Together and Alone - Part 3
Sasuke woke first. He blinked and was now used to Sakura's bedroom- having stayed there for the past two nights. He looked down at Sakura who was shifting a little. Sasuke quickly pulled his arm back and moved over to the other side of the bed.
Sakura open her eyes. She was facing him. "S-Sasuke-kun? I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep. I was tired and hungry. I'm really hungry now." Sasuke sighed. She hadn't noticed his arm… thank goodness.
She rolled out of bed and stretched. "I'll go make us breakfast if you don't mind waiting." He nodded.
She returned half an hour later with another two trays filled with food. To Sasuke, Sakura's house was almost like a restaurant, accept that there was unlimited food and it was free. She handed him a tray and he noticed that he had much more food than she did. He began eating slowly. She was finished long before him and watched him eat. "I'm not hungry anymore," he lied, "Finish mine."
She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"
He nodded and said, "Hn."
She took the tray and smiled at him sweetly. "Thank you!" She sat on the floor and ate. He watched her out of the corner of his eye.
When she was finished, she took the trays and tottered downstairs. Sasuke could hear her talking with her mother. When she came back in, she said, "Naruto won't be able to come over this morning. He's come down with a terrible cold. He's got no one to take care of him, and my mother promised him that I would go visit him for the day. I think I'll get him some flowers on the way there. Do you mind being alone today?"
Sasuke wasn't sure how to reply. Of course he minded. But instead he said, "Go ahead. I'll see you later."
Sakura imagined she heard a trace of sadness in his voice. "I'll be back this evening," she said. And then she left.
As he had the other day, Sasuke limped over to the window and watched her go. Her hair fluttered in the breeze and she was smiling again. Her hands were in her pockets and she was shivering a little. Sasuke sighed. She was leaving to see Naruto. Again.
Sasuke sat on the bed. He was really bored. He decided to go downstairs.
Using the railing for support, Sasuke slowly climbed down the stairs. Her house was small but very comfortable. He looked around, holding the wall for support. He walked into the kitchen and he saw Mrs. Haruno sitting at the table and drinking a coffee. "Glad to see you're out of bed!" she smiled. He nodded and leaned against the counter so he wouldn't fall over.
"Thank you for letting me stay," he said.
"No problem. It is a pleasure to be in your company. I am happy you're here," she said with a gentle and sincere smile. He didn't know quite what to say.
"I'm... happy too."
Sakura entered the flower shop and saw Ino at the counter.
"Hey forehead. What brings you here?" Sakura ignored her and picked a pretty flower. She went over to the counter. "Who's this for?" Ino asked.
"Naruto," Sakura answered quietly, "He's sick."
Ino wrapped the flower. "Good," she said. "I thought it was for Sasuke."
Sakura smirked. "Well now that you mention him, he's been staying at my house for the past couple of days..."
"What?"
Sakura handed her the money and left with a smile.
She walked down the road towards Naruto's house.
Sasuke walked back up the stairs after his tea. He trudged along into Sakura's room and decided not to go to bed yet. He looked around. On her desk there was a framed picture of squad 7. He, Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi all looked up at him and he couldn't help smirking. He had this same picture at his home. He sat at her desk. Piles of academy books that she probably knew by heart were all over the place. He opened the top drawer and found one book. He pulled it out. It was called "Photo Album."
He opened it and on the first page, there was a picture of Sakura, smiling. It was labelled "Me". He turned the page and saw a picture of her class when she was younger and when Iruka-sensei was her teacher. He turned the page and there was a picture of Sakura and Ino, linking arms and smiling. They had been best friends until he entered the picture. On the next ten pages, there were different pictures featuring squad 7. He had remembered them from when they had received their first missions.
He turned the page again. The next picture was of Kakashi-sensei, and then there was one of Naruto, and then there were five of Sasuke, and then another of Naruto, three more of Sasuke, two of Kakashi, three of Naruto, and then seven Sasuke's. He hadn't remembered ever seeing her take those pictures before. Most of them featured him frowning (his traditional pose).
He turned the page once more to the last page in the album. It was hand-drawn. Quite terribly, too. It must have been the work of a child. He was able to distinguish himself standing next to her. They were smiling and staring up at him. His heart pounded when he read the words beneath the drawing: "Mrs. Sakura Uchiha." He slowly closed the book and he put it back in the drawer. He sat on the bed and pondered over what he had just read.
Sasuke had a late lunch, which was kindly delivered to him by Mrs. Haruno. Sakura returned a couple of hours later with a small bag in her hand. Sasuke could hear the door opening, Sakura talking with her mother, and then he heard her walk up the stairs.
"Sasuke!" she exclaimed when she saw him sitting up, "Are you feeling better?" He nodded. He was still thinking about the photo album. "Guess what I brought home?" He looked up.
"I rented a movie, and…well…if you're feeling well enough, maybe we could…we could-"
"Ok."
"Really? G-great! I also brought some snacks and new bandages."
"How's Naruto?"
She sighed. "Not too bad. It seems that he's come down with the flu. Nothing to worry about. He had really liked the flowers." She smiled. Sasuke felt unexpected feelings of bitterness.
After dinner, Sakura helped Sasuke down the stairs to the living room. He was shaking and he was really sore after having his bandages replaced again. Sakura guided him over to the very small couch. He sat down and she put in the film. Mrs. Haruno walked in. "What are you two doing down here?"
"Watching a movie," Sakura answered and sitting on the couch.
"Ah. Well then, have fun," she said smiling and closing the door. The room was dark until Sakura flicked on the TV.
The movie was action-packed. Sasuke enjoyed it, especially because he had been in bed doing nothing for so long. Suddenly he felt the pain from his injuries. "I'm hurting," he said bluntly, while wincing.
"Oh, do you want to go back upstairs or do you want to lie down?"
"I think I should lie down."
He stretched across the couch, his head resting on one end and his feet hanging off the other. Sakura was squished in between him and the back of the couch. She lay down next to him in order to fit. She propped her elbow up on arm rest and she rested the side of her face on her fist in order to see the screen over Sasuke's head. The movie kept the two of them awake. It was really exciting. It seemed more exciting than it would normally since they had been bored for the past couple of days.
The movie had a happy ending leaving Sasuke and Sakura feeling happy. Neither of them reached for the converter as the credits rolled on. Neither of them wanted to move either.
Sakura saw Sasuke close his eyes, and she rested her head on the side of the couch too. She stared at the back of his head.
"Sasuke?"
"Hm?"
"Um…I was wondering... Does your hair stick up like that naturally?"
He opened his eyes in surprise, "Yes."
Sakura chuckled. "Really? Wow."
The credits ended and the screen went black. The room was dark too. Sakura suddenly felt Sasuke wince again from all of his injuries. She felt his tension. Slowly, she reached her hand out and began stroking his hair. He immediately relaxed. \
"You ok? Do you want to go upstairs?" she whispered.
"No. I'm fine," he whispered back. For reasons he didn't understand, he wanted to stay just where he was.
"You sure?"
He did not answer. Instead, to Sakura's surprise, she felt Sasuke lean back into her. Perhaps he was trying to pin her in place. Perhaps he was snuggling up to her. She continued stroking his hair, calming him. She tried her best to make him feel relaxed so he wouldn't be able to feel the pain. It seemed to be working until the door to the living room opened and the two of them sat up. Mrs. Haruno walked in wearing her nightgown.
She turned the light out in the kitchen and everything was nearly pitch black. "Oh, you're still in here? Well goodnight you two," she said smiling and going up the stairs.
The darkness was calming. A few seconds later, their eyes adjusted to the darkness and they lay back down. Sasuke pressed his back to her again. She resumed stroking his hair.
"Sasuke-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you like staying here while you recover?" she whispered. He smiled although she wasn't able to see.
"I dunno. A little bit, I guess. Your mother is really good at cooking."
"Oh," she said. She hadn't expected him to say that.
"It's nice that I am not recovering alone."
Sakura felt her heart pound. Sasuke rolled over to face her. He was so close that their noses could touch. He didn't move any further though. He opened his eyes and they glowed in the darkness.
"Sakura," he said softly. She blushed, but he wasn't able to tell because of the darkness. She was still squished between him and the back of the couch. "Thank you for taking care of me."
She smiled. "Your welcome." He returned the smile. They fell asleep.
Gradually picking up in the fluffiness, eh? ;)
Thank you for reading! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think! :3
Ps - I re-read so many of the old reviews. They truly melt my heart. Thank you all!
See you tomorrow with Part 4!