Fallen Petals
by Diana-san

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 11

Sakura's scream rang in Sasuke's ear.

Sasuke came running into the kitchen, irritated but worried at the same time. "What happened?" he asked Sakura.

A pair of emerald green eyes stared back at him. She pointed to the refrigerator and the contents inside. "Explain this mess," she ordered.

Sasuke opened the refrigerator door wider so that he could peek in to see what the big fuss was about. The sight nearly made him gag. Sakura couldn't help but smile at Sasuke's similar reaction to hers. Sasuke stood up and replaced his horrified look with his usual emotionless expression.

"I haven't been in this house for six whole years. What did you expect?" Sasuke explained.

Sakura sighed. She looked back at the refrigerator which was filled with rotten and disgusting, moldy food. She made a face and turned to look at Sasuke.

"How am I going to cook breakfast if there isn't even any edible food in this place?" Sakura retorted.

"I don't cook anyways. I usually eat out."

Sakura frowned. "Well, I'm still making you something anyway. There must be something here that can be used."

Sasuke stared at Sakura in disbelief. 'I wouldn't eat it if you could find something that is still edible after six years sitting in the kitchen cupboards while collecting dust.'

Sakura's stomach grumbled loudly as she searched the kitchen cupboards. She blushed in embarrassment. She laughed nervously and said, "I guess I'm too hungry to cook anything anyway." Sakura got off from the kitchen counter that she was kneeling on when she was searching through the cupboards. She started to feel faint and dizzy that she could only guess was because of the lack of food. Feeling a bit woozy, she started to collapse on the kitchen floor but Sasuke caught her by the arms just in time.

Sakura's eyes flew open and she bolted straight up. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she assured. She shook her head to clear away the feelings of dizziness.

Sasuke sighed. "C'mon. Let's go," he commanded.

Sakura looked at Sasuke with a confused look. "Huh? Go where?"

"To eat."

Sakura crossed her arms. "B-but the breakfa-"

Sasuke looked at Sakura. "I said we're going out to eat." Sasuke turned back and headed towards the door.

The pink headed girl sighed and grudgingly followed the raven-headed boy.

They stepped out into the quiet streets of Konoha and Sakura smiled as she looked around her peaceful village. It was getting near noon and the streets started to fill up with people. Sasuke started to walk faster and Sakura tried to keep up by jogging after him. He came to a sudden stop in front of a quaint little restaurant. Sakura, unfortunately, had to be running at the time so she crashed right into Sasuke's back. She rubbed her nose and started to ask why he stopped so suddenly when she noticed the place they stopped in front of. She gasped in delight when she saw the restaurant. It was a very old-fashioned looking place and it was in the part of town she never really went to since it was pretty expensive in this area. Sasuke started to walk inside the restaurant and Sakura quickly followed him inside.

Soft music was being played through the speakers and an old couple stood by the entrance to greet the customers. Sasuke sat down at a table near a window and Sakura followed after him while gazing at the surroundings around her. Potted plants of this season's cherry blossoms were hanged throughout the entire restaurant so that the fragrant smell drifted to Sakura's nose. That wasn't the only smell though. Plates of food that were being carried out from the kitchen made Sakura's stomach grumbled even more and her mouth watered a little.

'I'm so hungry. That plate sure does look good…'

She stared intently at the waiter that was carrying the plate of food that Sakura was eyeing. The waited stared back at her and quivered in fear.

'Sakura looks like she is going to eat that guy alive.' Sasuke thought.

"Sit down so we can order," he said. Sakura obediently obeyed and sat down across from Sasuke. A waiter walked by and asked if they were ready. Sasuke shook his head and waved him off. Sakura picked up the menu in front of her and scanned around the menu. The food that was listed on it sounded delicious but when she saw the prices listed next to them, she gave a small sigh.

'Everything here is extremely overpriced and out of my budget.'

She turned the page and hoped that the next page would have cheaper food. It didn't and a look of doom was spread across Sakura's pretty face.

'Overpriced!'

Sakura turned the page again and saw even more expensive prices. 'Water isn't free here?!'

Sakura peeked over the menu to look at Sasuke to see what his reaction to the prices were. She saw that there wasn't a menu in front of him and instead his onyx eyes were locked on her. A faint blush crept up on her face as she quickly looked away.

'He's probably just daydreaming or something.' Sakura thought, trying to assure herself.

Sakura peeked over the side of her menu to look at the old couple standing by the door and greeting customers. She frowned and thought darkly, 'They may seem like a innocent old couple but they sure are good at taking away our money.'

"Are you ready yet?" a voice asked and interrupted Sakura's thoughts.

Sakura averted her gaze from the old couple and looked at Sasuke. He was waiting for her to answer. Sakura quickly tried to think of something to say.

'Oh no! What should I order? I can't afford anything in here!'

'Order everything!'

'Be serious. Like you can pay for this stuff.'

'Is it my fault that you are poor?'

'Yes.'

A waiter came by and indicated that he was ready to take their orders. Sasuke broke eye contact with Sakura as he said his order.

"Tokoroten (transparent noodles eaten together with black honey and vinegar)," he said as he handed his menu to the waiter. The waiter nodded and scribbled the order down on his notepad. "And for the lady?" he asked as she turned to face Sakura.

Sakura racked her brain for something to say. "Um-I'll just have water-" Sakura started to say when Sasuke interrupted her. "She'll have the same thing," he said as he took away the menu from Sakura's hands and handed it to the waiter. The waiter nodded and wrote it down on his notepad.

When the waiter had walked away, Sakura looked angrily at Sasuke. "Hey! Why did you order for me?"

"You were taking too long to order something," Sasuke replied coolly.

"Well, maybe I didn't want anything."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "Then what was the point of you coming?"

Sakura grumbled. "It's not my fault you brought me to an expensive restaurant."

Sasuke smirked. "I'm paying so stop fretting about it."

"But-I can't make you pay for this!" Sakura protested.

The raven-headed boy sighed as a lock of hair fell and covered his left eye. He brushed it back and remarked, "You changed. Now you don't even accept help when you need it?"

"Who said I needed help?" Sakura retorted. "I can pay for this by myself," she said hotly.

Sakura calmed down a bit before saying, "Besides, is this so strange? This was how you always acted like towards me and Naruto and anyone else who wanted to help you. Did you say that because you think that I am always in need of help? That I can't do anything for myself? Always needed to be saved or rescued?"

Sasuke was in shock as he listened to the words coming out of Sakura's mouth. He looked away and stared out the window. "Sakura, you and I are different. We are living in completely different worlds sometimes. I had my revenge to think about and you were always just concerned with the simple things of life."

"Was that what you thought of me? A simple naïve girl who only thought of boys and clothes?" Sakura asked softly.

Sasuke looked up at the ceiling. "Weren't you that?"

Sakura stared out the window and saw children playing out in the streets. She smiled remorsefully. "Yea, I guess I was back then. But I was like a child then. All I ever thought was how to get you to date me. I was never really concerned with training and the things concerning a ninja. My goals weren't like yours or Naruto's. I didn't have revenge or a dream of being Hokage," Sakura said. "Maybe that's why I always felt desolated from the two of you. Maybe that was why you always found me annoying the same way I found Naruto annoying."

Sasuke remained silent.

The pink-haired kunoichi sighed as she stared out the window with a sad smile playing at her lips. 'I never opened up to anyone about this. He just made it seem so easy for me to tell him the burdens I faced with.'

Sakura's thoughts were broken when the waiter came by, carrying two bowls of tokoroten. They ate in silence, each consumed by their own thoughts.

When they were nearly finished with their meal, Sasuke placed his chopsticks down and gazed at Sakura. She was still eating in silence and her facial features show a look of sadness.

'She felt desolated? So, she knows the pain of loneliness?' Sasuke thought.

"Sorry Sasuke-kun," Sakura said softly.

"Huh?"

Sakura looked up from her bowl and smiled. "I'm sorry Sasuke. I didn't understand how you felt back then since I had never experienced loss of a loved one. I always harassed you and probably pushed you further away from me. Now I know how much pain it is for losing someone truly beloved. I guess you can say I understand why you wanted revenge so much. To know that someone out there killed your parents brings pain and darkness to your heart and it seems like it can never stop hurting. Everyone says that the pain will eventually subside as you move on but it works differently when it is your own parents that gets killed by someone for no good reason. The intensity of it gets stronger and the will to kill that person increases. But, my desire for revenge isn't as strong as yours since I never saw what happened to my parents or found out who killed them. I didn't have the burning hate since I wouldn't know who to direct it to," Sakura said. She closed her eyes as if she got everything she wanted to say off her chest. She seemed to be in a trance-like state and Sasuke was shocked from Sakura's powerful words.

Sakura opened her eyes and her green emerald orbs locked in with Sasuke's dark obsidian eyes. She moved her head slightly as if she forgot everything that just happened. "Sorry again. I just dumped everything all at once at you, didn't I?"

Sasuke remained quiet as he pondered over the things Sakura had just said. After awhile he spoke, "So you lost your parents?"

Sakura nodded slowly. A sad smile at the corner of her lips. "Yes. Just five years ago. It seemed so long ago…" Sakura said as she discontinued her sentence, being lost in thought.

"I'm sorry."

Sakura looked away from the ceiling where she was staring at. She looked at Sasuke with surprise. She had never heard him apologize before. She smiled sincerely at him. "Thank you, but I'm okay now."

Sasuke stared out the window. "How? How can you not want revenge? The person who did this to you and your family. Wouldn't you want to do something about it?"

Sakura shook her head sadly. "What's the use? It would only bring back even more pain to me and it doesn't bring my parents back, would it?"

Silence came from the raven-haired boy. Sakura smiled and said, "I will say to myself just to live for the future and leave the past behind."

Sasuke was about to say something to Sakura when the waiter came by and placed a bill on the table. Deciding to say nothing and leave the conversation at that, Sasuke reached into his pockets and dropped some cash onto the table and stood up.

He turned his back on Sakura and motioned for her to go. Sakura stood up and eyed the money laying on the table. 'I wish I could have paid for it too.'

Sakura followed Sasuke as they walked out and onto the streets. "Oh, by the way, I'm coming to your house to give you a check-up tomorrow morning," Sakura said as she walked on ahead.

"What?" Sasuke replied, confused.

Sakura turned her head and gave him a silly smile. "Starting tomorrow, I am going to be your nurse for a whole month while you are on probation."

Sasuke grunted. "Who said I needed someone to take care of me? I'm fine by myself."

Sakura ran back to stand beside Sasuke and slapped him on the back. "Too bad though Sasuke. You just have to take it up with the Hokage herself if you have complaints about this."

Sasuke groaned. Pain shot up his back as he remembered how that was where some of his injuries were. "Fine," he muttered. He didn't want to face the Hokage anyway.

Sakura squealed in delight and the sudden loud shriek made Sasuke wince. Sakura pointed to a nearby shop ahead of them and shouted in delight, "Look! It's that new sweets shop that just opened. We have to go there!"

Sasuke protested, "We just ate. Why do we need to go there?"

"Because, everything there is said to be cheap and delicious. How can we not?" Sakura replied with a grin. She dragged on Sasuke's right arm and tugged him along. Sasuke followed reluctantly. As Sakura walked ahead of Sasuke, she noticed the many young couples that were strolling around her. She blushed when a thought came to her mind. 'I wonder if Sasuke and I look like a young couple in love in their eyes.'

Sakura blushed a deep red when the thought popped into her mind. She shook her head to erase the silly thought. Sasuke who was walking behind Sakura stared at her strangely when he saw her shaking her head. 'She must be talking to herself or something.'

Sakura reached the sweets shop and waved for Sasuke to hurry up. He didn't respond and continued to walk at his normal pace. Sakura scowled at him and walked inside the shop.

A scent caught her nose as her eyes scanned the entire store. It was a small mini mart and there were plenty of sweets to satisfy the sweet tooth. A man stood at the counter alongside with a young lady who seemed to be around Sakura's age. The man was making a crepe on a hot frying pan. Sakura watched in amazement as the crepe made a sizzling sound and as it smooth out to be laid thin. The store had a glass counter where many different flavors of ice cream were laid out in their containers. Sakura gasped in delight when she saw all the different flavors of ice cream.

"Wow," Sakura exclaimed as she peered at all the different ice cream flavors. She looked up from the glass counter and asked the girl at the counter, "You're not from here, are you?"

The girl shook her head and her dark curls moved along with her movements. She smiled and said, "No, we're from somewhere else and my father and I came here from Suna."

"Yo," a voice came from behind Sakura.

Sakura whirled around and saw Sasuke standing by the door. "Sasuke! You finally got here."

"Ah."

"Do you want to order anything? I'm going to get an ice cream cone."

Sasuke shook his head. "I hate sweets."

"Oh," Sakura said in surprise. She laughed nervously. "Sorry to drag you here then."

Sasuke said nothing but sat down in a nearby chair.

Sakura turned to the girl at the counter and was about to state her order. "I would like to have a-"

Sakura saw the dark-headed girl looking at Sasuke with huge hearts in her eyes. A irritated look flash across Sakura's face.

'Shannaro! Look away from Sasuke and let me give you my order!'

Sakura cleared her throat. The dark-headed girl broke away her contact with Sasuke and looked at Sakura.

"I said I would like to order."

"Right," the girl replied.

Sakura pointed to the strawberry flavored ice cream. "One scoop please."

The girl scooped up one scoop and placed it on a cone. She handed it to Sakura and Sakura dug into her purse for the payment.

"Thank you and please come again," the girl called out to Sakura and Sasuke as they made their way to the exit.

Sakura walked out while licking her ice cream cone. The girl waved and called out again. "Good-bye Sasuke-kun. Please come again soon!"

Sakura's eye twitched as she started to walk faster away from the shop. Sasuke continued to walk briskly as if the girl who called out to him didn't say anything at all.

He caught up to Sakura who seemed to be running instead of walking fast. "Where are you going so fast?" he asked.

"Nowhere," Sakura replied smoothly. She looked away from Sasuke and continued to lick at her ice cream.

Sasuke shook his head as he walked ahead of Sakura. He turned around to say something to Sakura when Sakura suddenly bumped into his chest. The cone that Sakura was holding fell and landed on his navy blue shirt. The ice cream cone laid splattered on the ground as the ice cream stuck to his shirt.

Sakura shrieked. "Oh no! Sorry Sasuke! I wasn't paying attention and-" Sakura started to say frantically. Sakura began to grab napkins from her bag and started to wipe his shirt and to remove the globs of ice cream dripping down.

Sasuke grabbed Sakura by the wrist indicating her to stop. Sakura froze and looked up at Sasuke slowly.

"Forget it. I'll just change shirts."

"But-"

"Just forget it."

Sakura looked down at the ground. "Sorry," she said in apology.

Sakura looked up and said brightly, "I know! I will help you by washing your shirt!"

Sasuke turned his head and sighed. "No, it's oka-"

The pink-haired kunoichi ignored him as she grabbed his arm. "C'mon, let's go!"

She dragged him along as she ran to his house. She panted as she tried to catch her breath. Sasuke grudgingly opened his door and stepped inside with Sakura hot on his trail.

Sakura stuck out her hands indicating that she wanted to wash his shirt now.

Sasuke stared at the hand and reluctantly took off his navy blue shirt to reveal his bare chest. He tossed the shirt to her and walked out of her sight and into his room to find another shirt he could change into.

Sakura held the shirt close to her. The shirt had Sasuke's scent and she blushed when she thought about how she saw Sasuke's bare chest. It sent shivers up and down her spine and she blushed even harder.

'Dammit. Why is making me feel this way?'

'You're a girl. You have hormones.'

Sakura sighed. She walked around the house until she came across the door that leads outside to the open area. She saw sheets hanging outside on clotheslines so she walked over to that area. A large basin was placed in the corner and Sakura filled the basin with water that gushed out from a nearby faucet located outside. Sakura carried the basin to where a stool sat in the middle of the open area. She sat down and placed the blue shirt in the basin. The crystal clear water looked back up at her as she scrubbed the ice cream stain off the shirt with a scrub she found besides the basin earlier and the bar of soap that was also placed on top of the scrub. The soapy spuds floated around as she continued to scrub hard on the stain. When she was satisfied with her work she dumped the soapy water out and refilled it again with clear water to clean away the spuds off the shirt. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand as the bright sun shined down on her.

"There we go," Sakura said as she held up the shirt. It was soaking wet from the water but the stain was completely gone. She wringed it gently and laid it on top of the clothesline for it to dry. She stepped back and smiled. Today was a beautiful day and some birds flew by and chirped as if in agreement.

She stared up at the clouds that floated lazily by. She smiled and turned her face towards the sun so that the warm sunlight could bathe her soft white skin. Sakura stretched, not knowing that a pair of onyx eyes were watching her.

After standing a few minutes in the sun, Sakura decided to clean up as she picked up the basin and dumped all the water out. She picked up the scrub and placed it inside the basin. She searched around for the bar of soap but couldn't find it anywhere.

That's strange. I could have sworn that I left it right here.'

Sakura got down on her knees and searched around the area. She sat up with no luck. She groaned. "Where is it?" she said to herself. She tried to think back to the last time she had it in her hands. Sakura's eyes were closed as she was deep in concentration. She failed to notice when the bar of soap from a few feet away started to rise up in the air.

She opened her eyes and gaped at the bar of soap which was floating a good two feet up in the air.

"What the..." she exclaimed. She rubbed her eyes as if the startling image would disappear. When it didn't, she screamed.

The bar of soap dropped to the ground in a thud as Sakura scrambled to her feet and ran back inside. She looked back at the soap laying on the ground as she ran away. She didn't notice how she bumped right into Sasuke's hard chest. He had his shirt half on and half off as if he was just starting to put it on. Sakura looked up at him with a look of fear in her green emerald eyes.

"G-g-ghost…" she stuttered out. Sasuke looked at her, confused.

Sakura ran behind Sasuke and peer outside from behind him. She pointed outside where the bar of soap sat on the ground.

Sasuke look at Sakura and sighed. "It's soap. Not a ghost."

She protested, "I saw it move up in the air. It was floating and then it suddenly stopped."

Sasuke smirked. "You were probably seeing things."

"Was not!"

Sasuke shrug and walked away but Sakura tug at his shirt. "I'm serious."

Sakura bravely walked back outside and stopped in front of the bar of soap. She gave a low whimper as she kneeled down to inspect the bar of soap. It looked like any ordinary bar of soap and Sakura gently lift it up.

Nothing happened and Sakura started to feel foolish. 'Maybe I was just imagining things.'

Sakura turned around and grinned sheepishly so she could tell Sasuke that she was just imagining things. She was surprise to see that Sasuke wasn't standing behind her. Instead, a white figure hovered in front of her. She screamed a bloodcurdling scream as she brought out her fist to land a hard punch on the ghost's presumed face.