Twisted Proposals
Chapter 2: Twisting Allegories
Sasuke's eyes widened after a moment and he opened his mouth to speak. "I…" He trailed off not seeming to know how to continue. He detangled himself from her gently but quickly and once again opened his mouth to speak. He shook his head, not saying anything and turned away from her walking out of the room closing the door behind him.
Sakura was left there standing in the middle of the room frozen in shock not knowing exactly how to make sense of what had happened. The lack of Sasuke's warmth made her shiver with cold and it was then that she came to the realization.
Sasuke had just kissed her.
She blinked several times before passing a hand through her hair, she was sure she wasn't going to be able to sleep any time soon.
That morning Naruto knew there was something wrong, he could bet a whole year of ramen supply on it. There was tension thick enough to cut through with a kunai, that couldn't mean any good.
Sasuke was even quieter than usual, if that was even possible. Then there was Sakura, just as quiet and way too calm for anyone's own good. Naruto couldn't help but wonder if anything had happened the night before after he left in his hunt for a ramen stand.
In the morning as they got ready to leave the hotel neither Sasuke nor Sakura spoke a word They've been traveling all morning and there had been no communication whatsoever. Naruto hadn't spoken either his gaze shifting to both of them from time to time wondering what had happened, it wasn't normal for them to ignore each other like that.
As they jumped from tree to tree Naruto stayed behind observing them, they kept as far away from each other as possible and when they got close he watched as their shoulders immediately tensed and they proceeded to quickly separate again.
The last time he had seen them act like that was when they had become a team again; there had always been a tension. And for whatever reason it seemed to be back.
To say Naruto was worried was an understatement. He didn't want his team to go back to becoming strangers, not after everything it took for them to learn to trust each other again.
He knew he had to do something before this became a permanent thing between them.
"Hey!" He called to Sasuke and Sakura who were up front, none of them turned their heads to him and so he sighed before continuing. "How long until we get to Konoha?" He asked hoping to get a response from either of them and prove that they hadn't lost their voices.
"A few hours if we keep going at this rate." Sakura surprisingly answered not turning to look his way.
"Can't we stop for a while, I'm hungry!" Naruto complained loudly, hoping to convince them to stop for a while. It was true, he was hungry but wanting to stop also had a lot to do with wanting to find out what was going on with his team mates.
"Can't you wait until we get to Konoha, dobe?" Sasuke shot at him, but just as Sakura didn't turn to look at him keeping his gaze locked forward.
"Well if I wait any longer I might faint and that would only slow things down more, so pretty please Sakura?!" Naruto practically pleaded and for a moment he thought Sakura would say no, but then she sighed and slowly came to a stop jumping down the tree to the ground.
"Fine, we'll stop. But we can't take all day to eat, so one of you go catch some fish I'll get some branches we can use for a fire." Sakura ordered as she walked away.
"I'll go get the fish." Sasuke muttered as he too walked away.
Naruto decided to follow Sakura first. "Hey Sakura!" He called out to her and she turned to him her expression expecting. "Do you know what's wrong with Sasuke?" He asked getting to the point, there was no use in beating around the bush.
"Tch, how should I know? He probably has a stick up his ass as usual, can't make up his mind about what he wants." Her eyes narrowed as she finished talking before they once again turned to the blonde. "What are you asking for anyway? If you have time to go around asking useless questions then go and help him get the fish, he probably can't make up his mind whether to catch one or not." The last part she mumbled under her breath, but it was loud enough for Naruto to hear. Without another word she walked away leaving him alone.
Naruto used his great detective skills to round up three possible answers to his team mate's attitude. First, Sasuke had done something to anger Sakura. Second, Sakura had done something to annoy Sasuke. Third, something had happened between them.
Naruto nodded to himself thinking he was a genius.
He ran toward the direction he had come from, knowing he had to see Sasuke's side of things to get the complete story. He heard Sasuke as he attempted to catch some fish and made his way to him.
Sasuke was glaring at the water with so much force that if looks could kill the fish would already been dead. "Uhh…teme?" Naruto cocked his head to the side as he stared at the very annoyed Sasuke standing a few feet away.
"What do you want dobe?" Sasuke asked as he narrowed his eyes.
"I'm worried about Sakura, she's been acting strange today. Do you know what's wrong with her?" The blonde asked watching carefully for Sasuke's reaction.
He scoffed before answering. "She's probably in that time of the month, 'cause she just had to get in the way and ruin everything." His reply left Naruto more than a little confused. "Annoying woman." Sasuke muttered before turning around and walking away to try and catch the fish.
Again Naruto stood there alone using his great detective skill to figure out what was wrong. It seemed that Sasuke can't make up his mind about what he wants and Sakura gets in the way. It could only mean one thing.
Sasuke and Sakura had an argument.
"Genius, even better than Shikamaru." Naruto chuckled to himself.
The space around them was silent as they ate their lunch which consisted of fish. Sasuke ate his while looking at the ground but still he could feel Naruto's gaze on him from time to time. He knew it had to do with his earlier question about Sakura. In that moment of anger he had said more than he should have.
But he wasn't worried, Naruto was an idiot. There was no way in hell he could guess what had happened between them and he was pretty sure Sakura wouldn't tell him either.
He was still mentally beating himself up for what he did the night before.
He's always been so good at controlling himself; he's always been able to hold on to his calm facades. It wasn't the first time he'd had the urge to kiss her, and it wasn't the strongest urge he'd had. Yet, he hadn't been able to stop himself and he knew why. It had gotten worse.
And to top it off, he ran away, like a puppy with its tail between its legs. It wasn't like he could have told her the truth.
"Yeah, you know when you confessed your love to me and I left you on a cold bench? Guess what? Years later it finally happen and I can't stop thinking about you."
He mentally kicked himself, there was no way in hell he was going to admit that. He would get it under control; he would kill that urge somehow.
"Hey!" Naruto's voice broke him out of his thoughts and brought him back to reality; a reality where the subject of his dilemma was sitting right beside him. His gaze shifted to Naruto and from the corner of his eye he saw Sakura do the same.
"I know you two are kinda mad at each other," Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "and don't look at me like that. I'm not an idiot, I know what's going on. But just look at it this way, if you leave things the way they are it'll just get worse, one of you two has to be willing to make the first move." The blonde eyed both Sasuke and Sakura as he finished and Sasuke tried not letting surprise show on his face.
From the corner of his eyes he saw as Sakura threw a withering look his way thinking he hadn't noticed but he did. He on the other hand tried avoiding Naruto's gaze, he knew Naruto didn't really know the root of the problem but he was afraid that his expression might give him away.
One of you two has to be willing to make the first move.
He didn't want to admit that Naruto was most probably right. Someone had to make the first move and he knew that what happened the night before had been his fault. So it only seemed to be right for him to make the first move.
As they reached the village gates late in the afternoon Sasuke heard Naruto yell excitedly. "Ramen!" Then the blonde turned to both his team mates with a hopeful expression and he didn't have to voice his thought aloud for them to know what he wanted to say.
"I'm tired of eating ramen every time we get home from a mission." Sakura complained placing her hands on her hips and Sasuke had to force himself to look away. Since Naruto talked to them during lunch Sakura had become a bit more talkative to the blonde, but Sasuke still felt the tension directed towards him.
Naruto glared at Sakura for a moment before sighing in defeat and turning to Sasuke. "I have something to do." The raven haired Uchiha quickly answered earning an exasperated sigh from the blonde.
"You guys are no fun." Naruto muttered under his breath loud enough for both his teammates to hear.
Sasuke shook his head at the blonde, ramen was all he ate and he wasn't looking forward to going to Ichiraku for the millionth time that week, besides he had something he had to do. Sasuke walked away with just a glance at Sakura who was too busy rolling her eyes at Naruto to notice.
He walked through the village with his hands stuffed in his pockets his eyes glued to the ground. Through their way home he thought over Naruto's words more times that he could count and he knew he was right. What he didn't know was what to do about the situation.
He knew for a fact that Sakura loved him, he felt it in her kiss and he's seen it in her eyes that stare at him with a love he didn't deserve. He had no idea when it was he fell, when she became more than just a team mate and more than just a friend.
It could have been as she cared for him after the war with a compassion he never expected from her. It could have been on the way of becoming a team again where he had to learn to trust and be trusted once again. It could have been between the team spars and times at Ichiraku. But when it was didn't really matter, the only thing that mattered is that he fell hard.
One day she was Sakura and the next she was Sakura and he just couldn't keep his eyes off her he couldn't help but watch as her lips would often curl up in a smile.
And he would often find himself cursing his luck.
Because of all the women he's ever met he had to fall for her, the one he couldn't have. He doesn't deserve her and he just can't ignore the fact that he's hurt her more times that he can count. He's taken far more than enough from her and he refused to take any more.
And he repeats that in his mind time and time again trying to convince himself as he walks over to his destination.
As he steps into the small shop the lady behind the counter quickly catches sight of him and of course recognizes the last Uchiha. "Uchiha Sasuke, how nice to see you in here." She greets as a smile spreads across her face, she knows he means business. A man like him wouldn't step into her shop unless he didn't.
"Hn." He replies as he looks around looking clearly uncomfortable, the woman who greeted him seems to notice and makes her way toward him.
"What exactly might you be looking for?" She asks him nicely as she offers help.
Sasuke turns to her and without thinking it twice the words escape his lips. "I'm looking for a wedding ring." He tells her causing the woman's eyes to widen in surprise.
Sasuke Uchiha looking for a wedding ring, it's probably the last thing she expected when he walked into the shop. "And who might the lucky lady be?" The woman quickly asked when she recovered from the surprise. Sasuke sent her a look that made it clear it wasn't any of her business and the woman cleared her throat before leading him to the item he sought.
There were plenty of rings, all different yet the same and as he looked them over he wondered which one of them she would like. With another look at them he figured that he didn't really care. "Which one would you recommend?" He raised his gaze toward the woman that stood behind the counter.
She didn't think twice as she reached for one of the many rings displayed. She made an attempt to show Sasuke the ring but he interrupted her before she got the chance. "That one's fine." He told her without looking because it didn't really matter. The woman nodded and quickly packed it up for him.
Sasuke paid the woman and left the shop, the ring in a little black box stuffed in his pockets and he was surprised at how much it seemed to weight. With every step he took he wanted to turn around and forget about the ring in his pockets. Yet with every step he took he seemed to take another and before long it was too late to turn back.
I doesn't deserve her.
He repeats in his mind as he reaches his destination. He knew where to find her, he thinks she spars there most of the days and he once again curses his bad luck that he has to find her alone.
I just can't ignore the fact that I've hurt her more times that I can count.
Only green surrounds them and it's impossible to run away now, he reminds himself that Uchiha's don't run away as she turns to face him a ridiculously large smile making her way onto her lips.
"Sasuke!" She greets him and he fears that her voice might have been loud enough for the whole village to hear. "What are you doing here?" She asks the magic question and he wants nothing more than to turn away and not answer.
I've taken far more than enough from her and I refuse to take any more.
The ring in his pockets seems to weight far more than it should in that moment and as his hand clasps around it the ring seems to burn. And once again he had to remind himself why he was there to gather the courage to speak the words that needed to be spoken.
"Would you marry me?" He asks as he takes out the box and opens it to reveal a ring; it doesn't happen in slow motion as he thought it would, on the contrary. It's too fast for his liking and it doesn't give him time to take back his words before she shrieks making him snap his eyes shut in frustration.
"Yes! Oh, yes! Of course Sasuke!" She gushes loudly and just like that it was done. He feels as she quickly takes away the ring from his hands and throws her arms around him. As he opens his eyes he is met with Karin's red eyes and before he can even react her lips meet his and he can't help but compare.
It's nothing like Sakura's, her lips are cold against his as she kisses him but he barely reacts. Because he can't help but listen to the voice in his mind that tells him that it just isn't right.
The reason he would marry Karin Uzumaki was fairly simple, love. Love not for the redhead but for the pinkette. He'd like to think he made the right choice because in the end he knew her love was something he didn't deserve, but if she was happy then he figured that would be enough for him.
a/n: So here is the second chapter, some of you may have expected this some probably hadn't but yeah.
Hope you all enjoyed it and if you have some time let me know what you think, I'd love to know. :)
Leave me a little review and I might update soon! ;)