A BLESSING IN DISGUISE


Regret is one of the things Sasuke Uchiha isn't familiar with. Whatever he does, he does it with absolute certainty and purpose. He never second guesses, always makes sure he does things perfectly for his self-satisfaction, and never dwells on what if's.

But today, he learns of it.

He learns that regret is cramming his six-foot-one body in a supposed-to-be-private transfer van with a bunch of middle-aged travelers that seem to be traveling as a group. Regret is cursing his best friend for leaving him alone in an unfamiliar city because of his stupid diarrhea. Most importantly, regret is knowing that he'll be stuck with these strangers for the rest of his trip.

Sasuke tries to calm himself; to fight the urge to book the earliest flight back home and forget this ever happened. But every time he inhales and smells the cheap car air freshener of the vehicle he is currently in, he can't help but think about Naruto and how he wants to strangle him when he gets home.

The blond arranged everything for this trip, something that Sasuke regrets as well. Sasuke was told all is set and that he didn't need to worry at all. He trusted his friend for the first time and this is what happens—Sasuke being surrounded by strangers when all he ever wanted was peace and quiet. Sure, he can't have that with Naruto around as well, but that is much better than not knowing the people at all.

Damn that idiot and his damned stomach, he seethes silently.

"You look pale over there at the back, kid. Are you okay?" Sasuke hears a gruff voice coming from the passenger seat. He looks over and sees a man with a face mask on. He doesn't answer, even though deep inside he wanted to be snarky and say, Do I look like I'm okay? I'm spending my private getaway with a pack of strangers in a dingy vehicle. Yeah, right.

"Maybe he's just tired, Kakashi. Stop bothering him," a woman with long black hair answers. "What's the delay anyway? We've been waiting for 10 minutes now."

"We're just waiting for another passenger," a bearded man with a cigarette atop his right ear says. He runs a hand on the woman's back affectionately, "We'll be on the way soon, Kurenai."

An energetic man with bushy brows exclaims, "I am very excited for today, my friends! This is our first getaway trip together! The power of youth is still with us all!"

"Shh," shushes Kakashi from the front. "We're not the only ones here, Gai. Keep it down with the volume, will you?"

"Ah, Kakashi! You're so cool as always!"

"I should check with the driver," a man with a scar across his nose speaks. "We have a long way to go from here. Any more delay and we'll get there late."

A noise of affirmation echoes within the small space of the van and Sasuke tunes them out. A headache starts to form and he doesn't know how he can enjoy this 4-day vacation if he's this stressed already. Where the hell is the remaining passenger they're waiting for anyway? Should he make a call to change his travel arrangements, then?

The opening of the vehicle's door stops Sasuke's thoughts and a flash of pink enters his line of vision. Beneath tendrils of rose-colored hair lies bottle-green eyes that Sasuke can see even in the dimming lights of dusk. He can't see her face properly but he knows for certain that it's blushing, probably because of embarrassment. Sasuke doesn't know why he knows. Everything stops inside the van, even his breathing.

"Sorry," the girl with the pink hair mumbles. "The flight was delayed for a few minutes. I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting!"

There's a moment of awkward silence as everyone looks at her and again, Sasuke has a feeling deep in his gut that her face is burning. He squints a little harder subconsciously as if trying to see her better.

The woman, Kurenai, breaks the silence. "It's okay, dear," she kindly smiles at the girl. She turns to speak to the bearded man beside her, "Scoot over, Asuma. She needs somewhere to sit."

The only remaining seat is actually beside Sasuke in the back, but he doesn't say anything. He likes to have his space and besides, he doesn't want to risk being talked to during the drive. He spares the girl a glance who is now roaming her eyes inside the vehicle.

Their eyes meet for a brief second before her gaze turns to the empty seat beside Sasuke. She looks back at him, silently asking, and he turns his eyes away. He's not sure why he did that.

Little does he know that it's the first of many questionable actions he will do in the course of this trip.


Inevitably, he ends up having the girl as a seatmate, which leads to the second questionable thing he's done so far—why can't he keep his eyes away?

Five hours is a long time, and when he learned that it will take that long for them to reach their destination, he decided to sleep during the drive. He was hoping to at least sleep off the annoyance and his brewing murder intent on Naruto. But when you are seatmates with someone who smells like apples and vanilla and has a very distracting pretty face, you just want to look at it. At her, rather.

Sure, he's found girls pretty before. There are a lot of them even prettier than this rosette beside him. Why can't he look away, then? Is it the shade of her hair like the pink of his mother's poppies in their backyard? Is it the curve of her exposed nape that reminds him of swans, soft and elegant? Is it the wide look in her eyes when she catches him staring?

He fights the urge to flinch and look away from his surprise just like he did earlier. He's an Uchiha, and Uchihas never back down. Damn it, he thinks. He didn't want to get caught looking at her, though; she might think it's creepy. Sasuke remains his eyes on her as his pride is on the line.

Thankfully, this girl seems to not find it weird. She gives Sasuke a small smile and murmurs, "Sorry for sitting here. You seem to like your space." She fiddles with her hands for a moment before speaking again, "I can move seats if you want."

Usually, he doesn't care. Let people think whatever the hell they want about him. As long as he knows himself, then all is good. He doesn't need to get validation or anything from anyone. That's why it baffles him to no end why he has this need to reason out.

Sasuke doesn't want this girl to think he's a snob; a rich kid who doesn't mingle or talk to anyone below his class. Thinking about it makes his skin crawl and his mouth moves faster than his mind this time, "No, it's fine." He softly says, "Please stay."

The girl's face brightens up a little. It's a good look on her, he thinks.

"Oh," she smiles a little. "I thought you wanted me to move because you keep looking here. Just tell me if you're uncomfortable! And don't worry, I won't bother you."

He shakes his head no, "I'm good. No worries."

She sighs in relief, "Great!" Holding out her hand, she introduces herself and finally puts a name on her angel face. "I'm Sakura, nice to meet you!"

His large hand encompasses the entirety of hers when he took it and he remains still as his heart rate spikes for a reason he can't comprehend, "Sasuke. Likewise."

And that is basically the start of their chat throughout the 5-hour trip. If Naruto sees him now holding a conversation with a stranger for more than 5 minutes, Sasuke will never hear the end of it.

Sakura Haruno is a great listener, that is his first impression. Most people, if not all especially nowadays, only listen to respond and not to comprehend. People are too absorbed with their own minds and spend their time thinking about what to say next instead of actually listening to the person they're speaking with. It's one of the main reasons why Sasuke just prefers to keep his circle small, with only the people he trusts in there.

This girl is different, though. He can see it in her cat-like green eyes that are laser-focused on what he's saying instead of his face. He can sense that she is listening attentively to his words and she proves it by giving a thoughtful response. It moves Sasuke in some type of way.

Just like him, she is also alone on this trip. The difference is that while Sasuke was ditched by his best friend because of a stomach bug, Sakura was dumped by her now ex-boyfriend.

"He was an ass," Sakura says softly, her voice in a low volume because most of the other passengers are taking a nap. "This was supposed to be a surprise trip for his birthday. I even gave up half of my savings so we can be comfortable and we can enjoy it but he broke up with me a month ago. Told me I was too needy and too plain, whatever the hell that means." She bites angrily at her potato chip.

His eyebrows meet in distaste, "How awful. Sorry about that."

"I know," she says after chewing. "I prepared so much for this trip that I didn't have the heart to cancel it. So, I just decided to push through without him. I paid for it with my money, anyway."

"I would've done the same."

She looks at him, "How about you? Any ex-girlfriend back home saying you're too busy with your work instead of her?"

Sasuke shakes his head no, "Only an ex-best friend that I'd poison once I get home."

Her laugh echoes within their shared space, "I would've loved to meet this friend of yours. He seems like a nice dude if he wanted you to push through with this trip even if he's the one who wanted it in the first place."

"He's a handful," Sasuke admits. "But he is a good man. We've known each other since we were kids. He's supportive and thoughtful, and I can trust him with my life."

When he doesn't hear any response, Sasuke looks back at her and sees the silhouette of her face smiling at him. Even in the dark, he fights the urge to blush.

"What?" he looks away.

She bites another chip and says, "Nothing. I just thought it's nice of you to say that." She sends him a cheeky grin, "I bet your friend would love to hear that, too."

He burrows himself in his seat, "No way. He wouldn't shut up about it, for sure." He hears her laugh again in response. He asks, "How long will you be staying here?"

"Only for 5 days. I have to get home or my boss will kill me."

She's staying a day longer than me, Sasuke muses in his head. Wait, why did I think of that?

The sudden disappointment he felt in his chest baffles him. He's known this girl for mere hours and here he is, lamenting on how he would be going home earlier than her. He shakes his thoughts away and casually continues to have small talk with Sakura for the rest of the drive. They also took a nap halfway through.

When they reach the accommodation, Sasuke learns that all of them including the group they are with are also staying at the same hotel. Sasuke didn't miss the subtle glance of the masked man, Kakashi, to both him and Sakura as he passed by them.

"See you tomorrow, kids," the gray-haired man salutes at them before trailing with his companions. Sakura gives Sasuke a questioning look and he can only give her a shrug. What was that?

Together, Sasuke and Sakura enter the hotel and check themselves in. They are surprised they even share the same hotel floor, with only a room between them. Reaching his door, Sasuke says his goodbye when Sakura's voice halts him.

"Hey uhm..." she trails. Her foot is twirling in place as she mulls over her words, "Since it seems we have the same tour for the island hopping tomorrow and we're both alone... i-is it okay for us to stick together during the trip?"

Now here is the part where he makes his next questionable decision—he agrees.

"Sure," his mouth says even before his brain finishes processing her words. "Y-yeah we can do that."

Her green eyes sparkle even more and she gives him a winning smile, "Great! Thank you so much!" She skips to her door and looks back at him, "See you tomorrow, Sasuke!"

That night, he receives a call from Naruto asking him about his situation there. When Sasuke explained the mistake Naruto made on their trip, the blond apologized and asked him if he wanted him to change his trip to a private one.

"I'm sorry, dude! I just thought it would be nice for us to join other people, you know? It might be good for you since you're allergic to strangers." When Sasuke emits a low grunt, Naruto immediately suggests, "I-I mean I only meant good! I can call the travel agent I talked to and fix it for you."

An image of Sakura's pink hair and twinkling eyes flashes beneath his tired eyes and he grips his phone harder. He heard Naruto continue to speak, "Now that I think about it, you could've done that by yourself and called a different agency. Why didn't you do that in the first place?"

Sasuke didn't tell him about Sakura yet. He's certain he would just tease him to no end. He simply answers with, "Don't bother. I'll only be here for 4 days, anyway. I'll just get this over and done with."

He can picture the teasing smile on his friend's face when he laughs, "For all I know, you already found a hot babe there! Aunt Mikoto would throw a feast! Teme, you sly motherf-"

Sasuke cuts it mid-call before he can even hear his teasing. He spends the night fighting the nerves of excitement buzzing in his body and trying to convince himself that he isn't curious about one Sakura Haruno a room away.


El Nido is an unexpected reprieve from the bustling life he has back home. It's been a long time since his eyes have taken several shades of blue at once, with the exception of the calming irises of his best friend. It brings a smile to his face because he just realized this trip is something he needed deep inside.

Sasuke roams his eyes around the large boat he's currently on and sees the same people from yesterday. Just like last night, the tall masked man greeted them enthusiastically when he saw Sasuke with Sakura earlier before they got to the boat for the island hopping.

As promised, Sasuke decides to stay with the rosette and somehow accompany her for the duration of their stay in Palawan. He subtly looks at his companion now, sporting white denim shorts and a red tank top that shows off her skin, and he trails his eyes away before he can even compliment her.

The wind blows and along with the sea breeze comes the smell of apples from Sakura's hair and the timbre of her smile when she exclaims, "It's so beautiful here!"

She looks back at Sasuke over her shoulder and grins at him, "Don't you think so, Sasuke?"

"Aa," he agrees, adorning a small smile on his lips. Pretty.

When they get to their first island, it's when it starts.

It is a feast to the eyes. White sand, lush greens, aquamarine skies— it's a beautiful day to swim in the crystal clear waters of Helicopter Island. There are few people around aside from their group but not enough for the small island to be crowded.

There's a sound of splash from someone, the man with the bushy brows, and a delighted shriek right after. Sasuke feels a sudden urge to jump in as well because the climate in this country is pretty humid than at home and he can feel his shirt sticking to his skin already.

"Hey," he hears Sakura say so he looks back at her. "Do me."

His eyes widened in response, "Wh-what?"

"Oh my," Sasuke heard the gray-haired dude say. A slap on the arm is given to him by the red-eyed woman. "Kakashi, stop eavesdropping on these kids," she whispers harshly.

Sakura looks confused, "I- I was asking if you could put sunscreen on my back..." She forlornly holds the tube of it in her hands. "Never m-mind, it's ok-"

"Say it clearly," Sasuke mutters before opening the lid and squeezing the life out of the sunscreen tube. With that gesture, Sakura presents her back to him. He takes a deep breath before gently applying it to her skin. He can see little freckles across her shoulders and his hands twitch in a desire to trace them like constellations.

In his peripheral, Sasuke sees Kakashi being pushed forward by Kurenai as they leave the both of them on the boat. When he finishes his task, Sakura faces him.

"Do you want me to put some on your face?"

Since he forgot to buy one for himself, he reluctantly nods his head and leans forward to her while closing his eyes.

Questionable No. 4: Why did you close your eyes, idiot?

A soft finger dabs pea amounts of cream on his forehead, across his cheeks, along his nose, his chin, and even on the slope of his neck. When he takes a peek, Sasuke sees her concentrating hard on applying it on his face with her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You have really nice skin," she mumbles. "It would be a shame for it to get burnt. What's your skincare routine?"

Her eyes flash to his and she looks surprised to see he's already looking at her intently. A cute blush forms across her nose ridge and soft cheeks and Sasuke sighs deeply. Watch it, Sakura. Watch it.

"Nothing," he answers, eyes still trained on her. "I guess it's natural."

She looks away, her cheeks pink, and laughs softly. "Now you're just bragging."

"Don't worry," he says as he stands up to finally get off the boat. He gives her a look over his shoulder, just like she did earlier, and smirks. "Yours is pretty."

You are.

He takes off his shirt before diving into the water to hide his equally pink cheeks.


Day one of their trip went by fast. It's a blur of surprisingly delicious boodle fight where they ate with their bare hands in Hidden Beach, impromptu beach volleyball in Star Beach, and Instagram-worthy pictorial in Matinloc Shrine. With him as the photographer for Sakura, obviously.

It went too fast that they weren't even able to say goodbye to each other when they got back to their hotel, both exhausted from all the swimming and eating. Sasuke fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

The second day was pretty much the same as the first one, albeit more challenging than the first because they went to several caves and did spelunking. They tried snorkeling too which was a nice sight to see because of the wondrous colors underwater. Marine life is thriving and Sasuke saw how many times Sakura practically glowed with the information given to them by the tour guides.

By the end of the second day, they were still tired but they got enough time and energy to eat dinner all together with the insistence of the group they're on the tour with. Sasuke ended up between Sakura and the one who never fails to tease him subtly throughout the trip, Kakashi, and was asked a lot of ridiculous questions.

"Do you read romance novels? And I mean Icha-"

"What's your favorite song of Taylor Sw-"

"Is your Uncle Obito still a smarta-"

Apparently, Kakashi knew his uncle from his high school days. He immediately knew he was an Uchiha the moment he saw Sasuke. Sasuke pinches the bridge of his nose.

The sudden scrape of a chair on the floor when Sakura stood up catches his attention. He silently asks, "Are you retiring for the night?"

"Yeah," she smiles. "We have a busy day tomorrow since we're going back to the capital after our island hopping. It's another 5-hour drive."

Kakashi elbows him, "Why don't you let Sasuke escort you to your room upstairs, Sakura?" Sasuke flashes him a menacing glare in return while Kakashi ignores him.

She shakes her head, "Oh, no! It's fi-"

"Let me go with you," Sasuke interrupts gently. "I'll be taking my rest as well." He stands up and puts his hand on her lower back to guide her out. They say their goodbyes to the rest of the group before leaving. He felt rather than heard Kakashi's snickers behind them.

As they enter the elevator, Sakura comments, "What a small world that Mr. Kakashi knows you."

"He looked familiar to me when I saw him," he replies. "I think I saw his picture at my uncle's house. I think I'd rather not have met him here, though. He's worse than my uncle."

She laughs in response, "Oh, c'mon! He's funny!"

He gives her a look with a teasing glint in his eyes, "Now you just wanted to see me annoyed."

Sakura shakes her head while keeping her lips closed. The look in her eyes is the same in his, and he is just so endeared.

They finally reach their floor and together, they slowly walk towards their respective rooms. Sasuke can't even remember the topic they're talking about now, only the lingering feeling of prolonging the moment with her. He glances at her face and he can see her animatedly talking, her mouth moving and her eyes alive, and he feels lightheaded.

"Well, here's my stop," Sakura whispers. Sasuke then noticed they're already at the front of her room. "Thank you for keeping me company."

He can't take his eyes away, "No problem."

"And I mean, not just this. It's for keeping me company since we got here," she confesses. "I think this trip would've been so lonely if you said no to me." She's looking up at him, shy and pink like her tresses, and Sasuke swears he heard a mumbled "here goes nothing" before feeling her lips on his cheek.

It's a split second; a small blip in time. But gods, Sasuke feels his heart coming out of his chest now.

"Good night!" Sakura hurriedly exclaims before entering her room and shutting her hotel door, leaving Sasuke and his beating heart outside.


It's their last day in El Nido and their last day for the island-hopping tour, so he should've expected that the best is saved for last. He would've liked it better if he doesn't feel awkward with the girl beside him, though.

The moment she saw him earlier, she just mumbled a quick good morning and turned away. She's now holding a conversation with the man with a scar across his nose and completely avoiding him.

"Trouble in paradise?" Kakashi mutters behind him.

"Leave me alone, old man."

"Tsk tsk. You Uchihas are really never good with romance and women." Glaring back at Kakashi, the older man just raised his two hands in surrender.

Their group reached Shimizu Island and stayed there for an hour before going to Seven Commando Beach to have their last lunch all together. Sakura still isn't talking to him at this point.

After the meal, they got to the highlight of their trip so far—The Big Lagoon. For them to see what it really is, they need to rent a smaller boat to go inside. They have an option to ride by pair or by three's; you can even ask one of the boatmen to paddle for you if you're alone.

Looking at Sakura, with her apple-green bikini, Sasuke can see the excitement in her features. He sees her approaching one of the boatmen and asking to paddle for her when he interrupts them.

"For two," he says in English.

Sakura's eyes widen, "Sa-sasuke..."

He gives her a serious look, "I want to see it, too."

In the end, Sasuke and Sakura make their way inside the lagoon, with her in front of the kayak and him behind her. The water is crystal clear and the current isn't as strong. It's calm—a polar opposite to the feeling in his chest as they approach the lagoon. The moment they turn to enter the place, Sasuke gasps; and so does Sakura.

It's like a scene from a Harry Potter film where they first saw Hogwarts. The open view of the clear skies peeks in between ginormous rock formations is amazing. The lush greenery at the top and the emerald shade of the water makes them speechless. The cool air kisses their exposed skin and Sasuke closes his eyes to feel it further.

"Wow," he hears Sakura whisper. "It's beautiful..." She excitedly turns around to look at him and beams, "Sasuke, it's beautiful!"

The sun behind her gives her a halo and silently, Sasuke thinks that the greenery of the water and trees of Palawan is nothing compared to the jade of Sakura Haruno's irises when she's happy. With that, there is nothing questionable about what he's going to say.

"You too..."

Sakura opens her mouth to respond but no words came. The pretty blush on her cheeks is the only indication that she liked what she heard so Sasuke boldly confesses.

"...you're beautiful, Sakura."


The shift in their dynamic is palpable after that. When they got back to their hotel and got inside the vehicle that will transfer them back to the city, they sat closer together. No words are needed; only subtle glances and brushes of fingers against each other.

Sakura even fell asleep during the long drive and Sasuke gently moved her head on his shoulder and ignored the heat on his face. Sasuke heard Kakashi giggling in the passenger seat.

They still have the same hotel as the group, but this time they don't share the same floor. He knows that Sakura doesn't want to part yet since she will be staying a day longer than him. He will be coming home tomorrow at lunchtime. So, he blurts out the first thing he thought of.

"Do you want to eat Jollibee?"

And that's how they found themselves eating at a Filipino fast-food chain at eleven-thirty in the evening. They got a lot of appraising looks from the locals, with her pink hair and his tall build, silently eating their palabok and chickenjoy.

"This is surprisingly good," she mumbles. There's a sauce stain on her cheek and he dumbly gestures on his own cheek to let her know. "What?" she asks.

With a sigh, his thumb grazes her cheek. Sasuke looks at her directly as he puts his thumb on his mouth to lick it. She flushes red and he smirks.

She puts her utensils down, "Sasuke... we need to talk..."

He swallows before sipping his pineapple juice, "Yeah, we do."

Sakura looks away before speaking, "I don't know what this is... or what you're trying to do here... this is all very new to me, and you already know I just got dumped." When he opens his mouth to retort, she flashes him a look that makes him close it again. She continues, "I'm very confused... though a small part of me likes it... being looked at like that again..."

His gaze on her is intense as he mumbles, "Like what?"

"Like... like that!" she shrieks, earning a few looks from the people around. "You look at me like that..."

"Because what I said in the lagoon is true, and I like looking at beautiful things."

She sputters, "Y-you... you c-can't just say things like that casually! It's not good for my heart!" She covers her face with her hands. Sasuke chuckles under his breath.

He reaches out and gently tugs her hand away from her face. He holds it, his thumb making tiny circles on her skin. "I don't know what this is either," he finally says. "And I'm not about to say I like you because it's only been three days since we met, but I want you to know I enjoyed being with you here."

Sasuke pokes her head with his two fingers and gives her a tiny smile, "And I'd like to see you once we get back home. If you want to."

Sakura doesn't give him an answer, and Sasuke doesn't expect her to. They leave the restaurant and return to their hotel. He doesn't walk her to her room; just simply told her goodbye in the elevator before going to his own room to rest for the night.

He thinks it's better to let her think about it. After all, she just got out of a relationship and he's not actually ready to fully commit to someone yet. He just knows one thing—he wants to see Sakura again.


Morning comes and Sasuke hasn't heard from Sakura since last night. He hasn't seen her this morning at breakfast and he only has a few minutes before leaving for the airport.

Maybe she doesn't want to see you anymore, he muses in his head. Move on already.

After one last look at the hotel lobby, he walks towards the doors where he's greeted by a heaving Sakura. "Sasuke!" she calls him loudly. "Oh, thank God you haven't left yet!"

"What's happening?" his eyes roam over her form, looking for injuries or something. "Are you okay?"

"Yes!"

He blinks, "H-huh?"

Sakura takes a deep breath and directly looks at him, "Yes, let's meet again once we get home." She swallows before giving him her signature pretty pretty pretty smile, "I want to see you again, Sasuke."

Something is fluttering underneath his ribs and Sasuke can't fight the small grin on his face. The butterflies in stomachs are real, now he knows. He's now experiencing it first-hand.

In response, he takes his phone out and dials a number. After a few beats, he says, "It's Uchiha. Rebook my flight for tomorrow... yes..." He looks at Sakura and asks her, "Do you know your flight number?"

Sakura blinks in confusion but opens her phone and shows him the details. He reads them to the one he's speaking to in a curt tone, "Yes, that one... I don't care... is it done?... good." He ends the call.

"What was that?" Sakura's face is incredulous. "Did you just rebook your flight just like that?"

"Yes," he smirks before walking outside. "Now, shall we go for a city tour? We still have a day left."

She sprints behind him, "If it was that easy for you to rebook a flight, then you could've changed your tour and made it private like it should've been!"

His hand brushes hers and he swears he will have the courage to take it in his. Soon. For now, he settles with making her flustered for the rest of their stay in this country. He looks fondly at her.

"Well, too bad I saw you before I can even think of it."

Together, they left the hotel with a chuckling Kakashi looking at them from the tops of his favorite book. "Ah," he exclaims. "Young love."

Sasuke and Sakura fly back home together the next day and the rest is history.


~fin~


a/n: i finally shared with you my entry for our free and digital philippine travel zine for sasusaku! to those of you who got lakbay, thank you very much for supporting our project! the whole team is really appreciative of all the love and support you have given us. i hope you all continue to support us this time for our upcoming uchiha zine, legacy! this is so exciting since this time, it won't be just a digital zine anymore. we're planning on a physical zine with all the merch and more, so if you can answer our interest check to help us out, that would be awesome! thank u so much!