Author's Opening Rant-Heh heh heh, some of you guys thought I was done, eh? Nope! There's still one couple I have to throw in here. Having said that, I apologize to anyone and everyone I am about to disappoint/upset with this chapter, but I did warn you!
And again, a massive thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad you liked the last chapter—I tried to get it out as quickly as I could for you! I was happy with how it turned out, so it makes me doubly happy to know you guys liked it as well! So again, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! n.n
Now then, the chapter that I personally have been anxiously waiting for. I know, I know—I'm hopeless!
Chapter 17- The Cherry Blossom's SongThe best laid plans of mice and men to oft at times go awry.
Haruno Sakura and her date for the night, Rock Lee, were making the rounds of the Festival grounds, eyes playing lightly over the jubilant crowd. They had not yet stopped to dance because Sakura had confessed to the grinning Lee that she hadn't eaten anything all day long; though, she kept the reason for it to herself. Lee was insistent about finding the famished kunoichi something to eat before they hit the dance floor. After all, what true gentleman would allow a girl to go hungry?
Sakura grimaced as the pair passed the third booth selling only octopus balls they had come across since they started looking, "Ugghh. I hate those things!"
"Really?" Lee smiled at her, still elated to have her clinging to his arm, "I myself like them very much! Why not try a few?"
She made a face, and Lee just chuckled, "Come on, let's see if there's another booth selling something else."
"If you say so, Sakura-san." He very happily led her from the booth and back into the thick of the crowd. After a few moments more of dodging dancing villagers, they finally came across a food stand that was selling something Sakura was willing to eat: Teriyaki Chicken. Relieved at the prospect of something that wasn't octopus balls, the pink-haired Haruno leaned in and asked the vendor for a small order. Lee immediately reached over and paid for the food, though she begged him not to, and the two of them found a quiet little corner of the street to sit and eat.
"You know…" Sakura shyly poked at her meal, "you didn't have to do that. I have some cash on me."
The elated taijutsu master only smiled wider, "But I wanted to do it, Sakura-san!"
She flustered a little, still unaccustomed to this kind treatment, and allowed her beaming emerald orbs to focus on Lee. He straightened a little as her gaze went to him, fidgeting as one of his long blue sleeves unrolled. A serene smile crossed Sakura's lips. She lifted her little meal and offered him a piece, "Want one? You did pay for it, after all."
"…really?" Lee's eyes widened.
"Of course!" she couldn't help but giggle at his expression, popping a piece of food into her mouth and happily chewing at the tasty treat.
Lee was practically in tears as he took a tiny piece of teriyaki chicken for himself, "Sakura-san is sharing a meal with me!!! I never knew she cared so deeply! Ohhh, Gai-sensei! If only you could see just how happy I am right now!"
"Lee-san…? You alright?" Sakura stared at him, wondering why he was sniffling and dangling the tiny piece of meat in mid-air. It almost seemed as if eating this food…pained him? Maybe she really should have gotten an order of octopus balls after all.
"Yes! I am absolutely fine, Sakura-san!" he stated forcefully, nearly leaping to his feet with the declaration. Lee rapidly stuck the food in his mouth and swallowed without bothering to chew, just to show her that he enjoyed the offering. Again, the kunoichi giggled, and Lee just broke into a happy grin.
The meal didn't last long between the two of them, and in no time, Sakura and Lee were back on their feet, looking for a good spot to share a dance. Sakura latched herself onto his arm as they walked, causing Lee to sigh contentedly for about the one-millionth time since they had left her house. He almost didn't want to believe it was happening; it still seemed too good to be true. His arm linked with the beautiful Sakura-san's, chatting pleasantly and giggling as they went through the streets, her beaming green eyes trained on him each time he offered to retell one of his many stories about his ninja missions. It was almost surreal. But after a while, his reservations dissipated—or rather, were lost to those pools of brilliant green smiling over at him--and the taijutsu master allowed himself to utterly enjoy every moment of it.
"We should get a little closer to the band." Sakura observed after a while of searching. Lee had just finished telling her of the time when Neji, Tenten and himself had fallen through a frozen lake on a mission, and only survived when the Hyuuga genius had practically thrown the other two onto solid ground. The image of course made the younger girl giggle, Neji lifting Lee by his shirt-collar and tossing him. But as soon as the story had ended, Sakura noticed how faint the music was becoming. The more they walked, the further they were from the band.
Lee glanced over his back, catching sight of the main dancing area just behind them, "Alright. That sounds like an excellent idea. This way, Sakura-san." The pair of them turned about and headed back towards the main ground, Sakura laughing as Lee knocked an older gentleman right off of his feet.
She smiled, though having to force her way through the crowd of dancers. Sakura was surprised at just how much she was enjoying this night. Lee was being his sweet, wonderful self, and with all the dancing and festivities, Sakura was content to forget all about whatever problems lie behind or before her. Right now, all she wanted to think about was this night: Dancing, eating, laughing, and having a great time at the famous Leaf Festival Dance.
That was, until she and her date had pushed their way closer to the main dance floor. She hadn't been looking for him, she hadn't been thinking of him, she had all but shoved him to the side of her brain since Lee had arrived at her doorstep, but all of a sudden, across the crowd, Sakura's astonished emerald orbs fell on the distinctive face of Uchiha Sasuke.
Lee felt a tug at his arm as his date stopped dead in her tracks, "Sakura-san? What is it?" He stared at the side of her face, wondering what her vision had suddenly become so obsessed with.
"Sa…" Sakura was afraid to admit it, lest she find out that she really was seeing things, "…Sasuke."
"Sasuke-kun?" Lee followed her gaze and caught sight of the moody Uchiha, letting out a little hum of surprise, "Wow. That is Sasuke-kun. Strange to see him out here during the festival, though. I though he hated it."
Uchiha Sasuke was propped up against the wide, shadowy wall of a building, his dark ebony eyes studying the crowd. He hadn't yet caught sight of his pink-haired teammate or her date; he seemed absorbed in watching the dancers around him. His hands lay deep in the pockets of a pair of old, faded pants, and he wore a battered, dark blue, hooded sweatshirt—of course with the Uchiha fan printed on the back. Compared to the whole rest of the village, Sasuke looked horribly sloppy. Everyone else had gone to great lengths to dress up and make themselves presentable, but Sasuke almost looked as if he had just rolled out of bed.
Even still, the very sight of him made Sakura's breath catch in her throat.
Sasuke's entire posture seemed different. Not cocky and egotistical, with that flair of casual apathy that he usually radiated. His shoulders were slumped, his neck leaned slightly forward as he watched the other villagers. There was almost an innocence about him, one that everyone though he had lost long ago, and before she could stop herself, Sakura was letting go of Lee's arm to rush over at him. Lee quickly caught the kunoichi by her sleeve and lightly held her back, "Sakura-san…what…?"
"Lee-san, I…" Sakura met Lee's disappointed look, biting her bottom lip fiercely. She couldn't just abandon Lee, she knew that. But… "I-I'll just be a minute, okay? I just…I want to say 'Hi'…"
"But-"
"I'll be right back. I…I promise." Sakura gently pushed Lee's hand off and darted through the crowd of avid dancers. Rock Lee sighed heavily. He was afraid of how this whole encounter would wind out, but he was pretty sure he would not like it.
Sakura bounded over to Sasuke, silently at first, not wanting to disturb whatever it was that he was doing out here. Much to her surprise, Sasuke's eyes moved onto her before she could speak, staring almost awestruck from behind those stringy black bangs. Obviously, he hadn't expected to run into her. His voice very gradually left his lips, "…hey."
"Hey." Sakura shot back. She shyly watched him for a while, unsure if 'hey' was a good sign or a bad sign. Was he still mad with her, with the village? There was a clear glow of pain behind those silent eyes of his, and Sakura winced to herself, wishing she wasn't so useless. If only she could find out a way to help him without becoming annoying to him.
She didn't even dare acknowledge the bruise that lingered around his eye or the bandage on his forehead—most likely Naruto's handiwork. For a while, she just watched him watching the crowd. But eventually her little curious streak got the better of her, and despite the backlash of screaming it might have caused, Sakura spoke up, "Why…I mean, what are you doing out here, Sasuke?"
"Thinking." His voice remained soft and pensive, eyes still watching the twirling citizens of Konoha around him. Sakura was grateful that he hadn't whirled on her and told her to mind her own business, but the bigger surprise came to the kunoichi as the usually stoic Uchiha elaborated on his response, "I remember…one year, when I was about four…my mother tried teaching me to dance. But all I did was step on her feet all night long…"
She couldn't believe her ears. Sasuke was voluntarily telling her about his family. Sakura had always thought the subject to be taboo around the boy, especially around the festival from what she could tell. She gasped out a soft, "Sasuke-kun…"
Sasuke's lips curled into a smug smirk for the briefest of seconds. So he had regained the 'kun' at the end of his name, had he? But as quickly as it appeared, his grin had vanished. The memory of their last encounter quickly bubbled up in the Uchiha, and it occurred to him that he owed her an explination at the very least. Sasuke raked his fingers through his bangs, sighing as he let his eyes shut, "Look."
"Hnn?" Sakura's wide eyes fluttered at him.
"I know, this week, I've kind of been…" Sasuke buried both hands in his pockets, carefully searching for the right words, "well, acting like…like a…"
"An asshole?" Sakura offered to finish his sentence for him, her eyes still curiously wide.
Sasuke felt himself twitch. It was bad enough when most of the village thought he was being an asshole, but for his self-proclaimed 'biggest fan' to agree, it meant he really must have been a jerk! He shot her a glare of irritation, his voice regaining some of its usual force as he spoke, "…are you going to let me finish apologizing or not?!"
Sakura smiled up at him, her tone giggly "Sorry!" She hadn't exactly meant it that way, she was just trying to help him finish his sentence, and Naruto had been throwing that word around so much this week that it had gotten stuck in her brain.
He scowled a moment longer before turning his gaze back onto the dancers, "Well, anyway…" Sakura let out a contented sigh: 'Well, anyway' was as good as an apology in Sasuke language. Sasuke paused again, his vision playing over the whole rest of the crowd. He caught sight of the overly apprehensive Rock Lee staring in their direction, and decided it was as good a time as any to end their conversation, "…you'd better go."
"Go?" Sakura had all but forgotten her date, and the festival around them.
"Go back with Lee." Sasuke shifted against the wall, still refusing to put any weight down on his sore ankle as he sadly watched the crowd, "You'd have a better time with him than me, anyway."
"But, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura pleaded, but his gaze refused to recognize her again. Very slowly, and very reluctantly, Sakura moved away from the brooding Uchiha, her bright green orbs still fixated on him as she reached Lee's side.
Lee had watched the whole thing. The smile he had worked all night to get out of Sakura had appeared after only moments next to Sasuke. Lee was fighting a losing battle, and he knew it, "Sakura-san…? Are you alright?"
"Uh-huh." she sadly nodded, still eyeing her teammate. She didn't want to leave Sasuke all alone like this. He was recalling a past that was too painful for words, and if nothing else, he just needed someone to stay by his side…but, Sakura thought miserably, "…I guess I'm just not the one to do it." Her gaze gradually turned back to Lee, "Uhh…well then…let's go." Sakura faked a smile in hopes that Lee could help her to drag herself away from this.
Lee's face slowly broke into a dejected smile. The taijutsu master spoke, and though he didn't like it personally, he knew where Sakura's heart lay, "…that's okay. You can go back over to Sasuke-kun."
"Wh-what?" that phony smile was quickly erased, "But, Lee-san, I came here with you, not Sasuke-kun. I don't…I don't want to see you unhappy." Sakura chewed at her bottom lip. It seemed that either choice she made, someone was going to be heartbroken.
Tonight was certainly a night of surprises. Lee's smile widened, becoming warmer and more genuine, "Sakura-san, what makes me happy is seeing you happy. And I know you are only truly happy when you are around Sasuke-kun."
"But…" Sakura stared at the older boy, and then snuck a glace at Sasuke, shocked when she found the Uchiha staring intriguingly at them.
Lee just shook his head; gently cutting off her protest, "Go ahead. There will be other times. Maybe next year, you could save a dance for me." He ended his speech with an affectionate chuckle, a hand coming to rest on the back of his head.
Sakura gaped at him a moment. Lee really was willing to do anything to please her…even if it meant letting her go. She almost felt like crying. The pink-haired girl suddenly caught him in a tight hug, causing Lee's cheeks to break out in the reddest blush ever. "Thank you, Lee-san…" Sakura rapidly turned her head and gave Lee a light peck on his cheek. The older Gennin's eyes nearly popped right out of his head at the very unexpected sensation of her lips on his cheek, and his lungs suddenly refused to work properly.
Sakura separated from him, grinning up at Lee as he happily pressed a hand against the spot she had kissed. "W-well…" the flustered ninja smiled blissfully, "I will see you around then, Sakura-san…"
"Uh-huh!" all of the life returned to Sakura's voice as she turned and jogged back over to Sasuke, "I'll see you around, Lee-san! Thank you!"
Lee watched her turn and go, still rubbing the warmth of his cheek. That weak little smile crossed the taijutsu master's face as his date skipped further and further away from him, and eventually, he also turned and walked off to find something else to occupy his mind for now. Though, he was sure he'd just be daydreaming about that kiss for the next few weeks.
Sasuke watched the pair of them separate, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. His eyes trailed back and forth, from Sakura who came bounding next to him, over to Lee's hastily retreating back. Sakura stood right at his side, giving no explination of her actions, just smiling up at her sloppily dressed teammate. The raven-haired Uchiha focused a questioning look on the beaming Kunoichi, "What are you doing?"
He found no answer in those wide emerald orbs, only a broad, silent smile.
"…Why did you come back over here? I told you to go." Sasuke grumbled, mostly to himself, gradually piecing together Sakura's intentions.
Again, he only received a contented smile.
"I'm not dancing you know."
"I know."
Sasuke gazed at her a moment, his mind rushing to think up his next sentence. "…She's kidding, right? No one comes to this stupid dance to stand around and stare! That's…that's boring!" Sasuke's thoughts whirled, causing a fierce pout to cross his lips. So she was going to just let the whole past week go to waste just to stand next to him? Sasuke raked through his bangs again, letting out a tiny sound of frustration. He slowly straightened up, trying to look as grumpy as possible about what he was about to do, least someone think he actually enjoyed this sort of thing. Uchiha Sasuke reached over and grabbed Haruno Sakura's wrist, pulling her along behind him as he shuffled over towards the dance floor.
Sakura's eyes fluttered, "Sasuke-kun? What are you—"
"You came to dance, right?" he glanced at her over his shoulder, hoping she'd catch the drift without him having to actually ask her.
The Haruno girl's entire face went red, "Uhh…but…but…"
"What?" he released her wrist and turned to scowl at her, "Listen, if you don't like how I'm dressed, then—"
"That's not it!" for once, Sakura cut Sasuke off, "I just…I didn't think…"
"Just shut up." The words were harsh, but his tone was soft. Sakura did as she was told, and almost as if on cue, a soft song began to play.
Her Inner self absolutely went insane, squealing and giggling and jumping around, "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!!! I've died and gone to heaven! No, wait! This is BETTER than heaven! Sasuke-kun is actually going to dance with meeeeeeee!!" Sakura did her best to calm down in hopes that she might avoid fainting, her heart already pounding. Sasuke yanked the pink-haired girl closer, his left hand lightly resting on her hip as he took a hold of her right hand. Sakura all but suppressed a squeal as the gorgeous Uchiha led her in a very slow and very leisurely dance. It turned out that Sasuke wasn't all that bad at dancing: not incredible, but Sakura credited that to the little limp she had noticed him walking with. Even while dancing, his right leg would hitch every so often.
Sakura very softly spoke up, "…does that hurt?"
"Does what hurt?"
"Your leg."
"I thought I told you to keep quiet…" Sasuke glimpsed down at his feet; he hadn't even noticed he was still limping.
Sakura watched his face scrunch as he stared down at his own feet, and for a moment, she wondered if he really didn't want to be here. Maybe it was his leg; maybe it just hurt too much to dance. Or…maybe it was her. But her fears quickly vanished as she realized what he was doing: He was taking care not to step on her feet. Each time his sandal came close to stomping on her foot, his lips would twitch one way or another in frustration. But of course, Sakura just found this to be both incredibly sweet and wonderfully cute. She let out a quiet giggle, calling Sasuke's attention back up to her, "Sorry. We can stop if you want."
He arched an eyebrow at her, still able to continue both the dance and the conversation with the utmost grace, "Okay. So when I want, we'll stop." His eyes lightly closed as he pulled her along in their dance.
Sakura wasn't sure when the rest of the world had fallen away—the music, the other dancers, the ground, and even the stars themselves had disappeared—but she wasn't too concerned at the moment; all she needed to see was Sasuke's face. She couldn't contain her smile, "Never knew you could dance, Sasuke-kun…"
"Of course I can." He answered with that smug 'I-am-Uchiha-Sasuke-after-all!' voice. And then, the most unexpected thing happened. Slowly, but surely, Sasuke allowed his lips to curl into a genuine, tranquil little smile. Not a scowl, not a sneer, not a smirk; an actual smile. Little, but it was still there, and Sakura stared in awe at the grin she never thought she would see.
Eyes like wet jewels gaped up at Sasuke, "…rare blossoms…" Her sensei's words escaped her lips, and it all became suddenly and vividly clear just what the Jounin was talking about.
Sasuke, however, hadn't been around for that conversation, "…what was that?"
"Nothing." Sakura chirped, her smile spreading back across her face. Sasuke shot her a look of mixed confusion and curiosity, but the kunoichi gave no explination for her comment. Sakura all at once leaned in, pressing her cheek right up against his as they danced.
Sasuke immediately flustered at the closeness, dark eyes turning sideways onto her, "H-hey! Isn't this…a little…too close?" Her only response was a light, contented sigh. The Uchiha heir grimaced to himself: someone was going to see him and tease him for this, he just knew it! But at the same time…the soft scent of rose petals wafting from Sakura's bright pink hair was strangely calming. "…Ahh…hell. One dance won't kill me…" Sasuke allowed his eyes to shut one more time; his heart beat slowing to match pace with the soft music.
And before he knew it, one dance turned into two, and three.
On the far, far side of the dancing area—which was where he had retreated to, to avoid watching Sakura-san with Sasuke—Rock Lee was leaned up against a stack of empty food crates, his head bowed so that his bowl-shaped bangs shadowed his eyes from sight. It sure was lonely, being a nice guy all the time. But he knew he had done the right thing, or rather, he hoped he had done the right thing. Either way, it sort of left him screwed over. For a moment, the thought of returning home flickered through his head, but Lee quickly dismissed the idea with a heavy sigh. He knew this night was simply too good to be true.
Just when the taijutsu master was sure he had completely drowned in misery, an eerily soft voice caught his attention, "Hey there. Why so down, Mr. Tour Guide?"
"Huh?" Lee stared a moment at the feet positioned directly in front of him, his gaze slowly trailing up the bright indigo kimono to catch sight of Temari of the sand. He blinked a few times; wondering if wasn't hallucinating women now, "T-Temari-san?"
"Heh. You're good with names." Temari flashed a grin at the leaf Gennin. She had been taking a break from dancing with the over-tired Shikamaru, since it was Ino's turn after all. Just out of the corner of her clear cobalt eyes Temari had seen the bob-haired ninja sulk over and lean against the crates, sighing so heavily she thought he might break into sobs. Out of curiosity—or perhaps, something else—the sand kunoichi had lifted from her waiting spot to speak with him, "So what's got you so down? I thought this dance was a big happy deal for you leaf ninjas."
Lee barely managed a smile, "Ohhh, well…I suppose you could say I have lost my dance partner, Temari-san." Another long sigh as the taijutsu master's shoulders slumped. There was a shot pause, an idea slowly crossing Temari's mind. In no time, she had reached over and forcefully started pulling the sulky Lee towards the dance floor, "Wha-wha-what…?"
"Lost a dance partner? Oh please!" Temari wrapped herself firmly around Lee's arm and pulled, "If that's all, I'll dance with you. Still owe you for those roses, right?"
"Wait! What are you--?!" Lee attempted to rationalize this. However, he had yet to realize just how stubborn the sand kunoichi could be.
Temari just shoved him forward, that mischievously evil grin crossing her features, "Ohh, come on! You can still point out all the 'Russet' colored trees, if you really want to!" Clearly, this girl never took 'no' as an answer! The next song that the band played was a little more up beat, and, giving Lee something of a twirl, Temari launched right into a dance. The fuzzy-eyebrowed shinobi grinned, figuring he'd cut his losses and just enjoy the unusual dance partner he had picked up.
Not more than three or four steps away, Yamanaka Ino glanced over at the strange couple, giving her own dance partner a playful jab in his ribs, "Well would you look at that."
"Look at what…?" Shikamaru groaned. He had been dancing non-stop since the girls had dragged him here, and his legs were already starting to ache. So troublesome.
"It looks like you lost one of your dancing partners!" Ino turned so that he could see over her shoulder.
Shikamaru's eyes widened at the bizarre sight of Rock Lee dancing with Temari. But then again, one should never look a gift horse in the mouth, right? Shikamaru let out a relieved sigh, "Thank god!!!" He quickly looked down at Ino, his voice finally finding a bit of force, "Can we rest now?! This is much more effort that I'm used to putting into anything!!!"
Ino half giggled at him, "Lazy…"
Just then, the massive pile of dried leaves was set ablaze. The bonfire shot high into the sky, easily eclipsing the feeble light from the little torches set up on the perimeter of the dancing area. Most of the dancers came to a halt, amazed orbs staring in awe at the immense fire lighting the dark night.
Neji and Tenten found their intimate little dance interrupted by the bright blaze, both grinning widely at the display. Neji very slyly wound an arm around the kunoichi's waist, holding her nice and close as they watched the fire roar.
Shikamaru continued whining about taking a break, but Ino insisted that they at least kept going while the bonfire was lit. Although, the bonfire usually took several hours before it died out…so troublesome…
Anko squealed happily at the sight as Chouji found a few more shinobi to brag to.
Temari stared up at the pillar of fire while Lee launched into a lengthy discussion about the traditional leaf-lighting ceremony.
Shino glanced away from his dance to stare up at the bonfire, adjusting his sunglasses a little. Even Gaara and Kankuro, who had to stop dancing once their partners began fighting—the sand-girl had whirled on Crow when 'she' thought that the puppet had tried to step on her feet—felt compelled to stare up at the raging fire.
Kiba and his little band of mischief-makers, who had been running around howling with laughter as a pilfered bag of leaves spilled open behind them, stopped in their tracks to "oooh" and "ahhh" at the huge wall of flames.
The Hokage turned to grin triumphantly at the fire, giving her dance partner a good thwap to the head. Yes: Jiraiya had gotten his one dance! Though…it had ended rather quickly, just as soon as the ero-sennin had pretended to trip only to smoosh his face in Tsunade's chest. The large bump on his head was an indication of just how much Tsunade had disapproved of that maneuver.
Kakashi glanced lazily up at the bonfire, sipping a cup of warm sake. On one side, Gai was shouting and pinging, on the other, Kurenai and Asuma were still engaged in a close dance. Ohhh yeah…the white-haired Jounin was having a WONDERFUL damn time…
Naruto's ocean blue eyes lit up along with the fire, "Hey! Hinata! Lookit, lookit! They lit the fire already!" The hyperactive blonde's attention set squarely on the fire.
"Hnnn?" Hinata peered her eyes open slightly, already half asleep against Naruto's very comfortable chest.
"The fire! Look!" Naruto had to basically hold his dance partner up at this point, not that he was complaining.
Sasuke had immediately stopped dancing as the fire went up, his mind spiraling with memories. His eyes locked on the flames, thinking of his mother, his father…and of course, the girl still very close up against him.
All of Konoha had turned to watch the massive blaze.
But Sakura, who felt a serene smile spreading slowly across her lips, was content to watch the reflection of the flames in Sasuke's perfectly onyx eyes.
Author's Ending Rant: Auuuugh!! I'm so SORRY for the delay! Damned writer's block hit me about halfway through this chapter! And it was my favorite one, too! oU.Uo Soooo long… Geez.
Ohh yeah. I'm a hopeless SasukexSakura fan! I really, really do hope Kishimoto-san eventually pairs them up! So of course, this chapter was so far one of my favorites! n.n Please read and review, as always, and tell me your input! Personally, I LOVE how this chapter came out. But…you may disagree. O.o; Anyway, review!!!
So those would be the final pairings! (Yay!) I definitely get points for originality with ChoujixAnko and LeexTemari. Yeah, I've had Lee's fate plotted out since I started! ::Smirk!:: One more chapter left to wrap everything up into a neat little package!
Wait for the next, and final, update!