Decided to challenge myself to see if I'm able to get Sakura's characterization down or if I should go on to another character. Not all of these will be about Sakura, though a good deal of them will be. These will be a series of connected drabbles, ficlets and one shots; I have no pairing in mind and it'll be up to the readers to decide for themselves what the undertones are.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; Kishimoto does.
He had expected tears and angry shouts from what Naruto had rather gleefully told him about Sakura's increased control over her chakra and the 'insane' amount of strength she reportedly gained since Orochimaru's death and his failed attempt on his brother's life. She never was very good at hiding her emotions, made it all too easy to manipulate her into near uselessness and to use them against her.
At least, that's how Sasuke remembered her.
Standing there as the sun rose over the horizon, a part of him was slightly surprised by the way her shoulders were straight, her head held high and her eyes giving away a slight hint of anxiety beneath the serious expression on her face. Why he noticed such a little detail, such as her hair remaining short or the way she held herself with both feet planted firmly on the ground, was beyond his understanding and he let his pace slow ever so slightly as Naruto raced ahead to loudly proclaimed that he'd kept his 'promise' to her.
Even threatening to slit his throat, blade damn near in the loudmouth's flesh, hadn't convinced the village idiot to let him in on this supposed secret he had.
Her smile was distracted, eyes drifting his way as they'd always done when he was around, and a simple hug with words quietly spoken beneath his hearing range in return for all the yelling and celebration. Somethings wouldn't change that easily, he thought to himself with a ghost of a smirk turning the corner of his mouth as Sakura shushed Naruto and walked towards him. Likely to give him the same, or better, treatment and a welcome home or back to the team was what Sasuke believed and watched her approach with the detached sense of boredom he'd always used around her. Sakura was the type of girl who, despite her emotion driven impulses, resisted and detested any sort of change. He'd let her believe he was still the same boy who'd left the village three years ago... even if it was just to humor her for a little while.
Her approach was something interesting to observe, every footstep carefully calculated and her guard somewhat relaxed. There was no need to activate the Sharingan on someone such as Sakura, not with her predictable nature that, at times, rivaled Naruto himself. She stopped just shy of a foot away from him, green eyes searching his expression and boldly staring into his eyes despite her knowledge of what he could do to her if he activated the Sharingan. The pulse in the vein he could see on her throat was quick despite the controlled expression she had to be working hard to keep on her face, her body was just as expressive as she was with her words and with her emotions.
No, Sasuke thought to himself with a mental sneer, she hadn't changed her way of thinking in the slightest. He'd opened his mouth to speak when a black fist came out of nowhere and connected securely with his jaw in, had he known the assailant, what would have been an admirable right hook. Stumbling back and damn near knocked off his feet, his hand came up and wiped away the blood from the split lip he'd caused by biting down from the impact while his head turned to face the attacker and likely give a bit of punishment in retaliation.
Though, really, he hadn't expected a pair of tear filled green eyes to be glaring at him and the way her hand massaged her knuckles beneath the leather gloves led him to believe that, as much as he'd like to place the blame on some hidden fool with a vendetta against him, Sakura herself had been the one to deliver the punch.
He didn't miss the tears falling down her cheeks as she turned her back on him, wiped at her eyes and proceeded to march back towards the village gates with her head still held high and her shoulders and posture proud. Naruto was gawking openly, staring at the retreating back of their pink haired teammate before looking back at him, then back to her and back to him several times before he scratched his head and shrugged.
"Bet you didn't see that one coming."
He gave a snort in response, dignity and sense of smug satisfaction somewhat shattered by the way Sakura had managed to completely destroy any illusions of his return back to a place that hadn't changed. No, he hadn't seen that coming, at least, not from her anyway, and if he'd read the expression and emotions on her face correctly; he was either going to have some groveling to do or he'd have to play it cool and make her talk to him.
The latter would be the one he would usually go with and since he had become a slight creature of habit, it would be the way he would choose to deal with the situation.
After all, he was Uchiha Sasuke; the one that the girls went crazy over and the one a certain pink haired kunoichi he knew happened to be fond of.