Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Crash World ❯ The Confidante ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3- The Confidante

If Sakura had thought it a blow when it was revealed that she was to be betrothed, it was nothing compared to the absolute shock and horrification she faced the moment she saw Naruto and Sasuke standing at a vendor across the street. Had it ever occurred to her that they would find out? No, she hadn't even thought about it; her “decision” had become of utmost importance. But here, she had to deal with the very dense Naruto, and a Sasuke that looked like something annoyed him immensely.

Sasuke-kun is jealous! SHANNRO! Inner Sakura crowed, but her more practical mind was getting increasingly agitated.

Not even possible! And you want another reason? I'm betrothed, and he is not one of the choices! But of course, her other side wouldn't listen, and continued to dance for joy in the back reaches of her mind. Kakashi looked down at her coolly before leaning over next to her ear.

“I'll take Naruto elsewhere and explain things to him, and make sure he keeps his mouth shut. You can handle Sasuke, I'm sure,” he murmured. To the roseate-haired kunoichi's utter shock, she nearly shuddered at the warm tone in his voice and the light breath that danced down her jaw and throat. Shuddered in delight. Inner Sakura was currently poking Outer Sakura to see if, somehow, she had missed something. Their old teacher had successfully confused both halves of her split personality. But within the next two seconds, the man was gone, the blonde nin disappearing with him, leaving Sakura and Sasuke to their own devices. She glanced up at him nervously.

“Your place or mine?”

 

“Sasuke-kun?”

…

“Sasuke-kun, please say something…”

…

“Sasuke-kun, I'm begging you! Please say something!”

The shinobi stared at his pink-haired teammate blankly, eyes wide. She fidgeted desperately under his gaze, hands working the corner of one of his couch's throw-pillows incessantly. He continued to stare. She continued to worry at the pillow's corner. She was about to go into a nervous breakdown when…

“My best wishes to you and whomever you choose.”

Forget nervous breakdown. We'll skip the nervous breakdown. Yeah. And go straight to heart attack.

She stared at him in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

He sighed, flopping back against the armrest and running a hand back through his hair, as though out of pure relief.

“I wished you well, Sakura. This is a situation you can't get out of, isn't it? Shouldn't it be better just to take it with a grain of salt and move on?”

“Move on?! This is my entire future we're talking about here, not just whether or not one little detail of my life should or should not happen, but something that will completely alter me for the rest of my life! This is marriage we're talking about for heaven's blessed sake!” For once, it wasn't a smirk that graced Sasuke's lips, but a pitying smile.

“Sakura, I think you haven't been looking at this right.” She stopped ranting, listening to him, trying to see if he could prove this to be a less worrisome situation than she thought it. He chuckled a bit, his eyes traveling to stare out the window behind them.

“I think that you're not seeing what's right there waiting for you. Then again, maybe it's just me.”

He smiled softly, sorrowfully, at her again. He had been like that, since his return from Otogakure. Quiet as always, but perhaps a bit more protective and loving than he had been before; smiles weren't quite as rare now, though they were still reserved for the best of times. But what was he talking about? What angle could she have missed to this? She was sure she had looked at this every way possible, but even now, he looked as though he were remembering something. But she didn't press it; if he wanted her to know, he would tell her.

“Sasuke-kun… are you really going to be happy for me?” she whispered, her eyes following his out to the sinking afternoon sun. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Sakura, I'll be happy if you're happy. You're my teammate, and a good friend. If you were being forced into a situation I thought you couldn't deal with or come out the better for, I would intervene, not watch idly by.”

The kunoichi continued to stare out the window, her eyes wavering on a wisp of a cloud that danced before the sun's path, casting strange and ghosting shadows over her face. Her thoughts flickered back to the way Kakashi's breath had fluttered down her throat from his angle behind her, and she nearly shivered again.

Sasuke-kun… you know something I don't, don't you? At least… you're a good confidante…

And before she left that evening, she squeezed his hand once, letting him see in that moment just how nervous she was.