To say that their first date was a disaster would have been an understatement. Sakura knew and understood that Sasuke's proud, dignified – if not rather arrogant – attitude held him back from openly declaring his deep-rooted affections for her. Despite loving and accepting these qualities of his, she would be lying if she were to say that she didn't harbour any jealousy toward others and their exclusively 'couple' activities. So when the rare, unexpected offer for a quiet meal, just the two of them, was raised, she couldn't resist jumping at the chance.
"Are you sure you're okay with that?" she blurted out, failing to conceal the grin that was slowly spreading across her face.
His determined gaze softened slightly as he glanced down at her.
"Aa." he replied, before slowly adding "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't."
Her steps slowed a little, as if to prolong their ritualistic and much-savoured morning walk to the hospital, "So…when were you thinking?"
He paused, his eyes floating imprecisely along the path in consideration "Tonight. I plan on making dinner reservations today." His deep voice held a glimmer of finality, as if he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.
Sakura's eyes flickered up to assess his determined expression, slightly taken aback by his eagerness to treat her. Yet at the same time, her insides swarmed with the gentle flutter of butterflies, as it dawned upon her that he genuinely wanted to spend a romantic evening with her.
Her grin deepened in response to his request "Right. Tonight it is."
The familiar sight of Konoha hospital abruptly cut short their valuable time together, and pressing a chaste kiss on his cheek, she rushed inside as duty called. To onlookers, the exchange would've seemed like a dulled romance without hefty the displays of passion, that was expected from Konoha's most unpredicted couple. But nothing could've disturbed the underlying nervous excitement, that hung in the air like static electricity between the pair.
All day, the clock hands in Sakura's office inched by, as if it were purposely tormenting her. And yet, her spirit soared as high as inhumanly possible, to the point that Shizune stared at her in fascination and wonder at what could've possibly occurred, to create such a bright and unclouded aura. Hours later, after having observed intently as the large hand of her office clock struck 6pm, she leapt from her desk practically bounding through the exit. She had already requested from Tsunade – and had been granted – the opportunity to finish hours earlier, provided that she finish the large stack of unsigned paperwork on her desk. Hell, she'd do anything to spend the evening with the love of her life, so she damned well made sure that she finished signing that paperwork.
It was vital that she looked her absolute best for Sasuke that night. Although it seemed childish and trivial – and rather Ino-esque – it was her first actual date with the man she'd opened her heart to since she was a mere child. A large proportion of her brain told her that Sasuke wouldn't care if she answered the door dressed in a bin-liner, since there was no doubt over his feelings for her after their fiery first kiss.
The flash of remembrance in her memory triggered the spread of a pink glow of the cheeks. She could still feel the soft brush of his breath as it fanned her face. The firm grasp of his strong calloused fingers as they interwove in the locks of hair at the back of her head, holding her firmly to him, as if to relish in the moment.
Sakura shook away the memory – it was not a priority – as she tumbled into her small apartment. She hastily dumped her belongings in a pile beside the pale green couch, before jumping into the hot shower. Much to her dismay, the heat of the water scalding her pale flesh did nothing to soothe her frantic nerves.
At precisely 7pm, Sasuke stood outside her door, like a raven in his one and only sleek black suit. Hands stuffed into his pockets, he waited patiently for Sakura to finish, whilst reassuring himself countless times, that he's selected the perfect restaurant for the two of them.
With a click of the door handle, Sakura finally emerged, and Sasuke's breath evaporated from his lungs. Pulling her key from her front door, she turned to him only to find his eyes transfixed on her, widened slightly, as he assessed her attire.
She looked beautiful. Like a cherry blossom glittering with morning dew and dappled in rays of sunlight, she stood before him. His dark eyes flitted to and fro, taking in the sight of her wearing the most exquisite white dress that he had ever seen, the hem falling to her knees, and scattered delicately with little ice-blue flowers that somehow accentuated the leaf-green of her eyes.
"You look good, Sasuke-kun." She interrupted the silence, her eyes gliding over his suit, "It's actually kind of strange seeing you all dressed up like this though."
"You too…really good." he muttered, tilting his head toward the staircase that led to the exit, concealing the rosy tint of his cheeks. He held out his arm for her to hold, "Let's go."
As they stepped through the doors into the dim lighting and warmth of the restaurant, Sakura immediately took note of the classy, yet relaxed atmosphere of the room. It was rather surprising that Sasuke had chosen such a beautifully appropriate location for their first date…but then again, she had only ever been on light-hearted dates with Naruto, who seemed to believe that Ichiraiku's was perfect for any kind of event, whether it be dates…or business meetings. The room was scattered with elegant tables, embellished simply with a single freesia on each table, and lit by pillar candles whose light threw a warming fiery glow against the cinnamon painted walls.
A young, blonde waitress immediately bobbed her head toward the couple, approaching them with a nervous smile at the sight of Sasuke.
"A table for two?" she beamed at him, almost completely ignoring Sakura, whose lips twitched in irritation.
"Aa." Sasuke replied, silently noting, yet slightly smirking at the way Sakura's grip on his arm immediately tightened.
The waitress gestured to Sasuke to follow her through the selection of occupied tables, into the centre of the room. Judging by the waitress's rude attitude toward Sakura, and the flustered glances that she was directing toward Sasuke, an imbecile could tell that she was a fangirl, and most likely had been since their genin days.
Sakura detached her hand from his bicep, and proceeded to reach her hand to sit on the chair waiting for her. However, a hand beat hers to it. Sasuke awkwardly drew back the chair, in a gesture that made her feel like a princess. Unfortunately, the waitress who had witnessed the brief event, sent Sakura a glare that was dirty enough to send shivers down one's spine. But Sakura simply grinned in response, enjoying the competitiveness of pre-won battle. It was a childish game, she knew, since she had no doubts over Sasuke's dedication to her, but the naughty imp inside her couldn't resist gloating to his fangirls.
With a sour countenance, the waitress handed Sasuke a menu – again paying no attention to Sakura – and took their order. Sakura could only hope that scorned woman wouldn't spit on her food before serving it.
Her lover gazed at her competitive expression with something that resembled pride, before he opened his mouth to speak "Saku-"
"Yo, Sasuke-teme!"
Sasuke's blood froze in his veins. His mismatched eyes widened, as he recognised the annoyingly familiar raspy voice, and the vexatious suffix.
"Naruto?..." Sakura gasped, staring at the blonde bombshell stood behind the empty table that resided next to their own.
"Hi Sakura-chan!" he grinned, holding open a chair for the nervous wreck that was Hinata, who blushed a shade of strawberry scarlet as she took the offered seat.
Sasuke glared madly at his teammate. He couldn't have picked a worse night to intrude on, than his first romantic evening with the girl who he'd been infatuated with since he was thirteen.
"You look a little out of place in a restaurant like this, don't you think Usuratonkatchi?" he hissed, barely concealing his infuriation "I'm surprised you're not at Ichiraiku's."
Naruto frowned, shaking his head "I'm on a date with Hinata-chan. Please Teme, at least give me a little credit." He gestured to the madly blushing heiress, "Hinata-chan's way too pretty for Ichiraiku's"
Sakura glowered at Naruto menacingly, "And I'm not?"
Naruto waved his hands anxiously in front of his grimacing face "Of course you're pretty Sakura-chan. Teme's super lucky to have you." He slid into the seat beside Sasuke's and scanned his eyes over the menu that a waiter had handed over.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke noticed Sakura's gentle smile toward the couple, and gritted his teeth with the guilt that he couldn't muster the courage to say such embarrassing things to Sakura…especially not in front of the Dobe.
"Actually, Sasuke-teme" Naruto began, with a sly foxy smirk stretched across his face, "It's kind of weird to find you here of all people."
Sasuke's jaw muscles noticeably tightened.
"Never would've guessed that you were a secret romantic." The blonde continued, with mischief dancing within the cerulean of his round eyes. "If he's this romantic, I can't begin to imagine what he's like in the bedroom, ne Sakura-chan?" he added nudging Sasuke's arm with his elbow, as if to provoke a response.
Sasuke grunted maliciously under his breath at the comment, whilst Sakura's face flushed with varying gradients of rose and crimson. Neither felt ready to face the embarrassment of having to explain to their friend that they hadn't actually reached that stage in their relationship yet.
"Naruto!" Sakura growled, "You're in a public place! In a restaurant, at that! Don't make me punch you…"
Naruto's complexion notably blanched as Hinata released a soft giggle.
"Y-you're actually scared of Sakura-san." She stuttered nervously, yet her eyes were lit with amusement "I-I wanted to say this before, but I actually d-don't mind Ichiraiku's. I'll eat anywhere with you N-Naruto-kun."
Upon hearing these words, Naruto bounced in his seat excitedly, "Nah! Only the best for my Hinata-chan."
Hinata's blush darkened to a tone beyond cherry-red, and she had to take deep breaths as a prevention method from fainting.
Sasuke, observing their sickeningly cute 'couple-talk', stared emptily at the tablecloth in front of him, as his hands clenched the edge of the table in frustration. Sakura, sensing his obvious discomfort, reached across to lace her pale fingers through his, giving his palm a soft, reassuring squeeze.
His dark, dark eyes flickered up to meet hers, and she offered him a gentle smile with the soothing brush of her thumb stroking circles in the back of his hand. With a bust of calming green chakra from her fingertips, somehow the agitation that had swelled within him until it reached bursting point, suddenly dissipated…only to spring right back again.
"Hey Sakura-chan? Teme? This is the perfect chance for a double date, don't you think?"
Sasuke's eyes practically flew from their sockets, as he glanced at Sakura's gaping face.
"Erm…Naruto-" she began, her voice trembling at the unwanted offer.
"Come on, Sakura-chan! It'll be fun!" he interrupted her, shuffling their square mahogany tables together with noisy scrapes that echoed and bounced off the walls, earning them quite a few disgruntled stares from their fellow customers.
"But Naruto, I don't know if Hinata-san would be happy about that." Sakura pleaded quietly, as so not to attract even more unnecessary attention.
Hinata waved her hands reassuringly with a pretty smile across her delicate face "I d-don't mind at all. Sakura-san and S-Sasuke-kun are wonderful people."
Naruto's cheesy grin broadened, as he shifted his chair closer to Sasuke's, much to his annoyance.
The exact same words ran dismally through both Sakura and Sasuke's minds.
So much for a candlelit dinner for two…
Overall, the evening was, in a single word…memorable.
Throughout the course of the meal, Sasuke's temperament began to progressively decline. So much so, that he had to refrain from burying his face in his hands shamefully, as Naruto scoffed down his food with the grace of a wild boar.
Surprisingly, Hinata seemed unfazed by the lack of table manners, and lovingly proceeded to dab – with a trembling hand – at the specks of sauce that spattered across his lips.
On the other hand, Sasuke's body language suggested that he was attempting to pretend as though he wasn't dining with, or even associated with the ramen-pig beside him, despite the whole village knowing that they were teammates.
He would be lying if he were to say that Hinata and Naruto's stereotypical couple behaviour didn't get to him. It wasn't that it was directly assaulting him; it resurfaced his feelings of inadequacy that had remained buried deep within since his childhood with Itachi. No matter how much his inner voice attempted to convince him that he should affectionately touch Sakura's hand, or even reach over to brush that stray lock of hair from her beautiful eyes, his body refused to cooperate. Often, he felt the intensity of Sakura's eyes on him, her gaze observing his behaviour with concern. Of course, she would understand that he wasn't much for sentimental words – after all, he was a man of action – but seeing Naruto's ease with such emotional behaviour, sparked the forest green flame of envy within him.
"You look so pretty tonight, Hinata-chan." Naruto whispered, resulting in a rather tomato-faced heiress, whom was verging on fainting.
She played with her fingers, murmuring "Arigatou…N-Naruto-kun" before her fingertips moved to the chiffon of her dress, clutching at the silky lilac fabric that gave her the breezy aura of a faery.
Sakura heard a barely audible animalistic growl from across the table, and glanced up from her food, to find a brooding Uchiha, fuming like a villainous creature prior to attack.
"Sasuke-kun" she breathed, noting that Naruto and Hinata were oblivious to the boiling rage of her lover. It was a matter of time before Sasuke snapped, and so deciding to take action, she lifted her fingers to signal to their irritating blonde fangirl waitress.
She sauntered over sulkily, muttering a rudely impatient "Yes?"
Sakura was much too exhausted to play stupid games "The bill, please."
Sasuke's head jumped up, his eyes boring into hers with a mixture of perplexity and gratitude. She smiled weakly at him, before turning to Naruto and Hinata whose eyes were pressing on her with worry.
"Are you okay, S-Sakura-san?" Hinata asked gently.
Naruto's gaze shifted between her and Sasuke, who was watching her steadily with a quiet intensity.
"Sakura-chan?" he asked, "Did you eat something bad? Are you ill? Do you want me to complain?"
Sakura grinned, bonking Naruto on his blonde little head, "I'm fine. It's just getting rather late, and I have work tomorrow, and Sasuke-kun has a mission."
Naruto's bright eyes shifted suspiciously to Sasuke, who grunted an "Aa" in agreement.
Begrudgingly – given that the date was a disaster – Sasuke placed some notes on the bill when it arrived, and ignored the lusciously suggestive glances of the irritating blonde waitress, whom he couldn't wait to be rid of.
Sakura smoothed down the rumples of her pretty white dress, before gathering her belongings and her coat. The plastic smile that covered her expression wasn't fooling him, but it most definitely fooled Naruto and Hinata, to whom she beamed, "See you later, Naruto, Hinata. Enjoy the rest of your date."
Hinata nodded politely, "Arigatou, Sakura-san. S-Sleep well…and good l-luck on you mission tomorrow, S-Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke nodded with another grunt of affirmation, and once again offered his arm to Sakura, whose face glowed with the gesture.
They walked in silence along the paved streets of the village, back to her apartment. It was like their usual nights, where he would escort her home, and she would invite him inside for tea. But this time, something was different. Unspoken words hung between them like mist over a lake, and Sasuke knew that he had to say something to break the icy wall. Sakura had always been the one to confess love, saying those three words as if they were simply a drop in the ocean. A mere nothing, compared the actual extent of her emotion toward him. If Sakura could say it, and Naruto could say it, then why couldn't he?
He halted in the street, the beams of moonlight illuminating the contours of his face, and casting shadows elsewhere. A perfect symbolism of his double character; the Sasuke that he once pretended to be, running through his warpath of destruction…and the Sasuke that he actually was. The Sasuke that she saw in him. The Sasuke that he wished to be, for her sake.
Sakura frowned, the thought that something was distinctly wrong, working its way into her brain like a worm, and playing havoc on her doubts and insecurities.
"Arigatou, Sakura." He spoke, finally, "For getting me out of there. The Dobe was driving me insane."
She waved her hand nonchalantly, "Ahh…It was nothing."
A few strands of her pink locks danced in the light midnight breeze, as her eyes – the most extraordinary shade of viridian – gazed into his with such compassion that made a shiver run down his spine. No she didn't have what women referred to as an 'hourglass figure'; her chest wasn't particularly large; her hips far too narrow. Her forehead was strangely wide, and her hair annoyingly bright. And yet, in his eyes, as she stood before him in the elegant white dress that portrayed the innocence of her character, she was so beautiful.
She was home.
And suddenly, it seemed so easy.
His piercing eyes penetrated straight into the depths of hers, "I love you, Sakura."
The smile that adorned her features lit a blazing flame in his soul, and the words she next spoke made something in his heart tremble with relief.
"I know you do, Sasuke-kun. I don't need words to understand you."
Naruto ducked down behind the corner of the wall, his fingers clenching Hinata's, as he watched the scene unfold before him.
His gleaming blue eyes were fixed on the couple, as an enthusiastic grin crept into his expression "I knew it would work! I was right for going ahead with it, wasn't I Hinata-chan?"
Hinata allowed the fingertips of her free hand to brush the rough texture of the brick wall of the side street, "I-I don't think Sakura-san and S-Sasuke-kun will be happy if they f-find out that you purposely made him f-feel bad, so that h-he would be more romantic to S-Sakura-san."
Naruto shrugged, playing down the constant driving force that he's had within the relationship between his teammates. He was always there, working in the shadows to keep their relationship in motion, and yet, somehow he felt as though it was unnecessary. Sasuke-teme was always going to be the one for Sakura-chan, and vice versa. Even if they moved inch by inch, they were still moving, and that was what really mattered.
"They're made for each other, aren't they Hinata-chan?"
A smile graced her features, as she nodded with an "Un" in agreement.
