title: to be juliet's secret.
summary: He forgets how fragile she really is.
dedication: To Selene (seleneswan), who celebrated her birthday, like, 432523691 years ago. Here's the beginning of the fic I promised you — happy belated, love! :D
disclaimer: disclaimed~.
notes: PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A RE-UPLOAD FROM FRAN DRINKS TEA. KBAI.
prompt(s): softly / sun's glow
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Naruto was always calling her beautiful, but Sakura wasn't sure if she knew what beauty really was.
She moved slowly, savouring the feeling of complete solitude, complete calm. Her hands clasped behind her back, she put one foot in front of the other, then paused for a few moments just to look around herself; Konoha in the rainy season was brilliant, yes, but Konoha after the rainy season really was something. The sky was a brilliant shade of robin's egg blue, cloudless and somewhat refreshing, and it wasn't that hot, yet — it was a summertime morning, so it was only natural for it to be just warm.
Sakura couldn't remember a morning this perfect, this wholesome.
It was so nice to have a day to herself, she thought, collapsing onto a vacant bench, letting her interwoven fingers untangle themselves and letting her arms stretch out to drink up the sun (she'd been pale for so long, now, and she thought it really was time to get some colour into her skin, even just a little). She threw back her head, and stared at the untarnished blue canvas above her. She wondered what it would feel like to fly around, up there.
—perhaps this is what beauty is.
If Naruto thought that Sakura was beautiful, he needed to see this — see this purity incarnate.
Sakura wasn't beautiful. Or, at least, she didn't compare to Konoha after the rainy season.
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It was a midsummer day when he returned — he just sauntered through the village gates, acting like he'd just been gone for the weekend, acting like he wasn't a traitor. When he was arrested, he almost acted surprised.
Sakura and Naruto stood beside the Hokage, and Sasuke stood before them, half a smirk on his face. Sakura's fingers curled themselves into fists. The arrogance of this guy…
It was a midsummer day, but it was raining, outside.
"You realise you could face execution, correct?"
"Hn."
Naruto tensed slightly at Tsunade's words — execution? Wasn't that a bit extreme? He didn't realise he'd actually voiced his thoughts until Sakura landed a punch to his ribs. She, personally, couldn't care less.
She'd lived without him before, she could do it again.
Sasuke looked at her from beneath lowered eyelashes. The smirk had gone. The look on Sakura's face was unlike that of the last time he'd seen her; last time, she'd been crying and yelling, weakness incarnate and childish. Now, Sasuke hated to admit, she was strong, with a fierce sort of determination in her eye and a sharpness to her features. She'd matured in other ways, too — her shoulders were broader, her cheekbones were higher. She had muscular arms and a womanly curve.
This wasn't Haruno Sakura. This was someone worth Sasuke's time.
"You've changed quite a lot, Sakura. It seems four years does a girl some good after all," he spoke calmly, as though he didn't want to agitate her; it didn't seem to work, as she turned and gave him a harsh look anyway. "You seem stronger."
"I am," She replied through gritted teeth. "I also don't care if you get executed or not, and will continue not to care, no matter how much you try and compliment your way back into my heart."
The room fell into an uneasy silence. Naruto placed one hand on his teammate's shoulder. "Sakura, isn't that a bit…harsh?"
For the first time, Sakura shrugged him off. "No, it's not. It's the truth."
Sasuke fidgeted in his shackles, watching the exchange with a mild disinterest. He caught Tsunade's eye, who shot him a narrow glare, much like the glare that Sakura had given him — there was no mistaking it, the Hokage must've been Sakura's mentor. There was no way that the broad-browed girl had become that strong, that fierce all by herself. The amber-eyed woman rose out of her seat, and the two Team 7 members stopped talking.
"I will release you, for now, but you will be under strict surveillance. Three strikes, and you're out." Tsunade dragged her palm, horizontal, across her throat. "Miss Haruno will be your escort."
Sakura slammed her fist into Naruto's cheek accidentally, as she flailed her arms in protest. "What? Why can't Naruto — "
"I'm sending Naruto on a mission," She gave her blonde counterpart a look. "No complaints. I will explain it to you once this matter has been resolved."
"Tsunade, I swear, I'll do the mission — I'll do it twice, just don't make me — "
"No. Complaints."
Sakura whipped her head and narrowed her eyes at her ex-teammate. "You — "
"I'm hurt that you wouldn't want to take care of me," Sasuke's voice was silky, as usual, and his smirk was wide. "Sakura."
She lunged for his throat.
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"You probably would have been able to avoid all this trouble if you hadn't tried to kill me," Sasuke calmly pointed out. "You realise that, right?"
Sakura forced out a laugh — cold and cutting, it was the falsest thing Sasuke had ever heard. She sunk onto the bench beside him, and laughed some more as she dug her elbow into his ribs. It could've be seen as a playful gesture, but really, it was just the closest Sakura was allowed to get to killing him. "Aha, you're so funny."
She ignored Sasuke's amused stare, and the raised eyebrow. "I wasn't trying to be. I'm serious — you act annoyed, but it's your own fault you're 'lumbered with me', as you'd put it."
The silence that followed didn't last long. Sakura heaved a sigh, and slumped further down onto the bench. "Yeah, yeah, you're right, I suppose."
"…and…"
"And…" She heaved another (annoyed) sigh. "I'm sorry I tried to skin you and hang your dead body on my living room wall."
"That's — " Sasuke looked at her sideways, lifting his eyebrow again and subtly examining her pissed-off face in the sunset. "You tried to what?"
Sakura simply shrugged, and admired the sky, which was, tonight, painted a million shades of gold with a few splashes of highlighter colours thrown in. She reached up with one hand and extended her fingers, stretching until the skin between each thin digit was pulled taut.
"You ever seen Konoha on the day the rainy season ends?"
Sasuke spared her an interrogative sideways glance. She wasn't looking at him — her gaze was still transfixed on the sky. "Yeah, of course I have. I lived here before I left, didn't I?"
Sakura looked at him. He looked back.
"So you've not seen it before since you left?"
"No…'sides, the rainy season's come and gone."
"Explains a lot. It's gotten more beautiful — it's so calming. You feel like you can fly." Sakura's lips pulled into what could've been a smile. "Maybe you wouldn't be such an ass if you saw it."
Sasuke turned his face to the sky.
"You wouldn't be so lucky, Haruno."
And then, he smiled.
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outro: Don't favourite without reviewing!