That Summer we Met
Disclaimer: This is pretty self explanorty but I'll say this here again, I do not own anything from the Naruto unvierse. All rights go to Masashi Kishimoto. This is also just a one shot.
The strong yet arrogant flavours of the freshly brewed coffee filled the air with glee. The pink-haired girl held the cup below the dispenser, humming amongst herself while she watched the brown liquid fall in. Once it was filled she placed it against the counter and grasped the small jug of warm milk, gradually pouring it into the coffee. She swirled the milk around, creating a small cat along the surface. The girl placed the now completed cup onto a serving platter and strolled her way through the mob of other customers, while carefully balancing it in one hand.
"Your coffee sir," She said upon standing in front of the circular table. The young man looked up from his newspaper, inspecting the girl for a moment. He gestured for her to place it onto the table, to which the girl obliged.
"Thank you."
The man placed his newspaper onto the chair beside him as the girl bowed in respect, before turning around to walk back towards the counter.
"Sakura, we have another order of coffee needed stat!" A feminine voice yelled out over the cluster of other voices.
"Coming," Sakura exclaimed, making her way through the cafe.
For as long as she could remember, there was this small coffee shop located at the end of her block. And every time she walked past, the strong aromatic scent of the freshly ground coffee beans made her drool. But the thing that stood out to her the most was how it hadn't changed at all. While other locations started having a modern appeal to it, this cafe remained the same.
Sometimes, Sakura would take a peek through the glass window, finding a couple customers here and there sipping a glass of warm coffee. On other occasions, it usually remained empty, with a few employees lounging by the couches or sweeping the floors.
In elementary, when her teacher went around the class and asked what they wanted to be when they grow up, Sakura knew the answer right away.
"I want to open up my own cafe!" She cheerfully said.
Although the majority of the class laughed at the idea, saying how boring that sounded, her friends supported it.
Now that she's a first year business student attending Konoha University, she found herself being entranced to the same cafe down her block. She noticed a help wanted sign on the door, did an interview and ended up getting the job. Luckily, the owner was quite flexible with work hours, so she only works during the weekends. This way, she can juggle both school and work life.
"Sakura." A blonde haired waitress snapped, breaking her trance of thought.
"Huh?" Sakura asked causing the other to sigh,
"You really need to stop daydreaming and get back to work."
"Sorry, Ino. I'll go make that coffee now."
Ino whipped her silky platinum blonde hair back, sliding the silver serving tray in between her elbow and waist. Like every employee she wore a long, short sleeved satin black dress with a pair of black heels. Ino was one of Sakura's childhood friends who, after constant begging decided to work with her. Sakura watched as she walked towards a customer to take their order.
Turning around, Sakura made her way behind the counter and began pouring another cup of coffee into a mug. As she was pouring in the milk, another waitress stood beside her, one she recognized right away.
"How's it going Hinata?"
Said girl began to pour in the milk into the coffee, "it's going great, although I do have a lot of studying to do once I get back to my dorms."
Hearing that made her chuckle. It was exam season and many students were busy studying or meeting with friends. It's one of the reasons why today was so busy. Most of the times we only get around a couple customers.
Sakura turned to Hinata, catching sight of her white irises. Her dark black hair was done up in a messy bun and she wore the basic satin black dress with a pair of flats to go along with the outfit.
Sakura balanced the tray containing the coffee in one hand as she replied, "I'm sure you'll do fine on the exams. If you'd like we could study together."
Hinata eagerly nodded her head, "That would be helpful."
Sakura smiled before walking up towards the customer who ordered a cup of latte.
"One cup of Latte," She said while placing it down in front of them. Sakura bowed a thanks and strolled back to Ino, who was found staring at a rather odd customer.
"What you staring at?" Sakura curiously asked.
Ino turned her eyes on me, "that customer has been sitting there for about thirty minutes and hasn't ordered a thing yet."
Sakura turned her attention to the same person she looked at just seconds prior. He was wearing a well tailored suit and had a cap on which covered half his face. He held a newspaper in front of him, casually reading through it. She noticed black locks poking out from his cap and his dark black orbs moving back and forth between each word. His sharp jawline tensed for a fraction of a second before returning to its original state.
She wouldn't lie if she said he wasn't good looking.
Ino must've noticed how Sakura was studying him as she began smirking, "take his order for me will ya?"
Sakura's head snapped towards her, "I can't. I have another-"
Ino cut her off, "I know you want to talk to him and I'm literally giving you the chance to do so. He might leave if you continue to stand there and stare freely at him."
She was right, what was she doing? He would've thought she was some weird freak who wouldn't stop staring at him.
"Ino! We need you in the back," someone yelled from nearby.
"Coming," she announced before patting me on the shoulder, "good luck."
Before Sakura could continue arguing with her, she made a bolt for it, disappearing into the back. She turned her attention towards him and took a deep breath. Take his order and come back, shouldn't be too hard.
A couple steps forward Sakura paused, as uncertainty over swept her. 'I can't do it, I don't have the type of confidence Ino does.'
The sound of paper being ruffled was heard. Sakura looked up and flinched, finding black eyes staring right back at her.
'Shit, he must've noticed me staring at him.' There was no running away from this now.
Sakura hesitantly walked over to his table, as his eyes trailed over her body, as if drinking her in. A shiver ran up her spine as a smirk emerged along his haute appearance. He even looks hot while smirking?
"Can I get anything started for you today?" Sakura asked in a not so normal voice.
He remained quiet for a bit, continuing to stare deep into her soul. A whole minute passed by and he finally titled his head to the side, "A cup of Americano," he uttered with a deep voice.
"Coming right up," Sakura said before making a bolt for it back to the front. She felt his eyes watching her run away as goosebumps ran up her spine. Ino could be seen standing near the cashier who ushered Sakura over with her hands.
"So?" She asked once Sakura was close enough, "how did it go?"
She frowned back at her, "awful. He already knew I was ogling at him."
"Oh. Well, you tried." She shrugged her shoulders before adding on, "what did he order?"
Sakura moved towards the espresso machine, pouring in a cup, "Americano."
"Average taste in coffee, noted."
"Wait why does it matter to you? Don't you already have a boyfrind?"
Ino just shurgged her shoulders, "Who said I was interested, I was only trying to help my bestie hookup after years of waiting for her to start daying, and-"
Sakura had to cut her off with a chill glare, "Yes Ino, we get how impatient you are," she practically sighed. Ino has been dating someone for almost a year now, although she couldn't help but realize how similar he and that stranger looked. but that's just mere coincidence and nothing more. While adding in the hot water, Ino walked towards the cashier and began to take their payments. Once the coffee was finished, Sakura placed it on the platter and walked back to his table.
She found him sitting in the same spot she had left him, except he was staring at his phone. Although this time, he didn't bother looking up as Sakura placed his drink,
"One Americano."
He lifted his head to look at her for a fraction of a second until his phone began ringing. He instantly picked it up,
"...I'll be right over," was all he mumbled and got up from his seat.
He paused when he noticed Sakura still standing awkwardly by the table, "oh, right."
Her eyes widened as he threw out a 100 dollar bill for a 5 dollar drink.
"Keep the change," he said and walked out the door.
Sakura continued to stand there, motionless even though she heard the jingling of the door bells once he left. What kind of man tips a waitress 95 dollars. That's absurd. What kind of job could he be working as. One that made him rich that's for sure. Sakura sighed as she began clearing up the table. She lost her one chance in getting his number and now he's probably never coming back. To make matter's worse, Ino was probably going to rub it into her face at how bad she was in getting a guys number.
Or so she thought. A couple weeks later he came back.
Summer was fully upon them, with the bright rays of the sun cutting through the open windows. The warm, humid breeze of air swept its way through the open doors as a couple of kids chased each other. Like most days, today was quiet. Only a couple of customers were lounging at the tables, drinking their cups of coffee. Most students were on break, taking that chance to hang with friends or out oversees. While Sakura decided to keep her weekend shifts. She enjoyed the still atmosphere at the cafe rather than going out.
The only other person working today was Ino. Both were seated by the front counter, casually conversing with one another out of sheer boredom.
"It's so boring today," Ino complained, placing her head against the counter.
"It's better than having no customers at all," Sakura added, finding herself staring through the back windows.
Ino tilted her head towards Sakura, "do you think he might show up today?"
Sakura leaned her head against her elbow. Ino has been constantly asking the same question every day, as if he's going to magically show up. It was almost like a gamble she had going on between them (ok well moresso on Ino's part, she was only forced to participate), where they just kept losing. It's been three weeks since Sakura last saw him. Sometimes she found herself thinking about what could've happened if she had the chance to talk with him. Would her future be looking way different than it was now? Yet another part of her told her that he would've ignored her. He did seem like the type who would rather observe the scenes unfolding than strike up a conversation.
What puzzled her was how deeply he watched her movements, like a tiger eying its prey.
Sakura shook her head, "I don't think so. He seemed too rich for visiting a small cafe like this one."
The bells hanging by the door jingled, indicating a customer walking in. Ino mindlessly turned around to greet them only she instantly turned back. Sakura, confused as to why she reacted that way turned around and froze. It was the man whom they were just talking about a couple of seconds ago. It's like he somehow knew they were discussing about him.
This time, he was wearing a white blouse that was tucked loosely into his black trousers. His spikey hair wasn't covered with a hat this time, which allowed her to get a glimpse at his perfectly constructed face. His expression remained emotionless, with his lips in a firm line. He took one quick glance at her before gradually striding over to the same spot he sat at weeks ago. He then leaned his head against the chair, slightly slouching in place. Although something seemed off about the way he was walking as if his left foot was injured. She watched as he uncomfortably grabbed onto his bowtie, roughly loosening it up a little. Sakura found herself nervously gulping, as Ino whizzed her back around.
"God is giving you a second chance. Don't screw it up this time," She whispered, reaching over to grab a menu and shoving it into Sakura's face. She hesitantly took it from her hands as Ino continued, "here, take this and get his order," She paused, thinking for a moment before adding, "and make small talk."
Sakura took in all the tips Ino gave her. All she needed to do was take his order while making a small conversation, shouldn't be too hard, right? Ino jumped out from her seat and pretended to clean the counters. When she noticed Sakura hadn't moved, she slightly signalled her with the movement of her eyes, as if saying, "Go."
Taking in a deep breath, she slowly waltzed out from her seat. Sakura looked up to where he was seated, noting his hands lightly tapping against the wooden table. As Sakura approached the table, he turned to look at her.
Sakura awkwardly tucked in a couple strands of hair behind her ear.
"What can I get started for you?" Sakura asked, handing the menu over to him.
The man took it from her and instead placed it in front of him rather than looking over it.
"I'd like my usual," He stated with the flick of his hand.
Sakura found herself blinking a couple of times. He only came here once and thinks they would remember his order? The only drink she remembered him ordering was a cup of Americano. Although, it wouldn't make sense for one to be consuming a hot drink in the middle of summer. Unless they're crazy.
He must've noticed how Sakura hadn't moved whatsoever as he sighed in annoyance, "Americano?"
Sakura nodded her head in embarrassment, "Of course, how could I forget." She said, snatching the menu from the table and running to the back counter.
Ino joined her beside the expresso machine, watching as the dark brown liquid poured into the mug.
"How did it go?" She asked, leaning against the counter.
Sakura removed the mug from the dispenser and began pouring in the hot water.
"A disaster," Sakura mumbled as she slammed the cup onto the platter, "I couldn't even remember his usual even though he only came here once."
"Right..." she said while crossing her arms together, "For now give him his drink and make small talk," she suggested.
Sakura ignored her suggestions, grabbing the serving dish and making her way back to the mysterious man. She noticed the way he had one of his legs propped up on an empty chair. She recalled the way he walked into the cafe, limping as though his leg was injured.
Was he hiding some kind of injury?
Sakura carefully placed the drink in front of him, "one Americano."
The man remained silent, choosing to instead browse through his phone. She continued standing in the same spot, contemplating whether or not to ask if he was feeling okay. Gathering all her courage, she took a deep breath before grabbing the chair across from him. This resulted in him snapping his head upwards, watching her take a seat.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, placing his phone into his pocket.
Sakura's eyes darted from his leg to his face, "you don't look too good."
She caught a glimpse of his expression turning sour, raising a brow upon hearing her absurd comment.
Sakura knew what she was about to do was going to piss him off. But if her hunch was right and he really was hurt, she wanted to help him in any way possible. Even if they didn't know each other at all.
Sakura quickly bent down to inspect his ankle placed on the chair beside her. In the blink of an eye large hands wrapped around her wrist, halting her from touching him.
She looked up at his face to find him staring back at her.
"I said, what are you doing?" He repeated once more, not bothering to remove his strong grip.
Sakura bit her lip nervously, "you seemed to be in some sort of pain. I noticed it while you walked into the cafe and thought you might need some assistance."
He continued to stare at her, deep in thought. A couple seconds pass and he released his hands. Sakura stared at the now reddened wrist, clutching at it to ease the stinging pain.
"What's your name?" He uttered.
Sakura stilled. She wasn't expecting him to converse with her.
"Sakura."
He nodded his head, taking a sip of his coffee quietly. As he placed the cup down he added, "are you going to grab a first aid kit or just keep staring at my face?"
Did he just allow her to inspect his ankle? From a girl who he just met? Sakura bolted from her seat, Ino was going to freak out when she hears about this. She ran to her manager's office and grabbed the first aid. The manager rarely came into work, only coming in when someone called for her.
Sakura ran back to find him now reading a newspaper. He didn't look up when she sat back down in the same seat. Since she has his permission, Sakura reached for his ankle, quietly mumbling, "excuse me."
She pulled his trousers high enough to get a closer look at his ankles. Her eyes widened when she saw them. There was a large slash going across from his ankle to halfway up his leg. How did he manage to walk all the way here without getting it checked? What puzzled Sakura most was how he received a wound like that to begin with.
"How did you get cut like this?" Sakura found herself asking while damping it up with rubbing alcohol.
She heard him suck in a painful breath, choosing to speak a minute later, "that's not something you need to know."
'I guess he wasn't comfortable sharing something like that' she thought.
Sakura picked his foot off the chair, scooting her's close enough to place it on her knee. She didn't know why she felt the need to do that, maybe it was because of the pain he must be going through. Sakura moved her face a couple inches away from his foot, lightly blowing humid air against it.
Even though the man didn't ask why she did that, Sakura found herself saying it anyways, "my mom would often blow against my bruises whenever I was hurt and it always seemed to heal up quite fast. It might work for you too."
She couldn't see the expression he was making, as she turned around to grab the compression bandaid. She then secured it tightly around his ankle. Once she was finished, she took a quick look at it to make sure else needed tending to.
"All done," Sakura exclaimed happily. She closed the first aid kit and placed it on the table.
The man traced his finger over the now wrapped up foot, checking to make sure it was done properly. He took the last sip of his coffee before putting on his shoe. Sakura was surprised how he remained quiet for the most part. He pulled out a 100-dollar bill, placed it in front of her and began walking out the cafe without saying another word.
Sakura followed him out the door, "Come again, sir!" She exclaimed. The man came to a halt a couple of feet away upon hearing her comment. He seemed to be hesitant upon something, yet Sakura couldn't grasp what. Seconds later she heard him mumble,
"Sasuke."
It was head to hear him with traffic sweeping past so she said, "what?"
"Call me Sasuke."
Her eyes widened at his comment, watching him continue to walk down the pavement and disappear into a black vehicle. She watched the car drive off finding herself not able to move. Did he just give her his name? Sakura blindly walked back into the cafe to find Ino waiting for her by his table.
"So?" She exclaimed, "how'd it go?"
Sakura walked over to his table and began cleaning it up, "he gave me a name," she squealed while placing the empty cup onto the serving plate. She paused when she spotted a 100-dollar bill underneath it.
"He must be really rich if he's giving you that much money," Ino commented.
As Sakura picked it up, she spotted something written in elegant handwriting,
Sasuke
(548)-927-7459
The two of them stared back at one another in complete shock.
He gave her his number.
But what really baffled her was did he write that while waiting for his coffee or before he even showed up?
That night, Sakura found herself darting her eyes between her cellphone and the note containing his number. She could feel butterflies fluttering deep within her stomach as she clenched it with her hands nervously. After she parted ways with Ino, she had gone straight home with the hope of trying out his number and seeing whether or not it was fake. What kind of sane person would share their phone number to some stranger? Although, she did help him out when his ankle was bleeding.
Sakura shook those thoughts away, but still it's the least he could do after she helped him out and besides, why would he even bother handing out a fake number? If he handed out his information as easily as that, that must mean he's also interested in her too.
Confident in her ideas, Sakura carefully inputed the digits displayed on the note onto her cellphone. Taking a nervous breath in, she pressed the call button and held her phone against her ear, as the usual ring met her ears.
Ring, Ring, Ring.
Seconds tick by as the phone continued to ring with no one picking up. Had he really given her a false number? Maybe she might've annoyed him too much which caused him to hand her a fake number with the hopes of getting away. Was she really that annoying that-
"Hello?"
Sakura felt her hear skip a beat when the low yet familiar voice met her ears.
'He picked up, he really answered the phone ' Sakura thought as she clenched her phone tightly.
"I, er-" Sakura found herself fumbling with her voice, not able to form a coherent sentence. She slapped her face when silence met her ears.
"...your that girl from the cafe" He revealed, causing Sakura to find herself staring blankly towards the wall opposite her, waiting expectantly for him to continue.
"And you calling this number must mean you were able to locate the note safely. Good job."
Sakura' felt her cheeks warm up when Sasuke complimented her location skills. Even though anyone could have spotted the note a mile away, receiving a compliment like that from a man like him made her flush. Sakura waited a couple of seconds before choosing her words carefully,
"I'm glad you liked it," Sakura began saying only paused when the words fully registered. She cursed when she realized she hadn't even made a proper comment. Before she had the chance to apologize, she heard him laugh on the other end. It sounded like a deep melody consisting of tense humming as Sakura drank in his melodic voice creating tunes she's never heard before.
"I can tell you're feeling embarrassed right now, which explains why you were cursing aloud."
Did he hear her curse out loud? How worse could this evening probably get?
Luckily Sakura was able to conjure up the right words to say, "I'm sorry I usually don't space out like that it's just... I've never really spoken to a guy like you." Sakura found herself nervously gulping when Sasuke remained quiet on the other end.
"Would you care to define a guy like you?" He smoothly asked.
Sakura could tell it was his way of teasing with her from the way his voice sounded, almost as if he was smirking on the other end, "Well what I meant was I haven't spoken to someone as pretty as you," Sakura blurted out, She wasn't sure where the confidence came from but Sakura was able to somewhat confess her feelings towards him.
She listened intently to the speaker of her phone, as all it picked up was the soft static of his background. He appeared to be quiet, probably thinking over what she just stated. Instant dread began filling her mind when no reply was heard. Did she confess too soon? Maybe he really was planning on ending the call there and most certainly never coming back to the cafe. She needed to work more on her socializing skills.
She heard him sigh on the other end, "Sorry but I gotta go. Talk to you soon."
Before she had any chance of replying, all that met my ears was a loud, continuous beep.
He ended the call.
"Sooo..." Ino smirked, playfully elbowing a depressed Sakura dazed off into space as she waited for the mug to fill up with coffee on its own, "how'd it go last night?"
Sakura grabbed the now-filled mug and slammed it onto the tray, sighing as she turned to face Ino, "horrible." was all she said before walking out into the lobby and placing the cup in front of the customer. When she walked back, Ino had been staring at her the entire time, with sympathy written all over her face. She walked over to Sakura and placed an arm around her shoulder, "to tell you the truth, he did seem like a jerk from the way he acted. Aren't all rich people like that?" Ino scoffed.
"Ino..." Sakura retorted, not understanding where this conversation was going. She sighed and removed Ino's arm off her shoulder, "It's not his fault, I ended up messing things around by being all nervous over the phone."
Ino playfully smiled, "Aaahhh, so that's it."
"What do you mean that's it?" Sakura asked once again.
"You think you messed things up with that phone call?"
Sakura did not know where this conversation was going "...right."
Ino folded her arms together, "but from the looks of it, I think it was the opposite."
Sakura became eerily quiet, "how so?"
"Well, for starters he answered the phone call. Obviously, your name was written as the caller ID so he had to have known it was you. And since he picked up that tells me someone wanted to converse with you." Ino began to suggestively raise her brow, trying to hint at something. Sakura on the other hand wasn't having any of it, "And?"
Ino leaned against the nearest counter, "Well, from your description he also ended the call saying talk to you soon. Which means he's definitely planning on calling you back. In other words, you didn't mess anything up in fact, it was a total hit!" Ino squealed while grabbing both her hands excitedly, spinning Sakura around playfully as a result.
"I still have a chance," Sakura found herself speaking her thoughts aloud, "I-"
The two were rudely interrupted when the sound of glass shattering halted them in place. They both instantly turned around towards where the sound came from, only to come face to face with an older man leaning against the front counter, unbothered by the now shattered cup a few cm away from his bare hand. He appeared to have light brown hair with a large scar slashed across his right eye. He had on a black leather jacket and his eyes felt as though they were sending daggers their way. Sakura noticed that the only people who were inside the cafe were the three of them. It appears the rest of the customers must have left while Ino and her were talking.
Or could it be the man standing before them had something to do about that?
Sakura felt Ino's hand quivering as she held her hands tightly. She couldn't blame her, the man with the emotionless face did appear scary in demeanour. What went through her mind was what did someone like him who'd cause a petty scene like this want from them?
"Is there something you need?" Sakura found herself asking, although she could tell her voice came out shaky.
The man's eyes turned towards hers, narrowing them for a moment he once again spoke with a low, raspy voice, "Is there a girl name Sakura Haruno here?"
Sakura's eyes widened in response as her heart began to accelerate faster than normal. She felt Ino's hand tighten around her arms as Sakura found her throat dry up.
How did this man know her name and what did he specifically want from her?
She watched as the man began to lightly tap his fingers along the counter, waiting patiently for a response.
"I'm sorry but it appears she left just a moment ago. If there's a message you'd like me to relay for you I'd be more than happy to" Sakura wasn't able to finish her sentence when the man pulled out a small pistol out of thin air. The two nervously stared at the shiny, black metal held tightly by the man who was directed their way.
"Cut the bullshit," He spat, holding the gun directly their way, "I don't have time to play these games."
The two watched while holding their breaths still as the man casually began scratching his head with the front part of the pistol in deep thought, "I'm sure Tanagaki told me the right information. A barista named Sakura Haruno working for a run-down cafe at the corner of Main," He paused, "Huh, I guess he must've forgotten to provide me with what she looked like."
Sakura's eyes wavered from the man to Ino who looked like she'd pass out any moment. From the looks of it, it appeared the man was too concentrated on something else that he failed to notice Sakura whisper something into Ino's ear, "Get out of here and call the cops."
But Ino declined, "I can't leave you here."
"This is the only chance we have at getting away. Go, hurry."
Ino stared deeply into Sakura's eyes, "Don't do anything stupid" was all she found herself saying before bolting it out from the back exit.
The slamming of the door behind caused the man to snap his head from the now closed doors back to Sakura who confidently stared back at him, "It appears my friend here has kindly volunteered to find Sakura Haruno and bring her to the cafe. While we wait, I could make us a cup of coffee" Sakura's shaky legs slowly moved a couple of centimetres forward without waiting for a reply to make a cup of coffee, only a loud bang halted her in place.
Sakura slowly yet hesitantly found herself darting her eyes to where a small hole appeared near her foot as smoke sizzled its way through it. She made the foolish mistake of dropping her guard around him. She turned her head to find his eyes narrowed back at her, "I never told you to move from your spot." he said, "one small movement and I'm going to gut your insides and make sure your remains get delivered to your house."
Sakura gulped nervously, as her mind became blank once more. She had run out of any good ideas on getting her way out of this situation. All she had to do now was rely on Ino and get the cops to show up as soon as possible.
The room became deathly still, as the only things she could hear were the frantic breathing of her nose and the beating of her heart. She watched as the man took a seat by the counter and continued to stare her way, "I have all day to wait for that friend of yours," He replied, adding, "And if she does anything funny like call the cops I'll make sure to kill you first."
Sakura found herself nodding, "I'll make sure she comes back soon."
Another moment of silence passes, one where the man begins to admire his gun while Sakura stands awkwardly in the same spot she was always standing on. Minutes had passed by and nothing happened. The man continued to carry on with his business while Sakura prayed to whoever was out there to help her, even though she never really believed in god.
'I hope my parents are doing alright'
The ringing of a phone call broke the eerie silence that shadowed the small lobby of the cafe. Sakura found herself staring nervously at the man who in response, tilted his head up indicating her to pick it up. Without another word, Sakura pulled out her phone with her shaky hands and answered the phone without looking at who was calling,
She bit her lip when there was no reply.
The man in front of her nodded his head, allowing her the freedom to speak.
"...Hello?" Sakura found herself whispering, as her voice had the slightest hint of fear.
"On my lead I want you to drop down and cover your nose." A familiar voice uttered on the other end.
Sakura's voice stilled in her throat as realization instantly dawned on her but before she could reply he continued, "And don't reveal my name. Pretend like yo're talking."
Sakura's eyes wandered to the man who now had his gun pointed directly her way, she swallowed and chose her words carefully, "You were able to locate Sakura? That's great... hurry back we're waiting."
The man appeared to lower his guard and he placed his gun back onto the table, yet keeping his eyes on the frantic girl before her.
The voice on the other end asked in a quiet voice, "Are you afraid?"
She could tell there was a hint of concern in his voice when he asked that question. Yes, she was scared but when he was the one to call her first, just the thought of it had made her less afraid. What terrified her the most was what he had planned in mind. She had originally thought of him to be a rich man, what could he possibly do to save her from a situation like this?
It became quiet on the other end as Sakura nervously bit her lips in agitation. The man appeared to slowly lose his patience when she wasn't conversing with the person on the other end. She watched as he grabbed the gun once more and held it her way, "Hurry it up with the call girl. It doesn't take that long to-"
Sakura found herself letting out a nervous breath when she heard his voice on the phone once more, "Now."
The moment she hastily covered her nose and bent down, Sakura heard a loud pop before thick, grey smoke began to fill the room. She heard the man curse aloud trying to aim his gun in her direction while trying to fire a couple of shots here and there. But because of the smoke screen, he fortunately kept missing all his shots. Taking this as her only chance of escape, Sakura hurriedly got up from where she was crouched and turned around to make a run for it only strong hands gripped at her elbow and pushed her in another direction. She tried to get her arm to be free from their grasp but their grip would only become tighter. She could still hear the man in her surroundings yelling out profanities while the unknown person was leading her to the exit. A couple of seconds of silence she heard a door open and felt their hand release from her elbow only to instead feel two hands push her out through the exit.
Sakura found herself stumbling through the door, coughing once she removed her hands from her nose and turned around to see where he went. Except he closed the doors behind him leaving Sakura alone in the back alleyway.
'Could that have been... Sasuke?' She thought to herself.
Her thoughts were instantly shattered when she picked up the sound of a couple of gunshots echoing through the wind, causing her to become on high alert. Sakura found herself covering her ears as the loud noises kept going on for what seemed like forever. A minute later however it became eerily silent as the only sound she could pick up were the sirens of a police car approaching the cafe. Sakura placed her hand against her chest and found herself releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She paused in place when she realized who exactly was inside with the madman and the amount of shots that took place.
Without another word, Sakura ran towards the door to open it only instead, someone else had beat her to it. She found herself gasping in surprise when she looked up and spotted just the person who she speculated had come to the rescue.
"Sasuke," She began saying as she studied his facial features. They appeared void of any human emotions as his black charcoal eyes were tilted her way. He appeared to be wearing the same suit he always wore and had on a black cap covering most of his black hair. Sakura found her eyes wandering lower and inwardly gasped at what she spotted. His pants were drenched in blood and in his hand was holding a pistol similar to that of the man inside. All sorts of questions began racing through her mind as she tried to come up with some rational excuse as to why he would be carrying a gun.
But she couldn't think of one. All that escaped her wavering lips as she took a couple of hesitant steps were,
"Who exactly are you?"
The man in question continued to stare at her as if trying to study her facial features. She noticed the way his eyes softened as he was about to open his mouth to reply when shouting from within the cafe halted him in place. He looked at Sakura once more, quietly whispering, "I'm sorry." before running past her.
Sakura blinked in response, turning around to watch him hop into a black van that then sped off into the distance. A millisecond later the door behind her opened swiftly as Ino came bursting through the door with a cop behind her. Sakura noted that Ino had been crying as she sprang to hug her.
"Sakura, you're okay," She quietly mumbled as her voice continued to waver. Sakura was able to return the hug but her mind was elsewhere.
Just who exactly was Sasuke?
A few months have passed since that incident took place. It was now nearing autumn, which meant the new semester was starting soon. Although she wasn't really looking forward to it, she was lucky enough to fit in shifts for the cafe. Staring out the window while cleaning the table counters, she couldn't help but notice a few trees in the far back, it's leaves falling with the wind. While the streets were littered with people making their way down the sidewalk. Whereas, the cafe was moderately busy, but not busy where she had to always be moving. Rather, most of the people were either studying or chatting with friends.
She hadn't seen Sasuke after the incident. And he hadn't shown up to the cafe since. It was a shocker to say the least when he of all people appeared almost like a superhero and managed to get her out to safety. And then once they were out, he somehow ran off without bothering to let her in on everything. She wouldn't be lying if she said she still had nightmares about that day. Sometimes, she'd dream of that man holding the gun against her temple and firing without waiting. On other occasions, she'd dream of Sasuke saving her, holding onto her hand as though she were the one thing he'd never let go. But she knew that was all but a dream that was bound to never come true.
And after that whole incident, she didn't know what to think of him. there was more to him than having that whole business aura going on around him. He carries many secrets with him, ones that he doesn't bother sharing with anyone. The only closest one she's ever gotten was the fact that he was good at sneaking around and shooting a gun. She remembers that night after the incident, she sat at her desk and formulated a list of possible occupations he could be working. On top of that list was the FBI, it made sense on why that is; he could shoot a gun, was smart at making plans, could easily infiltrate a building without being seen, and above all was able to get her to safety without compromising the both of them.
At the way bottom of her list, she had listed member of the Mafia, only to begin laughing at how absurd the idea was before crossing it out. She had, of course, told Ino about what happened that day, and she was just as shocked as she was. Ino had told her that there was just no way it was he who had saved her. Since he appeared to be a rich man from her perspective, she assumed most rich guys often suck at labour such as shooting a gun.
"What rich guy would take time in their day to learn to shoot a gun?" Ino had exclaimed during their conversation about him.
After that day, she had simply forgotten about his existence. At first, she'd often ask Ino if she thought he'd appear again, to which Ino would constantly tell her to move on, and how someone like him he's bound to bring trouble wherever he went. And she wanted to disagree so badly, to say that no he's not trouble, that there's at least some kindness in that small heart of his, how he just struggles at showing his emotions to others. But then, Ino's words would often echo in her ears, a constant reminder of the dangers she faced all those months ago. "Maybe it's for the best," her friend had said, her voice laced with concern. "After all, someone like him... he's bound to be trouble."
Sakura couldn't deny the truth in her friend's words, nor could she ignore the gnawing ache in her chest at his absence. The café, once alive with the chatter of patrons and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, now felt eerily empty without him. But she knew she had to move on from, such as how he did as well. Not that she knew whether he had feelings for her or not, well, she doubted it.
"Are you still hung up over him?"
Sakura flinched at the sudden voice coming to her right. Turning around, she found Ino staring expectantly at her. She blinked a few times trying to orient her surroundings. Looking around the cafe, she realized that it was already closing hour. Huh, how long had she been standing here cleaning the same table and thinking about the same thing over and over again?
"What? Nooo..." Sakura drawled, waving her hand to say no, but when Ino raised a brow, Sakura just sighed, "OK fine you caught me. I just can't get over the fact that he was able to get me out that fast without being noticed, isn't that weird to you?"
Ino shook her head, placing a hand on her forehead, "Yes it's weird Sakura. But what's weirder is for you to be hooked up over some guy you barely knew and is likely to be a murderer. You need to move on."
Sakura opened her mouth to protest but closed it when Ino placed her hands on her shoulder, "Look, I know it was me who pushed you into trying to flirt with him, and I'll take that blame." She paused for a moment, closing her eyes to better focus her mind and then reopening them up, "But you need to let him go, it's for your own good."
She just mindlessly nodded her head. She didn't really want to but, Ino was right. She needed to move on from that guy, someone as dangerous as him wasn't something that was going to do her any good. As a matter of fact, it was more likely to bring death close to her than it already was.
"You're right," Sakura replied, causing Ino to smile at her friend, "I'm going to try forgetting about him."
Ino beamed at that, "Finally." She then twirled Sakura around and pushed her towards the exit, "Now get out there and go home to rest, I'll finish things off here."
"But-" Sakura was interrupted by Ino who yelled back, "I don't want to hear any complaining get out before I chase you out."
Not wanting to experience the wrath of Ino, Sakura said her byes and practically ran out. She felt the cool autumn wind wrap itself around her like a blanket as she quietly walked down the sidewalk. The roads were empty, say for a few parked on the side. While most buildings had their lights off, indicating that shops were likely closed for the day. The city lights cast long shadows on the pavement as she carelessly walked along the crosswalk, her thoughts roaming back to a specific someone. Too busy in her thoughts, she didn't realize when she reached the crosswalk, its light still red indicating she needed to wait a second or two. She didn't really mind that much, Sakura began to pull out her phone from her pocket and was just about to use it when something familiar was caught in the corner of her eyes.
It was almost as though fate wanted them together.
Standing there on the opposite end of the crosswalk was Sasuke, standing within a small crowd of people. He didn't see her, only his eyes were focused on the phone in his hand, but she noticed him. He had on a simple black blazer paired with black trousers. His hair looked almost ruffled up, as though he had played around with it a bit too much to the point of messing it around.
Her mind was interrupted when people around her began crossing the road. She took a step forward, it wasn't too difficult, all she needed to do was pretend he didn't exist and walk right past him as though he were a stranger. And that's what she did. Sakura had her head tilted up high, walking along the road while trying to ignore his presence. And yet, almost a quarter way through, her eyes wandered back towards him and her heart stilled when their eyes connected. Time seemed to stand still as they continued to stare each other down, the air thick with unspoken emotion.
For a moment, Sakura forgot about the warnings, the doubts, and the fears. All she could see was him—his familiar silhouette against the fading light of day, a reminder of what could have been if they had just slowly begun to learn more about one another. But then these thoughts came crashing down when she remembered Ino's warning and shook her head. No, she was not going to go along with her heart and instead, she was going to move on. It was better that way for her and her friends and family. Who knew what else he could be hiding besides the fact that he could be a danger to her? And even though she so badly didn't want to go about following along with the idea, she had no choice.
Sakura broke eye contact first, picking up her speed of walking along the crosswalk. A few steps in she managed to walk past Sasuke and soon enough, was already on the opposite end of the road. She found that her feet became glued in place, instinctively turning around to get a glimpse of him one more, just to be sure it was him or not.
But as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone, disappearing into the crowd without a backward glance. And so, Sakura sighed from where she stood, turning to carry on her walk home. It was for the greater good she let it be like this.
A/N: I've had this written up for quite some time and had completely forgotten about its existence. I really wanted to write up a one shot rather than having a multiple chapter long ahh story. And so I went about adding the last section of the story and managed to somehow finish it. Even though it's a one-shot, I'm not sure if I want to make this into a series since there are quite a bit of parts that do need more explaining. I've instead left them for you guys to hopefully interpret and guess what they may mean. Thanks so much for reading this and have a lovely day.
