A/N: Soooo… this was originally supposed to be for SasuSaku Month, but I got lazy and… yeah. The Prompt was Conversation.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

What Used to Be

Sakura held in a sigh as she watched her friends boarding the bus ahead of her own. Somehow she had ended up being the only one separated from her group of friends. Everyone else was either paired up with someone they could talk to or at least sat near them, but she on the other hand did not have that luxury.

The pinkette had been absent the day everyone picked their partners for the school trip and so she'd missed the chance to get a decent 'bus buddy'. From what she'd been told, the names of anyone who was absent or didn't specify who they wanted as a partner was thrown into a hat and drawn at random. Sadly because of this, she'd been placed at the back of the bus with the most anti-social people to ever walk the planet.

Gaara and Neji sat in the seats directly in front of her, each keeping to their respective sides of the seat and neither feeling the need to strike up any kind of conversation. Then there was her own partner, who was probably the worst of the bunch. Not only did he not bother with small talk, he seemed to send out an aura that obviously stated "leave me alone". It was a trait that many Uchihas had and Sasuke was no different.

What made matters worse—and probably put the icing on the cake—was that just a year ago she'd confessed her love for the boy and was immediately turned down. He didn't even need to put much thought into the decision.

Since then she tried to void as much interaction with the male as she could and now that he was sitting right beside her, Sakura wished she was invisible. She didn't much feel like going on the trip anymore. The Museum of Konoha History wasn't that interesting a place when she thought about it. Sure she was looking forward to learning more about the founding of her hometown, but the pairs were to become quads after they got off the bus and spending her day with "the Silent Three" didn't seem like much fun.

Sneaking a peek in her partner's direction she felt her face involuntarily heat up slightly. Sasuke had made himself comfortable in his seat, with eyes closed and arms crossed he looked almost peaceful. It was a nice contrast to the ever present scowl that always rested on the teen's lips. Looking back out the window she leaned against the bus, letting her head rest on the window. She would be lying if she had said she didn't still have some feelings for the guy, but she'd long since given up pursuing him. Making a fool out of herself for someone who obviously wasn't interested seemed pointless to her.

Glancing back at the Uchiha she exhaled. Perhaps… she could at least become sort of friends with him, at least for the trip. It seemed silly to keep things the way they were. No one would have any fun like this and that's what school trips were for, right?

"Hey… um… Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned lightly, trying to catch his attention.

"Hm?" He answered, not bothering to open his eyes.

Part of her hadn't expected the boy to answer her and so she smiled. "It's pretty nice outside isn't it?" Her mouth flinched slightly at the terrible conversation starter, but continued. "Kakashi-sensei sure picked a good day for a trip."

"Hn."

Her smile faltered a bit, but she pushed a little more. "Are you excited?"

Sasuke opened his eyes for a brief moment in annoyance. Did he look excited? "It's just a museum."

Sakura's cheeks puffed slightly. Just a museum? It was quite more than that. "I disagree." She said matter-of-factly, her mind slipping into nerd-mode. "I hear they had new exhibits and they've re-done some of their old ones. It should be cool."

The Uchiha let out a sound that seemed dangerous close to an amused scoff. "You haven't changed."

The pinkette's excitement for the trip was put on the back burner and she furrowed her brow, "What are you talking about?"

Sasuke shifted in his seat and closed his eyes again, "You were like this the last time when we had that fieldtrip to the site of the Great Konoha Battle."

Sakura grinned at the memory, "Oh my god, I remember that day—Middle School, Seventh grade." She bit her lip in recollection. "Remember when you dared Naruto to suck a noodle up his nose?"

The boy smirked briefly, "I remember."

She laughed, "It was stuck up there for days!" Dying her laughter down to a giggle she sighed and rubbed her palms together thoughtfully, "I miss those days."

An awkward silence settled between them and Sakura shifted uncomfortably. The past was not something she tried to remember often, but the more she thought about it the more she realized her days back then were much more simple and less drama ruled the space around her. In middle school she, Sasuke, and Naruto had become very close, the energetic and slightly annoying blond being the glue that kept them together.

As she recalled the silly events that always unfolded around her boys, her smile saddened slightly, she partly wished for those days back. Back then, she had laughed her hardest and everyday seemed to hold some kind of foolish antic. Perhaps if she hadn't confessed things wouldn't have changed the way that they did and the three of them would hang out as they always had, not that she didn't like the way her life was now… it was just… she missed old times.

Sakura didn't notice the pair of onyx eyes on her until the bus had begun to move. She stared at them uncertainly and sat back, "What?"

Sasuke didn't answer at first, but after a moment his lips finally parted. "Tell me more about the new exhibits."

The girl blinked, letting the comment seep in, before a genuine smile stretched across her face. She knew he didn't care about the exhibits, but he probably noticed how uncomfortable she had been. A giddy feeling overtook her as she began her explanation.

A/N: Hope you liked it!