SNOW GLARE

CHAPTER 10

The faint sound of the shower whistling from across the other side of the house was unnerving. Just how had she ended up in such a predicament? Sure, she technically knew how, but the prime question on her mind was why she hadn't explored other options before taking him into her home. Despite how she felt towards him, she couldn't help but feel that it was mildly inappropriate; after all, Tsunade always claimed men turned into wolves when left alone with women they fancied.

"There's no way Sasuke is anything like that," Sakura muttered under her breath, cheeks flushed as she knelt on the ground in the guest bedroom, carefully unravelling the futon on which Sasuke would be resting on for the next few weeks while in her care; her alabaster hands tracing across its surface to flatten it out entirely. Turning to her left, the medic reached for the duvet, promptly draping it over the top of the futon; "But he has apparently done those types of things before however," she whispers softly, Karin's comments days earlier ringing through her mind causing her to cringe; "But I do only have her word to go off."

Bright blue eyes flash through her mind suddenly, guilt instantly clouding her overactive mind. How could she judge Sasuke for his actions when she had made mistakes of her own? Taking a deep breath Sakura rubbed the back of her neck, her bright oculars dropping to her lap. Despite constant advances by Naruto in Sasuke's absence, the situation between the two had never advanced further than a couple of kisses; one of which Sasuke had supposedly witnessed, that thought alone made her feel ill.

Even now she couldn't truly explain her mindset back then, although those moments undoubtedly meant a lot to Naruto, to her they were simply moments of weakness, born out of complete and utter depression on her behalf; the fear of ending up alone weighed so heavily on her back then. It was embarrassing now she thought about it, why try and force feelings that were simply not there just out of fear of being alone? Having a partner isn't everything, she knew that now.

Now due to her lack of emotional stability back then Naruto was hurt. The fault was entirely hers, for years now she was well aware of how he felt, how desperately he was clinging to the hope that she would look his way. If the roles had be reversed could she forgive Naruto? It would be undoubtedly difficult. Letting loose an inward groan, the medic rose to her feet, throwing her head back as her anguish consumed her; "I really need to talk things over with Naruto, I can't avoid discussing this when he is clearly hurting."

Thoughts drifting, the medic cast her eyes down to the bed she had carefully prepared for her guest, a mischievous smile teasing at the corners of her lips as she stared at the carefully folded linen outfit she had pulled out of the far corners of her wardrobe for him so she could wash and mend his day to day attire. The sizing was slightly off, the colour was vibrant – pink to be exact, but just looking at it she knew it would be nothing short of amusing to offer it to him. There was no doubt in her mind that he would refuse to wear the garments for all the aforementioned reasons but it would be titillating to see his reaction to her suggesting for him to do so. Luckily she also had some plain black training gear her father used to wear hidden away in her cupboard to offer him as soon as he gets frustrated.

Given how tense things had been in the village since his sudden return and his sudden incarceration within her home when their relationship was filled with so many unknowns, she figured a small prank (if you could even call it that) could serve to break the ice a little. Humour was not forte of the Uchiha, but there was always time to learn, right?

Suddenly the sound of the shower vanished from the comfortable spectrum of noise that surrounded her, indicating that the Uchiha was undoubtedly preparing to exit the bathroom. Emerald orbs widen, the medic's head immediately flicking in her guest's direction as she promptly rushed into the kitchen to make a pot of tea, desperate to appear as relaxed as possible as opposed to exposing the inner workings of her mind. The last thing I need right now is for him to think I'm having second thoughts about this whole arrangement. It's a good thing he is staying here, it's better this way.

Silently reaching across the benchtop the medic flicked the kettle on, quickly turning to place an empty teapot in front of her, carefully placing the lid on be bench as she scooped out the required amount of green tea leaves into the metal filter insert. I really need to learn to relax. He said he loves me, he didn't declare that he was going to defile me the first chance he got; Sakura notes silently, clammy palms grip the kitchen counter as she tilts her head forward, rose locks fluttering past her cheeks as she squeezes her eyes closed and takes a deep breath. The aggressive whistle of the kettle echoes through the room as she continues to try and calm the anxious pit in her stomach.

"What are you doing? Weirdo…" his husky voice cuts through the air, taking her by surprise, goosebumps rushing down her arms as she hears his gentle footsteps draw close to her locale her position; "You forgot to give me those spare clothes you mentioned earlier."

Turning her attention to the freshly boiled kettle, Sakura swiftly fills the teapot and pops the lid on the top once more before turning to come face to face with a scantily clad Uchiha. Don't become a nervous wreck! Raising a brow Sakura gestured to the towel at his waist, "You could've just called out to me from the bathroom instead of walking around like that you know?" How she managed to get that sentence out without losing her composure at the sight of his chiselled pectorals was beyond her comprehension, inhuman even; maybe she had untapped superpowers? That was the only plausible reason.

Smirking the Uchiha looked down at his waist, it wasn't even surprising that she was trying to suppress her surprise to maintain the upper hand, so predictable. "It's nothing you haven't seen before, from me and others. You are a Medic after all," Sasuke mused, gently lifting her chin; "I never took you for a prude, interesting.."

What did he just call me? Sure she was taken back by his bold attitude, especially considering he was a visitor in her home, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy the view. Frowning Sakura poked him squarely in the chest; "I'm not a prude, but that doesn't mean that I can't have a fondness for more gentlemanly behaviour." Lifting a brow daringly the Medic stared up at him, a daring sparkle in her emerald orbs; "If you look in the spare bedroom over to our left you will find the spare clothes I told you about." The Medic shrugs playfully as she turns away, the heat from where his hand had touched her chin lingering as she turned back to the pot of tea she had sitting behind her.

Gentlemanly behaviour, interesting; he mused as he followed her directions and slowly made his way to the room in question. After years of being in close quarters with the Karin and her suffocating ways he had gained what he believed was a useful insight into the female psyche, particularly in regard to what they sought in their male companions; but never once did acting like a gentleman appear on that list, for Karin anyway. Dark orbs scanned the room, locking on the hideously bright linen attire folded neatly on the futon; thin sheer curtains splay upward into the air as a chilled breeze swirls though the room, brushing against his exposed skin. "Hn, she must think this is amusing. Pink, of all the colours it's pink.." the avenger mused to himself as he reached for the articles of clothing.

Sakura sighed in relief the second his bare back left the kitchen, her body instantly relaxing as she tried to focus on calming her manic heart; "It should be illegal for him to do that, since when did he become that kind of man anyway?" Hands gently griping the tray containing two earthen cups and the teapot, she quickly made her way to the kitchen table, planting it square in the centre and hastily filling both cups before setting the tray aside.

It was difficult to remember the last time she had a male companion visit for a prolonged period of time, Naruto aside that is. It had to be well over a year, perhaps longer? It was laughable really, had she even tried to date others; no not really. She had humoured the occasional advance of some of the shinobi she had come into contact with over the years but, it was always just accepting a drink after work or agreeing to have a meal to be polite. But every time she spent time gentlemen in such a capacity, her thoughts would wander to the same pair of stoic oculars; no matter how hard she tried to press onwards and find a more compatible partner, she simply couldn't. He had such a tight grip on her heart despite how little he had done to reciprocate her feelings at that time.

Slipping into a seat at her kitchen table, both of the medic's hands wrapped around the steaming hot cup of green tea; the steam standing through the air before her, shoulders slumped. To say she was overwhelmed by the romantic situation she was currently in would be an understatement, the man she had yearned for was finally reciprocating her feelings after years of heartache, cruel comments and betrayal. Was she falling prey to some kind of cruel trap? He seemed sincere enough, but given he was now apparently the leader of the Akatsuki, it was difficult to know his true motivation; his involvement with them still puzzled her.

Sasuke suddenly emerges from the guest room, garbed from head to toe in the pink linen attire Sakura had left on the bed for him; a completely unimpressed expression printed across his face. "I'm sure it would've been simple to find something more suitable," he quips, dark orbs narrowing as he tugged at his shirt; "It is so bright its actually assaulting my already damaged retinas."

A loud snort escaped Sakura as she partially covered her lips, amusement consuming her; she had never considered that he would actually wear what she put out for him, the sizing wasn't even suitable. Pushing her chair out from the table, she promptly rose to her feet; an angelic burst of laughter slipping from between her fingers – she had never seen him look so uncomfortable let alone this ridiculous. "I'm sorry, I can't!" She remarks as she strode up to his position in the doorway, emerald orbs dancing playfully; "I expected you to make a fuss, not for you to actually wear it." Was that an attempt for him to trying to please her? It had to be.

She was trying to play some sort of ridiculous trick on him, did she think he was scared to wear a colour? How absurd. "As hideous as this outfit is, it is just an outfit," he muses, his eyes fixed on her amused expression; a warm feeling swelling in his chest. Somehow he had made her laugh despite all the stress and uncertainty that currently surrounded them, and although mockery was never something he appreciated, he'd let it slide; just this once.

"Oh, how mature of you," the medic whispers in amusement gently poking her bottom lip for a short moment before, a smirk spread across them instantly. How was it possible for him to make anything look good, his confidence was off the charts even in such an ill-fitting, hideously coloured outfit; it was inhumane.

Arching a quizzical brow, Sasuke reached forward seizing her wrist and retracting he finger from her lips, pulling the medic closer. Her ridiculous attempt at a prank was something he could handle, but watching her touch her lips like that, not so much. Throat tightening the Uchiha gazed down at her startled visage, big bright green eyes seemingly shocked by his sudden action; "You're making it very difficult to act like a gentleman as you have requested Sakura.." he growls lowly. She was the most irritating woman he had ever met, but it was different to the irritation he had suffered through while travelling with Karin; somehow Sakura made it somewhat endearing, only serving to further pique his interest.

One moment she was teasing him, the next moment Sakura felt as if she had regressed back to her angsty teenage self; even after all these years and all the pain he caused her, the butterflies she felt while looking up at his handsome face never subsided. No matter what she did or how strong she became; he was going to be her one ultimate weakness wasn't he?

Sasuke's free hand scooped upwards seizing her chin, a lightly calloused thumb tracing across her lips as she tried to maintain some form of composure. "Don't change on my behalf then," she whispers under her breath without thinking.

Suddenly a loud rapping at the front door echoed through the small home, disturbing them and causing both their heads to flick in the direction of the noise. An authoritive voice instantly ringing through the air; "It's me, open up immediately," Tsunade called out, "That's an order."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I am so sorry for the wait everyone, thanks so much for your patience. I will be finishing this story off I promise.

If you have time to leave a review for this chapter I would really appreciate it as I'd love to hear your thoughts! If you're a new reader please be sure to follow the story so you don't miss future updates.