Chapter Two: Running Away
I had decided to run away. Possibly straight to Itachi. Possibly to become stronger with Orochimaru. Possibly to somewhere else to get stronger. I didn't know. I was just going to run away. As fast as I could, I would run, getting as much space between Sakura and I as I could. I could feel no emotion, I must run and let other thought into my mind but to run. . . . But I must see Sakura. I must get one last look at her before I left. She would look so serene, sleeping in her bed. . . . But if I looked at her, I might not be able to leave her. I might sit at her bedside, until she awoke, and tell her of all my love. . . . But that would show she meant more to me than Itachi, and that I should stay. Yes, I must see Sakura, at least once more.
As silently as possible, I walked out of my room and closed my door. I stood in front of the door to Sakura's room. Before opening the door, I tried to imagine what she would look like. My heart was starting to beat faster, but I had almost always ignored my heart, before. I opened the door and immediately noticed two things, the first of which being that Sakura's room was much, much messier than I had ever seen it before. Second, I noticed an inexplicable absence of Sakura. I could not, or would not, believe that she wasn't there. Where could she be, I wondered.
Then, I saw, on her bed, an open scroll. I made my way across the room to read it. There were several small, darker dots, and they told me Sakura had been crying when she had been writing. I felt a cold shiver down my back, when I saw it was not addressed to me.
Naruto,
I expect it will be you who reads this, because Sasuke will probably not care. Sasuke has never noticed me. I gave up everything else, because I wanted him so much more. I thought he might care about me, but I was wrong. He still hasn't noticed me. I doubt Sasuke will even notice I'm gone.
I would tell you not to come looking for me, but I know you would anyways. I would tell you I didn't want you to find me, but if you were to look for and find me, I would know you really care about me. Maybe you're the one for me, Naruto, I don't know. I'm unsure of a lot of things. I just know . . . I know I have to get away from . . . Away from Sasuke.
Sakura
Sakura had gone, she had run away. . . . She had beat me to it. I wasn't too upset about her leaving. I had been ready to leave, myself, and I would have been without her, then too. I was upset, though, to find out she was hurting a lot more than I had thought she was, and she had decided she wanted to be away from me. And the thought of Sakura with Naruto . . . It made me shudder. . . . I had to find Sakura. I had to make her come back.
I heard someone walking behind me, and I thought it might be Sakura. But no, it was Naruto.
"What's up?" he asked with a stupid look on his face.
"Sakura is gone. She ran away."
Naruto had a blank look on his face for a few moments, then he said, "Where could she have run away to? . . . If I were Sakura, where I would I hide? . . . Or maybe she went somewhere we wouldn't think she would think of going. . . ."
"Or maybe she thought we would be thinking of where she would think of going, and she has gone somewhere she knows we will never think of looking to find her," I said, in one quick breath.
Naruto looked at me, astonished. He was silent for another couple of minutes. "So where do you think she went, Sasuke?"
I stood, silent for a minute, thinking. Then, I said, "I have no idea where she might have gone."