.
.
.
Sasuke stares straight at Sakura, his dark eyes lock into hers, the pupils of their eyes mirror the same confusion.
And then, like nothing, she lifts her slender hand from her lap and gives a small wave.
A friendly smile forms on her pinkish lips, one that makes his temples throb and his tongue feel heavy in his mouth.
Sasuke can feel the weight of Itachi's gaze on his face and before he can't move his lips to explain why this mysterious, waving girl was staring straight at the both of them.
"Who's that?" Itachi asks curiously, his gaze wanders across the subway to meet her smiling face, "Your friend?"
Sasuke inhales slowly, "That's Sakura."
"Oh."
And Itachi face says it all, there is a sudden expression of realization that takes over his stoic features.
The train halts to a stop and within the span of a few seconds, passengers get up from their seats and shuffle to the open doors. In the midst of the crowd, Sasuke can see Sakura grabbing at her end of her skirt and she stands up
As the train starts clear, she begins to walk over, her green eyes flash at him and when she gets a step closer, he can smell her.
The faint scent of a floral perfume, mixed with the natural scent of her, it lingers around her and pulls him toward her, like a begging hand.
He looks away, his eyes focused on his balled hands that rest in his lap and the sound of her voice taps on his eardrums.
"Hi Sasuke."
Her voice is light, small strokes of quiet confidence edged into every flick of her tongue. She speaks in the tone that one would speak to their friend, so comfortable, so effortless, except it makes Sasuke feel the opposite.
He looks up at her, almost on command to her voice, the sound lifts him up from the chin and when he meets her eyes, he realizes how close she is to him.
A sunset of pink is splashed across her cheeks, the pale flesh of her cheekbones shine like fresh spring dew and the sun drips through the subway windows, illuminating the soft curves of her body.
"Hey."
And this is all that escapes his lips, all that he can manage to say.
He wants to throw himself off the subway, the hot rush of embarrassment floods into his stomach and he prays the heat doesn't show up on his face.
Sasuke has decided to be friends with Haruno Sakura, but this idea seems out of reach to him. He doesn't know how, doesn't know how to look at her, speak to her without anxious pangs of warmth filling his stomach.
He hates her.
But of course, that's not true.
Itachi suddenly nudges his younger brother, a wicked smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, "Such a rude kid," He begins to say, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
Sasuke glares at his older brother from the corner of his eye but Itachi is no longer looking at him, instead he gives a kind smile to Sakura.
Sasuke clears his throat quickly, "Itachi, this is Haruno Sakura, she's a…friend from school," He fumbles over his words, feeling awkward for calling her his friend, wondering if she'll share the same uncomfortable apprehension surrounding their 'friendship'.
"And, this is my older brother, Itachi." He continues, watching Sakura turn slightly to face Itachi.
She smiles with her entire face, lips curled into a bright smile and the corners of her almond eyes crinkle.
Sasuke notices that she's wearing makeup, light and natural, yet different than what she wears to school. Her eyelashes are lifted, long and carbon-black and the fullness of her lips gleams with a peachy hue.
He begins to wonder why she's so done up today and suddenly, he remembers that she's supposed to meet with Naruto today.
A sharp pang of uneasiness hits him like a dart straight through the chest and he keeps his dark eyes on her, wondering if she put on makeup for Naruto.
"Nice to meet you," Sakura says as she reaches her small hand out to Itachi.
He grabs her hand without hesitation and gives it a gentle shake, "Likewise," Itachi chuckles, "It's a relief that Sasuke has another friend besides Naruto.
Sakura laughs, a sweet honeyed sound that he's heard many times before, a sound that brings warmth, a type of heat that he can feel in the tips of his fingers.
And suddenly, without warning, or maybe they just weren't paying any attention, the subway comes to a harsh stop.
It jerks Sakura forward, making her lose her balance and she begins to fall.
Sasuke grabs her wrist without a thought, pulling her into him ever so slightly. It happens so fast, so quickly that when he finally snaps back into reality, he realizes that they are now face to face, a breath away, an eyelash apart.
They stare at each other with widened eyes, a shared expression of shock rests on their pale complexions and time seems to slow around them.
He has never been this close to Sakura before, never been close enough to see how the irises of her eyes look like waves of aqua or how her bottom lip is slightly fuller than her top.
Haruno Sakura is beautiful.
The thought pushes through the ripples of his mind, over and over it repeats until a hot blush burns it's way up the length of his neck and across his cheeks.
"Are you okay?" Itachi suddenly asks, lifting the silence in the air and Sasuke looks at him in relief, he had almost forgotten his older brother was even there.
"I'm okay," Sakura finally responds, the warmth of her breath brushes Sasuke's already hot cheek and it feels like a summer's breeze.
"Sasuke," Sakura says only seconds later, "My wrist."
"Hm?"
"My wrist," She repeats softly, a small smile appears on her lips, they part slowly, "You're hurting my wrist."
The blush grows like wildfire across Sasuke's face, he doesn't want it to, doesn't want to be victim to his own confusing emotions.
He lets go of her wrist immediately and mumbles, "Sorry."
Sakura shakes her head in protest to his apology, "No, that's okay," She sighs loudly, "That was my fault, but, uhm, thank you."
"Sure."
And that's really all he can manage to say, the fear of embarrassing himself any further makes his heart pulse like a drum against his ribs.
Suddenly, he feels the weight of Itachi's hand on his shoulder, "You'll have to excuse my brother, he's not a man of many words, as I'm sure you already know."
Sakura nods her head in agreeance, she shoots a small teasing smile in Sasuke's direction.
"Are you meeting up with Naruto today?" He blurts out, it is question that is weighing heavy on his mind, one that echoes through his thoughts and he had to know the answer.
"Yeah," Sakura replies and she reaches into her bag to pull out her cellphone, "He said to meet him at this ramen place, but I can't find the address anywhere."
"Probably Ichiraku." Sasuke says flatly.
Ichiraku is Naruto's favorite ramen place and they had eaten there more times than Sasuke could count. It's a little shop hidden away on the streets of Tokyo, a place only the local people knew about and because of that, it was somewhat difficult to find.
"You know the place?" Sakura questions, her green eyes gleam with relief, "How do I get there?"
And before Sasuke can answer, Itachi moves closer, tilting his head, that same wicked look in his eyes, "Sasuke can show you the way, right?" He turns to his little brother expectantly.
Sasuke shrugs slightly, meeting his brother's eyes, "Not likely, we're headed to the market, remember?"
Itachi chuckles, "No worries, I'll go to the market." He nudges Sasuke a little harder than before, "She'll never find Ichiraku's by herself."
Itachi pauses, letting silence drip like rain into the air.
"You're her friend, aren't you?"
a/n: it's been awhile! hope all of you enjoy this chapter, more interesting chapters to come, leave a review and let me know what you think! (didn't proof-read bc i wanted to hurry up and get the chapter out)