Warning: Prequel to They Never Knew. Also rated 'M' for a reason.

Discoveries

Chapter 1 – Why?

Everything had been going normally for him until he heard what had been bugging Naruto for the past week and a half.

For the past week and a half, the blond had been moping around and sulking, had been looking utterly depressed. The only time that he hadn't, was when Naruto was talking to Sakura. It had confused him for a short while, but no more than a day. It wasn't all that strange for him to be happy around her – he loved Sakura, after all.

Dark eyes narrowed.

"What do you think that means, Sasuke?"

He couldn't find his voice.

Why was he feeling this… this burning anger in his gut? Why did his hands only stop twitching when he fisted them and they were unable to move? Sasuke tried taking deep breaths, tried to keep himself calm, but nothing worked. All he wanted to do right at that moment in time was smash his fist into Naruto's face and he couldn't even understand why!

"I mean…" Naruto glanced up at the sky, his brows furrowing. "I don't…"

His previous words repeated in Sasuke's mind like loud sirens, completely blocking out what Naruto was now saying. He could only catch the beginning or the end of his sentences.

So they had had sex.

Naruto and Sakura had slept together.

Sasuke wasn't too sure as to why he was so surprised – Naruto's feelings for Sakura were hardly discreet. Everybody, everybody, knew about them. Maybe it was because, in a way, he'd always thought of Sakura as… Well, as his. She'd always hang around him, cheer him on, things like that. Sakura had always made her feelings for him known.

Why would she have sex with Naruto if she was supposedly in love with Sasuke? That was what he couldn't seem to understand.

He was silent as he glared down at the ground, ignoring Naruto as the blond continued to sulk. Apparently, he had told Sakura that he loved her, but she hadn't said it back. What did that mean? Obviously, that she didn't love him, but what about her feelings for Sasuke? Why would Sakura sleep with Naruto if she had no feelings for him? Was she confused? Hurt? Unsure? Maybe even scared? But why would she be feeling that way?

"It just happened." Naruto mumbled suddenly, like he could read Sasuke's confusing thoughts. They'd always been close like that. "We were watching a movie and then…"

"And then you were suddenly fucking her."

"Don't say it like that!" the blond snapped angrily and defensively, his glare harsh and vicious. "It wasn't anything like that!"

"Then what was it like?" Sasuke didn't even know why his tone was so sharp. He couldn't understand why it felt as though he was being punched in the gut. "You're making it sound as though Sakura's a slut," Which was probably what was angering Sasuke so much, "when it takes two to have sex."

"…I thought it was more." Naruto muttered, his eyes staring off into the distance.

And why wasn't Sasuke surprised when he followed Naruto's line of view, that it was Sakura he was staring at? She seemed a little different, now that he thought about it. There was a more obvious sway in her hips. No, that wasn't all. Sakura's sexuality had been awakened – it was more obvious. Or was that the wrong word to use? Whatever it was, Sakura now had everyone's attention. All eyes were on her whether she knew it or not. Every sway of her hips, every bat of her long and thick, black eyelashes, every lingering look, was driving all the guys at Konoha High insane.

…Including himself.

It startled Sasuke how his heart was beating faster, pounding away in his chest, how his blood was boiling, how his stomach was suddenly warming in a way that wasn't entirely unpleasant. In his mind, several scenarios flashed by and they were so very vivid. Most of them were of Sakura underneath him, trembling and writhing in ecstasy, screaming and panting and moaning his name.

"Where are you going?" The voice behind him sounded startled, most likely worried that Sasuke was about to say something to Sakura about what he had been told. "I never called Sakura–chan a whore!"

Never said that he had, Sasuke vaguely recalled. It felt like it took forever before he was standing in front of Sakura, enjoying the way her attention was immediately on nothing but him and ignoring the fact that there were glares attempting to pierce his skull. Pathetic. Those losers thought they had a chance with Sakura?

"Sasuke–kun!" Sakura smiled brightly when she spotted him, resting a hand on her hip as she cocked it to the side. "You're lucky I'm used to that look of yours, otherwise I would have probably run away."

What look? Sasuke deadpanned. No emotion could be seen through a deadpan unless you were Naruto or Sakura, of course. "Stop exaggerating."

"Whatever!" She rolled her apple green eyes and turned her back to him, almost flooring Sasuke with the look she threw over her shoulder that was most definitely an invitation. "You coming?"

Those images were back. "…Yeah."

Since they were still both underage, neither had cars and had to get the bus. It was such a pain because they lived so far out, which meant their bus came at longer intervals than the others. Whilst most buses were every ten to fifteen minutes, theirs was every forty to forty–five minutes. It meant they'd have to wait around now for their bus thanks to Sakura's class being held back. True, Sasuke could have simply gone without her, but he very much preferred getting the bus with Sakura rather than without.

She kept the annoying fan–girls (even though they were rare on his bus) from throwing themselves on him, and she utterly petrified the students in the lower years, so they didn't dare throw things or scream at one another. Just remembering how noisy and unnecessarily hyperactive they had been one time when Sakura had not gotten on the bus, made Sasuke need to hold back a shudder.

It was safe to say that the bus drivers adored her.

"You seem different today, Sasuke–kun." Sakura purred and his blood was boiling again as she suddenly turned and leaned in closer, unnecessarily feeling his forehead. "You're burning up!" All teasing left her features and voice and she seemed genuinely concerned. "Are you okay, Sasuke?"

That was how you could tell if Sakura was being serious. The '–kun' suffix would be dropped.

"Fine." He swatted her hand away and began walking, knowing already that she would follow. She did. "Are we going to the shop?"

This was their routine every day after school. Since it was on the way to the bus stop and they had more than enough time, Sasuke and Sakura always went to the shop that was on the way. Then, while munching on the snacks they had bought, they would walk to the bus stop and wait there for the remainder of the time.

"Yeah." she mumbled in return, her eyebrows knitting together as she stared up at his features. "Are you sure you're okay, Sasuke?"

He sighed. Having her worry over him was a mixture of feelings, though there were two feelings that always stood out more than the others: annoyance and a strange sense of comfort. It was nice to have Sakura looking out for him like that. It reminded him of how his mother had always worried over his health. No, Sasuke wasn't saying Sakura was exactly like his mother (not a chance, as his mother had been very calm and softly spoken, whereas Sakura was hot–tempered and loud), but there were a few characteristics that she had picked up from Mikoto.

Sasuke shut those thoughts down immediately. Two years had flown by since the deaths of his parents and it still hurt as though it was only yesterday.

In reply, he grunted and Sakura sighed. She knew not to push him when he dropped all words and instead answered with grunts or, if she was lucky, 'hn'.

It was a ten minute walk from school to the shop and since Naruto lived on the other side of town, the part that was closer to town centre, it was only Sasuke and Sakura. He didn't mind, in all honesty. When they were alone, she could be pleasant to be around. Well, when she wasn't hyper and talking non–stop.

Today, Sasuke wasn't too sure as to whether he wanted to be alone with Sakura or not. Except for those dirty thoughts that he had no right to be seeing, only one thing kept going through his mind. It was easy to keep that thing back as they stopped off at the shop, but the moment they were sat at the bus stop and there was nothing to talk about, it fell from his lips without permission.

"Why?"

Damn it!

Sakura paused, tilting her head to the side. "Why?"

His eyes narrowed a fraction. Was he supposed to play it down and ignore her, pretend he had been asking about something else, or simply get it over with? While Sasuke wanted to know just what the hell had been going through her mind to do such a thing with Naruto, of all people, he didn't want to start any fights. At least, not between Sakura and Naruto.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked softly.

There were times when Sasuke absolutely loathed Sakura's eyes. Sometimes, they were too wide, too innocent and carefree. Most of the time it was because of the colour of them, the brightness – all stunning. It was mainly because of the emotions in her eyes, though. The tenderness, the concern and the… the love.

She didn't even bother to hide the fact she was in love with him.

"You had sex with Naruto."

Silence.

Sasuke didn't look at her. He kept his eyes on the road in front of him, watching with an empty expression as cars flew by, as other buses came and went. The weather was okay. It could've been better, but it also could have been worse, he supposed. At least it wasn't lashing it down with rain. It was only slightly windy.

"And you want to know why?"

The quiet voice had Sasuke finally glancing down at Sakura, though the look on her face, the sadness in her eyes, had him frowning. "Yeah."

She took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "I… I don't know." Sakura murmured, averting her eyes. "At the time it seemed like a good idea."

And it was with the small, painful smile she sent him that Sasuke realised something that caused him pain, although he wasn't sure why.

Sakura was lonely.

"But not anymore?"

She shook her head, looking away again. "It shouldn't have happened, but at the same time, it could have been so much worse. I could have given myself to someone who didn't have any feelings for me, who would turn around the next day and tell everyone about it." Sakura sighed, rubbing her arm nervously. "I trust Naruto and I love him with all my heart. But I'm not in love with him."

Yet he had still told him. Sasuke shook his head at his own thoughts. No, Naruto had only told Sasuke because he hadn't been sure on what to do. Should he try to pursue Sakura? Should he give her some space to think everything through? Had he destroyed their seemingly unbreakable friendship? Did it count as a one night stand? Naruto had actually spewed out all of those questions in less than thirty seconds – and added more! It was like those questions had exploded out of him faster than he could stop them. In the end, Sasuke had punched him over the head and told him calm down, that he should start from the beginning.

"I'm guessing Naruto told you?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Are you… Are you mad at me?"

Yes. For some strange reason he felt betrayed. "I have no reason to be angry."

Sakura looked away. "…Oh."

What had she expected? Some sort of dramatic outburst where he exclaimed his love for her? What love? No, he wasn't being childish or pathetic – he loved her, but wasn't in love with her. They were friends and she meant too much to him for them to mess everything up with things like romance. Just take a look at her and Naruto! Even though he had been smiling whenever she was around, being his usual cheery self, deep down, he was hurting.

And Sakura couldn't even look Naruto in the eye.

"Bus." Sasuke muttered as he stood up, grateful that the bus was on time today instead of ten minutes late.

Sakura stood up silently, following Sasuke onto the bus once it had stopped for them. He wished she would stop looking like that, like he had just rejected her. Sighing, Sasuke took his seat at the back of the bus, putting his bag on the seat opposite him. Sakura sat beside him a moment later, doing the same thing with her bag.

The journey was silent and while it wasn't unusual for conversation to be quiet between them, it felt different this time. Uncomfortable. Deafening. Sasuke was aware of the fact Sakura kept glancing up at him, but he kept his eyes staring out of the window even when it made him dizzy after a while, appearing as though he was lost in his thoughts.

Almost fifty torturous minutes later and they finally arrived at their stop. Sasuke had never felt more relieved to get off of the bus and he hated public transportation. It was just that look on Sakura's face, her body language, the defeated sighs she kept quietly releasing. It was all too much.

It sounded bigheaded, but Sasuke knew she was in love with him, although it still confused him as to why she would sleep with Naruto while apparently in love with Sasuke.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke–kun?"

He didn't even glance at her as he walked away. "Hn."