but in this universe they are happy
Chapter 2
Pink. Her hair is pink. Pink like the blush on his cheeks when his mother shares private stories about him to his aunties. Pink like the cherry blossoms that dot the trees along the Konoha river snaking through the Uchiha compound, his family sitting on picnic blankets with a thermos of green tea.
Her eyes were—what was that? Green? He couldn't tell, her bangs fell in long wisps against them, like cherry blossom petals falling into his tea.
"Sasuke, this is Sakura-chan." Itachi gestures towards the girl. She stands in the doorway, with a tentative hand resting on its frame and the other clenched close to her heart. Is she the reason he barely sees his brother? Is he spending all his time with her? Sasuke is seething.
A man as boisterous as a baboon marches in behind Sakura. His wide grin reaches his blue eyes, his mauve tinted hair tapers into in five points like a cherry blossom. This feels like a joke.
"Ah! So you're Sasuke-kun! Well, come in! Come in! Call me Uncle Kizashi!" Sasuke jolts as the man slaps him on his back. He glares at Kizashi as he and Itachi follow him inside.
They climb the stairs and enter a small family room containing a couch and two arm chairs facing a boxy TV. Next to the couch is the dining area that has a table with four chairs and a mismatched stool, and next to that is a small counter that divides their kitchen.
Sakura takes her seat on the stool, and someone Sasuke assumes is Sakura's mother is placing grilled fish, rice, miso soup, and pickled vegetables on the table. She has short blond hair and eyes the color of evergreen trees; she looks the most normal out of the bunch. "Ah, good morning Sasuke-kun! We're so glad you could join us, you're every bit as handsome as your brother!"
At this Sakura whips around and gapes at her mother. This act is not lost on Sasuke. Itachi urges his brother to sit next to Sakura, pushing his shoulders into the chair. Itachi sits next to him, with Mebuki and Kizashi sitting across the table respectively.
The grown ups and Itachi spend breakfast doing much of the small talk. Sakura eats without saying a word, and Sasuke stares intently at his bowl, pushing rice around.
Itachi takes a sip of his miso soup and speaks to the Haruno grown ups, "I wanted to show Sasuke the art of mochitsuki, and possibly teach him the craft if you'd allow me. I think it'd be conducive to shinobi training, as it has been for Sakura-chan."
Sasuke looks at his brother, "'Mochitsuki?"
Mebuki explains, "It's the art of hand pounding mochi with a wooden mallet or kine. Two people work together taking turns, one person pounds the mochi and the other kneads the dough."
She smiles at Itachi, "We don't mind you teaching him our techniques! We could use more helping hands."
"Sasuke-kun could spend some quality time getting to know my Sakura-chan!" Kizashi bellows, casting a wink at the two. Their bodies stiffen and Kizashi guffaws, "I believe my daughter is the same age as you, boy. Go ahead and tell them how old you are, Sakura!"
All eyes turn to Sakura and her ears are growing red, red as the ripe tomatoes that Sasuke's mother grows in her garden.
She hesitates, balls her hand into a fist, then holds up four fingers. She whispers in the smallest voice, "I'm five."
Mebuki leans and whispers in her ear, then Sakura promptly corrects herself and holds up five fingers.
Sasuke smirks, he scoffs, and he crosses his arms at Sakura's mistake. Sasuke knows how many years he has, how many fingers to hold up. He practices at home in the mirror, he knows not to hold three fingers or four fingers. He pushes against the table to stand up, to proudly display his five fingers. He feels wise beyond his years.
"I'm four years old!" Sasuke declares, beaming, and the entire table grows quiet.
"Five years old," Itachi whispers in a cupped hand to Sasuke's ear.
"Five years old!" Sasuke corrects, undeterred.
Itachi pauses, then turns to look at his hosts with a sheepish smile, "He turned five a few weeks ago." Mebuki stifles her laughter, Kizashi grins from ear to ear.
It is now Sakura's turn to push herself up out of her stool, smirking in Sasuke's direction, "Then I'm even bigger than you!"
Sasuke is appalled at her dubious claim, "No way!" He scowls.
The two scramble away from the table to compare heights back-to-back. They look expectantly at Itachi, who is wearing an increasingly nervous smile.
"Well?" Sakura and Sasuke ask in unison.
"Who's bigger?" Sasuke demands.
Itachi looks at the grown ups, Mebuki's shoulders are shaking with her head in her hands, her ears growing red. Kizashi grins, shrugs, and gestures at Itachi to deliberate.
"Well…" Itachi begins, rubbing the back of his neck. He tugs the hem of his shirt. There is a moment of silence. He squeezes his eyes shut, and then he clears his throat, "Sakura is…just a tiny bit taller."
It is a betrayal that twists and plunges. The night is long and there is no more sun. Crows caw overhead, a baby cries in the distance. Itachi may as well have abandoned their clan and village. Sasuke drops to his knees, clutching his chest.
The Harunos erupt with laughter. Sakura punches the air, a victorious glint in her eye.
Laughter rings in his ears, but Sasuke does not find this funny. Not one bit, not at all.
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Sakura wipes her sweaty palms on her dress, then grips the wooden rod of the kine. Her mother is laying a mound of rice dough on the mortar, her father is lightly chatting with Itachi.
She cannot escape the smoldering fire burning into her nape. She gulps. She dares. She steals a glance behind her to meet the glower of Uchiha Sasuke, eyes as black as freshly laid tar in the hot summer sun and as consuming as magma smothering a forest landscape. Her gaze recoils back to the mortar before her, gripping her kine tighter.
Mebuki finishes setting up, and nods at her daughter with a smile. Sakura chews on her bottom lip, nods back. Itachi and Kizashi's conversation grinds to a halt, and Itachi nudges his brother. Sasuke's arms are still crossed. He frowns and his forehead still wrinkles at the sight of Sakura, but his eyes scan the scene before him tentatively.
Sakura takes a deep breath, lifts the kine above her head, and finally pounds it into the mortar. A shout emits from her tiny frame each time she strikes, and her mother kneads and flips the rice dough with speed and precision.
Sasuke tugs on Itachi's sleeve, "Why is she yelling?"
Kizashi interjects, "It helps Sakura-chan and Mebuki keep rhythm, timing and trust is important—unless you want broken fingers." He snorts and props his hands on his hips.
Itachi turns to Sasuke, "Watch carefully, otouto. It takes strength and stamina to swing the mallet consistently, but little Sakura-chan can manage it because of her chakra control. She gathers her chakra and releases just enough with each pound against the mortar. She does so quickly."
Sasuke's anger ebbs way, his forehead and frown soften.
After the mochi reaches the desired consistency, Mebuki and Kizashi excuse themselves to prepare and add fillings to it. Sakura is panting with her hands on her knees, Mebuki gives a light peck atop her head and Kizashi praises her work as they exit the room.
Itachi walks closer to Sakura and places a hand on her shoulder, "Great work as usual Sakura-chan. Wouldn't you agree, Sasuke?" Itachi turns to look at his brother, and Sakura can't help but peek past Itachi too.
Sasuke is staring at his feet and fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, "Hn…" he manages to say. A tinge of pink colors his cheeks, "Can…can I try?"
Sakura's eyes widen and she's back to chewing on her bottom lip. She nods and brings the kine to him.
Sasuke looks at the mallet and holds his hands out, gripping the rod. But his arms shoot to the ground as Sakura lets go of the kine, the head of mallet thumping against the floor. Sasuke tugs the kine several inches off the ground for a few good seconds before gravity snatches it back down. He manages to lift the kine again and now onto his shoulder. He swings it slowly back down with a thud.
Itachi crosses his arms, "Good start otouto, but you'll need to be a bit faster than that."
Sasuke's forehead wrinkles once again, and Sakura worries it may just stay that way after today. "The faucet," she murmurs, then looks away.
He raises an eyebrow in her direction. Itachi catches this and explains, "Imagine your chakra is flowing through a faucet, use the knobs of the faucet to control how much or how little chakra streams through."
Sasuke takes a deep breath and shifts his feet, gripping the kine. He imagines dialing the faucet knobs just a smidge. His results are much the same.
"Too light." Sakura remarks. Sasuke grumbles. He imagines turning the knobs more than half way, and he ends up crushing the kine rod. Itachi and Sakura wince, Sasuke starts to feel heat rising up his neck.
"Too much." Sakura sighs. Sasuke throws the wooden shards of the rod to the ground. Itachi shoots his brother a reprimanding look, and he picks the pieces back up and shoves them into Sakura's arms without looking at her.
Itachi chuckles, "Otouto, maybe you can work on kneading the dough instead? Timing and teamwork are still quite important in being a ninja."
Sakura places the wooden pieces on a table and leans over to read Sasuke's expression, her hands clasped behind her back. She can tell he is mad, she learned from her mother and father what it means to be mad. It is scrunched up foreheads, deep scowls, grit teeth and clenched fists. The body feels really hot, the muscles feel tight and it feels like everything's about to explode. It is not fun being mad, Sakura knows this.
She walks next to Sasuke and places a hand on the small of his back, "It's okay, Sasuke-kun." She moves her hand in small circles, just like her mother does when she has big feelings. Sakura is not sure that it's working because Sasuke's cheeks flush with red. He shakes her off and returns to the mortar.
"Fine," He grunts, "I'll try the other thing."
Sakura grabs a new kine and works with him to pound a new mound of dough. They struggle to find a rhythm, Sasuke is startlingly fast that she pauses a bit too long between each pound. Her stuttering swings and his quick, jerking movements has them bickering all afternoon. Before long, Itachi has to break them apart
"Let's call it a day!" Itachi laughs but his face looks pained with a thin layer of sweat sticking his bangs to his forehead, "We'll see you later, Sakura-Chan!" He calls out as he drags Sasuke out the front door.
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Sasuke begins to tag along with his brother every single day. When Sakura opens the door they trade scowls and race to the wall. The ticks are engraved in pencil, still in the exact same place as they were weeks ago and yet they still have to check. Itachi shakes his head and drags them by their collars to pound mochi.
In the time that has passed, their teamwork has improved. Sakura has learned to speed up the swinging of her kine, and Sasuke has picked up the rhythm in her chants as he kneads the dough. It's like breathing, like the steady pulse of his heart.
Sasuke has gotten better at controlling his chakra, he is not as precise as Sakura when she swings the kine but she has adjusted to his tempo and they're able to pound mochi into the perfect texture.
For all of his griping, Sasuke hasn't actually been training with Itachi as much. He's been working more with Sakura. He studies her form to adapt and improve his own, but he starts to study more than that. Like the way her hair swings with each movement, her small delicate hands working the dough, the way those hands trace circles on his back when he is upset. And when he demands that she stop, she listens. He frowns when he watches her walk away.
When they do train with Itachi, they practice basic acrobatics and gymnastics: learning how to jump from up high, crouch down low, tumble and back flip. They play hide and seek to practice stealth.
They practice genjutsu with staring contests, she can conjure up blossom petals and implant them in his mind. She masters this before him, and he flings the heaviest insults he can think of (stupid, dummy, cheater).
They learn the different hand signs for ninjutsu. Sasuke picks them up right away, performing the signs seamlessly and with ease. He is better at this than Sakura, and he feels superior.
But he feels guilty when he lands a kick on her during taijutsu practice and she cries. His hand hovers over her back, trembling and contemplating. He withdraws it when his brother comes by with an ice pack.
They compete in everything they can. Although it can be a bit irritating for the grown ups and Itachi at times, it has also proved useful.
The two young children have competed in the amount of vegetables they've eaten, who cleans more quickly or thoroughly, and who is most quiet just before nap time. It's a tie in this last regard, their energy drained from their exuberant rivalry, and they both fall asleep rather quickly (with Sakura always inching her way towards Sasuke in her slumber, then finally laying haphazardly over him, and blissfully unaware of the scowl set on his face even as he sleeps).
For every line of praise Itachi offers one child, the other fights tooth and nail to exceed the newest bar that's been set.
But Sasuke knows these days are numbered (at least that's what his brother keeps reminding him), it's been a little over a month and Kizashi is ready to get back to work. Today is Sasuke's and his brother's last day working at the shop. While laying on top of the roof, he recalls his mochitsuki filled days.
Billowy clouds stroll over head, the last rays of the sun stretching across the sky and the faint crescent moon a whisper among the stars.
Sasuke hears the pitter patter of footsteps, and a figure looms over him.
"There you are!" Sakura giggles, green eyes gleaming behind her long pink bangs.
"Sakura." Sasuke mutters. He looks away.
"Sakura-chan." She corrects. She settles down beside him as he sits up, "Itachi-Nii said you need to remember your honor…honor terrifics."
He scoffs, "It's honor-riff-nics, dummy."
Neither of them realize that the term they're looking for is honorifics. Sakura pouts and this exchange launches them into a full blown argument for what feels like a life time. Their breaths are ragged and they're shaking, and clenching their fists. That's when Sakura starts to whine, and breaks into an ear-splitting wail.
Tears are streaming down her face and Sasuke turns wildly to see if anyone is watching. He tries to shush her, commanding her to stop crying while he shakes her shoulders.
She breaks into sob, hiccuping and shoulders heaving. Beads of sweat form on Sasuke's brow, he is stressed. But then, he knows exactly what to do.
Sasuke places a light hand on Sakura's back. Then he decides to follow through and presses gently, tracing the circle crest on the back of her shirt. After a few minutes, her sobs dwindle into sniffles and the occasional hiccup.
"I'm sad." She whispers. Sasuke pulls his hand away. There is only the distant chatter of the village settling around them.
"I'm sad because…because it is Itachi-Nii's last day. And your last day. And I'll probably never see you guys again, and now I'll never be able to marry Itachi-Nii, and all you can ever do is be mean to me! And mama and papa say I can visit but I—I don't even know where you live—" Sakura's tirade is stopped short by a hiccup and she starts breathing faster, like she's gasping for air. Her bottom lip quivers and Sasuke can sense she's spiraling towards another sob session.
He could tell her that she's wrong, but he doesn't call the shots or make the rules, grown ups do that. And it starts to dawn on him that they may never see each other again, forever and ever as long as they live. He's not sure, time moves differently at five years old. He feels powerless. But then, he thinks about what his big, strong brother would do.
He taps her forehead with his two fingers and Sakura is so caught off-guard that her breathing slows. "We…" Sasuke pauses, then continues, "we'll see each other next time…" Sasuke takes a deep breath and adds, "…Sakura-chan."
Then he snaps his hand back so fast as if he'd been burned. Sasuke doesn't know when "next time" is supposed to happen, but it seems to calm down Sakura. She is touching her forehead, and her cheeks are as pink as her hair. She cracks a smile and nods.
Sasuke turns his head away and somehow his clothes feel suffocating and hot, "But you're not allowed to marry Itachi-nii! "
Sakura shoves him, and at this he smirks.
They head back downstairs so Sasuke can join Itachi in saying proper goodbyes, but he is stopped in his tracks when Kizashi answers the chime of the bells in the doorway.
"Well this is unexpected, come on in! Welcome to Haruno's Confectionery!" Kizash's loud voice booms in the foyer.
Sasuke's jaw nearly drops to the floor, and he inhales sharply as the light spreads across the guest's face.
"Otou-san."