A/N: School's coming up in three days for me. Eh, I'm getting some bittersweet feelings about that. I will honestly try to update during the first week of school, but I'm not sure if that'll happen. I'm sorry if you end up waiting awhile. Perhaps while you wait you can read some of my other SasuSaku works? Oh, and congratulations to moonshine86. You correctly guessed something in your last review ;D
A Promise Made On A Sakura Tree
Chapter 8
That black beetle had witnessed the flower shop scene. But what was a lowly, non speaking insect to do? Fly off in the opposite direction of Sakura and onto the finger of a pale, quiet boy that's what. That said boy listened as it told of Ino's cruelty, and when the beetle was done speaking in its animal tongue he walked away.
He walked, and walked, and walked some more until he was behind a fellow black-eyed shinobi. The bug boy reached out and tapped his comrade on the shoulder. Sasuke didn't have his guard up, for he had been busy moping about Sakura's change of heart. In fact he could still feel the place where she had smacked him; it was hard to tell if his face hurt worse then his pride.
When the bug boy grabbed a hold of his shoulder, Sasuke assumed he was in danger and spun around with a shuriken to the stranger's neck.
"Easy, Uchiha-san. I just want to talk." Bug boy said in a quiet, casual voice.
"Shino Aburame? What do you want?" Sasuke growled as he put away the metal weapon. The sun glinted off Shino's glasses, and neither boy said a word. Just as Sasuke was deciding to leave, the bug boy asked a very personal question.
"Uchiha-san, what is Sakura-san to you? Is she merely a teammate, who you have past with? Or is she something more?" Shino asked, earning a surprised look from the black haired boy. That wasn't a question he got everyday.
"What's it to you?" Sasuke replied, casually avoiding an answer.
"I know something about your relationship, Uchiha-san. Something you may want to know." Shino fell silent as Sasuke mulled over his words.
"Well, bug boy, you talk big. But can you back it up?" Sasuke muttered, growing tired of this. Shino told Sasuke everything his trusted beetle had said, though he wisely didn't mention the source of the information.
"Don't lie to me Aburame-san!" Sasuke hissed angrily when Shino finished telling the story.
"I don't care if you believe me or not. But you need to decide if Sakura-san is worth fighting for." Shino stated before walking away. Sasuke huffed a breath of anger; this day wasn't going his way at all. But Shino's words were still playing in his mind, and the common sense part of his brain told him that it was possible.
'Maybe…Sakura-san does still harbor feelings for me…and maybe…I…' Sasuke thought with uncertainty. His mind suddenly cleared, and the Uchiha knew what he must do.
"If I was a teenage girl who had just gone through a difficult situation, where would I be?" Sasuke asked himself. That didn't really help, because Sasuke had no idea what it was like to be a girl. But he made a logical guess, and ten minutes later found himself sneaking around the Haruno residence.
The sun was setting low in the sky, and most villagers were heading home for the evening. When he was sure no one was looking, Sasuke crept up to the front door and knocked. He prayed that his darling pinkette would answer. Thankfully she did, and man was she sure surprised to see the Uchiha boy in her doorway!
"Sasuke-san? You shouldn't be here!" Sakura whispered, looking around for any sign of nosy neighbors who would tell on her the second they got the chance.
"Can I come in? I need to talk to you." Sasuke gently pushed past her without waiting for an approval. He walked in her living room to find Naruto sitting on her couch.
"Sasuke-san? Why are you here?" Naruto questioned as he looked at Sakura curiously. The pink haired girl shrugged; she was just as startled as Naruto.
"I could ask you the same question." The Uchiha replied as he sat down next to Naruto. Sakura sat down beside Sasuke.
"I was trying to help Sakura-san find out what Ino-baka did to her today." Naruto answered with a growl.
"No way we're going to let that slug get away with this!" he added.
"I'll save you the trouble; that's partly what I came to talk to Sakura-san about." Sasuke said. He told his teammates everything he knew from Shino.
"I can't believe Ino-san is jealous about you and I being on the same team," Sakura sighed.
"There's no point to it. Everybody knows our families hate each other, and that they would sooner die then let us do anything more then missions together."
"I wanted to talk to you about that, Sakura-san." Sasuke said hesitantly. Sakura's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
'Is he going to say what I think he might say?' She thought with wide eyes. Naruto sensed a private moment coming up, and stated that he needed to go home.
"I'll lie and tell your parents you're going to be out late training with me, so don't worry about running home tonight." Naruto uttered to Sasuke before smirking and leaving.
'I knew he'd figure things out soon enough.' The fox like teen thought as he hurried home to his ramen. Now that Sasuke and Sakura were alone, all the words that Sasuke had thought up were gone. He was actually starting to sweat with nerves, and his heart was racing. She looked at him expectantly; he needed to tell her now. Her look of contemplation vanished to one of worry.
"You don't look so good Sasuke-san; is it too hot in here?" she asked, her delicate fingers pressing against Sasuke's moist forehead.
'Speak, moron!' Sasuke thought to himself.
"Sakura-san, I…" Sasuke's voice faltered under her gaze. He could picture the look of hate on his parent's faces, and the pain it would put them through. He could also see the happy faces of he and Sakura together in each other's arms, and that image seemed to block out all others.
But how do you tell a girl you love her when you're in a situation like this? How do you live with the sacrifices that would have to be made when you did tell the girl your feelings?
Sakura removed her fingers from the boy's forehead and pressed one to his lips. She ran upstairs, into her room, and came back with something in her hands. She stood in front of her companion and held out the cherry blossom picture frame that Sasuke had given her so many years ago.
"I kept this because you were my best friend. And I honestly thought that after our parent's got over their little argument we could go back to that. But I don't think they ever will, and now I'm not so sure we could be friends.
Yet no matter how frustrated I got, about our families and about you, I could never bring myself to get rid of this. I don't know if you're meant to be my friend or not, but if that's what you want then we're going to try!" Sakura spoke with determination. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his nerves starting to calm down.
"I'm sorry Sakura-san, but I don't want to be your friend. I'm going to have to break that promise I made to you." He stood up and looked into Sakura's hurt emerald eyes. She was going to say something, hoping she could finish before she cried. But Sasuke wasn't giving her the chance.
"I can't be your friend, Sakura-san," Sasuke started as he reached out and gently touched her cheek.
"Because I want us to be more then friends." He was starting to feel rather bold, and Sasuke leaned forward to kiss his pink haired teammate. His lips barely brushed her lips, and yet it was enough to send jolts of electricity throughout her body.
Sakura jumped in anticipation; unfortunately the motion caused her to trip over her coffee table. As Sakura was falling backwards she grabbed a hold of Sasuke's shirt and pulled him down with her. Sasuke's shirt caught on the edge of the coffee table and ripped. He landed on top of Sakura, and they both blushed deep shades of scarlet.
"I'm really sorry about that Sasuke-san!" Sakura gasped as Sasuke got off her and helped her up. The front of his shirt was ripped pretty badly.
"I can sew that for you, if you'd let me." Sakura frowned as she examined the damage.
"It's bad, but fixable." She added with a loud sigh. Sasuke didn't reply, but crossed his arms and pulled his shirt off. He handed it to Sakura, who was trying very hard not to stare at his wonderful abdominal muscles.
"My mom keeps sewing supplies in the kitchen. I'll go fix your shirt, but in the mean time you can make yourself at home." Sakura walked away, her mind buzzing with everything that had happened today. She opened a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a needle and white thread.
They didn't have any blue that would match Sasuke's shirt. While Sakura got busy, Sasuke stretched out on Sakura's couch. It was late, and he was feeling pretty warn out from all the recent excitement. Yet all and all, it felt good to be back in Sakura's life.
He never really realized just how much he missed her until now. In fact Sasuke found himself constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for his flower's return. When she did, his shirt looked nearly as good as new.
"Here you go, Sasuke-san; one newly fixed shirt." Sakura smiled as she handed over the blue garment. Sasuke took the shirt and tossed it over the back of the couch. He patted the free space in front of him, indicating for Sakura to lay down with him. Though her face had to be brighter then the garden tomatoes Sasuke loves so much, Sakura giggled and did just that.
"Good night, Sakura-chan." Sasuke whispered in her ear as his arms snaked their way around her and held her close. Sakura felt all her breath leave her throat, and it wasn't until she heard the slow and steady breathing of Sasuke sleeping that she too closed her eyes and rested.
A/N: This amazing piece of fluff was conceived in my brain last night when I spent the night at my Grandmother's house. How I came up with such a spin on the plot, I'll never know. But I can guarantee that the next chapter will have some unexpected drama in it!
