Already Gone

//I will not leave a letter, no nothing at all.//

Sakura sighed as she closed the door to the apartment she shared with her friend Ino. She knew she should leave something to let the blond know she would be ok but she just hoped the girl would understand and not be too mad about her decision.

“I left when he did, and now that he’s back…there’s no reason to stay.” She thought to herself as she walked out into the cold November night.

**********flash back ***********

“You could at least act like your happy to see me!” Sakura huffed as Sasuke walked right by her in the crowded club where his welcome back party was being held.

“Then that would be lying…and I thought we were past that.” Sasuke said with a dark smirk as he turned his back on Sakura for the second time in her life.

Slap!

“What did you think I was going to kiss you? Just because you have some notion that confessing your one sided love is going to get me to stay doesn’t mean I have to continue lying and acting like I actually tolerate your company. Why don’t you do the world a favor and just disappear…or better yet kill yourself.” Sasuke said as he left Sakura holding her cheek and alone in the park the day they graduated high school.

“Earth to forehead-girl! Don’t space out on me now, it’s a party, plus we haven’t annoyed Kakashi yet.” Ino giggled as she grabbed Sakura causing the girl to put on her much practiced fake smile and let herself be led by the blond.

//You won’t even notice that I’m even gone//

“Ah if it isn’t my favorite students!” Kakashi smiled from his ever present and way too high turtleneck collar and monocle as he stood leaning against the wall.

“Hi professor Kakashi.” Ino chirped.

Kakashi merely sighed. He hated being called Mr. when they were his high school students and now that he was their college professor he missed the informality that isn’t present with professor.

“I’ve told you time and time again to just call me Kakashi outside of school.” Kakashi chided as he looked back to the romance novel that had not left the front of his face.

“Aww does it make you feel old professor?” Sakura said as she saw her teacher raise an eye at her and Ino hold back a laugh.

“Who knows maybe he has a teacher-student fantasy.” Ino giggled causing Sakura and Kakashi to look at her as if she had lost her mind.

“Well look at that! Isn’t that Choji with a back of pork rinds?!” Kakashi gasped knowing that Ino had her boyfriend on a strict diet so he would maintain staying the weight he was after fat camp.

“Oh I’m going to get him!” Ino steamed as she went off in search of Choji who ironically was trying to eat a back of pork rinds in the corner.

“Thanks Kakashi.” Sakura said knowing that she didn’t need to act all happy in front of him.

The day Sasuke left her Kakashi happened to be driving by on his way home from the teacher’s graduation party at the high school and he stopped to console his pink haired student. Suffice to say Kakashi became sort of a life line for her and the only person who didn’t mind her bouts of silent sadness.

// I won’t break this silence we shared for so long//

“He’s back..” Kakashi said more to himself but he did look at Sakura from the corner of his eye.

“…Yeah.” Sakura really wanted to leave the crowded room where she saw everyone so happy that he was back.

“The fire escape has a great view of the city.” Kakashi said with a wink as Sakura looked up at him graciously when he motioned towards the window.

“Thank you Kakashi.” She smiled truthfully as she opened the window and went out to the fire escape.

Kakashi merely shrugged and resumed his reading as if nothing happened.

Sakura breathed in the night air and let it calm her. For some reason she found herself loving the cold night air more and more over the 4 years since highschool, but she should have known that her serenity would be broken soon by a loudmouth spiky haired blond friend.

“Oi Sakura! What are you doing out here all by yourself? You should be inside celebrating…haven’t you been waiting for that prick to come back?”

Sakura groaned and rolled her eyes as she rested her arms against the fire escape railing and looked out in the city.

“Just because I’ve been waiting for him to come back doesn’t mean it’s for a good reason.” Sakura deadpanned.

//I will be strong//

“Ohhh, well you know there’s plenty of fish out there in sea.” Naruto said with a perverted waggle of her eyebrows.

“I don’t do blonds.” Sakura chuckled despite herself.

“I could always dye my hair…maybe emo like cold bastard in there or even flaming red yeah!” Naruto said excitedly as he tried to look at one of his blond spiked in thought.

“Naruto your great the way you are…and besides I wouldn’t want anyone to change just to date me.” Sakura said with a sad smile as she ruffled her long time friend’s hair.

“You Know you’ve been pretty distant since he left. You should be happy! Your Sakura Haruno valedictorian of Kanoha high, apprentice to martial artist/nurse Tsunade, winner of every scholarship she applied for and offered to go to every ivy league school in the nation. Don’t let Mr. cold-prick-emo-stick-firmly-in-my-ass-bastard make you think any different!” Naruto shouted enthusiastically as he counted her achievements on his fingers.

“Thank you Naruto.” Sakura whispered as she leaned forward and hugged him tight.

//I will not leave a letter, no nothing at all //

“If I knew a speech like that would get you all hot and bothered I would have said it years ago!”

Sakura shook her head and sighed as she watched Naruto nurse the bruise on his head giving her puppy dog eyes.

“You just had to ruin a very beautiful moment between us didn’t you?” Sakura smirked.

“At least your smiling so I’m happy…now let’s get back inside.” Naruto said as he grabbed her hand and they both went back through the window only to come face to face with Sasuke.

//I’m sure you wont notice that I’m even gone//


Sasuke merely glared at Sakura before he started up his usual argument with Naruto. Sakura clenched her fist and took a deep breath as she tuned out the rest of the room and focused on Sasuke as she tapped his shoulder.

“What do you want?” Sasuke growled as he turned to glare at Sakura but before he fully turned his body Sakura had already reeled back and landed a perfect punch straight to his jaw that set him falling.

“I owed you…with interest!” Sakura spat out

//Why did I stay here, stay for so long? When were so far gone//

Sakura for the first time since he left had a bright and honest smile on her face as she turned and without a word left the club as the crowd only gasped and parted for her.

“Go Sakura!” Naruto called out but his words were lost after she made her hurried way back home.

After she entered the apartment she shared with Ino she went straight to her room and hurriedly packed her things.

//I feel so stupid taking this fall. I should have seen it, known all along//

She was very glad that she wasn’t keen on having unnecessary things around as she stuffed her large bag.

“There’s no reason for me to stay here pretending day after day that I have a reason to be here…they’ll understand.” Sakura said to herself as she picked the bag up and headed towards the door.

*********end of flashback*******

Sakura looked up at the street lights with a sort of contempt smile on her face as she turned away from her apartment.

//I wont break the silence we shared for so long//

“Sakura!”

Sakura stopped and didn’t turn around at the cold voice that called her name.

“You know Naruto and Ino will be mad about you leaving like this in the middle of the night.” Sasuke reprimanded.

Sakura turned and gave him her best “Like-you-care” look.

//I will be strong//

“I don’t really care what pathetic excuse you have for whatever your doing but I would like to know why.”

Sakura merely raised an eyebrow and smirked as she noticed the growing purple and black bruise on his chin.

“ I’m doing what I should have done years ago.” She said calmly and quietly not expecting him to understand.

“What? leaving in the middle of the night so you can just get lost and come running back in tears?” Sasuke said with a dark chuckle.

//What could you possibly want from me cant you see I’m already gone//

“I stayed here for 4 years waiting for you to come back, now that you’re here I can finally go.”

Sakura turned to walk away but was stopped yet again by Sasuke’s laughter ringing around her.

//When everything we thought we’d be I still don’t feel sorry for this loss//

“I thought you were pathetic but this is just ridiculous. You stayed in a city that has nothing to offer all so you could see a man who see’s you as nothing but an insect?! I only acknowledged your existence because I couldn’t stand hearing your whiny voice saying my name all the time. You really should have taken my advice and just died… at least then I would respect you a lot more than just running away like this.” Sasuke said with a sneer as he stopped laughing.

//I will not waste a moment thinking these thoughts//

“Don’t worry even though you crushed this…insect I’m still standing and I wont be bothering you anymore.” Sakura said as she took a few steps towards Sasuke.

“You know what I…I forgot why I even came after you. Oh yeah I should pay you back for that punch.” Sasuke said darkly as he stepped face to face with Sakura who didn’t flinch and instead looked him dead in the eyes.

//Forgetting comes easy I never cared at all.//

Sakura leaned forward causing Sasuke to flinch and close his eyes which made her smirk as she gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

//Hurt became hate now I’m feeling the strain there’s just too much pain.//

“What did you think I was going to do? Slap you?” Sakura smirked as she turned around and started walking leaving Sasuke watching her retreating back as she picked up the pace so that the wind could carry her tears and leave them behind.

// fell into pieces got swept away,left all our pictures in the sun to fade//

“I’m sorry Ino, Naruto,Kakashi…Sasuke. I just need to find where I’ve gone.” Sakura said to herself as she stopped to catch her breath and found herself face to face with the city limits sign and the woods surrounding Kanoha City.

Only then did she notice car lights come behind her as Kakashi stopped only a foot away and sat in his car.

//Wont break the silence we shared for so long//

They stood there in silence. Sakura staring at Kakashi who always seemed to be where he was needed not where he was supposed to be, and Kakashi just seemed to stare lazily out his car window.

“I know you care but..”

“It’s not my place to stop you.” Kakashi silenced her.

//I will be strong//

“Thank you Kakashi.” Sakura said as she turned to continue walking out of town only to be stopped by his voice yet again.

“I thought you were above doing something so drastic just for a boy…I guess I was wrong.”

// What could you possibly want from me cant you see I’m already gone?//

“I’m not doing this for him I’m doing it for myself, besides you should know better than anyone that I haven’t been myself since then.”

Kakashi sighed and leaned his head against the steering wheel.

//Everything wed thought wed be I still don’t feel sorry this loss//

“Your friends won’t understand…may even hate you if you ever come back. Are you sure your willing to risk that? Do you even know where your going?” He asked her as he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

“I know they wont understand…and I’m willing to take that risk so that I can actually be happy. I need to know where I went and if I have to leave them to do it then so be it! I’ll go where I need to until I find myself.” Sakura said with determination and steel in her voice.

//You don’t have to say anything at all I will not stop you from walking away I’ll do nothing at all//

“Good luck…and don’t blame me if Naruto comes looking for you.” Kakashi sighed.

Sakura smiled warmly at her former teacher.

“Thank you.” Was all she said before she turned and fallowed the now dirt road into the forest.

//Sitting here I’ve wasted the day while the memories fade away.//

Kakashi didn’t even look at her as he turned his car on and headed back in town. He truly missed the pink haired girl who would giggle and always seemed ready to help anyone who asked. He seemed to be the only one who noticed the smiles fade and how hollow everything she did seemed.

//You know I expected so much more from you//

Kakashi looked in his rear view mirror hoping to catch a glimpse of Sakura but she was already gone.

********** end of story********

Please review and tell me what you thought! I usually write romance/angst but after hearing this song from crossfade this just came to me. As of now it’s a one shot but depending on your reviews I might write another story slightly based on this. I don’t write here much so please let me know what you think IM A REVIEW WHORE!!