ss month 2023 | prompt: the great war, "if i still have a place in your heart"
“Tadaima!” Sarada bursts through the door with a spring in her step. Today’s the start of summer, and she couldn’t wait to welcome the season with her favorite things.
The first is her father, Uchiha Sasuke, greeting her at the door, donned in an apron and a spatula in his hand. “Welcome home, peanut.”
She doesn’t ask what he’s cooking; she will eat everything he makes. Except tomatoes of course. But when you love someone, you’d let their favorites exist beside yours. Like the way Sasuke buys three cupcakes with different flavors for Sakura and lines them up with his tomato salad. Or the extra custard cream taiyaki he makes for his daughter’s friends.
The dinner table normally sits three but most days, there are only two warm bodies. Nonetheless, it doesn’t feel too vacant. Conversations of moments apart have filled the spaces. This is how time gets mended. The father and daughter finally rest on the veranda in the aftermath of dishes and wind chimes.
Sarada’s second favorite thing is apples.
It’s not like oranges when you peel and the smell permeates everything, even the pores of your fingers. Apples are meticulous. A good paring knife is necessary to pull away the thinnest skin and mold the fruit into bite-sized shapes. It bruises easily, but the sweetness stays.
“Why do you peel it like that Papa? I can always do it, you know.” Sarada can’t stop gaping at the infamous purple armor, and how its reputation is relegated to slicing fruits. “You don’t need to waste your chakra.”
“It doesn’t have much use. I want to use it this way now.” Sasuke smiles.
She doesn’t hear the silent addition that follows the pause, “It’s because the war has ended.”
“Does Mama love apples so much?”
“I don’t know, peanut. That’s why I’m asking.”
She repeats the question to Sakura on another day as the red skin lands in spirals beside her feet.
“I’m not that fond of apples,” Sakura replies with a chuckle. “And neither is your Papa.”
“So why do you and Papa always peel them?”
“Oh my sweet spring baby.” Her palm ruffles the crown of her daughter’s head, leaving the sticky scent of apple in her strands. “Your Papa, he still doesn’t believe I’d always peel apples for him.”
Sarada sighs in defeat. She’ll never know the depth of it—
That Sasuke is asking: “Do I still have a place in your heart?”
And Sakura is replying: “You never left.”
hi everyone. this might be a long shot. sadly, one of our community cats got ran over by a vehicle and has multiple fractures. we will be needing help with her surgery soon. i'm linking my kofi for donations, any amount will do. thank you very much!!!!🍀
All her things are in shades of rose and green, of leaves and flowers, of forest and spring — stacks of books littered in the corner, her blanket splayed across one arm of the couch, her toothbrush beside his on the sink, her multiple bottles of skincare renting his empty medicine cabinet, and her hair brush with several strands of pink. She smells like antiseptic when she arrives from the hospital, but once she cleans it off, spritz of lavender and vanilla permeate his dwelling.
It’s a smell he likes. Like it belongs here.
This is how Sakura exists in Sasuke’s apartment.
“I promise, you won’t even know I’m here,” she said one week ago when her complex’s pipelines burst and she had to find an alternative room option that did not include barging in on the budding romantic lives of Ino and Sai or Naruto and Hinata. “Rokudaime also forbids me to sleep in my office because apparently, unlike him, I need to have a work-life balance.”
“I don’t mind,” he replied.
But on her last day, she chooses to render overtime in a hospital shift. Forgetting that she mentioned she will have someone get her things later, Sasuke still prepares a breakfast for two, fills in two mugs of coffee, and lays down two sets of dishes. All of a sudden, he is unfamiliar with living alone again.
He is about to put away the unused utensils when she comes in. “Oh, you were expecting me?”
He fights the heat that rises to his cheeks. It’s too bad that he gets caught, even worse when she sees how flustered he is. “I…forgot. You’re here for your things?”
She smiles at him and slowly shakes her head. “They have a problem with the wiring so electricity’s out. Too bad, huh?”
The next thing he resists is the weird fluttering in his chest. “Hmm, that’s bad news. Maybe..,” he clears his throat, “Maybe you should stay here for now.”
She grins and takes her plate from him. “What’s for dinner then?”
--
It’s the fifth time she tells him she needs to go back. This happens after five months of living under the same roof with decreasing proximity and unfamiliarity. Her scent, which simply floats before, now sticks to his skin and on his hair, so much so that he smells like her. Not that he minds.
He wants to swallow down the words, but the sight of her clad in his shirt, messy hair in a bun, with half-packed bags, stirs something in him. “Do you…do you have to go?”
She lingers by the edge of his bed, fiddling with the frays of her blanket strewn across his mattress, “I….I’ve run out of excuses.”
“I’d like to advise against your return with all the emergencies and accidents that happened in your apartment.” He sinks to the space beside her, and he pulls away some of her hair from her face. “It sounds dangerous.”
“You think so?”
He nods. “Live with me, Sakura.”
“That’s great then.” She lets out a yelp as he tackles her to sit on his lap, his arm cradling her back, and tracing small circles under her shirt, his shirt. “I actually ended my lease two months ago.”
“You could have told me sooner,” he grumbles against her neck. “I was running out of things to break in your complex.”
“So that’s why.” She laughs and peppers his face with kisses.
Sasuke was 5 years old when he learned his soulmate’s name.
He watched in a trance as clumsy words, as if the writer had just learned them, appeared on his left arm.
Hi! I’m Sakura!
Sasuke stared some more before he gasped in realization, he’s seen this before! Itachi-nii had writing appear like this on him as well. He has said that his soulmate can write to him on his skin!
Sasuke runs around the house looking for a marker, finally stealing one from Itachi’s room. Using his best penmanship he writes back.
Are you my soulmate?
Yes!
Sakura writes to Sasuke for hours, telling him how excited she is to start the ninja academy and become the best kunoichi in Konoha.
By the time Mikoto calls for dinner Sasuke thinks of telling his family that he’s been talking to his soulmate. But then again, if he tells his family then Itachi-nii will want to meat her and everyone likes Itachi more.
Sasuke pulls down his sleeves to hide the writing. He wants to keep Sakura to himself for a little bit longer.
Sasuke was seven when he became the only survivor to the Uchiha massacre. He was never more grateful that he never spoke of Sakura to his family.
Sakura doesn’t know he’s her soul mate. When they were kids the excitement of writing to each other led to Sasuke forgetting to tell her his name.
He’s never been more grateful for it now. He couldn’t imagine the danger Sakura would be in if word got to Itachi that she’s his soul mate. And Sasuke knew if he ever said her name and soulmate in the same sentence then Itachi would know.
Sasuke made sure to keep his distance from Sakura. It was hard. On rougher days when the nightmares would not stop Sasuke had to restrain himself from running up to Sakura and hiding her away where he could protect her. He started to wear arm coverings so he could reread every word Sakura wrote to him and not wipe it away like most do, or waste chakra bbyu having a genjutsu constantly over his arms.
He had to be content with writing to her. For her own safety no one can ever know. He was grateful that Sakura was content with just them writing to each other, choosing to have their bond be platonic, at least on her side.
The writing was their only communication after he left with Orochimaru.
I wish I could hate him
Sasuke blinked at the writing. Did Sakura mean him?
Pulling out a hidden marker Sasuke began to write.
Do you mean Sasuke?
Yes
As if a damn broke Sakura’s words came flooding in down Sasuke’s arm and then leg when Sakura must’ve run out of room on her own.
I should hate him, he left me on that damn bench. He betrayed our home all in the name of power and revenge. What’s he gonna do after huh? Waltz back like nothing happened?
Sasuke winced. He knew there was a chance of never going home when he left but he knows he has to avenge his clan, no matter what it takes.
I want to hate him so badly sometimes. Maybe I wouldn’t hut this badly if I hated him.
Gods, Sasuke felt like an ass. This was the last thing he ever wanted to do to Sakura, but it was necessary. He had to hurt her to protect her, and Sasuke hated every second of that night. And the worst part is Sakura will never know. She will never know how he purposely avoided looking at her that night because he knew if he did he wouldn’t have left. Sasuke probably would have begged Sakura for forgiveness if he had looked at her, and Uchihas don’t beg.
He doesn’t deserve you Sakura
It was a stab to the heart to admit, and the knife was pushed further in when Sakura did respond.
Sometimes I wished I fell in love with you
Sasuke has felt like shit for the past few hours. And that was the nice way of putting it. His head felt like there was cotton in it, every single one of his limbs felt like it was tingling, and there was a huge bruise on the left side of his stomach. A bruise he would have definitely noticed getting based on how big it was, and like the rest of his symptoms it came out of absolutely no where.
The worst part was that Orochimaru took notice of that bruise.
“They say that soulmates with strong bonds not only can see what marks their skin, but also feel everything their soulmate does.”
Sasuke’s hand tightens on his sword. Was this all from Sakura? If so what happened to her and why the hell didn’t Naruto protect her?
Back in his room Sasuke wasted no time grabbing the marker.
What happened?
What are you talking about?
Sasuke had to hold back an annoyed growl. This was not the time for Sakura to play dumb.
The bond Sakura, I can feel what happens to you. And I have a huge bruise on my left side.
You can see where I got stabbed?
Stabbed?! Sasuke had to stop himself from rushing out of the hide out and tracking Sakura down. He left to protect her damn it! Where the hell was Naruto when she was stabbed? He would have never trusted that dobe to protect her if he knew this was going to happen.
Sakura, explain
Sakura goes onto retell her fight with Sasori of the Red Sand, a member of the Akatsuki. How he had stabbed her with a poisoned sword, but she was prepared as she had created an antidote earlier for another victim of his. She also explains how he and his partner, Deidara, had taken the Sand villages Kazekage, and extracted the One Tailed Beast from him. That was why Naruto wasn’t there during her fight, he was chasing after Deidara.
Sasuke was a mixed bag of emotions, on the one hand he was proud of her and how strong she has become. On the other hand, Sakura was in contact with the Akatsuki. What if Itachi saw her, saw Sasuke’s writing on her arms, and she became a target?
Sasuke picks up the marker again but this time he doesn’t write any words. He just draws cherry blossom on his arm, hiding within the center of the flower, where the little stigmas were, was the Uchiha fan. Sakura never noticed, but Sasuke always felt comfort in knowing it was there, even if just for a moment.
Kabuto had brought some sickly looking Ninja in. His name was Sai, and apparently he had come from Konoha.
Sasuke was going to kill him. He was finally getting some rest after that scare with Sakura almost dying. Then that bastard had to go and wake him up just to try to kill him. Sasuke doesn’t care what plans Orochimaru may have had for this bastard he was going to -
A flash of pink bursts out of the hide out, and the next thing either boy knows Sakura has her fist wrapped around Sai’s collar. Sasuke’s eyes widened; he can see the flower on her arm that he had drawn only an hour ago.
All their talks, and she had never once mentioned a mission to find Orochimaru’s hide out.
“Sakura.”
For the first time in three years, Sasuke looks into his soulmate’s eyes. He’s afraid of what she sees.
“Sasuke-kun.”
After Itachi’s death, after learning what Konoha has done to his family, Sasuke can’t bring himself to respond to Sakura’s writing. She continues to write to him, telling him of all the preparations she has done for the upcoming war, and training all the medics she can beforehand.
Every day Sasuke would read over his arm, and not respond. If he was lucky, he would find the strength to draw their flower. Sakura never pushed for him to write back, she assumed that he was busy for his own preparations. She would be half right.
“I will always love you,” Itachi said, bumping his forehead against Sasuke’s. Sasuke felt lighter, Itachi literally looked lighter as he began to glow. He gave Sasuke one last mischievous grin. “So what’s her name?”
Sasuke blinked once, but then looked down to where Itachi was pointing. His wristband had slipped, and the flower was visible. “Her name matches the flower.”
“Lady Uchiha Sakura. It has a nice ring to it,” Itachi laughed before disappearing.
They had won the war, and Sasuke left again. This time it was to seek atonement. He wanted to be better, see the world anew. He wanted to be the man that could stand at his soulmate’s side.
He poked her forehead, right on her seal, with a promise of “next time.”
Missing an arm now, Sasuke’s left leg became dedicated to the flowers he would draw for his soulmate. His right left was for conversations. They write to one another every day, with Sakura telling him how her day went and asking about his. Sasuke tells her about his travels, how the world is chaning now after the war. Sakura tells him about her work with creating a children’s mental hospital.
I’m proud of you Sakura.
You know I just realized that we’ve been talking for 14 years now and I don’t even know your name.
Sasuke blinked. Has it really been that long since Sakura first wrote on her skin? Sasuke smirked. He can’t believe it’s been this long and this is the first time she’s brought it up.
Sasuke continued with his action on knocking on Sakura’s door.
“Sasuke-kun you’re back,” Sakura greeted.
“Uchiha Sasuke. My name is Uchiha Sasuke,” Sasuke said, holding up his arm that matched the Sakura’s.
It had not been a minute since she came back from mission when Mitsuki found her, still in his doctor’s robes. Sarada didn’t ask a question. She simply followed him to the hospital. He would never meet her at the gates if it wasn’t serious.
Her first thought was her mom.
“Sakura’s okay,” he says, sensing her masked anxiety. Relief washes over her.
“Do you need a particular blood?” She’s familiar with these requests. Inheriting Haruno Sakura’s chakra gave her utmost advantage - regeneration, strength, resilience.
Mitsuki doesn’t reply nor does he stop walking until they reach the doors of the operating room. He pauses and for once, he's unable to meet her eyes. “A piece of your liver. You’re the only one left.” Sarada notices him steeling for her response.
Ah. He's here.
She isn’t particularly interested in her paternal parentage. There hasn't been a slightest reference about him, even when she’s growing up. No pictures, no drunken confessions, no melancholic slip of the tongue.
This is quite a reunion, and she wishes she could give a whole lot more damn. What she does instead is what the academy, the society, and her mom ingrained her to do.
It's a fast procedure. She trusts Mitsuki's skills, the lone prodigy of her mother. She goes under, and her last thought is her father's blurred face framed by the same raven hair.
She doesn't visit the hospital after that. She doesn't even say a thing to Sakura, but she knows her mother is already in the loop. Sakura is much too preoccupied with the tomatoes in her garden, and the blooming bed of carnations. Maybe she really didn't love this man after all. Or maybe she hated him long enough that she forgot.
Sarada rounds the corner to the hokage’s office and finds Mitsuki there again.
“He’s leaving tomorrow,” he says. “You don’t have to…erm…introduce yourself.”
She really shouldn’t care, but since the opportunity presented itself, why not take it? See with her own eyes the man her mother supposedly fell in love with. She finds him looking out the window, sight trained only on a budding cherry blossom tree. He doesn’t glance back at her as he probably grew accustomed to the comings and goings of the hospital staff.
Sarada steps closer, curiouser than ever to have his face etched in her memory. It’s true what they say about being careful of what you wish for. Because when he finally turns around, she sees her own reflection, hardened with age, betrayed by the delicate frays of connection.
He recognizes her, she can sense by the way he hardens his grip on the sheets, eager to hold but too remorseful of guilt. She only sees then the plate beside him with slices of all too familiar tomatoes, and the single stalk of carnation on the glass jar of his bedside.
“You’re at liberty to use it. It’s almost like a birthright.” Sasuke’s bony fingers trace the crevices on her still beautiful face. One spell and Sakura can restore her youth whereas he can gracefully descend into the twilight of his life.
She holds his hand in hers as they touch together the wrinkle folds on her forehead. “Oh but love, these are the years I spent with you.” The testament of time, Sasuke realizes, has always been a testament of love.
She brings his fingers to her lips, passing seasons unable to tamper her smile and the ensuing butterflies.
I'm tired of seeing that trope of Fugaku despising Sakura and trying to break up her relationship with Sasuke.
New trope! Fugaku likes Sakura better than his own sons sometimes and was rooting silently for sasusaku to happen. They are the platonic grumpy and sunshine trope.
Not one Uchiha knows how she did it, but Sakura won over her future father in-law to the point where he'll ask Sasuke if he's bringing Sakura to Clan gatherings. And this was before they got together.
Itachi and Sasuke are both impressed and flabbergasted. That infamous Uchiha stoicism broke the first time they saw little genin Sakura talk Fugaku's ear off. Their father did not react how they expected at all. All Fugaku did was nod and added his own comment every now and again.
During Sakura's training with Tsunade when Fugaku had to make reports to the Hokage he would visit Sakura. And when Sakura was stuck on something she would visit Fugaku if he had time. His quietness while she talked out her problems helps her think and 9 times out of 10 she solves it herself. Fugaku may have also slipped one or two older Uchiha medical/posion techniques in with her notes when she wasn't looking. He almost got caught when Kaname gave him that old scroll to give to Sakura.
When sasusaku did happen and they were getting close to marrying age Fugaku started hinting that Sasuke should teach Sakura the fireball jutsu. Sasuke was surprised his dad didn't push it earlier.
Unknown to him Fugaku knew Sasuke would teach Sakura that jutsu since their genin days. It was just after the Forest of Death and Orochimaru's attack on team 7. Fugaku was pissed that the snake man bit his son and infected him with the curse seal.
Anbu and the Uchiha Police were working together on this, after all Orochimaru not only made it into the village but he attacked rookie genins, one of them being an Uchiha.
Fugaku had gotten statements from Naruto and Sasuke. Both told him of Orochimaru's attack, how he sent a giant snake after Naruto and tried to impersonate the boy, the bite on Sasuke, and the group of Sound ninja sent after he finished his attack.
Naruto knew nothing of that last part, Sasuke began to shake every time he thought about it, a deep shame glazing over his eyes.
This lead to Fugaku talking to Asuma's and Gai's teams who had witnessed bits and pieces of the fight from the three Sound nin.
It didn't take long for Fugaku to realize he needed to talk to Sakura, the only one who was present and conscious from start to finish.
To be honest Fugaku didn't think much of the girl at first. She was civilian born, and a fangirl of his son. She won't amount to much unlike her teammates. She probably would retire early when she became a mother or go into the reserves.
Sasuke was at the station dropping something off from Mikoto when Sakura came in. And oh, Fugaku knew that soft look Sasuke was sending her. The statements of Sakura calming him down in the Forest began to make sense. His eyes fixtated on the girl's newly cut hair. The girl had cut it to free herself and defend her teammates.
Sakura spotted Sasuke when directed towards Fugaku. And Fugaku knew that look too, Sakura was afraid of his son.
Before the two teammates could say something to one another Fugaku called for the girl's attention. "Haruno, let's get your statement."
Sakura nodded and followed Fugaku to an empty room with a desk and two chairs.
"Tell me what happened."
Sakura retold the tale filling in the gaps of her dragging the boys away, and trying to cool down Sasuke's fever. Her setting up traps, and how the fight with the Sound nin went.
"Sasuke-kun woke up then, but. . ." Sakura began to shake. "The power that seal gave him was monstrous."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "You think my son is a monster?"
Sakura's head shot up. "No-"
"He defended you did he not when he woke up?"
"Yes but-"
"You're afraid of him."
Sakura slammed her fist on the table, Fugaku pretended not to notice the small cracks.
"That wasn't Sasuke-kun! That seal Orochimaru forced on him was poisoning him! He's not bloodthirsty, and he was shaking when the seal receded!" Sakura took a breath. "I hugged him, begging him to stop, and that's when the seal released him."
Fugaku could see it now, what Sakura was shouting at him. She wasn't afraid of Sasuke, she was afraid for him. Fugaku could see past that fear now in her eyes.
That's the moment Fugaku knew Sakura would one day join the clan, after all no one loved like the Uchiha. They are sometimes born with a different family name though.
An array of gifts are displayed in front of toddler Sarada. It is said that whatever she chooses first will dictate her fate…or at least dictate her favorite Uchiha. Madara gave her a pillow, Fugaku a couple of dresses, Shisui dolls, and Itachi cooking toys
“Hey, who’s the owner of that clammy looking entity there? It looks on the verge of deathbed,” Izumi remarks.
Mikoto snorts in laughter and points to her second son, currently fumbling with a newly awoken Sarada. “Probably got there when we were cleaning the house.”
Cheers erupt as Sarada starts to crawl on the floor towards the gift she really likes. Her cute, chubby fingers eventually settle on the green dinosaur (almost brown actually) being taken away by Mikoto.
“Ah looks like we have our favorite Uchiha,” Sakura chimes.
Everyone looks at Sasuke who picks up his daughter and her chosen gift. “That’s my favorite toy peanut, but I guess you can have it.”
“Sucks to lose again,” Shisui quips.
“To a dinosaur,” Itachi adds.
“I’ll have Sasuke’s dinosaur onesie fitted to her,” Fugaku volunteers.
“Why do you still have that Father?” Sasuke asks.
“A couple more years of random shouts of rawr rawr rawr?” Madara plays with Sarada’s finger.
“Rawr rawr rawr!” She copies her grandfather who of course laughs first. It’s booming and contagious and soon enough the whole household is wrapped in happiness.
Summary: college/university/café au
Sasuke is a barista and Sakura is his most annoying, most beautiful customer. He leaves secret messages in her latte art.
NrtCCWeek22 day 1, prompt: floriography/language of flowers
Pairing: SasuSaku
Word count: 4,975
Rated: K
It is a usual day at the café where Sasuke has worked part-time since his second semester at college. He wouldn’t even need to work if it wasn’t for his idiot of a roommate, Naruto, who got them both kicked out of their dormitory building. Sasuke is sure his parents would happily pay for his share of the rent, maybe even Naruto’s, but he wants to prove to himself that he didn’t need his father’s money or influence to get through life. As humiliating and annoying as this job is most of the time, at least it’s something he managed to get on his own.
He’s making an extremely annoying order – large, sugar-free, vanilla iced latte with extra vanilla and unsweetened soy milk – for an even more annoying and loud customer when he spots a flash of pink dashing through the door. Sakura. The girl he’s been crushing on since she first ordered a coffee from him. She always smiles at him with such familiarity that it baffles him how someone can be so kind to a stranger.
Her cheeks are flushed from being in a rush and her eyes gleam prettily as she flashes him a smile. She steps next to his annoying customer and hugs her, telling her she’s sorry for being late but Shizune-sensei wanted to talk to her about her latest assignment after her lecture.
“It’s alright, Forehead,” her blonde friend shrugs. “I got here not long ago.”
Sasuke steps to the counter and hands the blonde her order then turns to Sakura. “Hey, what can I get you?”
“Oh, just a regular latte is fine, Sasuke-kun,” she smiles at him. That familiarity again. Not many – if any – customers call him by his name despite it being displayed on a tag on his shirt. But Sakura always treats him with kindness and respect, like he is a human being like the rest of them, not just a servant. She never orders annoying, over-complicated drinks either. Sasuke rather likes her for that.
“You can sit down, I’ll bring it around,” he says as he turns his back to her to start preparing her beverage.
“Thanks,” he hears her say.
Sasuke doesn’t know much about Sakura. He knows her name, that she’s the same age as him, she’s a med student, she bites the inside of her cheek when she’s concentrating on her assignments, she has the most dazzling green eyes he has ever seen, she always fidgets with a pack of sugar, her pen, or her fingers, and she always kind to everyone, even when she looks like she hasn’t slept in two days and the purplish circles under her eyes make the green of her eyes even brighter. She’s loud but never obnoxious, kind but never superficial, intelligent but never boasting.
Sasuke wants to know more about her. He draws a carnation in the foam of her latte.
“Thank you, Sasuke-kun,” she smiles at him as he hands her the cup. “Wow, that looks great!” She says as she looks at the cup. Sasuke just nods and turns away.
“Huh, kinda looks like a carnation,” Sakura’s friend observes. He hears Sakura ask what carnations mean as he is walking away and he can feel the tips of his ears burning.
.
.
.
The next time Sasuke sees her, it is pouring outside and she is positively drenched. She still grins at him as she sits down on one of the barstools and takes off her jacket. “Hey, Sasuke-kun.”
“Hey,” he greets and walks closer to her on the other side of the bar. “Usual latte?” He asks as he grabs a cup.
“Yes, and one of those blueberry muffins as well, please,” she smiles. She’s trying to put her excessively wet hair into a bun on top of her head, but it’s not cooperating. Sasuke’s gaze lingers for a moment as he observes the strands sticking to her forehead, her neck, her throat. She’s beautiful.
“Celebrating anything?” Sasuke raises an eyebrow. He has learned that Sakura always orders a blueberry muffin when she’s happy about something. She always orders two triple chocolate chip cookies when she’s sad.
“Well, I don’t mean to brag,” she starts, a proud smile stretching her lips. “But I got a perfect score on my anatomy exam, which is, like, super rare. My sensei is also really, really strict. I mean she failed about two-thirds of the class. So, to get a perfect score is basically impossible.”
“Yeah, that really didn’t sound like bragging,” Sasuke puts a small plate in front of her and turns his back to finish up her order. Despite what he said, he’s really happy for her. He’s seen her slaving over assignments while sipping coffee and seen her around the campus library, surrounded by books that probably weighed more than her. He has no doubt that she worked really hard for her score. Sasuke draws an orchid in the foam.
Sakura has her eyes slightly furrowed and lips in a pout when he hands her the latte.
“I’m just messing with you,” Sasuke says. Because really, he didn’t mean what he said. “Congratulations on your perfect score.”
Sakura smiles and breaks off a piece of her muffin. “Why, thank you very much, Sasuke-kun.”
A customer motions for Sasuke that he’d like to pay and he shoots Sakura a look that says I’ll be right back, as if he needs her to excuse him. She happily munches on her muffin as she nods. Sasuke tells the customer that he hopes he enjoyed his drink and that he was satisfied with their services, though his flat voice and blank stare suggest otherwise. The customer leaves a small tip and says his thanks.
Sasuke returns to his place behind the bar and starts washing the cups he collected on his way back.
“And guess what the best part is,” Sakura continues as if he didn’t even leave.
“What?”
“I said guess! C’mon!” She radiates excitement, Sasuke is sure that if her eyes were any sharper, he could see small waves of energy floating around her.
“I don’t know,” he says and she frowns. “Okay… you don’t have to retake the exam?”
Sakura giggles, girlishly, beautifully. “Noooo, Sasuke-kun,” she cocks her head to the side. “My sensei also offered me an apprenticeship once I can start my residency after next year. That’s, like, the biggest compliment you can get. Ever. She’s a very respected and well-known doctor and doesn’t like people very much. I’m actually still not convinced I didn’t just dream up the whole thing, really.”
“I can pinch you,” Sasuke shrugs. He doesn’t expect Sakura to hold out her arm though, and shake it slightly in front of him when he doesn’t do anything. As if to say: well, go on then. So Sasuke pinches her forearm and he’s surprised by how cold and soft her skin is. Still slightly damps from the downpour.
“Looks like I’m not dreaming,” Sakura grins at him. “Turns out I really am a genius just like that,” she pops the last piece of muffin into her mouth and can’t seem to stop smiling even as she chews.
She’s not only beautiful. She’s also smart as hell. Which, in Sasuke’s eyes, makes her even more stunning.
.
.
.
Sasuke kicks the waste container again and sees he’s formed a dent. He turns around and punches the wall on the opposite side of the alley next to the café. He received a call from his mother earlier. His brother has been hospitalized again, and the doctors aren’t sure what’s wrong with him.
Apparently, he’s been coughing up blood for weeks no, hiding it from the family. After contracting tuberculosis a few months ago, everyone has been worried about his health. He was sure he was okay, he didn’t want to worry anyone. Until he went to visit Mikoto for lunch but ended up bent over in the bathroom, coughing viciously, gasping for air.
“Sasuke-kun?” He suddenly hears a familiar voice. He has his eyes closed, forehead leaning against the wall, fists trembling by his sides. He can feel his left hand pulsing as blood trickles down his knuckles and fingers slowly. “Are you okay?” Sakura asks quietly, her voice is now closer.
Sasuke slowly takes a step away from the wall, eyes still closed. He wishes for the first time since he had met her that she wasn’t here. He didn’t want her to see him like this, or to pity him. He sighs heavily before opening his eyes and turning his gaze toward her.
“Yeah,” is all he says.
“Are you sure? You look like you got something troubling you. You want to talk about it?” She offers. There is a weak, uncertain smile on her face, almost tentative and Sasuke decides he prefers her toothy grins to this one.
“No.”
“Can I at least take a look at your hand?” She chews the inside of her cheek.
Sasuke contemplates her for a second before glancing down at his fist. It doesn’t look good. And she is going to be a doctor.
He shrugs. “Sure.”
Her face eases up the slightest bit and she takes another step closer to him. “Do you have a first aid kit inside?”
“Yeah,” Sasuke says and holds the door open for her. She pauses in her steps.
“Am I allowed in the back?” She asks, surprised.
“Probably not,” Sasuke admits. “I don’t really care though.” When Sakura doesn’t move, he motions with his head inside like some sort of encouragement. He really can’t offer her anything else right now. All the reassuring words he needs to save for his mother when he goes home to visit Itachi this weekend.
He leads Sakura to the staff room and points at the couch. She sits down without a word and he rummages through a cabinet, trying to find the first aid kit. When he finds it, he drops it in Sakura’s expectant hands and sits in front of her on the worn-out coffee table. His legs are basically caging hers in as he takes his place.
She has opened the small box and is searching through it, trying to find the tools she needs. She notices how close they are when she looks up though, and Sasuke notes the light blush gracing the tops of her cheeks. He looks down at his hands. He’s feeling a bit embarrassed about the whole situation. There’s this smart, beautiful, kind girl he likes and she sees him beating the shit out of a wall. Probably not the best impression to leave on someone.
Sakura clears her throat and Sasuke looks up to see her fidgeting with a bottle of antiseptic. “Can I see your hand?” She asks in a low voice.
Sasuke lifts his left hand as she dabs antiseptic on a cloth. She takes his hand in one of her palms and suddenly Sasuke can’t even feel the pain in his knuckles anymore. All he can concentrate on is how soft and warm her hand is. Sakura pauses for a moment, but recovers quickly and starts disinfecting the wound. She looks up briefly at Sasuke’s face, probably expecting him to flinch or hiss, but she finds his face completely blank instead.
She doesn’t know about the turmoil of emotions raging underneath his calm façade.
“There are some pieces of chipped off paint and rubble I need to pick out. It might hurt a bit,” Sakura says as she picks out a tweezer from the kit. She looks up at him again and he only just shrugs. She starts digging out the pieces, there aren’t really that many and the process only stings for that one second when the pieces disconnect from his wounded flesh. Afterward, Sakura cleans the wound again, then grabs the gauze and slowly and carefully wraps his hand. “Okay. All done, Sasuke-kun,” she smiles a small, uncertain smile at him.
“Thanks,” Sasuke says and looks at his hand as he clenches and unclenches it. “I’m sorry,” he adds quietly.
“About what?” She asks, confused.
Sasuke shrugs. He’s already been feeling embarrassed, but stating the situation out loud… “That you had to see that,” he eventually replies.
Sakura laughs a little and Sasuke is even more confused but also kind of comforted by the sound. “Sasuke-kun, everyone gets angry sometimes. I, myself, prefer pummeling and kicking the shit out of punching bags, but I guess a wall works too,” she smiles genuinely at him now. “You know, leaves less of a mess, easier to clean up.”
“Aa,” is all Sasuke manages to stay. He can’t quite fathom the girl sitting in front of him. She is, for lack of a better word, annoying. Because Sasuke can’t figure her out, because she’s a mystery despite being an open book, she’s full of contradictions and it frustrates him beyond belief.
“Alright, well…” she clasps her hands. “I should probably go,” she stands up and reaches for her bag. She’s still trapped between Sasuke’s legs and Sasuke doesn’t want her to go anyway.
“Wait,” he says. He stands up and he realizes she’s kind of short, despite seeming bigger than life. “Would you like a coffee?” He asks. “It’s on me.”
She smiles up at him and nods. Her cheeks are flushed again.
Sasuke tells her to wait in the back, his shift is over anyway. When he’s back, he gives her a cup with her usual latte while he puts his own cup of green tea down on the table.
“What flower is this?” Sakura asks.
Sasuke pauses, considers bullshitting, but eventually admits, “sweet pea.”
They talk – well, mostly Sakura talks and Sasuke listens – as they drink. She tells him about the gym she goes to, although it’s an all-female gym. She says she got kicked out of her old one after kicking some man’s butt who kept bothering her and trying to correct her form. Turns out Sakura’s form was just fine when she dealt him a right hook to the jaw. She blabbers on about her classes and just university in general, she mentions this and that about her family, her friends. Sasuke finds out that blonde friend of hers with the annoying orders is called Ino. Then, she suddenly stops.
“Oh, my god! Sasuke-kun I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to talk so much about myself, I swear I’m not an egoist or anything,” she blushes. “Tell me about yourself. I know you only work her part-time, I assume you also go to uni here.”
“Aa,” he says. When her eyes search his face expectantly, he adds, “I’m studying law.”
“Wow! That must be difficult. Do you want to work for a fancy firm? I think I can imagine you in a suit with a bunch of hardasses and kicking butt in a courtroom,” Sakura taps her chin as she daydreams.
“I wanna work for the DA, maybe together with the police,” Sasuke shrugs.
“Putting away bad guys?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
In truth, Sasuke wanted to be a police officer when he was little, follow in his father’s footsteps. But along the way, he realized nothing he could do would please his father. He would always be second in everything, Itachi was always the best, naturally talented at anything and everything. But Sasuke still wanted to help people somehow, to rid the streets of bad guys. His father didn’t approve of him studying law, which made it all the more appealing to Sasuke.
.
.
.
Sasuke is wiping down tables when Sakura walks in with a guy. He has short, red hair and light brown eyes. He is walking close to Sakura, leaning in as he tells her something that makes her laugh. Sasuke narrows his eyes and scrubs at the table a little harder.
“Hey, Sasuke-kun,” Sakura greets as she walks by. Sasuke just nods, not really acknowledging her otherwise.
The pair take a seat at a corner table, Sakura tucks her crossed feet under her chair, while Sasori spreads his out toward her. Sasuke can hear them talking about some chemistry formulas as he finishes cleaning the tables. Sakura is digging through her bag until she fishes out a small notebook.
“Okay, so I talked to Chiyo-sensei, and apparently, if we do well on this exam, we might not have to take the next one at all,” Sakura says. So they go to the same class, Sasuke deducts. He still doesn’t like the way Sasori sizes her up.
“That’s great and all, but do we know what’s going to be in the exam?”
Before Sakura could answer, though, Sasuke stops beside their table. Sakura smiles at him brightly, like she always does.
“Hey, what can I get you?” Sasuke asks in a tone that’s just a tad bit flatter than how he usually talks to Sakura.
“I’ll just have my usual latte,” Sakura answers.
“And I’ll have an espresso,” Sasori says, not even looking up.
They resume talking as Sasuke walks away. He thinks about making a rose or perhaps a lily of the valley in Sakura’s latte, but for the first time since he’s met her, he doesn’t make any latte art for her. He can tell he’s surprised when he brings them their drinks.
When she looks up to thank him, her gaze is unfamiliar to him, almost a little sad. She smiles anyway and says, “thank you, Sasuke-kun,” like she always does and Sasuke walks away feeling like an asshole.
.
.
.
Itachi is diagnosed with lupus a few weeks after Sasuke’s run-in with the wall. Sasuke’s been going home each weekend since the diagnosis, but today he has to work a double shift because his stupid colleague called in sick, but Sasuke knows better. He heard there was a crazy party last night and that Suigetsu probably just got so wasted he couldn’t stand straight still.
Sasuke puts down the chairs from the tables, places the menus, and opens the door. He puts out the sign with that day’s special offer and on his way back, he accidentally kicks into a concrete flower pot. He curses what he thought was silently, but he hears a giggle. He narrows his eyes and looks back to find Sakura staring back at him.
“You alright, Sasuke-kun?”
“Hn,” he shrugs and continues back inside. Sakura follows behind him. “You’re earlier than usual,” he notes. She never ever came in before ten in the morning. To see her when he’s barely just opened is weird.
“Yeah, my roommate got home from some party not long ago and she woke me up on her way in. Then she passed out and started snoring so loud I couldn’t fall back asleep,” she shrugged as she set down at the bar. “What are you doing here? You haven’t worked a weekend shift in a while.”
Sasuke raises an eyebrow at her. “Stalker much?” He tries to avert the conversation.
Sakura blushed deeply. “No… I just come here often, you know? And I notice things,” she shrugs. Notice things… sure, except for the very obvious feelings I have for you, Sasuke thinks. Then a thought occurs to him that maybe he’s a coward and he should ask her out, instead of making her stupid latte art she probably doesn’t even understand. Besides, he’s seen her turn down people before, she’s always annoyingly kind about it and he doesn’t want her pity and that look in her eyes that makes her look like she’s just kicked a puppy. He’s content with being a coward.
“I’ve been visiting my family on weekends,” he decides to say.
“Oh,” Sakura says. “I hope they are okay.”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” Sasuke furrows his brows.
Sakura looks alarmed and Sasuke relaxes his features a bit. “Well, um… Sorry. I didn’t mean to pry or anything. It’s just… I don’t know, one doesn’t usually visit his family weekly when they are miles away at uni, right? Like, I only go during holidays and breaks, because it’s so damn far away.”
Sasuke looks at her for a few seconds, she’s biting the inside of her cheek again and she keeps twirling her thumbs. “My brother is ill,” he blurts out. He doesn’t know why, but her big, beautiful green irises seemed to just compel him.
Her eyes widen even more and she says, “I’m so sorry, Sasuke-kun.” And Sasuke believes her. “Do you… do you know what it is?”
“Lupus.”
“Oh, well. You know Sasuke-kun, although it’s not curable, most people with lupus actually live quite long lives. I’m sure they will find the right treatment for him,” she puts a hand on his that is resting on the bar. He feels warmth spread over his whole arm and he looks down at his hand.
“Thank you,” he whispers.
That day he paints a sunflower into the foam of her latte.
.
.
.
“Hey, Sasuke-kun, Naruto,” Sakura smiles at them as she plops down on the barstool next to Naruto’s.
Sasuke glances between them, confused, while Naruto greets enthusiastically, “hey Sakura-chan!”
“You two know each other?” Sasuke asks as he wipes some cups dry.
“Yeah, we had this stupid anatomy class together,” Naruto says. “I don’t even know why I needed it. Like obviously I know what a leg or a bicep is.”
Sakura laughs. “I really don’t know how you passed that class.”
“He’s distantly related to the professor,” Sasuke shrugs.
“What!” Sakura exclaims. Sasuke shoots her a look that tells her she’s a bit too loud. “Sorry,” she mumbles and turns to Naruto. “You’re really related to Tsunade-shishou? How did I not know that?”
“We’re not really related. Or, well, I guess not that closely? Like, she’s my mom’s great-great aunt’s something’s something? I don’t even know,” he scratches the back of his neck.
“Yeah, you’re not closely related by you spend every Oumisoka together,” Sasuke points out.
“Okay, now I can kinda see how you passed the test,” Sakura teases Naruto.
“And how do you two know each other anyway?” Naruto asks. He, of course, knows of Sasuke’s little crush on Sakura, being his roommate and best friend and all.
“Sakura comes here for coffee every day.”
“I don’t come that often! Do I?”
“Who could blame you, really? With such a handsome barista, I’d come here every day too if it wasn’t this bastard,” Naruto snickers and rubs the tip of his nose with his index finger.
Sakura blushes deeply and Sasuke can’t seem to avert his gaze from her flushed face. She doesn’t deny nor confirm anything but her silence gives Sasuke some sort of hope that maybe his crush is not as hopeless as he thought it was. Sasuke turns his back to start preparing her usual order, even though she didn’t actually ask for anything yet. He draws an iris on the foam and turns back to give it to her.
The redness to her face has slightly faded, but the highest points of her cheeks are still rosy. Sasuke hands her the cup. “Thanks, Sasuke-kun,” her fingers graze his and it takes a moment too long to take the cup from his hand.
Naruto looks at them suspiciously, eyes narrowed. Then, he exclaims, “hey! How come I didn’t get some fancy art on my coffee!”
“Stop screaming or I’m going to kick you out,” Sasuke hisses at him.
Sakura sips her drink quietly as Naruto chats their ears off with one exaggerated story after the other. As Sasuke prepares drinks while they sit there, Sakura notes that he seems to be doing the same basic leafy design on all of them, instead of the intricate flowers he always seems to be drawing in her foam.
Sakura leaves sometime later, telling them she’s meeting up with a friend to study. She thanks Sasuke for the coffee and says she’ll see them around. Sasuke has noticed the weird looks she keeps shooting at all the cups he’s been handling but doesn’t think much of it.
“You should grow a pair and ask her out,” Naruto tells him as they are walking home.
“Hn.”
“Seriously, teme! I’m, like, totally sure she likes you too,” Naruto pushes.
“Leave me alone,” Sasuke says and put in his earbuds. Naruto has other plans, though, and he yanks them right out.
“Come on, man! Don’t be like that. What is your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem. I just don’t have time for this right now,” Sasuke growls and takes his earphones back, ready to place them in his ears again.
“Don’t have time for this conversation or don’t have time to ask out an amazing girl?” Naruto challenges. “I know you’re on this mission to prove to your father I-don’t-even-know what, but Mikoto-san worries about you. She called me the other week after you left home. She said you were gloomy, which is like your natural state anyway and she’s your mother so for her to say that, you really had to be in a sour mood.”
“Itachi’s ill, how the hell am I supposed to feel?” Sasuke puts his earphones away and sighs frustratedly.
“Yeah, he’s ill, I know. And I’m sorry about that. But he’s your brother, and he loves you and he doesn’t want you to slave away over law books and behind a bar serving people and at home taking care of him. And your mom doesn’t want that either. You’re young, they want you to have fun and live. They aren’t saying you should give up your ambitions, just that you should sometimes take a break. Take a cute, pink-haired girl on a date or something, I don’t know,” Naruto shrugs, pretending to be nonchalant.
Sasuke has half the mind to punch him for meddling. He can’t admit out loud that he is making some sense, though. Eventually, he only says, “hn.”
Naruto grins.
.
.
.
The next day, Sasuke wipes down the tables at the end of his shift. He already took the sign with that day’s specials to the back and put up the closed sign, though the door remains unlocked.
Suddenly he sees a flash of pink dashing down the street and toward the entrance. Sakura spots the closed sign but sees him moving about inside and pushes the door open. She seems kind of surprised that it’s actually open. She shakes her head and steps inside.
“Sakura?” Sasuke straightens from one of the tables and wipes his hands on his jeans. “What are you doing here?”
“A carnation,” she starts but has to stop to take a couple of deep breaths. Sasuke is sure she has been running. “A carnation can symbolize fascination,” she starts again. “Orchids can mean deep admiration, sweet pea is a way of saying thanks, sunflowers mean adoration, intelligence, vitality, loyalty, and irises symbolize hope,” she takes another deep breath.
Sasuke feels like a deer caught in headlights. He never thought she’d actually realize the little messages he’s been sending her. He’s not all that great with words and people aren’t usually all that great at reading him. This is why he mostly keeps to himself. It’s easier. But he didn’t expect this brilliant, annoying girl with hair as pink as her namesake and eyes as green as his favorite sour apples, to take the time to read him, to learn his language.
She takes a few steps closer when he doesn’t reply. Her movement shakes her from his frozen state.
“Aa,” he says.
“Sasuke-kun, do you…,” she bites the inside of her cheek. Her courage only wavers for a moment, though. She takes another step, she’s almost right in front of him. “Do you like me?”
Sasuke gazes into her big, bright eyes and before he realizes it, he says, “aa.”
Sakura’s lips curl into a smile so big, so beautiful, that it mesmerizes Sasuke. She put her hands on his neck, pulling his face towards hers. She is still smiling as she kisses him, and when he puts his arms around her waist, she giggles happily into the kiss. When they pull apart the smile is still etched onto her lips.
“Good. I like you too,” she says.
.
.
.
“Good morning, anata,” Sakura almost sings as she steps into the kitchen where Sasuke is preparing breakfast. “Hmmm, that smells wonderful,” she says and stands behind Sasuke. She wraps her arms around his waist and kisses his left shoulder blade, then rests her cheek against it.
“Are you hungry?” Sasuke asks. He’s made some miso soup, tamagoyaki, and cut-up fruit for dessert.
“Sasuke-kun, you really didn’t have to do all this,” she smiles at him as he faces her.
“You don’t graduate med school every day,” he points out. With the highest scores ever, even surpassing your master,” he pokes her in the forehead and her smile widens.
“Thank you,” she kisses the corner of her mouth.
“Sit down, I’ll make you some coffee.”
Sakura sits and does as she’s told. She keeps complimenting the food because really, Sasuke-kun is such a great cook and she loves breakfast now and she doesn’t know how she managed to live off of cereal or no breakfast at all before meeting him. She talks about the graduation ceremony and how nervous she is that she’s going to trip on the podium, and that she’s nervous about lunch afterward because both of their parents are coming to lunch and their fathers are so different and she can feel a disaster just waiting to happen.
Sasuke places a cup in front of her. She looks down and traces the cup with a delicate finger. “A tulip?” She asks, not looking up.
“Aa,” Sasuke never stopped making her latte art, even after they moved in together, or after he stopped working at the café and took up an apprenticeship at a firm.
She looks up at him, features soft, eyes glistening. “I love you too, anata.”
Sakura’s hand hovers at the door for several seconds for the third time that morning.
It’s less of the fact that Uchiha Sasuke is in her bathroom - naked, showering, flushed all over - and more of the length of the activity - two hours and counting.
“I’m okay,” she hears him say. He probably felt her chakra through the door.
She begrudgingly accepts that her water bill is gonna skyrocket this month. It has been like this since he started crashing in her crib last week, and every time, he takes at least three hours to shower.
The next day, she decides to act. She knocks this time, rather too vehemently, and she hears the water turning off. She finds that she doesn’t need to ask.
Sasuke opens the door, her extra towel hanging precipitously on the dip of his hips. He gestures for her to follow him inside, but before she could blurt out how scandalous it is, he turns his back on her. “Um. Can you?”
Ah, she almost forgets that he has lost his other arm, and everything must be new to him, including the loss of convenience. It must be the heat of the water that’s making him blush when she starts scrubbing his back. His back marred with scars, appearing like intertwining branches. She wishes she could heal them all.
“Sorry, Sakura.”
“I don’t mind.” She starts massaging his scalp, knowing that he can’t deep clean while he’s still adjusting to his disability.
“Still…sorry.”
“Now that you’re quick to apologize, you may work on another thing.” She’s probably echoing his therapist at this point. “Asking for help.”
He winces, and she catches it through the shift in his muscles.
“Because you’re not alone now,” she adds and her breath hitches at the thought that she might have been wearing her heart a little low on her sleeve.
And when he turns to look at her, his face so close to hers, their breaths fogging under the warm water, she gets even more dizzy. “It’s nice, being taken care of.” He tucks a stray strand behind her ear. “You want me to help you shower?”
He’s innocent, he doesn’t get the implications of it. So she does the courtesy and bolts right out of her own shower, beet-faced and hot all over. “Ah you’re such a tease, Sasuke-kun!”
Him coming over to a Rookie 9 dinner is the most understated awkward encounter of his whole life yet. It was either listlessly learning how to chop with one hand to make an edible meal or a buffet, so naturally he chose the latter. He’d also rather do away with the insistence of the dobe, and plus, he’d have to eventually cave in under Sakura’s silent prodding.
He wouldn’t have noticed the first time, but he found his eyes lingering on her features, the seconds becoming longer at every encounter. As if he can’t look away.
And he does this now while the rest of the Rookie 9 alternate between cajoling Hinata and Naruto, and hyping up Ino and Sakura’s karaoke skills. At one point, a tipsy Sakura pulls out the mic out of the plug, the music disappearing, and her offkey note echoing in the room.
A half laughter comes out of Sasuke, and he quickly composes himself. Suddenly self-aware, he realizes several pairs of eyes on him.
“He looks a lot more human now.” Shikamaru smirks.
“Not gonna lie, it makes him more handsome.” Tenten shrugs and downs the shot glass.
“Didn’t think I’d see the day,” Kiba mutters to himself.
“What? What did everyone see?” Naruto asks Hinata, but she can only beam in discovery.
Now’s a good time to escape, but Sasuke’s rooted in place with Sakura’s stare - like she has seen what they all saw a while ago. He blinks once, twice, thrice, her eyes still trained on him, and he feels like falling.
Microphone feedback saves him, and Ino pulls Sakura to the center again to sing.
His breath hitches. Now, she’s also taking his breath away.
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