Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Welcome to my World ❯ Strange Conversation ( Chapter 4 )

That night, I couldn't sleep a wink, but it wasn't because of the leftover feelings of excitement from the game, it was because I kept hearing noises. First, I thought I kept hearing myself talking, and then a few hours later I thought I heard Ino replying. During the last few hours of the night, I kept hearing splashing sounds like when Ino's flip-flop had fallen in the river. In the morning I was shuddering in fear, wondering if I had been hallucinating.

I walked to school hungry and still a little spooked. I hadn't had the stomach to chow down on any breakfast that morning. I walked the familiar path to school that day, the one I had been avoiding for a week now, just to see if anything happened when I passed Ino's house.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for the overgrown grass and no familiar curtains in all the windows that I knew so well. There was no For Sale sign on the front lawn, which made sense because it was like a little bit of Ino had been left behind, but for no anyone to take.

To my surprise, the neighbors to Ino's house that I'd never seen opened their door and a handsome boy with black hair descended his front stairs. He slung his book bag over his shoulder and only when he looked up at me did I realize it was Sasuke. He smiled at me, still happy from last night's game, but I had other things on my mind.

“Hey Sakura.”

“Hey.” I gulped. “I never knew you were Ino's neighbor.”

Sasuke avoided my gaze but shrugged. “It never came up.”

“I'm just surprised she never told me.”

Sasuke motioned for us to walk, but still kept his face hidden. “Maybe she didn't know.”

I thought maybe he was hiding something from me, but after this night's episode I couldn't trust what I thought I was seeing. I fell into step with him, and as soon as we turned a corner to another street, light conversation came up, and by the time we got to school we were having a good time.

Sasuke walked me to my first class, Art, and then nodded in his quiet way. “See you at lunch?”

Instead of answering, I spoke what I had been thinking for the past week since I'd begun to talk to him. “You're different,” I said.

Sasuke looked up at me carefully. “In what way?”

“Different from what I thought you were.” I was suddenly embarrassed for bringing it up. “Probably because I'd never talked to you before. Later?”

Sasuke smiled just a little. “I'd love to hear about this. Later.” He waved, and I felt a strange rush of emotions as I walked into class.

Wow…

~~~

At lunch, Sasuke caught me before I could walk out onto campus. “Let's go somewhere else,” he whispered, like it was a secret. Which I guess it was, since his friends would be wondering where we went.

We walked away from school to a little park in the neighborhood. We found a bench and sat beside each other. To my surprise, Sasuke didn't take out his iPod. Since yesterday, he'd seemed more relaxed. His lips weren't always down now, they were half-up. This made a smile crawl onto my face, too.

“What's up with you?” I asked.

Sasuke looked down at me, still beautiful as always. “Tell me more about what you started this morning,” he said.

“Um…” I didn't know where to take this. “I was just saying you're different. But in a good way.”

Sasuke seemed to be interested in this, and pressed on. “Who did you think I was?”

“Well…” I stretched my legs to relax myself. “I was always under the impression that you were sort of cold, and quiet.” But you're actually pretty loving, I added silently.

Sasuke smiled at this. “Guess you're lucky that I'm not cold.”

I smiled beside him, staring at the bench. I'd always thought it, but now I knew for sure. I liked him. Before he was the amazing-looking guy I'd gushed to Ino about, but now he was someone I'd spoken to, and it'd turned out I actually liked him.

“We're friends?” It slipped out.

“Friends.” Sasuke's shoulders relaxed. He pulled out his iPod and offered me an earpiece. I took it and we sat, just listening, for a while.

Suddenly, Sasuke moved his shoulder so that it was touching mine. “I'm glad Ino moved,” he whispered.

I froze, and then a strange cold wave flowed through me. “W-what?” I whispered back, “Why?”

Sasuke moved again so that we were further apart than before. “Never mind.”

“No, tell me.” I still felt really unpleasant about hearing the words. “Please. Why?”

“It's just because I'm a jerk.” He got up, as in end of conversation. I gave him back the earpiece and we walked back in silence, the mood ruined. His explanation kept ringing in my head.

But I knew what he said couldn't be it, because unlike before, I knew him now.