Sakura was almost shocked by what she saw. His back and chest were riddled with scars; she could tell that they were the remnants of many skin grafts that he must have endured as a kid. They were healed, but they were obvious. Anyone could tell that he'd suffered greatly in the process. She was doing her best not to stare, but that was difficult; not only were they obvious, but it wasn't just the scars she was staring at. It was him she stared at. Damn... Any girl who would have seen him like this, even beyond the scars, would have felt the same way she did. He was incredibly attractive. She could feel the heat rush to her cheeks as she climbed down into the water, wading toward him.
He could tell she was staring. He had expected such, but he could also tell that she was trying not to. The way her cheeks flushed in the low light, he could tell that it wasn't just the scars that she was staring at. It was a relief to him. He certainly hadn't expected her to stare at everything else as much as she was, though. It stroked his ego a little bit. Other girls had stared at him with similar looks, but it felt different coming from Sakura.
She stood before him, turning her gaze up to his face as she enjoyed the warmth of the water. A night swim had definitely been the best idea for them; there was something very different about swimming at night than the daytime. Seeing him watching her intently, she turned her gaze shyly away, chewing her lip and trying to swallow her nerves.
That glance away made the corners of his lips tug into a smile, seeing her bashful and timid once more. He pulled her close against him, tight enough that her head rested against his chest. They stood in silence for some time before he realized something.
Sakura... was crying. Why would she be crying? She had no reason to. Had he said or done something wrong?
Sakura knew why she was crying. Seeing the scars he had, she could only imagine the suffering he'd endured. She remembered her own pain and realized the pain he experienced would have been tenfold. Longer. More brutal. Years and years of recovery, rehabilitation, dealing with people who would have more questions than he wanted to answer... all of it made her heart ache for him. She could tell he wasn't the type of person to cry; she couldn't help but let her own heart cry out for him.
"Sakura?" He asked with concern, pulling away to look at her. A palm reached up to her face, brushing away a tear. "What's wrong?" His gaze was filled with worry; she sniffled and wiped at her other eye, doing what she could to compose herself.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "It's just, I... seeing all those scars, I can't help but think about everything you must have gone through. All the pain, the suffering, the years of rehabilitation and all that, and you were just a kid... none of that sounds fair, none at all." As she blubbered out her words, he quickly understood what was happening. She cared so deeply about his suffering, deeply enough that it triggered emotions in her. She had such a big heart, one that was pure, honest, and kind to a fault.
He stood in front of her, reaching forward to place a hand under her chin, drawing her tear-stained gaze back up to his. He wanted to say those words. Those three words that dug at him, those words that caught in his throat no matter how hard he tried to say them. Each moment was another step toward it. He couldn't express it verbally, but he felt it. He knew he felt it.
He would express it the only way he knew how. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips gently against hers, his other arm reaching around her waist as his palm rested on her cheek. Her smaller frame was pulled tightly against his as he continued to kiss her deeply and passionately, his hand reaching from her cheek to the back of her head, fingers tangling in her pink tresses as their lips remained locked together.
The moment he kissed her, Sakura felt a wave of dizziness come over her, feeling light-headed from the gesture. It was his arm that kept her steady; his kisses always made her weak in the knees. As his hand was on her cheek, fingers reaching to tangle in her hair, she allowed her hands to wander a bit, running over the scarred ridges on his bare chest. Tears still lingered, but Sakura almost forgot them in the heat of the moment. She felt love and passion behind his kiss, the kind of spark you couldn't get from just anyone. She could feel him thanking her, wordlessly understanding what she felt when she saw what he'd endured. She loved him, without a doubt, but she was too scared to admit it just yet. Love, this early on in their relationship? They were still in a fragile state by relationship standards. Then again, nothing was really "normal" about it. Nothing at all.
If he kept kissing her like this, though... she wouldn't mind. Not at all. They would get to where they needed to eventually, no sooner and no later. After what felt like forever, their kiss broke, and Sakura felt him pull her in close, keeping her frame close to his. She wrapped her arms around his waist in response, burying her face against his shoulder as they savoured the moment. A small breeze blew over the water, causing Sakura to shiver briefly; it was then that Sasuke realized just how late it had become. "Let's head back inside," he said as he released her, reluctance clear in his motions.
They woke up early the next day, ready to tackle the last part of their weekend: a short canoe trip around the lake. It had been years since Sakura had been in a canoe, but what better to do than go through almost every old activity she'd missed in years past? She was here to share her experiences with Sasuke, and getting as many of those in as possible was best.
She was up long before he was, humming away in the kitchen as she made breakfast for the both of them. She'd opted for pancakes for herself but took the time to add some extra eggs, bacon, and sausage on the side, something that was more Sasuke's style. She was cooking up a storm in the kitchen when he came down with bleary eyes, hair still a mess from sleep. He was about to head for the kitchen when she stopped him.
"Nu-uh, sir. You take a seat," she instructed carefully, turning him around and guiding him to one of the seats.
"I just want some coffee," he said groggily, even sounding a bit grumpy.
"I know." She'd returned with the coffee pot and a cup, setting the cup down and pouring him one. "But you're also supposed to be vacationing, and I've heard you don't do that very well, so I'm making you sit down and be pampered a little for the morning. I'm not taking no for an answer, so you're just going to have to get used to it." She let out a soft giggle, hesitating briefly before she gently pecked him on the cheek and went back to her cooking. His only response was a grunt, sipping at his black coffee as he let her do as she pleased.
Within moments there was a wonderful spread of food in front of him and a smiling pinkette sitting adjacent to him, her own plate loaded with a bunch of pancakes. He saw a few left on the center of the table; curiosity got the better of him as he reached for the smallest one. He wouldn't put any jam or syrup on them, but a bit of butter would do. The blueberries had tasted okay yesterday, so he would try at least a small one to make her happy.
Sakura was quite surprised to see him take one of the pancakes; she'd expected him to pass on them but seeing him try one made her smile grow brighter. She hummed softly as they ate, picking up the last of the dishes and making sure to wash them. "Okay, so, today's plan," she began as she was washing, "is we'll make a quick canoe trip around the lake, and then once we're back, we'll finish packing and head back after dinner. Then it'll be laundry, bed, and work the next day. Sound good?"
"Yeah. Just one thing, though," he said as he brought his dishes to her for washing. "I've never been in a canoe." In fact, he had no idea how even to work one.
"It's easy. The only thing you'll want to be careful with is how quickly you're rowing. You're stronger than me, so it'll be easier for you to work the paddle compared to me, so you have to take things easy, kind of leisurely. We'll canoe to the far bank where there's a nice beach, have lunch, and then we'll circle back around. That should get us here by late afternoon or so, enough to have a quick dinner and head out." She clearly had the whole day planned for them.
After breakfast, they headed out into the water, Sakura spending most of the first bit coaching him to control the canoe. She sat him in the back, occasionally turning around to give him tips and coaxing him to be relaxed. He was stiff at first in the canoe, uncertain, but after a bit, he relaxed, and it was easier to control things. They stopped for lunch and a quick swim on the beach on the opposite side of the lake, then set out again, canoeing around the other side until they were back at the lakehouse. Dinner was quick, and they were on the road back home, Sakura watching out the window with an elated expression as they drove.
Sasuke spent most of the drive occasionally glancing at Sakura. The joy he'd seen in her was something he wanted to commit to memory forever; he wanted her to be happy like this always, no matter what was going on. He would do his best to make that happen... though he knew he wasn't perfect, and he was sure that at some point, he would screw it up. But no matter what, he would do his best to make amends if it happened. He had to. She deserved it.
He did, too. But he'd never admit that aloud, especially not to her.
"Sakura," he started awkwardly, chewing his lip briefly. "Did... you have fun?" Her reaction was one thing, but he needed to hear it from her. Emotions could be falsified, but emotions and words couldn't always be.
"Hm?" She was surprised he asked; she could tell he felt a bit awkward doing so. "I did," she said, turning her bright smile on him. "I had a lot of fun, actually. It was nice just to get away, not have to think about work or anything that's going on. Not having to be afraid if you heard something outside, because it's more likely to be wildlife or just the wind than anything else." At the lake house, she felt free and safe, akin to how she felt whenever he was around. His house, more accurately, gave her that sense. Perhaps it was just his presence that did that much for her.
"Good. That's... good." Glancing over, Sakura could see that the corners of his lips had turned up in a smile. That must have meant he had fun, too. Feeling a wave of happiness wash over her at his reaction, Sakura turned back to the window, quietly watching the scenery go by for most of the rest of the drive. It wasn't long before they were back home, unpacked, laundry in, and ready for bed.