Results of poll:
1- The Special Smile – 5
2- The Completion – 3
3- The OOC-ness – 3
4- The Indirect Praise – 2
-standard disclaimer applied-
I haven't exactly been on the lookout for it, and I doubt we can really catch it anyway, but I always believed Sakura reserved a different smile for Sasuke. She'd keep the same smile for everyone around her that isn't him, but when she would go to smile at him, it''d be a different one.
Doesn't that sound awfully sweet?
It would be a very Sakura-like thing to do as well.
So, what do you think? Does she give him a different smile?
Pfft, what kind of question is that! Of course she does. ;)
Chapter Twelve: The Special Smile
-
-
As she has a different smile reserved for Sasuke.
Many words were used to describe Sasuke Uchiha. Some of them were awful, and some were thoughtful. Some were even used to describe him as an object of admiration and role model.
(Hot, bastard, prodigy, cruel, cold, helpful, cool,...!)
Yes, Sasuke Uchiha was told to be a lot of things.
But there was one thing that he wasn't, and that everybody agreed upon.
Sasuke Uchiha had never been, and would never be oblivious.
Of course, being an Uchiha, it was in his blood. But as far as he could remember, even way before he got his sharingan, he had always been an observant person.
There was some part of him that liked to watch the world on the sideline. He'd watch how everything worked, and would learn from it. Some part of him was fascinated at how much one could truly learn by simply watching everything around themselves.
And so it was no surprise that over the years, Sasuke developed an ability to read through people's actions and see right through them. He was able to catch every little detail of one person without the help of his sharingan. But with Sasuke's apathetic attitude, nobody ever really noticed how much he actually understood, or was aware of.
That's how he managed to find out that Sakura Haruno had two different smiles.
One for the world.
...one for him.
"Sakura! Wait up, will you?!" a voice shouted from afar.
His attention now caught by the sound of her name, Sasuke turned to look at the owner of the voice. His eyebrows scrunched down in annoyance at the sight of the blond haired kunoichi whom was known as her best friend and her childhood rival. He watched as Ino caught up to his pink haired team mate, her mouth forming a scowl. Judging from the way she talked to Sakura, Sasuke had no doubt that she was scolding her for something.
He was not surprised, although, as Sakura simply laughed afterward. His observant onyx orbs watched as her mouth curled into the smile that she gave to everyone around her. It was a smile full of happiness and care. A smile that held so many comforting words. A smile full of truth and reassurance for her well-being.
A smile that she did not give him.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and he turned his head, forcing himself to look away. Carefully, he drifted his gaze across the busy streets of the village, and his eyebrows narrowed once more as he caught sight of a group of fangirls heading his way. Scowling, Sasuke stood from his seat on the public bench, but he had barely taken four steps before he ran into someone.
"Ouch!" the voice of the victim whined, while a sound of a body falling followed through.
Sasuke felt the corner of his mouth lift in a smirk, as he had already recognized the person. His head tipped down to the girl on the floor, and his smirk softened a bit at her disgruntled form. She looked like she was about to yell at him, but as her eyes met his, her mouth slipped back shut.
Wordlessly, Sasuke bent over to grab her wrist, before he quickly pulled her up to her feet. She was surprised, but as the realization settled him, a smile washed over her face. A smile so soft and tender which was filled with love and care. A smile that promised him she would always be there for him. A smile that was warm, soothing and affectionate.
A smile that she gave only to him.
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she said cheerfully. "But you should watch where you're going! You might hurt someone these days," she teased, giggling a bit.
Sasuke shrugged a bit, and threw a look over his shoulder. "I was trying to get away from those annoying fangirls. You just happened to be there at the wrong time."
Sakura laughed a bit, but as soon as she opened her mouth to reply, Ino had once again shouted out to her.
"Oh my freaking god, Sakura! How in the hell could you just leave me like this!? In the middle of a freaking crowd! I told you I wasn't going to be–"
But the blonde cut herself off short at the sight of Sasuke and her best friend facing each other, like they had been talking. Sasuke's hand was still enclosed about Sakura's wrist, which rose a lot of questions in Ino's mind. But as Sakura gave her a questioning glance, and Sasuke glared at her, her mouth formed an 'O'.
"Ino, I told you I was in a hurry. Hence why I didn't want to wait for you to be finished checking out some hats," Sakura said, rolling her eyes.
"Right, so you're in a hurry and yet you still permit to stop by for a chat with Sasuke," Ino replied blandly, crossing her arms.
Sasuke observant eyes did not fail to see the way her cheeks flushed red as she opened her mouth to retort.
"It's not like that, I–"
"I bumped into her while trying to get away from some fangirls. She fell and I helped her up. That's all there is to it," Sasuke cut in, his gaze still sharp and narrowed as he looked at Ino.
Sakura looked surprised to have heard him speak up in her defense, but after a while, she smiled that smile that was only meant for him. Sasuke noticed the way her smile changed as she looked at Ino. In that smile that she gave to everyone else.
"I was just about to go, really," the pink haired girl said, her smiling growing. "The hospital needs me right now. Some girl called in sick and I have to take her shift. I'm working with the kids today."
Sasuke shifted, feeling a little uneasy now that the subject of kids had been brought up. He never felt comfortable talking kids and families when Sakura was around, and he knew perfectly why. Sakura was the only female on his team, and the only one he'd really let himself get close to after his family died.... and so he had thought several times in the past about how it would be to have her as a spouse.
Not that he was admitting that he was in love with her, because truthfully he did not know. All that he knew is that the bond he shared with Sakura was unlike any other he'd ever had in his life. Kakashi was a fatherly figure to him, and was almost a role model. He provided him knowledge and skills. Naruto was his rival, and they both pushed each other into getting stronger and stronger. He felt like a brother to him.
But Sakura... Sakura was so different. Sakura didn't give him the feeling of friendship, and he certainly did not consider her as a teacher. They weren't close enough to feel as though they were siblings. Sakura and himself, they had this sort of bond where it felt comfortable to be around each other. Sakura was his source of comfort and understanding. Sakura was the one who made him feel cared for, important, and loved.
He didn't know what his relationship was with her, but it was one that he had never experience with anyone before. One that made him consider the possibility of spending the rest of his lifetime with her. Of having a family.
"Hello? Sasuke? Are you there?"
Just as Sasuke shook his head a bit, a hand pressed itself to his forehead. "You feel a little warm. Are you feeling okay, Sasuke-kun?"
It took a moment for him to realize Sakura was the one who said so.
"I'm fine," he replied, bringing her hand down.
"Are you sure, I mean you look a little red in the face–"
"Don't you need to go to the hospital?" he cut in, looking away from her.
Silence.
And then...
"...yeah. I guess I'll see you guys later," she replied quietly.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the ground at the pang of guilt hitting him, now that he realized she sounded sad because of how harsh he had been of sending her off. He hated to be the one to make her sad, and he hated it so much at that moment that he whipped around to look at her form walking away.
"Sakura," he called, taking a few steps to grab her wrist.
She turned, giving him a questioning, and yet still sad, glance.
"...don't overwork yourself," he muttered, staring directly into her eyes. "...cause' if you do, no one's going to be there to heal Naruto..." he trailed out for a bit, before looking away, "...or me, for that matter."
It took a while, before Sakura finally smiled (his smile, the one for him) and giggled. "Of course, Sasuke-kun."
& when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours,
we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.
"No, no, no! I don't want to take my medicine! It tastes so icky!" a little boy exclaimed, while shaking his head and flailing his arms wildly.
"But you're not going to get any better if you don't take it, Tachi-kun," the pink haired medic replied gently, patting the boy's hair. "Look at you, you're very sick. It's already bad as it is, but if you don't take your medicine, it's possible you'll have to join grandpa up there, Tachi-kun."
Sasuke watched as the boy pursed his lips in indecision, before crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Isn't there anything else that could help me? Sakura-chan, you're the best here! You've got to find something else!" he exclaimed, falling forward on his stomach so he could grab her hands.
Sakura, who had still not noticed the presence of the man, laughed and smiled at him (it's that smile, their smile) before squeezing his small hands in encouragement. "No, I'm afraid there isn't Tachi-kun. I will go get you a glass of your favorite juice if you take your medicine, though, alright?" she said gently, while motioning the spoon to him.
"Sakura-chan..." the boy whined.
"Do you expect to grow up into a fearless ninja if you cannot take a simple spoon of medicine?" she asked, waving her index finger at him.
"You mean like him?" Tachi excitedly said, pointing at someone across the room.
Sakura, shocked to not have sensed him earlier, whirled on her feet to face Sasuke, her wide emerald eyes staring back into amused onyx, before her mouth broke into a smile (it's his smile, his, his, his,).
"Sasuke-kun," she greeted.
"Sakura," he acknowledged back.
"Am I going to be big and strong like him if I take it, Sakura-chan!?"
Sakura smiled (still his, his his, smile...), never taking her eyes off the man that she loved so deeply. "If you train hard like he has, for many years, then yes, you have a chance to be like him," she replied softly.
"...then give me my medicine!"
It was then that Sakura laughed and turned with twinkling eyes. "Alright, are you ready?" she asked, bringing the spoon close to his mouth.
Tachi closed his eyes, before he nodded fiercely and opened his mouth.
The urge to laugh struck her, but instead she held it off and slipped the medicine between his lips. She slapped a hand over his mouth when the young boy grimaced and swallowed with difficulty.
"Now what kind of juice do you want, Tachi-kun?" she asked, giggling lightly.
Dark chocolate eyes met her emerald, before shifting to the silent man leaning against the wall. "What kind of juice does he like?" he asked quietly.
"Tomato," Sasuke replied blandly.
At the shocked, disgusted face that Tachi made, Sakura broke into a fit of soft and quiet giggles, making both males turn to look at her. It was evident that she was trying to hold them back, judging by the face she was making and the way she put a hand to cover her mouth, and for some reason, it made them both smile.
While Tachi had a big, toothy grin on his face, Sasuke's smile was more subtle. Barely even there, it would seem.
But Sakura saw it. And she smiled back at him (god he loved the smile she gave him...).
"How about berry punch, Tachi-kun?" she asked, turning her head to look at the boy.
He nodded happily. "Yes please, Sakura-chan!"
She gave him a quick nod, before turning to face the raven haired man. "And Sasuke? Is there any reason you're here?"
Sasuke shrugged a bit, before looking away from her. "Thought I'd pick you up from your shift to tell you we have training in ten minutes."
Sakura blushed lightly, but managed to give him a smile (his, his, his...!). "That's... very kind of you, Sasuke-kun," she said softly.
"We need you to be there," he said bluntly. "I..." He paused, and then looked away sharply. "...I need you to be there."
She might have imagined it, but she thought she saw a tinge of pink on his cheeks.
"Of course, Sasuke-kun. But I have to get Tachi-kun's juice before we go, okay?" she said cheerfully, her eyes glimmering with happiness and care.
Sasuke nodded, and as she walked out, he found himself smiling a little.
"Sasuke-san?"
His head snapped to the boy he'd completely forgotten about. "...Hn?"
"Do you like Sakura-chan?"
Sasuke immediately went defensive, and he glared hard. "That is none of your business."
Tachi blinked, and then grinned. "I'd like to call us rivals, but it's obvious Sakura-chan likes you too," he said, his brown eyes softening. "So take care of her, will you?"
Sasuke huffed, before looking away. "That you can count on," he muttered.
"Here you go, Tachi-kun! Now get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow! Sasuke-kun and I have to go, now."
She smiled at him (their smile) before turning to Sasuke with his smile.
"Let's go, ne? We don't want to be late."
Sasuke could only nod in agreement.
& I'm not perfect, but I keep trying
cause' that's what I said I would do from the start
"Sakura-chan! You came!" she heard Naruto call from far away, while he waved happily in greeting.
"Sasuke-kun went to get me!" she replied back, laughing a bit.
The blonde broke into a run towards them, and Sasuke found her smiling at the approaching boy. But he found that he was not jealous, because she was not giving him his smile. It was their smile..
"I missed you!" Naruto exclaimed as he launched himself at Sakura and hugged her tight. "I haven't seen you in weeks, Sakura-chan!"
Sakura laughed again, before quickly hugging him back and pulling away, with that same smile on her face (theirs, theirs, theirs...)
"It's good to see you too, Naruto," she giggled. "So, where's Kakashi-sensei?" she asked, putting her hands at her hips. "Late, I suppose?"
"I'm afraid not, Sakura," a male voice called from behind her. "Their training is much to important lately."
Whirling on the heel of her feet, Sakura was a little shocked at first, but then their smile broke out of her lips. "Kakashi-sensei! Long time no see!" she squealed, throwing her arms around him. "God, it's been like, two months! What's been keeping you so busy?!" she exclaimed, pulling away from him while giving him a smile (theirs, yes, it's theirs!)
"Ahh... you know, the preparations... and missions..." Kakashi murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well, it's better than have you read porn all the time," she muttered under her breath, before laughing to herself.
Sasuke, being the only one who had heard her, let a smirk graze his lips.
The gesture didn't go unnoticed with Sakura. She smiled at him.
His smile.
& who knows
what could happen?
"Ahh, Kaka-sensei... I think we need a time out..." Naruto panted, falling flat on his bum. "Actually, I think I'm out for today. Man, that one really wore me out," he groaned while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Kakashi shook his head at his blue eyed student, before throwing a look over his shoulder to see how the other two were doing.
The first he spotted was Sasuke, whose back was pressed against a tree trunk, and who was apparently trying to catch his breath that was just as heavy and out of place as Naruto's. He seemed tired, and quite thoroughly worked out. It was evident that he needed a break as well.
Sakura, although, was nowhere near the state of her two other team mates, as he expected. She was sitting peacefully, cross-legged, a frown visible on her features while she studied her many medical scrolls. Apparently, she was too absorbed in her work to really notice what was going on around her.
"Alright boys, let's call it a day. Wouldn't want you guys to strain yourself now, would we?" He smiled under his mask, and then gestured at the young pink haired medic. "Now get yourself fixed up, and we'll see to your training next week! You both have a lot to work on, so keep in mind that next week's training will not be easier than this one. "
The sun kissed haired boy groaned and splayed himself on the ground, his face scrunched in annoyance. "Kaka-sensei...! Why do you make us practice so hard lately? Give us a break!"
"Jounin exams are coming up, idiot!" Sasuke seethed behind them.
Naruto's head snapped to the side so he could look at his best friend, and he scowled. "Not until three months!" he complained.
Sasuke grunted before he pushed himself away from the tree, a light grimace passing his lips as he brought a hand to his fractured rib.
'Damn, the dobe's really not holding back on his blows,' he thought, while making his way towards Sakura.
The pink pelted girl didn't seem to notice him at all, even as he was only a few meters away, and it was something that made him frown. He called her name when he came to a stop near to where she was sitting, but Sakura did not respond. As he took a few steps closer, he called her name again, his tone clipped with annoyance.
But no response.
Sasuke scowled and mumbled in irritation, before he painfully limped the rest of the way and slowly plopped himself beside her.
The movement seemed to startled Sakura greatly, seeing as she had jumped a bit.
"Eek! Sasuke-kun! You scared me!" she exclaimed, whipping her head to face him.
Although frightened and surprised features quickly turned to concern as the pinkette took in the sight of his beat form. Sakura then raised a hand and took his chin between her fingers, before she gently turned his head to the side to inspect the other side of his face.
"Kami-sama, you look terrible, Sasuke-kun!" she whispered worriedly, pushing the scrolls away from her lap. She then pushed herself to her knees and crawled in front of him, before she sat between his legs. With frowning features, Sakura poked his shirt. "Take it off, you big brute," she muttered.
Something like a smile then crossed her lips as he frowned at what she called him, but slipped his shirt off as ordered.
"Ne, Sasuke-kun, don't take it seriously. Jeez," she giggled, while she formed her seals.
Green glowing hands then pressed itself to the wound of his chest, soothing the ache away. Sasuke secretly loved the feeling of being healed by Sakura. Unlike many people thought, ever healer had a different touch, a different feel. Sasuke had been healed by many people in his life, but the best had definitely been Sakura.
Kabuto's healing made him feel uncomfortable, and cold. His chakra was brutal and slimy as it channeled through his body. He hated being healed by Kabuto.
Tsunade's healing made him feel dizzy. Her strong chakra sure healed him quick, but it was too strong. It didn't particularly make him feel good or bad, but he just felt so out of it after the session.
Ino's healing made him feel indifferent. He'd had her as a medic at the hospital, a couple of times. She just healed him, and there was no side effect. Just the awkward feeling of having his bones replaced or his skin tissues repaired.
Sakura's healing, however, made him feel soothed and warmed up to his very core. Her chakra felt like lukewarm water washing over his body, taking away every little dirty speck from his soul. Her touch was gentle, compassionate. He never felt dizzy afterward. There was no negative side effect. She just... made him feel so right.
"...Sakura."
Her name left his lips almost hesitantly.
She hummed questionably, but kept on concentrating on the task to heal him.
"I have a mission tomorrow. It's an A-class." He paused, and did not fail to notice the way she flinched. Her green eyes rose to meet his coal ones, and there was something like a plead written all over them. She didn't want him to go. "As you know, it will be dangerous," he went on, watching her reaction carefully.
Her eyes dropped again. "Yes, I know, Sasuke-kun," she muttered softly.
A silence took place.
And then the corner of his mouth lifted in a subtle smile. "We need a healer, Sakura. We don't have one," he said in a low tone.
Her head seemed to snap up to his again, and the way that she looked at him almost gave him the urge to laugh. Sasuke watched as joy took over the fear in her eyes, and he knew that it was because she caught on to his proposal of joining him tomorrow.
"I'd love to, Sasuke-kun," she said, smiling (god damn, it's his smile. his, his his!).
Now don't be scared it's only love
that we're falling in.
There was something wrong with her. He didn't know what, and he didn't know why, but he knew that she wasn't doing well.
For three days now, she had not given anyone a true smile. Had not given him his smile.
It bothered Sasuke. And it bothered him to an extent he could probably never explain.
He didn't really know why, though. It just did.
No one could have really blamed him for trapping her in a corner when she finished her shift at the hospital that day. The young Uchiha was so confused and worried that it made him unbelievably angry.
He wanted her to talk to him, to tell him what was wrong, so he could try and fix it. He wanted to be able to make her understand that he was there for her. He wanted to be the one to make a living hell out of the life of the person who hurt her. He wanted... he wanted so much to return all the kindness she'd given him throughout the years.
"Sa... Sasuke...-kun?" Sakura whispered quietly, her voice shaking with shock.
He didn't bother beating around the bush. "What's going on with you?" he practically growled.
"I–I... nothing, nothing!" she exclaimed, putting her hands in front of her, as if to push him away. "Now... could you please, Sasuke-kun?" the pinkette squeaked, biting her lip.
His eyes narrowed dangerously, and Sasuke didn't fail to see how her eyes flashed with fear. "Don't you lie to me, Sakura!" he shouted, pinning her wrists to the wall. "Don't you dare try to make me believe everything is alright! Because it's not! I can see it, Sakura! Maybe no one else can, but I can see that you're not happy! What is going on with you!?" he seethed angrily.
He didn't expect to see tears gather in her orbs, so when he saw them, he nearly recoiled with regret. The anger within him faded almost entirely, and for a moment, he didn't know what he was supposed to do now that he thought he had hurt her.
"Sasuke-kun..." the girl murmured, her voice strained with the tears that she held back so desperately. Then she launched herself at him, wounding her arms tightly around his body while her head buried itself in the crook of his neck. The wet, salty liquid finally spilled from her emerald pools when she took in the feeling of his warm body whose chakra was wavering with frustrating concern.
He didn't really know what made him hug her back. Maybe it was seeing her this way, crying and clinging to him like her life depended on it. Maybe it was that feeling of wanting to be that person to comfort her and protect her from pain. Or maybe it was just because he knew she deserved it, after all this time.
Whatever it was, it had made him gather enough of himself to slip his arms around her, holding her loosely at first, before the grip tightened in a protective manner. He didn't dare to speak up as he held her, mainly because he didn't know if anything he would say could help. But Sakura seemed to be quite contented by the simple fact he had returned her embrace. Sasuke could feel the satisfaction of having her sought comfort call answered.
The young raven haired man couldn't tell how much time had passed, holding her like this while she sobbed into his shoulder. He didn't know if it was only minutes, or hours. But she cried for a long time. That was all he knew.
And it took all that time before she could finally muster enough of her strength to talk to him. To open up her heart and speak to him about what was bothering her. About what killed her inside. What made her so damn sad.
Sasuke learned things about Sakura that he didn't know, at that moment. He learned that she was close to every single patient that she took care of. He learned that the scrolls she was studying all the time, they weren't medical jutsu's. They were researches on the sicknesses of her patients. He learned that her sleepless nights were spent on finding jutsu's that would help those people.
And he learned about the losses that Sakura had. He learned about her hidden feelings, her troubled thoughts. He learned that the ghosts of her lost patients tormented her the way the ghosts of his past tormented him,
"I don't know what to do Sasuke-kun... it hurts... it hurts so much... I can't sleep, I can't eat... I can't smile... I can't... laugh..." she choked on her tears and clutched him tighter. "I'm not as strong as seem to be... it's so hard to pretend.. I can't... I can't do this..." she whimpered into his neck.
He only gripped her tighter in response. It was his way of letting her know that he was there. He'd always be.
A long while passed before either of them said anything.
"Come on Sakura... I'll bring you home," he murmured in the dark of the night.
The sad pink haired medic, whose crying had already faded out for the most part, simply nodded without a word.
& it could be love
...right?
"Thanks for walking me home, Sasuke-kun. I really appreciate it. Everything you did for me today was..." she trailed off, but gave him a tender gaze. "...thank you."
Sasuke wordlessly nodded.
For a long while, they just looked at each other. Staring.
Onyx dug deep within emerald, searching, penetrating through her soul. For a moment, Sakura almost wanted to say something. Ask something. Anything.
But she found herself to be speechless when his firm hand grabbed her forearm and pulled her to him, and in a movement that was quick, yet graceful, he dipped down and touched his lips to hers.
The kiss seemed to last hours, even though it was only a few seconds. His mouth was gentle on her own, but unmoving as well.
When he pulled back, the expression of near shock in his eyes reveled to her he didn't know what had taken over him.
"You..." Sakura gasped, touching her fingers to her lips. "...you kissed me."
As soon as the words left her lips, Sasuke found himself dipping down to taste those soft lips again. He loved it. He loved the feeling of them on her own. He loved the emotions that it brought to him. He loved...
Something cut off his trail of thoughts.
A smile.
Sakura was smiling in their kiss.
Abruptly, Sasuke pulled back, and just as she had thought he regretted everything, she felt a touch to her lips.
Sasuke was tracing her mouth with his thumb, something like a subtle grin passing his lips.
"It's that smile. Good," he murmured.
Sakura blinked once; twice. "...what smile?"
She almost gasped at the way his eyes shined with tenderness.
"The smile that belongs to me," he whispered quietly.
She smiled again. "You've noticed."
He only smirked and cradled her face, before he leaned to catch her lips with his again.
I wanna be in love
with only you.
FINALLY. This was in the works for so long... I never had the time to really spend time on it because I was so busy! But it's finally out.. :)
I hope this did not come out rushed... because it was my intention to make the chapter come out with little drabbles. I wanted to have different scenarios with his and their smile. ;)
Hope you enjoyed! Now review, please! And no recent chapter talk... I don't like getting reviews like that. I want reviews about my fanfic, not about what happens in the manga. Ok? Ok. :)
DeepPoeticGirl
