I Wait
Chapter 33 – I Wait
"I'm lost right now
I wait,
I'm in the same place,
Waiting for you to hold my hand."
Kakashi set the file down on his desk and leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh, both Naruto and Sasuke knew what the file from Orochimaru contained and both of them knew what it meant for the future – not only Konoha's future, but the entire shinobi world. The file had not only contained more locations – cave ins, explosions, rock slides – all connected to what Sasuke and Sakura had done in Uzushiogakure, but also…the undeniable truth…that the world was not rid of the Ōtsutsuki threat yet and that sometime in the future, they would have to face that clan again.
"The villages have spent the last few years since the end of the war conducting their own research into the Ōtsutsuki. They've agreed to consolidate their findings and let Konoha deal with this," Kakashi nodded to Naruto, "only because Naruto personally requested it."
Sasuke knew what this meant. That in the near future, they would need to begin investigating and finding a way to be one step ahead or at least prepare themselves.
"Konoha will take some time to make some sense of the Ōtsutsuki and how the information gathered will be able to assist us in the future." Kakashi said.
Naruto met Sasuke's gaze, the same realization coming to him too. One of them would eventually have to go and investigate this. With Naruto set to become Hokage in the next few years, the responsibility would undoubtedly fall to Sasuke.
"This will take some time." Kakashi said, drawing their attention once again and Sasuke ignored the twisting in his stomach but despite Kakashi continuing on, Sasuke's thoughts turned to Sakura. He couldn't imagine leaving her now. Not so soon after he'd allowed himself to let her in. Not after he allowed himself to love her. He needed more time with her. He wanted more mornings, waking up with his head on her chest, her hands already in his hair. He wanted-
"Sasuke." Kakashi said, snapping Sasuke back to the present. "Are you listening?"
"Hn."
Kakashi sighed heavily, folding his hands together on the desk with forced patience. "We have a few years." He said, sounding like he was repeating himself, but there was also a hint of an apology in his voice. "The next big Kage summit will take place in three years. We'll decide our next step then."
Three years.
Three years.
"Noted." He turned on his heel, not even waiting for Kakashi to dismiss him. Sasuke didn't make it far though, Naruto caught up with him outside, a strong grip on Sasuke's shoulder bringing him to a halt.
"I know what you're thinking."
"Do you?" Sasuke asked.
"You're thinking it has to be you, right?"
"Shut up, Naruto." Sasuke attempted to shake him off, but Naruto stood his ground. "Naruto, we're years away from this becoming a reality. Right now-" Sasuke cut himself off, giving hard shake of his head. "As for right now…don't tell Sakura."
"Sasuke, that's not-"
"Did I ask for your opinion?" Sasuke snapped, stepping back.
"No," Naruto said, voice hard. "But I'm giving it."
"I didn't say I wouldn't tell her, did I?"
Naruto frowned. "Are you going to?"
"Eventually."
"Sasuke-"
"Naruto. This is none of your business." Sasuke turned away. "Don't interfere."
x-x-x-x-
The seasons had changed, the cold quickly replaced with the first cherry blossoms and before Sakura knew it, summer had once again returned to Konoha. A year ago she would have never imagined herself where she was now. Last summer it had been a long time since she'd laid eyes on the object of her affections. Years.
And now, the summer festival had come to Konoha once again. But this year, unlike the year before, Sakura wasn't walking around Konoha with Ino. She glanced down at her hand as it once again brushed against his. Sasuke's. Green eyes lifted up to his face as she wrapped one finger around one of his. Sasuke didn't show any reaction except for the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth – a clear sign that he was suppressing a smile. And try as she might, Sakura's mind drifted there before she could stop it. The night before. The smile he'd given her right after. Her skin tingled underneath the hem of her dress as if it remembered how his fingers had trailed up, pushing her thigh aside as his mouth and tongue worked between-
Sasuke glanced down at her as if he somehow sensed where her head was at. He stared down at her for the longest moment, his chest rising and falling – almost as if in defeat, before he spoke his voice low and almost rough. "Come with me."
Sakura shivered despite the heat and followed behind him, his pace slightly faster than before. Sasuke walked through the rows of tents, eyes scanning them until he found an empty one and Sakura was filled with disbelief because Sasuke wasn't actually considering…oh, from the look on his face, he was. Yes, she felt disbelief, but mostly there was a sense of excitement that went through her, mixing with the arousal that caused goosebumps to rise all over her heated skin. Sasuke entered one of the tents, pulling her in behind him, his arm around her waist and his mouth finding hers immediately. Sakura let out a soft surprised sound but it was drowned out but the fire show outside. Sasuke's lips were demanding as he walked her backwards, deeper into the tent. Sakura's fingers gripped his hair, allowing herself to be swept up by him. The knowledge that they could be caught at any moment stayed at the back of her mind. Perhaps it even turned her on a little bit. She could feel him against her already, pressing against her in a way that was entirely intentional. His arm slid down her back before hauling her body against his and Sakura gasped into his mouth as Sasuke lifted her feet from the ground and set her down on a table blindly, items fell to the floor – fireworks? It hardly mattered. Sasuke pulled back for a moment, breathing just as heavily as she was, his eyes asking her wordlessly if she was okay with this, if she wanted this. Sakura gripped his shirt in her hands, yanking his mouth back down to her. Even as Sasuke kissed her back with a bruising intensity, his hand slid up her thigh with a sort of reverence, up and up and up it went, underneath her dress and higher still, his knuckles brushing against the wet fabric there. Sakura released his mouth with a gasp, her hips driving forward as she arched into his hand.
"Sasuke-kun, please." She whispered, lips brushing against his as her hands reached for his belt, shaking fingers pulling his erection free. His nose nudged her face up, angling her lips up for another brief kiss as he positioned himself at her entrance. Sasuke kissed his way down her jaw and into her neck, biting down as he pushed himself into her. Sakura's head fell back as she cried out, her arms going around his shoulders as if she was holding on for dear life. They'd never done it quite like this before. There were very few spaces in her apartment that had been spared. Sometimes all it took was a look, one so brief Sakura wondered how any messages were conveyed but they would be kissing within seconds, desperate to feel each other. This, however, was different. But the way they moved together remained the same. There was an intensity to being with Sasuke in this way. The same intensity that was always around him. Stealing her breath, tearing her apart and putting her back together again when they were done – his touches soft, coaxing, his kisses gentle – his voice whispering her name again and again until her lids opened to him.
And his mouth tilted up, giving her something only for her to see.
x-x-x-x-
"I want to ask Sakura to marry me." Sasuke said, blunt as ever. He glanced towards where Sakura was chatting to Hinata at the ice cream stand. Naruto and Kakashi just stared at him, Naruto's mouth slightly ajar, Kakashi's eyes wide.
"What?" Sasuke snapped.
"For fucks sakes." Naruto said, pulling some money from his pocket and shoving it into Kakashi's waiting hand.
Their sensei simply chuckled.
"What the fuck is this?" Sasuke hissed.
"We had a bet." Naruto said, clearly sulking. "I said you and Sakura-chan would just elope somewhere. Kakashi-sensei said you would propose as soon as the mission was over."
Sasuke looked between the two of them in disbelief.
"What took you so long, teme? I tried my best to nudge you in the right direction." Naruto glared.
"I was aware of your little crush on Sakura since you were genin." Kakashi told him and Naruto's head whipped to the Hokage in disbelief.
Naruto's head snapped towards Kakashi. "Crush?"
Kakashi chuckled but Sasuke said nothing. Naruto's jaw dropped. "Hold up! You liked Sakura-chan back then?"
Sasuke sighed.
"So, Sasuke, are you asking us for permission?" Kakashi asked.
Sasuke scoffed. "Of course not. I wanted to know about her parents."
Naruto looked visibly uncomfortable. "I don't know if that's a good idea."
Sasuke frowned. "Why not?"
"Sakura and her parents have...issues." Naruto said carefully.
"Also," Kakashi added. "They hate you."
Sasuke ignored that. "What kind of issues?"
Sasuke had an inkling about these issues and he kind of understood why Sakura avoided them. The things Sasuke had heard Sakura's mother say to her...no one should be speaking to Sakura that way. No one should be speaking to their children that way.
He understood some things about her when they were younger better now. The way she acted made more sense if that was what she was dealing with at home. In a way, Team 7 had healed her as well.
"They don't get along." Naruto explained. "They never have. I'm not sure what you remember from when we were younger-"
"I remember." Sasuke said. Some days Sakura would meet them with a dark cloud over her after fighting with her parents and she would be extra snappy but would eventually ease up.
"Well, it only got worse." Naruto said shrugging.
"They're not going to give you permission." Kakashi said.
"You think I'm going there to ask?" Sasuke scoffed. Sure, their blessing would be nice but if not, he would just inform them that he intends to marry their daughter.
An apologetic look crossed Kakashi's face and although he attempted to hide it quickly, it wasn't fast enough. Sasuke shot him a wary look. "What is it?"
"Sasuke, this can wai-"
Sasuke heaved a sigh. "What is it, Kakashi?"
"I'm sorry to ask this of you now."
x-x-x-x-
Unlike the year before Sasuke sat next to her at the riverbank. Night had fallen some time ago and they were waiting for the fireworks to start but Sakura's mind was still with Hinata in front of the ice cream stand. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting when Hinata said she had something to tell her…but it wasn't that.
Hinata was pregnant.
The words had caused Sakura to still in place and stare at Hinata for a moment to long because the girl had given a nervous laugh.
Sakura stared down at her hands in her lap. Pregnant. She hadn't forgotten about the reaction Sasuke had given during her at the conference. She just hadn't had the heart to ask him before. Their relationship had still been too new and she'd worried asking about children would be too…premature. But things had changed, hadn't it?
She glanced up at Sasuke as the first fireworks lit up the sky in rainbow colors, painting the color across his pale skin.
Hadn't it?
Sakura's lips parted in a soft inhale, the words on the tip of her tongue but Sasuke spoke first.
"I'm leaving."
Sakura faltered. "I –" she swallowed, her voice dying in her throat. "What?" the word was barely a whisper.
Sasuke continued to look up at the sky. "Kakashi asked me to investigate something. It's something no one else can do. I…" his lids dipped, closing briefly. "I don't know how long I'll be gone."
She knew better than to ask if she could go with him. It's something no one else can do. There was a reason Kakashi had approached him alone. Still, her heart ached fiercely.
"I'm sorry."
Sakura swallowed her tears and shifted closer to him, laying her head down on his shoulder. She didn't tell him that it was okay. Because it wasn't. She didn't want this. She wanted to stay with him. So instead, she said the only thing she could, "I'll miss you, Sasuke-kun."
x-x-x-x-
His hand lifted, leaving two single knocks against the door. He'd separated from Sakura after the firework show, telling her he needed to meet with Kakashi to go over his mission details. That hadn't been entirely true. He would be meeting with Kakashi, later. Now, Sasuke found himself in front of Sakura's childhood home. A place he knew her parents still lived.
Moments later, the knob twisted and Sakura's mother stood there, wide-eyed as if Sasuke was the last person she expected.
"S-Sasuke-san?"
He didn't hesitate. "May I come in?"
Wholly unprepared, Haruno Mebuki stepped aside, still wide-eyed as she mentioned him inside. Sasuke stepped into the living room, his gaze going around the room. There was a family photo on the mantle. Sakura with her parents – but she was a child. The photo was taken long before she'd joined the academy. Was that what they wanted? Was that how they viewed Sakura? Most likely they wanted a child who still adored them, despite their flaws. And one who obeyed them.
Mebuki, who seemed to have gotten over the shock of seeing him, was much less friendly in the confines of her home.
"Why have you come here?"
Sasuke remained unfazed. "I was hoping to speak to your husband."
Mebuki folded her arms. "He won't be back for a while. What do you want?"
If even Kakashi had heard of their dislike of him, Sasuke had no doubt that Sakura's parents – or at least her mother – had been talking about him around town.
"Actually, I'm glad you're here. Sakura's made a lot of mistakes. Many of them have sickened me to my stomach. But this," she indicated to him, "Is by far a new low." She gave a humourless laugh. "A traitor and a war criminal? I always knew Sakura wasn't the brightest but-"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, he'd expected something like this but he'd told himself that no matter what, he would remain respectful. That no matter what was said – this was still Sakura's mother. But no one was allowed to speak about Sakura in this way. He couldn't allow that. So, Sasuke did the only thing he could – other than snapping at her. He interrupted. "I'm going to ask Sakura to marry me."
Mebuki's brows shot up and it took her a moment to answer. "And, what? You've come to ask my permission?"
"I don't need it. But I'd like to have it." Although now, after hearing her speak about her daughter, he wasn't even sure he wanted that.
Her face soured immediately. "You won't get it. I forbid it."
Sasuke shook his head slowly. He should have listened to Kakashi and Naruto. This was a mistake. "Then I'll take my leave."
"Do you hear me?" Mebuki's voice was rising the more she spoke. "I forbid it!"
Sasuke didn't say another word and Mebuki reached out to stop him from leaving but seemed to freeze, her hands hovering in her air as Sasuke looked down at her, Sharingan spinning.
"Are you going to stop me from leaving?" he asked, still using the same respectful tone.
Mebuki's hands dropped to her sides. "No."
Sasuke left, slamming the door shut behind him.
With every step he took away from that house, the anger that boiled in his stomach seemed to settle – replaced by another emotion.
Because he could finally do it now.
He could ask Sakura to marry him.
x-x-x-x-
3 months later
Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow as she finally slumped into her office chair. She'd just finished a four hour long surgery but it had felt more like ten. She slipped her feet out of her sandals and twisted her swollen ankles back and forth, groaning at the instant relief she felt. The last three months had been hard, keeping busy at the hospital had helped, but she felt his absence whenever she returned home. The night of the festival he'd returned home only to say…well, not goodbye, but that he would be back as soon as he could. She knew that his mission had to do with the Ōtsutsuki, but beyond that Sasuke hadn't given her many details. Despite that, Sakura waited for him, quietly hoping for his quick return while knowing that things weren't that easy and that Sasuke…most likely wouldn't return anytime soon. She'd known that when Kakashi had sought her out one day after Sasuke had left and apologized.
Sakura sighed, rubbing her hands up and down her face in frustration. It was no use wallowing in this. That wouldn't change anything. Instead, she reached for a patient file on her desk and flipped it open.
A knock at the door drew her attention and Sakura looked up as it opened, revealing her old mentor. Tsunade's smile faltered and her eyes narrowed as she looked Sakura over.
"Have you been getting enough sleep, Sakura?" she asked, stepping into the office and shutting the door behind her.
Sakura blinked. "Oh – I…yes. Why, Tsunade-sama?"
Tsunade came around the desk, leaning back against it as she placed her palm to Sakura's forehead and her student indulged her with a small smile. Tsunade's hand warmed with chakra as she sent it through Sakura's system. "Have you been feeling sick recently? Flu?"
"Not really, Tsunade-sama. Just tired." Sakura admitted.
Tsunade's gaze dipped to Sakura's. "You miss him, don't you?"
The smile faded from Sakura's lips slowly. "All the time." It was an easy answer because there was no use lying to Tsunade, who already knew the truth.
Tsunade was about to answer but she paused, her brows twitching slightly and her head tilting sharply.
"Tsunade-sama?"
"I'm going to take a wild guess here and say you didn't know."
Sakura hesitated. "…Didn't know what?"
Tsunade's hand lifted and she patted Sakura's cheek. "Congratulations, Sakura. You're going to be a mother."
x-x-x-x-
Sakura barged into Kakashi's office, already in her cloak.
"Kakashi-sensei. I want permission to leave Konoha."
Sakura had stared at the small trashcan next to her desk before leaving, it was filled with crumpled up papers – letters to Sasuke she would never be able to send. She wasn't even sure if he wanted to have children, but there was no way she could tell him this news in a letter. She wanted to be there. She wanted to tell him in person. She wanted to see his reaction for herself. Either way.
Kakashi shook his head, "Sakura, you know I can't allow you to go after him."
Sakura separated the lapels of her cloak, exposing the small bump that was clear enough to see in the shirt she'd chosen – a bump she hadn't noticed until after Tsunade had revealed the truth, although, admittedly she might have been pushing it out just the tiniest bit to get her point across. "Let me rephrase that," Kakashi's eyes widened and she was pretty sure his jaw dropped under the mask.
"Let me leave Konoha to go tell Sasuke-kun that he's going to be a father."
x-x-x-x-
Next week will be the last chapter of I Wait, but I will be writing more sasusaku fics soon and would love for you guys to read those as well.
As always I really appreciate the comments, your excitement for this story has really inspired me to keep it going!
Here's a teaser for the final chapter – Breathe:
"Does it have to be you..."
Sasuke reached out, taking Sarada's little hand in his. She didn't stir. Sakura could see how difficult this was for him. His hand shook slightly when he smoothed it over their baby's dark hair. And then he swallowed once and turned away.
