Chapter 3

Sasuke didn't have a good reason. In fact, he didn't have a reason at all. "Sorry, I'm not coming over." That's the only thing he had to say for himself. Sakura was livid, but more than that, she was hurt. So, she stopped reaching out to him for the next week. Her goal wasn't to get his attention with the act because she genuinely didn't want to talk to him.

Days passed with Sakura experiencing her usual routine, but she was happy to run into Madara a few times in the hall. The pair could easily call themselves friends now. On Thursday night, she invited him over to hang out if he had nothing to do, and he accepted. They just watched TV and drank beer.

It was extremely casual, and Sakura found it relaxing to have him around because he had no expectations of her. She didn't have to dress up, put on makeup, or ensure her apartment was utterly spotless; he didn't care, and she knew it. Just like she doesn't care if he doesn't sugarcoat his opinions for her. In fact, the sincerity was refreshing.

They exchanged numbers, at which point Sakura realized he didn't know her name. When he finally admitted it, his face actually turned red, and she thought she'd pass out from laughing too hard. The man knew her favorite foods, pet peeves, and life goals but didn't know what to call her.

When Friday night came around, and Sakura still hadn't heard from Sasuke, she went out for dinner with a couple of girls from the medical department that shared classes with her. Feeling depressed, she had some drinks, and when it was time to leave, she was tipsy and no longer sad. No, she was angry and determined to discover her boyfriend's problem. So, she took a taxi across town to his dorm building.

Upon arriving, her irritation flared hotter because a party was in full swing amidst the three-story building. Dipping and dodging her way through crowds of gyrating and inebriated co-eds, she made her way to the second floor, the first door on the left. Her heart sank in her chest when she reached for the door handle, only to lay eyes on a sock hanging there.

'...He wouldn't…. It has to be Naruto and Hinata in there, right?'

She smiled to herself, laughing nervously as she drunkenly convinced herself Sasuke would never cheat on her. Then she turned and began searching the building for messy black hair, snagging a red solo cup of something clear and strong to sip on along the way. After searching the entire second and third floor and still not locating her boyfriend, she returned to the first.

While popping her head into one of the open rooms to check for him, she froze when she saw Naruto standing with a group of people, his arm around Hinata's shoulders. His blue eyes met hers, and he stopped talking in the middle of whatever he was saying. Just the look on his face told her she'd been betrayed by Sasuke and by him, too.

"Sakura, wait! Stop!"

Sakura ignored him as he called her name, instead hurrying upstairs so she could see the truth with her own eyes. Her vision was coated red by the time she made it to the right door, and she tore the sock off the handle and shoved it open, eyes widening in shock at what awaited her.

Sasuke was, lying on his back with some woman straddling his hips. They were both naked. When his eyes turned onto her, they widened, and he fumbled to get the redheaded woman off and find some bottoms, "Sakura, no. It's not what it looks like!"

Tears began streaming freely down her cheeks as she stepped backward, "Six years…." Sasuke pulled a pair of sweatpants on and came toward her, his hands reached out as though he meant to grab onto her arms to make sure she couldn't flee, but she smacked them away, "Six years, Sasuke! How could you?"

The Uchiha man shook his head; his panic was easily readable on his face for once, "Please, just let me explain."

The redhead he'd been sleeping with had covered herself with his blanket. She scoffed, making the pair turn to look her way, "This is her? No wonder you're bored."

It was like the final nail in the coffin. Sakura's eyes turned onto Sasuke in shock, her heart breaking into a thousand pieces. His expression said he knew there was nothing he could say to fix things. Clutching the last shreds of her pride, Sakura slapped him as hard as she could. Then she turned and left, shoving past a stunned Naruto and Hinata, who'd watched the scene unfold.

She walked and walked, crying her eyes out and thinking back on all the times she thought something was going on and shrugged it off as one or both of them being stressed because of school.

But it wasn't stress. It was Sasuke. He may not have been cheating on her the entire time, but he wasn't in love with her anymore. He couldn't be, or else he'd never do this.

Sakura found herself at a bar somewhere between the dorms and her apartment and drank until she couldn't see or think straight. She downed enough alcohol that she couldn't feel the hole in her chest eating her alive anymore.

The next thing she knew, she was waking up. Her head was pounding, but she was warm, and something smelt nice. Tears welled in her eyes as her memories began to return, and she buried her face into the pillow she was snuggling to wipe them away. The only boy she's ever loved or dated took her heart and hypothetically threw it in the dirt.

'What am I supposed to do now? How do you get over someone when they're all you've ever known?' Her chest shook as she fell into silent sobs.

The pillow vibrated, and a deep sound, like a groan, met her ears. That's when she realized the thing she was burying her face in was much too firm to be a pillow. It was also incredibly warm. Before she could finish processing, an arm fell heavily over her waist, holding her closer to whoever she'd climbed into bed with. It wasn't Sasuke, that much she knew for sure because she's cuddled his chest hundreds of times, and it wasn't this broad. The scent wasn't his, either.

The person was still asleep, she was pretty sure. He wasn't snoring, but his breaths were even, and his pulse hadn't changed since she first noticed it.

Cautiously, she pulled back so as not to wake him. When she recognized the sleeping face before her, she had to bite her tongue not to fall into sobs once more.

It was Madara.

Sakura was mortified. Not only did she get cheated on by her boyfriend, but then she went and drunkenly slept with the only friend she knew for sure wasn't in on the fact. More than ever before, she wanted to crawl under a rock and die.

Gingerly, she slid out from under the Uchiha man's arm and tiptoed out of his bedroom. She was wearing a shirt so oversized it nearly reached her knees, obviously Madara's, and she couldn't find her clothes, so she had no choice but to snatch up her phone and purse and sneak back to her apartment. She hoped the office manager wasn't looking at the security cameras because she was already humiliated enough.

She locked and bolted her door before sliding to the floor with her back against it, wrapping her arms around her knees and burying her face into them as the dam on her control crumbled.

Sasuke cheating on her wasn't her fault, but for some reason, after waking up in bed with Madara, all she could think was, 'I ruin everything.'

Madara was happy, actually happy, for the first time in years. Sure, he'll start his new job in a week, guarding an irritatingly creepy old man, but it didn't seem as bad as before.

He'd made his very first friend outside of his job. Sakura's unorganized, babbles when she's nervous, and can't tell a lie to save her life, but the positive traits severely outweigh the negative. He didn't expect to hear much from her again after Halloween, maybe a hello in the hallway if they happened to run into each other, but he was wrong.

It was nice having someone to hang out with when he didn't want to be alone. It was even better that he doesn't find her annoying like he does the majority of women. At least, not enough that it truly bothers him.

He'd gone for a jog because he couldn't fall asleep and wanted to get rid of his excess energy. Wiping some sweat from his brow, he stepped into the elevator and hit the fourth-floor button. Tomorrow he had a couple of errands to run, but Sakura invited him to come over for dinner because she found a new recipe she wanted to try.

A grin tugged at his lips as he shook his head. He knows he should be worried because he's not allowed to be this content. Anytime something good happens in his life, something terrible soon follows, but he doesn't want to focus on that because negative thinking could lead to such a thing, too. So, he'll try to make this friendship last.

The elevator doors opened with a ding, and he stepped out, walking toward his apartment. When he turned the corner to the correct hall, his eyes widened, and his blood turned to ice.

'No…. They couldn't have found out about her already!'

Madara rushed over and knelt beside the pink-haired woman, who was lying on her side against her unit's door, curled into a ball. "Sakura! Sakura, answer me; what happened?"

She wasn't unconscious like he initially thought. No, eyes of emerald were cloudy, unfocused, and releasing an endless stream of tears that dripped heavily into her messy hair on the floor.

When she didn't respond, the man's concern only grew. He hesitated for a moment but overcame it and slid an arm under her so he could maneuver her to sitting upright, "What happened? Are you okay?"

Then, the unmistakable scent of alcohol met his senses, and he realized that she was completely trashed. Despite their first meeting, he knows she's extremely careful not to drink too much when out and about because she's always worried something bad will happen. To end up in such a state, something must've really bothered her.

Being physically moved seemed to snap the woman out of it. Sakura's eyes came into focus only slightly, and her tears thickened as she drunkenly said his name in the saddest voice he's heard leave her mouth. He tensed when she lurched forward to throw her arms around his shoulders, crying into one of them.

Physical contact is the most significant of all the things he's been cautious of with her. Beyond the fact that she has a boyfriend, Madara didn't want her to think he had bad intentions. Sure, she's gorgeous, and if they met at a bar one night as strangers, he'd have bedded her in a heartbeat, but that's not possible now. She knows too much about him, and he about her, and Madara doesn't sleep with women he actually knows.

That being said, his mind went blank the moment her small frame pressed against his chest. The alcohol was easy to ignore when she was this close because her shampoo and perfume were detectable.

She smelled of vanilla.

Hesitantly, he wrapped an arm around her and tried again, "Sakura, talk to me."

The woman in question just tightened her hold on him and continued crying. Glancing down the hallway, Madara decided to pick her up and take her into his apartment. Danzo owned these apartments, and he didn't want him to see his direct involvement with Sakura. It could potentially put her in danger. There were security cameras out there.

Since they were no longer strangers, making her sleep on the sofa felt wrong. He'll sleep there instead, so he took her into his bedroom and carefully guided her down to the bed, keeping his voice soft and low so as to not upset her further, "Here, let go. I'll get you a glass of water."

Sakura finally listened, and Madara went to the kitchen to do as he said. His mind was reeling. Sure, she cried a little the first night they met, but that was nothing compared to what he just saw. The only people he's ever seen cry like that are those begging for their lives.

It would be dangerous to leave a woman as drunk as her alone for too long, so he returned to his bedroom, only to nearly drop the glass in shock. Sakura'd undressed down to her bra and underwear and laid there, half-awake, with a pillow hugged to her middle and the tears still falling.

'Jesus Christ, she's trying to kill me,' he thought.

He tried to get her to at least put her shirt back on, but she weakly fought him, saying the clothes were uncomfortable. The man couldn't, in good conscience, let her sleep like that, or else she'd have an aneurysm upon waking. So, he grabbed one of his long-sleeved shirts from the closet and helped her sit up.

She grumbled, "No…. I said no, they're not comfy!"

"But, look, Sakura. It's pajamas. Put it on." He was irritated because even blackout drunk, she was stubborn, but at least she finally allowed him to help her into some clothing.

Her discarded clothing smelled of alcohol, so he threw them in the washer, hoping he'd remember to switch them over to the dryer before falling asleep.

When he returned to the bedroom, she lifted an arm out in his direction. He was willing to help her but didn't want to cross any lines he knew she wouldn't like if she was sober, so he shook his head while handing her the glass of water, "I'll be on the sofa. Just yell if you need me, okay?"

The woman nearly dropped the dish when she let go of it to argue. Luckily, Madara caught it before it could land and spill everywhere, setting it on the nightstand.

"But I need you now."

Madara's eyes narrowed because she sounded so hopeless, and he wondered once more what happened to her. "Sakura, I can't. It's not appropriate."

Her tears fell more heavily, and she messily wiped at them, "I-I don't wanna be alone!"

It'd be easy for a stranger to misunderstand her words, but the Uchiha man understood she wasn't trying to seduce him. He knows by now that when something's bothering her, she prefers not to be alone because she tends to overthink when her mind has time to wander.

So, he made sure the apartment was locked and hesitantly climbed under the covers beside her. It was his intention to remain distant and not touch her, but she threw that plan right out the window and hugged her arm around his middle, burying her face in his chest as she cried.

A minute passed before she slurred into his shirt, "I'm sorry, Madara. Please forgive me. I know you don't like people touchin' you."

His tension began to fade, and his eyes softened. He rolled onto his back, cautiously wrapping an arm around her to rest at her waist, "It's alright. Go to sleep."

"...I'm gonna kill him…." Unexpectedly dangerous words left Sakura's mouth in the softest, barely-awake voice ever.

The Uchiha man looked down but couldn't see her face, "Who? Your boyfriend?" She never responded. Instead, she fell asleep. Madara waited a few minutes to ensure she wouldn't reawaken before allowing himself to follow her lead. It wasn't difficult after such a stressful night.

He slept better than he had in a long time, but the content feeling disappeared abruptly when Madara realized he was alone. Groaning sleepily, his eyes crept open to confirm the notion.

'Maybe she's in the bathroom. I hope she's not sick,' he absently mused while trudging from his bedroom into the kitchen for a fresh glass of water.

Dark eyes drifted into the living room, only for the grogginess to fade when he realized her purse was gone. He verified she wasn't in the bathroom before swallowing his pride and knocking on Sakura's apartment door, if only to verify she was alright. There wasn't an answer. With no other choice, he returned to his own unit and fell heavily onto the sofa.

'She's probably just embarrassed. I'll leave her alone until she wants to talk about it.'