title: love month
prompt: SASUSAKU MONTH ON LJ!
rating: T-M

summary: o27; He didn't feel burdened whenever he had to protect her. Instead, he enjoyed his job very much and later found out the reason why he felt obliged to do so.

.o27.
Protect(or)

Sasuke considered himself Sakura's protector. After all the missions, the fights, their shinobi lives…he was always the one to be her shield.

Sakura considered herself weak for having Sasuke be her support all the time. For some reason, he didn't mind. Even though it felt like his duty to be her bodyguard, he wasn't obliged to. In fact, he liked doing it. It gave him a sense of power and he loved being thanked afterwards.

Even though protecting her caused him to be behind on his motives for killing Itachi, for some reason, he just felt so relaxed around her and enjoyed being the one to care for her, like she cared for him. Though he had never said his feelings out loud, he hoped that through her smart academic forehead, she would be able to open up the mental feelings he felt for her.

"I like you a lot, Sasuke-kun," she often said when they were alone, her voice nervous and quiet. "I know I say it a lot but I really do mean it."

"I know." Sasuke understood her feelings and took them in whole-heartedly instead of rejecting the responses given to girls who randomly screamed, "I love you!" just because they felt attraction towards him. However, when it came to actual feelings, he knew Sakura was the only one who had them.

"I'm sorry I'm so weak," she would usually say, too, sometimes in tears. "I know it's a burden for you to protect me, and I'm trying to be stronger, but it's just…" she would then break down and Sasuke wouldn't know what to do. "Thank you." Sakura couldn't find any other words to say and Sasuke would just watch her cry, unable to comfort her.

"Hn," he would say as a response, and hopefully she knew that he meant, "It's okay. I like protecting you. It's like I was born to do so."

And Naruto would come, saying, "Teme! You made Sakura cry again? What the hell, dude?" in which he would hold Sakura in his arms and comfort her properly, like a normal boy would.

Sasuke would then leave, feeling pangs of jealousy in his chest.

.

.

.

He offered protection to her whenever she needed it. On a mission or in everyday life, he was there for her, 24/7. All she needed to do was call out his name and he would be there as soon as he could, at her side, helping her with whatever she needed.

Maybe it was from another rogue ninja. Sometimes it was even from a spider, which, instead of crushing, he would pick up and put it into his natural habitat in the wild.

Anything to make her feel safe was his job.

And the reply would always be the same. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun." Sometimes it would be just those words. Other times it would include a hug or a shy kiss on the cheek.

Nonetheless, he was happy with just seeing her safe and sound, even if his own body was bruised and bloody from shielding her. It wasn't a chore. It was a job.

And he loved doing it every day, because it meant that he could be by her side.

.

.

.

She had grown considerably stronger since the first time they had their first mission together. Even with her strength and chakra control, he still felt as if he needed to protect her, which frankly, sometimes annoyed her.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Sasuke-kun," she said. "I don't need you to protect me all the time." Sometimes, these words would surprisingly hurt Sasuke, and he then "hned" and left, becoming angry and sullen for the rest of the trip.

"What's wrong with teme, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know," she would reply. Just seeing Sakura and Naruto together made his blood boil, and he would do all he could not to stab that obnoxious orange bastard in the back of his head.

It didn't matter. Without her, he could train and train as long as he wanted without feeling the need to protect somebody and pull him back.

Although, seeing the kunais miss every target and his jutsus performing incorrectly at the thought of being angry with her made him frustrated. Why did she matter so much to him?

Taking a break, he sighed and washed himself in the river water. "Unbelievable," he muttered to himself.

.

.

.

It was only when he left the village that he knew why he protected her. After he knocked her out and placed her on the bench instead of the floor, she should've known, too.

He felt so much more than care for her.

"I like you, too, Sakura."

But I'm sorry it has to be this way.

Even when he was with his new team, he hoped that she knew that he protected her from above, watching over her and hoping she was okay. If he couldn't be by her side at all times, he would protect her with his spirit and his soul.

Hopefully, she knew that.

Slight changes 7.8.14!