On the days that followed, they acted like nothing had happened. They - Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, (sometimes Sai and Yamato came, too) and Sasuke - were eating at Ichiraku's again after Naruto's persistent pleas, and were talking (at least, Naruto and Sakura were) like nothing out of the ordinary happened two days before.

To an outsider's eye, it would look like the usual Team Seven lunch date, with Naruto breathing in his ramen like it was air, while he and Sakura would occasionally engage in an animated conversation, with Kakashi reading his porno, his an empty bowl before him (Sasuke still wondered how he did it without anyone of them seeing his face), and with Sasuke's usual aloofness. Nobody, but the members of the actual team would notice the hesitance in Naruto's words as he thought of another topic, after avoiding the previous. Nobody would notice Sakura's clenching and unclenching fists. Nobody would notice that Kakashi had been reading the same page for the past hour. And absolutely nobody would notice the faltering of Sasuke's high and mighty stance.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Naruto said, putting down his chopsticks sloppily on the table. "Tsunade-obaa-chan wants to us to be at a mission briefing this afternoon."

"A mission?" Sakura asked, one eyebrow raised. Even Sasuke peered at Naruto curiously at the corner of his eye. "With who?"

"Us..." Naruto trailed off, suddenly avoiding eye contact. Somehow, Sasuke figured out where this was going. "Y'know... you, me and teme..."

Sasuke noticed Sakura visibly stiffen.

"She specifically asked for us?" she asked, her voice sounding hardened.

Naruto scratched the back of his head and continued to look away. "Remember when I said I pestered her about giving us more missions together? Well, she decided to heed my request now, so..."

"Alright then. I'll see you guys later," Sakura said, slapping some money at the counter before she stood up and started walking away.

It took all Sasuke had to stop himself from grabbing her wrist and pulling her back to where she was seated - beside him.


) ) h o p e


"Your mission is on the Land of Swamps," Tsunade said, reading from the scroll in her hands. "It has been reported that a number of rogue ninja was staying along the border, and that they have been tampering with our trade since early this year." Amber eyes looked at each of the three before the Hokage continued. "Your mission is to put a stop to them through whatever means necessary. Understood?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the three said in unison.

The godaime rolled the scroll again before handing it over to their general direction.

"The leader for this mission," Tsunade added, "is you, Sakura."

Both boys looked at their only female teammate as she took the scroll from the Hokage with practiced confidence.

"You have been at the Land of Iron before, and I trust that you know everything you need to know about the place," the Godaime said.

Sakura nodded once, securing the scroll on her pocket. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Very well." Tsunade twined her fingers together and rested her elbows on her desk, a habit that Sasuke also did. "You are dismissed. You are expected to leave tomorrow morning."

.

"That's so awesome, Sakura-chan! You get to be the leader for this mission!" Naruto said enthusiastically as they exited the Hokage tower.

"I've been to several medical missions there before, so I know quite a lot of people and places." Sakura shrugged, her brows knitted together as if in thought.

Typical Sakura - she was already thinking about their mission and the places they were going to stay at, their route -

Sensing Sasuke's gaze, Sakura turned to him.

"Anything you want to say?" she asked, her face betraying nothing.

Sasuke looked away. "No."

Sakura's green eyes narrowed and she stopped walking. "If you have any objections about me being this team's leader, then say it while you still can," Sakura snapped, her expression hard and unwavering.

Sasuke returned her look with the same intensity.

"Hey, hey, Sakura-chan! I'm sure Teme doesn't think that!" Naruto flailed his arms up in the air, trying to get both his friends' attentions. "Right, Sasuke-teme?"

They stayed like that for a moment - glaring, staring, finding out whom, amongst the two of them, would look away first...

...and in the end it had been Sasuke.

"I'm going home," Sasuke announced walking away.

He could still feel the challenging look in her eyes staring at his back.

Look at me!

Sasuke continued walking.

Look. At. Me!

He told himself that he should continue walking.

LOOK AT ME!

But his body did not listen.

And when he turned around again and saw her jade eyes, he remembered the things he didn't want - never wanted - to remember.

"I love you with all my heart, Sasuke-kun!"

.

It had been approximately three hours since the three of them had left Konoha, and they were approximately two days away from the Land of Swamps. The sun was already at its peak and the heat was beginning to slow them down, so Sakura decided that they take a break near a river.

"Naruto, can you lay down the supplies for me?" Sakura asked, poking at her bag for her water canteen. "And, Sasuke, would you mind filling up the canteens with water?"

Frankly, Sasuke was a bit shocked that she even bothered talking to him.

"Aa," Sasuke said, implying that he didn't mind, and took the water canteens from her.

That was weird. Sasuke could've sworn he'd be receiving nothing but silent treatment from her the whole trip, but he'd been wrong. He was relieved that Sakura was talking to him normal now, he guessed, but he couldn't help but wonder if that was for the mission or by some outwardly force, she decided to forgive him.

Sasuke thought the former seemed more believable.

The Uchiha had been so lost in thought that he didn't notice his pink-haired teammate come up behind him with another bottle.

"Hey," she said.

Sasuke stiffened, but immediately recovered. Had he really been that distracted?

Sasuke nodded once at her general direction and continued to fill the canteens with water.

Sakura settled herself beside him.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you yesterday," she said, sighing softly. "I was out of line, I guess."

Sasuke paused and blinked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You're not..." he began, slowly, weighing his words, studying if she was could to take what he said the wrong way or not, "...angry?"

Sasuke thought when he said that last word that he sounded like a cringing child.

"No," Sakura said automatically; Sasuke sent a dubious look at her.

"Well I guess I was, but..." He could barely make out the faint blush on her cheeks, but he saw it nonetheless. What was she so embarrassed about?

Sakura sighed and stood up, her water canteen filled up. Sasuke strained his hearing to catch the words she had said before walking away.

"I could never really be angry at you, Sasuke."


A/N: Your positive comments make me tear up in joy. Do review, please.