Actions speak louder than words...idiot. Her Inner hinted, slipping in yet another insult, as she was so prone to do.
Sakura took another deep breath, and unclenched her fists by her sides.
She was about to make a decision.
Watching her, Sasuke quirked an eyebrow hopefully, but realized what he was thinking, and sighed inaudibly. The secret? Probably that she's pregnant with Miruko's baby. Or that they scheduled their wedding after they assumed that he was dead.
Sakura's mind was made.
She opened her eyes and stared, unwavering, into his.
His lips were a thin, grim line, awaiting her answer.
She narrowed her eyes.
Two can play at this game.
She smirked. She could imagine his inner emotions. Shocked? Seething? Aghast? Yes, she had temporarily stolen his infamous scowl.
Flinging her arms around him in an almost murderous fashion, she shoved him against a nearby tree, and attached her lips to his with such force that by the time he had registered that she was kissing him, her tongue had already slipped in between his teeth, completely dominating the situation.
Oh, no.
He was not used to being pushed around like this.
In a matter of seconds, Sasuke had slammed Sakura in the position he had been in, so hard that she grunted from the force of the rough bark being pressed into her back. Holding her possessively in a vice-like grip, he thought he tasted the faint bite of lemons, but the sweet, lingering taste of an addicting honey that he couldn't seem to grasp as he heavily ravaged her mouth until it was raw.
He pulled away slightly, taking a breath for air, leaning against her, his whole weight on top of her. He enjoyed the feeling of her body crushing against his, and rested his head in the crook of her neck.
"What about Miruko…" He whispered, gently nuzzling the base of her throat.
"Since when have you had a conscience…" She whispered back harshly, going to kiss him again.
Sasuke turned rigid, and a change took place.
He broke free, trying to keep his heavy breathing under control, and turned away, looking up at the moon to calm his wild emotions.
Sakura, her eyes still closed, leaned against the tree for support, feeling as though she would fall the second she took a step forward.
She knew she had said something wrong. Something hurtful.
"Sasuke…I'm sorry…it just came out…I was caught up…" She stammered, her hands feeling suddenly clamped. The pace that her heart was beating against her ribcage was actually painful.
"Save it, Sakura." He whipped around to face her. "I guess that's why I'll never be good enough for you—"
"I love you, Sasuke." She said, loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough for him to want to strain to hear her voice.
He was lost for words.
"My secret?" She scoffed. "I tend not to think about the past, but looking back now, it's embarrassing. I can't believe I threw myself at you like that." She cringed, and laughed bitterly, now starting to pace as her energy levels increased exponentially.
"I was desperate for your attention. One little emotionless nod of your head and I was squealing myself to no end as if I had died and gone to heaven twice over when I should have been burning in hell." She spat the last part, and kicked a stone, sending it rolling in the dirt.
"What…what do you mean?" He asked quietly.
"What do I mean? I mean, I've been pulling Miruko along a string, but I've been taking him nowhere."
Sasuke took a step towards her, but she put her hand up.
"Look at me. Just look at me. I can't even decide who I want to be with. Do I want to be with a man that will care about me until his last breath? Or do I want to be with a man that…I can't even think of words to describe you, Sasuke. A man who doesn't feel?"
"I FEEL!" He roared.
She jumped.
"I feel so little that I went back to save you, right? I feel so little that I can't be bothered to try to get what I want? I feel so little that I can't tell myself, over and over again, that in reality, I can't stop thinking about you!" He asked desperately. His rhetorical questions, to make her see.
Screaming her in the face.
You're wrong, Sakura.
"I…I…"
"Accept me for who I am, Sakura. I can't be perfect. I tried once before."
"It's—"
"Tell you what, Sakura. You go home. Make up your mind. You can even get Miruko to help you." He said sarcastically, before being swallowed by the night.
Sakura swallowed.
Who was she to choose?
Yeah...who should she choose?
AlternateEndings.