"Sakura."

"Yes, Sasuke?"

From Sakura's perspective, Sasuke looks to be visibly nervous. It's a very minor thing; someone not as familiar with him would have never noticed it. She sees the tension in his stiff shoulders, feels the unease radiating off of him in waves. He avoids her eyes, choosing to stare at a point beyond her shoulder. She tilts her head, feigning innocence at his behavior, dreading the inevitable confrontation.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sasuke asks.

"Okay," Sakura says.

"Itachi," he says, finally meeting her eyes.

"Itachi," she repeats. "What about him?"

"You spend a lot of time with him."

"That's not a question, Sasuke. That's a statement. What are you trying to ask?" Sakura says.

"What is he to you?" he manages to choke out, looking rather pained.

Thump. Sakura takes in a sharp breath, not quite willing to meet his eyes. After that resounding thump, she feels as though her heart has stopped beating. The blood in her veins freezes, though her body feels hot. She is frozen with terror, yet she is burning. She does not understand what her body is trying to tell her.

What is he to you? The question pulses through her head, waiting to be answered. It's a simple question, it really is; it should be easy to answer. Friend, her mind says, Itachi is your friend. Her iced veins begin to melt, giving way to scorching heat. The heat allows for bitterness to course throughout her body, leaving behind a burning trail in its wake. Deep down, she knows there's no room for these bitter feelings. Itachi is good for her. He is her closest, most important friend. So, if that were true, why does it hurt?

Why does it burn?

"Itachi is my friend," she manages to say.

"He is your friend," he repeats.

"Yes."

"You spend more time with him than you do with us."

"I'm sorry," she says, though she knows it's a lie. She is not sorry.

Sasuke looks at her, like he knows she's lying, but chooses not to comment on it. Her responses seem to have lessened some of the tension from his frame. He releases a breath, letting his gaze slide away from her face. Sakura's body seems to chill, slightly, with the action. She is no longer the subject of his scrutiny.

"You know," he says. "Naruto has a girlfriend now."

"Oh, really? Who would be dumb enough to date Naruto?" she says.

"Hinata."

"I take it back. I don't hate it."

"Why?" he asks.

"She is a kind girl," she says. Her voice softens with the next words, "Hinata will be good for him."

Yes, Sakura thinks, Hinata will be good for him. Naruto is a special case. He's loud and energetic, bordering obnoxious, but his heart is pure. He will be hard to deal with, though she's certain Hinata will be able to handle it. Hinata is quiet and laid-back, the very opposite of Naruto. They will make a good couple.

"It'll get him off my back," Sasuke says.

"Why do you want to be rid of him?" Sakura asks.

"Tch. He wants me to ask someone out."

"The great Sasuke Uchiha on a date," she says, feigning a swoon. "Oh my, what a lucky girl!"

"What makes you think there's a girl?" he asks.

"Well, I don't think you like guys," she says.

"That's not what I meant."

Of course that's not what he meant, she knew. She knows Sasuke. She sees the lingering glances in her direction, the subtle touches against her skin, the careful consideration he gives to her words and actions; she can read between the lines. The girl he likes, she knows, is none other than herself. Sasuke is certainly not lacking in female attention, though he has never been the type to pay it any mind. For this reason, she can't quite comprehend his romantic interest in her.

"I know," she says. "How does Naruto know about her?"

"I told him."

"Willingly?"

"Of course not," he says. "He just never shuts up. Invasive. It's annoying."

"He has good intentions," she says.

Perhaps, if this were an earlier time in her life, she would be happy with Sasuke's affections. She would be overjoyed, even, at her ability to reel in the elusive Sasuke Uchiha. However, at this point in her life, she finds no joy in his feelings. They do not comfort her. They bother her, and she desperately hopes that he does not act on them. She is torn, thinking herself to be undeserving of these feelings while also finding them to be inadequate. These feelings are from the wrong person.

Sasuke doesn't reply to her, instead choosing to stare at her in that knowing way of his. She stares back. In that moment, a million unspoken words pass between them. She may not be as close to him as she is Itachi, but it's more than enough. They don't need to speak to understand each other. Her gaze slides down his face, unconsciously comparing it to the elder Uchiha sibling; their eyes are different, she notes. Sasuke does not yet have that heavy gaze that fills Itachi's eyes, filled with burden and wisdom. His eyes are still lively and free. Something in her softens. She smiles at Sasuke, careful not to let her emotions slip though, and looks into his eyes. He stares, searching for something, but turning away when he can't find it.

Itachi suffers so that you may live, she thinks. There is not a greater gift in this world.