The moon illuminated the whole village as Sakura walked alongside the Uchiha. Lights were lit throughout the streets, but it was the moon that brightened the way.
Sakura and Sasuke were both silent, just as she assumed… The pink-haired girl practically felt the irie tension between one another, urging herself to start up a conversation. But Sakura was still uncertain about what to say. And it honestly wasn't like Sasuke to be talkative. He probably would prefer not talking anyways. After dealing with Naruto for hours on end, who wouldn't want some peace and quiet?
"Where is your house anyways, Sakura?"
"Hmm?" Sakura needed to stop distracting herself with her thoughts. "Oh, it's actually a few blocks away."
No response followed, their conversation short-lived.
Sakura mentally smacked herself in the head. This was going to be so awkward! Why couldn't she think of something—anything—to say? Why did Sasuke-kun even decide to come in the first place?
Sakura desperately darted her eyes through her surroundings, trying to find anything of interest to discuss about. In the end, Sakura was left empty. All the shops were closed, and no one else was on was walking through Konoha's streets. The streets were so empty, it actually surprised Sakura.
Weren't all the shop usually still opened at this time? It wasn't even that late at night. So why?
She momentarily stopped in her tracks, rubbing her fingers into her temples. Thinking about this honestly hurt.
Sasuke took notice. "Sakura?"
"A—sorry, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, glancing down at her sandals. "I think all that sake I drank is finally catching up with me. It's giving me a headache." She quickly strolled passed the Uchiha, walking at a much faster pace. Sasuke only followed behind, choosing not to question the girl anymore about her behavior.
The silence only continued.
Sakura tsked her tongue. This night was never going to end, was it?
Eventually, they reached Sakura's home at a small apartment complex. They had not spoken to each other the rest of the way, just as Sakura predicted.
The pinkette neared the door, Sasuke waiting patiently behind her. Sakura reached for the doorknob before stopping.
It didn't occur to her what she should do now. Should she invite Sasuke in?
She slowly turned to Sasuke. "Thanks you for walking me home, Sasuke-kun." She smiled, before opening the door to her home.
"Does my Rinnegan scare you Sakura?"
Instantly, shivers ran up her spine, goosebumps trailing through her arms. As if she thought he could read lips with that eye; he was a goddamn mind reader!
Sakura turned to him. "W-what—" she stuttered, shaking her head excessively as to deny Sasuke's assumptions, "what make you think that?"
He pointed a finger to his face. "My eyes are up here."
Sakura froze, sweat running down her face.
Sasuke smirked in the slightest when she finally locked gazes with him after shaking her head like a mad woman. He watched her, and couldn't help but notice her fingers trembling the tiniest bit.
Sasuke frowned. Throughout this whole stroll, he watched as she darted her eyes back and forth, never directly acknowledging him. It was childish.
Annoying.
Sakura hadn't changed at all. Neither her nor Naruto were any different since he last seen them.
Everything was practically the same…
And a small depth within him only wondered why.
Suddenly, the Uchiha found something catching his eye. He glanced over at a window inside Sakura's home, brows scrunched together.
Sakura, though, was frozen in her spot, shocked that Sasuke had caught her doing something not even she was aware of. Was she so obvious? The pinkette choked on her words, unsure about how to respond.
Was she afraid of Sasuke?
"Sasuke-kun, I—" She stopped herself when she realized that Sasuke was no longer paying mind to her. He was looking somewhere else.
Slowly, Sakura veered her attention align to what Sasuke was currently seeing: her home through the window. Sakura slightly pouted her lips. Did Sasuke want to be invited in?
His focus did not waver from the window, looking inside the darkness of her home. "People could see you through your home. You should get some curtains." With that, Sasuke turned and walked off. "See you later, Sakura."
A nervous chuckle passed her lips. This night was just getting more and more unpredictable. "Goodnight… Sasuke-kun."
And just like that, there Sakura was, standing behind Sasuke, watching him go. The Uchiha fan stitched to the back of his black, high-neck shirt illuminated in the dark.
Sakura gritted her teeth together watching a scene she had seen one too many times before..
This has gone on for far too long. Honestly, it was like kami was playing some ridiculous game with her.
It was no coincidence that Sakura was always watching their backs…
Her teammates and her friends—her love—they were always ahead of her, miles away from her reach. Did Naruto and Sasuke even realize who they were leaving behind—what they were leaving in the dust?
She had so much potential to show them.
It was humiliating. Just as Sakura thought she was at par with them—just as she thought she was equal in strength and power with her teammates at the brink of war did they proved her wrong. Granted with the powers of the Six Paths, Naruto and Sasuke were suddenly in a different universe compared to her. And with their endless gift of power, they were able to fight off the Rabbit Goddess Kaguya—an almighty being who was practically stronger than the boys were. But they seemingly defeated the god.
And her?.. Sakura barely managed to make a single punch.
In the end, the Fourth Shinobi War only proved how weak she was compared to her team. Though Sakura could be identified as a second generation Sannin, she was nowhere near as powerful as Sasuke or Naruto.
Not in the slightest bit.
Sakura winced as her head began throbbing again. Maybe she couldn't hold down as much sake as she initially thought. The image of her drunk Shisou crossed her mind. The pinkette chuckled awkwardly when rubbing the temples of her head.
At least she was able to maintain a better posture than Lady Tsunade.
The girl suddenly winced again as the pain did not dull. Hoping to find some medication to relieve her headache, Sakura entered her building, shutting the door behind her.
Initially heading to the bathroom to grab herself some aspirin, the girl stopped short of her destination and decided that a glass of water and her own medical chakra would do the trick. With that, the medic-nin switched directions and headed for her kitchen. In her haste, Sakura suddenly bumped her hip into the edge of the kitchen counter. The girl yelped in pain, holding her side tightly. Irritation spiked.
How could she have been so clumsy?
Sakura shuffled into the kitchen.
Her home was honestly a bit too small, but it would be as a home meant for one person.
The girl pulled up her red shirt, just enough to see her hip. It was red and a bit swollen. Sakura gently rubbed her hip again.
She honestly didn't think herself as having a high pain tolerance, especially towards minor things such as this. One of the many reasons that she liked being a healer was to avoid prolonged pain, and the girl was truly grateful for it.
After grabbing herself a glass of water, Sakura went to change her attire into something more fitting for the comfort of home. Once when she pulled on some plain pants and a thin sweater, Sakura headed back to her kitchen. Maybe she could finally enjoy some of that salad she prepared for herself earlier today. Getting out her leftovers, Sakura unconsciously brushed her hair as her hand began to emit its green chakra glow. Instantaneously, the pain of her headache was cut in half.
Sakura sighed at the calming sensation. After her head, she would surely heal her hip next and then maybe she'll head to bed. The girl removed her hand and to take a quick moment to enjoy her meal. She popped a small cube of cucumber in her mouth, chewing through the fresh and mildly sour flavor.
The pink-haired kunoichi furrowed her brows. Is it too late to call her parents tonight. It's been awhile since she last spoke to them; she wondered how they were doing now. Maybe Sakura could—
"Aaagh!" The bowl clattered to the floor, vegetables flying through the room. "w-wha—AAAGH!" Sakura screamed, hands gripping her head steady. A hammer was beating down on her head; she could have sworn her skull was in pieces.
But she just healed herself seconds before! Where was this pain coming from?
Sakura thought the pounding pain wouldn't stop, but out of nowhere, the throbbing pressure of the hammer ceased as her legs turned into jelly. The kunoichi felt on air, her once pained mind now replaced with a lightheadedness. Sakura could see the black spots scattered throughout her vision, and all she heard was a ring and the drums of blood rushing through her head.
She couldn't stand herself steady. She couldn't think straight.
Quickly, Sakura went to grab the closest thing next to her, but her attempt went useless. The girl dropped face-first to the floor after going unconscious, welcoming the cool sensation of the wood beneath her.
The sun shined down rays of light, flooding everything in its vast warmth. The air smelled fresh as if untampered by any foreign being. Besides the crows whining throughout the forest, Sasuke was content with the calming aura the fields brought him.
He welcomed it.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun! You're here!" Sakura waved at the Uchiha far off into the field as he soon spotted her.
"Aa," he acknowledged.
Sakura seemed to be in an energetic mood. With a large smile and wide eyes, Sakura motioned for Sasuke to come and take a seat on the grass near her where four bento boxes were stacked over a thin sheet of fabric.
It's been awhile since Sasuke had ever been back here. He noticed the wide stakes behind Sakura and moved to the one to the utmost left where he sat down and leaned back onto the wood. Sakura busied herself with the bento boxes while Sasuke took in the view of the field, enjoying the mild breeze.
The last time he had been here was during Kakashi's bell test. He remembered how the team ended up at these stakes after they initially failed to show teamwork to capture the bells. It was only when he and Sakura decided to offer the dobe their lunch against their sensei's orders that they unintentionally passed the test.
"Sasuke-kun, why isn't Naruto with you?" Sakura said, opening the bento boxes she prepared for everyone. She passed the box she prepared for Sasuke, and after eyeing its contents, Sasuke pulled out a seaweed-wrapped rice ball. Sakura placed the bento beside the Uchiha.
"He couldn't make it."
"What?! No way!" Sakura scoffed. Naruto wasn't one to skip out on any occasion to hang out with the team. "How are you so sure?"
Sasuke didn't answer, but instead took a bite from his onigiri. The girl did not mind though; she just waited patiently, part of her hoping that Sasuke might comment on the food. Not that onigiri was a hard dish to make. And it wasn't like she was a bad cook to prepare rice balls horribly, but anything can taste different depending on who cooked.
She just hoped that her cooking was more preferable.
"A messenger came into our apartment. Naruto was summoned to discuss with the Hokage. That idiot wouldn't even get out of bed until I knocked him off from it." Sasuke took another bite off his rice ball suddenly shocked when a slightly sweet taste attacked his mouth. He glanced down at his rice ball. It had fillings.
He chewed the meal more slowly.
Dried tomatoes? Sesame seeds?
He turned to Sakura, wanting to confirm his assumptions, but he found her frozen still—eyes wide and face red. Her hand was slightly shaking, as she pointed to him: "you two l-live together?"
A moment of silence…
"Aggk-aggh!" Sasuke choked on the seaweed. "It—" he coughed out rice, "not like that!"
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura rushed over to him.
As the unfinished onigiri dropped to the grass, Sasuke pounded his chest, clearing his throat. Sakura quickly handed him a bottle of water. He took it without hesitation as if it his life-line, gulping it all down.
Sakura carefully placed her hand upon his back, her healing chakra working to find any internal injuries. It felt calming—the sensation of her chakra flowing smoothly into him—Sasuke welcomed it.
"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. He nodded to her, but she did not move her hands away from him while she continued to transfer her chakra unnecessarily.
Sasuke never knew much about medical ninjutsu; he honestly didn't need to—especially during his road to redemption. But one thing that was obvious was that medical ninjutsu was a form of chakra transfer. It's not an easy technique to say the least. Since all shinobi have their own specific chakra type, a medical-nin has to manipulate their own chakra to properly transfer it into another person.
It's more complex than Sakura seems to make it be.
"Gomen Sasuke. I didn't mean to interfere with such a personal question—"
"We're not together." Sasuke said, eyeing her with irritation. Sakura only giggled as awkwardly as the situation was. His face was red. "We've just been bunking in the same apartment until they start rebuilding the Uchiha district."
"Oh." Sakura sweatdropped, laughing nervously to brighten the mood. She misunderstood…
Sometimes she was so stupid.
"Besides, even you know I'd rather be dead than caught in a relationship with that idiot."
Sakura only laughed, happy that it was a misunderstanding.
"It still sucks that Naruto couldn't come," Sakura shrugged as she finally removed her hands from the Uchiha and crawled over to her meal, "but couldn't he have gotten a clone go to Lady Tsunade. He wouldn't have missed lunch that way."
Sasuke only pulled out another rice ball from his bento. "He's an idiot for a reason."
The pinkette only laughed again. Sasuke did have a point.
The Uchiha glanced over to her, finding her enjoying some fried shrimp, "Where's Kakashi, anyways? Wasn't he supposed to be here too?"
Sakura's eyes widened as she stared back at Sasuke. His Rinnegan practically hypnotized her in place. The black rings and tomoe, it was so foreign, so different—just a reminder of all the things that happened to them.
Sakura averted her gaze back to her bento box, "Kaka-sensei has a reputation of being late, remember?" She could feel the wind pick up, blowing through her hair. She smiled at Sasuke. "I'm sure that he won't be long though."
Sasuke didn't respond. The sudden silence bloomed between the two. Only the sound of the cooling breeze being the only reminder that they weren't deaf. Sakura just used the moment to finish her tempera.
Sasuke only stared at her, as if waiting for a reaction. There was a slight moment where he would have be mistaken as spacing out. That's when he noticed it.
"Your head," Sasuke said, shifting in his seat to get a better view.
"Hmm?" Sakura veered her attention to the Uchiha.
"Your forehead," Sasuke pointed at her, onigiri still in hand, "it's bruised."
"What?" Sakura placed her bento and chopsticks down. "R-really?"
"How did that happen?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura's lips mouthed a curse.
Damn, she was so sure that her bruise was concealed under her bangs. It just goes to show how observant Sasuke was, even when he wasn't on a mission or against an enemy.
A mild chuckle was her response while her hand moved up to cover the bruise, "Oh, it was nothing. I just tripped on myself the other night. No need to worry about it Sasuke-kun." She brushed her hair over her forehead, disguising any worry. The bruise Sakura had was a result from the night she fell unconscious in her kitchen. She woke up that next morning on the floor, vegetables and broken ceramic everywhere.
The Uchiha only knitted his brows together. He was skeptical. "Aren't you going to at least heal it?"
"E-eh," Sakura hesitated, "don't worry about it, Sasuke-kun. It's just a small bruise, and I don't want to waste any chakra on it." She gave him a fitted grin.
As if she hadn't thought about it before. The moment she woke up from unconsciousness did she go to check on her injured head. When Sakura did find the bruise on her forehead, she immediately went to heal herself, but it didn't heal. To say that she was shocked was underrated; she was completely horrified. Her body wasn't healing. Why wasn't her body healing? Why wasn't her medical chakra healing?
The girl contemplated the idea that it was just due to her chakra control, but after practicing her medical jutsu on Sasuke, she knew it wasn't an issue of her perfect chakra control. Though she did eliminate one possibility as to why she could no longer heal herself, Sakura wasn't sure what the other possibilities could be.
She had to tell Tsunade about it, Sakura decided. She would let Tsunade know the next time they'd meet. Until then, Sakura would be sure to stay away from any alcoholic beverages, predicting that that is the source of her mysterious problem.
"So have you done any training to improve the coordination of your right arm? How is your other arm anyway?"
Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He shrugged, "It's not that difficult. Naruto is great to train with, and it's getting easier to handle chidori."
Sakura didn't say anything. She just stared on at him, a wide smile gracing her features. Sasuke, in turn, only stared back at her, watching her mind drift into space.
What was she thinking about?
Sasuke knew that things were different. With his history as a rogue nin, abandoning his comrades, it was simple to assume that the views Naruto and Sakura once had for him had changed.
He didn't make the right choices as he was consumed by the desire for vengeance for his clan—his family, and because of that, he lost the opportunity to grow with his team. All the potential memories that would have been had he decided to stay.
All the happiness that Sakura promised him the night he left—was it still there for him now, or had he distance himself too far too late to find it?
It frustrated him. He selfishly denied the happiness that he could have had with his childhood team, and embraced the dark nature that exposed him to the power he needed.
He chose power over them, until the very near end of the Fourth Shinobi War.
So why would they act like nothing's changed!? Sakura and Naruto acted like nothing happened! They invited him back with open arms as if they completely forgot that he tried to kill them.
They weren't supposed to do that. He wasn't innocent by any means to deserve such forgiveness.
Sasuke didn't deserve any of it.
And as if she heard his thoughts loud and clear, Sakura spoke up. "I'm intimidated." She dropped her gaze. "I'm not scared of the Rinnegan. I'm just," she let out a sigh, "I'm just intimidated."
Sasuke didn't respond, so she went on. "The last time you were at the village, you were just a boy Sasuke-kun. Heck, we were all just kids." She offered him his bento, where he reached for the sashimi slices. "You've changed so much Sasuke, and it's still a difficult change to settle into—for all of us. I know you're not the same boy at the academy, but that doesn't mean anything to Naruto." She turned her face away, forcing a smile through her teeth.
That didn't stop her eyes from watering.
"I'll always be there for you Sasuke-kun, but please forgive me for not adjusting to you sooner."
And there it was, the proof of sorrow running down her face. It was just one tear, but Sakura cursed herself for it nonetheless. She wiped it off with a swipe of her hand.
Sasuke sighed. "I never asked for you or Naruto to do anything for me." He paused for a moment before saying, "I did nothing to deserve—"
"I'm not doing it for you Sasuke! I'm doing this for me! For us!" Sakura blurted, anger spreading her features, "it's more selfish than it sounds." Her fist clenching the grass beneath her. "I just want everything to be the way it was, like nothing ever happened." She turned away from him. "I just want our childhood again."
It was true. All she wanted was those genin days to never end. She selfishly wanted Sasuke to be the boy he was at the academy. For Naruto and him to mindlessly compete and argue with one another while she and Kaka-sensei watched on with content.
Their childhood finished too soon for her, and Sakura didn't want to let it go. She just wanted to live it all again.
"We're doing it for us, Sasuke. How long until you realize that? We're a team—together forever. Just accept it. Accept it and be happy."
The Uchiha's eyes widened, surprised by his teammates response. He processed the words in his head, again and again.
How long until he realized that his friends would never leave him? He would never be alone. The bond between him and his two friends were unbreakable. And Sakura had to say it straight to his face to make the point; they were a team, and he was the one holding back.
And she made a point. Though he didn't completely break their bond when he left the village to gain strength and power, there was undoubtedly a scar in place. And though it did affect the bonds between him and Naruto, they have been able to bind the wound—maybe even healing it altogether.
But with Sakura…
Her wounds were deep, and it was all thanks to his ignorant actions from the very beginning. The worst part of it all was that she was blaming herself for not being able to patch up the cracks he caused. And he was just distancing himself farther away.
Sasuke could feel his nails digging into the flesh of his palm, his jaw tight as teeth gritted.
This has to stop.
And he would fix it. Between both Sakura and Naruto.
This village was his home, and his friends were his family.
He smirked at the girl. "Arigato, Sakura." The girl popped her head up high, hearing words she once thought to be a dream. The Uchiha only leaned back upon the wooden stake before changing the context: "The food was great."
And just like the, the girl next to him fumed, giggling in embarrassment only after smacking the Uchiha on the arm, hand moving to cover her reddening face. "Ne Sasuke-kun, you're such a tease."
Sasuke smiled at her.
Her hair was getting longer.
Whoa! That was a chapter!
I'll be honest, I was going to add more to this scene, but I wandered so much! Besides, I think I wrote plenty, and I really want to know what you guys think about it. And who knows? I'll probably add some more Sasusaku fluff that I intended in the next chapter cause I really want this relationship to develop.
Anyone got any guesses on what's happening with Sakura? It's honestly too early to know, but PM me if you have any.
As for Madara, we'll hear from him by one of the next two chapters. For anyone that cares…
I think the most difficult thing about writing is just balancing the amount of descriptions I put into visuals and transitions between topics. I would really appreciate some feedback from you all. Please tell me if you find yourself too confused with the descriptions or if they sound too forced. I want to improve my writing for the sake of better content stories.
Please help motivate me to whip up the next chapter with your reviews.