Awakening Hope

Chapter 3: Want to Pretend

"Who cares, he's practically a lamp post." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the blonde's words but decided to stay quiet, he knew better than to try to argue with her. "So aren't you gonna ask me how it went?" He just wanted the girl to leave, she was loud and talking about things he would feel better not knowing.

"Eww, no thanks he was my team mate!" Sasuke was glad Sakura didn't seem to be interested enough to hear the details about her best friend's night.

"Don't tell me you did it with him too?" Ino's accusing tone made Sasuke look at Sakura from the corner of his eyes to wait for her answer, it wasn't because he cared. It was just a matter of pride; he refused to let that socially awkward idiot be his replacement even in that.

"Of course not, Ino!" Sakura shook her head and Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"Then tell me, oh tell me! Who was your first?" Ino asked and Sasuke saw as Sakura's eyes widened instantly. "Was it Naruto? Or maybe Lee? Nah, I know it was Kakashi!" Sasuke could only wonder why Ino would think it had been Kakashi but decided not to dwell on the thought.

"I haven't had a first, Ino." Sakura spoke and Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in response to her answer. His gaze turned to her but she seemed hell bent on avoiding meeting his eyes for whatever reason.

To say Sasuke was surprised that Sakura lied to her best friend was an understatement. It's not that he wanted everyone to know about what happened that night, but to ignore it all together… he didn't think Sakura would have been able to.

"Well I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Ino muttered under her breath, but both Sasuke and Sakura could hear her.

"Anyway," Sakura spoke trying to change the subject. "I'm glad for you and Sai…that is if you didn't force him into it." She stuck out her tongue at Ino.

"And what if I did?" Ino giggled.

Sasuke sighed in frustration the conversation was uncomfortable and annoying, not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

"What?" Ino turned to him with a glare. "If you didn't want to listen to these conversations you should have left, now bear with it!" Ino yelled before turning back to Sakura.

Sasuke decided to ignore her; she had gotten more exasperating and loud over the years if it was even possible. A good fit for Sai for trying to be his replacement.

Ino proceeded to talk to Sakura about wedding plans because to her the night before seemed to mean they would soon get married and Sasuke was tempted to stand from the chair and leave the room, he could barely deal with the blonde loudmouth.

His patience ran out when they started talking about what color of dresses they would wear and so on. He stood up from the chair and made his way to the door. As he went out the door he heard Ino mutter under her breath.

"Finally!" But he was sure the neighboring patients heard her too.

He made his way to the dining hall a floor below Sakura's. There wasn't much line and so he proceeded to take a tomato and pay for it before finding a free table at the corner of the room. He took a bite off the tomato, his eyes glued to the table.

"I haven't had a first, Ino."

The words bothered him more than they should have. So many years ago she confessed her love to him and back then it had been no secret that he was her lifelong goal. She had made it clear she no longer felt that way about him, but still that night happened.

It was a wound in his pride that she would completely ignore the fact that it happened.

"I've hurt you." It was no more than a whisper that escaped his mouth in a moment of weakness. "But you're not alone, there's still Team 7. We can be a team again; you don't have to be alone." The words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to think his words through. "You're not alone." He once again murmured the words he had wanted so much to hear the night his parents died.

He took another bite of the tomato and glared at the table. He had tried comforting her when she needed him and she paid him back by ignoring the fact that said night existed.

She smiled over at him, her eyes still clouded with pain, but he saw hope in her eyes and he knew she could see the same in his. "I loved you…"

It was his pride that took a bruising and for an Uchiha his pride was very important, after all it was all he had left. He took another bite of the tomato. A small voice in his head told him he was making things seem bigger than what they really were and he scoffed.

"Is the table your life sworn enemy now?" A voice asked and Sasuke turned to Kakashi who sat in an empty chair across him with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you want?" Sasuke snapped at the gray haired ninja who chuckled in response unfazed by Sasuke's rudeness.

"A nurse told me when I entered the hospital that she saw you angrily stomping down the stairs from Sakura's room, is there something wrong?" His question nailed right at the problem, it was as if he knew or as if he had a pretty good idea of what was going on between Sakura and him.

"Nothing, her loud mouth friend came to visit." Sasuke answered, knowing that with Kakashi it was better to get it over with.

"That's not what I'm asking Sasuke." Kakashi told him, his voice suddenly turning serious. Sasuke's expression remained unchanged as he waited for Kakashi's next words. "Just because I've mostly been away on missions doesn't mean I don't notice. There's a tension between you and Sakura that's almost visible in the room, you guys don't talk you guys don't even argue. You just seem to ignore each other completely unless there's someone else to break the tension in the room." Sasuke wanted to glare at the gray haired ninja but didn't knowing it would only prove him that he was right.

Sasuke didn't think Kakashi would notice so easily considering he's barely been around lately, but he shouldn't be surprised Kakashi always seemed to know. The tension around them only seemed to dissolve when Naruto was around and it somewhat lessened around other people. But yes, Sauske was fully aware of how he and Sakura were acting towards each other and why.

"She's no more than a comrade and I'm not ignoring her, I'm just treating her like I always do." Sasuke said as he finished his tomato with the last bite.

"If you say so." He commented as his eyebrows rose in amusement and again Sasuke wanted no more than to glare.

"You know, Ino thinks you might be Sakura's first." The words escaped his lips before he could think them twice, it was supposed to be just a comment but Kakashi seemed to read beyond that and saw the curiosity behind it.

"Well she is a beautiful young woman, is she not? But sadly I'm a little too much past her years, though if I were her age I wouldn't miss the chance of trying to court her. Yet, I'm afraid someone may have beaten me to the punch." His words were chosen carefully in an effort to anger Sasuke. Sasuke had to admit he succeeded splendidly; he turned a glare to the man sitting across from him with his eyebrow raised as if all knowing and an obvious smile behind his mask.

Sasuke wanted to punch the smile right off from his face.

He knew nothing. It wasn't a matter about caring, or even about knowing, it was all just a matter of pride and as everyone knew Sasuke Uchiha was a proud man. It showed in the way that even after all these years he carried his clan symbol in his back for everyone to see.

"Do you know who her first was?" Kakashi asked, as he eyed Sasuke closely, waiting for a reaction but Sasuke just shook his head his stare directed at the table. Kakashi had just turned the conversation Sasuke started against him, he shouldn't be surprised.

"I don't care." Sasuke answered rather quickly and his eyebrow twitched as he heard an amused chuckle escape Kakashi's lips.

Sakura watched as Sasuke left the room, but not before throwing a glare her way. After the door closed behind him she felt she could actually breathe, she felt her shoulders relax and let out a sigh of relief that thankfully went unnoticed by Ino.

All the while he was in the room; she could feel his eyes on her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. It was like he was waiting for her to crumple under his gaze, but she wouldn't. Ino's visit had been a good distraction, a good change of pace to a silent morning with Sasuke.

"Are you even listening to me, forehead!?" Ino demanded her hands on her hips as she glared at Sakura.

"Sorry Ino, my mind wandered." She sighed, she hadn't heard a word about what Ino said after Sasuke left the room. "But I am happy for you and Sai, really…although I'm a little worried about him too."

"Why?" Ino asked, her expression confused.

"Well you'll tie him up so fast he won't be able to notice he's signing his death sentence." Sakura spoke seriously and Ino sent a glare her way.

She was just teasing Ino, she really was glad for them although a little envious. She wanted what Ino had; she wanted to wake up feeling giddy and longed to feel the butterflies in her stomach. It had been so long since she felt that way and ironically it had been back before Team 7 had broken up and the one she had fallen head over heels for was none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

"Well at least someone would sign a death sentence for me." Ino remarked hitting right on the mark.

"I'm not looking for someone to sign a death sentence for me or anything along those lines." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either although in any case the closest thing she had was Rock Lee and she'd never liked him that way. "I just want to retake from where Team 7 left off, I want my team back."

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble forehead, but a team that went through what yours did can't just retake from where they left off. Sasuke leaving will never be undone and you can't just pretend it never happened." Her tone was serious and Sakura nodded in response, Ino was right she knew that but her team was all she had left. There was a part of her that hoped that they could be the same as they once were.

"Way to get philosophical with me, pig." Sakura stuck her tongue out trying to liven the mood, but Ino wouldn't fall for it.

"It's not that, I just don't want you to get your hopes up too much. I know what happened between the two of you," Sakura's breath caught in her throat and she threw Ino a disbelieving gaze. No one could know about that, she hadn't told anyone and she doubted Sasuke had. "at the bridge, don't look at me like that everyone knows, and it's not something easy to get around." Sakura let out the breath she had been holding.

She was talking about her attempt at Sasuke's life and his attempt on hers. It was something she'd rather forget, something she'd rather not be reminded of. He had fallen his lowest then and she almost fell just as low. But at the end of the day she couldn't go through it, she couldn't end the life of the man she loved. Because back then, she still loved him. And for whatever reason he couldn't go through it either, he couldn't end her life, she knew Naruto and Kakashi had interfered but if he had really wanted to kill her she would be dead.

Sakura knew there was truth in Ino's words, forgetting something like that… it was easier said than done. But Sakura knew she would do anything in her power to regain the team she lost long ago, after all it was all she had left.

A/N:

Thanks to the 23 lovely people who reviewed on the last chapter, this incredibly late chapter is for all of you and whoever else reads this.

I know I'm past the date when this was supposed to be uploaded but life happens and by that I mean pokemon. Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, yes I know it was short and probably not worth the wait and I'm sorry about that.

For those who actually care, I had a french test today which went horrible as always and reviews would be a great way of making me smile. I swear, I might have to repeat french 3 again! Anyway, I'm also working on two other stories that I haven't published yet, both SasuSaku of course.

And as always leave a review, comment or say whatever you want, it'll make my day anyway. :)