Conviction: Chapter 8
by Rachel Poulson
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At six-thirty she realized that she was being ridiculous. She'd spent no less than half an hour worrying over what she should wear and if it could possibly be good enough.
Sasuke-kun!
Hearing that sugar sweet voice in her head once more made Sakura almost physically ill, and she had to step away from the closet for a moment.
She had no idea how he would even get to her house; he had been under surveillance since the moment he stepped through the hospital doors. Knowing Sasuke, it would probably be illegal and result in a sharp reprimand from the Hokage for all involved.
Her lips twitched. If Tsunade ever found out.
Finally abandoning her scant choices, Sakura went around the corner to Ino's empty apartment and raided the wardrobe. She spent a few minutes struggling into a jean skirt and then plucked a pale yellow shirt off a hanger. Ino had gold shoes. Gold shoes. Normally Sakura would have balked at such an intrusive color, but the little sparkly flats drew her like a moth to a flame.
Though not a very stylish person, she could see immediately that she looked good. But there was something... "Oh." She sat down at Ino's vanity and began to apply light amounts of make-up. A green clip pulled her hair backwards
I don't feel like a rock-star. She grinned. But I think I look like one.
...
His knuckles had barely hit her front door when she walked around the corner, looking mildly surprised to see him. "Hello, Sasuke."
"You're late."
She glanced at her watch. "You're early.
He walked down her porch steps and into the street. "Same thing."
Sakura laughed and hurried to catch up with him. "So where are we going?"
"To dinner."
She sighed. "I assumed that, but where?"
"..."
"You're not going to tell me?"
"Hn."
"But what kind of food is it?"
"..."
"...do you even know where we're going?
"Hn."
...
Dinner was nice. In fact, it was more than nice; it was probably the only time in Sakura's life when she'd gone to such a nice restaurant. But that hadn't really been on her mind much. For most of the evening, the only things on her mind had to do with Sasuke.
Number one: she was on a date with Sasuke.
Number two: Sasuke was holding her hand.
Number three: she was on a date with Sasuke.
Until about ten minutes after dinner, when she was still walking hand in hand with Sasuke, those occupied all of her mental capacity.
"...Sakura?"
She looked up at him and smiled. "Yes, Sasuke?"
"Are you alright?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you've been staring off into space for five minutes."
She blushed. "Ah, sorry, I was just... um..."
"Just what?"
She raised an eyebrow. "My god, is Sasuke showing an interest in something?"
He smirked. "That's not fair. I'm interested in you."
"That doesn't mean you show it." Though she pretended to examine her nails, her heart began to pound. "Honestly, sometimes I'm hard pressed to know if you loath me or love me."
And then he leaned over and kissed her, and her knees gave way, and he had to carry her to hospital because she was hyperventilating.
...
"Oi! Teme! What did you do to Sakura!"
"Shut up, dobe! I didn't do anything."
But Naruto continued as loudly as before.
"You're the only person who could make a medic need to be admitted to the hospital–"
"I said shut up!" There was a thud, and Naruto's exclamation from the hallway.
"I'll kill you, you bastard!"
"Just try it, dobe!"
Sakura sat in front of her teacher, rightly horrified; Tsunade checked some paperwork as her prized student slowly turned different shades of red in embarrassment.
After about ten minutes, during which Sakura's coloring corresponded with the level of noise coming from her teammates in the hall, the Hokage decided her student was mortified enough and looked up from her desk. "Well, Sakura?"
The words burst forth in a torrent. "Tsunade-sama, I want to apologize for–"
The older woman flapped a hand for silence. "Hai, I know, I know. Goodness knows you could use some fun now and then." She smiled. "I called you in here to ask how your date went."
Sakura, formerly a becoming shade of pink, went very pale. "What date?"
"So it was mortifying." Tsunade's already broad grin grew. "Was the whole night that bad, or just the part that ended up in the hospital?"
The pink-haired woman stared at her teacher, knowing there was no way she could lie to her. "Um, just the last part."
Tsunade burst into laughter that managed to drown out the fighting in the hallway and force Sakura into hitherto undiscovered shades of purple.
"Um, Tsunade-sama, I just want to apologize for knowingly allowing Sasuke out of the hospital. I shouldn't have agreed to it." She swallowed hard. "I will understand if you don't want me to run the hospital anymore."
Tsunade shook her head, red from laughing. "Oh please, Sakura. I'm not going to fire you because you stopped being a robot for a few hours. I might have fired you if you'd turned him down. No one in their right mind could say no to that piece of hot ANBU."
Sakura thought of all the times she'd turned him down and gulped. She'd been very close to losing her job over Sasuke.
"Alright, you can go. I just wanted a first-hand account of your misfortune." Tsunade returned to her paperwork, still chuckling over her student's folly.
...
It was awkward being with him now, especially since he was eyeing her like she might collapse at any time. "I'm telling you, I'm fine," she said exasperatedly once more. "You don't need to walk me to my office."
"..."
Of course he didn't answer. Because he wasn't listening to her. Or he was, and enjoyed seeing her so frustrated.
She entered her pale blue office and sat down, waiting for him to leave so she could get some work done. But he simply entered, closed the door behind him, and sat down to watch her some more.
Sakura tried to keep her mind on the stack of papers in front of her, but her thoughts drifted to the conversation she'd just had with their nation's leader. I could have lost my job if Tsunade wasn't so kind, she realized. I shouldn't have done that.
Thank god Tsunade would never know about the events which had taken place in the third floor supply closet...
She blushed a brilliant shade of red, and Sasuke smirked at her. "Is your paperwork really that vulgar?"
"Um, no, not really." Focus!
"Hn."
She looked up at him and felt a shiver ripple over her skin. She was in her own office, so no one would disturb her. The door was closed, so no one could come in. And Sasuke was looking infuriatingly nonchalant as he reclined in her comfy guest chair.
We can't do this right now.
Shoving those thoughts from her mind, she returned to the work piling up on her desk.
...
Despite her best intentions, she fell asleep several hours later. She woke up at around midnight with Sasuke's jacket draped around her shoulders.
He was sprawled over the couch in the corner of her office, watching through heavily lidded eyes.
"You should go home," she said, stretching her arms slowly. "It's really late."
He raised an eyebrow. "You want me to leave?"
"Well, I just meant–"
And then he was in front of her, faster than the eye could see, and her back was against the wall, and he had her in a tight hug. "Don't do that, Sakura."
"Don't do w-what?" Her voice was a squeak, feeling wide palms pulling her in close. She remembered the last time he'd been this close, months ago, when they were in the closet, and she almost...
"Don't ask me to leave." And then his lips brushed hers hesitantly.
No, she thought firmly. I've had enough of only being the recipient.
She slid her arms over his shoulders and pulled him into a kiss.
