Sasuke flipped through the handful of files that he'd brought with him to the lakehouse, ready to tackle the information from a different perspective after their refreshing nature walk. He felt renewed and refreshed, making notes on small tabs he'd put in the files. The more he read, the more confident he felt; he was coming up with new connections he could explore, connections that might help them solve the cases. He made it through most of the files before coming to the last one, the one he'd been dreading.
The folder was a series of newspaper clippings and other things, but the headline in the front stood out most prominently. It was an article about a house fire where the blaze had killed two adults, and a young boy had survived. The newspaper had put out no names in the article to protect the boy's privacy. Still, the article noted that his elder brother was missing and potentially responsible for the fire.
It was the only case Sasuke had never been able to solve. He wasn't in charge of it, but he kept up with the original detectives that had investigated it. Most of them had been retired, and they knew who he was; they knew exactly why Sasuke wanted to solve it and were more than willing to help... along with cautionary tales about letting it take over his life too much. Sasuke knew why they warned against such things, and he couldn't care less. That moment was the reason he'd decided on the path he did. He didn't want to kill his brother; revenge wasn't exactly what he wanted.
No... he wanted his brother to see justice. He wanted his brother behind bars, where he could look at him and say that he'd done it. He'd done right by their parents. He'd done what he needed to do to solve the case of their death. It would put all the agony he'd live with to rest once and for all. That was his goal. His only goal in life.
Sasuke's gaze snapped up as he heard a noise on the stairs, seeing a bleary-eyed Sakura coming down and rubbing her eyes, still half asleep from her nap. There was something adorable about the way she stood there, half-grumbling with sleep.
"You still look tired," he commented gently. "You can go back to sleep if you want. I'm okay." He beckoned her over, letting her sit on the couch beside him.
"No, I'm fine; I don't want to sleep too much." She smiled softly and leaned against him. "Thanks, though. I appreciate your concern." Sakura looked much more refreshed with a yawn and a stretch, shaking her head to clear it. "Okay, time to make dinner. Anything you'd like?"
Sasuke thought for a brief moment, going through what food she'd brought with her. "Didn't you bring sausages? We... could roast them over the fire outside on the beach." He also had snuck something in that was more up her alley but would be the perfect dessert for roasted sausages.
"Yeah, we can do that. I'll get the fire going, and you get the sausages ready." Sakura was out the door and preparing the fire while he had a moment to dig around for the ingredients he'd brought. Sakura had enough forethought to bring marshmallows to roast, but he'd gone one step further, bringing a decent-sized chocolate bar and a small box of graham crackers. She seemed to like just about anything sweet, so this would have to suffice for her for now.
Making his way out, he kept the sweets hidden in a smaller bag, subtly sliding it underneath his folding chair where she wouldn't see it as he handed her the sausages. She had the roasting sticks ready to go, sliding a sausage onto the stick and handing it to him before preparing her own. He took a seat in front of the fire, leaning the stick against the bricks that contained the fire, using the heat from the flames to cook his dinner slowly.
"We can have dinner and then go for a swim after that, if you'd like," Sakura offered as she began to roast her own sausage.
"I had an idea, actually," Sasuke interjected. He was trying to make things just a little better for her. "Why don't we sit on the dock and watch the sunset? Then we can go for a swim once it's dark." That was supposed to be romantic, right? He'd heard it was. Naruto had suggested it before they left.
"That sounds like a great idea," Sakura replied energetically. "I'd love that. We'll do that, then. Oh! Did you grab the marshmallows for dessert, too? I can go grab them after if you forgot." She seemed intent on having one after dinner. Nodding, Sasuke reached under his chair and produced the bag, sliding it in Sakura's direction. He couldn't ever seem to make eye contact when he did small things like this; he never knew what to say. He wasn't particularly good with expressing himself. The most he could do was watch as she dug through the bag, her face lighting up as she saw what else he'd brought.
"You brought all of this for me?" She asked in shock.
"Yeah," he replied, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "You like sweets, so... I thought it was a good idea." Had he messed up? Was it a dumb idea? It probably was. Definitely was. He was trying way too hard, wasn't he? Way too hard. Too many things. Sakura was going to think he was an idiot. A try-hard.
As Sakura looked in the bag, she was deeply surprised by what she saw. It was fixings for s'mores, something that she'd even kicked herself about halfway through the drive there for forgetting. He'd gone to the trouble of picking them up, and he'd managed to keep it a secret from her at the same time. It was a sweet gesture; it showed he really did think about her, even if it was in small ways. Sakura wasn't one for material things, but small gestures like this warmed her heart deeply. It almost made her want to cry, but she held back, trying to find the right words to say back to him.
"Thanks. I... you didn't have to, but I appreciate it. I love s'mores." She was smiling widely, excitement sparkling in her eyes. "I'll definitely be having way too many of those after dinner," she added with a laugh, setting the bag aside. That was a relief. He didn't want her to think he was trying too hard to impress her. He'd never done this sort of thing in his life for anyone.
Realizing his sausage appeared to be done based on the crispy outside, he pulled it out of the heat and carefully slid it into a bun, adding a touch of mustard and some smoky barbecue sauce before biting into it. It was cheese-filled, much to his surprise; he wasn't expecting it, but it was quite tasty. He was hungrier than he'd expected, finishing the first sausage quickly and realizing he still wanted a second one. They were quietly enjoying one another's company as they ate dinner, Sakura quickly beginning to roast her marshmallow.
"Hey, you think you can help me with this? There's kind of an art to it, but it's easier with a second person," she explained before pointing to the graham crackers. "Can you get a little piece of chocolate and two crackers? Put the chocolate on one of the crackers, and then when this is done, you sandwich it between and pull the marshmallow off the stick. It's harder to do when you're holding the stick at the same time." Sasuke did as instructed, preparing it and quickly capturing the marshmallow when Sakura had it ready. It got his hands a little sticky in the process, but it wasn't anything he couldn't wash off in the water later. He watched her struggle to eat it, hardly understanding how one could enjoy such an unbearably messy treat... not to mention the fact that it was incredibly sweet, far too sweet for him. He tried not to laugh as she was wiping off her hands and face with the corner of her towel that she'd moistened in the water. If she liked it, that was enough for him.
"Okay. To the dock!" She proclaimed, pumping a fist into the air before reaching for his hand, leading him off the beach and to the end of the dock, sitting down with just her toes brushing the water at the end. He took a seat next to her, his own feet a bit further into the water as they sat there. He'd made sure to sit close to her, this time choosing to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close. He was working up the courage to do what he'd wanted to all day; not once yet had he kissed her. Their affections were rare; in fact, they were both quite awkward and at the very start of their relationship. They were still figuring things out. That didn't mean they cared about each other any less; it was just that neither of them seemed to know the best way to express those feelings to one another. In essence, they were both incredibly shy, but in very different ways.
Tonight would be a little different. He'd make an effort. He'd been trying to, at the very least. They quietly watched the sunset, watching the colour of the horizon slowly change as the sun sank below it.
"Hey... can I ask you something?" Sakura asked, glancing up at him. There'd been a question burning at her for weeks now that she hadn't managed to work up the courage to ask, but tonight she felt, was a perfect time. If he didn't want to answer, she wouldn't push it, but she hoped he might give her a little insight.
"Yeah. Anything," he replied honestly. He could tell what she wanted to ask seemed important to her.
"I just... I wanted to know... why did you become a cop?" She wasn't sure if that was the best way to phrase it, so she continued. "I mean... People choose their career paths for a reason, right? Ino and I both wanted to help people, so we chose different ways to do that. I chose what I did because it's a job people never seem to want to do, and it's a job that requires compassion, intelligence, and attention to detail, all things I was good at, so... I just wanted to know why you chose what you did." That was an unexpected question; he'd thought by now, knowing what she did about him, that Sakura would have been able to figure it out.
"Because of my brother," he replied, quickly realizing that wasn't the best way to phrase it. "I... don't want revenge on him or anything. But I do think, since it's obvious he was responsible for what happened to our parents, for what happened to me, that he deserves to be brought to justice. That, and... I believed no one deserved to suffer the way I did. People do horrible things, sometimes for horrible reasons, sometimes for petty reasons. If I can stop others from being victimized by that, then I will. I know the law isn't absolute, and sometimes rules have to be bent if needed, but... when it comes to the truly depraved out there, they don't deserve to continue doing what they're doing. Hidan is one example." He hoped Sakura understood that.
"So... you don't regret killing him? You don't feel bad about it?" She wasn't sure she fully understood why he'd mentioned Hidan.
"Yes and no. I don't feel that my choices were wrong; they were warranted in that situation. It was either him or an innocent–you–who would die in that instance. I had to make that split-second decision, and I knew that the life of someone completely innocent was more important than his. Yes, life is life, but if it meant saving the life of someone innocent, then I wouldn't question my decision. It's a lot of power for one person to hold, and it's a lot of responsibility. I feel like I'm equipped to make those decisions." Some part of him felt like he wasn't doing the explanation justice, but he was trying. There was one more thing, though...
"That, and... I swore to myself I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Sakura felt his grip around her waist tighten like he were angry he'd even let it come close. Before she could ask about it, the sun had finally set, and he changed the subject. "C'mon. Let's get in the water. It still feels nice and warm." Now was his moment of truth; he was going to take a leap of faith. Releasing his grip on her, he drew a breath in and lifted the shirt he'd been wearing up over his head, tossing it on the dock before jumping into the water. It was the moment of truth. How would Sakura react to what she saw?