Sakura walked briskly beside Sasuke as they wandered through the grey streets together their breath forming clouds in front of their faces. It was still very cold and she struggled to pull her gloves of as she kept up with Sasuke's quick pace. It was strangely exhilarating to be walking alongside Sasuke outside the coffee shop which was the only place they had spent time together previously.
She glanced up at him, the harsh winter light making his skin seem so pale it was almost white. Sasuke noticed that she was looking at him and his expression softened slightly at the small girl who was almost running to keep up with him.
"Where do you want to go for lunch then?" Sasuke asked, slowing down slightly so Sakura was no longer taking two steps for every one of his. Sakura still had to walk quickly to keep up with his long strides though.
"Um, I don't know." Sakura said shyly. "Is there anywhere nearby?"
"Let's have a look shall we?" He said simply.
They soon found a small café in a side street and ordered some lunch. It was strange, Sakura reflected, seeing Sasuke outside the coffee shop especially as he was with her. She had come to associate him with that place and he looked out of place anywhere else. At least to her he did. Sasuke frowned at her.
"What?" He asked and she shook her head.
"Nothing." Sakura said feeling unable to tell him her thoughts.
"It's obviously something." He said his frown deepening.
"You know you shouldn't frown so much." Sakura said absentmindedly, taking a bite of her sandwich. He just stared at her.
"What?"He asked confused by the sudden change in the conversation.
"You look a lot better when you smile." She and as she said it she felt herself blush and a small part of her brain was trying to get her to stop talking "You know, more attractive, not that you're not attractive anyway, I mean." She trailed off feeling flustered and cleared her throat awkwardly as her brain managed to catch up with her mouth and stop it before it did any more damage. Sasuke raised his eyebrows.
"I'll bear that in mind." He muttered. Sakura stayed silent not trusting herself not to say anything without embarrassing herself again. Sasuke studied her expression for a while and then gave her a broad smile even if it didn't quite reach his eyes Sakura felt her heart jump slightly as he looked at her
"Better?" Sasuke asked and Sakura found herself blushing heavily again.
"Um." She squeaked, and Sasuke chuckled slightly. She glared at him, and then stuck her tongue out. Sasuke gave her a flat look and rolled his eyes and Sakura gave him a sheepish grin.
"Do you want to go somewhere else now?" Sasuke asked when they were finished. Sakura frowned thoughtfully. She knew he probably should have been at work from what Naruto had said, and he was probably late back from his break already, she didn't want him to get into any more trouble. Although Sasuke showed no sign of wanting to go back or of having a guilty conscience.
"Come on." Sasuke said, smiling at her. She bit her lip, trying to ignore that fact that he could obviously be quite charming when he wanted to be. She knew she had all day as she wasn't working today, but Sasuke was and she didn't want him to get fired because of her.
"Sakura?"
Or suspended or whatever they did where he worked, what if they made him leave without and any verbal or written warnings or…
"Please?" He asked in a soft voice.
Oh sod it, it was his own fault anyway for talking her into it anyway her conscience was clear, or clear enough.
"Fine" Sakura said huffily as she didn't want him to think she had given in too easily "What shall we do now?" Sasuke held her coat our for her.
"Let's go for a walk."
"In this weather are you kidding?" Sakura asked and he just gave her a small smile. "It's freezing." She protested as Sasuke dragged her out of the warm café and into the cold air and she quickly began pulling on her extra layers, it was getting dark already and some of the street lights were starting to turn on, some flickering oddly as if undecided whether it was dark enough yet. The sudden bursts of light made Sakura uneasy and she hurried to catch up with Sasuke.
"Then walk fast" He called back to her, pulling on her arm to make her keep up.
"You're mad." She insisted doing a little jog to keep up with him as she wound her scarf round her neck.
"Come on I'll show you something." He dragged her across the road, and Sakura squeaked in alarm, she was sure he didn't check to see in any cars were coming, and as she turned her head she was sure that they had received some rude gestures from the angry drivers.
"Where are you taking me?" Sakura asked. Sasuke turned his head slightly to look across at her, her check were flushed from the cold air and fast walking pace but her green eyes shimmered with excitement, she was interested that was for sure.
"It's a secret." He teased, and he saw Sakura glare at him.
"What?" She said her irritation showing, then she gave another squeak as he pulled her into a building. "Sasuke!"
"Oh look who it is." Said another voice, "Aren't you meant to be working Sasuke?" Sasuke gave the man a stony look. "Oh one of those days is it?" The voice continued.
"We'll just head on up, is that alright Kakashi?" Sasuke asked.
"We?" The man at the reception desk looked up to see Sakura, his face was half covered by a book, his one visible eye crinkled up when he saw her, he seemed to be smiling.
"By all means." He said gesturing towards the stairs, and somehow he managed to make that simple comment sound lecherous and Sasuke made a strange noise in the back of his throat as Kakashi continued to eye them both.
"Come on." Sasuke led Sakura towards the staircase.
"Where are we going?" She asked curiously.
"Up." Sasuke called over his shoulder Sakura sighed resigning herself to the fact that she probably wouldn't get a straight answer and allowed him to lead her up several flights of stairs.
Sasuke paused at a door at the very top when there were no more stairs to go up, he looked across at Sakura who felt exhausted but she was trying to regulate her breathing so Sasuke wouldn't see her out of breath.
"Ready?" She nodded unsure of what to expect, and when the door opened cold air came in. They went outside.
"The roof?" Sakura asked unsure of where this was going. Sasuke grabbed her wrist again and led her across the concrete to the edge and leant on the wall surrounding it, Sakura imitated him.
"Wow." She breathed looking down at the city "The people look like ants!" Sasuke watched her face lit up with delight as she looked down on everything and everyone. She smiled at him, the half light casting heavy shadows on her face.
"This is amazing Sasuke." She said looking at him brightly.
"And we're in time to see the sun set." Sasuke said and Sakura frowned, she hated winter when the days were too short and it started to get dark at around four o'clock.
"What?" Sasuke asked.
"I don't like winter much." Sakura said glumly.
"I didn't think, you would." Sasuke said and Sakura frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura demanded.
"You don't seem to look like someone that would like it that's all." He said raising his hands slightly in a peaceful gesture.
"Oh? And what about you?" She asked Sasuke shrugged.
"I can tolerate it, you can get used to anything."
"Hmm." Sakura folder her arms and huddled into her coat. He hadn't given her much of an answer. "I don't see how you can stand the cold." Sasuke glanced at her shivering and pulled of the coat he'd gotten from Naruto and dumped it on her head.
"Here." He said.
"You can't do that, you'll freeze." Sakura protested once she'd pulled herself free from it.
"I'll be fine." Sasuke said looking out across the city. "Besides you're cold." Sakura pulled the coat round her.
"Thanks." She slipped her arm through his. "For the coat and for showing me this."
The two stood together, leaning on the concrete watching the tiny people move about beneath them, the light was fading fast and everyone seemed to be in a hurry to be somewhere, anywhere as long as it was out of the cold. The sky was changing colours, it wasn't a rich sunset of romantic pinks with streaks of orange cutting through the sky, the light was fading and the white sun was half hidden by clouds. The light blue and grey sky that had hovered over everyone for the day darkened into a deep mauve, and soon the sky was black with the clouds too heavy for any stars to be seen.
The city at night seemed more impressive though, or so Sakura thought, she could just make out dark shapes moving beneath the street lights and the headlights of cars could easily be seen navigating the roads. Shops and bars were well lit up trying to entice more customers in with their warmth. Light appeared behind them and Sasuke half turned as the door opened and another figure joined them on the roof.
"I just got off the phone to your brother Sasuke." Kakashi said coming up beside them, Sakura felt Sasuke go ridged. "He wanted to know where you've been."
"And what did you tell him?" Sasuke's voice had a hard edge to it.
"That I hadn't seen you and didn't he have better things to do than bother an old man at work." Sasuke snorted.
"I bet he loved that." He muttered and Kakashi viewed the younger man with concern.
"You might want to be careful." He said gently briefly laying his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke shook him off but Kakashi didn't seem to be perturbed by this.
"Thanks Kakashi." The older man left and Sakura wondered how he could navigate across the roof to the door in the dark. There was a burst of light as the door opened again and then they were left in darkness again. Sakura tilted her head back and shut her eyes, listening to the roar of cars and murmuring of far off voices, somewhere a cat yowled and there was the odd clatter and she could hear a siren.
Sakura opened her eyes and she could see Sasuke looking down at the lights and the shadowy figures of people now probably on their way home from work. Sakura took her phone from her pocket and squinted as the harsh light from the screen, it was nearly five. Sasuke had turned his head to face her; he was hard to make out in the dark with his black hair and dark clothing, but even without the light from her phone she could feel that his gaze on her, with the light though she could tell that his eyes were unreadable.
Sakura smiled at him.
"Shall we do something else?" She asked and he raised one eyebrow.
"Like what?" Sasuke questioned.
"I don't know, it's getting cold up here and you must be freezing as I've got your coat, let's go somewhere to thaw." The light from her phone had faded but Sasuke managed to find her hand in the dark anyway, she knew she was right that he was cold, his hand was like ice she could feel it through her gloves.
"Alright" He led her back across the roof and back into the hallway at the top of the stairs. Sakura pulled his coat off her shoulders and handed it to him, he shook his head and tried to give it back to her.
"I'm fine Sasuke and you're frozen anyway." She tugged off a glove and placed a hand on his arm and withdrew it quickly "see?" she said pulling the glove back on. He still didn't move, so she took it from his hand and put it over his shoulders anyway.
"You're irritating you know that?" He asked pulling the coat on properly, Sakura just smiled at him.
"I don't care; I won't have you catching pneumonia." Sasuke glanced at her as they made their way down the flights of stairs.
"So, how about some coffee?" He asked. Sakura smiled.
"I think some soup would be appropriate"
"Soup it is then." He pushed the double doors open and, after nodding at Kakashi, who was back to reading at his desk, they both left the warm building and went out into the cold again. The two wandered through the empty streets, seeming to be the only ones mad enough to be out in the cold, the street light illuminated their path as they headed for the town centre. Sakura threaded her arm through his, walking close to him for warmth.
"Sasuke?" She asked.
"Yeah?" He looked down at her as they walked together, and Sakura glanced up at his face.
"Today's been fun, thanks for dragging me out here." She said and Sasuke gave her a small smile.
"Anytime." He muttered.
"I'll hold you to that." Sakura giggled and then she spotted a small restaurant, light up with warm light bathing the streets with a golden glow from the large windows, she stopped walking pulling Sasuke to a halt with her.
"Is something wrong?" Sasuke asked.
"Let's go in there" She suggested he shrugged,
"If you want" He wandered over to the restaurant and pushed the door open letting out a wave of heat, Sasuke looked back at her as if to say, are you coming? And Sakura shook her head slightly and followed, dashing through the open door first
Sakura sighed contentedly as the heat of the restaurant enveloped her and she smiled at Sasuke who had positioned himself next to her.
"It's nice in here isn't it?" She asked.
"Mm." Was his only reply as he took in their surroundings. The walls were painted a mix of oranges and yellows which made the place seem even friendlier and there were very few customers, he could see someone rushing towards them already, eager to have something to do.
"Table for two?" The waitress asked.
"Yes please." Sakura answered.
"Any preferences for seating?" She asked eyeing the two of them.
After a quick glance at Sasuke who shrugged Sakura said;
"Near the window if that's alright."
"Sure follow me then please." They were seated by the window so Sakura could easily see out into the dark night and deserted streets that she had previously watched from the roof, and the waitress rattled off the specials they had that day. They both agreed on the soup, it was tomato that day, and were left in peace. Voices from the restaurant drifted over to them.
"They're a cute couple, eh?" It was the waitress that had seated them.
"Must be mad to be out at this time though." Said another voice only to be immediately shushed by its companion.
"Oh stop it, they're probably just enjoying themselves."
"It's freezing though." Said the more practical of the two.
"You have no sense of romance."
Sakura felt her ears go red, Sasuke noticed and smirked at her.
"Is there a problem?" He asked innocently.
"Can't you hear that? They think we're dating." She hissed and Sasuke's smile widened.
"So ignore it." He said looking out of the window and Sakura looked flustered.
"But-" She began.
"Here you go." It was a different waitress this time probably the one who thought they were mad, "Two soups." She said smiling at them while setting them in front of them, they both muttered a thanks and Sakura was turning steadily more red. Sasuke looked slightly amused at her expression, she glared at him and he gave her a quick smile, which made her feel even more embarrassed as she was acutely aware that she had told him earlier that he was attractive when he smiled, damn him.
"Isn't it bothering you?" She demanded struggling to get the conversation onto slightly safer ground.
"Ignore it." He repeated. "What does it matter?"
"It matters because we're obviously not." Sakura said struggling to make sense in her own mind why she was so bothered by it. She wasn't dating Sasuke and he was right, why should it matter to her if others thought she was, but still, she shook her head vigorously and realised that Sasuke was watching her with some amusement. She glared furiously at him.
"What?" She snapped, but he only smiled at her. The waitress came over again and cleared their plates.
"Is there anything else you'd like?" She asked and Sasuke glanced at Sakura who shook her head.
"No we're fine thanks." He said.
"I'll get you the bill then" When it came to paying Sasuke insisted on buying Sakura's meal as well, much to her annoyance as in her opinion it just made them seem even more like a couple. They ended up leaving the restaurant and wandering the city streets again.
A thin trickle of music came into their hearing and, curious, they followed it to its source; a restaurant was open with music playing to try and entice customers inside. A small smile played across Sakura's face and she hummed along with the tune, Sasuke watched her as she shyly began to dance, embarrassed to be doing it in public even though the streets were deserted. Sasuke approached her and took her hand, Sakura turned to look at him as he stood in front of her and placed his hand on her waist. She smiled and they danced together out in the cold night air, a small blush spread across Sakura's cheeks and they heard whispered voices from the restaurant as its staff watched them dance outside.
"Sasuke, what happens now?" Sakura asked suddenly and Sasuke looked quizzically at her.
"Hmm?" He asked.
"I mean." Sakura swallowed "Won't you get into trouble for skipping work?" It was the first time any of them had brought up work and their real lives in conversation, before they usually kept to frivolous things and Sakura was acutely aware that she didn't know any real facts about him.
"Don't worry about it." He said.
"But-" Sakura began.
"Its fine, I can handle it." Sasuke said sharply and Sakura looked down feeling dejected, Sasuke sighed.
"Sorry." He muttered.
They stayed silent for a while both still moving to the steps that every couple danced at weddings, parties, any time a slow song came on.
"So what will happen now?" Sakura asked again and Sasuke looked at her curiously, "I mean do we do back to sitting at different ends of the coffee shop again and ignoring each other." Sasuke looked thoughtful.
"Are you always free this day?" Sakura frowned slightly before answering.
"Yes, unless we're short staffed at work and I have to go in."
"Okay, I'll meet you next week in the coffee shop." Sakura looked up sharply, her heart beat had sped up at the thought of spending more time with him. Yeah right, some stray thoughts floated to the front of her mind as you don't want any more people thinking you're a couple do you? Sometimes Sakura really hated her sarcastic side, so what if it bothered her that people thought they were dating, it didn't mean they couldn't spend any more time together at least she knew that they were just friends. Sakura inwardly put her foot down on any further arguments she may have with herself.
"Sure, what time?" She asked trying to sound casual.
"Say, one o' clock?" Sakura nodded, and they stopped dancing Sasuke let go of her hands.
"I'll see you then, then." He said with a warm smile.
"Bye." She said softly and they turned and left each heading home at last.
'And as a man with tired hands watches a young couple dance in the car park of his restaurant, there are only these; sparkling eyes, smudged lipstick, faded starlight, the crunching of feet on gravel, laughter and a slow walk home'
~Jon McGregor, If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things