Just two more chapters to go guys! I hope you've been liking it so far even though I feel it's lacking a lot and I could do a much better job with it than I am. Maybe someday I will come back to it and redo some things.
Also a heads up; I have been dealing with some health issues as of late so my updates may slow down slightly as I try and deal with it. So please, don't constantly ask me when the next update will be or when I will be able to get to a certain project; it only adds to my anxiety, which isn't good for my health. I will say that if I am working on something and I say I will write it, then I will get to it eventually and do the updates, snippets or one-shots as I think of them; but like I've said before, sometimes I get writer's block and/or it takes me a while to work on the next chapters or pieces because I do this for fun (as my free-time project I guess you could say). I have children and a family that take up a majority of my time, so that doesn't always help me produce as quickly as I would like. I hope this makes sense and I hope you all understand where I'm coming from.
I hope that this little rant doesn't come off as me being rude or offensive to any of you, because that is not my intentions at all! I simply want you all to understand where I am coming from and that I need to try and focus more on myself at times and less on trying to please everyone else; like I normally do. I sincerely appreciate your kindness and your support of me thus far and I hope that what I've said doesn't anger you or deter you away from me and my work in anyway.
Again, if you are offended, I do apologize and I am extremely thankful for those who have been so supportive of me and all of my mediocre writing lol
Now, enough of my rambling; onto chapter 8!
Sakura knew that she had said that she wanted to go slowly with Sasuke this time around.
She knew that she had said she wanted for them to take their time and slowly build up to a new, hopefully healthier and happier relationship.
Yes, she said and felt all of those things...
... however, her emotional heart was at war with her logically thinking brain...
...and it was driving her mad!
Both, her heart and mind, agreed that she was fully and completely in love with the Uchiha. They both agreed that she wanted to be with him. But the conflict came as she tried to determine the speed at which she wanted to advance forward with their coupling... it was rather different from one second to the next because her logical brain wanting things to move slowly and steadily while her emotional heart wanting things to go rapidly and sporadically. Sakura needed some sort of a distraction and soon because all this back and forth thinking and feeling was driving her insane; causing her to get a major migraine.
Of course, Sasuke chose that specific moment to walk into the room and she watched him silently as his eyes scanned his surroundings before they settled on her where she stood across the room from him. The pinkette felt her chest tighten and her breath hitch when his dark eyes softened; he slowly approached her with his large hands in his jean pockets and a strong swag to his long gait.
'Is he... strutting? He looks so confident and... dare I say... sexy.'
"What are you up to today," she asked cautiously when he came to a stop before her; unsure as to what he could be wanting from her. She crossed her arms protectively over her chest (trying to shield herself from him perhaps) and watched as he observed her with silent appreciation. Sakura felt like squirming under his intense gaze but somehow managed to hold her ground; causing the male to smirk knowingly.
"I want to take you out." He stated his confession with such ease that it took Sakura a moment to process what it was that the male had just said. She could only blink at him at first; completely stunned by his bluntness.
Once.
Then twice.
"What do you mean by... take me out?" Sakura was certainly slightly confused but nonetheless, she found herself leaning closer towards him as curiosity got the best of her. Her partner's face turned into a blank mask for a brief moment as he contemplated her question.
"It means that I want to take you somewhere." He gave the Haruno a pointed look before shrugging his shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal. But to the pinkette... it most certain was. Several different scenarios ran through her overworked mind but Sakura just couldn't get past the one that kept pushing itself to the forefront of her thoughts. She had to know the answer; and so, she asked him bluntly.
"Like... like on a date!?" She hated how squeaky her voice had become, but decided to ignore it when the male smirked at her once again and his dark eyes began to shine brightly with a sort of mischievous intent.
"That is what couples do; isn't it." He leaned into her personal space and Sakura found herself blushing deeply as she averted her eyes from his own.
"Well, I mean, yes, of course they do. But we're... Sasuke, we aren't... are we?" She couldn't finish her sentences but he understood what she was asking. Sasuke pulled one of his hands from his pockets and placed it against her skin; brushing her cheek with the back of his knuckles before letting it fall back to his side. The woman felt her entire body shiver as her heart began to pound loudly in her eardrums.
"Do you want to be," he whispered as he moved slightly closer to her short frame. She had to lean back to look him in the eyes and held his gaze for a moment before finding her voice.
"I mean... I don't know... I...," Sakura started but paused, knowing that she couldn't lie to him; she had to be honest with her response. "Yes..."
"Then that's that isn't it," he stated with a gentle smile. "Now, go get dressed in something warm. It will be a little chilly where we are going." Her mouth opened slightly as she stood next to him; still completely stunned by his boldness.
"But...," she began to stutter as he shuffled her with his hands to get her moving. "...so, does that mean that we're actually a... are we..."
"Come on Sakura," he said as he rolled his eyes, before glancing at his watch. "I have reservations for two o'clock. If we hurry up, we can just make it in time."
She huffed but willingly complied; though she did stop to take the time to stick her tongue out at him childishly. "Okay...," Sakura huffed as she quickly made her way down the hall and towards her room. Her mind and heart were both racing.
'Why am I not questioning anything anymore? Why is everything going so perfectly? Why did I so easily agree to be his... 'girlfriend' again when we were only meant to be pretending this whole time? What in the hell is going on with me; with us... ugh, my head hurts.'
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"Aaugh," Sakura exclaimed as she fell on her butt for the hundred time since they first arrived. She glared at her aching feet; wishing that the stupid shoes she was forced to wear would just break so that she could be done with this humiliation already. 'Why did he bring me here; he doesn't even like the cold!' She looked up to see Sasuke approaching her slowly and huffed angrily as she brushed her hands against one another to knock off some of the ice before pushing her hair back behind her ears. "Why are we doing this again? How is this even fun... and how are you better at it than me!? Ugh, I swear... some 'first date' this is." Sasuke chuckled as he came to a stop beside her on the ice before bending down at the waist to grasp her by the upper arms. The Uchiha lifted her easily and placed her back onto her feet; still holding onto her while Sakura tried to regain her balance.
"Itachi brought me here when we were younger. I guess... it's kind of like riding a bike; something that you never fully forget." The dark-haired male shrugged his shoulders and once he thought that Sakura was stable, he released his hold on her. The pinkette had moved all of two steps before she began to wobble once more; teetering on the thin blade of her ice skates before she felt herself falling. She closed her green eyes tightly; tensing her muscles as she braced herself for the harsh impact; but as she waited, it never came.
Sakura's eyes opened slowly, only to land on her boyfriend who was leaning over her body rather closely. She felt her eyes widen as his arms, that were wrapped around her back to prevent her from falling, pull her closer until she was pressed tightly against his hard chest. 'Breath, Sakura. Don't forget to breath.'
Her heart was pounding an erratic rhythm...
...her plump lips and throat both felt very dry...
...and she stared back at him; feeling the world melt away in that brief moment in time... leaving nothing behind, apart from the two of them.
"Here. Let me guide you...," he whispered against her lips as he leaned in close; and then he began to move. Gliding. Sliding. He was moving across the rink with a relaxed ease; all the while pulling her along with him, never releasing his tight hold on her smaller frame. They skated like that for what felt like hours, just the two of them, lost in their own little bubble while others moved around them. They sent the young couple knowing and awed looks as they passed by. Sakura felt the same feelings that she had all those many long years ago, back when they were together as high school sweethearts.
It was the same sort of bubbly happiness that had once seeped into her very soul.
It was the same sort of love that had never truly died; even after so many long and lonely years spent apart.
The same longing that she had always felt... to be with the only man that she had ever wished to marry (and secretly... still did).
She was incredibly happy...
...in this moment; where it was just the two of them.
Sakura thought that she could easily get used to this. But all too soon, it ended and when he pulled away from her, she felt a pain in her chest. But it soon vanished when Sasuke pulled her chin up with the tips of his fingers, before planting a soft and gentle kiss to her parted lips. It was so brief that she didn't have time to respond but it made her blush all the same. He smiled softly down at her before pulling her towards the door; hand in hand. "Come, I have one more surprise for you."
"What is it?" Sakura was slightly dazed still but the feeling was slowly fading away and being replaced by her curious nature. She sat on the bench beside him and began to pull off her ice skates before slipping her feet back into her own boots. 'I will have to soak my feet later...'
"If I told you...," he teased as he turned towards her to give her a wicked smirk. "It wouldn't be a surprise."
She rolled her eyes before shoving his shoulder gently with her own. "You know I hate surprises, Sasuke. Thats one fact that hasn't changed over the years." He stood and reached his hand out to her which she quickly accepted before allowing him to pull her along behind him.
"I'm pretty sure Sakura... that you will like this one."
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Her jaw was practically dragging on the blacktop as Sasuke continued to tug her along behind him. When he came to a stop, before them stood a man, but it was the things behind him that caught her attention most. Two huge, white and black horses stood proudly attached to a large wooden sled; one that looked like it belonged in a fairytale. She brought her free hand to her mouth as she felt tears form in the corners of her eyes. It was simply stunning to see. "Is that...," Sakura began, but got choked up on her own words and was unable to finish her sentence.
"Hai." He wrapped his hand tightly around hers and gave her time to regain her composure; he was always so patient with her.
"It's so beautiful, Sasuke." Her eyes sparkled as she looked up into his softened features. Sasuke nodded his head slightly towards the sled.
"Do you want to go for a ride?" Sakura felt like squealing due to her excitement but refrained as she didn't want to startled the large beast and instead gave him a wide smile.
"Absolutely!"
The Uchiha nodded to the man holding the reins and once the pair had reached the side of the sled, he silently helped Sakura up and onto it by grabbing her by the waist and lifting her gently onto the wooden bench. Once she was settled, he followed after and took the place next to her. He turned then and reached in the back, pulling a thick, wool blanket from a lower compartment and wrapped it around them; pulling her tightly against his side to try and keep her warm. "Have you done this before...," her tone held a hint of anger and bite to it which he found to be rather cute. Sasuke couldn't believe that Sakura was already feeling jealous, for she had absolutely no reason to be.
"No." His answer was simple but it confused her as she couldn't understand how he had known about the blanket if he was claiming that he had never been in a situation like this before.
Sakura's brows drew together and a slight frown made its way to her lips. "...oh," was the only thing she managed to huff under her breath as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I used to work for a guy that built these things," he decided to elaborate to try and sooth some of her anger. "In place of payment one time, the owner took me out on his for a ride and it got a little chilly. He had a blanket in the back. This...," he said pointing to the man whom had moved to sit in the 'drivers' seat. "...is that man." The guy turned around and waved kindly before slapping the reins down and facing forward once more; the horses began to move. Feeling embarrassed at being so worked up about the whole situation, Sakura gave him a sheepish grin before turning her gaze to look out across the vast landscape surrounding them.
Clusters of snow-covered trees passed them by in slow progression as they made their way down the deserted street.
The now darkened sky was filled with millions of twinkling stars that helped to light up their path with a soft and gentle glow; the full moon shone brightly above them.
Sasuke's warmth helped to fight off some of the chilly nighttime air and she snuggled closer to him as she felt his strong arm tighten around her shoulder while she looked up into the clear sky above. Complete awe and love filled her with a warm contentment and it was quiet for a long time after, apart from the sounds of bells jingling and the horse's hooves clomping on the hard, dark pavement beneath their feet.
"So...," she heard Sasuke whisper as he turned to her slightly; his chest now resting against her side. "Is this okay... you know; for a first date?" Sakura felt herself smiling as she looked back up at him through thick lashes.
"Yeah... I guess it is." She teased at first but then grew serious as she slowly reached up to grasp his hand in hers. "Thank you Sasuke."
"You don't have to thank me, Sakura." The man had attempted to shrug off her sincere gratitude with that simple statement but knew it wouldn't be enough. He had to convince her. "I wanted to do this. I wanted to take you out just as much as I wanted you to be mine. Because I..."
"Shh," Sakura placed a single finger on his lips to silence him. "You don't have to say it. I... know what you mean because... I feel the same way. For now, though... can we just enjoy this moment together. For a little while longer..."
"Okay..." he pressed his lips gently against hers before pulling her head to his shoulder; his cheek resting on the top of her head as they fell into a warm, companionable silence for the remainder of their ride.
Author's Notes:
(Sasusaku au. Sakura is a very, very forgiving person in this fanfic just a heads up and it is a little fast pace. I hope you still like it anyway. I will most likely go back and improve this short story in the future but for now I hope you enjoy it as is.)
Note: Sakura is very influenced by her love for Sasuke. She is also a very forgiving person so I feel it effects most of her decisions to so readily forgive him; especially since it's not like he cheated on her or anything! That would be unforgivable in my books!
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If any of these sound like your own writing or another you have read I apologize but I didn't copy anyone's work. This is entirely my own writing.
