The resounding applause of everyone in the hall filled her ears, as if trying to vie her focus on her thoughts.
Sakura stared at the pair in front of the crowd and she couldn't help but feel tons of emotions inside her.
She was happy, that's for sure, because finally, Itachi-nii and Izumi-nee have tied the knot after a series of mishaps as they wholeheartedly gave their lives to serve and protect the village. She sighed in delight as Itachi planted a kiss on his new wife's lips, with affectionate eyes on her face and gentle arms around her waist.
She could remember how Itachi relentlessly pursued Izumi, through letters he delivered with the help of his crow, through avoiding the hospital after being injured on a mission so he could visit Izumi first, and through silent glances and secret goodbye kisses that he never knew Team 7 had witnessed a few times before.
They were a lovely couple, and Sakura couldn't stop herself from wondering if she would ever experience that same joy of having your very own home person – one that you would love, care for, and come home to.
Her gaze then shifted to the younger Uchiha in the front row, a smile forming on her face at the realization that the man she wanted to be her home was him. She has loved him ever since they were kids, back when she didn't even know yet the differences among the meanings of crush, infatuation, like, and love.
For Sakura, it has always been him. But for Sasuke, she would probably never know.
Her smile slowly faltered when she caught sight of the woman beside him, with her arm around his and a smile painted on her adorable face. Sasuke returned the gesture with a tiny yet noticeable smile, and his gaze lingered a bit at the woman's dark eyes.
Sakura glanced back at the bride and groom.
She was happy, that's for sure, but underneath the happiness for the newlyweds was the melancholy of knowing that loving Sasuke Uchiha was a losing battle. For Sakura Haruno could never be Makita Uchiha – with sparkling obsidian eyes that bear the Sharingan, with long wavy hair that shines even amidst dangerous missions, and with a regal position within the Uchiha clan.
She could remember how Maki-chan consistently made Sasuke-kun smile, through wiping the sweat on his forehead when he became too exhausted on training, through bringing him a special bento before Team 7 headed off to missions, and through taking care of him in the hospital whenever he came home injured.
They were a lovely pair, and Sakura couldn't stop herself from pondering on a future wherein the woman beside Sasuke was her and not Makita.
She decided to leave early from the ceremony, mind suddenly fixed on the decision she has yet to make about her own future. With a last glance to Sasuke, she wondered if the waiting wasn't really worth it all.
o - o - o
"Have you already decided on Tsunade baa-chan's offer, Sakura-chan? You have a week left to decide, right?" Naruto's voice was accompanied by the sound of his body plopping down on the grass.
A bit surprised, Sakura took a swig from her water bottle before answering, "Yeah, I guess."
"So you're going?" Naruto stopped wiping his hair with a towel, eyes wide and expectant with a tinge of disappointment in them.
But Sakura remained silent.
There was silence in the training grounds as Naruto resumed wiping the sweat and blood on his face. His blue eyes slowly shifted to their other teammate standing stiffly a few feet away. But even though they say "silence means yes", Naruto was not convinced. "That's five years, Sakura-chan. Are you really sure?"
"Well, the longer I stay in Kiri means the longer I'd gain experience in the medical field there, right?" Sakura began packing her belongings, avoiding the blond's eyes. "I'm...actually a bit excited! New surroundings. New learnings. And even new people! I think...I need that." Her last words ended up becoming a little too soft as she thought about the chance of meeting someone that she could love as much as she loved Sasuke.
After all, maybe this was the universe's way of telling her to finally move forward, for she has already lost the battle a long time ago.
Naruto shot a glance at Sasuke once more, but the Uchiha was simply looking away with his hands hidden inside his pockets. The blond sighed as he stood up. "I don't know what to say, Sakura-chan. I told you I would be happy for you no matter what, right? So if you think this is the best for you, even though I would miss you, you have my word."
Sakura smiled a little, trying to stop the conflicting feelings inside her as she listened to her friend's words. "I appreciate that, Naruto."
"Alright! After being the best shinobi, Imma head out and be the best boyfriend now, 'ttebayo! See you both around!"
And then the blond was gone in a poof.
Sakura glanced at her other teammate. It wasn't as if she wasn't conscious that Sasuke was around, but what she had been feeling ever since Naruto opened up about the offer was that Sasuke probably didn't mind because it has nothing to do with him anyway. Her heart constricted at the thought.
But then, she heard him speak.
"Sakura, don't go." Sasuke then turned to her. His eyes were searching, intense and determined but Sakura couldn't understand why.
"You mean to Kiri? But it's a huge opportunity for me, Sasuke-kun."
"Tsunade has another offer for you here, right?"
"I know. But, it's different than going somewhere else I'm not used to. This has been my comfort zone already, I want to grow more." By this time, Sakura was already confused if the one she was convincing about her decision was Sasuke or herself.
Her teammate picked up his katana and prepared to leave. "Just...don't sign that contract, Sakura. Don't go."
The sudden softness of his voice made her knees weak. But she just shook her head as if forcing herself to not melt right then and there. After all, Sasuke doesn't need her here, for he already has Makita. She blinked back some tears as the reminder of why she decided to leave resurfaced in her mind.
"You're being unreasonable, Sasuke-kun."
o - o - o
The week passed by in a blur. And the day wherein Sakura was supposed to sign and submit her contract of working in Kiri finally came.
While Sakura was on her way to the hospital, it felt as if the universe was playing tricks on her because of all possible moments, she saw Sasuke and Makita seated across each other on the table in front of her favorite dango shop.
She felt something stir in her heart at the reminder that Sasuke wasn't even a fan of sweets, that's why seeing him there with Makita proved to her that he really loved the Uchiha maiden. She tried to look away, yet her eyes lingered on Sasuke even though she had quickened her pace and masked her chakra.
Sasuke was staring down on his drink with his eyebrows furrowed and his hand on the table curled into a fist. A moment later, Makita stretched her arms to reach for that hand before caressing it in between hers.
The sight solidified her resolve as Sakura turned to another street. She was going to sign the contract today.
She sat still in her clinic, reading the contents of the white sheet over and over again as if memorizing the anatomy of the human body. Her hand was tight around the pen, and her heart was tight inside her ribcage. Then she felt a tear trickle down her cheek.
Her thoughts returned to Sasuke. But now, every time she thought about the man she wanted to be her home person, another face appeared. They were a lovely pair indeed, and there was no point dreaming about the leading man of a story that wasn't even hers. She heaved a sigh, wiping her stray tear with the back of her hand before focusing on the document in front of her.
Until a gush of wind entered her clinic through her window. With the manner of someone's entrance, she was already sure that it was Naru—
"Sasuke-kun?"
Her gaze was then met by a panting Uchiha who appeared to have run around the whole village. Her lips were still parted, not sure about how to respond.
Sasuke began approaching her as he quickly ran his fingers through his hair. "Did it change, Sakura?"
"W-what changed? And why are you here, Sasuke-kun?"
"You told me something. Back when we almost failed a mission and I almost surrendered to the rogue nins of Sound," he said when his breathing slowed down. "Did that change?
"I have family and friends, but Sasuke-kun, if I lose you, I...I will be very lonely...I love you with all my heart!"
Sakura's eyes widened at the reminiscence of what Sasuke was talking about. But to prevent another tear from falling, she instantly covered it up with a dry chuckle. "Why are you bringing that up now, Sasuke-kun? We...we were twelve, for crying out loud."
Her words earned a scoff. "You aren't the kind who would throw deep words like that without meaning them just because you were young and naive."
"You give me too much credit."
"Sakura." He was right in front of her table now, fists clenched and eyes fixed on nothing but her.
"Sasuke-kun, what's the matter? What's up with digging the past and—
"I just need to know. Please." Sasuke's palms were faced down on her table as he sought her eyes, seemingly expecting something from Sakura that she could never hide anymore.
So, she glanced down and muttered, "It...didn't change."
"Then don't leave." Sasuke stood properly again, eyes suddenly gazing away and hands curled into fists once more.
Sakura stared at him with wide, glistening eyes. He was trying to put on a blank expression, but like usual, Sakura saw through him as she stood and paced towards him.
Her heart felt like it would burst when she saw in his eyes something akin to hers whenever she would look at her reflection on the glass of Team 7's picture frame – the yearning, the pain, the love that she has longed to be reciprocated.
Unsure, Sakura lifted her hand and gently tilted his face towards her, causing Sasuke's dark eyes to soften as they locked with her bright ones. "Why, Sasuke-kun? Do you...do you feel the same?"
He gave her a slight nod before looking down, and Sakura wondered if her eyes were just blurry with tears or she really saw a tint of red on his cheeks.
"But...you and makita…"
"Are not in a relationship."
"What?" Sakura's hand fell on her side with confusion written all over her face.
Sasuke glanced at her again. "All that tou-san wanted was for us to get to know each other better, so that I could eventually date her and comply with marrying someone from the clan. But, I've always seen Makita as a younger sibling and she already knows that by now, Sakura." He released a sigh. "The one I want is you."
Upon hearing his words, Sakura bursted into tears while flinging his arms around Sasuke's waist. She didn't have the time to doubt him, after all, Sasuke never lied to her.
Sasuke slowly embraced her with as much fervor, realizing that she wouldn't let go any time soon as she let his words sink in. He wished he was able to tell her sooner, but after all that's said and done, all that mattered to him was Sakura finally knew now.
"Thank you. But, I'm...I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for? Didn't you just say that you still love me?"
She nodded against his chest. "I do. Always. But, I already signed the contract, Sasuke-kun. There's no turning back now."
Sasuke's hands moved to her shoulders before slowly pulling away. His lips parted and then closed again, unable to process what she had just mentioned. Five years without her, that's all that ran inside his mind. And then he shook his head. "I'll go with you then."
"What?" Sakura's head whipped towards him. "Sasuke-kun! That's five years of you being away from Konoha and the rest of your clan! You'll be happier and more successful here as you train in being the head of the clan along with Itachi-nii."
"Then what? At the expense of five years of being away from you? Sakura, we've waited a long time already. I can't let you go. Not this time."
Fresh tears streamed down Sakura's cheeks as her hands clutched his shirt. He may have loved Makita enough to visit a dango shop with the Uchiha maiden, but nothing beats the love he has for her considering his willingness to move to another country with her. She never expected it was possible to love Sasuke Uchiha even more, especially now that the battle has been won.
Sakura felt his thumb brushing against her cheeks to wipe away her tears. And then he said,
"I'll go with you to Kiri, Sakura, but only if you want me to."
"I do, Sasuke-kun. I do." She cried. "I'll be with you in telling your family if I have to. You don't know how much this means to me, Sasuke-kun. I love you. I love you with all of me."
And then Sasuke smiled a very rare smile that made her heart skip a beat. He nodded at her before lifting a hand to tap her forehead with his two fingers. "Hn. Let's submit that contract to Tsunade then."
o - o - o
August 2020 (c) AriannJS
o - o - o
Here's another on the spot one-shot, hihi. Any thoughts on this? Would love to talk about it with you! :D Btw I'm on Twitter ( AriannJS - main ; CoffeeAndSS - fanacct where I post SasuSaku fic snippets daily) I'd love to get to know y'all and talk with you there! :)
Please stay safe!
- A