i. daydreams
"Sakura."
She doesn't answer, seemingly caught up in her vivid daydreams, probably about ice cream and ramen and sushi and Naruto-bashing and Sasuke-loving. Her emerald eyes are bright as usual but they lack just the slightest bit of luster.
No one would even notice it.
No one except for him.
Only he would notice because those eyes were the ones that hooked him from the start. Her pretty, pretty, big round eyes, full of life and light and bright.
He loved those dancing emerald eyes, as much as he loved her.
"Sakura."
Now that he looks closely, her cheeks are paler than usual and wait, are they…thinner? He feels a rush of frustration and annoyance.
"Sakura."
She doesn't even blink, doesn't even hear, even though she's staring right at him.
He sighs. It would be painful for him to resort to this but he wanted her to talk. He steeled himself and then uttered the word.
"Forehead."
He gritted his teeth. He hated saying the word.
Immediately, it was like someone had withdrawn a cover from her eyes and they burned. She snapped back to life and drew back a fist to punch him.
He caught it but he missed her leg coming up.
He hissed in pain as it found its mark and bruised his shin.
"Fu– damn it Sakura, why do you kick so hard?"
She blinked and then shook her head vigorously, trying to comprehend the voice that did not match the insult.
"Sasuke-kun?"
His arm shot out and snaked around the back of her head. He quickly put his other hand on her forehead, checking her temperature, demanding her to hold still while she squirmed uncomfortably.
He put the same hand over his forehead and then brought it back to hers.
She wasn't running a fever.
"S-Sasuke-kun?"
He let her go and she shifted away slightly. His eyes did not miss the moment and he matched her step.
"Sakura."
"Yes, Sasuke-kun?" she asked while she peered up at him innocently.
"What were you doing?"
She blinked. "Daydreaming?"
Her back hit the wall and she found herself trapped. She stared at his chest, starting to blush madly.
He pinched her cheek nonchalantly and she stared up indignantly. "Hey!"
He pulled a bit harder and she squirmed, trying to avoid his eyes.
"You were sleeping," he said accusingly.
She blinked and looked into his eyes. "I was?"
He nodded. "With your eyes closed."
Her pink lips opened. "Amazing," she whispered.
She stays silent for a beat. "I didn't know I could do that."
He sighs.
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ii. dreams
"Go home, Sakura."
"Eh? Why Sasuke-kun? We're supposed to be going on our date!" she protests.
He lets go of her cheek and steps back some, regarding her carefully.
"You look tired."
She frowns.
"I'm not! Really!"
He raises one brow and her frown deepens.
"Really, really!" she says, starting to flail her arms frantically, panicked that her Sasuke-kun thinks that she is lying.
"Right," he says and turns away.
"I slept a lot last night, in fact I dreamed the whole time! I forgot what most of it was but there was a lot which probably explains why I can't remember but I know there was you and Naruto and Kaka-sensei and sushi and ice cream and ramen and baddies that were trying to kill me–"
She immediately stopped, realizing her mistake.
"Oops," she mouthed.
He was at her side in an instant, his onyx eyes burning into her startled emerald ones.
"You had a nightmare."
She shook her head frantically. "No, no, Sasuke-kun killed them before they could kill me! And their knives were made of cheese! So they couldn't hurt me anyway because I would eat the cheese and then punch them with my iron fists!"
She paused for a moment while he stared incredulously at her.
"Oh it's coming back to me now."
He waits.
Suddenly, she throws her arms around him and hugs him tight. Surprised, he stays still and lets her embrace him.
"You almost died," she whispered softly.
His brows furrowed. "Sakura," he said gently and his arms came around her to hold her closer to him.
"It's okay."
She nodded against his chest and then stayed unusually quiet.
"I'm here," Sasuke reassured her.
She brought her head up and he was surprised to find tears in her eyes.
"I thought you were gone," she said sadly.
He's amazed at the sadness in her eyes.
"You'd really miss me that much?" he asks. Her eyes widen and she ducks her head back down into his chest, her arms constricting around him tight.
"Of course!" she says, her voice muffled.
He smiles but she doesn't see.
"Oi. I'm fine. I'm not going to die from a couple of amateur ninja with knives made of…cheese," he said, smirking.
Her head comes up again and her eyes brim over with tears again, frightening him.
"It wasn't that!" she cried and he raised his brow.
"You were drowning in jello because you hate jello and you wouldn't eat it so you almost drowned so I had to eat the jello for you but I didn't like it because it was cherry jello but I only like the pretty green apple jello so you almost died because I couldn't swallow fast enough!" she wailed.
Sasuke twitched.
"You said…I almost died…from jello?"
She nodded. "Hai!"
He twitched again.
"Sakura."
"Yes, Sasuke-kun."
"Stop eating sugar before you go to sleep."
"Yes, mother."
He pinched her cheek.
"Ah ah ah, I mean y-yes, Sasuke-kun."
He smirked.
"Good," he said before lowering his head to give her a kiss.
She blushed madly and he smirked against her soft lips.
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I love you so much.
Even if you dream of jello which you know I hate.
I'll forgive you.
I'd eat all the jello in the world for you.
But you can have the pretty green apple ones.
I like the cherry ones anyway.
Sakura.
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iii. nightmares
She was really sleepy, he could tell. She wasn't exactly sleeping with her eyes open but she wasn't exactly awake either. He tugged at a pink strand of hair and her head slowly turned to face him.
She just stared blankly at him and he was a little concerned.
"Sakura."
No answer.
He tugs at her hair again, this time a little bit harder.
"Sakura."
Not even a flicker of life in her big emerald eyes.
He sighs exasperatedly.
"Forehead."
He caught her fist, moved out of the path of her leg…but missed her other knee.
It found its mark, painfully. Sasuke felt his breath leave him in a whoosh and his whole complexion turned pale. She was remarkably accurate in her offense when she was half asleep.
"Sasuke-kun?"
He didn't answer for he feared his voice would be abnormally high.
His eyes darken as they stare at her and she starts to feel apprehensive. "Sasuke-kun?" she asks again.
He keeled over sideways.
"Sasuke-kun! Oh my God, Sasuke-kun, are you okay? What happened?" she cried, her hands fluttering uselessly over him, her body crouched over his.
He lay there for a while, drowning in his miseries before his hand shot out and brought her head to his. His onyx eyes burned hard into her emerald ones and he noted with worry that her eyes were duller than usual.
"You can punch and kick me anywhere. Anywhere but there, got it?" he said fiercely, his hand tightening in her hair. He still wanted Uchiha babies…and preferably with her.
She nodded slowly.
"Sorry Sasuke-kun."
He didn't let go of her like she thought he would. His face hardened slightly.
"Why are you having nightmares?"
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iv. sleep
She blinked and when she closed her eyes, Sasuke was scared she wouldn't open them again. But they did and he sighed silently in relief.
"I don't know."
Her eyes widened and Sasuke was up in an instant, crushing her body to his. One of his hands forced her head to turn up toward him and look at him and the other was wrapped tightly around her waist. She realized her mistake and strove to fix it.
"I-I-I mean I don't have any, really! Ano, Sasuke-kun, can you let go…"
"Stop lying."
She blinked again and her eyes stayed closed for even longer this time.
"S-Sasuke-kun."
His onyx eyes burned and they scared her slightly. "Don't lie to me," he said, his voice cold.
She shivered slightly at his tone and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm just scared you'll leave."
His brows furrowed. He watched in increasing horror as she blinked rapidly. Her blinks became increasingly slower and longer and after a while, her eyes stopped opening at all and she slumped against him.
"Sakura," he called to her in alarm.
He listened to the even breathing of her sleep and then he relaxed. She had just fallen asleep. He shifted her so that he was carrying her and her head was resting comfortably against his chest.
Sasuke looked down at his pretty sleeping girlfriend and his lips pulled up into a smirk.
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You're only allowed to sleep in front of me. No one else can see your beautiful sleeping face because it's mine.
v. kiss
He dropped her off at her house. She shifted toward his warmth when he started to move away and it made him smile.
He laid a soft, lingering kiss on her cheek and smiled.
I'll be back.
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vi. shopping
He looked around Konoha's shop, seeming quite lost. He had no idea where to start or what type she'd want.
He hated this kind of thing, shopping for his girlfriend. But he would do it for her.
Only her.
Always her.
He loved her so much, he couldn't understand.
How she could have ever warmed his cold, hard heart, but she did.
That tiny, pink, spark of life, energy, excitement and love.
He loved her so much.
He smiled softly at the thought of his sleeping Sakura and he renewed his search. His onyx eyes scanned every window of shops carefully. Soon, his efforts were rewarded and he entered a shop.
He had to endure slimy, flirtations of female cashiers and the sickening fawning of fan girls that flocked to him as soon as he entered. He even had to endure the incredulous glances of their boyfriends that he was sure said,
"He's a gay."
His vein ticked and his ears burned but he endured.
It was all for her.
As one particularly determined and stubborn cashier clung to his hand as she gave him his change, he thought of Sakura's smiling face and retrieved his hand, telling her coldly to keep the change.
He finally made it out of the shop and set out on his way to his next stop.
She'd better appreciate this.
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Only for you.
Always for you.
You're the only one I'd do anything, everything for.
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vii. bribing
Surprisingly, Ino was good at sewing. Actually, it wasn't that surprising since she was a girl and she arranged flowers but Sasuke always thought that someone so violent should not be equipped with a sharp needle.
He always had the thought that her impatience and violence would end up with her stabbing herself and the unfortunate souls around her that crossed her during the wrong time.
But she was surprisingly good at it.
And she was a surprisingly good bargainer.
Oh how she smiled at him. He wanted to wipe that stupid, victorious, sinister smile off her face; his hands were shaking.
But he gave in.
"Just make it quick," he grumbled.
He gritted his teeth, not believing he was doing all this just for his pink haired girlfriend, suffering endless torture and humiliation.
But he still found the strength to smile when he thought of her pretty pink lips and dancing emerald eyes.
He'll make her appreciate this.
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viii. giving
She was still sleeping when he made it back home. He sighed in relief. He was sure she would have become hysterical if he was not there when she woke.
Her breathing was even and he was relieved that she was not sick.
If it were nightmares ailing her, he'd find a cure.
No, if anything were hurting her, he'd kill it. Find a way to end it. Protect her.
He'd do anything.
He'd already proved his point on that, as he ran his fingers exasperatedly through his hair. He made a quick trip to the bathroom and splashed water on his face, rubbing furiously.
When he came back, she was already starting to stir and he quickly grabbed a hold of the object he had suffered through so much to attain.
When Sakura's emerald eyes opened, she was greeted by a teddy bear.
"Eh?"
The teddy bear was thrust carefully in her face and her hands came up to hold it. She started when she realized it was Sasuke-kun giving it to her.
"Sasuke-kun!"
"Hn."
He stared at her as she stared joyously at the bear. "Thank you so much, Sasuke-kun!"
Wordlessly, he reached out and turned the bear around, letting her see what was on the back. He watched in amusement and quiet satisfaction, as her large eyes grew even larger.
Her fingers lovingly traced the Uchiha crest carefully sewn on the back of the bear.
"It's Sasuke-kun," she whispered.
He snorted.
"It's a Sasuke-bear!" she cried excitedly and his arms opened as she jumped into them, hugging him tightly. She buried her face into his warm chest and sighed.
"I love you, Sasuke-kun," she said shyly.
He smiled.
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ix. breathing
"You better," he said.
Her head came up. "Huh?"
He shook his head and then flicked her nose. He watched as she scrunched it lightly and he laughed. Her eyes widened as she listened to him laugh, not breathing, scared that he would stop.
He did and she mourned.
His hands were on her shoulders. "Breathe, Sakura."
She exhaled. "Yes, Sasuke-kun."
He laughed again and she caught her breath yet again, reveling in his laugh. He stopped again so that she could breathe.
His onyx eyes stared seriously at her and she stilled, waiting for what he had to say.
"Don't worry that I'll leave. I'll always be here," he said sincerely.
He motioned to the bear and her eyes followed him.
"You can sleep with him. He'll keep the nightmares away."
Her lips curved into a beautiful, breathtaking cycle.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun, you're so smart! You can be in two places at once!"
He laughed again at her silliness, and again, she stopped breathing. He stopped so that she could breathe.
It was an unusual cycle but they were an unusual couple.
Perhaps a bit awkward and lopsided.
But that was how love often was.
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x. the unusual, awkward but happy ending
She was taking a comfortable, relaxing stroll one day when she saw it.
It was posted on a tree and the colors were bright and light and pink and white and so un-Uchiha like and remarkably girly.
She ventured closer to the strange picture and took a double take.
It was Sasuke-kun.
In a dress with fake boobs and–stilettos?! – and makeup and here her jaw dropped so low it about touched the ground.
He was advertising the Yamanaka's flower shop with a slogan that was hard to burn out of mind.
"Flowers beautiful enough to even turn Uchihas gay!"
She almost cried.
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Sasuke thought he would never live it down. He was sure Sakura would never ever stop laughing about it and that she'd tease him endlessly and torture him continuously.
Of course he could deal with that because he had ways of torturing her too…
But he never thought that she would be on his side.
The next day, he found the Yamanaka flower shop temporarily out of business and Yamanaka Ino on temporary leave.
And to his amusement and silent approval, every gay Uchiha Sasuke fan was threatened castration if they ever dared come near her Sasuke-kun.
She burned every photograph and smiled brightly at him as he quirked his brow.
"I'd do anything for you because I love you so much, Sasuke-kun!"
He smirked and kissed her hard as she blushed furiously.
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That's my line.