Sasuke Uchiha had been through a lot in his 22 years of life, while some of it had been inevitable, other instances could have been avoided. He had grown up extremely wealthy with a doting mother, a cold and withdrawn father, and a brother that he loved and resented at the same time.
Out of his two sons, Fugaku put the majority of his focus on his oldest Itachi, always attending his school events and even taking him under his wing at the technology company he owned in Oto. Even though Sasuke's mother, Mikoto tried her best to assure him that his father loved him, Sasuke never felt it.
All of this caused Sasuke to begin rebelling against his parents during his senior year of high school. He stopped going to class, started getting into fights, and began drinking during the day. Sasuke even came home one day with a tattoo of a hawk flying out of a forest that was engulfed in angry black flames. The tattoo covered his entire right bicep and Sasuke honestly thought it would be the last straw with his parents, knowing their disdain for body modifications. But what really ended Sasuke's relationship with his family was his first assault charge.
Sasuke had gotten into a bar fight and beat the man until he was unconscious, the bartender called the police and they arrived and promptly arrested Sasuke and placed him in the back of a squad car and then a holding cell. But his compassionate mother showed up at the station and bailed him out, never speaking a word or looking at him on the drive home. But when he got home Fugaku was furious, screaming at Sasuke, telling him how much of an embarrassment he was, how he should be more like Itachi. Sasuke said nothing as he took the verbal attack and once Fugaku was done and finally stormed out of the room, Sasuke made a decision.
He waited until everyone in the house was asleep and then filled a backpack with the essentials, he then went to write a short note when an old picture caught his eye. It was from one of the many fishing trips he and Itachi went on when they were children. Itachi was holding up the fish with one hand while the other was placed on top of Sasuke's head, while Sasuke was sporting a wide smile with a peace sign thrown up towards the camera. Sasuke couldn't help but grit his teeth at the memory, wishing things could be like that again between them.
But Sasuke knew they never would, and against his better judgement he shoved the picture into his backpack and then went back to writing the note.
There is nothing left for me here, don't try to find me.
Sasuke left the note on his desk and then looped his arms through his backpack and left the house through the window in his room. Once he made it onto the sidewalk by his childhood home, Sasuke took one last look before putting his hood over his head and walking into the night.
Over the next four years Sasuke became a nomad in the Land of Fire, never staying in one city for too long. He did odd jobs for anyone who needed it, just so he could make enough money for the necessities. With some of that money Sasuke had gotten himself more tattoos and even a few ear piercings, feeling they were the best way to express the way he felt since he never did it with words. Even with that, Sasuke still found himself getting into fights and trouble everywhere he went. when he was trying his best not to.
This all came to a head whenever he got jumped and beaten in an alley by four men and then woke up in a hospital. "I'm so tired of this" Sasuke thought to himself, as he felt the pain coursing through his body.
He then heard the door open and saw a woman with black hair and red eyes come in, "Hi Uchiha-san, my name is Kurenai Yuhi and I'm a representative for Konoha's Leaf Rehabilitation Program. I've looked through your records and seen your past charges, we can help you get on the right path if you give us the chance" she proposed to him. "No thanks, you can go" Sasuke said back with no hesitation, wanting her to leave already. "Okay Uchiha-san, I won't push you on this but I will leave my card with you. If you change your mind, call this number or come to this address" and with that she left the card on the side table and headed out the door of his room.
Sasuke recovered in the hospital for the next few days until he was finally discharged, and was now feeling more hopeless than he ever had. He had big hospital bills to pay, his body was still in pain, and no place to stay for the night. Trying to decide what to do, Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out the card he was given earlier, "Looks like I have no choice" he sighed to himself.
Sasuke maneuvered through Konoha until he found himself outside the Leaf Rehabilitation Center, he took a deep breath before stepping inside. The center was pristine and filled with a lot of guys who looked like they were in the same situation as him. Not knowing what to do, he went to the front desk, "Um, I spoke with a woman named Kurenai" Sasuke said unsurly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I understand sir, I'll page her to come get you. Please take a seat for now" the woman said back kindly.
So Sasuke sat down in the waiting area and anxiously bounced his legs until Kurenai finally called him to her office. "I'm so glad you took this step Uchiha-san! What exactly do you hope to get out of this?" Kurenai asked eagerly, as she got out a pen and notebook. "I need a job and a place to stay" Sasuke said honestly.
"And I can make both of those things happen, but you have to agree to attend group therapy once a week and individual therapy three times a week" Kurenai stated, suddenly serious. "I'll do the
individual but not the group" Sasuke tried to level with her, not wanting to sit in a circle and talk about his feelings with people he didn't know. "I'm sorry Uchiha-san but this isn't a negotiation, you either take my offer or leave it" Kurenai asserted, not willing to budge on her terms.
Sasuke thought it over before nodding his head in agreement, "So where will I be staying?" he asked, wanting to know all the details. "We have rooms here that you can stay in until you save enough money to move out. You can stay for up to a year, you have your own room but the bathrooms, laundry room, and kitchen area are communal. We have a curfew of 11:00 PM, after that the building locks until 4:00 AM the next morning" Kurenai explained before continuing, "Now there are two jobs I can get you can get without a doubt, you just tell me which one you would rather do. I have construction worker or warehouse employee" she informed him.
Both sounded miserable to Sasuke but at the same time he was grateful to even have a choice, "Construction worker" he said to her. Sasuke had done similar things during his odd jobs and thought that it would be the best option for him. "Wonderful! I will get in contact with the manager and then let you know when you start. For now go to the third floor and give this form to a man named Asuma and he'll get you all set up" Kurenai said happily, while handing him a form with all the information he needed on it.
Sasuke muttered a quiet thank you, before taking the form and leaving the room and getting on the elevator. Once on the third floor, Sasuke found Asuma who greeted him wholeheartedly with a firm handshake and a pat on the back. He then showed Sasuke to his room, it was just big enough for one person with a twin bed, a dresser and small desk. Asuma told him where to find everything on the floor and said to let him know if he needed anything, Asuma then left and Sasuke laid down on the bed and began to process everything that had transpired.
In a matter of a few days, Sasuke went from having no steady income and no place to lay his head at night, and now he was going to start working full time and was going to sleep in a bed for the first time in a long time.
Sasuke got up and put the few pieces of clothing he had in the dresser and then placed the photo of him and Itachi on the desk. He stared at it for a while, wondering what his brother would think of him now, "Probably nothing good" Sasuke thought, mind drifting back to everything he'd done.
But Sasuke did his best to rid his mind of those negative thoughts, wanting to be present in the moment now. He then went to the communal bathroom and took a long shower, before changing into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. After that Sasuke got into bed once more and had the best sleep he'd had in years.
Two days later he met with Kurenai again to learn the details of his job, "Your boss's name is Kakashi and you'll be working with a group of 30 men on a new wing of Hashirama Hospital. You need to be there at 6 AM tomorrow morning at this address. There's a shuttle bus that you can take there if you like but it's up to you" Kurenai offered. "Ah I'll be there then, thank you" Sasuke said back quietly. "Of course! And your therapy sessions will start after your first week at your job, we don't want to overwhelm you at the start" Kurenai said genuinely, knowing how hard it can be to start over. "Okay, is there anything else?" Sasuke asked, ready to leave and run a couple of errands. Kurenai shook her head no and told him good luck before Sasuke nodded and made his way out.
Sasuke then went to some thrift stores in the area and got a couple of work shirts and pants with the little money he had left. He also bought the most inexpensive coffee pot and grounds he could find, knowing he would need it from now on. He went back to his room and prepared his clothes and everything he would need for tomorrow.
Sasuke awoke at 4 AM the next morning, groaning when he realized what time it was. But he knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, so Sasuke got up and headed to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He then went back to his room and got dressed in a pair of black jeans, with a navy short sleeve shirt and black boots with laces. Once dressed, Sasuke made his coffee and drank it leisurely until it was 5:20.
He left his room and noticed all the other men leaving for the day as well, once out of the building he saw many of them getting on the shuttle busses. "There's no way I'm doing that" Sasuke scoffed to himself, annoyed at the thought of being crammed onto a bus full of men he didn't know.
Sasuke arrived at the site fifteen minutes later at 5:35 and waited for Kakashi to show up so he could introduce himself. But 5:35 turned to 5:50 and then to 6:15 and Sasuke started to get irritated at the man's tardiness and the fact that no one else seemed upset about it.
At 6:30 he began hearing the other men greeting their boss, so Sasuke got up and made his way over to him but Kakashi beat him to speaking. "You must be Sasuke, Kurenai told me all about you, it's good to put a face to the name" Kakashi said while extending his hand. "Ah, same to you" Sasuke said back, even though he wasn't able to put a face to Kakashi's name due to the mask that covered everything but his eyes and spiky gray hair. "You'll be a part of Group 3, those guys will fill you in on what you need to know" Kakashi instructed him, while pointing in the direction of three men talking while leaning up against the side of a truck.
So Sasuke made his way over to them, not really knowing what to expect, "Are you the new member of our group? Nice to meet you! I'm Naruto Uzumaki" a blonde man said loudly."Ignore him, he's always this loud in the morning but I'm Shikamaru Nara" a man who had his black hair in a spiky ponytail said passively. "He's right Naruto is always loud, but I'm Choji Akimichi, would you like a donut?" a stocky man with brown hair asked, while opening a box of donuts with pink glaze on them. "I don't like sweets but thank you anyway, I'm Sasuke Uchiha" he told them, while taking in all their different personalities.
"Are you a part of the Leaf Rehabilitation center too? We're all from there" Naruto asked eagerly, wanting to know who his new coworker was. "Ah yes, I haven't been there long though" Sasuke told them honestly. "We all are too, we'd all still be living on the street without it" Shikamaru replied back as he lit a cigarette and inhaled the smoke. "You're in good hands though, the people at the center truly care" Choji said truthfully, as he ate another donut.
The men talked amongst themselves and Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji informed Sasuke on some of the unspoken rules of the site and workers. The main one being, don't cause trouble with Zaku and his group because it hasn't ended well for anyone else. Zaku still had a nasty attitude and temper despite the help he was getting and wouldn't hesitate to hurt someone he thought crossed him.
Kakashi then gave all the groups their jobs for the day and sent them off to begin, Group 3's job was to install flooring in all the hospital rooms that had already been built and then to clean them afterwards. Sasuke thought he would have some trouble keeping up at first since it was his first real job, but he found himself having no problems at all.
That was until something caught his eye, not just something, it was a woman, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was wearing a dark red dress that stopped at her knees which was covered by a white lab coat, black heels, and her pink hair was pulled back in a bun with a few stray pieces around her face. The woman was walking quickly through the hall while reading the chart in her hands, completely unaware of the workers presence as she focused on her own work.
"She's a beauty isn't she? That's Dr. Sakura Haruno, she's the head of Pediatrics. They say she graduated early at 22 and landed this job straight out of college" Naruto said as he noticed Sasuke's eyes still following her form. "Sakura? Seems fitting" Sasuke murmured, liking the sound of her name. "It is! She even buys us all lunch sometimes when we work here, a lot of the guys have tried asking her out but she always says no" Naruto said glumly, remembering how she had politely rejected his advances. "Obviously she did, why would someone like her want someone in our position?" Sasuke said sharply, more to himself than Naruto. "I guess you're right but it never hurts to try" Naruto reasoned, as he went back to sweeping.
They worked for a few more hours until it was time for lunch, the hospital provided them with sandwiches, chips, and cookies to eat. The men of Group 3 all ate together in the tailgate of a
truck, "So how did you three end up here?" Sasuke asked, wanting to know who exactly he was working with. "I'll go first, my parents both passed away in a car accident when I was four and after that I was placed in an orphanage. No one ever adopted me and once I aged out I had to steal to survive and after the last time I was in prison they sent me here, and the rest is history!" Naruto said all at once, somehow seeming so positive about it all.
"Yep that's Naruto for you" Shikamaru said with a slight grin before continuing, "Choji and I childhood friends, we were raised right but somehow ended up doing all the wrong things. We ended up in a street group that we wanted out of and the Leaf Rehab people helped us do that" he told him, still seeming upset about it. "Yeah our parents were extremely disappointed in us but we're doing our best to fix that" Choji added while finishing off his sandwich.
Sasuke nodded and took another bite of his sandwich as he thought over the information he had just received in his head. But he was interrupted by Naruto's loud voice, "Hey you know our story now, so what's yours?" he asked pointedly. Sasuke knew it was coming and sighed deeply before telling them the short version of how he ended up there.
"Man your dad is a jerk, I would've left too!" Naruto yelled, supporting his past decision in a way. "Don't say that, maybe he regrets what he did and wants Sasuke back home" Choji offered optimistically, as he poured the last crumbs of his chips into his mouth. "It doesn't matter either way, I'm not going back" Sasuke said with narrowed eyes, signaling that he didn't want to talk about it anymore.
No one asked anymore questions and Naruto changed the subject for the rest of their lunch until they started working again. Sasuke was able to catch a few more glimpses of Sakura as she zipped through the halls of the hospital. Everyone on staff seemed to love her, they all stopped what they were doing to greet her and make sure she had everything she needed. And Sakura reciprocated fully each time with a bright smile, never appearing annoyed with the conversations. "Looks like she's the complete opposite of me" Sasuke thought to himself bitterly, as he hammered a nail much harder than necessary.
His work day came to a close at 3:00 and he was absolutely exhausted, his muscles ached and his back hurt from leaning over so much. But he felt accomplished at the same time, it was his first time doing an honest day's work and he knew that was something to be proud of.
The rest of Group 3 asked Sasuke if he wanted to join them for an early dinner, but Sasuke politely declined. He wouldn't lie and say he disliked their company but after a day of talking more than usual, he needed some alone time.
So the guys left and Sasuke went into the hospital to go to the bathroom before walking home. But as he rounded one of the corners of the long hallway, he walked right into the woman who had captivated his mind all day. A small "oof" left her mouth as she crashed into his chest, "I'm so sorry, I need to start watching where I'm going" she said as she regained her balance. Sasuke said nothing, which she didn't seem to mind since she spoke again, "Are you new? I haven't seen you with the other men that normally work here" she asked him, meekly looking up at him. "Ah today was my first day" Sasuke said back, as he observed her closer.
No wonder all the men tried to ask her out, Sakura had stunning emerald eyes with soft and feminine facial features. She was also about five inches shorter than him, even with the help of her high heels.
"Well it's nice to meet you, I'm Sakura Haruno and I'm the head Pediatrician here" she said proudly, as she extended her hand out to him. "That's very admirable, I'm Sasuke Uchiha, it's good to meet you too" he said back uncharacteristically, while shaking her hand back.
Her hand felt so small and lithe in his bigger one, even though it wasn't as soft as he had expected it to be. Sasuke then noticed that he hadn't let go yet and quickly released her hand, but not without seeing the faint blush that adorned Sakura's cheeks.
"I have to go make my final rounds, but I hope to see you around again" Sakura said sincerely, as she waved bye and headed down the hall. Sasuke muttered a quiet goodbye and watched her form until she disappeared from his view.
Later that night as Sasuke laid in bed and went over the events of the day in his mind. "Not a bad day at all" he thought to himself with a small smile, before throwing an arm over his eyes and drifting off to sleep.