Two weeks had gone by fast. Maybe it was because she was happy and things with Sasuke were going well. Really well, actually. Being with him was easier than she thought it would be for one thing.
He was a different Sasuke with her than everyone else. He didn't act annoyed or on guard. He was relaxed with her, gentle and he'd actual joke believe it or not. The only thing that made what they had hard was the fact that they had to be careful. She didn't like keeping a distance from him when they were out in public or the fact she couldn't kick every single one of his fan girl's asses everytime they tried to get his attention with some crazy stunt.
Then again, keeping things secret also had it's level of excitement. Anyone could walk up into the training grounds at night and Naruto had a habit of busting into Sasuke's apartment whenever he so pleased.
She had fallen back into her usual routine though with work included. She'd work during the day at the hospital and then go to see Sasuke afterward. The two days she had off a week she usually went to the Uchiha district and would study and eat lunch with him then usually train for awhile herself until she would meet up with him again later.
She had only one mission though and had been gone one day, coming back without even a bruise on her. The only thing that she could label bad was the fact that Sasuke was leaving for a week at least.
Shikamaru requested him specifically for a higher ranking mission. Apparently the lazy genius required both a byakugan and sharingan for a mission he was leading. Kakashi had been originally slated to go, but something important came up and he was sent away on something top secret. It would be Sasuke's first mission out of the village since he came back and he seemed relieved to finally be away from all the D-ranks.
And then it was in that week that Ronan was coming. She had done everything she could to get out of it, but apparently Tsunade was set on trying to get her together with this guy...
Sakura closed the medical journal she had been reading when she walked into the training grounds, leaning against the tree Sasuke usually set his things by. She wasn't all too happy about not being able to see him off tomorrow, but at least she was getting to give him a goodbye in some fashion, even if it was a night earlier. She knew he'd be fine, but she couldn't ignore the fact she was worried about him going. It was only going to be a week though, two tops. He'd be fine, at least, she hoped he would be.
Sasuke finished his training and as he walked over to Sakura he deactivated the sharingan, not needing it anymore. He stopped to get a drink of water first, needing to cool down after the intense training session. Once he was done with that he turned his gaze back to Sakura.
Without a word Sasuke planted a soft kiss on Sakura's lips. "I'll come see you once I get back."
She smiled up at him, trying to cover the fact that she was worried about him. Sakura knew this was something she was going to have to get used to. They'd both be going on missions over time, some long and some short, but it was their jobs.
She knew the worry wasn't going to go away though, and that was something he was just going to have to get used to. She had just gotten back from a mission that wasn't supposed to involve contact with enemies and look what had happened. Their entire team spent at least one night in the hospital.
Sakura took a step towards him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her cheek against his left shoulder. Sasuke let Sakura embrace him, resting a hand on the small of her back. She took a deep breath, her nose filling with his scent as she did, she didn't even care he just finished training.
"You better. I think I might actually miss you a little bit."
"If you'll only miss me a little bit, then it won't matter if I let the mission take extra long," Sasuke teased in return, clearly lying.
"Sasuke Uchiha, if you stretch out that mission any longer than it has to be and I find out about it, you'll wish you stretched it out indefinitely."
She gave him a playful glare before smiling at him and laughing.
"There, you happy? I'll miss you a lot."
She knew he got some great ego boost when she'd say things like that. Things like him being a good boyfriend to having good flirting skills. She didn't mind feeding the ego a little bit now an then.
"Is that so?" Sasuke replied with a smirk. "I'll just have to make sure you don't find out about it then," he said, referencing her threat.
"You do that, Sasuke. We'll see how it works out for you."
"Or I could just come back on time and not tell you," he teased.
She smiled up at him, playing along with the little game between them. She knew he wouldn't do such a thing unless he had a good reason too, like he needed space from Konoha, Naruto or even her. She could understand that, respect that. He'd gone through a lot, and if he ever needed time, she'd wait. She had waited three years for him, a few extra days on a mission wasn't going to kill her. Sakura wasn't lying though when she said she was going to miss him like crazy.
The rosette laughed gently before pulling away from him as she turned and started to gather his things. He released her, moving to help gather his things as well.
She sighed. "I have a feeling this Ronan guy is going to have me wanting to rip my hair out so I guess I'll apologize now if I'm a little frazzled when you come back."
He paused and frowned. "Hn," he said, the sound of his voice in that one word betraying his dislike about the man's attraction to Sakura.
She gave him a sheepish smile as she started handing him the extra weapons he had laid out. Sakura had watched him put them up enough to know the order he did it in. The last thing she grabbed was his water bottle, turning to face him as she held it out for him to take it.
"Hopefully he'll be gone by then, though I doubt it," she added.
Sasuke grumbled a bit. "It doesn't matter. He's just a pest."
"A pest is an understatement."
Ronan wasn't horrible, he was actually a fairly charming guy. Just when they had been in his village, he was always there. He hardly gave her room to breathe, her only solace away from the guy was when she was out with her team scouting or in her room at the inn they were staying at.
Otherwise he within five feet of her the entire time and constantly chattering. He reminded her of Naruto almost, except the kind of Naruto she really couldn't stand. Academy Naruto.
The Uchiha frowned. "Hn," was his only reply to Sakura though.
She was amused by how Sasuke didn't even know this guy yet here he was, already deciding to have a strong dislike of him. Then again, she didn't really care for the guy what-so-ever either. She cared about Sasuke on the other hand, and she could only pray Ronan was gone when Sasuke came back.
Once all his things were put up Sasuke took Sakura's hand, as he'd become accustomed to doing every night as they walked back towards the village.
Sakura didn't hesitate to slip her hand in his. It was something they had both gotten used to.
When walking back to the village from here he'd take her hand and hold onto it until they got to the sign post that was at the tree line. She wished she had more time with him, but she knew how important it was to him, how serious he was about missions big or small.
"I wish I could go with you guys instead of here worrying myself half to death," she said.
He looked over at her, looking not happy that she wanted to go.
"Tch, I don't need a babysitter. I can take care of myself. I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me."
She slowly looked up at him before coming to a stop. She tugged on his hand slightly to get him to stop with her.
"Sasuke, I know can take care of yourself, and I'm sure you'll be fine, but I'm still going to worry. You can't tell me not to. You're probably going some place where people won't hesitate to fight you and just the idea of something happening to you scares me. Sasuke, I care so much about you and I don't know if I could handle it I lost you again. So don't tell me not to worry about you."
She could feel tears start to brim in her eyes. She wasn't even sure why, but she felt that she needed him to know all of this. She was scared he might not come back, and she wanted him to know that he had people that cared about him here, that he could have a home here.
"Cause I will if I damn well want to," she added.
"Sakura…"
Sakura looked down, brushing away the tears that had overflown with her free hand.
He leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. Feeling the soft kiss, she almost broke down. She had made a promise a long time ago she'd try not to cry in front of him, but that was back when she was trying to prove something, that she was strong. She couldn't seem to help herself now though. There were no sobs, no sniffles, just silent tears rolling down her cheeks every time she'd close her eyes.
"It's alright," he said softly.
She took a step towards him, letting go of his hand as she slid her arms around him, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his chest. Sasuke seemed startled, loosely embracing the pink haired girl in return.
She trusted Sasuke, she did, but there was still that small seed of doubt in her mind. She had trusted him before and he left then, there was nothing stopping him if he wanted to leave now.
He'd been back for almost three months now and the villagers were still a little uneasy around him, he was having to rebuild his entire life here. The pressure of that alone would be enough to make her at least consider leaving. The only difference between now and then was that she was with him.
That could only leave her asking the question of was she enough... There was also the idea that if someone got the drop on him, or if they were outnumbered severely. He could get taken from her just as easily as if he were leaving on his own whim. She'd barely made it through the first time, she highly doubted she could do it again. She wasn't strong enough for that.
Sakura pulled only far enough away from him to wipe her eyes before looking up at him. She wasn't sure how many seconds she had stared at him before she reached up and pushed the bangs out of his face. She ran her fingers through his hair before she slowly leaned up and kissed him. Sasuke's eyes locked with hers for a few moments and he looked surprised, though he didn't pull away, relaxing into the kiss.
It was gentle at first, and she almost pulled back before she decided to go with her instincts instead, deepening the kiss. She didn't care he could probably taste her tears or if she was making a fool of herself. She wanted to give him a reason to come back.
Sasuke didn't break it until he needed to stop for air. Once he did he looked at her curiously, clearly confused.
"Sakura?" he asked, brushing a remaining tear from her cheek.
She was quiet as she looked up at him, giving a half-hearted smile. By the looks of it, he was trying to figure out why she was crying. He probably thought it was something he did, too when it was only her mind bringing forward everything she was unsure about forward.
"I didn't mean to cry in front of you. I'm sorry."
She ran her hand through his hair one last time before dropping them both to his shoulders, looking down as she forced herself to relax.
She sighed. "I guess I'm just as scared as I am worried. It'll just take me awhile to get used to you going on missions is all."
She needed to trust him even more. Sasuke would come back, he'd said he'd come see her, and he wouldn't of wasted his breath if he didn't mean it. Sakura had to believe that, otherwise she was just going to drive herself insane.
"Don't apologize," he said simply.
Her eyes focused up on him. "Just be careful. Please."
Sasuke frowned. "I will be back. I'm not leaving for good again and I'm not going to die."
She looked down the pathway and could see the spot where they'd have to split ways. She wasn't going to let him walk her home tonight, not if he had to wake up early. She wasn't ready to say bye to him yet though. She just wanted to be around him as long as possible.
He too saw the split in the path ahead as well. "I promise."
He pulled her closer, his arm tightening around her waist.
"I'll be careful, just for you."
She smiled softly. "Thank you."
It was all she could think to say to him as she hugged him tightly. She was listening to his breathing, his heart beat and it was working in calming her down. He was better at comforting people than she thought he would be. Sure she was still worried to the point where he would probably be all she was thinking about until he came back but honestly what could she do? It was his job to go, he had been training his whole life for things such as this.
There was something he said that bothered her though. He said he wasn't going to leave and that he wasn't going to die. The first part she couldn't bring herself to address, she'd just start crying again. About him dying though, that was something she hoped she'd never have to deal with.
He was a strong ninja though, and one of the geniuses of their generation. He wasn't going to be going on C and B-rank missions that involved enemies that were hardly worth labeling a threat to no real danger at all. No, Sakura had no doubt in her mind that Sasuke would make it to ANBU, which would effectively cut his life expectancy into half the percentile.
Death only happened once, and even Sasuke wasn't immune. Sakura had to push those thoughts aside as well though. She was just going to get herself tangled in an even more complex web of worry and fear.
"Well I guess I've made myself look crazy enough that you know how much I'm actually going to miss you."
"I figured it out already," he answered.
She laughed gently as she finally looked up at him, giving him a faint smile. She was still upset, that much was clear but she was calming. She felt guilty though along with everything else that she was keeping him out. As much as she didn't want to tell him to go, she knew it was for the better.
When it came to people she cared about, she was never going to be able to ease up on her worrying when it came to missions. When she was twelve, she honestly never thought about one of her friends coming back dead, but after Sasuke left, when there was that true possibility that she'd never see him again, that was when she became like this. No matter who it was, Ino, Kakashi, Naruto, she'd always think about them. Over the years, she had learned how to hide it from them, but with Sasuke, she just couldn't...
She wasn't in love with the other people.
"Sasuke, if you need to go you can. You don't have to stay here with me cause I'm like... This."
Sasuke frowned "Tch, no chance in hell."
Not exactly the most romantic way of saying that he'd stick by his girlfriend's side until she felt better, but that was what he meant. She laughed quietly. It wasn't the conventional way to say he'd stay, but to her, he couldn't of said anything better.
Sasuke definitely had his own language when it came to these situations, but she couldn't get enough of it. It made him so unpredictable, always leaving her wonder what he'd say next. Usually she could tell his mood ahead of time, or what his reaction might be, but what was going to come out of his mouth always eluded her.
"Come to my apartment for a while, until you cheer up," he said glancing around at how public this spot was.
She nodded in agreement, reluctantly pulling away from him and crossing her arms as if she was suddenly cold. She turned and started walking again, brushing at her cheeks to try and dry them.
"I might move out of my parents house."
She was trying to change the subject, getting the thoughts of him not coming back for some reason out of her head.
"They're supposed to be building another complex, about a block from the one you live in. It just seems like a good time to."
Sasuke looked over at her.
"How long until that apartment complex is finished?" he asked in response.
"It'll be a month or two. They're just putting the finishing touches on it I think."
Sakura wouldn't be happy when she moved out, but she'd be excited. It was something new, something that gave her independence. It would help her grow up and she'd be closer to the hospital... And Sasuke, but that was besides the point.
It wouldn't matter after he moved back into the Uchiha compound though, that was actually closer to her parents' house. Yet she wouldn't have to worry about waking her parents up when she got home or worry them with things like when she'd get cuts and bruises. It'd make it a hell of a lot easier to avoid them during those times, them and lectures.
"You'll have to make sure to give Naruto a spare key so he can visit unannounced whenever he wants," he said sarcastically.
"Well if you'd rather Naruto have it than you, okay."
She wondered what his reaction would be to that. She was insinuating she planned on giving him a key to her place, whenever she got one, and that at least showed she had trust in him. Naruto on the other hand, was a completely different story. She trusted the blond, but with things like her life, not her clean apartment.
Sasuke smirked. "I could get in even without a key, but if you actually want to keep Naruto out of your apartment I could take it."
She could only smile to herself as his sarcastic remarks about getting a key to her apartment. Of course she wanted him to take one, but she didn't want to sound to enthusiastic about it. So she only nodded in response to all of it, plus it didn't help she was slightly distracted.
She wasn't near crying again, but she knew the tiniest comment could send her right back into a slump she wouldn't get herself out of until he came back. Sakura didn't want to be like that, so when he said her name, she could only look at him and give a soft smile.
"There's a new Chinese take-out place that's opening soon. When I get back from my mission we can get some and eat at my place," Sasuke said.
Sakura looked up at him. That was a date to her, she'd take it no problem.
"I can't believe Sasuke Uchiha just asked me to dinner."
She gave him that same half-hearted smile, trying to get herself in a better mood. "That'd be great."
She looked back down and crossed her arms, his apartment was in sight and she was just ready to be inside.
"Isn't that what boyfriends are supposed to do? Or maybe you changed your mind about us?" he asked.
"Yeah, Sasuke. I'm going to trade you in for a better model."
He arched a curious eyebrow but didn't speak.
She let out a scoff at that and playfully rolled her eyes. Like she would honestly break up with him for anyone... She knew Sasuke was the one she wanted to be with. She'd already proved it enough she'd follow him anywhere and do anything for him. Sakura knew that he knew that as well and she had a feeling that he'd do almost anything for her as well. Here he was putting off sleep for his mission all because she had cried.
Once they were up to his apartment Sasuke unlocked the door, letting them both in and then closing it behind them. His apartment was nearly exactly the same as the last time Sakura had been there, with the exception of the boxes of his family's stuff she'd given him. Those were now neatly put away, minus a few pictures that were now framed on a table.
"Make yourself at home," Sasuke muttered.
Then he set about putting his training supplies away. The Uchiha was ever the neat freak and he always put his things away as soon as he walked through the door.
She started to head towards the living room, slowing when she passed the pictures he had up. They were from the photo albums she was guessing, seeing as how they were of him little and his family. Sakura took her time to look at each one, smiling gently at the last one. It was just a picture of Sasuke and Itachi. They both looked happy, even though they were apparently arguing over something in the photo.
Finally making her way to the living room she turned to where she was leaning against them armrest of the couch and facing his direction. Her arms were still crossed, though she lifted one hand to rest her chin on her palm, covering her mouth with her fingers as she stared at the ground. The thoughts just weren't going away that something bad was going to happen.
Sasuke finished putting the last of his training things up and locking them away with all of his other ninja items. Then he found Sakura in the living room and walked over to her.
"Sakura?" he asked, looking a bit unsure.
"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'm fine."
"You're lying," he responded.
She reached out and took his hand, pulling him towards her. She knew she'd feel better if she was close to him, but then again she wasn't going to be held responsible for keeping him up late.
"If you want to go to bed, you can. I can lock up when I leave," she said quietly, hoping he'd refuse.
Sakura rose an eyebrow up at him in curiosity as she sat down on the arm rest of the couch. Even with that few extra inches between them, despite the fact he was still close, she had to crane her neck up to look at him.
She'd decided something. She knew that it'd be hard for her to do, but she wasn't expecting anything back from Sasuke. She just had this feeling that she needed to explain to him just how much he meant to her. Why she was going to miss him so much. There were only two ways to do that. One was to outright say it, which she planned on, and two was to actually show him, which she trusted him enough that she wouldn't be opposed to doing that either.
"Sasuke..."
She dropped her gaze to his hand she was still holding, suddenly becoming very interested with is palm.
"I dont expect you to say anything back to me, so don't feel like you have to. I know you don't feel the same way as me right now, but I've felt like this since I was twelve. The reason why I started crying before is because I love you. I'm just don't want to lose you, or have anything happen to you. I'm sure you'll be fine, but still..." She trailed off, not really sure where else to go with her explanation. She could only keep staring at his hand, unsure of his reaction to it all.
Sasuke leaned down so that he would be able to speak quietly into her ear.
She could feel the anticipation of his reaction. Sakura knew that he wasn't going to feel the same way. She knew he cared, more than she ever expected him too, but it probably wasn't going to be easy for him to fall in love with her.
She wouldn't be surprised if he was hesitant about it. She knew she was just jumping to assumptions, but he already had everyone he loved taken from him once, he probably wouldn't be so eager to take that risk again. Again, it was just making an assumption, but she wasn't about to rush him into anything. She'd wait, and it'd be worth it.
"You are my most important person," he said quietly.
She felt something knot in her stomach, though it was a good feeling. Probably the best feeling she had ever gotten. She honestly didn't even think he'd say anything like that even. It had taken him awhile to respond, but she still didn't regret what she had said, and she wasn't about to let him regret anything, either.
He gently placed the hand that Sakura wasn't holding onto under the pink haired girl's chin, bringing it up and looking at her eyes.
"And I promise to always return from my missions. Every time."
She knew that if she thought about it, she could cry again. She wasn't going to freak him out though, he seemed slightly unsure of how to react the first time she did. Yet what he said did actually work a little bit. She wasn't sure if it was because how intimate they were being, or the tone of his voice, or even how close they were, but she believed him. Sure it was a crazy thing to promise because that wasn't something you could technically guarantee, but he believed it, too.
Sakura slowly slid off the armrest into the small space between Sasuke in the couch, leaving him feeling her every breath and movement and her the same with him. Right now, there was honestly nothing she could say to him that would convey her feelings to him. She was happy, happier than she had ever been, and she knew she loved him more than anything. She just had to show him. She was caught in the euphoria of it all, and she knew that unless he did something, she wasn't going to stop. She didn't want to stop.
She slid her arms around his neck, holding herself balanced as she stood up to kiss him, letting every feeling she had explode with that kiss. Sasuke seemed surprised but returned her kiss, feeling the emotion that she'd put behind it. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him.
She wasn't going to regret anything that had to do with him and she wanted, no, needed him to know that more than anything. He was her choice, and she was his and she didn't plan on changing her mind any time soon. She wanted him and it was as simple as that.
Sakura was surprised by all of this as he apparently seemed to be. The only difference was, she didn't care right now. She didn't care that she let it slip how she really felt, or that he didn't even say it back. The only thing that she cared about was that he knew before he left. She wanted him to feel like he had something... Someone to come back to, that maybe he could finally consider this place home after everything he went through. She cared about the fact he said she was his most important person and she wasn't going to take that lightly. Right now though, she was just letting her actions do the talking.
Sasuke seemed to be doing that as well. He wasn't toying with her, or even settling. She could tell from that kiss that Sasuke wasn't going to hurt her, that whatever they had was going to go somewhere and he'd do anything in his power to make her happy. What really got her the most was that she had a feeling he was happy, too, or at least, as close to happy as Sasuke could really get.
Sasuke pulled away from the kiss to breathe, only taking a moment for air before pulling her into another equally passionate kiss. Sakura had no idea how long they stood there kissing, she wasn't even positive when one of her hands slid to his jaw, her fingers weaving through his hair while her other hand wrapped around his shoulder to hold her balance.
She knew that she was content though with not going anywhere. It took her a good few seconds to slowly pull away from him just so she could make at least that known.
"Sasuke... I don't want to go home tonight."
The rosette had only pulled inches away from him, her breath mingling with his.
She looked up at him. "I want to stay here, with you."
She knew where things could go if she stayed, and honestly, there was a part of her that hoped things would go there, but she also knew that nothing might happen at all, and she was alright with that, too.
Sakura just knew that she wanted to see him in the morning before he left, even if it was only long enough for her to kiss him bye and to tell him she'd see him when he got back.