Tension is lingering in the air. She didn’t know why, but she could feel it so strongly. It was so thick and intense that she could feel her insides clench so tightly that it actually hurts!

With a look of determination on her face, she let out a battle cry before directing the most powerful punch that she could muster against Lee’s palm. She grinned in proud satisfaction when she saw his smile falter for a few seconds, his eyebrows narrowing for a bit. Finally! Her punch was getting into him! She couldn’t help but feel proud of herself!

“Great job, Sakura-san!” He exclaimed happily with that usual toothy smile plastered on his face even if his hand became quite sore from receiving that blow. “That punch was plain excellent!”

“Thanks, Lee-san.” Sakura smiled, her face beaming. However, just like before, her happiness only lasted for a few seconds. Her anxiety grew stronger, and she has this sudden urge to go right ahead and panic in front of Lee.

Sakura has no idea why she’s feeling so nervous. There’s just no logical reason for her to get so uneasy like this! The morning is sunny and beautiful, the forest lively and bustling with cheerful animals, and most of all, her skills are improving! Instead of being happy and thankful for the pleasant day, she keeps on worrying about nothing!

Just what is wrong with her anyway?

“Sakura-san?” Lee waved a hand in front of her face, disturbing her train of thoughts. “Are you all right, Sakura-san?” The worried look that Lee sent her way made her want to yell at herself for acting stupidly. Why was she feeling so nervous? Surely if there’s any danger, Lee would be the first one to sense it. But the fact is, Lee doesn’t look uncomfortable at all. Once again, she tried to convince herself that nothing’s wrong. She’s probably just tired that’s all.

“Y-Yeah… I’m okay.” She blurted out and mentally slapped herself for stuttering like that. Now she looked even more stupid. She noticed Lee frown for a bit before nodding at her with a smile.

“Okay, Sakura-san. If you say so… If you want, we could rest for a while.” He offered politely and as gentlemanly as ever. Much to Sakura’s surprise, Lee gently laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it a bit as if to tell her that whatever problems that she’s currently facing would turn out all right in the end.

“Uhh…” Before she could say something, the tension began to grow...

...and aloud crack was heard on the other side of the forest.

Sasukehad planted a powerful kick against thedummy’s side. The force of his kick made a large dent on the unfortunate dummy’s body. Sakura watched in mild fascination as he pulled back before throwing a punch on the dummy with a determined look on his handsome face. She would have stared at him for a few moments longer if only he didn’t stopped in his tracks and directed his sharp gaze at her. The strength of his gaze made her want to tear her eyes away from him in nervousness.

Sakura’s heart began to beat wildly against her chest. There was something in that look that made her cheeks burn as if they were on fire.

For a strange moment… Sakura felt like she had seen that look somewhere before… and there was this odd feeling that told her that it didn’t stop there… like he did something more…

A sudden headache jolted her out of her thoughts, making her flinch inwardly in pain. Soon enough, the memories faded away, leaving her to ponder if they were just dreams or not.

She decided that she must have been hallucinating.

But… why does he keep on looking at me like that…? Sakura mentally asked herself with a frown on her usually smiling face. Sasuke had been like this for the past few weeks and it’s starting to really bother her. She wanted to ask why, but as usual, she didn’t have the courage to come right out and ask it. Before, Sasuke rarely glances her way, and if he did, he did it for one reason or another.

But now… she sometimes catches him looking at her for no reason at all.

To make things even more interesting, there was this one time that even Naruto, the ever so clueless fox boy, managed to catch him stealing glances at her every so often. And when Naruto busted him, Sasuke had reacted so violently that he sent the unfortunate blonde flying over the bridge and splashing down to the river.

To say that Sakura was shocked that time would be the biggest understatement of the year. Even Naruto, whose big mouth usually explodes into a fountain of curses and complains whenever Sasuke beats him on something may it be physically or verbally, was speechless for once.

Okay… so maybe it was only for a few seconds. But considering that it’s Naruto we’re talking about here. He would have lunged at Sasuke in a blink of an eye for making a fool out of him!

Maybe… Inner-Sakura came alive again inside Sakura’s mind. He’s finally fixated on you.

The idea wasn’t exactly foreign to Sakura, but she does have a hard time believing it. Uchiha Sasuke? THE Uchiha Sasuke attracted to her?

For her, it was already a known fact that Sasuke would never like her in a way that’s more than friendship. The guy is an avenger. He only thinks of his revenge and how he could get even stronger in order to defeat his brother. He would never see her in a way that she wants him to see her…

Although… a part of her still couldn’t help but rejoice at the possibility that Sasuke MIGHT be feeling something deeper for her from the way his onyx eyes stare at her every time. Sakura found herself clinging to that hope.

“Umm… Sakura-san…” Once again, Lee broke the thoughts that constantly kept on drifting to a certain dark-haired enigma.

“Ah!” She exclaimed in surprise as she immediately tore her eyes away from Sasuke. She forced herself to chuckle in hopes that Lee wouldn’t suspect anything. “Right, Lee-san… Uhh… what were you saying again?” She asked, mentally scolding herself for forgetting that Lee was here with her.

She watched him shake his head before he let out a deep sigh. “Sakura-san…” He started, his voice hurting. It made Sakura feel like she’s the most terrible girl in the whole world. “I can’t train you if you’re distracted. What’s wrong? Maybe I can help?” He offered with a smile, his hand still gently gripping her shoulder.

Sakura bit her lip. She could feel her anxiety growing even worse. In fact, the intensity of it was enough to choke her to death! Lee-san! Can’t you feel anything? I think we’re in deep trouble here…! She thought about saying those words out loud, but she found her mouth refusing to cooperate. Can’t he sense the ever-growing tensionaround them? Sakura could swear that she’s already seeing angry sparks dancingin front of her eyes!

Why is it that Lee can’t feel any of it at all?

“Is it Sasuke-kun?” Lee suddenly said, his voice sounding even more hurt.

Sasuke-kun…? Sakura thought in surprise, obviously not understanding what Lee’s question actually meant. Sasuke’s the cause of all her nervousness? Well… his stares ARE a bit unnerving, but this tension that keeps on loitering in the air couldn’t possibly be his doing! His stares don’t scare her this much! Whoever or whatever creates this uncomfortable atmosphere is downright angry about something, and Sasuke doesn’t seem to have a reason to be angry.

Or… does he?

Sakura couldn’t think of a reason for himtobe angry. It’s not like she’s bothering him or anything, after all!

But then, if it isn’t him… who else could it be? Orochimaru doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the area. And if he was, then there would be war!

But if neither Sasuke nor Orochimaru is creating this uneasy atmosphere, then why is it that she’s still feeling so nervous, considering that she doesn’t have a reason to be?

Truth to be told, she still has no idea why.

“Do you want to train with him instead?” If Lee didn’t say those words with so much sadness or how he slowly withdrew his hand from her shoulder, Sakura wouldn’t have paid any attention to what he was saying. As soon as the words finally settled inside her mind, it nearly broke Sakura’s heart. Just how many times is she going to ignore Lee like this? She wanted to smack herself for being so insensitive to her friend. Lee was kind enough to sacrifice his time in order to train her, but what does she do in return? Gawk and think about Sasukeand forget about everything else!

What a friend she’s turning out to be…

“No!” She immediately replied, her guilt eating her whole. “I mean… Let’s go train!” She gave him one of her most charming smile, one that she usually reserves for a certain dark-haired young man in blue. This made Lee blush so much that his cheeks looked like ripe tomatoes. It made her giggle.

But just like before, her happiness ended as fast as it came. The tension around them grew so thick that she found herself gasping for air! It grew much worse than ever before! In fact, it made her hands shake in fear!

A crashing sound was heard and both Sakura and Lee’s attention turned to the source of the noise. The dummy that Sasuke was punching earlier had exploded into dust. The couple silently watched as Sasuke stood beside the decimated dummy with an expressionless look on his face. Sakura would have thought that nothing was wrong with him if only she didn’t notice the way his hands clenched into tight fists on his sides.

Then, much to Sakura’s extreme shock, Sasuke glared at them with a murderous gleam in his onyx eyes. Sakura didn’t know how long Sasuke stared at them like that before he turned his back on them and disappeared into the woods.

Strangely enough, the tension inside the forest was gone, only to be replaced by an eerie silence.

“Sasuke-san’s working so hard… We’ll just have to work harder, too!” Lee, who seemed forever oblivious to the tension or to Sasuke’s threat, suddenly exclaimed in a cheerful tone. Sakura, on the other hand, was too stunned at the moment to realize that Lee was actually there and talking to her.

The forest was bustling with cheerful sounds of different animals living inside the forest. The morning rays of the sun highlighted the trees and the plants, giving more life to the happy mood of the woods. The chirping of the birds and the gentle rustling of the leaves on top of the trees create delightful melodies, melodies that make you want to sit down and listen to the music contentedly, giving the impression that you’re bonding with Mother Nature herself.

Sasuke, however, did not want any of it... In fact, he has this great urge to destroy and crush something with his bare hands. Those ridiculous and childish nature stuffs are just making his dark mood to grow even darker! With his mind in complete turmoil, he walked deeper into the woods, not caring where his anger would lead him and forcing himself to ignore those irritating noise all around him.

Anger? Why would he be angry? He’s perfectly calm!

With a frown on his usually expressionless face, he stopped in his tracks and punched a nearby tree with his fist, making a hole in the wall and his fist bleed in the process.

He’s not angry…. He’s just… frustrated….

…. and definitely not jealous.

Sasuke snorted, thinking that the whole idea was plain stupid. Him? Jealous? Yeah, right. Why would he be jealous? Because Sakura managed to improve her skills and is working as hard as he is now?

Sasuke wanted to laugh inwardly at the absurdity of his thoughts. Sakura could train all she wants, but he doubt it that she’ll ever get stronger than him! And besides… he isn’t angry because of that.

Something light suddenly brushed against his face, interrupting her thoughts. It got stuck on one of his cheeks, so he raised his hand to his face in order to pluck the offending object away from his skin. His mouth curved into a deep scowl when he found out what that object was.

It was a leaf.

A completely harmless and puny little leaf.

Now why would he be upset at a leaf?

It’s not because it decided to stick on his skin on the wrong place at the wrong time, nor it’s because it made a smudge of mucky trail of dirt on his cheek.

So why was he irritated then?

People should think simply these days. Isn’t it obvious?

It’s because the leaf is green.

He hates green. No. Actually, he despises that cursed color. You could bet your life on it that you would never see him wear anything that’s green for as long as he lives.

Truth to be told, he never really paid that much attention to colors, thinking that it didn’t really matter much anyway. But for some weird reason, he began to have this newfound hatred for the color green. In fact, he could feel his blood boiling whenever he sees anything that has that pathetic color.

And considering that he’s inside a forest, a place where the color green rules with an iron fist, anyone would have been able to guess what mood he’s in right now.

With narrowed eyes, he crushed the poor leaf into tiny bits in his hand.

Well… some things are better left unsaid.

“Shit…” He muttered under his breath as he finally got out of the woods. Soon enough, he arrived at the familiar and busy streets of Konoha. It was early afternoon so mobs of busy people could be seen loitering all around the place. Sasuke frowned, thinking that he’s going to have a hard time passing through these groups of people, but much to his convenience, the people made way for him without a word or a complaint.

Maybe it’s because of that dark and intimidating aura that surrounds him... or that dangerous glint that was present in his sharp eyes that did the trick.

Sasuke didn’t really care any less.

Before long, the noise slowly settled down and the crowds of people all around him began to thin. He finally arrived at his place. You can easily tell because people are scarce in the area. As usual, he ignored the ghostly atmosphere as he stepped inside his house and went straight to his room. Silence greeted his face, and strangely enough, he eagerly welcomed it.

He needs to relax... and release his inner demons.

With a deep and exhausted sigh, he stumbled on his large bed, not bothering to get out of his dirty clothes and change into something that’s more comfortable and clean. He shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to sleep and just forget about everything else, especially the two people whom he left in the forest earlier.

Soon enough, he finally managed to do just that.

And for once, his nightmares didn’t come to torment him.

Instead, he dreamt of himself beating the crap out of a thick eye-browed guy in a hideous green suit.

Unconsciously, his lips twitched into a smirk.

Sasuke wanted to find something to eat. He really did. In fact, it was his growling stomach that forced him a while ago to get out of the comforts of his own bed.

Since there’s no food in his house, he decided to go out and grab something to eat before his stomach decides to eat him alive. He’s still not in the mood to buy groceries, mainly because of his lack of sleep, causing him to act grumpier than usual. If he stays there any longer, he knew he’s going to starve to death.

When he woke up that late afternoon, he realized with a frown that he hasn’t eaten anything ever since he went to the forest to train.

And that was what? Twelve hours ago?

The persistent growls of his stomach are getting louder in every passing minute. Only a few blocks away and he’ll be seeing hundreds of restaurants for him to eat delicious foods at…

But after seeing Thick Eyebrows emerging from the woods with a smile that’s as large as his thick eyebrows, he instantly stopped in his tracks, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Where’s Sakura? was his immediate thought. Realizing this, he mentally slapped himself.

To his disgust, he watched as Thick Eyebrows pranced along the streets like a happy little child with a lollipop. Thick Eyebrows didn’t notice him standing there and glaring daggers at him. He’s far too absorbed in his own little world to care that the infamous Uchiha has his deadly eyes set on him.

It irked him to no end.

When Thick Eyebrows was finally gone, Sasuke shifted his gaze to the forest, unconsciously wondering if his pink-haired teammate was still there. No. I’m not going in there. He thought with a scowl on his face as he forced his feet to move away from the forest and just forget about the person inside it.

He heard something rustle from behind. Somehow he got this feeling that he’s in big trouble. He started to walk faster, thinking that if he hurries, nothing bad would happen to him. He was about to turn on one corner of the street when her chirpy voice began to ring in his ears.

He froze in his tracks.

MOVE! His mind yelled at him as he forced his head and his traitorous eyes not to look back.

“Sasuke-kun!” She called out to him again, her voice sounding impeccably sweet in his ears that it’s starting to irritate him a whole lot more.

Realizing that he couldn’t get away from her clutches, Sasuke sighed deeply before tilting his head to the side in order to look at Sakura and ask what she could possibly want from him.

When he saw what she looked like, his eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets.

Her red dress was a mess. There were cuts everywhere, revealing more skin than Sasuke could ever imagine. Her black tight shorts underneath that red dress was slightly ripped upwards, giving Sasuke a great look of her creamy thigh and one of her long legs. The zipper of her dress was busted, letting just about anyone to see that enticing valley of skin between her breasts.

Sasuke found himself staring at her in shock. “What the hell happened to you?”

<<BACK

Free Counter