Your Heart in My Hand

A/N: Hey guys. I'm back. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who continued to read even though I hadn't posted in so long. I've been really busy juggling between inktober and work so I'm sorry that this is super late.

Flashbacks will be in italics.

A little warning: This fic is an AU so characters will definitely be OOC.

Without further ado, enjoy the eighth chapter of Your Heart in My Hand.

Inspired by Fujiwara Kiyo's Wild Ones.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 8: I'm not in love

Naruto scowled as Sasuke entered the room.

"Sasuke," Naruto growled. "Welcome back."

Ignoring the blonde, Sasuke sat on his futon and closed his eyes.

"Oi, Uchiha Sasuke! I said, welcome back," Naruto shouted into Sasuke's ear.

Opening his eyes, Sasuke glared at Naruto who shrank back immediately.

"Shut. Up." Sasuke muttered.

Mustering his courage, Naruto spoke again.

"So, I heard you were on a date with Sakura-sama. Mind telling us about that date?"

Sai nodded.

"Naruto's right, Sasuke. What's up with you and Sakura-sama?"

Sasuke sighed.

"It wasn't a date. I was just accompanying her to the aquarium. I'm sure Neji loved telling you it was a date," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

"At least that's all I said," Neji mumbled to himself.

Suigetsu raised an eyebrow.

"Sasuke, please tell me you're not in love with our princess. I mean, you know Hashirama-sama will lose his shit when he finds out you're making a move on his precious granddaughter," Suigetsu said.

Neji nodded.

"I've told him that. He didn't listen, as usual."

Sasuke groaned.

"Look, I don't need this now. I'm exhausted. Tomorrow's our last night on the island and I'm pretty sure Hashirama-sama will want us to do extra work before we leave."

"Exhausted from the making out I suppose," Suigetsu said, smirking.

"Fuck off," Sasuke growled, throwing a pillow at Suigetsu. Lying face first into his futon, he bit his lip hard.

Sakura sunk further into the bathtub and sighed, causing bubbles in the water. She knew she had to get out of the bathtub soon but she didn't want to. She wanted to be alone and she didn't want anyone asking her about her puffy, red eyes. She whimpered quietly as she clutched her heart, remembering what had happened.

"Wait, please don't go." He said, staring into her eyes.

"Okay," Sakura said, sitting back down next to him.

Sasuke closed his eyes and loosened his grip on her wrists.

"I have something to say as well," He said, serious written all over his face.

Sakura nodded and lowered her eyes.

Sasuke bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what to say.

"I… I… Sakura… Sakura-sama, I…" He stammered.

Sakura peeked through her eyelashes to stare at Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun? Are you okay?" She asked.

Nodding slowly, Sasuke tried again to speak.

"Sakura-sama… I… Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"He groaned.

Worried, Sakura touched his hand, causing him to look up.

"Sasuke-kun?" She repeated.

Clutching her hand, Sasuke sighed deeply.

"Sakura-sama, I really appreciate your feelings for me and I… I really… I want to… But," Sasuke said, stopping to look into Sakura's eyes. "But… I'm sorry. I can't return your feelings."

Sakura felt her heart break into a million pieces and she couldn't help but let out a sob. She quickly spun herself around and bit her lips. Tears had started to stream uncontrollably down her face.

"We should go," Sakura said, standing up. She quickly walked ahead, leaving a guilt-ridden Sasuke.

The car ride home was quiet. Sakura hadn't said anything when Sasuke sat next to her. During their last few hours in Okinawa, she had tried to avoid him as much as possible. But she might as well have been avoiding breathing- he was supposed to follow her around. He was supposed to protect her. He was her bodyguard after all.

When they arrived home, she immediately picked up her bag and was prepared to go back to her room when Hashirama stopped her.

"Wait, Sakura. Leave your bag. I'll get Uchiha to bring it to your room." He said, gesturing at Sasuke to pick up the bag.

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Erm, wait!" She called out and everyone froze. Her ji-chan looked at her, confused.

Sakura laughed nervously.

"Ah, erm, is it alright if Suigetsu helps me instead?"

Before anyone could respond, Suigetsu picked up Sakura's bags and headed for her room. Smiling apologetically at her ji-chan, she quickly followed in Suigetsu's footsteps.

When Sakura entered her room, she found Suigetsu sitting on the floor. He gave Sakura a gentle smile and gestured for her to sit on her study chair. Sakura obliged.

Suigetsu cleared his throat and spoke.

"So, I'm not going to pretend that nothing happened. I noticed that you were acting pretty weird during our last day in Okinawa."

When Sakura said nothing, Suigetsu continued.

"I heard from Neji that you and Sasuke went on a date. Does that have anything to do with your behaviour?"

Sakura blushed and peeked at Suigetsu through her lashes. He was currently sitting cross legged and staring at her. The usual glint of mischief in his eyes were gone, replaced by a surprisingly serious expression,

Sakura gulped and started to speak.

"It… it wasn't exactly a date. I just wanted to go to the aquarium, that's all."

Suigetsu arched his eyebrow.

"Really?"

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn't realised because he was always smiling but Suigetsu was pretty intimidating.

"You know," He said, "You can tell me, Sakura-sama. I won't tell anyone else. Trust me."

Sakura sighed and shook her head.

"Suigetsu-kun, I'm sorry but I don't want to talk about it."

Suigetsu kept quiet before chuckling.

"Well, alright," Suigetsu said, standing up to leave. "But, if you get bored of Sasuke, I'll have you any time."

Sakura's eyes widened and Suigetsu left, smirking.

Sakura could hardly sleep. When her alarm rang, she was still wide awake. She had spent the entire time replaying the conversation at the aquarium and crying into her pillow. She rubbed her eyes and winced- they were swollen. She was about to close her eyes again when she heard the familiar knock to her door. Ignoring it, she slowly got up to grab her uniform and went to the door. When she opened it, she felt her heart break a little. He was biting his lips and his black eyes bore into hers. She looked away and was about to walk past him when he blocked her pave with his arm.

"Wait, Sakura-sama. I… I'm sorry. I know I hurt you but I… We can't be together. I would have…"

Sakura put a hand on his arm and slowly pushed it away.

"It's fine. I understand. You don't like me. I get it. I… I have to get ready now," Sakura said, softly.

Taking in her swollen eyes, Sasuke reached for her face. Sakura looked away and walked past him.

"Please, stop," She said.

Sasuke stared at her, his eyes filled with sadness.

The walk to school was filled with silence. Sakura had tried to reduce the swollenness of her eyes but to no avail. She noticed Neji and Suigetsu staring at her more often than usual and her eyes never left the ground while walking. Sasuke had made no attempt to talk to her and she was glad. She couldn't stand being in so close to him; much less talk to him. Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet and the atmosphere was extremely awkward. When they reached the gates, Ino called out to them. Glaring at Sasuke, she quickly gave Sai a kiss on the cheek and dragged Sakura to her class. Hinata smiled apologetically at the boys and followed in their footsteps.

When the bell rang for lunch, Sakura slumped into her seat. She had no appetite and she was tired of everyone staring at her eyes. When everyone had left the classroom, she placed her face on the table and closed her eyes. A knock to the door came after a few minutes and Sakura felt her heart speed up. Please, she thought, let it not be him. She ignored the knock and continued lying on her desk. When the knocking stopped, she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sakura?" His deep voice came.

Sakura jolted up and brown eyes met hers. Sasori smiled at her gently.

"Sorry to startle you. I went to the canteen but you weren't there so I decided to come down to the classrooms to look for you," He said.

Sakura looked up from her desk and smiled.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Well," Sasori said, "I just wanted to tell you that we have art club today and I would love for you to come again."

"I know, you texted me that a few days ago," She answered, with a tiny giggle.

Sasori smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair.

"I guess I just wanted to see you then," He whispered.

Sakura widened her eyes and looked away. She could feel her heart thumping.

After a few seconds of silence, Sasori leapt up and walked to the door.

"I'll er, see you later then," He said, inclining his head slightly before leaving.

When Sasori had gone, Sakura shook her head and laid on her desk again. A few minutes passed and Ino's voice rang through the classroom.

"Sakura! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!"

Sakura opened her eyes lazily and sat up. The worried faces of Ino and Hinata stared back at her.

"You weren't there when we came down for lunch and Sasuke-kun said he hadn't seen you so we came here," Hinata said, putting down a yakisoba bread in front of Sakura. "Here, eat this. We thought you might be hungry."

Sakura smiled at Hinata and took the bread.

"Thanks," She said, taking a bite even though she wasn't hungry in the slightest.

It was silent for a moment before Ino spoke.

"Man, I am so pissed at Uchiha. How dare he break your heart!" Ino said, hitting the desk in front of Sakura.

Sakura smiled sadly.

"Well, he's not obliged to… Ino-chan, it's okay. I'll get over this slowly but surely," Sakura replied.

"But I was so sure he liked you!" Ino groaned.

Hinata rubbed Sakura's back and Sakura slumped back onto the desk. She wanted to be alone but she didn't want to say anything.

Seeing Sakura's depressed figure, Ino decided to change the subject.

"So, I saw Sasori-senpai leaving the classroom. What was up with that?"

Not looking up, Sakura replied.

"He just came to tell me that there's art class today."

"Is that a good idea?" Hinata said, carefully.

Sakura raised her head.

"I know you guys probably think badly of Sasori-senpai because of the whole Akatsuki thing but I honestly think he's nice. I mean, he did save me…"

Hinata and Ino exchanged looks.

"Well… Okay. But let us know when you're home," Hinata said.

Nodding, Sakura looked out the window, missing Ino and Hinata's worried faces.

The bell rang and Sakura heaved a sigh of relief. School was finally over and she wanted to do art so badly. She needed it. She quickly packed her bag and left the classroom. She was about to start towards the art room when someone grabbed her hand. When she turned, she flinched and withdrew her hand immediately.

Sasuke looked away and ran a hand through his hair.

"I came to pick you up. Are you ready to go home?"

Sakura bit her lip and turned away.

"You can go ahead, I'm going for Art Club," She said, trying to keep her voice neutral.

Sasuke's eyes widened for a second and he furrowed his eyebrows.

"I thought we agreed that you would stop going for that club," He said.

Sakura shook her head.

"I never agreed. I only said I would think about it and I have. I want to go to Art Club. It makes me happy and that's what I need right now," She said and quickly ran to the classroom.

Sasuke stared at her retreating figure, speechless.

When Naruto found him, Sasuke was at the dojo. He was punching a sandbag and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. His uniform was drenched- he hadn't bothered with changing into a gi.

Naruto knocked on the door.

"Hey," He called out.

Sasuke punched the sandbag hard and looked over at Naruto. He furrowed his brow and then went back to punching. Naruto sighed.

"So, what exactly happened that day in Okinawa?"

Ignoring him, Sasuke wiped the beads of sweat off with his sleeve and sat down, taking a drink from his bottle. Sitting beside him, Naruto tried again.

"Are you going to say anything?"

Sasuke said nothing.

"Come on, I'm your best friend. You can tell me," Naruto said, smiling.

Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"We're not best friends," Sasuke muttered.

Naruto chuckled.

"Got you talking," He said.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto laughed.

"But seriously, though. What happened? We're worried. I know you try to hide it but I know you. Did she… Reject you?" Naruto asked, serious.

Sasuke sighed.

"No, she didn't. I was the one who rejected her."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Wait, what? Why the hell would you do that?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"I didn't want her to be with someone like me. She deserves better," He said, simply.

Naruto arched his eyebrow. He knew Sasuke wasn't telling him everything.

"And?" Naruto pushed.

Sasuke looked down, his fringe covering his eyes, silent.

Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"I… I don't want to lose her alright. I know if Hashirama-sama finds out, he'll fuck me up and I'll never see her again. I can't lose her. She's only ever been the one for me. You know that," Sasuke whispered.

Naruto nodded. He knew the extent of Sasuke's feelings for Sakura.

An 11-year-old Sasuke groaned.

"Why are we here? I don't want to be here," He complained.

A grey haired man in his late 20s gave a small tut-tut.

"Sasuke. We've been given this responsibility by Hashirama-sama and we are going to do it properly," The man said. "It's extremely important to him."

"But Kakashi-sensei, I don't want to. A new kid just came in and Neji and Naruto are taking him to the dojo. I want to practise my kicks," Sasuke said, pouting.

Kakashi chuckled.

"If you do this, I'll teach you a new move, alright?"

Sasuke's eyes widened in delight and he nodded eagerly.

They were both currently in the ladies department at Takashimaya and were trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Every now and then, a blushing sales lady would approach Kakashi, hoping to be able to assist him.

Politely waving off another sales lady, Kakashi moved along the rack of clothing and spotted his target. Tsunade was currently looking at shoes while talking to a young Sakura.

"There," Kakashi said, pointing Tsunade out to Sasuke. "That's the lady we're supposed to look out for."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows.

"Who is she?" He asked, curious.

His sight not leaving Tsunade, Kakashi answered.

"She's Hashirama-sama's daughter. Hashirama-sama sends us out to check up on her from time to time."

"Huh? But why do we have to spy on her? Why isn't she living with Hashirama-sama?"

Kakashi sighed.

"Don't ask so many questions, Sasuke. Just do your job. Why don't you look out for the girl with the pink hair? She's Hahshirama-sama's granddaughter," Kakashi said, moving along the rack of clothes as Tsunade walked around.

Sasuke pouted and turned his attention to the girl. She looked about his age. Her long, pink hair was loose and her fringe touched her eyebrows. When she smiled, Sasuke felt his heart beat increasing. He clutched his chest in horror and quickly ran to where Kakashi was.

Naruto yawned loudly and Sasuke smacked his head.

"What the fuck?" Naruto cursed, rubbing his head.

"Shut the fuck up," Sasuke growled. "You're going to mess this up."

Naruto stared at Sasuke and shrugged.

"Why are you so touchy? Frankly, I'd rather be home. There's going to be a new episode of Ninja Ninja on the TV tonight," Naruto whined.

Ignoring him, Sasuke looked ahead. They had both followed Tsunade and Sakura to a café and were currently spying on them through menus.

Sakura's hair was tied into a high ponytail and she was wearing a simple black babydoll dress. It had been 4 years since Sasuke last saw her and he could feel his heart beating like a jackhammer. He hadn't been picked for the monthly checks till now and he couldn't believe he was seeing her again.

She was talking to Tsunade and they were both laughing about something. When Sakura glanced over for a second, Naruto and Sasuke immediately ducked behind their menus.

"Oh my god," Naruto whispered.

"What?" Sasuke demanded.

Naruto smirked.

"You're blushing," He said.

Sasuke quickly turned away.

"I am not," He insisted.

Naruto chuckled.

"You are. My god, do you like her?" He asked.

Sasuke was silent. He could feel his cheeks burning.

Naruto's smirk widened.

"Uchiha Sasuke is in love!"

Sasuke glared at Naruto.

"I am not in love," He growled, but his red cheeks betrayed him.

Naruto smiled and looked on at the mother and daughter pair.

Sasuke kicked at the loose stones on the pavement as he walked back to school. It had been 2 hours and he knew Sakura would be almost done with her club. He didn't want her to walk home alone. It was almost night time and well, he didn't want her to be with that bastard alone.

He was about to walk into the school when he saw them. Sakura was giggling at something Sasori was saying and Sasori was looking at her tenderly.

"Sakura-sama," Sasuke called out.

The pair stopped and Sakura quickly looked down.

Sasori's smile faltered.

"What are you doing here?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

"I should be asking that," He said.

Sasori eyed Sasuke cooly.

"I'm walking Sakura home." He said.

Sasuke stared daggers at Sasori.

"No you are not," Sasuke said, dragging every word.

Sakura stepped in-between them.

"Stop, the both of you," She said.

Turning to Sasori, she smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, senpai. You don't have to walk me home."

"You sure?" Sasori asked.

"Yes, it's alright," Sakura replied.

Sasori frowned but nodded.

"I understand. See you," He said, touching her arm before he left.

Sasuke growled and Sakura started walking away.

Quickly catching up, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's arm.

"Why did you allow him to walk you back?" He said, furious.

Sakura pulled away and continued walking. Not giving up, Sasuke hugged her from behind. Sakura struggled to get away.

"Let go!" She insisted.

"Why did you allow him to touch you?" Sasuke asked.

She nudged his belly and he let her go. They stared at each other before Sakura turned away. When she looked back at him, tears had already formed in her eyes.

Sasuke closed the distance between them immediately.

"What's wrong?" He asked, anger leaving his face.

Sakura glared at him.

"I've had enough. I know. I know it isn't your fault that you don't feel the same way and I know I can't blame you for that but I had hoped you would be sensitive enough to keep away, to let me heal but you just will not leave me alone," She said, exasperated.

"I can't leave you alone. I'm your bodyguard. I-"

Sakura lifted her hands in front of her and he stopped.

"I know. You're just my bodyguard. Please, just leave me alone for now. If you don't, I'll… request for someone else as my bodyguard."

With that, Sakura walked away.

A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. Once again, I'm sorry it took so long. Thanks to everyone who has been reading since chapter one, I really appreciate it and to new readers, I hope you're enjoying this so far. I'll be back soon with the next chapter. See you guys then.