DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Naruto"

Chapter 14: Questions

He hadn't expected a silent treatment. Well… he wasn't quite sure what he had been expecting. Nonetheless, he found himself disappointed that a new letter hadn't yet arrived. He was working himself into a fret. Never before had he rushed to his room the way he had been lately—it was a new hideout of course, considering he had obliterated the last one. Instead of his leisurely pace, Sasuke had adopted a quickened step, almost jogging to reach his room each night. He would never admit the reason for his anxiety, but it was there all the same. If anything, the lack of contact from the pink haired girl left him feeling more anger. Not only had she betrayed him, now she had rejected him. How many weeks had it been since their reunion? He wasn't quite sure anymore.

Everyone avoided him like the plague. How could anyone know that the cause of his frustration was a girl? No one would ever believe it, in fact, it was so unlikely that a rumor about it would never even be conceived. Though many girls grew faint at the sight of him, it was as if he didn't notice them. It seemed he was unaffected by attractive girls… so many had come to believe that his drive for revenge occupied his thoughts at all times.

How silly…

After all, he wasn't immune to adolescent hormones. He just had better control of his reactions. Reactions. His emotions were erratic and dark… but his outward reactions would fool anyone. Currently, a girl was disturbing his thoughts. He hated that she disrupted his logical thought patterns so easily. She'd always been an attractive girl—albeit her hair was rather unorthodox (thought that was hardly her fault)—it was her personality that had caused his annoyance. And then, she had slowly started to grow up. Yes, she had continued her shameless flirtation, but he had started to learn about her, who she was… he could see the sparkle in her personality. She had always been kind and loyal, a little gullible at times… temperamental at that, but she was a good person. She was a good person. Sasuke needed nothing more to convince him that Sakura was a good person. And right now, he wanted her with him. He wanted her to confirm that she was still there for him. He wanted to believe that she was still faithfully his.

His?

Since when had he thought of her in a possessive manner? It's not as if she belonged to him… even though she had declared her everlasting love.

That was a lie. Sasuke reminded himself.

He scowled. He supposed he had thought she would always wait for him. Did he expect it of her?

Yes.

But why? He had never felt that way towards her. He had never returned her feelings. He had never even considered it a possibility. Why expect her unconditional love when he didn't return it?

Selfish?

Very. And now he found himself considering the possibility, perhaps just to make himself feel better… about himself. He had always wanted to restore his clan… and obviously he would need… a girl for that, a wife. Could Sakura be apart of that goal? He had never thought of it before. Was he willing to wait for her? The thought was so foreign to him that he shied away completely by distracting himself with ninjustu.

It quickly became obvious to him that he couldn't just brush the thought of Sakura aside. The more he tried to focus on his training, the harder it was. By the second he grew more and more frustrated and finally—with a growl and intensity to rival a dragon's—preformed a katon: gōkakyū no jutsu. Once the flames dissipated, he clutched his knees and panted, both from frustration and loss of chakra. He decided to forget his training for the day and left hastily for his room.

He would never have peace of mind again if… well, he knew he would never truly have peace of mind until Itachi was dead by his hand. He would never be able to focus on his training until he got some answers.

Annoying girl.

Sakura stared at the piece of parchment in her hands. Who could be writing to her? She supposed the only way she would find out was if she read it.

You are so annoying.

Sakura's breath caught in her throat. It couldn't be from him. But who else would say such a thing? Her heart began to pound rapidly in her chest as she prepared to continue reading.

What did you hope to accomplish with that little performance? Surely you couldn't have entertained the thought of me joining you willingly. I wouldn't have harmed you—

Sakura's brow furrowed. Was he underestimating her? She felt that anger of being useless creep up inside.

—but apparently you don't want to be left out. You've always been jealous.

She felt her face flush with both anger and embarrassment.

Fine. Next time we meet, I won't hold back.

Next time? Was he promising that there would be a next time?

I expect you to do the same. Perhaps you'll surprise me.

There was no closing statement or signature… just that last line. Sakura found herself pondering the last sentence. For all the anger she had felt, there was joy and hope bubbling inside her chest. There were so many emotions confusing her mind. Shock, disbelief, hope, fear…

What she feared the most was that this letter could be a joke. A cruel trick. She sincerely hoped that no one be so heartless as to toy with her emotions in such a way. But then… wouldn't they sign the letter with Sasuke's name if that were the intention? The letter was so vague it could have been from anyone. But she knew. She knew that it could only be from him, from Sasuke-kun.

She rushed to her desk and pulled out her writing utensils, desperate to reply. She had to answer for herself; she had to make him understand what she felt. There was a twinge of guilt for having neglected to write him… but she had been so… emotional over their encounter, she couldn't put to words her thoughts. Now, it was as if he had drawn a clear outline for her. Every word was begging for a reply, for answers. And so she obeyed. Smiling to herself as she wrote, she knew that her letter would some how comfort the young Uchiha.

Sakura spent the next few minutes scrawling on a piece of paper. The smile never left her face as her wrist continued gracefully to write her reply. By the time she finished, it was near eight in the morning and time for her to rush to training ground three to meet up with Team 7. But in her mind, the team wasn't complete, not without Sasuke. No matter, training was always refreshing, especially when honing her skills against a new teammate. Sai was interesting. She hadn't liked him at first, in fact, she still wasn't sure she liked him… but he was learning. He was so insensitive and tactless, but he was sincerely trying to learn how to fit in and make friends. However, those books he was reading weren't helping a whole lot. Nevertheless, Sakura was more than willing to put up with Sai's bluntness to strengthen her skills.

She signed the letter and then attached it to the hawk that had patiently waited. The hawk jumped out the window and was soon soaring through the sky, heading back to where Sasuke was. She watched for a few moments, a wistfulness upon her face. She giggled a little and then grabbed her nin pack and ran from her room and down the stairs. She passed by the kitchen with a shout to her mother.

"I'm off to train, I'll be back later!"

"Be careful, sweetie." Her mother called back and a second later the front door opened and closed.

She ran through town at a natural speed, having decided that she would save her chakra for the spar. Then, thinking about it more, Sakura realized that she needn't be running at all, she would still be the first one there… and long before Kakashi Sensei. So she stopped running and began a leisurely stroll. At a crossroads, she wasn't surprised to be met by Naruto. The blonde boy greeted her with a wide grin, which she returned cheerfully.

"Ohayou, Sakura-chan!" He said.

"Ohayou gozaimasu." Sakura replied.

She was bubbling with excitement over Sasuke's letter and she couldn't conceal it. Naruto, being the oblivious person he was, truly thought she was excited to see him. So he wrapped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her into a tight side hug.

"Did you miss me or something?" He asked with a chuckle.

Sakura smiled. She pulled away from him and said, "You wish." She laughed a little as Naruto's face dropped. Stifling her laughter, Sakura spoke lightly. "I have wonderful news, Naruto!"

"What is it?" He asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes. "Are you treating me to Ichiraku's after training?" His voice rose in volume.

Sakura glared at him. "Don't be an idiot, Naruto." She yelled. She took a calming breath and the smile reappeared on her face. "Sasuke-kun wrote to me."

"Huh?" Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief.

"Don't look at me that way." She said firmly.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, Sakura, are you sure—"

"Of course I'm sure the letter's from Sasuke!" She snapped. "Don't you believe me?"

Naruto's eyes suddenly lit up seeing the certainty on Sakura's face. "It really is from him isn't it?" He replied happily.

A small smile lifted her lips as a light dusting of pink appeared on her cheeks. "Yeah,"

"What did he say? Did he tell you where he is? Is coming back?" Naruto asked in such quick succession that Sakura couldn't catch what he said.

"WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" Sakura channeled her short tempered shishou and Naruto flinched away from her.

"Okay, okay, sorry."

A vein pulsed in her forehead. She took another therapeutic breath and continued in an even tone. "He said that next time he wouldn't hold back."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?" He frowned. "So he really doesn't care about us…"

"Weren't you listening?" She said exasperated. "He said 'next time.' There's going to be a next time, Naruto."

Naruto smiled as a sobriety filled his eyes. "I knew he couldn't forget about his bonds."

"He's been trying to… but I think we're finally reaching him."

Finally reaching Training Ground Three, they sat and waited for their other teammates to arrive. Sai was quite punctual, arriving on the dot. It was Kakashi who kept them waiting… and waiting. As always.

"Oh come on!" Naruto exclaimed. "Can't Kakashi Sensei show up on time just once?"

"If that ever happens we'll know the apocalypse is coming." Sakura replied with a giggle.

"Really?" Sai asked curiously.

Naruto sighed.

Sakura smiled a little. "Maybe we should just start coming a half hour later."

"You're a genius, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Sorry everyone for keeping you waiting." Came Kakashi's voice a second after a cloud of smoke.

"What else is new?" Nartuo replied.

Kakashi's eye crinkled in amusement.

A/N: Sorry I didn't update before now, this past week's been hectic. I didn't get a whole lot of time to devote to writing, so sorry if this chapter seems out of place. I wasn't quite sure when or how to end this chapter, incase you couldn't tell. However, I was very pleased with the dialogue between Naruto and Sakura. I think I may make the story a little more dialogue driven from now on... we'll see. So what did you think about Sasuke writing to Sakura? At first I wasn't sure what he would say, but then it came to me. Sasuke wouldn't ask questions, he would make accusations knowing that Sakura would reply in defense. Well, that's my opinion anyway. What do you think Sasuke would say? And what do you think Sakura's going to say? I want opinions and thoughts. I look forward to it every time I post a new chapter. So let me know what you think!

Considering next Thursday is Thanksgiving, you can be certain I won't be updating that day. I will attempt to have the next chapter up by Wednesday and if not then, I'll get it up by next Saturday.