***
After dancing with Lee she stood on the side watching everyone having fun. She was finally beginning to relax and enjoy herself. It had been so long since everyone was together like this. The torches lighting the dark of the courtyard gave off little bubbles of warmth helping to ebb the cool breeze that picked up every now and again. When the music ended as everyone left the floor to get drinks they all stopped and looked past her. A strong cold breeze hit her back blowing her hair forward. She felt him there and knew even before she turned around who would be standing behind her.
His dark eyes stared at down at her, the silence was broke by another slow song. She wanted to back away, he was too close but her feet wouldn’t move. Slowly his hands took hers putting them around his neck and she let him, unable to move. Then he pulled her to him. “You didn’t come back to visit me.” He said coldly as they began moving to the music.
“I didn’t think you wanted me to.” She said automatically not looking at his eyes.
“I didn’t.”
She expected him to say it and yet it still cut her. No matter how hard she tried to get over him. To have his arms around her, to be so close to him wrenched every emotion back like tearing down the new wallpaper to reveal what was underneath. “When are you leaving?” She asked forcing herself to look up at him. She wouldn’t be smothered by this pain. She was a Kanoichi of the Hidden Leaf village the pupil of Lady Tsunade, the fifth Hokage.
A small smile came to his lips. “I’m free on the condition I stay here a week.” His smile sent her control on its head making her look away again. She noticed everyone had stopped staring. They had the dance floor to themselves. “Sakura.” The gentleness of his voice was just a cruel trick but her eyes found his again.
For a moment she saw something in his eyes, like he was actually looking at her. Not through her. “Don’t do that.” She said pushing him away. She turned around and walked away not wanting to see him anymore. Why must you always do that? Did you take some sick pleasure in torturing me....Sasuke?
“Sakura!” She heard Naruto shout for her but she kept going. There was nothing anyone could say that would make her go back. Her mind was already in the past, to that night when she tried to stop him from leaving. The night she told him she loved him. Tears slid unbidden down her cheeks as she walked through Neji’s house not knowing where to go or what to do. She couldn’t go back, she didn’t want to go home.
She stopped when she saw Hinata sitting on a porch on the other side of the compound. “Hinata what are you doing out here?” She asked sitting beside her wiping away her tears.
Looking away with her shoulders up in her usual shy way she answered. “Um….I like the quiet. So why are you?”
Laughing at the irony Sakura closed her eyes. “We both know why we’re out here. For two different reasons and yet the same one. You don’t want to face Naruto and I don’t want to face Sasuke.” Opening her eyes she saw that she was right in Hinata’s expression.
“I thought I was going to die when I told him….. I feel so stupid now. I can’t breathe when I’m around him or talk to him. I’m hopeless.” Hinata’s confession shocked her. They were never really close, she was always so shy and strange. But somehow tonight, Sakura knew exactly how she felt.
“At least Naruto likes you, I know Sasuke doesn’t. He seems to like tormenting me though, like some sick game….but I can’t stop caring.” She wanted to cry again.
Hinata smiled faintly blushing deeper. “You really think he likes me?” But then she added quickly. “I’m sure Sasuke does like you...or why would he bother? He ignores everyone but you. Doesn’t that mean something? He could be doing the same to Ino but instead he focuses on you.”
Sakura thought about it, maybe it was true but then maybe it was just because she was chosen to be in his squad and he knew how to push her buttons more. “You know Hinata. I think we have allot in common.” Sakura smiled at the Kanoichi sitting beside her still blushing probably thinking of Naruto. Maybe she liked Naruto more than a friend but she loved Sasuke and Hinata loved Naruto.
“You mean like loving the two most powerful shinobi in the leaf village? Or sitting out here when they’re both back there?” Hinata commented with a hint of sarcasm.
Looking up at the night sky she saw the moon had begun its decent. Morning would be coming in a few hours. “The party should be letting up soon. I wish I knew who was still there.”
“I can tell.” Hinata said sounding a bit more confidant. Sakura looked at her remembering the byakugan. Looking through her family’s blood trait eyes Hinata’s breath caught. “Naruto is coming.”
“What about everyone else?” Sakura asked the pounding in her chest started again.
Hinata shook her head. “Everyone went home and Neji is in his room.”
“Sasuke is gone?”
Hinata nodded slowly. Sakura got up wondering why she was upset Sasuke wasn’t looking for her. She shouldn’t expect him to care. “I’m going. Naruto is coming and you two need to talk.”
Hinata’s face lit up with horror, going red again. “I can’t! I can‘t talk to him.”
Sakura took her shoulders in her hands and smiled. “Then let him talk...he’s good at that. And once he gets his foot out of his mouth everything will be alright.” Hinata nodded still looking unsure.
“Maybe you should talk to Sasuke too.”
Sakura nodded her agreement to pacify her. Talking was something Sasuke didn’t do. At least not to her. She heard Naruto coming and gave one last smile of encouragement to her then jumped to the roof and ran along only to come down outside of the compound.
