Title: frontal assault
Prompt: Day 4 / the games we play
Character/Pairing: Sakura, Sasuke
A/N: I keep forgetting which arm Sasuke lost. Aahhh.
Summary: Sakura was tired of playing this game.
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"It's been a while," she said, hands clasped behind her back. "You've been gone for what, eight months this time?"
"Yeah," Sasuke grunted, nodding his head.
"Do anything interesting?" It was a warm autumn day, the trees just starting to change colour. If the wind wasn't blowing, she could pretend it was summer.
She could pretend a lot of things, in fact.
"No." Sasuke swallowed and Sakura watched him from the corner of her eye, watched the minuet changes to expression. The soft crease of his brows, the squaring of his jaw.
And all of this anticipation, all of this anxiousness, all for one simple question. "You?"
"We had a festival," she answered, skirting around the issue. "Naruto's going to make it an annual thing—he gets an excuse to run away from work that way." Laughing, she added, "He gives Shikamaru such a hard time. He's asked me, twice, if I could take over. Like I'm going to do that—I already saw how Shizune had to deal with Tsunade and that was enough."
"Aa."
He was still stiff, his posture ramrod straight, and she knew that was not the answer he was looking. Not the question he was asking.
She's tempted to not answer, to just leave that question unanswered if he was not going to ask it.
But she was not that cruel. "Other than that, I've been mostly trying to help Hinata with her clan troubles and the hospital. There are just too many injuries to deal with after the battle."
"I see." Sasuke relaxed, imperceptibly.
"That reminds me, how's the arm?"
Sasuke stretched his right arm. It had a good paint job, it was almost indistinguishable from his left, though she could see how clunky the fingers were and tell just where the joints were.
Things they've already fixed on Naruto's model, but then again, Sasuke's model was older. "Need to upgrade it yet? We've gone through several versions since that one. Naruto's not letting Sai rest at all."
Sasuke flexed his fingers, rubbing his shoulder lightly. "No, it's fine. Though, could you take a look at it?"
"I was going to ask to anyways—I highly doubt you're taking proper care of it or your arm." Sakura rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Her boys were still boys in so many things. "So. Really. 8 months of wandering the country side and you really don't have much to say at all."
And she could see the slight curve of his lip, a smile in the making.
"Not really, just…thinking."
About what? The question died before she could ask it. About who?
He was looking at her now, his gaze hard to read, and she knew, she knew even before he opened his mouth, just what he was about to say.
Just what excuse he was going to use so he could run away this time.
They had done this dance so many times. Every time he came back. Every time he left. A way to confirm that there was still a chance but do nothing about it.
"Sakura," he started and she cut him off.
"No," she snapped, grabbing him.
This, this irritated her. The half truths. The not-answers. Everything.
"Not this time."
Sakura kissed him and was done with it. If he wouldn't take the first step, then she would.
"If we're going to do this, we're doing this right," she growled.
She was tired of playing this game.