How long will this rate of uploading last? Who knows? I don't. Sometimes it comes to me all at once, sometimes I struggle with a single chapter for weeks. Whichever one each chapter falls under is purely up to the Gods.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it. All rights to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the other proper entities.
Summary: Sakura had been by his side since he lost his family, following him around since they were seven years old, trying to ease his loneliness in whatever way she could. He didn't even know why he allowed it. He just silently allowed her to claim the seat next to him at the beginning of every term.
Rating: M
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Pairings: SasuSaku / eventual light NaruHina
Rays of Spring Sunshine
Chapter Eight
Sasuke headed straight home when Team Seven arrived back in the village. He'd had enough of his team for the past few weeks and was looking forward to a quiet night on his own.
Unfortunately, it was not to be.
He'd just showered and dressed in his pyjamas—a little early, at five in the evening, but he was tired and was planning on an early night after two and a half days of nonstop travel and broken sleep—when there was an insistent knock at the front door.
He frowned. No one other than Sakura ever came to visit him, and he doubted very much that her parents would let her out of their sight after nearly a full month away. Though only the first week or so had been eventful for the team, Kakashi had used the extra time to teach them advanced chakra control techniques, such as walking on water and using chakra to throw objects with their feet. He'd also spent some time with Sasuke independently while Sakura helped Naruto with his chakra exercises, teaching him basic imitation and minor genjutsu with the sharingan.
He sighed when the knock came again, louder this time. Hair still damp from his shower, he opened the door and looked up into Haruno Mebuki's stern features. She didn't even speak before reaching out and tugging him into a hug; he froze, caught completely unawares.
"You… reckless boy!" She hissed into his ear as he stood stiff in her arms. "Sakura told us all about what happened in Wave. Don't you dare do anything like that ever again, do you hear me?"
He could only manage a choked "What?" as she released him and swept into his apartment.
Despite never having been inside before, she marched directly to his fridge and opened it without preamble, tutting at the use-by dates on whatever was left within. He followed in a state of shock, still uncomprehending that the woman was in his home.
She eyed him up and down critically as she closed the door. "Alright. You get dressed, now. You're coming over for dinner."
"Huh?"
"Well, you don't expect me to leave you like this, do you?" She raised her eyebrows. "Honestly, Sasuke-kun, what kind of woman do you take me for? You'll spend the night at our place and come shopping with us tomorrow so I can be sure you've actually got something edible in your house."
"That's—I don't—"
"No buts!" She shooed him into his bedroom. "You've got five minutes, you hear me?"
When the door closed behind him, he blinked. "What the fuck?"
"Language, young man!" He winced at her tone through the door. "Hurry up, or I'm coming in!"
Keen to avoid that particular brand of humiliation, Sasuke sighed and did as he was told; he'd known Sakura and her mother long enough to know when he was fighting a losing battle. He'd managed to avoid going to the Haruno house since being placed in his genin squad, but now it seemed that he wasn't going to be able to get out of it.
If he expected her to lead him straight home, Sasuke was mistaken. Instead, she kept looking at a piece of paper in her hand as she led him through the busy village streets, before coming to stop at a very dilapidated-looking apartment complex. He stared up at the building. Green paint peeled off the walls, and the ceramic roof tiles were in shambles. He followed her up the rickety stairs, until she came to a halt in front of one of the doors. She frowned and knocked.
"Coming!" Sasuke heard a familiar voice. His eyes widened and he was filled with dread.
No.
Naruto opened the door, blinking up at Sakura's mother. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Are you Uzumaki Naruto?" She asked bluntly.
Naruto's face coloured. "Look, whatever they said I did, I didn't do it! I've been out of the village until like three hours ago. You can ask Kakashi! He—"
"She knows, idiot." Sasuke crossed his arms and rolled his weight back onto his left heel, enjoying the way Naruto's eyes widened as he leaned to see around Mebuki and took him in. The straps of his backpack dug into his arms. "This is Sakura's mother."
"S-Sasuke?!"
"My name is Haruno Mebuki." She pushed her way into Naruto's apartment, much like she had at Sasuke's. He sighed and followed her in, Naruto gaping at the two of them like a fish out of water. He caught the blonde's eye and shrugged, face deliberately impassive. "Sakura told me all about what happened in Wave Country. You're coming over."
"Huh?!"
Sasuke tuned them out as he cast curious eyes around Naruto's home. Unlike Sasuke, who actually managed to keep his apartment clean, Naruto's was a mess; clothes, books, and scrolls were strewn everywhere, and there were old cups of instant ramen littered along most surfaces. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of old milk coming from the kitchenette, wondering how the hell Naruto managed to live in such a state. He could see cockroaches climbing the wall to his left.
"What a pigsty." He heard Mebuki huff after Naruto had summarily been bullied into gathering his things. "Honestly, you'd think the village would take better care of him, considering—" she frowned and cut herself off. "Well, children your age shouldn't be living on their own, anyway."
Sasuke bristled. He'd been looking after himself perfectly fine for five years, after the steep learning curve when he'd first been released from hospital. "It's better than the orphanage." He grumbled. Even he had heard stories of how Naruto had been treated by the orphanage staff before the Hokage had deemed him old enough to live independently.
She pursed her lips as she looked at him, but didn't comment. Naruto came back out, looking unsure as he hefted his backpack on. "Are you sure it's okay for me to come over, Haruno-san?"
"Call me Mebuki." She eyed him. "And yes. I wouldn't have invited you, otherwise. Now, you boys are coming to the market with me to get things for dinner, and then we're going home."
Naruto was unusually quiet during their trip to the village market, his eyes flitting between Sasuke and Mebuki. Sasuke simply shrugged again and followed the older woman.
"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto crept up and whispered to him, "is she gonna like… I dunno, yell at us for Sakura-chan being in danger or something?"
Sasuke shook his head.
"How do you know?"
He gave Naruto a flat look. "She isn't like that." At least, Sasuke didn't think so.
"What do you boys think? Beef donburi or udon?" Mebuki asked over her shoulder as they reached the first stall.
"Uh, I don't mind." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. Sasuke just shrugged. Again.
"Hm. Udon it is, I suppose." She concluded, stalking forward. "You boys wait here."
They milled about awkwardly, standing to the edge of the sidewalk so as not to obstruct foot traffic. Sasuke honestly didn't know what to say; this was not how he expected his evening to go.
"She's… scary." Naruto murmured.
Sasuke snorted. "She's just like an older Sakura." Which was true; Sakura was far more like her mother than her father. Sure, she had some of Kizashi's warmth, but her bossiness was definitely inherited from Mebuki.
"Yeah, but Sakura-chan is scary, too!"
Sasuke look at him incredulously. Sakura, frightening? Then, he huffed and looked out over the street, annoyed. "You'll like her father. He's an idiot, too." He said as an attempt to distract him.
Naruto scuffed his sandals against the cobbled street. "You know them all really well, huh?"
"Sakura and I have been friends since we were seven." He said tightly. "Of course I know her parents."
Mercifully, Naruto lapsed into silence. The air was thick with discomfort between them. They still fought with each other regularly—in fact, they'd had a near-brawl at the village gates when Kakashi had dismissed them. It seemed that Mebuki's presence had cowed Naruto. He wondered how long that would last. Mebuki put up a stern front, but he knew she was soft underneath. Her gruffness masked genuine care. Once Naruto figured that out, he'd probably be back to his loud, obnoxious self, and Sasuke wold go back to fighting headaches in his presence.
"Alright!" Mebuki reappeared a few minutes later, holding out a shopping bag for each of them to take. "Home we go."
"Sakura!" Mebuki called as the boys took their shoes off. "You have visitors!"
"Just a minute!" Sakura's voice floated from upstairs.
Mebuki took the bags from them and bustled into the kitchen to start dinner as a series of thuds came from upstairs. Sasuke jerked his head for Naruto to follow him into the living room.
"Ah, Sasuke!" Kizashi looked up from his newspaper. "And you must be Naruto!"
"Ah, yes!" Naruto bowed low. "It's nice to meet you!"
"My name's Kizashi. Sakura just got out of the shower, so she'll be down in a minute." The man grinned at them. "Put your bags down and take a seat."
Sasuke dropped his bag in the usual corner and took his usual spot. Naruto followed suit. When they'd settled, they heard Sakura thundering down the stairs. "Hey, sorry! I was—what are you guys doing here?"
Sasuke and Naruto looked over their shoulders. Naruto beamed. "Mebuki-san invited us!"
Sasuke snorted. "More like she barged into our apartments and ordered us to spend the night." He corrected.
Kizashi guffawed. "That sounds like Mebuki, alright."
Sakura flushed, eyes wide in horror. "Okaa-san!" She cried and disappeared into the kitchen.
Kizashi busied himself with getting to know Naruto as Sasuke rested his chin in his hand, elbow on the table. The smell of food cooking filled the house as he heard Sakura and her mother bickering in the kitchen, before the girl returned with a tray of tea and senbei. She set it down and squeezed herself between the boys, nudging them both to move to make room for her. "I'm sorry, guys." She murmured. "Sometimes, Okaa-san's just…"
"Hn."
"It's all good, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said brightly. "This is the first time I've been invited anywhere for dinner that wasn't by Iruka-sensei!"
Sakura shifted guiltily, pouring the tea.
"Well, we'll just have to make it a regular thing, then!" Kizashi boomed. "We used to have Sasuke over every Friday for dinner, but someone has been avoiding us, lately." He gave Sasuke a pointed look that the boy ignored.
"I've been busy." He shrugged.
"Yes, yes, the life of a shinobi is very busy." Kizashi sighed. "But there's always time for friends!"
Sasuke frowned at him in confusion. "I see Sakura every day already."
"I'm not talking about Sakura, boy!" Kizashi laughed. "Mebuki and I like to see you, too, you know! And besides, missions and training are work, not spending time with friends!"
"It's not so bad." Sakura said demurely, nibbling at a senbei. "We have fun, sometimes. We spent a lot of time on the water in Wave Country!"
"Yes, about that." Kizashi leaned his elbows on the table and fixed Sasuke with a serious stare. "Sakura told us what happened on your mission. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. My injuries weren't that bad." Sasuke met his gaze. Naruto coughed something that sounded like 'pincushion'. "Shut up, loser!"
Kizashi frowned at him for a moment more before shifting his attention to Naruto. "And Sakura tells me that you helped them a lot in the fight. I want to thank you for that."
Naruto flushes under the man's gaze. "Yeah! Uh, I… we're friends, right?" He stammered. "Or… we're getting to be."
"Of course we are." Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're just the obnoxious friend."
"Hn." Sasuke sat up straighter. He didn't know if he'd call Naruto a friend, but he was certainly obnoxious.
Sasuke had rarely entered Sakura's bedroom, even in all the time he'd known her. The walls were plain, with old paint, and lined with old furniture that looked as if it had seen better days. Her small bookcase was overflowing, scrolls and textbooks spilling out over her desk and in small piles on the floor.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you guys tonight!" She rushed around the room, picking up her books and stray pieces of clothing. "Um, it'll be tight, but you can set up the futons wherever. Here, let me…" She leaned all her weight against her closet, forcing it to shuffle a few inches toward her desk in order to open up the room a little more. "Will that be enough space?"
Sasuke sighed and rolled out his borrowed futon along the length of her bed. Naruto was left with the space next to the wall, in the area Sakura had cleared by moving her closet. "This is fine." Sasuke shot Naruto a glare. "As long as the idiot stays in his own bed."
"Hey! That was one time!"
"Whatever. Don't touch me again."
"You—! "
"Naruto! Don't break my room!"
"He started it!"
"I don't care who started it," Mebuki's voice carried from down the hall, "I'll finish it!"
The three of them winced.
The only reason the Harunos haven't officially adopted Sasuke yet is because no one will let them.