Third chapter right here! Glad that you took the time to read the last 2 chapters. Japanese terminology:

okasan-mother

otousan-father

matte-wait

hai-yes

arigatou-thank you

Go ahead!

Sakura slapped herself on her forehead. It hadn't been very subtle of her to run away from Sasuke at the training ground. The question was; why did she run away?

Probably because you still have feelings for him.

No, Inner! I got rid of them a long time ago.

Or did you?

I…I think I did…

Then why do you still act so fidgety around him?

I don't know.

Yes you do.

Well, I guess I just don't know how to explain it…

Try.

Okay. I guess…when he's around me, I get this sort of feeling. I know that it's love, which is exactly why I don't want to face it. I'm afraid that he'll break my heart again if I continue to love him…

There. Doesn't it feel better to talk about it?

I guess.

The pink-haired girl did actually feel better after talking her problem out, even if it was with her inner self (who probably knew about it already). But Sasuke was such a pressing matter. He had left her in the dust before. Even now, he and Naruto were already very close friends. In fact, Sasuke was beginning to talk about private matters with the blonde. He was getting friendlier with Kakashi, Sai, and Yamato. Only Sakura was out of the picture. Reaching her house, she opened the door and flopped onto her bed. Sakura laid her head on the pillow and dozed off. Meanwhile, Sasuke also lay down on his sofa bed. Naruto had gone out with Hinata, most likely to go shopping. The dark-haired man crossed his arms under his head and stared at the ceiling. Why was Sakura so fidgety around him now? And when had she stopped crushing on him? He decided that the answer lay with Naruto. Making a mental note to talk with his friend, Sasuke drifted off to sleep.

Sakura woke to the sounds of laughter and pots clashing against each other. Rubbing her eye, she groggily wondered if she missed her parents to such an extent that she hallucinated about them. Why had she moved out anyway? Climbing downstairs, she found her mother in the kitchen.

"Okasan?"

"Sakura! You're finally awake!"

"How did you get in?"

"Well, your otousan wasn't a shinobi for nothing."

"Otousan? He's here too?"

Suddenly, an old man popped out from the bathroom and waved. Not missing a beat, Mrs. Haruno began berating her daughter.

"Really, Sakura. You should take better care of your house! Why, before I tidied it up, your living room was a mess!"

Looking around, the pink-haired girl saw that her living room was indeed cleaner. Then, her mother continued ticking off more of her faults. 'Oh yeah,' Sakura thought sourly. 'This is why I moved out.' Turning to the elderly lady, she said,

"It's nice to see you, okasan and otousan. I see you've already made yourselves at home."

"Well, we couldn't resist popping in on our daughter. We're so proud of you, Sakura! Already a jonin, and a good one at that!" Mr. Haruno gave her a thumbs-up before returning to his newspaper. Sakura sighed and smiled. Her parents were always so supportive of their only child.

"I'll go set the table."

Naruto whistled cheerily and unlocked his apartment door. Removing his shoes, he went into the living room to find a sleeping Sasuke on the couch. Tip-toeing past his friend, Naruto tried to make his way to his bedroom.

"Matte, Naruto." Sasuke rose from the sofa and stretched.

"Hey Sasuke! Have a nice nap?"

"Hai. But I wanted to ask you something."

"Hmm?"

"Well, it's…" The Uchiha's cheeks grew pink and he turned his head to the side in an embarrassed manner. "It's kind of personal."

His friend stared at him. Then, he broke into a wide grin.

"Ask me anything! I'm really glad you're starting to come out of your shell and talk to me more, dattebayo!"

"Okay."

Sasuke sat back down. Naruto joined him.

"So?" The blonde looked at him expectantly.

"It's about Sakura."

"Sakura-chan?"

"Hai." He decided to go straight to the point. "When did she stop having a crush on me?"

"Well, it was some time after you left, I guess. I had just come back from training with Ero-sennin, and she happened to tell me that she cared for you as a friend only."

"Really?"

"Hai. And Sakura-chan had this determined face on, like she was trying to believe what she said."

"Hm." So Sakura hadn't really believed herself when she had said it either.

"Right. Anything else you want to know?"

"No. Arigatou, Naruto."

"Anytime. Let's talk more, okay? Just the two of us. That way we'll form a stronger bond!"

"Hn."

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