"Please, please don't do this to me.." She cried, tears flowing from emerald, her head bowed and a pink halo of hair surrounding her head. "I can't do this without you.." She hiccupped, a sob escaping.
Summer in Konoha was ending and it was ending fast. With the end of that came the beginning of the end of Sakura's journey in high school. While it wasn't too rambunctious or anything of the sort, Sakura did have one regret: a high school sweet-heart. She didn't get to experience that all encompassing adoration being shown in the school halls, being yelled at by teachers for showing pda, or even the awkwardness of a first kiss. A part of her longed for that feeling - for that experience.
Those thoughts penetrated her mind as her eyes bore outside of her window, over at the open water of the ocean. Sighing, she dares to look away for a second and to her journal on her desk.
'Sakura's Dream Book!'
She smiles softly. She definitely got to cross off some of those dreams, though she wasn't sure they were the ones that she found of importance now.
Knock, knock!
"Sakura! Hey, Sakura!"
Sakura sighs, looking over at her window where one of her best friends was waiting outside patiently, perched up on the old oak tree that was beside her bedroom window.
Making her way over to him, she scowls at him slightly. Why couldn't the blond just knock on the front door like a normal person? Opening the window, big and honest blue eyes stared into hers excitedly.
"Did you forget? We're going to the beach today!" He shouts, a grin on his face. Taking in his tan sleeveless top and neon orange swim-trunks, she could only smile good naturedly. She forgot how much he was looking forward to this.
"I didn't forget, you're just early," she says as she shakes her head. "Go back down the tree and I'll get ready." Sakura pauses before she turns away, giving him a serious and dangerous look. "And Naruto?"
He gulps slightly, knowing what she was probably going to say. "Yes, Sakura-chan?"
"Don't even think about peeking or you are dead meat." She smiles sweetly, flexing her knuckles slightly. Naruto nods quickly, repeating a mantra of "Of course, anything for you - not that I was going to peek because that would be creepy!" And other things of that sort.
Eventually he had made his way down and she could hear a few of her other friends yell "Watch it!" and "Don't fall, you idiot!"
She laughs softly before getting ready.
Her highschool life may not have been everything she had hoped or wanted, but at the very least she had gotten through it with some of the best people.
"Mom! I'm heading out with some friends, we're going to the beach!" Sakura shouts, opening the front door and not stepping out until she hears her mothers resounding "Okay, be careful!"
"It's about time, forehead," snarks her other best friend. Sakura's eyebrow twitches, but she ignores the pretty blonde's snarky remark anyway. "Are we all ready to go?" She asks, a smile on her face as she adjusts her bag. It isn't like the walk is very far, it's pretty much just across the street so if they did forget something, her house was just right there. Pretty convenient if she's honest.
As they start walking, Sakura can't help but notice that a little ways down the street there was a movers vehicle in front of a big house.
"Hey! Someones moving into old man Madara's house!" Shouted Naruto, apparently spotting the same thing that she did. "Yeah, I guess so," Sakura hums out. She wonders if they were family members of Madara's or if it was simply sold. He passed away about a year or so ago, so it has been vacant for awhile now. Whoever it was, she hoped that they enjoyed living there. It was a beautiful house, Sakura had to admit.
While she was gawking at the house, her other best friend, Ino, let out a squeal.
Plugging one ear with her finger, Sakura gives her a look. "What the hell, Ino-pig?"
"Oh, come on. You aren't telling me that that super perceptive eye of yours didn't notice the really cute guy over there?" Ino swoons, "I hope he's single." Sakura rolls her eyes, but decides to take a look at who she could only assume Ino is talking about. It was just her luck that when she did, he decided to look over in their direction as well.
Her heart pounds and her cheeks flush slightly when he smirks at her and winks. "Ino, oh my god.. He saw me look - I'm screwed!" Sakura whispers quickly, pointedly looking away. The blonde could only laugh at her friend's predicament. It was just like Sakura to be put in a situation like that.
"I don't understand what the big deal is," Naruto says with a confused look. "I mean, he's super pale and his hair looks like a duck's ass."
"Nice one, Naruto," Kiba snorts, high-fiving him.
Feeling pretty embarrassed, Sakura just quickly starts walking towards the beach again - to their usual spot. Ino gave one last look in the mysterious and handsome boys direction before following her. "Hey, wait up!"
The two boys were left to follow once they were done laughing.
"So, why couldn't Hinata come?" Sakura asks as she lays out her beach towel next to Ino's. The blonde sat down, digging through her bag while answering, "Her father said that they were having family coming into town. She probably won't be able to hang out with us for awhile, from the sound of it."
Sakura juts out her lip slightly, "That sucks. She's really good at keeping Naruto calm."
"Yeah, I know - but, hey," Ino grins, "You've got me. I'm sure we can handle these two morons on our own for awhile." Both teens laugh, stretching their legs out as they applied sunscreen.
Off in the distance, Sakura noticed Naruto and Kiba going ahead into the water with no hint of sunscreen at all. She shakes her head, willing herself to not think about the atrocious sunburn both boys would be sporting later on today.
"Can you believe we are going to be seniors this year?" Ino says off-handedly, moving her blonde bangs away and behind her ear. "I feel like it was just yesterday that we were in middle school fawning over the band Akatsuki."
Sakura nods in agreement, "I know. It's honestly crazy but.." She trails off, a troubled look on her face as she recalls her journal. "I feel like it all went too fast. I didn't cover nearly all of the bases that I wanted to."
"You mean from your journal?" Ino questioned, looking at Sakura in interest. "What was left unchecked? I'm pretty sure you made it your mission to have everything done and dealt with. I mean, you have been the top of our class and our student body leader practically every year."
Sakura's cheeks turn slightly red as she looks away from Ino, hurriedly standing up. "It's.. Just stupid stuff, you wouldn't understand!" She says quickly, trying to exit the question. She practically runs to the water, Ino following after her trying to protest the abrupt end to their conversation.
As soon as the cool water reached across her feet, Sakura let out a soft sigh. She slowly walks out deeper until she's about knee deep, letting her head fall back as she relishes in the feeling of the cool water. Sakura loves the ocean. It was her calm, it was her escape. She can't count how many times she came out here just to wade in the water whenever she was troubled.
Off in the distance, Sakura could see Naruto on his surfboard riding the waves. The guy was a total goofball, but she had to admit that he was one of the best surfers at their high school. He genuinely enjoyed it. It was the only thing (other than the lovely Hinata) that he would give 100% his focus.
"Hey, Forehead. You can't just take off like that," Ino shouts with a scowl on her face as she finished tying her long hair into a bun on top. "Why wouldn't I understand anyway? We've had many of the same experiences, I don't think there is much that I have done that you haven't."
"You would be surprised, but even so.." Sakura sticks out her tongue at her, "You will never know."
"Fine!" Ino pouts, "Be like that."
Sakura laughs, shaking her head and Ino joins in. She really was her best friend.
A few hours later, the four teens are all sprawled out on their beach towels laughing.
"I can't believe you wiped out just right after you were boasting about how you are the best," Kiba howls.
Naruto scowls, shaking his fist at Kiba in protest. "Hey! It happens - you wiped out way more than I did today, anyway dog-breath!" But even with the name calling, he too cracked a grin.
Sakura only watched with a fond smile on her lips. She looks up at the sky, noting that it would be dinner time soon.
"We should probably get going soon," She hums out. She lived just across the road, but she knew that Ino lived quite a walk away and she didn't want her walking in the dark. She knows that Naruto lives a block away from her and would walk her home if it did get dark, but Sakura would rather be safe than sorry.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm beat!" Ino yawns, covering her mouth in the process. Despite all of the sunscreen she plastered on, the blonde was still beyond burnt. Sakura could only imagine the horrified look on her friend's face when she looked in the mirror later.
"But, but-" Naruto pouts, hanging his head. "We've barely seen each other the last few days."
"Hey, Naruto, look at me." Sakura sighed, shaking her head fondly. "How about we all have a sleepover tomorrow night, okay? Then we can all spend plenty of time together."
He immediately perked up, but Kiba rubbed at his hair some in thought. "I wish I could, but Akamaru is going to the vet tomorrow. He's going to need me all night." Naruto gives him a disbelieving look but Kiba quickly waves his hands. "Don't give me that look! You know how much of a baby he is."
"Well, whatever the case may be.. I will be there and I'm sure Shikamaru and Ten Ten would be down to go, too. Ten Ten especially, she was really upset that she hasn't been able to spend so much time with us because of college and her job."
"Sounds like a plan, then." Sakura says, clapping her hands.
Heading towards the sidewalk, Sakura slings her bag over her shoulder. She's chatting away with Ino when she hears him.
"Hey."
Ino nudges her slightly, shutting the pinkette up for a moment and pointing in the direction of the voice. "Is he talking to me or you?" She asks, softly, before putting on a big and flirtatious smile.
"Hey yourself, I'm Ino," she introduces herself while holding out her hand.
The black eyes of the boy from down the street doesn't even spare Ino a glance, instead focusing on Sakura's own emerald orbs.
"I was hoping I'd catch you, I'm Sasuke." He introduces himself, giving her a small smirk and offering up his hand. Ino huffs but looks Sakura over and notices her red face. Sighing, she nudges her in the small of her back trying to get the pink haired teen back on track from her short circuit.
"I'm, uh, Sakura." She finally says, lamely, while holding out her hand. He takes it and she goes to shake, but instead he bows down and brings her knuckles up.. And he presses a small, light kiss.
Sakura could have fainted and Ino picked the worst time to pat her on the shoulder, "Well Saks, I'm gonna go ahead and head home. Text me, okay?" Before the blonde bounds off, waving cheerily.
Sakura retracts her hand, trying to regain focus, not even registering that her friend left her.
"Well," Sasuke pauses watching her face as he spoke, "I was hoping that I could maybe get your number and perhaps an agreement to meet me tomorrow?" Sakura couldn't believe her ears. For once, in her life, a cute guy was asking her and not Ino or hell, even her asking him.
"Uh, um.. Sure," she says as she pulls out her phone. She fumbles with it slightly nearly dropping it which draws a laugh from him as he effortlessly pulls his own phone from his pocket. She was starting to feel bad for all of the times Hinata has gotten nervous or messed up in front of Naruto or anyone, really. "Here," she says as she hands him her phone and his in return. They place their numbers in and once done, he gives her a cool smile.
"Alright then, I will talk to you later, Sa-ku-ra."
"R..Right," she says softly as she waves bye and he turns to leave. After he's long gone, she just stands there kind of dumbly. She couldn't believe that really happened but her mother opened the door to their house and shouted "Sakura, stop standing there like a dumbass and get inside!"
Snapping out of it, she immediately crosses the street to enter the house.
"Why were you just standing out there?" Her mother asks, shutting the door behind her. Sakura smiled sheepishly, tightening her hold on her bag.
"I was talking to someone and I was just lost in thought. No biggie, really."
"Talking to someone?" Her mother questions and Sakura nods, starting to head up the stairs.
"Yeah! But it was no one important, honest!"
Mrs. Haruno was unconvinced but let her go up the stairs. She was sure she would be able to get some information from Ino if needed.
Plopping down on her bed, her bag on the floor, she lets out a sigh. That really just happened. Pulling her phone up to her face, she notices that she has two messages. One from Ino and the other… from him.
Her face slightly pink, she opens up the one from her friend first.
From: Miss Piggy
Subject: Duckbutt
To: Billboard
Girl, you better tell me all of
the deets! Not a single bit of
information left out (6 p.m.)
Sakura snorts at the subject line. She figured that the comment Naruto made will not be forgotten anytime soon - especially since he was right, to a degree. Quickly, she writes out a response before opening the message from Sasuke.
From: Sasuke Uchiha
Subject: Meeting
To: Sakura
How about tomorrow at the ice
-cream parlor up the street at 1?
(6:10 p.m.)
Sakura thinks to herself quietly, trying to map out a time-line for tomorrow. She knows tomorrow that it is the sleepover which means most of them will be coming around 4 or 5, but she also knows that Ino likes to get a head start above everyone else which means she could pop in at any time.. This was tricky, but maybe she could time it just right. Besides, it's just for ice cream. It's not like they are going to be there for hours.
Quickly, she types out "Sure! Sounds great :)".
She deletes the smiley face a couple of times, but at some point she accidentally sent the message while it was on there. Innerly she cursed herself, but what could she do? It already sent.
"Honey?" Sakura's father knocks on the door, opening it up. He was finally home and Sakura couldn't help but smile as she stood up from her bed. "Dinner is ready, come eat."
"Coming!" Sakura says cheerily, meeting her father to walk down the stairs.
Her father worked in the oil field, so he was only home one or two weeks out of a month. So family dinners were precious to her heart. She just wished he was home more, but she understood why he chose that field. While it wasn't reliable, it paid pretty decently. It paid the bills and allowed them some luxuries. One of those being Sakura's growing college fund. It is because of this that Sakura felt a little more pressured to make sure she succeeded and did something worthwhile. She didn't want all of his hard earned money to go to waste.
She just hoped it wouldn't be for nothing.
Sakura knew what she was expecting to see when she woke up in the morning. The very same view that greets her every morning: her ceiling with her stars and solar system stickers. Instead, she got bright blue eyes staring her in her soul and a cage made from blonde hair. Accompanied by a headache, of course, because why would Ino do anything quietly?
"Get your lazy ass up, forehead!" Ino yells, hands on her hips as she pulls back from her face.
Sakura groans, rolling around onto her side and stuffing her pillow onto her head. "Go away."
Ino tsks and the only thing running through Sakura's head is shit. Ino grabs a hold of her foot and yanks as hard as she could, dumping Sakura on the floor by her bed. Sakura glares up at the blonde, scowling. She was having a good dream.
"Damn, it is never this hard to get you up. You're usually up before sunrise to watch it," Ino mumbles out. Sakura blushes, shaking her head. Ino didn't need to know that she stayed up practically all night with anxiety as an obnoxious bubble in her chest.
"Sorry," Sakura mumbles nonchalantly while her eyes look for her clock. Her eyes widen when she realizes it says 12 p.m. Hurriedly, she scrambles up, panic clear on her face.
"Woah there, what has got you so eager to get up all of a sudden?" Ino questions, eyebrow raised as she watches the pinkette hurry to her closet and pull out outfit after outfit. Then it clicked. "Oh. My. God!" She squeals before enveloping Sakura into a tight hug. "You're going to meet him aren't you?! That's why you were acting all weird last night when I was trying to see when I could come over!"
Sakura's face is bright red and she taps her arms to get her to let go. "Fine, yes. We are supposed to meet at the ice cream parlor at 1."
"Then there is no time to waste! Here, let me help!"
It took a matter of 30 minutes, but Sakura was well on her way down to the ice cream parlor. She didn't want to run because she could just hear Ino griping in her head about how her 'perfect' work would be absolutely ruined. Nervously, Sakura tucks a loose strand behind her ear. The parlor comes into view and she quickens her steps, grateful that she opted for simple sandals that fit her comfortably instead of Ino's bright idea which was heels. Her feet would be killing her, she is not like Ino who could dead-sprint in stilettos.
She could see him outside of the parlor, leaning against the wall. His eyes catch hers and her heartbeat quickens as her cheeks flush. Sakura stops in front of him and he gives her a small smile.
"Hey," he says and Sakura's genius murmurs a quiet, "Hi."
Sakura looks anywhere but him for the simple reason she felt very self conscious, but it all stopped momentarily when he offers her his hand and he leads her inside the parlor.
"What kind of icecream do you like?" He asks her as they approach the cashier to order. Sakura hums, thinking, and she smiles before answering: "chocolate as of right now."
Sasuke laughs quietly, "As of right now?" He questions and looks at her amusedly.
"It changes," she supplies before looking up at him, "How about yours?"
"Strawberry."
They didn't stay at the parlor long, instead they found themselves at the beach. They walked along the waves, Sakura's sandals in one hand and the other hand locked with his. The sunlight against their skin was refreshing and added to the warmth of the situation, the wind carrying her laughter as they talked.
"So.." Sakura trails off, her eyes slowly looking up towards his, "What brought you and your family here?"
"My great uncle left it to my brother Itachi in his will, but it's a big house and he wanted to share it with the rest of us." Sakura hums, watching the brief coldness flash in his eyes when he mentioned his brother. She didn't question it, this date… Was that what it was? This date was going well and she didn't want to ruin it by prying into his family life.
"I had no idea he had any relatives, if I'm honest," Sakura says thoughtfully and smiles. "But, I'm happy to find that he did. My friends and I made it a habit to drop gifts and say hi during holidays." Sakura rambles, leaving out the 'because he seemed so lonely' due to her not wanting to offend him.
"Yeah.. He wasn't much for big family gatherings."Sasuke shrugs and then looks down at her, taking in the way the sun brought out the many different shades of greens and spots of blue in her eyes.
"You have very pretty eyes."
She blushes, looking away. "Thank you," she says softly and can feel her chin being lifted up by him. His gaze was heavy and the world stopped around her, nothing but their breathing and her heart beating ferociously could be heard with the gentle lullaby of waves.
"Don't look away from me, Sa-ku-ra." His thumb gently rubs against her cheek and she half expects him to kiss her but instead, he drops his hand and re-takes her hand in his.
"Shall I walk you home?"
Her mind is blank and it takes a minute for what he said to process. A little bit of disappointment bubbles in her, a fear that maybe she said something wrong. "Oh, uh, sure," she says softly and she guides him to her home which is across the street.
Once they arrive, she lets go of his hand and fidgets, unsure of what to do now. Sighing, she looks down at her feet before slowly looking up at him. "Look, I'm sorry if I said something wrong-" Her words die on her tongue because he does something so unexpected and peculiar.
He poked her forehead with his index and middle finger, effectively catching her off guard.
"I had fun, Sa-ku-ra," he removes his fingers and Sakura watches, dumbfounded. "Let's do it again sometime."
"Okay," she replies and a pretty blush forms on her cheeks, she shyly watches him leave with a small smile on her face.
She turns around and briefly catches blue eyes peeking through the blinds of the living room window and she sighs, shaking her head. Of course she would get no privacy.
Stepping inside the house, she is greeted by her mother and Ino laughing obnoxiously on the couch. Not at all suspicious. Sakura places her hand on her hip, looking at them expectantly.
"Did you guys sate your curiosity looking outside the window?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," her mother states innocently before her expression turns devilish. "Buuuutttt, since you're here. Mind sharing the details?"
Sighing, Sakura gives in and decides to tell them about everything - with the exception of what happened near her front door. That, she had decided, would stay secret for her sake. Or as secret as it could, considering she was being watched the entire time they were out there.
Very soon, the rest of the gang piled into Sakura's living room floor. Naruto could be heard pestering Sakura's mom in the kitchen for just a "little bit more" icing on his chosen cupcake. The rest of them were all laughing at the movie on the screen. They were all a big fan of watching cringey movies together and tonight's choice was Jurassic Galaxy. The horrible CGI coupled with the laughably serious acting made the air in the living room filled with laughter and cries of disbelief that it was even released.
Sakura sighs out, resting her head on Ino's shoulder and closing her eyes. This was perfect, she had most of her closest companions with her and she would have it no other way. Though she planned for it, she wasn't quite ready for what the future would bring because she was a little scared that maybe the future for all of them wouldn't be together.
"You alright, girl?" Ten Ten asks, looking at her concerned. Sakura smiles at her and nods.
"Of course, I'm just a little worn out. I've been getting everything ready for school coming up and also making sure I have everything scheduled right so that way there won't be any setbacks. You know how I am," Sakura laughs and Ten Ten only shakes her head. She should have seen the gleam in Ino's eyes as a warning sign.
"She's leaving out the best part," Ino sings out and catches the attention of everyone but Shikamaru who was asleep.
"What is the best part?" Naruto comes in with a cupcake stuffed in his mouth and a tray of more cupcakes in his hands.
"The part about her date this morning~"
"Ino!" Sakura yells, brows furrowed as she moved to place a hand over her mouth.
"Wow, you actually found someone crazy enough to go with you somewhere? I'm surprised you didn't scare them off with your planner," mumbles Shikamaru as he sits up and rubs his eyes while simultaneously accepting a cupcake from Naruto. He would never pass up an opportunity to have Mrs. Haruno's amazing cupcakes.
"Don't be rude!" Ino yells and smacks him up on top of the head before settling her eyes on everyone else in the room. "Oh yeah! Our little control freak landed herself a date with the cute new guy down the street," Ino smirks while Sakura blushes.
"Down the street? You mean, the people who just moved into the old house?" Ten Ten gasps and then Sakura could just see the wheels turning in Naruto's head.
"..You didn't go out with the guy with Duck butt hair did you?" He asks, looking at her hopefully. Sakura only avoids eye contact and Naruto groans. "Sakura! He even looks like a douchebag, come on."
"Hey! You can't just assume things, Naruto," she yells before looking out of the window dreamily. "Besides, he was a complete gentleman the entire time."
"Yeah, yeah.. Whatever," Naruto grumbles. "Just let me know if he ever hurts you. Me and the boys will teach him a lesson," he snarks and pumps his muscles which only causes everyone else to groan and shake their head.
Though, that didn't mean that what Naruto said wasn't agreed upon whole-heartedly. They all have each other's backs and no one hurts one of their own.
The first day of school came up really fast, but Sakura figured it only felt that way because she spent the entire time on cloud nine.
If she wasn't at the beach with her friends then she was with him. Yes, him. Duck butt- Well, Sasuke.
Sakura had never felt happier and everyone around her could tell. So, when she got ready for school really fast and skipped out the front door with a chaste kiss to her fathers cheek as a goodbye, no one questioned it because they knew the reason was waiting on the other-side in his truck.
"Hey, princess," Sasuke greets her as she hops into his truck and places her school bag in the floorboard by her feet. She smiles and leans over, pressing a kiss to his cheek. They haven't kissed yet, but when it happened, Sakura knew that it would be special. She knew this from the bottom of her heart because everything with him felt special.
"Hey," she chirps. "Are you ready for your first day at the greatest high school ever?" She laughs out, completely ignoring the absolutely smitten look that he throws his way. It was hard to believe that he had just come into her life not that long ago because it felt like he had been there the entire time.
"Of course, I am," he says as he revs up the truck and starts driving. "I have the prettiest girl to show me around, why wouldn't I be?" Sakura blushes a pretty pink and shakes her head. He was just too sweet to her.
The trip to the school wasn't very long and the couple could spot Ino and Naruto with his arm around Hinata at the front gate. From the looks of it, Hinata seemed pretty upset and the two blondes were trying to comfort her. Immediately, concern forced its way into Sakura's heart.
As soon as the truck stopped, she was opening the door and hollering a "I'll be right back!" She completely missed the narrowing of Sasuke's eyes as she made her way over to her distraught friend.
"Hey," she soothes, coming over to rub circles into the black haired girls back. "What happened?" She asks softly. Sakura notes the redness around the other twos eyes as well and she knew instantly that this was bad.
"Neji," she sobs out and hiccups, burrowing her face into Sakura's shoulder. "He's.. He's.." She finally cries, "He's dead!" Sakura's heart stops. She wasn't always close to Neji but slowly over the years Hinata's stuck up cousin had found a place in Sakura's group when he was in town. She didn't know how to deal with this news and she didn't really know how or why Hinata was at school with this right now.
"Oh baby.." Sakura murmurs out and hugs Hinata closely as the other two join in. "It's okay.. I'm so sorry, so very sorry.. It'll be okay."
"I can't.. I can't believe they.." Hinata hiccups and Naruto shushes her, gently kissing her forehead.
"Ssh, take your time," he murmurs out in the softest voice Sakura had ever heard. She was surprised it even came from him but she knew that Hinata was his weakness and his biggest soft spot. "Do you need to go home? Mrs. Senju said that you can take as much time as you need to cope," Naruto whispers to her softly and she turns away from Sakura and nods into his chest. Sakura's heart breaks as she says her goodbyes and watches Naruto guide her to his car in hysterics.
"I can't believe it.." Sakura murmurs and Ino comes to wrap an arm around her.
"I know," she says softly. "He was found outside of his and Ten Tens new apartment that they were going to move into."
"Found?" Sakura chokes out and Ino nods sadly.
"He was murdered."
Sakura didn't have much more time to process that information before she felt someone pulling her away from Ino and wrapping her up into leather clad arms. She relaxes when she realizes that it was just Sasuke and was about to continue the conversation before he was pulling her towards the office.
"I need to get my schedule," he supplies when she raises an eyebrow.
"Oh.. I guess I'll see you at lunch then, Ino. We can talk later.. Text me if you need me!" Sakura shouts as she is pulled further towards the office. She misses the look of disbelief on her best friend's face and the tightening in Sasuke's jaw.
"What's the hurry? The bell doesn't ring for another 10 minutes," Sakura says and Sasuke lets go of her.
"I just wanted to make sure that I got everything ready. You know how it is, it's best to be prepared." He supplies as an answer in a cold way and it stings a little.
"Are you okay?"
"You weren't too worried when you were rushing out of my truck."
Sakura is taken aback and doesn't have time to answer before he is pushing through the office doors in a hurry. Not long later he is back next to her and showing her his schedule. He was scheduled every class the same as hers with the exception that he had a free period where she had student council. Earlier this would have filled her with happiness, but she feels a little down about it instead. She didn't like what had just happened.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" He asks softly, cupping her chin and making her look up at him.
"I don't understand what just happened between us. You were fine and then all of a sudden being cold," Sakura murmurs out. Sasuke's eyes soften and he leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead.
"Don't worry about that, I was just overreacting. I thought that you were going to stay with me all morning as it is my first day. I didn't expect you to go off gallivanting with your friends."
"Sorry.. I know, I said that I would stay with you but I can't ignore when a friend is in need. Her cousin, who is also a friend of mine, died and she needed me."
"I know," he drops his hand from her face and looks over his schedule again as the bell rings. "Shall we get going?" Sakura nods and adjusts her backpack.
Sakura did not get to talk to Ino at lunch. In fact, she didn't get to talk to anyone at lunch because she was showing Sasuke around.
"Are you sure you want to do this? I'm sure one of those nice girls from Calculus wouldn't mind showing me around." Sasuke says, falling into step with her as she leads the way.
"Yeah and I'm sure they wouldn't mind showing you some other things, too." Sakura grunts out, shouldering her backpack into her locker as her next class she didn't need it. "Sorry," she sighs out. "They were just… being awfully flirty even though we are clearly, you know.."
"We are..?" Sasuke draws out and watches her with a smirk. "We are what, Sa-ku-ra?"
"A couple!" She lets out and hides her face as she treks down the hallway faster to hide her embarrassment. Sasuke only laughs and follows after her.
It seemed like the whole week leading up to Neji's funeral was like that. The only time she was able to speak to her friends was after school and during athletics. The service was beautiful and Sakura felt so horrible for not being there properly for Hinata, Ten Ten, and Neji's adoptive brother Lee.
"Let me know if you guys need anything, okay? Anything at all," Sakura murmurs as she hugs both Hinata and Ten Ten.
"Thank you, Sakura," Hinata murmurs and leans into Naruto once she pulls away.
It wasn't long after that Sakura found herself sitting in the living room at Sasuke's house. She was perched on the couch waiting for him to get done showering. They were supposed to be going out to eat though Sakura would rather not go anywhere at all.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize we had company."
Sakura looks up quickly hearing a faintly familiar voice from behind her. Her heart hammers inside her chest once she realizes who it is.
"Oh my god.. It's Crow from the Akatsuki.." She mumbles out unintelligently and then her eyes take in the clothing or lack thereof that he was wearing. His towel hanging loosely on his hips had her eyes instantly snapping away.
"Oh, nice of you to greet my girlfriend undressed, Itachi."
Wait.. Sasuke's brother was the guitarist and lead singer for the band Akatsuki? Sakura used to be obsessed with them and she was so heartbroken when Crow left. The band hadn't been the same since.
"My apologies, little brother. It was nice to meet you.." he trails off while looking towards Sakura but Sasuke beats her to it.
"It's Sakura and we were just leaving. Go do whatever it is that you do," Sasuke snarks and comes over to Sakura, pulling her up by her hand a little roughly and out the door. Meanwhile Sakura was a little dazed, not even fully processing what just happened. Hearing the truck door slam shut, Sakura snaps out of it though.
"You aren't going to fangirl over him and leave me, are you?" Sasuke jokes but Sakura could see the truth behind his words. She had a feeling that it had probably happened before.
"Of course not, I like you and only you." She smiles, trying to look as sincere as possible. Though she was a fan back in the day, those days were long over. She had bigger concerns than keeping up with bands and their ex-members.
"Good, I'd have to kill him if that happened," he laughs and Sakura chuckles awkwardly.
The ride to the restaurant was quiet after that, but Sakura didn't mind. It gave her a chance to check up on her friends. She knew that Naruto was trying his best to comfort Hinata and Hinata in turn was trying to be there for Ten Ten simultaneously. Sakura imagined it wasn't very easy to lose a cousin and she wouldn't know what she would do if she spent six years dating somebody only to have them ripped away just before getting to live with them and work on forever. Her heart wept for both girls.
"What's on your mind?" Sasuke asks as they pull in.
"I'm just thinking about my friends and my friend who had died. They found who did it. It was a group of juvenile gang members. They were all under fifteen," she sighs out. "I just don't understand what goes through people's minds or what brings them to make the decisions that they do."
"I know.." Sasuke says softly, rubbing her knuckles. "Sometimes it is just the cards we are dealt. Not everyone knows how to deal with them."
"I suppose so.."
Sitting at the booth in the restaurant that he had chosen, Sakura felt uncomfortable. She fidgeted in her seat, messing with her clothes as worries filled her mind.
"Hey, relax," Sasuke says as he reaches for her hand from across the table. "You look perfect," he gives her a smile and she returns it after letting out a soft sigh.
"You always know how to take my breath away," Sakura says quietly. Sasuke gave her a small smile in return. No matter the troubles going on in their own individual lives, Sakura was just grateful to spend time with him. Their last school year will only last so long.
"So, tell me.." She pauses, chewing on her lip and missing his dark eyes narrowing in on the movement. "What are you planning to do after school?"
"Law School at some point," he replies after a moment. She shyly looks away when she notices how he looks at her - like she was a divine treat that he couldn't wait to get ahold of. "My brother took over the family business, so I'm going to become a lawyer so that I can protect the business lawfully."
She blinks, surprised by that answer. She had no idea that he would have wanted to do something like that. Sasuke is very good at track and he seemed to enjoy it, so she was expecting him to go the athlete route. However, hearing him want to do something like that for his family's business made her heart do unexpected things.
"What about you?"
"I'm going to go to Medical School. I haven't quite decided which branch, but I'm thinking something in pediatrics," Sakura answers with a smile.
"That's amazing, I'm sure you'll make a wonder doctor, surgeon, or whatever it is you pursue."
Sakura's heart warms when he doesn't assume automatically that she was just going to become a nurse. It isn't that being a nurse is a bad thing nor is it that it is easy. It's plain and simply the fact that she is tired of people assuming what she wants to be when she says she wants to go into the medical field. It feels nice for someone to name something higher up.
The rest of their dinner went like that. They spent time conversing with one another and finding out more about one each other. Sakura didn't know what time it was when they ended up leaving but she knew that the time was now when he looked at her with a spark in his eye that screamed adventure.
"Want to go try something?"
"With you? I'd do anything," she breathes out.
Confusion coupled with adrenaline courses through her veins as they head towards the beach. The window was down and the night air was dancing with the strands of her hair. Her lips were parted slightly and her eyes alert as she watched him drive by her house and follow the coastline out of town.
Soon the trees were blanketed close together and the air turned even cooler. Adventure awaited and she was buzzing with more and more excitement the longer they drove. The ocean wasn't even viewable anymore but she could still pick up a hint of the salt in the air. As an advent beach goer all her life, she learned to be able to tell when she was close to her home away from home.
The sounds of waves crashing against rocks and the shore brought Sakura's attention back to infront of her and that is when Sakura realizes that they are heading towards a ledge. Due to the dirt road, Sakura could assume not many people came here but she didn't care as she felt the truck stop and took Sasuke's hand when he guided her out of the truck.
"Come on!" Sakura whispers shouts as she grabs ahold of his hand and pulls him closer to the ledge.
The night sky was beautiful.
The stars lit up the sky and Sakura took in a deep breath, closing her eyes. She brought Sasuke's hand around to her front to where she moved his arms around her and leaned into his chest. She relaxed, taking in the quietness of the world around them. No cars, no people. Just them and the sea.
They stay like that for a couple moments and then Sasuke pulls from her, spinning her around. Confused she looks up at him but her breath hitches when he swoops down quickly and captures her lips.
Inexperienced as she is, Sakura feels a little awkward but quickly relaxes into it and lifts her arms to loop around his neck. He seizes her around the waist and lifts her up to where her legs are wrapped around his waist. Sasuke pulls back for a moment, pressing kisses to her neck and her cheeks.
"You're beautiful," he whispers out and Sakura blushes. She didn't know what to say, so instead she recaptured his lips in an endearing kiss.
They break away when they hear a particular loud wave hitting the rocks below. Sasuke lets her down and takes ahold of her hand.
"Come on, lets look around."
She follows after him as they climb down the rocky path that leads to a small strip of beach to the side of the ledge.
Seeing the moon against the rocks, Sakura is in awe and misses the look of adoration spreading across his face. She feels him let go of her hand and she looks at him questioningly only to find him combing the sand, looking for something.
"Are you looking for seashells?" She laughs out quietly. "Here, take off your shoes. Follow me," she says softly and takes off her shoes before going ankle deep in the water. Sakura could feel the water lapping at her legs and she wished it wasn't so dark so that she could fully submerge herself in the water. She hadn't been able to swim in a bit and she missed it.
She bends down, waiting for the water to recede, and looks around in the sand as Sasuke does the same.
"The water brings in things from the ocean but it also uncovers some sand each time it comes up so it's easier to find some shells," Sakura explains and Sasuke gives her a smile.
"Do you do this often?" He asks and Sakura nods with a bright smile.
"Of course, I practically live at the beach," she laughs out.
They spend a little bit looking, but at some point Sasuke wasn't searching and instead decided to splash her with some water. She looked at him with fire in her eyes.
"You traitor!" She laughs out as she lunges with her own water attack.
They carry on, both getting some good splashes in, until a particularly big wave comes in and slightly knocks her off her feet and into him. They land on the sand, the water washing over them with Sakura on top, staring into his eyes.
The world slowed around them. The water and wind singing a duet becomes a quiet melody in their ears. Sakura lets out a soft breath and Sasuke zeroes in on her lips before looking into her eyes for permission. Taking initiative, Sakura moves to straddle him instead and captures his lips instead. She didn't want to wait.
His hands come to grip onto her waist as he moves to sit up. He holds onto her as they kiss and eventually asks for entrance with his tongue. As soon as he is granted it, she is sloppily battling him for dominance but he wins. He always wins. Sasuke explores her mouth and she lets out a soft moan as he grips her hip a little roughly when he moves it down.
They carry on, kissing and making out. Maybe even a little bit of grinding, but eventually it comes to a stop when they are out of breath.
"Let's get out of here," he says and Sakura lets out a breathy smile.
"Okay."
Her hand was out the window, bobbing in the night wind. Her head laid back in her seat and the only thing on her mind was the feeling of simply being. The music from the radio playing loud, but she could still barely hear it over the sound of the wind and tires on the road. Rolling her head to the side, she looks into the driver's seat. A soft smile on her lips as she takes in the relaxed expression on his face. His dark brows completely evened out and one hand on the steering wheel, his onyx eyes focused on the road, while the other hand was on her thigh. Rolling her head to the other side, she stares out of the window and watches the town fade into the choppy waves of the ocean. This was it, she was sure. This is the feeling she was longing for all of her life.
She barely registered them pulling into his driveway before he was gently cupping her chin and turning her towards him. He gives her a soft look and Sakura is completely taken whenever he gently captures her lips with his. His hands were cupping her face but they were gone in an instant, just like his lips, as he opened the door to his truck. Just as quick as he was gone, he was right back by her side as he opened her door and picked her up.
She giggles and Sasuke gives her, not a smirk, but a smile. He quickly swings her out of the way of the door closing and in the same motion, dipping her down and giving her another kiss - this one taking her breath away.
They couldn't have gotten inside his house quick enough, both of them foregoing looking around for anyone else and instead letting their footsteps echo alongside Sakura's giggles. They completely rushed past Itachi in the kitchen, coffee placed to his lips. But that didn't matter to them as they entered his room and he had her on the bed.
Her hair splayed around her like a halo, her emerald eyes staring up at him doe-like, and her soft lips parted slightly. Sasuke stared down at her with smothering eyes, his shirt already thrown off, and his hands on either side of her head.
"Are you ready?" He asked her, watching her for any sign other than consent. She gulps, bringing her hand to rest on his cheek, gazing up at him with trusting eyes. "Yes," Sakura answers softly.
That night, she felt and experienced many things but the one thing she knew for sure was that she didn't want it to ever stop. That night was perfect.