Title: Then Smirk

Author: AppleL0V3R

Beta-reader: SymphonaiFreak

Fandom: Naruto

Pairing: Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura

Rating: T

Type: One-shot – Complete

Summary: It was moments like these he realized that he'd paved his own road to hell. And he hadn't even done it with good intentions.

Theme: 30 Smirks LJ challenge (#28 – Are you serious? (~I'm dead serious))

Word Count: 1,310

Disclaimer: If you've heard of it before, then obviously it's not mine.

Edited on: February 25, 2012

One of the hardest things in life to do was forgive, to accept. Some had to work at it, some simply wouldn't even bother, and to some, it came completely natural. Sakura fell into that last category, well most of the time anyway. There were certainly a few exceptions – like there are for everything – and hers was Uchiha Sasuke. At the age of nineteen, she didn't quite hate him for all that he'd done, but she couldn't say she was okay with it either. Some of it was understandable, but some parts, she simply couldn't accept, let alone forgive. But that was alright she figured, because he wasn't looking for either one; he was just looking for a place to belong.

But unfortunately for him, Tsunade had decided that place would be at Sakura's side, living in Sakura's house for two solid years of probation and surveillance. And that was being lenient while taking into account all the good things he'd done.

So here he was, settling into his ex-teammate's home, resigned to the fact that the next two years were going to be hell. He could see all the signs in her green eyes; the way she stayed at least two feet away from him; the way she refused to face him. Her words were guarded, and he couldn't really blame her for that. So he decided he'd take whatever she threw at him because he probably deserved it. That, and he was supposed to be on his best behavior, even when it was just her and him.

But at the same time, while he noticed her undisguised caution and the tense set of her shoulders that never seemed to go away so long as she knew he was around, he also saw that she wasn't the same twelve-year-old girl who had clung to him and declared her 'love' for the whole world to hear at every chance she got. Time had changed her, and not because she got older, but because she grew up. And part of him ached every time he realized that if he hadn't been so blind, he could have been right beside her, watching her grow up. Helping her. He could have been part of a team, part of a family.

But he'd chosen revenge and solitude and power.

And he wasn't entirely sure it was a path that he could ever truly recover from. He would try though; that's why he was here: to make amends; to put the pieces back together as best as he could. Even if it meant suffering through two whole years of probation and always being further than arm's length with the girl who would have given everything for him once upon a time.

Stifling the urge to sigh, he decided it was time to change the direction of his thoughts to something more productive. Like how to stay on Sakura's good side. If what he remembered of her and what he'd heard about from Naruto was true, then it wouldn't be easy. Not with her hair-trigger temper. He risked a glance at the subject of his thoughts; she was across the room rearranging her things so that his could be added. He didn't have a lot since his clothes didn't fit anymore and he'd only ever held on to a few given things. And besides a picture of his family and another of Team Seven when it had first been formed, all of those items were basic necessities and things that she already had.

When she started to glance up, he turned his gaze to something else because he really didn't want to be caught staring. That could cause problems easily, and he didn't want that his first day back. It didn't help that he felt tense.

"Alright, so here's the thing." He settled his eyes back on her to show that he was willing to listen without objection. Anything to get her to see he was trying. "I have a few simple house rules. However, if you break them…" She paused, clearly intending to let it sink in without actually giving a threat. "One: do not break anything. If it's unintentional, then tell me if you think you have to and fix it. Two: no freeloading. I work my ass off and I don't want to come home to messes I haven't made or empty cupboards. Three: try to be civil. Pretty much Konoha's entire shinobi workforce knows my door is always open and they take advantage of it, so I don't want any of them to feel unwelcome unless they actually are."

When she didn't continue, he nodded, figuring that they really were sparse and simple. He could follow them. Though that last one would be tough, if he were being perfectly honest; nice was not his specialty. Which was probably why she said civil, and he could definitely do that well enough. Still he couldn't help but ask, "How much is it taken advantage of?"

Instead of getting a quelling glare like he'd half expected, she cocked her head and seemed to be seriously debating it. "Um, that's a good question. I suppose somewhere between every other day and weekly." The first thing to enter his mind at that was: hell.

This was going to be complete and utter torture; now he knew why the Hokage chose to put him here. If he managed on some slim chance to patch things up with Sakura, there would be a constant chance of ruining it because of all the people in her life. He remembered popularity from the academy and his time with Team Seven. Sasuke had not by any means liked having so much attention on him. It seemed that his new housemate didn't exactly relish in it either, but that didn't mean she wasn't the definition of social butterfly.

Ignoring the pessimistic voice that tended to dominant his thoughts, he told himself he could do this. So he was going to have challenges, didn't he like those? Challenges meant improvement; challenges meant something to focus on. And if they were daily challenges, then he'd always be focused on something.

He paused for a moment, unable to stop himself from thinking that this was probably why the dobe was so optimistic. Positive thinking made life seem easier to get through, which would be great if that extended to actually making life easier. And that was why he was a pessimist by his blonde ex-teammate's terms. As far as the Uchiha was concerned, he was just being realistic and prepared for the worst.

He glanced around him at the homey living room that took up most of the apartment space, and then his black eyes settled back on Sakura.

He could do this. He had to do this.

Nodding, he told her solemnly that he understood her rules. For a brief moment a smile settled on her lips, and he was hard pressed not to smirk. He could still make her smile without too much effort; maybe this wouldn't be hell exactly.

But then she turned on her heel and headed for the door. "Well, I guess we'd better go shopping." Green eyes appraised his appearance. "There is no way I'm letting you continue to wear that shirt while you live here."

And the urge to smirk was gone. Who was he kidding? This woman was going to be the death of him.