Things You Shouldn't Do
She's doing it again, he can tell; from the fatigued eyes to the slight slouch in her usual straight posture. She's working too hard and he knows it. Extra training, trying to control that insane strength of hers even better and extra hours at the hospital, staying in well into the night, sometimes even till the next morning.
Tsunade wasn't doing anything about it though. It might have been the fact that they were so understaffed but he wasn't sure. But anyways, that shouldn't be the case, if Sakura was showing signs of lagging, which she was, she should have been given a break.
But whatever the reason, he was sure to find out.
As Sasuke was pondering this he was frowning towards the ground. He didn't notice until the last second that he was about to walk right into someone.
Bump!
"Woah", came the sound of a very familiar voice.
Sasuke's arms shot out, grabbing her wrists before Sakura could even register that she was about to fall onto the dirt ground. That was another thing, her reflexes were off.
"Ah", she exclaimed in slight pain as she pulled her hands out of Sasuke's grasp, stepping back one or two places before standing a little straighter and looking up at the person who had just saved her from an embarrassing fall, but not before that person felt the material of something that wasn't usually there, wrapped around both wrists and under her training gloves.
"Oh, Sasuke", Sakura said in slight surprise, "sorry, didn't see you there, I wasn't exactly looking where I was going", a pause, tilt of the head, "but it seems you weren't either", a small smile.
"hn" Sasuke replied. He was frowning slightly, "why do you have bandages on your wrists?"
"hm?", Sakura looked down at a wrist for a second, "oh, these", hesitation, a sheepish smile, "well, I was training yesterday, and you know how I train, punch things, ground, trees, and I was kinda over doing it so naturally, my wrists started to ache. But no biggie, I'm a big girl. I'm tough".
Silence. "…Hn".
"Ummm… well, I'm on my way to the hospital now so I'll see ya 'round Sasuke", she was about to pass him by when he grabbed her by the arm, pulled her back to him and looked straight into her face, a face that he could tell had matured over the years, but looked a little older than it should have, due to the shadows still beneath her sea-green eyes. She looked tired and he frowned at that. He seemed to be doing that a lot when it came to her.
"Ahh, Sasuke?" his frown deepened.
Pause, tilt of the head, "you shouldn't do that you know", and Sakura reached up to run her thumb over the crease between Sasuke's brows, smoothing out the skin, "you'll get premature wrinkles", a small laugh.
"Hn, and you'll get permanent eye bags", he let go of her arm.
"Hey! That's not a nice thing to say", she pouted and put her hands on her hips.
"But it's true, and it'll happen if you keep over exerting yourself"
"…What's your point?" crossing of arms, a side glance.
"My point is that you should be taking better care of yourself"
"why? 'coz no one else will?"
"exact-no!" he didn't mean to say that, he didn't even register her answer.
"I mean-anything could happen, and-you have to be at your strongest and most alert if it' something bad". Sasuke said hastily.
When Sakura didn't answer he continued but in a more composed and softer tone, "so you need to take a break from time to time; give your body a rest"
Sakura had a look of slight hurt on her countenance but replied nonetheless, although with less bounce in her voice, and an under-tone of sadness.
"I can't do that Sasuke; people depend on me to help them"
"But then who are you depending on?"
Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again opting to bite her lip and turn away instead.
For a few minutes there was just silence, Sakura's thoughts on the words just exchanged while Sasuke's thoughts on her.
He then decided to speak again, dragging her along while sighing before saying, "Sakura c'mon, we're going to your place. Your gonna call the hospital and tell them your not taking your shift today, you've been working way to hard and you need a break."
"…wha…? Oh, okay" Sakura responded, not even listening in on one of the rare occasions when the Uchiha actually spoke as much as he was right now.
"…then we're gonna make dinner…"
Sakura snapped back to reality at that point, giving him a funny look, "you know how to make dinner?" she asked incredulously. Sasuke raised a brow, "How else do you think I've survived living by myself? Besides, I said we're making dinner not I'm making dinner"
"Oh, okay. But I don't understand why your staying for dinner, not that I don't enjoy your oh so lovely company", her usual chirpiness was back, with a hint of teasing in her voice, a smile on her face.
She was walking on her own now, no longer dragged by Sasuke. They were both facing forward, Sakura's hands clasped daintily behind her back while Sasuke was in his signature stance, hands shoved in pockets, expressionless facial features.
But he was frowning again.
"Hn. How else am I supposed to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't go to the hospital anyway even if I left you by yourself?"
Sakura froze in place for a second, her expression blank. Her face broke into a smile and she exclaimed, voice dripping with sarcasm,
"oh, Sasuke, it almost sounds as if you care!"
Sasuke just narrowed his eyes in her direction and kept walking towards her apartment.
The smell of well cooked food hung in the air as Sasuke and Sakura sat down at the diner table to eat.
"Wow!" Sakura exclaimed in astonishment, looking down at the meal in front of her.
After her first bite, "Sasuke you can actually cook!"
Sasuke just frowned at her again but more in annoyance than anything else.
"Sakura, just eat your food"
"Yeah I will but I still can't get over it. You're not half bad", she said, slightly impressed.
Then, as an after thought she continued, "Maybe I should take more days off from work."
And Sakura was actually considering it. It wasn't that she never took days off but that they were few and far between. She quite enjoyed having a fresh meal and not Itchiraku ramen brought in by Naruto. It was nice and cozy in her comfy apartment and,
"I guess having Sasuke over isn't that unbearable", she made a cross between a smile and a grimace at that thought.
The rest of diner was uneventful and quiet, but not uncomfortably so.
Sasuke was about to wash the dishes out of courtesy when Sakura caught him, "No wait, don't wash the dishes Sasuke, I'll just do them later",
"No, it's fine I can do them"
"Seriously Sasuke, drop the sponge right now or I'll throw you out-and you know I can- and go to the hospital", she replied semi-seriously, not about going to the hospital, because she was quite comfortable in her house clothes thank you very much, but about throwing Sasuke out.
She didn't like it when people came over and washed the dishes.
Sasuke huffed "Fine. What am I supposed to do now then? Go home anyway?"
"ummm…" Sakura thought for a second, looking up as she did so, "you can watch some TV with me for a while", she offered.
Not waiting for a reply, she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, flicking on the TV as she did so. Seating herself on the couch, she flicked through the channels until she found something promising. As she suspected would happen, Sasuke followed suit, sitting beside her but not too close.
They sat like this for a while until Sakura started to rub at her wrists through the bandages.
She was frowning and pouting slightly, eyes still on the television.
"Something wrong?" Sasuke questioned, slightly curious, his gaze drifting to the origin of movement.
"Huh? Oh, no", and she stopped rubbing her wrists; but then began again after about a couple minutes.
"Are you sure? Maybe you should take those bandages off now"
"What! No its fine, I just need to keep them on for a little longer"
But it was too late; Sasuke had grabbed one of her wrists, pulling the bandage off in one swift movement.
And that's when he saw them. A collection of cuts, slashed across her wrist. Most were horizontal while one or two were vertical.
They looked pretty fresh too, about a day or so. He would know. After all, he had his fair share of scars over the years.
Anger started to boil within him, "What is this?" annoyance and fury evident in his tone.
"uhhh… well, I um-I can explain", Sakura answered fearfully, biting her lip in nervousness.
'I sure hope so", Sasuke replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"ummm, uuhhh, I-well. I…" she trailed off, at a loss for words.
"Really. That's so interesting and informative" that sarcasm again.
Shut up Sasuke it's your fault in the first place… Sakura thought, eyes stinging and tears threatening to show.
"Well?"
Sakura pursed her lips
"I'm waiting…"
And then Sasuke noticed something. He ripped off the other bandage and there, staring him in the face was the same thing as on her other wrist, just as bad.
Sakura winced,
"I-just…Its just hard sometimes, y'know. I mean I thought I was over you; but then we became friends and we were closer than before. It was too much. I mean your everywhere I go, in my head all the time, even when I try to stay away from you! You find me and not even intentionally. And then I just remember, like it pops into my head or something and the pain in my chest is just too much to bear like it's ripping me apart inside and it's hard!! Really, really, hard… And I… needed a release". She finished her rant miserably, head turned towards her hands in her lap. She was panting slightly too.
And then it happened; Haruno Sakura finally broke down. She started crying, bawling her eyes out. Shedding tears like there was no tomorrow; which in her case felt just about right. She had been keeping this all in, bottled up inside; she had cracked after a year of keeping all her inner feelings and emotions inside; but now she just couldn't hold it any longer, she needed to cry, she was tired and felt weak, like holding everything in had been slowly draining her life away. Bit by tiny bit…
Sasuke, on the other hand was confused, after all he had been back for a while now, almost a year, so why was it that his presence still affected her?
He didn't know but he felt slightly soothed by the situation, despite having just found out about Sakura's little… "Past time". It seemed as if Sakura hadn't moved on after all.
And so, Sasuke took a "calmer" approach to the situation. He felt saddened though, at the fact that he was the cause of Sakura's pain.
But he was her friend and he did what friends do; he took the area above the damage in his right hand, rubbing soothing circles on her back with his left.
After Sakura had calmed down a bit Sasuke asked, "So… I'm the reason?"
Hesitation, "I guess…"
"Sakura, you could have told me"
"Told you what? Hey Sasuke, I just wanted to let you know, I've been thinking about you again and its killing me inside. Ha. I'd rather not thank you very much", she commented bitterly.
"Still, it's different now…"
Sakura frowned at that, obviously contemplating the state of which their friendship had become.
There was a moment of silence.
"You shouldn't do that you know"
And Sasuke's hand came out of nowhere, thumb smoothing out the crease between sakura's brows,
"You'll get premature wrinkles"
Sakura's breath hitched slightly
"Sasuke," she said in a tired voice, pulling away and regaining her composure, "don't"
"Why not?" mild curiosity.
"Because. Why are you so talkative today anyways?"
He thought for a moment,
"Because, this is important; as much to me as it is to you"
She didn't respond, just looked down at her healing wounds and Sasuke's hand on her arm, solemn look on her face.
"Sakura, give us a chance. I'll treat you right I promise"
"You promise?" she repeated unbelievingly.
"Yeah, this time I know I'm staying forever"
"Oh yeah? But how do I know you're staying "forever"?"
Sasuke smirked at that,
"Like this-"
And he dove, lips first, towards hers, tilting his head slightly and holding the base of her head; allowing better access for them both.
The kiss was soft, not like how you'd imagine a first kiss to be- passionate, rough, full of need-No. This kiss was delicate, soft, tender. It portrayed Sasuke's feelings, how he felt about her. It held promises of care and safety, and Sakura was having a hard time not being convinced.
Sasuke licked her bottom lip, asking for entry and she complied, opening her mouth ever so slightly. He dipped his tongue inside for the first time, (but hopefully not the last), and explored, sakura's own experimenting shyly until the need for air became too great for them to bear. They pulled apart slowly, savouring the moment and breathing slightly off.
Voice still shaky, Sasuke asked,
"You convinced?"
Sakura's own, not so steady voice answered, "Uhh… no I think you need to… do that again".
And Sasuke was only too happy to comply.