Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Moments: Part I
"Why do you love me, Sakura?"
i. They were five…
when she first saw him.
She had gone into town with her mother because she was becoming a Big Girl, and Big Girls got to run errands. The girl, Sakura, held her mother's hand as they wandered the market place and examined vendors' carts.
They were picking out fresh apples, her favorite fruit, when one fell on the ground. After picking it up, she stood and saw him.
He could have been just another kid, but what caught her attention was how he looked just like the prince from her storybook.
He was probably close to her age, but already, it was obvious he was a Big Boy. He wasn't even holding his mother's hand when they crossed the street! Instead, he carried a bag full of groceries all by himself.
It was that exact moment that she decided that, even though she didn't know his name, he would be her Prince Charming.
ii. They were seven…
when they began at the Academy.
Sakura had not forgotten about the marketplace boy. But in the two years since, she had become distracted with other important things.
Like how to cook a nice dinner. And how to wear her hair to hide her giant forehead. And pick out clothes that matched. And tie fancy ribbons onto her dolls.
But all of that stuff seemed less important when she stepped onto Academy grounds and saw him again. Her face became warm and she felt butterflies come to life in her stomach. She sat in the row in front of him and hoped he noticed her.
The teacher read the attendance list. She finally found out his name – Uchiha Sasuke.
It was that moment she decided Uchiha Sakura had a nice ring to it.
iii. They were eleven…
when they were assigned to teams. (1)
The air inside the Academy was charged with excitement. Today was graduation day, which meant they were done with lessons and could finally put their knowledge to use. It was also the day they would find out which people they would be spending practically all their time with.
The girl glanced at her right, where he was sitting. Of all the students, he was the only one to remain silent despite the high-strung atmosphere.
"Sasuke-kun, who do you want to be in a team with?"
The boy's eyes did not move from their position on the chalkboard. "No one weak."
"Oh, I know!" The girl was thrilled that she had gotten a reply. Her mouth continued to move in hopes of keeping his attention. "It would be so annoying if the people you were with only held you back!"
He only nodded once in reply.
When Iruka-sensei finally called together all the teams, Sakura's heart could have exploded. Because she was the one girl lucky enough to spend all her time with that boy from now on.
It was that moment she pledged to study harder every night so that she would never have to appear weak in front of Sasuke-kun.
iv. They were twelve…
when their differences were highlighted.
They had been training as a team for months now. They had even successfully completed a few missions. The girl was happy. She liked her team.
Especially him.
And after spending all that time together, she felt like she knew him pretty well. His favorite color was blue or black, but probably blue. He was a bit shy, so he didn't talk often. His favorite pastime was training. He couldn't stand Naruto. His physique was important, so he only ate healthy foods like tomatoes and fresh vegetables. And most importantly, he was secretly a nice person on the inside.
With all this knowledge, Sakura thought she had a firm grasp on who Uchiha Sasuke was. Until one day at training, she was too distracted by the dirt in her hair to notice the shower of kunai coming toward her.
When the boy shoved her out of the way, she was ecstatic. Because protecting her meant that he cared, right? Hearts shone in her eyes. But when he turned to look at her, his were only filled with anger.
"How can you still be so weak? You're holding the team back. It's annoying."
That was probably the longest statement the boy had ever made. His words cut like glass.
"But… I–"
"Maybe if you stopped paying attention to only yourself, you might have a shot at becoming a real shinobi." He turned his back.
It was that moment she realized she didn't really know Sasuke-kun at all.
v. They were thirteen…
when they took the Chunnin Exams.
The girl did not know how they were going to survive. The forest was crawling with dangers. Naruto was unconscious. She was so tired. And Sasuke-kun… Sasuke-kun was in unimaginable pain.
They needed time to rest. She needed time to think. And then the Sound Nin showed up. Even Lee hadn't been able to stop them.
She was exhausted, but she knew that, at any cost, she had to protect her teammates. It was her turn to be the strong one. It was time to prove that she belong with Naruto and Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei.
The girl couldn't help but cry when she cut off her hair though. Sasuke-kun was supposed to have liked long her. She had spent years growing it out in hopes that he would finally notice her. But as the pink strands fluttered onto the earth, the girl felt rejuvenated. Now, it was her turn to be in the lead.
But the enemy had been too much to handle. Her techniques were no match, and soon she only served as a punching bag. That was when the boy regained consciousness.
His chakra flared around him. Dark squiggles covered his skin. A positively evil aura hovered around him as he stalked closer to the Sound Nin.
This was not the Sasuke-kun she knew… As her arms wrapped around the boy's chest, she cried. The marks began to recede.
It was that moment she promised to do whatever possible in order to save Sasuke-kun from the darkness inside his own soul.
vi. They were still thirteen…
when he left the village.
Something had been weird about the boy since he was bitten. He was even more introverted. He only wanted to train or go on missions. His obsession with gaining power consumed his every thought.
The girl was scared for him. She was scared that he would do the unthinkable in order to get stronger. She was scared he would leave.
Her senses told her something was not right one night, and she did not hesitate to leave her bed. The boy did not stop walking when he noticed her standing in the path leading out of the village. It wasn't until he was a few steps ahead that he paused to listen to her speak.
"I love you with all of my heart, Sasuke-kun!" The confession hung in the stale air. The girl's heart pounded restlessly. She knew that his mind was already made up by the smirk on his face. Maybe if she had been someone more important he would have listened. But at best, she was only a teammate to him.
He called her annoying one last time. His decision was made. He was leaving.
"Thank you." The phrase was nearly swept away by the wind, but the girl heard. Her eyes widened a fraction as questions raced through her mind. Why? For what? What happens next?
She felt a blunt strike to her neck, and then things went black.
It was that moment she knew Sasuke-kun would eventually come back. Because he was never one to leave questions unanswered.
tbc
(1)According to Narutopedia, they were actually twelve, but whatever.
Update will come within a week.
Review!