Day to Day
A Naruto fan fiction
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any bands mentioned
Chapter 3: Globes and Maps
Snow was finally falling, descending to the normally grassy or dirt grounds of Konoha, covering it in a white blanket. His stereo played softly in his room, and the singer sang to a piano and strings.
"Light breaks underneath a heavy door
And I try to keep myself awake
Fall all around us on our hotel floor
And you think that you've made a mistake
And there's a pain in my stomach from another sleepless binge."
His lips moved to form the words, singing silently along with the music as he stared out his window the snow.
"And I struggled to get myself up again
I wanna hang onto something
That won't break away or fall apart
Like the pieces of my heart
And globes and maps are all around me now
I wanna feel you breathe me
Globes and maps I see surround you here
Why won't you believe me?
Globes and maps they charter your way back home
Do you wanna leave or somethin?"
He wondered, as he ran his fingers along the bounds of the books on his shelf, if this song could relate to what was happening to him, to the life he lived, the people he saw and met. 'Maybe someone is feeling just like this right now,' he thought, 'they just never heard this song in order to relate.'
Sasuke had grown up so much, from a proud orphan boy, to an internal, but still proud, young man.
He spent so much of his time these days cherishing and experiencing his life, rather than wishing things like, 'If only I had that kind of power...' or 'If only I could do that....' After going on so many near-death missions, so many close calls, he had learned the lesson of loving every moment of life, and tasting the moment. Time was truly of the essence, and he wanted it to always be sweet.
Since he had a good portion of time to spend alone, he liked to walk around his room, glance out at the falling snow, and think about things. As of late, his favorite subject had been Haruno Sakura, the one girl who could pull off pink hair and not look gaudy. Smirking at his joke, he stared out his one window again, and then his smirk turned into a small smile as an idea entered his head.
'She always said she loved snow, didn't she?'
Then he pulled on his coat and gloves, and shouted, "I'M LEAVING!" to the others he shared the boarding room with.
"THEN BE GONE, YA FRIGG'N BORING JACKASS!" one of the other boys living there shouted, and the others snorted and laughed. Sasuke rolled his eyes.
Those guys were so weird; they were all jounins, and when ever two of them were home and there with nothing to do, it was beers all around and poker until one of them passed out. Sasuke had once partaken, but had rejected the alcohol. He had to admit, after a tiresome mission, it was nice to sit around and joke and beat the other at cards and win their wages; even losing had its amusing points.
Sasuke slammed the door behind him, and stepped out into the frosty night, the song he had been playing in his room still playing in his head (he turned off the stereo on his way out).
"And dreams came around you in a hazy rain
you opened your mouth wide to feel them fall
and I write a letter, from a one-way train
But I don't think you'll read it at all."
The snow fell, and made white dots in his pitch-black hair and black coat. He was glad that he was wearing jeans and shoes; he would've frozen in his normal shorts and sandals.
He stepped up to the apartment doorsteps, and punched in her number on the panel, 888.
"Hello?"
Her groggy voice appeared on the intercom, and Sasuke smirked. She's been sleeping.
"Hey babe."
"Oh! Sasuke-kun! Come on up!"
There was a buzz, and the door unlocked. Sasuke pushed it open, and then climbed the three flights of stairs up to his girlfriend's apartment.
He walked down her hall, and pushed open her door, marked 888 in gold metal letters hung on nails. The door itself was a simple blue, a contrast to the whitewash walls. After pausing to look around, Sasuke pushed open the door, and stepped inside to Sakura's apartment.
It was an impeccably clean apartment, but held all kinds of nick-knacks; pictures from when they were genins, her mother's old brooch, large books filled with tales for children that her mother used to read to her before she went to bed, a shelf with all of her journals she had written in as she was growing up. Sasuke liked to just sit on her couch and flip through the old books, or look at all the pictures up on the walls or sitting on the tables in pretty silver frames.
Sakura was currently sitting on her couch, curled up in a thick blanket. Sasuke smirked at her, and hung his coat up on the coat rack by the door, which already held three of Sakura's coats and a few scarves. Smiling, Sakura got up, and walked over to him. She opened up the blanket and enveloped him in it, burying her face in his chest. Her hair was messy, she wore not make-up and she looked tired, but at the moment, she hardly cared. If Sasuke could be so good to her when she was depressed and looked like the wicked witch herself, he could take this.
Sasuke was head and shoulders taller than her, and he looked down at tiny Sakura with a smile, wrapping his arms around her under the thick blanket.
"How are you?" she asked, not looking up, but turning her face to the side.
"Well, I used to be cold," he replied, "but I think that's been fixed." He voice was smooth and quiet, and surprisingly like a full-grown man's. Well, he always was ahead of himself in appearance-he looked around fourteen when he was ten, after all. Sixteen was no different.
She smiled and laughed a bit. "Well, I'm glad to help. But now I'm tired, so can we cuddle on the couch?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes, and said, "Sure. I'd just prefer you not call it 'cuddle'."
Sakura smiled, and walked over to the couch and sat down, Sasuke following her. The two settled in on the couch, Sakura sitting on Sasuke's lap, and Sasuke holding the blanket around them. His legs were out stretched on either side of her, one of his knees up and the other leg lying flat; his back was against the pillows that covered the arm of the chair. Sakura lay back against his chest, and said, "So, what should I call it then?" She yawned, and snuggled against his chest.
"I don't know. Just not cuddle."
Her eyes closed, but she smiled. "Ah; Sasuke-kun still has pride."
"Yes."
He watched her as she started to sleep, and smirked; his eyes were soft, and he wondered if she loved this as much as he did. It was relaxing, comforting; although, it figures that he would come up here to visit him and she would fall asleep on him.
"Sakura?" he whispered in her ear.
"Hmm?"
"Want to play in the snow?" he asked.
"Oh, so we can't cuddle, but we can play in the snow?"
"Yes; got a problem with that?" he asked playfully, pushing her with one of his arms that was around her.
She smiled widely and laughed. "All right. Just let me rest a minute."
"Don't fall asleep on me."
"I won't. I just like being here." She turned to her side, snuggling closer to his chest.
"You know, you make a great pillow." She told him, smiling, with her eyes closed.
"Yea, well, you're heavy."
Her mouth fell open and she smacked his arm under the blanket. "Sasuke-kun, you're mean."
He pulled her up to his face, and said softly, "Don't I know it." His eyes searched her face, and she looked at him.
After shaking her head, she put her arms around his neck and touched noses with him, saying, "You are a conniving boy when it comes to what you want, Sasuke-kun." He smirked, and pulled her into a long kiss. She pecked him on the lips afterwards, and then said, "All right. Let me go get on some clothes and a little make-up, okay?"
He jerked his head to the side, and patted her side. She smiled, and got off the couch. Her pink pajama pants with cherries on them brushed the ground as she walked off across the wood floors to her bedroom. She shut the door behind her, and Sasuke made himself comfortable, knowing it would be a while.
Sakura and Sasuke had now been together for five months, and he had been happy with the speed of their relationship. It was slow, and everything happened when they were both ready; that's what mattered. In truth, Sasuke didn't even kiss Sakura good night until their tenth date, and it took triple that amount to be casual about making out. They had both silently agreed that there was no sex until they were married and sure of themselves, and that was years off. For now, they were both happy with what was going on; a few kisses, a few hugs, falling asleep in the other's arms, going on fun escapades and dates, training together. They were too young to do anything drastic, and life was too short to take crazy chances, especially when it meant that they could start a new life when they weren't ready. They were jounin ninjas, and Sasuke was thinking about ANBU. Either one of them could perish in battle, and neither one wanted to leave a child with only one parent or none. If they were going to start a family, then the ninja business would defiantly have to slow down, and they needed to achieve everything they wanted the most in life first. For example, Sasuke wanted to kill Itachi. He couldn't risk his life like that if he had a child at home. Although they both knew the other would be devastated if one of them were to die in battle, having a child would only make it worse; it was best to keep the pain at minimum.
That was probably the reason that most ninjas had wonderful relationships. They knew that they could die tomorrow in a mission, so they lived for the here and now, making sure that when they did die, there was no regrets, and no remorse.
He would always cherish his life, his memories, and most of all, the precious people in his life.
Sakura walked out of the door, smiling. She was warmly clad in black pants, snow boots, and a gray long-sleeve shirt. For make-up, it was black eyeliner, mascara, neutral eye shadow, and lip-gloss. Laughing, she spun around and walked to the coat rack like a model, and posed.
"The paparazzi can be so cruel!" she joked, and blew a kiss at an invisible camera.
Sasuke shook his head and walked over to the coat rack. Sasuke pulled on his black jacket, his black gloves and slipped his snowy shoes back on, while Sakura pulled on a navy wool trench coat and a pink hat and gloves.
Sakura, however, could get her hat on over her messy hair without it going everywhere and sticking up.
"Here." Sasuke offered, pulling the hat off of her, smoothing out her pink hair, and then slipping her hat back on. Sakura had been looking at him the entire time; he was just so handsome!
"Sasuke-kun, do you ever take off your headband?"
He looked down at her, and replied plainly, "No."
She rolled her eyes, and followed him into the hallway.
"I'm going to laugh when you get a tan line across your head in the summer."
She turned to lock her apartment door when Sasuke said, "Yea, well, I'm going to laugh when I tackle you into the snow and make you eat it."
Sakura turned to face him, the key still in her gloved hand and her hands on her hips. "Oh, will you?"
"Yep. And I'll beat you down stairs too!" he exclaimed, and dashed off.
"SASUKE-KUN!"
Sakura quickly pocketed the key and ran down the steps. Sasuke was already a flight ahead of her, using his amazing speed to win the race. Sakura laughed and smiled, running after the smirking Uchiha.
"SASUKE-KUN!" she shouted again. Then she heard the opening and slamming of the apartment door, and she ran even faster. He'd already made it outside! He wasn't about to beat her by anymore than he had already!
She jumped over the last few steps and dashed out the door, slamming it behind her.
She was immediately greeted with the bite of cold, and she shivered.
The apartment's front yard was a deep, snowy white, with only a few footsteps showing, since it had been constantly snowing and most people walked on the cleared road and dirt walkway to the apartment door. It was beautiful; the normal dirt and grass covered with such a pure white; even the winter-dried bushes were sparkled in the beautiful white snow!
Sakura looked to and fro, looking for Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun?" she called into the quiet, snowy night.
"Gotcha!"
"Ah!"
Sasuke tackled Sakura into the snow, and said quietly, "I told you I'd tackle you into the snow." He brushed his nose against hers, and she smirked.
"Yea," she answered in a devious tone, "Now you've got to make me eat it!"
She slipped beneath his grip, and ran, laughing all the way, her boots crunching in the snow. He smirked, and got up, chasing after her.
"I'll get you Sakura!" he shouted as he caught up to her.
"Yea; but you'll never make me eat snow!" she shouted behind her, running through the neighbors' yards and jumping over abandoned snow shovels and potted plants.
They came to an open, snowy clearing which eventually became the forest they trained in, and Sasuke quickened his step, always keeping his eyes on her and her swishing pink locks.
He finally got her, jumping on her pulling her to the ground with him. The two flipped over and over, laughing and smiling. Sasuke landed on top, and was again over top of her.
"Gotcha again."
He grabbed a handful of snow, and said, "Now eat it."
"What?" she exclaimed, and sat up. "You were serious?"
"Yes; now eat it!" He offered the handful of snow, and raised his eyebrows expectantly. The two now sat father apart, each one sitting in the cold snow.
Sakura turned her head and looked at him suspiciously, looking from the snow to his handsome face and back again, as if wondering what he had planted in the snow.
"All right," Sakura surrendered, "I'll eat it, but only a little; and only because you got me." She took a portion of the snow, and stuffed it in her mouth, trying to get it over with. Sasuke watched her chew, smiling toothlessly. Suddenly, Sakura leaned down, clutching the sides of her head.
"Oh! Brain freeze!"
Sasuke started to laugh, and Sakura got a sour look on her face, clutching her head.
"All right, let's go get you some coco."
Sasuke swept Sakura up in his arms, and carried her back to the apartment building like Superman would carry the damsel in distress from the burning building, only this time the damsel only had a brain freeze. She hardly noticed; she just kept holding her head, still harboring that sour look. He smirked at her, and laughter lit his eyes at the look on her face. She looked like she had just swallowed fifteen lemon drops!
The two entered the warm apartment building, and walked up the steps to her apartment. He took the key from her coat pocket, and unlocked the door with a little click.
The apartment was warm and dark, so he flicked on the light switches, set her on the couch, and walked to the kitchen near by. Sakura looked at him, wondering if he even knew his way around her kitchen. He just smirked at her, and filled a silver pot with water.
The kitchen was connected to the living room, and only separated by a bar on one side (just like Hinata's; all the rooms on the same floor had the same floor plan), so she could watch him and all he did, as long as he didn't step behind the pillar that started the bar (the living room was across from the kitchen, and the bar was on the other side, so you only saw the side when you sat on the couch).
It was nice just to watch Sasuke; his movements were so graceful, and his face always so clam and peaceful. After tearing open the coco packet and pouring the mix into the boiling pot, he stood over it, the short front strands of his hair covering the jaunt bone that came up from his jaw. His lashes looked long when he looked down with his eyes practically half closed, and his head tilted down as well. His hair still swept back, and his headband was still tied around the top of his head, deflecting bullets and all kinds of things from his forehead in battle. Sakura sometimes wondered why he always wore it, and her best guess was that it was because it resembled his biggest achievement, becoming a ninja.
His rough hands held the wooden spoon gently, stirring it around and around in a constant, fluid and comforting movement. Like Naruto, his hands had blunt nails and were rough and coarse from constant training. You would assume that his grip would be tight and would hurt, but Sakura knew that he had the gentlest hands, and always seemed to hold things lightly; as if it was so light it would fly out of his hands. Her eyes softened as she looked at him, her Sasuke-kun. It was nice to say that, after so many years of hoping; her Sasuke-kun, not her teammate Sasuke, not her classmate Sasuke, not her fellow ninja Sasuke, her Sasuke.
Sasuke began to hum a song as he worked, and turned off the stove when he deemed the coco ready. He continued to hum the song as he tapped the coco off the wooden on the side of the pot, and put the spoon in the sink. Then he searched the cabinets for coffee cups, and when he found them, he took two, and set them on the counter. After that, he gently poured coco into the mugs over the sink, and set the rest of the coco back on the stove. He hunted down marshmallows, and then dropped a few into the cups.
Seeing he was done, Sakura got up, keeping herself wrapped up in the blanket and letting the excess drag behind her, and sat down at the bar. Her hair was messy from the hat, and she was cold from wrestling in the snow. He looked up at her, smiled lightly, walked around to the bar and sat down next to her. He handed her a purple mug filled with coco and three marshmallows floating on top. She smiled and said a quiet thank you, and he nodded. The two sipped from their mugs, and Sakura got a look of surprise on her face.
"What?"
"Amazing. You didn't make it too hot!"
"...You always make yours too hot, don't you?"
She pulled her upper lip up, and replied, "Maybe I do, and maybe I don't."
"Hah!" He shook his head at her, and sipped his mug. Crazy.
They drank in silence a moment, until Sakura asked, "What song where you humming in there? Was it Something Corporate?"
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"
She shrugged, almost spilling coffee on her over-large blanket.
"Lucky guess."
"Well you're wrong."
Her eyebrows scrunched up, and she gave him a puzzled look. "Well, this is a first. Who is it?"
"Dashboard."
"Should've known. Which song?" She asked, popping a marshmallow into her mouth.
"Carry this Picture."
"Sing it for me."
Sasuke gave her an annoyed look. "You know, you've been asking me to sing an awful lot lately."
"Well, you're a good singer."
He shook his head, and took another sip from his coco.
"So sing it!" Sakura exclaimed, almost spilling her coco on herself again.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, and gave in. "You're lucky I like this song, Sakura; and I'm only singing the refrain."
She just smiled, and tilted her head to the side, happy to hear his soft, smooth voice again.
"Color the coast with your smile, it's the most genuine thing, I've ever seen, I was so lost, but now, I believe."
There was a pause, and Sakura said, "That's all of the refrain?"
"That's it."
"So sing the rest of it!" She was so excited to hear him sing; she loved every minute of it!
"Tell you what," he replied, "Why don't you come over my house tomorrow, and we'll listen to Dashboard Confessional all day."
Sakura looked to the side, considering the options, and then smiled and nodded.
"I'll be there at six."
"Good."
He set his empty mug down, and he waited for her to finish.
She was very different from him; her actions were much more feminine, more dainty. Her tiny hands held the coffee cup and she brought it to her lush lips, sipping it gently. Sasuke was a suction eater like Naruto, just more discreet about it; Sakura, however, took her time and was always patient. Naruto would inhale five bowls of ramen while she was still silently sipping her first, and Sasuke would be on his fourth. Her nails were kept short for training, but they were always some bright, pretty color, or a soft metallic. For today, it was a vibrant blue, and when she pushed her light pink hair behind her ear, it stuck out like a sore thumb.
Finally she finished, and set her cup on the bar.
"Ah! Sasuke-kun!"
Without warning, Sasuke scooped her up!
"What the-"she started, but was interrupted when Sasuke smiled lightly and turned his head to brush noses with the smaller girl, and kiss her on the cheek.
"Shhh...you like the cuddle, don't you?"
Sakura smiled at him, feeling the light touches of red reach her cheeks. Sasuke sat down on the couch, and Sakura moved her legs parallel to his. She sat in his lap again, and leaned against his chest. He was so much taller than her, and so much bigger; sometimes, it seemed as if he was so much bigger than her that he could engulf her in his arms, when really, he wasn't that large. He was head and shoulders taller than her, and built like any other boy; she was just tiny, like Sakura had always been. Tiny little Sakura, the only girl of team seven, the only girl to ever be with the amazing prodigy, Uchiha Sasuke.
He held her close, looked down and kissed the top of her head. She laughed, and looked up at him with a smile.
"You're strange, you know that?"
One moment, he hated the word cuddle. The next minute he wanted to do just that, and even used the word. Sometimes, it was just confusing; but hey-a relationship needed to be interesting, right?
Sasuke just smirked, and looked out the window that seemed to emerge behind the couch. The snow was still falling, like little stars falling from the pitch-black sky, covering the land in a white, pure, cold blanket.
"Calling to the astronaut, I need some of what you've got. I need to be high. Calling out to the astronaut, I need some of what you've got." Sakura sang in her sweet, high voice up at Sasuke. He immediately looked down at her, and smirked again.
"You really like The Astronaut, don't you?"
She just smiled wider, and sang, "Crawling out of the world she brought, calling out to the astronaut, I need to be high." They both paused, like looking at each other, until Sakura just smiled, and pulled the blanket over top of them both, and up to her chin. She snuggled into his chest, closed her eyes, and listened to his heartbeat.
Ba-bump, ba-bump.
His heartbeat was her quiet lullaby.
Sasuke didn't move, or make her get up. Nor did he leave that night; he just laid down, careful not to move her too much, with her laying on his chest, watching her rise and fall with his breathing. She was so sweet to watch sleeping, so quiet and peaceful, as if an angel had fallen from the sky, and then later fallen asleep on his chest. Her breathing was slow and had a rhythm that was incessant, yet calming, and as he listened to her breathe, he began to drift off to sleep.
Hey!
Thanks so much for reviewing, and for reading. It means so much to me! It's my belief that what truly matters in any relationship or life is the little things, like falling asleep with the one person you love, a hug from your mom every night before bed time, or the sound of your instrument as you tune it or play your favorite song or scales; because it's the little things that amount to so much.
Thanks to my one reviewer, and all those who have taken the time to read this!
-IHearVoices
P.S.-To my reviewer that hoped for another chapter on Sasuke and Sakura, this one was written just for your request-be flattered!