I GOT TIME TO WRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITE! :D
It was rumored that at the top of the building lived a monster, one locked up to never be seen. No one had ever seen it, heard it, nor even had evidence that it actually lived there. The only living proof was a large metal door locked with two locks and the faint and ghostly sound of desperate pleading, "...Please, save me."
Silently Lost
Companions
.
.
Sakura loved people. They were interesting, entertaining, moving.
Alive.
Even though she loved people, she never associated with them. It wasn't that she wouldn't, but couldn't. Days upon days passed with her staring out the window; from so far up on the building they looked like ants, meeting others and socializing— A luxury she didn't have, one she would never have.
Sakura had no friends- well, no human friends. The only companion she had was her cat, a lithe white feline with brown patches of fur and dazzling green eyes. She cleaned him regularly as she had nothing else to do: brushing his teeth clean, grooming his fur, giving him baths. She had done so so many times now that the cat no longer feared water; however, it only disliked the cold feeling, that would never go away.
She dressed him up as well, usually switching the ribbon around his neck and the bell on his neck ranging from blue ribbons to white bells.
One of her favorite pastimes is reading, reading about the world, technology, history, life— practically anything having to do with people. Folk tales were also interesting. Her favorite one was about a young boy who found a monster that lived in a cave out in the woods. She thought the boy had a big heart, taking care and playing with the monster. She never knew what happened in the end as the last few pages were torn out.
"You know," she said to the cat. "I wouldn't be surprised if they became best friends." she kicked her legs and laid down on the wood floor, her elbows propping her up so she could look directly into the cat's eyes. "Wouldn't it be great if a boy like in that folk tale came to find us? What would I do? I'd get so excited!" She hugged her friend and sighed dreamily. "What do you think?"
The cat meowed in response, rubbing its head on her chin. She laughed and rolled around with the cat on the ground, books splayed around them on the ground. "I think that'd be a miracle. Maybe if I wait long enough, he'll come!"
Perking up, she jumped off the ground and ran toward her room, looking for paper and a writing utensil. She left a mess in her wake of searching: drawers left open, paper left laying, paperclips left dangling. When she finally found her precious items, she hunched over the desk and wrote a message in black ink and then rummaged around some more for tape. Once found, she ripped off a piece and stuck in on the wall with other papers.
The cat meowed from below her and she smiled down upon him. "You know," she said picking him up and turning his attention to the wall, "they say that if you wish for something on a piece of paper and stick it up on the wall, then your wish will come true, but only if the note doesn't fall. And you can only use one piece of tape, not duct tape, but scotch tape."
The cat looked quizzically at her patchwork, as if reading her note.
She smiled at her work and then looked at the small calendar on the top left corner of her desk. Taking a pen, she marked off a day with a frown on her face. "They're coming today."
With that, she ran out of the room with the cat and went to pick up the books that she lad left in the other barren room. The cat helped too, picking up one book at a time with its mouth, careful not to damage the hard back cover book. Together, they cleaned up the mess. Afterwards, she ran into her kitchen and grabbed a small kitchen knife from the wooden knife box and ran back into her room.
She then opened her closet and crawled in with her cat, careful to not poke the cat with her blade. She slid the blade under the vent and loosened it. Once loose, she moved the bars and moved the cat in and crawled in after it, but not before re-positioning the bars of the vent back in place. she slid into a secret crevice right below the vent- if anyone looked inside the vent, no one would see her or her cat, the perfect hiding place.
And then she waited, and waited, and waited, and waited until she heard footsteps above her. The sound of muffled voices reached her ears.
"Damn, she's hiding again." A voice said. She giggled.
"Where can she hide is a tiny place like this?"
"That damn brat is sneaky, so watch your back." Another man said.
A long time passed until their muffled voices disappeared. But she would wait longer, wait until she and her cat were sure they were gone. When her cat shifted in her arms, she realized that they were gone and crawled her way back up and out of the vent. When she crawled out, she realized that he cat had run off somewhere.
"Heeeey!" she called. "Where'd you run off to?" She ran out of the room and searched every crevice in the house for her friend. She checked under the chairs, in the bathroom, under her bed, and the book room with no avail. He was nowhere. Not here, not in the area around her.
Panic and fear tugged at her chest. Her cat was the only living thing in this house other than herself. She heard no thumping, no meowing; nothing. And it scared her. Being alone was terrifying.
Tears started to well up in her eyes, her vision blurred by the tears. "Hey, it's not funny anymore. Come out."
The silence grew heavier, as if welcoming her to a new world.
She sat on her bed, her crying soft and faint. Her friend would never do this- sure, he would hide, but he would come out instantly after a few minutes. But he had be gone for far too long. Questions started to flood through her mind. What if those men had never left? What if they took him? Why would they take him and not her? Where had they taken him? Why?
Why?
Why?
And then she heard it. The door clicked open, and she heard the soft thumps of footsteps. She grabbed her knife and stood against the wall closest to the door, ready to attack anyone who came in. She wiped away her tears and stood as still as possible.
They had taken her cat and she was not going to forgive them, not even if it cost her her life.
She saw her cat run in and she moved him to her left.
And then he came in and the next thing that happened was a blur.
.
.
"Who. Are. You." the mysterious girl growled. The blade was still in contact with his throat; he told his body to calm down and analyze the situation, act rationally.
He took a couple deeps breaths to calm down. The girl was patient enough to let him try to still his frantic thoughts. He inhaled, trying to say something, anything, but nothing came out of his mouth. She interrogated him further, never easing her fierce glare on Sasuke. "I don't have time to play around right now. Tell me if you're with them or not!"
He was utterly confused. Who was this girl? Why was she threatening him? Why was she here? How did she get it? Was she working together with the cat? And who was "them?"
Her body was shaking, quivering, above him. It was then that he realized that this girl had probably never hurt anyone before. Sure, she was threatening him with a sharp blade, but she was not strong enough to match against his own superior strength. Her eyes, fierce as they were, occasionally showed split emotions of uncertainty and fear and her face was glistening, as if damp. Then he looked back at her eyes and noticed her lashes were wet. He smirked. She was still innocent, but it wasn't like he wasn't either; therefore, he would play her game: tease her a bit, ruffle her feathers, taunt her in trying to hurt him.
"Why do I have to answer to you?" He smirked.
The girl, suddenly surprised, frowned. "I'm threatening to kill you. Does that not frighten you?"
"Not at all."
Her heart sunk. "Why?"
"Because there's nothing to live for." That was obviously a lie. No matter how pointless life was to him, he would not commit suicide. Suicide was a permanent solution to a temporary problem; he was no so cowardly as to kill himself or walk into his own death. He had his mother to look after. "What's the matter? Too scared to do the deed?"
She blinked for a second, tilting her head from side to side, as if trying to study his expressions. There was a moment of what seemed like a tense atmosphere to Sasuke, but then she busted out giggling, her whole face turning scarlet from oxygen deprivation. "You are such a liar! Wouldn't one be depressed or arrogant when saying such things? Yet, you are relieved?" She leaned her face close and looked deep into his eyes. "Are you trying to fool me?" Her tone furious.
"No," He grabbed her wrist when she was least expecting it and knocked the knife to the other side of the room; the blade spun away from them, with a light clink. Using his strength and weight against her, he flipped their positions with him hovering above her slender form. She gasped in surprise, making him smirk. "Why fool you when I am obviously the dominant one? Now, tell me." He leaned in close, whispering in her ear. "Who are you?"
"I-" She struggled to move out from below him, but it was useless. He was too strong for the girl. His grip tightened on her wrists, her hands pinned on either side of her head. She huffed in frustration and glared at him. "-am Sakura."
"Why are you here?"
She was hesitant to speak, but then whispered, "I live here."
"You're a liar." Sasuke hissed.
"I am not!" Her green eyes displayed confusion. "What reason would I have to lie to you? I obviously can't in this situation." Her eyes gestured to their current position. "If you don't believe me, go and check that closet! All of my dresses are organized by color, my undergarments by material; have a look before you accuse me of lying!"
He scoffed. "Don't even try; I'm not a pervert. If I get off of you now, you'll escape."
"Then take my cat hostage since you already did so! I am telling the truth." She frowned, her brows furrowing at the middle of her forehead. "I bet on my cat's life that that closet has my things. Go! Take a look!"
Sasuke growled. "I am not stupid enough to be fooled by your chicanery."
"Then you're stupid. I am only telling you the truth." She retorted. "Why are you so stubborn?" She sighed. "I swear, I have never meet another human who is so ill mannered..."
Sasuke frowned. "You attacked me first. What right do you have to say that?"
"I thought you were one of them!" She yelled, her eyes ablaze. "I thought you took my cat!"
His confusion returned. "Them? Who is them? And why would I take your cat?"
"The men in the white suits, that pretend to kill bugs." She turned her head. "If you don't know, then I have no reason to hurt you. Can't we be friends then?"
He blinked. This girl... was asking him... to be friends... with her? "What?"
"You aren't a threat; therefore, let's be friends." She smiled, the corners of her lips almost reaching her ears. "I have never met another human before that was the same age as me. You are 26 I presume?" She was no longer struggling; she was now limp in his grasp.
Sasuke frowned. "We can't be friends. I'm going to rape you."
She blinked, then laughed. "B-Bad... so bad at lying! Why would you rape me?"
"Because I can."
"Liar."
His frowned deepened. Was he really bad at lying?Any normal person would think he was being serious. Was his façade revealing? "Men rape for satisfaction you know."
"No, I don't know." She smiled, still unable to suppress her giggles. "Why don't you show me then? Please," she gestured to her body, "demonstrate to me what men do."
He sighed, a long lengthy sigh, then got up and off of the girl. She sat up and motioned the cat whom was sitting to come forward. The cat sat in her lap, all curled up, and meowed in what looked like sleepiness. She stroked its head, scratching occasionally at its ears, which the feline seemed to love. Looking up, she stared at Sasuke. "So, what is your name?"
"None of your business." He bluntly retorted; standing up, he started for the door. "I don't want to get involved with whatever this," he motioned to themselves. "is. Make sure your cat doesn't get out again."
He walked out the door way. He heard her slight protest, but decided to leave anyway.
She grabbed him, her slender fingers firm around his. Anxiety mixed with fear swirled in her emerald orbs, leaving him motionless for a second. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out; only the empty silence that surrounded them engulfed them. She bit her lip, as if concentrating on what to say next before he would leave. "I-I... you..."
The cat meowed. Startled by this, the girl spun around and the anxiety from before grew. She dragged him back into the room, trying to move him near the closet.
He protested. "Wha-"
"Hurry!" She pushed him closer, her hands no longer firm but shaky instead. "They're coming. If they see you, you'll have to leave!"
"Why-"
"Go! Quick!" She shoved him in harshly and rushed in as well. The closet was dark, but he could hear her move something from inside their hiding place. Adjusting his eyes, he saw a small hole appear behind the place where the ventilation bars used to be. She ushered him in.
It was a tight fit; Sasuke was a large, lean male. It took some time, but he finally fell through another gap and landed on ground. It was tight in here as well. he could hear the girl crawling through the vent, closing the opening before she came any closer to him. She dropped into the small hole with him, making the space even smaller.
"You-" He started.
"Shh!" She hushed him.
He could hear footsteps, heavy footsteps, so heavy that the wood floor above them might collapse. Then voices, deep muffled voices, voices that sounded like they were saying, "She... here..."
The pain of couching grew larger, the existence of space tempting. He leaned closer to her, Propping an arm above the girl, and in doing so he was able to lessen the strain on himself. She flinched, her eyes searching for an explanation in his eyes. "Bear with it." he murmured into her ear as to not reveal their hiding spot.
She nodded but in doing so, hit his chin. He glared at the girl who smiled sheepishly, apologetically. The cat shifted its position on his head and he inwardly sighed from this ridiculous situation. All he had wanted to do was get rid of this cat, and in doing so he met a strange girl who threatened to kill him, but somehow now wanted to be friends. Ridiculous.
She could feel her breathing below him, her body pushed up upon his in the tight space. Her breathing was calm, as if she had no care in the world that he was practically stuck on her. Most women by now would have fainted or be squirming from being so close to him, yet here she was, calm and quiet, not even caring much about their current position.
Wait- when had he gotten so cocky? It's not like he cared; it was just something he wasn't used to. Yeah, that's it, something he wasn't used to.
She shifted from discomfort and he could very clearly feel her. It wasn't unpleasant- in fact, it was the opposite. Her body was soft, delicate, and her scent.
Alluring.
Most women reeked with the awful smell of pungent fruit smelling perfume, but she- no, she had a faint scent of flowers on her. A scent that he quite liked, and Sasuke was not a man to like the scent of flowers. He inhaled slowly and tried to analyze the scent.
And then he remembered. She smelled like orchids, exotic, sweet orchids. Just like the ones in his mother's garden; they were very delicate smelling. Like the scent would disappear after just taking a sniff of it.
As if noticing what he was doing, she looked up at him carefully as to not hit his chin again and sniffed him too. He raised an eyebrow at her actions which she smiled back to in reply. The cat did the same and Sasuke sighed.
Sasuke turned his gaze to his wrist and watch the hand of the clock tick by.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. He continued to gaze at his watch until what seemed like an hour passed by. They thumping of footsteps ceased and he heard the faint click of the door close. The cat jumped off his head and walked toward the exit of their cramp space.
She sighed, her breath caught in his. "They're gone."
"Now," He sighed, "how do we get out."
She wiggled beneath him, as if trying to think. Then she perked up and in doing so hit his chin again. He glared at the apologetic girl. "I'll jump up first since I'm smaller than you and pull you out."
"If you can..." Sasuke grunted.
She laughed and wiggled around him and to the side of the exit. She leaned up and almost hit him- she might have even done it if it weren't for his quick reflexes. She heaved herself up with a short gasp and struggled to get out without accidentally kicking the man below.
He blinked at the sight of white silk, but quickly turned away after realizing what it was.
She leaned down once on the cool metal of the vent and put out her hand, "Come on."
"No need." He said. Now that there was space, he could easily crawl out of the small hiding space. She crawled backwards to give him space to lean up, but not far enough and in result their faces were inches apart. She blinked, then turned around in the vent and crawled to the exit.
She let him out before taking her knife and sliding the bars back over the vent. While she was in her closet fixing the vent, Sasuke had time to look around the room. It was quite filled. Random papers covered the walls, from pictures of Blood Falls to pages of music from Bach and quotes from Aristotle. In the middle of the wall of her archive was a tiny white piece of what looked like origami paper with a tiny strip of tape keeping it up. He stared at the message on it written in neat cursive.
Find a white rabbit of my own.
He was confused as to what that meant. But it didn't concern him. He didn't want to get anymore involved with this girl than he already was.
So he turned to walk out only to be held by a hand. Her hand. "Where are you going?"
"Home." He replied.
"But you can't leave." She replied innocently. "The keys are outside. Without them-"
"I can't get out." He finished realizing that he should have taken the keys in with him. He sat and sighed a lengthy sigh.
They sat in silence excluding the thumping of the cat scratching itself. Then, the girl stood up and walked over to the desk. She picked up what seemed like a calendar and tapped her cheek with her hand. "My caretaker is coming today. If she comes early enough, than you can sneak out while I distract her."
He raised a brow. "Am I not supposed to know that you live here?"
"No, you're not." She smiled. "No one is." Silence greeted them again and she shuffled her feet, the lace of her dress swaying as she did so. "Hey."
"What." He replied.
She fiddled with her fingers and pointed to a piece of what looked like sheet music on her archive wall. "Can you play the piano?"
He flinched. "No. I've never played before."
She laughed and ran toward him, pulling at his arms in attempt to pull him up. "Liar, liar- you can play!" She smiled, her laugh light and not unpleasant. "Hey, hey- teach me will you? The books I have don't teach me anything. Teach me!"
"No." he replied bluntly. He was still confused as to how she maneuvered around all of his lies. "I don't play anymore."
She blinked and tilted her head. "Why? Do you have sad memories of playing the piano?"
He sighed and closed his eyes in frustration. "How can I teach you if there's no pi-"
"There is!" She exclaimed. She dragged him up and down the hall, the cat followed. She brought him to another room that was filled with shelves of books and right in the center of the library was a piano. The sleek black piano was cleaned, and it looked like it was well taken care of. It pulled at him, as if tempting him to press its keys. The nagging force was strong.
A slight pain went through his chest, remembering his past, remembering her- her betrayal.
A warm hand patted his back tenderly and he looked up to see Sakura looking up at him, her eyes full of regret. "Sorry, as I thought, the piano brings back bad memories for you, huh?"
He waved her hand away. "Shut up and listen, because I won't play it again." He said and made his way to the instrument. He sat down on the side and she plopped down next to him. He moved a hand to the keys and waited for her to copy him. She did not so he nudged her arm.
"Oh!" She exclaimed and copied his hand position. He adjusted her hand to the correct key and he started playing quietly.
She tried to copy, but only made a mess of her fingers. They played for a while, all the time he scolded her for her bad hand position. She would laugh and he would sigh at her actions. After playing for an hour or more, she had gotten the hang of it and was adjusting her hands to his. They played it together for the last time with no mistakes, the light pleasant sound of the keys echoing in the room.
Suddenly, they heard the clear sound of clapping and turned around to see a woman. A woman far to familiar to Sasuke. "Wonderful, you two played wonderfully! Who knew Sakura would be the one to get him to play the piano again."
He blinked to take in the presence of the other woman. Dark hair, dark eyes, a dainty fancy dress, and a warm smile. "Mother?" He blinked again and tried to make sure he wasn't seeing an illusion. "Why are you here?"
Sakura replied. "She's my caretaker." Sakura skipped over to the other woman and beamed a smile so big it reached from ear to ear. "Mikoto-san! You know this man?"
She smiled. and patted the girl's head. "Yes, I do know him." She then turned her attention to her son. "But how ever did you get in?"
"Long story." He said and put the cover of the piano keys back over the keys. "Why are you taking care of her?"
Mikoto sighed and patted the girl's shoulder. "How about I tell you while we make dinner? I don't get to eat with Sakura much so let us take out time." She smiled and the two women talked to the kitchen. Sasuke followed and watched as Sakura talked to Mikoto about their confrontation. "No Sakura, you don't use kitchen knives to hurt people." She scolded the young woman, then patted Sakura's head in amusement.
They stood in the kitchen, dicing up meat and vegetables to make dinner. Sakura said she wanted to try eating curry, so she asked his mother to teach her. His mother laughed and the two chatted while making the food. Sasuke sat on a stool behind the counter and watched his mother and the other girl get along well. "You two get along well."
His mother turned around and faced her son, a smile on her serene face. "I have been taking care of her for a long time."
"So," Sasuke started. "Why didn't you tell me that there was a person living here?"
A moment of silence passed over them. His mother bit her lip and Sakura smiled sadly at the vegetables cut up nicely on the cutting board.
"Because..." His mother started, but Sakura cut her off.
"I'm a test subject."
Mikoto lightly slapped the other girl. "Do not say something like that. You are not a test subject."
Sasuke couldn't see her face, but he thought she was smiling, and not in her usual happy way. But she turned around and smiled at Sasuke, one that looked to be genuine. "Sorry! I was just kidding!"
His mother looked back at him and smiled. "Your father thinks it's a bad idea to let others know that Sakura is living here."
Sasuke frowned. "Why? Does she even go outside? Why is she locked up in here!" He was surprised himself when he raised his voice. But it didn't matter, this girl would never experience life, life with other people. She was doomed to be locked up in this small condo forever- and the thought pissed him off. "What right does father have in locking up a girl in here?"
Sakura walked over to him and placed the plate of curry in front of him. She placed down a spoon and a glass of water as well. Then she grabbed his hands in her's, her tiny fragile hands around his, and smiled. "You father has every right to keep me here." Her words made him flinch. "When I was alone and suffering, your father picked me up and brought me here. I'm alive today because of him. I understand that you are confused but please don't blame your father for my situation. It's like a gift to me."
He saw her jaw clench and he knew. He knew that she was lying. She was suffering, but why was he so worked up? It wasn't like this was any of his business, she didn't concern him.
And that was when it hit him. Here she was, suffering and sad, yet he was mad that his father was making decisions for this girl, not that he was causing her grief- No, he didn't care about that, the fact that his father was running someone else's life for them without letting them make decisions pissed him off. So much that he didn't care that she was suffering.
He was a horrible person, he and his father.
He clenched his fist. "Sorry." For everything. He excluded the last part, not wanting to show his sentimental side.
But the girl only grinned and stretched her arms. "Now," She started, "enjoy this meal made by us!"
While eating together with Sakura and his mother, Sasuke realized that Sakura was very well educated. She talked about classical literature, ones that no one even read anymore, the ones with such an outdated language that you couldn't even understand half of what was going on. His mother had brought more books for her to read, ones about history in the world, folk tales, science, human anatomy, and just plain adult fiction.
"So," Sakura said while eating her curry, her fingers twiddling with her spoon. "Is Sasuke only a one time visit?"
He blinked and looked at the girl. "Of cou-"
"No," Mikoto smiled. "He will come to see you from now since I am not able to come as often."
He started to protest. "What about wor-"
"Bring your documents here. Sakura can help you with your work, she is very intelligent dear. You could use a good worker like her."
Sakura beamed, a smile on her face. "WOW EVERYDAY? YES!" The cat meowed after finishing its food.
"You're not going to argue," His mother smiled. "Are you dear?"
He could never argue with his mother.
"Ha..."
.
.
The following morning, Sasuke hit himself to see if last night was just a dream, but it wasn't; Sasuke's mother had given him his own set of keys into that place. All of his subordinates were aware of his working elsewhere, but none knew where. They were only to page him when he was needed, and he was only needed for meetings. As far as he was concerned, it felt like his everyday routine- except for him going up to the 58th floor.
The first thing he noticed when he walked into the condo was Sakura laying on the floor on her back with her hair splayed all around her. Today she was wearing a light white sundress, as to cope with the heat of the summer. The windows were open and fresh cool air greeted him as he walked in. She looked up from her business of doing nothing and beamed a bright smile. "You're here!"
"Don't talk while I work." He said and sat down on the couch and placed his paperwork on the coffee table. She crawled over and sat on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. "File those in order of date of documentation. When you're done, categorize these."
She didn't argue and got straight to work. She didn't talk while they worked, as she was told not to talk. It was quiet except for the sound of paper being moved. Sasuke glanced over papers to see if the secretary had correctly filled out the forms or not. He checked to see if business was steady of declining. It wasn't- as he expected, and continued to read the forms. Not even twenty minutes had passed when from the corner of his eye did he see Sakura lay back down on her back, her cat laying on her stomach.
"Hey, finish your-" He started but noticed that all the work he had assigned her was already done. "You're done?"
She nodded. "Un."
"That was supposed to take you an hour." He frowned. He went through the pile and saw that she had indeed categorized and organized everything correctly.
Sakura looked up at him and grinned. "Better than your secretary, huh?"
He only smirked and grunted. "When we're done, I'll teach you some more piano."
He heard a thump and looked up from his papers to see her flipped over on her stomach, the cat now on her head. "Oh boy!"
This went on for about a week. Everyday, he would come to see her and she would help him with work. They'd finish in about an hour or two and have the rest of the day to play the piano, read, or just sleep. Sasuke would teach her piano for an hour then take a rest on the couch. He had leisurely time to lay down and relax— a luxury he had never had before.
Sakura was actually very obedient, which he thought was amusing. She listened to everything he said with interest and obeyed him; however, when she was against him, she used every ounce in her to say what she thought.
She was also very quiet. Despite being quite rowdy yesterday, once she had known him for a while, she toned down and wasn't as hyper. If anything, she was very calm and very easy to please.
She respected that he didn't like a lot of noise and knew when to just give him quiet company. That was something he really appreciated.
On a Tuesday the next week, Sasuke was about to go through his routine of going to work at the condo when a friend stopped him.
"Hey, where have you been lately? I heard you don't work in your office anymore." Naruto smiled and greeted him. He looked at the box of papers in Sasuke arms and raised a brow, questioning it. "What's the box for?"
"Good," Sasuke smirked and motioned to another box. "Help me carry that one up."
"Where to?"
"58th floor."
Naruto was silent for a second and grabbed his friend's arm. "You're joking right? Don't tell me that's-"
"My office is now there." He sighed and walked to the elevator. "Orders from Mikoto Uchiha-sama."
"You're mom?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke turned around and frowned at the blond. "Get the box, dumbass."
Naruto started at the box. "Oh!" and hurried toward his friend.
.
.
They reached the door and Sasuke dropped the box to open the door. Naruto looked around the dark place. "Wow, she demoted you..."
"Shut up." He said and opened the door with a click. Sasuke picked up the box again and walked in. Naruto followed in suit.
"Where is this exa-" Naruto started to say but stopped when his gaze drifted to Sakura laying on the floor, her hair messily splayed around her.
Sasuke sighed upon noticing her. "You're wearing red today? And stop laying down on the ground."
The girl yawned and sat up lazily, her long pastel hair fell around her face. Her eyes drifted to Naruto and she tilted her head quizzically. "Are you allowed to tell another person that I'm here?"
"Allowed to tell-" Naruto choked out and grabbed his friend by the arm again. "When, since when have you been skipping work to be with a girl? When? How long have you liked her? Isn't this against the law?!"
"It's not like that dumbass." Sasuke said.
"Ah!" Sakura pointed to him and stared at him furiously. "Cussing is rude!"
Sasuke only looked at her with raised eyebrows. "And pointing is rude as well."
"What exactly is going on." Naruto frowned at the two. Sasuke told her to clean up her mess of books as he told his friend what was going on. In doing so, the cat walked out of the other room and toward Sakura. Naruto froze upon seeing it. "You mean-"
"That's her cat."
"So she lives here?"
"Hn."
Naruto could only sigh and stare at Sakura and her cat playing with each other. He got up and leaned down to look at the girl, a hand extended and a smile on his tanned face. "Hi Sakura-chan, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a close friend of Sasuke."
She looked up at him, confused as to what he was gesturing. "A close friend?"
"Yeah, let's get along, okay?" Naruto smiled.
Her eyes widened and a smile split her face. "Companions?"
Naruto laughed at the strange girl. "Yeah, Companions."
.
.
That same day, Naruto kept Sakura company while they worked, Naruto helping out as well. The two talked, but Sakura's hesitant behavior to talk while working pulled at Naruto's interests. He looked over to his raven haired friend. "Did you tell her not to talk while you work?"
"Yeah." Was Sasuke's blunt reply. "Work first, talk later."
Naruto chuckled. "Makes sense."
For an hour and a half, they worked until they were finished. The allotted time for working shortened with Naruto helping out. After they were done, Sasuke went through his routine of teaching Sakura piano. That stunned his friend, but he said nothing. They played a melodious tune that Naruto was quite well acquainted with as Sasuke would always play this song in the past.
After they played until Sakura was too tired to lift a finger, they sat down to rest. Sasuke laid on the couch while Naruto and Sakura made something in the kitchen- well, mostly Sakura. Naruto just sat at the counter watching her make what looked like a cake.
"Ne, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, trying to get a conversation going. "When is your birthday?"
She perked up in confusion. "Birth-day?" She said it as two separate words which made Naruto laugh. "What is that?"
"Uhmm," Naruto scratched his chin in confusion. "It's kind of like a day you celebrate every year to commemorate the day of you being born. It's special to you and you alone."
Sakura tapped her cheek and licked the cream from her fingers. "I don't know when I was born. Mikoto-san tells me I'm 23 though, so I've had a birthday 23 times?"
Naruto smiled upon having an idea. "Why don't we make today your birthday? To commemorate the three of us meeting?"
"No!" She yelled. From across the room she could see Sasuke shift in discomfort from her loud protest. "I want to make it July 18th."
Naruto blinked. "Why that date?"
"Because," She started and continued covering the cake in cream. "it's the day I met Sasuke."
Naruto laughed. "Do you like Sasuke?"
She nodded and continued to cover the cake. Naruto and Sakura continued to idly chat while Sasuke read his book on the couch, the cat laying flat on his stomach. When she had added the final touches to the cake she exclaimed, "Cake is done!"
"I don't want any." Sasuke said. He had no appetite for sweet foods.
Even so, Sakura cut three pieces and gave one to him, a face of disappointment greeted her when she gave it to him. "Eat it, it's not a regular cake."
He cut a small piece as to not regret it later. Arguing would leave him with a headache. And so, he ate it. and was surprised when the taste of green tea reached him. The cream tasted sweet, but the sweetness was cut down considerably. The fluffy texture of the cake was also appetizing. Overall, he had to say her cake was good. "Green tea."
"Un!" She smiled and sat to eat the cake as well. "Mikoto-san said you don't like sweet food, so I asked her what you liked."
He pat her head and continued to eat the cake.
Naruto watched the two get along. It was something like a miracle; never in his life had he seen Sasuke pat a girl on the head before. He was never to kind around other women- at least, not after what had happened. Seeing them together made Naruto smile. Sasuke's mother had done well to make him change. Maybe even the past would no longer hurt him.
.
.
Was that too long of a chapter? Well, not much happened so... yeah.
Please tell me what you think, a review really helps!
EnigmaLight— 6:56
