips slightly quirked because she never refused to marry him but then, his mouth broke out into a disgusted sneer at how odd that would have been to see.

"It's not from me."

And all of a sudden her face felt hot as blood rushed to her cheeks in embarrassment. "Well then, who is it from?"

"The Dobe." was his sole response naturally blank and said like it was the answer to every gift or trinket she received. The look that flashed onto her face confirmed the notion, unfortunately true.

"Oh-ah, um, alright...then. Thanks."

Her fingertips gently grazed his palm as she retrieved the ring, not a diamond ring but a ring nonetheless – although probably won from an insert-quarter-here-for-prize machine.

"He likes me you know, I don't quite see why when he's got Hinata vying for his love but I'm sure he'll get the hint sooner or later." Sakura explained, not even sure why she was telling him this when he obviously didn't care or already knew it as his role was as Naruto's best (guy) friend.

Sasuke understood perfectly fine (face blank and lips neutral) from her little ramble to his best friend's momentary crush.

There was a purely polished, ruby stoned metal ring swinging on a roped cord in her locker, a pale worn sticky note stuck neatly onto the piece of jewelry.

-It's an understanding promise. Bet it's better than the Dobe's anyway.

...

Sasuke's hands were clenched tightly onto the steering wheel of his car, white against the dark leather. His lips were pressed firmly together, obsidian eyes were stern and hard as they stared intently at the road. He turned a smooth left and came onto the street, he scanned the sidewalks for any hint of her vibrant unnatural pink hair.

The wind was bitterly cold but it was still warm in the sun as Sasuke began to stride to the café, his pale hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket as the air blew against his face.

There was a soft chime from the bell over top the door as he pushed it open, a rush of heated air washed over his body and he quickly made his way toward the counter.

A willowy blonde caught gazes with him, her sky blue eyes bright against the remnants of her summer tan. There was a cheery smile on her lips as she met him.

"Hey Sasuke, Can I-"

"Is Sakura here?" he interrupted her, his voice was quiet amongst the soft conversations of the patrons.

"No, you just missed her." the blonde replied, eyes confused with something she already knew or assumed.

"Do you know where she's going?"

"She didn't say, sorry. I can pass a message if you'd like?" Ino responded, brows furrowed as she watched his expression sink.

"No, it's alright. Thanks, Ino." Sasuke turned for the exit.

"Wait," the blond called after him, he stopped and turned around. "Sakura...she said she won't be back until next month...at least. Did something...did something happen?" her voice sounded unsure and worried as she asked him.

"No, nothing's wrong Ino." the words hung in the air, foreign and he could see the way her blue eyes narrowed that she didn't believe one word of the lie he had spewed out.

"Yeah, you better make sure nothing is." she sing-songed sickly sweetly at him, but the steel in her voice was thick and protective.

He nodded quickly at her and parted.

...

Their friend-thing, their arrangement; Ino had never really understood it.

There was a simplicity underneath all the complications that she hadn't found, there was more than what her best friend, Sakura, had told her, there was something hidden between Sakura and Sasuke. She didn't really understand any of it. But she did understand one thing, it wasn't exactly a friend thing.

"He doesn't like me, Ino." Sakura muttered quietly, her voice rebounding off her bedroom walls in the following silence.

"You haven't really talked to him," Ino pointed out as she applied nail polish onto her clear nails.

"I've talked to him, just not a lot."

"Not really at all, actually. Face it, it's not some love at first sight cliché; it's going to take some time Forehead."

"...but what if it doesn't happen? What then?"

Ino looked up from her nails and regarded her friend with a don't-even-think-about-it stare. "It will, don't you trust me at all, Sakura?" the blond replied, mock hurt dashed onto her face. "I wouldn't be giving you advice if I thought it wouldn't work out in the end, anyway."

Sakrua blanched. "Thanks for being a great friend," she remarked, sarcasm hiding the anxiety she felt deep in the pit of her stomach as her heart pumped hurriedly in her ears.

"But then again, you could always, y'know, jump him; it's always an option Forehead."

"I don't, I don't even have words for you anymore." Sakura got up and headed for the door.

"Hey-where are you going?"

"Away from your obscenity." Sakura replied and slammed the door shut.

...

Sasuke couldn't think rationally, his thoughts were mangled, confused and he didn't know how he was going to find her. If Sakura's female best friend didn't know where she was or headed, what were the chances that he did? Slim, he thought to himself, his fingers clenched painfully onto the wheel as he stepped harder onto the pedal and sped on the road, not even knowing where he was going.

The streets blurred, road signs merged into each other as he drove faster and faster. There was no limit to how fast he could go or how far; the sky was the limit, endless. But, he couldn't keep driving aimlessly – stupidly – forever.

He stopped, parked and got out of the car at the one place where he could maybe get some clue as to what had happened with Sakura. The one person that probably knew her more than he did, most likely, absolutely. His best friend, her best friend, their best friend: Uzumaki Naruto.

Sasuke pressed the doorbell.

.

.

.

He slept like a dog, or a pig; his limbs stretched carelessly across his bed this way and that. His sheets were tangled beneath his body, his blankets lay in a crumpled heap on the floor where dirty clothing was carelessly left and finished instant ramen cups littered the floor. Dust clung to the surfaces of his desk, his lamp and his books, used Styrofoam cups and plates were broken on the ground – it was a typical male teenager's room.

He moved, a small twitch of his foot as a loud chime rippled through the house and flew gently into his ears; it was silent, the bell's sounds were gone. Groggily, with a disgruntled heave, the blond shook himself awake. Bleary cerulean eyes blinked sleepily as he ruffled is hair, let out a long yawn and softly padded barefoot out his bedroom.

Naruto didn't look at the little fuzzy image of the peep hole as he swung the door open, the cold air rushed forward and like a blanket, it encased him into its coldness. He didn't notice. His eyes locked on the man that stood so statue-like on his porch, whose eyes were vacant and frame was stiff, tense.

"Teme...you look like hell."

Sasuke barely processed the words that came out of his friend's mouth. He didn't reply with a sarcastic comment or a punch like he usually did. It was then that Naruto knew something was very very wrong.

"Do you know where Sakura is?" the Uchiha asked.

The blond shook his head, not trusted himself to speak.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke inquired.

There was a sense of hopelessness in the Uchiha's tone that threw Naruto off because his best friend was anything but hopeless. He felt a ball of dread form in his gut twisting and knotting as dark clouds rolled in the sky, dark black grey shadows.

"I don't know." the blond replied flatly.

"You don't know or you don't want to tell me," Sasuke snapped, his voice still calm despite the anger flashing in his eyes at his outrageous assumption.

Naruto exploded in that one instant. "It's not like it really matters to you, does it? You lost the right to know, to be anywhere near her; but she still let you in, didn't she? She was still kind, she was still smiling and she was so stubborn when I told her to stop because you didn't even fucking realize the pain she was going through. Why the hell would you care, Sasuke?" he shouted, he yelled. He was exasperated, he was frustrated, Naruto was feeling a lot of things and as he watched his words fall into Sasuke he sure as hell hoped that it was one damn of a wake-up call.

"And for the record, I seriously don't know where she is. She made sure to keep that from me." Naruto added.

Sasuke couldn't help the flood of some regret and a lot of guilt wash over him. And he never really noticed, didn't even second-think anything, he just went on with everything else like it was fine.

He muttered under his breath, muffled profanities and self-guilt.

Naruto grinned a rueful smile at him, cerulean eyes vibrant against his sun-kissed skin. "I don't want your load of crap on my porch, Teme. Go fix it instead of moping around like a baby, you Sakura-obsessed loser."

Naruto's words were strong, encouraging even – but there was an edge to the tone, a stinging bite that felt like a small jab to Sasuke's gut. In the nineteen years of their friendship, Sasuke had learned well enough by the fake grin and cloudy eyes that Naruto hated dwelling on serious matters, pushing himself to appear settled and comfortable despite the counter-active thoughts and emotions he had inside.

"None of us want to lose her either, but it's not us she's waiting for." the blond said softly. The was a moment of pause as he let Sasuke register his words, because this was the meaning, the hinting that Sakura had tried to indicate and the least Naruto could do was finally open the Uchiha's eyes.

"It's you." they both knew it, just like they knew that Sasuke's time was running out – fast.

...

She sat quietly on the floor of his bedroom, green eyes staring blankly at the floor in front of her. He watched her, eerily calm from his perch on the bed as his fingers roughly clenched the sheets underneath him.

"I think...I think I'm going to go for awhile." Sakura murmured as he looked up at him, their eyes clashing.

Naruto swallowed thickly. "Why?" he questioned, no longer in love with her as he was before. He was like the brother she never had and she was the sister he always wanted, their relationship was close.

She didn't reply for a moment, carefully choosing her next words. "I just need to get away."

"From me?"

"No. Of course not, Naruto. I need some time to think."

"You can think here," he pointed out.

"I can't."

The blond ran a hand through his hair and Sakura was immediately struck with the similarity between Naruto and Sasuke, it made her heart jump a little just thinking about him.

"What did he do now?"

"Nothing." she stated flatly.

And that was the problem, wasn't it? Sasuke didn't do anything, he didn't say anything; he was absolutely blind to everything that involved Sakura.

"Where will you go?"

She shrugged at him, "I don't know." she responded, her eyes averting his, her head tilted away, and she was lying. So blatantly and obviously lying that it made his head spin; Sakura and lying, those two concepts didn't form anything believable.

"I don't want to sit around and wait for my prince to come around – handsome or not, he's not worth it."

There was a determination in her voice but there was no truth in her words. Such pretty (fake) words.

...

Sasuke didn't know what he was feeling, it was indescribable, it was unintentional, it was just there.

He heard the distant sound of thunder as it cracked int he sky, massive grey clouds were dark and ominous, shadows draped across the ground as softly, little droplets of rain splattered onto the windshield. It was raining. He blinked as the window screen became blurry and fuzzy.

With a quick movement of his hands onto the steering wheel and a sharp slam onto the pedal, he flew out onto the street. One destination in mind and only one girl residing there.

...

It was a Monday; quiet and boring as usual.

She was sprawled on the bed, hands typing rapidly on a laptop and feet dangling in the air. Sasuke slouched against the bed frame, books open in his lap as his pen scratched onto pristine lined paper. Naruto lay sprawled on the floor, his hands throwing a bouncy ball up and down as he caught it one-handed.

Chemistry is the basic name of the study of elements, compounds and chemical experiments along with their reactions and results. As in all science units, chemicals have impacted society, the environment and the economy – both positively and negatively. Physical and chemical changes _

Sakura's fingers were suspended mere centimetres above the laptop keys, bright green eyes scrunched as she re-read the letters on the screen, her brain flat and motionless in her skull, unthinking. She snapped the laptop shut and stretched up on the covers, pushing the piece of technology away, she bounded onto the floorboards of her bedroom.

The boys weren't fazed at all by her sudden weight as she skipped around their socked feet, bare rainbow painted toes gliding as gently, she plucked a thick leather bound book off of the wooden shelf which held other similar books. She could practically feel their stares on her back, one curious and one serious as she re-traced her steps and plopped down onto the bed.

Her fingers were gentle, careful, as she turned one thin page after another, inked letters still sharp and clear despite its age. The pages weren't dusty like all her other books, the leather cover wasn't bent or faded like the other books on her shelf; in fact, it was in perfect condition, like Sakura had just bought it off the rack a few minutes ago.

"I can't believe you still have that." Naruto exclaimed incredulously.

Her hand – still holding a page in-between her thumb and forefinger – stopped midway and she shot a levelled stare at him. "What's wrong with having a book? I mean, just because you only have Jiraiya-sensei's porno, doesn't mean everyone else only has that too."

The bubbly blond gaped at her, cerulean eyes darting from side to side. "Shhh, Sakura-chan. You promised." he sputtered, embarrassed as if someone had heard the secret guilty pleasure of his.

"No, I promised not to tell Hinata – and only because she likes you and I don't want to be blamed for her eternal scarring when she finds out. "Sakura corrected, a pensive look on her face.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he watched Naruto open and close his mouth like a blubbering fish. Mondays were always full of entertainment, with Sakura always reading her prized leather book – full of something only she and Naruto knew because he just didn't trust them enough for them to actually genuinely tell him– and Naruto flustered as he always was when the subject switched to his beloved – innocent – Hinata; they made Mondays actually worthwhile.

"What's in the book?" Sasuke asked, a low baritone voice that displayed authority.

The room was quiet, no sounds of pages turning or mutters, complete silence as Sasuke acted the same question every Monday, every time.

It was typical routine now as Sakura answered quietly, already knowing that he wasn't going to believe her. "Fairy tales."

And again, like every other time, he scoffed in response. "Really,"

"Yes."

Naruto watched the exchange with muted protectiveness, his fingers clenched tightly until his nails bit into the the soft flesh of his palm. His cerulean eyes were narrowed, waiting for the usual snide remark the Uchiha would say before Naruto butted in.

It didn't come. Instead, as if understanding Sakura's strong bond to whatever was really in there because he absolutely refused to believe that she'd have something like that in there, he nodded. "Fairy tales...like Happily N'ever Afters," he inquired, like the word was foreign to him.

Sakura jutted her chin out in response. "Fairy tales, as in Happily Ever Afters, as in love at first sight and knights in shining armour and princesses with cascading long hair. As in damsels-"

"And you believe in all that?"

She hesitated, a small pause before a small grin broke onto her heart-shaped face. "Yes."

"So...knights in shining armour, damsels in what?"

"Damsels in distress, courageous heroes, adrenaline-rushed advent-"

She was rambling now, both Naruto and Sasuke could see that as her words trailed one by one out from her lips, caressed every so lovingly by her voice. Sakura was a believer, a dreamer, a wisher.

...

The playground was wet, abandoned in the drizzle of rain and shrouded away by tall pine tress. Slowly – as if hesitantly – he parked beside the sidewalk.

The labelled wooden board of the park was drenched to the inner splinters, the words were clouded, bolded letters blurry to his eye as he waited inside the warm security of his car for the rain to cease.

The clock on his dashboard clicked and ticked in time with the drip drip of rain droplets as they hit the hood of his car. It was almost mocking, counting down as seconds turned to minutes and god dammit, he already knew his time was thin, that it was almost gone. But, he had to be sure, completely right in his thoughts and the words he was going to say, because it was her here, or gone, in the long run.

Sasuke opened the car door and was met with ice cold rain. His hair was matted against the pale skin of his forehead, water dripped down his face and into his eyes. He blinked the liquid away as he searched – high and low – for her small frame and halo of pink hair.

She caught his eye, sitting on the metal monkey bars, folded into herself as if to keep herself away from the rest of the world. She looked cold, she looked distraught, she looked hopeless.

He broke into a run. It was windy now, strong gusts of wind swung tree branches from side to side, it was raining harder, heavy droplets splashed onto his leather jacket as it weighed him down. His shoes squished and squeaked as his steps fell into wet grass and mud. He was halfway there, a few steps more, faster; he stopped at the base of the structure.

Sakura's eyes were closed, pale lids almost translucent enough to show the spidery veins. Her arms were dotted with goosebumps, pale and cool to the touch. Her pink hair looked faded, limp on the top of her head.

He gingerly reached a hand toward her, wet fingertips grazed her arm and she didn't move away, didn't even respond in any living way. A wave of dread washed over him as he grasped her cold arm and shook, there was no sound, no movement but the splatters of rain and claps of thunder.

The cold air was heavy and icy and he genuinely had thought she was dead, skin cold, eyes closed, lips blue.

Sakura moved, then. Placing a cold, numb hand on the slippery metal of the bar, she jumped and landed gracefully on the mud ground, pulling away from his touch. Her eyes were opened, emotionless, depth less green against wet skin and pale blue lips.

Sasuke stood rigid still, his hand falling quietly back into place at his side, eyes intent on her form a few steps away.

For a moment, neither of the two moved; and then she started to walk away.

The next few moments were a blur as he quickly pivoted on a wet heel and caught her by the elbow. A tendril of icy fire seemed to erupt under his skin as he twisted her cold body around to face him, his hands restrained her wrists as she struggled in his grip.

"Go away, Uchiha." Sakura said.

"It's Sasuke, Sakura." he growled back at her, hands tight on her frail wrists.

She winced, then. "I don't want to see or talk to you. Just go away."

"No." Sasuke responded, words hissed through clenched teeth. "Just listen for a minute, that's all I'm asking."

.

.

.

What he was asking, he was asking too much of her and Sakura, she couldn't do that. It hurt too much to do that. She shook her head, eyes shut tightly as she turned herself away from him.

"Please Sakura," he said, softly this time, voice gentle, his hands holding hers, like she was fragile, breakable – like she would run away at any given time –.

But Sakura couldn't do it, she couldn't stand there listening to him when she was still feeling. She nodded, anyway. She let him speak, anyway. Because last farewells were heartbreaking, anyway.

.

.

.

"I...I want to know what this is. I don't get it Sakura, just...what-is-wrong?"

She fixed her eyes on him, "What's wrong? You want to know what's wrong, why don't you just ask yourself, why don't you just think and actually see for once. God, Sasuke, you're so blind."

He clenched his teeth together, trying to persuade himself not to yell because that, would not be helping the situation at all. "See – what?"

Sakura let out a shaky breath, it was hard to keep angry at someone like Sasuke. "See that a lot of things aren't what they seem." she murmured, "See that this...us...it's different than how it started." she gestured around them, eyes averting his to keep from letting tears fall.

For once in his life, Sasuke didn't understand. He, he had to contain what he felt for Sakura because it was wrong, wasn't it? To feel so attracted to your best friend, it was wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.

But...what she was saying, look between the lines and the scenes, the tight seams of what had been started as a friend-thing; there wasn't anything different, was there?

Their arrangement, it had started because they didn't like each other, a hateful rivalry and on the suggestions and forceful encouragements of their friends; they had started to be nice, which seemed to propel them deeper and deeper until it was actually real and not forced or faked.

Well, that was what he had thought; and he hadn't liked her because she hadn't liked him. That was perfectly reasonable, wasn't it?

But different, how was it different. It was different because...Sakura had been acting weird, quiet and out of focus; drawing herself away from everyone else and not looking or smiling at him at times that it became so unnerving that he was afraid he'd crack.

Before he could think of something to say, Sakura tore herself out of his grip, tears streaming down her cheeks (or was that rain?).

"I...I love you! And I hate that I do, I hate it so much."

Sasuke was stunned. Magnificently surprised and that was when everything seemed to click so easily into place and he could actually see.

"I...I'm sorry." he paused, it was a moment so long that Sakura began to think that was actually all he was going to say. "I'm sorry that I've been so stupid and blind. I'm sorry that...that I hurt you. I'm sorry that I could ever hurt you. I'm sorry for everything. For not being there, for being there for all the wrong reasons, for being one-track-minded, for being a typical jerk, for-"

"Just...just stop okay?" she wouldn't look at him and it actually hurt him as he watched her cry silently.

He pursed her lips and deeply inhaled. It was now or never. "Sakura...I love you."

She froze, a stilled figure as she looked at him, tears still brimming in her eyes. "No, you don't."

Sasuke gave her a hard levelled stare in return, unwavering and adamant.

She ignored the momentary spasm of hurt that quickly appeared and disappeared from their lack of touch. "You don't even know what love is, let alone the feeling of it. You-you're impossible, Uchiha!"

Sasuke didn't know what to say, didn't know what to think because god dammit, he had just told her he loved her; wasn't that enough?

He swallowed thickly because he'd do anything just to make her believe it, just to let her know that this wasn't one-sided. That it never was.

"I...I know love is that tugging of your heart, I know it's the light floating feeling you get and you don't know if you're even touching the ground anymore because you're so happy...I know that love is what you feel in – not just your heart – but your whole body; it's this spectacular feeling that runs in your blood and pounds in your head. I know it's hard, I know it's complicated – I know that Sakura, god, how much I fucking know that."

He leaned forward and grasped her hands, waiting for her to pull away and when she didn't, he twined his fingers through hers. "I know it's when I make you smile when you don't want to. I know it's making you laugh when you're down. I know what love is. And I've been in it since day one." he whispered, so quiet that she had to lean forward to hear him.

"You're going to make me hurt again." Sakura murmured, voice broken and faint.

I won't I won't I won't, Sasuke chanted in his head. "I won't."

And even though it wasn't a statement, a definite response, a promise; those two words were enough for Sakura to propel herself through the five centimetre gap between him and her. Just enough for her to grasp onto her hopeful fairy tale and write the last chapter, mend back torn pages and crossed out words to put in her happily ever after.

The rain still fell, the thunder still struck loudly and as Sakura buried her nose into Sasuke's wet neck, a profound sense of belonging ran through her.

"I never believed in love at first sight, you know." he stated.

Sakura stared abhorred.

Uchiha Sasuke never believed in what she so strongly put into her everyday life?

"Well, do you believe in love at first sight now, or do I have to walk by again?" she grinned at him, earsplitting and so joyously happy that he pressed her closer to him.

He smirked and sealed his response against her lips.

I hope you had a great day on your day of aging, Selene!