warning: ShiSakuSasu!
collab with: fanaticfanfictionwriter! aka my senpai, you should go love her now kthanksbai.
The beat was pounding. It resounded and echoed across the club.
Naruto had insisted on an over-the-top party—much like what the blonde himself was—and the luminescent lights lit up every corner of the floor, couples dancing and people drinking and everyone coming up to him to clap him on the back. They tended to repeat the phrase, "welcome back", as if he hadn't heard for the past month that he was back.
Fucking over and over and over again.
He hadn't really thought about how famous he was in Konoha, but now that he was back, all he wanted to do was sink into the shadows, where no one would find him.
He may have been on the road to recovery, but he hadn't reached his destination yet and he certainly didn't want witnesses.
A hand appeared out of nowhere in front of his face, cupping a glass full of alcohol. It was followed by an expectant face, a mischievous grin.
"TEME, ARE YOU ENJOYING THE PARTY?"
The decibel level was so loud that not even Naruto's voice had him cringing. He swept the drink out of the blonde's fingers, grimacing, and gulped it down. He'd rather be drunk, rather ignore the stares, then get Naruto to lose more inhibitions than he already had lost. "Yeah, dobe. 's great."
Naruto frowned, brows furrowing and he leaned against the top of the bar, running his palms over his face. "You don't sound like that's what you're thinking."
"Well," Sasuke replied simply, "that's what I'm thinking."
The grin was lost over the contemplation that took over Naruto's face.
He would make assumptions, think Sasuke wasn't enjoying it enough, Sasuke mused. Try and bring in the Big Guns: strippers or something.
He took a calm sip of his half-full glass, breath clouding along it, like magma rising to the surface waiting to erupt.
Much like his teammate's lips did, just then. It wasn't a good thing either, Sasuke could immediately tell, all wily and vaguely irritating. "I think you'll change your mind when you see who's here," he attempted to whisper, singing the words at the end. "LOOK."
Sasuke did look because the dobe probably wouldn't have shut up about it until he did.
A group of people were entering the club, as always, lined up to get a taste of "the most talked about hang-out" or something. Couple of friends—Shikamaru, Shino, Kiba, Akamaru trotting behind him, a girl with the lightest shade of hair, since—
Wait. He blinked and backtracked to that girl once more.
Dressed in black, thin fabric hugging her swinging curves, and laced at the shoulders, Sakura Haruno strode up to the two boys at the bar and grinned.
Yep, it was definitely her. Choppy locks of fuchsia and a smile that seemed to illuminate her entire face, morphing it into the kind of radiant face that the brightest girl in Konoha was supposed to be making. Her tight dress swept down to her knees and the neckline plunged to a modest glance of cleavage.
But he could still see it. And it made him feel something—he wasn't entirely sure what that something was—when she bit her lips, looked at him from behind her lashes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down and hugging him tightly. She didn't let go for a few moments and the implication wasn't lost on Sasuke.
Sakura was one of the few who had had a very difficult time meeting his gaze over the past month. She didn't ignore him, smiling whenever she saw him, holding him slightly when she could manage. But there was something holding Sakura back and Sasuke knew exactly what it was.
Fear.
Not fear because she was scared of Sasuke, no, she had proved time and again that that was a fear she could overcome.
It was fear that he might leave them all again.
The Road to Recovery wasn't a certainty; maybe to Sasuke it was, because he knew that he was done fighting against the world and he figured it was time to start finding the joy in it. But not to anyone else.
Least of all Sakura.
"Welcome back, Sasuke," she whispered and took a step away, enough for Sasuke to be able to register the knowing look on Naruto's face. She tentatively smiled, sleeves ruffling and all he wanted, he couldn't help but realize, was to carry her away from this party, not into the shadows, but wherever it was that Sakura learned to love so loyally and trust so strongly.
He gulped and opened his mouth.
"Oh, Shi-kun! Over here!"
And snapped it shut once more, when a blonde man, not wearing the Konoha hitai-ate, appeared behind Sakura—his fucking Sakura—and smiled softly. "Sakura-san, shall we go dance?"
And she smiled like the sunshine that seemed to have reincarnated as her, breaking away his resolution to pull her to him and press his lips to hers, so that he could assure her that he wouldn't leave her again, no matter what.
But she left this time, off to the dance floor with another man.
A small, childish part of him wanted to stride up to the dancing couple and whisk Sakura away. But this act would not only draw attention, but could also anger her, something he didn't want to deal with. He just couldn't help feeling jealous at the sight of a giggling, smiling Sakura who, only years ago, would be looking at only him with that adorable, loving expression. But he didn't like this new Sakura. She was slightly more distant, less touchy-feely than she was before and she seemed to have moved on. If you had told him two years ago that Sakura would not only get over him, but would also end up dating someone other than him, he would have smirked at the impossible joke, then ignored you. Given that he tried to kill her, twice, he figured he shouldn't be surprised at the situation at hand. Grunting, he took a sip of the alcohol in front of him. Tonight was going to be a long night.
Sasuke tuned the music out, glaring in the direction of Sakura and her date. How could she like that Kumo-nin anyways? He had fought against him and he wasn't all that special. Sure he held up a good fight back at the Kage Summit, but then again that nin was now flirting with his teammate. How had they even crossed paths? Or was it…? How long ago did this "relationship"—he scoffed at the word—begin?
Suddenly realizing that his actions at the Kage Summit could have prompted their meeting then their eventual courtship, he resisted the urge to land a few more punches on this "Shi" guy. He focused his attention on Sakura instead. She said she loved him—was that a lie? It really wasn't helping that Shi was constantly whispering into her ear.
Whatever he was saying, it had brought out a blush or two on the rosette's cheeks.
"He's glaring over here," Shi spoke.
"Oh that's just Sasuke being Sasuke," Sakura dismissed, returned to her drink.
"I think he's jealous…"
"Pft! Sasuke jealous? Yeah, sure and Shishou doesn't have a gambling problem."
"Well, l mean, look, here I am with the most gorgeous kunoichi in Konoha."
A light blush crept onto her face, and she avoided glancing in Sasuke's direction.
Fuck it, he finally decided, with menace. If he looked like a sore child wanting attention, then so be it. With a strictly unreadable face in place, he walked up to the dancing couple.
He stopped her mid-twirl, but she managed to keep herself on tilt, turning to Sasuke with an astonished stare. When she saw who it was, it became a disapproving glare, much different from the look he had gotten when she first came in.
And much different from how she had been watched Shi. His grip on her arm tightened slightly at the thought and he glared—but at the damn Kumo-nin. "I need to borrow Sakura," he growled lowly.
"Well, then, you could ask me if I wanted to be borrowed, Sasuke!" She drew and outraged breath and whipped her arm out of his grasp. "I'm not a fucking object for you to take, now am I?"
"Sakura-san," Shi interrupted, tone impassive and eyes on Sasuke. His blonde bangs curled in front of his eyes. Blonde. Sakura wasn't the kind of girl who looked good with blonde-haired guys, for fuck's sake! "I think your teammate just wants to talk to you." Sasuke didn't appreciate the way he emphasized the word "teammate" and his glare darkened.
Especially when Shi turned to Sakura and shot her a smile that would had girls near them, stumbling and swooning, all pretty white teeth, and gentlemanly. "I don't mind; I'm sure you don't either."
Sasuke began tugging immediately when he heard Sakura's sigh of acceptance, and he thought that was that, no more of this fucking Shi kid, when the other shinobi turned back to Sakura and winked at her. "Meet me after, ne?" he murmured smoothly and left behind a slightly confused, but smiling, Sakura and an angry as fuck Sasuke.
Sasuke pulled her towards the back of the dance floor.
"Sasuke! What the hell was that about?!"
Now that he had her to himself, he wasn't sure what he would do next.
"Sasuke! I'm talking to you!"
He could dance with her, but…
"Sasuke Uchiha!"
"What?" he growled, frustrated with the situation at hand.
Taken aback at his annoyed demeanor towards her, Sakura stood her ground pressing him further.
"What the hell was that back there?! Why were you so mean to Shi-kun?"
"I don't like him."
"That doesn't mean you can be rude to him! Shi-kun is a wonderful person Sasuke. He's nice and sweet, something you could learn a thing or two from! I mean, you don't drag a girl away from her date!"
"Date..?" he said in an angry voice.
"Yes. Shi-kun was my date to the party. And now you've dragged me away from him only to get angry at me. What the hell?!"
Sasuke saw Shi smirking a few feet away, almost victoriously at him. Sasuke scowled.
Waiting for Sasuke to answer her, she followed his line of sight to see him glaring at Shi.
'Could he be…?'
"Sasuke…are you jealous…?"
Sasuke scoffed and looked away, heat rising to his cheek. Uchihas were many things, but they were not the jealous type.
A smile slowly started to grace the kunoichi's face at the sight of a pouting Uchiha.
Giggling, she wrapped her arms around Sasuke's neck and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"Fine. If you won't answer my questions or return me to my date, you owe me a few dances, Sasuke."
Sasuke blinked, as she placed her hands on his broad shoulders. The palms sent a rippling feeling through his bones and he anxiously placed his hands on her hips.
He had no idea how to dance, except for formal occasions. Growing up, Itachi would be subjected to private ballroom dancing lessons for special events in which the Uchiha name would be at stake. Naturally being the son of the leader of the Uchiha clan, he was placed in private dance lessons as well.
Sakura giggled at his stiffness and formality. Sasuke merely grunted in return.
They swayed to the music silently, each hoping the other would say something to ease the tension.
Sakura was surprised it was Sasuke who was the first to speak up.
"You used to call me that."
"Pardon?"
"You used to call me, Sasuke-kun," he muttered, throatily. "Back in those days."
Sakura didn't respond, waiting for him to elaborate, to say something else. And he couldn't deny her those wishes, so he did. "I know I left, Sakura. And I'm reminded of it every time someone comes up to me and says welcome back. It forms a bruise on my mind and makes me think that no one will ever forget."
"Naruto'll forget," Sakura defended. "Kakashi'll forget, I'll forget."
His fingers brushed against her face softly, like he was itching to touch it. But he doesn't, he doesn't. "You haven't, Sakura," he whispered. "Not yet."
She stared at him, gaping, but recovered quickly enough, pushing his fingers back down gently, and making them touch her waist once more. "But I will, Sasuke. And that's what matters. It will happen and you can never say that you don't have something to look forward to in the future." And then she sighed and rested her head in the crook of his neck. It fit perfectly, a puzzle piece and they danced in silence for the next few moments.
He resisted the urge to bury his nose into the soft pink locks that flew just inches away.
The feel of her breath on his skin, the curves of her body pressed against his; he was becoming quickly addicted to her.
He began imagining all the transgressions they could commit in one night alone, all the sins and he thought it was funny how he had committed so many sins but this particular one so far.
He tried to remain calm, reminding himself that this was Sakura, his teammate from when they were twelve, but his heart sped up at the thought of pink locks of hair spread out across his pillows, creamy legs brushing against his sheets.
And he couldn't stop there; he could see her body illuminating against the sunlight that hit his bedroom windows every morning.
His heart strings slowly started tugging for the simple pleasures that it could bring.
Waking up next to her tiny frame, the warmth radiating from her. The smell of breakfast wafting throughout the house, the taste of a home cooked meal ready for when he returned home from his mission. He wanted all of that; including her.
Because he couldn't remember the last time he had had it.
It was just as he was thinking this, that Sakura snapped up off his shoulder and clicked her tongue together, as if remembering something. "I have something for you! I forgot about it when I first came in, gomen, Sasuke." Her lips quirked up apologetically and she removed something from the pouch she had attached to her waist.
A shiny, new Konoha hitai-ate. He hadn't even thought of getting a brand-new one, figuring he'd get it when they thought he could be part of the shinobi regime once more.
"Shishou agreed to it," she whispered, softly pressing the headband into his palm. "And you deserve it. Because we will forget, Sasuke. And this is the first step."
He had to disagree; he thought the first step was getting rid of the damn Kumo-nin, and he thought Sakura agreed with him, when he stopped with the hesitation, pulled her to him, and pressed her lips to his, with all the love that he'd never shown, and she reciprocated with a sweet moan, and a murmured, "Still in love with you, Sasuke. Still in love with you."
