A/N: Thank you again, all of you, for your patience and your reviews. Each time, I feel more and more encouraged. It means a lot to know that people enjoy my writing, as it's something I've never really broadcasted. If you're from the U.S., happy post-Thanksgiving! It's the time of the year when the semester actually feels like it's drawing to a close. That being said, I'll likely be releasing chapters more frequently from mid-December to mid-January. As you all may have noticed, yes, this fic is rated M for reasons that will soon be occurring. For now, a hint at what this chapter contains: Life is good with good friends.
Chapter 12
"You kissed?!"
Ino slammed her hands on the table top, causing their hot teas to tremble in their cups and multiple heads from startled patrons to turn toward them in the dango shop.
"Ino, settle down," Sakura hissed, grabbing the hem of her friend's shirt and yanking her back down in her seat. She glanced around and raised her free hand at the customers around them apologetically, a blush furiously staining her cheeks dark enough to match her hair. She turned back to the blond and muttered, "This isn't something I want broadcasted to the whole village."
"Why not?" Ino scoffed, looking offended. "You two worked quick. You need a medal ceremony for fastest relationship."
Sakura took a sip of her tea and peered at the blond with the most unamused expression she could fathom. Had the two of them been in their early teens, maybe she would have been just as openly giddy. Honestly, Sakura was surprised that Ino wasn't already preparing a medal ceremony for the two of them at the news…or that Ino wasn't trying to scratch the pinkette's eyes out of their sockets in jealousy. It was clear that the two of them had changed their elementary girlish ways.
"We aren't in a relationship," the medic corrected, running a hand through her hair exasperatedly.
The blond raised her eyebrows, incredulous. "Then…are you just dating?"
"No."
"So…just messing around?"
"Ino, stop," Sakura urged, glancing around the tea shop once again to see if any curious ears had their interests piqued. When no one seemed to be turning their way again, Sakura sighed. "We aren't anything. We just kissed a few times," Sakura said, the blush deepening.
"Sakura," Ino began, her tone grave. "How many times is a 'few' times?"
The medic wrapped her hands around the cup of tea to feel the warmth seep into her fingers, fingers that held his shirt by the hem in cautious desperation while his fluttered against her jaw. Her breath hitched, and she must have looked startled. But…she didn't want it to stop. Curiosity and a pull in her core wanted to see what happened next, wanted to see what he would do after his thumb grazed her bottom lip as though he were dusting a precious stone free of a grain of sand. She watched him and couldn't find the words to describe how awed she felt at the sight before him. He was beautiful.
Then, "Do I deserve you?"
What a ridiculous question.
Sakura heard the sadness in his voice, the hum of earnest need beneath his bass. He truly wanted to know. She studied him, watched as his brows furrowed ever so slightly, clearly anticipating an answer from her. She could feel how ready he was to pull away at the most minute interruption, at the littlest of slights against his exposed heart. Before she knew it, she slowly lifted herself on her toes. Her vision grew hazy, but she watched as his eyes, black and violet, drifted closed to match hers.
Soft. Gentle. Honest.
So different from the hardened, polished exterior he normally conveyed, this Sasuke seemed to melt into her like a slow-burning candle. Each movement of his lips against hers was careful. When they pulled away the first time, she felt herself smile. Her body was on fire and radiated a warmth she wanted so badly to share with him. He leaned in again while she allowed herself to be guided by his gentle hand on her face, their movements more confident when their lips slid into each other once more. Then again with his hand on the back of her neck, feeling herself drift further into her yearning as his fingers raked through her hair to hold her close. Then again with her hands tightening their grip on the fabric of his shirt to pull him flush against her, the heat growing unbearable at the evidence of his hardened arousal that sent a pleasurable wave over her body.
She kept the one hand planted at the hem of his shirt to keep her steady, as the air she breathed grew stiflingly hot. Her fingers of her right hand trailed up his chest, yearning to caress the skin beneath the fabric, until they found solace against his jaw. He rumbled a soft groan, sending a wave of fiery pleasure through her that nearly caused her to gasp. She felt the fire burn the brightest in her core, a pull that she only felt in the privacy of her silent home where her moans were masked in quiet and secrecy. She returned a whispered groan and instinctively let her tongue glide over his lips to ask for entry in the midst of their kiss when…
He froze.
Sakura stiffened herself when she felt his hand drop from the back of her head and forced herself to pull away and open her eyes. Sasuke looked…troubled. "I…," he began, his voice trailing off a bit. He turned away from her in shame. "I…don't…"
A hard pang in her chest rang out and she suddenly remembered where their ambiguous relationship stood. She let her hands fall to her sides like a limp doll.
Friends.
She wanted to curse the word into oblivion. She wanted to throw it to the side and plead with him, plead with him, plead with him. And yet…it wouldn't be right. We're too fragile, she reminded herself. But the way he looks at me says different. But the way he talks to me says different. But the way he plays with me says different. But the way he kissed me says different. But the way he opens up to me says different. But the way this feels does not feel like friendship.
Sakura took a step back and hugged herself protectively. She watched his face and kept her eyes on his own while she silently pleaded for him to look at her, but to no avail. His brows furrowed together, and his eyes shut as though he was in pain. As for Sakura, she couldn't pinpoint her experience. What is this? Devastation? Embarrassment?
She didn't wait for him to finish his trail of thoughts. She didn't want to try to read him anymore. The heat that once radiated in her body rose to her face and forced a lump to form in her throat. Even if she wanted to ask questions to get answers, she couldn't. Sakura pivoted on her heel, swiped her bag from the corner, and hurried out of the room. The whole time, Sasuke stood still, a defeated Adonis.
"I don't want to talk about numbers, Ino," Sakura sighed. "It doesn't matter, anyway. Sasuke-kun and I aren't anything."
The blond girl blinked a few times at her friend, her manicured brows furrowing together in saddened understanding. "You were rejected."
A steady sigh escaped Sakura's lips before she gave a sad smile. "He didn't look at me for the entire day we spent traveling home. I haven't seen him since we got back three days ago. We just reported to Tsunade-sama and then…poof." She pressed the warm cup to her cheek, begging the little ceramic dish to bring her comfort.
"But what about your date? I thought he said he was always interested?"
"He had a concussion."
"You said you held hands, right?"
"He just needed comfort at the time."
"Your kiss?"
"Heat of the moment. We're only friends."
"Friends don't just make out, Sakura."
The two young women sat in silence.
"Maybe it was a misunderstanding," Ino offered. "He's kind of awkward in his own way. Maybe it was—"
"Sasuke-kun and I aren't anything," Sakura said again. "Just…teammates. Maybe acquaintances, but…maybe not after that…but I don't want to talk about it anymore, Ino," Sakura sighed. She glanced up at her friend with a small smile. "Thanks for trying, though."
"You kissed?!"
Naruto slammed his fist on the Ichiraku countertop and whipped his head to turn toward his dark-haired friend. His mouth was furiously chewing chashu as he looked pointedly at Sasuke for an explanation. Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, jumped at the sound, the latter shooting Naruto a reprimanding look when she saw some of his ramen had spilled onto the red counter.
"You're making a mess," Sasuke said, his nose wrinkling in disgust.
"Don't avoid the question, Teme," Naruto said, jerkily pointing his chopsticks at the Uchiha. "I need details. When? How long? Was there tongue? How come you're not hanging out with her?"
Sasuke turned to Teuchi and Ayame. "I'm sorry for his behavior."
"They're used to me, already!"
"Are you talking about Sakura-san?" Ayame offered, leaning her cheek against the heel of her hand. "Wow, she's a good catch. So strong, so pretty. And she's very smart."
"Definitely a great girl to build a relationship with. Congratulations," Teuchi added, nodding confidently.
"We aren't in a relationship," Sasuke corrected, taking a sip from his glass of water to keep his hands busy and avoid pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
The three others glanced at each other in confusion.
"Then you're…just dating?" Ayame asked, confused.
"Or…just messing around?" Naruto asked, earning him a swift smack to the back of his head with Sasuke's hand.
Too noisy, he thought, digging into his pocket to place money on the counter. He left enough to pay for Naruto's meal, knowing that the blond would likely complain of how broke he was after this second bowl. The Uchiha stood up from the stool and, before he turned to make his leave, said, "At the Mozukai inn. A few minutes. No tongue. I've been busy." Then to Ayame he said, "We're just teammates."
With that, he swiftly pivoted on his heel and made off down the road at a quick pace, not wanting his blond friend to down his ramen and follow him. He pulled the hood of his dark jacket over his head and walked at a quick pace down to the military police station. He had errands to run. He regretted mulling around his apartment for the last few days in what he now realized was sulking and, to some extent, an effort to avoid the medic on her own day off. He didn't regret lying to Naruto, though, about being busy. The blond would have given him an even greater earful about how shitty he's being, and Sasuke wasn't in the mood to discuss what he already felt.
He didn't bother to wait for the front desk officer to give him the okay to see Hiroto, to the front officer's surprise. He only wanted this meeting of his check-in to be done and over with so he could roll in this vortex of guilt that he despised but couldn't seem to exterminate.
"Ah, Sasuke," Hiroto greeted, a newly lit cigarette between two fingers. "Have a seat."
Sasuke obliged and dug into his jacket pocket to pull out a tin box the size of his hand. He placed it on the broad wooden desk. "Your honeysuckle tea. Premade."
Hiroto ooh'ed, let his cigarette prop up against the ashtray, and reached over to pick up the box. He carefully read the label and his eyes widened in surprise. "This is…expensive." When Sasuke merely shrugged, the officer flashed him a toothy grin. "Thanks for thinking about me, kid." He picked up his cigarette between two fingers once more and looked to the Uchiha expectantly. "Before we get into the nitty gritty, did you do the other condition?"
"Hugs were given."
Hiroto raised an eyebrow before taking a puff of his cigarette. "You don't seem very happy about it."
Sasuke remained stoic, not wanting to give any more details of the moments he and Sakura shared.
Please make this painless.
The officer seemed to realize this and sighed a heavy sigh. "Well, I suppose we really don't need to talk about it. I'm sure you know what we do need to discuss, however." He pulled out a small stack of papers. "That scar-face Ken guy gave me an earful of an accusation about you using combat ninjutsu in Hana Village. Then we received a call from Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki saying that you and Sakura Haruno were engaging in medical ninjutsu and that she was your direct supervisor at the time."
The Uchiha nodded.
"Godaime vocalized her approval, Ken has been relieved of his post and ordered to return to the village, and the cuts and scrapes you healed have contributed to public health. Good work."
That can't be all.
"Just tell me the conditions," Sasuke sighed.
Without missing a beat, Hiroto said, "We're going to need you and Sakura Haruno to come in and fill out another appeal for this complaint."
The Uchiha pinched the bridge of his nose. "Can't it be Naruto or Kakashi?"
"Those two weren't present when you were performing the medical ninjutsu. It would have to be Sakura unless you want this incident on your record until your final council meeting with the village leaders. That, though, isn't something I would recommend, especially not if you're trying to get in the good graces of the village."
Sasuke dropped his hand from his face and stared into his lap in irritation. Bringing her to the office means talking to her. Talking to her means enduring the awkwardness that he caused. Enduring the awkwardness means…possibly addressing it. As much as he wanted to clear what he saw as a misunderstanding, too much shame stained him.
He felt her pull herself closer to him until their bodies were flush together while their lips moved in synchrony. He couldn't hide the arousal he felt quickly growing in his groin and, if he were being honest, he didn't want to. If anything, it seemed like Sakura was more than welcome to it, too. She was soft, deliciously sweet, and made him want to explore more. Her hair that ran through his fingers was finer than the most exquisite silk strands. The sensation only served to yearn for more of her, to bring her closer and closer, to share their rising heat. He instinctively held the back of her neck, relishing how his body fit with hers in some ways while curiosity whispered of others, the pull in his core painfully persistent.
The whole time, she felt so soft. It was more than her velvet lips that made him melt. It was her whole presence. She was softness, she was warmth. She was safety, she was pleasure. Each movement she made spiraled him into yearning for more of all of it.
He felt her hands trail up his body, leaving a trail of fire in her fingers' wake before one hand settled on his jaw and the other playing yet again with the hem of his shirt. He couldn't help but feel a soft groan escape him at the sensation. The feeling of her lips against his sent pulses of pleasure across his body, for feeling her was so different, so much more, than just seeing her. Then, a soft whisper of a moan escaped her and—
I don't deserve this.
Sasuke heard the harsh voice just as he felt her tongue slip over his lips. Suddenly, the light that she let shine in her heart was too bright to bear. He froze at her act of permission to deepen the kiss, suddenly plagued with his reality.
I don't deserve her.
Sakura sensed it. There was no way she couldn't have. He dropped his hand from the back of her head, feeling the silk fall away from his fingers. She pulled away and gazed at him as he murmured, "I…I…don't…"
Her eyes grew blank at coming to her own recognition, but she seemed to read something in him that he didn't have the confidence to deny. A flash of hurt. A flash of embarrassment. Let her think what she wants, he thought, then she won't need to be hurt by association with me.
He couldn't watch as she turned away. He couldn't watch as she hurried out of the room. He couldn't watch as she looked at him in distant confusion on their trek back to the village. He couldn't watch as she stood silently in front of Tsunade during their report home. He couldn't watch as she turned away without a second glance toward her home.
He didn't want to see how he'd hurt her again.
But it's for her own good, he thought. The more she's associated with me, the worse it'll be for her. He clenched his fist. But she's the only one who can fill out the damn appeal…
"So what's your plan, Sasuke?"
The Uchiha glanced up at Hiroto, hardly aware that he had let his gaze drift even more downward. He felt his mouth form a tight line before he exhaled a heavy sigh.
"How long do I have?"
"Ten days."
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'll talk to her."
Sakura poured herself into her work the moment she was scheduled back in the hospital. Seven days had passed since her lunch with Ino. Seven days had been filled with emergency walk-ins, meetings for the new children's clinic, auditing patient files, and endlessly long surgeries. She made it a point to only go back to her apartment for a change of clothes, as her office became where she slept, ate, showered, and worked. It wasn't as though she needed the money; Sakura was pretty well-off in that regard, even while making payments for two apartments. She wouldn't admit it to her coworkers or subordinates, but she was sulking.
When she wasn't bustling around the hospital like a horse pumped with caffeine, she was in her working den. Nurses and doctors would pass her office to find the medic scribbling on piles of papers she had volunteered to read, having urgent discussions on her office phone, or downing near-pitchers of coffee and tea. Two in the morning was her usual hour of sleep, and she would let her head fall against the wooden desk in exhaustion only to start again five hours later. Shizune had stopped by multiple times in a bid to get her to go home to sleep for the night or to take a day off, all times that Sakura refused. She needed to be kept busy.
On the seventh night, Sakura had swiped three files off another doctor's desk to audit their documents for them. Her colleague flashed a pitying, guilty smile, but Sakura refused to acknowledge it as she sat back down in her office chair to get to reading. Anything, she said, give me anything, anything, anything to make me forget about that stupid, ridiculous, embarrassing—
"Sakura-chan."
The medic snapped her head up from her paperwork to see her guest at her office's wooden entryway. "Oh, Naruto," she said, forcing a smile on her face. "I don't mean to be rude, but this is a bad time. I'm a bit busy."
The blond raised his only hand to scratch the back of his head awkwardly. He was dressed in the outfit she'd gifted him right before her date with he-who-won't-be-mentioned. The signature orange collar was turned up on one side, and Sakura had to consciously withhold herself from striding across her office to fix it for him.
"Well, Sakura-chan," he began slowly, "I stopped by to, uh…"
The medic readjusted herself in her chair to signal that her impatience was growing by the second. The sides of her mouth turned downward in a frown.
He must have sensed her irritation and likely didn't want to face her infamous temper, as his words came out forced. "L-let's go get ramen tonight or something! Or we can do something you want to do. Just not here in the hospital."
"I have work to do, Naruto," she replied curtly.
"But—"
"I get that you probably want to have a nice night out with friends, but I just can't do that right now."
"Sakura-chan, it's not just a night out for myself."
"Naruto, I have work."
Naruto sighed. "I know, Sakura-chan, that's the thing: you've been working non-stop for the last week, since the moment your shifts started up again."
"The hospital needs my help."
"This much of it?" Naruto pressed. Then, his gaze shifted to behind the doorway before darting back towards her. "People are starting to worry."
Trying to get my friends involved, now, huh? Nice try. Sakura's eyes narrowed as her attention darted to the doorway behind her teammate. "Shizune," she called out, "I don't have plans to stop working until this is done and, yes, I have every intention to sleep in the office tonight."
Heels clicked from behind the doorway and, to Sakura's surprise, Tsunade shoved Naruto aside and strode into the office. The young man was seemingly grateful to be out of the direct path of Sakura's bad mood. Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of her master. "So," the older woman said slyly, "you won't even listen to your friends. Work bug bit you pretty bad, didn't it?"
The pink-haired girl blinked back dumbly. Then, "Naruto, you—"
"He busted through my doors yabbering about how you've been pulling eighteen-hour shifts every day. You know how tired you became last time this happened, and I won't have it happen again." Her expression softened. "Go home, Sakura. You and I both know you don't need to do this paperwork."
"But Tsunade-sama—"
"Home. Now. You're off for the next two days. Overworking will do the hospital, the future clinic, and your patients more harm than good." In a lower voice she added, "Plus, you're freaking out the other doctors. They probably think this is how I train my students to be."
It was useless to speak back to her. Sakura lowered her gaze to look over the stacks of papers on her desk. For the first time in seven days, she let herself feel the way her eyes burned with exhaustion without reaching for a dose of bitter caffeine. She hadn't felt this tired since she first threw herself into her work after the war, after she'd seen he-who-will-not-be-mentioned detained right in front of her. That kind of exhaustion wasn't necessarily something she wanted to reach again. She withdrew her hands from her desk and sighed.
Sensing her silence as defeat, Tsunade grinned over at Naruto. "Thanks for telling me. Walk her home, would you?" she said, patting her strong hand on his shoulder as she walked out of the room in smug victory.
When Tsunade left the room, Sakura glanced up at her blond friend. "Sorry, Naruto," she said. "I didn't mean to be irritated, I just…don't feel ready to face life outside of work."
Naruto hardly missed a beat as he said, "Is it because you made out with Sasuke?"
Her eyes widened like large green saucers. "He told you?"
"Apparently three days after it happened. I wanted to storm to your place for details the next day, but you were at work." He pouted. "Thanks for not telling me yourself, Sakura-chan."
The medic held her face in her hands and groaned with embarrassment. Her cheeks felt ten degrees warmer than the room and, surely, her hair was the color of ripe strawberries. "I'm sorry," she bemoaned. "I didn't want to remember it…to some extent, I still don't want to remember it."
The blond walked over to a plush leather chair on which Sakura's gym bag to haul it over his shoulder, allowing the strap to drape across his chest. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Sasuke said something similar the other day. Every time I ask, though, he gets the way he used to, you know? All sulky and annoyed. But I would have thought it'd be a highlight of your life."
So, he doesn't want to remember it, either, she thought despairingly.
"I mean," Sakura said, standing from her chair and freeing herself of her white coat, "it wasn't exactly the most picture-perfect moment for either of us. Sasuke-kun and I are teammates. It'd be like if you and I made out."
Naruto snorted as he draped a brotherly arm around her shoulders when she drew near. "Sakura-chan," he said, turning the lamp she used in her office off with his fingers, "as flattered as I am that you've thought of the two of us making out, I don't think those two things are the same."
Sakura shot him a look that said, Watch it, before she closed and locked her office door. "Regardless," she continued, patting his back. "You two are my teammates. You're my boys. Things like that can't happen." Even to herself, she sounded like she was trying too hard to be convincing. "I'm sure he's busy with his own life right now, anyway."
"All he's done is go to the training grounds for hours on end."
"That's nice."
Naruto shot her a frustrated look but allowed the conversation to pause…though only pause. They walked quietly out of the hospital, the air noticeably warmer than it had been weeks ago despite the sun having disappeared below the horizon, evidence that the peak of spring was coming. Eventually, Naruto withdrew his arm and tapped his fingers thoughtfully on her gym bag. Time to hit play again. "You both weren't acting like friends those first three weeks he was back."
"You might be reading too much into it, Naruto."
"He followed you around after every shift at work."
"I was the medic in charge of unblocking the chakra his arm."
"You went on dates."
"One date. And it was more…platonic, anyway."
"Who kissed who?"
"Both of us? I don't know. It was mutual, heat of the moment stuff."
The blond thought for a moment. "Did you reject him?"
"No, I didn't," she said quickly, her face turning away from him in shame.
Naruto's eyes widened in recognition. "Did he reject you?"
Sakura didn't reply, using her silence as an affirmative.
Naruto gripped her bag in his hand, the fabric bunching up and twisting between his fingers. "That…that bastard!" He whipped his head around the street, likely trying to find his bearings to ambush the Uchiha himself. "What the hell is his problem? I'm going to fucking—"
Sakura gripped his arm firmly and held him still. "Naruto, please," she said, slowing the two of them to a halt. "Don't, okay? Don't talk to him about it. It's mortifying enough as it is. Let's just put it all behind us."
"It looks like you've been trying to do that, and it's clearly not working out! You're overworking yourself and he's shutting everyone out!" he said, though he relaxed enough to signal Sakura to let go of his arm. He sighed a deep breath to exhale the immediate frustration for his best friend out of his system. "It doesn't make any sense, either."
"What do you mean?"
"He has tells, you know?" Naruto explained. He reached over and rubbed the remnants of his right arm in thought. "We haven't been around each other in a while, but he definitely has little quirks that I read as, I don't know…excitement? Excitement to be around you."
Sakura shook her head. "You are likely reading too much into it, Naruto," Sakura dismissed.
Naruto quieted for a moment and they stood silently. Surely, Sasuke was actually excited. He'd have a faraway look at the mention of Sakura's name. He'd mull around the blonde's little hospital room and sulk until her shift was over. He'd jump out of that damn green reclining chair during her lunch breaks, even when she'd just nap in the room. He'd never have angry wrinkles on his forehead when she was around. He'd never deny Naruto's teases about making sure his penis was still attached. For kami's sake, he'd actually kissed her. Naruto doubted he was looking too much into it.
"Sakura-chan—"
"Regardless," she cut him off, "please, Naruto, don't talk to Sasuke-kun about it anymore. We're all friends here. I don't want to ruin what we just got started building."
He frowned.
"Fine…do you want to grab ramen?"
Sasuke let himself fall back onto the plush grass after his latest set of hitting rounds on the large wooden stump before him. Sweat gleaned on his face, and he used the collar of his shirt to swipe it away. It was noticeably warmer today than the previous days, likely a sign that summer was quickly approaching the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The sun was already below the horizon, leaving the navy hues of the sky to bathe him in darkness. Stars shone their delicate light that reminded him of the nights he'd spent traveling with Taka. Even before then, the nights he'd spent traveling with Team Seven. I should have looked up more.
Sakura seemed to look up quite a lot. She even made it a point to sleep on her back when they traveled just so the last image she saw was of the canvas of stars overhead. The stars were lucky on those nights, as they had the privilege of seeing her emerald irises glowing back at them. She probably had the same looks of curiosity she gave him, the looks of wonder. Perhaps the stars were lost in her gaze, too.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun, is that you?"
His trance was interrupted by the familiar shrill, flirtatious voice of that blond gi—Ino. He turned his head to nod in acknowledgement of her presence. She was dressed in her mission gear again with her forest green flak jacket and navy pants. In her hand, she held an incredibly bright flashlight that caused him to squint despite its beam flashing next to him and not in his face.
"Good to see you," she said politely as she remained standing a good distance away.
She's learned boundaries.
She cleared her throat. "I was just heading over from the west training grounds. I'm on duty to clear them all out." She flashed a flirtatious grin and pointed her finely manicured nail in his direction. "Guess that means I need to kick you out."
"Right," Sasuke replied. "Sorry." He grabbed his bag next to him and slung it over his shoulder. His arm groaned in protest after working so hard over the last seven days. When he stood on his legs, it seemed they groaned louder.
"Do you need—"
"I'm fine."
He didn't mean to sound sharp with her, but he didn't want to apologize yet again. To showcase his peace, he nodded at her to lead the way back to the village core, and she obliged. For the majority of the way, she walked ahead of him. Sasuke, of course, wasn't in the mood to talk; he not only found small talk unnecessary, but small talk with this girl may lead to a rabbit hole he didn't want to traverse. Sakura's blond best friend, the girl who likely knew more about the medic's life than his own blond best friend.
"I never got to ask, Sasuke-kun," she said, breaking the silence, "how did your date with Sakura go?"
"It was fine."
"I see."
They walked a bit further in uncomfortable silence, though it seemed more uncomfortable for the Uchiha than it did for her.
"So," she continued again, "how was your mission with your old team?"
"It was also fine."
"I see, I see."
Ino looked over her shoulder and peeked at the dark-haired shinobi before shifting her gaze forward on the path again, her flashlight's beam guiding their walk. Surely, this girl was up to something. She likely knows about Nao-san, his team's journey to Hana Village, and the last night they spent in Mozukai where he and Sakura…did that. Ino was probably going to probe for more details, perhaps use them against the medic, or keep them stored in her long blond hair as some odd, crafted memory.
"I'd received previous reports that a single shinobi has been on the training grounds until after sunset every day for the last seven days. I guess that's you, huh?"
"Yeah."
Ino hummed in amazement. "You really don't stop training, do you? Well, that's to be expected." She paused for a calculated moment before saying, "Sakura's been working non-stop at the hospital, too. Seven days of nearly twenty-four-hour shifts, leaving her poor best friend in the dust and to eat dango and drink tea alone."
Earlier in the day, Naruto had mentioned something similar, that the medic had been holed up in her office "yet again" and that he worried for her health. It took every ounce in him to actively change the subject away from the topic of Sakura, not wanting to build trails of suggestion that it was his fault she had begun to pick up ridiculous shifts to forget the night in Mozukai. However, curiosity had a sneaky way of seeping into him.
"She seems busy."
He could hear a sly grin form on her face. "Definitely so. She hasn't worked this much since after the war."
Ino seemed to take Sasuke's silence as permission to continue. "You know, Sasuke-kun, the intel department and the Military Police work closely together. I'd heard about how you and Forehead were using medical ninjutsu in Hana Village. I also heard from Hiroto-san that you need to get her to file another appeal."
Is Hiroto even allowed to say that much? "That's right," he said slowly.
"You both seem to have been so busy, but your time is running out, isn't it? You don't want to procrastinate on that process. Sakura might be working more shifts without time to spare on filing that appeal. I heard people are trying to kick her out at this point, but she keeps refusing. If she had a reason to stop, I'm sure she would drop it."
"What are you suggesting?"
Ino turned around and feigned an innocent expression. "I'm not suggesting anything, Sasuke-kun. I'm just saying that when something important pops up on her doorstep, she's the first to speed out of work. She does so much for the hospital, anyway, that no one ever complains when she leaves. They're only ever so thankful when she returns."
As they made it out of the tree line and into the newly-paved road of the village, the option of paying Sakura a visit at the hospital became viable. However, the look of hurt in the medic's eyes was seared into his memory, just before he turned away from her that night. How could he face her? How could—
"How could you reject her?!"
Sasuke and Ino jumped at the sound of the village hero's voice booming through the empty street just before his rough hand grabbed hold of the Uchiha's collar. Sasuke's muscles were too tired to protest the movement, so he could only manage a scowl in response to Naruto's frustration. Their noses were nearly pressed together as Naruto continued his tirade.
"What kind of game are you playing at, Teme? The two of you were tight as hell before our trip to Hana. Then, Sakura-chan goes and tells me that you actually rejected her! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
"It has nothing to do with you," Sasuke said simply, his voice clipped.
"Naruto," Ino interjected. "Where is Sakura right now?"
The blond boy turned his head towards Ino and softened a bit as he replied, "Home. I managed to get Old Lady Tsunade to get her out of the hospital and into her apartment for the night. I tried to get her to get something like ramen in her system. I ended up just walking her back to her place and that's when she told me that you," Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke again, "had the gall to reject her! After everything! If you don't want anything romantic with her, why can't you just say it?! Why do you have to make her trail behind you?"
The three of them stood silently for a moment before Naruto shoved the Uchiha back by his collar, causing him to stumble backward. Luckily, Sasuke had enough strength to remain on his feet. He couldn't seem to look Naruto in the eye, however, as shame swelled in his chest.
"It's not that I don't want anything with her," Sasuke said, his voice tight with control.
"Then why did you reject her, Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked quietly.
"I didn't mean to reject her. It has nothing to do with her."
"What does that even mean?" Naruto hissed, gearing up to grab him by the collar again. Sasuke gripped Naruto's wrist before it could reach him, however, and the Uchiha looked him dead in the eye. The two young men stared at each other for a moment, a message of understanding passing between them. A new determination shone in the lavender and black, a determination that rode a wave of regret. Sasuke released Naruto's wrist, and the latter let it fall to his side as he huffed and nodded. Naruto then turned to the blond girl. "Yo, Ino," he said, "You're done with your rounds, right? I'll walk you home."
Sasuke pivoted on his heel, not bothering to answer the flurry of questions that sputtered out of Ino's mouth. The transaction must have looked odd from a third perspective, but the message Sasuke sent was clear. He felt…undeserving. It had nothing to do with Sakura and everything to do with him.
As for the exchange itself, he was sure that Naruto couldn't explain what just happened, either. For some reason, communicating with each other with glances was enough. There were two people in his life with whom he could communicate using mere looks. It was time to pay the other one an overdue visit.
Sakura sipped tea at her kotatsu, dressed in one of her oversized green shirts that barely brushed passed her panty-clad rear. As she quietly flipped through one of her medical texts, unable to sleep due to basically pumping her veins with caffeine for the last seven days. The words on the page, however, were blocked by her mind's incessant reeling about what she dreaded to think about: Sasuke. He'd been home for only a month, and she'd fucked it all up. Perhaps they'd moved too fast. Perhaps they weren't meant to move at all. Perhaps she was meant to truly only walk him home from his release that day, nothing more. Perhaps she should have assigned a different medic to his case with the chakra blockage in his arm. Perhaps she should have gone home after witnessing Nana's death. Perhaps she should have gone to Hana alone. Perhaps—
Knock, knock.
She stirred from her trance. It brought some relief, as the regrets swelling in her chest were nearly unbearable. It's probably Naruto again, she thought. "Coming!" Sakura called out.
She shuffled out from under the kotatsu's blanket and padded over to her door to peek out the peephole. Now, all she can focus on is telling her blond friend that she definitely doesn't want to eat ramen to—
Oh my god.
Sasuke, dressed in sweatpants and a black long-sleeved shirt, a sheen of sweat on his face, peered back through the peephole. Obviously, he couldn't see her…but he most certainly heard her. In the fraction of a second Sakura had looked out, she read his expression of discomfort.
Sakura slapped a hand over her mouth and felt panic replace the regret. What the hell is he doing here?! The medic glanced around her apartment, partly suggesting to herself that hopping out the window was a viable option. No, no, she thought again. I can just tell him an excuse…like my apartment isn't presentable or something.
Knock, knock.
Oh. My. God.
She sucked in a breath through her fingers. Maybe if I'm super, super quiet, he'll go away, she thought, crouching on the ground and closing her eyes. Maybe he didn't hear me after all and doesn't know I'm here.
"Sakura, I know you're there."
Fuck.
She glanced down at her attire, realizing she was still only dressed in her big green shirt and panties. "Uh," she called back, "One second!" She dashed to her bedroom and ripped her closet door open to grab the nearest pair of black leggings from one of the shelves. She jumped and extended both legs through the lengths of the leggings at the same time, causing her to fall with a thump on her carpeted floor. "Ow," she whimpered, but quickly regained herself. Sakura rolled around, scrambling to pull the waist up properly before hurrying over to the door again. Her left thigh had taken the fall, but she couldn't be bothered to nurse it, especially not since the two of them were well aware she was stalling for time by pretending to not be home.
The medic sucked in a breath and undid the locks to open the door. A slight breeze entered the apartment, and with it entered the scent of sandalwood and sweat. He looked a bit disheveled: his hair seemed more unruly than before with scuffs of mud across parts of his cheeks. His black, long-sleeved shirt had likely seen better days, as there were rips around his right arm that exposed roughed, scabbing skin. It seemed that Sasuke was practicing combat with his only arm, as it was especially worn around his forearm and elbow. His pants seemed to be intact, for the most part, though scuffed with dirt around his knees and calves. The only item that seemed untouched was the bag slung across his shoulder. Her gaze made it back to his for a brief moment, before she turned away in embarrassment. He watched her the whole time she did a body scan on him.
"Hi…Sasuke-kun," she greeted slowly, her voice soft.
Silence.
"Can we talk?"
Sakura startled at the question and forced herself to look into his eyes. "Um…sure, yes. Come in," she said, silently berating herself as she stepped aside to let him in. She circled around her kitchen counter and tried her best to avoid observing his movements any further. "Tea?" she asked.
"Sure. Thanks."
Sakura busied herself by heating up more water on her stove and shuffling around her kitchen cabinets for her special sencha. Behind her, Sasuke slipped off his sandals and placed them carefully in the spot he usually claimed next to Sakura's own. He slipped the bag over his head and set it down by the door before making his way over to his usual seat at the kotatsu. He knelt down to pull the pillowed cushion away to avoid dirtying it with his clothes before carefully sitting at the table.
Sakura rounded the kitchen counter again and placed a new cup of tea in front of him, the smell of freshly brewing sencha filling his nose. As she turned to take her own seat, the scent of rosemary and mint lingered in the air.
"So," Sakura said, settling herself into her seat and covering herself with the kotatsu blanket.
"So."
Silence.
"You look…beaten," Sakura commented.
"And you look tired."
The medic shrugged sheepishly and slowly closed the medical text that she couldn't bring herself to concentrate on. She then held her own cup of tea in her hands and spun it slowly between her fingers to burn the energy that didn't seem to quit building.
"How was…work?"
Sakura raised her eyebrows in surprise. She knew very well that Sasuke was not one for small talk, so this was especially surprising for her to witness. He blinked at her then broke their gaze to look down at his cup of tea in what appeared to be feigned thoughtfulness. It made Sakura want to chuckle.
"Work was busy," she said. "Tsunade-sama sent me home, though. I've been working for seven days straight without much of a break."
"I heard."
Silence.
"How was training?"
Sasuke grimaced a bit, causing small wrinkles to form at the edges of his pristine mouth. "Rough," he said. "It's taking a while to build up my strength again."
"It'll take time, but I'm sure you can do it."
"Mm."
Silence.
"Sasuke-kun—"
"Sakura—"
They froze for a moment. The pink-haired girl nodded for him to continue, using this as an opportunity to sip her tea to relieve the excess energy building in her bones.
Sasuke sucked in a breath slowly before saying, "I'm…sorry. About what happened at Mozukai. I didn't mean to get carried away."
What does that mean? Sakura thought. "So…," she began cautiously, "you didn't want to, uh…kiss?"
His cheeks flashed the lightest pink of a blush before he raised his own cup to his lips to take a sip of his tea. When he placed it back down on the table, he seemed focused on it. The air buzzed with tension. "It's not that I didn't want to. It's just complicated in that…I don't think I'm…ready for that. I have things on my end to figure out."
Okay, what does that mean? Sakura thought again. It was hard to read him without seeing his eyes. "Alright," she said slowly, trying not to feel too hopeful at his admission that he actually did want to kiss her. "So…friends. We're just friends, right?"
He seemed to hesitate before quietly replying, "Yes."
Square one…perhaps the only square, Sakura thought.
"Okay."
Silence.
Then, she asked, "How can I support you with what you need to figure out?"
Sasuke raised his eyebrows at this, and they held each other's gazes. He seemed genuinely surprised that she would even offer assistance. After all, isn't she the one who's been feeling rejected? She has every right to toss him aside or cry about it. He examined her expression, studied her face, only to find sincere determination and curiosity. There was no ulterior motive to her question, no undercurrent of how she could benefit from his exploration. She truly, simply, wanted to help him.
"I…don't know."
Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "Okay." She let her gaze fall upon his scrapes that peeked out through the fabric of his shirt. "Can I start by patching you up?"
Sasuke nodded, and she made her way effortlessly over to kneel by his side. She patched him up as promised. Each soothing wave of her chakra melted away the stinging sensations and replaced them with her warmth. She was close, too, close enough for him to smell more of the rosemary and mint waft into his nose, the distinct smell mixing with her essence. He closed his eyes as she held his hand in hers, feeling her chakra pulsing through his knuckles and mending the broken skin. He wished to say more to her but found that he couldn't. He wished to have a better explanation, to admit that he didn't feel worthy of her, but he couldn't.
He watched her eyes focus yet relax as she settled into her element. The dark circles beneath them, likely from the nights she spent working as opposed to resting peacefully, called him to touch, but he refrained. Friends, he recited.
She pulled back when she was finished and looked him up and down once more. "All done," she said quietly. "You know, you're welcome to shower here if you need to."
He nodded, glancing over his shoulder at his bag that rested by the door full of his clothes as he gulped down the rest of his tea.
"And Sasuke-kun," she said, "the offer still stands of you staying here…I mean, if you ever don't feel like going back to your place."
He paused. "Can I stay tonight?"
She gave him a small smile. "Of course."
Friends, he recited again, and she's a good one. A really good one, he chanted.
They gazed at each other, truly gazed at each other, for the first time that night. Emerald met midnight and lavender. He didn't realize how much he'd missed their greeting. The air buzzed again. Her eyes read longing, sadness, and hope. She was so close again. Despite the rupture their relationship barely began to mend, his instincts told him to glance down at her lips when, suddenly, she turned away. "I'll go ahead and set up the futon," she said, rising to her feet and padding over to her bedroom. She paused at the doorway and turned back to look at him as she said, "It'll be ready by the time you finish."
"Ah."
He stood up, grabbed his bag, and made his way into her bathroom. When he shut and locked the door behind him, he dragged his hand down his face in exasperation, trying to ignore the heat that began to pile yet again in his core. The first sip of water after a drought only makes for a thirstier man. Damn that Hiroto, Sasuke cursed.
How in the world will this work?
