Hyacinths
The day of the Fall Season Festival had come rather quickly and luckily enough, Sakura had managed to convince both of her teammates to attend the event. The plan was simple: they would all meet up as a group and then slowly break away into smaller groups until both Ino and Hinata ended up alone on a date with their respective crushes. The biggest issue had been convincing Sasuke-kun to attend, he was not fond of huge events and the whole reason this plan was in motion was for Ino’s confession. So after enough pestering and persuading, Sakura had managed to guarantee his attendance and where Sasuke went, Naruto followed.
Her mom had helped her buy a new kimono since the one she already had only fitted her as a toddler, it was a pretty shade of pink with a pattern of small white cherry blossom flowers that circled from the hem of the kimono and ended at her chest. The same pattern spread to her sleeves and the inside lining was a lighter baby pink. The obi around her torso was a contrasting lilac color with a light yellow satin cloth underneath it and a purple stringed obijime with a huge faux white jade bracelet in the middle. Sakura tried her best to keep still as her mom helped her put on the entire outfit but knowing that today Ino was going to confess to Sasuke had her riddled with anxiety for reasons she couldn’t quite explain to herself.
A deep sigh fell from her lips then, her mother gently tugged at the obi from behind her “What’s wrong? You’re not excited to go to the festival with your friends?” her mother asks. Sakura looks at her mothers focused face and fiddles with her fingers “It's nothing, I’m just feeling a little nervous I guess.” she answers while her mom finally finishes tying the bow behind her, she gives Sakura a questioning look “Are you sure? Or is this about that bowl cut kid again?” her mother continues with a dismayed look “ Honey if he’s harassing you-“
“No no no no! Lee is not harassing me.” she hurriedly explained, another huff came from her lips and she looked at her mother’s worried gaze through the mirror as she finished tidying her kimono, “It’s nothing like that really, I’m fine.” the pinkette insisted and the older strawberry blonde woman hummed in response, “So nothing is going on then?”
“No mama, nothing.”
“Hmmm. Well if you’re sure..”
“I’m sure!”
“I’m not saying you aren’t.”
“Okay, because there’s really nothing.”
“Alright.” Her mother responded in a wary tone and started brushing Sakura’s long hair without saying another word. It had already grown to her lower back and while it was a bit of a chore to keep, she liked how it made her look. Sakura had let it grow so long at Ino’s suggestion, the Yamanaka had noted how hair like hers was rare to even see and it would be a shame to keep it so short. The small comment stuck with her, and now she was one of the few girls in their class with such long hair. Many had tried since there once was a rumor that Sasuke liked girls with long hair, but not everyone was willing to put the time and effort into taking care of hair that long.
Sakura looked in the mirror as her mom braided two small strands from each side of her head and then gathered the rest of her hair into a bun, placing two pink hair pins with white flowers in the bun to keep it in place and leaving two strands of hair out to frame her face. “There, you know where your Geta sandals are?”
The young girl nods, “Yep, near the entrance.” Her mom gives her an approving nod, “Good, don’t forget your satchel, you're gonna need it if you wanna buy something. And don’t get home too late, I know ninja’s are strong and all that but you’re still my little baby.” She says with a doting smile while giving Sakura a hug. The pinkette laughed, “Okay okay, I’ll be back after the fireworks.”
A knock on her bedroom door interrupts their moment, “Yes?” she asks, her dad opens the door with a confused look on his face “Honey, did you say you’re gonna meet your pals at the festival?” her dad asks, “Yeah, why?” The darkpinked haired man crosses his arms, “Then who’s the blonde kid asking for you at our door? Did you get a boyfriend?” Sakura’s eyebrows furrowed, “What? No, I don’t know any- Wait.”
Sakura moves past her dad and towards the living room where Naruto sat the most still Sakura has ever seen him sit in her life. “Naruto?” The whiskered boy finally relaxes and smiles at her when he sees her, “Woah, you look really pretty in your kimono Sakura-chan!” She gives him a small hesitant smile at his comment, “Thanks, but why are you here? We are supposed to meet at the square with everyone.” Naruto nods in agreement, “Yeah but, uh. Well…” he lets a nervous laugh out while scratching the back of his head, “This is kinda embarrassing but, I’ve never been to one of these and I didn’t wanna just go by myself.”
“What?! What kinda idiot doesn’t let their kid go to the village festivals?!” came the booming and indignant voice of her dad from the entryway to the living room. Sakura turned and gave her father a look, “Dad!”
“What?!” Her mother smacked the back of his head while giving him an annoyed pointed look, “Ouch! What’s that for?” Another smack followed and Sakura noted how her blonde teammate deflated and lowered his gaze at the mention, “I’m so sorry Naruto.” Sakura hurried to apologize. The blonde boy only shakes his head, giving everyone a warm smile instead and crossing his arms “It’s fine, Sakura-chan!” He turned to look at her parents with an apologetic smile, “Uh, I don’t have any parents sir.” Naruto answers, his smile tightening slightly and a distant look appearing in his eyes “at least I don’t know if I do.”
“Oh.” Sakura’s father says while massaging the back of his head and a second later a realization fell on him, he turned to give his annoyed looking wife a knowing look. “Oh.”
Her mom crossed her arms and gave him a deadpan look, “Yeah. Oh.”
It felt like an unknown conversation passed between her parents, one that Naruto could understand without being part of it. She felt bad, but she didn’t know what she could even say to change the mood. Luckily, her father had always been a people person and with a snap of his fingers and a smile he quickly brightened the mood, “Well, no matter. Look son,-” he says while taking a seat next to Naruto “-the village has a long tradition of holding a seasonal festival to thank the gods for keeping us alive this long. In fall, we start preparing for the hardships of winter, and back in the day it was a time to share crops and cattle amongst people so we can all get through winter time.”
Her dad continues, “We have come a long way from then, so now all that is left is a tradition to buy good treats and have fun playing games with friends and family until the day is over. That’s all festivals are, a good time with the people you care about.” Naruto nodded, “Got it.” he responded in a more cheerful and Naruto-like tone.
“That reminds me,” he says while rummaging through his pockets, he takes out three red envelopes with a gold lettering at the front with the word ‘blessing’ on it. “Take these and donate it to the temple, I did three since you’re in a three-men cell. One for everyone.” and he hands them over to Sakura who puts them away in her satchel and nods in acknowledgment “Yes, Papa.”
Her mom is the first to stand up, “Well it’s now that we’re all ready, why don’t you two start heading your way, Sakura? Your father and I still need to get ready and put up our stall for tonight and you’re gonna be late to meet your friends if you stay any longer.” she notes while walking towards the door, Naruto gives both of them a polite bow, the first she’s ever seen Naruto do, “Thank you Haruno-san.”
Her mother gives Naruto a soft stare. “Auntie is fine.” With another cheerful nod, the blonde makes his way out of Sakura’s house and towards their meeting spot. It takes her an extra second to double check she has all her things and put her sandals on when her mother puts a hand on her shoulder, “Sakura.”
“Yes?”
“If… Invite your teammates over someday to have dinner with us. Your father and I would like to get better acquainted with them since you’re now part of a ninja team. Okay?” Sakura gave her mother a confused look, “Um. Sure?”
“Good.”
Her dad nodded in agreement with her mom, she nodded at them awkwardly as a response and walked out to catch up with Naruto. When she finally did, she gave him an apologetic look, “I’m super sorry Naruto, my parents can be kind of a lot. I hope they didn’t make you feel weird.”
He only smiles in return, “Nah, they’re totally okay.” Sakura sighs, “Okay, but anyways how did you know where my house is?”
“Hm? Oh I asked Hinata-chan.”
“What, when?”
“Yesterday, or well she kinda just pointed at your house and I remembered you always smell like cookies so I assumed that was your house. And your dad has your same hair so I guessed right after all.” he rambles, “Why did you ask her instead of me?” the pinkette questions, Naruto shrugs in response “I dunno, she just seems like a nice person. And Ino is like crazy so I would rather not deal with any of that..”
“You’re a blonde too Naruto, and also a crazy one. You’re super impolite as well.”
“Yeah but I’m also charming! And I was like super fucking polite with your parents, belive it!”
As if on cue, an incredible and foolproof idea on how to help Hinata-chan get closer to Naruto came to her. She put her hands behind her back and sauntered forward, “Whatever you say, but everyone knows you can’t even be polite enough to be friendly with clan members like Hinata-chan. Let alone hanging out with her. ” She teases, “What?! I’m totally friends with Hinata-chan! We hang out and stuff!”
Hooked.
“Oh really? When was the last time you both hung out alone?” she says while raising an eyebrow.
Naruto pouts, “Well! Uh… Well okay so not recently, but we’re friends!” he insists
Line.
Sakura gives him a knowing look with a taunting smile and crosses her arms while remaining silent, “We are!” she nods nonchalantly . “We’re friends!” she shrugged. “Believe it!” and then finally she laughs, earning a defeated look from the whiskered boy, “Well I’m not taking this bullshit! Imma prove me and Hinata are friends to you tonight! That’s a promise.”
Sucker.
She stops in front of him, extending her hand and giving him a smug look “Alright then, that’s a promise.” Naruto quickly shakes her hand with a determined look before a look of confusion spreads in his features. “Wait, why does this feel like a trap?”
“Oh, so hanging out with Hinata-chan is like a trap to you?” she further antagonized him.
Naruto whines loudly, “Sakuraaaa!”
“Sakura.” another voice from behind her says, she turns to see Sasuke waiting at their meeting point with his eyes fixated on her. “Sasuke-kun.” She sees a look in his eyes that she can’t quite read before he clears his throat and breaks eye contact.
“Oh, the bastard is here!” Naruto exclaims, walking to their other teammate while crossing his arms “Hey, you gotta tell a girl she looks pretty when she dresses up and Sakura-chan looks super pretty so you gotta say it!” Naruto scolds him. Sakura blushes and hurriedly scolds the blonde, “Naruto-”
“It suits you.” Sasuke says quickly while avoiding her gaze, it was a simple compliment but it still made her heartbeat pick up. She held her hands together and hoped the dark of the night hid her bright red cheeks at his statement. “Thank you.” she responds to him in a more timid tone than she would’ve liked. Naruto gives the raven haired boy a blank stare, “That was the lamest way I’ve ever seen someone give a compliment.” Sasuke swiftly kicks him in the back of his knees and makes him fall forward, “Ouch! What was that for?!”
“Shut up you dead last loser. And start walking, the faster we get there the faster I can go home.” Sasuke barks while walking ahead of them both. Sakura held her hands to her chest and smiled softly, ‘It suits you.’ It was funny how his small kind actions made her heart beat like crazy, she smiled to herself and started to catch up to her other two teammates with a more perky walk.
Minutes later they had finally arrived at the meeting point where almost everyone had already broken into groups to see what each stand had to offer. Ino and her team had arrived a few seconds after them and Sakura immediately approached Ino who was beaming with excitement. “Hey! You made it!” Much like Sakura, Ino had also worn a kimono but hers was a deep purple color with golden and red butterflies on it while her obi was a maroon color all around. She had a matching ribbon holding up her signature ponytail and a yellow sash that hung around her arms. She hugged Sakura with a smile, “Have you seen Hinata-chan?”
Sakura shook her head, “No, I thought she was coming with you?” Ino sighs, “She was, but her clan members didn’t let me inside the grounds to pick her up from her house. I just hope her dick of a dad doesn’t force her to stay home.”
“I know, let’s just wait before we all go around.” Sakura suggested and Ino gave her a nod in approval. “Good idea.”
From the distance, a boisterous voice echoed “Alas! Is that a fairy that I can see?!”
Sakura facepalmed herself “ Oh my god no.” Through the cracks of her fingers she could make out a very overly excited Lee rushing her way while dodging the people passing by through the busy alleys. He had a wide smile and the same green suit with orange leg warmers he wore everyday. As he closed in, he slowed down his speed and stopped a few feet away from her to catch his breath and tidy himself up, Lee gave her another bright and flashy smile “It’s always a pleasure to meet with you, Fairy-san.” he says and moves in closer to her.
Sasuke grips the back of his spandex and holds him in place while Naruto gives him an angry look of disapproval with his arms crossed. “And where the hell do you think you’re going, bushy brows?” The blonde questioned him.
Lee shaked himself off Sasuke’s grip and straightened his clothes, his smile smaller but still present “I believe I was trying to talk with Sakura-san before you rudely interrupted me.” Sasuke puts his hands back inside the pockets of his white shorts and gives Lee a side eye while Naruto steps forward and in front of Sakura, “ Well maybe she doesn’t wanna talk with you.” The statement just makes Lee put his hands on his hips and puff his chest out with his smile still unwavering, “I do believe the lady has a right to speak on her own behalf, right Miss Fairy?”
If there was a moment when Sakura wanted to be completely invisible it would be this one, did she once dreamed of having cute boys fight over her? Yes, but she didn’t want it to be boys she saw on a regular basis, let alone Naruto and Lee. With all pairs of eyes on her, she takes one small breath in to calm herself before answering “What did you need to talk about, Lee-san?” she answers him, tightening the grip on her satchel and avoiding looking him in the eyes in fear of her face becoming even redder with embarrassment. The young taijutsu fighter took another step forward, “I wanted to give you something as a gift to show you my true feelings, I hope it is more to your liking than the flowers.” he says, putting his hand on his pocket.
He pauses for a second, “Huh?” she searches the other pocket, his eyebrows furrowing. “Uh.. H-Hold on.” Then he frantically pats himself in an effort to locate the present he had gotten, Naruto lets out a mean laugh, “You totally forgot to get one didn’t you?”
Sasuke gives him a smirk, “So much for showing your true feelings.” he taunts.
“No! I just had it with me.” Lee defends, “I must’ve dropped it on my way here, um.” he gives Sakura a thumbs up and another radiant smile, “Just wait here, I will surely come back with your gift!” Another voice cuts through the conversation, “Perhaps it’s not in your destiny for your feelings to be accepted. Give up, you’re embarrassing yourself.” comes a cold and snobbish voice. Sakura turns towards the source to find Hinata, who was also wearing a very pretty lilac colored kimono with yellow and pink flowers, her obi was a deep purple and she had a beautiful flower pin on her hair, who was walking next to her cousin, who himself was wearing a plain dark green yukata and Tenten, Lee turns to give Neji a disapproving look, “You should know better than to think I would let something as petty as destiny stop the spring of youth! I shall be back with a new gift, just you wait!” He winks to Sakura and, without waiting for an answer, runs away to complete his mission. Neji huffs arrogantly, “What a waste of time.”
Tenten, who had opted to wear a long blue skirt with a matching blue cheongsem shirt with a dark blue pattern and lining, smacked his shoulder with a disapproving look “Give him a rest, he’s just trying to show off for the girl she likes. All boys do that.” she scolded him, tilting her head to the side and making the bells on the tassels around her signature buns jiggle as she did so. Contrary to Sakura’s expectations of snobbish rage, the brunette man simply let out a breath and crossed his arms. “Whatever, suit yourself.”
“Glad we agree.” she taunts him, Ino steps forward and claps her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Alright since we’re all here, why don’t we start going around the stall and enjoying the festival?” Sakura followed her lead, “Yeah let’s all go have fun!” she cheered, then turned to give Naruto a knowing look, “Let’s enjoy the evening with our friends, right Naruto?” Sakura taunted him. The blonde boy rubbed his nose with his thumb, taking up her challenge “Ya betcha!” Without a moment to hesitate, he took Hinata’s hand on his and gave her a charming smile. “C’mon Hinata-chan! Let’s go hang out and see who can get the most prizes!” The shy girl turned a deep red at his touch, she tried to stutter an answer but couldn’t bring herself to utter a sentence. Sakura laughed as she saw the excited blonde idiot pulling her poor friend to the nearest stall, she could see Neji’s forehead veins about to explode just seeing them leave together, but Tenten had her way of mellowing him out and distracting him with a few jokes.
That’s one couple.
Her green eyes turn to look at her right side, where Ino and her teammates were talking and making plans to what food stalls to see, and then to her left, where Sasuke was leaning on a pole and pretending not to hear the group of girls already forming around him and trying to get his attention.
Now, for the other one.
She felt the same knot over her chest again just at the thought of leaving them both alone, the heavy weight of having to finally concede for good and for the better. She shut her eyes closed, slapped her hands on her cheeks and steeled herself behind a smile. A promise was a promise, and she will see that her best and closest friend got her happy ending. Even if it is at her own expense.
Sakura was convinced someone in heaven enjoyed watching her suffer, it was the only explanation to her current situation. An hour after everyone had finally started looking around, their friends started to break off into their own groups: Tenten and Neji had wandered off in the same direction Naruto and Hinata had, Choji had dragged Shikamaru with him to every food stall available and Kiba had joined them to see who was able to eat the most food faster with Shino not too far behind. Lee had gotten back after a half hour of him trying to search for his present, but decided to just win her something off a game instead as an apology.
Enter Sasuke’s competitive streak and Ino’s knack for instigating situations. What started as a simple contest quickly developed into an all out match between both boys, however Sasuke-kun was Sasuke-kun. If Lee was able to catch three fishes from the goldfish scooping stall then Sasuke caught five. If Lee was able to get two out of three rings on the bottles then Sasuke got all three in one single throw. At first it was kinda funny and charming, now it was just boring seeing two guys trying to win a made up competition, Ino leaned her head on Sakura’s shoulder while sighing. “Do you think they would notice if we just went home without a word?”
Sakura leaned her head against the blonde, “Nope.” she answered mid bite of her dango, Ino pouted, “This sucks, Lee is totally ruining my chances at romancing the boy of my dreams!” Sakura could only nod, in a way she was grateful that nothing had happened yet, but she knew it would eventually happen. She let her eyes linger on the fan that adorned his back, the way his muscles moved below the fabric and the smirk on his lips as he yet again bested Lee at another game. The weight on her chest got heavier by the minute.
Guys like him, she looked at her bored blonde friend that was currently checking her manicure, belonged with pretty girls like her.
“Ugh, this sucks! I’m gonna get us more snacks or something, they're gonna be in this stupid stall for like ever!” Ino groaned, walking into the crowd and leaving her to babysit the guys by herself. Sakura laughed at her friend’s dramatic exit and waved at her, a minute or so later, both guys finally approached her “So, who won?” she asked.
Lee crossed his arms, “We have agreed to continue this battle another day since it’s becoming quite late and we are yet to even invite you ladies to join us in any games.” Sasuke simply smirked, “Hn.” Sakura laughed awkwardly, “Sure. Um, Ino-chan went to get a snack so we can-”
“By herself?! A lady should never wander alone when a gentleman accompanies her!” Lee exclaims, patting Sasuke’s shoulder “Do not worry, I will make sure your date comes back safe. I will be right back!” he declares and bolts away without waiting for an answer. Sakura laughs again, earning herself a stare from the Uchiha. “He’s… Something.”
“Indeed. I’m beginning to think he’s even more energetic than Naruto.”
Sasuke crosses his arms, this time with a sarcastic smile on his lips “Impossible, the loser can probably outlast a power generator.” She giggles, “Maybe.” a silence passes between them, she steals a glance and catches his eyes on her. Once again, she feels a blush appear on her face, “We should probably wait by a bench or something?”
“Probably.” he answers, walking the opposite way of where Ino and Lee went. “W-wait, where are you going?” she questions him while following his lead.
“To a bench.”
“But they won’t see us if we move!”
“Then they’re not looking hard enough.” he simply stated, sitting down on a bench that was further away from the crowds. Sakura took the seat next to him without another word, the lights of the lamps were not as overwhelming from where they were sitting so the stars in the sky looked bright and clear where they were. She could hear the sounds of crickets and the breeze was fresh and comforting. It was a beautiful moment.
“Sasuke-kun?”
“Hm?”
“Your injuries, are they better?” she timidly asked, unsure of why she needed to bring up that moment in the land of waves up again. It had been a long time since the event took place and he probably didn’t even remember the moment, she felt silly asking.
The raven haired boy looked at her with a calm stare, “Yes.”
Her emerald eyes lowered again and focused on the satchel on her lap, she smiled softly “That’s good.” she replied, then looked up at the night sky once more, “It’s really pretty tonight.”
His eyes lingered on her for a second, “It is.” Then they looked upwards into the night again. Another moment of silence fell on them and Sakura wished they could stay in this bubble of time. Sitting next to each and admiring the night sky together, no loud friends or confession waiting to happen. Just the two of them together, just for a second. It would be more than enough.
She felt a pair of warm fingers tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes darted to meet his surprised ones, like he had moved without realizing it. Her heart beat fast and loud, her cheeks were hot and her mouth was open but no words came from her. Sasuke moved his hand away quickly, his own face turning a light shade of pink with the tips of his ears matching. He was the first to look away, clearing his throat and looking the other direction and she shuffled away and pretended like she wasn’t going crazy from having him tuck her hair behind her ear.
“S-sorry.” he apologized quietly.
“No! No, it’s okay. It’s totally fine!” she hurriedly countered, “D-don’t worry-y about it.”
Sasuke bit his bottom lip, then turned to look back at her fully. “Sakura-”
“Sakura-chan! Sasuke-kun! Finally, I was beginning to think we would have to report you missing!” came the cheery voice of Ino from a few feet away, her wide smile not wavering while getting closer to the both of them. A wave of guilt washed over Sakura, she stood up quickly and walked to Ino with the best convincing smile she could muster. “Hey! What took you so long?”
Ino waved a perfectly manicured hand, “Nothing really, I was seeing what to get and I ran into your parents so we were chatting for a minute.” She pulls a box of baked goods from next to her, “Aaaaand~ I got us some sweets for everyone!”
Sakura nods, “That’s. Good.” Ino raises an eyebrow at her tone, “You okay Saku-chan?” The pinkette shakes her head, “Yeah! Totally. I thought Lee was with you?”
“No? Wait…” Ino looks behind Sakura and then back at her, pulling her close and whispering excitedly, “Ohmygod! You absolute angel, you got him alone! This is my chance, I’m gonna do it.” Ino hugs Sakura tightly and the weight on her chest increases, “S-sure.” she stammers as Ino lets go of her. Sasuke walks up to the pair and the air in her lungs seems like it's not enough. Before he can say anything, Sakura is already stepping away slowly, “I’m gonna go find Lee, he’s probably lost or something, and the fireworks are gonna start soon!.” she says, “I’ll see you guys later with the rest of the group!”
Ino nods, “Sure! We’ll catch up!” she answers. Sakura makes the mistake of looking at Sasuke again, his eyes asking her to stay and trying to see if she was okay. She turns and walks away before the first tear falls, and then her pace quickens.
She holds herself together until she turns into the alley and away from their line of view, and then she starts sprinting. Her sandals clack against the stone while she runs away from everything and towards a secluded part of the woods. Her tears fall just as quickly and her sobs overtake her as she aimlessly wanders away from everything until she’s out of breath. Sakura leans against the trunk of a tree and lets herself fall apart, her cries were ugly and her tears kept overflowing and the guilt just didn’t go away. Slowly she slides down and hugs her knees to her chest, looking up to the same night sky as before and feeling regret.
The sound of leaves moving caught her attention and she saw Lee walking her way cautiously, “Sakura-san?” She quickly whipped away her tears and fixed herself, “Lee! Hi! Sorry I didn’t hear you.” her sniffs interrupt her sentences and she tries to hide her feelings behind a pathetic smile. Lee just helped her up the floor quietly, leaving her to keep talking. “Did everyone gather for the fireworks already? I’m sorry I lost track of time, I was just walking.” her smile wavered, she took a breath to calm down but only tears flowed. “I- I was on my way-”.
He only looked at her, speaking softly “Sakura, are you okay?”
She looked into his wide worried eyes and her smile faltered, her knees gave out and he slowly let her fall to the ground with her tears coming back full force. She could only shake her head, words failing her and he could only let her cry on his shoulder while he rubbed circles on her back with comfort. They stayed like that for a while before Lee finally spoke, “Do you need another moment?” She shook her head no, “Okay.” and then he gingerly helped her up the floor and slowly walked her towards the rest of their group.
They walked in silence as she held his arm, “Sakura-san.”
“Hm?”
“I know I’ve been… pushy, with you. I apologize.”
She shakes her head again, he continued “I do like you… But you don’t like me back, right?” She waits a second, then nods once more. “It’s okay, really.” he huffs “Maybe we can try being friends, I promise I won’t keep pushing.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course, if you wanna talk I’ll be here for you. As a friend.”
“...Thank you.” and finally, she smiled. A couple minutes later and they both finally reached the festival again, she still hung onto his arm, not yet ready to take a step alone. Everyone had already reunited on their agreed meeting point for the fireworks and Lee immediately greeted his teammates. Kiba was the first to notice them, “Finally, I was beginning to think you guys left early.”
Lee chuckles in response, “Not at all! I would never miss the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful moments of our youth that our friendship can bring!” Sasuke was the first to walk up to the both of them, stopping when he noticed her grip on his arm. Lee gave her a reassuring smile and let her go to reunite with his group, Naruto caught up with Sasuke and gave Sakura a disapproving pout, “So, uh… what did ya’ do in the forest?”
She took a deep breath. “We talked.”
“Wait, did he ask you out? What’s up with everyone asking everyone out today in our team?” A swift kick on his back from Sasuke pushed him to the ground, “Who in their right mind would ask you out, deadlast loser.”
“OW! THAT HURT YA KNOW?!”
Sasuke gave him a menacing look, stuffing his hands inside his pockets and walking away from both of them. Ino tried to call him back but the Uchiha ignored her and disappeared in the crowd.
If it was any other day, Sakura would have gone after him and tried to calm him down. But if he was already spoken for, then she had no right to go after him.
And she wouldn’t do so.
This time, she would truly let him go.