AN:/ inspired by House. Still working on 10 things.
tuesdays.
What's too far said he.
Where you are said she.
-e.e. cummings
a.
She was annoying.
He concluded that from the very first time he met her, the very first time she opened her mouth and said those words:
"Will you go out with me Sasuke-kun?"
b.
"Sasuke-kun–"
"No."
"You haven't even–"
"No."
She smiled and he looked away.
c.
Even when he made it very clear that he did not want to go out with her, she continued asking. Even after he had left Konoha and come back, she kept asking.
Every Tuesday.
d.
"Will you go out with me?"
Sasuke resisted the overwhelming urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Why do you insist on asking?" he demanded with a hint of exasperation.
Sakura shrugged. "It shouldn't bother you so much, Sasuke-kun. I only ask once a week."
"Don't you get tired of being rejected?" he asked incredulously.
She shrugged again, small palms coming up, a slight grin on her face. "You get used to it, I guess."
Somehow, that didn't sit well with him.
e.
It wasn't that he didn't like her. It's just that he didn't like her. Not the way that she liked him. She was pretty, smart, and strong; those he would admit, but she was Sakura. His teammate.
And he had no interest of being with her.
f.
"Why Tuesdays?" he asked before she could ask him the weekly inquiry.
Sakura stayed silent for a beat and then shrugged. "I like Tuesdays. Will you–"
"No. There must be a reason," he pressed, watching her closely.
She smiled and he looked away.
g.
She wasn't there –at the bridge that he walked past by every Tuesday– one day. She had left for a mission the day before. Sasuke stared at the empty bridge and told himself he was relieved that she was not there to ask him.
It was only later when he came home and found the note on his kitchen table that he realized he was relieved that she was not there for him to reject.
h.
She waited patiently for him to speak when they met again. He stayed silent, not giving her the answer she yearned for, looking pointedly away.
She laughed and he sighed.
i.
"Will you go out with me?"
Silence and then:
"Do you think that I'll say yes one day?" he mused, trying to understand why she asked him every week. "Is that why you keep asking?"
She smiled and he looked away.
j.
"I'm not asking, Sasuke-kun."
Aristocratic eyebrows shot up.
"It's a reminder!"
His brow remained raised.
She smiled and he looked away.
k.
"I will always love you. I will always be here for you."
l.
Sasuke didn't need her. He didn't even want her by his side. He didn't see why she'd think that way. It was idiotic and irritating.
m.
The Tuesday before Sakura left for another mission, she asked him as usual. As usual, he told her no. He had already given up telling her to stop.
"I'm not going to wasted energy trying to stop your idiocy," he had said, irritated and confused.
n.
Five days later, she came back in a coma. Sakura slept past Tuesday and for the first time in two years, Sasuke was not asked out on a Tuesday. He did not feel relief; he paid it no heed, he only waited.
She had to wake up soon.
o.
Another Tuesday passed and Sakura was not there at the bridge. Sasuke paid the hospital a visit and stopped by her bedside. Her face was too pale, he thought as he laid his hand gently over her limp one.
"Wake up," he whispered. His lips bent down to kiss hers.
p.
She did not wake.
q.
"I will always love you. I will always be here for you."
But she's not here.
r.
Sasuke realized he wanted her by his side. He needed her by his side.
s.
Sakura woke the following Sunday, her pink hair messy, her body weak, but her heart hopeful. Sleepy emerald eyes searched for a set of deep onyx. Her heart sank when she realized Sasuke was not there.
t.
Monday morning, Sakura did not want to drag herself out of bed. Sure, she had slept plenty in the past two weeks but she was still exhausted. Coming back from the brink of death was tiring.
A knock resounded again at the door.
Sighing, Sakura padded clumsily to the door and pulled it open. Her small fists rubbed at her eyes sleepily. A set of large hands took hold of her wrists and brought them down gently.
u.
It took her a moment to process who it was and when she realized the underlying purpose behind his visit, she smiled.
He did not look away.
v.
"Why Tuesdays?" he asked again. "The real reason," he warned.
Sakura was silent before she slipped her hand shyly into his.
"You left Konoha on a Wednesday," she said quietly. "I wanted to remind you that I still love you before you left again."
His hand tightened around hers.
w.
He wasn't going to leave. He would not leave her.
x.
"Why didn't you wait until I asked you tomorrow?" she inquired curiously, staring at their joined hands.
He shrugged. "I got tired of waiting."
y.
She smiled.
z.
He smiled back.