A Second Chance
Sakura watched him walk away, her tense muscles slowly relaxing as the distance between the two increased. She noticed the expanse of his back and how broad his shoulders were, just a few details that added to how he had grown over the years. Her fingers unclenched from the tight fists she had held and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She still felt jittery, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins since she had expected an aggressive and physical confrontation during their encounter. She closed her eyes, bringing her hands up to loosely comb through her hair and allow a breeze to gently caress her cheeks. She took a deep breath and stilled, only letting herself exhale when the pressure became unbearable. Her heartbeat was loud and erratic, an untamed rhythm that matched her thoughts.
Finally, opening her eyes, she stared in the direction in which he had disappeared. He was now a speck in the distance and she had to squint to make sure he was really gone.
Immediately she could feel the regret flooding in her mind. Perhaps she should have been less blunt. Perhaps she should have lied to him. Or perhaps she shouldn't have said anything at all.
Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes squeezed shut in frustration. Why did things have to turn out like this?
Why couldn't he have stayed out of her life? Just as abruptly as he had left her life all those years ago, he had chosen to appear just as spontaneously back into her life now of all times. The aches she had just been able to ignore in recent years were back to plague her heart. She laughed, her low chuckle full of bitterness. It wasn't that long ago she had been digging her face into her pillows with uncontrollable sobs and wished nothing more than for him to come back to her. Yet the moment she finally believed she could move on, he returned. His timing seemed almost cruel; she had finally accepted Naruto's feelings and was now engaged to her best friend.
She wanted to cry, but she restrained herself. The countless sleepless nights and tears she had spent thinking about the Uchiha in the past were enough, she decided. She glanced up at the sky and sighed. She was mad at herself, mad that she had hesitated during their conversation and that the forcibly tucked feelings she had tried so hard to repress were beginning to break through again. It terrified her as she realized that after all these years, despite all the agony and anguish he had wrecked upon her with his departure, she still yearned for him.
She closed her eyes again, remembering the contours of his face as she had stared at him just a few moments ago. The vague lines and shadows played well together on his figure; the flash of anger that had entered his coal-black eyes were stark in contrast. He oozed of power and masculine beauty - and Sakura was ashamed that she had almost given in to the instant attraction she had felt upon seeing him. In the midst of all the confusion and lust that muddled her brain, she had unwittingly chosen to blurt out news of her engagement to serve as both a distraction and a reminder.
'God, he looked good. Even after all this time,' Sakura flushed at the thought. Quickly, as to numb the thought, she shook her head fervently. What was she thinking? She couldn't do this to Naruto. He had waited for her just as she had waited for Sasuke. It wasn't fair for her to be this selfish. She willed herself to push aside the spark she felt when he had whispered her name outloud. How his lips looked so soft and his dark and mesmerizing eyes ...no. She had grown up. She would not be the whiney, immature, and hormone-raging pre-teen she used to be. She refused to revert back to when she was so weak and vulnerable.
As if to reassure herself of that thought, she crossed her arms together and felt the toned muscles she had built up over the years of training. She was no longer the weakest and a hindrance; she had advanced to become a capable and intelligent kunoichi through diligence and hard work. She brought a hand up to her right temple and allowed a stream of healing chakra to diffuse through to her brain. A mini headache had began to form and she knew that it was time to leave to go back.
'A childhood crush. That's all he is,' Sakura thought stubbornly. The Uchiha heir would remain locked as a sensitive memory that only pertained to her adolescence. Nodding to herself, she willed her nerves to settle and she broke her somber expression that had lasted throughout her long reflection. Slowly, she turned, resolved to keep her emotions in check as she walked back down the hills to Kohona.