Naruto sat on the plush couch, eyes tracing the delicate dance of petals beyond the window. The silence between him and Sasuke was not new, yet today it felt laden with an unspoken weight. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm trapped in my own thoughts," Naruto began, each word careful, as if testing the waters of a deep, unknown sea.

Sasuke, with an air of professional detachment, leaned forward slightly. "And what do these thoughts tell you?" His voice was steady, yet a flicker of something else lingered in his eyes. Naruto hesitated, a battle waging within. "They tell me that I can't keep running from the past... or from what I feel now," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sasuke shifted, a subtle movement that signaled a change. "Feelings are complex, Naruto. They can guide us, but they can also mislead," he said, his gaze unwavering. Naruto met his eyes, searching for something—approval, understanding, perhaps even shared longing. "What if they're not misleading? What if they're just... real?"

Sasuke sighed, a sound filled with resignation and acceptance. "Then we must handle them with care, like the cherry blossoms—fragile, beautiful, but easily scattered," he replied, a hint of vulnerability creeping into his tone. Naruto smiled, a small, tentative curve of his lips. "I think I can do that," he said, the weight on his shoulders lifting ever so slightly.

Sasuke glanced at the clock, signaling the end of their session. Yet, neither moved, both lingering in the shared space of understanding they had carved out of the afternoon. "We'll continue next time," Sasuke said, with a softness that spoke of more than professional duty. Naruto nodded, feeling a warmth that was both new and familiar. "Yes, next time," he echoed, already looking forward to it.