Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but then you already knew that. : )
Hello everyone, I'm here with the new chapter! Sorry it took so long, like I said, I'm really busy with school (CXC in a few months, argh), friends (I have a life, lol) and lots of other stuff. And truth be told, this chapter was finished a while ago, but I revised it many times to make sure it was worth the wait.
That being said, presenting Chapter 21!
(.s.)
But it hurts when I think,
When I let it sink in,
It's all over me.
I'm lying here in the dark,
Watching you sleep, it hurts a lot…
(.s.)
Slowly, Sakura's eyes fluttered open.
Her mind felt clouded, and as she looked around, she realized that she did not know where she was. It was very dark; and only the moonlight from the bay window behind the bed she was lying on enabled her to see.
She spotted her clothes in a neat pile on top of an ebony dresser, and quickly looked down to see that she was wearing a long, white T-shirt. "The walls are navy blue," she thought as she gazed at them. "That's why it's so dark…"
"Are you okay?" a voice asked.
Frightened, she spun to see Sasuke sitting on a chair next to the bed. Looking down at the matching navy blue sheets, she said in a soft voice "I'm fine…"
A silence filled the dark room, and Sakura's memory came back to her little by little. She glanced at Sasuke, and their gazes collided—he had been looking directly at her.
She quickly looked down again and asked "Where am I?"
"At my house," Sasuke said, "in my room."
"What time is it?"
"Around four in the morning."
Sakura gasped as she looked back at him. "My parents—"
"They know you're here," Sasuke interrupted. "I told them I found you. Your father was distraught, and said he was coming straight over to take you home, but your mother agreed with me that it was best to let you sleep. They'll be here at eight."
Sakura watched Sasuke as he continued. "Ino was pretty worried, too, but Shikamaru took care of her after I explained."
Sakura blushed as she looked down. "My clothes…"
"One of the maids did that," Sasuke said, looking away. "What you were wearing was not... suitable."
She bit her lip as she remembered her skimpy outfit and asked another question. "You're still awake so late?"
"I wanted to be awake when you woke up."
Sakura didn't know how to respond to that; he was being so kind to her all of a sudden. "Thank you for everything, Sasuke," she said, remembering how terrified she had been, and what might have happened, and she put her arms around herself.
"You don't have to thank me," said Sasuke, and he moved onto the bed.
Sakura blushed furiously as she tried to get her head together, and he held up a hand. "I'm not doing anything." He looked into her eyes seriously as he faced her, and she looked back into his onyx ones, which she now could see had a tinge of grey in them.
She shook her head as she remembered that she wasn't supposed to be noticing what colour his eyes were.
"Sakura," he said, "I made a mistake."
She glanced at him again, but he wasn't looking at her anymore. "I should never have pretended to like you in the beginning. But I did, and I know I hurt you, and I'm… sorry." It took a lot of energy for him to say that word. "But as I got to know you, I began to… like you," he admitted.
Sakura's pretty green eyes were trained on his face. "Can you forgive me?" Sasuke finished.
"I don't think so," Sakura said, and Sasuke felt a sinking feeling in his chest.
Sakura looked down at the sheets as she spoke. "All that time, you were just using me." She looked at him again as she said "I don't know if I'll ever forgive that."
"I regret it," Sasuke stated. Sakura, sitting up in the bed with the moonlight surrounding her and the white shirt contrasting with the navy sheets, looked like an angel. "I'd do anything if you'd forgive me."
Sakura smiled wanly as she spoke: "How do I know that you're not lying?"
Without warning, Sasuke leaned into her and made their lips meet.
It was heavenly. That was the only word for it: heavenly. Sakura, surprised at first, put her hand on his cheek as she kissed him back. It was a kiss full of longing and regret.
But very suddenly, she pulled away after a few seconds and put her fingers to her lips, her heartbeat racing.
Sasuke clenched his teeth, chastising himself for what he had just done. What was it about her that made his body react before his brain?
Though he didn't know the answer to that question, he knew something else: He had liked it.
After a while, he heard Sakura's voice whisper "You can't expect it to be that easy. One kiss, and I'm supposed to be running into your arms again?"
"No," Sasuke said, and the way her voice wavered he knew she might cry, so he changed the subject. "Is your head still hurting?"
"Yes," Sakura sighed as she lay back down on the bed. "But not so much… I wonder what was in that drink?"
"Sedatives and a shitload of alcohol," Sasuke's voice was harsh. "Sakura, I don't want to know what would've happened if you had even a little more of that."
Sakura shivered, and Sasuke questioned her. "Why did you go to that Rave, anyway?"
Sakura watched Sasuke's expression, his tense face looking at the wall instead of at her, and she could tell that he knew the answer. She said it anyway.
"People do crazy things when someone they love hurts them."
"... hn," Sasuke's response came after a while, and he lay down next to her. "Still not trying anything," he reassured her, and she felt his hand cover hers.
As Sakura drifted off to sleep, she heard the unspoken message: Don't let me come so close to losing you again.
And that was Chapter 21! The song used was '4 In The Morning' by Gwen Stefani.
(Lol, like I said, she's my favourite… and I think this is one of her best songs. So I named this chapter after it, too. –smile-)
So Sakura's safe—and they had their first kiss!! Freaking finally, right? XD Still, Sakura's trust in him isn't fully renewed yet… and what happens next?
And lol, one of my lovely reviewers asked if the story was ending soon… nope, not yet! –smile- I'll tell you when it is, but it sure isn't now.
Review please!