baby you showed me what living is for / i don't wanna hide anymore
- crazier, taylor swift (from hannah montana the movie soundtrack)
there was that final moment of silence when the ball hits the ground on the other side before everything exploded.
it was all a giant blur to sasuke. he was lifted to the air by his team members, crying and screaming as victors of a very brutal final game, and was cheered on by the entire arena as he accepted the most valuable player award.
that was it—the end of his high school volleyball career. that was the last game he will play in the remainder of his stay as the captain. next year he will graduate and pursue another career, and this thrill of being a champion will only be the remains of a past dream.
he always gets a little melancholic when they win. even now as he sits among the crowd of his team in their locker room, he couldn't hear the noises of his boys. the steady beat of his beating heart is the only thing he could hear and there's a sad melody playing in his head. no bouncing volleyballs and squeaking volleyball shoes against the gym floor; not even the cheer of the crowd.
what is it that he's looking for? what sound is he finding to keep that thrill alive within him?
"senpai!"
his mind cleared up and he can see one of his juniors crouching to look at him, "there's a girl looking for you outside. shall i tell them to get away?"
"is it one of his fangirls? if so, please do," their middle blocker inuzuka said. "sasuke doesn't like them."
their blond wing spiker uzumaki roared from the outside, "sakura-chan! what are you doing here?"
his spine tingled and immediately stood to go out. there it was, the thrill he was talking about. it is back and it was just because of a name. a girl, of all things.
rushing as he moves towards the door, he remembered their interaction two weeks ago before the start of the tournament. he remembered when he saw his name on top of her notes and music sheets, the green of her irises as she told him good luck, and the buzz of challenge he felt when he yelled his request.
"when we win, you better play your song for me. okay?"
they won today. he won. the thought of getting his reward soon makes his feet move faster until he finally got outside and saw her. his breath caught.
she was wearing her band uniform, still clutching her trumpet with her, and she smiles as naruto flails his arms around while telling her about the game. she wears her eyeglasses and her hair was a damp pink mess but she still looks so pretty to sasuke. she must've caught his movement because her jade eyes are now on him.
it was so cliché, seeing it in slow motion, when she saw him and smiled. naruto saw where her eyes are and saw sasuke behind him. "teme! you know sakura-chan?"
"yes," he murmured, his eyes still on her face. why does she have to look like this even when sweaty?
"she's my science tutor! since you rejected my offer, i had to look for a better teacher so thank y-"
"can you leave us, idiot?"
naruto's tanned face scrunched up, "huh? why?"
sasuke turned his head to glare at him, "just do it."
hyuuga, their libero, came from the hallway. when he walked past behind naruto, he got the blond into a chokehold to drag him inside the locker room. "read the room, dumbass," the brunet muttered as both he and naruto got inside, muffling the retorts from the hyper spiker.
finally, they were alone. they stand in the hallway, shyly mulling their thoughts. sakura was the first one to break the comfortable silence.
"congratulations," she softly said. she peered her eyes at him and he can see the wonderment in them, and the tingling sensation came again. "you were amazing. all of you."
sasuke took a hold of his nape, embarrassed because of the undivided attention. "yeah, thanks. and thank you for cheering too, with the marching band and all."
"of course," she answered back. her cheeks were quite moist, definitely from her uniform and the humidity in the hallway, but it made her face shine a little more. "anyway, i just wanted to say that. i might not have the chance later since the whole school will be celebrating with you guys."
he suddenly remembered the after party they will have later. they rented a small pub where at least a hundred people can occupy. it was a gift from his brother, itachi, confident that sasuke and his team will win. "come join the party later," he immediately said to sakura. "we'll celebrate in the evening. we'll be there after the school ceremony."
she hesitated, "is it okay for me to be there? i mean, i'm not part of the volleyball team. is it an exclusive party?"
"no, it's not. don't worry," he assured her. "besides, naruto will be there... i will be too."
he looked at her, waiting for her answer. when he saw the hesitation still within her green eyes, he whispered. "please? for me?"
she gasped then, and he felt goosebumps that ran along his forearms. her breathy yes was her answer, and sasuke thrives inside.
/
his eyes roam around to catch a glimpse of pink. it's been 2 hours since the party started and there was still no sakura haruno. he fought the disappointment that's growing inside his gut.
"don't look so gloomy," a voice came from behind him. sasuke turned slightly to see their coach hatake sat beside him at the bar. "she'll come."
he frowned at his bottle of beer, "how did you know?"
"naruto."
he sighed, not surprised that the blond idiot opened his dumb mouth. he took another sip of his second beer of the night and was about to ask for another one when his coach spoke again.
"you might want to take it easy. you don't want to be drunk around her," he can hear the tilt in his voice behind the mask he always wears. the silver-haired man continued, "it's a bit of a turn off to girls, sasuke, especially to girls like sakura-chan."
an irritated scowl marred his face. before his coach could say another word, he left the bar and head straight outside to get some air. he passed a bunch of people congratulating him and he gave his best thanks in return, but his head just wants some space.
where are you, pretty girl?
sasuke took a deep breath of the crisp fall air. the night is alive thanks to the muffled sound inside the pub, and there were still people coming through... but no sakura.
the thought of leaving the party teased his mind. he's never liked parties anyway. he was just here because he invited a girl over and the girl still isn't here-
"sasuke-kun?"
it was always like this, sakura catching him off guard and him feeling like his heart jumped out of his throat. tonight, more so because of how she looks. she's not wearing her eyeglasses anymore, just like that day at the music room, and her green eyes are still vivid in the dark of the night.
"hey, sakura," he breathed out. sasuke wasn't aware he was so uptight and wound up until she showed up looking like a painting come to life. she has a cardigan around her body and wears a dress that compliments her bare legs. the air was cool and he saw her shiver a little. he took off his varsity jacket and put it on her.
"n-no, it's okay. i'm fine," she said as she tried to bring him back his jacket.
he pulled the jacket around her neck, "i insist. it's cold, you might get sick."
the feeling of giddiness came on his stomach as he saw her bury her face on the collar of his jacket. she smiled, "thank you." she looked at the entrance of the pub, "why are you outside?"
sasuke turned away. he doesn't want her to know he was about to leave because he thought she stood him up. idiot, is this a date?
"i don't like parties that much," he simply answered.
she nodded in response, "me too." her face lit up for a second before shyly asking him, "i m-made some hot chocolate earlier and also cinnamon cookies..."
there is her unsaid question and he hoped he didn't sound desperate when he said, "let's go."
/
sakura's parents live on the other side of the city where they both work. they stay here only once a month so sakura is living alone currently. when he entered their house, he was welcomed by the smell of her pastries and his mouth automatically watered.
there are a lot of pictures around—baby sakura in her crib, sakura with a blonde girl wearing matching ribbons, sakura playing guitar, her junior high graduation. photographs of young sakura littered the living room and he almost wished he knew her sooner.
they talked a lot about many things and he's amazed by how simple she could be. she's one of the smartest people in their year but she was never recognized by a lot. she likes to be under the radar, she said, so she joined a marching band instead and learned how to play the trumpet.
he also shared snippets of his life—the time where he and itachi got lost at the park when they were young and were almost kidnapped, the time where his father saw him imitate him in front of his mother and they laughed together, and the time he broke his mother's favorite vase because he practiced volleyball inside their house.
it was so easy, talking to this girl he barely knew, to feel like he's known her all his life in a span of an hour. there's a comfortable silence between them as they sip their hot chocolate until sasuke remembered his reward.
"do you remember..." he started. "i asked you to play me your song when we win, and we did."
he saw her eyes widen, "w-were you s-serious about that?"
he nodded. she doesn't need to know it's one of his motivations during the tournament. "if it's okay with you, of course. i don't want to pressure you."
she smiled a little and hope blooms inside his chest, "no, it's okay."
she stood up and gestured for him to follow her. they went upstairs and she led him to her room. sasuke stopped on the threshold, "are you sure?" she just looked back at him and nodded her head.
sasuke entered her private space and there are trinkets of her all over. medals, stationery, guitar picks, music sheets and polaroid photos are all around. there's a strong smell of apples and if he's not careful, he knows he will be craving for it more.
when he looked at sakura, she saw her looking at him with a guitar perched on her lap as she sits on her bed. sasuke slowly sat on the carpeted floor instead, never taking his eyes away from her. the light from her bedside table allows him to see only the side of her face while the moon illuminates the room itself. she looks ethereal.
you look so pretty.
sasuke saw her blush and that's when he knew he said it out loud. he coughed and turned his eyes away, afraid that it was too much, but he heard her laugh softly and said thank you.
"okay. here i go."
the first strum of her guitar enchanted him; the first words of her song for him explodes something inside of him.
"i was trying to fly but i couldn't find wings, but you came along and you change everything..."
"you showed me something that i couldn't see, you open my eyes and you made me believe..."
"feels like i'm falling and i'm lost in your eyes, you make me crazier..."
she sang the words like she wears her heart on her sleeves, and he couldn't say a word. her eyes remain on his the entire time and when she sang her last few words.
"baby you showed me what living is for, i don't wanna hide anymore..."
the song ended but the thrill running throughout his body continues. he's a live wire sparking with electricity, and blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
"i like you, sakura haruno."
sasuke whispered it in the secrecy of her room and it's not enough because he wanted to shout it to the rooftops; but seeing the glow in her eyes made it all worth it. "i like you so much."
/
there is thrill he finds as he stands on the court, as he makes his family proud, as he lands a service ace and carries his team to victory; but the best sensation so far would be the thrill of kissing sakura haruno's cheek on her front porch, and feeling her tug him down to kiss him on the lips instead.
to him, there is no greater victory.
~fin~
a/n: a sequel to day 9 prompt for hey stephen :)