A/N: Happy Spooky Day! Thank you all for your patience, your reviews, and your encouragement. In the whirlwind that was the last month, it truly kept me motivated to return to writing with every free moment I managed to get. I hope you all are ready! This is going to be a bit of a longer chapter, but I hope it will be worth the wait!
Chapter 11
The team left Mozukai in the early hours of the morning and continued on their path to Hana. Naruto moved conversations along throughout the day, nudging Kakashi playfully, throwing an arm around Sakura with brotherly affection, and whispering teases to Sasuke. Kakashi, for once, decided to put his porn book away and entertain Naruto's extraversion by steering the conversation beyond the topic of his favorite food. For Sasuke and Sakura, however, it was as though the force that kept them hovering the previous night now propelled them away from each other. They kept a careful distance away from each other, normally resulting in Sakura speeding through the trees on Kakashi's right, Naruto to Kakashi's left, and Sasuke trailing behind the blond.
By the late afternoon, the scenery around them began to change: trees grew scarce and Team Seven began to notice more rolling hills of grass and flowers that seemed to span for miles. The dirt path they walked on was carved out by human hands and caused the flowers to be at waist-level. They found themselves surrounded by sweet smells, pastel palettes, and the delicate softness of petals that Sakura could feel as she ran her fingers over the bushels of color that matched her pink locks.
Behind her, Sasuke couldn't help but watch her form bathed in the orange light of the nearly-setting sun. Her lengthening hair brushed at the top of the Haruno seal and her shoulders were so relaxed when she would throw a cheeky grin in Kakashi's direction. He couldn't pull his eyes away when she would look back to converse with Naruto and feel a stirring in his chest when she'd steal a look in his direction before hastily turning forward yet again. He was entranced, though careful to hide his curiosity.
However, it wasn't well-hidden from his blond best friend.
Naruto placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder when the sun began to dip lower beneath the flower-clad hills, urging him to slow his pace before whispering, "I can see you doing the thing, Teme."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The whole eye thing, Sasuke," Naruto explained, a mischievous grin forming on his face. "Remember what I said before? It's like you two are doing the dirty with your eyes again."
"Keep your thoughts to yourself," Sasuke snapped, jerking his shoulder out of Naruto's grasp.
"I can help you, you know."
"You've been doing the opposite."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes and quickened his pace to leave Naruto at his back, surprising himself at how irritated he was the previous night at Mozukai's inn as a result of the…interruption. He let his memory fall back into the moment he felt the medic run the towel through his wet hair, her affection spilling through each movement in a way that was almost palpable. He leaned into her touch and let himself experience the comfort he hadn't felt in years. Sasuke then watched as Sakura draped the towel over his shoulders and looked at him expectantly. Her eyes were bright. If the Uchiha could breathe green fire, it would be the color of her eyes. Like the night in her apartment, he felt his gaze flicker to her soft lips before shifting back into the fire, a gesture he knew she recognized.
Time stood still. He didn't want to overextend the familiarity by touching her waist, but he felt an odd pull to her that compelled Sasuke to tilt his head lower. If he were honest, he felt excitement at the sight of Sakura crane her neck higher to meet him. He watched as her eyes grew hazy, drunk with what he was sure he was also experiencing when their wordless heat led to…almost.
He and Naruto resumed their positions behind Kakashi with Sasuke remaining a careful distance away from the pinkette in their unspoken formation. It was time to focus on traveling and not interpersonal mishaps, regardless of how painfully close it was to what one would call a success.
In front of them, lines of wood and concrete houses became visible on the top of what appeared to be a massive, looming plateau of rich green grass among the rolling hills. They were petite, perhaps cozy on the inside, and were in the dozens upon dozens. Some of the structures appeared to be in shambles, reduced to splinter and rubble, likely shells of their former glory as a result of the White Zetsu attack that Nao claimed had ravaged her village. As the team approached, they could see villagers milling between houses, laughing with each other, performing chores to finish the day the way smaller villages do. They walked through the villagers and many of them gave Team Seven a beaming smile, a wave, and a welcome that included Sasuke without hesitation.
It was dark by the time they entered the village core. Sakura gasped when, above them, twinkling string lights came to life and illuminated the path that was lined with a few shops and restaurants, some of which had hastily-made patches of construction and repair. Each light acted like a larger star among the billions that were cast along the darkening sky and, despite the visible damage the village structures bore, the charm and resilience was just as noticeable. What Sasuke realized is that this village, though smaller than Konoha, was trying just as hard as the major hidden villages to repair. Additionally, they seemed to be doing it with good spirits despite the losses they appeared to have endured.
Sasuke remained cognizant of Sakura all the way to the Hana inn. He couldn't help but notice her shifting gaze as though they were in search of the familiar brunette woman who Sakura believed deserved to hate the medic. Because Nao had left one day before they had and was likely traveling on designated civilian paths, the woman must have arrived at the village mere hours earlier. She also must not have been expecting the shinobi or even heard of their arrival until her own return to Hana Village. With this, Sasuke couldn't blame Sakura's alertness.
At the inn, everyone seemed aware of why the shinobi were in Hana Village, as the staff handed them a sheet of paper detailing the information of Nana's ceremony. Sakura held it in her hand and Sasuke watched as her eyes fell on the small portrait of Nana, completely ignoring the words on the page that held the details of her ceremonies. Despite Sakura's preoccupied state, the staff were especially excited to lay eyes on the medic. They voiced their gratitude for her efforts in the war but more so for the efforts to save a young girl from their humble village. Sakura gave her most polite smile as she bowed to each of them. However, her shoulders were tense. Her smile was tight.
She wasn't happy.
When they were settled in their room, Naruto and Kakashi opted to take a bath before they slept for the night. As he shrugged out of his backpack, Sasuke eyed Sakura who remained quieter than usual in her corner of their large shared room, her back turned to him and revealing her Haruno crest. She sat cross-legged on the wood floor, sulkily shuffling through her bag with one hand while clutching Nana's ceremony paper in her other.
Kakashi was about to follow Naruto out of the door when he glanced back at the Uchiha. The raven-haired shinobi turned his head to look at Kakashi, keeping his face blank, but then raised his eyebrows when Kakashi gave an encouraging nod toward the pinkette. After spending the day avoiding eye contact with the pinkette, Sasuke wanted to protest. Before he could voice his objection, Kakashi slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him, leaving the two in silence without giving a second glance at Sasuke's irritated expression.
A brief moment of quiet passed between Sasuke and Sakura until she finally raised her head to look around the room. She seemed surprised, as though she had just noticed that two of their teammates had vacated the room. She then allowed her eyes to fall on the Uchiha who was careful to stay standing a good distance away, his lone hand in his pocket. "Sasuke-kun," she said, her voice faraway, "aren't you going to join Naruto and Kakashi?"
The Uchiha didn't bother to answer her question, figuring the answer was obvious. Instead, he asked carefully, "How are you feeling?"
Sakura didn't seem to even take notice of the way he bypassed her question and instead gave him a sad smile. "Terrible." She shrugged and then asked, "And you?"
Sasuke returned the shrug before walking over to her left side and sitting on the floor next to her. He was careful to put distance between them yet again. He took the paper from Sakura's hand and looked at the young girl's portrait to see bright brown eyes, a button nose, and a cheeky smile all framed by straight, dark chocolate hair. Her cheeks were full of plump youth and, despite only having met her once, she had a strong resemblance to Nao. He read the information for the ceremony that was printed to the right of the young girl.
"Seems that deaths here are seen as celebrations in addition to the mourning," Sakura murmured, voicing Sasuke's unspoken thoughts. "They've gathered asagao for her funeral because they're blue, just like Nana loved. They have a modified strain that blooms in spring." He glanced at her and watched as she curled her knees into her chest and hug her legs. "Ino told me it's the flower that symbolizes brief love or the way a girl's face looks beautiful in the morning. I can't help but think about how appropriate it is. Nana was here for a brief span of time. You could even say she died in the early morning hours of her life."
The Uchiha didn't know how to respond. There was an aching in his chest for this mystery child, but most of the ache was for Sakura. He let his eyes scan over her face and noticed the absence of the fire he saw burning the night before. "What did you find special about her?"
Sakura hugged her knees tighter. "She was always so lively, so smart. And she was so tough, but not in the way that some people think about being tough." Her voice grew far away again as she let herself drift into a memory. "We had to take many biopsies, and of course they were painful. She'd hold my hand cry when she felt the most pain, but she also listened to me to be very still. When it was finished, she'd take in deep breaths and mumble to herself until she stopped crying. Each time, she'd look at me and say, 'It gets easier.'"
"She sounds like you."
Sakura turned her head towards him and let her cheek rest atop one of her knees. "How so?"
"You cry a lot."
The pinkette pouted. "Thanks," she said dryly.
"But you're strong. You make life look like it gets easier."
Her eyes scanned his face again before a small smile formed on her lips. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun," she said, her voice warm despite still being laced with sadness. "I'm glad you convinced me to travel. And…that you came with me."
Sasuke nodded once, not quite knowing how to brush off her thanks. He heard the genuine gratitude in her voice, yet a voice of his own nagged that he deserved none of it in his chest. It didn't feel right to acknowledge her gratitude except for with a nod. "I think I'll go…join Kakashi and the loser," Sasuke said as he stood from his seated position.
Sakura nodded and he felt her gaze on his back until he closed the door behind him.
He bathed in silence as he listened to Naruto and Kakashi discuss village logistics. By the time he, Naruto, and Kakashi made it back to the room, Sakura's hair was damp from a fresh bath, her form wrapped up in her blankets atop her futon like a silken cocoon.
The next morning, Sasuke was the first to be ready for Nana's ceremony. He was dressed in all black: a black quarter-sleeve shirt and pants that cut off right at his ankles. Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi filtered in soon after, also wearing their Konoha mourning clothes. Although, while the men were dressed in pants, Sakura was dressed in a quarter-sleeve black dress with a hem that ended just above her knees. Sakura gave a polite nod to Sasuke as she walked by with Naruto groggily rubbing his eyes and grumbling about an incoherent dream he'd had. Sasuke found himself looking after her at her back as pink and yellow walked away when he heard Kakashi's voice ask, "How did the conversation go last night?"
Sasuke peered in the silver-haired shinobi's direction to see an annoyingly knowing twinkle in his eye. "Fine," he replied curtly.
"Did you find yourself as productive as the night before?"
Sasuke shot Kakashi a glare that was only met with a soft chuckle from the copy-cat ninja. The Uchiha scoffed and was about to turn and walk in the same direction as his other teammates, the sound of Kakashi's chuckle just loud enough for Sasuke to hear.
The breeze that the plateau received was exquisite. Sasuke could feel the caress of the cool air that brushed by his skin and made his hair tickle his ears. As he walked behind his two teammates, he stole glances through the buildings that would allow for peeks into the fields of flowers below. If he had a moment to do so, Sasuke would have stopped and stood at the edge of the green plateau to breathe in the scent of travel. The sun's morning light bathed the earth and made it spring to life with color. It was more beautiful than the sunset views they walked through when they first arrived. No, it this was far more. This was a sight Sasuke found himself surprisingly craving.
As the team made their way through the village, other villagers, especially women and children, had bounded by Sakura and Naruto. They mostly asked the pinkette enthusiastic questions, which made sense. It seemed as though no one paid this village any attention and that it came as a surprise that Sakura agreed to provide so much aid for Nao's daughter. Their pleasant demeanors made it feel as though they were all headed to brunch as opposed to a funeral.
They walked down a sloped portion of the plateau that led them to what looked like a massive span of land that had plots of strategically placed flowers of matching colors. Each plot was in a neat, mounded rectangle as though someone had placed pillows beneath the earth and covered them with singular pastels. Without context, it looked as though they had walked into an orderly garden. It did not take long for the team to realize, however, that each plot was a neatly placed and beautifully decorated grave. At the edge of the land stood Nao in a white dress surrounded by other villagers dressed in black. Each person by the undecorated mound wore a loose ring of asagao around their necks. As they approached, young children helped loop each shinobi's head with their own wreath of asagao. The young girl who placed the ring of asagao around Sasuke's neck blushed furiously as he muttered a soft thank you.
He focused his attention on Sakura who stood a careful distance in the back of the crowd of villagers that now surrounded the mound. Naruto stood to her right, wrapping his arm around her shoulders protectively as Nao and a few others bowed their heads to pray. She raised her right hand and allowed it to rest between the blonde's shoulder blades, thrumming her fingers against his shirt gently to signal thanks. Kakashi took his place next to Naruto, hands in his pockets and eyes thoughtful. Sasuke made his way to Sakura's other side and stared straight ahead to watch as Nao spread what looked to be Nana's ashes over the undecorated mound from a plain gray urn. Tears streamed down Nao's face, though a small smile graced her lips, an expression Sasuke originally thought was foreign to the woman based on their first encounter.
The sound of a soft sniff escaped Sakura as a tear rolled down her cheek, a crystal made of mourning. Naruto gave the medic a tight squeeze, keeping his arm around her shoulders comfortingly, as though he wanted to keep her grounded, and she pat his back in return to signal she was okay. Soft fingers grazed Sasuke's wrist, nearly causing him to jump until he realized Sakura had trailed her hand gently towards and around his upper arm. Sasuke felt himself relax at the sight and moved a step closer to her, allowing Sakura's arm to curl around his own and her fingers to grip softly at the fabric of his shirt. The Uchiha peeked over at her solemn expression, her eyes glistening yet focused determinedly on the villagers surrounding Nao that began to plant asagao flowers atop the mound, filling the empty space with dancing blues.
As the praying and chanting continued, Nao's head lifted and her gaze fell immediately on the pink-haired medic, causing Sakura to tense. The woman's expression fell slightly, but instead of the bitterness Sasuke had seen her spit nights before, she looked…sad. Perhaps even apologetic with the way her brows pulled together.
When Nana's plot was covered in bushels of asagao, villagers created a line to say their condolences to Nao. Sakura dropped her hands to her side, releasing her hold on Sasuke and Naruto, and sucked in a breath for courage. She glanced back at Sasuke, who immediately understood her intention. They exchanged a nod before she turned and made her way to the line that formed in front of Nao. The rest of Team Seven watched as it became Sakura's turn. Their mouths moved, and the woman's face crumpled as tears spilled down her cheeks. The medic reached her arms out and wrapped them around Nao's shoulders, allowing the woman to sob into Sakura's embrace. After a moment, Sakura pulled away and appeared to wipe her own eyes away of tears. Nao placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders before exchanging a few more words and sending the medic back in the direction of her team.
All the while, Sasuke watched Sakura intently, eyeing for any sign of despair. Her face read a solemn peace, though, as she made her way towards them. Her eyes were downcast for only a moment before she raised her head and offered Sasuke a small smile.
Once she was close enough, Naruto draped his arm around her once more in a supportive hug. "What did Nao-san say?" Naruto asked.
"An apology and a thanks," Sakura smiled. "I told her I'd be back."
Kakashi approached the pair and placed his had affectionately atop her head to ruffle her hair. "You did well," the silver-haired man said, a proud smile forming behind his mask.
Sasuke watched how familiar they all acted with each other and, despite the relationship he'd managed to build with Sakura so far, he felt out of place.
He felt Sakura's eyes land on him once more, then Naruto's, then Kakashi's. The Uchiha felt like withdrawing, declining their silent offer to join their show of affection, until he felt Sakura's hand wrap around his wrist and pull him towards the group. He grimaced as Naruto tugged on his ear playfully, bringing the Uchiha's close to Sakura's own. Kakashi used his other hand to ruffle his black locks.
"You haven't changed, teme," Naruto snorted.
"He has a bit," Kakashi offered sarcastically, "since he's clearly gotten taller."
Chuckles escaped the team, and Sasuke could hear the chime of the pinkette's giggle above the rest as the sound fluttered right in his ear with how close their faces were. Sasuke took a moment to watch each of their grinning faces and noticed a swell of emotion build in his chest. His family, the one he chose, had welcomed him again.
When they released each other, Sakura turned to Naruto as she lifted the necklace of asagao over her head to place it around Naruto's shoulders. She then turned to Kakashi and said, "I'll meet you all back at the inn. I have to take care of something for a bit."
Kakashi nodded nonchalantly at the pinkette before he nodded at Sasuke and Naruto to follow him to take a moment to say their own condolences to Nao.
He didn't know what made him do it, but Sasuke blurted, "I'll go with you," to Sakura, pulling his own necklace of asagao over his head and tossing it at Naruto, who caught it clumsily in his left hand.
The blond and silver-haired men exchanged amused glances and Sakura raised her eyebrows at Sasuke. She then flashed him a grin and gave him a nod to encourage him to follow her up the slope and back to the village plateau. The Uchiha didn't bother to look behind him for Kakashi's approval, honestly too irritated to face the teasing looks he knew he would have to endure if he did.
Behind them, the murmurs of condolences to Nao faded into the gentle breeze that slipped through the grass and flowers by their feet. Sakura appeared undisturbed by the silence and, Sasuke noticed, her strides were longer and confident, as though she were ready to walk into a battle.
A small building with a modest wooden sign that read "Clinic" came into their line of sight. This journey to Hana was not just a casual trip to a funeral, at least not for the medic. Sakura likely had every intention to assist those who were injured, whether it was from the White Zetsu attack to the most recent flu. His hunch was confirmed when she angled her steps in the direction of the clinic and pulled a small black ring of fabric from a pocket in her dress. She ran her fingers through her locks and lifted the hair from the base of her neck to tie it into a ponytail, the movement causing a brief wave of rosemary and mint to waft in Sasuke's direction.
He followed her into the concrete building, the two of them still silent until five or six local medics perked up at the sight of the pinkette and burst into a flurry of excitement.
"Sakura-san!"
"Sakura-senpai, thank goodness for you!"
"Sakura-san, please come this way!"
The pinkette gave a polite bow to the small crowd of medics that formed around her. Sasuke eyed them and noticed that none of them had the familiar buzz of chakra and that they were, indeed, civilian medics. He let Sakura move forward at a distance and found himself standing by the entryway to take in the surroundings.
This clinic was nothing like the hospital in Konoha: the concrete walls on the inside matched the exterior, cracks and all. The entire building was only one floor and likely only two times the size of his apartment at most. Basic medical supplies were stacked and arranged in the back of the room with a few sinks and a door leading to another closet full of supplies. Patient beds were lined with curtains separating each of them, the distance between each bed just enough for him to squeeze between the mattresses. There were two rows of beds that spanned from the front of the clinic all the way to the back where the medical supplies rested, nearly all of them filled with people who slept, people who paled, people who were missing limbs covered with a thin white sheet. Despite their ailments, those who could turn to see Sakura beamed with hope in their eyes.
"Sasuke-kun."
Her voice brought his attention back to her and she waved him over to the medics who now waited patiently for him to approach. The pinkette introduced each of the medics, their names he soon forgot within a few minutes after the greetings, before she provided them with orders to collect certain flowers, bulbs, and herbs from the surrounding area. The medics nodded eagerly and dashed out of the clinic as one of them called back, "We'll leave them to you for now, Sakura-senpai!"
The pinkette turned to Sasuke. "You're welcome to observe if you'd like."
Sasuke nodded and followed her as she made her way to the first patient, her ponytail bouncing buoyantly with every motion. The patient perked up at the sight of the medic and grasped Sakura's hands with her own as she spoke her gratitude. All the while, it was as though the commotion faded into the background as Sasuke watched her work her verbal charm with the woman. She rolled her sleeves further up her arms and began to work her medical ninjutsu on the woman's small cuts first. Sasuke watched as her chakra poured into the woman's leg and coax the skin to patch itself again, a dainty scab forming in the cuts' places. Sasuke looked around the room and watched as many patients' eyes grew hopeful at the sight of the medic, the dozens of them. There are so many, he thought.
"Sakura."
The pinkette glanced up at him. "Hm?"
"Let me help."
She raised her eyebrows at him in surprise. "But…you aren't allowed to use ninjutsu."
"I won't tell if you won't."
Sakura had always been someone who followed the rules, at least from what Sasuke could remember. He honestly expected her to shoot down his request, to tell him to sit in the corner until she was finished. A mischievous grin flashed across her face before she broke out into a genuine smile. "I am an excellent teacher," she said.
He gave her a small nod as an affirmative and looked to the woman. "Is this okay with you?" he asked.
The woman was clearly flustered in his presence as she blushed and motioned to her legs. "Of course, of course, please do."
The pinkette blinked at Sasuke a few times before flashing him a grin. "I'm an excellent teacher, Sasuke-kun," she repeated, her voice growing serious but with an undercurrent of a playful taunt. "Excellent teachers are tough teachers."
The Uchiha shrugged at her challenge. "I'm a good student."
Sakura motioned for Sasuke to stand by her left side and placed her hands gently on his to guide his fingers to the first small cut that ran about the size of his pinky. He shut out the flutter in his chest that sputtered when their hands met, focusing on Sakura's murmuring instructions. Then she said, "For these first few, I'll use my own chakra to guide you."
Sasuke nodded his head and focused his chakra to simmer at the surface of his hand. Easy enough. Sakura let one hand fall to her side and let the fingers of her other hand press the top of his gently. He could feel her chakra probing his muscles. The Uchiha began to heighten the intensity of the chakra, feeling for a match in frequency as the medic said. His brow furrowed in concentration as he adjusted the frequency in his hand over and over, vacillating between going too high and too low, until he felt more chakra seep into his hand that was not his own.
Sakura's chakra mixed with his and, unlike the explosive way Naruto's and Sasuke's chakra clashed, it radiated a gentle warmth. She steadied him, grounded him, energized him. And beneath their fingers, the cut began to scab over. He felt the skin's cells weaving together like little crackles beneath his palm, felt how the woman's blood pulsed through her leg, felt how Sakura's chakra moved through to lay fire to bacteria.
The cut had a new, clean scab was left in their wake that was significantly less reddened than its original state. The process seemed to have taken a toll on his body, however, as the persistent fluctuations in his chakra caused him to work a light sweat.
"Good," Sakura said, tugging his hand to the next cut. "Again."
The next one was more superficial than the first, but he still needed Sakura to guide him. They worked on the next cut, the next cut, the next. At the fifth cut, Sasuke had gotten the hang of the pattern, and Sakura had taken a step back to merely observe. At the sixth cut, Sakura grinned and rested a hand on his shoulder to murmur, "I'll get started on the other parts," and walked to the other side of the woman to unveil the gauze. An angry gash raked through the woman's calf and caused Sasuke to widen his eyes slightly at the grisly sight. The pinkette didn't flinch, however, as she raised a single hand and effortlessly repaired the skin and likely the muscle beneath.
The Uchiha turned back to his work and took several minutes to heal the last three cuts on his own while Sakura had moved to provide the woman with a general physical exam. Every now and then, he'd glance up at her and see her emerald eyes shining brightly, a confident smile gracing her lips, and her hands moving expertly quick.
The woman opened her eyes to nod in thanks, allowing Sakura to signal to the Uchiha that it was time to move to the next one. The pinkette made the next patient beam, and the next, and the next. She casually spoke with them in her gentle, charming voice as her hands worked. Sasuke tried his best to keep up with her, berating himself slightly for only being able to heal small cuts when she was mending bones yet also finding some amusement in the fact that he was lagging so far behind in skill. Then, a feeling of pride swelled in his chest for the medic in the way that she made anyone melt in her presence and the way she calmed anyone she could heal. How she did it must have been innate.
At one point, the Hana medics came back from the fields with baskets of the plants Sakura had requested, and she provided him with recipes to relay and assist them in making. His memory for names was not the strongest, but his memory for patterns and mixtures allowed him to follow through with the pinkette's request. He washed the plants with the other medics in the back of the clinic, his hand covered in cleaning solutions and elbow-deep into the sink basin to wash the leaves and bulbs. As they moved to a table to grind and combine the plants, they poked fun at him, asking about his relationship with Sakura and saying how odd it was to see not only a man with one arm, but a man with one arm healing cuts and bruises. They'd hush and giggle when Sakura came by the table to take some of the powders and leaves to bring back to patients, nudging Sasuke playfully in a way that, surprisingly, didn't bother him.
When Sakura reached the last patient, the sun was already shining its evening rays and letting its fiery light pour in through the window at the front of the clinic. Sasuke felt exhaustion in his bones and wiped at the sweat of his forehead when he sat down in one of the corners. To his surprise, Sakura bounced around as though unfazed by the massive amount of work she'd completed, even despite having worked through mealtimes with only a few breaks to drink water and eat small snacks to stave off hunger. Sasuke imagined that Sakura was probably this busy in Konoha after the war, or perhaps even busier, and skipped breaks to continue working with the never-ending flow of patients. All the while, he was sure she managed to stay upbeat, charming, and helpful.
He watched Sakura give final instructions to the small crowd of medics. She wrote recipes, storage instructions, basic techniques. Then, "I'll talk with Godaime about sending a team of our medics here periodically to assist you all," followed by tears and voices of gratitude for her efforts. Sakura gave them a beaming smile before looking to Sasuke and silently asking him if he was ready to leave with a single look.
The Uchiha stood and wobbled slightly, surprising himself. He didn't realize how much chakra he'd expended or how much concentration it took to perform what looked like simple medical tasks. Sakura watched him carefully, eyeing him up and down as if conducting a brief visual exam of his well-being before turning to bow once more at the medics and taking their leave.
When they walked out into the afternoon spring, Sakura playfully nudged his right arm with her elbow. "Good job in there," her voice chimed. "Feeling tired?"
"More than expected," Sasuke frowned, observing how Sakura had slowed her pace slightly to match his gait.
Sakura smiled. "It's a good skill to have. And," she continued, "you really are a good student. Always have been, I suppose."
Sakura pulled the black hair tie from her hair and shook out her pink locks to let them drape around her shoulders. A wave from where her hair was tied formed like a gentle crest in her pink locks, and a feeling of wanting to reach out and run his fingers through it made his hand twitch as he let it fall to his side. The Uchiha made a silent note of how long it has gotten and how much she had changed since the end of the war. Really, though, he couldn't help but think about how much she had changed since he'd left her on the bench many years ago. He had the similar feeling of pleasant surprise at the realization that she had grown into a person that he would have never predicted, though still with familiar traces of the girl he once knew. She was strong-willed and kind, stubborn and caring, fierce and loving.
Midway through their walk, Sakura silently led them to the edge of the village's plateau to rest, likely as a result of seeing Sasuke's pace slow further. She crouched down on the plush grass before plopping into the greenery and stretching her legs before her. Sakura patted the spot to her left, welcoming him to take a seat. He obliged, unconsciously closing the distance between them and allowing their arms to touch as they sat. He bent his left leg for balance, letting his arm lean into her just enough to have a noticeable amount of weight press lightly against her arm. At first, Sakura tensed, but soon returned the weight with her own as they pressed their arms together comfortingly.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, bathing in the fiery, conceding light of the sun and the breeze that tickled their skin. The sight of the fields in the morning made him crave, but the sunset was probably more powerful. In addition, something had struck his heart at the realization that he was also able to help others as opposed to contribute to destruction. I want to do this again, he thought. A different village, a different setting, perhaps on the other side of the country.
"I wouldn't mind doing this again. Helping villages, I mean."
Mind reader.
"Me neither," he replied.
"You should consider a career in medical ninjutsu," she giggled, earning her a playful nudge from Sasuke's elbow. "Really, though, that was beyond satisfactory for a first try, especially right off the bat."
"It's exhausting," he admitted. I didn't do much anyway.
Sakura chimed another giggle of gratitude. "I'd be more surprised if you walked out without a sweat." She paused before saying, "You really helped. Thank you."
Hardly.
Silence.
"You're a good person, Sasuke-kun."
I've done more wrong than right, he wanted to say. Instead, he scoffed softly, a signal that he didn't believe the statement.
"You're thoughtful. I wouldn't have had the courage to come here if it weren't for you. And you surprised me back at the clinic. You really helped." Sakura paused, appearing to sense his hesitation. As though she'd read his mind, she said, "I think that everyone has a reason for why and how they do things, whether good or bad," she continued, not meeting his gaze. He felt a tinge of guilt burrowing its way into his chest, realizing she was speaking of all his actions up until now.
"Why do you think I did everything?"
"You were hurt."
Silence.
"I also think that not everyone has the strength to repent, but you do and you have," she went on.
Sasuke frowned, wanting still to reject her praise. "How do you know?"
"I can see when you're criticizing yourself, Sasuke-kun," she said, her voice quieting. "Sometimes I wonder if you think you deserve to keep being hurt."
You're allowed to be happy, you know, Naruto's voice rang in his head. He thought again about the way he tossed his friend's thought aside, stuck on the thoughts that he shouldn't be allowed to feel happy, that he doesn't deserve to be happy, that he doesn't deserve kindness, that he doesn't deserve…Sakura. Shame filled his chest at the resurgence of this realization. He leaned away from her, putting space between their arms despite the yearning for warmth it left behind.
Of course, she noticed.
"Sasuke-kun—"
"I'm surprised they released me so soon." He crossed his legs and kept his hand on his knee as he spoke, refusing to meet her gaze. "I'm surprised the villagers haven't been more vicious. I'm surprised Naruto isn't angrier with me, that Kakashi hasn't written me off as a failed student. I'm surprised that someone hasn't tried to kill me, yet."
Sakura's voice hardened as she said, "We would never let that—"
"I'm surprised you so easily forgave me."
From his peripherals, he saw Sakura curl her legs to her and wrap her arms around them. She rested her cheek atop her knees and let her head rest, so she was turned to face him. "The villagers have their opinions, but the fact is that you played a role in rescuing them. Naruto worked for years to get you home and never stopped calling you his best friend, and I'm pretty sure Kakashi-sensei sees you as his favorite student, even after all this time." She hesitated for a moment, as though she was letting her next few words dance across her tongue before speaking them aloud. "As for me…It was never difficult to forgive you, Sasuke-kun."
He pondered her words for a moment, still wondering if he deserved her sweet kindness, when he felt her fingers wrap around his own protectively. He glanced at her and watched as her gaze remained focused on their hands, her thumb gently running across the tips of his fingers. Her cheek was still pressed against the tops of her knees and her right arm was still wrapped around her legs. She lifted her head to be more level with him, her emerald eyes filled with the familiar fire burning, urging him to believe her.
He opened his mouth slightly to reply, but only felt a sigh escape his lips. Kind, he thought. Always kind. He felt his mouth form a small grin as he studied her face. At the sight of the change in his expression, she pouted and attempted to withdraw her hand, likely thinking that he was patronizing her. He held her fingers, however, and said with every ounce of gratitude he could spill in to his voice, "Thank you, Sakura."
They sat quietly and watched as the sun set behind the fields and the chatter of the villagers behind them grow louder as they welcomed another night of being among company. Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other and silently agreed to make their way back to the inn. Sasuke, whether it was out of the instinct to experience human contact or seek Sakura's comfort, didn't release her hand until they made it through the doors of their room. The medic didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she carried herself as though this was a natural thing they did: hold hands.
Naruto and Kakashi were in their rooms with inn staff when the two joined them. The blond greeted them with a howling hello, his neck still decorated with rings and rings of blue flowers, earning him an amused snort from Kakashi and the inn staff. The large sitting table was set in the middle of the room with the blond and silver-haired shinobi on one side, leaving the other side for the pair that walked in. As they were being served dinner, Naruto poked and prodded Sakura with questions, likely aware that Sasuke wouldn't disclose anything himself. The Uchiha glanced at Sakura as she spoke with a delighted grin on her face of Sasuke's ability to perform medical ninjutsu and his strong chakra control, her voice and eyes radiating excitement. It seemed to light everyone up in the room, even the staff who ooh'ed and aahh'ed at Sasuke when they would refill his glass or put other dishes in front of him.
The nagging voice in his head was urging him to tell Sakura to settle down, that what he did wasn't very much. But, when he looked around the room at Naruto and Kakashi, he noticed expressions he hadn't seen in years. They were ones that he'd yearned for his father and brother to give him when he was a child, the expressions that Itachi and Fugaku sparingly provided: pride.
"Nice, Sasuke!" Naruto beamed. "You could probably earn a lot of extra cash with that!"
"I guess it wouldn't be too bad to have two medic nin on our team," Kakashi joked.
Our team.
Sasuke glanced at Sakura when the silver-haired shinobi spoke those words and was met with a warm smile. She reached under the table and rested her hand on his knee affectionately, giving him a look that said she agreed with Kakashi.
Our team.
Team Seven left Hana the next morning donning their traveling gear. Nao and other villagers were there with packs of food and specially-made treats and medicines from Hana's different strains of flowers and plants. Sakura gave Nao a tight hug before the four of them dashed off into the trees. Sasuke and Sakura ran closely next to each other, stealing glances and communicating silently with little changes in their expressions that he found new yet so familiar.
The Uchiha couldn't help but close the distance periodically between him and Sakura to teasingly brush their hands together while they walked. Each time, she turned to meet him with a wrinkled nose and a silent giggle, every now and then feigning offense by swiping her hand away before sticking her tongue out at him. Each time, he met her with a soft chuckle or a playfully blank look to feign his own innocence.
They took more breaks than their first trip to Mozukai, mostly because Team Seven was ahead of schedule. By the time they made it to the lumber village, it was well into the night. They slowed as they approached the wooden gates, Sakura walking closely to Sasuke's right while Naruto and Kakashi took the lead. The wooden gates were lit by only two lights that hung on either side of the opening with Ken standing at his post in the dead center, arms folded. Sasuke forced his face to remain stoic at the sight of him to shield his disdain, knowing full well that the man was not very fond of the Uchiha's presence, especially not when he'd cut him off from speaking in such a way to Sakura that made her uncomfortable.
Sakura caught the hint and seemed to have a reaction of her own at the sight of the shinobi and refrained from her lighthearted pokes and faces. She remained close to Sasuke's side but kept her eyes forward.
"Ken-san," Kakashi drawled, raising his hand in greeting.
"Kakashi-san," the shinobi acknowledged sternly, though his eyes were focused on Sasuke. "You all are early."
"Far ahead of schedule, yes," Kakashi said, following Ken's gaze and glancing back at his dark-haired student. "We were hoping to use the same inn and—"
"It's been arranged and is ready," Ken grunted, still not acknowledging Kakashi with his gaze. Ken's eyes only narrowed in Sasuke's direction. With disgust, he added, "All but the rogue may go."
Stunned silence befell the group.
Naruto followed Ken's harsh stare and made his own eye contact with Sasuke. "Do you have a problem or something?" Naruto growled. "Sasuke isn't a rogue anymore. He's a Konoha citizen. The four of us are traveling as a group. What you say to him can be said to us, as his company."
"So, his company is aware that he broke one of the conditions to his probation by performing ninjutsu?"
Sasuke saw Naruto tense.
"A group of travelers who were resting in Hana stopped by here this morning and told us about a dark-haired man with a purple eye performing ninjutsu in the village clinic. As far as I know, there's only one man who fits that description, and that man has therefore violated the terms of his probation."
Shit.
"Sasuke-kun was under direct supervision by me," Sakura spoke up as she took a step forward toward Ken. "And what's more, it was medical ninjutsu with the intention to heal and repair. No combat or conflict involved."
"And," Naruto added, his voice raising, "the three of us are here to ensure violence doesn't occur on this trip. What Sasuke did was the opposite of violence."
"You all have been aware that the terms of his probation meant that no ninjutsu was permitted, regardless of the type it was. Reinforcements are on their way for questioning and possible detention. We didn't realize you'd be back so soon, so they aren't here yet. Until then, the Uchiha is to remain at the gate," Ken said to the group. Then his voice sickeningly softening as he looked to Sakura and said, "Sorry, dear, those are the rules. I had to report them to your master. We're only trying to protect you."
The pinkette's eyes widened in disbelief, a sign that his words only flared her temper at the sound of his patronizing tone. She opened her mouth to spit back before Kakashi stepped in and said, "Ken-san, reinforcements are hardly necessary. Sasuke poses no threat. It sounds as though those travelers were actually aided by my students, if anything, and that you have been aware of this. This reaction is out of bounds."
"I am doing what I can to keep the Fire Country safe."
Kakashi frowned. "Ken-san, do you have a direct supervisor in the village? I'd like to have a word with them to and have an opportunity to explain this myself to Godaime."
The shinobi's face reddened a bit as nodded his head in the direction of what looked to be the local office for military police.
"Naruto, come with me," Kakashi ordered, "You and I will work to resolve this. Sakura, stay here with Sasuke until we get back. It'll only be a few moments." The silver-haired shinobi glanced at Ken, annoyed, before he and Naruto hurried off through the gates toward the building. Sasuke noticed Kakashi's quick pace and realized that while he was always a rather nonchalant man, he was impeccable at detecting urgency.
With some exasperation, Sasuke closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Shit, shit, shit.
Sakura stood tapping her foot impatiently on the ground for a few moments after the two had disappeared into the building. Then, she heaved a sigh and began to pivot on her foot to turn back to look at Sasuke when she suddenly jerked backward, nearly tipping over. She whipped her head around and saw Ken had gripped her wrist to keep her from moving any further forward.
"Let. Go," she growled, her voice low with warning.
Sasuke felt his fist clench at the sight but refrained from darting forward. One way to make the situation far worse was to act on the man's expectation that Sasuke was actively violent. Instead, he said, "I suggest you listen to her. Now."
"You don't know what else he might do to hurt you, Sakura-san. I'm trying to help you."
"You have two seconds," she warned.
Ken flashed her an amused, patronizing grin. "You don't understand—"
The medic shot her fist up in the air, breaking Ken's hold on her wrist and sending him stumbling backward into the edge of the village gates. The lamp above him shuddered, causing their shadows to quiver in the darkness. The shinobi looked stunned for a moment as his eyes focused on his fingers that had just been wrenched away from the pinkette. He then looked up at Sakura, her green eyes seething. He almost wilted in her glare.
"You don't understand," she hissed. "Using your post to abuse a situation that is already under the approval of Tsunade-sama, inconveniencing a citizen of Konoha out of spite even with facts pointing to the contrary of violence. You're an empty-hearted fool."
Ken took a moment to hastily straighten up and glower back at her. "And you've been tricked by the most obvious criminal in Konoha history: a monster from the worst clan in human history, a demon who will never be accepted by the village. A traitor," he spat. "Each time you and I spoke, I've only tried to be kind to you and help you. I thought you were a smart girl. Turns out you're an empty-headed bitch."
Enough. Sasuke darted forward, stepped between Ken and Sakura, and grabbed the shinobi by the collar of his flak jacket in warning, the fabric bunching in his fist. Sasuke stood slightly shorter than Ken, but his glare was enough to crumble stone even without his raging sharingan. "Settle down, Ken," Sasuke snarled.
The shinobi had fear plastered on his face for only a moment. His face suddenly broke out into a mischievous smile and he sucked in a breath before bellowing, "HELP! HELP! THE UCHIHA'S GOT ME! HE'S ATTACKING!"
Sasuke felt one Sakura's hands wrapping around his wrist, and he instantly relaxed and released the shinobi. He shifted his eyes around in search for a possible group of people to crowd him in protest, but none came, and their surroundings remained quiet. Sakura took a protective step closer to Sasuke, holding her grip on tightly on his wrist, though it was clearly in an act of anxiety as opposed to reprimanding him. Sasuke glanced at her face and noticed that her eyes were still seething with unmistakable rage at Ken, green fire burning wildly enough to burn him to a crisp.
The shinobi guffawed and held his stomach while he cackled, "Look at that! I guess the Leaf finally put the rabid dog in his place."
Sasuke's fist clenched at his side despite the warmth of Sakura's hand bidding him not to engage. This isn't fair, he thought angrily.
"Shut your mouth," Sakura hissed. "Sasuke-kun might have limitations of combat, but I certainly don't."
"And what's a prissy medic nin going to do about it?"
Without letting go of Sasuke's wrist, Sakura lifted her right leg up off the ground until her right foot was just above her left ankle. In the blink of an eye, her foot came down into the ground and broke the earth beneath them like a crater, causing Sasuke to wobble. Luckily, Sakura held him in place, and they watched as Ken's eyes widened with a flash of fear. "Imagine your skull beneath my foot," Sakura growled, "before you cross paths with me again."
Ken grimaced at her, disgust and fear written on his face, but he withdrew himself and folded his arms across his chest.
"Sakura-chan!"
Naruto and Kakashi came running at the sound of her foot cracking the earth and glanced around at the rubble that scattered around Sasuke and Sakura's feet. Kakashi seemed to read the situation, for a look of recognition crossed his face and he turned to the shinobi as he raised his hand to quiet the blond from speaking. "Ken-san," he said, his voice low, "We'll be going to our inn now." His voice brightened to a casual, yet dangerous, tone as he then said, "And you've been relieved of your post here. You are expected to be back in Konoha in three days."
No one bothered to look back to see Ken's expression as they meandered in the direction of the inn, Sasuke and Sakura trailing behind the other two.
As they neared the inn, Naruto openly grumbled, "Even Old Lady Tsunade didn't have a problem with medical ninjutsu, especially since Sakura-chan was with him. Can you believe it? That Ken told everyone Sasuke had been practicing a form of combat ninjutsu."
"He lied?" Sakura asked, incredulous, glancing up at Sasuke to gauge his reaction at the news.
He remained stoic.
"What's more, he actually asked two squads of shinobi to come and detain him," Kakashi added, an exhausted sigh escaping his mask. "We're lucky to have been here, otherwise our travels would have gotten exponentially more complicated."
Or, Sasuke thought, I should never have joined the travels at all.
At the inn, Naruto and Kakashi took the liberty of bathing first, once again leaving Sasuke and Sakura in the large room they had slept in days before. Sasuke let his bag slide off his shoulders and fall unceremoniously to the floor with a loud thump. The pinkette glanced over her shoulder as she put her own bag down in the opposite corner of the room.
"Sasuke-kun, are you—"
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice soft. "I've caused…trouble for you."
Sakura raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You realize, Sasuke-kun, that you helped me gather the courage to travel to Hana, right? That you helped dozens of patients heal from their wounds?" She gave him a warm smile. "You didn't cause trouble, Sasuke-kun. You helped prevented further troubles."
He raised his head and looked at her bright emerald eyes that shone with affection. Do I deserve it?
"You deserve all the good that comes your way."
He blinked for a moment before scoffing in disbelief at yet another instance of the pinkette mirroring his thoughts.
Sakura puffed out her cheeks in frustration and confidently strode across the room to plant herself directly in front of him. "Don't laugh," she said, puffing her cheeks in frustration as she looked up and challenged him. "I mean it. You deserve good things."
But do I deserve you?
He studied Sakura's face. Emerald green eyes gazed at him, reminding him of the brightest of spring days where the leaves danced in the gentle breeze and the dewy grass glistened in the morning light. I could get lost in them. Her cheeks were lightly dusted with a delicate blush like gentle colors of a peach. He didn't know what made him do it, but he lifted his hand and let his fingers brush against the smooth skin of her jaw, causing her lips to relax from their playful pout and part slightly in surprise. He liked the way she looked: surprised, yet curious.
Can anyone say I deserve you?
He let his thumb graze her bottom lip, astounded at how soft it felt. He watched as the color of her cheeks deepened, her eyes widening to reveal more of the green fire that burned within them. This fierce, compassionate, clever shinobi. This gentle, strong, forgiving medic. This protective, caring, playful girl. Sakura.
Can you honestly say I deserve you?
He felt as her hands reached out and held the hem of his shirt, her fingers curling themselves into the fabric in a gentle desperation as she took a cautious step closer to him. The warmth that radiated from her was intoxicating. Despite sprinting through forests and strolling in hours of sunshine, the comforting smell of rosemary and mint wafted into his nose.
"Do I deserve you?" he asked, his voice low but with an undercurrent of urgency.
I need to know.
She responded with silence, lifting and tilting her head towards him. It almost didn't register with him, that he was meeting her gesture by lowering his own. He watched as her eyes, half-lidded and drunk with what he knew he was also experiencing as their wordless heat finally led to their lips brushing softly and molding into what only felt so right. It was timid, careful, and serene, as though both were cautiously avoiding impossibly causing the other pain. Soft, he thought. So soft. How is she so soft?
She pulled back slightly, and they gazed at each other in silence, wordlessly gauging each other's reactions. Green fire burned into his soul as he let his hand press against her cheek in a gentle yearning to feel more of her softness, to succumb to a yearning he didn't realize slept dormant within him. She leaned into his touch, sending a jolt of life into his chest. She looked at his lips, her expression distant yet thoughtful, before gazing up at him once more as a gentle smile graced her face. He guided her toward him once more with his hand. She obliged without hesitation, letting their lips graze each other yet again, molding into confidence, assuredness, and comfort. Then again, and again, and again.
So soft.