Chapter 3
His kitchen had stainless steel appliances, a dark granite counter, and a sadly, empty fridge. She sighed as this house was beautiful, but clearly not lived in. It looked like a model home for sale. She walked to the nearby grocery and bought staples, condiments, and an abundance of fresh produce. Being a doctor, she knew he needed more nutrients to heal faster, and was not bad at cooking. As she started unpacking her purchases into the cupboards, Sasuke finally dazedly walked into the kitchen.
"Hey! You're walking around again! Come sit, I'm going to make you an omelette and toast for breakfast. She busied herself around the kitchen, humming a song he didn't recognize, full of energy. He trudged his way to the stool by the counter and quietly watched her. He observed more about her today, as he had never really seen her cook, or do anything other than spar, heal people, or eat ramen, all of which during he was also occupied. Now, unable to help, he just stared openly. He noticed the way she furrowed her brows slightly when concentrating, the way her lips puckered casually seemingly at random, that annoying wisp of hair that kept falling from behind her ear. How he wished he could push it back. How would it feel to gently tuck those strands behind her ear, lightly brushing her face in the process. Would she blush? Would she get angry? He was still fixating his gaze on her hair, so lost in thought, he only came back to reality when, "It's finally ready. Itadakimasu!" He found a large omelette full of various vegetables in front of him with buttered toast and a steaming mug of tea on the side. He just couldn't believe how long he had stared at her, and thinking about these kinds of things. What was happening to him? What kind of magic was this?
She stared happily at him as he slowly ate the meal she had made. He would sometimes look up and make eye contact, and quickly look away. His face wasn't very expressive, but she could have sworn she saw him blush. They ate mostly in silence, with Sakura peppering the conversation with random facts or news. Once finished, she took the plates to the sink and started washing up, and Sasuke continued to slowly drink his tea. "What would you like to do today?" she asked, "We can do outside for a walk, or I'll push you since you are still a bit weak. But it will be good to get some fresh air and sunshine." He nodded and proceeded to the bedroom to change.
They decided to just go around the Uchiha manor gardens, since they were already spacious enough for a stroll, and Sasuke didn't want others to see him in a wheelchair. They passed one of the many apple trees in his yard, and Sakura reached up to pluck one off. She gently put in Sasuke's hands, making sure to linger their contact was long as possible. There was no doubt in her mind anymore, he was definitely blushing. How odd, she thought, he was never the type to physically push her away, nor initiate. He seemed to be indifferent to everything, that it was so strange to see any kind of reaction. She wondered if it was her specifically or just that she was a women. I guess he is a man after all, she thought, better late than never I suppose. They continued their garden walk, and she made sure to lightly brush up against him and get a little too close as much as possible, just enjoying the signs of slight distress on his face. Why was this so enjoyable? Was she a sadist? But after having walked enough, they returned inside for her to change his bandages and perform some chakra healing.
Was she doing this on purpose? They had never been on a leisurely walk with him being pushed in a wheelchair. He had no benchmark to gauge whether this amount of touching or closeness was normal. It always felt abnormal to him, yet she always seemed so comfortable. She had gotten so close just a few minutes ago. "Is that a bug in your ear Sasuke?" and she leaned in close, peering at his left side, so close he could feel the tickle of her hot breath on his lower jaw. He swallowed hard and tried to keep his head on straight, but with the painkillers, lack of sleep, and the sound of his name almost whispered into his ear, he felt slightly faint. Changing his bandages were also a strange form of torture as she moved her hands all over his body and kept bringing her head so close he could smell her hair. He tried to count the seconds until it was over, lest his hormones make him do something he would regret later.
He now focused on his new found love of calligraphy. He was becoming quite adept at the art form. He gracefully moved his brush across the paper, now at ease with how the ink flowed and spread. "Wow, you've really improved in two weeks!" she exclaimed, taking one of the pages he had just finished. "We should hang some of these up. Maybe one above your bed?" Before he could argue against it, she had already pinned it vertically to the wall. She always did what she felt like, but if not, it would be hard to be with him, since most people who try to be polite would shy away from his cold and apathetic state. She decided to go visit Ino since she was technically taking a break, and Sasuke didn't seem to need any immediate attention. "Call me if you need me, ok?" He nodded mutely not looking at her, listening to the padding of footsteps as she left through the front door. He stayed in the living room, just reading, and practicing calligraphy.
She came back to find Sasuke fast asleep on the couch. She carefully packed up the set, and was about to place the finished papers in the box he kept all his work in. She gasped when she saw the stacks and stacks of paper overflowing as she opened the box. He had really practiced a lot! She smiled. Sasuke never did half ass anything did he? As she picked up the sheets that had fallen out, she almost stopped breathing as she read her name on the pages scattered on the floor. Sakura. She rifled through the box and had trouble processing what she saw. Sakura. In thin scribbly script. Sakura. In thick bold strokes. Sakura. Vertically. Horizontally. With small drawings of cherry blossoms. Sakura. Sakura. Sakura.
A slight grunt form Sasuke in his sleep jolted her to her senses. She quickly packed up his things and with her brute strength, lifted Sasuke gently over to his bedroom. She made sure there was a glass of water beside his bed, and left the room to contemplate what she had discovered. Was that actually real? Am I dreaming? Sakura had found proof in his shyness that he found her physical proximity alarming, and she had just thought that it was because of male hormones. But was there something more? Did Sasuke really care about her as more than a friend? She went through every page, looking for someone else's name, Naruto, Kakashi, Itachi, Uchiha, anything. There was only idioms, drawings, and Sakura. Would it be conceited to think that he loved her? Asking him directly would probably be too much. She didn't want to scare him away if these feelings were just budding. She would wait for him until he was ready. She would always wait.