Sakura felt as though the proper reaction would be to become filled with dread but instead, as her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed. Her hand flew to cover her mouth as she turned away from Naruto, who seemed both horrified that he'd confessed and relieved that he'd said it without wavering.
She almost asked him if he was kidding, but his eyes told her everything she needed to know. Why would he lie to her? He wasn't like her. He wouldn't say something like that just to deter someone from a certain decision- as she had, earlier in the year, to try to protect him. "I..."
Realization seemed to hit Naruto as his cheeks flushed as well. "I...I uh..you don't have to say anything to me right away-ttebayo! I mean, I uh..." His face became as red as a beet. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, I gotta finish cleaning my ice, I mean skating my hous- CLEANING MY HOUSE-TTEBAYO!" He raced off, his orange scarf flying as he vanished from the pinkette's sight.
"You...idiot." She muttered to herself. He'd been so confident and manly for a second...Oh, Naruto. Why did he keep doing that? She ran her fingers through her short hair, pondering what to do.
Immediately she knew it wouldn't be a good idea to try to continue skating; without Naruto it wouldn't be as fun, and she'd fall over herself in the process. Without Naruto... She would be lonely without him, most definitely...and she wished that she didn't have to admit that he made her heart beat just a little faster with those disarming smiles of his.
"I love you, Sakura-chan."
"Go after him, stupid girl."
Alarmed, Sakura jerked her head up to see the raven-haired Uchiha standing a meter from where she sat on the bench, directly in front of her. "Sasuke?"
"Don't be stupid." He sighed as if he had said this many times before, though he hadn't. Maybe he'd thought it. "And don't act surprised. I can't believe that dobe finally grew a pair..."
Anger flared up in her veins as her hand clenched into a fist. Before either of them were entirely sure of what had happened, her fist smashed into the Uchiha's cheek so hard that a sickening crack resounded through the air, a sound so loud that any party near them (and some further away) turned to watch the exchange in surprise. "Don't you dare say anything about Naruto and being a man, Sasuke! You don't know anything about what he went through for you!" Her voice cracked. "For me."
Sasuke's jaw seemed wired shut (though her punch was strong enough to have rendered it broken) as she spoke, though he did turn slightly to look at her.
"...I have to go." She would not cry, not now. She'd done enough crying through the entire war and before then. The haste she made surprised even her; she had her answer for Naruto. She'd been a fool for not seeing it.
