Falling away from me.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asks with a nervous waver. The boy passes her a casual glance but remains silent. The rose-haired girl swallows, interweaving her fingers and staring down timidly. "You… you know I love you, ne?" Sakura manages to glance upward, a faint blush tingeing her pale cheeks. Sasuke almost sighs, but instead averts his eyes from her piercing green gaze.
"Sakura…why did you call me here?" Sasuke asks neutrally. He doesn't not enjoy the park; it's Sakura's presence that tends to make the normally calm boy jumpy for reasons he can't understand. He hears her scooting closer towards him, feels her resting her hand on his. Sakura feels his hand twitch beneath hers and she smiles, feeling proud she can make him nervous. She speaks softer now, wary that intruders might listen in on their private conversation.
"I want to know how you feel, Sasuke." Sasuke has to lean closer to hear her. He feels his pulse rise.
"About what?" He manages to ask, awkwardly avoiding looking at their touching fingers. She leans closer, clasps his calloused pale hand and leans on his chest. She hears his heart's pattern quicken. Sasuke stiffens, the comforting gesture feeling so completely wrong in his mind. He is too haunted by the associations of his dead family to push her away.
"Why are you afraid?" She questions. He is pale, but Sasuke is always pale. She cannot tell if by the ghosts she brings up or from his Uchiha heritage. The dark boy is quiet. Always silent, thinks Sakura. He will never speak what he feels.
Sakura pulls away, giving him room to breath. She stares at his dim eyes now lowered to the park bench. Sakura knows that he's not really seeing it. Sasuke swallows back the fears he feels and speaks in low tones. "You want to know how I feel about you?" Sasuke confirms. The rose head nods once, and the green eyes intensify on their subject. "You are a good comrade." Sasuke begins honestly, and stops. The children nearby laugh gleefully over their game.
"Is that…all?" She asks worriedly. "Sasuke-kun?" He doesn't know, but feels his head nod slowly anyway. She leans back and let's her inner Sakura do the talking while she attempts to recover from the heavy disappointment. "I see." Sakura says, insides burning behind the pleasant smile she offers Sasuke. "Thanks." She stands; unnecessarily sweeping her red dress downward and runs blindly away from the park, not letting Sasuke see the tears falling away from her. She thinks she's swimming in this dry place, and only the orange blur holding her still is keeping her safe. She won't float away in all this water.
"Sakura-chan?" She hears her name but Inner-Sakura is in charge today.
"Naruto?" She whimpers quietly. Her shoulders are slowly released, but she knows she'll float away if no one's there to hold her down. She reaches out slowly and a warm hand gentle clasps her own.
"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?" Naruto's voice is gentle and soft and quiet. Everything Sakura loves about him. The orange distracts her slightly as she furiously whips her eyes dry.
"I-I can't- I can't…" She hiccups and her embarrassment only increases her shaking shoulders. Naruto doesn't know what to say, instead expresses his worries aloud. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, ne?" The red/green eyes float upward, drifting over the thoughtful blue eyes and sincere disposition.
"I'm al-al... I'm okay." She says stubbornly, clenching Naruto's cool hand tightly. Naruto relaxes slightly, the worried face soon replaced with such a familiar scowl.
"Sasuke didn't hurt you did he?" He accuses. Sakura almost laughs. No he didn't. She has merely hurt herself for eight years of believing in a lost dream. She shakes her head no, and finally gives him a good look. Naruto is taller now, and in a gangly way endearing. She shifts her feet almost bashfully and takes a deep breath.
"No." Naruto sends her a warm smile.
"Do you want to get some ramen, then? It always help me when I'm sad." The honest blue eyes convince her and she can't tear her own eyes away. She feels his hand squeeze hers affectionately, his smile never wavering for one second. She feels her heels lift off the ground slowly. Sakura doesn't know why it happened, but her heart decides Naruto's lips are so nice it doesn't matter.