A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update. Forgive me :(

"My fourth question is…" Sakura paused for a few moments, thinking. Sasuke waited patiently.

"What do you think of me?"

Sasuke sat still, very still, if she was right, he didn't even blink since she asked her question.

Sasuke was silent, a few thoughts already passed through his head as an answer and he rejected every single one of them. Reason? Unacceptable, Unexplainable, and just plain not him.

It's an easy question really, for every other person that's not him. How can he answer this with no sweat if he doesn't even know how to respond to it? Is the answer even within his reach? Of course, but can he say it in front of her…?

Sakura stared at his face while he's in a state of…shock, if you call it that since his expression hasn't really change since he sat there near her. How great could this day get? She gets to see Uchiha Sasuke up-close when his spacing out (self-opinion), which no girl has ever done before. She could go goo-goo-gaa-gaa at him and he won't shove her away, not like some others who have tried.

Inner sakura: " Hell yeah! Who's lagging behind now?"

A few minutes have passed and silence answered her. Not to get the wrong idea, she loves staring at her beloved Sasuke-kun, but she got the slightest feeling he won't be answering her question.

"Sasuke-kun, just be true and spit it out! Tell me what you think of me." Sakura encourage him to speak but all he did in return was lower his head down and his bangs hovered over his eyes making it hidden in the shadows.

She took this time to prepare herself for what he has to say. She expected this to be what she had feared for, so she has to smile. Smile all the hurt away. Just a smile. Hurtful or not. Okay, she was given enough time to master it. Answer round is now up.

"…"That's it, she's fed up.

"I won't be bothered by your answer Sasuke-kun, so you don't need to think too hard on how to break it to me, just say I mean completely nothing to you-"

"Don't make assumptions as if you're sure" Was what she was given. It took her a few seconds for it to sink in. Does that mean that there's hope for her?

"To me you're-" it started. She listened attentively.

"You're-" a few more words and it shall be revealed. Sasuke still looked unsure, his brows furrowed as he glance towards another direction, avoiding her gaze.

"I'm?" She's getting worked up over this thing.

"To me you're…a girl." Sakura's waiting smile faltered. The answer was so…unexpected. Seriously.

That's it? That was it! A girl? Of course I'm a girl. I don't need my mother to tell me that for me to figure it out.

"A girl in the crowd of a certain imbecilic mob" By that it means fan girls.

"Thuk"

It's like her heart was shot by an arrow. Her faltering smile grew still. A fan girl, he thought of her as a horrid fan girl. She's not sure if that didn't level with the 'you mean nothing to me' phrase.

"And-" So he wasn't done yet? She was ready for this right? Breathing in deeply, she smiled once more for the continuation. Fake or not!

"-and then a teammate, who is such a burden" He just had to continue…

"Thuk, thuk"

A second arrow, did this ruin her day or what? A burden, she was considered a burden…up to now when she tried so hard-

"You-" There's more! Sure there was that cover-up smile, but could she keep it up?

"You, surprisingly became a friend of mine" A friend…so I was a friend, well, that's better than a meaningless human, fan girl and burden put together. Yet why does it still hurt? Sakura's smile wasn't for cover-up anymore. It's a smile. A sad smile.

"A-arigatou, Sasuke-kun…for considering me as your friend. I-" It's okay. A friend. She worked her way up there. That's enough for now.

"I wasn't finish" He spoke once more, eyes fully on her. His face seemed troubled as to if she was fine, seeing that smile of hers. She bowed her head for a short "gomen ne" as he nudge her head for him to continue. He broke the eye-contact to look away again.

"But unexpectedly, to me now, you're more than just a friend…" Sakura's eyes began to sparkle again waiting for him to finish no matter what.

"now, you're…" He paused again. Is he intentionally doing that?

"I'm?" It seems as if he turned it around and we're back to square one. Can't he just announce this the first time, he rather give me a ride on roller-emotional-lala-coaster.

"You're an important person to me" Was that a tint of red on his cheek?

She beamed and hugged her pink teddy, fidgeting a little from embarrassment. Was she the one to be embarrassed?

So he hadn't looked her way since he said that. He couldn't even believe it himself that he told her that. But the truth is the truth, it's the truth. He sighed.

A bento box was offered to him. He took it with a nod of gratitude and focused his attention there. He began to eat…a bite…

"Sakura, I won't be able to eat properly if you keep staring." He seems to be watching her from the side.

"Ah, gomen. I just want to know how is it?" Sakura didn't expect that she would be with Sasuke this whole day, but she did prepare two lunch boxes. Maybe because, she DID want Sasuke to be her…even though her hard work of preparing the perfect lunch could be wasted.

"It's fine" He continued to eat his lunch.

"I'm glad then." She smiled as she herself began to eat her own food.

"Ne…Sakura…"

"Huh? Something wrong Sasuke-kun?"

"I want to ask you something…" He started to stare at her.

"Sure, it could be our eighth question" She received another nod.

"Why are you still with me?" His eyes held hers in place.

"I-I don't understand-" She stared back at him.

"Why…are you still by my side…even though I pushed you away many times before." He has pondered himself this question a few nights before. It was one of his 'Why do I ask myself these stupid questions' questions.

He started for his lunch once more.

"W-well…I don't know…I guess…I always wanted to." She saw his face give that confuse look as he already finished half of the content in that bento box.

"I never hated you. I never hated you for pushing me away; because I understand that you don't want us to mean so much to you. Even though you don't show it, we know you care for us all the same." He still seemed troubled by her answer.

"Because I know that you need us, and with that I'll always annoy you the way I always do." She finished. Although, she wasn't even sure if her answer made any sense. All she knows that she wanted to be with him.

She looked at him, and his face seem satisfied with her answer. So she set her mind on her food again.

"Sakura…" He neared her.

"Um?" She was almost done.

"Arigato" He handed her back the already empty lunch box.

"Oh this is nothing" She took it, and finished up her food. Packing the things that were needed to be packed.

"So we have a few more hours before the day ends. Wanna go back to the festival?" She stood up tidying herself. He shrugged in response. So they made their way back to the festival.

Arigato……for everything…

So there they were again, marching along the forest back to the site where they have been two hours ago. Silence hanging in the air, like always.

"Sasuke-kun…" Her voice seems to trail off. Sasuke being ahead just tilted his head back to her.

"I wanted to ask you this for a very long time now. And I decided for it to be my fifth question"

He stopped, waiting for her to catch up to his side. She wasn't facing him so he began to worry.

Her head snapped his direction staring at him with her eyes full of determination.

"W-what?"

"Is…is it true…..that…you like girls with long hair better?" His face faulted for a split-second.

"Where the heck did you get that?"

"Well is it true?" She was this determine to know how I think of hairs?

"There's no truth to that."

Sakura seemed devastated to hear that from him. I can't believe it, I was sulking so much when I got my hair cut short in that stupid Chuunin exam, thinking I'd look even more stupid to him than before. Now when I took the time to grow my hair long again, he says he likes it better short.

Absentmindedly she began to pound her head on the nearest tree. Softly.

"I never said I liked you better when your hair was short."

"Huh? B-but how did-"

"You were obviously acting that out so well." He stated.

Sakura stopped her actions as soon as she realized what she was doing.

"I like a person better…depending on who that person is." He started walking again, leaving her a few steps behind.

Sakura ran to catch up to him again. "So….how about me…short or long? Which is better for you"

"You're bugging me again" He retorted.

"Mou….Sasuke-kun please…long or short?"

"It's not your turn to ask stupid questions" He told her. She pouted in response. And this continued all the way back to the festival.