Chapter 13: Cold Comfort

Have you ever made a decision that you thought was right, only to realize afterward that it wasn't? That you were completely and one hundred percent wrong? That you messed up big time and did not even notice?

I was getting that distinct feeling as I stared down into Sasuke's face. That I had been chasing after something else when the truth was right in front of me. All the little crush symptoms were screaming at me that I was missing the obvious. That the right choice had been right here all along.

But I was too fixated on the wrong choice to open my eyes to anything else.

"Sakura," Sasuke said a little hoarsely from underneath me, breaking off my contemplations.

"Mm?" I trilled, unable to look away from him, let alone get off him.

"I need you to get off me," he said in that same quiet, serious, slightly hoarse voice. A cascade of shivers ran down my spine at the sound of it.

"Oh?"

Nice vocabulary, my Inner quipped.

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed.

"Why?" I asked, still not moving. He felt nice, okay?! The way his arm was sorta draped around my waist to keep me from falling. The feeling of our legs touching each other, entangled together. The way his eyes seemed serious, pleading, and glazed over all at the same time.

"Because… if you don't…"

My heart began to pick up speed.

"Then I might…"

He lifted his head away from the ground and toward me.

He's gonna kiss us again! Pull away now! my Inner self ordered.

But my body was not obeying. Instead of pulling away, I was being pulled in by those magnetic eyes and closer to his lips.

"Sasuke?" Itachi asked from the library steps.

We both froze, realizing just how awkward this looked even without me in the equation.

"Why are you on the ground?" the elder Uchiha continued. "And why is Sakura on top of you?"

"What?" Sasuke blinked.

"Y-you can see me?" I gasped.

"Yes." Itachi said.

Sasuke and I scrambled to our feet.

"Then why didn't you let on before this?!" the younger brother shouted.

"I've always been able to see spirits so I've learned to just pretend they don't exist."

"So…" I began. "You knew… you always knew."

Itachi shrugged and I felt my stomach flip flop in the bad way, not the "Ooh, look at that god on earth" way. No this was more of "Oh crap, I feel nothing when he does that." Nothing at all. It was like in kissing him, I found the resolution of my crush.

Which brings up the question of why I'm still here.

Itachi turned back to his brother. "Look, I need a little time alone with Sakura. Could you give us a minute?"

"Sure," Sasuke sighed, and moved out of earshot.

"So you knew I was Ino," I sighed.

"I suspected." He ran a hand through his hair.

No butterflies. No blush. Nothing.

"About earlier."

"The kiss?"

"Look, it's not that it wasn't nice—"

"Oh, yeah," I said, nodding. "It was nice. But…"

"But it just didn't feel right," he finished.

"Right," I agreed. "That should be different."

"Friends?" he replied.

"Yeah." I extended a hand to him for a handshake.

He reached forward to take it but, unlike Sasuke, he passed right through me. Itachi gave me a half-smile. "I guess my little brother's more powerful than me. So… do you have a place to stay tonight?"

My shoulders slumped. Ino had kicked me out over this guy. I couldn't risk my mom seeing me. That would probably kill her with grief. I was on the streets.

"Not really," I admitted. I was not going to give Neji the pleasure of knowing I had lost.

"You can stay with us," he announced leading the way over toward his house past Sasuke.

*~*~*~*~

While the Uchihas ate, I hung out in Sasuke's room. Itachi offered his, but we both agreed that we needed some time apart to get used to things.

So I just sat there, and wondered what to do now. Obviously, Itachi was not my unresolved issue. Which left me clueless. All that precious time wasted on a wild goose chase.

And Ino… I had ruined her chances with Sasuke over something stupid! Worse, I had been too stubborn to follow her guidelines! I had pushed my best friend too far, and lost her. I was an idiot!

Sasuke came in at that moment. He sat down on his bed. "So. What now?" he asked.

I floated over and hovered next to him. I stared down at the ground, hands clasped in my lap. "I don't know," I admitted miserably. I sucked in a shaking breath before my tears began to fall. My body shook with quiet sobs.

Sasuke reached over and gently pulled me into his chest, settling back against his headboard.

"Sa-sasuke!" I protested, blushing a little as I tried to pull away.

He pushed my head back against him. "Just let it out," he whispered into my ear, gently stroking my hair.

So I just cried for everything I had lost. For my life, so tragically short; my mother, all alone in that house now; my guitar, gathering dust; my best friend, her lost love; and Itachi, my first love.

Sasuke didn't push me away once, just held me close and let me mourn. Occasionally, he whispered some soft words of comfort in my ear, stroking my shorn locks gently, soothingly.

As my sobs abated, late in the night, he ran a hand over my trembling back. His touch guided me to the shores of sleep.

*~*~*~*~

Birdsong.

The first thing that greeted me the next morning was the sound of birdsong. I stayed in the warmth surrounding me for a moment. Then slowly, reluctantly, I stirred and opened my eyes slightly.

Sunlight streamed through Sasuke's windows, spilling across the comforter. Outside, the day had broken, beautiful and clear.

I reined in my gaze, lowering it to find a chest. I became aware of the weight across my shoulders, holding me close with a firm, but gentle grip. Sasuke's breath ghosted over my hair as I glanced up.

Sasuke was asleep, his face soft as he dreamed. His ebony locks lay across his cheek, moving slightly with each breath. He seemed… almost angelic like this. Peaceful, with all the wrinkles and frowns smoothed out by sleep.

I tore my gazed away from his face, realizing I was staring at him. I studied our positions more carefully now. We hadn't moved, still being propped up by the bed's headboard. The only real change was the fact that Sasuke had dropped his one hand, shifting me to the side slightly, the other arm still around me, holding me close. His head had dropped slightly in his sleep, almost resting on mine, which still lay on his shoulder.

I finally stirred, and, in the process, woke Sasuke up.

He blinked at the sunlight before turning his gaze down to me. "Morning," he said groggily.

Don't you mean sexily? my Inner purred.

"Morning," I replied, ignoring my other personality.

He dropped his arm, and a pang went through my heart at the loss of it.

"What time is it?" I asked, moving away from him slightly.

Sasuke shifted so he could see the clock before groaning. "Too early."

I laughed. "What did it say?"

"Eight thirty," he replied. He rubbed his neck as he moved forward.

"Sorry about your neck," I said, blushing.

"It's fine," he answered.

"A-and…" I hesitated, feeling as if I was blushing even more. "Thank you. For last night."

I saw two matching spots of color appear on his cheeks before he turned away. "Not a problem."

"I'm going to go out for a bit," I said. Just before I popped out, I looked back at Sasuke. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy.

A/N: Woohoo! It's done! And for all you people, if you go to my profile, I have a poll up for what SasuSaku story I should do next. Vote, I say, vote!

And yes, the ItaSaku part is over. Tear! You shall be missed, Itachi! Will Sasuke and Sakura realize their changing feelings? Will Ino make up with Sakura? Will Hinata and Naruto ever get their chance?! We'll find out in the next chapter!