𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘 𝐘𝐎𝐔.

Chapter XI - Emerald Eyes

"Sakura-chan, are you sure you're not hurt?" He asked, leaning over slightly.

The two were walking through the hallway near the entrance- Sakura had accepted an invite to a group dinner at Ichiraku ramen. The entire group was going to meet at around seven, and surprisingly, the pinkette was looking forward to it.

"Uh, yeah, I am." She responded, but it didn't seem like she was all there.

Sasuke was afraid of something that Sakura possessed- Was that why he'd done that back in the hallway? To check? But- that didn't make any sense. Whatever he was trying to do- she did not like it. She wasn't going to allow him to use her for his own benefit. If he needed something, he was going to have to ask for it, just like everyone else in the world.

"..You sure, Sakura? You're thinking of something." He stated.

Of course he noticed.

"I.." She didn't really want to say that she'd learned of something she probably should not have learned of, but she also really did not want to lie to her best friend, and tell him that nothing was wrong.

"I uh.. I guess I'm just thinking about Uchiha." She responded, in the most truthful way she could. She snuck a glance at Naruto, whose brows were knitted together slightly.

"Sakura-chan, I don't know if you should be doing that." He responded, shutting his mouth, and plastering on a small smile.

"I can't have both you and Sasuke thinking about each other, 'ttebayo."

- - - - -

"Choji, slow down!" The platinum-blond exclaimed, raising a hand up towards her childhood friend. Sakura smiled, nibbling on her own food. She was seated in the small restaurant, next to Naruto and Ino.

It was almost eight o'clock, the group had been eating and laughing together for almost an hour, and Sakura couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun.

Although she couldn't help stealing a glance over at the Uchiha every ten minutes. And as of now, he was eating at almost the same pace that she was, but he was smiling, too.

She had never seen him smile.

Before she hovered her gaze on him too long, she excused herself to the bathroom, standing up and acknowledging the nod Ino gave her. Naruto pointed in the direction of the bathrooms quickly, before heeding his attention to something Shikamaru was saying.

She walked towards the direction the blond pointed to, and round the corner, coming face to face with-

She couldn't help the small shriek that came out of her mouth.

red hair.

- - - - -

Sasuke glanced at his best friend, who was sitting in the same spot he had been sitting in, since they'd gotten there an hour ago. Yet, no matter how hard the blond tried to hide it, Sasuke still saw the strain to his smile- he'd noticed how long his best friend had been missing.

So, with that in mind, Sasuke had gotten up, and walked towards the bathrooms.

What he saw, he wasn't expecting in the slightest.

There she was, in all her glory, speaking with a black-haired girl, in which Sasuke remembered as someone from Iwa High.

Kurotsuchi.

He blinked, and before she could see him, he slipped away.

He shut his eyes, inhaling sharply. At least now he could go back and tell Naruto tha-