Chapter 2 : Fiançailles

It has been a year already since Sasuke promised Sakura to see her again at the gate of Konoha, with Kakashi. They haven't talked much since his "come back" to Konoha as a prisoner. She visited him twice in his cell, and didn't talk to him much the second time. She got a call from Kakashi just minutes before Sasuke's leaving. She has a lot to discuss with him.

Many events happened since Sasuke's depart, the most important one was Naruto's engagement, it's still verbal, but they're preparing his fiançailles' party already. According to Kakashi, Sasuke will attend.

The Sun was setting and Ino just passed by Sakura's house telling her that she'll go ahead with Sai, her boyfriend. Facing her mirror, adjusting her hair after putting an earring, the young Haruno was wondering if she hadn't missed the age to have a boyfriend. All her friends got an affectionate relationship. Maybe she was the last to have one ? Well there was Sasuke, who's supposed to be single, but who knows; maybe he was in a relation of this sort with someone one of Orochimaru's adepts, maybe that red-haired girl Karin.

The thought made her lose her smile, she was no more able to face herself, to gaze at her own eyes.

Thinking of herself and Sasuke, she thought that "both of them" will be the last from their generation to get together… But maybe not. Maybe she's the latter one. Gazing at her trembling hands through the mirror, she tried to find an answer to a heavy question : what have she done to herself ? Bad and good. Was she weak ? These hands fought powerful enemies, saved wonderful lives, yet what have they done of good to her ? They couldn't make her happy.

A cracking sound from the lower floor brought her back to the present. Seems someone broke something down there. Sakura noticed the darkening sky and the absence of the sun. It was now night.

The training floor. Her team's formation's site. Good memories.

The party Naruto and Hinata organized was only for their close friends, they all knew each other since the Ninja Academy days. Everyone since back then was here except the memorable Neji and the gone Sasuke, who was supposed to come tonight.

Ino greeted Sakura but abandoned her right after that, going to have more time with Sai. The young-adult ninjas invited their teachers who hadn't come yet. Kakashi promised to come with Gai a little later in the night.

All the 'people' there was her friends, known to her, but at the same time, she felt so stranger to them and the reason was clear, they're only couples here. She felt lonely. And now that the dinner was over, she lost all hope to see Sasuke again.

Sasuke. Thinking of him made her remember her last wondering; what if he was already in a relationship ? Could he ? Well, of course he can, could and would. No. He would be ? She has to be more gentle with her tired heart and stop giving it grand hopes. She has to stop thinking of Sasuke, he wasn't in danger, he was no more an avenger nor an approved 'terrorist'. Sakura has no reason to over-care for him while he doesn't. He's mature, and adult, and knows how to lead his life. If he had any feeling or her, if he wanted her in his life he would have.

Sakura's eyes was focusing on the happiness on all her friends' face, they didn't seem to notice her presence, or her loneliness. Envy them ? She didn't. Sakura was just questioning her heart's masochism. Why does she has to suffer all this time for him while he doesn't care ? He's not forced to love her back, of course. But…

Sakura lost a cold tear from her right eye. She wasn't crying. These kind of tears aren't cries. It was reason's tear. She was reasoning herself and making her blood as cold as that tear while going through her heart. Her heart has to get colder toward the Uchiha. All this isn't fair. She has to move on.

"Why don't you enjoy the party with your friends instead of sitting alone over here ?" – said a calm cold voice behind Sakura.

Her heart was getting colder, yet the beat it skipped made it get hurt. She felt her heart break. After all, one shouldn't put boiling water on an icy glass cup. It would break. It would.

Sakura sighted calmly and bowed her head to gaze at the glass in her hands, trying to catch anything's view through the reflection on the drink's surface, hiding her tear at the same time.

"I wouldn't disturb a joyful a couple, that's why." – she replied, rising her head to the sky.

The man behind her stepped beside her, gazing at the people around, affirming : "Well… Everyone seems to get engaged over here, not just Naruto."

The pinky-hair woman nodded with humming, gazing back at her glass. She doesn't want to look at him. She has no good reason to do that. Sasuke looked at her through his shoulder, concluding that she was having a problem somewhere. Sakura was a joyful person, especially with him around. She wouldn't be this sad while she just met him again, after so long.

"How are you ? – Sakura ?"

The leafy eyes rose toward the black and purple ones. He was already gazing at her.

For some minutes she was absorbed in his eyes, looking for her questions' answers. She didn't fell time passing. At the other side, Sasuke was gazing back, releasing the ghost of a smile on his face.

"SASUKE !" yelled the future Hokage.

The Uchiha turned slowly to his right, moving Sakura from his vision in a slow-motion, to face his friend.

"Hi" said Sasuke saluating. "Congratulations" rising his right and only arm to give Naruto a rose. This one had round eyes fixating the flower, rising them to Sasuke then lowering them back to the rose then look at Sakura to check the rose again. 'Is this a genjutsu ?'

"Is this for me ?" asked the blonde man. "Yes" answered the questioned, adding "congratulations for your fiançailles." That made Naruto's cheek go pretty red. Sakura was giggling next to Sasuke, who nodded with a smile when Naruto took the flower.

"Well, well Sasuke ! Congratulations to you too !" replied Naruto with his full-teeth smile.

"What ?" blanked the black-haired guy. "Congratulations for what ?"

"Well !..." he responded, retiring slowly into the party, on reversed steps before answering "You two are finally together ! See ya !" and returning next to Hinata.

There was a heavy silence on Sakura and Sasuke, not that they were 'talking' before, but still, the air was suffocating now and the woman didn't feel like talking to him in fear he'd sense that she's chasing him again.

"He-llo !" saluted the current Hokage behind them.

Sasuke wished to have some time with Sakura this evening, and was wondering how many times they'll get disturbed until then. First Naruto, then Kakashi followed with Shikamaru and Ino with their companions.

Maybe, since no one is single here beside Kakashi and Gai, they're thinking that Sasuke and Sakura are together. Just like Naruto stated. Not stated, but thought.

Ino pulled the guy who's supposed to be his substitute in Team 7 and left them. Shikamaru left after giving Sasuke the political news and how good he's doing lately.

Left alone again. He has something to say, to ask, yet he doesn't know how to. Sasuke was looking for the right words before spotting the young version of Gai running toward Sakura. Sasuke was now annoyed, but something told him to be patient. Was Lee and Sakura together? No way… There was a slice chance for that anyway.

Finally.

Lee talked about his new girlfriend, showing Sakura how happy he was, not by any negative intention, but just because he respects and loves her a lot, and now that he was in a relationship, Sakura became more like a sister to him.

Sasuke was walking through the wood, fleeing the party's noise and people. Sakura was following him, not by herself, but because he asked her to. She was actually trying to guess what the matter with him is.

Walking behind him, she noticed how much they grew, far from each other. He was taller, his shoulders larger, muscled than last time she saw him. She felt some heat in her cheeks, but lowered her gaze to the floor before her. Sakura has to keep cold toward him as long as he's not giving any opening on that matter.

Sasuke stopped suddenly, and before having time to turn and face Sakura she had crashed on his back. "SORRY ! You stopped suddenly." she said with a forced smile, rising her hands. "No problem."

Sasuke stood there, at his full length, gazing at Sakura's eyes that, nervously, was jumping from a corner of her eyes to another. If all this was natural, it is cute, if not, it's annoying, he thought.

"Sakura…" he started, "are you…" he added after he got her eyes' partial attention. "Sin-gle ?" he finished, getting the full attention of her eyes. The answer he got was on the interrogative form : "What ?"

Now, it was Sasuke's turn to roam his eyes on the natural decoration surrounding them.

"Yes. I am." Said Sakura, after some seconds of shock, within a minute. Before Sasuke could even think about his next sentence, Sakura riposted with a "Why ?"

Why. A one-worded sentenced. So short it should have an answer as short as its three letters, two letters from the end of the alphabet, and one from the first half. He may should answer that way, go to the pre-result then go back to the origin of his question before revealing the real result. –Y isn't the result, that's Z. But Sakura has to deduce this last one by herself since Sasuke has enough snobbism to say it.-

"I guess we're getting old with time. We're adults, and may need to settle in our lives." Sasuke just responded to the letter "W", advancing the reason behind his question. He has now to answer the letter "H", going back to the origin of his question. "I know that we grew so far from each other. I have almost no idea of your current activities, so I have no idea if you already have a boyfriend somewhere... So… I was wondering if you moved on." Sakura seems pretty shocked with these two last words. Good, thought Sasuke. She was blushing, his second answer was a success. Now remains the final one, for the letter "Y". The answer should be too close to "Z", so Sakura could deduce this latter all by herself : "I think it would be foolish to ask your companionship while I have no idea if you're single or not…" resumed Sasuke with a cool, calm expression.

That's it.

Next chapter : Weddings

"闇に散る桜" | "The cherry blossoms fall in the darkness"

Alice Nine - 闇に散る桜 [Yami ni chiru sakura]