AN: So I've reached a point in this story where I had to take some time to do some brainstorming. I pretty much spent all of last week brainstorming scenes and mapping out chapters. Before now, I've had a general direction for where I've wanted this story to go and chapters in my mind that I wanted to write. But now we've reached a point in story where I realized I needed to map out some conflict and scenes that would result in the end game that I've had in my mind this entire time. Now, I have a more clear picture of how I want to get to where I know I'm heading. I want "Always You" to have a purpose that drives the journey of Sasuke and Sakura's journey instead of endless chapters of fluff (although fluff is definitely fun). So hopefully this process of creating chapters will be more streamlined now! Hope you enjoy and thank you for the endless support!
I do not own Naruto.
Chapter Fourteen
After many sessions together, Sasuke was getting the hang of medical ninjutsu. For hands that were so used to fighting, he seemed to struggle to use those same hands for healing instead. It was endearing to Sakura how Sasuke continued with their lessons when in the past he surely would have scoffed at the idea of taking the time to practice healing rather than combat training.
"Alright, I think you're ready for us to try something different," Sakura said as she grabbed her kunai from her weapons pouch.
Sakura had taken Sasuke through the regular exercises such as using his chakra to separate liquids, heal fish, and sew the wounds of practice dummies. It was time to move on to the real thing. Using the tip of her kunai, Sakura made a long cut on her left shoulder and a small trickle of blood spilled from the wound.
"I want you to close up this wound for me," Sakura said as Sasuke nodded and faced her shoulder from where he sat next to her on the couch in her apartment.
Sasuke's lone right hand glowed green as it hovered over her wound. Sakura watched closely as he attempted to stitch the cut closed. The chakra emanating from his palm stung and Sakura resisted the urge to wince. His eyebrows were knitted together in concern and she could tell he was beginning to become stressed.
"Try to imagine warm, comforting chakra flowing from you onto your patient. Remember, you're not only trying to repair the wound but comfort your patient by numbing the pain."
Sasuke took a small breath and focused his energy on the chakra that poured from his hand onto the cut. A soothing sensation replaced the sting and Sakura began to admire his handiwork as he finished stitching the wound.
As Sasuke withdrew his hand, Sakura eyed her shoulder. The cut that had been there moments ago was nothing more than a faint white line, impressive for his first time on a live patient.
"That's great, Sasuke-kun! You did well," Sakura remarked, smiling up at him.
Wordlessly, Sasuke bent over her and lightly brushed his lips against the skin of her shoulder. Sakura held her breath as she watched him with wide eyes. His lips lingered where the wound had been, long enough for Sakura to register her pounding heart as the only sound in the still room. He stayed there and lifted his mismatched eyes to look at her. As he watched her from beneath his lashes, Sakura felt every movement of his lips against her skin as he mumbled, "Perfect."
Sakura's face flushed and warm heat pooled into her stomach. Giddy energy overcame her and Sakura jerked back. She slapped her hands against her red cheeks and turned away from him as she giggled nervously.
What's wrong with me?! Sakura scolded herself silently as she cupped her cheeks, trying to will the blush away from her face. But... Sakura glanced back at the man who was still watching her with an intense gaze. That was so different!
Sasuke smirked to himself as Sakura hid her face from him in embarrassment. Her reaction to his bold move reminded him acutely of how Sakura would react around him during their genin days. Sasuke hadn't realized how much he missed the way Sakura used to outpour her affections, clinging her body onto his arm as if she was trying to mold herself into him. Or how every simple thing he did caused her to squeal in excitement and giggle stupidly. Sakura now was obviously much more mature and he appreciated that he was able to spend time with her without the pinkette becoming overbearing with her affections. But seeing her flustered this way gave Sasuke a small thrill that he couldn't deny.
Since he had taken Sakura to the Uchiha compound with him, Sasuke could feel his inhibitions chipping away with every interaction they had. The part of him that worried over the ramifications of their deepening bond grew quieter day by day. Instead, he could feel that side of his heart being replaced by a deeper sense of hunger that demanded he grow closer to her. Sasuke found it more difficult to control impulsive actions such as these and that seemed to terrify him even more as he felt himself ripping at the seams.
But reactions like this from the pink-haired woman were well worth it.
"Sakura."
"Hm?" She hummed dazedly as she glanced back at him.
"I have to go. Can you meet me at my apartment tomorrow when you finish your shift?"
"O-oh. Yeah, sure."
Sakura rapped her knuckles against the door to Sasuke's apartment and waited nervously for him to come to the door. This was the first time Sasuke had invited her here and she couldn't help but wonder for what purpose. She touched her chest, feeling the cherry blossom necklace that rested beneath her shirt as her mind drifted to their interaction last night. Sakura could still feel the heat of Sasuke's lips against her shoulder and his eyes boring into hers.
The door opened, jerking Sakura away from her thoughts and her head snapped up. Sasuke stood behind the door and moved aside to let her in. As she stepped into the room, she greeted Sasuke with a warm hello and eyed the space.
"I'll just be a few minutes," Sasuke said, and retreated into what Sakura assumed was his bedroom.
Sakura stood awkwardly in the middle of the room and ran her eyes over the living area. It seemed Sasuke hadn't decorated it much, but why would he when it seemed he rarely spent time here? She noted his mother's empty vase on the table.
I should bring him flowers for her vase. Sasuke-kun might like that...
Her eyes continued to scan the room and she caught the sight of his family photo in the corner. Sakura walked towards it, hungry to get another look at his family. As she walked towards the table, she noted another photo next to it and smiled. Sakura gingerly picked up the frame of Team 7 during their genin days. Sakura stood with a beaming smile between the two scowling boys who had grown to become her very best friends.
"Things sure have changed, huh..." Sakura said to herself as she stared at the photo in her hand. She couldn't help but have mixed feelings when looking at this picture. It was the very same one she would often stare at alone in her room after Sasuke first left the village so many years ago. She'd cry herself to sleep, feeling so helpless and praying for his safe return. Even back when the picture was taken, Sasuke was beginning to become consumed by darkness regardless of how many days they spent together becoming closer as a team.
Sasuke-kun is here now, Sakura reminded herself. And that's what matters.
Despite telling herself this, a small part of Sakura's heart whispered to her in the background, What do I mean to you now, Sasuke-kun? It's different with us now... Right?
Sakura sighed and began to set the frame back down. As she did, her eyes caught a folded piece of paper that had been sitting behind the picture. Sakura glanced towards the bedroom as she picked up the mysterious note. As she began to unfold it, she paused, set it back down, and walked away.
I shouldn't be snooping, Sakura thought as she walked back towards the middle of the room. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Sasuke to return. She folded her arms, rocked back and forth on heels, and sighed as her green eyes glanced back at the picture.
Oh, what the hell, Sakura thought as she darted back towards the picture and plucked the paper from behind it. Quickly unfolding it to reveal the contents, Sakura eyes scanned the paper rappidly so as not to be caught in the act.
Her eyes widened. This is...
Good morning, Sasuke-kun!
I hope you're feeling better. Your wound should be fine by now, but if it starts acting up, I left some salve on the bedside table for you. I've got a long shift at the hospital and...
Sakura read the rest of the note and saw her small signature at the bottom. She blinked slowly as she clutched the note close to her heart. It was the note Sakura had left Sasuke on her coffee table the first night he'd slept in her room.
Sasuke-kun kept this? Why would he...?
The sound of footsteps startled Sakura from her thoughts and she hurriedly folded the note and placed it back in its spot behind the photo. She eyed the spot and slightly rearranged the picture to where she thought it had been to cover up her snooping. Once she was satisfied, Sakura darted towards the couch and sat down, doing her best impression of a guilty culprit attempting to act casual.
Sasuke stepped into the room and raised an eyebrow at her.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Me?" Sakura said innocently. "Oh yeah, never better. Why do you ask?"
Sasuke's eyes slid over the room and Sakura tensed as they rested on the photos and the note that they both knew was hidden behind it. Sasuke rolled his eyes and said, "No reason. Come on, let's go."
"We're leaving? Then why did you ask me to come over?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her as he slipped on his sandles by the door. "I didn't want to wait on you outside of the hospital. You never get off of work when you say that you will."
Sakura's eyebrow twitched and she sighed. That's the only reason, huh?
The pair walked to the end of the dock overlooking a lake. The water's surface glinted like a crystal against the sun and every small ripple caused by fish created a wave of sparkles. Sakura's eyes widened as she observed the scenery.
"So pretty..." Sakura mumbled as she smiled and clasped her hands behind her back.
"You never come here?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura shook her head. "Not often, it's kind of far from my usual route. It's nice out here, though. I guess I never properly appreciated it."
Sasuke hummed as he considered this. It wasn't abnormal. This dock was where he had spent many childhood days, as it was close to the Uchiha compound on the outskirts of the village. Being far from town meant he was rarely interrupted during childhood when he'd sit out here.
Sakura seemed content to simply stare out over the water's surface. Wordlessly, Sasuke performed the Tiger hand seal and blew a large ball of fire from his mouth over the water.
"What the-?!" Sakura exclaimed at the unexpected event and held her hands up as if to shield her face from an oncoming attack.
As the fire began to fizzle, Sasuke glanced at Sakura. "Katon no Jutsu. I decided to teach you that here."
"B-but..." Sakura blinked as she nervously looked out at the water and smoke disappearing into the air. "I can't learn that."
"Why not?"
"I've never used fire release before and I don't know if I can and-"
"Are you scared?"
"O-of course not!" Sakura frowned and her cheeks puffed up at the accusation, to Sasuke's amusement.
"Then there's no excuse. Just try it."
Sakura faced the water and squared her shoulders. Sasuke watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. When she opened them, Sakura used the hand seal and took a large gulp of air. When she blew out over the water, nothing but air escaped her lips.
They stood silent for a moment waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. Sakura's eyes began to twitch as she was confronted by her utter failure. Sasuke rubbed his hand over his mouth to cover his smile and he cleared his throat.
"That was... a good first try," he said.
Sakura returned his comment with a glare and a small, "Shut up."
It had been several weeks since that first day out on the dock where Sasuke had decided to teach Sakura the jutsu sacred to those in his clan. By the end of the day, she'd managed to create a small breath of fire out onto the water. Although Sakura clearly wasn't satisfied with this, Sasuke was a bit impressed. Fire release didn't come naturally to her, being that she had an affinity for water release. Despite Sakura having excellent chakra control, learning an elemental jutsu outside of one's comfort would be difficult for anyone.
They hadn't had more than a handful of time to train together using fire release over the weeks between Sakura's work, the medical ninjutsu training, and Naruto's clinginess. The blonde had been incessant and nagged that he and Sasuke hadn't spent enough time together. More than once, Sasuke rolled his eyes at his friend and asked, "Don't you have a wife that you can bother?"
Today, Sasuke was having trouble locating the pink-haired kunoichi. He'd checked the hospital, her home, the dango shop, and even risked checking Naruto's home. The blonde snickered and said, "Sakura-chan's already hiding from you, huh? Never thought I'd see the day where the roles would reverse and you would be chasing after her."
"Idiot," Sasuke snapped and stalked off. He shoved his lone hand into his pocket as he wandered into the village. Naruto had always seemed to know how to press his buttons. Despite knowing it was ridiculous, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder, Am I scaring her off?
He thought back to the way she'd reacted towards the small gestures of affection he'd been giving her. The forehead poke, his hug upon returning to the village, brushing food from the corner of her mouth, grasping her hand in his, and touching his lips to her shoulder...
They all seemed to be met with a positive response.
As Sasuke was pondering this, his footsteps carried him closer to the dock near the Uchiha compound. A blur of pink caught his eye and looked towards the water where he saw the woman in question standing at the edge of the dock. Sasuke silently crept closer, watching as she braced her hands on her knees, huffing with exhaustion. When Sasuke had made his way to the opposite end of the dock, Sakura formed the Tiger seal and took in a gulp of air. As she released it, a large ball of flame shot out of her mouth and over the water's surface. Sasuke's mismatched eyes widened at the near-perfect execution of Katon no jutsu.
As the ball of fire began to dissipate, Sasuke shifted his feet and a plank of wood creaked beneath him. Sakura started and her head whipped around to acknowledge his presence.
"Did you see that, Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura exclaimed in excitement. Her pink lips were charred and the sweat on her brow had caused her bangs to cling to her forehead. Sasuke noticed the small burn on her cheek that she'd neglected to heal in favor of saving her chakra to train.
"Well?" she continued, green eyes sparkling. "What do you think?"
She's been out here training on her own all this time?
As he watched her eagerly awaiting his response, Sasuke was reminded of when he'd asked his father to come out to the dock to witness his progress with fire release. Fugaku wordlessly walked away and Sasuke could acutely recall the disappointment he'd felt at that moment. But then his father paused in the middle of the dock to give him the kind of praise that was normally reserved for Itachi.
"As expected of my child. You have done well. From now on, you can proudly wear the family crest on your back. You must continue to improve, and rise to great heights."
"As expected..." Sasuke started, as he walked towards her. Sakura stared at him as he approached her, watching him earnestly. When Sasuke reached her, he fondly placed his hand on top of her pink hair and softly smiled down at her. "You did well, Sakura."
Sakura blushed fiercely as Sasuke patted the top of her hair and acknowledged her hard work. She gaped up at him in wonderment, mouth slightly open like a fish out of water as her green eyes widened. All Sakura had ever wanted since she was young was for Sasuke to acknowledge her. Although she secretly knew he was aware of her strength before now, the amount of significance that this small moment held for her was more than Sasuke would ever know. Clearly not realizing how these small gestures of his left her so frazzled, Sasuke removed his hand and turned his mismatched gaze out onto the water.
"This is where I first learned Katon no jutsu as a boy," Sasuke confided. "My father had taught me."
"R-really?"
Sasuke nodded. "It's a right of passage for every Uchiha."
Sakura blinked at this. A right of passage for every Uchiha?
"Back then," he continued, "I'd wanted nothing more to impress my father. I worked tirelessly out here to perfect this jutsu. It's the only time I can ever vividly remember earning praise from him when I mastered it."
This place... Sakura thought as she joined Sasuke in gazing at the still water. It must be really special to Sasuke-kun. And for him to teach me this jutsu here... He's... he's been confiding in me so much lately.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Sakura's lips as a flush of warmth filled her heart.
"Thank you for sharing this with me, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said. She blushed as she reached out and gently tugged the empty sleeve of his missing left arm. Sasuke glanced down at her as she said bashfully, "Will you... tell me more sometime?"
Sasuke's lip twitched slightly upward as his mismatched eyes gazed into her green ones. Softly, he mumbled, "Ah."
"You summoned me," Sasuke said as he stepped into the Hokage's office.
"Ah," Kakashi confirmed as he shuffled some papers and sat them on top of the desk. Sasuke glanced at them, noticing with his observant eyes that the man was hiding a book between them to avoid his duties. Sasuke was sure it was the same book that his former sensei had been reading since Sasuke's genin days. It was lost on Sasuke as to why such a novel would keep the Hokage's attention after all these years.
"You and Sakura seemed to be getting along," Kakashi teased, his eyes crinkling mischievously. "I suppose you've finally affirmed your feelings to her, hm?"
Gods, he just as bad as Naruto.
"Is that why you called me here?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Hm? So you haven't told her yet?"
Sasuke silently turned on his heel to leave, not caring whether or not this was disrespectful to the man who now led the village known as Konoha.
"I called you here for a mission. I just thought I'd comment on that to see what your response was. As temperamental as always..." Kakashi sighed. Sasuke glanced back to see the man pull a file from his drawer and slide it across the desk. Sasuke turned and made his way across the room to retrieve it, curious to uncover its contents.
"There have been strange reports of children attacking their families in the Land of Waves," Kakashi said as Sasuke ran his eyes over the file. "Some of the children are civilians without any shinobi lineage. The attacks seem to be spur of the moment without any motive behind them. Ages of the children range from five to twelve."
"You suspect genjutsu?" Sasuke asked.
"It seems to be the most likely cause. The Mizukage has struggled to find a suspect and reached out to other villages to see if anyone else has been afflicted by this."
"And?"
Kakashi shook his head. "It seems to be reserved to a small handful of villages within the Land of Waves. They suspect genjustu as well and asked if we may be of any assistance in this matter."
Sasuke silently closed the file and set it on the desk. If genjutsu was involved, then he was the best person to handle this mission. But children attacking their own families... It hit much too close to home to be comfortable. "I'll handle it. I do need one thing."
Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "What is it?"
"I'd like to take Sakura with me."
"Oh?" Kakashi lifted his brows at the request. "You do realize this is a mission and not a date, right?"
Sasuke scowled at this accusation. "Don't be ridiculous. Sakura is sharp and has a natural aversion to genjutsu."
Kakashi laughed and waved off his statement. "I was only joking. I was thinking the same. I've already requested her presence once she's finished performing surgery."
Sasuke raised his brow. "Will they manage without her?"
"Shizune can handle it and I'm sure Tsunade will step back in during Sakura's absence."
Sasuke nodded and left the man without further word, but not without hearing Kakashi mumble as Sasuke closed the door, "Why do I feel this will result in trouble?"
Sakura closed the file and set it back on the Hokage's desk.
Forcing children to attack their own families... How awful. What kind of person would do such a thing?
"Who else will be forming the team?" Sakura asked.
"Sasuke will also be a part of this mission," the Sixth Hokage answered.
Sasuke-kun is coming? I guess it only makes sense if genjutsu is involved... But a mission like this? It's probably going to be hard for him.
Sakura nodded. "Who else?"
"That's it."
Sakura started and blinked her eyes in surprise. "That's it?"
Kakashi nodded. "That's it."
"O-oh..."
"Is something wrong?"
"No!" Sakura said quickly, waving her hands in front of her face. "It's just... Why me?"
"It was Sasuke's idea."
The pinkette blushed. Sasuke-kun asked if I could come?
"Of course, I thought the same and planned to suggest it, regardless. You have to give yourself more credit, Sakura. You're a respected medical ninja and have a natural talent for deflecting genjutsu. You're the ideal teammate for this mission."
Sakura nodded and resisted the urge to protest. She'd fought doubt and insecurities so much throughout her life that her natural tendency was to downplay her accomplishments. But if Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke both thought she was the ideal person for this mission...
Sakura balled her hands into fists. I won't let them down. I'll do whatever it takes to complete this mission and protect Sasuke-kun.
When Kakashi dismissed the meeting, she turned to leave but halted when he called her name. Sakura turned her head curiously and saw the man smiling beneath his mask and his eyes crinkled. "Sasuke seems happy here with you."
She blushed and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "It's nothing..."
"I know it's a blooming romance and all but try to keep your mind on the mission."
Heat rushed up Sakura's neck and filled her face with red. "I-It's not like that! Why would you say such a thing?!"
Kakashi laughed. "I always felt somewhat like a father figure for the two of you. So let's just call it a father's intuition. I'm happy for you, Sakura. And I'm proud."
Sakura smiled back at the man and clasped her hands behind her back. "Thanks, Kaka-sensei."
Before you leave, can we all take a collective moment to appreciate the fact that Kakashi is the biggest SasuSaku shipper of all time? Okay, thank you for your time.