Torn between her first crush and the two people who taught her so much…

Hyuuga Neji…

Sabaku no Gaara…

Uchiha Sasuke…

"Ah! We've made it back! I can finally take a decent shower!" she laughed at herself.

"Hey! I'll catch you guys later! Bye!" she waved and ran off to her house.

"I'll report to Hokage-Sama…" Neji walked off to the office.

"…" Gaara and Sasuke stood there by the main gates staring at everything but at each other, arms crossed and hands in pockets.

"Do you…" Sasuke started but someone interrupted.

"SASUKE-BAKA!" Naruto screamed out and pointed at him.

"What is it…Naruto…" he stared back at him.

"You totally left without telling us!" he pointed and shouted at him until he realized something.

"Hey…you didn't call me dope…" he smiled slightly but it became unnerving for Sasuke so he decided to leave.

"Hey! I'm not done yet!" he shouted at him again.

"Naruto…I'm too tired right now…Later…" he waved and walked off slowly.

"…Mou…looks as if someone just kicked him in the guts…" he pouted his lips and squinted his eyes.

"…You have no idea, Naruto…" he watched Sasuke's retreating figure into the moving crowds of the villagers.

"Wanna get something to eat!" he laughed at him.

"Hn…" he closed his eyes as he walked by the loud shinobi to his favorite restaurant, Ichiraku Ramen.

"Hey Gaara-Kun! Hi!" she waved as she ran up to him. Her pink hair flying behind her as she scampered up to the red head.

"Hey…" he replied to her with a hint of emotion.

"Hey! Where are you going now? I just had a good shower! I feel so refreshed!" she emphasized that by stretching out her arms.

"Going…nowhere…" he didn't know where he was going, he just went where his legs would take him.

"Great! Let's go somewhere!" she took his arm into hers and she dragged him away unaware of where they would be going.

"Where are we going?" he asked her with questioning eyes.

"Hm…Let's go watch the clouds neh!" she smiled at him as she continued to pull him down the streets of Konoha.

'This is different…She makes me feel different…As if I had something I never knew I had…Why can I only experience this with her?' he thought to himself as he allowed for her to heave him around.

'She brings out the best in me…' he smiled at her, but it was quite unfortunate that she missed it.

"Ah…This is so good…having to relax and all…" she stretched herself out on the soft, green grass.

The day was good, it wasn't too sunny and it wasn't too cloudy either. It was perfect.

"Perfect…" she smiled as she looked up at the clouds and then she realized that he wasn't sitting beside her.

"Hey, come here!" she gestured for him to come closer and so he did.

"Sit down here, right beside me!" she grinned at him as she patted at the vacant space beside her.

He took a seat beside her after taking off the gourd on his back.

"Isn't it good to relax every once in a while? And isn't it nice to take that little load off your back?" she asked him while he played with the flower beside her.

"Little is hardly an adequate word for it…" he sweat-dropped.

"Well, the way you carry it makes it seem so light and almost weightless." She smiled and tilted her head in a cute manner.

'She's cute when she does that…' he blushed a bit but he decided to look away before she noticed.

"What was that for?" she asked him, tilting to the other side, he blushed more.

"What was what for…" he murmured out as he stared at the grass.

"That blush! Don't think I didn't see it!" she poked him gently on his arm.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" he looked up at the clouds.

"Of course you know! Now tell me why you were blushing! Come on!" she nudged him gently.

"…" he looked down again, playing around with the grass.

'Is he nervous?' she thought to herself watching his every movement.

"Sakura…" he started but stopped before he got too far.

"What is it? You can tell me." She smiled at him, allowing him to fell more relaxed.

"Sakura…I…I think…" he stopped himself again. He looked vulnerable, innocent like a child.

'He's confused…' she frowned slightly.

"You can tell me…" she held onto his hand and he blushed more.

"I think…I think…" he sighed.

"What is it?" she smiled gently at him and cocked her head to the side.

"I think I'm in love with you!" he said it a little too loudly but closed his eyes while he shouted it out. Sakura gapped at what he just said.

'He confessed his feelings to me?' she thought to herself as she remembered something similar happening with Sasuke.

Flashback…

"What's with you Sasuke! It's not like I can't hang out with other people you know!" Sakura's hands were on her hips her pink brows furrowed.

"But why did you hang out with them! Neji nearly killed Hinata once and Gaara's killed more people than we can ever count!" he clenched his hand and his knuckles grew white.

"Why do you even care!" she screamed at him and Naruto jumped at her voice.

"Because I love you!" Sasuke was quiet now, unsure why he just confessed his love to her when he never knew what love was to begin with.

"…!" Sakura was shocked and so was Naruto, he stood there just gaping at him.

"…" Sasuke looked away not wanting to look at her.

"You…What do you mean?" she looked at him, she tried to look into his eyes but he avoided her gaze.

"Sasuke…tell me..."she tried again but he continued to look away from her.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and in his confusion and frustration he turned and walked off.

"Sasuke! Wait!" she called out to him but he refused to stop, he refused to look back.

Naruto watched him walk away from them. Growing more and more concern for the raven haired boy and his former crush.

"What just happened? Naruto?" she spoke in a quiet voice, her eyes never left Sasuke's back.

End flashback…

Unsure of what to do or to even say, he took her silence and lack of movement as a sign of rejection. He felt his heart crack and break into little pieces and sub-consciously grabbed onto the fabric that covered his heart. He turned around, not wanting to face her, but spoke all the same.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have told you…" he slowly picked himself up from the ground but Sakura held onto his sleeve. He still didn't want to look at her, in fear of losing control over his emotions and letting Shukaku get the better of him.

"Gaara…" she began but he cut her off.

"Don't worry about me…I've been rejected before…it's nothing new…" he spoke softly with a hint of betrayal hidden in his voice. She gripped onto his sleeve harder as he tried to move off again.

"Gaara…" she took a deep breathe and began again.

"If you want…we could give it a go neh?" she cocked her head to the side and smiled at him.

"…I don't want to force you into doing something you don't want to do…" he looked at her, eyes filled with confusion, hurt and hope.

"You're not forcing me to do anything…I'm willing if you are." She looked at him gently, trying to identify all the emotions going through his eyes.

For the first time in his life, he felt truly happy. And he gave her an honest smile and she smiled back at him. Reaching forward for her waist, he pulled her into a small embrace.

"Thank you…for giving me a chance…" he closed his eyes to savor the feeling and moment. Hopeful that it might last forever, wanting each and every moment to be imprinted into his head.

"Everybody deserves a chance." She too, closed her eyes as she hugged him back. The minutes passed by, the sun was setting and the color of the sky was changing. The wind blew at them and the grass as they stayed that way, enjoying the moment together, enjoying the silence.

Yawn! I'm so sleepy…but its' daylight savings so my body alarm clock has gone bonkers! Wahaha! So it's saying it's 11 o'clock but it's actually 12 midnight…so yea…Yawn yawn!

Look how dedicated I am to you! I stayed up all night for this! You should be happy! (glares daggers at you)

Anyways…I'll be off now…laters and until next time!