Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, the maker of my fangirling source is Kishimoto-sama.
The Kid From Yesterday
Sakura sighed, bandaging the kid's head. Again, for the third time that week. She stood up and ended the knot.
"And what happened today?" she asked, already knowing the answer. The boy sniffed loudly.
"U-Uchiha-sensei took us for a field practice and we were supposed to pass his traps and-" the 8-year old almost started crying again.
"Well, it's good that it's nothing more serious" she smiled to her patient. "You can go home now, but no life-threating plays till next week!"
"Thanks, Haruno-sensei!" She watched the boy meet with his friends outside. Fortunately, they were in one piece. For then. She would have to have a talk with Sasuke-kun later...
Since the beginning of the school year, she'd been having guests from the Academy at least every two days. Every one of them battered after his lessons. The Uchiha, the head of the reanimated police force those days (aspiring to become Hokage after Tsunade-shishõ's retirement) was assigned to teach the children from every group for at least a few hours. And, you'd probably expect it from him, he'd been harsh with his students. Too harsh, for her taste. They were just little children, for God's sake!
X X X
She knocked on the door of his office. It was already dark outside, but she'd barely even been home those days, so - the hospital or the police station - it didn't matter to her. "Come in" she heard his stern voice. She walked in and took a look at the room. Lacking decorations, only his desk in the middle and a few bookcases filled with official papers covering the walls, the Uchiha crest above a big window on the back wall. He looked at her blankly, then lowered his head to get back to work.
"Sakura?" were the only words of greeting.
"Good evening, Sasuke-kun" she answered politely.
"Hn" Always so talkative...
She came closer to the desk and stood there, waiting for his attention. Finally, after a few moments of silence, he sighed deeply and put the pen down. He raised his head and looked her in the eyes. Oh, not the romantic gazing, that meant. Just cold calculation of she-won't-let-me-be-otherwise. (But he was right on that one.)
"Sasuke-kun, a lot of your students have been coming to the hospital lately" she said. His impression hadn't changed one bit.
"I know. I've sent them myself" he replied without any emotions in his voice. She almost felt like blushing at the words. Why to the hospital? Was he acknowledging her abi-
"No. It isn't the time for such thoughts" she mentally scolded herself.
"And why is there even such a need for medical treatment along Academy students?" she asked, trying to stay cool the best she could. She wasn't a hopeless little girl anymore, at least that was what she'd been trying to convince herself of. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"Because they are weak. That's why" he said, a note of annoyance appearing in his voice. She sighed deeply.
"Sasuke-kun, they are just little kids, why are treating them so severely?" she asked, trying to stand his intense stare. He stood up suddenly and she jumped up with surprise. He took the papers laying on his desk and went to put them in the bookcase.
"I'm just saying" she tried again "Maybe you should loosen the rigor up a bit?" He didn't answer, still not even looking in her direction. That didn't stop her from talking, she was used to being treated like that by him. Sometimes it got on her nerves a bit but it wasn't about that that day.
"They may end up hurting themselves badly, Sasuke-kun" She pierced his back with her eyes. He was silent for a while, digging in the papers.
Then he turned around, looked at her and said coldly "It's better if they end up like this after training, not when somebody attacks for real" Her eyes widened.
"But, Sasuke-kun, they're going to have plenty of time to prepare, just in a few years' time!" she said. That only annoyed him further.
"We have to teach them to be alert since the beginning. The enemy doesn't sit and wait" he growled out "They may lose everything at a young age and I'm trying to prevent that" A part of her brain was surprised by the amount of words Sasuke used talking to her, but the other suddenly got an idea. Could that be the case..?
"Sasuke-kun..." she said gently, her gaze softening "Nothing like what happened to you is going to happen..." His eyes narrowed again.
She thought he'd throw her out of the room, shout at her or just deny it, but instead he said quietly "How would you know?" She wanted to hug him so badly, give his stiff shoulders some of her warmth and whisper in his ear that everything would be alright, so much sadness did she hear creeping behind his impassive attitude. But she didn't, she knew he'd never really enjoyed physical contact. Instead, she walked to the window behind his desk, noticing first snowflakes falling in the cold night's air.
"I don't" she admitted "And I don't have any idea how you've been feeling all this time... You've said that I was annoying because of that, remember? ... How can I even judge you?" a sad smile made its way onto her face, her hand reaching to touch the cold glass "But... I want to believe that everything will be alright... And if not... That we'll somehow make it through... Everybody, together..." he didn't interrupt her talking, standing still in the same place. She turned around and slowly made her way to the door. Placing her hand on the knob, she looked at him one more time. He was staring at her with his usual unreadable expression.
She smiled tenderly and said "Just... Try to be a bit nicer, ok?" She turned the knob and wanted to walk out of the room when suddenly she felt something warm squeeze her free hand. She looked at it and then looked up in surprise. Sasuke's face was decorated with an almost unseen smile that made her heart flip.
"Sakura... Arigatõ..." he let go of her hand and walked to the bookcase again. She was standing there, her cheeks flushed. Then, she smiled and opened the door.
"You're welcome, Sasuke-kun..." were her last words before she left him alone, smiling to himself.
ZJeM, 10.12-14.12.13
From author:
I tend to end my Sasusaku fics with "Thank you" too often. O_O
Anyway, I can't get over the fact that Sasuke-kun lost his family. T^T
Oh, and the fic has nothing to do with My Chemical Romance's The Kids From Yesterday, it's just that the title matched. XD
THANKS FOR READING!