Burned for Better
So there Sasuke was, hurtling through dimensions like a dizzy toddler, all in pursuit of a redemption journey that was starting to feel more like a redemption marathon. He was trying to get back home, back to those who had stood by him even when he was in the deepest circles of his personal inferno. He was ready – finally ready – to return home. He'd become a better man, a good man, worthy enough to confess his feelings to Sakura.
He dusted himself off and looked around. Konoha. He blinked. Had he miscalculated? Was he back home? The air felt strikingly similar to home, but there was an off-note that unnerved him.
The same old man from the market was there, giving Sasuke his best 'I don't see you' act. An invitation to Ichiraku Ramen was thrown his way from his imbecilic best friend, Naruto, just like always. And Sakura, as always, too busy bustling around the hospital to be distracted by his presence. It was like stepping into a mirror. This dimension presented itself to Sasuke like a piece of amateur photography, overexposed to the sunlight. Almost perfect.
The real double-take moment came when he slid into Ichiraku's. Jovially trading verbal jabs with Naruto was Sakura. His Sakura. Except... not. This Sakura was a man.
The Sakura before him was one of ethereal beauty, a symphony of spring colors that made his heart sing and his soul weep for his own Sakura. In this dimension, Sakura was a man, yet he was more than just an ordinary man. He was a near-perfect copy of his Sakura, back in his home, whose silhouette still ignited sparks in Sasuke's peripheral vision.
His hair, a buzzed cut of pink, was like the dawn sky kissed by the first light of day, igniting wildfires across the barren wasteland within Sasuke. It was a shade so vibrant it made Sasuke's hand twitch involuntarily. Each strand moved like soft silk with every burst of laughter, a beautiful homage to the girl he loved back home.
And then there were his eyes. They, too, were jade, vibrant and alive, a pair of brilliant green gems that outshone every other person in the entire room. They were the very embodiment of spring, ushering forward the brightness of the season with their glow. In their depths, Sasuke saw the echo of laughter, the flicker of a love yet unspoken in a small apartment close to the Konoha Hospital campus.
His skin was a canvas of porcelain. Each feature, each line, each contour was crafted with an artist's precision, an ode to the divine artistry that had birthed such perfection. Beneath, Sakura's skin revealed various angles, sharply contrasting with the smooth curves of the Sakura he'd grown up alongside.
The sight of him, sitting there like he hadn't just revolutionized Sasuke's internal worlds, was overwhelming. A rush of feelings sent his heart into a frenzied waltz and his mind into a state of panic.
Sasuke was not falling. Sasuke was not tumbling into the depths of blazing adoration. It was no longer a verb, an action that needed to be completed. It was much too late to back out now. This was Sasuke's state of being, to ache for Sakura down to his nerves.
He was accustomed to the heat of battle, the fiery clashes of ninjutsu, but this was a different kind of heat. This was a heat so painful, it brough awareness that his cherry blossom was different here, yet still the same. Sasuke stood there, drinking in the sight of him, and damning the molecules within his body that pulled his body forward through the restaurant. He was in love. Sasuke was in love with this man of pink hair, green eyes, and pale skin; this Sakura. And his own Sakura. Likely, Sasuke's feelings for Sakura would consume him in every dimension and time and space and place the two met. And he burned for Sakura like a man on fire.
He sat down at the bar next to Sakura, his heart beating uncontrollably. He glanced at Sakura from the corner of his eye. Same pink hair, same strong will, same determination in his eyes. But instead of the feminine grace he was used to, this Sakura carried a masculine strength that was just as captivating.
Sasuke sat there, watching and recording with his powerful eyes, letting the flames consume him without a fight. He sits with his feelings, allowing acceptance into his consciousness. He was still in love with Sakura. Boy or girl, it didn't matter. He was still in love with the strength, the spirit, the unyielding dedication, the very being of Sakura. The gender thing? It was like trying to stop a forest fire with a water gun.
'Utterly annoying.'
"Welcome back, Sasuke," said Sakura, flashing him a familiar grin and patting him on the back like close friends. The deep timber of the rosette man's voice breathes fire to the inferno roaring inside Sasuke.
"Thanks," Sasuke mumbled, trying to stifle his dysphoria with a cloak of nonchalance.
"We ordered for you, teme!" Naruto could be heard in the background, but Sasuke did not have enough neurons in his brain to pay attention. All of his energy focused on memorizing the feel and weight of Sakura's wide palm on his shoulder, savoring the chill that runs down his spine before it leaves.
The bowl of ramen arrived, steaming and fragrant. Sasuke picked up his chopsticks, but his hands were sweaty, slipping like a rookie kunai thrower. Naruto says something or other beyond the haze clouding Sasuke and Sakura laughed, a sound as bright as the sun on a clear day.
Sasuke spenss most of their team dinner allowing the blaze within him swirl, hoping it will lose fuel and allow him the chance to escape this hell. At some point, Naruto leaves and Sasuke didn't even notice amongst his usual nonverbal responses.
Sakura met his eyes, confusion briefly clouding the sunny disposition. "Something on your mind, Sasuke?" he asked, a touch of concern creeping into the lower notes of his voice.
For a moment, Sasuke hesitated. The heat of confession was on the tip of his tongue, threatening to burn him into ashes.
"Nah," Sasuke replied, shrugging as casually as he could, given the circumstances. "Just thinking about how good this ramen is."
Sakura rolled his eyes, but there was a smile playing on his lips. "You're such a bad liar, Sasuke."
As they finished their ramen in companionable silence, the heat of the day slowly gave way to the cool of the evening. The sun set, casting long shadows behind him. He had a feeling it always would, so long as he stayed far from home.
Sasuke found himself sitting next to a different yet still completely lovable Sakura, happily willing to share his joy, his horrible attempts at jokes, his silence, and his peace. The heat, the sweat, the raging roar of fire in his heart - it was all part of the package.
As the night settled in, Sasuke found himself walking alongside Sakura through the dimly lit streets of Konoha. A comfortable coolness settles into the that made the persistent fire within Sasuke feel even more pronounced.
"I'm glad you're back, Sasuke," Sakura breaks the silence. He lets the velvet undertone of his voice wrap around Sasuke's silence, sharing its warmth.
"I am too," Sasuke admitted, his words echoing his sincere thoughts. No matter the dimension, it seemed Sakura was always there to anchor him, leaving him dazed.
Their steps echoed through the empty streets leading towards Sasuke's apartment, the heaviness of his keys weighing upon him with every step they take.
Glancing at Sakura, he noticed how the moonlight softly lit up his pink hair, giving him an almost ethereal glow. Sasuke felt a pang in his chest, an ache that throbbed with every beat of his heart. It was a heatstroke of affection, a wildfire of emotions that left him breathless. And yet, he found himself acknowledging a tinge of melancholia.
He wanted to say something, to confess, to let Sakura know how he felt. But the words, usually as sharp and direct as his katana, felt blunt and cumbersome in his mouth.
"Are you sure you're okay, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, breaking the silence. There was a note of worry in his voice that made Sasuke's heart beat its wings against its cage.
'This is Sakura,' a part of him screams out.
'Yes,' is his solemn response, 'but not mine.'
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sasuke replied, managing a weak smile. "Just... thinking."
Sakura chuckled softly. "You always were a deep thinker, Sasuke."
The innate part of his psyche continues to lash out at him: 'say something! Stop making Sakura upset all the time!'
"Hey, Sakura," Sasuke began, his voice barely more than a whisper. He swallowed, feeling the heat of his words in his throat.
"Yeah, Sasuke?" Sakura turned to look at him, his eyes reflecting the soft glow of the moon.
"I..." Sasuke began, only to falter. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he was looking straight into Sakura's eyes. "I just wanted to say..."
He didn't finish the sentence, letting the silence hang in the air. His heart pounded in his chest, a drumbeat of anticipation and fear. The part of him deep inside that didn't understand, that didn't know anything else but to give into the gravity between his own heart and Sakura's, chuckles at the scene. The irony of an adult Sasuke having a hard time confessing to Sakura amongst the moonlight is not lost on him.
With a soft smile, Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Sasuke," he said. "Take your -"
But Sasuke didn't let him finish. He leans in, closing the distance between the two men. It was a gentle movement, soft like snowfall.
And then, their lips met. It was a chaste kiss, a mere brush of lips, but to Sasuke, it felt like he'd just plunged into the inferno within. The heat was overwhelming, turning him to charcoal from the inside out. His senses were on fire, every nerve along his skin a live wire as Sasuke's world narrows down to the feel of Sakura's lips on his.
For a moment, everything else fell away. The cool night, the quiet streets of Konoha, the glow of the moon - it all faded into the background. All that mattered was Sakura and the intoxicating heat of their kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, Sasuke's heart was racing, blood pooling across his cheeks like never before. He looked at Sakura, green eyes wide with visible sclera. But there was no regret in their shared gaze.
"Sasuke..." Sakura whispered, his voice barely audible. "I… I still love you."
Sasuke's heart soared, the fire within him burning brighter than ever as their lips reconnected over and over. He was the moth to Sakura's flame, ready to dance in the heat no matter what dimension he ended up in. In the end, Sasuke knew what was always there: Sakura has always loved him, and he will always burn for her.
THE END.