EDIT: August 7, 2012. Some changes to this chapter.
Prompt: Journey
Warning(s): It's fiction. Some info may be inaccurate.
Notes: Happy Birthday, Sasuke-kun~
Story starts in medias res, meaning that it starts at about the midpoint of the story and uses flashbacks to give the backstory.
Part 1 of ?
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to its owners. "Science and Faith" is a song by The Script.
-S-
"It's simple evolution, Sakura. You're attracted to me because I have qualities a mate should have. I'm attractive, athletic, and wealthy. There's no such thing as love."
Slap!
"You won't find faith or hope down a microscope. You can break everything down to chemicals but you can't explain a love like ours, Sasuke."
-S-
"…Sakura."
He sat up in bed and touched his cheek, the phantom sting of a slap still lingered even as he escaped his dream. No, it wasn't a dream; it was a nightmare that haunted him even in his waking hours. The blanket lay at the foot of the bed, half of it dangling onto the floor. His feet touched the soft carpet as he stood to stretch. In just a little over a minute, he had already folded the blanket and fixed his pillows. Even with the air conditioner turned on, it was still too warm to sleep under the overstuffed maroon comforter.
He picked up his phone. The lock screen was a close up picture of a smiling Sakura, as snowflakes drifted down around her. He cropped the picture for his lock screen but he remembered every detail of that day. She wore her favorite short red coat covering her white sweater dress with black skinny jeans, her matching red earmuffs, gloves, and suede boots. The soft strawberry blonde of her hair and sparkling green eyes amidst the background of untouched fields of snow and tall, bare trees made her look like a snow fairy. The tip of his thumb traced the small smile on her lips. Sakura had laughed and smiled as she played in the snow, but even then her smiles weren't as bright, the laughter sounded hollow.
He stopped himself from remembering any more moments of that day. There was an important lab today he had to focus on.
4:27 am
Monday, July 23
1 new message from Dobe
"Happy Birthday, Sasuke-teme! I know you don't have class tomorrow. Party at your apartment later!"
Today's my birthday.
-S- FLASHBACK –S-
They met freshman year.
Principles of Chemistry
The lab was set up for groups of three. Naruto sat on his left and there was a vacant seat on his right. Behind them sat Hyuuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka.
He looked up from checking their supply cabinet as a girl walked by him.
"Sakura-san! I thought you weren't able to sign up for this class."
"Hi! Yeah, it was full, but someone dropped out. The registrar called me yesterday and asked if I still wanted to take it."
She was facing away from him. Her hair fell a few inches down her back. It was a peculiar shade. He had never seen a strawberry blonde so pale it was almost cherry blossom pink. He heard Hyuuga talking to her and realized her name was Sakura, just like her hair. Then, Naruto left their table and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Sakura-chan! I thought you didn't like chemistry."
She shrugged his arm off.
"It's not that I don't like it. I'm just not very good at math."
Both Aburame and Inuzuka greeted her too. He turned back to his inspection of materials, blocking out their conversation. The idiot tugged on his elbow, interrupting him.
"What." he complained as he checked the beakers for any cracks, a slight scowl. He wanted to make sure they had everything before class started.
"Sakura-chan, this is Sasuke. He's been my best friend since before we were born! Sasuke, this is Sakura-chan. She's from my mom's hometown, Whirlpool. "
"Yes, I remember. You always talk about him. Nice to meet you, Uchiha-san."
He turned to face her and held out his hand for a customary handshake. His upbringing guided his movements. He had to tilt his head down slightly to look her directly in the eyes. Her eyebrows were exactly the same shade as her hair, her eyelashes slightly darker. Her vibrant green eyes contrasted well with her hair. She was lightly tanned with a small frame. He estimated her height to be only 2 or 3 inches above 5 feet since the top of her head would not even reach his collarbone. She wore a thick neon blue button-down sweater, a red shirt underneath, and bright pink skinny jeans.
She was a splash of color amidst the shiny black tabletops and painted white walls.
-S-
A/N:
1) I was inspired by the song "Science and Faith" by the Script. I've always wanted to do a story like this. I imagine that Sasuke would have this very grounded view of the world. He's not much of a believer. Things have to be fact. He approached things as experiments and observed and analyzed people like they were specimens. A cold genius type. This is his "Journey" (SasuSaku month day 23) to believe in love again.
2) They're in college. I made up a bunch of things: the names of the classes, the procedures for example.
3) EDIT: This has been revised. The only change is how Sakura and Sasuke meet. Initially, they're all supposed to meet at college. I made Sasuke and Naruto best friends since infancy instead. Sakura is from Whirlpool. Whirlpool is Kushina Uzumaki's hometown. The college is in Konoha. Sasuke and Naruto live there but they decided to live in a dorm. Sakura grew up in Whirlpool but Konoha is her family's home.
Sakura visits Konoha every summer. Naruto visits Whirlpool every summer. That's why Sakura and Sasuke haven't met yet. They only know each other because Naruto is the mutual friend.
And, it doesn't matter if you didn't read the Author's Note. All this will be explained in future chapters. Stay tuned for Chapter 3!
