Chapter IV: I don't know but I realized something

"Damn you bastard!"

"What, dobe?"

"How dare you do that to her?"

"Well, she tried to look cute and nice but she was annoying."

"You don't have any right to say such things about her, let alone leave her in the middle of nowhere like that!"

"It's not in the middle of nowhere, it's in my restaurant."

"But you're supposed to take your date home."

"How'd you know I left her?"

"I… I was…" Damn you Sasuke! Why'd you have to mess up everything huh? Just why!

Sasuke could hear Naruto pause on the other line, thinking whether to admit that he was following the two. Sasuke smirked inwardly.

"You were following us," stated Sasuke plainly as though the fact didn't bother him.

"Well… Yeah, I was!" retorted the blonde, staining his cheeks pink and glad that no one was with him to see his embarrassed face. "I couldn't risk leaving Sakura alone."

"You don't trust me do you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you're a cheat."

Naruto could hear Sasuke sigh on the other line before he replied back. He could swear the other boy was restraining his anger as he spilled his next words.

"Naruto, we've gone over this a million times, haven't we?" said Sasuke in gritted teeth.

"Yes," said Naruto, eyes shut, as though afraid that opening them would bring back memories he didn't want to remember. "But still, you don't make sense."

"Really?" A snort came from the Uchiha, anger slowly evaporating for an unknown reason.

"Why did you have to take Sakura out just to break her heart? Why did you have to show her what a heartless bastard you really are and make her look like a complete fool?"

"She wanted to know."

"Hell, even I would if I saw you suddenly driving an SUV and taking me to the finest restaurant in town!"

"She'd know sooner or later."

"I thought you didn't want anyone else?"

"I wanted her to know, not 'anyone else'."

"Why? It isn't making sense Sasuke!"

"What isn't making sense?"

"You!"

Sasuke snorted.

"In what way?"

"It's…Just…Arrgh…! I can't see what you're up to! You ask her out on a formal date, and ruin everything you two have been building up! You've got her hopes high for nothing! Not only that, you managed to destroy your own image by showing your true color!"

"You don't like it?"

Sasuke could feel Naruto tense though he couldn't see the blonde.

"What don't I like?"

"My plan."

"What plan, Uchiha? Don't tell me breaking Sakura's heart is part of whatever plan you're thinking or else I'll… I'll…"

"You'll what, Naruto?"

"I'll… I'll kick your sorry ass!"

Naruto could feel the hair on his nape stand on end when Sasuke chuckled. His chuckle was an amused one-- the one he reserved when he was dealing with the blonde.

"I wanna see you try."

"Then come over here! Apologize to Sakura!"

Naruto could feel Sasuke mocking him though he couldn't see the raven-haired boy.

"You haven't realized yet, Naruto?"

"What?" Teme…

"It's all about you."

A silence, a long one.

"Go to hell Sasuke."

Sasuke chuckled again, making Naruto cringe on the other line. Since when did the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan start to have a sense of humor?

And a terrible one too.

"I'm doing this for you."

"Drop it bastard."

"I'm getting rid of Sakura for you."

"You're hurting her!"

"Who cares? I know you want it too."

"What the f--"

"Deep down inside you Naruto, I know what's running in that little mind of yours."

"Don't you dare…don't…"

"Why don't you tell her?"

"What?"

"You're really a dobe, you know that?"

"Shit Sasuke, just fuck off will you?"

"Make me."

Kuso de… Sasuke, teme!

"I know you can't like Sakura and you're just really playing with her feelings so just leave her alone will you? Spare her the pain for god's sake! S-Shove her away so that she won't expect anything more from you! I can't… I just can't stand it when you do that to her, as though she's just a toy that you'll suddenly discard when you don't feel like playing with it anymore!"

"Don't tell me you like her."

"You know I do, got a problem with that?" came Naruto's fierce reply. He could feel the cellphone being crushed with his tight grip.

"You barely know her," was Sasuke's bored reply.

"I don't care! Just leave her alone."

"I just did"

"Not that, bastard! I mean, tell her to stop flirting with you and, you, don't go showing off and wrecking everything you've protected."

"You've protected, Naruto."

"Whatever," muttered Naruto. "We're friends alright? I don't want to see one of my friends ruining everyone's lives including his own just for my sake, if that's what you're trying to say."

"So you finally understand."

"I'm not stupid."

"Of course you aren't."

"What?"

"You're just jealous of her."

The hell…?

Before Naruto could retort back and ask what that meant, Sasuke had already hung up. He felt really confused now. Sasuke wasn't making sense at all. He couldn't understand why his friend would just throw off his reputation like that. He was the campus crush and everything, people looked up to him because they admired his being calm and collected as though he didn't have any problem at all though he was one of the poorest guys around… And another thing, what did Sasuke and Sakura's date got to do with him anyway?

The blonde cursed to himself when he remembered what the bastard told him before hanging up.

'You're just jealous...'

Ok. What did he mean by that? He liked Sakura, yes he did, but then, he felt empty. There wasn't any emotion at all. He didn't even feel jealous when he saw the two dating that night. Maybe… Maybe the love he felt towards the girl wasn't the love he thought he felt for her. Maybe, he just likes her, as a sister…? He didn't know. Well, though he wouldn't admit it, Sasuke was right. He barely knew her and the girl barely knew him at all too but does that mean there wasn't any hope? They weren't friends so that means he could ask her out without risking destroying their friendship.

Wait a minute… forget about the pink-haired girl for a while… he was missing something and the back of his mind was saying so.

'…of her.'

Naruto frowned.

Was he… was he jealous of Sakura?

The blonde turned to look at the unconscious figure currently lying on his bed, covers tucked around her. As he looked at the peaceful Sakura, he felt something contort in his stomach. Memories of the night came flooding back to him. Sasuke and Sakura's date, Sasuke's revelation to Sakura, Sakura's reaction…

Naruto was at lost for words. He was torn between two emotions.

One was of hate, both directed to the girl and the Uchiha. He hated Sasuke for being a bastard to the girl… but… he also hated the girl for going out with the Uchiha…

He shrugged the thought. Definitely not right.

The second one was of… delight?

For… the girl…

Because… because… she actually hoped that she and Sasuke would be officially together after that night and that she ended up…

…being fooled by the one Uchiha Sasuke.

Naruto stood for a moment, eyes never leaving the girl on his bed. He closed his eyes as he realized what his feelings were. He was disgusted. Why was he happy that Sakura got hurt by Sasuke's words? Sasuke's lies?

Was it because the truth finally made Sakura see that she'd never be happy with Sasuke?

Or was it because… he thought she deserved it...?

… she deserved it because she tried to steal Sasuke from him?

Naruto scowled.

Since when did Sasuke become his, eh? They're just best friends so it's not possible that the raven-haired campus crush was his already. So, why was he having weird thoughts about his best friend? Sakura was a girl for God's sake and he was a guy! Their relationship with Sasuke was really different from one another. Sakura loved him more than a friend, while he… he loved Sasuke… just as a friend.

Naruto heard a little voice at the back of his head, protesting. Even he wasn't convinced with the last part of his thought.

'He's just a friend, eh?' said the voice.

"Yup," Naruto answered. "He's… just a friend."

'You don't sound convinced.'

Oh just shut up…!

He shoved all his thoughts at the back of his head when he saw the pink-haired girl stir and slowly open her eyes. He approached her silently and sat down at the foot of the bed, his hand resting on Sakura's lower leg. The said girl tensed at the contact and moved away when she saw the face.

"Who are you?" asked Sakura. "Are… Are you Naruto?"

Naruto nodded in confirmation.

"Where am I?" asked the girl, looking around at the cream-painted room. She scanned the room so fast, looking for any sign of Sasuke when she felt her head hurt like hell.

"And… why am I with you? What… What did you do to me? My head hurts!"

"Calm down, Sakura," replied Naruto, slightly shocked at the girl's reaction. Talking about gratitude… "I didn't do anything to you, I swear! You're here in my apartment because you passed out at the side walk when Sas—I just happen to pass by that time and I saw you lying unconscious on the cold sidewalk."

Naruto almost mentioned 'when Sasuke left you' but luckily, he managed to stop himself just in time. He would have had a lot of explaining to do again if he didn't hold back his tongue at the exact moment. He looked at the girl who was now looking anywhere but at the blond. Naruto smiled.

Well, I can't blame you Sakura… We really barely know each other…

The girl woke up in an unknown place with a person she barely knew sitting beside her, so it was normal for her to react that way. Besides, the person beside her was a guy. It wouldn't hurt to be suspicious, would it?

"Um…Thanks I suppose," replied Sakura shyly with an apologetic smile. "But, you don't even know me, why help me?"

"Oh, I heard a lot about you from Sasuke."

"Sasuke…" muttered Sakura. Sakura remembered the reason why she suddenly dropped unconscious on the sidewalk. She remembered the date, the date which destroyed everything she had hoped for. It was the date that ended everything, everything between her and Sasuke. She didn't dare believe everything she saw until the truth was admitted to her by Sasuke, the truth that broke her heart into millions of pieces.

Why did it hurt so much?

Why did his words cut through me like knife?

Why did he fool me, deceived me, like everybody else?

Sakura was unaware that she was spacing out when her blond companion placed a warm hand on her shaking shoulder. She looked at Naruto who had a grim expression on his face.

Why? Why did I have to suffer so much? Why did he make me hope for nothing?

Why did he NOT trust me? Like… like he trusted Naruto?

"Oh Naruto!" sobbed the girl, draping her arms around the boy and sobbing uncontrollably on his shoulder. Naruto stiffened at first, but then as he felt the warm tears of the heartbroken girl fall on his shoulder, he relaxed and tried to comfort the girl. He didn't know that the first time he'd actually hold the girl close to him would be the first time the girl cried in his arms.

"Shh… stop crying Sakura," said Naruto softly while rubbing the back of the girl slowly, calming down the girl in the process. "I… I don't know what happened but… it's not good to see you crying…"

"Naruto, it's about Sasuke," sobbed Sakura. "I hate him! He's… he's a liar! He's… he's such a bastard."

Naruto couldn't reply. Yes, Sakura was right, but somehow, he can't find the right words to say to the girl. Maybe because, this was the first time he was stuck in a situation like this, and the situation involved a girl in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. And not just any girl.

It was his crush, his crush whose heart was broken by his best friend.

"I'm sorry," muttered Naruto, while stroking the girl's hair. It was a relief Sakura didn't know that he liked her or else… Naruto doubted she'd cry freely on him.

"It's n-not your fault he's like that, N-Naruto," stuttered Sakura, unable to talk clearly with her face buried on the blonde's shoulder. "Don't be sorry. I was blinded by my love for him… I let him deceive me."

Naruto could feel the pain of being deceived emanate from the girl. She really was hurt by Sasuke's lies. He would too if his best friend hid the truth from him. But now, all he could feel was guilt. He knew all along, but he didn't dare tell her. She was his crush but he couldn't protect her from him.

"I'm to blame," replied Naruto, still holding the girl close. "I knew about his being rich and everything but I… I never told you."

"He trusted you, and he's your best friend. Of course you wouldn't disclose such information to anybody else, let alone to me," answered Sakura who now let go of Naruto and was leaning on the propped up pillow behind her.

"That's why it's my fault," said Naruto. "It's because it's you."

Sakura looked up at the blonde who suddenly found the floor more interesting to look at.

"Naruto? I don't--"

"It's because… I think you're special to Sasuke, and… I was selfish."

"I don't get what you're saying Naruto. If I'm special to him, why did you not tell me? I had the right to know…"

Sasuke's special to me too Sakura.

"It's because, I was afraid… you'd hurt Sasuke."

"What...? But…" Sakura replied, now getting confused. "It won't be him who'd get hurt Naruto. It'd be me. I'm the one deceived, tricked, played at. It's not him…"

"That's why I said I'm sorry," defended Naruto, still not meeting the girl's eyes. "I'm sorry for not being able to tell you beforehand."

I'm sorry that I'm torn between you and Sasuke…

…and that I just realized…

"I'm really sorry Sakura…"

…that, yeah… I think I want to keep Sasuke for myself.

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TBC…

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AN: I know I didn't start this one well, but I'm really doing my best to improve this fic. I'm not promising to update right away because I'm really busy with other stuff right now. So, think I should I go on with this? Yes? No? I need to hear from you folks… C&C much appreciated… Thanks!

To:

mfpeach: you know now who that is…

Hikari no Kurai: maybe yes, maybe no… and Sasuke and Naruto are just friends… for now…

-aveya-