Author's Note:
So, I decided to go for it, maybe update this slowly and so? I hope you guys don't mind.
{ 2 }
It's been days and both Naruto and Sasuke have been officially discharged. 'Finally! I need some ramen in me, I hate hospital food…' Naruto's face was in a bliss as he thought of dropping by Ichiraku Ramen, his favorite place…besides Hinata's room, of course.
The Uchihas went on and went over to pick up Sasuke, greeting Naruto along.
"Itachi nii-san!" Naruto grinned at him, fist bumping the tall man who wore his hair down with a low ponytail, his delicate features made him look quite feminine yet there's this charm that makes him so popular with the ladies. The lines in between his eyes and nose were the man's prominent feature.
"Aa, Naruto. Feeling better, I assume?" Itachi smirked, nodding when Naruto replied to him before turning his head towards his little brother, walking towards him.
"Otouto."
The sound of his brother's voice made Sasuke smile. He never smiles a lot but whenever Itachi appears and so, he never fails to put a smile on his face. Sasuke growled, pouting when he felt the familiar tap his brother made on his forehead, making him squint at him as he rubbed his forehead.
"Nii-san…"
"Alright, boys. I have to break out the fun but we need to go. Itachi dear, will you please assist your brother and help him with his stuff?" Mikoto shook her head at her two boys before turning her head towards her beloved husband. "Honey, let's go?"
"Hn." Fugaku only nodded, patting Sasuke's shoulder in acknowledgement before walking out of the room, nodding towards the Uzumaki boy as well.
Mikoto turned to look at Naruto who was already done packing his stuff that was left and fixing himself. "Naruto, come to the Uchiha Manor for dinner, okay?"
"Alright! Guess I'll have to postpone my Ichiraku visit for today to make room for good food!" Naruto turned to Itachi and Sasuke, who was helped by Itachi to stand and assist on walking as Sasuke's thigh was slightly injured, plus his left arm was cut off due to the battle him and Naruto did. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke refused the offer to have the prosthetic arm made from the First Hokage's, Hashirama, cells.
"So, I'll see you two later then. I'm gonna go meet Hinata now! Teme, are you sure you don't want the prosthetic arm? It's quite…handy, you know?" Itachi snorted at Naruto's pun, rolling his eyes but the corner of his lips went up a bit.
"Hn, I already told you, Dobe. I'm fine without it, it's fine. Besides, this is my punishment for leaving Konoha and betraying the village for 3 years." Sasuke mumbled, limping a bit as he walked forward with Itachi.
'Stubborn as ever.' Both Itachi and Naruto shook their head. Naruto then said his goodbyes, disappearing out of the hospital, leaving the two men.
"Otouto."
Sasuke turned his head to look at Itachi, his face was too hard to read. He didn't look disappointed, yet he didn't look quite glad.
"I'm glad you came to your senses, at least…for now."
Sasuke raised a brow, "What do you mean 'for now'?" Itachi only chuckled before proceeding to walk out of the hospital with Sasuke, in support.
"You'll see, Otouto."
Sasuke glared at Itachi, rolling his eyes as the walk home was totally silent yet it left a comfortable mood between the brothers. His older brother was already happy, knowing how his little brother finally went home with them. Itachi purposefully made the walk home a bit slow, excusing to Sasuke that they should enjoy the sunset view as they pass by the riverside near the hospital towards the Uchiha Manors.
"Alright, is everyone here?" An ecstatic Mikoto looked around the house, making sure that everything was lined up and perfect for her son's return.
"Sakura, make sure the food is all there, hm? Lee, please don't destroy the furniture and Kiba, please don't let Akamaru wander because he might make a mess and pee on the furniture!" The Uchiha matriarch was frantic, walking between the kitchen and towards the living room, "CHOJI, DON'T YOU GO FINISH ALL THE FOOD!"
The woman sighed, facepalming at the now Akimichi who was being pulled away by his bestfriend, Shikamaru Nara and being smacked at the back of his head and being scolded by their other teammate, Ino Yamanaka.
The Uchiha patriarch chuckled lowly, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder as his gaze went on towards the young ninjas before them as they prepared and decorated the Uchiha's house with 'Welcome back!' banners and such, courtesy of Team 7 for preparing all of this, though it was mostly Sakura's idea. Besides, knowing Mikoto, she'd totally agree anyways. Sakura and Kakashi thought to make it at the Uchiha's just because their house were way bigger than theirs anyways.
"They're getting older and older…I remembered how Sasuke invited them over for dinner and they were so little, they only touched our knees or thighs and they'd come along behind us to hide from whoever is seeking them from hide and seek." Mikoto giggled, sighing softly at the memories of all the times Sasuke invited every one of his closest friends to come to his house to play and hang out, sometimes they'd be all watching movies until their guardians came to pick them up.
"We're getting old, dear." The Uchiha patriarch chuckled, especially when Mikoto whined at him to not even remind her of that before sighing softly, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes then laid on the pinkette who was commanding some of her friends to make sure things were okay.
"I just wish our sons could give us grandchildren already…" Fugaku's eye twitched at what his wife said before looking where his wife's gaze was at.
"Hn, don't worry, dear. I'm sure it'll be soon that one of them would date someone. Who knows, it'll be Sasuke first who'd give us a grandchild." He chuckled lowly, squeezing his wife's shoulder.
"They better…I already feel my wrinkles!" Mikoto whined before feeling the familiar chakras enter the premises of the Uchiha Manor, making her turn her head, alerting also the others as they suppress their chakra, waiting for them to come as they turned off the lights, leaving the light from where to entrance was.
As both Itachi and Sasuke were walking, both were caught by Naruto as he was already on his way to the Uchiha Manor after knowing Hinata was out on a 'mission', said by Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi. He even acquired about Neji's presence, but Hanabi also told him he was on a 'mission' with Hinata before immediately shutting the gates to the Hyuuga Manor.
'Weird...' Naruto thought before heading towards the Uchiha Manor instead, finding Itachi and Sasuke almost nearing the place, explaining about Hinata and Neji's situation.
As the men approached the Manor, some of Itachi and Sasuke's relatives saw them. The smile on their faces never leaving as they saw Sasuke well and alive, despite the injuries he had.
'I'm home…' Sasuke couldn't help but smile as slowly by slowly, their relatives went on from scolding him to praising him as they wished him to heal fast and hope that he wouldn't leave again. They bid their farewells as they went on towards their house.
They slid the door open, taking off their ninja boots off as Itachi went on to put Sasuke's stuff on the floor, besides a small cabinet.
"Let's go to the living room, Okaa-san and Tou-san must be waiting there." Itachi started to assist Sasuke towards the room, Naruto followed both men.
As they reached the place, the lights suddenly went on. Both Naruto and Sasuke were startled, making them go for a defense position but slowly settled as their eyes saw their friends all gathered with the Uchiha parents. A big 'Welcome back!' banner was displayed behind as Lee and Kiba popped some confettis for effect.
"WELCOME BACK, SASUKE!" Sasuke's eyes widened yet he kept his composure although he felt really touched by his friends' actions, showing a genuine smile. Which made everyone surprised, gasping a bit before coughing.
"Aa." As always, the Uchiha found himself speechless yet nodded at everyone present. Although, his eyes suddenly stopped at a certain pinkette's, his eyes refusing to leave her gaze.
Sakura felt her cheeks heat up at the excessive amount of time their eyes met. 'Sasuke-kun…'
Naruto grinned, swinging his arm around Sasuke, making his gaze cut off from the pinkette. Itachi already let Sasuke go as he went on towards his friends over the counter over the kitchen.
"Welcome back, teme. I told you we'd bring you back home." Naruto felt happy yet relieved. Atleast their team is now complete, along with the addition of Sai and Yamato around. Alas, Team 7 is finally complete.
"Hn." Sasuke smirked, pushing Naruto off him as he looked around the room. 'This hasn't changed a bit…' His eyes went along to the picture frames in the living room, seeing their family photo and team photos from Itachi's and his team's.
Everyone was coming up to the Uchiha, welcoming him back as they wished him well before moving on unto the next one and so on.
"So…Sakura, now that Sasuke's back, what do you plan on doing then?" The blonde girl nudged the pinkette, grinning teasingly as their eyes watched the said Uchiha as he chatted along with some of the guys from their group.
"W-What?! Ino, what do you mean 'plan on doing'? Of course, as a friend and a doctor, he'll be resting and staying here in his home for his house arrest!" Sakura felt her cheeks reddened at her friend's teasing.
Ino rolled her eyes at her. "Seriously, Forehead? Please, we all know how you still have the hots for the Uchiha! Lucky for you, I already found my one true love. If I was still single and didn't have Sai, I might just come and steal Sasuke from you." Ino teased, her eyes then went to her beloved boyfriend's, Sai. In which, Sakura could only roll her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she puffed her cheek on one side as her eyes gazed upon the young Uchiha.
"I..I don't know, Ino. B-Besides, it's not my say if he wants to date me or not. There are plenty of other prettier girls out there, you know…" Sakura sighed, feeling dejected as she knew there could be no chance. After all, she was his teammate, and who knows, it might be awkward once they start dating and when couple fights happen, the atmosphere would be so awkward, and everyone would feel uncomfy from their tense mood.
It was at this moment, she realized how almost everyone in their age group were starting to date and progress with their love lives. Heck, even Itachi was starting to indulge with the romance department. Choji's with Karui, Kiba has Tamaki, Ino's with Sai, Shikamaru with Temari, Naruto finally is dating Hinata, Suigetsu with Karin (surprisingly). Heck, even Neji finally asked Tenten to be his girlfriend! Well, there's Lee and Shino who was with her in the singles department… But then again, there was also Sasuke.
Ino smacked the girl's shoulder, rolling her eyes.
"Forehead, you have got to stop downgrading yourself, sheesh! Look at you, you're like… one of the hottest bachelorettes in this town. I'll say this once and only once…You're smart, cute, and sexy! You're Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha will definitely fall for you."
"I agree." Both girls squealed at the surprise, turning towards the voice. Sakura's eyes widened, her cheeks all red.
"I-Itachi-san?!" The latter smirked, a drink in hand as he was leaning on the wall now.
"Just call me Itachi, Sakura." Sakura nodded at him, shyly looking down.
Itachi patted Sakura's head like how an owner pet his beloved puppy, "My brother's a slow and foolish person but, don't let that stop you from being with him, Sakura."
Sakura slowly nodded; her blush still stuck on her cheeks at Itachi's advise. "Excuse me, ladies." The two watched as the man walked towards the kitchen, making them shrug before Ino grinned at Sakura, holding unto the girl's shoulders.
"See! Even Itachi supports you, forehead!" Sakura's face turned even redder.
"S-Shut up, Ino! H-He's probably saying that because he feels sorry or something…" Sakura mumbled, her pessimistic side kept pushing into her thoughts.
"Whatever, forehead. But seriously! I am telling you, soon! That bastard will definitely realize his feelings soon." Ino nodded firmly, continuing their ladies talk. Slowly by slowly, their girl friends coming to their direction, joining in the discussion.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes when he saw Itachi leaning close to where Sakura was. 'What's he even doing..'
His eye twitched, seeing how Sakura's face was all red when she was talking to him. It made him infuriated, thinking that Itachi must be flirting with his teammate.
"Oooh, someone's jealous?" Naruto teased, seeing Sasuke's annoyed expression getting even more annoyed, scowling at him.
"Shut up, dobe. I'm not, hn." His gaze then looked away, grumbling as he walked towards the table with some booze placed, using one hand to pour himself a shot.
"Tsk, keep denying teme, I'm sure you'll eventually fall for your words, heh."
Naruto kept a smug face, pouring himself some vodka as he took a swing, leaving an exasperated sigh on his lips, his cheeks slightly turning red due to the alcohol he continuously consumed.
"Teme…*hic* You better *hic* your damn *hic* move already, dattebayo! *hic* Or else, Sakura-chan's *hic*gonna start looking for *hic* someone else and God knows *hic* what would happen… You might *hic* lose her."
Naruto burped before putting his palm over his mouth, the amount of alcohol made his tummy turn before rushing to the Uchiha's bathroom.
Sasuke sighed at his drunk friend's theory, rubbing his forehead in annoyance.
The party was going well. Everyone was happy, they were all catching up as the Uchihas went on to accommodate the guests and all their friends and fam hanging out with their own circles, moving from one to another.
Sakura found it a bit overwhelming and excused herself to go towards the Uchiha's garden, observing all the plants the Uchiha matriarch took care of.
'Wow, Mikoto-san really knows how to take care of plants, huh?'
Sasuke followed the pinkette's movements, not even bothering to excuse himself from the group he was within with. They shrugged and went on to talk within their selves as they let the Uchiha go.
He leaned back, observing how the pinkette squatted down to check on his mother's plants. His eyes softened, seeing Sakura's side view as the moonlight shine upon her skin. It was weird for him to see his teammate in this kind of view, but he found himself mesmerized at her beauty.
"Those are Gakuajisai or in other terms, Lacecap Hydrangea."
Sakura jumped, obviously startled as she then turned to the person, her eyes widening slightly as her cheeks tinted pink like her hair.
"S-Sasuke-kun…" She felt her heart thump, suddenly nervous at the man's appearance before her. Suddenly, she felt as if they were the only people right now despite all the noise and presence inside.
"Do you know what the flower symbolizes… Sakura?"
The way her name leaves his lips felt…different, Sakura thought. She felt a lump on her throat, making her gulp a bit too loudly as it echoed inside of her.
"I-It symbolizes… apologies and g-gratitude." Her eyes never left his, making herself unaware of how Sasuke went close towards her, eventually standing in front of the blushing and mesmerized woman.
"Hn, correct. As expected to the smartest girl in our class." Sasuke chuckled softly, his fingers then went up to brush against Sakura's cheek.
Sakura could only gasp at the latter's actions as she found it so… so innocent and captivating. It was out of his character, she thought. Yet, she liked this side of Sasuke.
"That's why… I wanna gift you those. As I said before…" His head looked down before looking up at her with a soft look, his palm already cupping the girl's cheek, "I'm sorry, Sakura… for everything."
"S-Sasuke-kunㅡ"
"And thank you…Thank you for always being there for me, for waiting for me… You and Naruto."
Sakura's eyes widened when she saw Sasuke smiled genuinely at her, using his only hand as his two fingers poked the girl's forehead in an affectionate way. Her cheeks were as pink as her hair now.
"Thank you, Sakura."
She nibbled unto her lower lips; she was left speechless at the latter's actions. She felt surprised again when she saw how Sasuke slowly leaned in, his eyes staring against her gaze.
Sasuke was nervous, he wanted to convey his feelings as he was awful with words, he wanted to make Sakura feel how he liked her back.
But before he could even place his lips against the pinkette's, they were suddenly thrown back as a series of 'Aww's' and 'Wooooah!' filled the air.
"You idiots! You guys ruined the moment!" Ino growled, smacking all the boys' head as they whined at the blonde's rage.
"WHAT THEㅡ IT'S NOT OUR FAULT, YOU GUYS WERE TOO LOUD WITH YOUR 'AWW, SO SWEET!' AND SHIT!" Naruto barked back at Ino, both then having a glare showdown before slowly turning their heads towards their best friends, who were giving them death glares.
"Hn." Sasuke went back to his usual façade. He turned his back, so he could cover both him and Sakura with his muscular physique.
'Shannaro… To think, he… h-he almost kissed me.'
'SHANNARO! DAMN PIG AND BAKA NARUTO! DAMN IT, I JUST WANTED SASUKE TO KISS US!'
Sakura was apparently distracted by her own thoughts but felt her mouth hang open as she felt the Uchiha's lips against her forehead, leaving a gentle kiss as he felt amused at Sakura's reaction, turning back as he made his way inside the house.
Sakura felt herself redden even more, making her puff her cheek as she rubbed her forehead. Her eyes then went on to look at the pot of flowers she was just looking at again.
'Apologies and Gratitude, huh?'
With that, Sakura felt herself smile a bit too widely, knowing how Sasuke felt that way towards them.
And with that, she was hella ready to give both idiot blondes a taste of their own medicine as she cracked her knuckles, going inside the manor.
Author's Note:
And with that, Chapter 2 is done! Aaah, hopefully I portray them well? Though I feel like Sasuke's gonna be a bit OOC, for sure. Though, I might try to portray him like how he is in the series, of course but if he ends up /too/ ooc, well I guess that's just how it is! Haha. So yeah, I decided to continue. Please don't be afraid to leave a review, but no flames please. ;-; Also, don't forget to check out my other story, 'Internet Love?'!
Until the next,
Cola.
