Disclaimer: Yeah...I don't own it. D:
Summary: It wasn't that he hated Haruno Sakura; he just strongly believed that she was wasting her time. But when Sasuke becomes part of her summer class on medical jutsus, he learns that wasting time with a fully bloomed Sakura has its advantages. Rated T for language in later chapters.
Chapter One
Things are different now, but he can clearly remember the slight distaste he felt when watching her that day.
Lurking in the shadows, Sasuke looked out the window and observed the two girls wandering around the exterior of his home: The blonde was being loud and boisterous, which was not a surprise to Sasuke. She carelessly waved a slip of paper around as she eagerly addressed her friend. Definitely confident in whatever she and Sakura were up to, Ino wasted no time to march up to the Uchiha's front door. Sasuke's displeased expression deepened at her action, but his demeanor unconsciously calmed as he watched Sakura nervously watch her friend's back.
Sakura held a nail and hammer, presumably for the note in Ino's hand. Obviously, her friend's pep talk did not work. Shuffling the hammer in her hand and occasionally dropping the nail, she looked as if she was on the verge of running. Sakura warily scanned the surrounding area, her emerald eyes shimmering. Her skittish behavior was clearly apparent; she nervously looked over her shoulder as if he, angry and unforgiving, would appear at any second. Thus, it was only inevitable when her eyes fell on his window.
Her eyes seemed to immediately bore into his although he was standing in pitch black. Sasuke stared back, unsure if their eyes were really meeting or not. Her expression held a certain curiosity; perhaps a reluctant one, and Sasuke scrutinized her some more to gauge what she was thinking.
Ino called her name and after a moment more of gazing Sakura blinked and unlocked her eyes from the object she was observing. Realizing that he was much to close to the window, Sasuke swore and took a step back, hoping she was not able to decipher that she was being watched.
Slightly annoyed, Ino marched up to an unmoving Sakura and took the utensils from her friend's grip. She lightly laughed at Sakura's expression and Sakura gave a strong, but false one in return. Stillness betided, and then a sudden banging occurred outside of his door. The two girls laughed once more until Sakura coughed and said something inaudible. She wasted no time to pull her girl friend away from the compound.
Sasuke watched the two girls disappear off of his property and onto the less dreary parts of Konoha. He waited a few moments in silence until he found himself walking to his front door. He aggressively swung his door open and sought out the seemingly important note.
'It could be anything' Sasuke thought, as he ripped the small piece of paper from the nail. He hatched a mental picture of her edginess and blatant lack of enthusiasm and suddenly felt engulfed in his own anxiety.
'A love note…?'
"No," he muttered to himself, dispelling his theory. She was older and modest, he had to admit. She would never do such a thing, even if she…
Sasuke quickly read the contents, searching for something of importance. However, his eyes darkened as he got further into the message.
Not long after reaching the last word, Sasuke coolly crumpled the small paper into the palm of his hand. He let his fist fall to his side as he looked towards the path the girls used to depart.
It was for her sake, he decided. One must be incredibly naïve and dense to think he, Uchiha Sasuke, would even consider taking a medical jutsu class. It was unheard of.
One must be a Haruno Sakura; however, he reminded himself, to actually invite him to the class.
ooo
The day he was discharged from the hospital, she showed up at his door.
She was wearing a velvety red kimono, so petite and ideal that it looked custom made. Sasuke could tell it was not worn because of him, but he could not completely dispel his negativity. She gave him a lone daffodil, after all, and did not seem to care if he merely set it on the table. An awkward silence passed until she cracked.
"It's nice," she softly told him, "that you're back."
Sasuke said nothing, not even a grunt as he avoided her gaze. When he looked at her he could see a certain familiar longing that annoyed him. To her, it wasn't merely nice that he was back. It was wonderful; beyond words.
Because she was in love with him.
Or so he liked to think.
Sakura folded her arms and took a deep breath, trying to regain her confidence. Right after he came back, she was completely different. She laughed and talked to him about how angry or happy she was to see him, and often affectionately kissed and stroked his face when she thought he was asleep. Because she had waited for that day so long, those days he was in the hospital felt like a dream, some type of utopia.
Now they had reached the aftermath.
Sakura wasn't as self-assured and talkative as Naruto, so she racked her mind for subjects to talk about.
'How's the weather in Sound?' she thought, while immediately shaking her head afterwards.
"What was it like," she would possibly begin, "to kill your brother?"
"Sasuke-kun," she murmured, forgetting her possible topics and taking his hand. "I'm so happy that you're back." She suddenly laughed at the not so special choice of words and Sasuke tried to ignore her contagious blush. "I know I told you a thousand times, but you're my friend. And, I—"
"I know."
Sakura hopelessly looked up at him, slight irritation and grief welling up within her. "Right," she mumbled. "Right."
He ignored her for the rest of the day, hoping that she would, smart as she was supposed to be, take a hint and leave. Sakura eventually did, but not without another word. She wasn't as nervous as initially and Sasuke wondered if it was his prolonged rudeness that made her easily talk back.
"I still love you," she told him as she nostalgically smiled and moved an annoying strand of hair from her eyes, "but I'm not sorry if you don't feel the same way."
Since then he avoided her, skulking in the darkness of his apartment and all.
ooo
Sitting on the floor of her room, Sakura nervously read the printed flyer in her hand for the umpteenth time: once as herself, another time as a complete stranger, and many times as Uchiha Sasuke.
Ever wanted to quickly heal yourself after those troublesome missions?
Ever wanted to become more useful and protect your teammates?
Ever wanted to give your local medic nins a break?
Then take the medical jutsu class this summer and learn the basics of medical jutsus from two already established and knowledgeable young women: Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino. No payment required!
Contact Miss Haruno or Miss Yamanaka for more information.
Sakura winced. It sounded so tacky.
"I don't know what your problem is," Ino whined as she shuffled a pile of new flyers on her friend's bed. "I thought you liked him. We can't give a flyer to everyone in Konoha but him."
"I can't believe we did that," Sakura responded. "I can't believe you let me talk into this!"
"It was your idea to invite him!"
"Still," Sakura muttered, "Sasuke-kun? He rarely leaves his home, even to train. So why would he come to a class taught by us?"
"It's worth trying," Ino mumbled. A mischievous grin suddenly appeared on her face and Sakura raised her brow. "Don't tell me you're scared of him."
Sakura gave a humorless laugh, remembering past encounters with Sasuke. If she could deal with Sasuke, she could deal with anyone. "I'm not."
Rejection was the problem, but it would be a cold day in hell before she admitted that to Ino.
Ino sighed as she proudly looked at her new stack of papers. Just as informative, just as cheesy. "Great!" Ino chirped. "I have enough for the other side of the village. Maybe another one for Sasuke-kun." She winked. "Want to come?"
"No," Sakura muttered as Ino walked out of the room.
"Besides," she quietly added as she bitterly combed through the ends of her tousled hair. "I know he'll never come."
Author's Note: No, I'm not abandoning my other story. Yes, I know I was just complaining about updating fics and how they feel like chores. I'm obviously a masochist, okay?