After dinner, they spent some time on the beach, chatting and watching the sunset in silence. Once darkness had set over the beach, they smothered their fire and made their way inside; after a day of work, they were already quite tired and wanted to get some rest. They spent most of the next morning lying on the beach in the sun, Sakura especially enjoying the warmth on her skin. After a few hours laying on the sand, Sakura stretched and sat up, pondering.
"You know," she began, "there's a hiking trail that starts just down the beach a little bit. Why don't we go for a walk? It's a beautiful little trail that ends just across from the lakehouse." Sakura remembered walking the trail as a kid; she and Ino used to hunt mushrooms and identify plants along the walk. There were even a few times they'd managed to find some sizeable wild blueberry bushes, bringing small buckets home to make blueberry pancakes the next day. Sasuke, on the other hand, loved nature walks. He always found nature was one of the few places he could find himself feeling a sense of peace; the idea of doing something like that with Sakura was even more enticing.
"Sure," he replied with the faintest hint of enthusiasm, standing up and brushing some sand off himself. "How long does it usually take?"
"Mm, a couple of hours. Why don't I pack some snacks and sandwiches, and we can have lunch along the trail?" Sakura offered.
"Even better," Sasuke agreed. "Sounds like a wonderful plan. I'll let you get those ready to go, and I'll pack our stuff up here." He picked up the towels and folded the chairs, carrying them back to the house while she went inside to prepare some snacks and sandwiches in a small cooler that could easily be carried. Once it was ready and packed, Sakura reached into the closet, pulling out a small quilt that would be the perfect size for them to lay out on the ground and eat. With everything packed, she changed into some better shoes for hiking and locked the door, leading Sasuke toward the start of the trail.
They hiked for a while in silence, listening only to the sounds they could hear: there was a small stream running down toward the lake that could be heard just off the path, accompanied by the knocking sound of woodpeckers on a few of the nearby trees. Other birds could be heard chirping in the trees, singing their lovely songs as the sun peeked through the leafy canopy above them.
"Ino and I used to come along this trail all the time when we were kids," Sakura said as she scanned the sides of the trail. "We used to try and identify different mushrooms and plants and learned what was edible and what wasn't. One time, we came across a really nice blueberry bush that was chock full of berries." Those days were fond memories, eliciting a chuckle from the pinkette. "I remember we raced back along the trail and begged our parents for a pail so we could go back. Once we got it, we rushed back at lightning speed and started picking them. We were here for hours, filling the whole pail. We brought them back to the house and had blueberry pancakes the next morning. By far the best blueberry pancakes I've ever had." The more she talked about that, the more she wanted to make blueberry pancakes for herself.
"Hey, should we maybe try and find that bush? We can grab a few and fill a couple of the sandwich containers with berries and have blueberry pancakes tomorrow morning. I think they should be in season." Sasuke wasn't one for pancakes, given he wasn't a fan of sweet things, but the energetic and pleading look on her face was something he couldn't resist. He'd love to watch her face light up making them, and if it made her happy, he'd eat them.
"Yeah, we can. I'll follow your lead on it since I don't think I'll be able to identify them very well." Sakura practically bounced on the spot at his agreement, turning and picking up her pace along the trail as she checked either side. She even occasionally waded into the greenery a little bit and checked a few of the plants, eyes searching for the bush she knew she was looking for. After about half an hour of walking along the trail, she spotted the familiar greenery.
"There!" She called, rushing toward it. It was a perfect spot for them to have lunch, too; there was a small clearing where they could lay the blanket out beside the bushes and have a good meal. Following to where Sakura had pointed, Sasuke lifted the blanket and spread it out, setting the cooler on one corner while she was energetically sampling the berries on the bush.
"Mm... As rich and sweet as I remember," she reminisced, bringing a small handful over to Sasuke. "Here," she said, holding one aloft between her fingers in his direction. He contemplated for a moment before leaning down and taking the berry from her outstretched hand in his mouth, chewing and savouring the taste. It was surprisingly tart; he recalled blueberries being a much sweeter berry. Perhaps this particular type was different.
"It's okay," he said with a shrug. "I'm not a fan of sweet things, so it's probably more your style than it is mine." He took a seat down on the blanket, patting the spot next to him for her to sit. Sakura shyly took the spot, pulling out the sandwiches and giving him one before pulling out her own and taking a bite. She was seated right next to him; she was close enough to feel the warmth radiating from him. He leaned back and rested his palm on the blanket behind her, just close enough that they were barely touching, but not enough that he had his arm directly around her.
Sakura could feel her heart racing. She took deep breaths to remain calm, but she was still giddy every time they were close like this. Any time he touched her, she felt like her body was on fire in a metaphorical sense; the warmth and firmness from his touch always lingered for a while after. Perhaps it was the fact that he was always so gentle with her like she was made of porcelain. He was her sense of safety no matter where they went.
They are in silence, enamoured by the sounds of nature around them; the sound of robins and blue jays chirping in the trees above them, the familiar knocking of a woodpecker on a tree, the soft sound of a small creek that ran along the walking trail.
"You really like being around nature, don't you?" Sakura asked after she'd finished her sandwich. She'd observed his demeanour on their walk, and from what she'd noticed, he seemed more peaceful and at ease than she'd ever seen him. He was almost smiling. Almost.
"Hmm?" He was surprised by her question. Her observation had been correct, but it wasn't the real reason he was so calm and relaxed. H hadn't been paying as much attention to the nature around them as he'd like. He was too busy watching her. Too busy focusing on how happy she appeared, how much she was smiling, how at ease she felt; that in turn made him feel even the tiniest spark of joy.
"Yeah, I do," he admitted with a shrug. He contemplated before continuing. "We... used to have this little forest by the house. My brother and I managed to make a small path into the trees we could follow, even at night; we bought little solar lights to illuminate the path. It led to this little clearing where the trees were thick at the top; even when it rained, you could stay perfectly dry under the tree. I... heard a good portion of it got caught in... the fire." His last words were heavier, and he couldn't bring himself to say Itachi's name aloud. The memories felt distant, old like they were from another life.
"That sounds like it was a lot of fun," Sakura replied enthusiastically. "I kind of wish we'd known each other as kids. I would have always gone there with you if we did." She chuckled sheepishly. "Well, if I could have had the courage to ask, of course." Oh, weren't those the days? She remembered them all too well.
"Courage? What do you mean?" Sasuke asked as they began to pack up their blanket and lunch, hoisting it over his shoulder as Sakura filled a container with blueberries.
"Sheesh, Ino never told you? I was timid as a kid. I mean really shy. I had this huge forehead, and I was really self-conscious about it, and other kids would make fun of me for it all the time. I never had the courage to make any friends because of that. Ino was the one who stepped forward." Sakura finished filling her container and began to lead the way down the path as she continued.
"This one girl, Mika, she was nasty. Ino was new at the school, so she came up and threw these flowers in the girl's mouth and told her they were poisonous to bullies. Mika's face was horrified, and she ran to the teacher. Ino told the rest of what happened, and between my snotty, crying face and Ino's insistence, we didn't get in trouble. Mika never messed with me when Ino was around after that."
Reaching into her pocket, Sakura pulled out her keys, revealing the red lanyard she had on them. "See this lanyard? It used to be a long ribbon. Ino gave it to me, so when I outgrew it, I folded it and sewed it into this lanyard. We were friends since then. She helped me come out of my shell a lot, enough that I could talk to people without hiding behind her or sinking into a corner." She still retained elements of that shyness from her childhood, but they were rare and hard to come by.
"I see," Sasuke replied simply. "So the two of you are... like sisters, almost." It was a bond he could understand. He and Naruto were similar. They bickered and snarked at one another often, but at the end of the day, they had each other's back no matter what. There was a deep, unspoken loyalty between them that couldn't be described in words.
"Yeah, pretty much." After a few more minutes, they reached the exit of the path; at some point, they'd looped back around and ended up right across from the lake house. "And here we are," Sakura announced. "Whoo... I don't know about you, but I think an afternoon nap is a good idea. Then we can have dinner and spend the evening on the beach, and maybe go for a nighttime swim."
"If you want to take a nap, you can. I have a few case files I want to take a fresh look at. After a walk like that, I might be fresh enough to find new avenues to pursue." He'd let Sakura nap for a little while and take just a couple of hours to read on the files. It sounded like she had a relaxing evening planned for them.
"Okay, then. Don't wear yourself out, though," Sakura warned as she made her way up the stairs toward the bedroom, crawling into the bed and closing her eyes.
"I won't," Sasuke mumbled as he sat down in one of the comfortable chairs, files in hand and ready to study.