The forest was humming, the birds were waking up, the moon was driving away the darkness with its last strength, and the quiet breaths of his friends were keeping him company. Sasuke sat leaning against a tree, listening to all these sounds around him. The night was slowly drawing to a close. Another day would come, bringing him closer to his goal.

Again, he could not sleep. His thoughts, the scary ones and the ones overflowing his mind, would not let him sleep a wink. They plagued him most on missions, such as today's, where nothing special was happening. Sasuke couldn't focus on anything other than tormenting himself about wasting time.

A bird sat on a branch, watching him fiercely. Its black eyes practically drilled a hole in his head. Did he know what the boy was thinking about now? Did he understand his pain, disappointment, suffering? Was he even able to comprehend it, when even people couldn't?

"Sasuke-kun?" a quiet, girlish voice sounded in his head. Sasuke turned his head, crossing his eyes with Sakura, "Why are you awake?"

Instead of answering her right away, he stood up and walked over to her, crouching down. Barely awake, the girl blushed, lifting herself up and leaning on her elbows. Sasuke squinted his eyes.

"Go to sleep, it's still early."

He thought Sakura was so unaware of everything yet that she would listen to him without any problems, but he was mistaken.

"You didn't answer my question." she did not take her eyes off his face.

Her tenacious nature made it difficult for him to play down the inaccessible and mysterious man. Sasuke really tried to avoid explaining his behavior, but Sakura wouldn't let him.

"I'm just not tired anymore." he replied nonchalantly.

"You look like you haven't slept a wink all night." he didn't answer her, hiding his restrained expression under his hair; how she was able to figure him out so easily "Oh..."

"Can we not pursue this topic any further?"

He rose and returned to his previous seat, deeming the conversation over. Sakura, however, had other plans. She approached him and leaned against a tree, as if entering his private space was the usual thing to do.

"I'll stay here. It will be easier for you to sleep this way. For me, at least, it is when I know I have a person next to me who watches over me and cares about me." she pulled her knees up to her chin.

He didn't like that she cared for him so much and that she worried so much. It made him feel emotions. Emotions that he didn't want to feel because they were sneaky and treacherous; they made you make radical decisions, delayed you from your plans and changed your future to make room for another person. And Sasuke couldn't do that.

"I don't need..." he paused when he heard her steady breathing again.

Sakura fell asleep momentarily, having rested her head against the trunk. Her hand fell inert along her body, and her palm touched his hand. Sasuke stared at it, then, as if guided by instinct rather than rational thought, grabbed her two fingers and squeezed them lightly, making sure she was still next to him.

This is where it all started. She planted a small seed in his heart that would grow and grow over time, and Sasuke would not know how to get rid of it. Not that he wants to.