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"You're annoying." Sasuke snapped at Sakura, who flinched back at the word.

"You always call me annoying and weak, but that won't change how I feel for you, Sasuke-kun," Said boy rolled his eyes at the trembling tone of determination from his teammate. He only grunted in response as he tossed his backpack to the floor and dropped down as well onto the soft grass.

After a few moments of silence, Sakura unsurely sat next to her crush, glancing up at the twinkling stars painting the night sky. When he made no move to push her away-less even turn to glare at her-she took this as a good sign and sighed in content.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

She faced him with big, emerald eyes in question. "How am I annoying?"

When he didn't answer, she decided to drop the subject into the quiet night, save for the humming of the cicadas in the background. The dew was cool against her palms, and she grasped a blade between her index and middle fingers.

Kakashi was sitting in a tree several meters away from camp and the recently made fire, as where Naruto was already snug in his sleeping bag, snoring loudly. Sasuke had been sitting on the hill in solitude when Sakura decided that she would keep him company, asking him several questions which led them to the situation they were now stuck in.

"…ignorant."

"Wha? Sasuke-kun?" She turned back to him to find him gazing straight at her, when he faced back to the sky.

"Nothing."

God, she was so annoying. He had been perfectly fine on his own in thought, and she just bounds up to him and interrogates him. And she didn't know…

It frustrated him to no end on how innocent and ignorant she was of the corruption he would drag her in, of how twisted her world would become.

Everything about her was so annoying.

Her bright pink hair that would make his head turn at the first sight of it was annoying. Her innocence about war and the hardships of the world was annoying. Her unceasing infatuation towards him was annoying. Her wide, emerald eyes that would stare at him were annoying. Her persistence and competition towards other girls was annoying. How she would daily make him her first priority was annoying. Her asking him out shyly was annoying. The way she was the weakest of the group was annoying.

She was so annoying.

Annoying, annoying, annoying.

And yet… he found himself not minding it.

He didn't hate her,

he just loathed the way she found a way to slip into his mind.

Whenever he spotted a cherry blossom tree, he couldn't help but think about the color of her hair and her signature scent she carried with her. Whenever he gazed into the eyes of a stray cat, he couldn't help but compare them to her wide emerald ones. When he holds a kunai, he can't help but think back to when she had cut her hair during battle. Circles reminded him of her Haruno Clan symbol (for some odd reason), and red would remind him of how great the color looked on her.

Even in battle-related situations, he thought about her.

As he thinks about the Chunnin exams and how she took care of them by herself (in a way), the determination that fired up in her eyes when she protected him or Naruto, her quick and smart way of thinking of a strategy,

he knows that he doesn't mind that.

But he found how she could make him feel so very annoying.

If she was in danger, his stomach would clench and he would jump into it so carelessly. If she was falling, his body would stiffen and his feet would force him to jump and his arms to caress her gently. If she was smiling at him, he would feel the corner of his lips twitching back at her. If she was hurting, he would find anger bubbling up in his torso. If she was sleeping calmly, he would feel protective and want to watch over her all night.

If those feelings were strong, he didn't even want to know how he would feel if she died.

The thought already causes him to feel melancholy and serious.

Her ignorance was annoying. That she didn't know what she did to him. She was the cause of the rush of mixed feelings that rushed through him, and even she didn't know. (If she found out, there was no doubt she would be ecstatic.)

But most of all…

He found her love so annoying.

No matter how many times he harshly rejected her, she always came back and never let up.

It was so IRRITATING.

But… in a way, he was thankful for it. After all, she made him feel lighter on the inside when he saw her beaming. Her smile, the way she said his name, how she didn't give up on him no matter what…

She made him feel like he wasn't alone in the world.

But it was all annoying because it hindered him from his goal of revenge. She was one of the things-probably the only- that caused his curse mark and hate to retreat, even for a moment. She made him forget about Itachi and made him feel normal. About his reason for living.

And in truth, she scared him.

He wanted to run as far as possible from her and curse her for making him like this.

And yet…

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?" He looked up to see the girl that was on his mind (yet again) smiling at him (Annoying, he scoffed).

"Kakashi-sensei is already asleep, we should probably get some sleep."

"I'll… be right there." He hesitated, a strange feeling erupting in his lower torso as she came closer and closer to him.

"Nonsense," She giggled, her laughter reminding him of soft gentleinnocentmusical bells (did he mention he found the tinkling sound of bells annoying?). Her smooth hand gripped onto his own rough one and the weird prickling became stronger. "We'll go together."

He grunted and successfully shut out the emotions, professionally looking as if he didn't care (just like all the other times).

He felt himself soften at the sight of her back and the feeling of happiness that radiated off of her.

And at that moment, when he felt warmth prickle underneath his skin (and he was sure it wasn't because of the fire they were walking towards), he realized that no matter what,

Everything will always come back to her.

After all his definition of annoying…

"Sakura?"

Her head shot up eagerly, confused at his starting of a conversation (which she usually always starts, another thing he found annoying about her, her ranting and babbling). "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"You're annoying."

…was his symbol of affection.

(A/N: Okay, a weird one-shot, but I had fun on this! I was inspired by this at the thought of "Sasuke always calls Sakura annoying, but what does he mean later on?". Everyone thinks that when he proclaims her "annoying", that she's a nuisance, but this thought had been on my mind for about two or three years: "What if she's annoying because he's always thinking about her, and he finds that annoying instead of her?"

Since Sasuke always hid his emotions very well after Orochimaru marked him, it was a strange thought, but when I had recently watched Sasuke's leaving Konoha and the famous SasuSaku drama scene, it kinda sparked the thought of this one-shot.

So yeah.

Ugh, I just made my lip bleed with my braces D:

Anyways,

HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!

Review please!

~CiiCiinREX.)