A/N: Rewritten and edited now! A gift fic for my friend that I guess will end up being multi-chaptered since I thought of a pretty neat idea! First fic in a while, hopefully I'll be able to develop on this since I have a bit of a concept in my head. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated!
Can't Hate You
Sakura had pride. But there's one moment in her life that she isn't proud of at all.
Chapter 1 - Wind
Sakura had pride. She knew she was strong and she cared about her looks. She was one of the best aspiring ninja medics in her generation, taught by one of the best of all time. She wouldn't let something as little as boy problems get in the way of the reputation she's built up over the years.
But on days like today, maybe that isn't so true. The sky is dark and the stars are shining clearly. The breeze doesn't disturb the natural beauty of the Leaf Village with annoying sounds. It's only slightly chilly, but otherwise it's absolutely perfect.
Sakura used to love nights like these. She would look up at the sky from the window in her room and think about her future- what she'd be, who her friends will be, who she'll marry... A night like this used to harbor such beautiful thoughts for young Sakura. But that was long ago, before the harsh reality of the world hit her.
Now she looks up at the beautiful sky with disdain.
With hatred.
With regret and remorse.
With the greatest longing for that short feeling of warmth she received on that night long ago.
But that's ancient history, she supposes. Something she hates to admit caring about. Someone she hates to admit caring about. Sasuke Uchiha.
On this beautiful night, Sakura doesn't go out celebrating with her friends for another mission completed and another encounter with their own demise avoided. She stays home, telling her best friend that she's "clocking out for the night." Avoiding Naruto's disappointed sighs, she slips out of the group's circle. She goes home to an empty apartment and makes her way to her room to be alone. She's just not in the mood to party tonight. Too much on her mind. Something clogging up her thoughts... or someone. Tonight is a special night, after all. It's that time of the year again...
Her thoughts are interrupted as a knock sounds on her door. "Damn it," she groans.
She pulls open the front door to find her team's captain, looking nervous and slightly saddened by the antisocial mess in front of him. "You alright, Sakura?"
Her lips curve upward into an attempt at a smile. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
Yamato wasn't at all convinced. "Look, I know you were a bit off your game today. You missed a step and your hits were weak-"
"And...?"
The look on his face turned into a concerned one. Sakura's bitter reply wasn't unusual, but she had always tried to mind her attitude around him. "What's wrong, Sakura?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes. Did something always have to be wrong when she wasn't the sickeningly optimistic girl people think she is? She didn't want to be known that way anymore.
The night struck in silence for a few moments. Yamato caught eye contact with Sakura and his expression immediately softened. But this wasn't the Sakura he knew. She was clearly upset, and in denial.
It's not until a few seconds that Sakura breaks eye contact and speaks up. "I'm sorry... Why don't you come in?"
"I just want to make sure you're okay," he responds.
Her lips curve upward again into a more reassuring smile, although her eyes don't follow suit.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asks. She quickly gestures him inside and he follows her invitation.
They both take a seat on the couch. Sakura inhales deeply before saying, "Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? You know, change something that happened?"
His eyebrow raises at the obscure question. "Well, not necessarily..." For some reason, the thought of time travel makes him uneasy and he doesn't want anything to do with it. But Sakura wants a proper answer- he could tell by just looking into her eyes. "The concept of time travel is tricky, Sakura. You never know what you're going to change, and you won't know if it's for the better or for the worst until it's too late to do a thing about it."
"But what if it was to stop a friend from becoming an enemy?"
"Ah," he finally understood what she was talking about. "Still thinking about that one night?"
She nods and looks down into her lap. It had been a while since they had a talk about him, but then again no one in the village really ever wanted to talk about it. Those who did would either slander his name or cry at the first syllable.
Yamato exhales with a breath he didn't realize he was keeping in. "Well, think about it this way: if that didn't happen, I'd have never been able to meet you. Sai would still be stuck in Root. You probably would have never earned the title of best rookie ninja medic of your generation."
With those points, Sakura definitely agrees. She's glad to have met the new additions to Team Kakashi and her life has been greatly impacted just because of that one single event that began the chain of fortune (and misfortune...) she's had. But still... "I just want to know what it's like."
"To?"
"To have Sasuke back here. To not have him be an S-class ninja that has sworn his vengeance on the entire Leaf Village. And if I can't have that, I at least want to know if what I said that night impacted him at all."
"I bet your words impacted him more than anyone's could have. I'm not just saying that, either. It's not easy having your friend become someone you're supposed to hate, but-"
They hear a noise outside and turn around, only to see the open window with a view of the rustling leaves of a summer tree. Must be the strong winds, they conclude, or a very large cat, which is highly unlikely since a cat of any size would only make a fourth of whatever noise they heard.
"-but that's just how it is when you're a shinobi."
Sakura leans back and stares up at the ceiling as the leaves rustle continuously outside. "Well, taichou, the funny thing is that I still don't hate him. I can't seem to hate Sasuke at all. Then again, maybe it's because I've been hopelessly in love with him since our years in the ninja academy."
Yamato laughs at her last remark, which Sakura is glad for. The moment's tension was eased so seamlessly. "Thank you, taichou," she says as he stands up.
"For what?" he asks before opening the door.
"For talking to me about this. Thank you."
Yamato opens the door and the leaves, once again, move and make that annoying sound. He takes a few steps before stopping dead in his tracks.
The night is silent.
There is no wind.
