Kitty-chan: Final chapter you guys! This is so exciting ^_^

Sakura: You are so easily amused.

Kitty-chan: Shut up! Actually I'm kind of sad because this is the last chapter. It was just as fun rewriting it as it was writing it. I hope you guys had as much fun reading it as I had writing. I think I'll do the disclaimer this time: I DOES NOT OWN NARUTO! Thank you. ^_^

Chapter 5

Sakura was not excited about going to school. After talking with Konan, she wasn't so sure about how she would act around Sasori anymore—especially after discovering her feelings for him.

Why don't you just confess and get this out of the way? Inner complained. Then we can all live happily forever after.

I wish it was that simple, Inner, Sakura sighed.

Sasori was feeling no different. As he got ready for school, he actually worried about what he should wear and what he would say around Sakura.

After exhausting himself over things he realized shouldn't be important, he poured himself a cup of coffee and sank into one of the chairs at his kitchen table.

I'm such an idiot . . . he grumbled to himself. How am I going to tell her? he questioned. Asking Itachi was no help. All he said was that it would come to me when I'm ready. What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Sasori sighed, downed his coffee and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. His bathroom suddenly felt so small without Sakura pushing him to the side to make room at the sink. His house suddenly felt so small without Sakura rushing through the halls in a hurry to get ready.

Sasori rushed to school. It wasn't a long ride to begin with, and he still had plenty of time before the first bell, but he believed that the faster he told Sakura about how he felt, the faster his feelings of loneliness would fade. Instead of going to the tree he and Sakura used to sit in, he sought out his friends. He needed all the help he could get.

As soon as Sakura had made it to school, she decided to look for Konan, hoping that the blue-haired girl would keep her company until the bell rang. She wasn't expecting to find Sasori with her and almost turned around. She hesitated for only a second, but seeing as everyone else was already there or making their way to the Akatsuki's usual hangout spot, Sakura strengthened her resolve and walked straight up to Konan without looking anywhere else.

She could feel him staring at her, but she couldn't look. She couldn't look at him because she didn't know what she would do if she saw him looking at her. She wasn't sure if she would cry, or if she would smile, or even if she would get angry. All this uncertainty was starting to give her a headache.

"Hey, Konan," she greeted with a weak smile.

"Hey, Sakura," the blue haired girl responded. "How was your morning?"

"I-it was okay," Sakura stuttered and stared down at her feet.

"Why so down, Pinky?" Kisame chuckled from behind her, resting his arms on the top of her head.

"How nice of you to know your colors, Kisa-chan," Sakura responded, pulling herself out from under him. Kisame was a frighteningly tall and pale person. His jovial smile turning into a scowl.

"What the hell, Kisame? You gonna let a fucking girl make you look like a damn idiot?" Hidan joked, jabbing the taller male in the side.

"Don't worry, Hida-chan. You got a nickname, too," Sakura winked at the blond.

Hidan froze, his right eye twitching slightly, as Kisame laughed and slapped him on the back.

"Does Tobi have a nickname too, Sakura-chan?" Tobi asked, jumping up and down in front of Sakura in child-like excitement.

"You'll just be Tobi-kun for now," Sakura replied with a warm smile and placed her hand on his shoulder to calm the young Uchiha.

"What about Sasori-senpai? Or Deidara-senpai?" the boy asked, excitement blazing in his eyes.

"Uh, um . . ." Sakura stumbled awkwardly. She was not expecting anyone to bring up Sasori, since they all kind of knew that the two were not technically on speaking terms.

Suddenly, the bell rang, destroying the excitement of the group and saving the pinkette from Tobi. They all split up and headed toward their first block classes. Sakura glanced worriedly at Sasori, keeping close to Konan as the five made their way to their first class.

~(^-^)~

All throughout the day, it seemed like all of their friends were trying to push Sakura and Sasori together.

Tobi, Konan, and Deidara were always making excuses to abandon them, and the others seemed to be avoiding them. It was kind of weird and awkward.

Sakura was nervous to walk alone with her redheaded companion in the hall, and Sasori didn't know what to say when they had been stuck together during class.

It was worse during lunch, when Tobi, Konan, and Deidara had been conveniently called to the office—for suspension of course. Sakura pushed her food around her tray and refused to look up from the fake wood design on the cafeteria tables. Sasori didn't even get lunch. He sat across from the pinkette, not once looking up from his sketchbook as he scribbled nervously across the page. By the time lunch had ended, neither of them had eaten, and they were still too stubborn to say anything.

And now they were in their last class, and neither of them had willingly said anything to each other all day. But they were now sitting next to each other again, and that was progress.

Class went by uneventfully. When it ended, Sakura was slow to back up. It took her a while to realize that she needed to pick up the pace if she didn't want to miss her bus, and with an early shift, that would not be good.

"If you have an early shift, I can give you a ride home," Sasori offered, and she immediately froze.

Sakura knew what this meant. He wanted to talk. But was she ready to talk.

Come on, Sakura. You're torturing the guy. Just say yes, Inner blurted. Sakura hadn't heard from the voice in a while, so she decided to trust it, and she slowly nodded in approval.

Sasori sighed, feeling an immense pressure being lifted off his chest. He suddenly felt hope well up inside of him. Maybe, just maybe, this could work.

They were at her house before she knew it, and she was following behind him quietly, trying desperately to fight back the blush that was trying to creep across her face. Her heart was pounding, and there was a lump in her throat. He was right there—so close she could reach out and grab his hand if she had the courage to.

They had reached her door, and she shakily unlocked it and walked over the threshold.

"Would you like to come in for a little while before I leave?" she managed to get out. She still had her back to him, her face was too red to look at him—it was so embarrassing.

The redhead nodded and followed her inside, barely able to keep his own face stoic. She was right there—so close he could reach out and hold her if he had the courage to. He swallowed and followed her to the kitchen where she busied herself in grabbing two sodas and placing them on the table. It felt like an eternity since he had last been over.

Sakura sat down and started tracing the lines in the wood. She refused to look up; she was sure her face was still red.

Sasori finally got the courage to speak up.

"Sakura," he murmured, and she finally look up at him, finally looked him in the eyes. He was finally getting serious.

She could see the remorse, the sadness, the loneliness. She could tell that he felt awful, but she wanted to hear it from him.

"I want to say I'm sorry," he started.

"Then say it," she declared with a shrug.

"I'm being serious, Sakura."

"So am I."

The tension in the room was growing. This was starting to go nowhere fast, and Sasori realized he had to hurry before she completely cut him off.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry," he started over.

"For what?" she snapped. She wasn't going to let this be easy.

"For hurting you. I swear, if I could go back in time and stop myself from doing what I did, I would," he answered. Sakura softened a little bit, but she couldn't, she had to be strong through this. She had to tell him, but she had to see what he felt like first.

Sakura felt her heart softening, but she immediately steeled herself again. She had to be strong through this; if she wasn't then there was no way she could tell him how she really felt.

"Why? Why would my pain matter to you?" she grumbled bitterly.

"Because . . ." Sasori trailed off. He had lost his edge. He couldn't say it.

"Because why? Because it'll help you sleep at night if you apologize and say that you tried to make me feel better? Because you feel the need to "fix" things? Why Sasori?" she blurted angrily, her voice growing louder and louder. She didn't realize when she had stood up. She was letting her anger take over her, and it was making him anger. That anger was just enough to rebuild his confidence though.

Sakura turned to leave—it was obvious that he wasn't going to say anything else—but Sasori grabbed her by her shoulders and forced her into an embrace.

"Because I love you," he forced out angrily, his breathing coming out in rapid huffs. "Because I love you," he repeated softly, his mouth centimeters from her ear. He prayed to whatever god there was out there that she wouldn't reject him.

Sakura was paralyzed with shock. She didn't know how to react. She could feel her face heating up, and she knew her heart was pounding, but she could form no words, and her arms refused to move in order to hug him back.

H-he loves me? were the only words racing through her mind at the moment.

Duh! You know you really can be stupid sometimes, Inner declared, tearing her away from her shock.

Sasori started to pull away; she had been quiet for too long, and he was starting to fear the worst. Maybe she didn't love him back? Maybe she didn't like him at all anymore?

The shock of the cold air touching her where he had once been shocked her back into reality. Sakura reached forward and pulled him back into an embrace. God, how she had missed his touch.

"I . . . I don't want you to be mad at me anymore . . . It hurts too much," he confessed. She could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

"You idiot . . ." she muttered, a small laugh escaping her lips. Tears were starting to spill over, and she pulled away and turned around so he couldn't see her trying to wipe them away. But with every swipe, a fresh tear slid past.

There were no more 'maybe's, no more 'I don't know's concerning her feelings toward Sasori. Just knowing that he loved her was enough to make her cry in relief.

Sasori turned her back around. He didn't know why she was crying, but judging by the smile on her lips, he had done something right.

"I can't believe . . . that after all this time . . . I managed to fall in love with a puppet geek," Sakura said between peals of soft laughter.

"Says the pot to the kettle," Sasori chuckled.

He gently lifted her chin and brushed away the rest of her tears. It was pretty cliché, but it felt right to him. There was a moment of silence as they just stared at each other, and then Sasori leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.

This time, when he pulled away, she was smiling, and that was enough to tell him that things were going to be just fine.

~(^-^)~

"Did it work?" the person asked from the other end of the line.

"Everything worked out perfectly," Konan replied after one last glance at the new couple.

She started the two-block walk down the street to where her car was parked.

"I can't wait until you come back. I miss you," she added softly.

"I miss you too, Konan. I have to go. My time on the phone is up," the person replied.

"Seriously? It's not like you're in prison," Konan complained, but she knew it was nothing that she could argue about.

"It feels like it without you," he sighed. "Bye, Konan, I love you."

"I love you too, Pein. I'm glad you could help us out," she murmured. The line went dead and finished the rest of the lonely walk to her car.

Kitty-chan: Well, I hope you liked it. I know I liked rewriting it, but man did I have a lot of mistakes in this story. Anyways, that was the final chapter. I probably won't be adding any more stories any time soon, but I hope you check out the other stories that I currently have up. Please review, you guys. Reviews make me super-duper happy.

~nomorehappykitty~