[The next day...]
Ayuda's P.O.V
I was strolling down the streets of Konoha aimlessly when something sparkly entered my vision. I briskly halted and, with eyes shimmering with enthusiasm, strode closer to a jewelry shop's window.
An elegant necklace was displayed in all its glory on the other side of the window. I have never seen anyone wearing such beautiful necklace and I would be very proud to be the first ones to wear it in Konoha. Being the spoiled, wealthy girl I was, I had an almost irresistible urge to snatch it and put it around my neck right then and there. I darted my eyes to the price tag beside it. There were 'Limited Edition' words embedded on the tag and beneath it was the price. My eyes popped wide open as soon as I registered its number. It's not exactly pricey; in fact, it was cheaper than I thought, but...
I didn't bring enough money with me at that time so of course, I couldn't buy it right away. I let out a disgruntled sigh. I guess I have to buy it the next few days... if it's still available, though. I know I could go home right now and borrow money from my parents and then return here and buy the necklace, but I couldn't do that today because...
"Oi."
Flabbergasted by how close the voice was to my right ear, I whipped around in alert and stared open-mouthed at the owner of the said voice. It was Sasuke, of course. I figured out it was him even before I spun around because his alluring voice was so plainly different than everyone else's voice. It's something that can only be heard from him and only him. His voice was one of a kind.
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and cast his eyes to the jewelry shop behind me, "What were you staring at?"
I gave a nonchalant shrug, "It's nothing."
"Were you staring on that necklace?" he shifted his gaze in the direction of the necklace I was admiring at.
I breathed out a dispirited sigh and answered truthfully, "Yeah, but I don't have enough money with me right now so I just let it go."
Sasuke brought his eyes from the necklace to me, "That thing is at a massive discount. Why don't you go back home and get the required amount of money and return here right away?"
"Well, I can't buy it today... not now because..." I paused to heave another disappointed sigh, "...I have to get ready to leave the village tomorrow."
I shot my eyes to his face, wondering what his reaction would be. His face remained indifferent but his eyes were gleaming with mild shock and interest, and then he quizzed, "Where to?"
I elucidated, "My father, the head of the Makino family, has arranged a meeting with someone important at a small village that is located not far from here. He asked Reina to go there as his substitute since he has something to do here and told me to tag along. I'm supposed to pack things now, but I just want to stroll around the streets for a while before I depart tomorrow."
The boy before me shoved his hands into his pockets. I've read a book about body language before and in the book it revealed that if one person does this action, then it means that the said person has something he/she keeps a secret about. Just as I began pondering on what it was that Sasuke didn't want to tell me, the same boy parted his mouth to inquire me, "When will you return then?"
I directed my purple orbs skyward, displaying my way of searching the answer in my head, "Hmm... probably tomorrow, if everything goes well."
"So it's just you and Reina?" he queried, "Are there any bodyguard to protect you on your journey?"
I chuckled, slightly amused, "Yes and no. We don't need bodyguards because we are strong enough to protect ourselves, especially Reina. She's stronger than you expect. This is not the first time we ventured out to attend a meeting outside the village, so it will be fine."
The ravenette nodded his head, showing that he fully understood, "Hn."
Just like that, an edgy atmosphere started permeating the air around us. The two of us averted our gazes, looking anywhere but one another's faces. At first, I began to wonder why I suddenly felt awkward around Sasuke because I thought we had gotten closer to the point that there is no awkwardness in between us. Just as I began ruminating on it, my mind recalled the incident last night.
***
The final words that came from the deepest part of my mind seemed to have knocked some sense into me. I focused my attention on Sasuke who was still clearly visible in my eyesight but was getting farther and farther away from me. I wasted no time and immediately called him, "Hey, Sasuke!"
After a much needed tranquil silence, I finally managed to steady my nerves. Staring back into Sasuke's eyes, my lips quirked upwards in a beatific smile, "I hate you too."
***
I... I confessed to him... And because of that, we're back to being awkward around each other again! I'm starting to regret confessing to him last night... This is why I was hesitating to confess to him last night! I don't want us both being edgy around one another after that confession! But... putting that aside... a huge part of me told me that it was the right thing to do. But... we're back being awkward again... Ugh, this whole thing is so confusing...
"What are you thinking?"
I cast my eyes upward to meet the Uchiha's unwavering stare. The way he set his eyes on me was as if he was striving to dig into my mind through my eyes, searching for the answer with his burning gaze. My cheeks scorched with embarrassment as he scanned my entire face. It was then that I realized that we have been staring at each other for what seemed like hours in the crowded streets of Konoha.
I tore my eyes away from his face timorously and responded to his question a little too quickly, "It's nothing!"
His steady gaze lingered on my face with an inscrutable look masking his enticing visage. I began to move restlessly on the spot as I threw my eyes everywhere but him. There was something in his gaze that could turn me into a mousy little girl like Hinata. He's the third person who had such an effect on me. The first and second ones were my father and mother, and in their case, they would turn me into a terrified midget.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Sasuke surveying me without blinking even once. Since I couldn't bear any longer of fidgeting under his intense gaze, I finally shot my eyes up to lock our gazes together and asked with a strong yet polite voice, "What is it?"
"I need to talk to you about something," he said.
With those several words, the jittery feelings from before - which I thought have already been eradicated since the moment I looked up to meet his gaze daringly - emerged back into my entire being. The undaunted emotion I had just now vanished in a flash. A gush of perturbation coursed through my veins as I mused on what he said: Oh no. Is he going to ask me about my confession last night? Maybe a rejection?!
"I know that this question is kind of inappropriate to ask you, especially when you have an arranged marriage between you and another boy... but I hope you consider this first. Would you..." he abruptly paused and yanked his gaze away from looking directly at me. I blinked my eyes a few times, plainly puzzled at the sudden change in his behavior. It was then that I spotted a bright reddish hue blossoming on his cheeks. I was no longer unsettled; instead, I became bemused. He's blushing... but why?
I possessed enough patience to wait for him to gather himself and complete his question that he wanted to ask me. I swear if he says "it's nothing", I would be pretty upset and demand him to tell me what it is. I won't let him escape until I get what I want.
It took him ten seconds to pull himself together and turn his eyes back to my face. The red glow on his cheeks dissipated steadily until there was only a pale hue of red left. A sigh slipped out of his mouth before he spoke in a firm, unfaltering voice, "Would you like to be-"
"There you are!"
Reina's voice made us both jump out of our skins. I sharply turned my head to the right since her voice came from there. Reina's tall figure entered my vision. Her foot thumped against the ground steadily and hence creating rhythmic footfall as she jogged in a leisurely manner towards us two. I could see Sasuke shifted uncomfortably from the corner of my eye but I paid no heed to him, for I was more focused on the reason why my sister was here.
When she reached us, she spoke, "I've been looking everywhere for you, Yuda-chan. You haven't finished packing yet for tomorrow's departure. You know that we have to leave this village in the early morning tomorrow."
I wore a rueful smile, displaying it especially for her, as I responded nicely, "I'm sorry, Reina-oneesan, but I just wanted to explore this village for a while before we depart tomorrow."
Well, to be honest, I went out to find Sasuke. I need to see him before we leave tomorrow.
Reina huffed, "Is that so...?" she then regarded Sasuke with a warm smile, "Hello, Sasuke. It's been a while since we talked. How are you?"
Sasuke nodded his head with a vacant expression, "I'm doing fine. Ayuda just told me about your meeting at a nearby village. Is it really safe for you two to venture out there without any bodyguard?"
Reina threw a big grin at the ravenette, "We'll be fine, Sasuke! You don't have to worry about us, especially Ayuda. Hehehe!" she started nudging the boy with her elbow, "You know what I mean, right, right?"
Sasuke, knowing exactly what my sister meant, began blushing on the spot, "J-just keep quiet!"
Reina giggled and glanced at me with mischief twinkling in her brown eyes. She must've thought that I didn't know what she was implying about, when in fact, I did. She was indeed teasing Sasuke about his feelings for me and - since he already confessed to me in an indirect way - I immediately got the message. However, pink blushes did not make it to my cheeks for I was confounded. How does she know about his affection for me?
"Well, I'll get going now," Reina said, "Ayuda, I will give you a little time to say goodbye to Sasuke, and after that, you must return home straight away. We have a lot of work to do today."
"Alright, oneesan," I responded softly.
After saying goodbye to Sasuke, Reina leapt into the air and hastened back to our house. I spun around to look at the Uchiha boy, who was already staring at me blankly, and asked, "What was it that you wanted to tell me? Before Reina interrupted us, I mean."
The look on his face was something that he usually wore whenever he was contemplating hard about a certain thing - which means that in this case, he was ruminating on whether or not he should answer my question. I sensed his reluctance to speak almost so easily. It was then that I got a big feeling that he wouldn't tell me what it was.
And I wasn't wrong after all. A tiny smile curved his pale lips as he told me, "I will tell you after you return home from the meeting."
A look of disappointment graced my features that instant and, without concealing my disheartened expression, I queried with a soft yet demanding voice, "Why can't you tell me now?"
Sasuke's smile broadened when he noticed my unhappy appearance, "Don't make such a sad face. I will tell you what it is when you return. So wipe that sad look off of your face already."
I did not obey him like he asked me to, instead, I proffered, "You promise?"
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and his smile dropped almost immediately, "Huh?"
This time, I spoke with a clear voice, "Will you promise me that you will tell me what it is when I come back here?"
He stared at me deep in the eye with no smile and with his eyebrows relaxed and with his eyes widened than usual. He was plainly shocked to hear those words coming out of me and uttered them to him. And this might sound ridiculous but his facial expression also delivered the message that he was touched as well. After a few seconds of recovering his poise back, he answered with a genuine, soft smile, "I promise."