We wondered…

what true love is.

-

-

She came in her red dress, heavy-lidded, and looking very, very tired. However, she managed a pretty smile at the sight of him, standing alone in the bridge. He appreciated her effort to smile even though it seemed that it was the last thing she'd want to do. As she came nearer, her face pale, he noticed how—

"Oha— chooo!"

Sasuke blinked and grimaced visibly.

Did she… just sneeze in his face?

Sakura gawked, blushing furiously. "Sasu—" he saw her lashes fluttered, her nostrils flared and unbidden, another sneeze erupted from her, and this time, Sasuke didn't grimace. Even though particles from her supposedly sickly sneeze hit his cheeks— for the second time around.

Furiously, Sakura rubbed her nose with her forearm, sniffing and flushing in the process. Clearly, the girl was mortified. Who would not? He was the Uchiha Sasuke, after all. Not some pretty pink tissue to wipe weeping nose with.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun! It's so—" She sniffed loudly, shuddered and smiled a watery smile. "…so embarrassing! And—"

She sneezed again.

"Oh god! Sasuke-kun! I'm so sorry!" She staggered backward, sniveling, and almost dizzy. Reflexively, Sasuek thrust a hand forward, grabbed her thin wrist and pulled her upright. At the same time, she sneezed.

Loudly.

In his face.

He sighed.

Sakura was close to tears. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, Sasu—"

Another sneeze shook her trembling body.

The poor girl sniffed forcefully that Sasuke feared her little nose will cave in. Rubbing her nose forcefully with the back of her hand, she struggle to speak, "I think I'm going to be really sick with—" She sneezed again, some spit hit his cheek. "Oh god, Sasuke-kun, stay away from—" A particular loud and forceful sneeze over came her body that Sasuke thought her brain will explode from the force of it.

So weak, he thought, watching her body tremble and huff.

"Sakura."

"I know, I know. I should have stayed in bed instead of spreading my germs and sneezing in your lovely, pretty, pretty face and making a fool of myself and worst, I'm making you wet with all my … well, it's a spit, right? Small… round spits that carry my germs, my virus and…? Oh… I know, I know it's disgusting and very unhygienic and I'm really, really—"

He kissed her mouth before she could sneeze her brains out. He pulled back a little and—

She sneezed. Spit flew and hit Sasuke in the face.

He blinked and sighed deeply.

She smiled a watery and embarrassed smile. Her watery green eyes, despite of her apparent distress, remained bright. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun—"

He kissed her again, kissed her until she was breathless, soft, and limp in his arms. With the tip of his fingertips, he rubbed her scalp behind her ear, his other hand on her jaw as he kept her body close to his chest.

When he pulled away to let her breathe, she—

Sneeze.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kuuuuun! I'm sorry! I'm sorry—"

He had expected her to swoon but…

She kept sneezing, her body making a small fit as bouts of sneeze wracked her body.

"I can't stop! I'm sorry!"

Sasuke sighed, watching his girlfriend struggle with strings of forceful sneezes. Even in distress, she was beautiful. Sick and pale, she was beautiful. Even though she was losing her poise and struggled clumsily, she was… beautiful.

Even when she was sneezing… in his face, she was beautiful.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he, while watching Sakura with amusement, realized one thing:

-

-

Love is when you let someone sneeze in your face.

And you kiss her in the mouth.