title: It Was Always You
prompt: SASUSAKU MONTH 2014
rating: T-M

summary: o29: Sasuke proves to Sakura how much she means to him through a simple ink tattoo.

dedicated to: my girls reviee, DeepPoeticGirl, and SR :)

.o29.
Tattoo

"You told me that you wouldn't ever let a man back into your heart again, not after him."

Sakura narrowed her eyes and took a cautious step back, wondering what exactly Sasuke was getting at. He had shown up at her door in the middle of the night storm, his black T-shirt and jeans soaked. Sakura stepped back even more to let him in, but he remained plastered on her patio.

"What are you saying?" she asked him. She still wasn't sure why he had come here, and after the previous times he had tried to court her, she had waved him away impatiently. But, she figured, coming here at this time of day meant that he had something important to say, so she would allow it.

"You didn't believe me when I said I loved you."

"Love isn't real," Sakura said. "I thought I was in love once. Turns out, I was just in love with a lie."

She saw the intensity and gravity in Sasuke's dark eyes. He did not smile nor frown, and his lips stayed pressed together firmly.

"You also said that the only way you would believe me was if—"

"If you got a tattoo of my name over your heart. Yeah, I know. Look, Sasuke, I appreciate you coming here, but I only said those things to get you off my back. I'm not looking for anything serious. Not now, not ever. So please, go home before you get sick."

She waited for him to leave and to tell her what a heartless bitch she was—which she was prepared for—but he didn't move. Instead, she noticed his arms reaching for the hem of his shirt, and he slowly began to pull it over his head. Sakura watched as the shirt clung to his wet skin, not wanting to move away from his body.

What Sakura saw next nearly knocked her off her feet. Sasuke was shirtless, yes, with a body she had no idea was hidden underneath his clothes. But her eyes trailed to his left breast, where the characters she knew so well were neatly printed on top of his skin.

"I knew you were kidding," he said. "But I wasn't." He reached for her hand and pressed it over his chest. She felt the small bumps of Haruno Sakura written and felt tears spring up at her eyes.

"You shouldn't have done that," she said. "I don't deserve someone like you."

"Everyone deserves a second chance at love," Sasuke said, refusing to release her hand from his grip. "Question is; will you let me help you?"

Sakura took a good look at the half-naked man in front of her who had come to her house in the middle of the night with her name imprinted forever on his skin.

"Come in," she said, opening the door wide for him. "You'll get cold."

She had accepted him into her home. The least she could do was try to accept him into her heart as well.