Matchmaker
Sakura stood back with a satisfied grin on her face as she watched a chattering Naruto scoot his stool closer to a blushing Hinata. She backed out of Ichiraku into the warm glow of the streetlight, and the curtain swung shut on her view of the pair.
Honestly, it had almost been too easy. She had simply used Naruto's utterly predictable eating habits to her advantage and invited Hinata to have dinner with her at the knucklehead's favorite restaurant. Then a simple, "Oh, Naruto! What a coincidence!" (spectacularly acted, if she did say so herself), followed by an "emergency page" from the hospital (thanks, Ino), and, to bring it home, "You two should finish your meal together. Tonight was supposed to be a girls' night, so you don't have any other plans, right Hinata?" Then she gave her apologies, said her goodbyes, and slipped out.
As she stood alone under the street light across from the shop, her smile turned wistful and sad. All of her friends were pairing up, it seemed. Her thoughts drifted, as they often did, to Sasuke-kun, and she wondered if it would ever be her turn. It had already been nearly a year since he had left with the promise to see her when he returned. She lifted her hand to her forehead, remembering the feeling of his fingers as they brushed her skin. She sighed as she let her hand fall back to her side. Even with his promise to hold onto, she sometimes felt like she would be waiting forever.
A chilly wind blew through the street, stirring up leaves and dust and whipping Sakura's hair around her face. She hugged herself and hunched her shoulders as the breeze raised goose bumps on her neck and arms, bringing her back to the present. Shaking herself out of her less-than-cheery thoughts, Sakura spared her handiwork one last glance before nodding to herself and heading home.
0~0~0~0~0
About an hour later, Sakura was curled up on her couch with a cup of hot chocolate and her favorite book. As a reward for a job well done, she was going to have a relaxing night in. She would get details from Hinata tomorrow. She opened her novel, and the minutes slipped by as she became absorbed in the story before her. Suddenly, the quiet was broken by three sharp taps on her window. Sakura startled at the unexpected noise and was shocked to find what appeared to be one of Sasuke's hawks shuffling about on her window sill with a small packet tied to its leg.
"Sasuke-kun's...?"
She stared at the bird in confusion before the implication of its presence hit her and she sprang off of her couch and quickly opened the window. The hawk hopped inside and settled on her dining room table, looking tired.
"Ah!" Sakura exclaimed, scurrying to her kitchen. "Let me get you a reward." She rifled through her cabinets and her refrigerator and eventually brought back a few leftover beef cutlets and some crackers. As the hawk gobbled down its snack, Sakura released the tiny cylindrical container from its leg. Her hands trembled slightly in anticipation and worry. Why would Sasuke-kun be sending her anything? Could he be in trouble? She popped the lid open and turned the container upside down. Two slim, red hair pins and a small slip of paper slid out onto the table. She looked at the pins for a moment before picking them up and regarding them curiously. Other than their glossy finish, there was nothing particularly remarkable about them. With her free hand, she picked up the slip of paper and read the brief note she found written there.
Sakura,
These should help keep your hair out of the way when you are working.
Sasuke
Sakura felt warmth creep up her face as she looked between the pins and the note in wonder.
"He...sent me a present?"
The hawk poofed away, and Sakura sank slowly into a dining room chair, thinking back to a time a few months before Sasuke left on his journey. He and Naruto had come to see her at the hospital after a particularly competitive spar. They caught her just a few minutes after a fairly rigorous surgery. She was tired and sweaty, but (after lecturing them about adding to her already hefty workload) she sat them both down on the couch in her office, tied her hair back, and got to work. Unfortunately, her bangs were not long enough to go back in her ponytail, and half of them were sticking to her sweaty forehead while the other half kept falling into her eyes. She alternated between blowing the unruly locks out of her face and muttering curses when her efforts proved in vain. When Naruto suggested she should just buy something to pin them back, she had answered she just hadn't had the time to go shopping for things like that.
Had Sasuke remembered that time and bought these for her? She clasped the pins tightly in her hand, which she brought up to rest over her heart as a glowing smile slowly spread across her face.
0~0~0~0~0
The next time Naruto saw Sakura, he had to use every ounce of his willpower to keep himself from grinning outright.
"So," he thought to himself. "Teme finally worked up the nerve to give Sakura-chan those hair pins I helped him pick out. About time."
0~0~0~0~0
"Sakura-chan! You're hair looks really nice!"
"Thanks, Naruto! These are... They were a gift."
0~0~0~0~0
Woah. Hey everyone! I've decided to try to participate in Sasusaku Month 2015! I know, I know. I'm already waaaaaay behind, but I've been out of the country, so I have a good excuse. (:
Here's Day 1!
Sakura and Naruto secretly playing matchmaker for each other :D
I'll try to catch up!