Author's Note: Many thanks to the great support! Hopefully I'll get more time to write even though lots of work is piling up.

Chapter 7: Can I Love You?


Sakura's POV

"This place is beautiful."

Sasuke brought me to the countryside, an even more peaceful part of Kyoto. Not knowing where we were heading to, I simply followed Sasuke's lead. I was captivated by the serenity of the place and enjoyed watching the cheerful residences working at the rice fields.

I became more curious as to where Sasuke was taking me to when we walked across a wooden bridge, leaving the vast rice fields. And when we reached an almost deserted part of the countryside, I began wondering if I was about to be kidnapped.

But that was just ridiculous, so I laughed it off.

"We're here."

Sasuke stopped on his tracks and to get a better view of where we were, I stood by his side.

My eyes widened in fascination when I laid my eyes on the beautiful house in front of me. Not only was it large, the vintage vibe of the traditional wooden house brought my mind back to olden Japan. It almost felt like we were transported back in time.

Without giving me much information and leaving me in my own amazement, Sasuke walked towards the gate and knocked on it. It was the creaking sound of the gate being opened which snapped me out of my daydream.

Slightly nervous for having zero idea on who the house owners were, I tried to be as proper as I could as I stood a few steps behind Sasuke. I had a better idea on where we were when I saw a man who looked strikingly similar to Sasuke at the other side of the gate.

"Sasuke! What a surprise. Didn't expect you to be visiting." The older man seemed to be around Itachi's age but seemed less intimidating than Sasuke and his brother. Though one glance at him, you would know he was a posh man with undoubtable abilities.

"I came to Kyoto for some business matters and decided to visit while I'm here." And judging from the respectful way Sasuke was speaking to the other man, I knew he was no ordinary person.

"It's really been a while since I've seen you!" When the other man took a step out of the gate, he finally noticed the presence of a person he had never met before. Curiosity was evident in his eyes as he looked at me and something about his smirk told me he knew who I was.

"You should've really told us earlier if you're bringing your girlfriend over!" The older man placed his arm around Sasuke's shoulder, who remained as calm as always.

"This is my cousin, Shisui Uchiha. Feel free to ignore him if he gets too loud." Seeing Sasuke not slapping away Shisui's arm showed his utmost respect for his cousin, which made me believe that he was indeed an amazing person.

"Sasuke brought his girlfriend to visit us?!" A voice of another man came from the house, followed by loud footsteps of a running person. I was slightly surprised when another man, who also resembled the rest of the Uchiha men I met, emerged from the house.

"You must be Sakura!" The man who appeared suddenly seemed older than Shisui, but his handsome features were still charming.

"Can you not freak her out?" Shisui sighed and pulled away the enthusiastic man, who was starting to get too close to me. "Allow me to apologize on behalf of this fossil."

"What do you mean by calling me a fossil?! I'm just a few years older than you." The oldest man out of the three threw a punch onto Shisui's arm and sent glares straight at him.

"I'm not sure if it's right to refer 8 years as 'a few years'." Sasuke joined in the fun with his signature smirk, which made me giggle at the scene in front of me.

"Whatever! Kids these days are becoming ruder." The disheartened man threw one last glare before turning back to me. "My name is Obito Uchiha, the unfortunate cousin of the two idiots behind me."

"Nice to meet you." I greeted respectfully while trying my best not to laugh at how both Sasuke and Shisui were rolling their eyes at the same time.

Seeing another side of Sasuke was making me even more fond of him.


Sasuke's POV

"Isn't Sasuke adorable in a dress? This is by far my favorite picture of him."

I glared at Obito as he showed Sakura my childhood pictures from one of the many photo albums they kept in the house.

When Itachi and I were younger, we often visit our family in Kyoto because of the family business we had here. But ever since Obito was old enough, my father had put him in charge of the Uchiha business in Kyoto. And when Shisui returned to Japan from his overseas studies in the United States, the business in the Kyoto branch became even more prosperous.

Even though Obito and Shisui were two of the best people we had in the Uchiha family, there were still instances when they were acting like complete idiots.

"It seems like little Sasuke isn't too happy being in a dress. This picture looked like he just cried." Sakura was giggling at yet another picture of mine, making me glare at the three of them even more.

"He was quite the cry baby when he was younger." Shisui's words made my eye twitched, as bad memories from my childhood came rushing to my mind. "Nobody is better at making Sasuke cry than Itachi though."

Obito was roaring with laughter, seemingly to have been reminded of the many times Itachi made me cry. I rolled my eyes at the older cousin of the two for countless time that day, as I watched him trying to stop himself from dying of intense laughter.

"Even though Itachi bullied Sasuke a lot, nobody ever doubted his love for his stupid younger brother." Shisui began telling Sakura of the time I got lost during one of my visits to Kyoto. I was about 6 years old at that time but I remembered that day as if it was just yesterday.


Flashback

"Big brother, where are you?"

I was sobbing as I called out for my brother, who was nowhere to be seen.

It felt like only a few moments ago when I was playing among the rice fields with Itachi and Shisui.

But when I turned around, neither of them was there and I didn't know where I was. I roamed aimlessly through the rice fields, which all looked the same to me. Even after walking for what felt like an eternity, I still couldn't find my way back to the Uchiha house.

And the fact that there was nobody around to help me made me even more scared.

When the skies turned darker and the sun was setting, I grew tired and ended up sitting in the middle of an unfamiliar field. With my head on my knees, I was crying as I called out for my brother. It was starting to rain and together with the night winds, I was beginning to shiver in both fear and cold.

"Sasuke!"

I stopped sobbing when I heard what sounded like Itachi. The rain was getting stronger and I thought I might have misheard.

"Sasuke, where are you?!"

But I heard my brother's voice once again, and it was starting to be clearer. I stood up from the drenched soil and ran to where the voice came from. My heart leaped with joy when I saw the figure of a running boy, whom I quickly recognized to be Itachi.

"Big brother!" I ran towards Itachi, who stopped on his tracks when he heard my voice. His face, which was initially filled with worries, was reflecting his relief when he saw me.

He ran towards me and took me into his arms, holding me close to his chest as he carried me from the wet ground.

"I'm so glad to have found you safe and sound. Forgive me for not taking care of you well." Itachi's voice was filled with guilt, which made me feel bad in return.

"It's not your fault. I'm sorry for wandering around." I cried on my brother's shoulder, which never felt as reliable as it was at that moment.

I removed my face from Itachi's shoulder, meeting my brother's eyes which looked like it was starting to tear up. He smiled at me as he flicked my forehead, just like how he always did.

"Let's take you home now."

And as Itachi carried me on his back, the rain began to subside, and the night became less unbearable.

End of Flashback


"And that is the end of a touching story of the love between a pair of stupid brothers."

Obito resumed his uncontrollable laughter at how Shisui ended his story telling. The earlier sentimental atmosphere was destroyed by my cousins' lack of intelligence and I gave up trying to shut them up.

But when I saw how much Sakura was enjoying her time, I guessed it was alright to be teased after all.


Sakura's POV

"They're really nice people."

"They're dumb."

I laughed at how Sasuke was glaring at the ground at the thought of his amusing older cousins. To be honest, I was surprised Sasuke didn't murder them after putting him into many embarrassing moments.

We were sitting on the veranda, facing the calm backyard of the house while sipping on some traditional Japanese tea. Obito and Shisui had to leave for a meeting at the company two hours ago and the house fell to a weird silence without them around.

And after seeing how they teased Sasuke mercilessly, I almost couldn't imagine them to be one of the most influential businessmen in Kyoto.

"Even though you were giving them murderous looks for hours, I could see you do enjoy their company." I noticed my teasing tone and thought to myself how I was influenced by the playfulness of Obito and Shisui.

Sasuke groaned in response, but his lack of argument showed that he indeed did enjoy the company of his cousins.

As we enjoyed the evening in silence, I noticed how great the weather was that day. The sunshine was warm and comfortable, and it wasn't humid at all. It was the perfect moment for an evening nap.

My eyelids grew heavy and I found myself yawning out of the blue. As sleepiness overcome me, I felt Sasuke's strong hand on my head and bringing me to rest on his broad shoulder.

"You're finally getting tired after hours of laughing at me."

I giggled as I made myself comfortable on Sasuke's shoulder, which gave me a strong sense of security. Despite the overwhelming sleepiness, I refused to fall asleep, so I could savour the rare moment of intimacy.

"I doubt I'll ever get sick of making fun of you though." I almost sounded I was mumbling, making myself much too comfortable on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Glad you're having fun." Sasuke wasn't being sarcastic and meant what he said. It almost seemed as if he actually cared.

Or did he?

My heart jumped when I felt Sasuke's hand on my head once again. He gently played with my hair, sending goose bumps all over my body. I froze in place and was fully aware that I was close to believing that I might not be the only one who was developing feelings.

I was so close to believing something I wasn't sure I should, and I slowly lifted my head from Sasuke's shoulder to see him for myself. My eyes met his dark ones, with barely any gap in between. I could see swirling emotions from his eyes, making me wonder what could be in his mind.

My own head went blank when Sasuke moved closer to me, closing the distance between us and allowing our lips to brush softly.

When Sasuke saw that I had yet to push him away, he deepened our innocent kiss. The situation was making my heart go crazy, but it didn't stop me from closing my eyes and just be in the moment.

But the moment ended in an instant when the sliding door behind us opened with a loud thud and was followed by Obito's loud voice.

"We're back! Do you g-"

He went into complete silence when he realized what he had walked into and the two of us hurriedly separated ourselves. I could feel my face burning up in embarrassment and even though Sasuke was looking away from me, I could see the deep shade of red on his ears.

"Why are you standing here like an idiot?" Shisui's voice broke the silence as he pushed Obito away to see what was going on. The situation quickly registered in Shisui's mind and he laughed at the awkwardness in the air.

"Sorry guys. It's in Obito's blood to be a cockblocker." Shisui pulled away a speechless Obito as he called out to us. "By the way, Itachi's here in Kyoto for an urgent meeting. He's asking us out for dinner."

"I'm sorry!" Obito's apology was heard from afar, followed by Shisui's series of scolding towards the older Uchiha.

Unable to see Sasuke in the eyes, I sat there in pure awkwardness. After Sasuke stood up, he held out his hand towards me. Without another word, I took his hand in mine and allowed him to help me up.

I stared at his strong back as I walked to the front gate and another blush creeped onto my face when I noticed that he was still holding onto my hand.

At that moment, one question was stuck to my mind.

Was I allowed to love Sasuke then?


Author's Note: Look forward to the next chapter to know what's going to happen during their last night in Kyoto together! And I just have to add the moment between Sasuke and Itachi because I really love the two of them and is a huge fan of their brotherly love. I'm a big fan of Obito and Shisui as well! Anyways, remember to leave a review before you go and click on follow and favorite to get notifications on this fanfic's updates. Thank you for reading and have a nice day!