[high school AU, bittersweet]

SASUKE

"I can't believe it! First, you got a speeding ticket. Then you got dragged out of the concert hall for supposedly stealing Sakura's ID, and even despite that, you won a music scholarship?!"

"I guess so?" I chuckled to myself.

Yesterday was a living nightmare to me. But in the end, when I finished playing the same piece Sakura worked hard to perfect, I felt at ease and knew that Sakura will make it. And sure enough, miracles do happen. Sakura woke up from her coma early this morning. So here Naruto and I were, sitting in her hospital room. I watched as Naruto tried to converse with her, but I picked up that something wasn't right. Either Naruto was talking so much that he isn't giving her a chance to talk, or she...

"Sakura."

She looked up at me.

"Do you..." my heart beat faster and faster, "do you know who we are?"

Naruto paled at the realization. We both watched anxiously then felt our stomachs drop the moment Sakura shook her head.

"Who..." She murmured to herself, "who... Are you? Where are my... My parents? Where are they?"

My heart stopped.

"I'm self-taught." She grinned, "you know, living by yourself majority of your life really gives you a lot of free time."

Her parents... I bit my lip. She'd never told us about her living situation, but she never brought her parents up. If anything, I'm not even sure if she has any. Soon, my question was answered by a very pale Naruto.

"They're..." Naruto covered his mouth, "you don't remember?"

"No?" She tilted her head, "where did they go?"

I stared at Naruto then shut my eyes. I knew what was coming.

"Sakura, they... They died."

"Wha..." Sakura stared at him in horror, "no! That can't be!"

"Sakura, please." Naruto cried, "please believe us! It was a car accident, and--"

"Get out, you strangers!!" Sakura yelled as tears poured out of her eyes, "I don't believe either of you! Why should I, I've never seen either of you in my life!"

After everything that'd happened, I was heartbroken. All I needed to know...

"Sakura." I ran up to her and grabbed her hands, "Sakura, look at me."

Sakura stopped and obeyed. She looked deep into my eyes, and I looked into hers.

"Sakura, what do you last remember?"

"I..." She started, "I don't remember any--"

"Yes, you do!" I yelled, squeezing her hands, "remember the car accident! Your life in middle school! Remember when Naruto saved you from those girls! Remember that pop quiz Kakashi gave us the other day, the books he always reads. Remember..." My throat was closing up, "remember me. Remember that class field trip to Yuki Concert Hall."

I saw it. I saw the spark that flashed in her eyes the moment I brought it up.

"Remember when Naruto and I fought over who saved you from the guys at the smoothie place at the mall. Remember Naruto's promise that he'd get you a grand piano someday. Remember learning the piano. Remember... Remember telling me that you'd show me something I'll never forget."

Within minutes, Sakura gripped my hands just as tight as I gripped hers, "S-Sasuke...!"

"Sakura, you really did show me something I'll never forget." I smiled down at her, "you showed me what I've been missing in my life and that I should get it back. The piano is something I'll never forget. And that's what I love about you."

"W-wait..." She stopped me, "did you say...?!"

"Yeah, so." I let go of her hand and pulled out the manila envelope, "this is for you."

She took the envelope and opened it, "where did you get this?!"

"I performed in the competition yesterday." I crossed my arms proudly, "in your place. Even though it was illegal, I still won the money. I know you worked your butt off for that competition, so this is paying it off."

"But..." Sakura bluntly pulled out the check, "it has your name written on it... And it's already signed... In pen... By you...."

"Oh, is that so?" I shrugged, "oh well."

Sakura angrily tore up the check and gritted her teeth, "why you son of a..."

"Okay..." Naruto started moving away slowly, "I'll just get going now."

"Hang on, Naruto." I called, "you two are coming over to my house tonight."

Sakura blinked a few times, "wha...?"

"That's not an excuse. Besides..." I smirked at her, "I want to show you something... Something special."

__________________

SAKURA

Naruto helped me walk up the few steps to Sasuke's front door.

"Man..." Naruto groaned, "can't you walk on your own?"

"Hello!" I yelled, "I woke up from my coma! That doesn't mean I didn't get any broken bones in that car crash, for heaven's sake!"

"Well." Sasuke opened the door, "I thought I heard you two..."

I grabbed my crutches from Naruto's grasp and made my way slowly but surely past Sasuke and into the entryway, "I swear, if you put that money into that speeding ticket you got, I'm not going to be..."

My voice trailed off once I glanced around the corner and into the living room. At the center of the room sat a grand piano, "Hmph." I glared at the boy, "so, you bought yourself a piano, huh?"

"Yeah, I did." Sasuke stood next to me, "actually, it's for you."

"Pssh." I rolled my eyes, "yeah, right."

"I'm serious." He blinked a few times then nodded, "besides, you're staying with me now."

"What?!" I nearly fell over, "Sasuke, what are you saying?!"

"Well." He shrugged, "you don't have to live by yourself any longer. You can move in and stay with us."

I don't think I heard him correctly because it almost sounded like he was asking me to live with him...

"I mean..." Naruto chuckled, "my house isn't big enough. Plus, there's a grand piano here that you can play to your heart's desire. Not only that, you can play with the one you love most."

Now I was truly speechless, "I-I... 'The one I love most'?!"

Naruto walked up to me and took my hands, "we both read the letter. We don't care what your past was like. We talked about it, and living by yourself isn't going to help you become a better musician. So, Sasuke wants you to live with him."

"Ah..." Sasuke blushed and scratched the back of his neck, "not that I want you to live with me... It's just I want you to stay with me."

"Sasuke!" Naruto crossed his arms, "that's not any different!"

"I mean!" Sasuke stuttered, "I don't want you to l-live by yourself. That's what I meant. It gets kind of scary, don't you think?"

"Whatever you say...."

"Dobe, shut up!"

"What, I'm just saying."

I stared at Sasuke the same way I looked at him the first time he walked out on stage years ago.

"You know, Sasuke." The two turned to watch me, "I couldn't have made it to where I am today without you. I don't know if I'd even be here or in a boot camp because of my behavior. Either way, knowing you became my entire existence, and without it... I'd be completely lost."

He smiled at me. A smile that melted my heart, "well, I could say the exact same thing... So... Thanks, Sakura. You really do mean the world to me."

With that said, I agreed to live with Sasuke and his family until we both graduated to college. We attended the same music school until our piano careers maxed out and eventually, once we settled into our own house, we decided to make it official. He asked me to marry him and of course, I said yes. From the start, I never thought that someone as horrible as me could ever end up changing the life of the man I love and even marrying him, all with a single lie. The lie that brought the two of us together and made us find the three things that truly matter to us: Each other, our very own baby daughter, and the piano. 

~~~

Written by xX_Fang_Xx

Inspired by Your Lie in April