Act 23: Festival preparation –torn between loves?
"Arrg…" Sakura groaned as light from the window hit her eyes. She tossed over to her left side no avoid the light from the window. No point, she was already awake. "Stupid window!" She groaned.
Knock
Knock
"Sakura? Are you awake today?" He heard Sasuke call through the doors.
"Awake today?" Sakura thought. "What the hell?"
"Sakura? I'm coming in." Sasuke pushed open the doors. Sakura plunged her head under her covers and pretended to still be sleeping. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because she secretly wanted more sleep, maybe it was because she noticed she was only wearing a bra a tank top and underwear, or maybe it was because she didn't know how to react to Sasuke.
"Sakura… I love you."
"Did he mean that? Wait did that actually happen!" She yelled in her head recalling what happened right before the assassins attacked. "Nah! This is Sasuke we're talking about… besides, didn't he say something like 'I'm in love' to that Rain woman? Uhh… Asuka-san" She touched her lips and let them part slightly… "But he kissed me… or was that a dream too?" She was puzzled and in denial. "Nah. It didn't happen. It's just my imagination running away with me again. Sasuke doesn't feel that way for me" She was decided and that's what she decided to conclude. Besides, she was going to say yes to Jin remember? "I should talk to Jin today… I guess…" Truth is, she didn't really want to marry Jin, well half of her did, the other half still longed for Sasuke
"Sakura?" Sasuke whispered. As he took a few more steps closer to her sleeping form.
"Baka! If I wanted you to know I was awake I would have said something! Why the hell is he whispering!" Sakura thought desperately trying to get the idea of marriage out of her head.
She felt his presence by her side now, and he gently moved the covers. He gazed down at her sleeping face.
"She's so cute when she sleeps…" Sasuke thought to himself. "Damnit… I really am getting weak inside." Her lips were parted slightly and her cheeks had some rosy color restored in them. Short free strands of pastel pink hair covered some of her face, Sasuke gently brushed them away. "Her forehead isn't that big… what the hell was Ino talking about?" He actually kind of found it charming it made her pretty. He leaned in to kiss it.
"Sasuke? What are you doing?" Sakura asked. Sasuke jumped back a little surprised but regained himself in no time at all.
"Checking if you were just pretending to sleep." He said lying. "What the hell is she thinking pretending to sleep! DAMNIT!"
Sakura opened her jaded eyes and looked at him. He seemed fine, his injuries were perfectly healed. She pushed herself up to a sitting position on the bed. "How'd you know I was pretending?"
"Just a hunch." Sasuke lied again. "You've been asleep for three days."
"WHAT!" Sakura's eyes widened. "THREE DAYS!"
"Aa…" Sasuke nodded his head. "Chakra depletion."
"Oh…"
"So you better get dressed… since we were missing you, we haven't given our report to Hokage-sama yet."
Sakura nodded, she was about to get up but she remembered she was only in her panties under her sheets. She blushed.
"Do you have a fever? You're turning red." Sasuke asked.
"NO!" She yelled trying to stop herself from blushing but it only made her redder. "Sasuke could you leave so I can take a shower?"
"Aa…" Sasuke turned and left.
"He better not have been the one to change me! BAKA! He's hanging around Naruto and Kakashi too much." Then Sakura ran to the bathroom to take a shower.
--
The report to Tsunande went well and she seemed pretty pleased with her team. She scolded Sakura momentarily for using up 98 percent of her chakra. But grinned when Sakura said that Tsunande would have done the exact same thing. She separated from her team and decided to do some shopping. She noticed that the villagers were getting ready for the spring festival. She remembered the kimono that Jin gave her, he didn't want to take it back, but he said he understood if she didn't wear it. So she decided that she would go and get her own. Tsunande said that she entered Sakura to be festival queen, which would mean that she had to compete. When she was a kid, she competed in the festival princess competition, she didn't show up though because Sasuke's words had hurt her yet again.
"Damn it! Why is he always like that! Stupid bum-face jerk!" Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud cry that could only come from one person.
"SAKURA!" Ino ran up to her on the street. Sakura turned around and smiled at her. "I'm so glad you're feeling better! You were so limp the last time I saw you."
"Limp?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah you were out like a light." Ino replied her face beaming.
"Really?"
Ino nodded. "Sasuke asked me to come over and change you and just kindda wash away some dirt before he put you to rest in bed… that was like 3 days ago."
"Ha… so Kakashi and Naruto didn't corrupt him like that after all." Sakura smiled at her friend. "Thank you Ino."
"You cut your hair again?" Ino said flicking a loose strand of Sakura's hair. "Sasuke told me what happened. Don't worry I fixed the layers while you were sleeping."
Sakura smiled again "Thanks Ino."
The two of them went shopping together.
"I'm competing too Sakura, since Shika-kun and I aren't married I'm technically still single."
(yeah only single women can compete)
"I'm not even involved with anyone so guess that's why Tsunande-sensei entered me."
"Ha! I'm not going to lose to you forehead girl!" Ino said smirking at her friend
"What was that Ino-pig!" Sakura grinned back.
The both burst into laughter.
"It's great having you back in Konoha." Ino said.
"Thanks Ino, it's great to be back."
"Are you going to go back to the ANBU headquarters?"
"Ehh…" Sakura had totally forgotten about that. "I haven't really thought about it. Missions and all. I don't know…"
Ino frowned. "Why can't you just be ANBU here? Like Shika-kun?"
"Shikamaru is tactical unit, I'm a medic, and I have to go where the action goes."
Ino looked down. "I understand."
Sakura stopped and hugged her friend. "Don't worry Ino I can take care of myself!"
Ino looked at her, and smirked. "Yeah? Is that why you were out for three days!"
"What was that Ino-pig?" Sakura said, her eyebrow twitching.
"Nothing!" Ino beamed.
--
When Sakura got back home to Sasuke's place she noticed that he wasn't home so she went straight to her room. She put her shopping bags down. "I'll put them away later." She thought and plopped onto the bed.
"Festival queen… Gah… They say it's the best way to meet a husband." She scoffed. "Heh, they're all like freggen pervs like Kakashi." She giggled. She imagined what reactions she would get from the guys. She knew Jin would be well… Jin and compliment her and make her feel loved. She smiled at the thought. Then she thought of Sasuke. "What would Sasuke do?" She thought about it and he appeared in her mind.
Sasuke giving a thumbs up. "You were great Sakura!"
"Nah… that's something Naruto would do."
Sasuke grinning with his eyes closed. "Aww Sakura-chan you grew up so fast!"
"Nah… That's something Kakashi would do."
Sasuke blushing like mad and giving her flowers. "You were wonderful Sakura."
"That would be nice." She grinned. "But that's something Jin would do."
Sasuke standing there static, hands in his pockets. "I can't believe you did that."
"Now that's something Sasuke would do."
She sighed and sat up on her bed, bringing her knees in close to her chest. "That's IF he even goes."
Sakura turned over onto her tummy near the foot of her bed. She grabbed the shopping bags that she dropped there earlier and rummaged through the paper bags. She pulled out a small paper bag and reached in to retrieve its contents. Pulling out a small safety charm she looked at it. "I wonder who I should give this spring-ling gift to."
(I explained this earlier in a chapter… but just to refresh some people's memory… A girl gives something like a charm to a guy who's important to her. And the guy usually gives her a gift too… eg: the kimono. This usually happens the day of the festival or earlier.)
Sakura shrugged it off and decided not to think about it anymore. She pulled out the competition requirements from an envelope Tsunande had given her earlier.
"Number 1: All contestants must be single and have no children." She read aloud. She didn't know why they couldn't be married nor have kids.
"Number 2: All contestants must be approved by the Hokage and recommended by at least 3 other villagers of Konoha." "I wonder who recommended me…."
"Number 3: All contestants must at least be gennin level."
"Number 4: All contestants must be prepared to compete in the following five categories:
Traditional Tea: A traditional Kimono must be warn and the contestant must perform a tea ceremony with one male villager and a judge.
Evening wear: Contestants will be judged by their pose and manners in the category while wearing formal evening wear. Questions will be asked by the judges in this category, contestants MUST answer them.
Swimsuit competition: Contestants will be required to be in swim wear and participate in a game of beach volleyball.
Cooking competition: Contestants will be required to prepare a dish for judging by our judges.
Talent competition: Each contestant will be required to perform at minimum 5 minute act displaying their talents as a woman and Konouchi."
Sakura thought for a moment. She was single and had no children. Tsunande herself told her to join. She was ANBU level. She hasn't done a tea ceremony in a while but she could always practice. She was confident that she'd be fine in the Evening wear and she wasn't afraid to answer any question that comes her way. Swimsuit was fine… even though she was insecure about parading around in a bikini, the volleyball part made her happy. Cooking was no problem, although Sakura was unsure of what dish to make.
"Talent competition…" She was stuck… she couldn't think of anything.
--
It was late when Sasuke got home. He decided to check on Sakura and went up to her room. He hadn't seen her since that morning in the Hokage's office.
Sasuke walked up to her door and knocked.
"Sakura?"
No answer.
"I'm coming in." Sasuke pushed through the doors only to find her lying on her bed… asleep. Sasuke smirked he walked over to her and tucked her in, it was chilly at night now.
"Mmmm…" Sakura hummed all of a sudden feeling warmer. Sasuke looked at her just as he had done this morning. He brushed away the loose hairs from her face. Sakura shifted slightly humming again. A smile spread over her face. Sasuke noticed a sheet of paper lying on the floor he picked it up and read it.
"So Sakura's going to compete for festival queen." He looked at her again and smiled. "I hope you win…" He whispered to her. Then he leaned in and kissed her forehead.
Sakura stirred and her eyes slowly fluttered open and she sat up. "Sasuke?" She cooed in a low voice. She looked around.
He was gone.
"I'm losing it…" Sakura said to herself then lied back down and fell back asleep.
Outside Sakura's slightly opened bedroom door Sasuke smiled silently.
