XxX

Sasuke's POV

Age: 11

XxX

Sasuke was returning from the hospital with his older brother and cousin after visiting the newest addition to their clan. Mikoto's sister had given birth to a carbon copy of nearly every other Uchiha- round cheeks, jet black hair, and coal eyes. The baby girl– Kiko –was asleep when the head family came to visit, so Sasuke, Itachi, and Shisui were saved from an afternoon of passing the baby back and forth every few seconds until Mikoto caught them and scolded them each within an inch of their lives.

It was all an act with Sasuke. In truth, he loved holding babies. Something about their warmth, their smell, their steady beating chakra, all of it soothed him. He'd of course never let Shisui or his nii-san know, so he played along with their anti-baby fever.

"So, Kiko was pretty cute, huh Sasuke?" Shisui said, bumping his shoulder with Sasuke's.

Sasuke hmphed in reply.

"He's probably disappointed that the little one was asleep," Itachi said, eyeing his younger brother. "Sasuke's always the best babysitter."

Itachi evaded Sasuke's attempted shove like a pro.

"Knock it off," Sasuke growled, stalking forward.

"Oh, cheer up!" Shisui called, running to catch up with him. "It's good that you're good with kids. Once you get married and have a few of your own, you'll be the best papa to them!"

Sasuke snapped back, "I'm not interested in getting married, much less having children."

At his brother and cousin's dropped jaws, Sasuke added in what he hoped was a mature tone, "A shinobi's life could be cut short at any moment. We train to survive and complete the mission, but if completing the mission calls for us to sacrifice our lives, we must. There is no point in burdening more people with a loss than the amount I already have."

It took a while for them to react. Shisui whistled low before letting out a rough chuckle and muttering, "Damn," under his breath. Itachi grimaced, however, and that was the reaction that told Sasuke he had said the wrong thing.

"Shisui," Itachi said, his eyes not leaving Sasuke's, "head home. I will meet you for training tomorrow."

Their cousin chuckled and gave a mocking salute to Sasuke. "See you later," he called, jumping to the nearest rooftop to head home.

Sasuke sighed and turned to face his brother. "What was wrong with what I said?"

Itachi shook his head and began walking once more "Not here."

They walked to the Uchiha district in silence. The entire time, Sasuke wondered what his brother was going to talk to him about, but he couldn't figure out what. He was confident in his answer beforehand, so why was he balking now? Just because his brother seemed disappointed in his answer?

Once they were home, their sandals deposited by the door, and their jackets hung in the hall closet, Sasuke led the way to his room. Itachi always wanted Sasuke to be in his own space when they talked, but he wasn't sure why. Rarely did Sasuke ever venture into Itachi's room.

Sasuke sat on his bed while Itachi took a seat at Sasuke's desk. "Well?" Sasuke asked, flinging a hand up. "What do you want to berate me for now?"

Itachi frowned. "I dislike how you refer to my brotherly advice as berating you."

Sasuke immediately felt bad. "It's not that, it's just– I just–"

He didn't like disappointing his older brother.

Itachi seemed to understand what Sasuke was feeling without him needing to say a word. Such was the relationship between the close brothers.

"Is it the act of creating a family that is still upsetting you, little brother?" Itachi asked, a gleam in his eye.

Sasuke flushed and spluttered out, "What? N-no! I mean, I'm not planning on doing that anytime soon– but that's not what it is!"

Itachi's eyes smiled. "Then why don't you want to have a family of your own, a wife and children? Don't you think Okaasan wants grandchildren from you?"

"I just don't think that it's a good idea in our line of work, that's all!" Sasuke grumbled, turning to face a different direction. "It's unnecessary to have more than just my immediate family grieve over my death."

Anyone could have heard the patient smile in his brother's voice when he asked, "Do you truly believe that having a family would only end with them being in pain when you inevitably died?"

Shifting on his bed, Sasuke fought with his thoughts to find a good defense for his stance. "I do not like the idea of leaving behind people whose lives would be hurt by my absence." Grimacing, he added, "And what if I marry shinobi? What if their mission calls them to sacrifice their life? A child should always grow up with both parents"

Itachi nodded again, seeming to agree with him. Then, his words portrayed the opposite. "Do you think that the joy you experience in life is worth the pain that inevitably comes with it?"

"What?"

His brother's smile was small and patient as he looked at the floor between them. "The world is a harsh place, Sasuke. You have to find something good to hold onto in order to withstand all of the bad that comes along with just living life."

"Is Izumi your something good to hold on to?" Sasuke asked, his voice a bit unsure as it always was when asking about his brother's new girlfriend.

Itachi merely smiled a soft smile in response. "She is. But, so are you, mother, father, our grandparents, Shisui, Kakashi, and even by extension your teammates, Naruto and Sakura." He closed his eyes, a peaceful look overtaking his features. "People's lives don't end when they die, Sasuke. It ends when they lose faith. And if you refuse to even live just in fear of dying, then you've already lost faith."

And with that, Itachi left him.

XxX

Sasuke's POV

Age: 15

XxX

Sasuke was beginning to wonder if the torture of the evening would ever end. Between the warm, soft body squashed against one of his sides and the annoying, blonde idiot pressed against the other, Sasuke was sure that he was going to reach his limit.

When the bare skin of Sakura's arm brushed against his wrist to lay down her card on the kotatsu, Sasuke had to close his eyes and take a deep breath before drawing his four cards as punishment. He knew his teammates probably thought he was irritated at Sakura's move, the kunoichi looking at him with an unapologetic smirk and Naruto snickering while counting his own cards, but the gleam in their sensei's eyes told a completely different story.

It was another team gathering at Kakashi's dingy apartment, and all of Team 7 was in attendance for game night. It was at Kakashi's insistence, though Sasuke knew the whole thing was just a farce. The evening had been orchestrated just hours earlier after getting back from their most recent mission, Kakashi having caught Sasuke doing something he'd done far too many times over the past week of their journey.

Sharingan red eyes, tracking his female teammate from head to toe.

It was a bad habit, one that Sasuke was desperately trying to get rid of, but every time Sakura did something that was just… so… so…Sakura, Sasuke's eyes activated without his express will, and he captured the moment for eternity. It wasn't like Sasuke was meaning to, he just couldn't help the thought of wanting to capture the moment in its clarity. Whether it was her laughing at something Naruto did, fighting in advance of their group because she was that excited to get into the fray, or sneaking a smile up at him when he made a joke only the two of them would understand, Sasuke found his heart racing in his chest and pumping all of the blood to his eyes.

And maybe other places.

Sasuke was completely and utterly fascinated by everything the pinked haired kunoichi did, something that had become all too apparent after Sasuke realized he was in love with her.

Kakashi hadn't said a word after the first few days, though Sasuke knew he had caught him a few times. It wasn't until one night when they were swapping for watch that he'd said, "A gift, from both Itachi and I," before dropping a small book on his lap, the title reading, Secrets of the Sharingan. Obviously earmarked was a page connecting the Uchiha's ability to feel great love with their kekke genkai, and the images drawn on the page made Sasuke snap the book shut faster than he could flash his family's eyes up as his teacher in silent rage.

His sensei's two fingered reply was met with several flying shuriken.

Ever since Kakashi had figured out how Sasuke felt about their pink haired teammate, he had been entirely overzealous in setting them up to spend time together. It was weird (considering that romantic relationships between team members were usually frowned upon, though not forbidden), especially coming from their pervy sensei. Sasuke had endured worse meddling from Itachi and Shisui though, so he had been determined to brush his sensei off as another meddlesome adult. If he could manage evading his brother and cousin, who were constantly trying to kidnap him and drop him off wherever the kunoichi was at the moment, he could get through one more night of forced proximity and sleepy, green eyes.

Sasuke was about up to here with all of the teasing he'd endured, and he hadn't even done anything about the stupid (definitely not stupid) crush (definitely not just a crush). Sasuke had made it so that in his mind, Sakura was simply not an option until he was more confident that she wouldn't kill him if he tried to make a move. He'd seen her pummel men for less, and he wasn't keen on becoming another name on the long list of men who had tried and failed to win Sakura Haruno's heart.

But if Naruto was to be believed…

Luckily, Kakashi hadn't said anything else for the entire mission, though he had made it a point to assign Sasuke and Sakura as a team of two from the get-go, using some guise about the fact that she was already a Jounin and could help Sasuke prepare for his upcoming exam. Painfully, Kakashi was still mums the word on whenever his exam was going to take place, but considering it involved his kidnapping by several of his relatives, Sasuke figured that he'd be in the dark right up until it started.

Sakura had remained professional the entire mission, as she always did, but Sasuke could tell that she was starting to catch on during the moments they shared outside the chaos of battle. It was a helping hand here, a healing touch there, and a whole lot of shared eye contact that had to be interrupted with either a flying kunai from the enemy or a particularly cleared throat. Thankfully, she hadn't caught him memorizing her with his sharingan once during the mission.

As soon as Sasuke's eyes had blinked off outside the gates of the village, he'd tried to bid his teammates goodnight and sprint off to the comfort of his dark room, but Kakashi had other plans. He'd clapped his hands and proclaimed that a Team 7 game night was in order, and he wasn't taking no for an answer. Sasuke knew it was to get him and Sakura in close enough quarters to embarrass him within an inch of his life, despite his sensei using Sakura's parents being out of town as the reason for his ever watchful eye. Sasuke had opened his mouth to decline, but the slight look of sadness on Sakura's face and the fact that Naruto had latched onto the idea like an octopus made the decision for him.

Despite having spent the last week together, Team 7 had never quite gotten the hang of having separate time and space, even after missions. Where one was, another was sure to follow. Where two were, the other two were not far behind. Where there were three, they were obviously waiting on their late sensei.

It'll be easy, Sasuke had thought to himself as he walked back over to Kakashi's apartment. He had taken a very cold shower and eaten dinner with his family, his mother bursting at the seams at the idea of her precious son having friends.

Sasuke closed his eyes and squeezed his fists when Kakashi's apartment came into view. Just a few more hours, he said to himself. Then, I can sleep long enough to forget that I activated my sharingan because I saw the absolute muscle packing in her core when she kicked an enemy ninja through seven trees.

He'll be fine.

That was what Sasuke thought until he had walked into his sensei's apartment and taken a good look at what Sakura was wearing.

It was his shirt.

Sakura was wearing his shirt.

And what was worse? It nearly swallowed her, baring at least one cream shoulder and a silky, green strap for all of the world to see. Not only was it on the girl he loved, but for an almost sixteen year old boy who'd experienced the same problematic physical reactions as any other, it nearly sent Sasuke overboard.

It was an old, navy t-shirt without the Uchiha crest on it, most likely contributing to the fact that she still had it and felt comfortable enough to wear it. Nothing else marked it as Sasuke's. To everyone else, it probably just looked like an old shirt she probably should give away, but Sasuke knew it was his. He could tell by the faint charred edges of the sleeves from his katon and the signature stitching of his mother's along the hem.

He couldn't recall how it got into Sakura's possession, only that she was wearing it without a single bit of recognition or pomp and circumstance.

Sakura strutted about the apartment, making hot chocolate and dishing out the snacks she'd grabbed from her house, like it was the most natural thing in the world to wear Sasuke's clothes. She smiled at him with nothing secretive in her eyes, and when her smile turned into a frown at his slightly shocked state, Sasuke knew for sure that Sakura either didn't know it was his shirt, or she didn't care.

Both options bothered him.

These thoughts plagued Sasuke's mind the entire game, and to make matters worse, Kakashi's apartment was small. So small that the entire living room and kitchen area was only able to host a small loveseat, an armchair, and the tiniest table known to man shoved in between. This, of course, forced all three younger shinobi onto the loveseat, their sensei taking his chair. This was something that had been much, much easier when they had been the ripe ages of eleven.

Now, at fifteen, fifteen, and sixteen, the three of them were more than sharing personal space. Naruto was leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and showcasing his hand nearly every other second, but he had grown substantially over the years, and just his two thighs nearly took up half of the couch. Sasuke was in the same boat, though his torso was tucked into the back of the couch to avoid the flailing arms of his idiot friend.

Then, there was Sakura. Sakura was something that Sasuke was having a hard time coming to grips with.

She was… well…Sakura was…

She was little.

Of course she had grown into a young woman since the age of twelve, but there had been a time when all three had been roughly the same size. There had even been a time when Sakura had been the tallest of the three, had the biggest feet, and had more power behind her punch (although with the new aid of chakra behind her punches, she now more than doubles both Naruto and Sasuke's strength).

Over the past few years, Sasuke and Naruto had sprouted, overtaking Sakura both in height and width before they could blink. Eventually, it got to be a bit of a problem, figuring out how to maneuver around each other again with their new size differences. Flailing limbs and awkward hand-offs that used to be seamless forced their lazy sensei to step in and make a few adjustments. It had made Sakura a bit embarrassed to look less physically menacing compared to her teammates, but she grew to enjoy the power that came from being underestimated.

At sixteen, Sakura barely came up to Sasuke's shoulders. He could even recall the day where he realized the point of view he had of Sakura changed. Before, he always saw her in his mind as staring at him nose to nose, but recently, all he could conjure up was her pert nose tilted up, her chin raised so that she could look him in the eye instead of staring at his chest.

It had alarmed him so much that Sasuke had squatted back down to his previous height, earning a raised brow and chuckle from Sakura. He had hidden his blush and just feigned at being tired. She had told him to go take a nap if he was going to fall asleep standing up.

Currently, Sasuke had never felt more awake. For, as Sakura was only just a bit bigger than she had been as a genin, she was able to fold herself into the space between the loveseat's arm and Sasuke, pressing every inch of their sides together. It was an incredibly tight fit, but Sakura had managed it by bending one leg beneath her while letting the other trail off the couch.

The problem? That leg that trailed off of the couch had decided to rest firmly against Sasuke's shin for the entirety of the night, and the other was pressed so tightly against his thigh, he knew he'd have indentions from the seam of his trousers.

Sasuke could barely concentrate on the game, focusing so hard on not saying something stupid like, Did you change your shampoo? It smells more like mangos than the strawberries it smelled like before the mission. or, Would you put a sweater on before I spontaneously combust from keeping my sharingan at bay? Thanks.

By the time midnight rolled around, Sasuke had never felt such relief.

That was, until his sensei insisted that he walk Sakura home, seeing as it was on his way home and not Naruto's.

Sakura had tried to resist, rolling her eyes and saying that she was perfectly capable of walking by herself, but something in Sasuke snapped. It had to be how it was the hundredth time he had seen her shove her sleeve back over her shoulder or how she avoided his eyes while giving him an out, but Sasuke was done. He needed clarity on the shirt situation, and he truthfully wanted to spend some time with Sakura that didn't involve training or the many meddlesome people in their lives.

"I've got her," Sasuke mumbled, grabbing his jacket. He threw it to Sakura before he could think about his actions. At her nearly dumbfounded look, Sasuke swallowed his pride and grumbled out before turning to leave, "It's cold."

Kakashi's snickers could be heard even after Sasuke slammed the door behind him.

"They're such idiots," Sakura sighed as they made their way down the stairs to the street.

"You're telling me," Sasuke sighed back, feeling more at peace than he had in the past week.

They were nearly at Sakura's house when Sasuke realized that he wasn't on edge anymore. Somehow, just being alone with Sakura and without the prying eyes of others had been the trick, and the two of them had been able to banter and chat back and forth as they made their way across the village. It was a nice change of pace, being able to enjoy spending time with the girl who was slowly becoming his favorite person to spend time with (Itachi was still hard to beat) without worrying about making a complete and utter fool of himself.

Just like Sasuke suspected. It was always those meddlesome idiots that messed things up for him.

It was only just as Sakura's navy front door came into view that Sasuke remembered what had been really bothering him all night. He stewed over it as they walked up the small path lined with the roses his mother had gifted the Haruno's last spring, Sakura still talking. When she stopped to bid him goodnight, Sasuke found the words.

"Well, thank you, but I–"

Two options. Either she doesn't know, or she doesn't care.

"Did you know that you're wearing my shirt?"

But then, Sakura's eyes widened, her cheeks flushed with a pink almost as bright as her hair, and her entire form froze. Sasuke searched her expression for the answer, finding surprise, a hint of regret, and was that… embarrassment? Sasuke was shocked himself when he had to come up with a third, not thought of option.

Had she worn it, knowing it was his, and also…cared?

Sakura's mouth opened and closed several times. Sasuke could tell that she was grasping at straws for what to say. With this new option though, he could test out the waters.

"I don't mind," he said matter of factly, forcing himself to hold back a smile of relief when Sakura's eyes widened even more and she sucked in a breath, all trace of embarrassment gone from her features. "It's an older shirt of mine, and I wasn't missing it."

When she didn't say anything after a few more moments, Sasuke frowned, wondering what he had said wrong. "Did you not know it was mine?"

"No!" she shouted, then flinched and waved her hands back and forth as she added, "I mean yes!"

At Sasuke's confused look, Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, and said a bit quieter, "Sorry. Yes, I knew that it was your shirt."

Sasuke let that information settle, though he had to force himself not to shift his weight from side to side as an all encompassing, blooming warmth took over his body. Letting out a breath, Sasuke nodded like everything they had just confirmed made sense, like it was normal, and said, "Well, if you need another one, let me know."

Sakura looked even more shocked, but it was softer somehow. Her lips formed a small "o" as she breathed out a word of understanding, and her hands fell from where they had been clasped tightly together. Black eyelashes fluttered enough to hide veridian eyes for a few moments, but the entire time Sasuke could plainly see what was all over Sakura's face at his statement: surprised awe and excitement.

"I'll make sure to do that," she responded softly, smiling shyly up at him. "Thank you."

Those green eyes of hers were practically sparkling.

This time, Sasuke didn't stop the warm feeling in his chest from forcing its way into his expression, forming that one smile that was just for her.

"Anytime," Sasuke breathed back, the red of his eyes making Sakura only that much more beautiful.

She never flinched in the face of his sharingan. Her smile only got that much wider.

XxX

Sakura's POV

Age: 16

XxX

It was half an hour to midnight, just barely time left in Sakura's birthday, and the only two people awake were her and Sasuke.

Naruto was passed out on her living room couch, a house of cards built by the two others still sitting precariously on top of his stomach. The two of them had giggled horrifically as they'd built it, the liquor in their bodies fueling their fun and games. After completing their masterpiece and with the promise of the seasonal fireworks that only occasionally happened on Sakura's birthday, the two of them had found themselves heading upstairs.

Sakura's room had the window that led to the fire escape which led to the roof, and it was perfect for watching the fireworks over Konoha. She had sacrificed this view many times to trample through crowded streets and fields with her teammates over the years, but it had all been for the fun and incredible memories they created together.

Sasuke led the way up the stairs, though Sakura was a bit nervous in her now only slightly tipsy state about Sasuke seeing her room. It had been a while since the last time he'd been in there, and as the two of them got older, it got a bit more forbidden to enter into the other's domain. Sasuke's house was one thing, but his room was a place she'd only been in before turning fourteen.

She highly doubted she'd ever see the inside of it in the way she wanted to.

Flushing, Sakura smiled at Sasuke as she passed him at the top of the stairs, turning toward her room. Thanking sweet baby Hashirama that she had tidied it before the boys came over, there wasn't much for Sasuke to look over. Her bed was still in the same spot, as were her vanity and small chest of drawers. Instead of blank walls, bookshelves had been installed, and each of them was jammed packed with all of her medical textbooks and journals.

"I haven't been up here in years," Sasuke murmured, looking around the room with a thoughtful expression. His eyes stayed on a few things– her shuriken blanket, which made him laugh, her kunai target attached to the ceiling, and the plethora of perfumes sitting on her vanity –before he bent to pick up the lone picture sitting on the nightstand. "I didn't know you still had this."

Sakura walked over and nodded, saying in a soft voice despite no one being around to overhear them, "Of course I'd still have that! It's my favorite picture, after all."

And it was. The picture was an old copy of the original Team 7 picture. Kakashi stood behind the three of them, grinning shamelessly while pressing his hands into black duck-butt and blonde spikey hair, leaving both boys with the most adorable expressions of dismay. Sakura on the other hand was smiling like a cherub, her hands clasped in front of her, and looking for all the world like that was the best day of her life.

Sasuke huffed out a breath of annoyance at the picture, rolling his eyes like he always did when he saw it at his house in the tea room, but Sakura just laughed in response. "Oh come on, you guys look cute! It's why it's my favorite."

Sasuke pinned her with another unamused look making Sakura snicker. "Let's go," she said, chuckling lightly as she tugged on his sleeve. Sakura walked past him to her window and, after opening it, she hoisted herself out with ease, perching herself on the railing that held up her garden boxes. Sasuke quickly followed, and after a few seconds, they were jumping onto the rooftop patio.

Once Ino had gotten a look at the totally flat space with a random spigot, she had taken over completely. A raised pond with garden boxes on three sides sat in one corner, several palms and large, leafy potted plants had taken over another, and facing the great view of the nearly entire village were several lawn chairs, strewn about from their recent use.

"The fireworks should be starting soon," Sakura whispered excitedly, tugging Sasuke's sleeve again as she moved them toward the edge. She let go to grip onto the iron rail that they'd installed around the perimeter, her eyes searching for the tell-tale spark of light near the base of the Hokage's faces that indicated the show was about to start.

"So," Sasuke said, turning to face her as he came to a stop. He propped his hip on the railing and folded his arms across his chest. "Have you had a good birthday?"

Sakura snorted. "Outside of Naruto throwing up on my dad's favorite rug?"

Both of them laughed, then Sakura sobered up enough to say, "Yeah, I did. I did a new technique at work without the aid of Tsunade-shishou, my boys got me my favorite meal for lunch–" Sakura poked Sasuke's arm in thanks at that, though he merely rolled his eyes in response, "–and then I got to finish it off by stealing all of my team's money at poker. So, all in all, it was a great birthday!"

Sasuke was shaking his head and looking down by the time she was finished, though Sakura could see the hint of a smile playing on his lips. Looking up, Sasuke moved his eyes over her head, a habit she hated that he had developed. He rarely looked her in the eye anymore. "So, there wasn't anything you're forgetting that was supposed to happen?"

Frowning, Sakura wracked her brain, thinking about what had been the decided plan for the day. She ticked them off her fingers, clearly wanting to get to the bottom of it when the Uchiha looked rather impatient at her not understanding his meaning. But, after a few moments, she had to shrug and say, "I've got nothing."

Sighing, Sasuke closed his eyes and reached his hand behind his back. When he pulled it back out, a small, black box was covering his hand.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered, her hands shooting to cover her mouth as her eyes widened. They flashed between the box and the boy, his eyes down again, but his cheeks held the barest hints of rose. "Is that… is that for me?"

He tsked. "It's your birthday, isn't it?"

Shaking her head, Sakura had to hold in a laugh. "Right. Well, what is it?"

As he handed it over, Sakura could only go back and think about all of the gifts he had given her over the years for her birthday. Some on time, some not, and some delivered by others, but all of them were from the boy she loved, and that was all that mattered.

Opening it slowly, Sakura gingerly set the lid to the side and beheld the small, leather pouch inside.

"I know I usually get you a new weapon for your birthday," Sasuke rushed out all of a sudden, his voice a bit higher than normal. After a short inhale, he added on, "But I figured that a mix of two things I'd been wanting to get you wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Like she was afraid of scaring him off if she moved too quickly, Sakura nodded slowly. Then, she moved to open the little bag. Undoing the drawstring and tipping it over into her hand, out came a small, silver bangle.

Jewelry.

Sasuke had gotten her jewelry.

"Oh," Sakura gasped, her free hand clutching at her throat. Her eyes burned, and she squeezed them shut for a few seconds to force the tears to stay back. "It's beautiful Sasuke-kun."

"It's functional too," Sasuke muttered, though the tense way with which he was holding himself a moment ago was gone, now replaced with a more Sasuke-like confidence. Quiet, but definitely there. "Let me put it on you so you can see."

Sakura's heart felt like it was going to race out of her chest. After meeting what looked like swirling obsidian eyes, Sasuke's lashes shielded them from view, and the step he took toward her had Sakura's chin falling to her chest. She watched as gentle but deadly fingers took her limp arm and flipped it over slowly, treating her as if she was delicate and not every bit as deadly as he was. Holding the back of her hand in one of his palms, Sasuke used his other to open the bangle, slide it around her wrist, then click it shut.

"It hides a scroll," he murmured, his thumb brushing both metal and skin as it ran the width of her wrist. "With a movement you can code and change, and a supply scroll with whatever you'd like will come out."

Sakura could only gape up at him in shock, and as if sensing her stare, Sasuke glanced up at her from behind his bangs and lashes, his grin flickering. "I've already coded a movement into it, and I've loaded the scroll."

"So cool," Sakura said, barely containing her squeal of delight. "Can you show me how to open it?"

Now, Sasuke was really grinning. "Just snap your fingers."

Sakura did as he said and, sure enough, a scroll came rolling out of the bangle and into her hand, loaded with several deadly looking syringes.

"You…" Sakura had to suck in a breath as she looked over the labels. "Uchiha Sasuke, do you know how priceless and– and– and expensive these–"

"This moment is more priceless," came Sasuke's sudden outburst, the words causing both shinobi's heads to snap up.

Sasuke was wide-eyed, his mouth opening once before shutting, and Sakura… Sakura was simply over the moon.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she said slowly, with the full, unspoken love she held for him shining behind her eyes as she looked up at Sasuke. He was so beautiful it almost hurt her, sometimes. His eyes were guarded, but they had slowly begun to fade back into the relaxed and comfortable look that Sasuke only sported occasionally, and it made Sakura more happy than his present had.

Sasuke swallowed thickly, and he looked uncomfortable for a moment. When Sakura tilted her head to the side in question, he shifted on his feet. "I think my clan is going to start my jounin test soon. My paper exams are finished, and all that's left is the Rite."

Sakura shuddered, thinking about Sasuke being gone for who knows how long. Still, he was ready, and she told him as much. "You'll be just fine, Sasuke. You've been training hard, and neither Kakashi nor Itachi would have let you take the written exams if they didn't think you were ready for the full test."

"I know I'm ready, that's not the point I'm trying to make," he responded, a bit of frustration leaking into his tone. "I just… I just have a feeling that tonight is the last night we'll get to spend time together for a while."

Desperately forcing herself not to read into his body language and statements, Sakura let out a light laugh. "Well, I think Naruto's going to go ballistic with you gone. Kakashi will probably take some time off, and as for me…" She sighed dramatically as she began putting the bag back into the box to set to the side. "I'll just drown myself in paperwork."

Sasuke looked slightly concerned at that, so Sakura added a, "Just kidding! It'll be fine, really. We'll just carry on and pass the time until you get back, just like if you were on a mission."

"It's more than just becoming a Jounin, Sakura," he said tightly, turning to face the village. He gripped the rail with both hands and seemed to ground the next words out from behind gritted teeth. "It means I'm of marrying age for my clan."

Sakura's heart stopped and her smile dropped. "Oh…"

"But courting comes first, traditionally," he continued on after clearing his throat. "I'd date… someone, and we could get married whenever, but the dating would be with the express knowledge that…one day…"

"You're going to marry someone," came her broken, horrified whisper.

"Not just anyone," Sasuke was quick to correct, turning his head to look at her. She was staring at her shoes now, but she could feel his eyes on her. "Sakura, it's all according to what I want to do. I'm just saying that the reason I haven't dated is because… well, that."

Sakura understood what he was doing at that moment. He was preparing her for the moment that she was the only girl their age in his life, for the future where another girl, probably someone she knew, would come traipsing into their lives, coming to Team dinners, game nights, and everything else. She would be the plus one Sasuke brought to Uchiha weddings, not her. She would be the one that Sasuke eventually saw walking down an aisle lined with small fires made by every member of the Uchiha clan, not Sakura. This nameless, faceless girl would be the one to live all of Sakura's dreams, and it crushed her heart so effortlessly to hear from Sasuke's own lips.

But all that Sasuke saw was the tightening of her expression, the slow closing of her eyes, and the eventual deep breath. When she was composed, those eyes opened, and she smiled the fakest smile she'd ever tried.

"Well, whoever she is will be a lucky girl," Sakura said, fighting for her life.

Sasuke frowned, his expression falling immediately. "Sakura, I'm not going to go…to go looking."

Sakura couldn't help but snort and say, "Yeah, because you have girls hanging all over you."

He looked affronted. "No I don't!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Sasuke… yeah, you do. You have girls all over the village just waiting for you to show them an ounce of attention, but you don't because you're so focused on training!"

Something within Sasuke seemed to snap, and he lashed out at her, saying, "I'm not that focused on training to go to the movies or have a game night with Naruto and me, Sakura! I'm not so focused that I tell everyone I'll be single forever like my mentor, nor do I flirt and share glances with girls that I've already turned down."

"I– I don't do all of that," Sakura replied hotly, turning to face him fully. Her anger was sparked, and now it was about to rage. "And it's not like you're any better! I see you using me as a shield against girls who you'd rather ignore than just say you're not interested! It's exhausting being in public with you and having every girl glare at me day after day because they think I'm your girlfriend no matter what I say after the fact! It's unbearable, listening to them chatter away at me all day, and I'm getting pretty sick of it!"

Sasuke's lips thinned. "Well then, I'll just make sure not to give you any calls once I've returned from the Rite, seeing as the thought of being my girlfriend is exhausting and unbearable. We'll both be jounin so we won't need to be on the same team anymore. Besides, I've found myself also rather sick of you."

Boom! Crackle! Boom! Crackle!

Fireworks shot off high above the two shinobi, their wide eyes reflecting the explosion of color in the sky. Their simultaneous gasps were not heard due to the cracking and screaming of the rockets, but their reactions were laid bare before the other as the night sky was lit up with sparkling light. Sakura's eyes showed shock and a truly unbearable amount of hurt, whereas Sasuke's eyes showed sheer panic and near instantaneous regret.

Sakura saw Sasuke shout something, his hands coming up between them, but nothing could be heard over the sound of the fireworks crackling overhead.

Boom! Crackle! Boom! Crackle!

The fireworks kept going, unawares of the crisis happening on a rooftop in the civilian district.

Sakura took a step back, her eyes filling with tears. For as hurtful as her words had been, Sasuke's had been…Kami, they had been daggers, straight to the heart.

"Sakura," she could hear him now, saying her name as he took a few steps after her, but at the furious shake of her head and clenching of her fists, he stopped, though his eyes were still pleading.

In all their years of friendship, Sasuke had never spoken to her with that cruel, callous tone. It was one he saved for people he hated, people he despised, and hearing him use it and say those things… that broke something within Sakura.

"Go home, Sasuke," she choked out, turning around to head back to the fire escape.

"Sakura, please–"

"Get the fuck away from me!"

And with that, Sakura turned and ran, jumping over the ledge and using chakra laden feet to walk down the wall and to her room. She slid the window shut behind her, locked it, and drew the curtains.

Then, Sakura fell into bed, and cried the rest of her birthday away.

Sakura didn't see Sasuke for two days. When she finally broke down and asked Kakashi where he was and why he hadn't shown up to training, he told her that Sasuke had left the morning after her birthday for the final part of his jounin exam.

There was no telling when he would return.