Crossroads

Callista Miralni

disclaimer: plot only. You can find all the fun things I used as a reference to build this story on pinterest: /callistamiralni/crossroads/

Subtle romance is really my thing. Really guys.

Sakura had been alone with Sasuke before on several occasions but never did it feel awkward.

Now as they walked through the streets of Konoha, their hometown and the second biggest city in Hi no Kuni, she was all too aware of Sasuke's solid presence half a foot from her side.

A crowd of people spilled out from the subway and she subconsciously grabbed Sasuke's hand. Looking down at her, his grip tightened before leading her out of the crowd.

CLICK!

Her sharp ears caught the sound of a shutter closing and Sakura tried to remain composed. The paparazzi were everywhere, eager to catch a glimpse into Sasuke's private life.

"Ice cream?" He murmured.

"You hate sweets." Sakura pointed out.

"We've got to give them something," Sasuke reasoned. "It's all part of the game."

She felt sick. Of course it was part of the charade. That was the whole reason they were out in the first place.

The strawberry ice cream slid down her throat but it did nothing to relieve the summer heat.

Sasuke reached across and wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin. Confused, she stared at him. What was he doing? Sakura knew there was nothing on her face.

She caught his hand and let it rest on her cheek. "Your idea of chivalry is ridiculous."

"You like her."

Itachi slid a glass of tequila sunrise towards him.

"What are you talking about?"

His brother mixed a martini for himself. "Don't play stupid," Itachi warned him. "You like Haruno-chan more than just a friend."

"Of course I do," Sasuke sneered. "She's my best friend."

Shaking his head, Itachi wondered when his brilliant brother became so stupid.

"Nee-chan, are you really going to marry Sasuke-nii?"

Kazuto stood in her doorway and she waved him inside. "What other choice do I have?" Sakura sighed.

"You always have a choice," Kazuto softly reminded her. "You can choose to view this as a duty or as an opportunity. It's not like they matched you with a stranger."

She sat still.

"Do something about it, Nee-san!" Kazuto raised his voice. "Fight back! Why are you being so passive and letting Chichiue dictate everything you do?"

"Kazuto."

"You are at a crossroads where you can choose to define how the rest of your life will turn out," he pointed out. "The real question is: what are you going to do about it?"

Her brother stormed out, leaving Sakura to her thoughts.

-sakura-

What could they do? The ANBU told them to protect the ring; the terrorist told them to hand it over. They had a deadline approaching in three hours and they were stranded on an island miles away from the coast.

"There has got to be a compromise," Ino groaned. "We're an innocent group caught between two strong parties."

Hand over the ring and everyone lives. The sapphire would be sold on the black market and a string of crimes would follow. The National Museum would lose a valuable piece of their exhibit.

Five hundred lives versus the unknown number of bodies following the ring as it circled the globe.

Perhaps the agent was right. The sapphire needed to be safe.

"Maybe there is a way," Sakura whispered, grabbing the ring from Naruto as she stood up. "Come on—we have work to do."

-naruto-

He didn't know if it was brilliance or desperation motivating Sakura to drive through Uzushio at top speed at three-thirty in the morning. She wound through the empty streets before parking at the entrance to the upstairs apartment of a commercial building.

"Please be awake," she chanted under her breath as she pounded on the door. "For the love of God, be awake."

The door swung open and the hallway light silhouetted a man in his early forties.

"Sakura-san," he greeted, confused. "What on earth are you doing here so late?"

She pushed them all inside and locked the door. "I need you," she answered. "There is something only you can do and it needs to be done before dawn or everyone dies."

-sasuke-

Seated in the living room with cups of hot chocolate the man's wife happily laid out for them, Sasuke felt secure knowing the handgun was in easy reach even though he knew they were in a safe place.

Sakura's plan was clever, but there were so many risks. If it failed, not only would all the guests die, but they would as well. Time was probably the biggest issue.

"Where are we?" Ino asked.

Sasuke knew the moment they pulled into the back lot where they were and who they were visiting. He started to reply, but paused. Would it be better for Ino and Naruto to know Sakura's risky plan? Or would leaving them in the dark spare their lives?

Better not to say anything.

"A friend's," Sasuke answered evasively.

Naruto wasn't buying it. "What are we doing here?"

The wife returned with blankets. "You should get some rest," the woman advised with a kind smile. "Kankuro-san knows where to find you."

Sasuke forced Naruto and Ino to take blankets. He waited until they were asleep before getting up and walking into the kitchen with their used mugs.

"Sasuke honey, you don't have to do that," the woman protested to him washing the dishes. "You're our guest."

He placed the mugs on the drying rack. "Sana, we've woken you up in the middle of the night and burdened you with our problems. Washing dishes is the least I can do for your troubles."

Watanuki Sana laughed. "You'll be good for her," she said warmly. "I'm glad Mebuki-san picked you and not the Komoto boy."

Sasuke stiffened at the mention of Komoto Hiro. The son of a famous actor who often starred in his father's movies, Hiro was a typical Hollywood Hills child. They never got along when they were children and now in their twenties, that mutual dislike blossomed into complete disdain and hatred.

"It's because I will make more money than Hiro ever will as a second-rate actor," Sasuke sniped.

Sana's peal of laughter relaxed the tension in his shoulders. "Of course you will, honey. You have your mother's gift of seeing to the heart of the matter and not focusing on the surrounding distractions. How do you think she soared through medical school and started her own business?"

She lightly pushed him out of the kitchen. "You need to sleep. I'll get Sakura-chan in a minute."

Grumbling about how the littlest women were always the pushiest ones, Sasuke settled under a thick comforter on the couch with no intention of sleeping. Minutes later, Sana pushed Sakura into the living room and sat her on the sofa beside him. Sasuke lifted the comforter as an invitation.

"You think I'm crazy," she softly said as she nestled in his arms under the comforter.

"I think there are a lot of risks," Sasuke refuted.

"You think something will go wrong?"

"I hope not," he answered before kissing her on the forehead. "You need to sleep."

Leaning his head back on the sofa, Sasuke almost didn't hear Sakura's whisper of "You too, Sasuke-kun."

The sound of Sakura's even breathing filled his ears and he could feel her heartbeat against his. Is this what it would be like to fall asleep next to Sakura every night? His eyelids grew heavy and he rested his head on hers.

"I know you're not asleep," Sakura suddenly murmured, shifting in his arms. "Have you slept once tonight?"

"Can't," Sasuke responded quietly.

Her jade eyes softened. "Don't be afraid," she reassured him with a small smile. "Everything will be alright."

Sasuke wanted to scoff at her ridiculous optimism but he was so tired of being cynical and terrified nothing will go right in his life from now on that the sliver of hope she offered was just enough to believe in. Squeezing her tighter, he told her to go back to sleep but he should have expected the saucy reply of "only if you will."

"You're really warm," Sakura idly commented. "I never noticed before."

"You've never been in my arms this long before."

"True," she giggled. "I wouldn't mind if we stayed like this forever."

His eyes widened at the comment. Did that mean-? No, it couldn't be. Sakura was saying things without thinking again.

"Have you ever been in love?"

The question caught him off guard. "Never."

"Really?" Sakura was curious. "You dated Karin and Tayuya for the longest time though."

"Four months is not a long time Sakura. Karin and I were only together for one month before she decided we were better friends. Why haven't you dated anyone?"

She fell silent, composing an answer. "I suppose... it's because I'm too selfish," she confessed. "It's like all anyone ever sees me as is a doll and not a person. Boys look at me and think of how much money my family has and how they're set for an easy life. They think of how good my reputation looks decorated on their arm and not how hard I've worked to get to where I am. Few people respect me for who I am because everyone else is too busy looking at the charming doll my parents presented when I was younger. Is it really so much to ask for someone who likes Sakura and not the Haruno name?"

He wondered how she could say everything he thought the last four years so easily.

"We'll be selfish together," he answered quietly. "Sleep, Sakura."

She stared at him with a conflicted expression for a moment before reaching up and dropping a chaste kiss on the corner of his mouth. Nestled under his chin once again, Sakura murmured "good night" against his collarbone. Sasuke closed his eyes and slipped into sleep to the sound of their matching heartbeats.

Author's note:

I meant to post this yesterday but some things came up and I got delayed. My bad. I'll update like usual tomorrow.

Ja ne-
Callista Miralni