Chapter 7

Sakura looked tiredly at the watch above the door. Only fifteen more minutes. That's all she had to endure until she could leave this store and go back home.

As she was sitting there in the unusually quiet supermarket, she started thinking about her day. it definitely has been nice. She didn't expect it to turn out that amazing. She had fun with Naruto, Sasuke, Tenten, Temari, Neji, Lee, Sai, Kankuro and a few more guys from the team. They went to a cafeteria downtown, where Sasuke, as promised, treated everybody with drinks. And judging by how much the boys drank, Sasuke's bill wasn't light at all. But he didn't seem like he cared, because the happy and a bit smug smile never left his face during the whole afternoon. Besides, there probably wasn't a richer teenager in the whole country than him...

However, he must have also been so happy for entering that team. Well, no wonder. he was the new guy. And yes, he was incredibly hot and incredibly smart from what she already knew about him from classes, but being on the school soccer team was being cool on an entirely new level. If she were a boy on the soccer team of KHS, she would have been rather happy and proud of herself, as well.

She looked back to the clock. Twelve more minutes of useless staring at the corners of the visible parts of the room. it was boring. Nobody was in there anyway. She could have closed the shop by now, sure, that nobody else would come after that. If her boss found out, however, she would be fired and that wouldn't be exactly good in her current situation. She bit the inner side of her cheek to prevent herself from yawning. Instead of being completely useless, Sakura decided to remove the badge with her name from her tee and then put it back safely in the counter. She released her hair from her ponytail and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to untangle it a bit. She picked up her bag and pulled out the blazer from her uniform. Yes, it was still hot during the day, but it was already autumn, so the nights were pretty cold. Sakura dressed up properly and made sure to check the store for anything that might have fallen on the ground. Unfortunately, there wasn't so she didn't have anything else to do for the following ten minutes. She sighed heavily and turned back to the counter, where she'd probably entertain herself with lining up coins or something like that.

But there was something else, that caught her attention. Or rather, somebody.

A slow grin rose on her face, as she saw Naruto on her chair, his legs on the desk and a smug grin on his face.

" Good evening, Sakura-chan!"

" What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, happy, that there was somebody, that was there. And not just somebody, but that boy! Naruto! She could never be bored when he was around.

" It almost sounds, like you're unhappy with it..."

" No!" Sakura laughed and petted him, which was their own way of greeting each other. Then she frowned on purpose and looked at him darkly. " But where am I supposed to sit now?"

Naruto grinned and removed his legs from the desk, patting on his tights, as he looked Sakura playfully. She rolled her eyes and simply threw herself on the desk, ignoring his invitation. He laughed it off with his cheeky and cheery giggles, as he turned back to her.

" So, you were asking, why I'm here."

" Yes."

" I'm waiting."

" For Prince Charming?" Sakura raised her eyebrows tauntingly, expecting his answer, while the blonde stared at her a bit annoyed, probably.

" Haha, how funny. No, seriously...However, he might be Prince Charming for you, but for me he's a total idiot."

" Wait, what?"

Naruto sighed and then pointed at the door of the supermarket.

" I'm waiting for Sasuke. He is at the store on the other side of the street."

Sakura tensed. So he was also here, well, not really, but he was so close. Those were too much encounters for one day... The she followed Naruto's finger and looked outside the glass of the doors.

" The bookstore?" she raised her eyebrows, a bit surprised by that piece of information. Since when did soccer players read? They were probably labeled as the dumbest boys in school. But then again, Neji was on the team, and hell, was he smart! Same thing with Sasuke.

Besides, she didn't even know what he'd be looking for in the bookstore. Maybe some marvel comic book or a manga...maybe he wasn't in for a real book.

She, herself was a big fan of reading. She liked being taken to other worlds, where she could read about the story of another person, the fantastic, unbelievable, magical story, that some other human on this planet has thought of. And she was sometimes thinking, that probably, just probably, all the authors with good books, all the authors with extraordinary stories were maybe like her. People, who wanted to show others something. People, who have had hard moments in their lives.

So maybe she should write a book...Sakura shook her head at that thought, because it sounded hilarious even in her mind. However, something was still bothering her. What was Sasuke doing at a bookstore at that hour? It wasn't that late, but it was definitely not a normal hour to be out, seeking for a proper book to read. And then she started wondering again, what exactly he'd be reading. If he were a fantasy fan, or whether he liked mysteries...or maybe a fan of "Fifty Shades of Gray"? She had to shake her head once again, because that thought was not only hilarious and distracting, but also disturbing...

" Since when do you tag along with friends to the bookstores?" Sakura decided to change the subject, while Naruto was playing with the zipper of his jacket.

" You don't really think, that I'm doing this on my own will, do you? I've been dragged along." He looked back at the pinkette with the most serious expression, that the girl has ever seen on his face, which only meant one thing-he was joking around again. " It was brutal..."

" Oh, totally brutal...what did Sasuke do? Threaten to make you read something?"

" That hurts my feelings, Sakura-chan!" the boy smiled slowly. " I do like reading...sometimes...when...when I have nothing to do."

" Which means never." she smiled sweetly, before being tortured in a special way-tickling.

Naruto was one of the very few people, that knew about her ultimate weakness. Yes, she was ticklish. And not only a little. When he started doing this, she'd begin laughing hysterically, until begging him to stop, while trying to get out of his grasp. And then Naruto would start laughing along, while pulling her in a tight hug.

For her, Naruto has never been simply a friend. They only needed a few days, after they met each other for the first time, to understand, that there would be an amazing bond between them. yes, Sakura knew Hinata and Ino from years, they were her best friends and she could share almost everything with them, every little problem in her love life, with her health, even about her family. But Naruto, there was something in him, that made her share everything. Something in those blue eyes, that were peering into her soul, were making her feel comfortable around him. And that's why she has opened up to him that much. In a way, Naruto knew about her more than even Hinata. So no, he has never been a friend only. He has always been so, so, so much more!

And now, as she was staying in his strong arms after the torturing round, she was thinking, that maybe that bond, that friendship was the best thing to have happened in her miserable existence of seventeen years.

" Sakura..." he shifted nervously underneath her and for a second, she thought that she might have stepped on his foot or something. But he shifted away and pushed her a bit, so that he could bore his eyes in hers. "...tell me...do you think, that a person could change?"

She shivered and completely left his arms, until she returned on her spot on the desk.

" Can people change, huh?" she whispered, feeling his intense, awaiting gaze on her cheek. She looked back to her arms and started playing with her own fingers, while trying to formulate a proper answer. " I don't know, Naruto...If I knew, I...I wouldn't have been in such situations..."

" You're right..." he said back quietly, pursing his lips and shaking his head. " I am sorry. It was very stupid of me to ask you something like this..."

" Don't worry..." Sakura smiled weakly. " Is there a reason behind this question?"

" Yeah...yeah, there is..." he sighed and looked above her head for a while, before shifting his gaze back on her, with a wide smile on his lips. " Anyways...do you want me to walk you home?"

" What about Sasuke?" Sakura asked, a bit taken aback.

" Sasuke knows the way to his home..." Naruto answered tauntingly, but Sakura frowned a little.

" No, Naruto. you are here with him. Don't change your plans because of me..."

" If those were plans by me, I wouldn't have been here, but in my bed, watching some movie or even sleeping..." he answered, before getting up from the chair and stretching out. " So? What do you say about that?"

" I guess it's...I guess it's fine, but I really-"

" Oh stop it, Sakura-chan! Think about it this way. If Sasuke gets attacked in the middle of the night by some random people trying to steal his wallet, he'd probably beat the shit out of them. And you, on the other hand, wouldn't be able to do that. Besides, taking your wallet would be the least fearsome theory...So, who do you think I would want to go with?"

" Oh, your logic is unbeatable." Sakura shook her head while smiling. " Get out of here. Let me close the shop and I'll meet you outside in two minutes, OK? And you better speak with Sasuke about this!"

" Sure..." Naruto smiled, then gracefully left the little supermarket, leaving Sakura alone in there. She made sure he was out and when he finally closed behind himself, she sighed heavily and ran her hand through her locks.

That was all getting too much for only one day. It was a Saturday. To meet someone from school without an arranged meeting on Saturday...well, that was sheer luck. And not just somebody, but Sasuke. She wondered, whether he was here on purpose, but then again, he didn't know, that she was working there. She was getting too paranoid.

And her second thought about all of this, was, that Sasuke was there! She rushed over to her bag and took out her phone to look at her reflection on the screen. Well, she has seen better days, but it wasn't that bad. She quickly took out her lip gloss and put some on, before returning it in the bag. Thank goodness, that Ino had an eye for this kind of stuff. She was the one who told Sakura about that one, and honestly, it was something, that the rosette enjoyed seeing on her face. it made her eyes shine brighter.

And then she froze.

What the hell was she actually doing? What was she getting all that psyched about? She closed her eyes, because it wasn't that hard to understand what was going on in her own mind in that second. So, the girls'words were finally getting in contact with her own thoughts, they were fusing. Yeah, the boy was cute and handsome and nice and talented and sexy and-

She had to remind herself, that Naruto was waiting for her outside, so she stopped in the middle of that thought and fiercely shook her head, hoping, that those ideas might fall out of her brain or something. She quickly looked around. Everything seemed alright. She turned off the computer on the counter desk and then took out her keys. Sakura grabbed her jeans jacket and her bag, before heading towards the exit. She quickly typed in the security code and then got out in the slightly cold night.

Naruto and Sasuke were on the opposite sidewalk and they were, what it seemed like, fighting over something quietly. She pursed her lips, because she knew, that it was because of her and Naruto wanting to go with her, instead of Sasuke. She didn't really care much, so she decided to simply go and tell them, that she would manage on her own. And as she was crossing the street, Sasuke looked at her and she froze in mid air, looking at the annoyed expression on his face, that quickly lightened up, as he saw her approaching. Or at least he made it seem so. In an instant, she remembered the feeling of his hot fingers against her forehead, brushing the blood off, as they met for the first time. And then she remembered the handshake. And the smile...she remembered the moments, when she was actually able to sense some emotion in that boy, that she was, at first, considering a beautiful shell without anything valuable inside. And in that look and in those memories, that she lost herself in, in the middle of the almost empty street, she realized, that she had been wrong.

And in that same second, as that realization hit her, while staring at his face, she noticed, how, almost in slow motion, his face started turning into a grimace with widened in shock eyes and an open mouth, yelling something, that she couldn't hear.

Sasuke couldn't believe, that he was actually considering buying that book. He looked back at the cover, where the name of the book stood, above a picture of a girl. That was one of those books with tips on how to make a girl like you and how to leave a good impression.

In other words, an expensive lie.

He returned the thing where he took it from and headed towards the counter to pay for the other book. He liked mysteries, so naturally, he was a fan of Agatha Christie, and that's why he has chosen exactly that book. He left it for the cashier to mark it and then handed his debit card. After he cleared out everything with codes and signatures for the payment, he nodded a goodbye to the young lady, that couldn't take her eyes off of him and hurried to get outside of the bookstore.

It wasn't that cold, but it wasn't warm either. He would say that it was nice. And empty...

He was sure, that he left Naruto waiting for him in front of the store. Damn, if that idiot has simply walked away back home, he was going to strangle him! Which reminded him, that he had to punish the blonde for his blabbing at the field earlier that day and embarrassing him in front of Sakura. And, of course, just at the thought of that, that girl appeared in his mind once again.

Actually, she hasn't left all day. He even bought that book to have something to concentrate on that evening, because he realized, that he was getting too obsessed with her.

And how could he not be?!

She was gorgeous in every aspect, that was important for him. She had a story. Perfect. She was beautiful. Very well. She also was smart. Amazing. And damn, was she complex and interesting! Yes, astonishing. What else would he want from a girl. All in all, she was interesting and he wanted to get to know her. And for the first time, not because of her story, but because of herself.

And as he was looking around, his blonde friend got out of the little supermarket on the other side of the street with a cheesy grin. What was weird about that situation was, that Naruto was bringing nothing in his hands, meaning, that he hasn't bought anything. When he crossed the street and stood beside Sasuke, he grinned again.

" What were you doing there?" Sasuke asked, trying to move past Naruto, who, for his utter surprise blocked his way by standing in front of him.

" sasuke, I won't be coming home with you...I promised something to a friend."

" A friend?" sasuke raised his eyebrows, taken aback. " Didn't you say you were free and that's why you were joining me?"

" Well, yeah, but plans change!" Naruto snapped back, his grin slowly disappearing. " Anyway, what did you buy?"

" Didn't you say you have promised something, just leave, dobe!" Sasuke tch-ed and proceeded to slip past Naruto, but the blonde stopped him once again and looked at him angrily.

" You can't be seriously mad, can you?! Just call your driver and he'll get you if you're too lazy to go by foot!"

" I am not mad..." Sasuke said, highly confused. He really wasn't pleased by the idea, that he'd have to walk this way back home on his own, because he'd start thinking bout her and that's what he was trying not to do and Naruto was a pretty good way for that, since he could chat with him freely. However, that option was gone too. He was only curious about that friend. He looked back at the supermarket to only feel his eyes widen and his jaw drop. There was no mistaking it.

The person, who was locking the door, certainly was Sakura. Not only the petite figure, but also the neon pink hair and the uniform of Konoha High School...

Sasuke turned around to viciously glare at Naruto.

" Why didn't you tell me it was her?"

" Because you didn't ask me!"

" What are you going to do with her?"

" Kidnap her and then sell her to trafficants."

Sasuke eyed him nastily once again, wondering how to make the blonde pay for this.

Actually, Naruto had no fault, but he wasn't supposed to know that. Sasuke was simply bothered by the fact, that even if he went back home alone, he'd be thinking about what Naruto and Sakura would be doing.

" I will walk her home, Sasuke. It's too late for her to be alone and it just happened so, that I would be able to be with her. It's normal, right?"

Sasuke looked down at his feet, realizing how reasonable that sounded. He could say nothing about that, simply because he knew, that Naruto was right. anyway, he couldn't get rid of the feeling of anxiousness. So he looked back at his best friend with a really determined look.

" I'm coming with you!"

" No, you're not!" Naruto answered in a whisper, hysterically. " I won't let you know where she lives! Only God knows what's spinning in your head right now!"

" What, you think, that it is dangerous? me knowing where she lives? What would I do, cut her throat in her sleep -"

" No, but I can think of other stuff, like, stalking and other perverted stuff, maybe?!"

Sasuke couldn't believe how stupid Naruto was. He closed his eyes and raised his hands to his head, wondering what to say or do. maybe punch or oppose. He still didn't know. However, he ended up looking at the direction of the supermarket to only see Sakura crossing the street. The light wind was waving her pink locks, that were surrounding her face so perfectly. She was closing her jacket and as she was done, she raised her emerald eyes up and bore them straight into Sasuke's onyx ones.

And then she stopped in the middle of the little street, blushing slowly, as he didn't move his eyes away from her.

She definitely was strange. What was she thinking while staring at him like that? Was it something good? Or something bad? The feeling of not knowing was making him angry, but just by seeing her, he felt his features relax and actually turn brighter. that was what amazed him and angered him at the same time.

It amazed him, because it was something new for him. He didn't know whether it was supposed to happen, his body working on its own, without even consulting with his brain before that.

And it angered him, because he was Uchiha Sasuke. He was supposed to be the boy with no emotions, the dark and mysterious, the cool one. Obviously, he couldn't handle it with that girl around, so he was angry at himself.

And as he was staring at her, with his periphery sight, he noticed a bash of light. Light, that could not be mistaken. There was a car on the street and it was moving not so slow.

And Sakura wasn't moving, she was standing right there, staring at him. His eyes widened once again, but for totally different reasons, as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

" MOVE AWAY! SAKURA, GET OUT OF THE ROAD!"

He felt his body acting on its own once again, because he dropped everything he was keeping in his hands, the bag and the book, his keys and his phone. They fell to the ground, in what seemed like, slow motion. And then he started running towards the rosette, who blinked fast a few times, before focusing her gaze on the car, that was only a few meters away from her.

Sasuke cursed. How could the driver not see her? Well, there were no lights on this street whatsoever, so even if the car stopped now, it would have been too late.

And as he was running at his top speed for these few meters, he could see everything in slow motion. Everything was too slow to be true. Sakura dropped her stuff as well, wondering where to go at. The driver obviously has noticed what was happening, so he has hit the breaks, but the car still wasn't on place, but still moving forward to Sakura, that was only half a meter away from it.

Sasuke clenched his jaw and jumped in, pushing Sakura not so gently, holding her in his arms. He felt something on his right leg, as if something pierced it, but he was too distracted to think about it.

And then they fell to the ground. He was still holding Sakura, who was able to fall on him somehow. He was glad she wasn't hurt. But then again, he winced, because now that he knew, that she was alright, he could also concentrate on other stuff.

His body, for example.

He didn't acknowledge the feeling of her against him, because the pain on his leg grew bigger. And his back also ached so much, because he literally threw himself on the ground with Sakura on top. the car must have hit his leg, that was for sure.

And as he winced in pain, Sakura covered her mouth with one hand, while pushing herself up with her free hand. She kneeled next to Sasuke, while naruto arrived from the other side with empty hands, as well, with the most shocked and scared expression on his face. And were those tears?

Sasuke couldn't tell. There were black dots in his vision, because of the pain. how has he not felt that earlier, when his leg was being hit probably, or when he fell?

" Oh my God!" Sakura whispered, horrified, then looked up to Naruto, who seemed as shocked as her. There were two men behind him, who also looked pretty scared by the sight of him.

" Sasuke...teme...are you alright?"

" Do I..." Sasuke hissed and glared curtly at the blonde. " Do I...seem...alright to you...dobe?!''

" OK, OK...He's insulting me. That's good. No brain injuries!" Naruto said, but kneeled on his other side. " Can you stand up?"

" Help me..." Sasuke said quietly and raised his arm, that Naruto caught and slid over his shoulders, so that he could lift him up with more ease. In a matter of a few seconds and the help of one of the men, Sasuke was standing and he still wasn't daring to try to move his injured foot.

" Oh my God..." Sakura whispered once again, covering her mouth with both hands. Sasuke could swear, that there were tears rolling down her cheeks, as well.

" Don't cry..." he muttered awkwardly. " I will be fine. I just need to rest a little."

" We're going to the nearest hospital..." Naruto shook his head quietly, before turning to the men from the car. " Can you please drive us there?"

" O-Of course we will! That's the least we could do!" one of them said, while the other one shook his head.

" I-I...I can't believe I didn't see them! Are you alright, miss?"

" Y-yeah..." Sakura nodded carefully.

" Thank goodness..." the man nodded,still concerned, while opening the door of his car. " Hop in, I'll ride you there!"

The two men got on the front seats, while Naruto and Sakura helped Sasuke get in the car without moving his leg that much. After that, they got in, as well.

And while the man was driving, Sakura was looking at him with the most guilty expression on her face.

" I am so, so incredibly sorry! I can...can not do anything to repay such a thing!"

" And there's no need to..." Sasuke winced because of the slight pain that ran through his body as he spoke. His whole leg was pulsing, driving him insane. " I am just happy...that you're fine..."

" Sasuke, you jumped in for me! That's...that's..."

" Stop, please..." he said and closed his eyes trying to concentrate on numbing the feeling from his limb. And then he smirked. " Why is it so, that there are always cars involved when we meet?"

Sakura looked up to him and laughed a little through her tears, that naruto brushed away, looking between his best friends with confusion written all over his face.

" What do you mean?"

" When we first met, we crashed cars. I got her head bleeding...I guess we're even now..."

" Don't joke about that..." sakura scolded, while naruto's eyes widened.

" Car crash?! What? how come I don't know about this?! And is your head alright, Sakura-chan?"

" My head is perfectly well, Naruto...that was months ago. Besides, you are not supposed to know everything!" Sakura rolled her eyes, then slid her gaze down Sasuke's leg, that was now resting on the ground of the car.

" Let me call your parents, boy..." one of the men on the front seat said, whle taking out a phone. Sasuke looked up a bit blankly, while Naruto switched from concerned to horrified.

" You don't want that, really..."

" But I insist..."

" Trust me, we will manage." Naruto said quite loudly, with authority in his voice...

The ride didn't take long. And Sasuke realized probably just as they arrived in front of the hospital, that Sakura has been holding his hand the whole time. And when she released him, so that they could get him in a wheelchair, his hand felt uncomfortably cold. The two men had to be assured by Naruto, that everything was fine, before leaving them alone in the hospital.

" You do know, that we have to call your parents now, don't you?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, who was sitting on a bed in an empty room, waiting for a doctor to arrive.

The Uchiha grimaced and he could definitely read the emotions, that ran through Sakura's face. First, there was concern, probably because she thought that he was still in pain. And then, as she realized, that it was about his parents, there was shock and wonder.

" You call them."

" I-...I CAN'T! Your mother will kill me!"

" Well, call my father then!" Sasuke replied bluntly. Naruto mimicked him in his anger, but took his phone out and left the room, before Sasuke looked back at Sakura. " Don't you have to go back home?"

" After you risked your life because of me?! Like hell, I will!" she whispered quietly and sat beside him on the bad, looking down at her arms.

" Why...Why didn't you move from the road? Didn't you hear me?"

As he was observing her, Sasuke noticed her skin hue changing from normal to red slowly. She looked cute like that, but that wasn't the most important thought on his mind for the moment. It was his overly protective and caring mother, who'd freak out when hearing about this. He also hoped, that his injuries were not that bad, so that he could actually be on the football team, so that he could train and play with them in the upcoming games. And he also hoped, that he wouldn't be walking like an idiot for the next weeks, because he really didn't want to get pity mixed up in the girls' emotions. That would be a disaster...

" I guess so...I really am sorry for all of this. It is all my fault."

" Don't blame yourself." he shook his head, then looked up to the clock, when the doors opened and three people entered the room. A doctor and two teens, that he had the not so great pleasure to know. The first one was naruto, who nodded, giving him a sign, that his parents were on the way, which, itself, was a pretty bad new. And the second one, in a lab coat, that only student practice volunteers were wearing, and hair gathered in a long ponytail.

Ino looked up to him and sighed.

" Now, now...don't tell me that you damaged that god-like body, because, honestly, if it's not Sakura, then I'll nag the shit out of you!"

It was pretty cheesy, but I HAD to write it...I felt this urge to :D

I hope you liked it, so please, if you did, review! :)

Until next time!

xox

Thanks to: meriamdz, XAngelicWallflowerX, Dattebayodobe, maxridelover, katie