Chapter Summary: A Finale of sorts for the SasuNaru romantics.
Notes: This chapter is dedicated to those who have read the last one (thank you!) and requested more Sasu/Naru. I feel you guys. I totally feel you. This is an extra POV showing some missing scenes and thoughts, and basically follows right after the end of Chapter 1. The full version of this fic (with art) can be found in AO3 (ovicati). In case anyone's interested.
Thank you so much for reading!
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SAKURA
[ he loved you first ]
For a man so fluent in silence and solitude, Sasuke could be a bit… intense sometimes. Which should not surprise Sakura anymore, but it still did.
Sasuke's knuckles were still scraped raw and bleeding as he held Naruto's hand from the side of the bed. His long, pale fingers were encircled gently around Naruto's wrist. Though the hold was gentle, it was still quite an unrelenting grip that lasted for a long time. As if the man himself was terrified that the unconscious, injured blonde would disappear from his sight. Sasuke only relented on his grip when Sakura told him that she needed to insert the IV lines for the dextrose and pain medication.
To this, Sasuke reluctantly let go and leaned back fully on his chair, looking away. But even with his hold and gaze finally torn away from Naruto's form, Sakura could still see the slight wrinkle on the man's brow and the clenching of jaw every time Naruto gave a painful moan.
It was almost unnoticeable. If not for Sakura's medically trained eye, she could have missed all these subtle movements. The man had always been exceedingly hard to read.
Sasuke rarely spoke, smiled even less, and perhaps never laughed or cried in his whole life.
But even then, his silent presence can drown everyone in a room. It was frustrating to admit that perhaps, the only tangible emotion Sasuke could fully translate was anger.
But it's not to say that Sasuke was a constantly furious or bitter individual. Sasuke rarely showed this type of emotion too, but when he did, he made sure that everyone would definitely remember it. The young Uchiha heir had this type of explosive anger – so rare, but exceptionally unforgettable.
Sakura remembered the first time she had seen him angry.
It was also the first time she met the two boys. Naruto and Sasuke were called in the clinic for their first physical check-up in the manor. As Tsunade's apprentice, she was tasked to prepare the table, observe and take down notes. Shizune, the head nurse, would be the one to help Tsunade in the measurements and medications if necessary.
Rumors that the young Uchiha heir was found alive and taken in had circulated quickly through the Uchiha household. That was why on that particular day, a lot of Madara's men had gathered around the small clinic, though most of them had definitely kept their distance for fear of Tsunade's wrath. (Tsunade did try to drive them all away, but it was useless as everyone was extremely curious of the young boss).
The amusement did not last though when the blonde-haired kid took off his oversized shirt.
Sakura's eyes widened at the sight and even saw Shizune take a step back. The large gaping wound on the Fox's chest was something she had only seen on her medical texts. She had seen her Master stitch limbs together and settle broken bones with bare hands but this is a whole new level of gruesome, even for her. And thinking of those rotten scumbagswho had done this to the kid made Sakura sick to her gut.
She wasn't the only one curious. Everyone in the room looked interested too.
But the blonde kid remained tight-lipped regarding the old injury. He answered all other questions, but not of the wound- which made Tsunade more aggressive and adamant. Her Master had always been very stubborn.
But then all of a sudden, a loud noise interrupted the questioning. Everyone stopped and looked at the medical instruments that had suddenly fallen and clattered onto the floor. Sasuke was standing next to the table of the fallen instruments, his furious glare enough to silence everyone.
"If he isn't talking, drop it," Sasuke warned.
This was the first time Sakura had ever heard his voice, and for all intents and purposes, it achieved its purpose. From then on, no one had dared to ask Naruto that question ever again.
The second time Sakura had witnessed Sasuke's anger, she swore she never wanted to see it again.
It happened a few years later, on their senior year in high school. Sasuke, for the most part, had always been pretty composed and indifferent. Even on his first few years in the Uchiha manor where he suffered blatant discrimination because of his age and "perceived" inexperience, he never seriously lashed out on anyone, and instead became more diligent in proving his worth.
Sasuke seemed arrogant at first glance but it was clear that the boy worked hard too. This hardworking persona coupled with his natural genius and competency gained the respect of his peers and superiors. It didn't take long before Sasuke was finally accepted by everyone in the family.
"He is indeed the rightful heir of the Uchiha legacy." She once heard Kakashi say, and that in itself was a huge honor already. The white-haired devil of a teacher had an unbelievable set of standards. Unreachable and basically impossible to breach. But Sasuke did in his youth, and this alone was very impressive.
Naruto though struggled a lot. It wasn't surprising as the boy, unlike the Uchiha, did not have any background at all. He had no education and came from a very poor, unknown family. In the manor, he was only known as "Sasuke's adopted brother", and was never really taken seriously.
And as if the boy's luck couldn't get any worse, he suffered a lot more discrimination in their school. Due to his foreign looks and deficiencies, he easily became the butt of everyone's jokes. Then, the verbal insults developed to physical assaults, and then next thing she knew the bullying got too serious that Naruto landed himself in the ICU.
The Uchiha had never looked so furious that Sakura thought he's going to end up murdering everyone. The retribution had become so violent that the police finally intervened. The case was eventually settled in court, but Sasuke did everything he could to make sure that the families of everyone involved in the assaults will never be able to return to their town again. Ever.
That was undeniably the most violent Sasuke she had ever seen, and it still chilled her whenever she remembered the panic and fear in everyone's eyes as Sasuke literally prowled their school in search of everyone who attacked his brother.
Sakura closed her eyes. Recalling these memories was becoming too hard for her. It was like history was bound to repeat itself. Or was it that Naruto had the worst luck ever?
"He came for me," Sakura said in between tears. She was still a bit shaken, and her fingers would not stop playing with the creases of Naruto's bed sheets. "I thought no one was coming for me," she sobbed breathlessly. She saw Sasuke incline his head slightly towards her, but did not turn to look at her directly.
Sasuke's serious gaze was fixed at the blood bag above Naruto's head.
"When I saw him, I swear to god, I was so…" Relieved, she thought but couldn't force herself to say that word because she knew it was cruel, and only gripped the sheets even tighter in guilt. She closed her eyes as soon as she felt tears once again streaming down her face. The images of the past few days were still unfortunately very vivid in her head. It had been the worst moment of her life.
For six days, Sakura was confined in a small four-walled room inside one of the hidden floors in the Hyuuga compound. The room, which was barely the size of three tatami mats put together, was unfurnished and disturbingly smelled of sulfur and metal. It didn't take long for her to realize that this wasn't just a room. This was a torture chamber.
Though she was never bound, or physically assaulted in any way, she suffered long painful days of silence and darkness. There were no windows in the room from which light can pass through and the only source of light she had was from a rusty old lantern affixed near the door. There were some days where the bulb inside the old lantern would work. There were days where she would not be that lucky, and the whole room would be bathed in darkness for the whole day. A small, dusty vent was located at the top of the door. Luckily, the room had its own bathroom. It was small and dirty but still very functional.
Nobody talked to her during her confinement, but she saw their hateful eyes and heard harsh judgments filtering through the paper-thin walls. She cried herself to sleep on her first few days, confused on why she was kidnapped and treated this way.
On the third day, she finally forced herself to get over it and stopped crying altogether. She was raised in a Yakuza household, surrounded by powerful men and women. Although she was just a medic, she was also trained heavily in self-defense, combat, and espionage. It was a bit over the top, she thought before.
"But this is the Uchiha clan, honey," Tsunade-shishou once told her, clucking her tongue at Sakura's nerve to question the demanding drills. "Weakness is not an option in this Family. Nobody is allowed to be dead weights here. It always pays to be prepared," she added with an intimidating glint in her eyes.
That was why on her fourth day, Sakura had had enough and finally found the strength to gather her wits and resolve to get out of this place.
Using her wooden chopsticks and a crooked hair clip, she managed to successfully pick the lock of the room's door. The guards were so stunned to see her out that she quickly (and easily) overpowered them. Unfortunately, due to the unfamiliarity of the surroundings and the sheer number of guards securing the place, she didn't get very far. Kicking and screaming, she was forcefully taken back to her room. But this time, Hiashi was not taking any more chances. They removed the only light in the room and did not feed her for a day.
On the sixth day, Sakura was already delirious with starvation. In her whole life, she had never been starved like this.
It was ironic when she used to laugh at Naruto whenever the boy would eat his heart out. It was of course never in a cruel way. She would just find it utterly hilarious whenever the blonde idiot would literally inhale his food and would never even dare to leave a grain of rice on his plate. He would consume anything given to him.
"Can't help it, Sakura-chan! I've never seen this amount of food before!" Naruto would jokingly say, but even then Sakura knew that there was a whole amount of truth in there. Naruto grew up in the slums, where food was always scarce.
But miraculously before the day ended, as if an answer to her prayers, the door to her room suddenly opened and a mop of vibrant golden hair peeked out.
"Sakura-chan?"
Sakura was already running towards the man as soon as she heard the voice. Naruto almost fell to floor when Sakura rushed over to him and hugged him.
"You idiot! What took you so long?!" Sakura sobbed into the man's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto returned the hug tenfold, his familiar high voice like a salve to Sakura's desperate and panicking heart. " For making you wait. Took me awhile. I'm sorry. But don't worry now, ok? Your knight in shining armor has finally arrived. Everything is gonna be all right now. I promise."
"I promise."
Liar.
Sakura cursed at that memory. Naruto was a fucking liar. The blonde idiot had the audacity to lie to her face- making empty promises so naively like that. Because the next moment she saw the fool, the boy was bleeding himself to death on the very floor of the wedding hall. She was so shocked that she stood on her spot for a full minute, just absorbing the situation.
The first thing she saw was Sasuke kneeling on the floor and cradling someone in his arms. And then, her line of sight moved to the familiar white tuxedo suit the man on Sasuke's arms was wearing.
Naruto had worn the same suit a few times before for the dance rehearsal, and to see it stained with so much blood made her heart stop in her chest. She felt her insides twist and shrivel as her line of sight finally went up to the man's face.
"I'm sorry," Sakura said in between sobs, remembering that gruesome scene at the wedding hall. That bloodcurdling memory would be forever embedded in her brain. Her hands went back to gripping Naruto's bed sheets nervously. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, more to herself this time. Sakura didn't see the Uchiha's gaze fix on her.
"None of this is your fault." Sasuke said after a while, his tone much softer than she expected and free of any accusation.
But it didn't make Sakura feel any better. She sobbed harder and buried her face in her hands. "He came for me. He came here alone, unarmed, and practically gave himself up to the family who hates him to the very core. He's not that stupid. Even a fool has limits. He should've known-"
"He came for you, Sakura." Sasuke's tone was harder. "Even knowing what could happen to him. He came to save you. That's just who he is."
And this time Sasuke's gaze returned to the man on the bed, his long pale fingers finding purchase on Naruto's forehead, gently combing away the stray bangs. Sasuke was looking at Naruto like he's everything in his world. At that sight, Sakura suddenly felt like she was drowning.
How much… does a human heart weigh? Because at this very moment, she could feel her own heart sinking way too deep in her stomach.
That enormously heartfelt and almost desperate lovelorn gaze the Uchiha had on his face was something she had seen before. Her gaze lowered, trying to recall where she saw the type of expression before. It took her awhile but when she finally remembered it, she started to shake her head, unbelieving.
"No, I was wrong," she murmured to herself. For the longest time, she thought it was the other way around—that Naruto was the first to fall in love. She remembered the dance rehearsal a few weeks ago. That was before the termination of the engagement. It was still fresh on her memory.
And that was the third time she had seen the Uchiha furious.
[]
It was the Hyuuga who picked the location for the dance and the reception. When they got there, they were all taken aback by the grandness of the place.
Aptly named, the Grand Hall was immensely spacious and elaborately decorated. The crystal chandeliers hanging above were huge and tiles were glistening white marbles and the walls were filled with intricately designed murals. There was a large balcony overlooking the grand hall, supported by six (six!) majestic Victorian-looking poles. Sakura had always known the Hyuuga to be a prestigious clan, known as the richest family in Osaka (and perhaps in the whole country), but this was simply unbelievable.
Both Hinata and Sasuke did not seem surprised though and just took it in stride as they entered the magnificent hall. But she and Naruto though were a different story.
Naruto could not stop gaping at the large stunning chandeliers that seemed suspended in the air above them. It all looked too surreal for them, especially for Naruto who had never seen such grandeur and space in his entire life.
"Dobe, stop staring already," Sasuke broke the moment, his sudden words surprising everyone.
But even then Sakura did not miss the hint of fascination on the Uchiha's face as he watched the blonde spin in a circle to look at everything around him. Naruto's face flushed at the sudden comment and quickly sputtered a broken apology to Hinata and some incoherent insults to his best friend, which made both the girls in the room chuckle quite heartily. Even Sasuke seemed a little bit amused. There was still a slight curve of lips to the Uchiha's face when he signaled the band to prepare their instruments. Since this was just the first rehearsal, only the cellist and the pianist were required to attend.
But the pleasant mood did not last very long though. When the dance rehearsal started, Naruto was all over the place.
The blonde was obviously struggling with the steps and had accidentally stepped on Hinata's feet numerous times. The boy would be devastated every single time and would apologize repeatedly that by the end of the fourth hour, there were tears already forming in the blonde's eyes in sheer frustration. He was trying so hard, but it was clear that this was something very new to him.
Hinata had been so patient and understanding of everything though, and had instead laughed it off to calm the boy down. But Naruto would still feel very bad, especially whenever Hinata would slow down to nurse her aching feet. No matter how much she tried to hide the slight discomfort, there would be a noticeable crease in the middle of her brows.
Sometimes the boy could get the steps, but he could not time it with the music. Or when the music started to play again, the boy will be distracted and lose his rhythm and bearings altogether. It didn't take long before the repetition of mistakes started to get on her nerves. But it wasn't because of Naruto. She understood that Naruto can be a little slow sometimes. Her annoyance was directed to the musician playing the piano. The silver-haired pianist would repeatedly show his impatience and displeasure by getting the keys all wrong deliberately and coughing rather loudly whenever Naruto made a mistake.
With clenched teeth, Sakura's gaze would accidentally turn to Sasuke, gauging his reactions as well. Sasuke was next to the musician, leaning elegantly against the piano, his arms crossed over his chest and his watchful eyes focused on the frustrating pianist. The Uchiha had this blank expression on his face, but sometimes there will be a slight clench of jaw on his face every now and then.
Nearing the end of the fourth hour, the calmness was shattered when a sudden heavy thump echoed in the hall room. Everyone stopped and quickly turned to the source of the noise and found the pianist clutching his swelling hand. He was cursing his breath out while nursing his hands to his chest, his knuckles starting to turn red and purplish. For some unknown reason, the cover of the piano keys had fallen on the musician's hand. Sakura watched in growing realization as Sasuke leaned towards the man and started to whisper something to his ears. None of them could see the pianist's expression or hear Sasuke's words but the way the man's body immediately veered away from the Uchiha in fear, Sakura had already pieced everything together.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura started to say, taking slow cautious steps towards the obviously very annoyed Uchiha. But before she could get another word in, Naruto had beaten her to it and had rushed to the pianist himself.
"Hey man, you alright?" Naruto cried out, taking out a crumpled handkerchief from his equally crumpled pocket and handing it to the sobbing pianist. "My friend's a doctor, so don't worry shit, ok? She looks scary but Sakura-chan's the best and she gonna patch you up."
The obvious jibe made Sakura's eyebrow tick, but she said nothing. At the moment, she was just rendered speechless by what Naruto was doing. Not only she, but even Sasuke had straightened in his posture and proceeded to stare intently on Naruto's form. The annoyed expression on his face was gone – replaced by something Sakura could only recognize as shock. When the wide-eyed pianist still did not move and continued to stare at Naruto uncomprehendingly, Naruto took the man's bleeding hand and wrapped the rumpled cloth around it.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata had spoken breathlessly behind her. Like her, Hinata must have been probably shocked at the sudden turn of events too. Even though the Hime didn't say anything, Sakura felt that she too had known what Sasuke did, and had been on edge since.
"Oi bastard, careful next time yeah? And apologize to Minami-san right now." ("Mizuki", the pianist corrected feebly but nobody seemed to have heard him as everyone's attention was still fixed on the bumbling blonde). Naruto had turned around and was busy scolding his silent best friend. And just like that, the fearfully tense moment was immediately defused. Sakura let go of the breath she didn't think she was holding and finally made her way towards the still-crying pianist. Sometimes, she did not know how Naruto did it. Was the whiskered boy even aware of this? Of his influence to other people. Seeing how Naruto was wagging his finger daringly at the Uchiha, oblivious to the earlier tension, probably not.
But instead of Sasuke apologizing, the pianist weakly said in between sobs, "I apologize, Uchiha-san. I will start over if you want."
"Uh what? But your hands, Minami-san."
"Mizuki," the pianist corrected once more, and started to pick up the music sheets that had accidentally from the floor due to the commotion. "It's alright, Naruto-san. Just minor bruising. I could still play."
"Go home." Sasuke interrupted. "We could go from here."
"Beg your pardon, Uchiha-san. Hiashi-sama ordered me to-" The pianist stopped when the Uchiha levelled him a glare, leaving no room for discussion. Sputtering, the pianist quickly stood up and left the grand hall, clutching his bleeding hands on his chest. Naruto's stained handkerchief was left discarded on top of the piano keys. Naruto reached out to get the cloth but Sasuke grabbed his wrist.
"Leave it. It's filthy." Sasuke said.
"I don't care. This is important to me." Naruto said as he grabbed the crumpled hankie, completely missing the sudden look of surprise on his best friend's face. Sakura did not miss it though and was confused at the rare show of expression from the unemotional Uchiha, but before she could contemplate on it, her eyes caught the embroidered letters at the corner of the fabric. Her eyes widened. The handkerchief, though way too crumpled and stained now, was made of gold satin silk with intricate paisleys decorating the hemlines. It looked elegant and expensive. But what made the handkerchief really stood out were the embroidered initials of one very familiar Uchiha on one corner of the golden fabric.
"So, shall we start again?" Sakura clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "We are running behind schedule now, and Naruto still hasn't memorized his steps. We do have a party tonight, in case you all forgot."
"Oh yeah, the party!" Naruto shouted, his eyes lighting up with glee.
Sakura almost threw a punch on the blonde's empty head. "Pay attention, you dummy."
"Hehe, sorry Sakura-chan," Naruto laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "This dance is just waaaay too complicated for me right now. But give me a week and I'll master it. I swear to everything holy and ramen-flavored, I'll master this motherfucker down to the very last beat."
And this time, Sakura did karate-chop the blonde on the head. "Mind your language, Naruto-baka. Hime is here."
Hinata just giggled at that. "Don't worry, Sakura-san. I don't mind it, really."
Honestly, Sakura could never comprehend how such a gracious and agreeable character like Hinata would fall for someone as crude and clumsy as Naruto. They were total opposites, in both background and personality. They did not even share the same interests or circle of friends. Hinata had her weekly engagements with all the other aristocrats and upper class of Osaka while Naruto… well, Naruto had everyone. From all walks of life, actually. She shook her head at her own foolishness, a smile easily curving her lips. Of course. Why was she even questioning it? Naruto had everyone.
Her eyes turned to Naruto again. It was quite unfair how such an endearing idiot can effortlessly charm his way through the hearts of everyone that he met. He had this kind of warmth that made everyone stay closer to him. A kind heart that easily forgave and understood. But that wasn't to say that Naruto was perfect. Oh god, he had his faults too. (A lot of them actually!) But out of all the people Sakura met in her entire life, she could definitely say that Naruto was the most human.
She knew that she hadn't been always kind to him. And when she first met him, she had been quick to judge and avoid him. She had been downright cruel to him. But Naruto took it all in stride, and had always treated her with affection and cheerfulness, no matter what she did. She didn't know if the idiot was just that dense or just didn't care. Maybe both. It was still astonishingly remarkable either way, and made her heart stop every moment Naruto would look at her with eyes filled with nothing but honesty and devotion.
But to be honest when it came down to it, what made Naruto even more impressive was his deep, unfathomable association with the young Uchiha. That even he can lure the great enigmatic Uchiha into his charms. Quite unbelievable, really. How such an extremely reserved individual like Sasuke can be so attached to someone who wore his heart on his sleeves. Her eyes drew to Sasuke this time.
The young man's face had returned to its unemotional state. Not a hint of the shocked expression from last time, but his eyes were surprisingly still focused on Naruto. Sakura wondered what the man was thinking, looking at his friend solemnly like that. She was still watching Sasuke when the man finally turned his back from Naruto and grabbed the music sheets from the piano rack. Curiously, the Uchiha walked towards the cellist. They talked for a moment and then Sasuke made his way back to the center. This time, he went straight to Hinata.
Hinata looked surprised when Sasuke approached her at first, but then her features quickly changed. Sakura couldn't help but notice the drastic transformation on her face when Sasuke walked over to her. To everyone, Hinata's features were always welcoming and pleasant. But whenever it was Sasuke though, her face would become almost clinical. She was never rude or unkind towards the Uchiha. It was obvious she at least respected him, but there was always this kind of wariness on her part when they interacted. Like her smile was a bit more forced and her words would be more clipped and to the point.
When Sasuke got closer to Hinata, he leaned in towards her and whispered something to her. At the whispered words, Hinata's eyes immediately lowered to the floor, and with fists slightly trembling at her side, she gave a single nod.
If Sakura would think back to this moment, this was definitely the turning point of everything that had gone wrong. There was no doubt about it now as she remembered the exact moment when Sasuke left Hinata and with the same decisive steps, walked towards Naruto this time. Said blonde was now on his own world, practicing the steps on his own while humming the song in his head. Naruto was too focused on minding his own clumsy feet that he did not feel Sasuke approach him. He only looked up when he suddenly felt a hand gently grasp his left hip and grab his hand.
"What the-", Naruto said in shock as his body was suddenly pulled flush towards another. He actually almost stumbled due to shock, but Sasuke caught him in time and had gently maneuvered their bodies so as their chests were pressed closer. The level of proximity of the two boys was too intimate that Sakura clearly saw Naruto gasp at the sudden closeness, his vibrant blue eyes blinking repeatedly in shock.
"Bastard! What the hell are you doing?!" Naruto sputtered and tried to pull away.
Sasuke did not respond to that, bringing the blonde's right hand higher to shoulder-level. Using his own foot, he nudged Naruto's feet farther apart.
"Put your other hand on my shoulder," Sasuke instructed, his dull tone a complete contrast to Naruto's. Even with confusion and outright embarrassment written all over his face, Naruto eventually relented and obeyed Sasuke. Sakura had to remind herself to breathe as she watched Sasuke correctly position Naruto's body for a dance. (For an actual dance!) Too stunned to say anything, she did not even notice that the music had already started and Sasuke and Naruto had begun to move. Or more like, Sasuke had started to move and just pulled Naruto along with him.
"Focus on my face, Naruto." Sakura heard Sasuke say when he saw the blonde looking at his feet. "Don't look down while moving."
"I know, I know! But I don't want to step on you."
"You won't. Trust me," Sasuke said, and Sakura blinked at the slight softness in Sasuke's tone. Even Naruto looked surprised too. He was left gaping at Sasuke for a while.
"Naruto." When the Uchiha called his name again, Naruto tried to steel his face. They continued dancing for a while but despite Naruto's determination, his eyes betrayed him and still moved to his feet every now and then.
"On my face, Naruto," Sasuke called out. "Keep your eyes on me. Don't look anywhere else."
"Sasuke…"
"Listen, I don't care if you stepped on me." Sasuke spoke patiently. "Just don't take your eyes away from me. Always on me, idiot."
Always on me
It took a while for Naruto to respond and when he did, Sakura was not surprised at the intense energy and determination lighting up the blonde's eyes. This time, Naruto straightened his back and looked at Sasuke dead in the eyes. Sakura could not help the smile lighting up her face too. Now this was definitely the Naruto she knew.
"You better not be pissed at me when you can't walk later. Ok, bastard?"
"Never." Sasuke said in a heartbeat.
And if this wasn't what made Sakura's hearbeat stop in her chest, she didn't know what was. The music slowly transitioned into the chorus and all Sakura could do was watched as her two boys followed the rhythm, slowly becoming in-sync as the song played. Their movements were unsure at first, especially from Naruto, but as the song went on, their movements became more natural and smoother. Between stops, Sasuke would sometimes mention some more instructions for Naruto to remember but Sakura seriously doubted if Naruto remembered all those. Looking at Naruto's completely focused gaze on his serious best friend, she would not be surprised if Naruto would repeat the same mistakes when he danced with Hinata again.
In just a few words and small movements, the Uchiha was able to guide Naruto expertly through the dance floor. Sasuke's shoulders and elbows were firm as he supported Naruto's body. His feet swayed and slowed down with the music- which Naruto followed almost perfectly. The blonde still had his mistakes but it was considerably lessened and his movements were far more confident than his previous tries. He was getting significantly better every second. It showed that he completely trusted Sasuke and allowed himself to be led by him. Their steps moved perfectly to the beat.
But then, Sakura realized something weird. Though seemingly composed, Naruto's face was strangely flushed. His eyes never strayed from Sasuke and even from their distance, Sakura could see the slight pink that coloured Naruto's cheeks. Like the idiot was looking at Sasuke like he was totally smitten with him. Sakura stopped at that thought. She unconsciously stepped closer towards the dance floor, trying to look for something and her eyes widened at what she saw. Naruto really was looking at Sasuke as if he was totally, absolutely in-
"…love," Hinata suddenly said behind her, "I love this part of the song."
That made Sakura jump a little, and she looked back at the Hyuuga heiress. Hinata smiled at her gently, but Sakura couldn't help but notice the unusually somber eyes of the young heiress. The expression on her face totally contradicted the words she just said. Hinata looked too serious for some reason and the smile that earlier graced her face did not last very long.
A slow, very solemn vibrato ended the music.
Sakura looked back at the couple in the middle of the dance floor. Even though the music had already ended, the two were still locked inside the private world of their embrace, seemingly uncaring or unaware of everyone's gazes. And Naruto still had this very inexplicable love-struck gaze on his face. The blonde was looking at Sasuke like he was seeing him for the very first time in his life. Face flushed. Eyes wide. Mouth slightly open. Sakura was visibly perturbed now, recognizing these signs. She had definitely seen these before. Her throat closed up and she swallowed hard at the realization.
She looked back at Sasuke who had just dropped Naruto's hands and stepped back. His face, as opposed to Naruto, was back to its unemotional state. Sasuke said a few more words to Naruto, which Sakura could only guess were more instructions for the blonde to remember. She doubted if Naruto was even paying attention though as the blonde continued to look dazed even when Sasuke finally walked away and went back to the cellist, probably for another discussion of the arrangement of the music. Now that she realized it, the music had a much slower pace than the original.
But she couldn't really give a hoot about the music right now, as her gaze travelled back to Naruto.
The blonde had finally let go of his pitiful gawking and was now gazing down on the floor. His bangs were covering his eyes and the face that was lively and determined earlier was no more. The boy even started playing with his hands, sometimes scratching his head and just looking absolutely nervous and unsure of himself. Sakura's heart sank in her chest. For some reason, looking at Naruto, she felt an unbearable surge of pity coursed through her. She didn't know why but suddenly, Naruto seemed like an abandoned, confused child.
This depressing image of Naruto would haunt her for the rest of the day. Even at Naruto's bachelor party that night, she would steal glances at the blonde and remembered the lost-looking child from the morning dance rehearsal. Naruto might smile, laugh and exchange lame jokes with everyone else, but Sakura knew the truth. That beneath those inappropriate jokes and loud, obnoxious laughs was a deeply uncertain and fearful heart.
During the party, Naruto's eyes would subconsciously draw to his best friend. Sakura was sure the boy had not even realized it. The focus of the party was Naruto, but Naruto's sole focus was his best friend instead. He would look at Sasuke every time something happened. Sasuke was unmindful of it though, seated at the corner and silently minding his own business. He never participated in any of the story-telling, drinking games, or food sharing activities that happened during the night. It was clear that the Uchiha really did not care much for parties and if it wasn't for Naruto inviting him, he wouldn't be anywhere near the establishment or Naruto's friends. For him to be there was a miracle already.
Sometimes too, Sasuke would look at Naruto. Those very few tender moments could easily be missed, if no one was paying enough attention. It was just that ever since the dance rehearsal, Sakura suddenly found herself more attentive and curious with the two boys. She had always known the two were exceptionally close to each other, but seeing Naruto's flustered face earlier made her realize that there might be something much deeper between them. Something far stronger.
"Strong feelings left unexpressed could be dangerous," Tsunade once told her. A lesson about love, she said. It was from experience. Everyone in the manor knew of her Sensei's tragic love. And Sakura nodded, fully agreeing to that. Unsaid feelings can be a bit… destructive.
She fixed her line of sight to the blonde again, wondering if Naruto would ever realize these feelings himself and confess to Sasuke. But looking at the blonde now, she highly doubted that. Naruto along with Kiba and a guy named Lee were now dancing on the table, neckties and ribbons tied around their heads. All of them were drunk out of their minds. The servers were frantic, begging for them to get down. Everyone else was laughing their faces off though at the boys' antics, especially when Naruto grabbed someone's pair of chopsticks and used it as a microphone. Then he started singing very loudly and shamelessly.
Despite her dismal thoughts, Sakura started laughing too. Not only on their table but the whole restaurant was alive with laughter and merrymaking on that particular evening. Everyone seemed to be having the time of their life.
But the merriment didn't last the whole night though. To her horror and utter disappointment, the night progressed into something straight out of a nightmare. It started when Naruto reached for his fourth bottle of sake for the night. From her peripherals, she saw someone immediately stand up. She only recognized that person was the Uchiha when a familiar pale hand grabbed the tan wrist and Sasuke's hard tone silenced all the other noises in the table.
"That's enough, idiot." This was the first words Sasuke had ever spoken that night and suddenly everyone stopped to look at him.
Naruto though was too dazed and drunk out of his mind and only registered the forceful grip around his wrist. Frustrated at the unrelenting tight grip, Naruto tried to remove the hand but Sasuke was immovable. "Let go of me!" Naruto shouted and flailed his arms, accidentally sending one heavy jab to the Uchiha's face. The sound of the punch was too loud that one of the servers actually dropped her tray in shock. Sakura felt her insides squirm as everyone in the heavily packed restaurant stopped and turned to look at their table.
'This can't be good,' Sakura thought as she saw Sasuke's eyes literally burned in their sockets. The fourth time – as Sakura realized belatedly –this was the fourth time she would be seeing the Uchiha absolutely furious.
With teeth bared in fury, Sasuke grabbed Naruto's collar and forced him to stand up. Sasuke was awfully drunk too, Sakura realized in growing panic as the Uchiha dragged a violent, shouting Naruto out of the restaurant. Sakura had seen the two fight so many times before. But none of these fights had ever happened with the two boys both under the heavy influence of alcohol. Perhaps this was the reason why the particular fight had been more violent, explosive, and… cruel. She remembered every fall and speck of blood that rained down on the pavement. She remembered Hinata screaming with every punch the two boys threw to each other. She remembered all the hurtful words and insults exchanged between the two. She remembered everything.
And most of all- most importantly- she remembered the forceful sudden kiss that Sasuke made to Naruto… and the silent, heartstopping confession that followed soon after.
The forceful kiss may have stopped her heart, but it was that unbelievable confession that slipped past the Uchiha's lips that had killed Sakura. She felt like someone stabbed her at the gut right at that very moment.
"I'm in love with you, you idiot."
My god, how could she have not realized this sooner?
She already had an inkling of Naruto's true feelings towards the Uchiha. She had seen Naruto's pathetic, love-struck glances towards the Uchiha during the course of the whole night, but Sasuke? In all the years that she had known him, Sasuke had always been a complete mystery. Hard to read and predict. She had always known the Uchiha cared for the little idiot, but this. This was… definitely on the realm of the unreal and the unbelievable.
Sakura didn't get to see Naruto's reaction though at the sudden confession when an audible gasp sounded behind her, and then Hinata fainted right into her cousin's arms. Neji caught her in time thankfully. It didn't take long before Naruto himself, dead drunk and awfully beat up, sagged right into Sasuke's too—which caught the Uchiha totally off guard. Both drunk and exhausted, the two boys started to fall onto the pavement but Sasuke had enough mind to angle his body in time so the unconscious blonde wouldn't take the brunt of it. When Sasuke fell, his back met the pavement directly, wrenching a pained grunt from his lips. Even from her distance, Sakura heard the familiar sound of bone cracking. Absolutely mortified, Sakura rushed over quickly to help them.
Out of breath and even with the full impact of the fall, Sasuke's hold on Naruto remained firm. The Uchiha could barely move his arms and legs but he still managed to position Naruto as comfortably as he could, his fingers spread gently at the back of Naruto's head to support his neck. Sakura almost couldn't believe the amount of protectiveness the Uchiha was showing (right after their awful, terrifying fight) but what really made the scene too unbelievable was Sasuke's expression. At that time, Sasuke had this look of utter desperation and guilt on his face. She couldn't believe her eyes that she stayed rooted in her spot, unable to move and help the two. And right before the Uchiha closed his eyes, a single streak of tear slid past his eyelids.
Sakura's heart broke at that sight, and she quickly looked away.
After that memorable night, the two refused to talk to each other again. For a week, the two of them didn't talk or make amends. Sakura didn't know if Naruto even remembered everything that happened, especially the kiss and the unbelievable confession that Sasuke made. With the way the two were avoiding each other like the plague since the party, Sakura guessed that maybe Naruto did. It was quite unbelievable how she was able to witness such a display of rare emotion, heartbreak, and desperation in just a course of a few nights. How a friendship so deep and meaningful like Naruto and Sasuke would develop into something heartbreaking like that.
[]
TheSasuke right now did not feel much different from the Sasuke after the party. Filled with worry and protectiveness over the young boy. Though the Uchiha had now long let go of Naruto's hand, his eyes rarely left the unconscious boy.
Sakura looked at the luxurious grandfather clock at the corner of the room. It was now close to midnight. Knowing that the Uchiha would most probably spend the night in this room to look after the injured blonde, Sakura stood up. "I'm going to get some extra blankets," she said and made her way towards the door. Before she could slide the door open though however, Sasuke called to her silently.
"No need. I'm not going to sleep."
Sakura resisted the urge to snap back at Sasuke. Like a dog to a bone, love can indeed make people do foolish things. She was worried, damn it, and the infuriating Uchiha was not making this easier for her. "I'm sorry but you need to rest too. Naruto would hate me if I let you worry yourself to death like this."
Sasuke said nothing to that. Sakura just sighed heavily at the lack of response, already expecting it. She slid the door open silently and left. When she returned a few minutes later, she was surprised to hear noises coming from the room. And then she literally stopped in her tracks when she heard an achingly familiar voice. Naruto's voice was loud and he sounded so alive and excited. Even from the outside, she could make out the words "bastard, what are you doing here?" and "why do you look like someone kicked you in the nuts, huh?" coming from the blonde's mouth. There were some more words that Naruto shouted but Sakura could no longer understand all of them. All she knew was that the blonde sounded as if he really was so surprised (and happy) that Sasuke was there. Sakura laughed at the blonde's overwhelming enthusiasm.
Incredibly relieved, she gripped the side of the panel door and slid it gently to the side but before she can fully open it however, she heard a loud thump and Sasuke's angry voice streamed through the paper-thin doors.
"You idiot, do you have any fucking idea how... worried I was?!"
The fury was so palpable in those words that Sakura clutched the blankets closer to her in fear. She had only opened the door a few inches, so there's not much she can see. From the small opening, she could see Sasuke's fist deep into the antique looking desk beside him. The loud thump that she heard earlier must have been the Uchiha slamming his fist on the table in anger.
"Sasuke-" She heard Naruto say.
"I searched everywhere for you," Sasuke said in a voice so low and broken Sakura almost didn't hear it. She gritted her teeth when her gaze drew to the fist on the table. With the force the pale knuckles had hit the wooden desk, she wouldn't doubt if the newly healed injury would start bleeding again. And as if hearing her thoughts, the Uchiha lifted his closed fist to rest on top of the table and Sakura's eyes widened at the more appalling and worse state of the broken hand.
There was a long pause of silence. Naruto's gaze travelled to Sasuke's bleeding hand. A look of absolute sadness and remorse stirred in the blonde' eyes. His lips wobbled, then a meek, almost unrecognizable "I'm sorry" was heard from Naruto. Sakura at first couldn't believe it. The earlier loud voice of the little idiot was gone and had been replaced by something a lot more subdued.
And then, very slowly and cautiously Naruto placed his own palm gently on top of the Uchiha's bleeding one. When Sasuke didn't react, Naruto scooted closer and rested his head on the Uchiha's chest, and another word of apology slipped past the blonde's lips. "I'm sorry."
Sasuke's whole body tensed, clearly not expecting the sudden apology and closeness. But he did not push Naruto away.
"But that's the only sorry you're gonna get, bastard." Naruto's voice was still low and cracked, but she could tell that there was a hint of humor and fondness in those words. "I am really sorry for not telling your highness and for worrying you, but I don't regret coming here. Sakura-chan's important to me and I'll do it again without a second thought."
Shocked, Sakura's breath hitched in her throat, and a tear streaked past her cheeks. She had to cover her mouth as silent sobs began to wrack her body. Such an idiot, she screamed in her head. Such a stupid, stupid idiot. The blankets she was clutching to her chest was now wet with her own tears. Only Naruto could be that brave and stupid at the same time. All the cruelty in the world and it just made him kind. The only thing that was keeping her from just rushing in the room and hugging this idiotic blonde senseless was of course, Sasuke. This was their private moment and she definitely didn't want to intrude.
"I know. That's why you're a fool. Always will be." Sasuke said after a long pause. His tone was unbelievably gentler this time.
Naruto chuckled at that. "Shut up, bastard."
"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke mumbled softly, his hand rose and touched Naruto's cheek. Despite the annoying nickname, Naruto leaned in to the touch, closing his eyes.
A moment of serenity. The two stayed still and connected like that for a while. Finally, everything felt so peaceful. With a smile in her heart, she stepped back and began to slide the door closed. It was time for her to leave. Before the door was fully closed though, she heard Naruto murmur something to the Uchiha's chest. "Say it to me… properly…this time, you bastard."
Sakura blinked at those words, slightly confused. Before she could ponder what the words meant however, Sasuke's bleeding hand pushed Naruto back gently and lifted the blonde's chin. Deep dark eyes connected with vibrant, shining blue.
A soft whisper of affection slipped past the Uchiha's lips. At those words, Naruto's eyes lit up so bright and the smile that graced the whiskered face was so heart-breakingly beautiful and moving that Sakura was unable to breathe for a long time. And then Sasuke leaned down much closer, cupping Naruto 's face and holding his gaze for while, and finally, he lowered his head, and a kiss so soft and pure meshed their lips together.
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"I love you, Uzumaki Naruto, with my whole heart."
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The End.
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SOUNDTRACK: (awesome, awesome song)
"Eyes on Me" by Nobuo Uematsu
END NOTES:
* The initials on the handkerchief are S. U.
* When did Naruto realize his (romantic) feelings for Sasuke? At the dance rehearsal. This is the reason why Naruto was so focused on getting drunk on his bachelor party that night. He was starting to doubt his decision of marrying Hinata. (A bit too late and bad timing there, Naruto.)
* Asked in the comments section (AO3): Why did Itachi kill their parents? It was my intent to parallel some of the scenes in this story to the manga. Just think that Itachi did that, thinking it was for the greater good. I'm sorry but I won't be delving too much into that story.
* This tidbit is quite obvious and irrelevant but Sakura was right. It was Sasuke who fell in love first -waaaaay before Naruto ever discovered his feelings.
* The person who spread the rumor of Naruto cheating with another woman is Neji. The reason being he doesn't approve of Naruto marrying Hinata because he thinks Hinata is too good for that orphan. The guy's definitely not a huge fan of Naruto, tbh. (Terribly sorry if you're a fan. I made him the bastard here).
SO that's it you guys! Really, the ending. I will never add anything to this fic again. Haha. That was a really long, quite painful ride, huh? But I seriously enjoyed writing this fic. Ever second of it. Every word and slash, period and comma. All the mistakes and inconsistency. Despite everything, it feels me with pride that I was able to finish something this long. like wow where did I get all those words hahaha
Lastly, thank you, so very much for giving this story a chance. This is from the bottom of my heart. You guys are amaziiiiiinng