title: It Was Always You
prompt: SASUSAKU MONTH 2014
rating: T-M

summary: o25: Sakura finally wants to meet the person on the other side of the wall who's been listening to all her secrets.

dedicated to: my girls reviee, DeepPoeticGirl, and SR :)

.o25.
The Other Side of the Wall

"Hey," Sakura whispered, pressing her ear up against the thin cracks of the plaster wall, threatening to fall apart. "Are you there?"

"Yeah," the stranger replied. His voice was deep and soothing, and Sakura loved how sturdy it was. She felt like she could trust this guy, whichever student he was, and being with him just made her feel secure.

Sakura let out a deep breath. "Today was a mess. This idiot in my class—you know, the guy I've been telling you about for a while—he thinks he's the shit. I mean, he doesn't really brag, but he's just got this arrogant, asshole attitude and I want to punch him right in his pretty face. He always looks at me like I'm inferior to him or whatever, and it pisses me off."

The man chuckled. "Just let it all out," he said. Then, in a quieter voice, he whispered, "I'm here for you, Sakura."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks."

She had come to this area by accident: one time, after that stupid Uchiha Sasuke had publicly humiliated her during a lecture and proved her wrong with all these funky mathematical formulas that she hadn't even known existed, she ran out of the building in anger and made her way here.

She didn't know how her other half had found this place, thought it didn't really matter. It was just nice to have someone to talk to about her problems and remain confidential.

"So how was your day?" she asked.

"More or less the same."

"Any girls you're interested in? Or guys, if that's—"

"One girl," he interrupted. "But I don't think she feels the same."

"How do you know?" Sakura asked.

"I just know."

Sakura squinted, trying to see if she could make out the person on the other side of the wall past the cracks. When she realized that she was still surrounded by a thick mold of plaster, she sighed and leaned her back against the surface.

"Life's so confusing sometimes," Sakura sighed. "I'm just glad I have you."

Silence.

"I'm glad I have you, too," he responded.

.

.

Sakura didn't want to hear the stupid name Sasuke ever again for as long as she lived. It was hard enough hearing all the teachers rave about him in and out of the classroom, and all the girls squealing about him like he was the shit. But the worst was when he gave her that smug little smirk, as if to tell her, I'm better than you'll ever be.

"I'm feeling brave," Sakura said, throwing her backpack down on the ground. She sat next to the wall and waited for a response back.

"How so?" he answered.

"Wanna meet up? I mean, we've been talking like this for a while, and it would be nice to know who you are."

"…I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not? I promise I won't laugh if you're ugly!"

He chuckled. "That's not it. It just wouldn't be the same afterwards. I mean, isn't there some pleasure in our secrecy?"

"But I need to know!" Sakura whined.

"Will it make you happy or will it just satisfy your itch?"

"I'll be happy to finally get to put a face to your voice. If you're as charming as your voice is, I think I'll be fine."

He chuckled again. "You have high expectations. Then why don't we meet now? You leave your side of the wall and I'll leave mine. We'll meet up by the tree in the courtyard."

"Deal. You leave first, so that way I know you're not tricking me."

"You don't trust me?" he teased.

Sakura felt a smile creep onto her face. "You better earn it, bastard."

.

.

.

Sakura saw nobody by the tree, and for a second she thought that she had been duped. Rage boiled in her forehead and she wanted to go back and tear down the wall and tell the stranger that he was a piece of shit for lying to her, and that he could just go to hell, and—

"Hey," Sasuke said.

Sakura turned around. She didn't know what made her angrier; the fact that her "friend" never showed up, or the fact that Sasuke was just going to give her shit again.

"What do you want?" Sakura snarled.

"So now you see me. Are you happy?"

"No! I don't want to see you. I was waiting for somebody else, and until he comes, I'll have to be stuck here with you…" Sakura's voice trailed off as she replayed Sasuke's voice back in her mind.

"Oh my God," she breathed. "It's you."

Sasuke wasn't smiling. His arms were crossed, and he looked at her with such a lack of emotion that she felt as if she had insulted him thoroughly. Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of her; the person she had poured all her emotions out to and complained about was right in front of her.

And he knew all the dirty little secrets she had to offer.

"Well," Sasuke frowned. "That's that, I guess."

Sakura was still too shocked to speak. She felt tears at her eyes, and Sasuke immediately softened.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked. "Why are you crying?"

"I can't believe it's you," she whimpered. "You of all people."

"You wanted to meet me," Sasuke said. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her with ire in his eyes. "It's your problem, not mine."

"I trusted you with everything!"

"You couldn't have known it was me!"

Sakura began to reach for her things. She slung her bag over her shoulder and pushed Sasuke aside, refusing to let her tears fall.

"I'm leaving now," she said. "Don't bother coming back to the wall, because I won't be there. Not now, not ever."

Sasuke pulled her wrist and brought her to him. Her bag slipped off her shoulder in surprise, and her eyes widened. She allowed a single tear to fall, but quickly wiped it away with her arm before Sasuke could comment on how pitiful she looked.

"I've never told anyone anything that you told me," he growled. "I told you that you could trust me, and now you think that just because I'm Sasuke, I've revealed all your secrets, on how 'that idiot' hates you and wants to see you fail, or how you enjoy eating strawberry shaved ice, or the fact that you almost kissed Kiba in a game of—"

"Okay, okay!" Sakura said, pressing her hands over her ears. "Fine!"

"No," Sasuke said. "We're not done yet. I'm not letting you go until you say you trust me."

"I trust you!"

"I want you to mean it," he said. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her forearm, and Sakura refused to cry out in pain. She wouldn't give in.

"I—" she began. She looked up into Sasuke's eyes, filled with fear and passion and everything in between, and she realized that the one girl he so often talked about was someone she knew so well. The fact that he had entrusted his own secrets to her was another story, and she couldn't feel angry at him.

"I trust you," she whispered. She felt Sasuke's hands soften, and then drop to his sides.

"It wasn't my intention to ever hurt you," Sasuke said.

"I realize that now," she replied. She bit her lip. There was no wall between them now, and she felt truly free, without any barrier to stop her. Sakura allowed herself to smile a real smile. All the hatred she felt for Sasuke suddenly disappeared, now that she knew what kind of person he really was.

"Thank you," she finally said, allowing herself a few moments to find the proper words. "For letting me confide in you."

Sasuke smiled. "I'm just glad I could be there for you."

I actually kind of felt iffy about this D: