AN: This happened due to cranky people in a waiting room I was stuck in. So here's some sassy fluff between Sasuke and Sakura. It's all I know what to do people haha.
Tea was amazing. Tea was a natural plant that Sakura could depend on and use. It wasn't short on supply and always cheap at any vendor she chose. Tea could be watered down or filled with as much sugar as she wanted to satisfy her taste buds.
Tea was much easier to deal with than the infuriating Sasuke Uchiha in front of her.
They had the most awkward game of cat and mouse for flirting that she imagined wasn't healthy. Seeing how much sleep she lost over the idiot, she knew it wasn't. Ever since they healed Naruto, and Sasuke slipped off to his redemption trip, Sakura had stayed behind once again to try to pick up the pieces. It wasn't easy dealing with a broken council that didn't think there would even be a city left. Everybody probably had doubts but Naruto; He wasn't about to give up his work on long life dream for a position that wasn't even needed anymore. Kakashi held them all together though and with the help of a determined army of shinobi. Cleanup happened, houses resorted, businesses rebuilt. After most of the hard work was over, only then did Sasuke come back. Pft, of course. While she knew the trip had been healthy for him, it was still annoying. After all that had happened, Sakura stood up for herself more often. When she said no, she wasn't second guessed. When she demanded help, she received it. Yet trying to get a hold of or even hold down Sasuke was a task she had given up on. If the damn boy wanted her, he would have to crawl back.
Awkwardly enough, he had. Truthfully she had been expecting a longer period of helplessness from the Uchiha before he got to it. Nope. Here she sat, on their first 'date' at a teahouse. He wasn't making much conversation or eating anything. Even the traditional biscuits were too sweet. His dark blend tea with only one spoonful of sugar just sat there cooling off. Maybe he had expected her to take up the small talk? To inform him of the missed out village gossip and what else Ino could find out? She rolled her eyes. She had given up long ago on trying to give her life a timeline, and knowing what she wanted to happen in her personal life. Yet she knew bowing down to Sasuke wasn't anywhere on that list. She didn't want to be so simple to him. If he wanted to try to get with her, she wanted him to know who she even was.
"Are we friends?"
The question jerked his head up with confused eyes. She internally snickered knowing he was in a state of panic. What should he say? Yes and make it seem like he didn't want anything more? Say no and accuse her of not being on the same level of Naruto?
"Do you want to be?"
She applauded him with the answer. It was a good compromise that covered his ass.
"I guess we should be. I mean, I know we're teammates... but are we more than that?"
"I'd like to believe we're more than that."
"Like to believe? As in you're not sure?"
"The way you're questioning me sounds like you're not sure either."
"Of course I'm not. You've only try to kill me and sever all bonds with a girl who professed her love for you. You're the jerk that left."
"Were you always this catty?"
The second that came out, his scowl turned into a tight lipped frown. He immediately regretted and wasn't sure if that was the best thing to say. Sakura scoffed, knowing that it most definitely wasn't.
"Before you left the first time, no. Only to Naruto and Ino. The second time, yes. I was to the general population. Now it's more no personalized to anybody but Hinata and Tsunade. They're exempt."
"I understand Tsunade, but Hinata?"
"You try thinking about yelling at her. It would be like kicking a puppy. No point or need to do so."
"Aha."
Now they were back to him answering with one word again. It was his self-defense propping itself back up. It used to be all he would say unless it was a well thought out analytical answer. Now casual talk came a little easier to Sasuke, it was just missing some graceful tack. Sakura would outwit with intelligent persuasions to the best of shinobi; She didn't try to be so nice to her personal entourage of boys. Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke all needed her blunt answers. They didn't understand the female mind worth shit. Sakura learned a long time ago it wasn't worth her time to try to beat around the bush with them. She leaned forward crossing her arms on the tabletop.
"I don't think we're doing too hot at this."
"No, I don't suppose we are. Why Sakura?"
"Why Sakura what?"
"Why… why can't things go easy for us?"
She dropped her head, looking down at the grains of the wood. Her hands clenched her elbows in frustration. Things would have gone easier Sasuke if you had just fucking stayed. How about that? Yet he had left. Twice. She was tired of reminding herself once again that the second trip was a mission of redemption that was needed. Maybe she herself needed to skip town for a trip of forgiving. Sakura turned to look out the window near them. She watched innocent people walk around the village getting on with their lives, while these hours of hers seemed to drag.
"We don't know what easy means anymore; I'm sure."
"True."
God damnit Sasuke; let the talking fall once more again with your one worded response.
"I hate it when you end a thought process with one word. It's infuriating actually."
"Really?"
She jerked her head back to him with her cheeks heating up in anger.
"Are you fucking kidding me Sasuke?"
"Honestly, I didn't mean it that time."
"Sure you didn't."
"I'm, well, I'm sorry."
She softened her face. As a distraction she lifted her now cold tea to her mouth, trying to enjoy the brewed beverage anyways. He didn't move, never taking his eyes off of hers. Accepting he wasn't going to start anything, she figured he wanted her to lead the conversation again.
"Honestly, I'm tired of hearing you say sorry. While I accept it, it would be helpful if you stopped putting yourself in situations with me where you need to say it."
"Honestly, I'm tired of putting myself in them. They're unavoidable it seems."
"Are you saying I'm difficult?"
"No you're…"
"Uh huh?"
She wanted to reach across the table as he smirked letting his sentence drop. He seemed to be deeply thinking, but not willing to talk about it. Excuse him; no, that's not okay. She started to get up deciding she had had enough of Sasuke for today. He frowned, pulling on her arm to sit her back down.
"You're… annoying. You're worse than Naruto."
She swore her eyebrows almost flew off of her face.
"Oh and how is that so?!"
"At least with him I always knew how he felt about me. He wanted a brother. It was simple to depend on his unwavering faith."
"Are you kidding me?"
He leaned across the table, inching closer to her face. She leaned in also, challenging him to continue. The table that started out the practical 4 feet across seemed to shrink down half that. She stared deeply into his eyes, emotions of confusion clouding them.
"You said you loved me."
"Glad to know you remember."
"Do you still?"
"I'm so offended you couldn't even imagine it."
"Why?"
Sakura sat back with a rigid posture. Heaviness lowered her eyes to his hands on the table. She stared at the worn skin on one, and the stark whiteness of the bandages on the other. She took a deep breath and collected herself before answering. She didn't intend for her voice to come out barely above a whisper; yet it did. She couldn't hide her raw emotions very well. Never could have. So in the decently noisy tea house she poured her heart out again to this damn man.
"I've never stopped Sasuke. It's hard for us because Naruto can go to a level of love. He can love you as an adopted brother... That's easy. Family is easy to regulate on how you have to have them, but can be angry at. You can't escape them. It's easy also to add people along your life as in how Tsunade has become my second mother and Shizune, Ino, Hinata, and TenTen are like my sisters. They can come and go. Yet when you love somebody so deeply to give them your heart, you're screwed. That's your only heart. I can't just forget you or take it back. Every memory we have taints it to be about only us. I'm always going to have different emotions with you Sasuke. I can't stay angry at you. I'm angry now because nothing is how I wanted it to be. I'm watching all of our friends get married and knowing what's to come hurts; It hurts because we don't even know who we are. How can we become one if we don't know how to be separate? Trying to put puzzle pieces together when we don't know what the puzzle even looks like - that's how this feels. I'm not sure if I'm ready for you fully Sasuke. I've operated so long like you have; so alone. I need time to remember how to be around you and not cringe at lightning. How to relax looking at your eyes. We're going to go on awful dates before it clicks on how we should work together."
She lifted her eyes up to him, yet the intense staring she was getting caused her to immediately drop them back down to her lap. She wished she could leave now, feeling embarrassment with being so open. Maybe she wasn't so different than Sasuke when it came to expressing her real feelings verbally. Realizing the big steps she was taking to move forward with all of this made her feel suffocated. Had she started to expect nothing to ever happen and actually got comfortable with the notion? To stay paused in time where loving him was natural but taking no effort to make anything work?
She closed her eyes wishing that of all damn times her tough exterior would rise back up and block off the rising tears. Feeling a warm hand on her own clasped ones, she gasped. Sakura met his concerned mismatched eyes.
"We're annoying."
She left out a weak chuckle and nodded her head. She released a hand to wipe an escaping tear.
"Yes Sasuke, we have a very annoying story."
He looked around; liking the fact nobody was watching them. He took a deep breath before he got up. Sakura was deeply confused, wondering what he was trying. She saw his feet shuffle before he settled down on the 6 foot long pillow she resided on. He had switched sides of the tea table to sit facing her, his knees touching her right thigh. She never broke their lost gaze.
"Are you willing to keep trying?"
"Of course Sasuke-kun."
A worried sigh left him, she sensed the suffix eased him to hear. She only used it every now and then these days. She had never known if she should of not, yet taking consideration of his reaction, she assumed it was the right idea to now use it whenever.
"I'd like to also."
"Really?"
"Didn't we just have a discussion on one worded responses Sakura?"
She laughed, leaning to the side to rest her head on his chest. What an asshole to use her own words against her. She deserved it though, finally feeling okay to breathe properly. The tension flowed freely out of her. Sakura tilted her head to stare at the bare skin of his chest.
"Are we really going to do this?"
"Do we have a choice?"
"No I suppose this is a road we've already chosen Sasuke-kun."
"I'm also not sure how I could without you."
"Likewise for myself."
She moved her body up and twisted it to face his, knees now touching his own. She couldn't contain the bloom of excitement in her chest.
"Do you even like teahouses Sasuke-kun?"
"Not particularly. My mother always made better tea."
"Then why choose here?"
"I didn't think you would want to go to Ichiraku's."
"Oh heavens no."
"Good. I don't mind ramen but Naruto has ruined it. Couldn't even eat it when I was away."
"Really now? I never got to escape it."
"Perks to being the jerk that left I guess."
She reeled in horrid amusement of the joke. She shook in her head knowing this was just the start of them. He probably had some twisted humor after all those years with Orochimaru. Also resurrecting dead people wasn't a healthy past time either.
"You're awful and I'm sure you know it."
That asshole just shrugged his shoulders. Yeah, he knew it alright. How she could accept him as a whole, she wasn't sure. Not that she had a choice; the fates seem to decide she was the only woman to put up with all of his shit. Only the toughest kunoichi in all of Konoha would be able to handle this mission. Sasuke Uchiha was mostly definitely not for the faint of heart.
"What would you rather do than a teahouse then?"
"Anywhere that's quiet."
"I'm sorry, that answer is too obvious and I'm rejecting it."
"Oh really now? You want approximate locations?"
"Yes Sasuke-kun."
"Well fine then. Training grounds."
She wanted to fall back on the ground and groan in frustration. Was she sure it wasn't too late to decline this mission already?
"You're possibly the worst date ever."
"Officially a date now?"
"I almost hope not, this would be a waste of a first."
"Wait a first?"
"Were you expecting me to date all around or something?"
"No, yet to hear it confirmed you didn't is… interesting."
"Interesting? I finally get called something else!"
"No, you're still annoying. The fact of you didn't date is interesting."
"Well I'm terribly sorry to misunderstand my place in your adjective handbook."
He was full out smirking and mirroring her with his own arms crossed. They sat staring at each other. She lifted an eyebrow. Did he really want to try her on what she can bicker about? Naruto gave her plenty of practice on being able to carry on over the stupidest little things for a while. Especially since stupid little things were all Naruto could handle.
"I'll give it to you - that wasn't half bad."
"Thanks, I try."
Sakura glanced at her empty mug and the completely untouched mug Sasuke left on the other side of the table. She was still hungry as she made herself stop eating the free biscuits that came with their teas earlier. Only two remained but she knew they weren't enough.
"If you want to try again, I'm hungry and could go for something more substantial."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Let's head over to that sushi place they built after the attack. You're paying."
"I am?"
"Yeah. It's your fault we're so awful at this."
"I see."
"You better with those stupid eyes."
Sakura lifted herself from the table and stretched out her knees. At least the sushi place would have stools for them to sit on.
"You never got to say your suggested places for dates Sakura."
She smiled as she started to walk away from their table. Sasuke dropped more money than he should have at the register and ignored the employee calling for him to take his change. He simply lifted a hand up and waved it off. Both pushing their side of the double doors open, they paused. She blinked at the change of lighting from the well-lit tea house to the now dusk skies around them as the sun began its descent down the sky. The doors to the tea house gave a clanging sound when the doors closed together as they walked forward some. Outside of the building, the noise levels reduced to a satisfying quietness.
"I suggest we take the sushi to go and if we hurry, catch the sunset. Shoot me if it's lame, but after too many close calls, I always promise myself to appreciate the sunsets I'm lucky to see."
Sasuke nodded his head as they walked side by side away from the teahouse. She left only an inch of distance between them, yet not trying to grab his arm in guidance. She was grown now and didn't need him like that. They were comfortable enough as they were, heading off to end the day much better than how they started it.
AN: I warned you; sassy fluff.
Favorite the story if you liked it please :)