AN: Because I'm such a Bangtan Trash *MinYoonGiIsMineBackOff*, and I love Sasusaku this fic was born. I suggest you listen first to the song Butterfly by BTS before reading to get the feels. xD
Don't think about anything
Don't even speak
Please just smile for me
"Sasuke-kun!"
He turned to the sound and saw her pink hair bounced as she ran up to him on the Team 7 bridge.
"...Sakura." a whisper.
Huff. Huff. Pant. A wide smile.
"Good morning Sasuke-kun!" she greeted, her emerald eyes sparkling brightly. Brightly. His exact opposite, he was darkness.
"Hn."
I still can't believe it
Everything feels like a dream
Don't try to disappear
"Sasuke-kun?"
He came out of his daze, looking down at the same emerald eyes that kept haunting his dreams when he was in Sound. The dream responsible of keeping his sanity in check.
Her eyes were still the same color of emerald, but he could tell something was different, the sparkle was gone.
"Are you ready Teme?" he broke the gaze hearing Naruto's voice, the Dobe had that Goofy grin on his face. The knucklehead's hand rested on the handle of the Hokage's tower door.
Kakashi, no cross that, Lord Sixth had just given him his punishment as a traitor.
2 years of probation without missions and ANBU officers to monitor him daily. A village imprisonment. Wasn't his cup of tea, and he had a growing suspicion Team 7 had something to do about it. He was expecting worse or even death.
Lord Sixth said that he was off easily because he had helped during the 4th war, and breaking the Tsukiyomi. He had protested, he deserved more severe punishment than that. But his sensei beat it to him.
"Itachi..." his mind completely shut down. Kakashi continued.
"Uchiha Itachi protected you, and the Leaf. I don't know what's running in your mind Sasuke..." his Sensei paused.
"But he clearly doesn't want you dead. I don't expect you to protect Leaf like he did after your probation but..." cue Kakashi's eye crinkle. "...mah, I don't want such a powerful honorable ninja like him haunting me in my dreams you know."
"Yo Teme to earth!" Naruto once again disrupted him from his thought of the earlier. "Can we go now? You've been spacing out too much today. Aha! I know, it's almost lunch. Maybe you're just starving Teme. Let's go get some ramen!"
"Hn. Dobe." Sasuke grunted. Naruto just stuck out his tongue at him childishly and finally opened the door out of the Hokage tower.
A giggle. Sasuke watched in his peripheral vision as Sakura walked beside him, supressing the urge to laugh at 17 year old Naruto's childish antics.
There he saw it, a glint. A glint of the same sparkle in her eyes when they were still Genin. So maybe it faded, but he's relieved it wasn't gone. A corner of his mouth started to twitch.
Is it true? Is it true?
You You
So beautiful, so terrifying
Untrue Untrue
You You You
He watched as ink splattered on the training grounds as Sakura punched the beasts Sai had drawn and brought to life. He and Naruto were leaning on the trunk of a tree as they watched their teammates spar. It's been months since Team 7 started their sparring sessions.
"Just tell her Teme." he heard Naruto said. His peripheral vision told him told him that the Dobe hasn't tore his gaze on the pair sparring in front of them either.
"...What are you talking about?"
A chuckle. "Sakura-chan, just tell her."
"I don't know what you're saying Dobe."
A sigh. "I'm not as dumb as you think Sasuke, your eyes aren't as emotionally constipated as you are. You can mask your face with indifference but your eyes says everything left unsaid."
Silence. What does his eyes says? He doesn't even know what is it. He had no one to explain it to him. Maybe that's why he couldn't bring himself to hate Sai because they were on the same page of figuring the knowledge about emotions, though he does not like him either.
Another sigh. "Longing. That's all I see everytime you look at her and you think no one's watching Teme."
"...Don't you like her?"
A snort. "What're you talking about? I love Sakura-chan! Though much more like of a sister figure now. It's hard to compete with the love she had for yo-someone." Naruto said smiling, genuinely.
"...Hn." A bitter smile. I don't deserve her.
Be by my side
Will you promise me
If I touch you I'm afraid you'd fly away or break
I'm afraid afraid afraid
"Mou!"
"Way to go Ugly."
"It broke again! Mister another net please!" Naruto said fuming as he thrusts money to the stall owner for the 9th time. It's Spring Festival and the competitive blond was more than enthusiastic in catching fish with thin nets, and apparently Sakura had joined his fun/frustration.
While Sai was giving side comments to them he stood behind them quietly and watched.
Poof. A cloud of smoke appeared beside him, as if on cue Naruto and Sakura turned and shouted in unison.
"Kakashi-sensei you're late!"
"Well there was this old lady who needed help with-"
"LIAR!"
He bit his tongue to supress a chuckle. Ah memories. He chose this particular moment wherein they were too occupied with Kakashi to silently blend in the crowd and disappear. Festivals weren't his thing, he looked like a sore in all these bright festivities.
He situated himself on a branch of a Sakura tree. His left foot dangling as he rested his back on its large trunk. He decided that waiting for the fireworks wouldn't hurt.
His eyes were closed when he heard a soft thump on the branch he was sitting in. His eyes snapped open. Emerald met onyx. Then a small paperbag was shoved near his face. He eyed it like it was gonna blow up or something.
Sakura giggled. "Dinner. Figured out you haven't eaten yet. And stop disappearing so suddenly without telling us, really Sasuke." a vein popping at her forehead.
She's on her motherhen mode again. He cringed at how she used her being a medical ninja to control the men of Team 7. He reached for the paperbag. She smiled.
She was preparing to jump off the branch when his hand shot up to grab her wrist. It burned. She looked at him confused.
"...Stay."
Fireworks painted the sky.
I wanna stop time
When this moment is done
Would it be like a fantasy
Would I forget you
I'm afraid afraid afraid
He released her as soon as she flopped to a sitting position on the branch, swinging both of her feet as lights illuminated the sky.
"Wow it's pretty! You've got a knack on choosing the nice view Sasuke." she said smiling as she watched the fireworks.
"Hn." Yes indeed pretty. He thought to himself as he watched her face as different colors reflected from the sky. No not pretty, beautiful. He mused as he popped a rice ball into his mouth.
Butterfly, like a Butterfly
Almost Butterfly, bu butterfly like
Butterfly, like a butterfly
Almost Butterfly, bu butterfly like
Metamorphosis. Or was there a human version for that, was all he could blame as he watched infant/boys/men looked at her with admire in their eyes.
Little children having crushes on her which he found rather cute. A word an Uchiha might send themselves to oblivion if used, but he couldn't find other words to justify it.
Boys admiring her were rather unnerving, he scoffed everytime those Genins went out of their ways to impress her.
While men, he loathed it. Those stares they send her were triggering him to amaterasu them. It was a good thing Naruto, Kakashi and Sai were rather protective brothers when it comes to her, perverts who tries to hit on her wouldn't see tomorrow when faced with said powerful shinobis.
While him? He didn't do anything. He just watched, he felt like he does not have the right to intervene. He does not deserve to have any.
You're like a Butterfly
I stare at you from afar
If I touch, will I lose you?
This mud like
Night, you light it up
A little gesture
And I suddenly forget about reality
Another confession. He watched from the darkness as she turned another ANBU down as politely as she could. She had just gotten out of her shift from the hospital.
"I already have someone I love. I'm sorry." she smiled apologetically.
The man smiled sadly as he walked away head bent down. Sasuke unmasked his chakra as he emerged from behind her. She whipped around incredulously, kunai held out defensively in front of her.
"Sasuke!" she exclaimed as she recognized him, putting the kunai down. "Don't scare me like that!"
You're like stroking wind
You're like a softly lying dust
You're there but I can't reach you
Stop
You're like a dream to me, butterfly, high
"Sakura... Let go of it. "
She tilted her head confused, "..What?"
"Your feelings for me, let go of it..."
Her face became impassive, "Why?"
He shrugged, "...just stop."
"Give. Me. A. Reason. Why."
He sighed, "You deserve to be happy."
A punch.
Untrue Untrue
You You You
Sasuke clutched his bleeding lip, as he flew toward the wall at the side of the hospital. Sakura walked up to him.
"You're lucky I haven't infused chakra in it." Sakura said as she stalked to him, she extended her hand and healed his lip, she turned around and started to walk away.
"Stop loving me Sakura." she stilled.
"...Do you think that will make me happy Sasuke?"
His mind went blank, would it? He opened his mouth but nothing came.
Sakura chuckled. "Damn, you're such a coward."
Now he was angry, him? A coward? How could she say that?
"I knew it was always there Sasuke, even when you were in the darkness. Why do you think I'm still waiting? I'm not that dumb to endure everything if I know it wasn't worth it. Yet you kept running away from it you coward..." she croaked.
True. It was always there, but he always put something above it. Hatred. Anger. Revenge. He slumped deeper on the wall feeling his strength left him. Right, he's a coward.
"...I don't deserve you Sakura." he whispered, quite bitterly.
An empty laugh. "Then make yourself worthy to deserve it you jerk, stop running from away it. Don't make my waiting for you be nothing." she said as she started to walk away.
He knew exactly what she meant. A chance.
Thank you.
Be by my side
Will you promise me
If I touch you I'm afraid you'd fly away or break
I'm afraid afraid afraid
Now Sasuke isn't a talker, he's much more of a doer. So after Sakura had given him a chance they were civil. They haven't even mention anything about it, he just started to prove himself to it. He don't need to say anything to her, she had an ability to see through him, like that night she knew that he would leave the village.
When his probation ended he started taking missions and exams, eventaully he became an ANBU. He was restoring the glory of the Uchiha clan, he was once called a traitor but he regained the respect of the villagers by protecting the village, just like his older brother.
Sasuke mentally cringed as he noticed the flirty stares thrown at him by the nurses as he entered the hospital, he sighed audibly and proceeded to the receptionist.
"Is there anything you need Uchiha-san?~" an obvious flirtation from the receptionist, but it was failing miserably on Sasuke's perception.
"Where's Sakura?" the girl's face fell immediately after he said her name.
"In her office." came a short reply, he nodded and made his way to her office.
He sensed her chakra relaxed, too relax. He bit his tongue to suppress a chuckle, she probably has fallen asleep, he thought. He didn't even bothered knocking as he entered her office quiet as a cat.
She was slumped on her desk with a pen gripped loosely on her hand, she had clearly dozed off while working. Sasuke did not bother to wake her up, he just placed the plastic he had on the coffee table and grabbed one of the scrolls lying on it and began reading as he comfortably rested on the small couch on her office.
Minutes later Sakura stirred from her nap, blinking several times at the blurry silhouette of a man sitting on the couch. Once the sleep was out of her eyes she was startled to see Sasuke who didn't even looked up from the scroll he was holding.
"S-sasuke?!"
"Hn. Good Morning." he smirked.
"How long have you been there?!" she pointed an accusing finger on him.
"Hmm, long enough."
"Eh? Why didn't you woke me up?" she tilted her head in confusion.
"Iknewyouweretired." he mumbled fastly.
"Wait what?"
"Tch. I said you you were snoring like a banshee." he said annoyed as he got up from the couch.
Her nose flared, "Hey I'm not a banshee! And I don't snore you jer-"
A plastic bag was shoved to her face. "Here."
She stared at him questioningly. "Lunch." he grunted.
She opened her mouth to remark something incoherent but stopped midway when she realized he went out his way to have lunch with her. Inner Sakura was screaming like her twelve year old self. SasukeUchihaBroughtYouLunchYouLuckyBish.
Sasuke watched in amusement as she opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish as she turned into different shades of red. "Oh. Thank you." He fistbumps with Inner Sasuke.
They shared lunch in a comfortable silence. After they ate Sakura spoke, "What is it Sasuke?"
He almost flinched at her sudden question. How she knew something was up was beyond him. She can always read his mind.
"Sakura..." he paused, then sighed. "I'm leaving."
I wanna stop time
When this moment is done
Would it be like a fantasy
Would I forget you
I'm afraid afraid afraid
"You have nothing to do with my sins." he closed his eyes, they're at the gates of Konoha, and she asked if she could go with him.
"No...thing to do with me... eh." her shoulders slumped, she made a face and he hated that expression. She was upset he could tell.
Now he had an urge to kiss her, to erase that sad frown on her lips. He glared momentarily at Kakashi who was with them in the gates. No not in front of that notorious Make-out Paradise reader, he'll send himself to hell first before giving Kakashi perverted thoughts of Sakura if he kiss her in front of him.
How he wished he would just poof and leave them alone. Or he could Amaterasu his ass and send him back to the Hokage tower, but assaulting the current Hokage would not be a wise decision. He looked at Sakura again, she's still frowning. He had to come up of something. Come on, think.
Itachi.
'You dont ever have to forgive me. Whatever you do from here on out, know this, no matter I will love you always.'
Sakura looked up as something poked her forehead only to find Sasuke in front of her.
"Maybe next time." He said, she looked into his eyes. "...Thank you."
Her eyes widen as she read the underlying messsage in his eyes underneath that Thank You. Where ever I go, what ever I do from here on, my heart is yours, I love you.
My heart lets out a desperate sound
I can't tell if it's fantasy or reality
My paradise
Please don't go deep into the woods
My heart pours affection on you
My feelings melt and leak
(I just wanna dissolve)
My love is eternal
It's all FREE for you
baby
Sakura sighed contently as she wandered through the village, she had sneakily left Naruto's wedding reception to avoid some males throwing themselves at her because she doesn't have a date.
Her nostrils flared momentarily at Sasuke for not attending the wedding, though he sent a message to her, a 'congratulations', which she handed to Naruto. Though she knew his reason not to attend, an ex S-class missing nin would highly grab all of the attention away from the newly wed couple if he would be there.
She chuckled at the thought of Sasuke's falcon probably likes her more than Naruto because it looked for her even when the message was for the blond. She was so lost in her thoughts that she haven't realized she had reached a very familiar bench, a small smile crossed her lips. She walked and sat on the bench.
Sakura... Thank you.
If he hadn't said those words before he knocked her out maybe she wouldn't have as much as faith as she have in him that he would come back to Konoha, to Team 7, to her. She frowned, he could have flat out rejected her when she had Iloveyouwithallmyheart but instead the jerk thanked her. Which only flickered hope inside her. She smiled as she looked up at the moon above.
"...What's with you?" she nearly jumped out of her skin as Sasuke was suddenly in front of her, he had masked his chakra well and she was so lost on her thoughts that she haven't noticed.
"S-SASUKE?!" He was clad in baggy robes, his hair was definetly longer the last time she saw him. And he looks more mature.
"Hn." He grunted as he sat down next to her on the bench. Silence. She was contemplating, it was even a miracle that she didn't glomped him or threw her arms at him the moment she saw him.
"Why didn't you attend the wedding?" she started a small talk.
Sasuke merely glanced at her. "You know why, you can read me."
A vein popped out her forehead, "Well isn't that a bad thing? You're a shinobi and you shouldn't be read easily." her voice draped with sarcasm.
"If it's you I don't mind." he deadpanned.
Her ability to speak left her and she blushed furiously. She turned her face to his opposite side to hide her blush. There was a few moments of awkward silence when Sasuke broke it.
"Sakura... What were you thinking earlier?"
"Huh?" she faced him and tilted her head in confusion.
"Earlier when I saw you, you were smiling then you
frowned. And then smiled again." Sasuke frowned as he looked at her weirdly.
"Oh. I was thinking about that night..." she doesn't have to complete the sentence for him to know what she was talking about, she looked up and smiled a little. "The moon was the same that night."
He looked up too and mentally agreed with her. "...Hn."
They were engulfed in a comfortable silence when she felt a tug on her wrist. She looked up to Sasuke, suddenly all she could was red.
Be by my side
Will you promise me
If I touch you I'm afraid you'd fly away or break
I'm afraid afraid afraid
"Eh?" Sakura asked confused as one moment she was sitting at the bench, and next she was standing behind it.
Moments later a twelve year old Sasuke appeared from the opposite side and her younger self appeared around the corner of where he was headed to.
She trembled, "T-this is..."
"My memories." the present Sasuke said behind her, she looked at him, he had his sharingan activated. He had put her under a genjutsu.
"Why?-" she was cut off as Younger Sakura suddenly burst out her love confession, she watched Younger Sasuke stiffen, she could see the side of his face. Something she didn't saw back then.
She watched the entire replay of her confession that night, she saw the way Younger Sasuke's face looked troubled, she could read everything in it, he was contemplating. There was fear, anger, need for revenge and regret.
She shook as tears started to fall from her face, she felt Sasuke stalked behind her back and wrapped his arms around her, he rested his chin on her shoulder.
"You're annoying." and Younger Sasuke started to walk away.
"I'll scream if you-" in a flash he was behind Younger Sakura.
"Sakura... Thank you." and he knocked her out. His arms darted to brace her before she hit the ground. Just like the way the present Sasuke was holding her right now.
The Younger Sasuke then buried his face at the back of her neck, hiding most of his face in her younger self's hair. She could tell that he was shaking. He just held her tight there for how long when his shaking finally stopped and he maneuvered her to carry her bridal style on the nearby bench.
He laid her gently as he crouched down to put away her hair from her face and wiped the tears streaking down her lower cheek. The present Sakura was amazed to see such gentle expression on Younger Sasuke as he stared at the sleeping figure.
"I'm sorry Sakura." Younger Sasuke whispered as he brushed his lips on her forehead. He got up a little to stare at her sleeping face.
"Wait for me." she heard him whispered once more when her eyes widened comically as Younger Sasuke held the sleeping form's chin and slowly dipped his head down.
Their younger selves' lips were closing in when a large hand covered her eyes, and the next thing she knew she was back at sitting on the bench staring at Sasuke's coal black visible eye.
I wanna stop time
When this moment is done
Would it be like a fantasy
Would I forget you
I'm afraid afraid afraid
"W-wait! I wanted to see that part!" she stammered blushing, shocked at what she had discovered.
Sasuke just let out an annoyed growl and looked away. She could see the blush creeping up his neck.
"Hey put the genjutsu back!" she whined childishly as she tugged on his robe. "I wanted to see that! Did you kiss me or-"
She was cut off when his hand darted on her collar and pulled her to him, something warm and soft stopping her to form her words, his lips. He pulled just inches away from her lips.
"I did."
Butterfly, like a butterfly
Almost Butterfly, bu butterfly like
Butterfly, like a butterfly
Almost Butterfly, bu butterfly like
Sakura's face could've rivaled her hair color. "W-why?"
"I felt like it." Sasuke shrugged. A quick peck. "...And it felt right."
She was speechless when a chime echoed through the whole village signalling midnight.
He lowered his face once again to kiss her longer than the previous ones. Sasuke smiled a little as he held her face with his lone hand, "Happy birthday Sakura."
He remembered. Sakura bit back a sob as she muttered her thanks to him. He placed a small box on her hand, "Your present."
She opened it and brought the silver necklace to her eye level. It has a butterfly pendant embedded with ruby as its upper wings and diamond as its lower. The color scheme was suspiciously the same as the Uchiha Clan symbol.
"Butterfly?"
"Hn. It suits you." he stood up and held out a hand to her. He smiled, "Let's go home?"
Sakura smiled and took his hand. Home. Together. Sounds right. She looked up to him and gave him a smile only reserved for him. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."
OMAKE:
Sakura glared at him from across the table. She was making them breakfast as he sat on the counter. Last night they had ended up in her apartment and well duh, i know what you're thinking you pervert.
"...What?" Sasuke asked as he eyed her cautiously. She was glaring at him while mincing the onions mercilessly.
"You're my first kiss." she deadpanned.
"And?"
"Do you know *slices slowly* how many days I sulked *stabs onion* when I thought my first kiss was Naruto?"
"You. Kissed. Naruto?" he growled.
"CPR."
"You still kissed him." he pointed out with a hiss.
"You kissed him too." Sakura's poker face didn't fail her. "Twice."
Sasuke growled in annoyance.
"My parents knew, and they bombarded him to take responsibility and marry me." Sakura was finished with the onions as she remembered her parent's assault to Naruto.
"Then tell them I was, I'll marry you."
She turned almost immediately as the blush crept up her face. She muttered a half hearted, "Whatever."
She turned on the stove and peek through the fridge, "What do want to eat?"
"...You."
"W-what?!" she turned and found Sasuke standing behind her, he had already managed to turn off the stove and backed her to the fridge. His hands were already all over her.
"S-sasuke I need to cook."
"Tch. Let's just make Salad."
And Author plays Hero's Come Back to muffle their noises.
AN: A comment would make me smile, *coaxes you with Kakashi shaped chocolates*