[modern AU, angst, fluff]

Was there any possible way to live?

"It's okay, Sasuke. You were too good for her anyway."

She was too good for him.

He could feel Karin rub her hand on his arm.

"She was such a bitch. She was taking advantage of you."

"She wasn't."

"She was. Sakura only liked you because you have money. Every girl liked you because of your money."

"Is that why you just had sex with me?" He heard Karin sigh behind him, pressing up against him.

"I love you, Sasuke. I loved you longer than you've known Sakura. I'm the only person who's meant to be with you."

It didn't feel like it.

"Get over her."

"She broke up with me on graduation night."

"That was two weeks ago."

"Okay."

He let Karin cuddle him, wanting to feel some sort of comfort.

"Do you even know which college you're going to?" Karin asked him.

"No. But I know Sakura's going to the States. We were going to try a long-distance relationship, but she broke up with me."

"Stop talking about her."

They were in silence for a while, but Sasuke's mind was loud with thoughts of Sakura.

"Didn't you get accepted to Konoha Medicine?"

"Yeah."

"You should go there."

"Why?"

"Don't you want to be a doctor?"

"Hn." he responds, but Karin knew that he was considering her idea.

(*>.<*)

"Sasuke... I think we should break up."

"Break up?"

"Yeah..."

They were standing in the halls of Konoha High, waiting for the graduation ceremony to begin.

"Why?" he asked her, and she looked down, staring at the ground. Her hands were gripping her graduation gown, wrinkling the cheap fabric.

"Because... I want to." She raised her head to meet his eyes, and Sasuke could see tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"No! No you don't!" He shook his head quickly, hoping that Sakura was just kidding.

"I do!" She turned around to walk away, but before she could do that, Sasuke grabbed her wrist. "Let go." She told him softly.

"Do really want to break up?" Sasuke asked, only to see Sakura nod her head.

"It's better this way," she sobbed, but Sasuke didn't notice, he was trying not to cry.

She ripped her hand from his grasp and ran away to the auditorium, where the graduation ceremony would be held.

♪☆＼(^０^＼) ♪(／^-^)／☆

His dorm wasn't that bad.

He just didn't like the fact that he had to share it.

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! And I'm going to become president! Believe it!"

"Che, why would a dobe like you be president?"

"Oi! Teme!"

≥﹏≤

It isn't until ten years later that he finally goes back home.

He had a great life.

Being the top Cardio Surgeon in the nation could make anyone feel like that.

"Sasu-chan!" His mother greeted him with a hug. "How are you?"

"Good, mother. Where's father?"

"He's in his study," she used her elbow to nudge him toward the dining room. "Tell me," she walked to the long table in the center of the room, "have you met anyone recently?"

She had to ask.

"No, mother."

"Why? Sasuke, it's been ten years since you went on a date. Have you even moved on from Sakura?"

"Of course I have!" He didn't mean to snap at her, he just didn't like her assuming that he hadn't moved on.

"I'm sorry," she gave him a pitiful look, one that he couldn't ignore. "Touchy subject..."

They were thrown in an unbearable silence, awkward after Sasuke's out burst.

"I'm sorry for yelling, mother." He bowed his head, feeling like a five year old.

"It's fine, Sasuke. So, how long are you staying for?"

"Just another hour."

"Another hour?"

"Yeah. Being here was just a stop in between flights. My flight doesn't leave for a while. I'm just taking advantage of that."

"But Itachi's still at work," she raised a hand, "you have to say hi to your brother."

"It's fine, mother, we still talk to each other."

"You do."

"Yes."

"So you still talk to your brother, but when it's my birthday you completely forget. I see." Mikito's eyes drooped, making Sasuke feel just a tiny bit guilty.

That is, until she started crying.

Shit!

"M-momma! Stop crying! I'll-I'll call you everyday! I'm sorry!"

She sniffed and wiped away a fake tear. "Twice a day."

"Fine! Just... just stop crying," Sasuke whined.

〒_〒

After spending the rest of the hour at home, Sasuke had been driven to the airport (thanks to his mother) and seated in his first class row.

"Thank you for choosing Japan Airlines," the attendant said over the intercom.

"Sasuke?" He turned his head left and right, trying to find the person who called him, and then looked down to the seat right next to him.

"Ino?" he whispered and stared at the blonde. The first thing he noticed were the fake boobs.

"Wow... You looked hotter in high school." she said bluntly.

"Seriously?"

"Very much serious, Sasuke."

Their reunion would have been nice, except Sasuke swore he didn't remember Ino being that triggering.

"Are you going to Miami for the reunion?"

Reunion?

"No. I'm going to Miami for a patient. They can't travel without some sort of something happening to them, so I'm forced to go there myself."

"Oh, yeah! You're a doctor now, right?"

"Yeah I-" Wait. "How'd you know?"

"Uhh, Sakura likes to read those really weird medical magazines. I don't even know why, though. She never wanted to be a surgeon."

"You still talk to her?"

"Who?"

Ino was clueless when she wanted to be.

"Sakura," he stretched out slowly.

"Oh yeah. We've been friends since, like, kindergarten. So why should we stop talking after high school?"

"Oh, not sure."

"That was supposed to be a rhetorical question, Sasuke-chan."

"Chan?"

"Yes. You know, you're also a lot dumber since high school, my dude."

My dude?

"Ino... Are you high?" He was a bit hesitant to ask the question, but he really regretted it when he heard Ino gasp.

Dramatically.

"You think I'm high?"

"No! It's just-"

"We see each other after ten years and you ask if I'm high? Screw you!" she yelled at him and began to cry. Everyone in the area near them turned to look at them, but Ino was too busy crying and Sasuke was too busy trying to find a way to make her stop crying.

Seriously though, he'd made two women cry on the same day.

The hell was wrong with him?

"Please stop crying! I'm sorry! I'll do anything you want! I'll call you twice a day if you want!"

Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shiiiiiiiit!

Pussy, was Ino's immediate thought. She smirked into her hands that had covered her face.

"A-anything?"

"Yes!"

"Then... will you go visit Sakura?"

Sakura...

He felt his heart rate speed up at the thought of her.

"No."

"Why?"

"No."

"Do it." she snarled. By then, all her tears had converted to anger.

He said it a little more harshly. "No, Ino."

Ino didn't back down. He grabbed his ear between two of her fingers and brought his head down to her level.

"Ow, you hoe!"

Ino twisted his ear.

"Sasuke... go. And see. Sakura."

"No!"

This time she slapped him.

Not slapped him slapped him, just slapped him.

"Do it!"

"... I can't."

"Why?... I know you're sad. Without Sakura, I mean."

"..."

"Sakura's sad without you, too, ya know. She only reads those medical things 'cause you're on the cover of most of them." she confessed.

"Liar."

"I don't lie."

"Yeah you do. Like that one time you spilled Kakashi's coffee on Asuma's head and fucking blamed me. Then there was that other time you told Kurenai that Kakashi liked her. And then-"

"Damn, I get."

"Okay. Just letting you know."

It was funny how they could easily slip into their old teenage banter.

"So, are you gonna visit Sakura?"

"God, Ino," he whined.

(╥╯﹏╰╥)ง

"How are you feeling today, sir?" Sasuke stepped into the room, while a group of interns followed his every move.

"Good."

"That's good," he stopped by the end of the bed and picked up a chart hanging from the bed.

"Mr. Johnson, I think I can say that today you'll have final surgery," Sasuke told his patient proudly.

"That's not possible," his wife said. "He'd need a new heart and a new set of lungs. He's next on the donor list for both but..." Her voice trailed off.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and gave her a look.

"Holy crap!" she yelled and once she realized what she had said she immediately threw her hands over her mouth. "God, I'm sorry. In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit." She then was transported in an all prayer offering.

(ﾉ*>∀<)ﾉ♡

His surgery was a success.

Miles Johnson was now a completely healthy 36 year old man who had the chance to grow old with his wife.

"Thank you. Th-thank you," Mrs. Johnson grabbed his face and kissed each cheek.

A happy sigh escaped Sasuke's lips. His hands took Mrs. Johnson's in his own. "Just let him get some rest. A nurse'll come and check his vitals in a bit."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes. I have other patients to take care of. But if something happens to your husband, call me. Just ask the front desk for my number." He gave a mock salute, received one back from Mrs. Johnson, and left the room.

\(-ㅂ-)/ ♥ ♥ ♥

"Can you talk now?"

"God, just wait, Ino, I'm trying to leave the hospital."

"Are you gonna see Sakura now?"

"Did you call me just for that? Ino-"

"We could've talked about this sooner, but you were busy."

"I was!"

"You were standing in a fucking room!"

"Ino, you facetimed me in the middle of a surgery!"

"It's called multitasking, you bastard!"

"I can't multitask in the OR! All my attention is on the patient!" He waved his hand in the air, signaling a cab.

"We aren't talking about you, Sasuke! We're talking about Sakura!"

"We were literally talking about me 20 seconds ago!" He somehow tripped while getting into the vehicle.

"Shut up, I'm talking!"

"Then why-"

"Shush!" Now all Sasuke could do was groan and give the driver the adress to the hotel.

"Thank you. God. I'm sending you Sakura's work adress. You can walk there, but it's really far, so you should take a cab."

"I just gave the driver my hotel adress!"

"Just tell him the new one then."

"I can't-" he let an irritable sigh mixed with a groan. "God, you're irritating."

"I honestly couldn't care less. Just tell him."

"..." He thought long and hard, in his opinion, and he realized that he didn't really want to see Sakura.

Ever.

It hurt when she broke up with him. He didn't know what to do with his life for a while.

He fucking skipped graduation because he didn't want anyone to see him cry.

Sakura was his everything for two years, and then she disappeared in less than two minutes.

And she never gave a reason as to why she wanted to break up with him.

"I'll go. But not for you, or Sakura, or anyone else. Just for me." He told her. He heard Ino give out an exhausted sigh, and imagined her rubbing her temples.

"At least you're going."  Was the last thing she said before she hung up.

ﾍ(￣▽￣*)ﾉ

Sasuke had no words.

Before stood a dainty shop that was probably about five years old. There was a large window that made itself known with a (black?) cherry blossom tree and other great works of graffiti.

But that wasn't what awe strucked him to silence.

It was the fact that it was a tattoo parlor.

Sakura...

Sakura, compared to him, looked young and exactly the same.

Except for the tattoos and piercings.

A tattoo trailed the length of Sakura's right arm, hiding her pale skin from the world. Near her lip was a little diamond piercing that complemented her skin well, along with the black shirt and ripped jeans that hugged her body tightly, showing off her curves and other new features, too.

Other than that she was just about the same, except he could tell she had matured.

Her level of focus had clearly grown. Sakura was bent over in her chair, tattooing the arm of a girl that probably wasn't even 17 yet. Her eyes were squinted and her mouth formed a straight line, never leaving the girl's arm. Even with the girl squirming in her seat -probably her first tattoo- Sakura's face never changed.

"Done." She said, giving the girl a forced smile.

"Thanks." The girl got off the chair and eyed her tattoo. She looked up at Sakura and gave her a smile.

Sakura gave another foced smile. "Sai," she pointed to the cashier -that looked a lot like him- " will help with the rest." She turned almost immediately, cleaning up her area and throwing away the needle.

She looked serious. She had a stern face, like she meant buisness. Her movements... weren't stiff but... didn't seem as relaxed as they did in high school.

To Sasuke, it didn't seem like Sakura was the same.

Weird, he thought, that happy-go-lucky Sakura was now an emo tattooer working at a cruddy crap place like this.

"Next!" He heard Sakura yell. He gave the studio a once-over and saw nobody there. "Next!" She yelled again.

"There's no one here, Sak," his look-a-like informed, giving the room a glance before spotting him. "Nevermind." He looked him over, giving him a strange look. Sasuke looked back with the same face. 

But, to be fair, it didn't look like he belonged in a tattoo parlor in the first place-considering he was wearing a suit and all. 

"Could you send them over, please?" He looked over at Sakura and saw her already setting everything up. She, it seemed, didn't lose her productivity. She was on top of it all, giving all her time to her job. 

Just like in high school.

"You can step right over to Sakura, sir." Sai said in a snarky tone and nodded his head towards the pink-haired female.

"Thanks," he responded with the same tone and gave a fake smile. Asshole.

He walked over to Sakura, sat in the chair, and waited for her to notice him.

"Hello," her back was still turned to him, "what kind of design are you looking for?"

Design...

Shit, he panicked, did he even think this through? He just sat in the chair! Like nothing! Without hesitation!

He was in deep shit now.

He didn't even want a tattoo. It would look unprofessional.

Fuck it.

"Anything you want."

He saw Sakura stiffen.

Sasuke was glad that she still remembered his voice.

She turned, and now he was able to fully take in her features.

Young, matured...

Beautiful.

"Sasuke... what-"

"Hey," he simply said, giving her one of his rare smiles.

The ones he used to give her.

"How've you been?" He gave her an open-mouth smile this time, hoping he wasn't cringing during it.

"I'm...good." She sounded skeptical, a little unsure. However, it was expected.

She kept looking at him with her nose scrunched up in an odd way.

Annoying.

"Sakura."

"Yes."

"My tattoo?"

"Right." She picked up a needle. "What's your design?"

"You pick."

Her lips twitched. "Okay," her voice cracked. "Where?"

He thought for a moment and then rolled up his sleeve. "Here."

Sakura dug the needle in his arm.

"Ow!" he yelped.

"Don't move." Her face was blank.

Damn, he never thought that needles would hurt so much, and he was a doctor.

He waited for a while, his arm in pain. He was pretty sure he blacked out a bit, too. He never spoke to Sakura and Sakura never spoke to him.

"Done," she wiped his arm. He didn't bother to look at, knowing very well the toll it would take on his career.

Shit, it still hurt.

"Hey, Sasuke," he turned at the sound of her voice. "How... how did you find me?"

Wow, he stared. The way she managed to make her voice sound so innocent...

"Ino told me, she sat next to me on the plane I was on."

"Oh, that's... that's something Ino would do." She seemed... depressed. "But why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to know why. Why did you break up with me? I thought we were happy together..."

"Sasuke," she sighed, "I wanted to do this," she gestured to the studio with her hand. "I want to work at a crappy place like this and become a tattooer. Do you think you parents would have liked you to be with someone who had those goals?"

No, his parents would never.

"No."

"Exactly. They probably would've kicked you out or something. I wanted you to do something great, like your doctor dream." She put a sad smile on her face. "Look at you now."

"Sakura... I... I..." He was choking out his words.

"What?"

"I-" Say it!

"I wanted to marry you."

Sakura's eyes widened and he knew that she didn't believe him, so he gave her a nervous smile.

He was smiling way too much.

"I was... gonna propose during my valedictorian speech," he chuckled.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I thought it would be romantic."

"That... makes me really happy."

The Uchiha felt his heart flutter. She would have liked it? Is that what she meant?

Hearing Sakura say that made him realize that he should have fought harder.

But he can fight now.

"So," he began, "my plane doesn't leave until tomorrow. Maybe we could...?"

"Sure," she threw a needle in the trash. "But, would your parents mind?"

"I'm a big boy, Sakura. They can't tell me what to do anymore."

"Right," she giggled. "If you pay for dinner you don't have to pay for that tattoo."

"Deal." he said and looked at his tattoo. "Yeah, this better be free."

Sakura giggled and pinched the area where the tattoo of a penis was located.

~~~

Written by Illu_sions

David and Liza broke up... 😞😞😞