DISCLAIMER: All characters in Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.
A/N: It seems there's quite some dancing for me lately, huh? Either way, this is based and inspired by a song I used to listen a lot while I was in high school. This is pure fluff and Sasuke is probably out of character but I don't care. I hope you enjoy and tell me what you think!
Song: All about us by He Is We.
ALL ABOUT US
It was the first summer festival held in Konoha after the war, so it had a different feeling lingering in the air. It had sadness and grief but at the same time it was filled with joy and a thousand promises for the future.
Tonight, there was going to be fireworks and the downtown was bursting with music and laughter. The streets were adorned with paper lanterns and colorful garlands, there were food stands scattered across the streets that filled the air with all kinds of savory and sweet smells, and in the middle of the central plaza there was an improvised dance floor for couples to enjoy themselves. You could see people dressed with beautiful yukatas of all colors and patterns, making the streets look like a flower field.
Near the dance floor, a familiar group of friends that was more family than anything else, were greeting each other.
"Sakura! Teme!" Naruto basically shouted, making his way to the pair with Hinata holding his hand.
"Sakura-chan, Uchiha-san" Hinata greeted shyly, still not being quite familiar with the raven haired boy.
"Naruto, Hinata-san" Sakura smiled to the couple.
"Hn" Sasuke nodded in their direction.
Sasuke and Sakura being as punctual as always, were the first ones to arrived to the meeting place. Before someone could say anything else, a familiar voice reached the group.
"Yo" Kakashi said casually, walking towards them with a brunette girl by his arm.
The girl was quite gorgeous. Her brunette shoulder length hair framed her delicate features, contrasting beautifully with her blue eyes. She was shorter than Kakashi but slightly taller than Sakura.
"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto and Sakura welcomed their ex-sensei.
"Guys, you don't have to keep calling me like that you know" Kakashi scratched the back of his neck. "Either way, this is Kazue".
"Hi! It's a pleasure to meet you all" Kazue greeted them sheepishly.
"Kazue, these are my top students and Hinata Hyūga" He continued.
"We are your only students" Sasuke said flatly.
"Yeah, you never passed anyone else before us, Kakashi-Sensei" Naruto agreed.
Sakura nudged them on the side, an apologetic smile plastered on her face. "The pleasure is ours, it's good to finally meet you Kazue-san".
"I've heard a lot about you three" Kazue smiled.
"I hope only good things" Sakura joked.
"Oh of course! If it wasn't for you, none of us would be here celebrating so thank you so much" Kazue bowed to them in a sign of respect.
The three of them felt a little uncomfortable. Team 7 was now considered as war heroes, so it wasn't uncommon for people to show them gratitude in random moments, even to Sasuke, who technically was a ex S-class international criminal. To be quite honest that didn't bother them, maybe Sasuke who would usually just glare at the person and offer a "hn" before continuing his day, but neither of them actually enjoyed that kind of attention, still they were flattered nonetheless.
"Oh no please, there's no need for that!" Sakura said quickly to the brunette woman.
"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable" Kazue said in clear distress.
"Don't worry about that Kazue-san, it's fine" Naruto grinned at her trying to calm the girl. "You seem to be really nice, I don't know what you're doing with Kakashi".
Sakura stomped on his foot. "Don't listen to him, he's just kidding. You both make a lovely couple, right Sasuke-kun?".
When Sasuke gave no answer, she nudged him again, making him roll his eyes but also succeeding in getting an answer.
"Hn".
Kakashi sighed, but then smiled awkwardly. "Yeah well, these are my students, funny as always".
They fell in an awkward silence for a minute before Hinata saved the night.
"M-maybe we should go and get a table" She suggested.
"That's a great idea Hinata-chan" Naruto said quickly, grabbing Hinata's hand and dragging her to a table.
They were quickly followed by Sasuke and Sakura, leaving Kakashi and Kazue at the rear. Sakura took a quick glance at the couple behind her. Kakashi was whispering something in Kazue's ear and she was giggling like a silly girl. Her heart swelled with happiness for her former sensei, glad he was able to find someone who brightened his days. She then glanced at the couple walking in front of her, it had taken Naruto a while but he had finally taken the step of inviting a very flushed Hinata to accompany him to the festival, it was really a miracle she didn't faint when he asked her out. And as for her and Sasuke, they were attending as just friends. They felt good like this, they always shared a bond and a silent connection that not many understood but it was enough just for the two of them, so they were content as just friends.
Once they found a table, they all took a seat and began to talk. As they did this, Sasuke couldn't help but notice how beautiful Sakura looked tonight. She was wearing a bright red yukata with a pattern of white lilies and a white obi, her hair was up in a side bun and adorned with a pale green kanzashi and she was wearing dark pink lipstick. She seemed content and comfortable as she spoke happily with Hinata and Kazue. The curves of his lips moved ever so lightly upwards that basically any person would have missed his tiny smile, any person but one, who was casually sitting across the table in front of him.
Sakura felt joy in every corner of her heart with simply getting to see all her precious people gathered in one place. With seeing Naruto stare lovingly at Hinata, with Kakashi laughing freely with Kazue and with Sasuke being his normal gloomy self. Speaking of Sasuke, she quickly glanced at him since she knew he didn't necessarily enjoyed this kind of events but he was getting better, slowly, but improving either way. Much to her surprise, he was...smiling? It couldn't be. Okay, he did smile from time to time now, but it was only in really rare occasions and usually she was the only one who actually noticed this things. For a moment she felt in total awe, it was so unusual for him to smile that seeing him doing it was like a work of art. Also, it kind of helped that he looked ridiculously handsome in his yukata. It was dark blue with a black obi and the Uchiha emblem embroidered in the back of it. That color made his pale skin stand out more give him an ethereal appearance.
After some time of laughing and sharing memories, Naruto asked Hinata to dance with him. The poor girl's face went through every shade of existing red but she managed to nod and take Naruto's hand. A few minutes later, Kakashi did the same with Kazue, leaving Sakura and Sasuke alone on the table.
Even when they were used to be in comfortable silence with each other, in that moment they couldn't help but feel certain tension. It wasn't unpleasant but it had a touch of uneasiness that settled in their stomachs.
"Naruto and Hinata look good together" Sakura commented, trying to ease the atmosphere.
"Hn".
'Well, that went great' she thought sarcastically.
"I was wondering when he would get the guts to ask her out" Sasuke said surprising her.
She stared at him wide eyed for a second before chuckling and turning her gaze back to the happy couple.
"Everyone needs their own time to make important decisions that will surely change their lives Sasuke-kun" she said sweetly.
Sasuke glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She was still staring at Naruto, who was currently goofing around the dance floor like drunk kid, dragging Hinata with him. It was hilarious watching them but more than that, it made Sasuke and Sakura feel good and genuinely happy to see that someone who was so important for both of them, finally be happy. After a while of observing the dancing couples and the general mirth of the place, Sakura suddenly stood up and went to Sasuke.
"Let's dance" She held her hand out for him.
"No" He said flatly.
"C'mon, don't be boring" She insisted.
"No".
"Why not?" She crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow.
"I don't want to" He deadpanned.
He noticed the hint of hurt that crossed her emerald eyes before she looked at the ground in defeat. He didn't like these things, these gatherings and festivals and parties, he wasn't a sociable person so having to be in those places was like a punishment for him. Fine, maybe not that bad but he just didn't enjoy them. He didn't like to drink, he didn't like to talk, he didn't like to dance...and besides-
He sighed. "I don't know how..."
She looked at him surprised. "Really?".
"Yes" He glared at her.
To his surprise (and distaste) she just giggled. A melodic laugh, that if his pride wasn't hurt, he would have probably enjoyed. Once she stopped, she held her hand out to him again.
"Take my hand, I'll teach you to dance".
He narrowed his eyes, unsure if he wanted to make the fool of himself in front of so many people, but something in her eyes told him this was worth it. So he took her hand and she guided him to the dance floor.
"Now, let me lead for a moment" She said placing his hand on her waist and taking the other in hers.
Much to his dismay, he couldn't stop the light blush that tinted his face once she did this. Thankfully enough, she didn't seem to notice it. She smiled at him and they started moving, spinning around slowly.
"You can step on my feet if you want".
He glared at her. She just giggled.
"Okay okay, I'm just kidding" She said calming the mood.
As they moved at the rhythm of the music, the place around them started to disappear, everything was just a blur and it was just them. She looked up to him, a glint of her beautiful green eyes and a smile grazing her pink lips. Her gaze was so filled with unconditional love and compassion, he felt like drowning in it.
Slowly, Sasuke began to feel warm. He didn't know what got into him or why he felt this way. The only thing that filled his mind was that he wanted to keep dancing with Sakura, he wanted to hold her close and he did so. His hold on her waist tightened and he got her closer to him. And just then, he knew it was time, he could feel it.
"Sakura".
"Hmm?".
"You were right" He said as they kept dancing.
She looked puzzled. "About what?".
"About taking you time to make important decisions".
"Oh...why are you saying it?" She asked curiously.
"Because I think I'm ready".
"Ready for what?"
"To make my important decision".
He smirked at her, stopping them. When she was about to open her mouth to ask him why they had stopped dancing, he grabbed her face and pulled it close to his, then with his lips barely brushing hers, he whispered.
"I want you".
She couldn't even think about what he said, because as soon as the words left his mouth, he caught her lips in his with a gentle kiss. Her mind took a moment to process what happened, but soon enough she was returning the kiss, making it deeper, letting him know she wouldn't let him fall. Not now, not ever.
As they kissed, they failed to notice all the curious eyes staring at their little display of affection. Some of them were surprised, some were moved, other were happy and some of them looked at the couple with the knowing look of someone who knew this was just a matter of time. But no matter what emotion they could have been feeling at the moment, it was a fact that all of them felt their hearts melt at the small scene of lovers dancing and feeling in love, even when they didn't even knew they were in love.
Once they pulled away, she laid her head on his chest and he embraced her. They kept dancing slowly, knowing that this moment was theirs.
'Is all about us'.