title: 7:31
prompt: SASUSAKU MONTH ON LJ! 2012
rating: T-M

summary: o19: People say that Sasuke likes Sakura. She refuses to believe any of these things the messengers tell her.

REVISED 6.30.14

.o19.
Messenger

"OW! Ow, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, trying to block his head from her punches. "Don't kill the messenger!"

"I don't care!" she shouted, hitting him harder with each punch. "How dare you tell me something like that and expect me to act normally!"

"But it's true!" Naruto said, finally crawling away from Sakura as she regained her breath while panting heavily. "He told me. He does like you!"

Sakura growled. "Look, I don't know what kind of sick game you guys are playing with me, but I just want to tell you that it's not funny. So cut the bullshit before I kill you."

Normally, she would have been delighted to hear that Sasuke, in return, liked her too. But for some reason, she felt that it would never happen, and that Naruto was just trying to tease her about it so that she would believe his lies.

And the fact that Sasuke was probably in this plan, too, hurt a lot. It struck a hole in her heart.

"I'm going to class," Sakura muttered as she slung her backpack over her shoulder, leaving Naruto bruised on the ground.

.

.

.

"Here, Sakura-chan," Hinata whispered, hoping the teacher didn't catch her. "It's a note. I didn't read it, I promise," she blushed.

Sakura nodded, making sure the teacher wasn't looking before reading, From Shikamaru: I heard that Sasuke likes you.

Looking at the front corner of the room to see Shikamaru, now sleeping on his desk, she growled and crumpled up the paper in her fist before tearing it up loudly.

The teacher stopped writing on the board to turn around. "Everything okay, guys?"

"Just dapper," Sakura said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

She tried to tap Hinata's shoulder to wonder why Shikamaru would write this and why she would be his messenger, but she sat straight forward, not bothering to look back at all.

.

.

.

The square root of x is this and this…

Sakura furiously wrote the notes down as the teacher copied them on the board. Her hand moved frantically across the paper, smearing the newly fresh ink that she had just put down.

"Shit," she muttered.

"Psst, Sakura!" She saw a folded piece of paper land on her desk. "I don't know who it's from, but it seems important!" one of her classmates said.

The big exclamation mark on the front confirmed its importance. She opened it up slowly, her eyes reading the characters.

From Sai: Is it true that Sasuke-san likes you?

She saw Sai eagerly awaiting her answer, tapping his pencil continuously on the desk. Scribbling back furiously, she tossed the paper with a big NO.

He shrugged and pocketed the paper, shaking his head.

Sakura was fuming.

.

.

.

The whole day, all she heard was, "Does Uchiha-san really like you? Sasuke-kun has a crush on you! Is it true that Uchiha Sasuke likes you?"

She ignored all of these comments like a movie star avoiding the paparazzi. Obviously, someone had spread really hurtful information and it was in her duty to stop it before it spread even further. And worse.

Sakura approached Sasuke by his locker, shooing away the many people who were eager to hear the truth.

"Ahem," she coughed in her fist, trying to get his attention.

He turned around, his expression softening from its usual hard look. "Sakura," he said in acknowledgement.

"I need to talk to you," she said.

"Then talk," he said.

She narrowed her eyes. "I mean, privately."

He chuckled. "Just say what you have to say. It's fine."

Sakura was a little uncomfortable, knowing that people were probably listening in on her already.

"I'd appreciate it if you, uh," she began nervously. "Please don't tell everyone that you like me. I know that you don't and you're just embarrassing yourself and me, and it's really awful because I've given people so much crap today, and…"

He put a finger to her lip. "Slow down. What are you saying?"

"People are saying that you like me."

"…So what if I do?" he said after a few moments of silence. "Are you saying that I can't?"

"Well, no. I'm just saying that you don't," she said, using her hands to motion.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura. You think you know me better than I know myself?"

"But you don't like me!"

"Who said?" he moved closer to her. "It's true. I've told people that I like you. What's the danger in that? Everyone knows the truth now. So what's there to hide?"

She felt her eyes prick with tears and turned away quickly. "That stings," she said, trying to wipe away her tears. "I mean, for the longest time I've liked you, but something like this is really hurtful. If you don't like me, just stop it, alright?"

He put his hand on her shoulder, turning her around. "That's the problem. See, I do like you. A lot." He wiped away one of her tears. "And I'm not pretending."

"But then…" she moved away from him. "Why so many messengers? Why didn't you just tell me yourself?"

He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "It's not that easy for a guy to approach a girl. I know it's worse to hear it from the grapevine, but seeing as we're friends and all…" He stopped. "Yeah."

"So…you do like me?" she asked as a confirmation.

"Yes."

"Great." She couldn't hide her teary smile. "I'm glad."

He smirked, knowing that she liked him, too, judging by the way she "accidentally" told him. He handed her a handkerchief and she wiped her eyes.

"Just don't kill any more messengers," Sasuke nodded as he motioned outside the building to where Naruto was still on the ground, aching in pain.

"I promise," she said. "At least, for now."

Slight changes!