A/N: This'll be a bit of a longer chapter, but hopefully you all enjoy it. I had a lot of fun writing this one, as it dips into playful banter from blond besties, some Konoha history, and a bit of angst. Lemme know what you think when you've checked it out!
Chapter 6
The next three days resembled much of the same pattern: Sasuke would walk Sakura to work, spend time with Naruto during the hours of light, accompany Sakura to her apartment for treatment, and retire to his own home late into the night after dinner and a long conversation with the medic. The fiery stabs in his upper left arm and shoulder began to dwindle in number, perhaps occurring once a day, usually when he would wake up from his nap at noon to welcome her back into Naruto's hospital room, chakra at the ready. While he was thankful for this, he also felt uneasy because of his concept of atonement. This is something he carefully kept to himself, but Naruto could see through it.
During the mid-morning of the twenty-sixth of March, Naruto broke the silence of Sasuke's brooding. "You're allowed to feel happy, you know," the blond said pointedly as he performed a series of squats next to his bed to keep his muscles toned.
He scowled at his teammate's suggestion, somewhat annoyed at how well he read him. The Uchiha was lounging on the green reclining chair, though he laid there with his neck on one of the armrests to let his legs drape over the other. Like a child waiting for his mother to finish shopping, Naruto watched the last few days as Sasuke waited for Sakura to be done with her shifts. He would never openly admit it, though, to avoid giving Naruto the satisfaction of being right.
"I'm fine," the raven-haired shinobi snapped.
"Sasuke, teme, I can see it written all over your face."
"You're not even looking at my face."
"Don't need to. Saw it earlier."
The Uchiha lifted his head to look at Naruto who now switched to lunges and huffed with effort each time he lifted himself with his thigh. The blond caught the Uchiha's sour gaze and simply grinned mischievously. At that, Sasuke rolled his eyes and rested his head back on the cushioned armrest to stare at the ceiling once more.
"You should do something more productive with your time, teme."
Sasuke snorted at that. "I'm not allowed to go on missions or work."
Naruto grabbed his IV hanger and dragged it over to Sasuke's feet, the sound of stubborn rubber squeaking across linoleum scraping at his ears, and stood before him. Sasuke glanced at the blond to see him stretch his obliques by leaning from side to side deeply while he spoke. "Working isn't the only productive thing you can do," he huffed. "I can see, Sasuke. I don't need a sharingan to see what's right in front of me."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Naruto raised his left hand and swiped at Sasuke's knees. "I can see that you and Sakura are basically fucking each other with your eyes."
The Uchiha grimaced and kicked Naruto's abdomen, causing the blond to grunt in pain and hold his belly dramatically with his only hand. Lacking concern for his loud-mouthed friend, Sasuke glanced at the door to ensure it was closed, praying that the nurses weren't pressing their ears to the wood at the sound of profanity. He then glared back at Naruto, eyes narrowed but face burning. "Can you lower your voice? Or just not talk?"
Naruto's face broke out into a toothy grin and pointed a finger in his best friend's chest. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"Shut up."
"You're not denying it."
"I said shut up."
Naruto shrugged, exaggerating the movement by raising his palm to the ceiling exasperatedly. "I'm just saying, Sasuke, I've read Kakashi-senesi's books and they're pretty descriptive. You should try doing something about it before your thing falls off."
"Good god."
Sasuke reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He highly doubted that their pervert of a teacher read a book about a dismembered penis due to inactivity. The idiot probably read it wrong. Despite the message, though, Naruto was right about something (although not in the blasphemous way he put it): there was tension between the Uchiha and the pink-haired medic. It was in the room the night of the flirtatious game and it has been in the air each time they're in a space together. Despite not having a teasing game since, part of him wanted to reach out and begin another one, and not just for the sake of competition.
Naruto walked over to his nightstand, picked up a spare water bottle, and threw it in Sasuke's direction. The raven-haired shinobi caught it with ease and stared at the refracted images through the clear plastic. "Her birthday is in two days," Naruto reminded his friend before chugging his own water bottle of its contents. "You should do something for her."
"I wouldn't know what to do."
"Party?"
"She doesn't like them."
Naruto raised a blond eyebrow and cocked his head in confusion. "The one Ino threw her last year seemed fun. She looked like she enjoyed herself."
Sasuke rolled his eyes and thought back to what Sakura had told him herself, how parties and large celebrations were never her style. Spending time with her seemed to be far more exhilarating compared to the gifts and glamor, as she'd put it. He verbalized the memory to his blond friend and twisted the cap of his water bottle to sip.
"Go on a date with her."
Sasuke sucked in a breath as water entered his mouth, causing drops to enter his windpipe. He sat up and coughed, nearly in shock at the suggestion. I can't do that, he thought. Stupid, stupid idea. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and coughed a few more times into the fabric before scowling once more at Naruto. "It's not that easy to ask, loser."
"Rip the bandage, teme. It's something she's probably wanted for years. Do it for her." Naruto sat cross-legged on his mattress and gave Sasuke a wink. "And for yourself."
Sasuke scoffed once more.
"I'm just saying, teme. You don't want it to fall off."
A few hours after the boys' conversation, a nurse had stopped by to tell them that Sakura would not be stopping by for her break due to a high volume of walk-ins. Disappointment rung in Sasuke's chest, but he held his composure to avoid his blond friend being right about his emotions. The young nurse glanced at the Uchiha. "She had a message for you though, Sasuke-san."
Both members of Team Seven silenced and focused on the young nurse.
"Sakura-san wants to meet at your apartment tonight for treatment." With that, the nurse pivoted on her heel and strolled out of the room.
"Te-ME!" Naruto sang as he shimmied excitedly in his bed.
Sasuke couldn't take another minute of his friend's shrill voice and stood up from the recliner. "I'm leaving," he muttered, stuffing his hand into his pocket and choosing to brave the glares of the villagers over listening to Naruto's poor advice about sexual health. As he walked out of the door, he only heard the blonde's chuckles and snorts.
I might as well spend this time to do some errands.
He purposefully wore a dark gray, long-sleeved shirt with a hood without the Uchiha crest on his back. Once he reached the hospital doors, he donned the hood over his head and made his way towards the village police station to report to his assigned officer. He kept his eyes down on the path and looked up occasionally to ensure he was headed in the right direction. Despite his efforts to remain as low to the ground as possible, he could hear villagers whisper as he passed by, their hushed tones laced with malice and disgust.
He turned a corner and was about to walk up the station's steps when he saw a vaguely familiar flash of long, blond hair exiting the intel building next door. He turned his head a bit to get a better look and saw the blond girl—her name escapes him again—double-take, as well.
"Sasuke-kun!" she squealed, her voice as shrill as he remembered it to be. The blond gi—Ino!—wore the Konoha forest green flak jacket and navy pants as though she was about to head off on an assignment. He allowed her to run up the path towards him and reluctantly turned in her direction. She pulled her hands behind her back and leaned in flirtatiously. "Welcome back, Sasuke-kun!"
"Ah…thanks," he forced out, wanting to duck his head into his shirt to avoid wandering villagers hearing his name.
Ino began a series of rapid fire questions similar to the ones the other blond in the hospital spit when he first visited. "Howlonghaveyoubeenoutofcustody? Doyouhaveaplacetostay? HaveyouvisitedNarutointhehospitalyet?"
It took Sasuke a moment to replay her questions in his head before he replied in a flat tone, "Less than a week, yes, and I have."
Ino sensed his stand-offish tone and cleared her throat, slowing down before she spoke once more, a blush dusting her pale cheeks. "Oh, well, Sasuke-kun," she began again, shuffling from one foot to the other girlishly, "do you happen to have plans tonight? I was thinking about going out for—"
"I'm having dinner with Sakura tonight."
The girl's blue eyes widened in surprise but then something seemed to click in the back of her mind. "Sakura," she echoed quietly, her face falling.
Sasuke wanted to wince at the sound of her voice, unsure if she was defeated, sad, or both. Judging by the close relationship Sakura had with Ino, and from what he could remember about the two girls screeching over him when they were children, this likely played into an internal conflict of hers. He stared back at her and quickly thought of how to make an easy exit from the uncomfortable awkwardness that began to consume him. He began to pivot slightly on his heel to leave her in her thoughts.
Suddenly, Ino's mouth broke out into a grin and she released her hands from behind her back to let them rest on her hips instead. "I see, Sasuke-kun," she said, a knowing twinkle in her eyes. "You know, her birthday is in two days."
Trying to read the situation, he quickly said, "She doesn't like parties," and tried to turn away further.
Ino waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I know that. I dragged her to those growing up for the sake of letting her socialize for once without having her head stuck in her textbooks. I just thought of the perfect gift for her and I think it'd be in your best interest to plan ahead."
This stopped the Uchiha from twisting away from the blond girl and he eyed her carefully. Silently, he calculated how much money he had left in his bank account, untouched after many years yet stuffed with inheritance from the Uchiha clan. If it's something of a high price, he could easily pay for it without question. It's a matter of knowing what Sakura could possibly want, for time with him must be getting monotonous.
Ino must have sensed that Sasuke was paying far more attention now, so she chuckled. "That seems to have piqued your interest."
The raven-haired shinobi's face grew hot with embarrassment at being caught and turned his head to look away from her teasing gaze. He wanted to hurry out of this situation so he could shake off the feelings of warmth that snaked down his spine, but he also wanted to hear what Sakura's best friend had to say about a possible gift. Gritting his teeth, he slowly turned back to Ino and felt his face grow warmer as he asked, "What does she want?"
Ino giggled, clearly tickled by having exposed his feelings. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun, she's easy to please," she assured him. The blond girl brought one of her manicured hands to the side of her mouth and loudly whispered, "Go on a date with her."
Are you serious.
He supposed his internal thoughts were clear on his face and Ino burst into a loud laugh. "Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun," she said, almost patronizingly. "Sakura loves personal, quality time with people. She could stare at a wall with me in silence for hours and call it a good day. As long as we had some sort of sweet dessert, of course, but I stand by what I said." The blond pivoted on her foot and started her path down the gravel road. She took a few steps before she turned her head once more to say, "Our teams should have a dinner sometime soon! It's been too long."
With that, Sasuke was left on the concrete steps to the police station, still bubbling with the thought of two different people, who seem to know Sakura very well, telling him that what she wants for her birthday is a date.
With him.
Alone.
The Uchiha shook off the thought and walked up to the steps. I can't think about this right now, he told himself.
Sasuke walked slowly up the steps of the police station and stared up at the tanned building's crest. The four-pointed blue star rested at the center of the building, but he felt a strange ache in his chest for the Uchiha crest that was once displayed before his clan's downfall. After the Uchiha massacre, the uchiwa was eliminated from the station and uniforms' designs. When he was filled with the desire for revenge, he felt rage at the village's attempt to erase him, his family, from Konoha history. He knew now, though, that it was a scar of shame as opposed an intentional purging.
The Uchiha survivor pushed open the glass door and walked onto the white linoleum tiling that ran through the lobby. An officer sat at the front desk writing diligently before he glanced up at Sasuke and grunted, "Sit and wait, Uchiha."
Sasuke obliged and sat in one of the blue plastic chairs that lined windows, his back facing the heat of the midday sun. He remembered running through the halls of the back offices where his father, Fugaku, would take him to pick up paperwork. Sasuke used to think that was just a time to visit his cousins and kinfolk, hard at work but always finding time to praise him for doing so well in the academy. He was hardly taller than any of the wooden desks that were nailed into the flooring, so he had to jump as high as he could to snag a peek into his brethren's business. They always gently guided Sasuke back into the hallway, usually with a flashy toy to keep him busy, until he was able to reunite with his father after a meeting. He saw the station as a personal playground. Now, a alien land.
The raven-haired shinobi glanced around the lobby walls. What was once lined with pictures of Uchiha military police leaders dating back to the second hokage's reign was now covered with strangers of current officers whom he did not recognize. The corner where his father's portrait was once showcased was now replaced by a smug-eyed man. Sasuke had to look away and tug his hood further down his forehead to feel a bit safer in the now-foreign space.
The smug-eyed man from the portrait appeared from one of the doors behind the main desk and looked right at the Uchiha. "Follow me."
Sasuke stood and walked towards the door, focusing on the path in front of him. The two men went down a long hallway, and Sasuke could almost see himself as a small child running beside him with toys and candy in his hands. They entered the last office at the end of the hall, the office that used to belong to his father. Smug Face walked in first, and Sasuke shut the door behind them. Glancing around the room, he noticed photos of his mother, his brother, and himself were replaced with unwashed coffee mugs and cigarette butts. The binders of paperwork that filled the bookshelves were gone, replaced by a single computer that could hold all of them at once. Couches where he once rolled around as a child while his father worked were replaced with two metal chairs in front of a broad wooden desk. Fugaku Uchiha's ghost wouldn't want to spend a minute in this office. Despite his reputation as a rough, stoic man, he still had some considerations for comfort to build rapport.
"Sit," Smug Face ordered.
Sasuke obliged and was careful to train his gaze on the man to avoid any conflict. Smug Face took a seat on the other side of the broad desk and pulled out a small stack of papers from one of the drawers.
"My name is Officer Hiroto. I am the chief of military police. You will be reporting to me once a week of your whereabouts, activities, and violations of terms."
Chief of military police, Sasuke echoed in his mind. Interesting.
"In the short minutes after you were released from Leaf custody, I received a report that you caused a ruckus in the market street."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."
"Village women reported verbally aggressive activity from you while you were being escorted to your new place of residence." Officer Hiroto thumbed through the papers on his desk before finding his paper of interest. He slid it in Sasuke's direction for him to read.
The Uchiha leaned forward and glanced at the sheet to read the report. In it was a description of himself walking through the village streets and "instigating" an argument with village women who were trying to give "words of caring caution" to the medic, Sakura Haruno. Sasuke furrowed his brow. "This isn't what happened."
Officer Hiroto raised his hand to signal Sasuke to stop talking. "You may appeal this file with a witness if you'd like. However, it seems you need to be on better guard about your behavior."
Sasuke clenched his fist in his pocket and bit the inside of his cheek in frustration to keep himself from snapping at the officer.
Officer Hiroto pulled out a cigarette from one of the drawers and flipped a lighter to set it ablaze. After puffing a few and blowing out a stream of smoke, he looked to Sasuke again. "Uchiha, I'm not saying this to threaten you. I'm on your side."
Sasuke scoffed at that. "How could you be on my side?"
The chief fiddled with the cigarette in his right hand while he searched through his desk drawers again. He pulled out a photo of a small boy holding an Allied Shinobi Force headband, eyes squinting because of a wide, bright smile he wore on his face. "This is my boy, Sato," Officer Hiroto said. "He kept telling me to thank you and the Uzumaki kid for stopping the war. But he wanted me to talk to you specifically." He leaned back in his chair and sucked on his cigarette before breathing out. "I've thought about it. I know you're not popular among the villagers, but when it comes down to it, you contributed good work in the war. I read your report. No problems while in custody. Quiet. Polite. Compliant."
Sasuke unclenched his fist and stared at the young boy, Sato, wondering if Officer Hiroto ever brought him to the office to play.
"I've been around long enough in this village to know the history of discrimination against the Uchiha. To be honest, I never really gave a damn about the power struggle. Uchiha did good work. It was a devastation when they were killed." He reached forward to take the picture of Sato back. "I harbor nothing against you, Uchiha. I'm trying to help you get through this parole."
Sasuke nodded slowly, not sensing a hint of a lie in the officer's voice.
"These last few days, I understand you've been at the hospital visiting the Uzumaki kid."
Sasuke nodded again.
"And the Haruno girl."
"Sakura, yes."
Officer Hiroto took another puff of his cigarette. "Bring her in. She can be your witness to appeal the report. She has a good reputation around here, very trustworthy."
Sasuke nodded once more and the two of them sat in silence while more smoke filled the room. After a few moments, realizing Officer Hiroto had nothing left to say, Sasuke bowed his head slightly. "Thank you," he said, hoping his gratitude could be felt.
Officer Hiroto waved his hand dismissively and in an effort to signal Sasuke that he was free to go. The Uchiha stood and turned to open the door, but not before Officer Hiroto cleared his throat. He glanced back, hand on the knob. "It's been a long while since I've seen you, Sasuke. You were probably as old as my boy is right now, running around these halls. I'll admit, it's good to see you again."
Sasuke felt something catch in his throat, preventing him from saying anything more. He bowed his head in thanks, turned the knob, and exited the office.
On the way back to his apartment, he decided to brave the crowd and buy ingredients for dinner, enough for hamburger steak with greens, onion salad, and a medium sack of rice. He was careful to keep to himself, as no witnesses as trustworthy as Sakura were near him to appeal any complaints should they have arisen. Luckily, his interactions remained brief and fleeting, and he made it back to his apartment without problems. He sighed a deep breath and prepared himself for Sakura's visit.
Hours later, when the sun had already set on the skies of Konoha, Sasuke heard a knock on the door. It was nearly nine at night. He'd stored dinner away, thinking that perhaps Sakura had changed her mind about treatment at his apartment and spent the last few hours drifting in and out of sleep while he rested on the cool bamboo floor. He pushed himself up and padded his bare feet over to the door, undid the deadbolt lock, and opened it up to see the pink-haired medic.
"Hi, Sasuke-kun," she smiled. While it was genuine, she looked utterly exhausted. The beginnings of dark circles appeared under her eyes which were red and puffy as though she'd been crying. She wrapped her arms around herself like her heart had been stung. The red shirt she wore today was wrinkled at her collar and her tanned skirt looked just as oddly creased at the hem. The confidence she radiated earlier in the day seemed to have dissipated with the arrival of the night.
"Sa…," he began, not knowing how to verbalize his concern.
Sakura shook her head and forced herself to grow her smile. It looked painful. "Let's get started, shall we?" She side-stepped him and removed her sandals. She glanced around the wide-open space and sighed. "You really didn't add much in here," she commented, a strained giggle leaving her lips. She strolled over to the seated dining table to kneel on one of the navy cushions to rest her hand on its surface. "I made sure to get this one from your family's compound to make you feel more at home."
Sasuke watched her silently as he shut and locked the door. She tapped her fingers gently on the wood to look busy at first, but her green eyes glazed over blankly as she entered a deep, troubling thought. He stuffed his hand into his pocket as he observed her. Dismissing the fact that she had wandered in two hours late, he decided to break the silence. "You're not good at pretending, Sakura."
The pink-haired medic turned her head to look at his frame still standing in the doorway. Her face fell into surprise and, for a moment, he saw a flash of a pained expression before a hurting smile formed on her lips again. "Nothing to pretend, Sasuke-kun," she chimed.
Each word she spoke sounded strained, each movement she made looked agonizing. Despite his awareness, Sasuke viewed himself as one of the worst people to handle a situation like this, for he never took an opportunity to provide comfort to those who hurt in the past. Something about this instance felt different, though, for unlike previous times when those around him cried, he wanted to ease her pain.
He walked over to the table and sat cross-legged in front of her, careful to keep an arm's length of distance between them. By this time, Sakura was eyeing him just as cautiously, her green eyes wet with tears threatening to escape. He recognized that what he was doing was different than any interaction he'd had with her before. In a quiet voice, he asked, "What happened?"
Almost immediately, it was as if Sakura's heart suffered a cut before his eyes, for she gripped her shirt with her left hand tightly, bunching the fabric in her fist and nearly crumpling over. Sakura's face twisted in pain as she closed her eyes and let tears roll down her cheeks and drip onto her lap while she hiccupped a suppressed sob. Her right hand clenched into a fist on the table's surface and held her upright as her body shuddered with another stifled cry. She shook her head slowly, her pink locks shielding her eyes as her fringe fell against her forehead and covered her yin seal.
Something in Sasuke's chest lurched painfully at the sight. Sakura was always someone willing to shed tears, and while they caused him to ache with empathy, watching her now shook him to his core. It was as though his chest was on fire, set ablaze by the sight of her uncontained agony. He thought frantically about how he was consoled in the past, what his mother or Itachi would have done. What used to help his tears stop falling?
Swallowing hard, Sasuke pushed himself up to his knees and shuffled closer to her trembling form until he knelt on one of the cushions in front of her. Tentatively, he lifted his hand and brought it as gently as he could to the back of her head, combing his fingers through her silken pink locks. He moved intentionally, cautiously, as if a motion too strong would frighten her away. Then, once his palm was fitted to the back of her head, he pulled her in to his chest and placed his chin protectively on the crown of her head, the familiar smell of rosemary and mint wafting into his nose.
For a few beats, he felt Sakura tense beneath his touch, as though she was unsure of how to react to the sudden effort of comfort. Please don't run, he urged silently, his pulse pounding in his ears.
Then, like a child, Sakura raised her hands and gripped the front of his shirt just beneath his ribcage. He felt her press her face further into his chest and her tears dampen the fabric to which she so desperately clung.
One muffled sob. Then another. Then a weak cry left her lips and he felt her shoulders shake beneath his arm followed by another, and another, and another. She did not try to say words through her fit of sadness but simply let her heart pour its contents right into his. Words were not necessary to let him know she was suffering, nor were they necessary to let her know he would wait with her until she was too tired to continue. She didn't need to tell him why. His sense of insecurity vanished, replaced by certainty that what he was giving her in that moment was enough.
When her wails turned to whimpers and her whimpers turned to sniffs, she found herself resting her forehead into the crook of his neck, his hand still protectively resting on the back of her head. Her own hands were barely hanging on to his dark, damp shirt. She felt Sasuke's legs on either side of her hips like a shield. While she normally would have internally squealed with delight, she had hit a wall of exhaustion.
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."
He gently ruffled her hair in response.
Silence fell between the two of them save for Sakura's intermittent sniffles. Then, he felt her gently push away from him. He let his hand fall through her hair and rest on his knee and pulled back to look at her. Sakura's eyes were still puffy and her nose strawberry red. She wiped at her face with her fingers once more time before meeting his gaze. She gave a small smile before shuffling backward, providing them with the arm's length between them again.
She sniffed once more before she sheepishly said, "I…I don't think I have enough energy to give you a treatment."
Sasuke shrugged. "I don't mind."
She looked down at her hands and rubbed her left palm with her right thumb again like a worry stone. "I'm sorry I missed dinner with you."
"Are you hungry?"
She shook her head no. "I'm honestly just very tired. But at least I don't have work tomorrow."
With that, Sasuke stood and walked into his bedroom. He flipped on the light switch and opened his closet door. By the time he came back into the living room, he had a navy blue shirt and sweats hung over his right arm. He walked over to the table and set them down next to her. "You can change into these. Green towel in the bathroom closet is the spare."
Sakura rested her hand on the clothes he'd given her and then looked up at the Uchiha inquisitively. "Why…?"
"You can take my bed," he continued, turning his face away and scratching the back of his head. "I don't mind sleeping out here."
"Sasuke-kun, I…"
"Sakura."
He felt her jade eyes examine him for a moment before she stood with his clothes in her arms and whispered, "Thank you," before making her way to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.
When he heard the shower running, he exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding in and walked to his room to search for a blanket he'd found the other day deep in the recesses of his bedroom closet. He hiked it under his arm, took one of the pillows off of his bed, and meandered back into the living room to set up camp.
The lights were off and the apartment was dark by the time Sakura was out of the shower, the scented steam spreading throughout the floor. He listened as she flipped the bathroom switch off and tiptoed into his bedroom. The sound of the bed creaking lightly signaled her preparing to sleep followed by a deep, exasperated sigh.
Sasuke slept that night with dreams of Sakura he'd forget in the morning.
