Chapter 2
Proposal
Most people were pretty in their own way. It got me in a lot of trouble, but I liked beauty and the uniqueness each person had. There were people like Itachi, born into such perfection that made them ethereal and almost unobtainable. Then there were people like Sakura Haruno. People like her who earned their beauty at each push, blow, and stagger of pain. Each suffering hand thrown upon her, spit and laughter at her expense, had carved her into a masterpiece.
As a child, when she'd become a member of team seven, bets had been taken against her that she'd never make chunin. The elder's believed that a pathetic girl from civilian background could never rise to be a shinobi of any worth. Even with additional training Itachi and Fugaku had given team seven on behalf of Sasuke for fear of what a straggler would mean, she'd been scoffed at by those in the compound.
Itachi had confessed his fear and concern to me that she'd drag the team down in the chunin exams. I scoffed at his concern. Sure, she'd needed growth, but so had Sasuke. And unlike Itachi, I'd watched her train till midnight and arrive at the training ground an hour early. She could hear them, the whispers at the compound and feel the weight of sneers, and she'd acknowledged it in the only way she knew how.
She cried a lot, true. But she'd found an inner grit that even Sasuke had yet to find. One that only comes from when everyone is against you. Naruto had it. She did too. It was a different kind of beauty, a different kind of broken gloriousness that rose even in the face of defeat.
It was why though, that night at the bar when I spotted her alone in a back corner twirling an empty glass, that I made my way over. Her jounin green jacket had a film of dirt upon it from training. Her nails cut short for her work in the hospital, still had dirt under them and were not immaculately clean as normal when on shift. She hadn't bothered tonight. And if she hadn't bothered and her face was freshly washed, but not the rest of her, then her tear tracks had been removed.
She never got over crying. Which, of all the things to get over, like seeing death or taking life on a daily basis, seemed minor in comparison. She wasn't a civilian anymore. She was a shinobi, the first of her blood.
"Hey, beautiful," I greeted, and I meant it, dirt covered figure and all.
"How's it going good-looking," she replied without hesitation, crows feet crinkled at the corners.
I crashed into the seat opposing her. Letting out an obnoxious sigh, allowing the mournful tone I'd been holding in since being excused from the hokage tower out as loudly as I could. Already, I felt a bit better at allowing some vocality to my woes. I might not be able to speak about what I saw, Itachi or Mikoto would kill me, but at least I could express myself.
"Oh no, what's wrong with the great and wonderful Shisui?"
"Finally," I practically yell, attracting the barmaid, "someone who acknowledges my worth. Get this woman another and one for myself, please. I'll have whatever she's having."
The woman gave a nod and scurried off as Sakura chuckled. "My, my, what have I done to earn a free drink? You must be having a hard day."
I quivered my lips. "I think I've finally lost my drinking buddy."
"Oh no, did Itachi wander away again in the shopping district?" her voice pitched to a tone one would use with a child. "Should we go get the police force? Maybe his daddy can find him."
"I love you," I told her, sincerely, because she was one hell of a woman. There wasn't a spot on or about her that I didn't love, including her quick witted humor. "But it's more like… things are over. Lost souls, never to be reunited."
"Oh, so you two aren't going to get married?" Her crow's feet became more pronounced.
"This morning he returned my ring and everything. I'm devastated," I clutched at my heart. "What will I tell my mother?"
"That you're no longer fucking your cousin. I'm sure she'll get over it with time."
I let out a barking laugh until I'm almost crying. Our beers arrived and we klink'd.
"So what about you? How is your day?"
She winced, "Going. It's going."
It doesn't sound good.
"Got to let it out, ideally in one huff and sigh. That pushes out all the bad energy."
Her red lips twisted up, "Oh?"
I cleared my throat, took a deep breath and then let out a loud and horrible sigh. I leaned in close, "I've lost my drinking buddy, Sakura. I'm going to be alone forever."
I leaned away, straightened my back and motioned for her to go. "Your turn, tell me your woes."
"I am -"
"No, no, no, Deep breath. Then let it all out."
Her green eyes narrowed into a glare, but she did comply. Her chest filled, her glare increased and then she let out a noise that - really missed the mark, but she tried the poor dear, I wasn't going to make her do it again.
Her elbows dropped onto the table, "I am twenty-eight; I've no team; every childhood dream I set for myself I've not reached; and I am completely and utterly alone."
None of that sounded any good. Sounded a lot worse than getting kicked out of the hokage tower for attempting to blackmail the hokage into drinking. "Really, restoring the eyesight of the entire Uchiha clan, especially the most powerful hokage to ever grace the hidden leaf village and becoming more renowned in healing than the sannin you trained under wasn't your dream or goal? I thought for sure… Damn, what is it then? Stop all people from dying ever. I mean, you must have known that you weren't gonna reach that in your twenties." I pat her arm, "That's definitely something one does in their fifties. An over-the-hill dream so to speak. One that when your bones creak, you still get out of bed."
Her lips quirked into a smile and she let out a laugh, a bitter one. "You're right, I was always destined to fail."
No, that was not where I wanted to go with that. "Nonsense, you're just not there yet. You've time, Sakura."
"In our line of work, do we?"
"Me, no. I'm a KOA, not to mention if captured I've an annoying habit of talking my captors into fits of insanity. Half the time they kill each other, but the other half they go for me. You're the most renowned medic in history. You're an asset."
"I'm not worthy of a KOA? I'm not a threat?" Her lips firming into a straight line.
That wasn't what I said! "You're worthy of living. You can heal an entire village and then go for the next. As much of a threat you might be, the chance you might save the one they love far outweighs it. If they're smart." I shrug, "Your definitely KOA to a lot of stupid people."
Her lips went back up and into a smile. Her laugh loosened into a sweeter sound.
"And lonely? You must be lonely by choice. I'd married you in a second. Half the other men in this town would too."
Her smile dropped. A wicked gleam entered her eyes. She propped her cupid chin on her knuckles.
"Really? Well then, prove it. Let's get married."
