A/N: I love sitting with my sister's best friends and making fun of Sasuke. I swear, he's such a little idiot sometimes. Maybe this is the wrong fanfiction to vent about that particular subject, though… ha ha, sorry readers. Ignore this tired little author, okay?

Paper Hearts

Chapter 10

This time, Naruto's hopes weren't in vain. Sasuke casually stepped around a particularly deep mud puddle, his bouquet of carnations cradled in the crook of his arm. His free hand was resting comfortably in his pocket and the expression, or lack thereof, on his face was typical. Naruto grinned and offered up a hand in greeting, his eyes twinkling in the excitement of what was to come.

"Yo, Sasuke! You made it, and you brought the flowers! Way to be,"

Naruto nodded in approval as Sasuke moved to stand beside him. The Uchiha shrugged in reply to avoid having to answer verbally; he wasn't feeling nervous, per se, but there was a slight quaking in his gut. He wanted to stand there in silence until Sakura made her debut. The night of uneasy sleep had left him feeling unrested and irritable; he still had no idea how he was going to face Sakura or what he would say to her when she arrived.

"Look, she's coming!"

Naruto announced, pointing his finger over Sasuke's shoulder.

"Hn?"

Sasuke glanced in the said direction in an instant but saw nothing. Naruto burst into laughter and jabbed Sasuke in the arm, exclaiming gleefully,

"Made you look! Ha ha what a loser!"

"You're such an idiot!"

Sasuke hissed, glaring down at the ground at his feet. There had been a hard thump in his chest when he had thought of the pink headed ninja approaching but the moment had passed as quickly as it had come; he could wait in contented apathy for as long as it took for her to arrive. She wasn't one to be late though, and soon enough, Naruto once again announced,

"This time for real! Look, look!"

Sasuke took a deep breath and spun on his heel, turning slowly, as if he feared the nerve wracking disappointment of finding out Naruto had lied again.

"Hey you guys! I'm here!"

Sakura cupped her hands to her lips and shouted, waving at her two favorite boys from afar. She cocked her head as she approached them, finding the scene somewhat odd. Naruto was standing back clutching his ribs; was he shaking from laughing so hard? She couldn't quite tell from the distant she was at, but it was strange all the same. Sasuke looked downright uncomfortable; awkward had never been a word to describe the graceful, powerful Uchiha, but he certainly looked it as he stood with a bundle of flowers in his arms. Why would he be holding flowers of all things?

Sasuke swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, angered by the layer of sweat that seemed to coat his palms; he had no reason to feel so nervous about handing Sakura a bouquet. He was a shinobi for crying out loud! He was going to face this challenge just like any other mission. Squaring his shoulders to solidify his determination, Sasuke held his breath tight in his chest, waiting for just a pause so that Sakura could come close enough. She was nearly upon them, her confusion evident as she stared curiously at her two teammates, her pale skin glowing against the murky sky above.

"Kyaaa, Sasuke, I KNEW it!"

Sasuke's face paled as a pair of twig arms wrapped around his body from behind and clamped down tight, cutting off the breath he had been lodging in his throat. Sakura stopped walking to stare with her wide, emerald orbs.

"Oh, my, JASHIN, are those flowers for ME?! You're so thoughtful Sasuke!"

Ino squealed and ripped the flowers out of his arms, bringing the carnations to her nose. She smiled and nuzzled her nose into the soft, aromatic petals, breathing in the fresh floral scent before sending a smirk in Sakura's direction. She held up an all too familiar purple card, one that Sasuke had thought Naruto had thrown away…

"These carnations are the best; I should have known when you were in the shop yesterday that you were buying them for me! I got your valentine, Sasuke. I'm here, like you asked me to be! And I love you too, I have for years!"

Sasuke had yet to move from the shock that overtook his normally reactive body. His ears had tuned out Ino's ramblings, his mind an empty blank. His eyes were the only part of him that seemed to still work; he could do nothing but stand there and watch the confusion on Sakura's delicate face melt away into realization, then harden into a cold, hurt stare. He could have sworn he saw them fill to the brim with tears before she took off running back the way she had come, unable to watch the new couple any longer. Naruto ran off after her in an instant, making it a point to ram his shoulder against Sasuke's as he passed; the two locked eyes long enough for Sasuke to realize what had happened. As Naruto disappeared into the trees, and Ino continued blabbering, Sasuke felt like someone had socked him in the stomach. He had created an all new definition for the word foolish; Naruto had been stringing him, Sakura, and Ino along this entire time for some sick enjoyment.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~

'I-I should have known… the coffee… the weird questions... the friend he mentioned…it was all for…!'

Her trembling lips had parted to make room for the gasp that would not leave her throat. She had simply stood and stared as her long time rival swooped in and stole the man they had both coveted for so long. Sakura hadn't wanted to believe it. Not for a minute. Sasuke was immune to the charms and affections of every girl in the village; he had stayed firm in his resolve not to be distracted by the wiles of the heart. Sakura had never once suspected that Sasuke had weakened in this regard; if he had… if she had believed she stood a chance… no. Deep in her heart, Sakura knew that was the naïve wishing of her former, smitten self.

But why, then, did it bother her so greatly to see Sasuke and Ino together? Was it because of all the beautiful girls in Konoha, he had chosen the most obnoxious? Did their rivalry really run that deep in her veins that she couldn't bear to admit defeat? The questions went on and on, yet the more that appeared the fewer answers she seemed to have. Sakura stomped her feet as she ran, unable to vent the frustration that she felt.

'It… it doesn't matter! I don't care! Let Ino have her precious Sasuke!'

Sakura reached out until her hand reached for the rough bark of the nearest tree; stumbling only slightly she pressed against the trunk and used it for support, her knees wobbly. Her vision began to blur with the tears that had arisen; she blinked hard but found herself unable to prevent the swelling until, in an instant, the tears had slipped past her ducts and poured in thin streams down her cheeks.

"I… I don't… I DON'T CARE!"

With every sob that filled the air, Sakura curled her fingers into a tighter fist and slammed it against the tree that supported her. She could feel the wood splintering, threatening to burst under the pressure of her strength, but she had to find a way to release the intensity of her feelings. Nothing helped; not the crying, the beating of the tree, or the pain that flooded her now bloody hand. She raised it again but felt five firm fingers wrap around her wrist and pull down to her side, preventing her from continuing her onslaught.

"CHAAAA!"

All of the hurt she'd been feeling poured into her other hand in a rushing, gushing tsunami of raw anger; assuming it was Sasuke, but hoping it was Ino, Sakura spun around and nailed the newcomer right in the nose. The crunching of hyaline under her knuckles told her the cartilage had busted under the force; warm blood sprayed down onto her fist and up her arm. Sakura's chest rose and fell with violent bursts of breath, her fist raising again for a repeat of the attack until the sight of Naruto falling backwards registered in her brain. He hit the ground and laid there, fingers twitching, blood dripping out of his nose at an alarming rate.

"I…wanted to…make sure… you were okay, Sakura…"