.LOG 9
[Who:] Sasuke and Sakura
[What:] After class hours, Sasuke invites Sakura along with him to go drop off some film for developing. A confession ensues… and a little bit of drama.
[When:] After classes.
[Where:] First at the dorms, then downtown.
[Warnings:] DRAMA :P But not really.
Sasuke: Cloudy skies meant less chance of suffocating heat, for which Sasuke was thankful. The last few days had been nearly unbearable, and today's cool breeze was a welcome change. He had a few errands to run downtown, something of which he'd been reminding himself self of all day, but as he was heading back towards his dorm with his book bag he stopped and found himself thinking about Naruto and Sakura. He hadn't seen either since their breakup.
I should talk to Sakura... he thought to himself, fingers running along the ribbed strap that hung over his shoulder. A few students passed by him talking about some rumors they'd heard, but Sasuke didn't catch what they were saying, already turning around to head towards Sakura's dorm. He hoped he could catch her there.
Sakura: Sakura was currently sitting at her desk, doing some school work that didn't have to be in until in two weeks but she didn't have anything else to do at the moment so she figured that she might as well do this now. Starting to get a bit bored she began to hum to herself. Sure, she liked school, but she had been pretty restless lately and therefore got more easily bored. After a couple of minutes of humming and writing she sighed and put down her pen, deciding to lie down on her bed instead. Maybe I should take a nap or something...
Sasuke: Coming to a slow halt outside of Sakura's dorm room door, Sasuke stared at it for a short while. Their little quartet was going through a lot lately. Kakashi being sick, Sakura and Naruto having broken up, and his own little issues which--no. He told himself he wasn't going to think about that. It wasn't a big deal and it'd pass. He lifted his hand, running it through his hair a bit, and then sighed and knocked on her door. "Sakura, you in?"
Sakura: What was Sasuke doing here? It wasn't like it was a habit of his to come visit her often. With a small frown she walked up to the door and opened it. "Sasuke-kun? What is it?" Judging by the look of him he had something on his mind, but what on Earth could that be?
Sasuke: Nodding his head in acknowledgment, Sasuke leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. "I was wondering if you were busy, or if you had some time. I'm going to make a run downtown to drop off some film for developing... Want to come?"
Sakura: That wasn't exactly what she had expected and Sakura looked a bit surprised before smiling and giving him a nod. "Sure. Let me just grab my jacket and my shoes and I'll be happy to keep you company." Turning around she put on the aforementioned things and was soon standing before Sasuke again. "Let's go then." She was always up for taking a walk or things like that - they were refreshing and kept her from getting bored.
Sasuke: Stepping back into the hall as Sakura exited her dorm and closed the door, Sasuke shoved his hands into the large pocket of his black sweater. Didn't need a jacket with that warm thing. "I haven't been out much lately, and I didn't feel like heading downtown on my own. I'm glad you don't mind my asking." He was glad mostly because this way he wouldn't be left to his own bothersome thoughts. And... Sakura wasn't always irritating company. Sometimes she was pretty decent. That's why they were friends, after all. They could stand each other's quirks.
Sakura: "Why would I mind you asking me to accompany you? You're my friend so I'm always up for keeping your company. Plus it gives me an excuse to get out of the room," she chuckled as they started walking down the stairs.
Sasuke: Shrugging his shoulders, Sasuke replied, "Well, all things considering - meaning my not seeing you around much - I thought maybe you'd just been busy or something. I didn't want to interfere with anything you had planned." He moved closer to the wall to avoid a few students carrying a project up towards their dorms. The object was covered, but it appeared by its shape to have been some sort of diorama.
Sakura: "I don't have anything at all planned right now. I mostly hang out with Botan-chan or Jin, but otherwise I'm not doing much at all," she shrugged. Sakura waved to a couple of her classmates and then looked at Sasuke. "And since when have you ever mind if you interfere with my plans or not?" Was it just her or did he behave slightly different than usual?
Sasuke: Glancing over at her as they reached the bottom of the stairs and came off onto the main floor, Sasuke said, "I don't care. I just hate wasting time asking after things only to be turned down. It's frustrating." He put up with that enough from his brother anyways. "Anyways... do you want to walk it, or take the bus?" They were nearing a near by exist that led out to the school grounds.
Sakura: "That's never fun," she agreed. "I don't care actually. Taking a walk is nice but if you're tired or something we can take the bus." Walking through the exit she held the door open to Sasuke.
Sasuke: Stepping through the door, he replied, "We can walk. It's not that far where I need to go, and it's cool out today so it hardly matters." He kept his hands in his pockets, shrugging his shoulders to adjust the strap holding up his bag. Part of him wanted to ask how she was doing now that things were over with her and Naruto, as he knew how Naruto was taking it, but he also didn't want to make her feel upset. That would be a bit uncomfortable.
Sakura: "Okay, then walking it is," she said with a smile and started walking. Not bothering with small talk she simply asked him. "What's wrong? You're behaving strangely. Want to talk about it?" He seemed to want to say something but she had no idea what it could be, so if she wanted to know what it was she had to ask.
Sasuke: Strangely...? Was he? This surprised him in a way. He had been aware Sakura knew him well, but wasn't aware that she still knew him that well. He sighed, eyes focused ahead of them now. "...How have you been lately? All things considering, I mean."
Sakura: Sighing softly she shrugged. Everyone seemed to be worried about her and Naruto, in one way or another. "I'm still feeling guilty for having to hurt him, but I know that I had to do it. Botan-chan and Jin have managed to make me feel better; they have a gift for making people laugh even when they don't want to," Sakura said with an amused smile.
Sasuke: "That's good then. I mean, that you two are going to be able to move on and get by it." Sasuke nodded his head slowly. If they could get by it... then so could he. He hoped. Though his problem wasn't exactly the same as theirs had been, it was similar in it's own right. And--no! He had to stop thinking about it. His hands were fists in his sweater pocket, knotted together as they walked. His brows were furrowed. "...I hope Kakashi gets better soon."
Sakura: "Yeah, I hope so too. I really hope that his pneumonia won't get any worse." Looking at Sasuke made her frown and wondering exactly how worried he was for Kakashi. "Are you really that worried for him?" she asked, watching him closely, trying to figure out why he was behaving so strangely.
Sasuke: "No," said Sasuke quickly, glancing at Sakura and then away. "Tch, he's old enough to look after himself and he wouldn't really want any of us worrying after him besides." Change the subject... change it. But to what? It was hard to stare ahead. His eyes kept wanting to stare at his feet. Stupid nervous childhood habit. He frowned harder. "It's windier than I thought it'd be. Tch... typical. Weather reports are always a bit off."
Sakura: "That's why I never believe them." So he was trying to change the subject, was he? "Come on, Sasuke-kun, what is really wrong? You are behaving really weird today." Sakura frowned even more and increased her speed some so she could stand in front of Sasuke, her hands on her hips and looking seriously at him.
Sasuke: Stopping so he didn't run headlong into Sakura, Sasuke frowned at her. She had a lot of nerve. Then again, she always had. "...I think you're delusional," he told her slowly, then added, "I'm acting fine." Which was a lie. Sasuke wasn't really a good liar. He didn't have the poker-face his brother did, and much was apparent in the deeper reaches of his eyes. They didn't look at ease.
Sakura: "Uh huh. Sure. I have known you for way too long to not be able to see when something is wrong. What the hell is wrong with you?" Even though she started looking angry you could easily see that she was worried about him.
Sasuke: "It's nothing... Sakura, stop worrying. You do it too much, you'll get wrinkles remember?" Much in the same way his brother always did to him, Sasuke reached one hand out of his sweater pocket and flicked Sakura in the forehead, a false smirk crossing his lips. How could he tell her what was bothering him when he couldn't even admit it to himself?
Sakura: Rolling her eyes she then covered her forehead with her hands with an indignant sound. "Hey, stop doing that! I don't care if I get wrinkles. If I get wrinkles it's all your fault," she said, giving him an accusing look. "Just because you refuse to tell me what’s bothering you. I'm going to find out what it is if it's the last thing I do," Sakura threatened.
Sasuke: Sasuke's hand dropped to his side as he watched her, his eyes softening just a little. Sakura was always so... difficult. She always found a way to complicate things without meaning to. She was, in that respect, similar to himself. Though Sakura's intentions were always for the better, and Sasuke's intentions were usually for himself. "Have fun trying," he told her, stepping to the side to walk by her.
Sakura: Reaching out she took a hold of his sleeve. "Did you really think that you could get away that easily?" she asked, a small but slightly threatening grin on her lips. "Now tell what the hell is wrong before I slap some sense into you." Sakura only wanted to help him and got annoyed when he refused to tell her what was wrong.
Sasuke: ...She was being more persistent than usual. Sasuke was trying his best not to get angry. Lifting his hand and putting it on hers, he tried to remove it from his sweater without upsetting her. "With all due respect... you're being nosey, Sakura." He just hoped she really didn't intend to slap him. Especially because it wasn't at all like he'd hit her back. He refused to hit a girl... any girl, even if they deserved it.
Sakura: Sighing deeply she let go of his sleeve. "Fine! Then continue being emo if that's what you want! You can be really annoying, you know... And I'm only being nosey because I care, dammit," she added, muttering some. Why did he have to be so damn difficult?
Sasuke: Instantly, Sasuke snapped back at her, "I'm not being emo!" Why did everyone always call him that? It was so infuriating! Just because he wasn't beaming rainbows out of his damn eyes and giggling about sugar plums and gum drops... or something. "I just... I hardly doubt you could help. I really doubt it! You couldn't make it work with Naruto, you sure as hell couldn't help me with my own situation!" There, he'd left an opening, but not intentionally. And... then he'd realized the degree of hurt his words might have carried. He was frowning again, and he shook his head slowly. "Tch... I... I didn't mean that. Not the way it sounded."
Sakura: Sakura had turned away from him, clenching her fists and desperately trying to hold back her temper. "You know nothing about that. I couldn't honestly tell him that I loved him the way that a girlfriend should, so for both of our sakes I broke up with him. Isn't it better to let someone go in a case like that rather than faking it?" Snorting she kicked a small rock that was lying in her way, making if fly several meters away. "If you really don't want my help then just say so, but don't you dare say something like that about mine and Naruto's relationship." Right now it was more her temper than anything else that was talking.
Sasuke: "...I agree," he said slowly, nodding his head. He couldn't look at her. "It's better that way, in such a case. Maybe you do understand then." He shrugged his shoulders and turned to look back down the sidewalk they were standing on, towards the direction of town. "...Like I said, I didn't mean it that way. Can we go now?"
Sakura: "Yeah, lets go, Grumpy-chan." It annoyed her to no end that he wasn't feeling all right but refused to tell her what was wrong. How was she supposed to help her friends if they didn't tell her what had happened? She started walking again, muttering about stupid friends that refused to accept help when they obviously needed it.
Sasuke: Listening to her grumble and mutter next to him was like having a fly buzz in your ear. It caused Sasuke to roll his eyes repeatedly until he felt dizzy. Well, not quite that much, but he felt annoyed to say the least. "Look," he said as they started into the downtown area, "It's just a stupid crush, nothing to worry about. Happy now?" He cringed as he admitted that, shook his head, and then looked away again. Stupid crush? Was it even that much?
Sakura: She couldn't have be more shocked if he had suddenly had started singing and dancing in the middle of the street. "Crush? You? ..who is it?" she asked curiously. He would probably not answer, but she couldn't help but ask. Sasuke having a crush? That was the last thing she had expected.
Sasuke: "...It's probably not even a crush, forget it." Sasuke sighed heavily, eyes scanning the street for the photo shop he'd gone to in order to pick up his film a week ago. Where the hell was it?
Sakura: "How come that it's making you feel like this? If you don't want to tell me who it is you don't have to, but if it's making you behave much stranger than usual then it's only logical that I get curious." Yes, Sakura was very curious and extremely stubborn when there was something she wanted to know.
Sasuke: Sakura would probably understand more if he could spit the words out, but he couldn't. Sasuke... knew he liked girls. At one time he had even liked Sakura, but he was positive she never knew that. And now that liking was just platonic, and that was fine by him. Relationships were all problematic anyways, that's what he had learned... not that he'd ever had one of his own. But if it was just a crush on some girl that was bothering him it wouldn't have been this bad. It was because his crush was on a... a... "It's... difficult to explain." What would nii-san think of me...? Sasuke's hands were balled into tight fists again. This was just so... wrong. How could he feel any sort of attraction to a guy!? Towards him of all people...
Sakura: Tilting her head she looked at Sasuke, wondering what it was that was so big that it made him feel like this. She could hardly recognize the old Sasuke when she looked at him now, seeing him behaving this weird. "It might be difficult, but try to explain anyway. Maybe I can help you?"
Sasuke: ...Sasuke thought about it a moment, then nodded. There was certainly no way in hell he could tell Naruto. The dobe would just outright laugh at him. And then Sasuke would have to punch him in the face. And that wouldn't end well, he was certain. His eyes found the photo shop up ahead, but he didn't move from where they were standing on the street, fortunately out of ear shot of other people. "...Kakashi," he said slowly, his eyes a little angry out of frustration at himself, "I... I..." He couldn't even say it! Not that name and that word in the same sentence! Sasuke turned away, running one fist into the wall of a store next to them. Dammit! Dammit! Damn it all...
Sakura: What was today - give Sakura a heart attack day? At first she was definitely unable to even form an 'Oh', but after blinking a few times, letting the information sink in she tried one more time. "That...was definitely not what I had expected. You have a crush on Kakashi-senpai? Why him?" She honestly couldn't understand but not being one to condemn people because of who they loved she gave an mental shrug. Being used to him punching walls - and people - every now and then Sakura calmly took his fist in her hands, gently touching it to see if he had hurt himself.
Sasuke: Sasuke watched Sakura as she took his hand. He hadn't hurt it too badly; he wasn't foolish enough to injure himself badly over something like this. Well, not on purpose. "...I don't know why," he told her stiffly, eyes bitter. "I don't know! It's stupid like I said, it doesn't matter." Sasuke told himself once more that it would go away. It had to. He couldn't be like that or even close to it. He couldn't be.
Sakura: Blowing gently on his hand she then patted it before letting go. "I guess you never know why. I still don't know why I had a crush on you for so long." Her voice sounded slightly wistful, wishing that she could once again feel the excitement of having a crush. "When did you start to feel like that then? Why do you think that it is a crush?" she asked curiously, wanting to know more about what had made Sasuke feel like this.
Sasuke: Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, his hand dropping to his side and flexing slightly. "...It was random. I went to see him in the hospital and just seeing him like that..." He shook his head. It had made him upset. Kakashi was always looking after the three of them and then Sasuke couldn't do anything in return. More so the fact that he wanted to do something in return that really got to him. He didn't normally care! Why now...?
Sakura: "Yeah..." It had felt so very...wrong seeing Kakashi lying in the bed, completely helpless and Sakura hated the fact that there was nothing she could do to help him. "I wish there was something we could do for him. Kakashi-senpai has always looked after us and now that he's the one that needs help there's nothing that we can do." Sighing her shoulders slumped; she tried to not think too much about it but now that Sasuke mentioned it...
Sasuke: "...He told me to tell you not to worry," said Sasuke. Then it dawned on him. Kakashi had specifically told Sasuke to tell Sakura. Didn't mention telling Naruto despite how much the dobe would worry too. Just... Sakura.
His eyes widened a little. Just slightly. "..." Did Kakashi have feelings for her? His chest felt tight. It would make sense if Kakashi did... would explain a lot of things. "...Sakura? You all right? You look like you have something to say."
Sakura: "He did? That's sounds pretty typical for Kakashi-senpai," Sakura said, smiling lopsidedly. "He must have known that I would worry a lot." It seemed like Kakashi knew her all too well.
"Something to say..?" Blinking a few times she gave him a confused look. "No, what would that be? I'm just worried about him. I just feel so helpless when there's nothing I can do to help my friends," she explained, sighing deeply.
Sasuke: Sasuke's eyes met the ground then, and he stared at it for a long moment. A long few moments, rather. After a short while he shook his head, looked up and put his hand on her shoulder. His voice was firm as he spoke. "Do me a favor and forget I said anything. It's nothing, I'm sure of it. I was just worried about him too, that's all." Liar! Liar! LIAR! Sasuke silently told the voice in his head to shut the fuck up. But it wouldn't. And it made him scowl as he looked towards the road watching the cars whiz by. "It's not a crush. Anyways, I need to get to the store soon, so let's get a move on." ...Something told Sasuke that Kakashi... the way he had said it that day. Something told him that Kakashi cared for Sakura more than any of them.
He had said to Sasuke... to keep her away if he was unstable. That he might say something he would regret. And it all made sense to Sasuke now considering that up until the other day, Naruto had been with Sakura. Kakashi didn't want to ruin that. He felt... foolish.
Sakura: Forget what he said? He couldn't be serious, could he? "It's not a crush..? Uh huh." Sakura didn't believe him for even one second but decided to speed up so they would reach the store soon. Somehow she really doubted that it was just something he had said - he was way too affected for it to not be a crush of some sort. What was going on here? Kakashi was behaving weird, and now Sasuke too... Was it something in the water here or what?
Sasuke: Crossing the street with Sakura and walking into the photo shop, Sasuke went straight for the counter grateful that there was no line up. He took his camera from his bag and the film he had, then handed them over for developing. There were a couple things to sign, and he was told to come back on Sunday to pick everything up. Apparently they were busy. Well, that was fine. Sasuke didn't need those photos that soon.
Looking back at Sakura when he was done, he said soundly in as firm a voice as he could muster, "It's nothing, really. All this talk of relationships just had me looking I suppose. Really, I'm still young and impressionable." He shrugged as if it was all some kind of joke.
Sakura: "Sasuke-kun... It's you we're talking about here. You might have forgotten it, but I'm no stupid little bimbo you know." Sakura gave him a serious look, showing him that it didn't matter what he was saying, she wouldn't believe him either way. So what if he had a crush on Kakashi? It didn't really change anything, did it?
Sasuke: "...Sakura, seriously. Just forget it, I mean it. It's nothing. Why the hell won't you believe me?" He frowned heavily at her. How could he have been so blind...? If Kakashi liked her, then Sasuke couldn't... not that he did... or wanted to, but he couldn't. Couldn't... be with Kakashi? Or something. He couldn't do that to Sakura, one of his best friends. Better to just step back and maybe give them some room... to be something. Something that wasn't wrong like what he felt.
Sakura: "Because I know you," she shrugged. He could keep on talking all he wanted, she still wouldn't believe him. Sasuke wasn't the type of person who would say something like that, not that seriously, and then try to pass it off like a joke. She couldn't understand why Sasuke tried to take it back so suddenly and started frowning. "Why are you like this? Why do you try to take it back?"
Sasuke: "Because it doesn't mean anything!" Sasuke shouted, and then went red when people in the store began to stare. He ushered himself outside, leaving Sakura to follow behind.
Sakura: Shaking her head Sakura followed him outside. She would never understand how guys were thinking... It didn't matter that she had hung out with mostly guys for many years now - she still didn't understand them. "It doesn't mean anything..? Then why are you getting so upset?" she mumbled when she had walked outside.
Sasuke: Out in the fresh air Sasuke thought he might have been able to think clearer, but it wasn't helping at all. He didn't stop walking, kept moving as Sakura trailed after him. "...I'm upset because you won't drop it. Seriously, it was just something I was considering, but talking with you cleared it up, believe me. Heh. Like I could ever like a guy anyways." That stung to say. He knew he liked Kakashi now... but... he couldn't allow himself to. Like Sakura had done something she believed for the best, so now was Sasuke. For once... not acting selfishly.
Sakura: Still not believing him she decided that it was time to let it go. "Sure. Let’s drop it. I don't understand what would be so awful about a guy liking another guy though." Shrugging she kept on walking, breathing in the fresh air with a content expression on her face.
Sasuke: Of course she didn't understand. She wasn't a guy. In Sasuke's eyes, considering the loss of his parents and all, things were left to him and his brother now... and... he couldn't do much if he liked guys. Even if he liked women too. But being... the other way wasn't so widely accepted. It... wasn't right, not in his eyes. "...I... Sakura, would you mind if I took a walk somewhere else? I'd head back with you, but there's something I gotta do."
Sakura: Understanding that he felt the need to be alone Sakura shook her head. "It's not like I can't find my way back by myself. Just get back before curfew, okay?" she said, sounding like an older sister that was taking care of her brother. Waving to him she started walking towards the school. "I'll see you later, Sasuke-kun," she smiled. "Take care."
[What:] After class hours, Sasuke invites Sakura along with him to go drop off some film for developing. A confession ensues… and a little bit of drama.
[When:] After classes.
[Where:] First at the dorms, then downtown.
[Warnings:] DRAMA :P But not really.
Sasuke: Cloudy skies meant less chance of suffocating heat, for which Sasuke was thankful. The last few days had been nearly unbearable, and today's cool breeze was a welcome change. He had a few errands to run downtown, something of which he'd been reminding himself self of all day, but as he was heading back towards his dorm with his book bag he stopped and found himself thinking about Naruto and Sakura. He hadn't seen either since their breakup.
I should talk to Sakura... he thought to himself, fingers running along the ribbed strap that hung over his shoulder. A few students passed by him talking about some rumors they'd heard, but Sasuke didn't catch what they were saying, already turning around to head towards Sakura's dorm. He hoped he could catch her there.
Sakura: Sakura was currently sitting at her desk, doing some school work that didn't have to be in until in two weeks but she didn't have anything else to do at the moment so she figured that she might as well do this now. Starting to get a bit bored she began to hum to herself. Sure, she liked school, but she had been pretty restless lately and therefore got more easily bored. After a couple of minutes of humming and writing she sighed and put down her pen, deciding to lie down on her bed instead. Maybe I should take a nap or something...
Sasuke: Coming to a slow halt outside of Sakura's dorm room door, Sasuke stared at it for a short while. Their little quartet was going through a lot lately. Kakashi being sick, Sakura and Naruto having broken up, and his own little issues which--no. He told himself he wasn't going to think about that. It wasn't a big deal and it'd pass. He lifted his hand, running it through his hair a bit, and then sighed and knocked on her door. "Sakura, you in?"
Sakura: What was Sasuke doing here? It wasn't like it was a habit of his to come visit her often. With a small frown she walked up to the door and opened it. "Sasuke-kun? What is it?" Judging by the look of him he had something on his mind, but what on Earth could that be?
Sasuke: Nodding his head in acknowledgment, Sasuke leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. "I was wondering if you were busy, or if you had some time. I'm going to make a run downtown to drop off some film for developing... Want to come?"
Sakura: That wasn't exactly what she had expected and Sakura looked a bit surprised before smiling and giving him a nod. "Sure. Let me just grab my jacket and my shoes and I'll be happy to keep you company." Turning around she put on the aforementioned things and was soon standing before Sasuke again. "Let's go then." She was always up for taking a walk or things like that - they were refreshing and kept her from getting bored.
Sasuke: Stepping back into the hall as Sakura exited her dorm and closed the door, Sasuke shoved his hands into the large pocket of his black sweater. Didn't need a jacket with that warm thing. "I haven't been out much lately, and I didn't feel like heading downtown on my own. I'm glad you don't mind my asking." He was glad mostly because this way he wouldn't be left to his own bothersome thoughts. And... Sakura wasn't always irritating company. Sometimes she was pretty decent. That's why they were friends, after all. They could stand each other's quirks.
Sakura: "Why would I mind you asking me to accompany you? You're my friend so I'm always up for keeping your company. Plus it gives me an excuse to get out of the room," she chuckled as they started walking down the stairs.
Sasuke: Shrugging his shoulders, Sasuke replied, "Well, all things considering - meaning my not seeing you around much - I thought maybe you'd just been busy or something. I didn't want to interfere with anything you had planned." He moved closer to the wall to avoid a few students carrying a project up towards their dorms. The object was covered, but it appeared by its shape to have been some sort of diorama.
Sakura: "I don't have anything at all planned right now. I mostly hang out with Botan-chan or Jin, but otherwise I'm not doing much at all," she shrugged. Sakura waved to a couple of her classmates and then looked at Sasuke. "And since when have you ever mind if you interfere with my plans or not?" Was it just her or did he behave slightly different than usual?
Sasuke: Glancing over at her as they reached the bottom of the stairs and came off onto the main floor, Sasuke said, "I don't care. I just hate wasting time asking after things only to be turned down. It's frustrating." He put up with that enough from his brother anyways. "Anyways... do you want to walk it, or take the bus?" They were nearing a near by exist that led out to the school grounds.
Sakura: "That's never fun," she agreed. "I don't care actually. Taking a walk is nice but if you're tired or something we can take the bus." Walking through the exit she held the door open to Sasuke.
Sasuke: Stepping through the door, he replied, "We can walk. It's not that far where I need to go, and it's cool out today so it hardly matters." He kept his hands in his pockets, shrugging his shoulders to adjust the strap holding up his bag. Part of him wanted to ask how she was doing now that things were over with her and Naruto, as he knew how Naruto was taking it, but he also didn't want to make her feel upset. That would be a bit uncomfortable.
Sakura: "Okay, then walking it is," she said with a smile and started walking. Not bothering with small talk she simply asked him. "What's wrong? You're behaving strangely. Want to talk about it?" He seemed to want to say something but she had no idea what it could be, so if she wanted to know what it was she had to ask.
Sasuke: Strangely...? Was he? This surprised him in a way. He had been aware Sakura knew him well, but wasn't aware that she still knew him that well. He sighed, eyes focused ahead of them now. "...How have you been lately? All things considering, I mean."
Sakura: Sighing softly she shrugged. Everyone seemed to be worried about her and Naruto, in one way or another. "I'm still feeling guilty for having to hurt him, but I know that I had to do it. Botan-chan and Jin have managed to make me feel better; they have a gift for making people laugh even when they don't want to," Sakura said with an amused smile.
Sasuke: "That's good then. I mean, that you two are going to be able to move on and get by it." Sasuke nodded his head slowly. If they could get by it... then so could he. He hoped. Though his problem wasn't exactly the same as theirs had been, it was similar in it's own right. And--no! He had to stop thinking about it. His hands were fists in his sweater pocket, knotted together as they walked. His brows were furrowed. "...I hope Kakashi gets better soon."
Sakura: "Yeah, I hope so too. I really hope that his pneumonia won't get any worse." Looking at Sasuke made her frown and wondering exactly how worried he was for Kakashi. "Are you really that worried for him?" she asked, watching him closely, trying to figure out why he was behaving so strangely.
Sasuke: "No," said Sasuke quickly, glancing at Sakura and then away. "Tch, he's old enough to look after himself and he wouldn't really want any of us worrying after him besides." Change the subject... change it. But to what? It was hard to stare ahead. His eyes kept wanting to stare at his feet. Stupid nervous childhood habit. He frowned harder. "It's windier than I thought it'd be. Tch... typical. Weather reports are always a bit off."
Sakura: "That's why I never believe them." So he was trying to change the subject, was he? "Come on, Sasuke-kun, what is really wrong? You are behaving really weird today." Sakura frowned even more and increased her speed some so she could stand in front of Sasuke, her hands on her hips and looking seriously at him.
Sasuke: Stopping so he didn't run headlong into Sakura, Sasuke frowned at her. She had a lot of nerve. Then again, she always had. "...I think you're delusional," he told her slowly, then added, "I'm acting fine." Which was a lie. Sasuke wasn't really a good liar. He didn't have the poker-face his brother did, and much was apparent in the deeper reaches of his eyes. They didn't look at ease.
Sakura: "Uh huh. Sure. I have known you for way too long to not be able to see when something is wrong. What the hell is wrong with you?" Even though she started looking angry you could easily see that she was worried about him.
Sasuke: "It's nothing... Sakura, stop worrying. You do it too much, you'll get wrinkles remember?" Much in the same way his brother always did to him, Sasuke reached one hand out of his sweater pocket and flicked Sakura in the forehead, a false smirk crossing his lips. How could he tell her what was bothering him when he couldn't even admit it to himself?
Sakura: Rolling her eyes she then covered her forehead with her hands with an indignant sound. "Hey, stop doing that! I don't care if I get wrinkles. If I get wrinkles it's all your fault," she said, giving him an accusing look. "Just because you refuse to tell me what’s bothering you. I'm going to find out what it is if it's the last thing I do," Sakura threatened.
Sasuke: Sasuke's hand dropped to his side as he watched her, his eyes softening just a little. Sakura was always so... difficult. She always found a way to complicate things without meaning to. She was, in that respect, similar to himself. Though Sakura's intentions were always for the better, and Sasuke's intentions were usually for himself. "Have fun trying," he told her, stepping to the side to walk by her.
Sakura: Reaching out she took a hold of his sleeve. "Did you really think that you could get away that easily?" she asked, a small but slightly threatening grin on her lips. "Now tell what the hell is wrong before I slap some sense into you." Sakura only wanted to help him and got annoyed when he refused to tell her what was wrong.
Sasuke: ...She was being more persistent than usual. Sasuke was trying his best not to get angry. Lifting his hand and putting it on hers, he tried to remove it from his sweater without upsetting her. "With all due respect... you're being nosey, Sakura." He just hoped she really didn't intend to slap him. Especially because it wasn't at all like he'd hit her back. He refused to hit a girl... any girl, even if they deserved it.
Sakura: Sighing deeply she let go of his sleeve. "Fine! Then continue being emo if that's what you want! You can be really annoying, you know... And I'm only being nosey because I care, dammit," she added, muttering some. Why did he have to be so damn difficult?
Sasuke: Instantly, Sasuke snapped back at her, "I'm not being emo!" Why did everyone always call him that? It was so infuriating! Just because he wasn't beaming rainbows out of his damn eyes and giggling about sugar plums and gum drops... or something. "I just... I hardly doubt you could help. I really doubt it! You couldn't make it work with Naruto, you sure as hell couldn't help me with my own situation!" There, he'd left an opening, but not intentionally. And... then he'd realized the degree of hurt his words might have carried. He was frowning again, and he shook his head slowly. "Tch... I... I didn't mean that. Not the way it sounded."
Sakura: Sakura had turned away from him, clenching her fists and desperately trying to hold back her temper. "You know nothing about that. I couldn't honestly tell him that I loved him the way that a girlfriend should, so for both of our sakes I broke up with him. Isn't it better to let someone go in a case like that rather than faking it?" Snorting she kicked a small rock that was lying in her way, making if fly several meters away. "If you really don't want my help then just say so, but don't you dare say something like that about mine and Naruto's relationship." Right now it was more her temper than anything else that was talking.
Sasuke: "...I agree," he said slowly, nodding his head. He couldn't look at her. "It's better that way, in such a case. Maybe you do understand then." He shrugged his shoulders and turned to look back down the sidewalk they were standing on, towards the direction of town. "...Like I said, I didn't mean it that way. Can we go now?"
Sakura: "Yeah, lets go, Grumpy-chan." It annoyed her to no end that he wasn't feeling all right but refused to tell her what was wrong. How was she supposed to help her friends if they didn't tell her what had happened? She started walking again, muttering about stupid friends that refused to accept help when they obviously needed it.
Sasuke: Listening to her grumble and mutter next to him was like having a fly buzz in your ear. It caused Sasuke to roll his eyes repeatedly until he felt dizzy. Well, not quite that much, but he felt annoyed to say the least. "Look," he said as they started into the downtown area, "It's just a stupid crush, nothing to worry about. Happy now?" He cringed as he admitted that, shook his head, and then looked away again. Stupid crush? Was it even that much?
Sakura: She couldn't have be more shocked if he had suddenly had started singing and dancing in the middle of the street. "Crush? You? ..who is it?" she asked curiously. He would probably not answer, but she couldn't help but ask. Sasuke having a crush? That was the last thing she had expected.
Sasuke: "...It's probably not even a crush, forget it." Sasuke sighed heavily, eyes scanning the street for the photo shop he'd gone to in order to pick up his film a week ago. Where the hell was it?
Sakura: "How come that it's making you feel like this? If you don't want to tell me who it is you don't have to, but if it's making you behave much stranger than usual then it's only logical that I get curious." Yes, Sakura was very curious and extremely stubborn when there was something she wanted to know.
Sasuke: Sakura would probably understand more if he could spit the words out, but he couldn't. Sasuke... knew he liked girls. At one time he had even liked Sakura, but he was positive she never knew that. And now that liking was just platonic, and that was fine by him. Relationships were all problematic anyways, that's what he had learned... not that he'd ever had one of his own. But if it was just a crush on some girl that was bothering him it wouldn't have been this bad. It was because his crush was on a... a... "It's... difficult to explain." What would nii-san think of me...? Sasuke's hands were balled into tight fists again. This was just so... wrong. How could he feel any sort of attraction to a guy!? Towards him of all people...
Sakura: Tilting her head she looked at Sasuke, wondering what it was that was so big that it made him feel like this. She could hardly recognize the old Sasuke when she looked at him now, seeing him behaving this weird. "It might be difficult, but try to explain anyway. Maybe I can help you?"
Sasuke: ...Sasuke thought about it a moment, then nodded. There was certainly no way in hell he could tell Naruto. The dobe would just outright laugh at him. And then Sasuke would have to punch him in the face. And that wouldn't end well, he was certain. His eyes found the photo shop up ahead, but he didn't move from where they were standing on the street, fortunately out of ear shot of other people. "...Kakashi," he said slowly, his eyes a little angry out of frustration at himself, "I... I..." He couldn't even say it! Not that name and that word in the same sentence! Sasuke turned away, running one fist into the wall of a store next to them. Dammit! Dammit! Damn it all...
Sakura: What was today - give Sakura a heart attack day? At first she was definitely unable to even form an 'Oh', but after blinking a few times, letting the information sink in she tried one more time. "That...was definitely not what I had expected. You have a crush on Kakashi-senpai? Why him?" She honestly couldn't understand but not being one to condemn people because of who they loved she gave an mental shrug. Being used to him punching walls - and people - every now and then Sakura calmly took his fist in her hands, gently touching it to see if he had hurt himself.
Sasuke: Sasuke watched Sakura as she took his hand. He hadn't hurt it too badly; he wasn't foolish enough to injure himself badly over something like this. Well, not on purpose. "...I don't know why," he told her stiffly, eyes bitter. "I don't know! It's stupid like I said, it doesn't matter." Sasuke told himself once more that it would go away. It had to. He couldn't be like that or even close to it. He couldn't be.
Sakura: Blowing gently on his hand she then patted it before letting go. "I guess you never know why. I still don't know why I had a crush on you for so long." Her voice sounded slightly wistful, wishing that she could once again feel the excitement of having a crush. "When did you start to feel like that then? Why do you think that it is a crush?" she asked curiously, wanting to know more about what had made Sasuke feel like this.
Sasuke: Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, his hand dropping to his side and flexing slightly. "...It was random. I went to see him in the hospital and just seeing him like that..." He shook his head. It had made him upset. Kakashi was always looking after the three of them and then Sasuke couldn't do anything in return. More so the fact that he wanted to do something in return that really got to him. He didn't normally care! Why now...?
Sakura: "Yeah..." It had felt so very...wrong seeing Kakashi lying in the bed, completely helpless and Sakura hated the fact that there was nothing she could do to help him. "I wish there was something we could do for him. Kakashi-senpai has always looked after us and now that he's the one that needs help there's nothing that we can do." Sighing her shoulders slumped; she tried to not think too much about it but now that Sasuke mentioned it...
Sasuke: "...He told me to tell you not to worry," said Sasuke. Then it dawned on him. Kakashi had specifically told Sasuke to tell Sakura. Didn't mention telling Naruto despite how much the dobe would worry too. Just... Sakura.
His eyes widened a little. Just slightly. "..." Did Kakashi have feelings for her? His chest felt tight. It would make sense if Kakashi did... would explain a lot of things. "...Sakura? You all right? You look like you have something to say."
Sakura: "He did? That's sounds pretty typical for Kakashi-senpai," Sakura said, smiling lopsidedly. "He must have known that I would worry a lot." It seemed like Kakashi knew her all too well.
"Something to say..?" Blinking a few times she gave him a confused look. "No, what would that be? I'm just worried about him. I just feel so helpless when there's nothing I can do to help my friends," she explained, sighing deeply.
Sasuke: Sasuke's eyes met the ground then, and he stared at it for a long moment. A long few moments, rather. After a short while he shook his head, looked up and put his hand on her shoulder. His voice was firm as he spoke. "Do me a favor and forget I said anything. It's nothing, I'm sure of it. I was just worried about him too, that's all." Liar! Liar! LIAR! Sasuke silently told the voice in his head to shut the fuck up. But it wouldn't. And it made him scowl as he looked towards the road watching the cars whiz by. "It's not a crush. Anyways, I need to get to the store soon, so let's get a move on." ...Something told Sasuke that Kakashi... the way he had said it that day. Something told him that Kakashi cared for Sakura more than any of them.
He had said to Sasuke... to keep her away if he was unstable. That he might say something he would regret. And it all made sense to Sasuke now considering that up until the other day, Naruto had been with Sakura. Kakashi didn't want to ruin that. He felt... foolish.
Sakura: Forget what he said? He couldn't be serious, could he? "It's not a crush..? Uh huh." Sakura didn't believe him for even one second but decided to speed up so they would reach the store soon. Somehow she really doubted that it was just something he had said - he was way too affected for it to not be a crush of some sort. What was going on here? Kakashi was behaving weird, and now Sasuke too... Was it something in the water here or what?
Sasuke: Crossing the street with Sakura and walking into the photo shop, Sasuke went straight for the counter grateful that there was no line up. He took his camera from his bag and the film he had, then handed them over for developing. There were a couple things to sign, and he was told to come back on Sunday to pick everything up. Apparently they were busy. Well, that was fine. Sasuke didn't need those photos that soon.
Looking back at Sakura when he was done, he said soundly in as firm a voice as he could muster, "It's nothing, really. All this talk of relationships just had me looking I suppose. Really, I'm still young and impressionable." He shrugged as if it was all some kind of joke.
Sakura: "Sasuke-kun... It's you we're talking about here. You might have forgotten it, but I'm no stupid little bimbo you know." Sakura gave him a serious look, showing him that it didn't matter what he was saying, she wouldn't believe him either way. So what if he had a crush on Kakashi? It didn't really change anything, did it?
Sasuke: "...Sakura, seriously. Just forget it, I mean it. It's nothing. Why the hell won't you believe me?" He frowned heavily at her. How could he have been so blind...? If Kakashi liked her, then Sasuke couldn't... not that he did... or wanted to, but he couldn't. Couldn't... be with Kakashi? Or something. He couldn't do that to Sakura, one of his best friends. Better to just step back and maybe give them some room... to be something. Something that wasn't wrong like what he felt.
Sakura: "Because I know you," she shrugged. He could keep on talking all he wanted, she still wouldn't believe him. Sasuke wasn't the type of person who would say something like that, not that seriously, and then try to pass it off like a joke. She couldn't understand why Sasuke tried to take it back so suddenly and started frowning. "Why are you like this? Why do you try to take it back?"
Sasuke: "Because it doesn't mean anything!" Sasuke shouted, and then went red when people in the store began to stare. He ushered himself outside, leaving Sakura to follow behind.
Sakura: Shaking her head Sakura followed him outside. She would never understand how guys were thinking... It didn't matter that she had hung out with mostly guys for many years now - she still didn't understand them. "It doesn't mean anything..? Then why are you getting so upset?" she mumbled when she had walked outside.
Sasuke: Out in the fresh air Sasuke thought he might have been able to think clearer, but it wasn't helping at all. He didn't stop walking, kept moving as Sakura trailed after him. "...I'm upset because you won't drop it. Seriously, it was just something I was considering, but talking with you cleared it up, believe me. Heh. Like I could ever like a guy anyways." That stung to say. He knew he liked Kakashi now... but... he couldn't allow himself to. Like Sakura had done something she believed for the best, so now was Sasuke. For once... not acting selfishly.
Sakura: Still not believing him she decided that it was time to let it go. "Sure. Let’s drop it. I don't understand what would be so awful about a guy liking another guy though." Shrugging she kept on walking, breathing in the fresh air with a content expression on her face.
Sasuke: Of course she didn't understand. She wasn't a guy. In Sasuke's eyes, considering the loss of his parents and all, things were left to him and his brother now... and... he couldn't do much if he liked guys. Even if he liked women too. But being... the other way wasn't so widely accepted. It... wasn't right, not in his eyes. "...I... Sakura, would you mind if I took a walk somewhere else? I'd head back with you, but there's something I gotta do."
Sakura: Understanding that he felt the need to be alone Sakura shook her head. "It's not like I can't find my way back by myself. Just get back before curfew, okay?" she said, sounding like an older sister that was taking care of her brother. Waving to him she started walking towards the school. "I'll see you later, Sasuke-kun," she smiled. "Take care."