Sakura sat behind a pillar, trying not to cry.
'Oh Kami, I feel like a little kid again…'
'That BASTARD! How DARE he?!'
'No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have provoked him. But I won't cry. Naruto needs me to be strong, and Sasuke needs to see how much I've grown since he left.'
But despite what she told herself, Sakura could not help but let one little tear fall. She let it hang on her cheek
"Sakura?" The pink-haired girl looked up to see the very man on her mind. "Are you crying?" She quickly stood up, wiping her single tear away.
"Why would you say that?" She tried to be cheery, but Sasuke saw right through it. Before she knew it, Sakura was pressed against his chest in a hesitant hold.
"Sometimes… Sometimes it's okay to cry, I guess…" He murmured. Sakura figured this must be his version of a hug. Even though her ice cube teammate didn't give her the butterflies he had when they were younger, his body this close was still enough to make any other girl a lovesick mess.
But Haruno Sakura was not any other girl.
"And sometimes it's not." She said, pushing away lightly. Sasuke looked startled for a moment, then went back to his stoic expression. She smiled softly at him.
"Sometimes we just have to move on."
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Naruto looked up to see his two best friends walking back to the lunch table, Sakura looking fine, and Sasuke looking, well, like a human ice cube. But what else was new? The blonde knew better than to ask what had happened. If Sakura wanted to make something known, it would be known. Believe it.
"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" A worried Tohru asked. The kunoichi merely smiled as she sat back down.
"I'm fine, Tohru-chan, Arrigatou."
"I know! Why don't you three come over tonight for dinner? To get better acquainted!" Tohru suggested, stars in her eyes. She turned to Yuki. "Do you think Shigure-san would mind, Yuki-kun?" Yuki couldn't help but smile at the girl's expression.
"I don't see why not."
"That would be wonderful Tohru-chan!" Sakura exclaimed.
Kami was certainly on their side today.
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When school was over, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto walked back to their apartment making silly conversation about the weather and such. They couldn't risk someone eavesdropping on them. When they finally got home, Naruto ran to the fridge.
"THERE'S RAMEN IN HERE!" He exclaimed happily. Sakura nodded as she set her bag down on the couch.
"Kakashi gave me some food to eat until we can go grocery shopping. He even made sure there was enough instant-ramen to last a little while." She laughed, then checked the clock.
"Tohru-chan told us to come over around five, and it's three-thirty now. I'm gonna take a shower. Naruto, don't spoil your appetite on all that ramen, if that's even possible." and with that she walked into the bathroom.
Sasuke was slightly amazed at how motherly she sounded; making sure Naruto didn't spoil his appetite and planning her time like that. She had really grown since their geninn days.
Leaving Naruto to prepare his ramen, Sasuke walked into the bedroom the two boys shared to finish unpacking. He put all his clothes in the small dresser on his side of the room, and all his weapons under the bed. Kunai, Shuriken, Katanas and Scrolls, it was all there.
The only other thing he had brought was a miniature version of the Uchiha family portrait. He hated to look at it, but made himself do so. It was staring at the loving faces of his two parents, the murderous eyes of his brother, and his own innocence that gave him the drive he needed to survive. Sasuke felt that his childhood had been stolen when his family was murdered, and the burden of avenging them put in its place. And as long as he played the role of Avenger, nothing else mattered.
Or so he thought before almost completely losing everything he once had. The trust of Konoha, his Shinobi status, Naruto and Sakura's friendship, even his own body. And although he would never admit it, losing Naruto and Sakura would've been more catastrophic than anything Sasuke could've ever imagined.
At the foot of his bed, Sasuke noticed a white plastic bag. It had his name on it. He quickly opened it to find new clothing, and a note.
Sasuke,
Here are some street clothes for you. Our ANBU uniforms may look a little strange to the passerby, ne?
There are some on Naruto's bed too. Please make sure he gets them.
Sakura
Sasuke, wondering when Sakura had found time to buy these, quickly changed and looked at himself in the full-length mirror hanging on the door. He wore a thin, form-fitting dark blue sweater with a tiny Uchiha fan stitched on each of the sleeves, black jeans and black Converse.
'Not bad…' He thought, leaving the room. Naruto was just finishing the last of his ramen.
"Dobe, go get changed. There's some clothes on your bed."
You didn't need to tell Naruto twice. The blonde threw away his trash and bounded in the bedroom. After about five minutes, he came out looking almost as good as Sasuke.
He wore an orange polo with his signature swirl as the emblem, light, baggy jeans, and blue adidas sneakers. He smiled cheesily at Sasuke.
"Whatcha starin' at, Sas-Uke" Naruto teased, making Sasuke's blood boil. It was one thing to call him a bastard, but to call him gay? Nobody got away with that. He was just about to tell Naruto this when the bathroom door open and Sakura strode out.
She was wearing a red camisole, white shorts, and red flip-flops. A white headband sat in her slightly wet hair. She stepped between the boys.
"Not now, we have a dinner to go to. Do this later." Sure enough, it was a quarter to five.
"You look like a candy cane." Sasuke muttered as she walked by. Sakura stopped and smirked at him.
"Lick it." She said seductively. With a flick of her tongue, she walked out the door. If she had looked back, she would've seen Naruto on the floor laughing, and a very, very, slight tinge of pink on Sasuke's cheeks.
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When the trio finally found Tohru's house, it was exactly five o' clock. They knew Kyo and Yuki lived there too because Uo had explained Tohru's predicament during lunch. But they had no idea who this Shigure person might be.
Naruto knocked on the door, which slid open to reveal a beaming Tohru.
"Oh I'm so glad you could make it! I hope my directions weren't too hard to figure out. Please come in." She moved out of their way.
"No Tohru-chan, they were fine." Sakura said as the three ninja removed their shoes and stepped inside. It was a nice house, though not much compared to the Uchiha Mansion, and Sakura's house was at least twice this one's size. Even Naruto's new house, his father's home, was larger and grander. But so goes the way of the Shinobi.
As Tohru went to check on the food, a door slid open, and a middle-aged man with shaggy black hair in a gray yutaka stepped out. He walked over the three.
"Hi, I'm Sohma Shigure, Yuki and Kyo's cousin. Lovely to meet you." He said charmingly, kissing Sakura's hand. She smiled innocently.
"Oh yes, Tohru did mention something about a Shigure at lunch, but I never imagined he'd be this handsome." She said coyly. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a brief glance but didn't say anything.
"Haruno Sakura. The pleasure is all mine." She shook his hand, making the older man blush. The male shinobi could see that Sakura was toying with the man, and may be able to get some information out of him.
"These are my friends, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke." The kunoichi introduced the blonde and ice cube to Shigure, who seemed to have recovered from Sakura's… ahem, forwardness.
"Tohru-chan was talking about me? How sweet of her! Tohru-chaan!!!" He went off into the kitchen singing the poor girl's name. Naruto turned to his friends.
"So, do we "discover" the curse tonight?" He breathed, only loud enough for the three of them to hear. Sasuke looked at Sakura, who though for a moment, then shrugged.
"We'll have to see how everything plays out."
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Hey guys, thanks for waiting so long for the third chapter! I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, because I did (even though my cousin broke my fingernail in a game of Egyptian Ratscrew and it began to bleed), but ah well.
Reviews appreciated!
