Sparrow

*thanks everyone for reading! thanks for all the reviews! they make me really happy! anyway, i'm sorry that this took a while to get out. you see, i had to help my neighbors cat out of a tree, then an old grandma needed help to cross the street, then...all right. i was being lazy. my deepest apologies. as all you beautiful people know, i don't own naruto. or sasuke. oh, but i wish i did. all the things i would do to him... (*blush*). enough of my perverted craziness, ON WITH THE STORY!*

Chapter 48:

Autumn leaves started falling down from the trees onto the already browning grass. A cool wind gusted through my hair as I let out a small sigh. It was fall already. We've spent a few months on Tori no Yama, just waiting. I was kinda scared to get off the mountain because of Madara. I didn't want him to find me. I realized, once Sasuke said that he told him I was dead, that he was the one waiting for me at the gates of Konoha. I looked up at the September sun and let out a small smile. My birthday was tomorrow. September 13th, to be exact. I wonder if the unlucky number was what caused my life to be so damn unlucky. I shook my head of the thought, though. I was extremely lucky. I was alive. I have Sasuke, and I saved Itachi. Konoha is safe from what would have been total annihalation. Thus, Naruto and Kakashi are sure to be safe. I have nothing else to ask for.

Even though it's been a few months, though, and Sasuke didn't try to kill his brother, I could feel the tension between them. It wasn't much, but it was still there. A bit of competitive hostility. I didn't blame them, though. I never expected them to go straight to being model brothers. I mean, Sasuke's been hunting Itachi down for a long time, and very nearly killed him. There's bound to be tension between the two, right? I was actually surprised that they didn't fight as much on Sasuke's birthday. I wanted to do something for him for his birthday, but he wouldn't have it. He just smirked and told me he had everything he wanted. It made me all emotional... I feel like I'm about to cry... and it's months later.

I jumped as a hand laid down gently on my shoulder. I looked back to see Sasuke, his characteristic smirk on his beautiful features. I looked away, a small blush forming on my cheeks. Why do I always blush around him? And why does my heart always beat faster? And why the hell does he sneak up on me all the time? Damn. And I never got out of the habit of zoning out.

"Suzume," he whispered. "We're going."

I looked at him, surprised. "What? Why?"

His smirk grew a fraction. "It's a surprise."

Itachi saw us off as we hopped onto the now fully healed Susumu, and took off to the sky. I still didn't know where we were going. Goosebumps raced across my skin as a sudden cold wind blew against us. Sasuke pressed me to him, giving me some of his body heat. I blushed.

We finally landed a few miles south of a large city. We walked to it, arriving shortly after twenty minutes. Sasuke grabbed my hand as the entrance to the city loomed in front of us. He pulled us in and kept hold of my hand. I was blushing like crazy, and looking anywhere but the captivating dark eyes that were flitting to me every now and then. The buildings were new and large, and the place was crowded. It looked like some kind of festival was going on. I noticed that a few of the people stared and made cooing sounds.

"Aww, isn't that cute?" a woman asked another. "They look great together."

"Yeah," the other agreed. "Wish my husband and I looked that good."

My blush intensified. Finally, we arrived at an inn with hot springs in the back. I looked at Sasuke quizzically. He let a sexy smirk form on his features, and I found myself blushing again. Damn. And I'm beginning to think thoughts I shouldn't...

"We're going to stay here," he said as he led the way inside. "Why don't you go soak in the hotsprings or something? I'll meet you in the room. It's room 108."

The thoughts just intensified and became much more graphic. My face heated up until I was sure I was going to burst into flame any second now. Maybe Sasuke was right when he called me a pervert...

Sasuke suddenly smirked, probably telling what I was thinking. He reached out for my hand, grabbed it, and held it open. He dropped a key into it and looked me in the eye. His smirk was still plastered on his face, and his eyes held a mocking glint.

"But you would already know that if you were listening."

I gave him a sheepish grin. He kissed my forehead and left. I stood there, my eyes wide in shock. He's never kissed my forehead before. I gingerly touched where his lips have been and heard the girls over at the counter giggling. My cheeks flushed. My heart squeezed. I squeezed my eyes shut, sure my face was red by now. I grinned and gripped the key tightly in my hand, and pumped it in the air.

'I love Sasuke so much!' I thought to myself, ready to cry tears of joy.

I imagined Kuragari rolling her eyes inside my head, but thankfully she didn't say anything. I took a deep breath and managed to compose myself. I went to the room, opened the door, and stared in awe. This room was beautiful. There was a single large bed with beautiful engravings on it, matched with a dresser. A chair sat in the corner, and the floor was covered in a soft carpet. The only place that was hard floor was where the table was at. It had to be expensive to rent this room... I wonder where Sasuke got the money? I pushed the question aside and got ready to go to the hotsprings.

There is only one word to describe the hotsprings. Bliss. Pure bliss. All the tension that I have felt during the past three years melted away into the hot water. The best part is, nobody was out tonight. I had it all to myself, and I loved it. I sighed contentedly and leaned against the rocks, closing my eyes.

I had to have been there for at least a few hours. I looked at my fingers. Yep. They were pruned. I absorbed a lot of water, but it was great! I sighed and got out, got dressed, and went back to the room. Sasuke was sitting on the bed, staring off into space. Food was on the table, hot. It must have been put there recently. Sasuke looked at me as I stepped inside.

"Took you long enough," he said. "I was thinking about going out there to get you."

I stuck my tongue out at him. He smirked. We sat at the table and began our meal. It had everything from tenpura to sushi. There were noodles, salads, everything you can imagine. I swear, it could feed an army...well, at least six people. A few minutes passed by in silence as I began to wonder again how Sasuke could pay for all this. I finally couldn't stand it anymore. I had to ask.

"Hey, Sasuke?" I asked, a piece of shrimp still in my mouth.

"Hn?"

"Where'd you get the money to pay for all this?"

He looked at me, his onyx orbs glimmering mischievously in the light of the room. He smirked at me.

"I have my ways."

I rolled my eyes, but let it drop. When we were finished, I leaned back, stuffed. I downed nearly three servings of food. I let out a long, contented sigh. Sasuke stood up and nodded his head towards the door. I raised an eyebrow.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Out," was all he said.

I stifled a sigh and followed him. He led me outside where the sound of the festivities boomed in my ear. Laughing children, fireworks, the sizzle of cooking food. A smile forced its way onto my face when I remembered the last time I was at a festival. Anticipation curled in my stomach. I looked up at Sasuke excitedly. He smirked. I grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the inn and into the crowds. Before we could do anything, though, Sasuke suddenly stopped at a clothing store. I blinked and looked back at him.

"Why don't you pick something out?" Sasuke asked, nodding towards the store slightly. "My treat."

I blinked. "Are you sure? I mean, you don't have to-"

He pressed a finger to my lips, sushing me. He leaned close to my ear. His warm breath tickled my ear.

"I want to, Suzume."

My shocked expression turned into a grin. I grabbed his hand and practically ran into the store. I looked through the clothes quickly, trying to find something that I would actually look good in. Sasuke let out a small chuckle of amusement as he watched me scurrying to and fro like a madwoman. I ignored him when I took out a kimono I liked and hurried into the dressing room. When I got out, Sasuke was leaning back against a chair that the store kept for convenience. His eyes flitted to me and widened. I put on a smile.

"Do you like it?"


Sasuke looked Suzume over, his dark orbs moving slowly over her body. He stored the image in his memory. Suzume was wearing a beautiful dark blue kimono with white autumn leaves dancing on the long sleeves. The end of the kimono reached the middle of her thigh. It was tied back by a white ribbon, the bow peeking from the back. The kimono itself wasn't what took his breath away, though. If it was on any other girl, he wouldn't give her a second glance. It was Suzume that made the kimono stunning.

He could feel a blush tint his cheeks. A weird feeling fluttered in his stomach. Was it...butterflies? Sasuke closed his eyes and fought to keep his composure. A gentle hand shook him slightly. He opened his eyes to find big, beautiful green eyes staring straight into his.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?" Suzume asked, letting worry tint her tone.

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. You ready?"

Suzume nodded. She made a move to go back to the dressing room, but Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"Let's just pay for it. You can wear it for the festival."

Suzume let out a dazzling smile and nodded. Sasuke went to the register and paid. He glimpsed a necklace hanging on the counter and, on a whim, decided to buy it. It was a beautiful silver necklace with a large sapphire stone sitting between strands of silver that wound themselves around in an almost protective embrace. Small diamonds decorated the strands, giving the necklace a dazzling shine. When he was finished paying, he sauntered over to Suzume, the necklace in his hands. He directed her to a full-length mirror and stood behind her. She looked at his reflection questioningly. Her questioning look turned to surprise, then to pure joy and love when he snapped the necklace in place. She turned around, surprising him, and planted a kiss on his lips.

"I love you, Sasuke!" she squeaked as she squeezed him in a hug.

Sasuke smirked and hugged her back. The man at the register gave an awkward cough.

"I would politely ask that you do not make out in my store," he said.

Suzume's face tinted pink. Sasuke's smirk grew and put his hand on the small of Suzume's back, causing her to blush more.

"Let's go," he said as he directed her out of the door.


It was the night of my life. I've never imagined my seventeenth birthday would be this much fun. I was grinning from ear to ear the whole time, moving from place to place excitedly like a mouse. I always pulled Sasuke along, but he didn't complain once. We did everything together, playing games and stuff. It was exhilarating. The noise of the crowd, the laughter that rang in my ears. Sasuke. I didn't want the night to end.

Unfortunately, though, it had to. I was exhausted by the time we got back to the inn. It was about 1:00 in the morning. I went in our room and plopped down on the bed after changing out of the kimono and into some sleepwear. Modest sleepwear, I might add. Well, it was more or less pajamas. I fingered the sapphire necklace that was still around my neck. I swear, I'll never take it off. Sasuke smirked and laid down beside me. I looked over at him and gave him an exhausted grin. I have a feeling my face is going to be sore tomorrow. I suddenly reached out to Sasuke and grabbed him. His eyes widened in surprise. I leaned into him and laid my head on his chest, hearing his familiar hearbeat. It soothed me like a lullabye. My eyelids drifted closed.

"I love you, Sasuke," I whispered.

He wrapped his arms around me and held me closer to him.

"I love you too. Happy birthday."