Bored.
Bored.
Bored.
'Jeez, when was this day ever going to end!?' thought Sakura, sitting alone at Team 7's old training grounds. She had just completed her daily training regimen and had also taught herself a few more jutsu's that she learned from watching so many fights over the years. Having a photographic memory also helps...
Sakura was 17 now, a jounin anticipating this years ANBU exams.
The hospital was being run by Ino today/
Naruto was off on some godforsaken mission without her...AGAIN.
"I really wish that a bird would die right above me and hit me on the head right now. At least It wouldv'e been entertaining..." she mumbled. She tilted her head up and decided to find shapes in the clouds.
'Man, Shikamaru has no life...'
"Wow, Sakura. What did the birds ever do to you?" said a deep voice, definitely male. Sakura whipped her head around to the forest, and two dark figures could be seen walking towards her.
'Why is that voice so familiar?...'
"Konochiwa! Sakura-chan!" Different voice, but this was one she knew all too well.
"Hey, Naruto." She asked in a sleepy tone.
Sakura watched as Naruto and the other guy stepped into the light, but...the other was wearing sound ninja clothes with onyx eyes and blue-black hair...
"Did Naruto finally beat some sense into you?" she asked, now knowing the identity of the guest.
"I didn't even have to!" he shouted, "When I found him, he killed Itachi and I just pulled him along!"
Sakura just gave a curt nod and went back to cloud gazing.
Sasuke was a little taken back by his teammate's behavior. Maybe a 'Sasuke-kun! Your back! I missed you so much!' or something along those lines...but the bored look, not so much.
"Sakura, I know you told me to give up because he wasn't worth the trouble, but he's back! SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT!" He flailed his arms around, trying to make his point. Sakura just gave him a questioning look, sighed, and stood up. She brushed herself off and faced Sasuke. He was at least 5 inches taller than she was, but she doesn't really care she looked him in the eyes and said nothing for about 7 second when she smirked. Sasuke was just looking at her with mild interest as she brought her hand up and tugged at the collar of his shirt.
"Nice outfit, Uchiha. I didn't realize that the pirate-look came into style." Sasuke's eyes widened a little at her unexpected comment, but Naruto started to fall to the floor laughing.
"HAHA! Good one Sakura-chan!" he giggled. Sasuke just glared. Sakura sat back down on the edge of the railing and watched.
"Say, Sakura? Ready to spar?" Naruto said as he finally caught his breath.
"Sure." She smirked. Sakura directed her gaze at Naruto and said:
"Start." Just then she poofed away.
'SHIT!' was all Naruto could think before realizing that Sakura was behind him. She pulled her hands back revealing...
"KAMI!" He shouted, while Sakura pushed her hands forward.
"Senen-goroshi." She said, her monotone voice still bored as she sent Naruto flying a good 200 yards away.
"I win." She brushed herself off and walked away, raising her hand and giving a slight wave to Sasuke behind her.
"Ja ne." The she disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossom petals.
Sasuke just stood there with his mouth agape and watched as the last petal blew away in the wind.
---
Sakura's POV:
'Well well, he finally came back. Maybe now he'll harbor SOME emotion. The only reason that he's back is because he killed his older bro.'
I walked to my kitchen and grabbed an apple out of the fridge.
Today was getting weirder by the second. Wait...
I sense chakra.
Masked, but not perfect.
"What do you want, Uchiha?"
Sasuke just grunted his trademark 'Hn' as a response.
"Are you just going to stand there or did you want something." I asked, GOD he was getting on my nerves. Gone for 5 years and he still can't hold a conversation.
"I'm here to ask you what I need to do to get on the Hokage's good side." He crossed his arms and stared at the window where he entered.
"Just tell them that you killed two S-class criminals and I'm sure she would cut you SOME slack..." I mused. This was such a waste of my time.
"I expected as much, but isn't there anything else you want to say?"
'Man, where was he going with this?' I raised my eyebrow and took a bite out of the apple.
"Yeah, I knew you were fast, but I only know two other people who can follow my genjutsu."
He scowled. Not the answer he was expecting I guess.
"You've changed." He said as he took a seat on my couch. Wait...HEY! Who said he could get comfortable!?
"What, you expected me to be 12 when you got back?" I smirked. He rolled his eyes.
"No, I expected my welcome back to be a little more eventful thank the dobe getting beat." He put his feet up on the coffee table and looked at me.
"Want to know something?" I inquired.
"Me and Ino were planning how your welcome back should be."
"really, now." He seemed curious, so I continued.
"yes, really. The first one was crying and hugging, the second was punching you all the way back to the sound village, the third was ignoring you completely and the fourth was the outcome of what happened today."
Sasuke just looked at me questioningly.
"Do you really think that your punch would send me all the way back, or were you exaggerating." He smirked.
"Well, since you haven't been here for 5 years, I wouldn't expect you to know my current potential. But, no. I wasn't exaggerating." I sat down in the armchair across from Sasuke and took another bite of apple.
---
Sasuke's POV:
Wow.
Just Wow.
She's changed exceptionally over the years. She no longer wears that blinding red outfit and her hair is slightly longer than when he had last seen her, but it was still that same, light pink hair she always had.
I noticed she dyed the ends black, and her outfit was a pair of black sweats, a mesh t-shirt, her jounin vest, her gloves, and...was that a tattoo on her lower back?
"Your still weak." I lied. She wasn't weak anymore that was for sure, but she was probably nowhere near my level.
"Whatever, Uchiha." She glared. And what was with her, calling me by my surname? I would've thought she had either kept or dropped the suffix, but I wouldn't have expected her to stop calling me by my first name.
"I don't need your pathetic attempts at an insult. I know my own strength and I don't need a genin's opinion." That got me. I almost choked on my own spit.
"Genin? My level has surpassed that of a Sanin. I doubt I am of genin level." She had to have been stupid! What the hell is going on with her?
"Where have you been these past five years? Oh, wait...you were off with the pedophile and his army of boy-toys." Her smirk grew wider, "In case you haven't noticed, both me and Naruto have surpassed our Sanin teachers as some of the top shinobi of Konoha. Without a kekkei-genkai." She took one last bite out of her apple and threw it into the trashcan beside her chair.
"Kekei-genkai or not, I can still defeat you." I smirked.
"Keep telling yourself that." Damn, she's good.
---
Normal POV:
Sakura got up out of her chair and grabbed a dark red notebook and a pencil.
"What is that?" Sasuke asked.
"Nothing important." She said bluntly as she opened up the notebook and started writing.
She didn't notice Sasuke stand up and use his speed to stand behind her. He grabbed her notebook and smirked as she looked up at him, glaring daggers through his head. If looks could kill, Sasuke would be a puddle of mush by now.
"Let's see," he muttered as he flipped the pages. Sakura decided it wasn't worth it to fight him, he would surely get his way and she didn't want to be dragged into another one of his silly games.
He chuckled lightly to himself.
"A songbook? I didn't know you were a lyricist, Sakura."
"Whatever, It's just a hobby I picked up..." she muttered. A faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
Sasuke flipped through more of the pages, reading bits and pieces of Sakura's handy work. He stopped at a page and read the full song.
"Hey, Sakura?"
"What?" She replied, her annoyance clearly shown in her tone of voice.
Sasuke tossed her the book, with one of the pages open for her to see.
"Sing that."
Sakura just looked at him like he had grown two heads.
"Why should I?" she raised an eyebrow.
"I want to hear the tempo and the tune. The lyrics seem to have some meaning pertaining to me, so I want to hear it."
Sakura sighed and stood up out of her chair, grabbing her songbook as she made her way across the room.
"Come with me." Three simple words that left the Uchiha wary of his old teammate.
"Why?" he mused, curious as to what the pink-haired kunoichi wanted to show him.
"I never sing without instruments. This apartment doubles as my own personal recording studio where Naruto, Ino, Hinata and I record the songs I've written. We sometimes change the positions we play, such as Guitarist, Singer, Keyboardist, and Drummer."
Sakura dragged Sasuke into the hallway and up the stairs of her two-story apartment. She took a key out of her pocket and clicked open the lock.
Sasuke just listened as he walked into one of the most elaborate recording studios he has ever seen. (Not that he's seen many...) Turn Tables, a large soundboard, and every single instrument you could name was in that room.
There were probably over 1,000 CD's on the shelves as well as three computers.
The only thought that came to Sasuke's mind was 'wow'.
Sakura opened the door to the soundproof room and picked up an acoustic guitar.
She placed the songbook on the music stand in front of her and turned the microphone on. Sasuke sat at the soundboard and put the headphones on so that he could hear her clearly.
"Remind me why I'm doing this again?" she asked, glaring at Sasuke.
"Because I know you'll do anything I say." He mused.
Sakura growled and sent him another glare.
"Say that again and you'll wish those headphones blocked sound!" she said through clenched teeth.
Sasuke was confused,
what did she mean by that?
Sakura, noticing this, inhaled deeply
and screamed so loud, Sasuke jumped up out of his seat and threw the
headphones across the room.
Sakura just laughed, Sasuke was still shaking from the surprise.
"See what I mean?" she said through her giggles.
"Hn." Sasuke rolled his eyes, picked up her headphones, and placed them back over his ears.
Sakura smirked and began to strum the guitar to a steady, soothing rhythm.
Sasuke relaxed, now that he was sure he wasn't going to get another ear-piercing scream.
He was brought back to earth when Sakura started to sing:
"Oh, oh, oh
No matter what you say about love,
I keep coming back for more,
Keep my hand in the fire,
Sooner or later
I'll get what I'm asking for.
No matter what you say about life,
I learn every time I bleed
The truth is a stranger
------
I gotta let my spirit be free to
admit that I'm wrong and then change my mind
Sorry, but I have to move on
And leave you behind
I can't waste time so give it a moment
I realize nothings broken
Don't need to worry 'bout everything I've done
Live every second like it was my last one
Don't look back at a new direction,
I loved you once and I needed protection
You're still a part of everything I do
You're on my heart just like a tattoo.
Just like a tattoo, I'll always have you
I'm sick of playing all of these games
It's not about taking time
When I looked in the mirror,
Didn't deliver
It hurt enough to think that I could stop,
Admit that I'm wrong an then change my mind,
Sorry, but I gotta be strong and leave you behind.
I can't waste time so give it a moment
I realize nothings broken
Don't need to worry 'bout everything I've done
Live every second like it was my last one
Don't look back at a new direction,
I loved you once and I needed protection
You're still a part of everything I do
You're on my heart just like a tattoo.
Just like a tattoo, I'll always have you."
Sasuke watched as Sakura closed her eyes and spilled her heart and soul into her song. Sakura has a beautiful voice and her song seemed to tell Sasuke that she didn't care for him anymore.
His heart felt heavier than it was, and she was starting to make it worse.
"If I live every moment
I won't change any moment
It's still a part of me and you
I will never regret you
Still, the memory of you
Marks everything I do, OH!
I can't waste time so give it a moment
I realize nothings broken
Don't need to worry 'bout everything I've done
Live every second like it was my last one
Don't look back at a new direction,
I loved you once and I needed protection
You're still a part of everything I do
You're on my heart just like a tattoo.
I can't waste time so give it a moment
I realize nothings broken
Don't need to worry 'bout everything I've done
Live every second like it was my last one
Don't look back at a new direction,
I loved you once and I needed protection
You're still a part of everything I do
You're on my heart just like a tattoo.
Just like a tattoo, I'll always have you."
Sakura strummed the last few bars of the song and a tear rolled down her face from all the emotion she put into singing her song. Sasuke was just staring at her as she put away her guitar.
When she walked out of the recording room, She headed towards the stairs to go back down to her living room, Sasuke silently followed.
When she got to her couch and sat down, Sasuke just stayed standing and looked at her.
Sakura noticed how uneasy he looked.
"Oi, Sasuke? What's the matter?" Sasuke raided his gaze and looked her in the eyes.
"When did you write that?" he asked, his voice a barley audible whisper.
"Let's see, I wrote it about 2 years ago, but never really got down to recording it."
Sasuke's face still looked emotionless. He didn't move at all.
"Was...that song...about...me?" he asked cautiously as he made his way toward Sakura and sat down on the chair across from her.
"Well, I guess..." Sakura blushed a little from the intense gaze cast by the notorious Uchiha.
Sasuke stayed silent as Sakura averted her gaze to the floor.
"Do you...still love me like you did 5 years ago?" He asked, turning his head to look at the wall. His cheeks turning a faint pink.
Sakura just chuckled lightly, "Sometimes, I wish I didn't"
Sasuke jerked his head up and stared at her, His eyes were wide, and he started to show more emotion than he had in the past 12 years of his life.
After a moment, He hung his head back down and kept quiet. Sakura couldn't take the silence anymore.
She got up and headed to her kitchen, but was stopped when a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her wait and prevented her from moving.
"Sasuke...what are you..."
"Say it."
Sakura raised an eyebrow. 'What was he talking about?'
"Say what?"
"What happened to the honorific?"
"Ok, now your just confusing me even more...OOF!" Sakura gasped for air when Sasuke pulled her closer against his chest, tightening his grip.
"I don't repeat myself Sakura."
She thought for a minute, and she soon figured out what he was trying to say.
"You...why do you..." he tightened his grip even more.
"Sakura...please. Just say it." His eyes were shut tight, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.
Sakura smiled lightly, and grabbed his arm with a gentle hand, making him relax, if only a little bit.
"Sasuke...kun." she said quietly, but loud enough for Sasuke to hear.
Sasuke turned her around so that they were face to face, and pulled her into a hug.
"Thank you...Sakura." He whispered into her ear. Sakura was a little shocked, but returned the hug anyway.
They stayed like that for a while before pulling apart, a deep red blush clearly visible on each of their faces.
Sakura just smiled and, much to her surprise, could find a small smile on Sasuke's face as well.
"Umm...you can let me go now...Sasuke-kun?" He smirked when she remembered to place the honorific on the end of his name.
He just nodded and went to the window.
"Bye, cherry-blossom"
"See you tomorrow cockatoo-head" she smirked and he scowled.
"Hey, I don't like nicknames, just ask Sai. You had it coming!" Her smirk grew wider as Sasuke just rolled his eyes and left.
Sakura stared out the open window and softly smiled.
"Just like a tattoo, I'll always have you." She whispered to herself.
-OWARI-
