I Think I

Chapter 12:Denials All 'Round

"You're not in your oiroke no jutsu form – you're female?! That means – you're the one Sasuke-kun married?"

Naruto closed her eyes tightly, feeling extremely guilty at the sound of incredulity and betrayal in Sakura's voice. She dared not lift her eyes to face her friend.

"N-naruto? Please? Tell me you're not the one Sasuke-kun m-married?" Sakura's voice cracked.

Naruto took a deep breath and looked up, and cringed at seeing the half-hope and half-dread on Sakura's face. "I… I am married to Sasuke, Sakura-chan," she said softly, then hurriedly continued, "but it's for a mission! So that Sasuke can kill Itachi! Not because of anything else-"

SLAP!

Naruto's head bounced to the side and her cheek smarted painfully.

"You married Sasuke-kun? YOU MARRIED SASUKE-KUN?" Sakura started shouting. "How could you? You know I love him! Don't give crappy excuses about missions! How could you? You pretend to be a girl then you marry the man I love?"

Naruto tried to touch Sakura's arm. "I really am female, and I really did marry Sasuke because of a mission-"

"Oh my god! All these time you asked me out on dates! You sicko!" Sakura's eyes widened in disgusted shock, and she slapped Naruto's hand away. "You were in love with Sasuke-kun all that time, weren't you? That's why you worked so hard to get him back! How could you? You knew I loved him and yet you stole him away! You make me SICK!"

Naruto was getting desperate. "I didn't steal him away, Sakura-chan! I don't love him, it's for a mission-"

"Don't lie! And don't touch me, you vile bitch!" Sakura screamed and slapped Naruto again, face red from anger. "All this while I thought you were my friend! But you go behind my back and marry –MARRY!– the man I love! You bitch!"

"Sakura-chan," Naruto pleaded with tears in her eyes. "Please listen-"

"Don't Sakura-chan me, you bitch!" Sakura shouted. "You bakemono!"

Naruto immediately stiffened and a look of intense hurt crossed her face. Sakura almost felt guilty for calling Naruto the one thing that would hurt her like nothing else to hear coming out of a friend's mouth, but then the medic nin remembered that this female had married her Sasuke-kun. She backhanded Naruto hard, and quickly ran away with tears clouding her vision.

Naruto stood trembling, looking with unseeing eyes at her zori. The street had gone unusually silent and empty, and had been so since Sakura had first started shouting. But that wasn't foremost in her mind. Sakura had called her a monster, and accused her of stealing away Sasuke. Sakura had called her a monster and accused her of going behind her back. Sakura had called her a monster.

I am a bakemono, aren't I…

Salty drops of water dripped intermittently onto her zori, and Naruto squeezed her eyes shut.

"Naruto-sensei?" came a soft, hesitant whisper. Naruto reluctantly opened her eyes to see Eriko standing beside her, and Ichiro and Nichiro beside Eriko. All three had worried looks.

"Naruto-sensei? Daijoubu ka?" Eriko asked again. Naruto took in a shuddering breath and plastered on a smile.

"I'm fine, guys," she said, faking a mildly cheerful tone. "How much did you hear?"

"Only the last part, when that woman called you a bakemono, Keimei-sensei," Ichiro answered, then quickly added as he saw Naruto flinch at the word 'bakemono', "but you're not a monster, sensei. That woman was wrong."

"Ichiro's right!" Eriko added, and Nichiro nodded. Naruto managed a smile, touched by their concern despite the hurt heavy in her heart. She exhaled loudly.