Disclaimer: No, unfortunately (VERY unfortunately….) I do not own Naruto. If I did, Sakura would not exist (or maybe die) and Sasuke and Naruto would be deathly in love with each other. Meh…you can always dream can't you?

I don't usually write things about Sakura, hell, I don't even like her. Generally, I tend to forget she's even there, and pretend she was never part of the series. But then, I started thinking about things from her point of view. And decided: "Hey! That would make a great fanfic!" so then came the idea of why Sakura is the way she is…and that turned into her pretending to be someone she's not…and then it all just snowballed from there.

Sincerely, I hope you enjoy this short one-shot, I couldn't wait to write this.

Oh yes, it's SasuNaru just so you know

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Sakura had always been good at pretending. When she was younger, she would pretend that she was the most beautiful girl in Konoha, or at least in the ninja academy. She, like every other girl, could pretend that Sasuke would stare at her. Even though she sat in front of him and he was probably watching the teachers lectures. Sakura could still pretend.

Now, she continues to pretend. Sakura pretends that Sasuke likes her, that he's just shy about admitting his feelings. She knows that's a lie. She knows that Sasuke is not shy, and that he wouldn't hesitate to confess to the one he likes. That person isn't her. She's just a teammate, and at best, a friend.

Sakura pretends that Sasuke and Naruto are just best friends, that's the only reason they spend countless hours hanging out together, not training. Sakura pretends that Naruto moved into the Uchiha mansion because he had been kicked out of his apartment. That Sasuke only agreed to let him stay there because they're best friends.

She pretends that Kakashi lets her train alone because she's superior and doesn't need help training. She pretends that Sasuke and Naruto train together because they're behind and need help catching up to her.

She pretends she doesn't know this isn't true. She's not blind, just ignorant. They're much more powerful, leaving her behind in the dust; They train together because they want to surpass each other. She's too weak.

Sakura pretends that Sasuke is only there to catch Naruto all the time because Naruto is clumsy and he just happens to be there. But when she falls, no one is there to catach her. Sasuke is always there for Naruto. Always there to catch him, always there to save him: like a knight in shining armor.

Sakura tripped on, on purpose, to see what Sasuke would do if it was her. Nothing. Nothing is exactly what happened. She was totally ignored. Sasuke remained stony-faced and emotionless.

When Sasuke calls Naruto "dobe" or "idiot" and other names, she pretends those words are said with malice and hate. She pretends that when they verbally fight, they're really mad and irritated with each other. That's wrong too. In the underlying mockery, there's affection. Sasuke doesn't call anyone else names. They've become special nicknames, nicknames only they can call only each other.

Sakura pretends that they hate each other. That Sasuke despises that annoying blonde, and Naruto wants Sasuke to drop dead. That's one of the biggest lies she's ever told herself; and she knows it. Naruto loves Sasuke, and Sasuke couldn't live without Naruto. They would die for each other even. She doubted either would do that for her.

Sakura keeps on pretending because it's simpler that way. She doesn't have to accept them. If she's ignorant, she could make her world perfect, she could make life the way she wanted it to be. A puppet master in control of her own fantasy world.

Acknowledging and admitting these truths have become painful for her. If she does that, she would have to face her fears and conflicting emotions. She would see that the world isn't as she thought, and her life isn't perfect.

Sakura pretends so that she won't get hurt.

Sakura pretends.

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Then again, sorry for anybody who's a Sakura fan. Don't hold it against me…please? I did the best I could to portray her in a positive light…to give a reason behind her actions.

Hey…has anybody noticed? That after the first few episodes of Naruto…there's no more inner Sakura!! (Everyone…this is your cue to gasp.)

Chocolate chip cookies for my reviewers!