i'll be updating this list whenever i upload a new fic
one-shots
prime years –
Summary: Sasuke and Sakura in their prime.
[Non-massacre, childhood friends(ish) AU]
Rated: T
Word count: 10,460
Status: Complete
Links: AO3, ff.net
coffee confessions –
Summary: Sasuke is a barista and Sakura is his most annoying, most beautiful customer. He leaves secret messages in her latte art.
[college/university/café AU, written for NrtCCWeek22 day 1, prompt: floriography/language of flowers]
Rated: K
Word count: 4,975
Status: Complete
Links: AO3, ff.net, tumblr
share my name... forever –
Summary: In which Sakura sees her new name for the first time.
[written for SasuSaku Month 22 Day 1: Passports, modern AU, no plot just pure fluff]
Rated: T
Word count: 1,589
Status: Complete
Links: AO3, ff.net, tumblr
look at me, love –
Summary: Because Sasuke’s eyes never really leave her form – they never have – his focus on her is soft, but forever constant.
Rated: K
Word count: 3,196
Status: Complete
Links: AO3, ff.net, tumblr
these ancient canopies –
Summary: i have been listening to euclid by sleep token on repeat and somehow this is the result
Rated: M
Word count: 1,249
Links: tumblr, ao3, ff.net
multi-chaps
and slowly we learn each other –
Summary: With the distance of years already between them, and more separation yet to come, Sasuke and Sakura try to figure out where they stand. And more importantly where they are going. This is a story of how they slowly, but surely, relearn each other.
Rated: T
Word count: 51,039
Status: On-going
Links: AO3, ff.net
drabbles/drabble series
uchiha sasuke falls in love: in five acts –
Summary: five-part drabble series, five things sasuke loves about sakura
Rated: K
Word count: 781
Status: On-going
Links: tumblr, ao3, ff.net
summary: i have been listening to euclid by sleep token on repeat and somehow this is the result
excerpt: she turns to him, lifts her hand, caresses his cheek
he feels like dying right then and there
he knows damn well this might just be the very last time
he knows she will not be his
i have been listening to euclid by sleep token on repeat and somehow this is the result
the gravel cracks and hisses under his shoes as sasuke slip behind the supply tent and makes his way to the trees that lead to the edge of their encampment
he’s gone down this road many a times before but tonight feels different
his head feels heavy and his heart heavier still
seven years he’s been fighting this war
and he was tired
as much as he enjoyed the ritual of gearing up for battle, carefully wrapping his forearms and sliding on the plates, putting on his obi, sliding his two favorite katanas into their sayas…
he was getting exhausted
the first year on the battlefield flew by
he killed and he slaughtered and he buried his enemies in the dust
he cleaned his weapons carefully, meticulously each night
he ate with the others but did not say much
he rose early and went to a nearby field to practice his kata
he sat on sturdy boughs and meditated afterwards, trying to attune to his surroundings, sharpen his senses
he got back to camp just as the sun began to ascend
he listened to the others bitch about one thing or the other
and boast about a babe they pulled in a village nearby when they got the chance to leave the encampment
he rolled his eyes and remained silent
he was focused on his task
not just winning the battles
but winning the war
one year turned into two into three
he still rose early and he still went to train alone in his favorite field
it was surrounded by tall pines
their trunks scattered with scars from his blades, bark chipped away by the bite of shuriken
he heard the soft fall of footsteps one day as he was meditating after another grueling workout
it was a shinobi, no doubt about it
their footfall was ever so silent, graceful and barely there
he readied his blade
a girl in civilian clothes with a basket in her hands appeared from beneath the canopy of the trees
she had pink hair
how unusual
sasuke lowered his blade, studying the girl but she vanished the next moment
sasuke felt an arm around his neck
careful with those blades, a voice whispered in his ear, you might hurt yourself… or worse, others
sasuke pushed off from the branch he had been crouching on, drawing the girl with him
they disentangled during the fall, both landing swiftly on their feet
she’s not a civilian then, he thought
he drew his blade up, eying her from above his raised arm
she must have dropped her basket somewhere along the way
she just stood there
hands empty
unguarded
yet her eyes were fierce
sasuke is headed toward the same field now, he can feel and anxious anticipation in his bones, on the inside burning
she’s there, laying in the grass when he gets there
sakura, he whispers
she doesn’t turn her head but he can hear her sighing contentedly
and it breaks his heart
he approaches her slowly, like a predator does its prey
or maybe it’s just the habit of the shinobi
always in the shadows
always silent
always distant
he lays down beside her and she hums in approval
hey, sasuke-kun
he turns his head, looks at her
in the low light the pink of her hair is muted, the sharpness of her eyes almost undetectable
the familiar slope of her nose he’s traced so many times now with his own
the apples of her cheeks have decreased in the time since they’ve known each other, she has perhaps grown slimmer too
matured, battered, exhausted, beautiful
she turns her head and smiles at him sadly
they both know what’s coming tomorrow
they both wish they could put it off for as long as possible
but this is all they have
now
he gets to his feet, takes her hands and pulls her up
she follows most obligingly, holding tightly onto him
they disappear amongst the trees, taking a familiar route
it could be pitch black and they would still find their way
always
anytime
the little hut stands as it always has, a little crooked, a little dusty, a little weary
a little perfect
he opens the door and lets her in first, closing in after himself
she turns to him, lifts her hand, caresses his cheek
he feels like dying right then and there
he knows damn well this might just be the very last time
he knows she will not be his
not fully, not like he wants her to
but as long as he has this night
she might just be thinking the same thing because the next moment her hand shifts to the back of his neck and she pulls him in forcefully, crashing their lips together
he sighs and she opens her mouth to his
he finds his arms winding around her waist, one of his hands tracing her spine, all the way to her scalp, his fingers entangle in her hair, he pulls it slightly
she whimpers
it sounds like the three words they have yearned to tell each other these past years but never dared
he kisses her deeper
her hands slide down his chest, her nails scratching slightly over the fabric of his shirt
it lights his skin ablaze and he wants more
he pushes her against a wooden pillar and she lifts his shirt over his head
he kisses her again as soon as the fabric is out of the way
her hands trail up and down his abdomen once more, soon followed by her lips
he sighs, frustrated, content, broken
he stops her descent, grabs her face harshly and kisses her
and kisses and kisses and kisses her
he wishes tomorrow would never come
it’s her turn to push him back now against an old table
it creaks at the rough contact
they don’t seem to notice
his hands find her behind and pull her closer still
he aches
for her
for a tomorrow they’ll never share
his hands find the hem of her top and he starts lifting
they are on the futon now, he’s trailing kisses up her leg and she’s squirming impatiently
she flips them over, she cannot wait any longer
with her hands on his chest, she lowers herself onto him and a primal sound leaves their lips in perfect harmony
they stay like that for a moment
he can see she’s fighting tears and he has a hard time pretending like he’s disconnected from all this
she leans forward, looks deep into his eyes and starts moving, slowly, like they have all the time in the world
but they don’t
and the truth of that hurts more than either of them would dare admit
he uses his hands to guide her movements
it feels heavenly
and he thinks if this is the only time he’ll encounter divinity
it is well worth it
a tear lands on his cheek
he flips them over, her legs lock around his hips, he kisses her hard
all my nights belong to you, he whispers
they both know it to be a lie
nothing of his would ever belong to her again
soon they will have to leave
go back to their camps
they will get up before dawn
sharpen their weapons, prepare their pouches
secure their armor
and face each other for what might be the last time
i wrote for the first time today in months and i absolutely hate how it turned out and it will never see the light of day lol but hey at least i wrote something!! hopefully i’ll get back into the groove soon
hello loves i know it's been a year but chapter thirteen is now here and i'm so sorry
Summary: With the distance of years already between them, and more separation yet to come, Sasuke and Sakura try to figure out where they stand. And more importantly where they are going. This is a story of how they slowly, but surely, relearn each other.
Send me a number and I’ll write a micro story using the word or phrase
(creator note: I recommend 3-10 sentences but go for a longer piece if you really feel it! Replace pronouns as needed for the character / point of view)
summary: five-part drabble series, five things sasuke loves about sakura
chapter one: act one: resilient
excerpt: Sasuke had always known that Sakura was nothing short of resilient, sometimes even foolishly stubborn. She had always had a tendency to push forward, to never get discouraged. No matter what life (no matter what he) threw her way.
pairing: SasuSaku
word count: 781
rated: K
a/n: this is going to be a five part drabble series abt all the things sasuke loves about sakura, hopefully this will cure my writer's block and i can go back to continuing and slowly we learn each other
act one: resilient
Sasuke had always known that Sakura was nothing short of resilient, sometimes even foolishly stubborn. She had always had a tendency to push forward, to never get discouraged. No matter what life (no matter what he) threw her way.
The first time he realized just how tough she truly could be was perhaps in the Forest of Death. When he had come to, he saw her beaten and bruised, hair chopped off and yet, she was still trying to stand her ground. Kunai shaking in her thin arms and legs trembling beneath her. She pushed forward.
Sasuke didn’t have a clue what he felt at the sight, he only felt the blood in his veins boiling and his feet quickly moving across the clearing. The next thing he knew, he was breaking both arms of an Oto-nin and as he turned to his next victim, he felt weak arms wrapping firmly around his frame. He felt tears soak through his shirt. He felt the uneven hollowing and filling of a chest with oxygen against his back.
He knew she was resilient, when he saw her for the first time after he had abandoned his home village. The fragile girl with eyes too wide and mouth too loud was no more. Before him stood a strong young woman. He could see the muscles rippling under the soft skin of her arms, and beneath the tight shorts she wore. Her eyes were the same bright, devastating, vivid green he’d remembered them to be. But where they had used to be soft, they were now sharp and analytical, narrowed instead of wide in wonderment.
(sasuke quite missed the light of admiration from them)
When he finally got to see her full potential, what she’d been able to achieve through her persistent nature, Sasuke found it quite amusing that it was him with wide eyes, twinkling with bewilderment. He had, of course, known that she was strong. He had heard that she had defeated a member of the Akatsuki, after all. But to see her in action was a completely different story. He watched as he created a hole, the size of a house, in the ground with just her bare fist. The memory of those same fists holding tightly onto his shirt as her arms had trembled around him quickly flashed through his mind.
He truly did admire her strength to overcome whatever hardships she had to encounter. To never give up even when there was no hope to be had, no sign of things getting better or working out.
(she still found a way to make things work)
She refused to give up on him, when he left her for revenge. She waited for him, when he left her for redemption.
(he loved her for it)
And that is precisely why Sasuke does not believe his ears when he hears the words leave her mouth.
“I give up,” she huffs, frustrated.
He raises a silent, somewhat challenging eyebrow at her.
“Don’t give me that look, Sasuke-kun! I don’t understand how you can do this. You have all my infinite respect though.” She stands up to wash her hands at the sink and Sasuke cannot help the snort that escapes him.
Soft yet sharp green eyes pierce his gaze and he considers taking up a defensive stance. But there is no real malice behind the brightness of her irises. She wipes her hands on her shorts and plops back down across him.
“I never took you for a quitter,” Sasuke says, teasing softly.
Sakura splutters. “I am not a quitter! You take that back, right now, Uchiha Sasuke!”
“Hn,” he hums, eyes carefully trained on his task. “Then do tell me, Uchiha Sakura, how come I can make dumplings with one hand and you give up after one failed attempt?”
Sakura looks at him with her mouth wide open in disbelief. He smirks as she moves her to say something a few times before she eventually just closes it. She narrows her eyes at him and he knows he’s got her. He raises a prompting eyebrow at his wife and she mirrors his expression.
She cracks her knuckles and stretches her arms before readjusting her ponytail. Sasuke watches as she carefully takes in all the dumplings he’s made as well as her own poor attempt at one. She squints her eyes, the way she does when she makes potions and poisons, as she analyzes Sasuke’s creations.
She straightens her back and levels him with a determined gaze and a cocky smile.
“You’re on, Uchiha.”
(in the end she manages to make one proper dumpling) (sasuke eats it with all the pride in the world)
A recent search for a specific type of site to help me build new characters led me down a rabbit hole. Normally, that would make me much less productive, but I have found a treasure trove of websites for writers.
Bring Characters/Places to Life
There are a few different places you can use to create a picture of something entirely new. I love this site for making character pictures as references, instead of stock photos or whatever pops up on Google Images.
thispersondoesnotexist: every time you reload the page, this site generates a headshot of someone who doesn't exist. This is great if you're thinking about a character's personality or age and don't have specifics for their facial features yet.
Night Cafe: this is an AI art generator that takes your text prompt and generates an image for it. I tried it for various scenery, like "forest" or "cottage." It takes a minute for your requested photo to load, but no more than maybe five for the program to finish the picture.
Art Breeder: this website has endless images of people, places, and general things. Users can blend photos to create something new and curious visitors can browse/download those images without creating an account. (But if you do want to make an account to create your own, it's free!)
Find Random Places on Earth
You might prefer to set a story in a real-life environment so you can reference that place's weather, seasons, small-town vibe, or whatever you like. If that's the case, try:
MapCrunch: the homepage generates a new location each day and gives the location/GPS info in the top left of the screen. To see more images from previous days, hit "Gallery" in the top left.
Atlas Obscura: hover over or tap the "Places" tab, then hit "Random Place." A new page will load with a randomly generated location on the planet, provide a Google Maps link, and tell you a little bit about the place.
Random World Cities: this site makes randomly selected lists of global cities. Six appear for each search, although you'll have to look them up to find more information about each place. You can also use the site to have it select countries, US cities or US states too.
Vary Your Wording
Thesauruses are great, but these websites have some pretty cool perspectives on finding just the right words for stories.
Describing Words: tell this website which word you want to stop repeating and it will give you tons of alternative words that mean the same thing. It typically has way more options than other sites I use.
Reverse Dictionary: type what you need a word for in Reverse Dictionary's search box and it will give you tons of words that closely match what you want. It also lists the words in order of relevancy, starting with a word that most accurately describes what you typed. (There's also an option to get definitions for search results!)
Tip of My Tongue: this website is phenomenal. It lets you search for that word you can't quite place by a letter in it, the definition, what it sounds like, or even its scrambled letters. A long list of potential options will appear on the right side of the screen for every search.
---
Hope this helps when you need a hand during next writing session 💛
Summary: Because Sasuke's eyes never really leave her form – they never have – his focus on her is soft, but forever constant.
Word count: 3,196
Rated: K
Excerpt: Naruto looks back at Sasuke and he’s still watching as Sakura demolishes any and all enemy forces coming their way. He thinks he sees that same look on Sasuke’s face that he saw all those years ago at the beginning of the Chuunin Exams.
Kakashi thinks he sees something akin to protectiveness in Sasuke’s usual glare during their run-in with the Kiri-nin. As soon as Sakura steps in front of Tazuna, kunai raised, Sasuke’s gaze is trained on her. When the two chuunins inevitably attack the bridge builder, and in the process head directly toward Sakura, Sasuke is in front of her within a heartbeat.
Kakashi smirks under his mask before capturing the two enemies before any of his team could get hurt. Sakura is blushing once she realizes that Sasuke-kun just protected her and Sasuke is back to acting as disinterested as ever. Then, Kakashi notices the wide gash on Naruto’s hand and sighs tiredly.
He sees it again, more in his movements then his eyes now. He instinctively moves in a way that he’s close enough to the girl if she needs to be protected. Kakashi wonders if it is because he sees her as his inferior, a weak being that needs protection, or because he is starting to care about his comrades more and more with each mission. He doesn’t have long to ponder, as Zabuza launches a new attack on him and he has to lure him away from the old man and the children.
.
.
.
When they enter the academy there is some sort of commotion – a fight! – happening. Naruto is about to urge his teammates to get closer to the action when he notices it. Sasuke is looking at Sakura with scrutiny. Naruto is used to seeing Sakura glance every so often at the raven-haired boy, only to be promptly ignored by him. He, however, has never noticed Sasuke looking at her. Sasuke averts his gaze without saying anything and Naruto decides to stay quiet as well – for now.
They approach what appears to be a smaller fight. Two guys don’t want to let them through, saying that being a chuunin with all its responsibilities is not something they can handle. They say they are just trying to spare the weaklings, to weed out the losers. Naruto is about the give them a piece of his mind, when Sasuke speaks up first.
“That’s nice and all…” he starts in a low tone, “but you still better let me through. And drop the genjutsu while you’re at it.” Naruto looks at his teammate with furrowed eyebrows and he listens as the small crowd around them starts murmuring. Many wonder what he is talking about, Naruto himself included.
One of the guys standing in front of the door smirked. “So you figured it out, huh?”
“It wasn’t hard to, right, Sakura?” Naruto’s eyes narrow into concentrated, suspicious slits. “With your analytical skills and knack for understanding and sensing genjutsu.” Sasuke smirks ever so slightly and Naruto’s lips purse as he wonders when Sasuke started handing out kind words, it surely was not like the teme to do so. Maybe this is part of the genjutsu, he thinks when Sakura speaks up.
“That’s right!” A pale blush is gracing her cheeks and her smile is bright as she glances at Sasuke. A determined look takes over though, as she looks back at the gatekeepers. “We’re quite obviously still on the second floor.”
“Well,” one of the guys says, “figuring it out isn’t enough to get through.” The other one dispels the genjutsu just as Sasuke gets ready to attack.
Naruto pays more attention to the looks Sasuke gives their female teammate from then on.
.
.
.
They are in the Forest of Death when Ino first sees it. The icy glare of the Uchiha wavering for a miniscule moment. She is too terrified of the marks racing over, covering his skin to pay it too much mind, though. He glares at the altercation in front of him, eyes aflame even without the sharingan activated.
He looks at the Oto shinobi and Ino is really glad she is not one of them. His eyes dart over to Sakura’s form, bruised and battered, hair chopped messily and Ino thinks that for a second, as his eyes focus on the details of her beaten up, shaken form, that the edges of his eyes soften. But just as soon as she sees it, it’s gone and he asks in a threateningly low voice, “Sakura, who did this to you?”
Ino is too terrified of what transpires next and she has to tightly shut her eyes when Sasuke breaks both arms of one of the Oto-nin. She shudders at the sound of bones cracking and almost forgets about the look she thought she’d seen in his eyes. But it’s there again, when Sakura finally gathers herself and runs to Sasuke, hugging him tightly from behind. Ino can see the rage slowly dissipate from his body, even the markings on his skin are starting to disappear as Sakura begs him to stop.
“Please, Sasuke-kun,” she cries. Ino sees Sasuke close his eyes, and when he opens them and looks over his shoulder at his teammate, she sees the tenderness there again. Ino’s crush on the boy ends that day, for more than one reason.
.
.
.
Naruto doesn’t know what exactly happened while he was unconscious in the Forest of Death, but he knows his teammates are keeping something from him. He sees it in Sasuke’s pointed glares toward Sakura when it looks like she’s about to say something. His gaze is always sharp, but never threatening toward the girl.
When Naruto sees Sasuke grab Sakura’s wrist and hold it firmly as he harshly whispers something, he thinks that maybe he imagined that look before the chuunin exams started. But then he realizes he’s still holding onto her arm long after Sakura stopped struggling against his grasp. He doesn’t see the Uchiha’s eyes but somehow, Naruto knows that the look was real and it’s there again.
.
.
.
Sakura doesn’t get to participate in the final round of the Chuunin Exams but she is beyond proud of her boys. She hasn’t seen much of them after the preliminaries, both of them busy training for the real thing. She sits down in her seat next to Ino, exited to see how her comrades will do against the other villages’ shinobi in the final rounds.
Sasuke’s fight is coming up with the scary Suna-nin with the gourd and forehead tattoo and Sakura can’t help but swallow nervously. She heard that he went through the Forest of Death without a scratch – and in record time! She knows Sasuke is strong, smart and talented, but she still feels nervous beads of sweat forming in her palms and on the back of her neck.
The fight quickly escalates and Sakura has the feeling that there is something larger at work here and her suspicions prove to be true when all of a sudden Sasuke’s match leaves the arena. She can feel her skin tingling and dispels the genjutsu, looking around, completely alert.
Soon she finds herself rushing after Sasuke and Gaara with Pakkun, Naruto and Shikamaru.
.
.
.
They can see trees swaying, some falling, and huge clouds of dust as they near the fight. As they approach, they can hear the sound of a thousand birds chirping, loud thuds and cracking of branches. Naruto glances at Sakura and he can see the anxiety clearly reflected in her clean, green orbs.
They can hear the clashing and when they arrive, Sasuke is lying on a branch, a weird sand creature is on another, getting ready to attack. Naruto is quick to jump into action, kicking the sand guy far away from Sasuke, while Sakura lands next to Sasuke’s trembling body. Naruto notes the weird marks covering Sasuke’s left side but doesn’t have time to dwell on it. Sakura is there to take care of him, Naruto has to stop the creature first and protect his friends, his village.
“Um, Sakura-chan?” he asks as the sand monster slowly gathers himself. “Who is that?”
“He may appear different but,” Pakkun grumbles, “that’s still the guy Sasuke was fighting in the arena.”
“What?!” Naruto’s jaw drops. He looks back just in time to see Gaara rushing toward them.
It is the fight of Naruto’s life. He’s never had to fight like this to protect the people precious to him, his teammates. Sakura gets captured in a sand trap early in the fight and Sasuke exhausted most of his chakra already in the arena fight and then chasing after Gaara.
“You have to,” Sasuke heaves, “protect her, Naruto.” There it was, that look in his eyes as they focused on Sakura’s unconscious form, just for a second. By the time he looks back at Naruto, it’s gone. “Promise me you’ll protect her.”
Naruto gulps and nods. “I’ll protect both of you,” he vows. I’ll protect everyone.
.
.
.
Sasuke leaves the village and Naruto fails to bring him back. There are no traces of the softness in his eyes when Naruto fights him at the Valley of the End.
When he wakes in the hospital and Sakura is there by his side, his heart clenches. She doesn’t notice him come to right away, so he has a few moments to observe her. Her eyes are glassy and the green isn’t as lively as it used to be not long ago. They are puffy and red all around and her skin is pale, almost ashen.
She notices that he’s awake and plasters a smile on her face, that almost reaches her eyes. But Naruto has seen her smile a thousand times now and he knows that she’s hurting. He knows it because her dimples aren’t showing and her eyes aren’t creasing ever so slightly in the corners and her bottom teeth are not showing like they do when she can’t contain her happiness. He knows it because he’s hurting too.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring him back,” he rasps. “But next time, I will.”
Sakura’s eyes glaze over and she looks out the window. A new kind of haze settles over her gaze as it focuses on something. Naruto follows her line of sight out the window and sees the village gates.
.
.
.
Naruto’s back in the village and Sakura almost crushes him when she hugs him upon his arrival.
“Naruto!” she beams at him brightly, dimples and bottom teeth showing, eyes creasing. Naruto thinks that she’s most beautiful like this.
“Wow, Sakura-chan! Careful!” he warns. “You’re going to snap me in two,” he says, rubbing his side.
.
.
.
Team Kakashi is on their way to one of Orochimaru’s hideouts. Sakura’s eyes are determined, hard around the edges and Naruto realizes just how much she’s changed, how much she’s grown. She looks straight ahead, eyes never wavering, the only giveaway that she’s nervous are her cracked lips from all the biting. Her dimples are none existent and the only time her eyes crease is when she squints to see what’s ahead.
Naruto thinks he always loves Sakura but he’ll always prefer the happy gleam in her eyes to the firm haze that’s in them right now.
.
.
.
They find Sasuke. He is gazing down at them from above the ruins of the underground hideout. He looks at Sakura only for a moment but Naruto sees it all the same. The brief change in his eyes. The dilation of his pupils for a split second, how the blacks of his irises almost seem dark charcoal. But it’s gone as soon as it came and his eyes harden, darken as they settle over Naruto and their new teammate, Sai.
.
.
.
Karin may be blindly in love but she is not blind. She also pays closer attention to Sasuke than most things. She knows the way he carries himself, proudly – almost smugly, really. She knows that his eyes are unreadable most of the time, and even if you can detect any emotion in them, it is anger, fury, rage. She knows the way he walks, the way he inhales and exhales, the way his fingers twitch before he reaches for his katana and the way they twitch before he readies his fist to throw a punch. She knows the way he lands on his feet and the way he raises – gracefully, magnificently. She knows the way he laughs menacingly as he spirals into insanity upon losing his brother, and she knows the way the last embers of fire die out in his gaze after he loses everything.
Karin, however, does not know the look that’s in his eyes right now. His old teammate, a loud girl with annoyingly pink hair and unbelievably green eyes stands in front of them. Karin sees Sasuke’s eyes change. She’s used to seeing it flash from their usual onyx to a searing vermilion but she’s never seen them go from… a blank, bottomless black to a deep charcoal. She’s never seen Sasuke’s pupil dilate, in fact, his eyes have never seemed light enough to tell where his pupils ended and his irises began.
He regains control of his emotions, if there’s any left in him other than rage and grief, and a deep, deep desire for revenge and the look is gone. Karin isn’t sure if she really saw it or just imagined it because of chakra depletion and blood loss. When Sasuke tells the pinkette that she can replace Karin if she kills her, Karin is sure that she must have imagined it, that it was just her brain playing sick games with her in her last moments.
She passes out and when she wakes, she is imprisoned in Konoha. She wonders if the girl went with Sasuke or if maybe he killed her. She’s sure she didn’t kill Sasuke, not with the tremble in her otherwise determined voice, not with the clear love written across her bright eyes, not with the heartbreak evident in her broken smile.
Karin wonders… if perhaps the look in Sasuke’s eye was real… if maybe it will be this girl that finally reaches him, that manages to pull him out of the bottomless pit of despair and grief he fell into, if maybe she’ll be able to stop him before he destroys himself and everything around him.
.
.
.
Everyone with eyes can see it. Sakura crushes half the White Zetsu army to dust and the earth opens up underneath her fist, swallowing the other half of the amry. Uchiha Sasuke smirks. He tries to hide it with an arm, but he’s a second too late. Kakashi sees it and thinks that there may be hope still for his former student. For the boy who lost too much at too young an age. Naruto sees it too and all he can think about is that he might just get his best friend back.
He looks at Sakura, and she doesn’t seem to have noticed the smug pride that graced the Uchiha’s lips, but Naruto beams in her direction as she kicks an enemy so hard, they split in half. She doesn’t know it yet, but maybe she will have what she’s always dreamed about, they might save Sasuke yet. They might bring him home.
Naruto looks back at Sasuke and he’s still watching as Sakura demolishes any and all enemy forces coming their way. He thinks he sees that same look on Sasuke’s face that he saw all those years ago at the beginning of the Chuunin Exams. Team 7 is back in action! Finally!
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Kakashi sees it clear as day now. The boy might have lost an arm in the process, but along with it disappeared all the rage and fury and grief bottled up in that tattered heart of his. It is clearer now than it ever has been before. As he looks up at the girl who is trying tirelessly to save his life.
“I’m sorry,” he says quietly, “for everything up until now.”
He is fighting to stay conscious, just so he may look at her longer. Her cheeks may be strained with the dirt of the battle field, streaked with old tears as new ones form in her eyes. Her clothes may be ripped and her hair may be a mess but… Oh, yes, Kakashi can see it clearly in Sasuke’s eyes.
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He doesn’t say it but Sakura knows. When she wakes up, she always finds charcoal eyes tracing the lines of her face. Every once in a while, there’s a hint of fiery red in them. When she comes home from a mission those same eyes wait for her at the gates and she swears they shine brighter than the morning sun as two calloused fingers touch her forehead. They are the same eyes that snap open when Sasuke’s had a nightmare and look for her own irises for comfort, always softening and glazing over when their owner realizes that she is there.
She knows it from the amused crinkle at the corners of his eyes when she’s made a fool of herself. She knows it from the worried mist when he scrutinizes her after she’s been injured. She knows it from the way the right one glows red in the dark when they are making love.
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“Papa?” Sasuke hears his daughter speak. His gaze has been focused on Sakura for a while now. She’s been going from stall to stall, chatting with the vendors, laughing and buying this and that. Sasuke stands with Sarada to the side, holding an already full basket in his hand, while Sarada clutches his empty sleeve on his other side.
“Yes?” he asks, eyes still trailing after his wife.
“Why do you always look at Mama like that?”
Sasuke furrows his brows and finally, slowly averts his gaze from Sakura to look down at his daughter. “Like what?”
“Not like this. But like you were a second ago,” Sarada responds. “Like,” she struggles to find the right words.
“Like?” Sasuke prompts.
“Like her patients’ families look at her when they saved their lives and like when Boruto looks at Naruto-oji-chan when he sees him use the Kyuubi’s powers flawlessly and like Baba looks at Jiji when he cleans up the whole house when she has to stay late at work and like Ino-oba-chan looks at Sai-oji-chan right before they slam the door behind Inojin and like Mikoto-obaa-chan looks at Fugaku-ojii-san in that photo in our living room? But like all of these looks combinated all together?”
Sasuke has never been a man of many words but he finds it especially hard to come up with the right words now. So he opts to correct his daughter’s grammar instead. “Combined. Combinated in not a word.”
“Papa,” Sarada sighs, exasperated, in a way only a five-year-old can be. “Why do you look at Mama like you never want to look away?”
Sasuke’s eyes focus on his wife again as he sees her heading towards them. He knows what Sarada was talking about, of course. Even he can feel the hard edges and wrinkles around his eyes smoothing out as his gaze fixes on Sakura’s blinding smile, all teeth and dimples and crinkles eyes.
“Because she is precious to me,” he finally says.
Sarada may not have awakened her sharingan yet but even she can see that no man looks at a woman quite the way her Papa looks at her Mama.
Summary: in which Sakura sees her new name for the first time
Word count: 1,595
Rated: T
Excerpt: It is a spur-of-the-moment decision. Sakura calls Sasuke during her lunch break and tells him that she doesn’t want to wait anymore. That she doesn’t care about distant cousins and aunts that Sasuke’s never even met before. She doesn’t care about flower arrangements and multiple-tier cakes, about flower girls and first dances. She just wants to put the ring on his finger and for him to put the matching one on hers, the one that will accompany the small diamond set in a white gold band, wrapped around her finger.
SasuSaku Month 22 Day 1: Passports
Word count: 1,595
Rated: T
a/n: there literally is no plot it is pure nauseating fluff bc i just want to see my babies happy always and forever u have been warned ok thank u so much for reading <3
They don’t have a big wedding. Or any at all, really. It’s just them and Naruto and Ino and an officiant in an office after work on a sunny September afternoon. Sasuke is wearing the same suit he wore to work that day and Sakura is in a flowy dress she changed into from her scrubs. Her hair is in a messy bun on top of her head and she slightly smells of antiseptic – along with Ino.
It is a spur-of-the-moment decision. Sakura calls Sasuke during her lunch break and tells him that she doesn’t want to wait anymore. That she doesn’t care about distant cousins and aunts that Sasuke’s never even met before. She doesn’t care about flower arrangements and multiple-tier cakes, about flower girls and first dances. She just wants to put the ring on his finger and for him to put the matching one on hers, the one that will accompany the small diamond set in a white gold band, wrapped around her finger.
He says he’ll call her right back and Sakura is worried for all of fifteen minutes when Sasuke calls her back and tells her he’s secured an appointment for them at the courthouse at 4:30 that afternoon. He can hear her beaming through the phone as she mutters an “okay,” sounding breathless. He says he’ll get her and Ino at four and hangs up.
Sakura scrambles to her feet and sprints out of the cafeteria to find Ino. She doesn’t care if doctors and nurses and patients alike stare at her with wide eyes. She finds Ino at reception and grabs her by the hand to her office. The blonde is confused but doesn’t protest and when they are in the privacy of Sakura’s office walls, she asks her best friend to be her maid of honor. Ino squeals and cries and hugs Sakura so tight as she says yes.
They wait outside the hospital’s entrance for Sasuke to pick them up. When he arrives, he gets out of the car, a beautiful bouquet in hand. Sakura has the urge to just tackle him right then and there but knows how much he hates public displays of affection. So she refrains herself and takes the flowers from his hand, giving him the brightest smile he’s ever seen. Ino rolls her eyes and tells them to get a grip and get going or they will be late.
Naruto is waiting for them in the courthouse’s parking lot, his mouth stretched in a wide grin. “It’s about damn time, teme,” he says, clapping Sasuke on the back.
“Shut up, dobe,” Sasuke mutters but his voice is too soft, too happy, to really affect Naruto so he just snickers in response and turns to Sakura.
“You ready to spend the rest of your life with this gloomy bastard?” Naruto hugs her.
Sakura laughs. “I’ve been ready.”
“Well, let’s go on then,” Ino says.
Afterward, they have ice cream – except for Sasuke, who sips on his coffee with a content uptilt of his lips. Sakura exchanged glances with him every so often and despite being married now, she blushes at the tenderness in his gaze. When Naruto asks them about their honeymoon plans for the third time and neither of them notices – too busy looking at each other, at the identical rings around their fingers –, Naruto stands up and motions for Ino to get going as well. Sakura snaps her head toward them at the sound of the chair scraping against the floor.
“Where are you guys going?” she asks.
“I think we’ve stolen enough of the happy newly-weds’ time. We’ll leave you two alone to enjoy each other.” Ino winks.
Sakura blushes but doesn’t avert her eyes. She says goodbye and hugs her two best friends.
“We should get going, I suppose,” Sasuke says, standing beside her. He fishes for some money in his pocket and leaves it on the table before pushing Sakura by the small of her back to the exit.
They barely make it into the living room before Sakura’s dress is discarded and she’s accidentally ripped Sasuke’s shirt. He kicks the coffee table but Sakura swallows his curses with a searing kiss. She hits her thigh on a dresser but Sasuke kisses it all better for her. They fall into bed all hot and entangled in each other and in love. She is drunk on his kisses and he is high on the gentle caress of her fingers.
I love you, I love you, I love you, she keeps declaring whenever their eyes lock. I love you so much, he murmurs against the goosebumps covering her neck. So, so much, he tenderly kisses the slight curve of her stomach.
They don’t leave the bed until she has to get ready for her shift the following afternoon. Even then, it is hard to say goodbye to those beautiful, dark eyes and slight curve of lips. Nothing really changed and yet, everything seems so much better, so much brighter.
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“Sasuke-kun?” Sakura calls from the living room. He’s making her a snack in the kitchen. Cutting up refrigerated apples, tomatoes, and some pickles on the side. Her latest cravings.
“Yes?” He handed her the plate.
“Ah, thank you.” Her eyes light up with a hunger he’s never seen before and she starts shoveling the contents of the plate into her mouth. “Just what I needed!” she exclaims. Sasuke takes her feet into his lap and starts massaging them. A satisfied smirk tugs his lips when he hears her moan slightly.
“What did you want?” Sasuke asks when the plate is almost empty.
“I was wondering when we were going to go on our honeymoon?” she looks up from the now-empty plate, munching slowly on the last piece of apple. “We won’t have long before this little lady arrives,” she says, pointing to her slowly, but surely showing bump.
“We’ve only been married a week,” Sasuke responds as if that is an actual answer to her question. “And you’re not even four months along, she’s not coming any time soon.”
“Well,” – she flails her arms, reminding him of a frustrated child – “still! I might not be able to fly later on in my pregnancy. We haven’t even decided where to go!” she whines.
“Fine,” he sighs. “Where do you want to go?”
“Belgium,” Sakura answers instantly.
Sasuke frowns. “Belgium? How the hell did you come up with Belgium?”
Sakura looks down sheepishly at her hands and they caress her stomach. “I’ve… I’ve been craving authentic Belgian waffles.” She looks up at him with guilty eyes, head still hanging lowly, biting her lip the way she knows he loves. And Sasuke can’t help the incredulous laughter that bubbles in his chest and escapes his lips. Sakura lifts her head fully at the sound of his rare, melodious laugh and beams at him as he gives her feet a squeeze before dropping them.
Sasuke grabs the sides of her neck and pulls her in for a kiss before getting off the couch. Sakura looks after him, dazed by the kiss and confused by his sudden departure. He returns a moment later with his laptop in hand and when he plops down next to her, an airline’s website is already open in his browser. Sasuke is about to book their tickets when they realize that Sakura’s passport has expired.
He can see the panic in her eyes and assures her that they’ll go to get it renewed first thing in the morning. When she reminds him that they have a doctor’s appointment in the morning, he says that they’ll go and get it renewed second thing in the morning. She smiles and leans her head on his shoulder. He presses a kiss to the crown of her head and starts searching for the best waffle places in Brussels.
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Her new passport arrives the next week and she squeals when she holds the large envelope in her hands. She sits at the kitchen table and tears it open, carelessly flinging the ripped pieces of paper on the table. She opens her new passport and looks at her picture first and decides that it could be a lot worse. She looks over her personal information next and that’s when she spots it. UCHIHA SAKURA, written bold letter, black ink on pale-colored paper.
Sasuke finds her crying and instantly panics. They were leaving in three days, if there was anything wrong with her passport, they wouldn’t be able to get it fixed in time. He kneels down beside her and takes her hand in his. She looks at him and smiles. This puzzles him. If there’s nothing wrong with the passport then why is she crying… and why is she smiling? This annoying woman… even after all these years, he can’t seem to figure out the hurricane of emotions that is Sakura.
“Sakura…” he says softly, patiently.
She wipes her face. Smile brightening as she speaks. “I’m okay, Sasuke-kun. It’s just…” She shows him the passport. His eyes scan the document, softening as he reads her name, as he looks at the beautiful smile she sports in the picture.
“Yes?” he asks, looking back at her eyes.
“It’s stupid.” She waves her hand. “It’s just that this is the first time I’ve seen it written down like this…”
Sasuke knows instantly what she’s referring to. Her new name. The name she now shares with him. The name their child – growing under her strong, beautiful, tender heart – will share with them.
