“Sasuke….. I……. I…..”

For some reason, Sakura’s voice wouldn’t let her say what her mind was desperate to get rid of.              

How could she put these feelings into words?

It was all just too overwhelming.

How could she say that her heart had been crushed when Sasuke had left?

How could she say that her mind was desperately trying to get rid and block Sasuke but her heart was aching to keep him?

How could she put all of those words into an explanation?

Sasuke looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to reply, to explain things.

Tears were stinging her eyes.

Sasuke was curious and worried. Why was Sakura acting this way towards him?

When they were younger, Sakura ALWAYS spoke her mind. ALWAYS. There wasn’t anything she was afraid to say.

Sakura was so bold then.

Now she was quiet, shy, and mysterious and it was harder to tell what she was feeling.

Sasuke wanted to know so desperately what she was thinking.

Sakura looked away from him for the umpteenth time.

Sasuke didn’t like when she did that.

Then he wouldn’t be able to read her eyes.

“Sakura, tell me.”

Sakura hesitantly looked up at him.

“Sasuke…..I can’t tell you……I just…….,” here Sakura’s voice trailed off. She just couldn’t tell him; for some reason her heart wouldn’t let her.

Maybe it was trying to protect her from rejection or something even worse.

“Sakura, why can’t you tell me?”

Sakura had to come up with an excuse; she didn’t want to say anything that was on her mind just yet.

She did her best to put on a small smile and wiped her tears away. She pushed herself out of Sasuke’s arms. This time he didn’t stop her, but he sure didn’t like the empty feeling he got when he let her go.

“I can’t tell you because we have a contest to finish and there is a beach full of witnesses of what I was going to say.”

Sasuke grunted but looked around.

He didn’t buy Sakura’s excuse but he went with it anyways.

(A/N: I’m going to skip all the parts of the rest of the contest because of some contents and certain words that tokyopop wouldn’t like. I’m sure you can use your imagination to imagine what Sakura and Sasuke took pictures of against their will. If you need a reminder of what their task is, just go back to the scroll okay? I’ll stop talking now.)

When they had taken the last of the pictures, Sakura was uncomfortably placing the camera into her back pocket while muttering something that sounded like, “I swear, as soon as I get this contest over with, Jiraiya will need more than Tsunade-Sama to heal his broken bones and wounds.”

Sasuke had a microscopic blush on his face.

She looked uneasily over at Sasuke and said, “Lets head back to the festival and give these perverted pictures to him, I can’t stand them being in my pocket.”

Sasuke nodded and they both left the Hot Springs.

Their trip back to the festival was silent and full of tension.

Neither of them had forgotten how they were in each other’s arms on the beach. Sasuke hadn’t forgotten how perfectly she fitted into his body and Sakura hadn’t forgotten how she pained and ached for him but was afraid of his rejection.

When they had gotten back to the festival, they both raced to find Jiraiya.

When they had found him, they both glared at him until Jiraiya felt like there wre holes burning in his head.

“Uh, hey guys, did you enjoy the contest, heheheheheh.”

Sakura narrowed her eyes and quicker than anyone could stop her, she had grabbed Jiraiya’s collar and slammed him against the wall of the nearest building.

“Jiraiya you perverted, bastard. DO YOU EVER FREAKING LEARN? WHAT KIND OF CONTEST WAS THAT? I’M GOING TO BREAK EVERY PERVERTED BONE IN YOU FREAKING BODY DO YOU HEAR ME JIRAIYA?”

Oh boy, Sakura was pissed off. This was sure as hell not good. Sasuke was taken aback. Sakura was kinda hot and intimidating when she was mad.

Jiraiya looked over at Sasuke for help.

Sasuke just smirked and sat back while Sakura started beating the crap of Jiraiya. Sakura got in a few good punches when she stopped and grabbed the camera out of her pocket and threw at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya saw it and Sasuke could have sworn he saw a gleam in his eyes. Jiraiya caught the camera and held it like it was the most important thing in the world.

Sasuke was disgusted and saw that Sakura was obviously thinking the same thing.

As Sakura turned began to walk back to Sasuke, they heard a stampede of running ninjas coming towards Jiraiya.

Sakura started laughing when Ten-Ten, Ino, Hinata and so many other girls started beating the freaking hell out of Jiraiya.

The guys just hung back with Sasuke, afraid for their lives if they even tried to stop the girls.

Sakura didn’t join her friends; she had her revenge on Jiraiya and was ready to go get a good spot for the fireworks. It was getting dark and everyone was starting to gather at the center of the festivals to see the fireworks.

It took almost 5 minutes for the girls to get bored and return back to their partners.

Neji stood next to Sasuke and smirked when he saw the longing look Sasuke gave Sakura.

“So has the Great Uchiha finally given in to having feelings for a certain pink-haired girl?”

This time Sasuke didn’t even come up with a smart reply, he just glared at Neji and looked away.

Neji noticed the change in behavior and backed off. He knew how it felt to be in Sasuke’s position.

As Neji opened his arms for a tired Ten-Ten to lean into, Sasuke couldn’t help but want Sakura by his side at the moment.

Sakura was talking to Ino and Shikamaru but left them when Ino and Shikamaru decided to go get a spot to sit for the fireworks.

Eventually she found her way to Sasuke again and smiled a hollow smile at him.

Sasuke, again grimaced when he saw that Sakura was still unhappy.

“Sasuke, lets go get a good spot to watch the fireworks okay?”

Sasuke followed her but he wasn’t giving up. He still wanted to know why she was so unhappy.

He still wanted to know why she acted so distant to him.

As Sakura stopped and picked a place for them to stand and have a good view of the fireworks, Sasuke grabbed Sakura’s wrist and said, “Sakura, stop.”

She did and turned to look at her wrist that was wrapped in Sasuke’s hand.

Sasuke didn’t hesitate to pull Sakura into his arms again. He felt complete when she was there.

Sakura’s eyes widened and then they suddenly began to look pain-filled again.

Sakura was shocked and her heart was pounding. Her body ached and she could feel the tears coming back to her emerald green eyes again.

“Sasuke, please, don’t make me do this. It hurts.”

Sasuke frowned a bit in concern, “Sakura, tell me, what’s wrong?”

Her tears were building up and she bit her lip.

Sasuke wrapped his arms tighter around her waist.

At the feeling of being closer to him, Sakura’s tears fell.

“Sasuke……I’m afraid…”

Sasuke and Sakura were so close that Sakura could feel his warm breathe on her skind.

“Afraid of what…?”

Sakura debated with herself trying to see if she should tell him everything.

Sakura didn’t want to tell him, afraid that he would reject her.

But if she didn’t tell him then she would have to live with the pain that was eating at her inside.

Sakura took a slow breathe and avoided looking into Sasuke’s eyes.

“I’m afraid of……..of…….being hurt.”

Sasuke didn’t say anything, he just waited for her to continue.

“I’m afraid of………the pain that wells up in me for all these years.”

Sasuke felt his heart tighten up when Sakura let out a small sob that shook her body.

He held her tighter against him.

Sakura clung to Sasuke, afraid of losing him.

“Sasuke, I’m afraid of loving you. I’m afraid of being rejected by you. My heart can’t take it anymore. My mind just can’t cope with it. I can’t let myself be tortured like this anymore. I DON’T WANT TO LOVE YOU ANYMORE!”

Sasuke flinched at her words.

He was the cause of all her pain?

Sakura just cried into him. She clung onto him like he was her lifeline and Sasuke didn’t mind.

He wanted to repair all the damage that he has done to her.

He lowered his face until his lips were just at her ear.

Sakura just kept crying.

“Sakura, you don’t mean that. You don’t mean that you don’t want to love me anymore.”

Sakura’s voice was barely audible, “Yes Sasuke, I do mean it. I don’t want to love you anymore, but for some reason I can’t let go of you. I DO love you, but maybe against my will.”

Sasuke smiled at this answer. So she still did have feelings for him.

“Sakura do you know why I act the way I do? Why I act so cold and distant to you?”

Sakura slowly shook her head but never looked up at Sasuke.

“He lowered his voice so that only Sakura could hear.

“Because I love you.”

Sakura froze.

Did she just hear what she thought she heard?

Did Sasuke Uchiha just say he loved her?

She couldn’t’ make sense of anything. If he loved her then why did he always ignore her?

As if he read her mind he said, “I acted like that like that because I wanted to protect you.”

When Sakura had found her voice she asked, “Protect me?”

Sasuke gave her a rare smiled and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and wiped away her tears.

“Yes, to protect you from Itachi. Can you imagine what he would do to you if He found out I loved you? He’d kill you, torture you and take you for himself.”

Sasuke’s eyes saddened and Sakura could see how much he cared for her.

“And would you let him have me Sasuke? Would you?”

Sasuke sighed, “No, I wouldn’t. I don’t think I could live on this planet if he ever had you by his side. Or even worse killed you or caused you any pain. I would know that it would be my fault for ever loving you.”

Sakura panicked. “No Sasuke, don’t. Don’t say that ever. Please!”

Sasuke raised and eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because, I can’t stand the thought of you leaving me again, please, don’t.”

Sakura looked hard at her. Right into her emerald eyes.

“Sakura, you do understand that wanting me as much as I love you is dangerous for your life right? I don’t think I want to risk you. Even if it means I suffer myself.

Sakura looked straight into his onyx eyes.

“I know what’s at risk Sasuke. I love you. I’m willing to risk everything.”

With those words Sasuke captured Sakura’s sweet lips and kissed her long and hard.

Sakura immediately responded. She laced her arms around his neck and her hands found their way up to his black hair. Her back arched into him and her body bent back as Sasuke pulled her in close.

One of Sasuke’s arms was tightly wrapped around Sakura’s waist while his other hand trailed along her face, her collar bone, her neck, her shoulders, and her back.

Wherever Sasuke’s fingers trailed, Sakura felt like a trail of fire was burning on her skin.

Sakura tasted sweet and warm and Sasuke couldn’t let her go. No, he WOULDN’T let her go.

The fireworks had started when their lips met. Everything was perfect.

The passion in their kiss was unbelievably strong.

When they both broke apart for air, Sakura smiled.

She TRULY smiled that smile that warmed Sasuke’s heart. The one that brightened his day.

Sasuke was breathing heavily but he leaned down to kiss Sakura on her lips again.

This time it was just a short kiss. There was no tongue involved. When he pulled away his husky voice whispered, “Sakura, you are mine, don’t you ever forget that now. Don’t you ever dare get yourself hurt. If you leave me, I don’t think I could cope.”

Sakura buried her face into the crook of his neck and just said, “I’ll never forget. I’m yours. I’ll never leave you as long as you love me.”

Sasuke smiled, “Good.”

Together, they watched the fireworks, but Sasuke never let Sakura out of his arms.

Sakura didn’t mind, she felt protected. Safe. Loved.