Sasuke tugged at his collar, sweat dripping beneath his shirt. Why did I agree to this? he thought for the hundredth time just this morning. He wasn't one for speeches. Or meetings. Or any of the things that would now be expected of him.
A bump to his shoulder jarred him from his downward slide. "Ready to meet your adoring fans?" Sakura smirked at him tauntingly, like this was not a big deal. All Sasuke wanted to do was run.
Nervous fingers raked his hair. "Sakura." His throat closed.
"Hey." She touched his hand and he snatched her fingers. He regretted leaning so heavily on her, but he couldn't do this alone. Naruto left him with an enormous burden. He had to make his clan, his village, his brother, and his friends proud.
She closed both her hands around his. "Sasuke-kun, you'll be great. I know you will. Naruto knows it, too. He also knows he's damn lucky you agreed to his crazy plan."
He chuckled, grateful she knew how to untie the knots in his stomach.
Tugging him closer to the balcony, she added, "Now, come on. Don't make them wait forever." The roar of the crowd below rumbled through him and he hesitated, squeezing her hand much too tightly. Sakura slipped an arm around his neck, holding him close as she pressed her mouth to his ear. "I'm so proud of you." She settled the four-cornered hat over his spiky hair with a smile.
As Sasuke appeared in front of Konoha, the cheer was deafening. Sakura added her own shouts of encouragement to the din. Glancing up, he saw his face reflected back at him in stone. I'll protect what's important.
With that, the Rokudaime addressed his village.
Anybody else sad that Golden Week comes so soon after a chapterless week? *sigh* I guess we'll just have to fill the void with happy stories of Good Sasuke!
Heap loaves and loaves of Naked Monkey Bread on my friend Paige. She deserves them for so many reasons, like editing my mess, listening to me whine, not sharing, but mostly because she makes my cheeks hurt from smiling at her adorable fics. Thanks, Paige?