Incadenscently

Chapter One

Prompt: First Love

Just read, enjoy, have a good laugh or two. Have a tear slip here and there. Get mad at cliffhangers or late updates, and review. Even if it's just a one word review~

Naruto didn't see it coming, but he did, so he took the hit for this knucklehead of a best friend. He did it without a second thought, because Sasuke knew Naruto would have done the same.

As the bullet pierced through his skin, he faintly remember feeling an excruciating, searing pain envelope his entire body before hitting the ground at his best friend's feet before becoming numb all over. This all happened in the course of mere seconds. Naruto began yelling something at him, but he was too disoriented to comprehend anything that the dobe was saying. Another minute passed by, and the blonde in front of him was slowing becoming unfocused as he struggled to keep his eyes open. From time to time, he felt himself coming in and out of it.

During all this time, the only thing on his mind was a certain blossom hair colored doctor that was based at some camp miles away.

Feeling extremely tired at this point, Sasuke began to close his eyes much to the blond's protests. Before leaving their station, all of them knew the possibility of one of the three of them not making it out of this war was high. At that time, the three of them though, argued hard with each other that no matter how hard it was, they were going to make it out together. But on the side, when Sakura had left, both him and Naruto had silently agreed that if only one of them could make it out alive, it was going to be Sakura without a doubt.

But for Sasuke, he was ready to give his life entirely to this war. He had accepted that the moment he began his basic training five years ago. He didn't have anything to go back to anyways. At least for the other two, they had family and friends who were waiting on the other side. He had no one. No family. No friends. No relatives. Nothing. Not even a pet dog to go back to.

At the thought of his loneliness, he was surprised to find the image of a smiling rosette pop up in his head again. He couldn't help but allow the corners of his lips to lift upwards into a small, barely there smile.

Sakura Haruno, she was certainly a pleasant surprise in his life.

When he first met her, Sasuke didn't think much of her. For a petite, pink hair girl like her, he didn't believe that she would make it. She looked as delicate as a flower and fragile as glass. She was a tiny little thing that was definitely not cut out for war. She was a goner. He thought he wouldn't see her again after the first round of training.

Boy was he wrong. Sakura was anything but completely opposite of what he first thought of her.

Sakura was strong, immensely strong. Although Sasuke would never let Naruto know about this, but their cherry blossom had taken him out in a matter of seconds when he called her to a spar. How quick she had taken out the most fit and fearable lieutenant in such a short time period was laughable really. The ranks below them could learn a thing or two about throwing a mean punch from her.

Sakura was determined, and incredibly stubborn. She would never take no as an answer. Nothing was impossible to her. That include breaking down the personal barrier that Sasuke had surrounding himself. She never backed down even when he threw such scathing insults and words at her. Sakura simply allowed him to calm down after each of his attacks and came back again and again. She never gave up on him, even when there were moments when Naruto did.

Sakura was extremely talkative. She would talk his ear off if he didn't tell her to stop. At first, he found her constant chattering to be very annoying. It bugged him to no end. Her constant chatter was on par with the dobe. But as time passed, Sasuke came to enjoy her daily stories. What she did that day, what kind of patients she had, what she ate, what she felt. He enjoyed hearing it all. It made him feel wanted. Wanted in a sense that she always came to him first to tell him such stories and no one else.

Sakura was caring, and nothing but gentle. After every mission, they had silently come to an agreement that he would come to her for inspection of his injuries, if he had any. Whether it was a small cut or a fractured ankle, she put him back together with the utmost care. She was also the one he would come to when he couldn't sleep at night when the reality of war came to plaue his dreams. With a simple touch, she would take away all the horrors.

Sakura was … his first love. He didn't know when it began to occur but as the time he spent with her grew, he couldn't deny the feelings that were beginning to stir inside of him. He felt at ease when she was around. He felt peaceful. For someone who is always on edge and easily agitated, with her presence, it calmed his raging heart. She gave him a purpose to make it out alive from every mission. He didn't want to die anymore. She gave him life with her gentle smiles, melodic laughs, and fleeting touches. She stirred feelings inside of him that he didn't know was possible, especially when she would look at him so lovingly with those vibrant emerald eyes of her.

Just as now.

When he felt her familiar hands lying upon his chest, he couldn't help but open his eyes. Everything was a blur, but from the pink blobs he saw, he knew it was her. Lips pulling into a tight smile, he wheezed, "Took you long enough…"

Emerald eyes filled to the brim with tears, Sakura looked down at him, crying, "Stop talking Sasuke. I'm here, you'll be fine."

He grunted in pain as he felt her apply more pressure to the wound. The wave of pain that hit him sent his ears ringing, causing him to close his eyes again. Faintly in the distance, he heard her yelling at him to stay awake, but he was tired. So tired. Knowing that she was here, Sasuke could rest peacefully.

On the side, he could hear Naruto screaming at him as well, but slowly none of their words began to make any sense. It was nothing but a jumbled mess of noises. As the blood pumping in his ear began to reside, he felt Sakura resting her forehead against his chest. Sasuke knew she was shouting something at him from the vibrations he felt but he couldn't tell what. He also felt her shaking his body furiously, all while holding pressure on his wound.

Opening his eyes blearily, he felt something wet his face. Through half lidded eyes, he could make out the tears running down her face. At the sight of those tears, his heart clenched uncomfortably. As his eyes traveled down to her rosy lips, he felt regret that he didn't a chance to kiss them before he left. And now, he had a feeling he might not even get a chance to know what it felt like to have his lips on hers. As he continued to stare at those lips, Sasuke began to slowly make out the words she was continuously shouting at him.

I.

Love.

You.

Smiling lightly, Sasuke felt his arm move on its own accord. Every so slowly, he reached up, much to her surprise, and tapped her gently on the forehead, leaving a trail of blood behind. Taking in her lovely face, marred with dirt and grime, he saved that picture of her into his mind. He watched as her eyes widen in shock at his sudden gesture before slowly glazing over with recognition. And in that moment, Sasuke knew she understand and that was enough for him to close his eyes peacefully.

{A/N}: And this is already a fail, lol. kingofthesharingan's (on tumblr) 31 Days of SasuSaku-Mas just began and I'm already one day behind on prompts. Oh well. A bunch of us missed SasuSaku Month this year so this is our "christmas" version of it. Not really, we're just making a a sad excuse to do it in December!

Anyways, let me know what you guys think of this first chapter! Review!