XxX

Sakura's POV

Age: 15

XxX

Funnily enough, Sakura couldn't wait to get home and away from Sasuke.

Ever since he started getting taller, more muscular, and more used to her, Sakura found the thick wall around her feelings begin to falter. She built it to be strong enough to withstand anything, and it had, for several years. But, the more he noticed her, talked to her, and grew out of his childish body, the more she struggled to keep it intact. Sakura found herself staring at him on missions again and blushing behind their backs when he touched her during training. As soon as she realized she was losing control, she tried to limit interactions like that as much as she could, but sometimes it just felt so good to feel the emotions she only let herself feel after hours.

Of course, Kakashi-sensei decided to rub salt in the wound by assigning her and Sasuke on what was supposed to be a quick delivery mission to Fire Country's borders. However, a storm rolled in and delayed their arrival home, forcing them to take shelter in a cave for the night.

Sakura cleaned up her lunch and glanced over at Sasuke, remembering the previous evening.

Sakura was a mess on the inside, but on the outside she was as cool as a cucumber, directing Sasuke to a nearby shelter she had seen on their way out. She shielded the rain from her face and waved him along.

"In here!" she called, lifting a faux branch. The fire sign of Konoha was etched into the stone over the cave, marking this place as one of the leaf's hideouts near the border. Seeing it made Sakura feel much better about their safety, but it did nothing to calm the nervous set to her shoulders. She and Sasuke hadn't been on a mission alone together in, well… ever.

Sakura recited common poisons and their antidotes to distract herself from her very wet (and very attractive) teammate and set her pack down with a huff. She felt like she couldn't breathe with how hard the rain was coming down and was immediately grateful for the break.

"I have the emergency rations," Sasuke said, kneeling next to her. He startled her, but didn't comment on it, his eyes moving back and forth between her and his bag. "We have enough for three days, but we'll go in the morning regardless."

Sakura hated the small part of her that wanted Sasuke to be worried about her traveling in monsoon like weather. So instead of dwelling on it, she smirked at Sasuke and said sarcastically, "Then let's eat it all and have a feast if you're so confident."

Sasuke looked up, his expression surprised before morphing into the rare look of an Uchiha willing to banter. "Fine. Then I can tell that Yamanaka bitch you stuff your face on missions."

Sakura laughed, unable to help it. Sasuke was always clever with his responses. "She calls me fat everyday, Sasuke. That's nothing new." Still, Sakura was thankful her friendship with Ino had improved over the last year or so. The Yamanaka had long since given up on convincing Sakura to revive their rivalry for Sasuke, even as a joke. Sakura simply wasn't interested in pursuing him in that way. Yet.

Sasuke's smirk faded into a frown. "Why does she call you fat when you're not?"

Sakura didn't know how to respond to such an odd question from Sasuke and she was sure her facial expression conveyed that. "I don't know. It's a girl thing, I guess."

Sasuke's frown deepened. "You don't do that stuff, though. You're like…above it."

Sakura couldn't help but flush, his words a compliment but also untrue at the same time. She was so far from being above it. She averted her eyes and tried to laugh through her response. "Yeah, I guess. Kunoichi life is exciting enough as it is."

Sasuke gave her that look. The look that said. 'I know you're evading something and I'm not sure why but I'm dropping it'. It made Sakura want to thump his ear like she used to do to Naruto when they were kids.

Since the mission was supposed to be short, neither of them packed a full sack for staying overnight in the wilderness. The one scroll Sakura had provided two sleeping backs and an oil lamp, but neither shinobi complained. They had slept under the starry sky on a rock hard ground more times than they could count, so this was nothing.

Sakura also usually had Kakashi around to signal the ritual of boys turning around to give her privacy, but Sakura didn't have to wonder long about how they would do this. Sasuke gave her a quick nod before standing with his back to her.

Sakura quickly peeled off her soaked layers, keeping on her undershirt and shorts. She made a noise for Sasuke to do the same and laid down with her back to him, desperately trying to remember all of the ingredients for the latest vaccine she had helped Tsunade with instead of thinking about Sasuke shirtless. No matter how many times she saw him in any state of undress, she couldn't control her heart palpitations. And, it had only gotten worse with age.

When they were both settled into their sleeping bags, Sakura was sure to keep her back to Sasuke. She didn't want to shake her resolve anymore than being this near him already did. Spending time with Sasuke around Naruto and Kakashi was something Sakura became accustomed to, but alone was a different story.

She learned after a while that could relax a bit knowing that he had two other morons to occupy his time. She could mess up, try again, and succeed all before he noticed since he didn't pay attention to her more than was necessary. While that made her heart ache with the knowledge that Sasuke wasn't interested and probably never would be, it helped her resolve to become stronger. If he wouldn't notice her as a girl, she would make sure he noticed her as a kunoichi.

Last night had been… a lot. It took everything in Sakura's power to smack cement into the cracks of her mental barriers, forcing her feelings to fall back, to stay dormant, to not come out, especially in the middle of a mission.

Yet, the current problem remained. Sasuke still hadn't risen from his crouched position on the branch. And the entire time she had been lost in her thoughts, they had been staring at each other.

Shit.

"Sasuke, are you ready?"

He didn't move. He was still staring at her.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said tentatively. The suffix used to follow his name every time she uttered it, though he never extended the same courtesy. Eventually, she cataloged it as one of the things she needed to lock away for outside of work hours. On missions and during training, he was just Sasuke. She hoped that using it now would get him to blink long enough to snap out of it.

It worked. Sasuke abruptly stood, cracking his neck with a muttered apology. Sakura just gave him a look she hoped matched the ones she normally gave her boys when they were being weird and dropped down from the trees. Her hands shook when she stood, so she shoved them in her pockets.

He followed her this time, staying close behind her back while they ran down the path for several hours. The black of his cloak reminded Sakura of a few weeks back when Kiba made a joke about it. He said if Naruto was the shining sun announcing Team 7's arrival, Sasuke was the shadow that always followed her. The comment had made her more happy than she cared to admit, and she smiled to herself at the memory. Sasuke really did feel like a-

"Sakura, stop."

Immediately, Sakura halted, her eyes flicking to her teammate's while her hands fell to her kunai strapped to her hips. "What is it?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "I thought I heard something."

Sakura frowned and stood up straight. "I didn't hear anything but birds and nature."

"It wasn't a bird I heard," Sasuke said quickly, his eyes shifting to red before Sakura could blink. "It was a shitty attempt at a bird call. I swore I heard- shit."

"What," Sakura demanded, whirling to face where he looked. "What do you s-"

Sakura yelped when Sasuke's hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged her back around.

"Shut up," he whispered none too lightly, pulling her even closer. His eyes darted left and right and Sakura could see his thoughts racing a million miles an hour.

Sakura felt equally unnerved by Sasuke's hand as she was by the threat he saw that she apparently couldn't. "Sasuke, what-"

"S-class rogues," Sasuke hissed, his irritation seeping through the air between them. "Their chakra is massive. We can't touch them."

Sakura paled. "Shit. What are they doing so close to Konoha?"

She barely got the words out before Sasuke was tugging her again. This time, her feet left the ground and his arm wrapped around her waist. Sakura flung her arms around his neck and held in a shriek while he darted to the side.

Sakura barely felt the impact of scratchy bark against her back moments later, her vision instantly obscured by cloak covered black hair. Sasuke's body pinned her to the tree they hid behind, one hand on her waist and the other clamped across her mouth while her hands slid to his chest. Red eyes looked through the surroundings and tracked the chakra as it passed.

She could hear the rogue nin passing, but their footfalls slowly disappeared behind the ringing in her ears. She wanted to melt into a puddle, but she barely managed not to. The walls she built to protect herself were scorched in the feeling of having Sasuke pressed against her, his heavy breath pushing his chest into her with every exhale. Touching him outside of healing or training had become so foreign to her that this level of closeness made her head spin. She clamped one hand onto his arm while the other clawed into the tree behind her, desperate for any sense of purchase that was and wasn't him.

She felt like she was drowning.

It seemed like it was hours before Sasuke's shoulders finally relaxed. He turned his head to say something, but froze when his nose brushed against her temple. Sakura averted her gaze when she realized with wide-eyes just how close their faces were.

Ever so carefully, Sasuke lowered his hand from her mouth. Sakura couldn't help but let out a small gasp, finally able to suck in the air she desperately needed to clear her head. It did nothing but fill her senses with the smell of smoke and cinnamon. Holding in a noise and desperate to keep still, Sakura waited for Sasuke to remove the hand on her waist and step back to regain his personal space. But, he didn't. Not after a second, not after two. Not even after ten.

Sakura felt a small tremble fall from her shoulders to her toes. What was he doing, she thought to herself. Sasuke never touched her like this or stayed close enough to share breaths. Sasuke wasn't like this with her, so Sakura steeled her nerves and looked up at him, expecting something along the lines of more rogue nin or waiting until they were farther away.

What she didn't expect to see were blazing red eyes, honed in on her with an intensity that stole the breath from her lungs. He was more hunched over her than she realized, and she watched while the new angle of her head caused their noses to brush.

What she didn't expect for Sasuke to do was lean close enough for their lips to almost touch, the tomoe in his eye spinning.

Sakura gripped the tree so hard it cracked.

Sasuke jerked back with a start, his eyes blinking furiously until the red faded back into his normal, dark gray. Sakura couldn't only stand there, her chest heaving while she gulped in air. She couldn't look at Sasuke, so she looked at the ground, her body shaking. She couldn't let him see how badly she wanted him to kiss her.

It took several minutes for them to catch their bearings. "We should head back," Sakura said quietly.

Sasuke nodded, his eyes on the ground.

It didn't take anything more to get the two shinobi sprinting towards home, both whiter than sheets and avoiding the other like their lives depended on it.

The entire time, Sakura fought not to dwell on the look in Sasuke's eyes. He had wanted to kiss her.

XxX

Sasuke's POV

Age: 13

XxX

Sasuke was not looking forward to dinner. Normally, he was ravenous by the time he got home and was racing to shower and change. Today, however, he was trailed by Sakura, Naruto, and Itachi. His older brother had been sent by his meddling, intrusive mother to make sure he brought his teammates home for dinner.

Sasuke looked up and glared at his brother's back. Ever since his brother met Sakura, he seemed to take a liking to her. He would give her advice, chastise her when she needed it, and smile at her in the way he only did around family. He was smiling at her now while she gave him a detailed summary of their last mission. Of course, Itachi listened with rapt attention, pausing to ask direct questions and nod every so often.

Sakura also seemed to like his older brother enough not to be scared of him, unlike everyone else. Itachi was famous for his deadly skills and not everyone in the village treated him like the hero he was. Sasuke never saw Sakura flinch or balk at his older brother. Instead, she talked to him just as warmly as she talked to everyone else.

It bugged Sasuke to no end.

He followed them into the Uchiha compound and to his house. His irritation slowly faded when he saw his mother, waiting on the porch to greet them.

"Good evening, Uchiha-san," Sakura said warmly, bowing to his mother before walking up the wood steps. "Thank you for inviting us to share a meal with your family!"

Mikoto had met Sakura a few times before, but Sasuke was sure to keep their interactions to a minimum. He couldn't afford to have his mother as obsessed with the girl as his idiot teammate and brother supposedly were.

Naruto bounded up the steps and bowed hastily before hugging her. "Mikoto-san! It's been so long!"

Mikoto grinned at Naruto, the only friend of Sasuke's that he ever allowed over. She was very familiar with the blonde terror. "Naruto! I'm happy to see you."

"Let's go inside," Sasuke muttered, kissing his mom on the cheek with a small blush of embarrassment before walking inside. However, the twinkle in her eyes when he moved past her eased his tension.

Sakura walked in after Itachi, who shut the door. She placed her sandals neatly by the entrance and clasped her hands in front of her. "Uchiha-san, is there anything I can help you with?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his mother's palpable excitement. "Oh no," she said, beaming at Sakura. "You go sit right down. Dinner is all ready and is about to be served!"

Sakura nodded and smiled softly before walking further into the house. She glanced at Sasuke though, her eyes inquisitive. She looked like she wasn't sure if it was okay if she kept going.

Sasuke realized that she was being courteous of him, of his discomfort with bringing his teammates to dinner. He hadn't said anything, but she still seemed to know.

He didn't know if he appreciated her hesitation or if it annoyed him, but he jerked his chin up at her all the same, a message of, Go ahead. Sakura nodded once before continuing on.

Itachi watched from behind him. "She is very perceptive," he said quietly.

"I know," Sasuke gritted out, suddenly feeling very self conscious. He stalked into the dining room and plopped down at his seat. Much to his dismay, Sakura was seated across from him with Itachi sliding in next to her.

Fugaku appeared from down the hall and Sasuke immediately sat up straighter. No matter what he felt about his teammates being here, he wouldn't dream of letting anything show in front of his father.

"Good evening, Otosan," Itachi said, without turning around.

It startled Sakura. She sat up straight and blinked once before standing. Sasuke watched with a slack jaw while she turned and bowed to his father, who stood at the head of the table. "Good evening, Uchiha-san. Thank you for inviting me into your home for a meal."

Fugaku surveyed the young girl with a wary eye. Sasuke watched in awe as his eyes softened ever so slightly.

No, he thought with horror. She couldn't win over his father, too.

"You are welcome," his father replied, sitting down. He watched Sakura straighten and sit, her hands nearly folded in her lap. "…Haruno Sakura."

Sakura gave a small bow of her head in acknowledgement.

Naruto took this as his time to shout out loudly across the table, "Oh, yeah, good evening Uchiha-san! Thanks for feeding us!"

Fugaku looked stoic as ever and said nothing.

Naruto's grin faulted. "Ah, yeah…"

His mother had perfect timing with the delivery of the food. She placed several platters on the table with a smile and a flourish and sat down. Everyone gave thanks for their food and began the meal. Sasuke tried to relax, but it was hard with how intently his father was staring at both of his teammates. When guests came for dinner, Fugaku's rules were a bit blurrier. Sasuke and Itachi could talk more freely, but it always felt like he'd still be melted at the spot for speaking out of turn.

After a few minutes of eating, Mikoto finally got to her questioning. "Naruto, how is Lord Fourth? I heard there is a Kage Summit in Water next month."

Naruto wisely swallowed before answering. "He's good! I'm still trying to convince him to let Team 7 go, that's for sure."

"We're genin, Naruto," Sasuke said, hoping he didn't sound as irritated as he felt. "I bet he won't let us go again until we're jounin."

"And we all know Sakura's going to beat us there," Naruto grumbled.

Fugaku looked up from his food, suddenly paying attention. Oh no.

Mikoto looked at Sakura curiously. "Why is that, Sakura-chan?"

Oh for the love of Kami. She'd started with the honorifics. He'd never get rid of the pink haired girl now. She'd be over at his house, making cookies with his mom, doing all kinds of-

Sakura blushed heavily with all eyes on her. "Well, I seem to have a natural inclination towards medical ninjutsu. I've already completed a few of the pre-tests for the Jounin exams because of my training."

Sasuke was simultaneously impressed and angered by Sakura's success. It had only been a little over a year since their team had formed and his early expectations had been shattered. Naruto was still a goofy idiot, but Sakura was a wild card in the end. She was serious about training to the point where he caught her trying to revive dead fish after reading about it. She began shadowing doctors in the hospital a few months ago and only a week in, she was able to heal all of the minor cuts and bruises he or Naruto sustained.

Mikoto's eyes widened. "Oh! My, that's quite an accomplishment at your age!"

Sakura smiled meekly. "I'm still not any better than Sasuke or Naruto. They're both incredibly talented in so many other ways."

Mikoto looked warmly at the girl, her hands squeezed together under the table. "I've heard you all work very well together. Kakashi-sensei has been impressed enough to mention it in passing."

Sakura beamed while Naruto said, "You better believe it, Mikoto-chan! We'll be unstoppable at the chunin exams!"

"You are entering this year?" Itachi asked. His question may have been for Naruto, but Sasuke felt it in his gut. His brother was wondering why he hadn't told him yet.

"Kakashi-sensei hasn't said yes or no yet," Sakura admitted. "But, I think we're ready. We've trained hard enough together and on our own that I believe we can win."

Fugaku regarded the girl with an interested gleam in his eyes. Sasuke gulped. "How do your parents feel about you entering the exams?" Fugaku asked.

Sakura, for all of her weaknesses, did not cower in the face of his father. She told the truth. "They are… not pleased."

"Are they shinobi?"

Sasuke could feel the tension in Naruto and strangely enough, Itachi. He seemed to be aware of Sakura's situation with her parents.

"Yes, Uchiha-san," she said. "However, they are just genin and chunin. Neither had aspirations to continue the shinobi way of life after having a child."

The silence was heavy. Everyone at the table knew that this was a conversation between his father and Sakura. "Will that be your path?" his father asked.

One side of Sakura's lips tilted up ever so slightly. "No, Uchiha-san. I aspire to be the strongest kunoichi in the world."

Sasuke gripped his thighs. Sakura was about to experience baptism by fire.

Instead, Fugaku's lips tilted up to the side for a moment as well. "That is a high aspiration. Your training must increase if you hope to succeed."

Sakura was nearly glowing when she bowed her head in respect. "Yes, Uchiha-san."

Slower than he had ever seen his father move, Fugaku finally returned to eating. Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and looked over to Itachi. He saw the same expression on his face. That could have gone so much worse.

Mikoto eased the conversation back into lighter territory. Naruto talked about his last vacation with his mom and the surprise visit from Minato. Itachi spoke casually about seeing Kakashi at a bar, making all three genins' heads snap towards him. When he cheekily mentioned he had also seen the Copy Ninja sans mask, the jaw drops were audible.

Dinner ended with Fugaku excusing himself and the guests left shortly after that, but not without a hug each from Mikoto. His mother held onto Sakura a bit tighter and a bit longer than Naruto, whispering something into her hair before leaning back. She beamed at the girl at arm's length before sending her off with a wave.

Sasuke managed a half-hearted wave himself before turning on his heel to find the sanctuary of his room, but his mom had other plans.

"Sasuke."

He paused. "Yes, Okasaan?"

She walked behind him and kissed his head before pushing him back in the direction he was headed. "Thank you for putting up with your mother tonight, Sasuke."

Sasuke found that his feet couldn't move. He hated when his mother caught on to his distress, especially at something that shouldn't be a big deal. But, she knew her youngest wasn't a people person, so she left it at that.

Sasuke really loved his mom.

"It wasn't that bad," he admitted to himself and his mother.

He could feel her smiling behind him. "Your teammates are lovely. Have them over more, but only if you want."

Sasuke nodded. Then he turned and asked, "What did you say to Sakura before she left?"

Mikoto laughed lightly at her son and patted his arm. "Oh, the same thing I always tell you boys! Remember the strength only a kunoichi knows."

XxX

Mikoto waited until Sasuke was in his room for the evening and Itachi was off for his night patrol before starting the dishes. She turned the sink water on and waited for her husband to appear. Like every night, the sound of the running water brought forth Fugaku, his hair slightly damp from his shower. He made his way to her side and kissed her temple before beginning their shared task.

Fugaku washed the dishes from dinner while Mikoto dried. They did so in silence, but it was not forced or painful. They gathered their thoughts as they always did, until one of them began to let the flood of their words on the day come forth.

"Sasuke's team seems to be very in tune with one another," Mikoto started, beginning to put the dry dishes away.

Fugaku hmm'd.

"They moved in sync at the table, did you see? They would share looks without realizing it and their conversation spoke of a great ease between them."

Her husband made a noise of agreement.

"Naruto is just like his father but has so much of Kushina in him. Sakura is incredibly gracious and courteous to a fault! I was actually surprised by her formality despite not having been raised in a clan."

"The girl has good manners," Fugaku said. "And she is smart."

"Sasuke seems to like her."

Mikoto waited in the silence for Fugaku to form a response. "I was surprised by Sasuke," he eventually said.

Mikoto nodded, barely containing her excitement.

"He trusts them," Fugaku said. "The boy I knew he would grow with, if he was anything as pushy as his father, but I didn't believe the girl would ever keep up."

Mikoto looked sharply at her husband. "Sakura will be a good kunoichi. She has more chakra than the average shinobi and works twice as hard."

To her surprise, Fugaku nodded. "Sasuke wouldn't trust or respect her, otherwise."

"You truly think he does?"

He nodded. "I do. Itachi believes the girl loves him, but I saw none of that tonight. She is a seamless member of their team."

Mikoto nodded thoughtfully, then giggled at a thought. "Until they grow up. She's going to be the most beautiful girl in the village with that hair and those eyes."

Fugaku's hand's paused his task. "If she achieved her goal, it would make her a desirable match for the clans."

Mikoto looked reproachful. "Anata, they are young. Too young to be speaking of such things."

To her surprise, Fugaku smiled down at her. "It came from a thought I had earlier."

"Oh? And what was that?"

Fugaku handed her a clean plate and said honestly, "She should have been born an Uchiha."

XxX

Sasuke's POV

Age: 15

XxX

"So, how did the mission with Sakura go?"

Sasuke winced unintentionally. He'd given up trying to not replay the moment with Sakura, but talking about it was not an option. Especially not with Naruto, of all people. "Fine."

They were stretching on their own while waiting for Sakura and Kakashi to show up. It was past time for training to start, but it was usual for Kakashi to be late. Sakura, however, was a different story, and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if it was his fault.

Naruto raised his head, arching a single brow. "Fine? Kakashi said you both came back looking off."

Sasuke tried to feign indifference. "I don't know why. Maybe we looked tired." Sasuke definitely knew they hadn't look tired. Both of them had ran, wide-eyed back to Konoha without a word uttered between them, too keyed up to really say anything to their sensei.

Naruto shook his head with a curious glint in his eye. "No, Kakashi said you guys looked off. Like, you were unsettled or scared. He was weirded out."

Sasuke kept his face in his knee, stretching past the limit to keep himself from strangling his friend. "Well, nothing happened."

Sasuke knew he screwed up the minute he finished speaking. If nothing happened, he wouldn't be so defensive. He could feel the questions bubbling out of the idiot and after spotting a speck of pink over the horizon, Sasuke quickly sat up. "Shut the fuck up. We are not talking about it right now, so drop it."

Naruto looked at Sasuke like he had two heads. "Oh my gods, what the hell happened?"

"Drop it, Naruto," Sasuke hissed, punching the blonde on the way up from where he was sprawled out on the grass.

"Yo," Kakashi said, flashing two fingers in greeting. "You two are sparring today since Sakura wants to work with me on her homework from Tsunade."

Naruto's mischievous look faded to one of excitement. "Alright! Get working on making those muscles bigger, right Sakura-chan?"

Sakura, not having looked at Sasuke the entire time, gave Naruto a very false, very forced smile. "Will do, Naruto."

The blonde's eyes flicked to Sasuke's with a new, murderous intent. Oh, he definitely attributed Sakura's fake happiness to whatever Sasuke did the day before. "Great," Naruto said hotly. "Let's go, Sasuke."

Sasuke didn't hesitate to turn from the group. He'd take an intrusive Uzumaki over an upset Haruno any day.

When they got to the middle of the training ring, Sasuke faced his friend. "Naruto-"

"Let's beat the shit out of each other first, teme," Naruto said, adjusting his hitai-ate. "Then we'll chat."

Sasuke sighed. He was probably the reason Sakura seemed off, so he'd accept a punch or two from the jinchuriki. Plus, he needed to work out some aggression, too.

"Alright," he said. Then, he flung several shuriken at his teammate. "Let's go!"

XxX

Sasuke was breathing heavily in the grass next to Naruto a few hours later. They had gone a little overboard with their fighting, but it eased the tension in Sasuke's posture. He was too tired to feel on edge about everything and was reminded of why he trained when he was upset; exhaustion can stop you from feeling anything but tired.

That was, until Naruto decided to open his big, fat, mouth. "So, what did you do to Sakura?"

Sasuke clenched his jaw and looked away. "I didn't do anything."

"Bullshit! You were being cagey earlier, but this behavior is starting to worry me!" Sasuke opened his mouth to snap at Naruto, but the blonde was too quick. "We're a team, Sasuke. I'm not trying to be gossipy or whatever. This could be serious."

Sasuke couldn't help but let out a breath of agitation. "It shouldn't be that serious." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists, but as much as he told himself it wasn't that serious, it was. Nearly kissing your teammate who wasn't the greatest thing to do.

What sucked worse was that he had wanted to kiss her. Badly. And she saw it in his face. Because fucking Sakura always knew what he was thinking.

Naruto was quiet for a moment. Then, he asked, "Did you guys fight?"

"No."

"Did you say something you shouldn't have?"

"No."

I almost did something I shouldn't have, Sasuke thought to himself.

Sadly, Naruto seemed to read the thoughts from his expression and guessed right. His eyes widened to a shockingly large size. "Oh my gods, Sasuke…did-did something happen between you and-"

"No," Sasuke hissed. He was vehement when he insisted further, "Nothing happened."

Naruto wouldn't back down. "Did something almost happen?"

Sasuke tried to keep his expression neutral, but he couldn't stop the tick in his jaw at the thought of what he very nearly did. Naruto saw it and his mouth dropped open with a pop.

"Sasuke…"

"Don't."

Naruto's shock faded until he looked weirdly sad. "Sasuke, this is serious. It's Sakura."

The Uchiha couldn't deny it any longer. He glanced over at the other two members of Team 7 and, when satisfied that they were still occupied with crushing rocks and trees, he turned back to Naruto.

"Don't you think I know that," Sasuke said, a barely there edge in his voice. Looking up at his friend with a hint of vulnerability he rarely showed anyone, he said, "I think…I think I actually messed up, Naruto."

Naruto immediately sobered, his eyes hard. "What happened, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shook his head, not wanting to get into the glory details of his major fuck-up. Eventually, he gathered enough courage to barely get the words out. "I almost kissed Sakura."

Naruto was completely aghast. "I- what- huh?" Naruto shook his head like there was a bird pecking at his neck before looking back up at Sasuke. "What the hell, Sasuke? Since when did you want to kiss-"

"Keep your voice down," Sasuke hissed. His sharingan nearly bled into the black of his eye before he blinked it away. "It's not like I like her or anything."

Naruto blinked slowly. "Oh my gods."

"Naruto," Sasuke warned, his voice low, but weak in the knowledge that he gave himself up. Again. "I'm warning you…"

"I'm not going to say it," Naruto insisted, scooting away from the red eyes of his friend. He held his hands up pleading, as his next words were sure to ignite Sasuke's wrath. "B-but I know that you, you know, so it's fine! We don't have to say it, but we can know it!"

Sasuke was nearly shaking with the effort it took to not strangle Naruto. He eventually closed his eyes and took a deep heaving breath. He could deny it all he wanted, but until he gave in and admitted something they both knew, Naruto would push his buttons until he exploded. He didn't want Sakura to see or hear.

Naruto took his silence as an agreement. Tentatively, he sat up straighter and eyed Sasuke. "Look… it happens." Naruto winced under the Uchiha's glare. "Hey, I used to like Sakura. I still think she's hot."

Sasuke felt hot. He was burning from embarrassment, shame, guilt, and a sickening desire to see that half-lidded expression on her face again. But, Naruto's words did have a somewhat calming effect, despite Sasuke still believing the boy to be an idiot.

"How…" Sasuke struggled to find the words. He fisted his hands at his sides and asked gruffly, "How did you manage?"

Now, Naruto looked like he wanted to laugh. "What do you mean, teme?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I feel like a fucking idiot around her. I can't think straight," he snapped, wanting to strangle both Naruto and Sakura for making him have such an outburst. "She's distracting as fuck and I'm slowly going crazy, so how in the world did you manage to keep your thoughts from eating you alive?"

Naruto's mouth slowly opened in answer. "Yeah…I think it's because we were twelve, and I didn't know what sex was." Naruto gave him a disgusted look "You do."

"So do you!" Sasuke said, exasperated. Then, he whisper yelled, "And you're not accidentally kissing her in the middle of a mission!"

"I thought you didn't kiss," Naruto hissed.

"We didn't." Sasuke swallowed and closed his eyes, the memory hitting him like a wave for the millionth time. Finally, he told the rest of the story. "We were on the way back when I sensed a group coming our way. We had to hide because they were some seriously powerful rogue nin and I pulled her behind a tree."

Naruto sniggered. "Seriously, Sasuke? That was your move?"

"It wasn't a move, dobe. She was blabbering away like she always does so I just… grabbed her." He didn't mention how wide her eyes got and how hot her breath was against the palm of his hand. "I'be been dealing with this for a while and then we were pressed-" Sasuke winced, "-against the tree and I just… I just…"

Naruto's jaw was hung open in a grin of shock. "Oh my gods. I still can't believe it."

Sasuke was over feeling his ears heat. "Naruto, you are seriously the worst."

"Wait!" Naruto sat up and grabbed Sasuke's wrist. "I'm sorry! It's just shocking, you know? I don't think I ever expected you'd think of Sakura as more than a friend."

Sasuke wanted to deny it, but he was tired of voicing it. That was his excuse for not arguing. "Yeah, well, me neither."

Sasuke sat back down next to Naruto and folded his head into his knees. He groaned, glaring at his inner thigh when he felt Naruto pat his back in sympathy.

"Knock it off," Sasuke grumbled, not bothering to look up.

"Don't be such a wimp, Sasuke. It's not that big of a deal."

"And how is not a big deal?" Sasuke was worn down to the point where he spoke without a filter. "I can't stop staring at her. And it's even more awkward now because she knows."

"It's not a big deal because we've always liked someone on Team 7," Naruto said. "I liked Sakura and she likes you, but it's never interfered before. Why let it now?"

Sasuke looked up, startled by Naruto's words. If they were true, they would make his predicament that much worse. "Naruto… please tell me that Sakura has grown out of her crush on me."

Naruto laughed, good and hard before answering. "Yeah, that's never going to happen."

Sasuke's stomach felt like lead. "You're kidding."

Naruto looked confused. "Why do you say that like it's a bad thing? That should be a good thing!"

"Because, she's…" Sasuke searched for the right words, not wanting to sound mean. "She's Sakura."

"Well, duh."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and looked over at his friend. "You know what I mean. She's a know it all and she's slow, way too slow. She's got a mean streak a mile wide and an ocean deep and, and…" Sasuke paused, hating the worst reason, the main reason. "She's my teammate. We can't…do anything. It would mess everything up."

"Sasuke," Naruto said after a while. "Have you met Sakura? Because she's not slow."

"That's all you got out of that?"

"No, but it made me think." Naruto grinned and Sasuke felt like he was about to be under attack. "I think you're scared of liking Sakura because she's been the only girl that hasn't thrown herself at you in three years. She's your friend and she's comfortable. Now, she makes you uncomfortable."

Sasuke glared.

Naruto's grin intensified. "I bet she makes you really uncomfortable."

"I'm leaving."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," Naruto said through his chuckles. "I actually have some good advice for you."

Sasuke eyed the other boy cautiously. Sakura and Kakashi looked like they were gathering their things. "Make it quick."

"Learn to push it aside. You have more important things to worry about."

Sasuke blinked. "You want me to ignore how I feel? That the advice that you're giving me?"

"I'm serious. You have to learn to turn the feelings off for things like training and missions. It's not that you don't feel the same, you do, you just let the other emotions rise to the surface instead."

Sasuke, always having struggled to express and understanding his emotions, wanted to smack the jinchuriki. "You give shitty advice."

"Tell that to Sakura."

"What?"

Naruto stood when Kakashi and Sakura's voices were just barely audible. "She told me that when I confessed to her. She said she already had someone her heart belonged to, but she ended up telling me it was okay to feel that way. As long as I learned to not let it interfere with missions and training, she could accept my feelings, but not return them."

Sasuke thought that was incredibly mature of their teammate, so he wondered how long ago that had been. "When was this?"

Naruto squinted into the distance. "Gosh, I don't know, maybe a year ago? Yeah, it was right after she turned 14. At her birthday party."

Sasuke felt his stomach do the horrendous flip thing. He was terrified to know if her heart belonged to him at the time and he didn't even know it. He wouldn't have done anything, but knowing he hadn't even realized ate at him. How could he, when as soon as they became Team 7, her girly attachment to him vanished. He had assumed that her crush fell apart upon actually getting to know him.

Now, he didn't know which made him feel worse; Sakura harboring a crush on him since childhood or the possibility that she didn't think of him like that at all.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Sasuke. "Does it bother you?"

Naruto took a moment before he answered. "No, it doesn't. Sakura's beautiful and guys are always going to notice. Besides, I know I don't have a chance, and who else would I trust with her?"

"Ah," Sasuke said eventually, eyeing the two approaching shinobi. Now that Naruto knew, he tried not to look at them as they walked over. Kakashi had his hands in his pockets and Sakura's hands waved back and forth while she spoke, laughing every so often.

Instead of his stomach flipping, Sasuke felt his body go numb. Dear gods, Sakura was beautiful when she smiled.

He was so fucked.

"Yo," Kakashi said, stopping in front of them. "How'd it go?"

"Sasuke won," Naruto said immediately, grinning from ear to ear. Naruto always treated Sakura's attention as a competition and apparently, he was conceding.

Sasuke wanted to smash his face in.

Both Kakashi and Sakura frowned. "Interesting," their sensei said, but didn't push it. He knew that if Naruto was willingly and jovially admitting defeat, Sasuke must have ceded something somewhere else.

"Well, I'm going home," Sakura said after a beat of silence. She smiled at Kakashi. "Chakra control takes it out of me, so thank you for helping today." She wasn't as bright as she normally was, but her smile was real this time around. It made the guilt in his chest lessen.

The guilt almost disappeared when she smiled that same, warm smile at Naruto and Sasuke before saying, "I'm beat, so I'm headed home. I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"Bye Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, waving his hand at her until she headed off.

Sasuke tried not to stare at her retreating figure and remained silent.

Once Sakura was out of earshot, Naruto began laughing. It started as a small snicker, then it turned into tiny, gasping sounds while he tried to keep it in.

Sasuke was done with being embarrassed for the day. "Go ahead. Laugh if it's so fucking funny to you."

Naruto lost it. He fell to the ground and held his stomach, his words strangled in between hiccups and tears. Kakashi watched, perplexed as always by the two boys and wishing the girl had stayed to sort them out.

"Your face-"

"Dobe."

"-and when she looked at you I felt your heart stop-"

"Naruto."

"It's just so awesome to see you have a weakness," Naruto finished, continuing to chortle.

"Sasuke," Kakashi began lightly. "What is Naruto talking about?"

Sasuke blanched. "He's being an idiot and it's already over, so don't ask."

Kakashi wasn't convinced. "Is it team related?"

"No," Sasuke hissed.

"Yes!" Naruto cackled, enjoying this moment for all it was worth.

Kakashi observed the two of them for a moment longer before he closed his eyes and let out a long, withering sigh. "Please tell me it doesn't have to do with how white both you and Sakura were after yesterday's mission?"

Naruto howled and Sasuke turned to leave.

"Sasuke."

He stopped, fisted his hands, and asked waspishly over his shoulder, "What?"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "Just… don't let it be you that let's emotions interfere with training or missions, got it?"

Naruto could barely breathe by the time Sasuke disappeared around the corner.