It was late afternoon in Konoha, and the hot sun beat down on throngs of weary travelers entering the village's main Aun gates. The anniversary of the shinobi world's victory against Kaguya in the fourth Great Ninja War was a few days away; some had come to join in the festivities, and others, to sell their fares in the crowded markets.
Haruna Sakura was one of the jonin assigned to watch the crowds and ensure all the chakras passing through the gates in the valley below were recognized by the Leaf. Perched on a building in dark green fatigues, surveying the village below, she nearly blended in with the forest in the skyline. An electronic device was tucked into one ear, her pale pink locks secured away from her face by a head protector.
If the sweltering heat was bothering her, she did not show it, except for a drop of sweat trickling an inch past her ear and down her neck. At twenty-five, she was a beautiful, skilled kunoichi, with all the confidence she had lacked during childhood. Rosy lips, thick fluttering lashes and a voluptuous body belied the intelligence and strength of the young medic nin.
As fierce in battle as she was loyal in friendships, Haruno Sakura had earned the respect of her contemporaries and her foes. However, since the war, Sakura had, had very little reason to leave Fire Country. Between volunteering for security gigs around the village, and directing the emergency unit at Konoha Hospital, her days were kept busy enough in these peaceful times.
"Sakura!" A familiar voice rang out in the crowd.
Green eyes narrowed and her eyebrows twitched.
"Sa-ku-ra-chaaaaaan!" The voice was only getting louder, and more insistent.
Sighing, Sakura pressed a hand to her ear, letting her colleagues know she was taking a quick break. Then, she jumped lightly off the side of the building, landing neatly in the crowds below. There, her best friend, Yamanaka Ino, a leggy blonde, stood beaming up at her.
"Don't you have a job to do?" Sakura asked, rolling her eyes. "I thought you were the head of the village surveillance and sensory unit."
Ino laughed, blue eyes twinkling mischievously. "I am. But today is my day off, and I was at the flower shop. That's not why I'm here though."
"Let me guess- you want me to pick up a few extra shifts this week because someone cancelled."
"Wrong again, forehead."
"Okay, okay. What do you want?"
Ino reached out and gripped her by the shoulders, practically squealing, "The glowing lantern festival is tonight! And Shikamaru has invited everyone out to the lake to watch the fireworks at midnight. So you know what that means. You can finally get out of that horrible scratchy uniform and put on a yukata!"
Sakura smiled, rolling her eyes.
Every year her best friend got hyped up over every occasion to wear traditional clothing. Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings- whatever the function- Ino wanted the girls to meet in her apartment and get all dolled up. Usually, that involved lots of conversation amongst the women about men, and pre-event drinks, mixed by the host herself.
"But tonight is not just any ordinary lantern festival," Ino continued, breathlessly. This time there was hesitancy in her voice. "Sai told me Sasuke is back."
Sasuke.
It had been so long since she had even allowed herself to think of him. Hearing his name spoken, it brought back all the weakness in her, all the vulnerabilities. How was he? Was he well? Did his arm give him any trouble during his travels? Where had he been? Had he met anyone?
The questions were endless, and to function, Sakura would not allow herself to think about him.
"Oh. When did he return?"
She had been watching the village all morning. How had he slipped by?
"Last night," Ino told her. "He's at the Hokage Tower right now with Naruto."
"I see."
"So you'll come?" Ino asked, hopefully.
"I will," Sakura agreed. Then with a small smile, she motioned behind her. "I should get back to work."
But Ino was already sauntering away, blond ponytail swaying behind her. "Later, forehead."
If only the whole world didn't know she was still hung up on him…
Somewhere between right and wrong,
There is a garden.
I'll meet you there…
-Rumi
The night was hot and arid, the warmest one of the summer yet. In the village center, couples and families milled about. Some purchasing little trinkets, others sharing shaved ice treats from street vendors or laughing over raucous games of Kingyo Sukui and competitive ring tossing.
Amid the hubbub, a small child tugged at his mother's hand, "Look, kaa-san, look! Hokage-sama!"
A ripple of excitement went through the crowd as the news spread, before erupting into loud cheering and clapping. The Hokage, accompanied only by his right-hand man and advisor, Shikamaru, waved as he walked past. Tall, sinewy, and blonde, he cut a dashing figure as he made his way through the revellers.
Konoha was thriving, and he was proud of it. Four years later, the village was only starting to forget the specter of war and put it all behind them. The economy was faring well, and Fire Country was at peace with the surrounding regions. Naruto had met with the feudal lord, and he was a good man- a man who shared a similar vision for the future.
As Naruto walked along, greeting the townspeople, Shikamaru glanced down at his watch.
The ceremony would be starting soon, and it was his job to ensure the kind-hearted Hokage arrived on time. Not that it would be easy to pull him away. Naruto never liked turning his back on anyone. It was part of what made him such an excellent leader. Anyone in the village could have the privilege of an audience with the Hokage.
By the time Shikamaru was able to direct Naruto over to the lake, a large crowd of locals had gathered. On a raised dais, Tsunade, and Kakashi were waiting for the young Hokage to take his place. As Naruto walked up, he noticed a familiar figure by the steps.
"Sasuke."
Clasping the former missing nin over the shoulder, the two friends walked up together. "Thanks for finally showing up to something."
"Get your hand off of me, dobe."
"Is that any way to talk to your Hokage, teme?"
"Naruto!" Tsunade stood up, hands on hips. "Are you going to give this speech, or should I? We don't have all night."
Seeming to recall his position, Naruto laughed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Shikamaru had prepared a ceremonial speech for the Hokage, which he now discreetly slipped into his hand. Thanking his right-hand man, Naruto turned back to the village and began addressing his people.
Across from the dais, mingling with the crowd, Sakura stood with Hinata, Tenten and Ino. The others were listening intently to the Hokage's speech, but Sakura's gazed was fixed on Sasuke.
He looked well. He looked healthy.
Beautiful, even. What right did he have to beauty after living such a hard life?
His dark hair looked windswept, one eye covered completely by his unkempt mane, and the black cape he wore told of the life of a traveller. Beneath it, Sakura knew his katana was sheathed at his side. His mouth was pressed into a hard line, brows furrowed as he surveyed the crowd before them, a blank expression on his face.
Could he feel her staring?
Did he know she was there?
Almost as though he could read her thoughts, his gaze turned on her at that very moment and his eyes seemed to flash crimson for a nanosecond before fading back to black. Sakura's heart all but stopped under the full force of his undivided attention. As though there was an invisible string pulling them together, she could not turn away, though she felt a dark flush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.
All she could think about was when she had last seen him.
He had been with someone else- a woman.
That was how she had found out he was dating. And in that moment, all the strength left her and she ran home and cried. Since that day, every childish hope she had ever carried of being with him once he returned to the village had left her.
Uchiha Sasuke didn't want her.
Even after everything.
So why was he still staring at her? Did he know that she knew?
The raucous applause of the audience broke their silent exchange.
"Sakura-chan, are you alright?" Hinata asked softly.
Licking her lips, Sakura blushed furiously, and began smoothing the obi of her yukata. "Yes, yes, of course. I'm fine. It's just really hot."
Sensing a different reason her shy friend smiled. "Should we find a place to sit down? I could bring you some shaved ice."
"What are you two whispering about," Ino hissed from behind them. "Are you keeping secrets from me?"
"Oh God," Sakura moaned, rolling her eyes. "No one's keeping secrets. I'm just feeling a little hot."
"That's because you see a certain someone over there. He does look handsome doesn't he? Who could blame you, forehead?"
The rest of the women turned to survey Sasuke.
The last of the Uchiha was engaged in a low conversation with Kakashi, his dark head bent. Naruto's speech was ending, and the crowd began cheering and clapping, in excited anticipation for the fireworks. Sasuke looked up then, looking every bit the heartthrob idol, and raised an eyebrow at them.
"Oh my goodness! He caught us staring!" Ino squealed, and the other girls burst into raucous laughter. Luckily their mirth was drowned out by the chanting of the crowd. A moment later, fireworks shot across the sky and their attentions turned to the heavens.
Fire Country was known for having the best fireworks in all the lands, and this show was no exception. Dazzling blues and golds exploded over the lake, shattering into a thousand colorful sparks. As the heavens lit up, families and friends walked over to leave a floating lantern in the water. The lanterns symbolized loved ones lost during the great ninja wars.
Hinata had prepared one for her cousin Neji, and Ino had one for her father. It was a beautiful gesture to celebrate the lives of the deceased. Linking arms with Sakura after leaving her lantern, Ino gave her a knowing look, "Should we say hello to him?"
"Who?" Sakura asked innocently.
"You know who."
She knew who, but she learned over time that acting dumb was the best way to deal with her friends attempts to make Sasuke a thing. He was not a thing. They were not a thing.
He had made his intentions clear in the last few years he had spent in the village.
"Ino I really-."
Before she could complete the sentence, Sakura felt a shift in space around her, and suddenly Sasuke and Naruto were on either side of her. Naruto draped a hand over her shoulder. "Yo."
"N-naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered, before bowing awkwardly. "I mean- Hokage-sama-."
For once, Sakura was glad she wasn't the one having a break down in front of her crush.
"You know you don't have to call me that," Naruto joked, still oblivious to Hinata's feelings. "No one else does."
As the others talked, Sakura was hyper aware of the silent figure on her right.
He was close.
So close.
Their arms nearly touching.
It was hard to concentrate on what the others were saying. Could anyone else hear how fast her heart was beating? Could they sense the way her skin was buzzing at the proximity of his body? Was she making an absolute fool of herself?
She couldn't keep standing here pretending to have fun. Suddenly all she wanted was to be at home, in her pajamas, eating ice cream out of a tub and watching reruns on television. Getting dolled up had been such a silly idea.
What was the point of this?
And now her eyes were welling up with tears, and if there was ONE thing she would ABSOLUTELY not do in front of her friends again it was: cry about Uchiha Sasuke ever again.
Without saying a word to anyone, Sakura gently excused herself as she walked past a chatty Ino and TenTen. They were loudly discussing the rules of a drinking game with Choji and Kiba. The others were listening in and laughing hysterically.
No one would notice if she quietly slipped away.
A few moments later, Sakura had left the crowded lakeside behind, turning the corner into a quiet residential road lit only by a single streetlight. If she took this route, she'd be home faster, and she could stop pretending to be okay.
Besides, she wasn't afraid of the dark.
As she walked home, Sakura reached a hand into her hair to remove the chopsticks holding her thick locks back. The hairstyle was pretty, but not the most comfortable. Shaking her hair free, Sakura stopped to place the expensive chopsticks into the drawstring purse she wore over her wrist.
When she looked up, she was no longer alone.
Startled, she let out a small gasp, before cursing: "God. It's you. You scared me."
"Sakura."
Nobody said her name the way he did.
"You know, just because you can sneak up on me doesn't mean you should," Sakura told him, flashing him a smile with a friendliness she did not feel. "Why did you leave the others?"
"I should be asking you that."
It wasn't a question, but Sakura found herself answering anyway: "I'm tired. I- I thought it would be best to go home and rest."
"Ah." He still was not a big talker.
And now they were both standing there stupidly, and she wondered what else he could want. She couldn't even look him in the eye. He knew her too well and would know she was upset. So she found herself crossing her arms, and staring at the ground away from him.
At the ninja academy, they had been forced to learn body language, and she knew the signal she was sending was 'I am upset, and comforting myself' but it was too late to do anything about that now.
"I'm going to head home now."
He wouldn't argue with her, she knew.
He'd take the hint.
She moved and found him fall into step beside her.
"Sasuke-kun-," she began, confused. "I can walk home. I'm fine, I promise you."
He didn't argue with her, but he also didn't give her a response.
Deciding it would be rude to protest further, Sakura allowed him to walk her home in silence. Internally, she was fuming that he had only pity to offer her. Did he think she needed this? Random acts of chivalry to brighten her days? She didn't need this.
"You're angry," he commented. "Why?"
They had arrived at the front steps of her apartment building. The streets were empty expect for a large black cat that belonged to a neighboring family. Turning to face him, she suddenly felt vulnerable and afraid.
This man was the love of her life and did not want to be with her.
How could she explain that?
"I am angry," she admitted softly. "But…not because of you."
He glanced down at her, angling his head to one side quizzically. He was so handsome, and this close, she could hardly believe such a perfect human could also be a deadly shinobi.
"It's just-," she licked her lips, tearing her gaze away. "Awkward."
"Awkward?" He repeated.
"Yes. I mean, everyone knows I had feelings for you when we were younger. And now, now that we're older and you've returned to the village, it's a little awkward to spend time with you-."
"Had?"
"I'm sorry?" She asked, confused by his question.
"You said you had feelings for me."
Sakura nodded: "Yes. When we were younger."
"And now?"
Where was he going with this? Did he really think she would confess her feelings again?
"And now, I'm grown up and I realize that it was a silly crush. I mean, I barely even knew you. We were just children, and we don't have a bond now."
It was a lie. A huge disgusting lie.
But now that she had started lying she couldn't seem to stop: "Besides, you're dating and you know, so am I. In fact, the relationship I'm in is starting to get serious, and that's why I felt so awkward." She laughed, harder than natural so he wouldn't notice the tears she was blinking back. "So it's great. And you don't have to worry about me anymore."
Turning her back to him, she reached into her purse for the key swab to her apartment.
Thank God for the dark.
He would not see the tears streaming down her face, as she let herself in.
"Sakura…"
Forcing a loud, cheerful tone, she interrupted him: "Goodnight, Sasuke-kun!"
Then, before he could say anything else, she shut the door behind herself, and collapsed onto the cold linoleum floor of the apartment lobby.
It didn't matter that he was an elite ninja and would sense her chakra signal behind the door, or know she was upset.
She had finally done it.
She had finally interacted with him as an adult and held her head high to release him of whatever obligation he felt towards her. He did not owe her anything, and it was important for him to know that.
And now he, and everyone else, could stop showing her pity and forget the past.