Title: untranslatable.
Author: gemmaface
Rating: M for language.
Disclaimer: I don't own any Naruto characters. I only the plot of this story.
Notes: Koi No Yokan; [Japanese] the sense, when first meeting someone, that you're going to fall in love in love with one another. It is not love at first sight, it's the notion of future love.
Notes 2: this is the first thing that I have written/posted on ffnet in about five, almost six years probably, so it may seem rushed or something. I'm not completely proud of it and I think that there is something lacking- if you have any concrit that could highlight what you think is missing that'd be great, my lovelies.
Notes 3: Lots of notes. The characters may seem a bit OOC- this is set when they're about… 26, maybe? In the future chapters they'll be around the age that we know them and so (hopefully) more in line with the general stigma around said characters.
Notes 4: I didn't think I'd be this nervous about posting something to ffnet. Haha.
koi no yokan
prologue
Often, when the sun is so low that the band of orange left is the only evidence the day existed and the sky is streaked purple, pink, grey and blue, when the first stars are beginning to show themselves, they sit (he sits, legs stretched over the steps, palm flat against the decking, she lays her head in his lap) on their (it still amazes him that he can say it) veranda and just watch. He doesn't know what they're watching. It could be the stars against that vast blanket of navy blue or the black silhouettes of the trees, or maybe they were listening to the drone of the crickets or even the warm wind that has the slightest bite to it, telling them that summer is finishing as it rustles through the grass. Whatever it is, they sit and they watch and they listen.
This particular night, Sakura has a blanket wrapped around her- she's not cold though, according to her anyway; he scoffs at this and draws circles with his finger on her blanketed stomach. Her eyes are closed when Sasuke looks down at her, pink hair splayed over his thighs. He fiddles with the tresses, sieving pink, blonde and red through his long fingers. She's so still that he thinks she might be asleep but as soon as he looks away from her and at the black trees, he feels her bright green eyes (it's a shade he doubts he could ever forget) boring holes into his Adam's apple.
He raises one eyebrow at her, she sticks her tongue out and he rolls his eyes before looking distastefully at that god-forsaken tongue bar she's holding between her teeth; she's tinged slightly yellow from the fairy lights she wrapped around the banisters and guttering (left up from last year's housewarming) and her eyes look almost cat like. She smiles at his expression (ever the tease), pulling the offending piece of metal back into her mouth and proceeding to bite the inside of her lip- he knows she's about to sit up and say something so he leans back onto his elbows to allow her space. She does as he thought, holding herself up by laying her palm on the decking next to his thigh, the blanket rolls down to her hips and her jumper hangs off her shoulder- it's freckled from the sun and he has an urge to count them all with his tongue but he resists.
"I was thinking," she starts, dipping her head to look into his dark eyes and bringing her hand (nails chipped and stained with burnt umber nail polish) up to run across his stubbled jaw. Sasuke leans into the touch, tearing his eyes away from her naked shoulder and focuses on her contracting pupils, willing her to continue.
"About the first time we met," she's smiling slightly and notices a small blush creep up the back of his neck. Sasuke suppresses a groan and goes to remind Sakura of their unspoken promise never to mention that night ever again but she cuts him off. "It was karaoke night at the KUB and you got up on stage and dedicated that song to 'the hottie behind the bar with the banging motherfucking arse and pink hair'"
"Sak-" Sasuke's squirming now. He doesn't need reminding of this and hopes Sakura's taking this somewhere and fast.
"Shush. I mean, I was the only girl behind the bar so I don't think that the pink hair part was called for… then again, you wore awfully tight tops back then. Anyway, and you sounded awful, oh puh-lease, don't look at me like that, even your mother admits that, when you attempt to sing, your voice sounds like a pubescent boy trying to talk whilst having his first wank. Anyway, I think that, even though I wanted to punch you into the floor,"
"Sakura, I don't think my mother's ever said 'wank' in her life."
"You're proably right. Anyway, Sasuke. Even though I wanted to beat you with a pool cue- I think that I knew, despite all this, I knew that we'd fall in love."
He's mildly taken aback. And for several moments of watching Sakura watch him watch her, he says, quietly, "Koi No Yokan."
She grins then and it's like the first time he saw her smile at him like that (the middle of the snow-covered university campus wrapped up in a giant mustard yellow scarf longer than she was tall)-his chest feels like it's too full, his breath is caught in his throat and he has this sudden urge to say "I love you" and then kiss her stupid- the world around him momentarily brightens and he thinks, who needs the sun?
"Sakura,"
"Yes, Sasuke?"
"I don't think there was really any need for you to retell the whole story to me, I was there."
"I know. I just like watching you squirm."
"I do not squirm, Sakura."