I don't know about you guys, but Sasuke and Sakura when they were young and still falling in lover are still my favourite stories, so in this the war had just ended. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 1-Meet me half way
Sakura Haruno, for the life of her, had absolutely no idea as to why Sasuke Uchiha was avoiding her. It had been over three months since the end of the fourth ninja war and she had seen the man a total of one time. That time happened only because he had come to the hospital to have a check-up and in his haste to run out of the hospital in order to avoid seeing her, he had bumped into her at the front gates. Even then he had quickly excused himself saying he had a mission to go on which she knew was a lie because she had been returning from the hokage's office and Kakashi-sensei told her that Sasuke had just returned from a mission only moments earlier.
She hadn't minded that really at the beginning because she assumed he needed time to get used to things and even she knew it is foolish to think that everything would go back to normal after everything that had happened. However, recently she had gotten news that he had a problem with neither Naruto nor Kakashi-sensei or even Sai for that matter. When she had gone to Ichiraku's for dinner a week ago, Ayame had asked her why she hadn't been attending the team seven lunches with her boys. At first she was shocked that something like that was even happening before she smiled at Ayame and told her that she had been too busy after the war that she had had no time. Though it was clear to Sakura that Ayame did not buy her lame excuse to try and save her dignity.
It wasn't a complete lie either. Of course after the war she had been awfully busy and probably wouldn't have had time to attend their meetings anyway, but it would have been nice to have been asked. She and Naruto still had lunch together and it was during one of those time that she questioned him about the "secret team seven lunches", he had lost all colour on his usually tan face before sheepishly grinning and excusing himself to go somewhere.
To be honest she was more frustrated than sad about the whole thing. She was part of team seven too dammit!
Which is exactly why she had checked who Sasuke had requested as his doctor (because apparently he wanted and I quote "anyone but Sakura") and switched with the new girl so she can catch him. Of course the girl had been very, very reluctant to miss her chance to ogle Mr. Uchiha but Sakura had had no time to handle the new girl who was practically in tears when Sakura single headedly cracked the wall beside the poor girl's head, it wasn't even a chakra punch, sheesh what was she crying about anyway?
So exactly two hours later, Sakura patiently waited for her patient to arrive as she waited in one of the many rooms in the hospital. The room consisted of three hospital beds with clean white sheets laid on top and a small table beside each bed as well as a chair. It was a rather large room that could be occupied by a total of three patients. Because the hospital is still under construction there weren't many rooms and this was one of the only available ones. She sat on the chair masking her chakra so he would not turn away once he felt it. She looked out the large window beside the bed as she waited for Sasuke looking out at the bright mid noon sun of Konoha. Spring sure is a nice season.
As soon as she heard the turning of the door knob she sat up straighter in her chair though neither could see the other seeing as the curtain was drown to a full close behind her. Sakura heard Sasuke clear his throat and panicked for a second when she realized she couldn't greet him or he might run out the door. 'Okay. Okay Sakura. Calm down.' She willed herself before she made some hand signs and disappeared from the place where she had been standing only to appear behind Sasuke blocking his way to the door.
Sasuke immediately turned around to face her with a kunai in hand and ready to fight before his eyes settled on her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and patiently waited as his onyx eyes gave the barest hint of being shocked before they returned to being indifferent. Sasuke tucked away his kunai soon after and stood up facing her as if he were waiting for something.
"Hello Sasuke-kun." She greeted pleasantly, though even she could tell her voice sounded tight and forced. It felt as if it had been forever since she last saw him and upon seeing him, all her frustration at him for avoiding her simply just vanished. The last time they had been alone with only each other was when he left the village. She had on countless occasions hoped that the day when she could be faced with Sasuke without being afraid that he might take away someone important to her would surely come. She had patiently waited for that day and when he finally returned and she had thought that life could now go back to a pleasant one, he had started avoiding her like the plague.
"Hn." He replied as he tucked his hands inside his pant pockets. Sakura just simply stared at the man as he avoided looking at her for reasons beyond her. He had gotten to a habit of wearing black as it seems because he was wearing long black cargo pants and a black long sleeved shirt with the red and white Uchiha fan on the back. She recalled he had been wearing something similar when she ran into him last time as well. His hair had grown a little bit from their younger days, but the raven locks still looked as smooth and beautiful as they had been before he defected from the village. Sakura finally let out a sigh as her examination of him came to an end.
"Have a seat Sasuke" she said gesturing towards the beds. As if resigning to his fate, Sasuke himself let out a small sigh before walking towards the bed closest to the window. "Don't even think about it. I sealed them shut." Sakura explained as she followed behind Sasuke. She hadn't really sealed the windows shut but she doubted Sasuke would try seeing as it would be really embarrassing if he tried to open it and it really had been sealed.
She watched as Sasuke sat down on the bed facing the window with his face as apathetic as it could possibly be. She went to stand in front of him, her back leaning against the window.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" she asked, getting straight to the point knowing how much Sasuke hated beating around the bush. He didn't even seem shocked to hear her ask the question. He just rested his palms on either side of him on the mattress and yet again avoided her viridian eyes. When he didn't answer for a longer than necessary time, she pushed away from the window and walked towards him. She saw him watch her movements from the corner of his eyes but she did not hesitate to approach him. He had come here for his monthly check-up so she decided to give it to him as she waited for him answer to her question, though she would not let him leave here without answering.
She raised her hand to his face as she attempted to take a look at his eyes. As soon as her fingers touched underneath his right eyes, he moved his head away as if he had been electrocuted. Sakura's green eyes widened a fraction as her hand hung in mid-air inches from his face. As she stared at his face with wide eyes as his lips turned into a frown, she understood why he had been avoiding her. She understood why he refused to look at her, she understood why he would rather not have her at lunch and she understood why he had wanted anyone but her as his doctor and it broke her a little at the realization.
She bit her bottom lip before backing away from him to the window where she had been standing before. She breathed in and out slowly trying to calm her hammering heart. He still refused to look at her and her lips broke into a small sad smile as it all became clear to her.
This whole time he had been hiding from her because of her feelings towards him. It had always been so clear that he did not share the same feelings towards her and it occurred to her that he had been afraid that she would want him to return those feelings. He doesn't love her and he had feared that if they met, he would have to give her an answer as to how he felt about her. It was only too clear to Sakura why he had been avoiding her…because she loved him and he did not.
"Sasuke…"she began slowly, though he still did not look at her. "I know I've told you…that I love you." She continued though it was harder to go on with this heavy weight on her chest. "But that doesn't mean you are obligated to love me back." She forced herself to continue. "If you don't feel that way about me, then…then that's that. I'm not going to ask you to love me Sasuke. It would be nice, but if you don't feel that way then I'm not going to force you to fall in love with me." She almost wanted to laugh. She wondered whether she had given off that vibe unknowingly in her younger days. She wondered if he thought this way because of the way she had been when she had first started liking him.
Sasuke still refused to look at her as she continued, his gaze focused on the floor beneath her feet.
"You are my friend before anything else. Don't…don't put a full stop to our friendship because of that. I don't know about you, but I - think of you as a friend and I always have." She finished with a smile though he wasn't looking. May be it was more to remind her to not show the sadness she felt that she kept on smiling but she kept it on her lips anyway. He slowly lifted his eyes to her face, finally landing his onyx pools in her own viridian ones. Sakura's bright smile almost faltered at the relief she saw in his eyes. Whether he did it on purpose or not, he looked as if a thousand weights had been lifted from his shoulders. Did he really not want her feelings that much? Is her love truly that much of a bother to him? She had to wonder.
"Now that that's settled…" she began yet again as she straightened up once again walking towards the door. She couldn't hold his gaze any longer. "I'll get you another doctor. Wait here." She finished as she made her way out the door as soon as she possibly could without making it look like it, before he called her back, though she doubted he would. He had never called her name. She closed the door behind her and let out another sigh, still trying yet miserably failing at, to calm her thunderous heartbeat. She ordered the new girl to give Sasuke his check-up before going up to her office and closing the door shut behind her.
"Well…now at least I know why he avoided me." She said with a smile, though the heaviness in her heart stubbornly remained.
As she walked into her small apartment after her shift at the hospital, she genuinely wondered why she had not cried the whole day. She didn't cry a lot these day as she had done when she was younger, but what happened today at the hospital is usually the kind of thing that made her cry. Sasuke was usually the kind of thing that usually made her cry. Yet she has yet to drop a tear even after the whole incident. She really hoped that at least now he would stop avoiding her and they could resume their friendship where they left off. Or even begin a new friendship, it doesn't really matter to her as long as he remains a part of her life. That they both remain a part of each other's lives just as Naruto was part of theirs.
Sakura sat down at her kitchen table as she picked up the noodles box she had gotten from the new restaurant near the hospital. Their food was quiet delicious and Sakura had developed a bad habit of eating from there whenever she had a long shift, which was very often. She wasn't a bad cook or anything, rather she cooked whenever she had one of those rare day offs. But it had been so busy lately that take out was the only option if she wanted to survive at all. She liked surviving so takeout it was as it happens.
Sakura silently ate in her quiet apartment as she listened to the crickets outside her kitchen window. They had recently become her only companions during her dinner. At one point she actually started missing their noise when she had her night shifts. She realized she was becoming unhealthily attached to them though she preferred their songs to the suffocating silence she was met with sometimes in her apartment.
Tomorrow was her day off, which meant she could sleep until late and no one would come to fetch her. Well, they might if there was an emergency but she felt good about her day off tomorrow. Maybe be she will finally be able to catch up of her sleep. Then again, one day off was not nearly enough for that.
After giving her already squeaky clean kitchen a once over, she turned off the light and made her way to her room. Grabbing her black and white striped towel and her favourite light green nightgown from her dressing drawer, she exited her room and entered the bathroom directly in front of her room.
Sakura drew herself a bath, because today had been an exceptionally exhausting day despite the hospital being less busy than it usually was. The hot water and the Epsom salt she had added to her water worked magic on her aching muscles as she laid her head on the edge. She closed her eyes as her muscles relaxed. She let out a content sigh before opening her eyes only to notice that her clock read eleven fifteen. She had been in the bath for close to forty five minutes so she hurriedly got out of the tub and dried herself before she caught a cold. Quickly slipping into her knee length lime green nightgown she dried her hair as much as she can with her towel. Sakura hung her wet towel over her bedroom door and turned on her bedside table light before turning off her bedroom light. She picked up the new book Tsunade had sent her from wherever her master had gone to gamble. It was a very interesting book about neural pathways and neurons and how they work in special cases such as in someone who has the byakugan or the sharingan or any bloodline limit really.
She rested her back on the pillow she had adjusted behind her as she covered her lower half with her blanket. As she continued reading, she only realized that she was crying when the words in front of her jumbled together in a blur and upon blinking she noticed the liquid dripping down the side of her face. Sakura wiped her eyes clean and turned off the light laying down on her bed on her side facing the small window in her room. She stared at the crescent moon outsider her window surrounded by the millions of stars as more tears dripped down the side of her face and onto her pillow. She had been so close. She had almost gotten through the day without spilling any tears. But as it seems…her sorrow had slowly crept towards her heart, just as her love for Sasuke had secretly crept towards her heart.
The next morning Sakura came to a rude awakening by her so called best friend Ino Yamanaka. Sakura swore to herself to keep her address a secret from everyone she knew the next time she moved as she heard the loud knock on her apartment door as well as the obnoxiously loud yell of the blond.
Sakura unlocked her door and yanked it open revealing to her at first a brightly smiling Ino and seconds later a grimace on the same lips.
"You look terrible." Ino announced as she stepped through the door uninvited. Sakura stood by the door as she held it open hoping the blond will get the hint and just leave, but after a few moments passed and she heard Ino rummaging in her kitchen cupboards she knew it was futile. Sakura let out a heavy sigh before closing the door and dragging her feet to the kitchen.
"What. Are you doing here?" Sakura asked, her voice tight and on edge.
"I went to the hospital and they told me it's your day off. So…I came to hang out." Ino said without pausing from her search for whatever she was looking for in Sakura's cupboards. "Hey I heard about this new western breakfast food called French toast. Wanna try it?" Ino asked as she took out a carton of eggs from Sakura's fridge.
"Whatever." Sakura replied. If she doesn't have to make it she'll take anything she's given. She hated making things in the morning. Making her own cup of tea was even a drag first thing in the morning.
"Clean yourself up forehead. We'll go out after breakfast. Nine thirty and we are outta here." Ino said as she mixed something in a bowl. Sakura wasn't sure what she was mixing, she was still half asleep, her eyes half lidded and her pink hair disarrayed. Sakura turned her head to the clock in her living room to see that it was already eight forty five. She had actually slept longer than she thought. It still felt like it was six in the morning. She lazily walked over to her bathroom to wash up. Brushing her teeth and washing her face before walking to her room. Now that she was fully awake she put on her usual red and pink outfit before tying her headband around her head after brushing it. After she thought she looked presentable, she walked to her kitchen where a new wonderful smell greeted her as her stomach jumped at the scent.
She poured herself a mug of coffee that Ino had made as well as pouring some to another cup knowing Ino loved the substance. She didn't much care for the hot beverage and only had it when Ino was around, but even she couldn't deny its deliciousness at times.
"That smells amazing. What is it?" Sakura asked as she sat down on one of the four chairs of her kitchen table facing the counter at which Ino was still cooking.
"I told you, French toast. You actually have maple syrup. Where did you get it from?" Ino asked as she raised her spatula and turned towards Sakura her small hands holding a small plastic bottle.
"Oh they were giving out samples at the supermarket and it tasted really sweet so I bought one. But then I had no idea what to make with it." Sakura replied as she sipped the coffee, the warm substance opening up all her taste buds as it ran down her throat.
"Here try some." Ino said setting a plate with three slices of bread on it as well as placing another plate across from her before placing the maple syrup on the middle of the table and sitting down sipping her own mug of coffee.
After pouring a little of the syrup on the bread, Sakura took a bite out of the slice biting thoughtfully. Her eyes sparkled as the sweetness of the syrup clashed with the taste of the eggs.
"This is so good." Sakura said as she took another bite. Ino smiled triumphantly before digging into her own breakfast. The two ate as they talked about the events since they last met which was about three weeks ago since Ino had gone on a mission. The missions that were given out now consisted mostly of construction and sometimes even escorting someone from a noble class but rarely did it include fighting other than to fight off thieves and such, never anyone too strong. But they did take some time to complete, especially the mission that included construction.
"So…I heard Sasuke came to the hospital yesterday." Ino began as she leaned back on her chair with her coffee mug in her hands, her breakfast already done. Sakura leaned back as well her mug in her hands. She crossed one leg over the other and looked at Ino, trying her best to not let the pain in her chest reach her eyes.
"Oh yeah. I actually had to switch a shift with that new girl too. I swear she only became a medic so she can just stare at all the ninja that come there." Sakura complained knowing how much Ino hated the girl since that one time in which she had hit on Sai. Sakura didn't elaborate on the Sasuke subject half hoping that she will let it go and the other half hoping Ino will probe more into the subject. She was really having mixed feelings about sharing the details of yesterday's incident.
"What did Sasuke say? Why has he been more of an ass than usual?" Ino asked eyeing Sakura as she continued to sip from her mug. Sakura let out a humourless laugh before answering, a dead smile set in her pink lips.
"He was afraid that I'll demand that he love me." Sakura said with another short laugh. For reasons known to even Sakura herself, her toes curled on themselves under the table as her fingers tightened around the mug a little more forcefully than needed, an action that did not go unnoticed by the blond peering at Sakura from over her mug. "Can you believe he thought that? I honestly thought we had known each other better than that." Sakura finally continued after a moment's hesitation.
"Come on forehead. Do you remember what we were like back then? We were kind of pathetic." Ino said wincing slightly as she remembered that embarrassing portion of her life.
"Still…I was in a team with him. I didn't think he would put me in the same level as other people. I just thought…we had a friendship you know?" Sakura asked letting out a sigh as she put her now empty mug on the table in front of her.
Even still the pain of knowing that the love she held so dearly for Sasuke is so bothersome to him that it resulted in him almost being afraid of her is unbearable. Her heart ached at the thought that to him she had, for the last four years, remained the annoying girl he couldn't get rid of and nothing has changed between them. Though Sakura firmly believed that she had matured greatly during that time. She wouldn't go as far as saying that she had completely turned one hundred and eighty and nothing of her younger self remained. But she knew that she was not the same person.
It was honestly fine with her if he never fell in love with her. If they spent the rest of their lives as friends and never spoke of the things that had transpired between them, then she would never bring them up herself. She would never force herself on Sasuke and never, to her knowledge, made him feel like he was somehow obligated to love her back. Even if he felt that way all he had to do was come and talk to her, let her know that he did not share her feelings.
She had always feared that Sasuke did not think of her a friend or even a comrade. She knew that she will never be able to be a part of the bond that he and Naruto had created but she had tried her best to be his friend and let him know that despite everything, she will be there for him. Sasuke had only confirmed her suspicions in the last three months and especially yesterday after their awkward encounter.
Worst of everything was that she could understand his reasoning behind his actions. She could understand why he would avoid her. She could understand how hard it would be to be friends with someone who was in love with you or who you loved in her case. She could understand how wary he would be of her all the time and fear the moment in which she would burst out the words 'I love you' to him like she had done in the past. She could understand how 'annoying' it would be or bothersome or awkward. She hated understanding these things because then instead of feeling angry at him she felt sadder at knowing that they could not have a normal friendship. Because sooner or later, his life would lead somewhere, someone and despite feeling unbearable happiness at the fact that Sasuke had found happiness, a little piece of her would also break at the same time.
"Forehead, you need to move on already. I'll set you up on a blind date. He's super cute and in the black-ops. A friend of Sai's. How about it?" Ino suggested as her blue eyes sparkled at what she thought was a brilliant idea.
"Not yet pig. Let me at least move from Sasuke before you set me up." Sakura said as she stood up from her seat with her plate and mug walking towards her sink. "Besides, if he's anything like Sai, I'd first have to teach him how to feel." She finished teasingly before grabbing Ino's mug and plate deciding to wash the dishes since Ino cooked.
"No, this one's rather new. He has all the emotions, amongst other things." Ino said suggestively one of her blond brows rising to her forehead. She stood beside Sakura, her back leaning on the counter as Sakura washed the dishes.
"Don't you already have a boyfriend?" Sakura asked as she continued to wash the dishes, her mood lifting up a little as Ino talked on. It at least kept her mind off of…certain other things.
The rest of Sakura's day off was spent with Ino as she dragged Sakura from one clothing store to another. There were many new clothing stores opening up around the Konoha area, all shop owners taking advantage and rebuilding their shops in bigger sizes. Ino and Sakura mostly window shopped or just tried on cloths, neither had bought anything at the end of the day. But Sakura was more than happy to spend the day with Ino as she talked on and on about one thing or another. Ino really was a great friend, though Sakura would never say so to Ino herself. She was glad that their minor fallout during their genin days has been put in the past and forgotten about to make way for their new friendship that Sakura treasured so much.
The next day at the hospital Sakura's morning passed uneventfully as she finished a big pile of her homework. However, her day had taken a complete turn as Ino came rushing into her office out of breath and panting. Sakura had gotten to her feet quickly making her way to her friend to give her a helping hand. But as soon as Sakura neared her, Ino grabbed her wrist tightly and yanked her through the halls of the hospital as people stared at them. Sakura's heart thundered against her chest wondering who was in trouble for Ino to panic so much. Sakura's mind answered 'Sai' unhelpfully and her heart only increased its beat at the thought.
Ino dragged her into a room and Sakura looked around fearfully hoping to see a blood bath but was confused when only two people stared back at her. Her eyes flew to the figure sitting on the bed staring at her questioningly as if asking why she looked like she's seen a ghost. Seeing as that person didn't seem to be in excruciating pain, Sakura's eyes flew to the figure standing beside the bed. Instantly recognising that person she let out a sigh as he too were in perfect condition. Sakura turned her head to her left where Ino was standing at, smiling brightly at Sai as he stood by the bed.
"Hey pig! What the hell? I was so worried." Sakura scolded relaxing her body.
"Well you should be." Ino began as she walked to stand beside Sai. "Seems Daiki-kun here fell as he was returning from a mission. So I hurried him over here to get an expert's opinion." Ino said brightly, emphasising as she pronounced his name as if it's supposed to mean something to Sakura. When Sakura stared at Ino confusedly Ino quickly pointed towards Daiki with her head and Sakura's eyes glared at Ino as she understood. Seems this was the blind date Ino was going to set her up with. Sakura squinted her eyes at Ino vowing secretly to bring the blond a lot of pain after this was done.
"I'm fine Ino-chan. It barely hurts." Sakura heard Daiki speak. Sakura turned her green eyes to the man sitting on the bed with a gentle smile. Her guess was that Ino had pretty much dragged the boy here and he doesn't even know what's going on. She walked towards the bed intending to take a look at one of his hands that he was holding with his other hand.
As Ino had promised Daiki is very handsome. He looked about twenty years old making him three years older than her. His silver hair, not as white as Kakashi-sensei's but more of a greyish colour, was tussled in a handsome manner making it seem almost purposeful yet not quiet. His lips at the moment were turned into an apologetic smile at Sakura that she couldn't help but replying to with her own assuring smile and most of all his piercing blue eyes made her feel like she was under the ocean. They were his most striking attribute as they pulled you in closer only to see a kind smile of its own dancing in his eyes alone.
"Now that you are here anyway, let's have a look." Sakura said as she took his arm in hers gently, not missing the way he slightly winced at the touch. Sakura looked at his eyes, reassuring him yet again as she gently pulled it towards her. Examining it with her chakra her face turned into a slight frown. "Well it's a good thing you came. Your bone is fractured a little." Sakura said as she put his hand down on his lap gently making sure not to jostle it too much.
"See? Told ya." Ino said victoriously.
"Unfortunately you are going to have to take a few days off until it's fully healed." Sakura said ignoring Ino, hoping to catch her later, as she tied a cloth around the general area of the fracture. "Well at least it's your left hand" Sakura said with a laugh jokingly.
"I'm left handed." Daiki corrected hesitantly making Sakura blush.
"Oops." Sakura said as her cheeks turned pink. She heard Daiki laugh, at her expense of course, but joined in the laughter anyway. "You'll be fine, just try not to move it too much." She said securely tying the cloth." I'll write you something for the pain. In the meantime sit tight and I'll be back in a minute. Ino, why don't you join me?" she finished directing her question at Ino as she turned her eyes to Ino.
"No. I'm fine here thanks." Ino said making Sakura's forced smile to fade.
"Ino join me." Sakura growled as she pulled her best friend by the wrist towards the door much like the way Ino had dragged her in here. As soon as the door closed behind them Sakura turned angry eyes at her best friend who stared back at her with a bright smile completely oblivious to Sakura's anger.
"So? What do you think? Totally hot ne?" Ino said quietly so as to not let the two occupants in the room hear.
"That is a fracture you could've very well taken care of." Sakura accused whispering harshly.
"Of course it is. But if I did that, you wouldn't have met him forehead." Ino finished as if it was a brilliant idea.
"I told you I needed a little more time." Sakura whispered back harsher than before.
"Fine, fine." Ino said as she closed her eyes in annoyance and walked towards the door to re-enter the room where Daiki and Sai were waiting. Sakura let out a sigh hoping this is the last she'll hear of this matter. Sakura quickly scribbled the name of a pain killer in a piece of paper before following Ino inside the room.
"Alright. You can buy this downstairs at the pharmacy." She said as she handed the paper to Daiki who took with a grateful smile.
"Hey I have an idea" Sakura turned towards Ino as her squeaky voice said from near the window. Her eyes narrowed at the blond and Sakura saw Sai move away from Ino as he recognized the deathly aura coming from Sakura. "Sakura it's your lunch break in a few minutes. Why don't you take Daiki-kun to that restaurant you love so much?" Ino suggested completely ignoring Sakura as she glared daggers at her.
"I wouldn't mind getting something to eat." She heard Daiki say making her eyes narrow more towards the blond.
"Great!" Ino cheered happily. "Sakura why don't you go and get your things?" Ino suggested cheerfully. Sakura hesitated for a moment before replying.
"I can't think of a single reason why not." Sakura said tightly her voice promising great pain for the stupid blond whom she had unfortunately befriended in a great time of depression during her childhood.
When Sakura had returned after getting her things from her office and gone downstairs to sign off for lunch, the ladies at the front desk were only too happy to see her with a man. To her horror they had suggested that she take the rest of the day off because it's surprisingly not as busy as it had been the last couple of weeks and Doctor Akira was already here anyway. At which point doctor Akira had arrived flashing a bright smile at Sakura and given her the day off, him being older than her and having worked here longer. She couldn't refuse that offer as everyone for some reason seems too excited about her "date". Ino seems to be radiating happiness as her plan progressed better than she had ever imagined. She silently thanked everyone as she quietly exited the hospital in all the buzz knowing Sakura will murder her the next time she saw her.
By the time Sakura was finally able to break away from the excitement at the front desk and exited the hospital Ino was nowhere to be found. After looking around for a while with Daiki close beside her, Sakura decided to kill Ino later and thought she will enjoy the situation she was in to the best of her abilities. She turned her head towards the handsome man beside her with a smile as she remembered that none of this was his fault and he was probably as shocked as she was to find that neither Ino or Sai were anywhere within sight.
"I know a great place to eat at a few minutes away if you don't have any objections." Sakura said looking at his now pink cheeks. Sakura's smile softened at seeing this knowing he must have been a little overwhelmed back there. "Sorry about that. I don't know why they were making such a fuss." She said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it. I just don't like being in the centre of attention that much so it was just awkward was all. Anyway, I don't mind going anywhere that you think is appropriate Sakura-san." He finished as he raised his good arm to scratch the back of his head with a nervous laugh.
"Oh please call me Sakura. You don't have to be so formal." She said as she led the way to her favourite restaurant. The two walked to the restaurant that was located only few minutes away from the hospital in short conversation about what kind of mission he was returning from when he fell. It was already around twelve thirty and the Konoha spring sun shone down on them as they walked. Despite it still being mid spring, the weather outside was wonderful. There was a small breeze in the air that made Sakura's soft pink locks lightly dance around her face but not too much that it was getting in her face. With the sun high above the blue skies it kept people from getting too cold from the breeze. It was a perfect day so the couple decided to sit at one of the many tables set up outside. The restaurant was quiet busy due to it being lunch time for most people but there were still a few free tables, the couple picking a table closest to the street beside the small green fence.
After ordering their food, the two were brought the drinks that they ordered. Sakura ordering a simple orange and mange juice while Daiki settled on a coca cola.
"You trained with the former lady hokage. Did you not?" Daiki asked as he took a sip of his drink through the straw. Sakura nodded to his question due to her mouth being full from her own sip of her drink. "That must've been exciting." He said with a smile leaning back on his chair to look at Sakura.
"I don't know if exciting is the correct word." Sakura said shivering at the mention of her master's teaching techniques. Daiki raised a white eyebrow at her reaction and she decided to further her explanation. "She doesn't go easy on you. But she was a wonderful teacher. I owe everything I have and I am to her. In retrospect though, I guess it was exciting…and fun. " Sakura said with a gentle smile as she thought about her mentor whom Sakura was certain is somewhere in a casino in lord knows where. Daiki nodded at her explanation. "What about you? When did you become an ANBU? I haven't seen you around before." Sakura said leaning back in her own chair with her legs crossed.
"Ah me? I became an ANBU only a couple of months before the war. I'm not from here. Well…technically I am. I was born here but after the death of my parents when I was ten years old I moved in with my grandparents in Iwagakure. I decided to move back for the war so I can be of help to my own village." He explained with a shrug.
"That's very kind of you to come and help us." Sakura said to the smiling man whom she was finding more and more interesting as he talked.
"It wasn't anything like that. I was born and raised here and my parents loved the leaf village. I knew I could've come to the war as an Iwagakure ninja but if I died I wanted to die as a leaf ninja. I guess it was kind of a selfish reason when you look at it that way." He finished with a short laugh his silver hair dancing in the slight breeze.
"I don't think it's selfish. I think it's only human nature that people would do anything they can for the people and things that they love." Sakura assured her mind going back to a certain teammate of hers' for a moment. Sakura leaned in to take another sip of her juice and as she pulled back with the juice still in her mouth she heard a loud voice call out to her from across the street and her head snapped to the general direction.
"Sakura-chan." Sakura coughed as she choked on the juice she had swallowed, trying to catch her breath. "Eh? Sakura-Chan? You okay?" Naruto asked as he stood on the other side of the fence beside her. Her eyes narrowed at the blond as she finally calmed down, though they didn't stay on him for long as she noticed the figure further away on the other side of the street watching them from there. His hands in his pockets and his dark eyes clearly disinterested and impatient as he waited for Naruto. "Yo Sasuke-teme. Its Sakura-chan. Come here." Sakura heard Naruto say as he turned around to look at their other teammate, motioning with his hand for him to come. Sakura kept her eyes on Sasuke while her heart struggled between being elated at knowing he isn't avoiding her and feeling defeated as she remembered their previous encounter. Which is why she didn't miss the tired sigh he let out before crossing the road and standing beside Naruto across from Daiki.
"What do you two doing here?" Sakura asked as her heart decided on being happy that Sasuke wasn't avoiding her. Her eyes looked at Naruto knowing he would most likely be the one answering.
"Well we came to get you for lunch." Naruto said hesitantly looking at her though his eyes darted towards her companion the next moment with a grin. "But since you are on a date I guess we'll eat alone. Right teme?" Naruto finished as his eyes finally landed on Sasuke's indifferent one.
"Hn" Sasuke said avoiding eye contact with anyone. Sakura blushed at Naruto's bluntness as her own eyes darted to the silver haired man in front of her finally remembering to introduce him to her teammates.
"Oh this is Daiki. He recently came into get his fractured arm fixed." She said as she raised her hand towards the boy who bowed his head slightly in greeting. "This is Naruto and Sasuke, my genin teammates" Sakura said as her hand moved from Naruto to Sasuke as she introduced them.
"Oh come on Sakura-chan. You can introduce us better than that." Naruto said loudly from beside her before turning to Daiki as he pointed at himself with his thumb. "I am Naruto Uzumaki and this guy is Sasuke Uchiha. We are Sakura-Chan's bestest friends and we look after her. So you better keep your hands to yourself." He finished missing Sakura's wide eyes at his words. "Right Sasuke?" he said turning to the raven haired boy standing idly by.
"Hn." Sakura heard Sasuke's grunt and turned her green eyes to him to find his dark eyes glaring at Daiki.
"That's it. Both of you leave…now." She growled at them as her cheeks blazed red. Everyone was making her life so much more difficult than it has to be. First Ino then Naruto and now even Sasuke apparently.
"No no Sakura-Chan, look your food is here. Don't make me leave now." He said sulkily as their food arrived at the table, both she and Daiki ordering ramen though it was much fancier than the kind Naruto usually ate.
"No leave. Sasuke please take this moron and leave." Sakura said almost pleadingly to Sasuke her eyes turning to him. Though she flinched a little as his eyes snapped to Sakura's and his glare turned from Daiki to her as if he was accusing her of something. After staring at for a moment too long as she stared at him in confusion, he finally grabbed the back collar of Naruto's shirt and dragged him away ignoring Naruto's protests as well as the stares he got from passersby.
"I'm sorry about that. He's not usually…actually that's would be a lie. He's always like that." She said with a forced smile. Even though she was usually very hard on the blond she loved him like a brother. She couldn't imagine her life without him.
"I was just in the presence of all three of the fourth ninja war heroes and all I could do was stare in disbelief. I didn't even talk to them." Daiki said as he ran a hand through his silky hair. Sakura giggled at his expression, he looked as if he'd missed the greatest chance of his life. Daiki looked up at her as he heard her soft laughter, blushing as he realized she was laughing at him.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll see them again." She assured as she began to eat motioning for him to eat as well before their noodles get cold. They ate in silence for a while before Daiki spoke breaking the comfortable silence.
"Sasuke-san really is quiet intimidating. I've heard people say it but didn't believe it until now." He said pursing his lips a little.
"Don't let him scare you. He's actually a really great person." She told him with a smile remembering all the times in which his concern for her and Naruto had put him in danger. She didn't know why he hid behind that cold and distant façade but she knew he had that gentle side.
"Were the two of you involved?" Daiki asked after a while making Sakura halt as the chop sticks hovered in the air. She looked at him with confused green eyes wondering what he was talking about at which Daiki further elaborated his question. "Romantically I mean?" he said as Sakura's eyes widened and she dropped her chopsticks to her bowl slowly. Straightening up she answered his random question.
"No. he just got back and before he left we were just twelve so no." she explained before she remembered their conversation from yesterday. "We are just friends. That's all" she concluded as he nodded in understanding though his deep blue eyes seem to understand something she was not quite sure of. "Why did you ask that?" she asked curiously finding it odd that he specifically asked about Sasuke. If it was a general wondering he could've asked about Naruto as well.
"It's just he looked about ready to kill me with that impressive glare of his." Daiki said chuckling as he continued to eat. She herself found his glare that was directed at her odd but she didn't think much of it since he used to glare at her all the time.
"He's just like that. We are just friends." She finished quietly as she began to eat again.
"If you say so." Daiki said, though something about the manner in which he said it sounded to her like he did not believe her.
"Isn't it great that Sakura-Chan's on a date? Now she and that guy can double date with Hinata and me." Naruto said cheerfully as they walked towards Ichiraku. When Sasuke didn't give his usual grunt, Naruto turned his blue eyes towards him to find that his raven haired best friend was deep in thought about something. "Hey teme?" Naruto called loudly from right beside Sasuke's ear, earning him a loud thud on the head by Sasuke. "Ow!" the blond protested nursing the slight bump on the top of his head.
"We were supposed to have lunch together." Sasuke replied coldly his hands going back inside his pockets and his eyes staring ahead.
"It doesn't matter. She looked like she was having fun. Anyway, he had an ANBU uniform on. Did you see?" Naruto asked as they both crouched down to go under the curtains of Ichiraku. They both sat down on the stools and ordered their usual meals, Naruto bouncing on his seat as he impatiently waited for his ramen and Sasuke glaring daggers at the table top for some reason.
"Tsk. I could reach ANBU too after this stupid trial is over." Sasuke replied as if it was some sort of competition. Even though Sasuke was out and about the village, he was still being put on trial. He couldn't leave the village without Naruto and it was mandatory for him to report to the hokage after every mission.
"What's up with you anyway? Just yesterday you said you talked to Sakura-Chan and said you were glad you cleared things out with her. Shouldn't you be happy that she seems to finally be moving on from you?" Naruto asked confusedly before his blue eyes widened in understanding. "Wait! Don't tell me…you like her?" Naruto asked incredulously and loudly making Sasuke snap his onyx eyes to the blond beside him in disbelief.
"Of course not dobe. I told you I don't feel that way about her." Sasuke said angrily though he still couldn't explain the knot that had failed to leave his stomach since the moment he had seen Sakura and that…man. Maybe he had been looking forward to finally having lunch with his old team more than he had known and was disappointed to find that Sakura was already eating lunch. Yes, that has to be it.
Since his return to the village after the war, her two confessions to him were all he had thought about on his free time. When he was lying on bed at night waiting for sleep to claim him her confessions, one from four years ago and the other so very recently, replayed in his mind over and over again. Though Sakura had fawned over him since they were still very young, these two were the most genuine, even he could tell that, and her voice screamed it out to him every time he had some peace and quiet. Sasuke had no idea how he was supposed to approach her after the war, so he resulted in avoiding her.
Even though he knew that Sakura would be hurt by his avoidance of her for over three months, he didn't know what else he was supposed to do. He didn't know how he can face her and have a normal friendship with her when his mind was so cluttered. He did not hate Sakura, far from it. At her display of strength during the war, he had been astonished as well as impressed with her. He had known even in their genin days that Sakura had great potential that was only deterred by her obsession with everything Sasuke. But during the war she had more than proved herself to be a capable kunoichi with, he had to admit, some crazy strength. Still he had no idea how he was supposed to approach someone who so genuinely gave him everything they had. Who… genuinely loved him to the extent that she did.
His life had been surrounded by many negative emotions since he was a mare eight year old boy. If he got any positive emotions after that, it was from his time with team seven. But by then, he had already decided on the path he wanted to take and any other emotions that only got in the way of his goal was thrown aside like trash.
Sasuke knew he didn't feel indifferently about Sakura, he also knew he didn't feel the same way he felt about her as the feelings he felt towards Naruto. With Sakura he felt an almost possessiveness over her, like it was his duty to protect her and keep her safe despite knowing she can more than handle herself. When they were younger he felt the same way and after returning it was as if his feelings of possessiveness over her had resumed where they were left. Yet he still couldn't place how he felt towards her. Above all else, he valued her friendship because even in his genin days he had known that she had offered him her friendship. Though he acted indifferent and aloof towards her, he was grateful, thinking back, for her constant companionship. It was something he did not want to lose over his muddled emotions. He himself had failed to see how his avoidance of her would help them continue their friendship, but in his mind if he avoided Sakura it meant that he avoided any confrontations that could possibly put a crack through their already weak relationship. To Sasuke avoiding her meant nothing would change, as if time had stopped.
Upon running into her at the hospital the day before, he had almost been afraid that she would confess to him again. For some reason he could not fathom he couldn't bear to hear the desperation in her voice every time she confessed to him. It is all he could hear at night when he lay on his bed. On both times that she had confessed to him, he had not seeing her, rather he had listened with his back facing her. Both times, her desperation to stop him and bring him back to his senses was the only thing he can remember from the incidents aside from the words and the unfamiliar tug at his chest.
So when she had right away demanded why he had been avoiding her, he was surprised to say the least though he tried his best to not look like it. He didn`t know how he was supposed to answer her, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to leave the room without answering her questions from the way her green eyes sparkled with something he was unfamiliar with as it was usually directed at anyone but him. She seemed angry at him.
At the end of their conversation in which the only sounds he had given were `Hn` though somehow she had understood all his thoughts with only those two letters, something he still found amazing, a pained look had passed her green eyes making him avoid them at all costs. He didn't know whether she was hurt because he did not return her feeling or because he had thought their friendship so weak that he couldn't even talk to her. Either way, it had been pain that crossed her eyes and he had not like it.
He was relieved to find that they could be friends, because he had so few to begin with. Yet he was still unsettled by her abrupt exit without even giving him a chance to speak to her.
However, he was even more disturbed to find her eating lunch with another man only a day after their encounter. Even Sasuke knew that he had no right to feel as though he had somehow been betrayed but his mind had refused to listen as he could only glare at the man across Sakura. If he did not want to pursue a romantic relationship with Sakura, should he not be happy about her finding another to feel that way about? Instead he had felt an unbelievable feeling of possessiveness that made him want to grab her and run the other way, take her away from that man and keep her close to him. He wasn't certain if this is something that came with friendship because he did not feel the same way when Naruto was talking to Hinata Hyuga or anyone else for that matter. Yet he couldn't quiet bring himself to say that he felt romantically towards her. It didn't feel right saying that.
Sasuke had never been so confused in his life. He had watched his brother kill his parents and wasn't as confused this then. He had been told that his brother protected him and didn't feel as confused as he felt now. Only having hate as an emotion is so much easier than having all the other complicated emotions. He had finally concluded that though it had been fairly easy to fall into the same pattern and friendship with Naruto, it would be much more difficult to fall into the same pattern with his pink haired teammate.
To Sakura's delight, over the last couple of weeks team seven actually got to spend time together. They even took ramen to the hokage office once to have it with Kakashi-sensei. That's what they mostly did when they were spending time together. Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and Sai all just went to Ichiraku's and filled up on ramen to their hearts content.
Over those two weeks she had managed to build a sudden friendship with Daiki as well. If she were asked how she became such fast friends with the older boy Sakura wouldn't know how to answer that question. Although Ino had initially introduced the two so that they can pursue a romantic relationship she found a friend in him much faster. Ino had completely lost it on Sakura when she told her blond haired best friend that she will probably never date Daiki. Though she still got curious looks and hidden smiles whenever she and Daiki were together despite constantly telling people that they were not dating.
Daiki was someone that Sakura found herself easily confiding in for some reason, may it be his kind blue eyes or the gentle smile he has plastered on his face she had, by the end of the two weeks, told him about all of her insecurities not to mention her unconditional feelings for Sasuke. While everyone she ever talked to said forget Sasuke, Daiki had resulted to just listening to her. No advice, no sarcastic remarks, just simple hums and nods to let her know he was listening.
Over the two weeks that she had built the friendship with Daiki, her straining friendship with Sasuke did not seem to improve. Every time she tried to have a conversation with Sasuke, he seems to give her the cold shoulder. Whenever they bumped into each other at the streets he seems to glare at her as if she'd done something wrong and if she knew what it is then she could apologize but he refused to tell her no matter how many times she asked. The last time she had met him had been when she was going to lunch with Daiki and he had been so rude she was actually embarrassed for him. Sasuke didn't bother to stop and talk to them even as Sakura beamed at him with a wide smile, him opting to brush past her as if she were invincible. In that moment she had painfully found out that it was still hard to accept that her feelings were a mere annoyance to Sasuke.
It was one of those days in which she was supposed to be having lunch with her team that she contemplated conversation topics so that there won't be any awkward silences as she walked towards Ichiraku. As she ducked under the curtains she was surprised to find the place empty, not even Naruto anywhere close by. Upon seeing Sakura standing there, Ayame turned to her with a pleasant smile her tired brown eyes telling her it had been a long day.
"Ah! Sakura-san. Naruto said he wouldn't be able to make it today. So he said to have extra for him as well." Ayame said with a teasing smile as Sakura sat down on a wooden stood giving the older woman a smile of her own.
"Did he say why?" Sakura asked already knowing lunch will be a disaster with only Sai and Sasuke as her companions.
"He said he got a mission to go on." The older woman replied over her shoulder as she washed dishes at the sink. "Sasuke-san." Sakura heard the woman greet and Sakura couldn't help the frown that came to her face. She quickly pushed that aside and turned to her left as Sasuke sat down beside her.
"Sasuke-kun, Naruto's on a mission so he won't be coming." Sakura said to which he nodded looking at her for a quarter of a second before staring ahead with his hands in his pockets. They usually didn't order until everyone came so the pair waited for Sai in silence the only sound coming from the water faucet as Ayame continued to wash dishes, her father nowhere to be found. Upon hearing the rustling of clothes behind her she turned around to find a panting Sai as he tried to catch his breath. "Sai? What on earth happened to you?" Sakura asked her eyes widening at the sight of the sweating man.
"Ino had to go on a small mission and left me in charge of the shop for the day. I'm heading there now. Sorry, I won't be joining you today." He had only barely finished talking before he dashed out of the shop again and began running not leaving any room for questions from his two teammates. Sakura stared at the place Sai had been standing on in bewilderment for a moment as she realized she would have to have lunch alone with Sasuke and he probably wouldn't be happy about it.
"One miso and one pork." Sakura only broke out of her trance at the sound of Sasuke's voice ordering her favourite dish. She slowly turned around in her seat to face Ayame as she cooked their ramen. She knew this was going to be awkward. She was fairly certain that the only reason he had stayed is because it would be rude to walk away and leave her here.
Sakura's heart hammered against her ribcage as the scent of their food being cooked filled the air around them. She only looked up as a bowl of miso ramen was set in front of her. She looked up at Ayame who set Sasuke's bowl in front of him
"I'll just be at the front here if you two need anything. Father told me to set up a couple of tables outside just in case people wanted to sit outside." Ayame said as she headed to the back of the shop to exit from the back door. Sakura would have pleaded on her knees begging for her to not leave them alone if Ayame hadn't already been out the door. She silently cursed Naruto for putting her in this situation but as she looked down at her bowl of ramen she saw from the corner of her eyes that Sasuke was looking at her. She looked up at him to find that he had the slightest hint of a frown on his thin lips. She couldn't place the look he had on his face, he didn't look annoyed or angry but rather upset about something. From the way he was looking at her, it made her feel as though she had somehow upset him. In the next moment, his eyes turned away from her to grab his chopsticks, his dark hair falling over his equally, if not darker, eyes hiding them from her view.
Their silence was not awkward, though she fully expected it to be. It was rather comfortable to be sitting beside Sasuke. She knew Sasuke wasn't much of a talker anyway but he must have found her sudden silence odd. It was with that thought that Sakura figured out that the reason their friendship was so hard to put back was because SHE had been acting strangely not because Sasuke has been acting strangely. Sasuke was always quiet, he was always kind of rude and people usually had to bring him into a conversation. By not talking to him and waiting for him to talk to her she had been acting out of character.
"Do you know how the trial is progressing?" she asked quietly as she raised her chopsticks to her mouth. She saw from the corner of her eye that he had been surprised, his eyes snapping to her in an instant. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips at the action. But him being Sasuke, he quickly recovered from the shock and answered.
"Only that the punishment wouldn't be too hard. A few more hearings and it should be decided." He answered monotonously the sound actually comforting to her ears. It sounded like Sasuke and that small fact made her let out a small sigh of relief.
"That's good to know. So how is it going? Life I mean." she asked curiously knowing everyone probably asked that of him, but she would like to know as well so she didn't take it back.
"Fine." He replied though she couldn't understand why he looked at her from the corner of his eye as if expecting something. Sakura laughed nervously as he continued to stare at her.
"You better find a girl and marry her fast if you want to make it to ANBU. You'll be too busy afterwards." Sakura blurted out without thinking, only flushing a moment later as she registered what she had said. She bit her lip nervously. 'Why did I say that?' she scolded herself avoiding Sasuke's eyes.
"Why did you say that?" she was surprised to hear Sasuke ask. Her viridian eyes slowly looked up at him, his onyx eyes boring into her under which she slightly shivered. She couldn't read him, the expression he had in his eyes. He looked annoyed and curios at the same time along with an emotion she could not place for the life of her dancing in his eyes. She was lost in his eyes that she didn't even have the time to answer his question. "Is it because you and that Daiki guy are together?" he asked quietly after a moment of silence his voice biting out Daiki's name slightly, an action she did not miss due to her staring at him so intently. She was surprised by his question, surprised enough to break her out of her trance and look at him incredulously.
"Sasuke-kun, Daiki and I are…" she began only to be interrupted by someone calling her Name. She turned her head slightly to look at who had called her.
"Sakura, I thought you might be here. I need to talk to you. Can we take a walk if you are done?" Daiki stood at the entrance of the restaurant his good arm raising the curtain above his head. She silently thanked Daiki for his impeccable timing, missing the frown that came over Sasuke's face.
"Ah sure." She said as she pushed herself from the stool. In the next moment though her left wrist was in a death grip, her wrist hurting as it was held so tightly. Her eyes snapped towards her own wrist to find Sasuke holding her small wrist in his large hand. Turning her wide viridian eyes to Sasuke's face it was almost amusing to her to see that he himself was staring at their joined hands in shock. "Sasuke-kun?" she murmured when he didn't let go for a long time, her standing there and him sitting down, both in shock forgetting for a moment that they had an audience.
Sasuke's eyes slowly raised to her own and Sakura's breath hitched at the look in his eyes, her green eyes widening slightly. He then slowly released her hand almost reluctantly, her hand falling beside her as he turned back to his ramen. She knew it would only get more awkward if she stayed here so after looking at him for a moment longer she headed towards the exit and she and Daiki stepped out of the restaurant.
She paid for her lunch as she saw Ayame outside and started walking away from the restaurant with Daiki beside her, though her mind remained on her dark haired teammate. The moment their eyes had met she was surprised to see that he was silently asking her to stay for some reason. Whether Sasuke knew it or not, his eyes had screamed for her to not leave and her heart ached so painfully thinking about it. He was sitting there by himself and he wanted her companionship and had asked for it and she had walked away. She felt so stupid, so horrible.
She stopped in her tracks, making Daiki stop a few steps ahead of her. Her green eyes found his blue ones quickly.
"Is it urgent?" she asked him hurriedly. Daiki looked at her in surprise and remained quiet for a moment before smiling at her kindly. His blues eyes shining as the sun light hit them.
"Nope." He said as he waved his good hand dismissively.
"Can you tell me later if you don't mind then? I…I should get back to him." She said with an apologetic smile.
"Not at all. Go ahead. I'll tell you later then." He smiled again as he already started walking away from her waving to her over his head as he walked away.
"Thank you." she said as she wasted no more time in running back to the restaurant. Sakura ran into the restaurant not bothering to lift the curtain over her head, it barely touched anyway, only to collide with what she could only describe as a wall. "Ouch!" she muttered as she rubbed her nose looking up to find an amused and surprised Sasuke looking down at her. While she herself has grown tall over the years, Sasuke and Naruto seem to get taller and taller each time she sees them. Sasuke was almost a whole head taller than her, the top of her head only reaching a little higher than his chin. So she had to really look up to actually make eye contact with him when he's standing up. At the moment he was looking down at her with a perfect dark eyebrow raised, his hands in his pocket. "You are leaving?" she asked as she continued to rub the top of her nose.
"Ah." Sasuke replied his eyes looking over her shoulder as if he were looking for someone else to appear. "I thought you had something important to talk about." He said shifting his eyes back to her.
"Well you and I rarely spend any time together, plus Daiki said it wasn't urgent. So I thought we could spend the day together before I head off to my shift at the hospital. I have the night shift so we have until ten at night." She said as she beamed at him suddenly finding the situation she had placed herself in something she was actually looking forward to. Sakura struggled to keep her beaming smile in her face when Sasuke's only response to her suggestion was staring at her skeptically. But she had made up her mind to not falter. This was their chance to rebuild their relationship and she was not going to throw it away or let Sasuke ruin it either.
"Humph." Sasuke finally said as he stuffed his hand in his pant pockets and closed his eyes. Despite the extreme reluctance in Sasuke's answer Sakura couldn't help the smile that came to her as he started walking away from the ramen shop, handing his share of the bill to Ayame on his way. Sakura ran after to catch up as she too headed in the general direction of the park.
After the initial excitement passed, the only thing left was awkwardness. For her at least. Sasuke seems to completely ignore her presence walking beside him only looking ahead with his head held up high like usual. The grace and eliteness that he seems to always carry seems to have doubled for some reason. Peeking at him from the corner of her vibrant green eyes, a light bulb went up in her head. It's a small light, but it's a light none the less.
"What are you planning to do now?" Sakura began as she intertwined her fingers behind her back walking along side Sasuke.
"About what?" he replied not even turning his head towards her. Sakura did not let his unwillingness to cooperate get in the way of this opportunity she had to get to know the thoughts of the new Sasuke.
"After everything is settled, what's your next move?" she clarified with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Haven't thoughts about it yet." He answered, taking a pause afterwards. Sakura looked at him from the corner of her eyes and saw that he looked as if he was contemplating whether or not he should continue. Sakura let him think without bothering him, figuring if he wanted to tell her he surely will. So she walked quietly beside him waiting for him to come to his own conclusion. "Take the chunnin exam next year most likely. Eventually make it to ANBU." When he finally did fully answer her question, she allowed herself a little smile. May be all he needed to actually be friends with her was the confirmation that he shouldn't feel obligated to return her feelings.
"That sounds great, the next chunnin exam should be in about 9 months or so. We didn't have one this year because of the war, but next year should be fine." She said with a thoughtful look, thinking back to the last chunnin exam in which she had played part because of Tsunade and because she was a medic. She had been part of the medic team of the chunnin exams every time since she had been under the tutelage of Tsunade, only last year was she in charge. She had no idea as to whether or not she will be accompanying Kakashi-sensei…or rather the sixth hokage-sama next time. She suddenly gasped as a light bulb went up in her head. Sasuke turned his head towards her with raised eyebrows and Sakura stopped walking as she turned to fully face Sasuke. "You know what you should do?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise at her own brilliant idea. "Restart the police force. You can still go on missions from time to time, but mainly you'll be in charge of local crimes and the prison in the north will probably be given back to you too." She continued excitedly.
Sasuke stared at Sakura as if she had grown another head. The idea was completely ludicrous, he had no idea why she sounded so excited about it. It'll take years to rebuild what his father had dedicated his life to doing. It'll take even longer to bring it back to its former glory, he would never be able to do it.
"That's a ridiculous idea." He stated as he began to walk away only to feel her hand wrap around his elbow, pulling him back in front of her.
"No it's not. I mean sure it'll take some time, but wouldn't be amazing to carry out your clan's legacy? Everything has to go through the hokage now and Tsunade-sama was always complaining about having to handle all these criminals. If you rebuild the police force, the Hokage can focus on ninja duties while you handle the rest of the things inside the village." Sasuke could tell that Sakura was getting more and more excited about this with every words she spoke. And to his annoyance, it was starting to rub off on him because what she was saying was making perfect sense to him. Sasuke let out a sigh as soon as he realized that Sakura would pester him about it if he didn't say anything. He could tell from the look in her eyes that she was, for some reason, very determined about this idea.
"I'll think about it." He finally answered making her smile triumphantly as if he had agreed to her insane idea. They began walking again soon later with Sakura still smiling.
The rest of their walk went by with Sakura telling Sasuke about a few interesting medical cases she had handled. He took part in the conversation by "hn"ing and "ah"ing and by once in a while giving small comments. When Sakura saw that they had arrived back at ichirakus is when she realized that they have gone on a circle. When she turned around to tell Sasuke that they've been going in a circle for the past hour and a half he was still walking ahead. Since he didn't seem to notice, she decided not to mention anything and only kept on walking with a devious smile.
Sasuke had already known they were going in a circle. But he was, surprisingly, having such an enjoyable time that he decided not to tell her about it then. He had thought that maybe after she had realized the redundancy of their activity she will stop, but even after noticing she only kept of walking and therefore he didn't say anything either assuming she was also having a good time.
Even when neither of them were talking and were just walking in silence he was enjoying her company. Having Sakura's presence beside him, even in complete silence made him feel oddly at peace. Listening to her talk excitedly about work and looking at her as she gestured her hands and moved her eyes and smiled was also making him feel oddly at peace. But then again, Sakura's presence, even before he left the village, always calmed him down.
She was obviously much better at keeping her emotions controlled now than she was in their genin days. Unless she actually had gotten over him in the last couple of weeks, which was unlikely considering how adamant she had been before. Or maybe that's just him trying to hold on to something that's slowly slipping away from his hand.
If he could soon figure out what kind of relationship he wants with Sakura it would really help his sleep cycle. He hadn't been getting much sleep since two weeks ago and he and Naruto had run into Sakura and what's-his-face having lunch. He didn't know much about this restless feeling he keeps having and he was completely oblivious as to why she kept on popping into his head whenever he closed his eyes. If he was sure of anything, it was that he hated what-s his-face and he hated even more to see Sakura with what's-his-face. He had, on more than one occasion, replaced himself beside Sakura in his head and to his shock it had made him smile, albeit slightly and when he so alone.
He was not so ignorant as to say that his feelings towards Sakura were completely platonic. Of course he couldn't place both Sakura and Naruto at the same level in his…friendship scale. Sasuke was also not twelve anymore and was aware of how his feelings towards Naruto and his feelings towards Sakura were so different. The question was, why had he avoided her for three months because of her feelings and why had he wanted to be friends with her two weeks ago, only to realize two weeks later that he would not be satisfied with being just friends with her?
The moment he asked the question, he was aware of the answer. To be honest he had always been aware of the answer, but he couldn't bring himself to believe he was that much of an ass.
The simple explanation was that he had not thought of the possibility that she could fall out of love with him. It just had not occurred to him. Or maybe it had and he didn't think it possible for this girl, who had so genuinely declared her love for him, to ever stop loving him. Maybe he thought he could just lead his life while he expected her to keep her life on hold for him. Maybe he really was as big an ass as everyone accuses him of being.
His inability to actually lead a romantic relationship may have something to do with it. Just having her there, part of his life, was enough. That was what he had thought before she had gone on a date with what's-his-face. But the reality was that he would lose her if he didn't do anything about it. The reality was that he wanted Sakura to be huge part of his life, bigger than anyone else and he needed her. Her expressive eyes, her smiling lips, her selfless nature, her…her…he needed her.
"Sasuke-kun?" he snapped his head to the sound of Sakura's voice, almost giving himself whiplash. "Are you okay? You look…distressed." She continued completely oblivious to the life changing realisation Sasuke had just had. He stared at her worried green eyes for longer than necessary before he collected himself and looked away from her.
"Hn." He replied, wanting to say so much but not knowing how to because…he may very well be in love with the woman in front of him. Oh kami, he was in love with Sakura!
After the thought hit him, like a brick to the face, he was surprised at the feeling of relaxation he felt, like a weight had been lifted off his chest, like he'd been rid of something he'd held on to for too long. True to his personality though, he remained completely normal and Sakura remained completely oblivious as she talked on about her patients, her favourite being a 12 year old genin boy who came to the hospital at least once a day due to some kind of injury.
"He reminds me so much of Naruto when we were young, I actually look forward to seeing him. I mean I know I'm a medic and isn't supposed to say that but he's always so excited about everything he ends up getting hurt." She finished with a laugh and Sasuke was left staring ahead willing himself to be nonchalant. How did he act around Sakura before anyway? What should he do with his hands? Is he leaning towards her at the moment? Where does he look? Did he used to look at her in situations like this before? He was starting to forget how he acted towards her before five minutes ago and he hadn't fully known he loved her.
Sakura knew that Sasuke wasn't fully listening to her. He looked distracted and he kept on fidgeting like he was feeling uncomfortable for some reason. But she also knew Sasuke wasn't the type of person who wanted people to ask him if he was alright. So she ignored his fidgeting and continued her stories. Throughout their journey in the village Sakura had affectively kept a safe distance of at least two people between the two of them because she also knew that Sasuke didn't like physical contact unless it was his hands around the neck of his enemy.
Unknown to the two people walking side by side on the street, their distance was slowly closing in. Neither of them were doing it on purpose. But the narrow streets and the fact that it was the middle of the day and filled with people made the two of them walk closer and closer together.
Sakura was laughing at one of her favourite patient's antics when her left hand brushed against his right suddenly. Her laughter died in her throat and she pulled her hand towards her chest quickly afraid that Sasuke might get the wrong idea and think she tried to hold his hand or something. This guy doesn't need rational reasons to push people away from him. She slowly inched away from him leaving a couple inches of space between them as they continued walking. Without letting any time pass, she began to tell him more about her work as if what had just happened hadn't happened at all, which is why she didn't notice the deep frown and the furrowed eyebrows of the Uchiha beside her.
Sasuke was upset….no, Sasuke was offended. Sasuke felt her hand as it brushed against his and for the first time in his life after a long time, he was ready to welcome the touch of another human. For a fraction of a second before she abruptly pulled her hand away, his heart had actually skipped a beat. But a moment later she had pulled her hand away as if the mere contact had given her third degree burn. And the sinking feeling his stomach felt as she inched away from him didn't help either. Sasuke put his hand back in his pocket, now that he thought about it, when DID his hand come out of his pocket anyway? He didn't even remember taking it out.
With the events that had occurred over the last couple of weeks however, all coherent thought was lost to him as the possibility of Sakura's feelings towards him being platonic suddenly became a reality that he could no longer escape from.
This was supposed to be a one-shot, but as you can see its way too long so I decided to make it a two-shot. I hope you enjoyed it but I can't estimate when exactly the next chapter would be. But I'll try to update as soon as I can. Thanks for the patience.
Please rate and review if you have a chance. Thank you!