Stranger

She sat silently on his front porch, waiting for him to come home. Lately, he had been avoiding team seven- and her in general. He was beginning to become closed off like just like he had before he left Konoha. Was he going to leave again? Are we still not enough for him? She laments to herself. She refused to let him become a stranger to them again. The only reason she was waiting for him was because if she had shown up when he was at home and knocked on the door, she doubted that he would answer.

In the distance, she saw his silhouette returning from training. She quickly masked her presence with a simple cloaking technique, and continued to watch him. He wasn't wearing the blank expression she remembered him wearing those years ago. In fact, his expression showed a light hint of concern. She even heard him let out a sigh- not like the ones Shikamaru would let out whenever he was bored. When he finally neared the porch, she uncloaked herself and he stared at her, with his eyes wide. How did he not notice? There are very few people who would be able to detect my presence, and he is one of them. She wondered.

"What are you doing?" She asked, with a curious tone as she stood up.

"I could ask you the same." He countered. Although his gaze was as intense as ever, he glanced at the ground.

"You have been avoiding us." She spoke plainly. His eyes weren't as wide as they were earlier when she had revealed herself, but there was something different about them.

"And what about it?" he swallowed. He seemed completely off. Maybe if she had confronted him about it back when they were genin, he would have been just like this. Maybe if she did, she could have prevented him from leaving for those three painful years.

"You're going to leave again, aren't you?" she asked, bluntly. She kept her face blank, because if she didn't, it would show her pain, and anger. His expression changed to a combination of denial and something else she couldn't identify. Obsidian eyes narrowed as his jaw dropped slightly.

"What? I'd never leave you!" he blurted. Realizing his choice of words, her eyes widened along with his. He knew that he couldn't take back what he said because she knew what he meant. Sighing in defeat, he waited for her response.

"What.. Do you mean?" the pinkette asked. Her face was almost as pink as her hair. She knew the answer, she just couldn't believe it.

"You know what I mean." he replied, not helping to her confusion. She only stared at him, tilting her head slightly to the side in a curious manner.

"Then why have you been avoiding us for the past two weeks?" She questioned, resting her hand on her hip. He is definitely not going to flirt his way out of this. How could he play with me like that? He's well aware of- Her thoughts were interrupted by him clearing his throat.

"Because I was trying to figure out how to ask you out." He stammered, looking at the suddenly interesting rocks on his front garden. He quickly glanced at her once every two seconds.

"Are you kidding me? Uchiha Sasuke is Nervous?" She laughed, causing him to snap his gaze back at her and narrow his eyes at the insult, and utterly unresponsive reaction. She stopped laughing. "Wait… You wanted to ask me out?" she asked.

"Yes." He responded carefully, with his cheeks red.

"Well, have you figured it out?" She teased. He admittedly shook his head and sighed, looking back at the ground.

"Okay then, meet me at the new BBQ place down by the bridge tomorrow at this time." She smiled. She was always the one asking Sasuke out, although she hadn't since they were twelve. And he never agreed. Although, this wasn't really asking him.

"No." Was his response. In response, her eyebrows furrowed and she glared at him. Why would he deny her when he's been trying to figure out how to ask her to go out? Is it his ego? She turned around and began to storm off.

"Wait." He stopped her. She turned around, and gave him an annoyed look. She was more than annoyed. She was Pissed.

"I'll be by your place tonight, at seven." He smirked. Oh. Gentleman. The voice in her head droned sarcastically. She took a deep breath, and sighed as she nodded.

It took all her strength to stop herself from skipping back to her house.