Voices

I walked through the streets of Konoha. These streets I missed so much, these sounds I have been longing for, these noises I refused the access to my heart for years.

I stopped in the middle of the way and closed my eyes and listened. I let my ears caught the voices of my home village.

Fist the sounds of the crowd that walked all around me. Footsteps, quick and slow. Clothes striking others, zippers closed to put a jacket on, plastic bags crisping, glasses tinkling. Wheels turning with the cracking sound of sand that was crushed under the weight of the vehicle, water that streamed in the gutters, rain that pounded down on the umbrellas, on the shoulders, on my head.

A dog that barked, a cat that hissed, probably to the same dog. Human voices that were calling, yelling, praising, insulting, talking, replying, answering, arguing, muttering, crying, begging, whispering, giving an unsteady rhythm to the place, breaking the regularly of the pouring rain.

Then, the noises that came from further. The doors that went open and closed, the windows that were shut down, preventing the raindrops to enter the houses. The noises of entering and leaving people in or out boutiques. Slurping sounds, coming from the ramen shop at my left. Splashing water and laughs of children, followed closely by the voice of a parent, calling them to stop, and the running footsteps of fleeing kids. Dishes that were washed, tables that were set, yelling voices, trying to bring the whole family back for dinner. A baby cried, probably because he was hungry.

And my stomach that gurgled. I smiled innerly and went to the ramen shop.

Ichiraku was the favorite ramen maker of my age group. Every time we had the time to make a break, me and my teammates went there for dinner. I smirked; a memory came back in my mind.

Once, tortured by the curiosity of knowing what was behind the mask of Kakashi-Sensei was, we had invited him for ramen. Sensei knew us well, and most of all our blond knucklehead, Naruto, who was always ready for a joke.

Kakashi had made a several hypotheses about the supposed joke, all more ridiculous than the other, but possible indeed coming from us. When Sensei finally decided to eat and to take his mask of, our were heart beating as crazy, a bit like when you fall in love. And at the moment that Kakashi had pulled his mask down, Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji had decided to jump around my neck, detaining us to see what was behind that black piece of tissue. I barely show my emotions with a lot of expressions, even if I'm deadly annoyed or scared, but that was too much for my nerves and began to fight them with my friends. And when we heard Kakashi-Sensei's voice saying "Gotsusosama", we all paralyzed, still holding Chouji and Ino in our grip.

"That was fast!"

Kakashi had given us an asking look. Naruto pointed at the seller and his daughter and I clearly remember their blushes on their cheeks. Man, what was I curious since then! Even when I was with Orochimaru, I couldn't help to imagine how my former Sensei's face looked like, when I was alone in bed.

Kakashi, Hatake, Kakashi Hatake. Most of all Kakashi-Sensei. A strange Sensei, but very good in his stuff. OK, that book of him put me sometimes on my nerves, but everyone knew that he never really take attention at it and was concentrating on the more important things of life. His voice was full of kindness, plenty of wise and helpful words. Sometimes with some sarcasm in it, but always there to reassure his pupil, like a father would do. He was one of the voices that put me on guard against Orochimaru.

Orochimaru. Snake-Face. Traitor, psychopath, insane, dangerous, S-rank criminal and a lot of other beautiful descriptions. And even with all the the scary rumors, I listened to the hissing voice of the rebellious ninja. That voice that was so attracting in the beginning, promising me power, the power I needed to kill my own brother, the murderer of the Uchiha clan. A sneaky, but attracting voice. I wasn't the only one that followed it, many examples did before me, like Kabuto, a medic-ninja of Konoha too. Luckily for me, I listened in time my friends voices before it was too late for me.

The most intense was Naruto's voice, that blond knucklehead, which was my teammate, my adoptive brother and my eternal friend. Even if I didn't want to listen, I couldn't prevent to hear that voice, that voice that begged me to come back. A loud, bugging, annoying, but saving voice. And thanks to him, I could come back home and begin everything over again. Since then, Naruto's voice became my favorite one.

No. That wasn't right. There was another one...

"Sasuke?"

I straitened my back. That voice...

"Sasuke, are you all right?"

I shook my head and looked at the pink haired woman that was in front of me. The blossom of Konoha, like she was gently nicknamed. Sakura.

I gazed in her green eyes, which were full of anxiety, like her voice. Why have I always refused to listen to her?

"Are you feeling well?"

"Hn? Oh, yeah, yeah Sakura. I'm fine." I answered, snapped out of my thoughts.

Her voice was a beautiful one. A voice full of life and emotion. Not that loudly emotion, that came out of Naruto's mouth. But a caring and soft emotion, that only feminine person could express. The sort of sound that wraps you in a warm coat full of good feelings.

I felt her hand on my shoulder. I turned to her, with an asking look in my eyes. She was still not reassured, I could tell. All her face was calling it out and loud. Strange voices were expressions. They said sometimes more than what was created by the human mouth.

"Great, you're sounding like Sai now..." he thought.

"Something isn't right. I can see it. Do you have problems with the others?"

"No, no, everything goes fine. I just need...I just need to take some fresh air."

And without having eaten something, I ran out of the restaurant.

***

At the main bridge of Konoha, I stopped.

It was still raining. The calm river was full of ripples, created by the raindrops that fell in it.

I leaned on the rail and closed my eyes. Water dripped of my hair, falling on my eyes and nose, streaming to my mouth. With my tongue I tasted them. It was salted; silent tears were mixed with the rain. I left myself slip and sat heavily down on the ground, still my eyes closed and I began to listen to the voice of nature.

The only voice on earth that didn't hate anyone, not ever to who destroyed it. It was always calm, equal to itself, with the only will to bring love in the hearts of the humans. It relaxed, made you feel that you were safe, it calmed your twisted mind. Especially the rain has that propriety. Well, that is what I think.

"You should have been nicer with her."

I know exactly what for a voice that was. My conscience mentioned his presence. It could be sometimes be more bugging than Naruto. And it could hurt hard, harder than a sword or a kick. Like now in fact.

"Go back and tell her..."

"Oh, please, shut up."

"Oh no, I won't. Sakura has been all the time nice to you, even when you were acting like a jerk..."

"I'm not a jerk, I'm cold naturally."

"You know that it isn't true. You were way nicer when Itachi..."

"SHUT UP!"

"When Itachi was still your brother. And Sakura was maybe annoying sometimes and acting childish, but she never let you down and worked hard to prove herself to you. And even now that you still feel that Konoha isn't ready to accept you again, you're pushing away every friendly face. Be nicer and speak to her. Can you do that?"

"..."

"Can you do that?!"

"OK, OK, I got it. Be nicer to Sakura."

"Tell her what you feel for her."

"Tell Sakura what..."

I shook my head. Conscience was sometimes really pushing me too far.

Suddenly I realized that I didn't felt the raindrops falling on me anymore. My ears caught the sound of drops that fell on an umbrella. In front of my eyes, two sandals with slight feminine feet in it. No need to tell who it was. She crouched down, showing her beautiful face to me.

"You're going to catch a cold if you stay like that under the rain."

Again that soft voice. Her beautiful, caring voice. And her expressive face with her emerald eyes, which were giving a worried look.

"Sasuke, please, say something...Say anything you want, tel me that I'm bugging you, that I'm annoying, that Naruto is a baka. Anything, but please speak to me so that I know that you are all right."

"Sit down next to me."

Sakura made a little smile and sat down. Immediately, I took her hand and tried to feel the comforting warmth that was supposed to come from it. But it was ice cold.

"You're cold."

"It's alright. You're the one who's freezing in your sorrow...Tell me what's wrong Sasuke."

I bowed my head and closed my eyes again. Explaining my feelings isn't the best thing I'm good in it and in front of Sakura it was more difficult than ever.

"Sakura..."

I gazed again in her green orbs. So much feelings were running through it, that it brought up a lot of emotions in my spirit. And suddenly, ME, the cold, proud and strong Uchiha heir began to cry on the shoulder of the young woman like a little child.

I thought for a moment that she would think that I was weak and that she was going to laugh at me. But instead, her arm slipped around my shoulders. Suddenly I felt something I never expected anymore in my life: love and comfort.

"I'm sorry, Sakura... I'm so sorry for everything I did."

"And I don't blame you. You're still my friend and much more, you know that."

"Sakura..."

"Yes Sasuke?"

"Please, let me hear your voice once more."

"N-Nanda?"

"Talk to me. Say anything you want, yell at me, call me Sasuke-kun, annoy me, but let me hear your voice."

"But..."

"I need it."

Sakura didn't answer immediately and seemed to thin for a few seconds. I stared at her. My friend smelled like cherry blossom and her skin was soft as silk.

The rain was still pounding down on the ground, but less heavily. Me and Sakura were still protected by the umbrella.

"Sasuke...I don't know what I could tell you. What do you want to hear from me?"

"Anything..."

"I glad that you're back with us."

She stopped again.

"Not, that's not it..."

She grinned.

"The first time I heard that you were coming back, I almost fainted. And when you were finally there, I acted tough, but you don't want to know how hard it was to hold my knees, or to jump in your arms."

I smiled.

"I was ridiculous. But I think Ino-Pig was more ridiculous than me. She jumped on your neck, and yelled her love for you out and loud without even thinking how the poor Chouji could feel. She had a lot to explain after that...Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

The sun broke out of the clouds. The sunbeams tickled our neck and the warmth made us shiver.

We stood up. She closed the umbrella.

"I don't think we need it anymore."

"Sakura."

"Yes?"

"Why didn't I listen before?"

"I don't-"

I cut her off by kissing her on her lips.

Yeah. Sakura's voice is defiantly my favorite. And I will do everything to hear it every day in my life and that nothing can prevent me of listening to it.


I got the idea for this one shot in history class and wrote only the idea down on a piece of paper. I found it back and tried to make something nice of it. I hope, I hope that it isn't annoying and that the characters aren't too much OOC. It's not my best fan fiction, but I wanted to try to write something about SakuraxSasuke.

I apologize for my grammar mistakes (English is not my first language). I would be glad to have some reviews with constructive criticism if possible. Thanks for reading!