Date: 5/25/13
Rating: T
Genre: Angst, Drama, Romance
Prompt: 631 - Sakura asks Sasuke why he wants to be Hokage
"You know it's always been Naruto's dream," Sakura said, not looking at him but at Naruto. He was talking to the Fourth, and he looked so happy. Even if it was just for this moment, for the sake of the war, Naruto had the chance to be with his father. She smiled, doleful, and then turned to Sasuke. "Why all of a sudden—"
"So you agree with them."
The way Sasuke said it made Sakura jump. It was grating, accusing, almost as if to say, I thought better of you, and yet, I knew you wouldn't understand. And it hurt. "It's not that!" Sakura said defensively, shaking her head, "It's just, I just want to know why, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It has to be me," he said. He lowered his voice, so much that Sakura had to strain her ears just to hear him, "So things like this will never happen again."
"You mean the war?"
He clicked his tongue. "Not just that," he said, exasperated. Sasuke looked at her expectantly, like it was obvious, like she was supposed to just get it. But she didn't, and he knew it. He sighed again. "I mean everything. The massacre—"
"But I still don't understand what you're getting at, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, furrowing her eyebrows, trying to put the pieces together, but she was still left confused. "What does the massacre have to do with you becoming Hokage?"
Sasuke looked at her with an expression Sakura couldn't decipher. "Are you saying," he said slowly, "you don't know?"
"Know what?!" Sakura exclaimed. She was starting to get emotional—angry, furious. She looked around her. Was there something they weren't telling her? Her jaw clenched; her fists shook; her head bowed. "Sasuke-kun, I want you to tell me," she said evenly, taking in a few deep breaths just so she wouldn't punch something. She looked up. "What is it that I'm supposed to know?"
Sasuke's eyes widened. He took a quick glance at Naruto, realizing that he hadn't told her. But why? To protect her? He looked back at Sakura, still waiting for an answer, and wondered if he should do the same. But he shook his head. He wasn't Naruto. And despite everything, Sasuke knew Sakura didn't want—didn't need—to be protected.
Without another word, Sasuke pulled Sakura aside, somewhere quiet so they could speak without being interrupted, and told her everything. Although he did have his moments where he regretted his decision, by the end of it he was glad. Sakura heard it from him, not another source, but him. She knew his side of the story, and if it could have been anyone, Sasuke was thankful she was the first one he told.
However, he wasn't exactly sure how she felt about the whole ordeal. Sakura barely spoke throughout his tale, and Sasuke couldn't help but worry about what she thought of him now, suddenly nervous. "Sakura—"
"Wait, Sasuke-kun," she said, hesitant, still trying to process everything he had told her. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before she began again, "I don't know what's going to happen. Whether it's you or Naruto who becomes Hokage, I can't be sure. But," she paused and carefully took his hand, smiling. "I believe in you. And, even if it took this long, of all people, I'm glad it was you who told me."