Yo! It's been a while. Senior life is a bitch. Physics is hell. And English is a wannabe hell. Arts is fun. And all the other subjects don't matter. XD Sorry for being so bitter.

Forget what I said and just enjoy this chapter. :D

Enigmatic

who is she?

Little Sakura's body was numb. She couldn't speak nor talk. She just lay there, in a dim-lighted room, with her eyes barely seeing any color besides white. She could hear the resounding of the heart monitor across the room…

Her mind was empty from any thought. All she could think of was how long was she in that white room.

"How is she?" A soft voice asked, not far off from where Sakura's bed was.

"Her condition is still unstable," an older woman's voice replied. "She lost a lot of blood."

"What about her parents?"

There was no reply. Although Sakura couldn't see them, she could feel the sorrow in the younger girl's sobs.

And all of the sudden, she could feel her eyes sting. Tears formed in the corner of her emerald orbs. Her mouth opened and forced her voice out.

"Mommy...Daddy..."

/?/?/?/

The sun rays passed through the transparent glass to the oak tables of the sweet shop. Dressed in black-and-white maid attire, Sakura watched the costumers enjoy their cakes behind the counter. It was close to afternoon and she was feeling a little sleepy. Her eyes had those ugly black circles and that was no good. Letting her guard down, she positioned her head on top of her arms. It wouldn't hurt to doze off for a while...

"Yo!"

"Kya!" Sakura almost fell off her seat when she heard the familiar voice, not to mention that the face of the voice's owner was only a couple inches away from hers. Sakura could feel their breaths collide.

She immediately backed away until her back met the wall. Her emerald eyes were still wide as she cursed under her breath. "Sasori! What was that for?"

The redhead smirked and pretended to survey the place. "Falling asleep, eh? What if I cut down your salary?" Then he put his grin on. "Just kidding."

The pinkette rolled her eyes, trying hard to suppress the butterflies in her stomach. "So what's up, boss?"

Sasori was caught off guard by the address. "You never called me that. But I'm not complaining or anything. I kinda like it." He smirked and that made her face produce a tint of red.

Sakura wondered. Why wouldn't she call him boss? He freaking owned this place for crying out loud! But then again, maybe she was so attached to him in a different level back then. Her heart missed a beat at the thought. She could tell that he was more than just her employer...

"Hey!"

"W-what?"

She heard him sigh. "I said we're going to the supermarket to buy supplies."

"Oh."

And after she changed to her normal clothes, she lightly banged her over-sized forehead on the bathroom mirror. Why am I feeling this way around him?

***_oO0Oo_***

They went out of the store, leaving one of Sakura's co-employees to take over. She wondered why, of all of them, Sasori chose her.

As they walked, they had a good decent space between them. Sakura sighed in relief, calming down her senses. But it didn't last long though.

"Watch out!"

And all Sakura could remember was the strong wind gushing against her as a truck nearly ran her down and a strong grip pulling her away just in time.

"Idiot," Sasori scolded as he pulled her towards his broad chest. "You never change, do you? Always clumsy as ever."

And they continued, with Sasori still holding her tight.

***_oO0Oo_***

"Hinata's avoiding me lately." Naruto crossed his arms, slouching on the passenger seat. "I mean, she doesn't even say hi to me anymore!" He continued to animatedly describe his problem to his bestfriend, who was busy driving.

"Shut up dobe," Sasuke growled. "The only problem here is you. You're acting weird whenever we're all together."

And with that, Naruto silenced and stared distantly beyond the window. He knew Sasuke was right. It had been awkward being in the same group with Hinata now. He couldn't look straight to those soft lavender eyes anymore. Most of the time, he couldn't pull off a decent joke to lighten up the mood. It was always him who recently got scolded for being so distant and quiet. He himself didn't know why. He just wanted to stop his heart from hurting whenever he sees Hinata.

Sasuke turned the car to the right, to where Naruto's apartment was located. The blonde got out of the car and waved goodbye.

On the sidewalk, Sasuke noticed a couple, one whose hair was colored with crimson and the other a faded version of the former. The pink-haired girl rested her head on the guy's shoulder while the guy held her close to him. They walked ahead of the Uchiha's car, oblivious that someone was watching them.

Sakura?

He heard her laugh like the soft clinging of bells. He was still watching them walk away with eyes full of surprise. She was happy. But with another guy...

Inhaling deep, he tried hard to suppress the awful feeling inside. He didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to ask Sakura later when she gets home. He didn't want to be involved, nor ask who that red-haired guy to her was. And who was him-Sasuke-to her.

And after taking a few deep breaths, he decided to turn the car back.

Runaway Sasuke... Run...

After all, he had always been a coward from the very beginning. All his life, he never bothered to know that different feeling whenever he was with Sakura. He would always put on a façade of a nonchalant guy who cares for no one. As much as possible, he avoided the burning feeling inside whenever he sees her, the misery whenever he couldn't comfort her, and the itching feeling to hold her tight in his arms. He kept telling himself that he will not let his heart lose.

And it's all because he was afraid of the consequences of falling in love.

Run... And never look back...

***_oO0Oo_***

It had been strange for Sakura to somewhat have a connection with Sasori. It's like she had known him for quite a long time. Then her heart skipped another beat.

They had finished buying supplies and were heading to Sasori's house for a quick stop at his grandmother.

"Ah, Sakura," the old woman said as she turned from her needlework, putting down the piece of cloth and everything with it. "It's nice to see you again."

"And it's nice to see you again, Grandma Chiyo," she said without thought. When did she know this lady?

Sakura glanced at the old woman's room, filled with pictures of a young girl with pink hair with hazel eyes with an older red-haired boy with the same eyes smiling.

The pink-haired girl in the photos looked like Sakura. But she wasn't her. Maybe she's...

Haruka...

Sakura had a hard time swallowing as she gulped.

Mom...?

/?/?/?/

Sakura changed into her normal clothes as her shift was coming to an end. Saying her goodbyes to her co-workers, she pulled up her hoodie and exited at the shop's back door.

The sky was rumbling with thunder and little droplets of rain started to fall. Before Sakura could even pick up her pace, she was shielded by someone else with his umbrella. She whirled around and found her red-haired boss smiling at her.

"You don't want to get wet, now don't you?"

"Thanks, but why are you out so early? Closing time's not until 6pm," Sakura said.

"Just gone out to fix something. Wanna come?" Sasori offered.

She shrugged and followed him. It's not like she could go anywhere without getting wet. They eventually stopped in front of an antique but well-maintained house. They went inside and Sasori asked her to seat down and wait for some drinks.

Crack.

Sakura was startled to see an equally surprised old lady across the living room, the fallen porcelain laid on the carpet in pieces.

Sasori dashed in to see what the commotion was. "Grandma! Are you all right?" He quickly motioned to support his shaking grandmother. "What's wrong?"

"Sakura...?" She breathed.

Sakura gulped. How did this lady know her?

But before she could find the answer on her own, she was already trapped in a motherly hug. "You've grown so much, my child. Look at your cousin Sasori, she does look like her mother, doesn't she?"

Sakura eventually realized that the lady was her grandmother. Grandma Chiyo had two children, Haruka, Sakura's mother and her older brother who was Sasori's father. She didn't quite remember her grandma because she moved to Konoha when she was still a young girl. But she remembered playing with a red-haired boy back then in Suna. She realized that he was indeed Sasori.

/?/?/?/

She sighed. And all the while, Sakura thought she had really fallen in love with him.

False alarm, honey.

"Something the matter? You looked depressed," Sasori pointed out.

"I..."

"I can walk you home." He turned to his grandmother who nodded to go ahead. They said their goodbyes as Sasori supported Sakura.

"You don't have to do this."

"Nah," he smiled. Sweet. "I don't want to see my clumsy cousin running into some electric post." Not.

"You're such a bully."

He pretended to be stabbed in the chest. "I am deeply hurt by your words." He looked cute but that didn't fool her. Instead, she elbowed him hard. "Ouch!" Now that shut his big mouth.

They were near the street where Sakura's house was located when she halted Sasori. "Not here. That way." She pointed to the opposite direction.

He gave a confused look and asked, "The Uchiha Compound? Why would you go home there?"

Sakura shifted her weight to the other foot, turned around so that her cousin couldn't see her uneasiness. "Let's just say it's only a temporary stay." She could feel his growing suspicion as they walked.

"From what I know, only the youngest son lives in the manor."

"Yeah."

They were near the compound with Sasori a bit behind Sakura. She heard him mutter something in a bitter voice. Something about someone being a bastard. She already guessed that he was referring to Sasuke. She sighed; Sasori may be annoying, but he really gets protective most of the time.

Finally, they arrived at the mansion, the sun was setting down and the sky was revealing a purple-orange mixture. Sakura turned to her cousin, preparing to say her goodbyes.

"You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah."

And then a voice interrupted them:

"Back off. She's mine."

The owner of the voice is quite obvious. I just wanted to have a little rivalry to spice things up. XD Poor Sakura.