Sakura is a light sleeper. Even if she forgets to plug her phone to charge, even if her alarm is snoozed by her tired fingers, she, without fail, wakes up in time for her rigid routine. Being a doctor does that to you. Too much is at stake to slack off, and Sakura is anything but anal about her schedule.
When she stretches her arms, she throws the blankets off her lap, presses her palms on her foam mattress for balance, and immediately heads for the shower, timing her routine to a concrete eighteen minutes. It's just enough time to scrub her scalp, diffuse her curls, and wake her body and skin with the freshness of her expensive strawberry body wash that she always splurges on.
She will prepare Kazumi's balanced lunch and still have enough time to do her daughter's hair. Today, it's braid. If she doesn't have a shift at the hospital, she will use the time to schedule a pilates class. Sometimes, she's able to go three times a week. She has done this alone for two years now and it is second nature to her. 'Super mom', she's been called by her peers and mom friends. Damn right she is.
Sakura accounts for all possibilities. There is very little room for error in her life, and her divorce has taught her that she will never make a mistake like that again. Maybe she's too harsh on herself, but it's her strictness that has kept her safe. It keeps her daughter's needs above her own. It ensures her sanity.
And if factoring in ten minutes for her commute to work for any potential disaster wasn't already insane, well then future Sakura will pat herself on the back for being prepared. Because today, for the first time in months, she is going to be late for work. She should've made it fifteen minutes, she mentally scolds herself.
Luck, but more importantly, time, is not on Sakura's side right now. Her fate is in the hands of the indecisive man before her at the convenience store. At this point, her tardiness is guaranteed.
All of her life, Sakura has hustled and worked her ass off to be able to exist amongst her peers. She's never had the luxury of having things handed to her; on the contrary, her hands have aged through grit and hard work. She busted tables in high school. She tutored and worked retail through undergrad. Then, she did both while in med school. Her calluses are proof.
She can't help thinking all of this as her frown deepens at her current situation. She wants to tap her heel, hoping the sound would sufficiently express her frustration at the backside of the man she can't see. She only came into the store for a pack of gum and an iced coffee, but did not anticipate a person debating which cigarettes to get.
"Which do you smoke?" The man asked the cashier, his voice light. She's sure he's smiling, basking in the small talk he so obviously started. The ice in her cup is melting, the sleeve dampening the longer she holds it. She hates when her coffee is watery.
She can't hold her tongue, though. "Does it matter? They're all terrible for you." She says, unfiltered, the resignation to be silent out the window. Her mind is running ten miles a minute. She has charts to finish. She has patients to see. She has to get her lunch on time so she can eat and respond to emails in under forty five. She has to text -
The man stiffens a laugh. It's smooth. She hadn't noticed he's wearing a suit, or anything else about him until he turned around. "You sure sound bias….Dr. Haruno." He says, eyes lingering a bit longer on her after reading her name tag.
She holds her frown in spite of the heat warming her cheeks. "Can you pick already? I have lives to save."
The man smiles at her. "Except mine." He jokes dryly, shoulders shrugging before he turns back to the cashier. "I'll pay for her, too."
"No, that isn't necessary-"
He shakes his head, tucking the cigarettes into his breast pocket and stepping aside for her to see the confused worker behind the counter. "I'll see you."
When she settles into her office, she thinks about the man and the way he looked at her. She would've clocked in on time if she hadn't replaced that interaction for five minutes.
"What're these for?" The confusion is etched on her face, knotted in her brows, creased in her strained forehead, the one thing that has been the reason for so many years of relentless bullying. It didn't stop her from putting other kids in their place even when she was in elementary school, but the comments were permanently on her mind, a forever insecurity she fakes until she's alone.
He's holding a bouquet, a mixture of roses and marigolds, bound tightly in yellow wrapping paper. Even as she accepts them, she can't shake the look on her face.
"I needed a reason to get you flowers?" Sai scoffed, a sly smile forming. "I just saw them earlier and they made me think of you."
He says it with such confidence it almost makes her blush. But she can't, because she's more confused than flustered. She gestures with her head for him to come in to her home and heads to her kitchen, setting the bouquet on the counter as she looks for a vase.
Preoccupied with finding something to place the flowers in, she doesn't even register that he already found it before her.
"It was under the sink." He says matter-of-factly, because it's normal for him to know this. He's been here so many times.
Still, she is confused that he cares enough to remember. She was once with a man who never bothered to do that for her of his own volition.
She relaxes her head, the lines fading. The corner of her mouth lifts when she smiles.
"There's a lot I want to tell you, Ino. Why'd you have to go ahead and represent that idiot?" Sakura sighed on her phone, picking at her cabbage. She's eyeballing the roses Sai got her for the centerpiece on her dining table.
They both know they don't last, but he gets her a fresh set every week anyway. 'They remind me of you' he always says with a smile, one she sometimes feels undeserving of. She'll water them and gradually pick up the pedals before they decorate the table as they shrivel up.
Whatever Ino is saying on the other line doesn't land. Truthfully, she's not really paying attention. She peels the wrapper off the white chocolate and takes a bite, staring at the little box that was delivered earlier in the day. These are not from Sai.
The cream melts into her tongue. It's a fancier brand than she's used to. The note read "Thank you". How did he remember these were her favorite?
Sasuke never gave her chocolates before this.
It feels like a regular conversation. It should, anyway. But it isn't. In spite of the music and the cheers coming from inside of the home, she's not having fun. It's a dry summer evening and Sakura can feel the sweat building up in her scalp.
"I told you, it was nothing." He says through grit teeth. She can see the shine of sweat on his neck, his hand rubbing the back of it to pat it off. He's dressed like it isn't 25C in all black, his signature high collar shirt sticking more prominently to his body. She looks at his fingers and how his index messes with the hoops along his dark jeans.
"You aren't saying you didn't like it." Sakura huffed, arms crossed. She tugged him away from the shed the moment time was up. The group had long since dispersed and melted into the bodies of the party, long since abandoning the game. She's not sure how many shots she's had, but she knows the straps of her heels are pressed deep into her feet and will leave blisters when the morning comes.
"You didn't ask me that." Sasuke bit out, frowning. "Why are you so upset? You told me to play. I didn't want to do this shit."
She wishes he cared enough to know how much effort she put into dressing up for tonight. Her tank top is the smallest size she could squeeze into, the only item in her closet that accentuated her chest without the need for tissues. She curled the ends of her hair, even painted her nails black because it's his favorite color.
Sakura scoffed. "That's not the point! Why can't you just say something to make me feel better?" She all but whined, her hands on her hips. She felt her anger bubble in her stomach, the aftermath of the vodka shots she took tickling her throat.
"I don't know what you want me to say." Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, leaning against the foundation of Shikamaru's house. His words are slightly slurred. She can't help but think he's bored of the conversation.
"I dunno know, maybe "I only love you" or something!"
He rolled his eyes. "Why did you want me to play? What was the point?"
Sakura sighs, turning around. "Just seems like you don't care about me."
She can hear him take steps behind her before reluctantly putting his arms around her waist. She closes her eyes, feeling his nose dip into her hair.
"Sorry." It's muffled, but just enough for her to smile.
She turns and beams and beams at him, ready to let it go. They go back to the party, and she kisses him and the endless red cups poured in her direction until she heads home with her friends.
They don't play this game again.
When they hold hands, it doesn't feel warm; it's mechanical, just second nature. He doesn't squeeze her fingers; he doesn't even rub them, just her hand encaged in his. He doesn't lead her anywhere.
When they walk, she's the conversationalist. She talks about everything, and sometimes, he'll nod. She smiles and waves with her free hand in the halls but he's mute, not present or interested in saying a word.
When they're with friends, he'll sometimes sit next to her. She'll lean in and only then will he reluctantly place an arm around her shoulders. She'll laugh and lead the conversation, receiving the acknowledgment and nods from everyone else.
She knows he's everyone's crush. He's been her's since she was six. "You're so lucky!" Girls would tell her, for knowing him, for eventually bagging the Uchiha. Those words give her warmth like no other, the validation she always craves.
But even with him, she'll still feel cold.
"I was thinking. Wouldn't a double date be fun?"
Hinata looks up at Sakura, pulling out her earbuds. She bites her lip, hesitating on her next choice of words. Cheeks warming up, she starts her words slowly. "I don't know…"
Sakura groans, sliding off her bed to sit next to her friend. "C'mon! You're dating one of my oldest friends now. I think it'd be cute for us to goto Ichiraku's after school or something."
Sakura's thought about this for some time since the party. It was Ino's idea - to get Hinata out of her shell. Well, she agreed with it, and thought it would be a healthy way to squash her mixed feelings from the shed.
"...I guess I can ask him." Hinata mumbles eventually. Seconds pass before she's being squished by Sakura in an embrace.
Naruto and Sakura can talk forever. It feels like they do. She will bark at him for his childish jokes and she will casually brush her hand on Sasuke's thigh when she laughs at something he says. She will ignore the jolt he makes when she touches him and credit the reaction to his surprise.
Hinata will continue to suck the soda from her straw and softly giggle at the jokes, occasionally chiming in. They get ramen after school, and Naruto offers to pay for all of them. 'I'm not saying no to a repaid debt.' Sasuke had said earlier, and it earned a squeal from the pinkette in relief. She was afraid she'd have to beg him to socialize.
The small restaurant is next to an even smaller arcade. It's packed with crane games, and Sakura suggests they play a few rounds before they go their separate ways. That's what brought them here, before a crane machine filled to the brim with colorful rabbit plushes caught her eye.
"I want that one." Sakura says, pointing to the red one. When Sasuke nods, he fishes in his pocket for some coins. After four attempts, and with no change to spare, he sighs.
"I need the rest to get home." He says apologetically.
She nods, disappointed but understanding. She had fun, and that's all that she can be thankful for.
"That's cute." Sakura smiles, pencil gesturing to the small, lavender bunny charm strapped to the back of Hinata's school bag. The girl softens with a nod, flushed. "Was that from..?"
"Yeah, at the arcade." She smiles, unzipping her bag for her green tea bottle.
"Oh, did Naruto win it?" Sakura subconsciously crosses her legs, leaning in with a whisper in excitement. She was truly so happy for her friend.
Hinata shakes her head, twisting the cap off her bottle slowly before taking a sip. "It was actually Sasuke." She continues, putting her bottle back in her bag. "Naruto tried, but he kept losing…"
It takes everything in her not to let her face show her immediate heartache. Sakura's thoughts run all over, to the distinct excuse of him not having enough change to win her anything. "Oh? That's sweet of him. Typical, really." She lies, the muscles around her lips working overtime to maintain the charade.
Sakura waves her hand, and continues on about how caring her boyfriend is. She's happy that he is nice to her friend. She's happy they went on the double date. It was her idea to bring her friends together.
"Let's do it again." She mumbles when she looks back down to her assignment. She doesn't meet her friend's eyes the rest of the lunch period.
She's battling the tears swelling in her eyes as she types out a text that should only be read as casual and slightly sarcastic. She can't have him asking her what's wrong. She's not ready to work through why she's even upset to begin with. It's silly, and she's frustrated to be this upset to begin with. She's sure her therapist will have a field day dissecting what's wrong with her now.
Please don't gift me anything. You're welcome, btw.
She slides her phone to her night table and stares at her ceiling, taking a deep breath.
Her phone vibrates, and she brushes the curiosity aside when she leans over to see who responded.
Can't wait to see you.
She smiles. She wonders what flowers he'll bring her tomorrow. Hopefully, some daisies.
Hinata feels a tap to her shoulder. She was guarding the crane machine while Naruto ran to the desk for some more change. "Here."
She looks up, eyes slightly widened when he drops one of the bunny keychains in her palm.
"Sakura wanted the red one." He shrugs, indifferent. She can't help how warm she suddenly feels, because Sakura left an hour ago, and she saw them at this same machine earlier, too.
"Oh…thank you." She says, nodding quickly. This was the one she wanted. She turns to clip it onto her bag, chest heavy from the surprise gift. When she turns back to address him, he's gone.
She hears the loud steps of her boyfriend's sneakers as he runs back to her. "Where'd Sasuke go?" Naruto called out, scratching his head in confusion. "Wait, you got the bunny? Damn it, I just got change!"
Hinata laughs, flushed. "Um, Sakura didn't want it..but now we can go play a game?" She offers, finding any way to extend their date. He takes her hand and heads her away, her free one occasionally bumping into the lavender plush as he tugged her to the back corner for to play darts.
She hopes he can win Sakura the red one so they can match.
A/N: I've been sitting on this chapter for months for many reasons, and I'm sorry for my hiatus. It wasn't planned, but the end of 2024 was not kind to me. This chapter might feel out of place, but I thought it was perfect to give more dimension to Sakura. I like popping in and out of their past lives because I want it to feel like the red thread of fate. I'm in this for the long haul, damn it lol.
Here's the playlist for this story if anyone's interested:br /
playlist/72QoZbDyMd7ibREuYzdrdw?si=9bc656d07af7484cpt=d338d07504696df1572c6c8e0e8473e3
I'll post it on my tumblr later, when it isn't 1AM on a workday smh.
I missed reading all of your comments, and I hope all of you who still read this are doing well. I appreciate you all more than you know. Let me know what you think, if you like the songs I picked, etc. Curious to know if you think it fits the story's vibe! It'll hopefully make more sense as the story progresses. I don't see the finish line quite yet, so I'll be here until I can mark this Complete, I swear.
I'll see you next time!~