(Shippuden Sasusaku go to a festival)
Remember this is written as if Sasuke had never left and I kind of see his relationship with Sakura taking off more quickly than it did in actual canon because of this but I tried to keep them all as in character as possible. I hope you enjoy it!
Sasuke huffed in annoyance, though it wasn't for the first time that evening, as he crossed both of his arms over his muscular chest. The dark silk of his kimono felt cool against his bare skin but the Uchiha paid it no mind as he observed his two teammates bickering over where they should go to next; Naruto wanting to find the nearest ramen shop and Sakura wanting to go grab some sort of sweet treat before the annual festival's large fireworks show began. He rolled his dark eyes as Sakura smacked their idiot teammate on the back of the head.
"Naruto!" The pinkette groaned in irritation. "We just ate ramen yesterday with you and you had it for breakfast this morning. I'm not going to eat at Ichiraku's... again! Besides, we've already had dinner."
"But, Sakura-Chan...," the blonde male whinnied as he rubbed the back of his head where a small knot was already forming. Sasuke watched as Sakura crossed her arms and turned away from their teammate; a small smirk was playing on the corner of his thin lips.
"No! If you want some, then go get it by yourself." Sasuke wasn't one to voice his opinions often so he remained silent. However, he had to agree with Sakura on this one; he didn't want to go get any ramen again either. When Naruto tried to send him a pleading look; Sasuke simply stared at him with an unimpressed expression, leaving the blonde to sag in defeat. For the next few minutes, Naruto walked at a much slower pace than the other two as he followed behind them; silently wallowing in his own self-pity.
That is until...
Naruto's blue eyes lit up with happiness when he saw team eight walking slowly towards them and he quickly sped past both of his teammates, accidentally knocking Sakura into the brooding male in the process, as he raced towards the trio. Sakura blushed profusely, turning a deep shade of red, and quickly pulled away after giving the Uchiha a small apology. Sasuke merely grunted in response; not particularly angry that Sakura had been so close to him, but unwilling to voice this revelation aloud. They had grown a lot since their Genin days and the lone Uchiha felt closer to the members of team seven than he did with anyone else; Sakura in particular, though his feelings for her differed greatly from what he felt for both Naruto and Kakashi, whom he saw as more of a brother and father type of figure. No, he definitely didn't see Sakura as a sister... it was something much more... something much deeper than that.
He felt... drawn to her; in a way that the young man didn't with anyone else...
...found himself wanting to be around her; more often than not...
...found himself enjoying the females company; not minding when she would grasp onto his arm or one of his hands to drag him along behind her as she walked confidently throughout the village; a warm and friendly smile upon her strikingly beautiful face; greeting everyone they passed by with a soft hello or a kind wave.
Sasuke definitely wasn't unaffected by her any longer, not in the way that he used to pretend to be that is, and he was slowly growing more and more comfortable with showing it; at least... to her; though maybe not around everyone else just yet.
He felt strongly for her...
She was someone... precious to him.
The lone Uchiha felt the need to protect her, no matter what the cost might be, even though he knew that Sakura had grown up to be a strong and independent woman; one who was capable of taking even him (an Uchiha) down if he wasn't fully focused on her every move.
He thinks that, maybe, he might be falling for her.
'When did I begin to fall for you, Sakura? When did I allow you to consume my every thought? When did my feelings for you change from just a friend and teammate to...something more...'
Naruto's obnoxious laughter broke through his inner monologue; bringing the boy back from his deep thoughts. Sasuke had to mentally shake his head in order to clear it completely so that he could once again focus fully on the present; on the people surrounding him, whom seemed to be in a heated discussion if the wild hand and arm movements were any indication. He scowled in annoyance when someone's limb came close to smacking him in the chest.
"Ha, your just jealous Uzumaki that Akamaru and I are better than you at pretty much everything," Kiba teased as he poked the blonde's chest with his pointer finger before crossing his arms over his own. Akamaru remained silent as he stood beside his master; though his dark eyes seemed to twinkle with joy as he looked up at the Inuzuka with complete adoration and affection.
The blonde scoffed noisily before leaning into his friend's personal space. "Oh please, you couldn't beat me at anything even if you tried." He raised a single brow, as if daring Kiba to challenge him.
The Inuzuka took offense to Naruto's statement and lean in; getting nearly nose to nose with the Hokage wanna-be. "Wanna bet on it?"
"How about we settle this once and for all," the Uzumaki declared as he straightened; one hand resting on his hip while the other formed a tight fist as he raised it high into the air. Sasuke tuned them out at that point, and before he knew it, he was standing in the middle of the street, team 8 and Naruto making their way down the road with the blonde and brown-haired boy still in a heated debate, leaving him alone... with Sakura.
Sasuke watched silently as Sakura took a quick glance around them, several times, before she finally allowed her green eyes to settle upon her his darker ones; her cheeks turning from pale to pink as she clasped her hands together behind her back while giving him a tentative, almost shy, smile. "So... want to go get some dessert with me Sasuke-kun?"
The words 'I hate sweets' was the first thing that came to his mind, and they almost slipped from his lips on impulse, but Sasuke quickly swallowed them down and chose instead to simply grunt as a response; afraid that if he opened his mouth, he might say something that he would later come to regret. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his kimono before the two of them made their way down the street, searching for which booth had the best-looking sweets; the young couple was walking... side by side.
.
.
.
Finally, after the pinkette had decided on which shop she wanted to go to and after browsing the selection and having made her purchase, with Sasuke opting to buy nothing, they soon found a relatively secluded spot that was situated on top of a fairly steep looking hill. The place that they had chosen was pretty far away from the larger clusters of excited onlookers, much to Sasuke's delight, and would be the perfect place to sit and enjoy the fireworks show that would hopefully be starting in the next couple of minutes in relative peace. The Uchiha couldn't help but watch with silent amusement as Sakura took the first bite of her dango; the sugary, sticky treat nearly melted on her tongue and the pink-haired female closed her vibrant green eyes as she softly hummed her approval. When she opened them again, noticing that Sasuke had been watching her, she began to blush a deeper shade of pink than her hair.
"W-what," she managed to stutter through her embarrassment; feeling slightly self-conscious as she slowly lowered her dessert back into the box that was resting on her lap.
"It's nothing, Sakura." Though Sasuke was trying to dismiss Sakura's concerns, he felt as if he was failing miserably, and so, the teen slowly turned his gaze forward as he placed an arm across his bent knee while the other held his weight behind him as he leaned back slightly; his dark orbs focusing on the darkening sky above while he felt his body begin to relax further. He was hoping that his relaxed posture would help to ease some of Sakura's anxiety. The silence between them grew and he began to feel sleepy; that is, until he heard the soft feminine voice speaking right next to him.
"So... d-did you have fun tonight Sasuke-kun." It was just like her to speak up when he was simply trying to enjoy the silence; but he didn't comment on that fact and instead decided to answer her honestly.
"It wasn't... bad. Though, I hate crowds."
"Yeah, I kind of figured you would hate it. But, I'm really glad that you came anyway, Sasuke-kun. It means a lot to me." He watched out of the corner of his eyes as she tucked her bangs behind her ears; a light pink was still dusting her rosy cheeks as she continued to give him sideways glances.
"Hn."
Seconds later, the fireworks show began.
Different shades of blue, red, green, and yellow all lit up the nighttime sky with a sea of bright sparks and really loud bangs.
Cheering could be heard from all around them, even from this distance, and Sasuke was secretly glad that they had chosen such a secluded area to watch the festivals display; for he would surely have had a headache in mere seconds if not. He glanced over at his female companion and felt his breath hitch sharply in the back of his throat. Her delicate features looked even more vibrant in the soft glow that was coming from the fireworks above; her green eyes twinkled each time a new one went off as if it was the first one that she had ever seen. Sasuke watched her head slowly turn towards him, when she sensed his darkened gaze upon her, and the soft smile that graced her slightly parted lips caused his pulse to quicken rapidly and his heart to pound an erratic rhythm.
'Yeah... I'm... I've definitely fallen...'
Sasuke's pupils widened as he watched Sakura leaned into him; her small chest brushing against his bare shoulder sent warm tingles down the length of his spine. As if he was being pulled by some invisible force, he felt himself slowly begin to lean towards her; his dark gaze remained fully locked with hers as they both moved...
...closer...
...closer...
...and closer still until...
...soft, plump lips pressed gently against his.
For one brief moment... he didn't react; frozen by the shock of the situation. When she began to pull away however; his free hand, that wasn't supporting his weight, quickly moved to the back of her head to bring her in for another soft and experimental kiss.
Delicate.
Soft.
Warm.
It was so much different than the accidental kiss he had with Naruto... so much... better; in every single way. After a minute they pulled apart, both panting harshly as they locked onto each other's eyes with a mixer of emotions swirling within their own. This would undoubtedly change the entire dynamic of their relationship. The two of them couldn't reverse time and go back.
But... Sasuke knew in his heart; that he didn't want to change a single thing.
For the first time since his family's death, he felt what it meant to be truly loved by someone; and he was desperately wanting to welcome it with opened arms.
"Sakura... I... think I'm falling for you..."
He hadn't actually meant to speak those words aloud, but his foggy brain had caused them to slip pasted his thin lips without even thinking twice about what the consequences would be. His grip on her head tightened as he fought with his inner emotions; unsure of what he should do next. When a delicate hand was placed against his cheek, it caused him to look up swiftly and he was met with the warmest, most brilliant green eyes that he had ever seen.
His heart was pounding.
His pulse was throbbing.
His throat had run completely dry at this point.
Sakura pressed her forehead against his as she closed her eyes tightly; the light pink was dusting her cheeks once again as she touched his cheek and jaw with gentle, trembling fingers. "It's okay Sasuke-kun... because... I know that I've already fallen for you."
Author's Notes:
If any of these sound like your own writing or another you have read I apologize but I didn't copy anyone's work. This is entirely my own writing.
