"I'll give you an original gold ring once we get married. For now, keep this."
There was a different feeling inside her stomach. Was it uneasiness? Was she nervous? Scared? Hurt? Happy? Confused? Dazed? Waves of mixed emotions became evident in her emerald eyes. She can't even speak. She can't even process this. All she did was look at the man in front of her while her heart throbbed harshly on her chest.
All of a sudden, Sakura's hand reached for the other, unconsciously touching the ring that she always wore. Without breaking her eye-contact with him, she parted her lips to talk. However, not even a word came out. Everything seemed to be happening so fast and there was only a single thing in her mind right now; she wanted him back.
And now, here he is.
Everyone stood quiet. No one uttered a word. Everybody's eyes were focused on the pink-headed employee and the raven-haired supervisor, waiting for them to make movements.
"S-Sasuke," she didn't know where she manage to get the strength to call him, to say his name again with him personally listening to her voice. It felt different with him around, unlike those times that she kept calling his name although it was impossible that he would hear her.
The corner of her eyes heated up. Hot tears threatened to spill any moment, in shock and perhaps happiness as well. She waited for this day to come and at long last, he finally decided to show himself. No, at this moment she cared less. Sakura didn't want to hear his explanation anymore, she just wanted to walk forward, scoop him into a tight hug until the day ends. She wanted to feel the familiar heat of his arms, smell his scent, and hear his low voice that seemed to be music for her- she missed him, a lot.
Only now did she realize how much she loves this man- too much that it became crazy and forbidden. This raven-haired man completely filled her heart that there was no space left anymore. It was scary... it was scary because her love was too big, too much.
The pinkette didn't have a slight idea where she was getting all the confidence to muster up her courage. Although slowly, Sakura decided to come near, but her foot automatically froze when her eyes landed to Sasuke's hand.
Sasuke's hand that was intertwined with someone else's.
She felt her body immediately getting numb just because of that. Her knees trembled, her lips quivered and she could barely keep her tears. Her heart died, she was sure. It was like everything around her disappeared and all she could see was him, and this painful, confusing scene. She could not speak, it was as if she was mute.
Why can't she look away? This was painful. It scratched and brought bruises on her heart. But why, why can't she just turn around? Why was she watching?
However, attempting to run away and escape this would be meaningless. She was frozen.
And to sum it all up, she despised the person who was currently holding Sasuke's hand.
She didn't want to make any inaccurate conclusions and stupid assumptions but considering that Sasuke was letting her touch him, it made her heart ache even more. Tightly shutting her eyes, she tried to calm herself.
But no matter how she tried to make another movement, her name always popped into Sakura's head.
Karin.
Was the pinkette too carried away? Was she careless and gullible? Was she too blind to notice that Karin was acting strange? No, she did not really show any signs of what her plans are. All she did was enter the Uchiha Corp., and surely that was her first step.
She watched as a smirk crossed the red-haired's features as she tightened her hold onto the ravenette. "You're late, Sakura." Karin stated with a devilish look on her face.
Instead of averting her attention to the female Uzumaki, Sakura just focused on Sasuke. How she missed staring at those features... she loved him too damn much. Suddenly, her eyes clashed with his onyx ones and she silently gasp upon seeing the coldness hiding in those.
Where was the love in those eyes?
Where was the concern?
The care... where is it?
It was all gone. There wasn't even a glint of happiness in those onyx orbs. The way he looked at the his employees were the same but for Sakura, the moment he laid his eyes on her, she knew that he was no longer the Sasuke she knew.
His eyes showed enough proof that he completely lost interest with her.
Even so, with that conclusion, it didn't stop the pinkette from being an optimist. Perhaps he was just shocked, or maybe the fault was on her side. What if she was just overreacting? What if Sasuke still had his warm gaze and Sakura was just being stupid again because of this peculiar scene?
She wanted to call his name again. She wanted to reach him, to slap Karin's hand away and be the one to hold his warm hand. What was he doing, why wasn't he making any reactions towards the red-head? Why was he allowing her to touch him?
No, I don't want to conclude anything. I love him. And he feels the same. I know it. I felt it.
But what was there to conclude, anyways? She was seeing this with her own eyes- what should be the excuse? He was looking at her, coldly, with another woman who had her fingers interlaced with his. Would it be a wrong assumption if she thinks that Sasuke cheated? Would it be considered as an impossible conclusion?
Still, no matter how many negative things entered her head, there was one thing that glowed in her mind.
I love him.
She loves him, very, very much-that she can't even pay attention to what's happening. Her mind was set to all the questions she wants to ask him, she was disregarding everything that she was seeing because of that.
The Uchiha started to walk towards the elevator, with Karin trailing behind him. The pinkette stared at his figure, still frozen on spot.
I want to go with him. I want to speak with him. I love him. Too much. He loves me. He loves me, I know it.
She kept repeating those words mentally. Finally, she let her hot tears fall, with everyone witnessing how the clear liquid streamed down her pale face. And then she realized, she was convincing herself. She was convincing herself that he loves her as much as she does, but in reality he can't even send him that sweet smile that he used to give her.
Don't you love me anymore, Sasuke?
***
"Where are you going?" Minato asked upon seeing his son who was about to leave the office.
The younger one heaved a sigh while fixing his tie with one hand. "I'm just... I just have to take care of something. I'll be back in an hour or so, don't worry-"
"I don't mean to invade your privacy, but this is about Sakura, isn't it?" He cut him off, observing his reaction afterwards. Naruto looked away with his eyebrows still knitted.
Minato gazed at him with sad eyes. He placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze which made him look up.
"Listen, son, I know you're concered for her and you care deeply about her. I am aware that you don't want to see her getting hurt," Minato said while staring into his child's cerulean eyes. "I care for her, too. But I care for you more. I know that whenever you try protecting her, you're the one who ends up getting hurt. I don't know what happened between you and Sasuke, I just saw him walking out of the company earlier with a displeased look. All I want to tell you is, take care of your heart. It's okay to protect Sakura but protect yourself from the pain, too."
Naruto closed his eyes tightly. Every word that his father released pricked his heart like a needle. Minato knew that Naruto was chasing pain; everytime he tries to make Sakura happy, the bigger the chance for him to get hurt. Clearly, the pinkette will still choose Sasuke in the end, and Naruto will break. That's why Minato wanted him to save a tiny amount of love for himself.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and smiled at Minato. His expression showed sorrow as he spoke. "I am more willing to let her break me. All I want is for her to be happy. As long as she has a smile, then I'll be glad no matter how bad the circumstances are."
His father exhaled and brought down his hand. It was no use, Naruto loves her so much. "I just want you to know that your mother and I will always be here for you."
"Yes, I know that, Dad." He nodded. "Thank you."
***
The sound of cries engulfed the restroom. Tenten continued to endure listening to those painful noises outside; she understood very well that her friend needed privacy.
"S-Sakura? You okay? Do you need tissues or anything?" The brunette asked in a gentle tone while pressing her ear against the door. At first, she was reluctant since negative thoughts of Sakura came inside her head but she should have known better. Sakura is a strong lady.
The cries suddenly disappeared and the door opened. Tenten stared at the pinkette's pain-filled expression. Her eyes were swollen, her lips were pale, her cheeks were wet. She was miserable.
Tenten could not understand Sasuke's actions either. He didn't even speak to her like she expected him to, and to top it all up, he was letting Karin hold his damn hand!
Everyone was left with confused and furious reactions. They were either annoyed with their boss, or with the red-head.
"I... I want to speak to him, Tenten," Sakura announced. "Even for just a minute, I want to hear his side."
The brunette didn't react. Her blood was boiling whenever she remembered how the Uchiha ignored Sakura's presence. Tenten completely lost her respect for him. He was trash. He was a bastard. He didn't deserve Sakura.
"P-Please, Tenten, let me talk to him. I want clarifications. I want his reasons."
"Would his reasons be enough, though?" She remarked. "Sakura, I know that at times like this, people should know how to look on both sides. But what would you get if you look and listen to his side? Would your heart heal? Or would be shatter more?"
The pinkette listened as Tenten emphasized every line. Her tears poured again, as her lips trembled.
"I'm dying to know the truth," she said in between sobs. "I want him to say sorry, to tell me that-"
"NO!" Sakura was immediately shocked when the brown-haired woman yelled furiously. "Sakura, are you hearing yourself? What kind of person have you become? Is this what love caused you? Are you this stupid to say those things?!"
The pinkette was taken aback with her friend's sudden action. She wanted to talk back, to counter and explain her point but she could not speak. Again, it was like she has gone mute.
"Sakura..." Tenten called as a tear rolled down her cheek. "For goddamn's sake, this is the truth! This is reality! This is the cruel world! This isn't some fairytale, and hell, this is not a scripted television drama! You want to know the truth? This is the truth. The truth is, he's an ass! He cheated! He fucking abandoned you for that fucking red-head! He is a jerk! He does not deserve you!"
Sakura started to shake. This was the first time she saw Tenten this angry, her eyes were burning in aggravation. Desperately, she cupped her ears, trying to prevent herself from hearing Tenten's words.
In response, Tenten slapped her hand away and grabbed her shoulders. "Are you blind, Sakura?! Can't you see how wide and malicious Karin's smirk appeared earlier?! That is enough proof to say that Sasuke is unfaithful to you! And now tell me, why do you want to hear his side? Do you want to hurt yourself more? Do you enjoy getting embarrassed? Tell me! Do you like it when he stares at you with those cold eyes?! Well fuck! You are so stupid!"
"S-Stop..." Sakura cried, trying to free herself from the brunette's grasp.
"No, listen to me." Tenten ordered as tears poured down her face. "You want clarifications? What if he clarifies that he does not want you anymore? You want to know his reasons? Bullshit! You are so desperate, Sakura! You are so blind! You are so gullible! You are too soft! Stop it, stop caring for him! Stop loving him! He does not love you! Do you understand?!"
This time, Sakura broke down. Her knees fell while weeping. Tenten sat down, letting go of her.
"I just- I... I was.. I love... I love him. So, so much..."
Tenten wrapped her arms around the pinkette, gently rubbing circles on her back.
"Sshh," she closed her eyes. "I know, I know... I'm sorry, Sakura."
*****
A/N
Holy crap what did I just write?
But I love the Tenten-Sakura scene. ;^;
I have everything under control, no worries. Just remember that I love happy endings :)
And also remember that I'm that type of author who likes it when her readers cry
Ooops.
I didn't edit this so I'm sorry if you find some mistakes. ^^' Next chapter will have more Sasuke appearance. Lol
Thanks for reading! :)
~PBPink