Chasing You

10. Curiosity killed the fox

It's a little cold outside.

In this dark forest...

And they should really find an inn- the nearest one being six miles. But the embers emitting from the small bonfire created a trail of what looked to be stardust in the sky... and it looks magical to him. The stardust momentarily distracts him from thoughts skewing his reality.

It's a little cold outside, and his mother's blue and orange scarf felt like it was choking his neck.

But the faint smell of cherries filled his nostrils as he buried his face deep within the warm wool... and he briefly wondered how, after all these years, a scarf so old could still carry a scent so new, evoking a strange sense of unfamiliar nostalgia.

It's a little- no... It's definitely cold outside, and he's currently on a mission. But he's distracted by words that fuel his thoughts into a raging fire which stains his cheeks red.

Or was it the frosty night air? The night that swallows his warmth until his toes and fingers go numb...

Nonetheless, he's distracted by words that make him feel...something.

Something that he buried deep inside of his mind, to the deepest depths so that hopefully, they could eventually fade away. Those thoughts...these unproclaimed feelings that make no sense to him.

They all start floating back to him. Little by little.

Her words...somehow managed their way in the chambers of his heart. They made him feel warm inside. Maybe a little too much-

"Naruto? What's wrong?"

He blinks and looks up towards the questioning pinkette. Her brow raised and her arms crossed. She was probably watching him for a while.

"You're unusually quiet this evening."

There's nothing wrong. At least not anymore. They didn't need to know that, though.

His nose pokes out from the striped scarf, the crisp air chilling his pores, and he shoots her a warm smile. "Nothin's wrong, Sakura-chan," he could see his breath in the cool air, "Just tryna warm up."

Sakura and Sai side-eye each other.

"We could camp out here for the night, or find an inn close by. I suggest finding an inn, though." Sakura says, rubbing her hands together.

The creation of their small bonfire separates him from their teammates. Towering trees loom over them on this starry night, small dark clouds create patches in the sky. He sits with his legs crossed, and his hands are buried in the opposite sleeves of his coat.

He huffs into the cool air.

"Very well. Before that, let's discuss the new location of where the bandits might be hiding" Sai starts, taking a scroll out of his bag. Naruto nods. But he's only partially listening.

He's trying to focus.

Really! He is...but his mind keeps swirling back to her and it makes him want to stop everything they're doing and run back to Konoha.

'I didn't mind the touching part.'

His eyebrows knotted into a frown.

Did she really think he would just drop it? Because he's not dropping it. Why would he?

He tried to forget about it. To forget about her and that sorrowful look on her face. Forget about her and that guilty edge to her voice. Because she wanted to forget about it. And he tried for her sake. Tried to steer his mind elsewhere but he couldn't stop himself. It was the only thing he could think about.