Talking: “....”
Thinking: ‘.....’

Open Your Eyes

@@@@@@@

Chapter 2: preparation and confusion

The next day came quick. Too quick, if you could ask Sakura. What exactly happened last night? She waited for Sasuke, again. But that night, it was different. Someone came for her. She knows it was not a dream, she remembers it so clearly. And if she still thought it was a dream, she just had to look besides her to see the jacket of the blonde-haired boy who was with her that night.

“Let’s just... stay like this for a while, please?” Sakura closed her eyes. She could still feel his warmth. She felt so safe in his arms, like nothing could hurt her, because Naruto Uzumaki protected her.

She suddenly giggled, like she remembered a good joke. She remembered that she asked him out... no, just a friendly dinner.

“What was I thinking?” She asked herself out loud. “Should I cancel it? No, no... I’m not backing down. This is gonna be... a thank you, yes, that’s it!” She clenched her fists. Why was she feeling so nervous? It wasn’t the first time she went out to dinner together with Naruto.

Her train of thoughts were interrupted; “Sakura, dear? Can you run some errands for me, please?” Her mother called from downstairs.

She sighed, she hated to run errands, but maybe it was good to take her thoughts off Naruto. “Yes, mom, I’ll do it right away!”

-Konoha Market Street-

“Let’s see... toilet paper, bread, butter and... ramen?” Sakura read out loud, and stopped at the word ‘ramen’. Just when she thought she at least forgot about it for an hour, she started seeing Naruto’s sweet smile from last night. That did not better her mood. Her heart was beating faster, only because the thought about Naruto. It couldn’t be.. no... it’s not the same as when she thought about Sasuke. When she thought about Sasuke, she would squeal and shout to everyone that she loved the boy. She would be all giggly and dreaming about what could be, even though she was wide awake.
But when she thought about Naruto, her heart would beat faster, and a blush would be seen on her face. She would look down to the ground, not facing anybody, seeming as if she was a really shy girl. Her thoughts were completely on this one boy, and only because of what happened last night? Or... did it already happened earlier, in one of their missions?
Thought she didn’t wanted to admit it, it felt nice to think about him. It gave her the feeling that she was alive. Her thoughts weren’t in the real world anymore, they were floating somewhere, in space. She just walked straight past people, also past people she knew very well, too well.

“Well, I wouldn’t think I would see you on Market Street, with your big forehead!” A taunting, yet very familiar voice called out to Sakura. Ino had a grin on her face, her icy blue eyes looking at the pink-haired girl, knowing Sakura would say something back. But Sakura didn’t even twitch; she just kept walking while looking down.

This ticked Ino off; “Hey, Sakura! I’m talking to you!” Ino ran after her, not liking that Sakura ignored her. Ino stood before her, her blonde hair in a ponytail and her usual purple outfit; a purple skirt and purple vest with white arm warmers. This made Sakura come to a halt. She looked up, seeing the ticked off face of Ino.

“Oh, hey Ino...” Sakura said. You could clearly hear that she wasn’t totally back to the real world.

Ino saw the absent look on Sakura’s face, which made her a bit worried. She knew that Sakura thought about Sasuke almost everyday. She was positive that Sakura thought about him right now.

“Sakura, you... wanna talk about it?” Those last words made Sakura come back to the real world. Ino offered something to Sakura? Did she heard that clear?

“W-what?” Sakura asked in shock.

Ino sighed, “I said, you wanna talk about it?” Was it so obvious? That she thought about Naruto? Did she said his name out loud? Did she mumbled something about last night?

“Huh?” Sakura asked again.

Ino, this time, made a growl; “About Sasuke-kun, I’m talking about Sasuke-kun! Geez, it’s obvious your thinking about him!”

“Sasuke-kun...?” To tell the truth, Sakura completely forgot about Sasuke.

Suddenly, Ino grabbed her shoulders and shook her, rather hard. “Wake up, girl! Sasuke Uchiha-kun, the bishounen from our very own village?!”

Ino stopped shaking Sakura, but strangely, Sakura did not get mad; “Ah, no... not this time.”

Ino looked stunned, her mouth wide open; “No?! What are you talking about?! Ever since Sasuke-kun left, you haven’t thought about anything else!” Sakura looked to her side, her eyes downcast.

Ino sighed again, “Sakura, what is it? Can’t you talk about it? I... want you help you.” That is true. Even Though Sakura is Ino’s arch rival when it comes to Sasuke, she was still her best friend. Because the memories of the past will never go away.

Though Sakura was shocked, she knew she could count on Ino. But... she couldn’t tell her about Naruto. About last night, about tonight. Ino would just laugh hard in her face. But, Sakura didn’t knew what she should do. This was just so confusing for her. Did Naruto became something more to her? Her best male-friend, that’s for sure. But, should she feel the way she feels right now about her best male-friend?

She wanted to talk to Ino about it, she just had to change her story a bit. “Well,” She began, “it’s about a boy-“ But she already was cut off by Ino.

“Someone who’s not Sasuke-kun?!” She asked eyes-wide.

“Y-yeah...” Sakura said, rather soft.

“Are you in love with him?! Who is it?! Is it someone from another village?!”

“Ino! Can I please tell it without any interruptions?” Sakura said, a bit annoyed because of Ino’s questions.

“Yes, yes, of course, continue.” Ino said, giving Sakura the opportunity to continue.

“Well, it’s about a boy. No, I won’t say a name, and no, he is from this village. And... I’m not sure if I’m in love with him... That’s what... worries me...”

“It worries you? How come?” Ino asked.

“Because... I have these feelings, but I can’t just understand them.” Sakura said, looking down again.

Suddenly, Ino grabbed her hand, and led her outside the Market Street. “Come,” She said, “we’ll talk further on a much more quiet place.” She led Sakura to a wooden bench, where they sat.

“Now, what kind of feeling do you have when you think about him?” Ino asked, in a soft voice.

“My heart beats fast,” Sakura said, as she placed her hand on the spot where her heart was. “I blush like crazy, but it feels nice...” Sakura looked at Ino, waiting for her to say something.

“Well, Sakura, do you want to be with this person? As in, being close to him, being in his arms?”

Sakura took a moment before she answered; “Well, I don’t know... I’ve always been with-“ Sakura stopped. If she would say that she’s always been with Naruto because they are team mates, no would know in an instant. “I-I mean, I’ve seen him a lot, so I’ve always been close to him.” She hoped Ino would buy that.

Luckily, she did, “Hm, I see. And you felt nice while being around him, right?”

“Lately, yes.“ Sakura said, thinking about last night.

“Sakura... I can’t say if you are in love or not with this guy. You’re the only one who can. I can just say that you have to take your time with deciding. Try not to think about it too much, though, it will only confuse you more. Just try to do things with him, just the two of you. Like, take a walk, or go to dinner.” Ino said, with softness in her voice, meaning every word she said.

“Actually, I’m going to dinner tonight with him.” Sakura said, with a blush on her face.

“Are you serious?!” Ino almost screamed. “That was fast! So you already took the first step, huh?” Sakura nodded, still blushing. Ino noticed a little smile on her face, meaning she was feeling a bit better. This made Ino feel relaxed.

“Sakura, this may sound really, really cliché, but... You can only listen to your heart.” Ino smiled.

Sakura smiled too, “You know, that really sounds cliché.”

“Shut up, forehead-girl!”

“Whatever, Ino-pig!” Everything was normal again. Thought Sakura didn’t yet knew what she felt for Naruto, Ino’s words made her feel relaxed. “But really, thank you Ino.”

Ino smiled, “No problem, Sakura.” The two smiled at each other for a short while, until Sakura broke their silence.

“Ahhh! The errands! I have to pick up things for my mom!” This seemed to scare Ino, as if she remembered something.

“Ahhh! Me too! Gotta go Sakura! Have fun tonight!” Ino said as she stood up fast and ran towards Market Street.

“Yeah, thanks Ino, bye!” Sakura said, as she also stood up and ran towards the other side of Market Street.

-Later-

“Phew, thank God I’ve got everything before they closed.” Sakura said as she carried a bag with groceries.

She felt happy after her talk with Ino, and was already looking forward to tonight.

“Sakura-chan!” A voice yelled behind her. She knew it very well, and at that moment, her heart skipped a beat.

“Ah, Naruto!” She said, hoping she didn’t blushed, as she saw him run towards her.

“Sakura-chan, about tonight...” Naruto began.

‘Oh, no. He’s not cancelling tonight, right?’ She thought, but Naruto continued.

“What time should I pick you up?” Naruto asked, with a big grin on is face.

Sakura let out a little sigh of relief. “Uhm, how’s about seven?” Sakra suggested.

“Perfect! I’ll pick you up at seven! See you then, Sakura-chan!” Naruto waved goodbye before he ran away.

A little breeze went trough Sakura’s hair as she watched Naruto run off towards the sunset.

“I’m looking forward to it...” Sakura whispered, as she headed home, to prepare herself for her night out with Naruto.

To Be Continued