Chapter 1
Spring: The Season of Blossoms
The smell of fresh flowers lingered in the breeze, encasing them in quiet sanctuary. Grass, green as emerald, carpeted the earth below, mildew hanging delicately on leaf blades. The color of blush painted their surroundings with the lush colors of life, enveloping them into loving embrace. The hill that they sat on, covered in nothing but Sakura trees, was abundant with the sweet aura of Love. Couples, Friends, and Families gathered together to watch the elegant descent of Sakura onto the green rug below.
"How'd you convince Naruto not to come?" Cherry lips curved into a bright smile and a playful tease in her emerald eyes, Sakura Haruno sat encased between Uchiha Sasuke's long, slender legs. They both sat on a picnic blanket, pink and white so as to mingle perfectly with the Sakura. She inclined her head, turning to meet the eyes of her lover who stared back at her.
"I'm not going to tell you," He jested with a straight face. He had his arm wound around his lover's shoulder while his other supported their weight.
"You tempted him with Ramen, didn't you?" Just like always, she was right on the dot. When she noticed the scowl on his face, she deduced she was right. With a victorious smile, she chuckled before turning away to watch the Cherry blossoms fall. She linked her hand with his, their promise rings, given by Sasuke on Christmas eve some years ago in their early teen years, gently rubbing against each other.
"Sakura," Sasuke had whispered her name, softly blowing on her ear as he attempted to arouse his partner. Unfortunately, his attempts at seduction had only caused the girl to jerk back in surprise. He smirked, pulling her with both arms, "Trying to escape?" He snuggled her, rubbing the top of his head against her nape and causing Sakura to flinch—she was ticklish.
"Sasuke stop it," She pleaded, grasping his arms in an attempt to loosen his hold. With a chuckle, Sasuke had simple responded with a gentle nibbling of her ear, something that usually got Sakura begging him to stop.
Oh, but he knew she wanted more. "Saaaaassssuuukkkeeeee!" She squirmed beneath his grasp, wiggling from side to side to somehow throw him off. Alas, Sasuke's strength had overpowered her own. Of course, in a real fight, Sakura's beyond human strength could easily throw him off. She was stronger than most girls after all—monstrously so.
He snickered, enjoying the red tinge on her cheeks as she attempted to break free from his embrace. She was adorable like that. "Sakura," his tone deepened, calling the moment of play to a pause, "Let's get married," he whispered, tightening his grasp on her body. He pulled her towards him, making sure that he enveloped her whole body in a tight embrace. "Let's get married after we graduate,"
Then, there was silence. The murmurs and chatters of the other couples had drowned the two, the spring breeze whooshing passed them delicately. "Sakura?" she had her back towards him, their rough-rousing coming to a complete stop with Sakura frozen and unresponsive. "Sakura, oi," Sasuke's heart began hammering. What if she declined? Had he jumped steps ahead without realizing it? The drums of anxiety furiously beat against his chest, gaining speed with each silent, lingering second. It was only until he saw those beautiful emerald eyes did he once again find his calm.
Wordlessly, she had turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Even when moments had passed and they had stayed in an embrace, she had not spoken a word. Instead, she had kept a gentle smile on, loving acceptance in her eyes. He smiled back, a wave of relief rippling through his body. He took her hand and kissed the knuckle of her promise ring-bearing finger.
This was the happiest he had ever been.
Blinding happiness.
XxxxxxX
It had been a day since the Sakura viewing. Since the proposal, neither he nor she had told anyone of the news. It was something they decided was best kept from the public until after graduation. After all, Sasuke still had to properly ask permission from Sakura's parents. Clad in a black muscle shirt and board shorts, Sasuke Uchiha was heading towards the park.
Excitement made his heart beat fiercely. He had proposed to her the other day, but he would make things official today. Hidden from view, a ring was nestled cleverly inside the Popsicle he had specially made. Now, he held that same Popsicle inside a plastic bag that seemingly came from a local convenience store. With a seemingly callous face, albeit he was skipping in joy inside, he spied Sakura standing in the center of blossoming Sakura trees.
The hill for Sakura viewing was their favorite place. Most of all, it was his favorite place. That place that seemed to surround him with nothing but the thoughts of his lover, it had become his personal Sanctuary. "Sakura, I'm back," he muttered loud enough for her to hear.
Long pink hair, the color of the Sakura petals, was pulled back by a thin, maroon headband. She wore a dress, trimmed exactly at her knees to show off her splendid, long, cream legs. Pink wedge heels strapped at her feet added height to her petite yet well-trained form. He held her figure, plastic on one hand, pulling her towards him. "Your favorite flavour," He planted a soft kiss on her cheek, a loving gesture only for Sakura to know was possible for the brooding Uchiha.
A small smile appeared and a soft chuckle was heard before Sakura whipped herself around to plant a deep, passionate kiss on his lips. "Sakura…" He managed to utter in surprise as they both pulled away to gasp for air. "Wow you—"
"Let's break up."
His heart had stopped.
"…what?" He was cynical, letting out a chuckle to suppress the deep sinking of his heart. However, the irrepressible pang of dejection was climbing into the chambers of his heart at an alarming rate. What the hell did she mean?
Her eyes were still. They held no wavering feelings or playfulness as he had thought they would. She was serious. And it only made his heart stir even more.
"You can't be serious, Sakura! Is it because of the proposal?" His eyes almost appeared red in his rage. "Tell me that isn't what you want! We've been together for years and—"
"It's Naruto."
"What?"
"I...I like Naruto." She had swallowed in that faint pause, her voice slightly shaking from her rather inconceivable confession.
"...You like Naruto?"
"I do and that's why...why I can't marry you. It would be like betraying my feelings, and I—"
"Shut up." Sasuke had turned away from her; the plastic bag he was holding was on the ground—fallen from the shock earlier on. The Popsicle inside was melting, most likely smearing the ring along with it. "Since when?" He demanded, returning her gaze with a swift, angry jolt.
"The festival."
"That long?"
"...yes."
"Leave."
"Sasuke I—"
"...leave."
Wordlessly, Sakura had turned heel and ran away. Her green eyes were hidden from Sasuke as she rushed down their little sanctuary and towards her home. Sasuke was left standing alone on that beautiful hilltop, a depiction of some morose prank maybe—or wished it was. Pink cherry blossoms continued falling with the wind, carelessly fluttering about Sasuke. His vision entailed Pink. He hated it. Everything was incomprehensible.
How had he not seen it? Sakura and Naruto were closer than he would have liked, true, but he had imbued his trust in them and had turned a blind eye on it. It seemed that his trust had been misplaced—again. He had loved her—damned as she was now—and he was regretting that he ever did. And he had thought of marriage? A future? A...family?
To make matters worse was that tears were now falling from his ashen gray eyes. They were falling in a manner Sakura's had not when she left Sasuke alone on the hilltop. Tears had not fallen down her cheeks as they usually should have. It only made matters clear that what Sakura had done was not in her conscience. She was probably feeling nothing from the breakup. Deception was a woman's best weapon, and she had gotten him good.
From now on, as he once did not so long ago, he would trust no one.
"Fuck. School starts tomorrow."
XxxxxxX
"It's cold today, isn't it?" Blonde and blue-eyed, Naruto held his school bag by the handles. His arms were raised over his head and folded behind him, sports bag dangling as if it weighed nothing. Truth be told, it weighed a ton. He had PE classes in the afternoon and had brought a change of clothes along with his books and a notebook. To the carefree Uzumaki, however, this was nothing—even when he held a maroon purse with his right hand, raised and held in the same fashion as his sporty school bag. His hurt was sunken. Such small chit-chat was aimed to ease the heavy feeling in his heart. Unfortunately, it did him no good at all.
She shivered, rubbing her palms together as she blew hot breath onto them. "Yeah. Winter's over. I thought it'd be hotter," Sakura Haruno spread her lips into a sweet smile, keeping her pace in rhythm with Naruto's. She, too, felt an ounce of guilt, but she was determined to hide it away.
"Oi, Sakura, about what you said," He glanced at her, watching her small figure try to keep with his. He subtly slowed, letting his arms drop at his side. He didn't want to open the topic up again, but had he a choice?
"What about it?" Green eyes fixed on Naruto. She knew what he wanted to ask, she could see it in his eyes. She had known Naruto since she was a child, figuring him out was an easy task. She folded her hands behind her, cutesy walking as if unaware of what he meant.
The morning air was crisp. Japanese houses, separated from one another by 7-foot fences made of thick concrete, ailed their cemented pathway. Mornings like these in Japan were exhilarating especially with the Spring season slowly entering the atmosphere. They felt each cold breath they took in, their lungs filling with satisfaction.
"Well, it's just..." He turned away from her, glancing elsewhere to ease the awkwardness he was feeling, "have you told Sasuke?"
"Go out with me" she had said this with a playful grin, one that Naruto had always appreciated when they felt like making a ruckus. However, this time, this smile sent shivers down his spine.
"What do you mean, Sakura?"
"Why are you hesitating? I like you Naruto I—" She took a step towards him, arms out to hold onto him tightly.
"OI!" Naruto had blurted it out, pulling himself away from her before she could do anything, "Why are you being like this? First you break up with teme and now you—"
"Naruto. Please." That grin had been wiped clean off her face as a solemn and determined expression replaced it.
He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. The hell? When Sakura was like this, it scared the hell out of him. What on earth possessed her to make such a face? The last time she looked this determined was when she was so fixed on making Sasuke hers despite his numerous killer fans. Now, she had made the same face, but for what reason? "I don't understand, Sakura"
Sakura's lids lowered, a sad look in her eyes making tears well up in them, "Alright. I'll tell you but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone. Swear on your life!"
Sakura turned away from Naruto, silence bridging the gap between the two.
"Why haven't you told him?" The blonde turned towards Sakura, stopping in his tracks to properly face her. "You don't have to do all this, you know?"
"Aa, I know. But..." She let her sentence trail, avoiding those justice-bearing cerulean eyes Naruto had fixated on her. She hated it when he got into his rare preachy moments because for so seldom that it happened, he was often right.
By now, it was almost time for class to begin. Students, hurrying to get past the school gates before the morning bell rung, were slowly swarming up. It swallowed the two up into the sea of people, their mutterings drowning the silence between them.
Naruto leaned close to Sakura, dropping both bags he held and placing a large hand on Sakura's head. He pulled her against him, patting her head as he did, and planted a kiss above her head. They slowly began to be wrapped up in their own world. Fellow students dodged the apparently new couple, muttering words of gossip as they passed the two.
"Alright, I get it. I'll do it. I'll go out with you."
XxxxxxX
"Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno are a couple now?" Flaming red hair, unkept on one side, burned in a rage of victory as she held the school newspaper. It hadn't been a day since the front gate incident and already the news had spread like wild fire. She pressed her thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose, grinning from ear to ear. "This is wonderful news!" Karin, eyes sharp and gleaming with blatant satisfaction, slowly drowned herself in her own fantasies of the possibilities of today.
"With Haruno out of the way, I can finally have Sasuke-kun all to myself!" She giggled menacingly, a dark malevolent aura seeping through her skin.
"Oi, you noisy bitch. It's too damn early for your weird fan-girling!" Suigetsu lazily sat next to Karin, his legs resting and crossed on his school desk, a men's magazine sluggishly plopped on his face.
Karin flicked the magazine away, grabbing him by the uniform collar, "Shut up!" She yelled, "Don't ruin my mood!" She tossed him backwards, grabbing the school newspaper and, like a victorious queen, trotted off to search for her dear prince Uchiha.
Unfortunately for Karin, she found her so-called prince already flocked by his sea of fangirls. Their eyes sparkling grossly, Karin could only help but scoff at the grotesque behaviors of these women. With a curt nod of courage, and a quick fix of her glasses, she marched over to Sasuke and shoved the rest of his fangirls away despite protest. "Sasuke kuuuun" She cooed, venom dripping from her words. She was completely ignoring the other girls.
Sasuke, oblivious to the attention he was drawing, could only sigh as his most annoying fangirl approached him. With a grunt, he shook the others off and walked down the hall, leaving a disgruntled Karin and the rest of his fangirls to groan in complete rejection. It was bad enough that his heart was still in pieces, but to have the whole school make such a big deal out of it?
'To hell with it' He hissed in his mind as he headed off to find a place to have some peace and quiet.
XxxxxxX
"Forehead!" Blonde, blue eyed, and shrill as a screeching bat, Yamanaka Ino sat perched on Sakura's desk with her legs crossed and a scowl on her face. "What the hell is this rumor that I'm hearing?" She had her hands fixed on her waist, a demanding countenance reassuring Sakura that there was no way in hell she could get out of this one.
"What rumor?" Innocently played, Sakura averted her gaze from Ino's judging eyes.
"Don't play dumb with me, Sakura. I hear you and Sasuke broke up, and now you're dating Naruto the idiot."
"Oh...that one..." She paused, taking the time to glance at Naruto who was being flocked and interrogated just the same, "Um, it's true...?" She quickly lowered her head, hands already plugging her ears for the inevitable screaming that would come.
"WHAT?" True enough, the screaming ensued, "DO YOU KNOW HOW FRIGGIN STUPID YOU ARE?"
"Oh no," Naruto had mentally shrieked. On a reflex, he quickly darted to come between Sakura and Ino as the latter continued scolding Sakura. 'Oh kami, someone shut her up' He thought to himself as he, being Sakura's long-time best friend and current boyfriend, shielded Sakura.
"Oi, Ino, shut up. You're too noisy." And who was it that came to save Sakura and everyone else's ears but good ol' Shikamaru: Boyfriend to the squealing buta. Nobody really knows why he agreed to date her, but they were all thankful he did. He was the only one capable of withstanding her qualms and taming her.
"Shikaaaaaa" Ino prodded at her boyfriend for some sort of defense, "Can you believe this girl?" She huffed, placing her hands on her slim waist, "She and Sasuke kun broke up! And now she's dating the blonde idiot here."
"Did you mean yourself?" Naruto had his eyes narrowed into a foxy grin, lips upturned into a mischievous grin. Before Ino could retaliate, he had hidden behind Shikamaru who could only sigh and mutter out his famous 'troublesome' line.
"Ino," He groaned her name, his dulled eyes glaring at his girlfriend. He approached her and wrapped a stern hand around her shoulders, "Maybe you should hear the story first before you go around judging people." Ino always had a way with jumping into conclusions, so it was a good thing he didn't.
She scowled, her blonde brows furrowing at her boyfriend's scolding. But, what she hated most was that Shikamaru was right—he was always right. She sighed, looking away from the awkwardly grinning Sakura. Ashamed, she could only avert her gaze.
"Thanks Shikamaru," Naruto, his grin still present, stepped up and stayed his place at Sakura's side. "Well, now that that's over, c'mon Sakura-chan."
"Eh?" Sakura blinked, her eyes slightly wide from the blonde's proposition. "Where're we going?"
"It's a surprise, 'tebayo." He chuckled pulling the pinkette by the wrist. Sakura glanced left and right trying to find a reason why, but she was up and dashing—pulled by Naruto—before she could protest.
"Hey what about an explana—NARUTO!" Ino could only squeal as the two darted off.
XxxxxX
It was a good few minutes before they had stopped at the top of the staircase, right before the door that led to the school's rooftop.
She held a closed fist at her chest, huffing and puffing from the sudden sprint they had taken off into, "Naruto, what the hell are you—"
"People were giving us weird glances earlier—" He, looking calm and collected as if they had simply and casually walked up the stairs, was smiling from ear to ear.
"That's it? Who cares if they were gossiping about us? We skipped class because of that?" She was slightly furious, a throbbing vein clearly visible on her wide forehead. If there was something she didn't like, it was earning a bad academic reputation. Oh her perfect record, what ever shall she do now?
Naruto stepped backwards in fear, his hands up in defense from her flaring anger, "Hey, calm down, I..." He trailed off, his lips pursed to his left to barely mutter out a soft 'was only trying to help'.
Sakura sighed, smacking her forehead with the palm of her hand. She turned to him, green eyes fully staring—glaring—into his sapphire ones, "Past is past. Nothing we can really do now. I'm officially a bad student," She grabbed the door knob, her eyes shut trying to appease the wrathful headache that was coursing through her skull.
Naruto had to squint his eyes when the sudden afternoon brilliance filled the dark stairwell with orange. They entered the rooftop, both very cautious for the presence of another person in the area. When they felt that there was none, they bravely strode to the edge of the rooftop.
Sakura entwined her hands onto the steel cage of the rooftop fencing, the green of the metal matching her own emerald eyes. The sunset was beautiful, and Sakura perused it with a fixation that Naruto coined bordering fascinated and hypnotized. "Sakura chan," He whispered her name to call her back onto the planet, "...do you like it?"
Sakura turned to him, a smile present on her cherry lips, "Yes, it's beautiful. Thank you." Then her eyes turned sad, her lids lowering with a sadness Naruto could only explain with the recent events. Out of desperation to ease her, he wrapped a kind hand around her shoulders and pulled her close to him into a tight embrace.
He held her, her back pressed onto his front as he buried his face onto her pulsing neck. "Sakura," he had dropped the honorific, "are you sure you don't regret this?"
There was a slight pause, the question of the presence or absence of regret hanging in the air suspenseful, "...no."
"No?" Naruto lifted his head, his eyes scrutinizing the distant stare Sakura had on her face. She wasn't turned to him, instead she had her eyes fixed on the blazing sunset.
"No, I won't regret it." Sakura took in a deep breath, her face appearing determined. Naruto studied her face. His eyes could not hide the pity he felt for her, but he attempted to hide it through the crook of her neck. That look on her face only ever appeared when she was so sure of herself. The courage, the leap, the perseverance—the suicidal look on her face. She was going to dive into this whole affair head first, and, what scared Naruto the most, was that there was no stopping her.
"If you say so, Sakura chan," He could've stopped her there and then, brought her back to her senses like he often did, but what was it that prevented him from doing so? Was it that look on her face? Was it her reasons? Or was it, perhaps, the ever present churning in his gut telling him to let the course of things run naturally—that all of this was fate?
But did he even believe in fate? He was always the one screaming that he'd change destiny, that it was nothing but a scapegoat reason to those who failed in their ambitions.
Kami, boy was he confused. He sighed, tightening his grip on his best friend ever so securely. He wasn't going to let her go. Not now, not at her most vulnerable.
XxxxxX
He watched them with cold, gray eyes, his mouth twisted into a deep frown. Sasuke had found solace from the noise of the world at the school rooftop. He shied away from the gossip and scrutiny of the public below by escaping to that place up there where so few ventured into.
But, how could he have forgotten? The sacred rooftop was where Naruto and he stayed when things were at their worst. When Sasuke's parents had died years ago and his brother went missing, Sasuke had found Sanctuary in the roofless top floor of the school.
There, Naruto in all his cunning, found Sasuke lying supine—much like he did now—beneath the clouds, his mind adrift much like them. Since then, Naruto and he had made the rooftop their secret place—where two friends could talk without the fear of the world.
Sasuke cringed in anger, his gray eyes fixed on his two 'former' friends who stood inaudibly, he assumed, whispering sweet nothings. The best friends he once trusted and loved, now together in some scheme to outcast him. He made sure to shut his mouth, prevent hateful words to pour because letting his anger and despair get the best of him was beneath him. He wouldn't play into their hands like they thought he would, no. He was far better than that.
So, instead, Sasuke turned his back towards them, shutting his eyes and feigning ignorance. He heaved a soft, agonized sigh before opening his fist in an attempted calm. His eyes saddened as they revelled in the pastel pink cherry blossom that was nestled in his hands. He stared at it for a while before, in a bout of rage, crushed with a sudden shut of his fist.
Then he let go. With perfect timing, the wind arrived to blow the piece of flora away. He refused to look at it, his mind debating whether or not he should do the same with the engagement ring that was sitting within the deep crevices of his pants pocket.
"Hey Sakura chan, look." He heard the distant voice of Naruto, "It's a cherry blossom petal, 'ttebayo." From there, Sasuke drowned himself with thoughts of his own, refusing to listen to their conversation any longer.
"Wow, you're right. It looks pretty against the sunset, ne?"
"Yeah, but doesn't it seem almost sad?"
"Sad?"
"That cherry blossom looks so broken. And it's falling away with the fading sun."
Then there was nothing but silence and the soft whispers of the wind.
XxxxxX
-Finally got around to finishing the first chapter. Just to let you all know, there's only going to be 5 chapters of this and possibly an epilogue too. But, as always, thank you very much for taking the time to read this and please don't forget to review! This is my first Naruto-Sakura-Sasuke fic and I'm still getting around to figure out Naruto's character. But meh, I'm fumbling as much as I can with him hehe. Thanks again and please review =D Constructive criticism is always welcome!
-Sakura and Naruto are now dating and the whole school knows. But, what's going to happen when Summer comes to heat things up? And what is this big secret Sakura's keeping that only Naruto knows? Tune in 'til next time!