Fireside Confessions
Sasuke's mind felt like it was about to explode, thoughts and feelings crammed in so tight. The heaviness of a hundred thrown out speeches he's almost said to Sakura feel like a two-ton boulder pressing down on his chest, making it hard to breathe, hard to think, and, most of all, hard to keep pretending he didn't feel something more than friendship for Sakura. It weighs him down, tethering Sasuke to things that aren't a part of him anymore: the hate, the isolation, the performance of it all.
They sit around the campfire, the only light source in the dark wilderness, waiting for their dinner to cook. Sakura sits on the other side of the fire, her face illuminated by the soft orange glow. Even in the space between the two of them, Sasuke can note the warm connection within her resplendent green eyes, reflecting a quiet joy in sharing space with him. She is in the middle of a story about some ridiculous incident involving Naruto and a bowl of ramen, but his mind can't keep but escaping away.
Sasuke tries to focus on her words, but the weight of his secret longing for her wraps around his heart, pulls him deep within the pit of irritation and self-hatred within his schema. He was like a dam ready to burst, exploding into a million little pieces of confetti, begging to be loved in return.
His gaze is magnetically drawn to Sakura, caressing her rosy hair with his careful watch. Sasuke notes the flickering flames in the firelight. The light bathes Sakura's sitting figure with a glow not unlike the sun goddess, Amaterasu herself. Her pale skin blushes at the top points of her cheeks and the tip of her nose, responding to the heat of the campfire. Sakura is mid-laugh, her hand waves in the air to emphasize the punchline against their idiot best friend. He feels the weight on his chest shift, pressing down on his lungs with a yearning so deep that requires him to sigh audibly to get a proper breath of air.
Sakura pauses, her eyes narrow in concern at the shakiness of his inhale. "Something wrong, Sasuke?" she asks, her voice riding the gentle breeze to reach him, holding him verbally the way he wishes she would physically.
Sasuke could feel the weight within threatening to crush him, a decade's worth of hidden messages calcifying. It was like he was on the bottom of the ocean, the pressure of his unspoken words pressing him onto the sandy floor, choking the last breath from his lungs. He had to let go. He had to lighten the load. Somehow. Someway. Before the pressure transforms into his fiery temper.
The only way he knows to release the pressure is to cut through his mask of indifference – letting the cool and nonchalant Sasuke bleed out and reveal the truth beneath.
"I'm so fucking tired of pretending," Sasuke blurts out, the words ripping violently from his throat lest his anxiety and fear overcome this small moment of bravery.
"Pretending what?" Sakura asks, the whites of her eyes visible enough to reflect the campfire.
The warm fireside air fills Sasuke's lungs: a lifeline, giving him the strength to let go of the dam bursting at the seams.
"I'm so fucking tired of pretending I'm not in love with you," he confesses, the words pouring out of him, washing away the heavy chains of his unspoken feelings.
The only response to Sasuke's confession comes in the form of the campfire crackling. In the sudden silence, the flames reflect in Sakura's wide eyes. Sasuke can see her processing his words, her mind working overtime to make sense of his confession. His eyes – incredibly powerful and feared throughout the shinobi world – are entranced with the simple movement of Sakura's lips as she tries to find her voice.
And then, the weight lifts. It takes a second, but Sasuke can't find it within him anymore. The boulder is gone, the chains are broken, and his heart feels feather-light. Instead of finding himself weighed down by hatred, ire, pain, or sadness, Sasuke finds himself held to this Earth by love – overwhelming adoration for the only love of his life. His confession hangs in the air between them, quiet and gentle in the only way Sasuke knows how to be.
Sakura blinks, her mouth opening and closing as if she was trying to say something but couldn't find the words. After a few moments, she finally manages to stutter, "You...you're in love with me?"
"Always been," Sasuke responds, his unblinking stare daring Sakura to test his resolve.
The forest surrounding the two shinobi holds its breath. The leaves cease their rustling. The wind stops whirling. A distant owl quits its hooting. The Kodama, divine spirits of the surrounding trees, sit in anticipation, waiting for Sakura to respond to the one and only confession of love made from the depths of Sasuke's heart.
Sakura's face breaks into a smile, making her eyes look like coming home after years running away.
"I've been pretending, too," she says, the pink blush of her cheeks deepening with nervousness. "I've been pretending I'm not in love with you."
A laugh bubbles up from Sasuke's chest, surprising both of them with its warmth and genuine happiness. He feels lighter than he'd ever felt, like he was floating on air, his heart beating out of rhythm to reach out to her from across the campfire. He is free from the heavy shackles of his own feelings, finally standing tall in his truth.
Sasuke couldn't help the incredulous smirk spreading across his face. "Why the hell didn't you say something sooner, Sakura?"
She wrinkles her nose at Sasuke's quip, failing to shake off the awkwardness, "I already told you!"
"Yeah," he stutters, "when we were twelve."
They both notice it: the lightness in their conversation. There is an ease to their banter now, an unspoken understanding, a connection deeper than friendship. The heaviness of their stifled feelings transforms, shedding its skin to reveal shimmering splendor.
Sasuke shakes his head, feeling the air run through his hair, "Guess we're both idiots, then."
"Guess so," Sakura agrees, her eyes shining with mirth and affection.
In the soft glow of the campfire, under the blanket of a starry sky, Sakura makes her way to Sasuke, tucking her body into the spot on his body that his left arm once occupied. A little space for only Sakura to fit into.
Sasuke feels a surge of relief, letting the closeness between their two bodies stand as proof of the emotional intimacy he sought with Sakura. There is a freeing sensation, like he had shed weighty chainmail since the moment he first laid eyes on pink hair, green eyes, freckles, and her smile. He is lighter, brighter, unburdened.
It felt like there was just one thing missing.
"Can I..." he starts, faltering once again. His hand comes up to tuck a loose strand of Sakura's hair behind her ear. His fingers tingle from the brief contact, a spark that threatens to ignite the entire forest. "May I kiss you, Sakura?"
Sakura's eyes flicker down to his lips. She completes the same movement, tucking Sasuke's hair behind his ear, revealing the Rinnegan. She meets his gaze straight on, unflinching, confident, in complete control. Sakura's bravery shines through her green gaze, fearlessly looking at the most powerful set of eyes with so much passion.
She bites her lower lip, a nervous habit reminiscent of the young genin girl that helped fill his boyhood days with fun and learning how to love again. After a moment, she nods, her lips widening into a giddy smile. "Yes, Sasuke. You may."
It was all the permission he needed. His hand cups her cheek, his thumb gently tracing the soft skin of her lower lip. He leans in, closing the distance between them, his heart pounding at his ears. He can feel the warmth of her breath, smell the sweet scent of her shampoo mixed with the charcoal of the fire.
And then, their lips meet for the first time.
A detonation of emotions, a burst of heat and sparks that mirror the roaring fire beside them rips through Sasuke's being. His world narrows down to the feel of her lips on his, soft and pliant, sweet and inviting. His free hand moves to her waist, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss, letting the chill of anticipation at his chest transform into warmth that expands throughout his body.
Sakura responds with equal fervor, her arms wrapping around his neck, her fingers threading through his hair. It's intense, powerful, a confession of feelings long suppressed. Finally, the acceptance that her feelings were never unrequited.
When they pull away, both are panting, their faces flush and their eyes shining with overwhelming affection. Sasuke rests his forehead against Sakura's, the ensuing chuckles mingling in the chilly night air.
"I've always loved you, Sakura," he admits, his voice raw and sincere. "And I always will."
Sakura's smile is the only answer he needs, and now, as they share their second, and third, and fourth kisses with the forest as their only witness, Sasuke thinks that she is the only answer he will ever need.
END.