Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

Author: Mairi

Warnings: Age Changes, slight OOC.

Summary: Sasuke's finally back! He admitted his feelings for Sakura while asking her out, but what will Sakura say? What's Sasuke's reaction?

Pairings: Kakashi x Sakura, Naruto x Hinata, Neji x Tenten, Shikamaru x Ino.

Chapter 3 – Unexpected Actions

Sakura's eyes widened slightly she looked to the ground, her hair falling down the side of her face, what could she do now? How could she turn him down nicely without possibly angering him and making him run off again, should she just say yes then break up with him later on? No, that wasn't the path she wanted to take, she felt for someone else, she had to tell him.

"S-Sasuke…I-I'm sorry…" She said, her voice shaking a little along with her body. Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing, she was about to turn him down. He wasn't angry at her; he guessed that this might have happened.

"Why?" He asked, his voice not saddened but sounding a little confused as to why she rejected him.

"I'm sorry, I…I don't feel the way I used to feel about you…I've fallen for someone else, Sasuke…"

"I see who's the lucky guy then?" He asked, he was really upset inside, cursing himself for leaving the village as long as he had, cursing himself for not realising his true feelings for her six years ago. He felt pathetic right now. Sakura didn't answer him, he looked to her, she was crying a little, not full on tears but there were wet streaks on her cheeks from a couple of escaped drops. He could hear her whispering a sentence but all he could make out was the name of their ex-sensei.

"Sakura?"

"Gomen nasai yo, Sasuke." She replied quickly before getting up and running off. Sasuke watched her run off, it was best if he left her along for a little while to pick herself up, he now sat there wondering if the one she'd fallen for was…wait, it may well be him! The staring at the restaurant, the quick glances she was taking when he had returned and had been greeted by his old team.

"So…she's in love with Kakashi…" He said to himself in a low tone, he suddenly felt a mixture of jealousy and anger surge through his veins. He wanted Sakura, but she wanted Kakashi. He stood up, fists clenched and teeth gritted together firmly; a couple of droplets had escaped from his eyes and now made their way down his face. Frustration was now added to that mixture of feelings, as well as guilt and various other negative things that made him get that little bit angrier. He kicked at a stone on the ground hard and walked in the opposite direction from Sakura.

'You've really screwed up this time Sasuke…you first lose track of your older brothers where about THEN you return to Konoha six years too late and lose the person you love the most, you are SO stupid!" His mind yelled at him repeatedly.

He'd been walking for so long that he'd lost track of time, but he guessed that everyone would have left the restaurant by now so there was no point in going back there. He heard voices suddenly in the distance, it sounded like Kakashi and another male as well as a female voice, and he silently made his way towards them. He had to stop Kakashi from liking Sakura back.

Stopping on a tree branch that hid him well while over looking the trio on the ground he watched them silently listening into their conversation. The others with him were Kurenai and Asuma. They were apparently a couple now; he didn't think that changes like this would have taken place but that was life for you, full of unknown wonders and surprises. Kurenai and Asuma left leaving Kakashi standing alone. He wasn't moving from his spot, he was watching the couple leave and once they'd gone he turned his head to look over his shoulder.

"You can come out from hiding now, Sasuke." He stated calmly. Sasuke almost hit himself physically and mentally, how could he forget that he couldn't hide well from Kakashi of all people. With an irritated sigh he dropped out from the tree lazily, landing in a crouch and staring at his ex-sensei with a slight glare.

"Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked, putting his book away…just how could he read that in the dark exactly?

"Hn." Was all Sasuke said. The thought of him getting his Sakura was irritating him greatly, what had Kakashi got that he hadn't? Apart from a lucky chance.

"Hn? Come on, Sasuke at least tell me more than that." He sighed.

"I won't let you take her!" Sasuke growled, this of course confused the older jounin before him.

"Take who?" He questioned. He truly had no clue what his younger comrade was on about.

"You know who!" Sasuke said raising his voice as he drew a kunai and quickly threw it at Kakashi, the kunai piercing Kakashi's neck, right through the wind pipe. Sasuke looked a little happy with himself for that, but then a puff of smoke came from the Kakashi that once stood in front of him, turning into a block of wood and fell to the ground with an audible thump.

"Kuso…" Sasuke spat, drawing another kunai and keeping his guard up, Kakashi was far too sly for him even at the level he'd reached to defeat Orochimaru. He didn't feel a presence behind him and before he knew it he was held at knife-point.

"Sasuke, listen. I don't know what's gotten into you all of a sudden but…you could at least talk to me about it properly instead of doing something stupid."

"…" Sasuke never said anything instead he swung his kunai round quickly stabbing it into the side of Kakashi, only to find out it was another replacement technique.

This went on for about ten minutes or so, Kakashi was just watching him to see if he could figure out what was bothering him.

"Alright I give up!" Sasuke called out. The various clones of Kakashi vanished with a puff of smoke and the real Kakashi emerged from the bush at the side of the tree from where Sasuke had come from.

"Are you ready to tell me what's going on, Sasuke… I really don't want to fight you." He said from behind him. Sasuke gave a nod and turned to him.

"Tell me Kakashi. How much do you like Sakura?" He asked. Kakashi looked a little taken back from his question, his face going red slightly under his mask. So that's what he must have meant by his earlier statement. All he could do now is tell the honest truth to him.

"I've liked her as a close friend for the past four years and since she turned seventeen and a half I began to like her more and more, and now…I love her." He said watching his every movement.

"Aa,"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I…asked her out, and she…rejected me. She said she had fallen for someone else…when I asked who, she was whispering things and all I could really make out was your name."

"Sou ka?" Kakashi muttered, his inner hopes rising as well as his inner self getting a little bit excited.

"Also, if you've liked her for so long how come you didn't make your move on her before I came here?" He asked now turning away from him. Kakashi let out a sigh.

"To be honest with you. I thought she still had feelings for you, so I kept my distance and would keep it until you returned."

"I don't understand…how? Why?"

"I think it may have just been too painful for her to keep waiting for you over the years. If you hadn't appeared now she might have been waiting longer, maybe even after you lot had grown old and died."

"I see. Well, all I can hope for now is that she'll still be friends with me." Sasuke said with a sigh.

"Aa,"

Kakashi left after saying that short line, he did feel sorry for Sasuke for things turning out like they just had. He hadn't known until now that she had feelings for him now instead of Sasuke that is of course if everything Sasuke said was true.

Sasuke looked up to the starry sky wishing he could go back into the past to before he had left the village and make himself realise the feelings then, maybe it would have made a huge difference. Hell maybe if he had got Itachi when he wanted to, things wouldn't have changed. All the 'what if' possibilities began to run through his mind but he knew at the same time that it was pretty much pointless thinking about it.

"Well," He spoke to no one but himself looking down from the night sky to the path in front of him.

"Maybe, if anything goes wrong with they two she'll come back to me." He said still speaking to himself a small forced smile appearing on his face.

"She waited years for me, I should wait out a few years for her."

With that he continued along the path heading for his home which he hadn't been back at, at all today, yet. Naruto had taken some of the stuff he had on him to his house but he could wait and get that tomorrow, right now he was wanting to sleep they'd managed to tire him out, not to mention the day trip done it for him to.

Chapter 3 done hope you liked next chapter is the final.