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Behind the Mask
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If disdain had a face, it would look a lot like Uchiha Sasuke right now.
The loud music, amplified by the cheers of the spectators, was enough to drain all of his social energy. It is a known fact that he hates crowds and noise, yet here he was, trying to suck it all up. They were at the sidewalk of one of the major roads of the city, closed off for the celebration and where the parade will pass through. That meant dealing with tourists and locals pushing them around to see clearly, singing and dancing along with the street dancers.
When he agreed to go to Aunt Kushina's hometown for Naruto's belated birthday celebration, just in time for the city's festival, this was the exact scenario his brilliant mind came up with.
This time, it wasn't a figment of his imagination.
He wanted nothing more than to go back to his room for some peace, but he couldn't.
A warm hand was on his shoulder. Its owner used him to balance herself while she tried to see the parade of street dancers wearing the extravagant and colorful masks Masskara Festival is known for. On his other side, Naruto and Aunt Kushina were capturing the parade on camera, with Uncle Minato busy eating popcorn.
The hand on his shoulder tightened. Brooding onyx met sparkling jade as she gave him a wide smile.
"Now, aren't you glad you came along this trip, Sasuke-kun?"
He gave a resigned sigh and Sakura just giggled at his antics. She turned her attention back to the dancers while he was fully enraptured by her smiling face. From the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto wiggling his ridiculous eyebrows at him. And so he mirrored her and watched the parade, blatantly ignoring the blond.
He couldn't help but let his mind wander over the past few weeks leading up to today.
It all started when his brother gave him a forced vacation leave when Naruto dropped the invitation, backed by his mother and surprisingly his father as well. Sasuke still refused, saying that as the chief operating officer of the Uchiha Group, he couldn't afford any time off during the months leading up to the year-end reports.
With Itachi's upcoming marriage in December, he wanted to ease his brother's burden of leading the company before the special day. The older Uchiha was grateful, but the matriarch of the family wouldn't accept his refusal and had one rather powerful ace up her sleeve.
Uchiha Mikoto called Dr. Haruno Sakura.
The medic frowned upon hearing Sasuke's decision. So when the trio of best friends met for the engagement party, Sakura gave him a pout, proclaiming, "We rarely get a chance to go on a trip right now, Sasuke-kun! Especially when our free time rarely overlaps. Do you know how hard it is for me to get a vacation?"
Sakura's pleading face partnered with a hopeful "Please?" was the nail that sealed his coffin. Naruto's grin glinting with mischievousness was a reflection of his own family's smiles as they watched not so discreetly behind them.
That's why two weeks later, a few days after Naruto's birthday, they arrived in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines.
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"I hope you three are all well-rested now," Kushina exclaimed as she gave the three friends a platter of piaya, napoleones, barquillos, and biscocho for afternoon tea.
The Uzumaki couple arrived at the city a week prior and fetched the trio at the airport. Lush greenery dominated by sugarcane fields greeted them on their way towards Bacolod, seeing with their own eyes why the island is considered the sugar bowl of the Philippines. The five of them went straight to Bob's for lunch, one of the famous local restaurants in the city. The dishes perfected for over fifty years, including the signature Sate Babe and its distinct sauce, satisfied their hungry and eager stomachs. Topped off with Bob's equally well-loved cakes and all of them went to the family's residence with their hearts and tummies full.
"Thanks, Aunt Kushina! I missed these desserts so much," Sakura exclaimed, eagerly taking a bite of the flat, muscovado-filled treat. She noticed Sasuke staring at the local delicacies with a slight twitch of his eyebrows and she couldn't help but give him a small smile. With a whisper, she handed him a thin rolled-up treat. "Barquillos is the least sweet one of the four."
He tried to hide the smile forming on his face by taking a bite. Sure enough, it was to his limit. He can never underestimate Sakura's skills in reading him like an open book.
"It's sad that you can't stay long. Negros has so much to offer! But I'm sure after this trip, you'll come back. Everyone does." Kushina took a napkin and wiped some stray custard on her son's face.
"Naruto, when will you ever stop being sloppy when eating, dattebane?!"
"Ma! I'm not a kid anymore, dattebayo!"
"Then don't act like one!"
Before the blond could retort, the redhead already stuffed another napoleones in his mouth. She gave him a silencing glare before turning to her guests with a megawatt smile.
"I'll be your tour guide throughout this trip and I already have an itinerary prepared. Mostly, we're going to eat. A lot. A vacation at Bacolod usually means a food trip after all," she emphasized.
"You might want to save some space on your stomachs for later," Minato suggested, coming from the kitchen bar. "We're going to Manokan Country for dinner."
"Manokan…Country?" Both Sasuke and Sakura inquired at the same time, tone laced with curiosity.
Kushina smiled with excitement. "Of course, Bacolod is the home of chicken inasal!" She handed her husband his tea as he sat beside her on the sofa.
Minato winked at them. "You'll know why when we get there."
When they indeed went to the place, they understood. Restaurants lined up in a row serving their specialty, chicken inasal, and a variety of dishes that made sure there's something for everyone to enjoy.
Naruto took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I missed this place so much! It's been too long!"
"Maybe if you attended our family reunions you wouldn't miss it too much," Kushina chided him.
"Sasuke-kun, quick! Take a picture!"
Sasuke sighed loudly as she handed her phone, giving her a teasing smile. He took a secret delight in knowing that when Sakura wanted someone to take her picture, he was the first one she would go to. The Uchiha was able to take a few images before Naruto inserted himself beside her. Annoyed, he zoomed the camera to only focus on the pinkette.
"You better be taking good shots, teme!"
He scoffed. "Of course, dobe. I'm not like you."
"Oi—!"
Naruto wasn't able to insult him back because Kushina already called them over. The matriarch led them to one stall before giving them a seat and the menu to choose from. A lady approached them after a few minutes, asking if they're ready to order.
"Lima ka pechopak, pulo ka baticulon, lima man ka paa, isa ka serve sang cansi," Kushina continued to scan the menu. "Isa ka pancit canton... duwa ka sisig... buttered shrimp pa gid, kag pulo ka garlic rice na lang dayon. Ma add lang kami kan-on karon kung kulang. Ah! Duwa ka litro nga softdrinks pa gid gali dai. Salamat gid."
The waitress repeated back her words and left after an affirming nod from the redhead.
"I love it when you speak in Hiligaynon, Aunt Kushina. Your intonation is so cute!" Sakura gushed beside Sasuke as he silently poured a glass of water for her.
"Thank you, dear. I'm just making sure I'm not getting any rusty saying it." She looked at Naruto and Minato. "These two only know a few phrases, though."
Both blonds shrugged at the same time.
"Unfortunately, I'm not as fluent as my wife in Hiligaynon."
"At least I know enough not to get lost here."
"Again, if only you actually came to family gatherings, Naruto," Mrs. Uzumaki gave him a knowing look as she took a sip of water.
Sakura turned to the quiet Uchiha. "Do you know any Hiligaynon words, Sasuke-kun?"
He nodded. "Ginapalangga ta ka."
The Uzumakis froze, all of them wearing identical bewildered faces which quickly changed into wide, teasing smiles. Sakura tilted her head to the side, silently asking him to translate. He tried his best to fight the blush and hoped she wouldn't notice, but before he could explain himself and distract her with other terms he knows, Naruto beat him to it.
"He said 'I love you', Sakura-chan!"
That earned him a kick on his shin from his best friend and a smack from his own mother. Now, their table was filled with two blushing people, a mother-and-son shouting contest, and a father sheepishly smiling at the diners seeking to excuse the noise.
A feast was all it took to change the mood. The smoky and savory chicken inasal coated with golden chicken oil and added to their steaming cup of rice did its magic to focus five minds in relishing and talking about the food in front of them. After an impromptu rice-eating contest involving the two young men as they finished up the meal, all of them boarded the car straight to a homegrown cake shop, Calea, for dessert.
Sasuke knew Bacolod would be perfect for Sakura's sweet tooth. The way her eyes lit up after seeing the cake display when they entered the shop was the affirmation he didn't need.
"As a doctor I know I should not advocate eating too many sweets but I want to try all the cakes here!"
"You're drooling," he nudged her side. She playfully slapped his arm before taking a picture of the desserts arranged to perfection. Naruto swooped in between the two and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Pick anything you like, Sakura-chan!"
"What would you recommend, Naruto?"
"Tch." 'I'd recommend taking your arm off her, dobe.'
"Their chocolate cake is amazing! And also their cheesecake! And their choco chip ice cream pie!"
They ended up taking a dozen assorted slices. As they sat down with the cakes and tea, Sasuke slid the Pecan Chocolate one towards Sakura. "Take it."
He got a smirk from her that he was sure she learned from him. "I don't know if your anti-sweet tooth is acting up again or you're just too full."
A raised eyebrow, then a prompt, "The former."
Giggles greeted his answer. "I don't buy it. Why did you even have a contest to see who can eat the most cups of rice anyway? We both know Naruto's stomach is a bottomless pit." Not waiting for his reply, Sakura took a bite and swooned.
"This is amazing!"
She grinned at him, teeth blackened with chocolate. He couldn't help but snort and immediately took out his phone.
Naruto laughed."Sakura-chan you look ridiculous!"
"That's rich, coming from you! You have cake on your hair, Naruto!"
Sasuke wasn't minding the chaos and the way they embarrassed themselves. He was too busy taking her pictures, his body relaxing at hearing her laughter.
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The second day was a lot calmer although it started early. The Uzumaki family and their two guests went up to Mambukal Mountain Resort, an hour away from the city which is famous for its sulfur hot springs and seven waterfalls. As soon as they arrived at their small cottage, Naruto grabbed his friends and proclaimed, "Ma! We'll be going up the falls!"
His mother's eyebrows furrowed, unsure.
"It will take a long time. You wouldn't be able to tour around the place."
"But Sakura-chan said that we have to burn all those we ate yesterday. It's basically doctor's orders."
His two best friends rolled their eyes simultaneously. "No need to use me as a scapegoat to goof off, Naruto."
"Knowing your stomach, dobe, you already digested all of them last night anyway."
"Oi! Teme!"
Minato tried to pacify his son by agreeing, "Okay, but only until the first one, and make sure you'll get a guide."
"I'll see to it that they won't throw each other off the mountain, Aunt Kushina, Uncle Minato," the medic suggested cheerfully despite being stuck in the middle of a glaring match.
"I'm sorry we couldn't stay overnight. The place is booked! We could have gone up the seven falls." Kushina laid out the meat as Minato prepared the grill. "Now off you go, and stay safe! We'll have lunch prepared by the time you come back. Sasuke-chan, Sakura-chan, I'm counting on you two. Make sure my son doesn't fall off or destroy the mountain."
The two nodded, trying to keep a solemn look on their faces that soon broke into a sneer as the man tried to defend himself. The trek took more than an hour for them to reach the first falls, and Naruto insisted they go higher after a lot of picture taking. Sasuke flat out refused.
"We're going back, dobe."
"Ha! Always knew you were a chicken, teme!"
The wind ruffled his raven hair as he took a deep breath. "We're not wearing the right clothes for trekking. Plus, Sakura sprained her ankle."
Sapphire eyes widened as he scrambled towards their friend. "Sakura-chan why didn't you say anything?!"
She just rolled her eyes at him. "Sasuke-kun's just exaggerating. I slipped a bit but good thing he caught me."
Naruto didn't want to miss this opportunity to tease them. "Of course, he's your knight in shining armor after all."
That garnered a smack but he still grinned like it was worth it to see their blushing faces. He raised his hand to surrender and huffed, "Okay, we can always go next time."
They went back at a slower pace just in time for early lunch. While walking around the resort, they explored the quiet butterfly gardens and tried the zipline multiple times. Soon after, they approached the boating lagoon - with the Uzumaki family practically pushing their two guests into the small canoe by themselves.
Sasuke tried to ignore Kushina's blatant picture-taking which he was sure would be sent to his parents. It would then be followed by his mother forwarding them to the Uchiha family group chat. As always, he'd ignore the uproar, passive-aggressive comments, and the threats to disown him if he continues to do nothing with his relationship with Sakura.
Those photos would then end up in his phone's gallery, backed up to his hard drive, along with numerous photos he collected over the years.
He envisioned a near future where he can use the pictures when he decides to bare his heart to her - to show Sakura that there is no one else but her in his life. But until then, no one will ever know his collection exists.
After a quick dip to the hot springs, they went back to the city when it had gotten dark. Kushina led them to Aboy's for dinner and it was another night of Negrense feast.
"What a gentleman!" Kushina exclaimed as Sasuke handed the dishes to Sakura first before getting his own. "You better ask for tips, Naruto. How will you swoon the woman of your dreams if you don't act like the perfect gentleman like Sasuke-chan here?"
The blond blatantly scoffed "Don't need to, mom. I'm better than teme."
"He doesn't even notice Hinata's feelings for him," Sakura mumbled to Sasuke as she passed the Sinigang to him. He leaned closer and whispered back, "Or even his own feelings for her."
The two snickered to themselves and enjoyed the mother's lecture to her son. It was another great night, and before he tucked himself to sleep, Sasuke received a message from the person next to his room.
Send me our pictures, Sasuke-kun!
I'm going to make Ino-pig jealous with today's adventure~
He opened his gallery and scanned the photos. There were more than a hundred of them but he only sent around fifty to her. She didn't need to see her stolen shots.
Here. And go to sleep now, Sakura.
I will. I had a great day and now I'm excited about tomorrow \(*O*)9 Good night, Sasuke-kun! Sweet dreams~
You too. Good night, Sakura.
Sweet dreams indeed.
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After a hearty seafood lunch at 18th Street Palapala the next day, they had a road trip to Silay City, feeling like they went back to the Spanish times due to the old houses still standing along the main road. They toured Balay Negrense, and though Sakura tried to hide it, Sasuke knew she was scared of the house in broad daylight.
"Sakura-chan, did you know this place is haunted?" Naruto mumbled in a taunting tone as the tour guide continued to showcase the history of the place.
"Stop teasing her, dobe," Sasuke spat out, annoyed.
"One more word and I'll make sure you're the last one of your kind, Naruto," Sakura added in a harsh whisper. The blond visibly gulped and went ahead of the two, just a little behind his parents.
Sasuke noticed her silence when they first stepped inside the old mansion. Being the stubborn woman that she is, she'd never show her weakness to anyone. But he knew better. Slowly, when they went up the grand staircase, he intertwined his pinky with hers. She looked up at him instantaneously, a wave of emotions swirling in her emerald eyes. It was a pact made between them as kids, a secret gesture only the two of them know.
I'm here.
Her face softened to a grateful smile and the two of them walked behind the group, feeling at ease. She was able to enjoy the rest of the tour, her eyes even shining with fascination while looking at the antiques. Numerous photos later, they all went back to the car for their next destination.
"It is important we arrive at the Ruins before sunset! I tell you, it's simply magical at dusk…"
As Kushina continued to gush over the place, Sakura silently started writing letters on his forearm.
T-h-a-n-k y-o-u.
He gave a soft smile reserved only for her, knowing she can read the message in his eyes.
Anytime.
Not long after, they arrived at the tourist spot of the neighboring city. In a rare and fortunate time, there were only a few people around. The tour guide gave a lively story of the place, how this mansion was built out of love, and noting that it took three days to burn down yet the cement structure remained.
Kushina dragged her husband and son to take pictures, leaving Sasuke and Sakura to wander around alone. After a photoshoot of their own, they walked along the hallway of the ruins, stopping at the staircase facing the fountain.
"It's amazing," the pinkette turned towards him, her blush hidden by the setting sun. "Love works wonders, don't you think?"
"Aa," he answered immediately without a second thought, hoping she wouldn't see his ears burning.
As the sky was painted with hues of orange, purple, and gold, Sakura rested her head on Sasuke's shoulder. The two childhood best friends enjoyed the rare ethereal moment in silence.
Once again, Sasuke realized that she was right. They needed this vacation. As they grew older, the responsibilities on their shoulders took away their precious time together. The demands of their work meant missed chances to deepen the bond that took years to cultivate and grow. Then and there, he promised himself to make more time for Sakura. And if she's the one too busy to meet up, silently and strongly he will wait, knowing that just being around her like this can calm his weary self.
Too caught up in the moment, the two failed to see a family of three smiling at them, the matron taking pictures to show to her dear friend Mikoto.
After a while, they received Kushina's text to gather at the fountain to take one last picture before getting into the car.
"Let's have dinner around NGC. I need all of you to taste the food at Sander's. Minato and I love their chicken pesto! Right, darling?"
He hummed his approval. "Their spareribs are amazing, too."
As they were hyped up for dinner, Sasuke was too preoccupied with Sakura placing her head on his shoulder again. He savored this moment, closing his eyes. If the Uzumakis noticed them, he was grateful they didn't say a thing.
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"When will you admit your feelings for her, Sasuke?"
Naruto appeared beside him, pretending to be interested in the painting. They were at the Negros Museum for an afternoon of history and culture. The blond placed his hands on his hips, his stance like a teacher reprimanding a student. Sasuke sighed and looked towards Sakura's direction at the other side of the hall.
"Soon."
"How soon is that soon of yours, anyway? You've been saying that for years. Since high school, actually. But as your best friend, I know you love her for even longer than that."
Sasuke moved towards another painting, trying to act indifferent. Though what Naruto said next caught his attention right away.
"I don't know about you, but you better let Sakura-chan know soon. If that Sasori guy takes her away, I'll kill you!"
A pause. "Sasori?"
Naruto nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Gaara knows him. Apparently, he's an amazing orthopedic surgeon or something. He's a visiting doctor. When I visited Sakura-chan at the hospital last time, I saw him giving heart eyes at her!"
"You're bluffing," he scoffed as he tried to stop his imagination from running wild.
"I'm not!"
A loud shush courtesy of his mother echoed. Naruto sighed and looked at Sasuke straight into his eyes.
"Sakura-chan's my best friend too, ya know? I only want her to be happy. And if you weren't so blind, you'd see she's the happiest with you, as you are with her, dattebayo."
Onyx clashed with cerulean, though the former looked away first.
"I don't know…"
"Don't know what?"
Both men jumped upon hearing Sakura's voice. "Oh come on, don't act like you two saw a ghost."
She beamed at the Uchiha and took his hand eagerly. "You have to see this painting, Sasuke-kun! It's similar to the one you made last year!"
As she dragged him away, he looked back to see Naruto slowly following behind, eyebrows wriggling like crazy while exaggerating the tapping of his wristwatch. He turned his attention back to the woman beside him, his heart still speeding a mile a minute while seeing her face.
He's hoping that when the time comes that he confesses his feelings — his gut telling him it would be very soon this time — he hopes she would smile even wider than today and reciprocate his feelings.
He hopes with all of his whole heart.
After the tour, they took a short walk from the Negros Museum to the Capitol Lagoon, where the seat of power of the provincial government is located. The building with its classical architecture and the lagoon provided a touch of history and nature in the bustling city. A few late afternoon joggers scattered here and there along with families and groups of friends.
Kushina told them to try the hotcakes and buy some pop rice to feed the fishes in the man-made pond. After a quick snack, they gave the fishes their food until Naruto started goofing off and almost fell into the water.
Taking pictures with the gigantic golden carabaos at both sides of the lagoon was the next agenda, and not long after they all went back to the old lady selling the pop rice and hotcakes to buy some more. As the younger ones went to the side to eat, Sasuke overheard the food cart owner talk to Mrs. Uzumaki.
"Angayan gid sila duwa ma'am no? Ang black kag pink buhok."
Kushina grinned. "Gani. Dugay na, wala pa galing ka aminay."
"Ay nanu! Nga-a may huya-huya pa? Hinulsulan gid na nila duwa na nagpadugay-dugay pa sila."
"Hugot na pagtuo lang nang ah. Gamay lang na tulod sila na na."
Minato sent a confused look towards his wife. "Kushina, what are you two talking about?"
The redhead grinned. "She said that Sasuke and Sakura look so good together. I told her they haven't confessed to each other yet. Then she wonders why they're too shy to let their feelings out, claiming they'll regret not saying it to each other."
The couple turned towards him but the Uchiha quickly lowered his eyes, choosing to focus on the hotcake he's holding, pretending that he didn't hear anything.
"Sasuke-kun, are you okay?"
He nodded absentmindedly. Why is everyone pushing me to confess?
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A soft nudge made his mind return to the present.
"Oof! Sorry, Sasuke-kun. The crowd is getting too excited."
He had a spontaneous urge to take her hand and pull the two of them away from the horde of festival-goers. And so he did.
"Wait, where are we going? Should we tell Aunt Kushina first? Do you even know the way around here?" Sakura bombarded him with questions while he led her somewhere.
"You told me I needed to find my 'sense of adventure'. Well, where's yours, Sakura?"
The pinkette was struck with surprise before erupting into a fit of laughter. "I told you that years ago! You can still remember it?"
Everything that involves you, Sasuke mused. He hummed in response as Sakura alerted Mrs. Uzumaki of their impromptu escapade through a call. She pressed the loudspeaker button for him to hear the conversation.
"Okay then, you're both grown adults anyway. Just give me a call if you find yourselves lost."
"Thanks, Aunt Kushina. We'll be careful."
"Let's meet up at SM around seven. We'll be seeing some relatives before then to catch up a bit."
They can hear Naruto groaning in the background. Both of them shared a look and started snickering, knowing how overbearing Naruto's maternal aunts and uncles are.
"But I wanna spend time with teme and Sakura-chan!"
"Hush! Give the two lovebirds a few hours of alone time!"
That shut them up. The people at the other end of the phone continued bickering before the line went dead. Sakura forced a laugh, trying to break the tension.
"Um…" She chuckled. "Let's go?"
"Y-Yeah…"
Sasuke took her hand again which immediately caused Sakura to start rambling, a habit she formed back in elementary school when she felt nervous or awkward. He's not sure where he got this boldness, but it also felt like it was a long time coming…like he should have done it years ago.
"We already ate a lot of chicken inasal but I can't help but think that they're the best! We're going to Chicken House next. Wonder if it will taste just as good? Chicken Deli last night was great, and I heard Aunt Kushina talking about Masskara Chicken too. I'm probably going to eat a month's worth of chicken at this rate. Ino's going to make me double my exercise routine when we get back..."
He stared at her, focusing on her adorable expressions more than what she's saying. A smirk formed on his face when she started to pout and narrow her eyes at him.
"Sasuke-kun, are you even listening?"
He tightened his hold on her. "You don't need to overexert yourself with exercise, Sakura."
Jade eyes widened and the medic gave an amused huff. "Wow. You're actually listening." He loved how pleased she looked. "You never cease to amaze me, Sasuke-kun."
They arrived at the plaza, though as Kushina warned them last night, it was filled to the brim with people.
"Aww, we can't see anything."
Sensing her disappointment, he suddenly knelt with his back facing her.
"What are you doing, Sasuke-kun?!"
"Letting you see the performance. Now, hop onto my shoulders," he emphasized by tapping it.
"A-Are you sure?"
"Sakura. We've done this hundreds of times already."
Both got hit with a wave of nostalgia, remembering their childhood full of picking fruits from the Uchiha farm and random shenanigans mostly spearheaded by their knucklehead best friend.
He could feel her smile behind him. "Okay."
Despite the added height that Sasuke provided, it was not enough compared to front-row seats. The pinkette gave up and urged him to put her down and just wander around. They found a man selling plastic masks and with a gasp, Sakura already picked one and placed it on his face.
It's amazing really…how she can get away with doing this kind of thing to him that no one would dare even think of in the first place.
"A smiling face suits you best, Sasuke-kun!"
His sigh was muffled. "I don't need something like this for you to see me smile, Sakura."
"Yeah, but I want to see your big, goofy smiles more often! It's becoming quite rare for me to see it nowadays."
'Maybe if you would stop living in the hospital so much you'll see it more,' he thought as he removed the mask. 'But then again, it's hypocritical of me to think that way, since I'm stuck in the office a lot too.'
In response, he picked one for her as well. After paying the peddler, he took her hand as they started walking again.
"I love how most festivals usually celebrate a saint or a good harvest, but Bacolod chose to have one that will remind them to cheer up during hard times." Her eyes looked around the souvenirs displayed by merchants eager to make a sale. "But it's a bit sad...forcing yourself to smile."
Sasuke gave a low hum before speaking. "I believe with the tragedies that caused them to create this festival in the first place, they had no choice but to change the atmosphere or else they'll all fall into despair. They chose to move forward. That's the only great thing when you reach rock bottom—there's no other way but to rise up. These people chose to wear a mask temporarily to make them see that not all hope is lost. And by telling yourself that every day, you'd start to believe it, too."
He gave her a gentle smile. "All of us wear different masks every single day depending on what we choose to let others see. We can only allow ourselves to be bare before those important to us."
Sakura stopped their tracks. Staring up at him, she murmured in a voice full of awe, "How your mind works…simply takes my breath away, Sasuke-kun."
That look…he realized why it took him so long to act on his feelings. He didn't know what he did to even deserve love or admiration from her. He never felt good enough to be worthy.
Sakura deserved better. She deserved the whole universe. How can someone so perfect want someone like him? As his thoughts started spiraling down, Sakura squeezed his hand.
"I don't know about you, but I'm glad I took this trip."
She looked up to him, a soft smile lighting up her face and warming his heart. "I'm glad I was able to spend my vacation with you."
He knew it was impossible, but he felt his heart do a cartwheel inside his chest.
"A-and Naruto," Sakura added awkwardly. His heart stopped dancing and sank a little.
"And Naruto," he repeated, a little dejected. After taking a deep breath, he summoned the courage to ask, "If…we could come back…just the two of us…would you?" Sasuke strengthened himself to look at her directly in her eyes. He hoped she could see his sincerity.
He needed even a minuscule sign that she might like him back. More than a friend. Want what he wants. Willing to take a leap of faith with him. Willing to accept his love.
When she beamed at him, he felt a burden ease from his heart and finally acknowledged that he'd want nothing more than to bask in that sunshine that is completely hers every day for the rest of his life.
"Of course! You know I'll go to the ends of the world with you, Sasuke-kun."
He smiled softly at that. "And I'll endure the crowds and your habit of shaking my arm when you're too excited."
"Hey! This is the first time I'm hearing that complaint!"
"It's not. I'll even wear all the ridiculous knick-knacks you're really fond of, like this mask," he held up the mask she chose for him.
"Mmmm…I should have chosen another one. That makes you look like the Cheshire cat."
Sakura scanned the vicinity, looking at the performers in the streets.
"I like that group's masks," she pointed out the ones with all the colors of the rainbow painted on them. "Oooh, that one's sparkly! Let's take a picture with them, Sasuke-kun!"
She proceeded to point out all her faves and he decided to humor her. It was hard to say no with her level of excitement, and thus he allowed her to drag him picture after picture.
He's decided. The moment they return home, he'll ask for her parents' permission. And since he can't hide anything from his family - especially his mother, they'd definitely help him with the preparation. Sakura deserved only the best and that includes his confession.
He hopes it would be enough to make up for all the time he wasted.
After she had her fill with capturing memories, they found a small restaurant to rest their legs after hours of walking. It was still five o'clock and as always, the pinkette insists they try out the local flavor.
While waiting for their orders to arrive, Sakura scanned the photos they took together on her phone. She scooted beside him on the sofa bench and the young man silently wished that time would stop right at this moment.
He couldn't help laughing along with her as they looked back on all the photos they've taken. She insisted on one more selfie with the Masskara themed background behind them, wearing the masks they bought. Soon after, Sakura removed hers and pleaded to take his pictures. As usual, he obliged and even gave a peace sign at the end which rewarded him with her twinkling laughter.
"I'm sending this to Aunt Mikoto."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare."
As he was about to grab her phone, the waiter arrived with their order. Sakura stuck out her tongue at him and placed her phone inside her bag, away from his reach.
"You know, out of all the smiles I saw in this festival, both real faces and masks, I think I like yours the most."
His mind chose to short-circuit at that point while his heart probably won the gold medal at the Olympics' hundred-meter race. He pinched himself to gain a sense of normalcy and not appear like a total idiot in front of her.
It apparently worked, or Sakura was kind enough not to point out his dazed state. She gave a small smile and continued,"How about you, Sasuke-kun? Which one do you like best?"
"Hmmm?"
He took a long pause, acting like he was in deep thought that caused the pinkette to playfully hit his arm. "Come on, the answer couldn't be that hard."
He turned to fully face her. She might be teasing but he decided to give her a hint of his true feelings. "I'm surrounded by a thousand smiles but yours is the only one I'll ever want."
Sakura was stunned silent, eyes wide with bewilderment. Her face immediately started heating up, turning into a bright red like the tomatoes that he likes so much.
Behind the mask that Sakura gave him, Sasuke had the same blushing face as the woman who continues to give him a reason to fall even deeper in love.
— the end —
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Author's Notes: Here's my work for the Lakbay: A SasuSaku fanzine created this year! I had fun writing about SasuSaku with my hometown as the setting. I thought I wouldn't be able to write anything after a very long time, but I actually ended up writing my longest oneshot so far. I felt a little rusty while writing though (T.T) I'm super grateful to all the Lakbay mods and beta readers who kindly polished my writing. It's my first time writing for a zine and it was a wonderful experience. I even exceeded my normal 2k word count limit (ToT)
Little Pieces of Forever III and IV will be completed... idk when... but it will. Hopefully next year. I just need to ease my brain into writing and have fun. My life has been thrown off-orbit in 2019 and I'm slowly making time to be okay mentally and fall in love with writing again. Thank you for all the nice comments in my LPOF series! I like to read them over and over again to motivate me~
I still need practice for describing the scenery so meanwhile here's a glossary for all the places and food I mentioned here as well as a little background of Masskara Festival and Bacolod City: [twitter./com/sasusakufaith/status/1393935105610055683?s=21
Merry Christmas, everyone!!!