Author's note: i'm struggling with writer's block for my ongoing story 'Road to Sakura' so i wrote this quick little one-shot to try and help myself get over it. i hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think by reviewing! (:
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Naruto!
"Naruto!" Sakura called out running into Ichiraku.
We all turned our heads and looked over at our out of breath pink haired teammate. Her face was flushed, hair was mussed, she was breathing heavily, and sweat rolled off her skin. There was something almost… intoxicating, about her appearance. She looked stunning really… not that I'd ever tell her that or anything.
"What's up Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked looking at her confused.
"You gotta talk to Hinata." Sakura said staring at him.
I scowled, slightly annoyed that she hadn't even glanced at me or said anything to me yet; her attention was completely focused on Dobe.
"Hinata?" Naruto asked frowning. "Why? What's going on?"
"She's convinced that we're dating." Sakura huffed, putting her hand on hip.
I almost choked on her words, taken aback by the absurdity of Sakura Haruno dating a loser like Naruto.
"Is this about your confession? I thought Hinata got over that already." Sai chimed in.
Sakura shot Sai a fierce glare before looking back towards the imbecilic blonde.
"What brought this up all of a sudden?" Naruto asked.
"Confession?" I asked confused.
Is Naruto seriously still trying to win Sakura over? How pathetic can he get? She's never loved him and she never will.
"Sakura confessed to Naruto awhile back, it was during the time you were gone." Sai stated glancing at me.
"…What?" I asked looking over at him.
There's no way I heard that correctly. No way in hell Sakura confessed to him.
"I thought we explained everything to Hinata though." Naruto said as the two ignored me.
"I tried to but she won't listen anymore. She thinks that your rejection wasn't genuine or something, I don't know all the details but she said something about your dad's stupid comment and she's refusing to believe me. Will you please just go talk to her?" Sakura asked with a heavy sigh.
"What does the fourth have to do with anything?" I asked, still irritated that the two were ignoring me.
"Minato asked if Sakura was his girlfriend." Sai said happily volunteering the information. "And Naruto said sure."
"What?!" I snapped, glaring at the idiot.
"Where's Hinata at?" Naruto asked.
"She's leaving for a mission tonight, so she's probably at home getting ready. I gotta get to the hospital, I'm late as is; otherwise I'd go with you to help clear things over. Promise me that you'll handle this before she leaves, okay?" Sakura asked starting to turn away.
"Yeah of course. I'll straighten everything out Sakura-chan." Naruto grinned at her.
Sakura nodded and hurried off.
"Dobe." I growled venomously, giving him my infamous 'if looks could kill' glare.
"What?" Naruto asked looking at me.
"Explain. Now."
"Explain what?"
"Why was your dad asking if Sakura was your girlfriend and for that matter, why the hell did she confess to you?"
"Jealous, teme?" Naruto smirked.
"Just answer the damn question usuratonkachi."
"Well if you must know, Sakura-chan told me she loved me… but I rejected her." Naruto shrugged.
She told him she loves him? …And He rejected Her? No way that's true. I don't buy it.
"Anyway I have to go talk to Hinata and sort things out." Naruto said excusing himself from the table.
I got up and followed him, Sai decided to tag along as well.
"I don't believe you." I stated harshly.
"What's not to believe? Sakura-chan told me she loved me and I told her I wasn't interested." Naruto shrugged. "My dad made an off handed comment about her being my girlfriend when he arrived during the war; it kinda threw me off guard so I just said sure without really thinking about it." Naruto said with another casual shrug. "But Hinata's the girl I love, she should know that. I can't let her think there's anything between Sakura-chan and I."
I stopped walking and glared at his back.
He sounded so sure of himself, like Sakura actually confessed to him, like it was actually possible she had said I love you to him and he rejected her…
I knew the two had gotten closer when I left the village and that they were still close even now, but… I never imagined she would be in love with him… it just seemed so impossible.
If Naruto hadn't rejected her then does that mean they'd be dating right now? She confessed to me on the battlefield too, but… am I just a replacement for Naruto then? Could she love him more than me if there was a point in time when she was willing to tell him those words? Words that I had always believed to be reserved for me and me alone…
"Something wrong Sasuke?" Sai asked looking back at me over his shoulder when he noticed i'd stopped following.
I glared at him and turned and walked off.
I wanted to hear it from someone other than those two… I wanted to ask Sakura but the very idea made me sick to my stomach. I felt like I was gonna vomit.
The possibility that she could feel that way for someone other than me, for usuratonkachi of all people… it was sickening. I was afraid if I asked her, she'd tell me that she was in love with him, that it wasn't a joke… maybe even that she loved him more than me… that I'm just a replacement. A substitute for the guy she can't have…
"This is kind of sudden." Ino said gawking at me as I glared at her.
"Just answer the damn question Ino." I growled venomously.
Not wanting to talk to Sakura, I went to the only other person who I felt would tell me the truth; Sakura's best friend.
"Yeah, forehead told Naruto she loved him." Ino nodded staring at me curiously.
I felt like my heart had stopped beating at her words.
It was one thing for Naruto and Sai to say that to me because those two were always coming up with new ways to annoy and pester me. They loved to torment me and would say anything to get under my skin, but… Ino had no reason to lie to me or bend the truth.
This was it… Sakura actually told him that she loved him… Sakura said those three words to Naruto…
"He rejected her you know!" Ino yelled after me as I turned around and stormed out of her flower shop.
Hearing her last words was another stab through the chest. I felt like someone had just drove a dagger through my heart and was now twisting and turning it. I felt sick to my stomach, I felt angry, infuriated even. I wanted to lash out at Sakura, to curse her name, to scream at her… but I had no right.
It happened during the time I wasn't here… and who could blame her? Naruto was the hero of Konoha, Naruto was the one that was always by her side, Naruto was there for her all the times that I failed to be, he'd protected her and cared for her… and all I ever did was hurt her. Naruto deserved her far more than I ever did; he was the one she truly belonged with… so what right do I have to tell her it's wrong for her to fall in love with the guy she actually deserves to be with?
Sakura wasn't even technically mine but I still felt like I'd lost something. I knew that I don't deserve her and that I have no right to be angry at her… but, I'd always just thought she'd wait for me… that her love for me was purer than that…
Instead of confronting Sakura, I chose to avoid her. I spent the next two weeks beating the crap out of Naruto during our training sessions, taking all of my anger and aggression out on him because I felt he deserved it. In my eyes, he had tainted Sakura. He had allowed her to tell him those three words and in the end he rejected her; it didn't seem right or fair. If she was going to choose him over me then the least he could do was accept and return her feelings. I still couldn't believe he even told her no considering he had the biggest crush on her when we were younger, constantly asking her out on dates and things…
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out to me, running towards us.
I turned my back to her and glared fiercely at Naruto as we stopped our sparring match. Naruto wiped the blood from his lip and smiled at the kunoichi coming towards us.
"Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out happily, waving at her.
Seeing him smile at her like that made me want to break his face beyond recognition. Destroy every damn bone in his body beyond repair. I hated seeing the two of them interact. I couldn't' stand it.
I looked away from Naruto and started to walk off.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura growled, chasing after me. "You can't just keep avoiding me."
"Hn."
I ignored her complaints and kept walking.
"Will you at least explain to me why you're mad at me in the first place?" she demanded, rushing in front of me.
"You've been avoiding Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked walking over to us.
I ignored both of them and brushed past her.
"Teme! Don't just walk away!" Naruto snapped, attempting to hit me.
I grabbed his fist and tossed him aside before I continued moving. I wanted to be as far away from the two of them as possible, before they made me sick.
"I believe he's angry because of the conversation you two had at Ichiraku a few weeks ago." Sai interjected, getting to his feet and walking towards our teammates.
He'd been hanging around Naruto and me a lot lately, some nonsense about trying to better understand our bonds.
"Conversation?" Naruto and Sakura asked in unison, looking towards my back.
"What conversation?" Sakura asked frowning.
"Oh! Is this about you being all pissed and jealous because Sakura confessed to me?" Naruto asked, moving in front of me and grinning like an imbecile.
"I told you I'm not jealous." I growled at him through clenched teeth.
"Naruto!" Sakura shouted at him angrily, storming over to him. "You can't keep letting people have misconceptions about us!"
Sai and I winced as Sakura smacked Naruto on the head hard enough to make him fall on his face, creating a tiny crater beneath him.
"Ow! Sakura-chan! That really hurt!" Naruto whined after a moment, sitting up and rubbing his head.
"It's your own fault!" Sakura snapped at him. "This is precisely why Hinata was so insecure! I mean if Sasuke-kun is willing to believe it then who knows who else might believe it too."
I looked over at Sakura feeling my anger subside a bit as she lectured Naruto.
"So… you didn't tell him that you… um… loved him?" I asked her, struggling to get the words out.
Sakura glanced at me, her face flushing. She bit her lip and quickly averted her gaze. I bit the inside of my cheek nervously, awaiting her response, feeling terrified she'd tell me the words I'd been dreading to hear her say.
"…No, I did." She mumbled softly after a moment.
Another knife drove into my chest, twisting and turning it with every passing second, forcing it deeper into my already wounded bleeding heart.
So it was true, Sakura was in love with Naruto…
"But it's not like that Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said suddenly, looking at me once more.
This time it was my turn to look away from her.
I didn't want to hear anything else, didn't want to know anymore. The damage was done, anything else she could say would only make it worse.
"Naruto, if you would just explain to people the situation properly we wouldn't have this problem." Sakura huffed, glaring at the blonde sitting on the ground.
"I don't see how teme's jealousy is my fault."
"I'm not jealous. I could care less if she confessed to you." I lied, turning my back to them and starting to walk off once more.
I managed to take three steps before Sakura grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
"It's true that I told Naruto I loved him, but… that's not the whole truth Sasuke-kun." Sakura said softly, apologetically.
I pulled my arm from her grasp but didn't move from my spot. I could have gotten away from them easily but… some part of me must enjoy torture or pain because at that moment I couldn't get my body to move. I didn't want to hear whatever explanation she would try to give me, didn't want her to be further tainted than she already was, didn't want to know… but I couldn't move. I was going to hear her out even though every instinct in my body was telling me to leave and never look back.
Sakura didn't make a move to grab me or hold me in place; she seemed to be relieved that I hadn't started to leave again. But she also didn't start explaining herself, letting silence fill the air between us, a heavy tension settling in.
"…Do you love him or not?" I asked almost inaudibly when she didn't say anything else.
The silence between us was suffocating, intolerable. It was the first time in my life I every truly detested silence and her hesitation irritated me. If she was going to wound me further I wanted her to get it over with already so I could move on.
"I do." Sakura said without hesitation.
I winced involuntarily feeling yet another knife drive into me. I was grateful my back was to the three of them and they couldn't see the look of anguish that had flashed across my face for a split second.
"But I'm not in love with him." Sakura clarified.
"…What?" I asked, slowly turning around to face her.
How could she confess to him and say she loves him but she's not in love with him? I don't understand… it makes no sense.
"I still haven't forgiven you for the way you rejected me by the way." She said glancing over at Naruto.
"Hey it was better than calling you annoying, right?" Naruto asked with a slight laugh as he finally got to his feet, smiling at her.
Sakura scowled at him while I once more winced at his statement. I knew that those words had hurt her each time I'd said them to her… but they were also meaningful…
Knowing that Sakura was in love with this idiot, I didn't want to be reminded of that. Those moments when she professed her love to me, that I allowed her to know that I remembered each moment by calling her annoying… it was all too painful. I didn't want to think about them ever again. Words that once held so much meaning to me, that gave me strength when I least expected it, words I once cherished deeply… now only made me sick.
"Absolutely not." Sakura huffed, glaring at him. "Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to say those words to you?"
"Difficult for you?! What about my feelings?" Naruto snapped at her. "You knew how much I cared about you. There you were telling me the words I'd once give anything to hear… and you were lying to yourself! And not only were you were lying to yourself but you were lying to me, straight to my face. It was painful to watch."
I looked at the two of them confused, listening to their argument. What did he mean she was lying? But a moment ago she just said… I don't understand…
"Just because I was lying doesn't make it any less rude." Sakura hissed.
"How is that rude? It would have been rude if I knew you were lying and didn't call you out on it." Naruto argued, folding his arms across his chest.
"…Lying?" I muttered softly, staring at them in confusion.
"Sakura lied when she told me she loved me." Naruto said glancing at me.
"And it's still your fault that anyone thinks otherwise." Sakura snapped at him angrily.
"But you just said…" my voice faltered off as I looked over at Sakura.
I was so confused. She lied to him when she said she loved him? But she just admitted that she does…
Sakura frowned guiltily as she glanced at me for a moment, her eyes refusing to meet with mine. When she could no longer bear to look at me, she stared at her feet, still looking really guilty and ashamed.
"I told Naruto I loved him because I was trying to free him from his promise to me…" she mumbled.
"Promise?" I parroted, feeling like an idiot for only being able to repeat words that they were saying but truly unable to articulate anything else.
"She wanted me to stop chasing after you; she thought if she told me that she loved me then it would ease my burden… it happened in the land of iron…" Naruto muttered, also looking at the ground now.
Land of iron? Wasn't that when she… but why would she confess to Naruto before attempting to…? I'm so confused right now, i don't understand. They aren't making any sense at all and it still doesn't explain what she meant just now when she said she loved him but she wasn't in love with him…
"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun." Sakura apologized, still refusing to look at me.
"It wasn't Sakura's fault and she didn't mean it." Naruto said looking over at me. "She thought it was the only way to save both of us. She lied and said she loved me hoping that I'd give you up but I told her I had my own reasons for wanting to bring you back and her promise to me had nothing to do with it. I also told her that I hated people who lied to themselves so I refused to accept her words, it was painfully obvious they were false."
"But just now, you…"
Sakura bit her lip and lifted her head up, looking at Naruto instead of at me.
"I still feel bad for Hinata." She said looking at him. "If we've managed to give Sasuke-kun this much of a misunderstanding then of course Hinata would think so too."
"I already explained everything to Hinata, she's fine." Naruto said looking back at her. "She even agreed to go on a date with me as soon as she gets home."
"You two aren't making any sense." I stated, staring harshly at both of them, refusing to allow them to change the topic.
This was a waste of time, they just kept going in circles, neither of them elaborating or actually explaining anything. All they were doing was irritating and confusing me.
"What do you mean you love Naruto but you're not in love with him?" I asked, looking over at Sakura.
The two of them exchanged a glance, the tiniest of smiles slowly starting to form on her lips. I scowled when I saw it, the sickly feeling rising like bile.
"Naruto, to me, is like that obnoxious older brother I never wanted." Sakura said with a slight laugh, partly nervous. "He's basically my family so I can't help but love and care for him, but…" she turned her attention to me and took a slow deep breath. "I'm not in love with him, he was right to call me a liar when I tried to convince him otherwise."
I frowned at her words, watching as she turned away from me again to once more look back at the dobe.
She loved him like a brother? Then why would she confess to him? If they both knew it was a lie then why bother confessing at all? I don't understand any of this…
"I still can't believe you actually agreed to your father's stupid comment." Sakura huffed.
"I didn't know what else to say, it caught me off guard." Naruto laughed. "And you kind of are. Technically you're a girl and you're also my friend so… it's not entirely a lie to call you my girlfriend. You also hit me for it so it's not like you didn't get me back."
Sakura continued to glare angrily at him while he laughed.
"I think I need to hit you a lot harder because this is the second time there's been a misunderstanding about my feelings towards you. First Hinata and now Sasuke-kun, who knows who else thinks I like you. And it's all your fault that people have this dumb misconception! If you would just be honest and tell them that you only love Hinata then we wouldn't be having this problem."
I turned away from the two of them and started walking off, no longer caring to hear the rest of their argument. it wasn't like they'd really explain anything anyway, it was all just becoming an annoyance.
Sakura loved him like a brother, they both knew she was lying when she confessed to him, and Minato accusing Sakura of being Naruto's girlfriend was also another misunderstanding. Naruto said sure and she hit him for it. Did I really need to know anything beyond that?
Although I didn't understand all the details, I felt that they didn't matter much at this point. The blades that had been piercing my chest, that had made breathing difficult, thinking irritating, and everything painful, were no longer there. The sick feeling was gone, the pain was gone… the momentary betrayal I had been feeling for the last two weeks was also gone. i felt fine again, like this whole ordeal had never really happened.
I scowled as I considered how much of an effect her words had always had on me, in the past and the present. It irritated me that I had allowed someone like Sakura to affect me this much, that I had always allowed her to affect me in some way or another. That girl, she really was… annoying.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out, running after me.
I didn't stop walking but I had slowed my pace, allowing her to catch up. When she finally fell in line beside me, I stared vacantly ahead while she frowned and looked at her feet.
"…I'm really sorry Sasuke-kun." She mumbled softly, her hands fidgeting nervously as her voice trembled.
I glanced over at her once more confused.
What was she apologizing for? We're not dating; she technically doesn't owe me an explanation. If anyone should apologize it's that damn usuratonkachi for misleading me.
"Can you forgive me?" she asked, glancing at me as she chewed on her lower lip.
"There's nothing to forgive." I responded, not bothering to look at her.
Why is she asking for my forgiveness all of a sudden? Her confession to Naruto was a lie and they both knew it at the time. Her feelings for him aren't the same as her feelings for me so what could I possibly have to forgive her for?
"…That's not what I meant." She said after a moment, stopping.
I stopped as well and looked over at her.
"I meant… can you forgive me for…" her voice wavered and her body shook nervously.
She gulped and wrapped her arms around her middle defensively, opening and closing her mouth as she struggled to get unsaid words out.
"I… I meant for… um… uh… well, for…" she stammered, looking like she could cry at any second.
"Sakura." I said looking at her enchanting green eyes as water started to well up behind them.
She looked up at me at the sound of her name and gazed back into my cold obsidian eyes. She looked nervous and scared, her posture was tense and she was still chewing on her lower lip, fighting back her almost inevitable tears.
It didn't take me long to figure out what she was actually apologizing for, the look she was giving me and her body language said it all. She was apologizing for her actions after her confession to Naruto, when she failed to kill me, struggled to fight me. It never ceased to amaze me how Sakura managed to become such an incredible ninja when she was so easy to read. I could determine so much about her with just a glance.
"Like I said, there is nothing to forgive." I repeated, turning away from her and continuing on.
Sakura's eyes lit up at my words and a bright, heartwarming smile broke out on her face. She chased after me once more.
"Sasuke-kun." She said once she was beside me again.
"Hn?"
"I love you." she giggled happily.
A smirk played across my lips at her words, three words that were truly meant for me alone. She didn't look at Naruto with those eyes or that smile… this was something that was reserved only for me.
"You're annoying Sakura." I said stopping and looking at her, studying her.
She pouted at my words and looked away from me, her face falling. My smirk widened at her expected reaction.
This girl… she was so insufferably annoying and infuriating, and she doesn't even realize why she's so damn annoying to me.
I reached over and placed my hand on her cheek, tilting her chin up so I could look into her eyes.
This little incident with Naruto was irritating and I didn't want a repeat of this situation or anything similar to come along, so… maybe it's finally time for me to let her know just how annoying she truly is.
"Sasuke-kun...?" she asked curiously as I leaned in closer to her. "What are you-"
I cut her off by pressing my lips against hers, effectively shutting her up. She was caught off guard and startled at first but it didn't take her long to recover and begin kissing me back as she slowly closed her eyes.
"You are really annoying, Sakura." I whispered against her lips when I finally began to pull away, a smirk playing across my lips as she smiled blissfully.