Sasusaku Month, Day 01: Genin Days
'Who did this to you?'
Sakura sits alone in her room, moonlight trickling through the window and casting a delicate silver hue upon her. Her heart's racing, thoughts muddled, head throbbing from the pain of having to heal. Sakura is smart; she knows all the things she should be doing. She knows she should be resting, focusing on recuperating for the next round of the Chunin Exams. She knows she should be deep asleep, but her might cannot stop. Her mind forces Sakura to think back to a few nights ago in the Forest of Death.
During the second round, something happened, something between her and Sasuke broke, something she can't put her finger on. She remembers the danger, the fear and how Sasuke, infuriated, rose like a tempest. His voice echoes in her mind, a fervent storm quelled from the brink of destruction.
'Who did this to you?'
Her mind won't stop replaying the scene in her mind, no matter how desperately she longs to forget, to sleep, to revert their friendship back to normal. Sakura turns over in the bed, holding her pillow tight to her face and practically suffocating herself.
'Who did this to you?'
The echo pulls at her, forcing her to gasp and reintroducing oxygen to her system.
The way Sasuke's eyes blazed, not with the aloofness that used to be there but something more. The way he pushed his prey away from Sakura's tattered figure, possessive in his protection. His sharingan swirling, the echo of his words run her in circles like Sasuke always does. His ire blazing higher than never before, stoked high enough to keep her warm.
'Who did this to you?'
It has only been two days. Now, when Sakura sees him, his gaze is different. Sasuke's eyes, once like a frosty winter night, hold a different kind of depth when they meet hers. They no longer reject her; there's warmth, like the first light of dawn breaking through the night. There's a kindness in his voice that seems imperceptible but is noticeable, if only to her green eyes.
Sasuke is still protective of her, still tries to make sure Sakura doesn't get dangerously hurt. But this doesn't feel like the same protection she felt back during their first mission to the Land of Waves. It's strange… This kind of friendship, this type of camaraderie. She doesn't know what to do; She doesn't know what to do when Sasuke subconsciously leans closer to her when she is approached by strangers, when her respects her plans and carries them out without talking back, when his eyes caress her in a way that his hands won't…
Sakura frowns at the rabbit hole her mind pulls her into and busies her fingers by picking at her bedsheet. She's only thirteen and doesn't know what any of this is supposed to mean.
'I don't know what he means when he acts like that,' she thinks to herself. But something about Sasuke's almost imperceptible kindness is breaking her heart.
She thinks about the way they talk, or rather, the way they don't. Every time they talk, it just hurts so bad. They're teammates – maybe actual friends! – but there's something more, something that neither of them can put into words. Because Sakura doesn't even know what they are, and she doesn't know where to start.
Sakura decides that she can play the part, to not let the chaos inside her show. They say they're friends but she catches his gaze following her across the room more often now. Protective. Like he would do anything to keep her safe.
Friends don't look at friends that way. Teammates don't look at teammates that way.
Tonight, her only companions are the moonlight as it continues to light her room, enveloping her but lacking warmth and care, and the echo of Sasuke's possessive side.
'Who did this to you?'
THE END.