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anerdinallherglory · 5 years

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Approaching Sun (25)

Author’s Note:The first day of SasuSaku month?! Yeah, I’ve been working my fingers to the bone to get this out tonight. Surprise! Summer has officially ended for me, so this will be my last chapter for a few months as I get back into the swing of teaching. So sadddd…. BUT I typed 12 pages for you guys and typed two chapters worth in one. And it’s a good one ;) Have a good rest of the summer. OUT.

Pairing: SasuSaku

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Chapter 25: Without a Heart

Speaking with Satou was one of the most difficult things Sakura had ever done. Satou was angry at the world; angry at his Kazekage for involving their village in the war, angry at Konoha because of their relationship with Suna; angry at Sakura for not having been able to see his wife before she died and save her life. Everything Isao had told her about his father was true. Satou blamed everyone he could and detested his only child because of the constant memory he represented of Rina.

The man’s eyes had turned glassy once as he screamed and pointed a finger at the Kazekage who remained emotionless. But then Isao walked down the stairs, already ducking his head and cringing at his father’s voice. When Satou made eye contact with his son, the tears vanished, and he shot out of his seat and glared icily at the boy. “You—” he began, but then Gaara stood, reminding Satou of his presence.

The Kazekage decided that it would be best if Satou was removed from the children’s mental health clinic. He was sent across the street to the hospital where Sakura felt like it would be beneficial for the man to be attended to. Sakura was starting to realize that maybe children weren’t the only ones that benefited from a mental health clinic. How was there supposed to be hope for the next generation if the previous one passed on their grievance to their children?

She expressed this concern to Gaara as they walked together towards the Sunagakure entrance. The Kazekage had received the news about Isao from Kankuro before his brother left and when hearing that Satou had returned, Gaara knew he would most likely be seeking out the child. Gaara hadn’t been a moment too late when he, too, decided to make a trip to the children’s clinic. After reasoning with Satou, Gaara turned to Sakura and expressed his desire to take her to watch the sunset—something Kankuro had told him their guest had yet to do for herself. The Kazekage felt like the event would be a good respite for the both of them.

“To assume that peace would be enough for this generation has been our error in thinking,” Gaara responded thoughtfully, “However, peace has always been the ultimate goal to prevent more pain in the future. It will have to be enough for them.”

Sakura contemplated his response for a minute as they strode down the main street towards the western exit of the village. The ninja of the last war fought for this dream, but when a few took account of their losses and sacrifices, some believed that very dream to be a lie now that they suffered personally from unhappiness. Satou was not the first that Sakura had encountered to feel this way, but he was the only person that Sakura knew of to be taking it out on his own child, which in turn, without help might be damaged himself and angry later on. The steps that Sakura had already taken towards this epidemic were the right ones, but what more could she be doing now that she knew there was moreto do?

“It has been an inaccuracy,” she agreed as Gaara peered over at her change in facial expressions, “to think that only children could suffer. What if we included adults in our mental health program too?”

Gaara’s eyes tightened a fraction in thought as he considered her words, so she added, “It would be harder, but maybe somebody could help these people.”

Without even a second of hesitation, the sand-wielder commented, “Somebody like Naruto.”

Naruto. Somebody like Naruto who could reach down into someone’s soul and find the light there. Naruto, who had a permanent effect on everyone who he came in contact with. Naruto Uzumaki had been able to stir the hearts of Zabuza, Nagato, and Obito, inspiring them to fight for his dream. He was the ninja who never gave up on his friend and brought Sasuke back from the darkness. Even this very Kage, who walked casually beside her, had once been considered a demon before Naruto had gotten to him.

“Like youLord Kazekage.” Gaara’s expression of shock was what made Sakura giggle. Gaara had not been expecting anyone to ever compare him to the ninja he admired most.

He didn’t say anything, so Sakura decided to elaborate as they finally reached the canyon opening at the back of the village. “You remind me of him a lot, actually. Whenever you lead us to war after your speech, I had thought at the time that not even Naruto could have inspired so many people at one time. You have a gift.”

She could see that the words moved Gaara. His face lightened slightly as he nodded a thanks in her direction.

When the two of them finally made it through the rocky break in the walls, Sakura stopped dead on her feet at the long-awaited sight. The sunset was just how Kankuro had said it would be: absolutely beautiful. The sand dunes were high in the horizon, a dark, uneven backdrop for the sun to fall behind. The sun was currently balanced on the knife’s edge of the farthest peak, trailing a woven blanket of every color of orange behind it.

“Oh wow,” Sakura exclaimed as soon as she stepped out of the shadow and the auburn light illuminated her features. As she said it, Sakura began to hover suddenly as Gaara summoned up the sand at their feet, a compact disc suddenly materializing beneath them. Sakura had never been afraid of heights before, but when the floor shifted, her stomach almost came up her throat. Before she could even ask what was going on, Gaara was stepping off the sand cloud and onto the lowest of the two ridges of the jagged end of the north-west wall. The kunoichi tailed him quickly as the sand began to crumble, and Gaara walked ahead of her like he wasn’t quite aware of how unusual it was to fly people around on sand.

“You do this often?” Sakura called out as the sand platform blew away in the wind and she stood staring out at the vast expanse of desert that rolled in amber waves before her. She had never been this high up in her lifetime. Sakura felt like she was on top of the world as the evening breeze ruffled her hair and she turned to look over the tops of the stucco houses belonging to Suna.

“Sometimes when I need to get away and think, I come up here,” he announced, taking a seat a little down from where she stood, an arm propped on his knee as he too gazed out at the place that shared his name sake “Gaara of the Desert.” Even though Gaara was the Kazekage and had an official office, Sakura suddenly realized that she was beholding at a king who was sitting on his real throne. Sakura took that as her cue to do the same, so she plopped down too, choosing to dangle her legs over the edge of this giant seat.

“Thanks for bringing me up here,” she said after a second, realizing suddenly that he might not share this with many people.

Gaara offered her a small grin, “I never got to really thank you for what you did for my brother; what your team did for me.”

Ah. So that was it. When the Akatsuki came and abducted Gaara, Kankuro had been attacked and poisoned by Sasori. After developing an antidote that saved Kankuro’s life, Sakura had joined the rest of her team to help rescue the Kazekage. Even though Chiyo had been the one to technically revive Gaara by giving him her life, it seemed that the Kazekage still felt indebted to Team 7 and other leaf shinobi involved. That was why Gaara was being especially kind during this visit.

Sakura had seen Gaara several times before over the last couple of years and had met mostly with him during conferences or when he was around several advisors and council members. The last time she had convened with only him and his siblings, it was because Gaara had concerns about Sasuke (or rather unbeknownst to them at the time, it was actually a double of Sasuke.) Sakura supposed this was why she met with Gaara’s official and down-to-business persona more often than this normal, approachable version of him. It was so strange, Sakura thought as she observed the ninja a few feet away from her, how this leader with a heart had once been the monster Sakura had stared in the face as she stood guard over Sasuke. How different he was now in contrast to who he used to be. The Kazekage had a bigger love for this village now than he had ever possessed in hatred, and it was a vision that gave Sakura hope for her own goal to restore happiness to this generation and the one before. If Gaara and Sasuke could come back from such darkness, why couldn’t everyone else?

“You’re a friend,” Sakura told him, “and to be honest,” she confessed, “Naruto considers you one of his closest companions and your support of him and our village has been payback enough.”

And then Sakura told him about Naruto, how he was doing, what he had been up to recently, and what he was doing currently. Of course, Sakura couldn’t contain the news that had only been recently shared with Sakura, herself. Gaara was surprised and overjoyed to hear about the new member that Naruto and Hinata would soon welcome to their family.

And then the Kazekage admitted something to her that he had been thinking about doing in regards to family. “I wouldn’t be against adoption, myself. It’s something new I am considering.”

“Really?” Sakura beamed, delighted too for this man who would make any child an excellent father figure despite having a bad past with his own.

“The children’s clinic has had its own impact on me, you could say.”

Sakura smiled again at such a compliment and the Kazekage added rapidly, “I think I’ll wait a while yet to make an official decision. Something that big needs a lot of thought.”

Sakura couldn’t help but agree. Gaara was the Kazekage after all, and a very young one at that. His responsibilities grew by day and a child would definitely complicate things. Sakura also imagined that the council probably pressured him when it came to marriage and other long-term commitments. Everything would probably be filtered through his advisors, first.

Sakura sighed, thinking of her own future. She was on such unlevel ground with Sasuke, who knew if she would ever marry or have children with the love of her life. If not with him, would she ever find that sort of happiness with someone that lead to building a family? She had told Sasuke she wouldn’t move on, and maybe in her heart, she never would. If this was to be her outcome, then she could always adopt like Gaara. Maybe someone like Isao, who needed a mother desperately in their life, would be the child to make Sakura a mother.

It seemed Gaara’s main purpose of visiting was because he needed to talk to her about some intel, because he announced to her, “I’m afraid I’ll be rather occupied during the next few days; Kankuro too. We have had some trouble along the border between Sunagakure and the neighboring counties.”

Sakura’s ears pricked, and her eyes widened at the information. Her thoughts immediately jumped to Sasuke, who she imagined to be in the desert surrounding Suna this very minute. What if something had happened? Before her overanalytical brain could begin creating imaginary scenarios, Sakura asked, “What sort of trouble?”

He clarified by saying, “Rumors mostly about travelers. A few have been stirring up trouble as they pass through local towns. Kankuro has gone to investigate these reports.”

Sakura sincerely hoped this had nothing to do with the masked ninja that had attacked her and Sasuke during their passage through Tanigakure. She quickly relayed the story to Gaara, recalling all the details as if it had only occurred yesterday. The Kazekage listened patiently and even asked her to illustrate the strangers several times so he could commit the description to memory.

“I should have mentioned it earlier,” she apologized once she finished conveying the distressing event.

“I’m just glad you did,” the Kazekage solaced positively. “I’ll inform Kankuro immediately.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sasuke Uchiha had been stuck in that damn core dimension for three nights straight. After his failed attempt to circumvent it completely by transporting directly to Kaguya’s connected sand dimension, Sasuke had spent the night laying on his back in the dirt. As he rested immobilized in the sand, Sasuke remembered how Kakashi used to get physically after overusing his sharingan; his former sensei, not being an Uchiha, would be bedridden for days as the result of depleted chakra levels. Sasuke knew that the same thing was happening to him. According to Hogoromo, Sasuke was the reincarnation of Indra, and an Uchiha at that, and was therefore a natural candidate for the Rinnegan once Hogoromo’s chakra had been introduced. In other words, it wasn’t an issue of heritage that was causing this fatigue, but he knew it was similar to Kakashi’s situation in the matter that Sasuke was overusing a power that had not once belonged to him. More simply, it was like overusing the Mangekyo once gained; that is until one achieved the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan through transplant of a relative’s eyes and then no longer experienced the negative side effects.

In any case, Sasuke hadn’t been able to hardly move the first night after the attempt and had contemplated just how he would be able to achieve the next step in this dimension traveling process. First, he desperately needed more chakra. Granted, he had never been able to do what he had done before, and Sasuke believed that his theory of being in the dimension’s double (the desert) was what had made summoning its portal even possible. He needed more chakra; had to have it despite his efforts around it. It was the only way to pull this off.

On the second and third nights, Sasuke had managed to walk over and find a small incline of rock and took shelter under the ledge while he rested. Sasuke had thought that if he recovered quickly enough, he might try teleporting to the sand dimension a second time at the same spot where the rift in time-space might be weaker now. Maybe thatwas his next step. But when the next morning came, and Sasuke could manage heavy walking, he found himself stumbling slowly across the vast red dune dimension in the opposite direction—back south towards Sunagakure. While his body worked up enough chakra to teleport back into his own realm, Sasuke had decided to hike the distance in this dimension, so that when he teleported, he wouldn’t have much travel time left towards the village.

Sasuke didn’t admit to himself at first that it was his reoccurring thoughts of Sakura that had him calling it quits early. The Uchiha had dreamt another delusion again where Sakura needed his protection from an unknown enemy and when Sasuke woke, he had reasoned with himself that it was all imaginary and there was no need to worry. Regardless, Sasuke found himself on his feet soon afterwards. He knew without a doubt that his female companion was more than capable of taking care of herself and was probably focused on her own work without a second thought about him, but his worry still persisted. Sasuke felt that he at least needed to check on her just to make sure that she was being careful, cautious, and of course, not overworking herself. Naruto and Kakashi would want him to while she was in his care, right?

What Sasuke also told himself as he neared the end of his journey, was that he needed time to contemplate his current issue with chakra reserves and recover completely anyway. Maybe Sakura could advise him in this entire situation, being one of the world’s leading experts in medical science.

When the tomoes finally reappeared on his Rinnegan, Sasuke breathed in and ripped a hole in space, a black vortex spiraling in the air before him. When Sasuke stepped through the portal, he reappeared on the dunes bordering the northern wall of the Sand Village. Sasuke breathed in the sudden surge of oxygen blown to him from the western wind and noticed that the sun had almost completely set. It was dusk now and a purple sky greeted his return. A few minutes more and darkness would completely settle on the Sand Village. Sasuke thought it would be best if he headed straight to his lodgings since that was where Sakura would soon be heading if she was leaving the hospital. Or at least, he hoped so.

When Sasuke made his way along the wall towards the western opening—the same path he had taken on his way out of the village—he soon realized his assumption about Sakura’s current location had been wrong. Her voice rang like a familiar hailing bell somewhere in the air above him, and when he located it as he rounded the corner, his relief was a palpable weight off his shoulders. His pink-haired teammate was sitting up on top of a bluff near the exit, unhurt and completely unaware of his presence as she watched the sun sink below the mountains of sand at his right. The very next second Sasuke realized that she was talking to a person sitting next to her and Sasuke’s relief turned acid as he narrowed his eyes at Gaara, the Kazekage who was apparently partaking in the sunset view with her.

So, he thought to himself, Sakura had been fine all along. The entire trek here he had been thinking of her, and it made Sasuke a little bitter to see her free from the same type of thinking. From the looks of it, she was morethan fine.

Sasuke checked his unmasked glare then, because he was suddenly peering up into the scrutinizing assessment of the silent Kazekage, who had been observing every emotion that Sasuke had let slip onto his face. In the second that Sasuke’s eyes had fallen on Sakura, Gaara must have sensed the Uchiha’s presence and had focused on him before Sasuke had even registered the sand-wielder. Sasuke wiped his expression immediately with embarrassment of being caught, inclining a respectful nod towards the ninja who was currently their host. Sasuke should be grateful to the man for looking after her, not showing him disrespect.

Gaara turned to Sakura then, mumbling something quietly that not even Sasuke could register. He assumed it was a farewell because the Kazekage stood as Sakura gazed up at him, still oblivious to the eyes that watched her from below. Gaara picked a kunai out of his pocket and stuck it into the ground beside her before stepping out onto a platform of sand that materialized before him. With a gesture towards Sakura, Gaara lowered himself on the other side of the wall and disappeared over the tops of the village buildings.

Just as Gaara had anticipated, Sasuke summoned the small amount of chakra it possessed to switch places with the kunai that Gaara had put in place for him; the simple act made Sasuke feel even more guilty for the look he gave him seconds earlier. The Uchiha’s guilt changed to shame when he appeared on his feet beside his travelling companion and Sakura jumped up with joy at seeing him suddenly beside her.

“Sasuke?” she exclaimed, walking up to him and beaming up at him. “I didn’t know you were back!”

“Just arrived,” he grunted tiredly, instantly relaxing by taking Gaara’s seat on the ledge. “Why are you up here?”

“To watch the sunset,” she innocently gestured outward towards the sky. “I hadn’t done so yet, so Gaara brought me. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Sasuke tried not to be annoyed at that statement. In what circumstances had the Kazekage or Sakura thought it a good idea to bring up sunset viewing? Sasuke supposed he still wasa little bothered because before he could stop them, the words came out. “And what did the Kazekage say?”

Sakura crouched down on her knees beside him and began explaining their entire conversation. Sasuke’s irritation was replaced with intrigue as Sakura educated Sasuke about the reports of criminal-like activity on the outskirts of the village. Gaara had made the effort to talk to her about this because it would help explain his and Kankuro’s upcoming absence over the next few days as they investigated the rumors. Sakura had also informed the Kazekage about their most recent encounter with strange ninja. At the mention of it, Sasuke was just relieved to hear that ninja hadn’t made an appearance here while he was away. Sasuke also felt relieved that the entire situation was now in the Kazekage’s hands. Perhaps the encounter with their attackers had been a random occurrence after all and Sasuke wouldn’t have to hear anything more about it.

As she continued to catch him up, Sasuke leaned wearily against the wall of rock behind him and watched her talk from the corner of his eye. Sasuke noticed abruptly that she was wearing the clothes that he had bought for her before he left. Despite the plainness of the style, she made them work wonderfully and Sasuke was thankful that he had guessed the fit right. The looser, more modest top had been intentionally picked and swayed around her agreeably. The light was fading now as stars began to prickle the dark purple horizon and a large rosy moon, too, made an appearance on the skyline. Sakura’s braided hair was a shade darker in the dimness and Sasuke recognized that it was longer now, just below her shoulders.

Soft fingers suddenly brushing his had Sasuke refocusing on Sakura’s words. Her expression was one of concern as she assessed him for any signs of injury, a lifelong habit. As Sakura leaned forward with fretful assessment, Sasuke pressed the fingertips reassuringly that dangled over his palm. “Just a little tired is all,” he admitted.

Sakura didn’t take her hand away as she scooted back against the wall beside him. Sasuke didn’t move his either, even though he tried desperately to convince himself to. He really shouldn’t have grasped her fingers, Sasuke told himself. But this wasn’t bad, was it? Their hands were just grazing one another; that didn’t mean they were holding hands. He wasn’t violating a boundary by resting his knuckles against hers.

“Tell me,” she spoke evenly, seemingly unaffected by their sudden nearness, “what you’ve been doing for the past three days.”

And so he did. All of it. Her face changed to one of uneasiness again as he explained why his absence was so long. He had run out of chakra and spent two days waiting for enough of it to return before he could make the voyage back. He enlightened her about his plan for the next attempt, trying it twice in succession, the first to open the door, and the second effort a day later while using the same door to see if that would get him further.

When Sakura pulled away her hand abruptly and placed it on her leg, Sasuke frowned and fisted his own in response. He backtracked, trying desperately to remember what he might have said that would make her upset. Sasuke instantly knew something was wrong and wanted to ask her about it, but Sasuke had a sinking feeling that it was related to him.

He was saved the trouble of asking as Sakura beheld the sky again and said quietly, “You didn’t say goodbye. I didn’t know that you had left.”

Sasuke looked down into his lap, fisted hand now resting on his knee. The Sasuke a few years ago would have instantly responded with “I don’t have to tell you anything” but he wasn’t that Sasuke anymore. He wanted to tell her that he had tried to go to her but had lost his nerve when Kankuro came out of the greenhouse and caught him looking for her. The reality was that he didn’t have enough steel to stray from the comfort zone of his reserved behavior in front of others. Maybe privately, just between them, Sasuke could have found her and told her he was leaving. But how could he explain that to her without looking like a total coward?

When he hesitated to reply, Sakura whispered in the darkness. “I thought we had a ‘partnership.’”

He returned his gaze to her then, recalling their conversation on the way here about a trust that involved the both of them working together. That’s what he had wanted. A partnership where he wasn’t the sole receiver. But how could a partnership work while they were away on separate missions? He had his own mission and she had hers. Sasuke couldn’t help but feel annoyed about this entire circumstance. Hadn’t he just come back to check on her? Wasn’t he getting distracted from the one goal that the entire world depended on him for?

“I’m sorry,” he admitted quietly. Then he added, “This is how it is for me. I have to leave when I can—”

“You can at least tell me you’re leaving,” Sakura interrupted, still not making eye contact with him. It unnerved him for her to do so. She alwaysmade eye contact with him. “I understand that you have to leave; I don’t expect any different. But a part of a partnership is communication.”

Communication? Between two people who couldn’t ever really be together? He cared about Sakura; he really did. If all she wanted was communication, couldn’t Sasuke give her that? Isn’t that what she had asked of him back in the Leaf too? “Stop dodging me,” she had tried to bargain. More of her words rang in his memory: "We don't have to be together to love each other, Sasuke.” So, maybe they didn’t, but communication alone wasn’t a relationship that Sakura deserved.

She added again at his silence, “Remember when I had run off to bathe in the woods and you came to find me?” Sasuke instantly wanted to say ‘no’ just out of mortification but Sakura finished by saying, “You had asked me to tell you where I was going before I ran off. How you felt in that moment is how I felt when I realized that you weren’t coming back to our room. I need you to do at least that—to tell me you’re leaving.”

Sasuke’s heart softened and his resolved wavered. It was the imagining of her in that equal amount of distress that had the Uchiha fessing up. “I meant to say goodbye. I went to the greenhouse, but…you were talking to people—so.”

Sakura turned to meet his eyes then and Sasuke felt both shyness and instant relief at the action. To the Uchiha, it was a sign that Sakura’s resentment was passing. Sasuke thought that he might personally prefer the animated angry Sakura that gave him a black eye to this silent one.

“You did?” she asked, her voice lightening considerably. She searched his face for more information that Sasuke didn’t want to give her. The whole point was that he didn’t right?

Sasuke’s smirk was a reaction that his body didn’t make often. “I’ll leave a note next time.” He would do at least that for her—say goodbye in some way.

“I’ll take it,” she smiled in response, elbowing him in the chest and leaning her side fully against his own despite his surprised expression. She ignored him and watched the moon’s progression as it turned into a snowy white, all color gone from the atmosphere now. Her warmth was a comfort that Sasuke hadn’t realized he’d missed while he was away. When they had parted, Sasuke had felt like he had lost his arm again, and now, it felt like a limb had been given back to him. No, he realized, not a limb. An organ. She was one of several pieces of his heart, a valve that Sasuke knew he couldn’t live without—didn’t want to live without. But he had to. Like Itachi had for the world, Sasuke would have to cut out his heart and learn to live without it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sakura found herself incredibly nervous as they made their way through the dim alleyways of Sunagakure towards their housing. Unlike Konoha, whose evening streets were alive with activity and lights, only the occasional lantern lit a window in the Sand Village. Sakura theorized that perhaps it was a fire risk to brighten the streets with firelight being that heavy winds traveled between buildings and rushed houses. The wind was especially strong at this very moment as she and Sasuke strode up the path towards the little inn adjacent to the hospital. It didn’t seem to be bothering Sasuke much; the only thing that flapped around him was his poncho. Sakura, on the other hand, clung desperately to her unravelling hair that was a perfect metaphorical illustration for her unraveling nerves.

“Welcome back sir!” Chie exclaimed as the two of them entered, her eyes quickly assessing Sasuke’s unexpected return. Sakura couldn’t help but notice how recurrently dead the place seemed despite the inn-keeper’s claim of full capacity four days ago.

Sakura expressed her thoughts to Sasuke as they made the climb together up the two flights of stairs. She only spoke because there wasn’t anything else she could think to say. “Don’t you feel something off about this place? All the doors are shut like they’re full, but I haven’t met a single soul while here.”

Sasuke answered emotionlessly with, “That’s because no one else is here; at least not on our floor. I think it’s intentional.”

Sakura blinked at that statement. “Our host seemed certain that we had one of the last remaining rooms. What do you mean by intentional?”

“Gaara vacated the place. I thought at first he did it because of safety measures, but I’m not sure.”

Safety from what? Sakura frowned when she quickly realized Sasuke was talking about himself. Did the Kazekage really think that lowly of the ex-convict Uchiha that he would actually evacuate an inn? Sakura chose to give Gaara, the man who had taken her to see the sunset, the benefit of the doubt. It seemed Sasuke was doing the same. She blushed as she considered the other possibility. The only other conclusion she could make was that Kankuro and Gaara had taken the time to ensure their safety… or privacy. That thought did not help her tangled anxiety.

When Sasuke opened the door to their room and walked in, Sakura couldn’t help but hesitate. He glanced back at her, reading her as easily as a book, and in response, Sakura giggled awkwardly/apprehensively before crossing the threshold and closing the door behind her.

After a few minutes of mutual silence, Sakura suggested hurriedly, “How about you take a seat and I’ll check on you really quick before you go to sleep. Just to make sure you’re okay.”

He nodded, possibly too tired to argue with her. The Uchiha was practically dead on his feet and it was hard to tell if he was experiencing even a fraction of the turmoil that was currently taking place inside of Sakura’s stomach. It hadbeen more obvious when they first stayed together; she was the collected one and Sasuke had tossed on the floor all night. Now, it seemed it was reversed.

Her bed, she noticed was messily ruffled from two nights ago; she hadn’t been able to tidy it that morning because she was late and then had stayed at the hospital last night with Isao. Sasuke turned to his own bed instead, seating himself and beginning to remove his shoes. He reached behind him and pulled the poncho over his head, leaving behind the black high-necked long sleeve. Slipping a thumb up under his hair wrap, he removed the firm binding and sand showered from his hair. He shook it all loose and then dusted the loose sand off his pants and quilt.

Taking a panicky breath, Sakura made her way over to him and Sasuke stared indifferently off into space as she touched his forehead with her glowing fingers. He sighed unexpectedly and closed his eyes at her attempt to soothe the pulsing behind his forehead.

“Does that feel better?” she asked him, taking the palm of her hand and closing his eyelids with it. The green light of her jutsu flared again, and Sakura focused her energy to the back of Sasuke’s Rinnegan, soothing the optic nerve and the pathways connected to the brain.

She got an exhausted mumble in response to her question, which made Sakura grin. “I think I have a solution for your chakra depletion, too,” the kunoichi announced as she pulled forward Sasuke’s left shoulder. “It’s been a while. Let’s have a quick look at this arm.”

“You do?” he responded to her first statement, a small spike of energy returning as Sasuke shrugged off his undershirt, giving her easy access to the firm bandaging around what remained of his bicep.

“They’re not the best tasting, but I can make you my own version of the Military Ration Pills, or food pills, if you’d rather,” she offered, simultaneously stripping the dressings and placing a hand under his arm and raising it so she could easily observe the scar tissue. Sakura was pleased with the overall healing of this injury, but she still hoped that she might be able to rid Sasuke of the brutal scarring one day if he ever let her.

“The purpose of the food pills is to supply you with chakra for several days in succession. You’ll experience the same exhaustion afterwards, but these will help you get the chakra you need for a short period of time. You’ll have to eat many, but they should do the trick.” She explained all this while rewrapping the dismembered limb. “I first made them for Naruto back when he was trying to master chakra shape transformation while using shadowclones.”

Sasuke “tsk”ed at their headstrong friend and Sakura smiled again. “You can come with me tomorrow to the greenhouse, and I’ll cook you up a batch.”

. . . . . . . . .

Sasuke nodded sleepily at her offer. He had been correct in his theory that if anyone could help him figure out a solution to his current circumstances, it would be Sakura. Sasuke was knowledgeable about the use of food pills, but they weren’t the easiest things to come by; in fact, Konoha’s medics only made so many a year and Sasuke honestly hadn’t even took them into consideration. He supposed situations changed when you had a medic as a friend and she just happened to make a special recipe of food pills.

“There,” she nodded while tying off the end of his new bandage. Sasuke lulled at the feeling of her fingers dancing over his skin with such professional practice. He did a poor job of the wrappings with one arm, so it was nice to have someone else do it for once.

Sasuke’s fatigue rapidly faded as the pink-haired medic leaned forward to release his arm and her shirt slid slightly to the left across her collarbone. Spotting the dark discoloration of a bruise just beneath the bone, Sasuke’s eyes widened and his right hand shot out and grabbed Sakura’s elbow before she could turn completely around.

“What is that?” Sasuke scowled, standing as he rotated Sakura’s body to fully face him again.

“What?” she asked unknowingly, disquiet jumping to the planes of her face at his sudden forcefulness.

“This,” he growled, releasing her elbow and using the end of his fingers to move the fabric away from her skin. As Sasuke placed his fingertips next to the mark, he couldn’t help but compare the size of them to the spot, and he made the connection almost instantly.

“Oh,” Sakura frowned down at the purple blotch, suddenly realizing the bruise was there herself. “That’s— I didn’t realize—” she began, moving away from his touch, then stopped her words when she saw the murderous stare he was giving the miniscule injury.

“Who did that to you?” he breathed, red beginning to stain his vision. There was an electricity forming beneath his skin and Sasuke couldn’t breathe. Somebody had shovedtheir fingers into her chest. Bruised her. In that moment, Sasuke knew instantly that he’d find and mutilate that person, whoever it was, accident or not, for even daring to lay their hands on her.

“Sasuke,” Sakura was saying, trying to reach him despite the ringing in his ears. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me you’re not going to overrea—”

Making eye contact with her again, Sasuke stepped up to her and requested a second time for the name he was wanting, “Who was it?”

There was a moment of frigid silence between them as they stood searching each other’s eyes. And then Sakura’s hands found his waist and she slid them across his sides and buried her head in his chest. She clutched his bare back and spoke into his skin. “Stop. Let me explain.”

She clung to him like a stubborn leach as Sasuke tried remove her from his body. He tried reaching his arm down between them to pry her off, but her forearms remained secure around him. Damn her inhuman strength. His anger began to ebb as she awkwardly mumbled the story into his ribcage. During their skirmish, they had somehow ended up on the ground, and Sakura pinned his good arm to his side, pissing the Uchiha off because he knew that she was taking advantage of his one-arm-ness. The entire time Sakura described her experience with an unnamed patient’sunnamed father, Sasuke was crossly forced to listen to the episode via wrestling. Their tussle-talk ended when the Uchiha finally was made to agree with: “I promise I won’t do anything, just get off me.”

When her weight suddenly removed from his back and Sasuke flipped over with a huge breath of air, he shot her a glare. “Don’t ever do that again,” he hissed in the kunoichi’s direction as she grinned embarrassingly down at him.

She reached down for his hand and he reluctantly gave it to her. She was just fortunate that Sasuke was too tired to knock her hand away. As she helped him to his feet, she said, “I’m flattered at your concern, but I can’t have you going chunin-exam psycho right now—”

“What?!” he growled, and she dropped his hand. Stalking over to his bed, Sasuke sat firmly down and propped his pouty chin into his palm, feeling suddenly even more tired than before. “I don’t go psycho,” he grumbled despite the fact that they both knew thatwas an obvious lie. He’d gone crazyplenty of times. “And I’m not concerned,” he spit out angrily, tossing a pillow down on his bed and flipping onto his stomach. “Naruto and Kakashi would be—”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waved off his excuse and Sasuke stopped speaking; he still grumpily narrowed his eyes at her over the rim of his pillow before turning on his side completely, cutting off all conversation.

She didn’t take the hint, because seconds later she announced that she was showering and then going to bed.

“Hn,” he responded with more force and exasperation than he really needed to.

Okay, so, maybe he had gone just a little pre-psycho to this whole bruise situation. Sakura referenced the chunin exams and Sasuke recalled the incident she specified. When Sasuke had woken from his slumber, it was the effects of the cursemark that had the Uchiha turning his wrath on their enemies with fierce brutality. It was the rush of dark power that had turned Sasuke into a murderous “psycho.” So what was his problem now? A year ago, he wouldn’t have displayed something even close to the same reaction. He would have blamed Sakura for getting herself into the situation to begin with, and at the most, may have even told her to be more careful who she pissed off. But just a few minutes ago, Sasuke had felt like he did back in the Forest of Death, and yet he no longer had the cursemark. So why?

Sasuke had once always felt the desire to protect Sakura and maybe his reaction was just that feeling returning again now that they were friends again. It’s not just that, his own voice enlightened him.

Sasuke had in fact gone after Sakura when he heard about Kido kidnapping her, but the worst he had done in retaliation was surround ninja with fire and use genjutsu on one of them. But a few minutes ago… he was contemplating just how he’d stab more than fingers into the person’s chest who’d touched her.

Sasuke breathed out his anger again, hoping it would help him stop being so intense about it.

Sasuke couldn’t fall asleep as he tried to contemplate any other reason that would explain his actions besides the obvious answer. It had been obvious for some time now honestly, but Sasuke had denied it up until this point. Sasuke was in love with Sakura, and an Uchiha didn’t need to have a cursemark to be irrational when someone threatened his loved one. It had been a slow progression, but Sasuke had been slowly allowing himself to believe and accept the truth he’d always known. But what could he do about it now?

When Sakura finished showering, Sasuke pretended to doze heavily, so she put out the lights and padded lightly across the moonlit floor to her own bed. Despite how exhausted Sasuke was, he would never forget the night where he listened to the sound of Sakura’s even breathing as his heart ached, knowing that what he wanted, Sasuke could never have.

#approachingsun #approaching sun #sasusakumonth #sasusaku #ssfanfiction #sasusakufanfiction #naruto #Naruto Shippuden #postshinobiworldwar #sasusakutravel #sasusakumonth2019 #Sakura Haruno #Sasuke Uchiha #sasuke and sakura #sakura uchiha #sakura hiden #sasukeshinden #sasuke shinden

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oceanquill · 5 years

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‘Til Next Time (1/3?): Reset

Summary: Modern AU. In their next life, they meet again. (Part 1 of 3?)

Part 1: Reset Sasuke can’t quite remember.

For SasuSaku Month 2019 Day 12: Gravitation

–

He was five, and he saw her for the very first time.

He was at the grocery with his mom, and was in the middle of grabbing a tomato. First, there was just a sudden flash of pastel hues at the corner of his eye. When he turned, she was suddenly there, holding one of the fruits too. Pale pink hair. Brilliant green eyes. Sasuke pauses.

She doesn't notice him at all. Unlike him, whose attention she has solely captured without any effort. Her green eyes, in complete contrast with the red fruit, became even more striking. She spoke and it snapped him out of his reverie. "Is this okay?" She held one tomato in her small palm. An older woman appeared in his line of vision. Her mom?

The girl looked up, and their eyes meet. But only for a second. The next thing he knew, his own mom was leading him to the cashier. She said, "Now, Sasuke-kun, we have enough tomatoes already!" But it doesn't register in his head. He looked back at the fruit section. The girl was gone.

–

He didn't think of her again until seven years later when he was on a picnic with his family. For some reason, his mother wanted to celebrate hanami this year, so his father picked the most beautiful spot he has heard of and the very next day, they were in Kyoto, hundreds of miles from home, and surrounded by blooming Sakura trees and an endless field of grass.

He got a tomato from the picnic basket and all at once was sucked into the memory of red against green, and of soft soft pink much like the trees around him. Why was it so familiar? Yet strange? The colors gnawed at his mind, and he tried to pull up a memory, his brows knitting at the effort.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" his brother asked.

Then there was another voice. Smaller but more vivid in his ear. Is this okay?

"Sasuke?" His father now.

He didn't respond until he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. He looked up. Kaa-san...

He nodded. "Sorry I thought I remembered something."

The day passed as expectedly, but that night he dreamt of walking along endless rows of Sakura trees. Pink falling all around him, landing on his hair, his clothes, his cheek. He doesn't brush them off. The cool petals on his skin feels comforting and familiar.

He didn't know how long he walked but he felt so at peace he never wanted it to end, until he saw, on the horizon, an impossibly large Sakura tree right in the middle of the road, and in front of it, he could make out a figure of a woman in red, her back facing him. He felt the urge to run, to know who she was, so he ran and ran towards the giant tree, but no matter how far he got, he was nowhere closer to it. The mysterious woman in red remained fixed on the horizon, unmoving.

When he woke up, he was breathing heavily, heart protesting against his chest.

–

He finally meets her, four years later. He is sixteen, and doesn't remember.

"Haruno Sakura." she extends a hand. He shakes it and he feels electricity jolting from the touch. She's a new student at their school.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He nods curtly. He's the president of the student council and was tasked to orient and teach her basic school regulations. It's a week before the new school year begins.

He then shows her around. The gardens. The library. The gym. The cafeteria. The locker room. The auditorium. Their classroom. A strange sense of déjà vu fills him, as if they've walked together like this at another time.

Suddenly, three hours had passed, and they were at the rooftop. The sun is setting. The sky is painted orange and gold.

"This is where the band club usually practices," Sasuke explains. "When they feel that the auditorium gets too stuffy."

She walks towards the railing and looks at the cityscape. "Are you part of any club?" He noted that it's the first personal question she asked that afternoon.

"Apart from the student council," he takes a step beside her. "No. But I do intern for the local newspaper."

"Oh!" she looks at him, impressed. "Planning to become a journalist?"

He shakes his head. "I want to study law."

"Why?"

He doesn't usually like strangers asking him personal questions but with her, he realizes he doesn't mind. "Justice. Laws regulate the system, and I want to help fix that."

She nods at this and returns to looking at the city below them.

He takes a peak at her from the corner of his eye. He begins, "What about... what about you?"

She smiles when she turns to him, and Sasuke feels an ache in his chest. Something gnaws in his mind. "Definitely, a doctor. Ever since I could speak and walk, all I wanted was to be called Dr. Haruno Sakura," she laughs. "You know, all my stuffed toys were my patients, and my parents would play pretend with me. I grew up volunteering at various medical missions. I was just packing first aid kits when I started. Doing menial work for senior medical staff, you know, just delivering things, and what not. But it was fun!"

Her eyes were beaming now, and Sasuke found it impossible to look away. "Do you still volunteer?" he asks.

"Of course!" she chirped. "The work is tiring but fulfilling, though it's just basic stuff." She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "I can't wait to work at a hospital though!"

Before he could stop himself he blurts out, "You'll be great at it." And he means it. He knows for an absolute fact that she will be an amazing doctor someday, despite knowing her for less than a day.

A smile blooms on her face, her cheeks tainted pink. Sasuke stares and stares and stares, his mouth partly open.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

–

He is drawn to her, he notices. They are in the same class, and though their seats are far apart, his eyes look for her often, his ears attuned to the sound of her voice. And oh, her laughter. He likes hearing it every day.

She's amazing at every subject, and quickly becomes all the teachers' favorite. She's nice and always quick to lend a hand, and so she instantly becomes popular at school too. Not to mention she's beautiful. Surprisingly, he doesn't see her often with people, nor does she hang out with any particular group. She mostly tends to herself, reading, and almost always at the library. Like him.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" Suddenly, Sakura is there in front of him. Sasuke closes his book.

"Yeah?" She has his complete attention.

"It's 7 p.m., the library is closing." He's surprised to learn this. Has he been here that long? "Are you going to check that out?" She asks, pointing at his book, Introduction to Moral Philosophy.

"Light reading, huh?" she grins and shows him her book, Exploring Human Anatomy. He can't help but feel amused. He looks at the window and sees that it's dark out. "Aa. Let's go."

He grabs his bag and checks out his book, Sakura falling into step beside him. They walk in silence towards the waiting shed. He takes out his phone and sends a text. He sees her do the same.

When they reached the shed, he is surprised to hear her say, "See you, Sasuke-kun!" and she turns her heel towards the opposite direction, but before she could take a step he grabs her wrist. She turns around, startled, and looks at the hand keeping her in place.

"Sakura, where are you going?" he doesn't let go.

"Uh... Walking home?"

"You're not getting picked up?"

"I like to walk home every night. It's calming, and I like to think." she smiles reassuringly.

His eyes narrow at this. It's dangerous, he thinks. You never know...

"My brother will be here soon. We'll drive you home."

"W-wha..." she waves her free hand dismissively. "It's fine, really, Sasuke-kun!"

"I insist."

"B-but!"

He let's go of her wrist. "Sakura..." He gives her a look, and they both fall silent. Then he hears the sound of a car stop in front of them. A window rolls down and Sasuke hears the voice of his brother.

"Sasuke," Itachi says in greeting. "Let's go." He notices his little brother is not alone.

"Who's that? Is that Sasuke's friend?" Hearing the voice of his mother, he turns to the car and sees his mother already outside walking towards him. "Kaa-san, do you mind if we drive Sakura home?"

The girl in question smiles sheepishly at them. "Konbanwa, Uchiha-san." She bows in greeting. "There is really no need–"

"Nonsense!" Uchiha Mikoto pats her shoulder. "We insist! It's no trouble for us at all! Now what kind of mother would I be if I let a lovely girl like you walk all the way home and alone?" The next thing Sasuke knew, Sakura was being escorted–pushed, really–by his mother towards their car. He opens the door for Sakura and shuts it when she is seated inside. He goes to the other side of the car and does the same for his mother in the front seat before he finally gets in, seating beside Sakura at the back.

Sasuke introduces her to them. She gives her address and thanks them profusely.

"Oh Sakura, dear, it's quite alright!" He's glad that his mother is so warm, hopefully, it will make Sakura feel less of an intrusion. They really didn't mind after all, her house wasn't too far anyways.

"So..." his mother begins, and Sasuke can't help but feel slightly nervous. To steady himself, he looks out the window, resting his cheek on his palm, trying to look bored. "Have you thought of your future plans yet, Sakura-chan?"

He glances at Sakura at the corner of his eye. Seeing her perk up at his mother's question, Sasuke can't help but smile to himself. "I'm going to medical school for sure. It has been my dream since childhood."

For some reason, Sasuke's chest swells with pride. Then he feels someone's eyes on him. He looks towards the rearview mirror and meets his brother's eyes. Itachi gives him a look and smirks. Sasuke abruptly turns away, forcing himself to focus on something outside the car window. He feels a blush creeping on his cheeks.

"That's great!" Mikoto claps her hands together. "Did you know Sasuke-kun here wants to become a lawyer?"

Sasuke flinches at the sound of his name. But doesn't bother joining the discussion. But oh was he listening.

"Yeah, he told me when I first met him!"

"Ah when was that?"

"Just this school year, right before classes began. I'm a new student so Sasuke had to show me the ropes!"

"How nice of you, otouto." Sasuke feels a vein pop at his brother's teasing voice. Sakura tells them happily about her former school, and how she has been there since she started studying.

"If you don't mind my asking, why transfer here?"

"Oh umm..." Sasuke was still looking outside the window, but he could hear the shyness in her voice. "I got a full scholarship, and this school has the highest passing rate to my dream university."

"Wow, Sakura-chan! That's amazing. Oh Sasuke you didn't tell us you had such an brilliant friend!"

"Hn," is his only response. This car ride feels five times longer than it actually is.

"Well," he could feel her gaze on him now. "You should see Sasuke too! Student council president and still he finds time to study in the library every night." He turns his head towards her, and sure enough she is looking at him. Sakura sticks her tongue out. "I'm just trying to catch up to him."

He smirks at her, "Not every night."

"Ah of course! We all know how much effort Sasu-chan puts into his work..."

Sasuke turns red. "Mother..." Mikoto could only chuckle at this.

Sakura laughs at his nickname. Sasuke, turning even redder, returns to his window. Much to his relief, he feels the car slow into a halt.

"Well, here's my stop!" Sakura thanks everyone again and says goodbye. Sasuke refuses to look at her. He just can't at this state.

"Won't you join us for dinner next time, Sakura?" Itachi offers.

"We'd love to have you, Sakura-chan!" Mikoto adds, deepening Sasuke's blush.

"Sure!" Sakura thanks his mother and brother once more, adding that it was great to meet them.

Sasuke then finds the courage to turn his head towards her. She was looking at him, smiling that annoying smile of hers. She beams. "Thanks again, Sasuke-kun, for the ride home. See you tomorrow!" She doesn't wait for him to respond and closes the door. But that's alright with him, because he doesn't think he could.

"Such a sweet girl..." Mikoto says wistfully as they drive away. He even sees his brother nod and smile to himself in agreement.

What's with these two? Sasuke thinks. His mother was so eager to get to know her, and even his brother showed a bit of interest, which was big coming from him. They've never acted that warmly to any friend of his before. They just spent no more than 10 minutes with her and yet she managed to worm her way into their hearts, earning her a rare dinner invitation.

Sasuke sighs heavily.

"Are you okay, dear?" He's startled out of his thoughts, turning his head to his mother looking back at him from the front seat.

Sasuke shrugs. "Just hungry, I guess..." But he doubts it's just that.

"What do you think of Sakura?" Itachi looks at him through the rearview mirror, a playful glint in his eye.

Sasuke scoffs, "What about her?"

His mother chuckles at his tone. "She feels familiar. Maybe we've met before."

"That's impossible, kaa-san." Itachi points out. "Surely we would've remembered her pink hair."

Sasuke tries to drown out their conversation. He looks at the city lights outside his window. All he wants now is to be alone in his room. The thought of Sakura eats him. Unaware, his fingers start drumming the edge of his seat. His brows knitting in frustration.

Something in the back of his mind is gnawing on him again.

"True." He hears his mother laugh. Sasuke glances at her then at his brother.

"You know, Sasuke-kun," his mother says after a while. "It's strange but..." she pauses, struggling to formulate words in her mind.

But then the car stops, and Itachi announces, "We're home."

Sasuke immediately opens his car door and makes his way inside their house. He doesn't even wait for either of them.

Mikoto stares and smiles at Sasuke's retreating back, then turns to her eldest. "Don't you feel it, Itachi-kun?"

Itachi raises a curious brow at her. "What is it, kaa-san?" Mikoto links her arms to her son's as they walk.

"It's Sakura." She stops in front of their still open door. "I feel like I was supposed to meet her at some other time." She smiles at the thought. "But for some reason I didn't get the chance to."

Itachi mulls her mother's words carefully. "If that's the case," he responds after a while, "we better make sure Sasuke does invite her for dinner one time."

Mikoto beams at this. "I'm sure your father would love that too."

–

note: Slow start but we’ll see where this goes... Thank you to everyone who has read my first SSM entry. The response has been overwhelming. :)

Part 2 here

#ssm2019 #ssm19 #sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fic #sasusaku ff #sasusakumonth #sasusakumonth2019 #ssm19d12 #writings

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oceanquill · 5 years

Text

‘Til Next Time (2/3?): Closer

Summary: Modern AU. In their next life, they meet again.

Part 2: Closer Sasuke and Sakura find themselves spending more time together.

For SasuSaku Month 2019 Day 22: Early Mornings Rating: T

Part 1 here

–

She's laying down on a bed, not quite asleep yet. Someone's hand is holding hers and she realizes the weight on her side is neither her blanket nor pillow. With half-lidded eyes she looks. There is a head nestled on her neck, and a leg entangled against her own, an arm over her waist. Their hands meet at the side of her hips, fingers playing with her own. She feels her chest rising and falling in steady rhythms. The hand starts caressing her arms, trailing up and down. The soothing motions lulls her, and she closes her eyes once more.

…Who are you?

Though she always sleeps alone (do I?), the sight of a fully-grown man against her doesn't startle her at all. Nor does she find it strange. She buries her face in the man's black hair.

I know you.

Still between sleep and waking, eyes shut, something soft touches her lips.

Then she wakes. Both in dream and in reality.

She sees the light on her ceiling. White and bright. She sits up. She is in her room. A room both strange and familiar. She rubs her eyes and scans her surroundings, but she is groggy and nothing registers except–

Her alarm blares suddenly, startling her.

She blushes at the memory (no, dream). She thinks she is too young to have such thoughts.

She is thirteen, and she dreams of him for the very first time. But as all dreams go, it was forgotten by the time she leaves her house.

It doesn't resurface until years later.

–

They were studying once again at their favorite library table by the window. It has a view of the school courtyard right outside. There are no tall buildings nor trees in that angle, offering them an unobstructed view of the landscape. Sasuke likes feeling the turning of the day. The colors of the sky are never the same, and the light always falls on Sakura differently each time, casting a distinct glow about her.

He admits to himself that he stares at her at times, but never deliberately. It starts out with him looking up at his notes to ask her a question. Then he sees her completely absorbed in her book, so focused, her eyes moving along with the words, sometimes followed by her index finger. Strands of pink hair softly fall from her shoulders, framing her face, usually she tucks them to her ear, when she doesn't, Sasuke feels the urge to do it for her. Then his gaze moves from her face to her hands.

At the moment, her fingers are tucked between the pages of yet another medical text. Her other hand though, he notes, is just resting on the table, her arm pressing at the edges of a book. Sasuke is suddenly made aware of the emptiness of his own hand. Subconsciously, he wonders what it would be like to take hers, to trace his fingers across her palm, and curling them between her own.

The question in his mind is lost.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He blinks, mentally shaking his head. "Yes?"

She smiles beautifully at him. "Want to call it a day?" She closes her book. "I'm beat." And as if to prove her point, she folds her arms and sinks onto the table, her chin resting on them.

He lowers his head too, nestling his jaw onto the folded wrist tucked at the crook of his neck.

"Lightweight," he teases.

"Mou!" she protests. "I know for a fact that I'm the most hardworking student in all of the school." She grins, confident in her declaration.

Sasuke lets out an amused breath. Before he can stop himself, his free hand moves across the table and two fingers poke her forehead. "Let's go home." He feels his lips curl.

Sakura raises her head from the table and puts a hand on her forehead. She closes her eyes and chuckles to herself.

Seeing this, something aches in Sasuke's chest. He stands up abruptly then, quickly gathering his things. There's something clawing at the back of his mind.

He checks his phone, and steals a glance at her. She's placing her books and notes inside her bag. Her brows are knitted, lips pouted slightly.

He knows that look. He has seen it enough times when there's something she doesn't understand. She would pore over her books and notes, working something out in her head.

She looks up at him and the look vanishes briefly, replaced with a small smile. He returns it and they fall into step together, walking silently out of the library. From the periphery of his vision, she adopts that expression again. She's looking for answers, he knows.

But to what?

–

Sakura opens her eyes, still half-asleep, and once again finds a man with dark hair nestled onto her side.

Without thinking, she tightens her hold on him.

I know you...

She closes her eyes again, wanting to sleep enveloped by his comfort, but she feels him shift. His weight now fully on top of her. He's heavy but she doesn't mind. She starts trailing her hand up and down his back.

A few moments pass and she feels something soft press onto her lips briefly. She opens her eyes wanting to look at him, but his face is nestled onto the right side of her own. The bridge of his nose touching hers. She feels his breath on her lips. His mouth at the corner of her own.

She moves her hand to his neck, running it through his hair, and one black eye peeks at her. Then his face shifts ever so slightly to kiss her fully, moving to capture the bottom of her lips. Instinctively, she opens her mouth to meet his tongue. The weight on top of her lightens slightly. His kiss trails from her mouth to her neck, and his hand slips underneath her shirt, touching her bare flesh, his palm grating on her skin. Her breath hitches.

The alarm blares and her eyes snap open.

She turns red at the memory. No, dream.

Sakura remembers having the same dream a long time ago. She brushed it off then, blaming her teenage hormones. She doesn’t think of it again until now, three years later. This time, she doesn't forget, since the dream often finds its way to her in the following months.

She dreams the same scenario repeatedly: she wakes up to find herself entangled with the same dark-haired man. Sometimes she's the one resting on top him, at other times they're leaning against a tree or sprawled onto the forest floor. But always it is the same dream, only in different variations of deep, wet kisses, of hands roaming, of skin touching skin...

She shakes her head, flustered. She has never had intimate relations with anyone, nor even thought of it. She doesn't even read romance novels. So where does her mind draw the sensation? It feels too real for it to be imagined, and it seems to be fixated on this dark, mysterious man. Despite her dreams being always set in the early morning, with the full force of sunlight illuminating everything, she has never seen his whole face–only one obsidian eye.

She puts a hand to her chest to calm her heart.

–

Haruno Mebuki regards her daughter carefully. She's dressed pretty simply: white fitted shirt, dark jeans, sneakers. Sakura was busy putting things in her backpack.

"Off to the library again?" It is a Saturday morning.

She nods. "I'm studying with Sasuke-kun today."

Mebuki's lips thins. "You've been spending a lot of time with that boy lately." She points out, fully expecting her daughter to get flustered by her implication.

But she only smiles, completely comfortable with her statement, not even pausing in the slightest.

Mebuki pushes, "It's a Saturday today. Don't you both have better things to do?" Her daughter laughs and replies in a playful tone, "Kaa-san aren't you happy I'm working so hard? Most parents would be lucky to have me as a daughter."

Mebuki chuckles at this. "Your father and I are proud of you, you know that."

"I'll make you even prouder when I become the first doctor in the family."

Her husband enters the kitchen, "Your mother and I are both doctors."

"Tou-san, you know I meant medical doctor!"

Kizashi howls in laughter and ruffles their daughter's pink hair. "Here's the book you were looking for." He hands her an introductory medical text, and Mebuki sees an opportunity to continue their previous topic.

"You know they're going to make you study this again in university, right?"

"Can't hurt to get an early start."

Mebuki gives her husband a meaningful look, and he catches it. He's wearing an impish expression now. "Library again, huh? Studying with that Uchiha boy today?"

"Uh-huh," she nods. Mebuki notes again that her daughter doesn't seem to be bothered by their silent accusations.

"Will you be back by dinner?"

"I always am."

Except that one time she had an impromptu dinner with the Uchihas, Mebuki thinks. They seem to be very taken with her, on an unbelievably unnatural level. She doesn't know how to feel about it. But she is quite sure that there must be a reason why she feels so wary of them. Call it mother's instinct. Hell, she wouldn't be able to raise the best daughter in the world if she didn't have that.

"Will they be driving you home, again?" Kizashi was asking in that teasing tone now.

Sakura crosses her arms playfully, raising a brow, "Too lazy to pick-up your own daughter, tou-san?"

Kizashi cackles. "Text me when you're done alright?"

Sakura hugs her father goodbye and walks towards her.

Mebuki hatches a plan. "Next weekend would you like to volunteer?" she asks. "It's in a new area so they need more experienced help in setting things up."

Her daughter perks up. "Where?"

Bingo.

"Still waiting for details. But I'll let them know you're signing up."

"Yes, please!" Sakura kisses her mother on the cheek. "I'll see you both tonight, okay?"

They watch their daughter exit the door. A few moments pass before Kizashi speaks, "This is what... their third library Saturdate?"

Mebuki scoffs. "It's not a date, dear." Her husband pulls up the chair beside her. "They're awfully close though."

"Maybe they're secretly dating." He guffaws at the thought. "But our Sakura isn't like that."

"She hasn't said anything at all?”

"Yesterday when I drove her to school I asked her if there's anyone she likes."

"And?"

"She said she's 'too busy studying and working on her dreams to have time for dates'."

"Liking someone does not mean dating."

"Ha. That's what I told her."

"What did she say?"

"She just laughed and said she can't afford the distraction."

"Hm." Mebuki believes her daughter completely. But there's just something she can't quite put her finger to.

"You think this Uchiha kid likes her?" Kizashi asks.

"Maybe. I've looked into his family, you know. His older brother was on a research team with Dr. Sarutobi before." She takes a sip from her cup and continues, "Nothing out of the ordinary. They're quite successful, the Uchihas."

"See?" Now Kizashi takes a sip from her cup of tea. "I told you you were just overthinking this. Sakura's smart enough to know who to associate with."

"Aren't you the least bit wary that she's spending way too much time with a boy?" She feels her blood rising now. Honestly, her husband can be so dense.

Kizashi just flashes her a smile which irritates her more. "Nothing wrong with too much studying."

"Bah! For all I know." She slams the cup on the table causing the centerpiece tremble.

She looks at her husband who doesn't seem fazed in the slightest. "I've seen the kid," he reveals.

She almost chokes on her tea. "When?! Kizashi, why have you not told me this!"

"I picked Sakura up from the library one night. Sasuke, his mom, and brother were there by the waiting area. They refused to leave Sakura alone, so they waited until I arrived."

"That's thoughtful of them." Maybe they're not so bad after– "Wait so this boy and Sakura also study together on weeknights?!"

He nods. "Seems so."

"Look, this can't be just friendly, you know?" Mebuki adds, "Sakura has never even had a close friend growing up and suddenly this kid she hasn't known very long..." she trails off and sighs.

He pours more tea into her cup. "I admit it does seem a little suspicious." He pushes the cup towards her and places a hand on her shoulder.

After a moment Mebuki continues, "Look. I'm happy that Sakura has a close friend her age that she likes hanging-out with, and she seems much happier recently. I was worried for her before because she just studies all the time or volunteers. And all her friends are always, what, five to ten years older than her?"

"She's quite mature for her age. Always has been." Kizashi laughs again. "It's so like her that the first close friend she has is because she likes studying with him."

"It better be just that."

"I trust our daughter. If there's something to tell, she will." He squeezes her shoulder reassuringly.

"That's what I'm worried about," Mebuki sighs again. "Maybe she doesn't know."

–

Sakura walks to the school library in slow, even steps, taking in the early morning summer air.

Her parents' interest in her relationship with Sasuke unsettles her a bit. Recently, she noticed, they have been trying to pry. It's like they wanted her to admit to something.

Truth be told, she's not quite sure what to make of her friendship with Sasuke. For the past couple of months, they settled into this comfortable routine of studying together. Not that it was deliberate. They just fell into it.

They always see each other in the school library, and ever since he showed her around school that first day they met, she gained a sense of deep respect for him. Normally, she wouldn't even bother saying hi to acquaintances. She's highly introverted that way. But for Sasuke, she thought it was only proper that she would give him some sort of acknowledgement every single time she saw him, and she always saw him in the library.

The study area wasn't very large, so their eyes always found each other. At first it was just a curt exchange of nods, a small wave of hands, then it grew into smiles. Well, a smile on her part. Sasuke would only nod still, but she swears she sees a glint of affection in his eyes.

Then one day, during exams week, she went to the library only to discover all the tables were taken. But Sasuke was there, and there was a free seat in front of him. Sakura didn't want to go to a café to study. She loved the library. The old book smell. The silence. The soft rumbling of airconditioning. And of course, unlimited access to books and research materials in every discipline. She decided then to walk over to him to ask if she can share his table. He made a motion with his hand telling her to go ahead.

She sat down in front of him, sprawling her notes and references on the table. She was a messy learner and liked having all her papers in front of her. But since she wasn't alone this time, she made an effort to be neater, to not take up any of his surface space, careful not to bother him with her presence. An hour later, another table freed up. Sakura tapped her pen to his book to get his attention. He looked up at her. She then jerked her head to the free space to her right, at the end of the room, by the window. The largest square table was there, it was her favorite spot to study at.

She started gathering her things, whispering to not disturb the peace. "I'll transfer there. Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

To her surprise, he also started arranging his notes. She looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

He whispered back, "Too cold here." He motioned towards the airconditioning unit behind him. "I'll come with you."

She smiled at the memory. That was the first time that not only were they in the same room, but they were also using the same table, seated diagonally across each other.

The week after that, she was surprised to find Sasuke in the library on a weekend. No other student were there. Just one of the librarians. She pulled up the chair beside him.

"Sakura?" he had sounded surprised.

She responded, "Can't concentrate at home too?"

She saw a ghost of a smile on his face. "Yeah..."

"Me too." She laughed a bit which earned them a shhh! from the librarian. Not that they were disturbing anyone. They had the whole place just to themselves.

She didn't think it would be a regular thing–them studying together. But the next time they were both at the library, Sasuke went to her table, said her name in greeting, sat down, and started reviewing. It happened two more times. Then at the fifth time she saw him, he was in the library before her. She didn't think of it, and just went to his table.

Soon after, she discovered that she found his presence so calming that it helped her focus. She remembered better, too. Studying then became an unspoken routine between them. Sakura always headed to the library after class. Sasuke would arrive later after his student council duties and make his way towards her. At other times, when Sakura was in a teacher's consultation, Sasuke would arrive first, and Sakura would find him eventually, then they would study in silence. At seven, either him or her would notice the time and they would walk together to the waiting shed and part ways until the next day.

They've been doing this for about three months. That's half the time she has known him–her now official study partner. Her heart warms at the thought.

After fifteen minutes of walking, Sakura arrives at the courtyard of their school and makes her way to the library. She sees Sasuke already seated at their favorite table–the one with the view. He spots her through the window so she waves and from afar, Sakura thinks she just saw Sasuke smile.

Except for that one dinner with his family, Sakura muses, they never saw each other outside of the classroom and the library. But that's where they already spend most of their time, which meant she saw a lot of him.

She pushes the entrance door to the library and Sasuke watches her as she approaches. She returns his gaze with a smile.

She considers him her closest friend which was strange since they haven't really talked much about personal things or deep-seated feelings. That's what close friends do, right?

"Sakura." He greets her in a low, quiet voice.

She realizes that she hopes that would change.

–

Note: Okay so this is going a lot slower than I thought it would and I doubt I can wrap everything up by next chapter. We'll see!

To all those who liked, reblogged, commented. Thank you!

Special shout-out to @winnie09730499 and @birkastan2018 whose comments made me ridiculously happy. I hope this story shapes up to be something you will really enjoy! :)

Constructive criticism is very welcome! I wrestled with verb tenses on this one so I’m not quite sure if the timeline is clear enough.

#ssm19 #ssm2019 #sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fic #sasusaku ff #sasusakumonth #sasusakumonth2019 #ssm19d22 #writings

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