A/N: Old submission for Sasusaku Month 2014 Day 18. Prompt: Dropping Your Guard.
When Sasuke first came back to Konoha, it hadn't been easy for any of them. Being around him brought this tension that they didn't know what to do with. Sakura would constantly have difficulties talking and moving without feeling suffocated. Even with Naruto and Sai, Sakura wouldn't stand close to Sasuke, let alone look him in the eye.
There was a certain barrier between them that kept them apart. Was it because of the lack of trust? Possibly. Even after he had fought alongside her, there was a small voice at the back of her head saying he was still driven to avenge his clan. And this somehow meant the reality that Sasuke was back in the village could disappear in a night. Sakura wanted to believe that this was her protection mechanism to shield herself from an imminent heart break.
"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Naruto once asked her when they were alone.
"I don't know Naruto. I can't even stand a foot from him without feeling uneasy."
"But he's back now! For good! You shouldn't be."
"I know. I- I just… I need more time."
.
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"SHANNARO!" Her battle cry shot through the training ground as team 7 sparred. In her case, it was the only situation where they weren't so tense around each other.
Dust clouded their visions as Sakura's kick shattered the ground. Still blinded by the dust, Sasuke easily maneuvered through the area and firmly held his chokuto as he shot towards Sakura.
Her response was spontaneous. She jumped back and grabbed a kunai to hold back his chokuto. He was about to channel his chakra to engage a chidori when Naruto ran towards them with a Rasengan.
They both retreated to avoid the deadly jutsu. Just when Sakura thought she had been clear of any attacks, one of Sai's ink snakes wrapped around her legs, trying to throw her off balance.
Using her superhuman strength, she ripped the snake off like thread and tracked down Sai's presence.
"There!" She located him behind a tree and quickly charged, landing a punch on the tree where he was hiding.
In the meantime, Sasuke was busy handling Naruto's clones as they were buying time for the real Naruto to enter to sage mode. Things were getting more serious by the second.
Fully charged, the real Naruto leaped towards Sasuke with a punch. Sasuke's sharingan was a step ahead as he easily dodged it, and before they knew it, they were engaged in a taijutsu fight.
Thankful for the advantages of the sharingan, Sasuke dodged Naruto's punches but he was getting more and more overwhelmed. He was so distracted with Naruto that he hadn't noticed Sakura was running towards him, ready to punch him.
When he finally sensed her, he and Naruto retreated to a safer distance. Just when his feet landed to the ground, he felt something around his legs, another one of Sai's ink snakes. Sakura saw this as an opportunity and landed a chakra punch on his chest. He flew a few feet away before smacking to a tree. Naruto on the other hand was trying to break free from Sai's ink snake and was soon tackled by an ink beast.
Sakura realized what she had done and ran towards him.
"Oh my gosh are you okay?" He grunted in response. He tried to sit up, but stopped when he felt the crackle of his ribs, which might be broken.
"I'm so sorry!" she kneeled and carefully examined his chest before her hand glowed green to heal it. Soon, his chest was free from any pain and he could breathe normally.
That concluded the end of their sparring session.
.
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He hated being a messenger. He supposed it wasn't so bad but still he wasn't in the mood to roam around the village delivering documents to people. It was all Tsunade's idea of a punishment for Sasuke, as if being in probation wasn't bad enough.
He looked over at the last scroll in his hand. He was supposed to deliver it to the head medic in the hospital which was Haruno Sakura.
"Come in." Sakura said when she heard a knock on her door. The door slid open, revealing a certain Uchiha. "Sasuke-kun. Come in. What do you need?"
He handed her the scroll from his hand. She opened it, giving it a quick scan before nodding and rolling it back.
"I see. Thank you." She then focused herself to the sheets paper laid in front of her. He took his time to observe her, noticing how her shoulders were a bit tense and how her movements were careful to avoid any physical contact with him. In all honestly, he hated it. He hated that she felt that way around him.
His job was done, but he couldn't make his legs to move. When she sensed that he wasn't moving, her head darted upwards to see him.
"Is there anything you need?"
"Can I stay here for a while?" Taken aback by his request, she wasn't sure how to respond.
"Why?" It probably wasn't the best response, judging by how disappointed Sasuke looked.
"My job's done for the day." She didn't have a good enough excuse to make him leave.
"Sure, you're welcome to stay as long as you want." He nodded and sat on a chair next to the examination table. There was just complete silence that enveloped them. The air was tense and they both hated every second of it. She tried to focus her attention at the task in front of her but failed to do so.
Fortunately, she was saved by a sudden knock on the door.
"Haruno-san?" The nurse spoke as she peeked in through the door.
"Yes?"
"You have a patient."
"Send him in." The nurse was no longer in sight, instead there was a man who entered. Sakura motioned him to sit on the examination table and moved to check his tension, temperature, and heart rate. They were then engaged in a conversation that Sasuke honestly didn't care too much about to listen to intently.
Sasuke watched as she moved to examine the man skillfully and professionally. She scribbled some notes on her clipboard and handed a small piece of paper he guessed to be some sort of prescription.
"Here's some medicine that should be able to help you. You can go to the pharmacy next to the lobby and get them there. The nurse will explain to you more about it."
"Thank you." The man left her office after bowing in thanks.
Sasuke crossed his arms on his chest, a smirk evident on his face.
"Hn."
"What?" Sakura asked when he heard him utter a soft "hn". He had to admit, she had grown into a strong kunoichi not to mention a very skillful medic.
"Nothing." He sank back in his chair and continued to watch her return to her seat, filling out a paper before tucking it neatly in a folder.
Her shift ended around sundown, and Sasuke and Sakura were walking home. He wasn't sure what made him stay. Maybe it was the way Sakura was working that drew his attention to stay, or the need for him to fix their bond.
Three years was a long time, he needed to remove the tension between them. He decided he would do that by getting to know her and filling in the lost time from those three years he was gone.
.
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"Hey Sakura-chan! Are you even listening?" Naruto asked her during dinner when he was telling her about his date with Hinata.
"Oh, sorry Naruto." Realizing she was dazing off into her endless thoughts, she hadn't caught a word of what Naruto said. Her mind kept wandering to Sasuke, seemingly trying to analyze his sudden behavior when he visited her in the hospital the other day.
Naruto's eyes narrowed at her and she shot him a confused look.
"What?"
"You okay Sakura-chan?"
"Oh yeah I'm fine. Just tired from work that's all."
"You should get some rest." As if catching all that conversation, Sasuke suddenly commented before Naruto could even respond to her statement. Sakura's eyes widened in surprise while Sai and Kakashi exchanged a look.
"Umm.. Yeah. I should probably rest more." She downed the rest of her soup before standing up. She took out a few Ryo and put them on the counter. "I'm gonna head out first. Thank you for the meal Ayame-san!" She waved her teammates goodbye before exiting the ramen stall.
"Come again!" Soon afterwards, Sasuke paid for his meal and followed her outside. Naruto glanced a curious look to the others before turning back to his meal.
Catching up to her, they walked side by side in silence. She was being conscious of her steps. But her body started loosening up each step they took. Sasuke-kun is walking me home was the only thing on her mind.
Feeling some tension fall from her shoulders, she was starting to enjoy the short walk. She took this as a good sign that their friendship was slowly returning to normal. After a few minutes, they arrived at her apartment.
"Good night Sasuke-kun."
"Aa." He gave his parting before turning around. He felt something flutter in his stomach and a certain warmth that was creeping through his body. Unknowingly, the corners of his mouth lifted. He was determined to fix his bond with her.
.
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The following days hadn't been out of the ordinary. One day he, to Sakura's surprise, picked her up at her apartment and walked her to the hospital before going on about his day.
On other occasions, he would visit her in the hospital, sitting in his usual chair, observing the way she worked. Sometimes Sakura would make use of him by having him deliver some documents or staple some papers together. Sasuke didn't dread it. By the end of her shift, they walked home together and the whole thing would start again the other days afterwards.
Noticing how the atmosphere was starting to become lighter, Sakura had begun to open up. For once, they weren't so distant anymore. Their walks weren't as awkward as they used to be.
There was always room for small conversations, and he would listen to her, ask how her day went, listen to the kinds of patients she encountered. There was now enough room for teasing and jokes. And he loved every minute of it.
Team 7 had observed them for some time and they had to be blind to not see the change in his behavior and his gaze at Sakura. His eyes were softer and more sincere. They knew Sasuke's feelings for her were growing, and he was finally letting his walls down little by little.
.
.
"Hey! What's going on between you and Sakura-chan, teme?" Naruto fished.
"Nothing." Sakura, who was listening beside them, immediately was caught in their conversation.
"Heh? I thought I saw a blush there." He pointed at Sasuke's face and Sakura had to smack him on the head.
"Ouch Sakura-chan what was that for?"
"For saying such nonsense." Sasuke noted the slight tint of pink on her cheeks. He wasn't sure it was because of the sun, or because they just had their training session, or because of something completely different.
"We should call it a day. I have a full shift tomorrow. See you guys later!" She left Naruto and Sai in the training grounds before Sasuke joined her.
Just like any other day, they walk the familiar streets to her home, the back of their palms occasionally brushing against each other. He observed the way her cheeks would turn red. He was amused by how he could cause such a reaction from her.
Deciding to be a bit bolder, he laced his fingers around hers, noting the way her cheeks blushed furiously and how her shocked eyes wandered between their intertwined fingers and his eyes.
"It wasn't nonsense." He said as he tightened his grip on her. That was the day he finally let his guard down and let her in.