Ch.4
Ssk Perspective
School finally began at the end of August. It was a scorching day in Konoha. The Konoha summers would combat Suna's anyday if it was up to Sasuke. He decided to sneak out of the apartment to not awaken a snoring Naruto. Naruto's classes were all in the afternoon, due to his nocturnal hours. Sasuke never particularly did well with mornings, he was mostly groggy with undertones of pissed off. As he began locking his apartment door, he noticed Sakura doing the same.
"Let me guess, you have class on Mondays at 8 too? Need a ride?" Sakura asked cheerily. He nodded and they began walking the stairs down to her little gray car. "Holy shit it's so muggy already." Sakura exasperated, fanning herself. "Hn. August in Konaha seems to get hotter every year." He replied, cursing himself for such a lame comment. They drove the short ride to school.
They walked out of the parking lot and towards their respective school buildings. "What time are you done? I might be able to give you a ride back!" Sasuke pulled out his phone to check, he honestly did not remember. "Noon." He replied, secretly hopeful he could secure a ride. "Hmmm…I'm done at 11:30. Meet me in the library when you're done?" Sakura chirped before waving at him as she ran to her building.
Sasuke's chest ached during his 8 AM class. Then again during his 10 AM class. He began to notice the aches after his parents passed. The therapist he saw briefly after the incident suggested it was a symptom of anxiety. No shit, he thought at the time. As his mind half paid attention to the teachers he thought back to how happy Sakura looked this morning, waving warmly at him as she scurried away to her own class. When was the last time someone was genuinely happy to see me? He thought whilst looking out the window.
Midday finally arrived. Sasuke made the trek from his second class to the library. He entered Konaha University's massive library filled to the brim with books, scrolls and any other type of knowledge device one could collect or get their hands on.
He entered the small student cafe area looking for a flash of pink. No sign of her there. He had to think like Sakura, where would she choose to sit and study while waiting for him? It had been a few years but he still had memories of Sakura stored safely in his memories of before. He was reminded of their middle school days when something similar happened.
It was another summer festival. The kids in his class all gathered in the field next to the festival grounds. They began a game of hide and seek. He remembered that the other girls were not very fond of Sakura due to her hair coloring, as well as her being one of the smartest in the class-they thought it was fake and relentlessly bullied her. It also did not help with the female population; she was friends with all the boys.
Hide and seek began and someone or another began finding everyone. Everyone was eventually found-except for Sakura. The game dispersed quickly but Sasuke began looking for Sakura. She was his friend and he wanted to make sure she was ok.
Sasuke began looking and searching everywhere in the field and beyond into a small forest area just beyond the meadow where a few of the other kids were found.
"Sakura?" Sasuke yelled out into the expanse of darkness and greenery. He heard some muffled sobs above. Sasuke glanced up and saw a pink blob of hair shifting up and down in a tree branch. "Sakura? It's me, come down. The game is over." Sakura slowly climbed her way down until she hit the ground a few feet away from Sasuke. Sasuke slowly approached her knowing she had been crying. He placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her somehow. Without warning she turned around, wiped the tears from her eyes and began walking back to the festival grounds. Sasuke remained in place waiting for her to acknowledge what just happened.
"C'mon Sasuke. Let's try to catch the fireworks, let me redeem some of this night." "Why were you so high up?" Sasuke asked. "Honestly, just for the quiet. Those kids all dislike me for some reason or another. Being away stops the comments...and I like to see things from a new perspective." He paused for a moment."Hmm. Explains why you always read your books in the tallest tree branch at your parents house…" Sakura's face is just barely visible due to the summer night's lighting. He could still see how red her face was. Sasuke had known it was her secret spot for a while.
Ever since then Sasuke knew where to find her. She seemed to like higher places and more secluded from people. Sasuke noticed the four floors to Konoha library. He knew exactly where she was. He had been here before when his brother attended and his parents were alive. There was a small area on the top floor, of course by the medical books. The area consisted of a few booths and a table or two. Coincidentally it was where Itachi always studied for his law exams.
He made the trek up to the fourth floor, not bothering to check the other floors. He went straight to the area his brother used to study. Sure enough, pink. He made the walk from the stairwell, over to the small table she was hunched over. He flicked the back of her head to alert her of his presence. "Huh? Hey watch i—.." she turned around and made eye contact. Her face immediately lit up. This in turn made his stomach feel all kinds of fluttery. He brushed it off as hunger or maybe anxiety. "You found me!" She began gathering her things and they made the walk back out of the library and to the parking lot. He noticed how her cheeks flushed a bright pink from the even hotter temperature than from the morning, along with walking across campus back to her car.
They began driving back to their apartment complex. "I have to go to the grocery store today. Did you need anything or want to come? I'd go after I did some homework. And before you ask, yes I do already have homework." Sasuke felt weird from the question, and the closeness it seemed to imply. It seemed they were picking up where they left off, just older and with more experiences they had yet to discuss. He battled with himself for a moment, curious if he deserved her kindness and to enjoy his childhood friendship.
"Sure, just knock or text me when you want to go." They parked in the spot closest to their respective apartment block. They exited the vehicle, and began the climb up. "Sure! See ya later."
Sasuke looked at his homework and readings he was assigned and decided to play some video games instead. He had time to do the assignments, it was only the first day after all. He sat and built some farms and defended some villages in a war game he had been working through. When he heard a knock on the front door. Sasuke paused his game and started to unlock the door. He was surprised to see Naruto at the door and the sunset for the day. He then realized how long he was in his room. "Thanks man, forgot my key. Heh." Naruto chuckled nervously scratching the back of his neck . "Idiot, it's the first day. How?" "Woke up late, and had to book it." "I see. Not much has changed since high school. Huh?" Naruto paused, "Wait..how'd you get to school? Did you walk? In this heat?" Naruto asked concerned. "No. I got a ride." Naruto looked more concerned. "You didn't hitch did you?" Sasuke smacked his forehead questioning how he was friends with Naruto, let alone roommates. "No, Sakura just so happens to have an 8AM class on Mondays as well." Sasuke said casually, sauntering back to his room. "Oohh..!" Naruto remarked cheekily. Sasuke's neck, much to his disapproval, began to turn pink. "You always give yourself away." Naruto chuckled to himself. "All I'm gonna say is, be careful. We all need to catch up with each other. And not to be that guy but you need to heal some more." Sasuke knew what he was trying to say and do. But he didn't need that talk. He was just getting to know his old friend again. The one girl he ever really saw and paid attention to, but who also left for years. He also did not need the reminder of his family situation; he knew his limits with that mess. Sasuke was in control, and he was taking care of himself. Sasuke nodded, acknowledging what Naruto said; and began his way back to his room, finally. Until there was a soft knock on the door.
Naruto made it to the door faster than Sasuke. "Sakura! Good to see you. What's up?" Naruto asked. "Oh, I came to see if Sasuke still wanted to go to the store with me. You're welcome to come too, I just need some groceries." Sasuke emerged from behind Naruto walking past him to stand by Sakura out in the entryway. "Nah, I just got back from class. Maybe this weekend we can all do something?" "Of course, let me know what you guys want for dinner Sunday. If that arrangement is still ok with laundry?" Sakura asked. "Oooo! Ok, I'll send you a text with some ideas! Have fun guys!" Naruto said while closing the door to the apartment.
The two left for the grocery store. They parked and went in. Sakura immediately got to work, looking to the list on her phone and around the store for what she needed. He noticed how she picked up some chocolate chip cookies whilst walking through the bakery. Still has a sweet tooth, he made a mental note. While walking through the produce section she looked at Sasuke for a moment and picked up some cherry tomatoes and added them to her cart. "Still have a preference for them, right?" She asked while rolling her cart to the next item. He rolled his eyes and nodded. His heart warmed a little at that. No one knew of his love for tomatoes other than those who he allowed to get close to him. He remembered when his mother would go to the store and on those grocery days seeing the customary tub of cherry tomatoes on the counter. Maybe Naruto was right and he did have more healing to do. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
They finished at the store, around seven in the evening. They made the trek back up and Sasuke helped her carry some of her bags. "Did you want to come in for a bit or do you have things to do?" Sakura asked. He shrugged and followed her into her apartment. She started unloading her groceries. She pulled some iced tea out of her fridge and offered him some. He declined. He noticed she had finished decorating her apartment more since the first time
he was here. The bed was still on the wall separating their two apartments (and rooms for that matter.) The loft area on the other side of the apartment, seemed like a study zone with books upon piles of books directly under the lofted area. He noticed a familiar cover among the piles of books.
He made his way from the bar stool on the side of the kitchen counter and grabbed the familiar manga. Sakura looked at him and his sudden movement. "You mentioned the updates are online?" She said, grinning at him. "Yea. I'll send you the link when I go back to my place." She made an excited face."Alright so the arc…" The two of them discussed the arc for what seemed like hours. In fact it was hours. Sasuke glanced at the phone in his pocket and read 10:25PM. "Shit. I have class in the morning. I have to go try to lie down." He knew sleep wouldn't come to him easily, but he had to at least try. "Alright, sorry if I kept you out so late! I had a lot of fun with you. I missed this." Sakura said, motioning between them and holding up the manga. Sasuke smirked, "I could take it or leave it." She rolled her eyes and punched him lightly in the arm. "Good night Sasuke." As he made his way out of her apartment and back into his, he tucked himself away under his covers and began to think.
This was a dangerous road to go down. Everyone important to him had left. They either died, or they were forcibly removed. But didn't he deserve this gift, to have one of his oldest friends come back into his life and pick up where they left off? To enjoy some semblance of this situation and make his life better? To enjoy just being a college student, and try in the smallest way to be normal?
He slowly drifted off to sleep and for the first time in a long time, he did not have dreams with black and red but of pink.