A/N: This was an old submission for Sasusaku Month 2014 Day 9. Prompt: Bravery
"Just talk to her!" Naruto's words kept echoing inside his head. "Look, you're her friend and she's your friend. Just go ask her already! I can bet she's waiting for you to ask her right now teme!" He was once again right.
So he finally did ask her to come to the Tanabata festival with him.
They walked along the brightly lit streets of Konoha as they looked around, fingers intertwining with each other. When Sakura was mostly fixated at the festivities, he couldn't take his eyes off her.
They hopped from one stall to the other. And at that moment, Sasuke felt like he was eight again. Back to those times when he would roam the streets with his mother, hand in hand. How they would gaze at the stars together.
The night was almost over as the clock nears midnight. Sasuke suddenly thought of the idea Naruto had given him. He had to thank his best friend for that.
He grabbed her wrist and guided her pass by the sea of people.
"Sasuke-kun? Where are we going? We haven't even seen the parade."
"Just follow me. Trust me." She didn't expect Sasuke to be the excited one. It was definitely a new sight for her. She eagerly increased her pace, catching up to him.
After what seemed like a long walk, Sasuke halted.
His gaze was glued onto some bamboos and brightly colored decorations in the midst of the swarming crowd of people.
"Wait I think I've seen these." She approached the bamboos and decorations, trailing her hands on all the papers hung on them. "You're supposed to write your wish and hang it on them-"
"And hope your wish will come true." He continued, eyes looking at her with the softest look she'd ever seen. At that moment, she could finally feel so many emotions coming from him. As if that look was only exclusively meant for her only. He gave her a small genuine smile, prompting a blush from her.
Realizing that the papers will soon be burnt and set afloat on a river, he took her somewhere quiet where there was no one else besides them and a blossoming cherry blossom tree.
He took out a couple pieces of colorful paper and handed one to her. They both took their time writing their wishes before tying it on a tree branch, side by side.
She couldn't contain her curiosity when she tried to sneak a peek at Sasuke's paper. But would it be impolite for her to do that?
"What did you write on your paper, Sasuke-kun?" As he was tying up the string, he turned to her, eyes never leaving hers.
He unconsciously took her hand and held it close to his heart, catching her off guard.
"Sakura." He spoke. He brought her hand to his lips, giving a small peck. Sakura swore this was not the Sasuke she had expected. Thank goodness for the shroud of darkness, or he would make fun of her red blushing face.
"Thank you. For everything." They had had this conversation before, but it felt, different. The way he said it, the way her eyes make her melt, it couldn't stop her stomach from doing backflips and her heart from running a marathon. She just wanted to stay like this forever.
"Of cour-" Just as she was about to finish her sentence, he brought her chin closer, capturing her lips in his. It sent electricity all over her body. Their first kiss. We finally kissed!
Sakura couldn't help her inner self from screaming.
Breaking away, he kept holding her hand in his, never wanting to let go.
She was still recovering from the shock. But as the realization hit her, her eyes were starting to glimmer, making the stars look incomparable, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
This was all she ever wanted. She rested her head on his chest, arms wrapped around each other.
"So… Can I see what you wrote on the paper?"
"Hn. No." She rested her chin on him, giving a slight pout. "It already came true." Her eyed widened in surprise. She couldn't stop her giddy giggles, hugging him even tighter.
Unlike the pieces of paper hung on the decorations, theirs won't be burnt. They would remain hanging on that Sakura tree forever, just like their love.
They didn't need to see what each other wrote. Somehow, they already knew what each other wanted.
It was the mark of a new beginning for them. Just like how the seasons change, their lives would change for the better. And turns out, all he needed was a little bravery.