On a quiet night in Konoha, Sakura encounters Sasuke, visibly inebriated outside a sake bar.Sakura gets to see a slight glimpse of a side of sasuke she hadn't seen before.
The village of Konoha was hushed under the glow of a late summer moon, its streets winding through shadows and silver light. The air hung warm and heavy, thick with the drone of cicadas and the faint scent of blooming night flowers. Sakura Haruno trudged along the dirt path toward home, her sandals scuffing softly against the ground. Her shift at the hospital had stretched into the early hours—another night of broken bones, fevered children, and Tsunade's barked orders echoing in her ears. She rubbed at her temple, willing the dull ache behind her eyes to fade. All she wanted was her bed and a few precious hours of sleep.
She wasn't expecting to see him.
Sasuke Uchiha stood—or rather, leaned—against a weathered wooden post outside a small sake bar tucked into the quieter edge of the village. His dark cloak hung unevenly over his shoulders, the hem brushing the dirt, and his hair fell in a messy curtain across his face, obscuring his eyes. A half-empty bottle of sake dangled from his hand, swaying slightly as he shifted his weight. His head was tilted back against the post, and he seemed to be muttering to himself, the words too low and jumbled to make out.
Sakura froze mid-step, her tired mind jolting awake. "Sasuke?"
He lifted his head slowly, as if the motion took more effort than it should. His lone visible eye—a deep, stormy gray tonight instead of its usual piercing red—squinted at her through the haze of alcohol. "Hn… Sakura?" His voice came out rough, slurred at the edges, and he blinked once, twice, like he wasn't sure she was real. "What're you doing here?"
She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "I asked you first. And—" She took a step closer, her nose wrinkling as the sharp tang of sake hit her. "Are you drunk?"
Sasuke scoffed, though it sounded more like a hiccup than the dismissive grunt he probably intended. "Tch. I don't get drunk." He pushed off the post with a little too much confidence, aiming to prove his point—and immediately stumbled forward, his balance betraying him. Sakura lunged in without thinking, catching him by the arm before he could face-plant into the dirt.
"Right, didn't take you for someone who decides to get drunk on a random tuesday" she said, her tone dry as she steadied him. "You're completely fine. Come on, let's get you somewhere you can sit before you hurt yourself."
He didn't resist as she tugged him toward a nearby bench, though he muttered something about "not needing help" under his breath. It was half-hearted at best, and Sakura ignored it, guiding him with a firm grip until he sank onto the wooden seat. She plopped down beside him, brushing a stray strand of pink hair from her face as she studied him. In the moonlight, his features looked softer than usual—the hard lines of his jaw relaxed, his cheeks faintly flushed from the sake. His guard was down in a way she'd never seen, and it made her stomach twist with something she couldn't quite name.
"Why were you drinking alone?" she asked, her voice softening despite herself. "You've been back in the village for, what, a week? I thought you'd be resting, not… this."
Sasuke stared at the bottle in his hand, tilting it slightly as if the amber liquid inside might hold some profound answer. He was quiet for so long she thought he might not respond at all. Then, finally, he spoke, his words slow and deliberate. "Couldn't sleep. Too much… noise. In my head."
Sakura's chest tightened. She knew what he meant—or at least, she could guess. The war was over, the village was rebuilding, but the scars it left weren't just physical. She'd seen it in Naruto's restless energy, in Kakashi's quiet moments of distraction, and now, apparently, in Sasuke's rare vulnerability. He'd come back to Konoha after years away, after everything he'd done and everything he'd lost, and she couldn't imagine what it must be like to carry that weight alone.
"You could've come to me," she said before she could stop herself. "Or Naruto. You don't have to… deal with it by yourself."
He snorted, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Naruto would've dragged me to Ichiraku's and yelled about ramen until I stabbed him." He paused, then added, almost as an afterthought, "And you… you're too busy fixing everyone else."
Hearing this Sakuras eyes lit up as his words processed in her mind "did sasuke...want to spend time with me?" Still Sakura frowned, stung by the truth in his words.She was infact pretty busy these days at the hospital but that certainly wouldn't stop her from possibly spending time with sasuke "I'd make time for you, You know that."
He didn't answer, just took another slow sip from the bottle. The silence stretched between them, heavy but not uncomfortable. Sakura watched him, noting the way his hand trembled slightly around the sake—whether from the alcohol or something deeper, she couldn't tell. She reached out and plucked the bottle from his grip, ignoring his half-hearted glare.
"Hey—"
"You've had enough," she said firmly, setting it on the ground out of his reach. "You're going to regret this tomorrow if you keep going."
"Hn. Doubt it." But he didn't move to take it back, just leaned his head against the bench and closed his eye, letting out a long breath. The flush on his face seemed to deepen, and Sakura wondered if he was even aware of how much he'd let slip tonight.
She shifted closer, her shoulder brushing his. "Sasuke… why didn't you tell me you were struggling? I mean, really struggling?"
He cracked his eye open, peering at her sideways. "What would you have done? Punched the noise out of my head?"
She laughed despite herself, the sound breaking the tension. "Maybe! It's worked before."
That earned her a faint chuckle—quiet, rough, but real. It was so rare to hear him laugh, even something small like that, that Sakura felt her heart skip. She tucked her hands into her lap, suddenly hyper-aware of how close they were sitting, how the warmth of his arm radiated through his cloak.
"Seriously, though," she pressed. "You don't have to hide it from me. I've known you too long for that."
He didn't respond right away, his gaze drifting up to the moon. The cicadas buzzed on, filling the silence, and Sakura wondered if she'd pushed too far. Then he spoke, his voice so low she almost missed it.
"You're annoying when you're right."
She blinked, then grinned. "So I'm right a lot, huh?"
"Don't push it," he muttered, but there was no bite to it. He shifted slightly, his shoulder pressing more firmly against hers, and Sakura's breath caught. It wasn't much—just a small, unconscious movement—but coming from Sasuke, it felt like a confession.
They sat like that for a while, the night stretching out around them. Sakura didn't mind the quiet; it gave her time to process the fact that Sasuke was here, next to her, letting her see this side of him. Eventually, his breathing evened out, and she realized he'd dozed off, his head tipping slightly toward her. The sake had finally won.
"Sasuke?" she whispered, nudging him gently. No response—just a soft exhale. She sighed, half-amused, half-exasperated. "Great. Now I'm stuck with you."
She could've woken him, forced him to walk home, but instead she stayed where she was, letting him rest. The village was safe tonight, and she didn't mind keeping watch. Besides, she thought with a small smile, it wasn't every day she got to see Sasuke Uchiha like this—vulnerable, human, and maybe, just maybe, a little closer to letting her in.
The moon climbed higher, and Sakura leaned back against the bench, her eyes tracing the stars. Tomorrow, he'd probably pretend none of this happened. But for now, she'd take it—one quiet, sake-soaked moment at a time.
~cher