Author's Notes: This shall be the last chapter. Unless I decide to write an epilogue of a sort showing what happened afterwards. It starts in Naruto's POV and will change into Sasuke's later on. I will indicate the change so as not to confuse you. .
Disclaimer: The anime, Naruto does not belong to me. The manga isn't mine either, and of course Sasuke and Naruto aren't mine… Although the story plot is mine…
Ignorant Lover – Chapter 4
The weekends didn't pass by just like a breeze. The dread of what shall happen kept on haunting my mind. Thoughts of what could happen just piled up at the back of my head. I tried to forget, tried not to notice these seemingly horrifying thoughts.
I tried all that I could to get it off my mind. I wanted to take a walk outside for some fresh air, but I just knew that I shouldn't. If I had gone outside, there would be chance of an encounter, and I don't want to see him. Not now… not yet… I still didn't know what to do. My mind was still enclosed in a cage of confusion and worry.
I wondered what to do. What could I do anyway? It's not like I could run off to some distant land and change my name to start a new life. I couldn't avoid him forever either. I had to face him someday. And that day was soon… I'm sure to see him in school on Monday… but what do I do then?
I could… act like nothing had ever happened…
Like that moment of confession never existed…
I could do that. No… I will do that! I have to get everything back to the way it was… or at least something close to it…
……
It's Monday now. I had told myself that I would act like nothing happened, act like my usual self before any of that had happened. I wouldn't react to what anyone will say about it. Although… I can't bring myself not to avoid him.
I guess… I'm going to be alone for the day…
……
We had an exam today and it was now our lunch break. We'll be having an exam again later in the afternoon, but it didn't bother me.
I haven't seen Sasuke all day. Or maybe it was that he was avoiding me as well. I didn't see him during the morning break either. I never saw him before classes had started and I didn't pass by him on the corridors of our school.
It really could be that he too was avoiding contact with me. Not that I mind… It's making it a lot easier for me. I don't have to worry about it.
It's strange that no one ever noticed that I was avoiding Sasuke. No one from our little circle of friends came looking for me to ask why I wasn't with them all day. I don't really mind though… But it's real lonely not having anyone to talk to. No one to laugh with… no one to be with… even if it's just walking along without doing anything… I don't mind… It's just… It's depressing… trying to lock yourself away from the world…
I'm sitting alone in the table now. Sure there are other people sitting on the other side, but I don't know them. All these thoughts… It makes my food seem tasteless… What's more, I'm eating my favorite miso ramen! and yet… I can't seem to grasp the taste in it that I enjoy so much. I eat here quietly. Shunning away the rest of the world, as my mind is drowned by thoughts…
I wonder… Is he having these kind of problems too? I doubt it… Sasuke won't fret over such small menial things…
……
Sasuke's POV:
Is it alright that I've been avoiding him… Should I really be doing this?
"Sasuke… Sa-su-ke! Hello… Sasuke…"
What should I do… What if I bump into him later on? What do I do about it then? GAAAH!
"SASUKE!"
I was snapped back into reality and out of my thoughts. It seems that Temari had been calling my attention while I was off in the vast and endless void of my thoughts. She's waving her hand over my face, trying to catch my attention…
I looked at her, showing that I'm paying attention. "What is it?" I asked her. I didn't think anything was wrong… but I just felt like asking. "Jeez Sasuke! You've been spacing out all day! What are you thinking about anyway?" She seemed kinda pissed with me.
"Just relax Temari. Sasuke's just thinking about Naruto…" That really caught my attention. How could Gaara know about that? I never told anyone. "Wh-what are you talking about Gaara?" "Hn. You're pretty obvious you know…"
What? It was obvious? He must be joking around… He's just playing with me…
"Sasuke, we've known about that since… a long time ago." Shikamaru knows it too? Do they all know then? "What? Even you, Shikamaru?" I just shouted at him. I just couldn't help it. I never knew that they knew about it. "What do you expect? You're just so obvious!" "I was?" I wanted to know for sure… Was I really that obvious? "Yeah, you we're."
"I… can't believe it… you all knew…" I never realized it. I've been giving out hints without really noticing. Wait… does Neji know too? "Hey, Neji, do you know about it too?" "Of course I do!"
So they all knew about it. All my friends knew… jeez… So why didn't Naruto notice? Everyone else did… Is he really that ignorant?
"So, Sasuke, what were you thinking about?"
"What do you mean, Shikamaru?"
"You were spacing out all day. You could at least tell us what happened between you two."
"Ah… That… I uh… I told him already…"
Silence fell around the table we were sitting on. I could tell from the looks of their faces that they were surprised. They were shocked that I told him already… about my feelings.
"Are you serious?" Even the ever stoic and serious, Gaara was shocked by it. Neji and Temari was just speechless. And Shikamaru… "HAHAHA! All right! Way to go Sasuke!" He was just excited about it. "Yeah… That's how it is… I told him already… last Friday…"
Shikamaru who was just beside me, started hitting me lightly with his elbow. "Come on Sasuke, tell us what happened." "Uh…" I didn't know if I should tell them or not, but I need relief… I think it would make me feel a bit better talking about it instead of arguing with myself in my head.
"I… I was with him the other day…" They all listened to me attentively. All ears focused on my words so as not to let any little detail pass by. I told them the rest of the story. About eating together, when we walked along that path at the park, we watched the sunset together, my first confession, our meeting once again at the ramen shop… How Naruto had waited for me to finish, and lastly… my sudden outburst… before I ran away again… "And now… I'm avoiding him. And I guess he's doing the same… since he's not here with us."
"All right then!" Shikamaru stood up and his eyes were burning in excitement. "Come on guys! Let's go!" He was looking at the others and they all nodded at him in agreement. "Huh? What are you talking about?" They all stood up then. Temari left, and went god-knows-where. And Shikamaru and Neji started pulling me out the chair.
"Hey! What are you doing?" I demanded that they tell me what was going on. "Just stand up already!" "Alright, alright just stop pulling me!" I then got out my chair and glared at the both of them. "What was that for?" A smirk then started to creep up Shikamaru's face. "We're gonna make you and Naruto see each other!"
"What?" I tried to walk out on them but Gaara blocked my path. Neji and Shikamaru grabbed my arms and pulled me toward them so that I won't escape. It was hopeless. There were three of them, I couldn't get away.
Although I knew it was futile, I still tried to shake them off. Maybe fate would have mercy on me and let me escape…
Oh Lord! Help me out here!
……
Naruto's POV:
I was done with my lunch now… my tasteless miso ramen. I was about to return to my classroom. I didn't have anything better to do anyway. Maybe I could do some last minute reviewing for my next exam.
"Naruto!"
I thought I heard someone call me, I turned back and I didn't see anyone. I guess I was just imagining things. I continued walking on.
"Naruto!"
There it was again. I looked around again. It was Temari. She was running in this direction. I waved at her as a gesture of saying 'hi'. "Temari!"
She finally got to where I was and took a short breath. "Naruto…" She then grabbed my arm and started pulling me to who-knows-where. "Where are we going?" "Sasuke said he, needed you for something so he asked me to call you."
What? Sasuke called for me… Okay… I'm going to act like nothing happened. I agreed on that decision… I'm going to do it…
"Uh… alright then… whatever…" I let myself get pulled along. I decided that I wouldn't care. I would forget all about that incident.
We were almost there. I could see Sasuke and the guys over there. It seemed that Sasuke was trying to shake of Shikamaru and Neji's grip, but to no avail. Gaara was also there pushing Sasuke back so that he really couldn't get away.
When we got there, I just stood there. Waiting for what Sasuke had to say. I didn't do anything, but watch them force Sasuke not to leave. I could hear Sasuke shouting at them he was going… "Let go of me you guys!" Temari was just there, watching as well, and trying to talk to Sasuke.
I went to talk to Temari. It was almost the end of lunch break. "Temari, if you don't need anything with me, then I'm going now." I knew I had to do this. If Sasuke isn't going to do anything, then I wont either, I'm just going to walk away…
When they heard me say that, Shikamaru, Neji and Gaara stopped trying to cease Sasuke and stepped back a bit. I walked past Sasuke. I stopped for one moment by his side and closed my eyes. "I'm sorry Sasuke… If I never realized…"
Sasuke's eyes widened, but he didn't face me, I could just feel it. "Naruto… I…" His voice was shaking when he said that, I could tell he was nervous. "Shh… You don't need to say anything… I love you too…" There… I said it… I had to… I had to let it out, after realizing how he felt about me… I needed to tell him how I feel.
I then continued walking away. There was a brief silence around us. Our friends didn't say a word. I just continued to walk away. "Naruto…" I heard his voice… I didn't stop just because of it… I had to leave. I did what I had to do… I told him my feelings. I didn't need to say anything more. Those words were enough…
Author's Notes: It wasn't exactly a happy ending, it wasn't a sad one too. An incomplete ending? I was actually thinking of Naruto saying that he didn't feel the same toward Sasuke…
Ah, please review! It makes my world go round! I might actually add another chapter… or not… who knows?
