SasuSaku Month 2018 – Day 15: Training Rating: T A/N: This is a continuation of Day 8 (Flowers). Couldn’t resist. 😉 Thank you for reading and I hope you like it!
It had been a week since Tsunade had finally allowed Sakura to come back to work, having extended her leave for a couple more days. Thanks to Sasuke and his ever observant eyes watching her every wince of discomfort and small lack of appetite. She would have been upset if this had been any other situation, but she used her new free time to spend time with Sasuke and even the other boys. However, for some reason, Sakura started having bouts of insomnia and the little she did manage to sleep was plagued with nightmares. She was no stranger to nightmares. She had been in a war and seen countless of people die, some right under her hands, but after seeking a couple of counseling sessions she was able to cope with the horrors she saw. The last time she had a full-fledged nightmare was about a year ago, so when another one invaded her dreams, she was not prepared for it. The only thing she was thankful for was that Sasuke had not been around to hear her scream or see her rocking on her bed trying to forget the images.
Working long, and sometimes tedious, hours was a blessing in disguise for Sakura. Most of the time they left her so exhausted that she had no room to think or dream. She’d come home late at night, check on Sasuke – he’d moved back in with her – in the guest room and faceplant her bed. It wasn’t perfect, or entirely healthy, but it was a system that kept her moving forward. That is, until it didn’t work anymore.
After the fourth consecutive night of nightmares and insomnia, she’d had enough. She threw the sweat covered sheets away from her angrily and got dressed in a pair of leggings then threw on a light sweater over her tank top. She snatched a pack of kunai to wrap around her leg and an old pair of sneakers from her closet, and headed towards her window. Knowing full well she was sneaking out like a rebellious teenager – from her own apartment – as to not rouse Sasuke’s suspicion, made her feel the tiniest bit of guilt, but she wanted to be alone. Although she and Sasuke had grown impossibly close ever since he came back, there was still that fear that she’d do something that would somehow make him realize she was still that weak girl from all those years ago.
Once Sakura slipped outside quietly, she took to the roofs and ran to one of the far training grounds on the Northside of Konoha enclosed by a multitude of trees. It was secluded and gave her the privacy she wanted, not to mention the wooden posts placed strategically in various areas that offered her a source to vent her frustrations on. She sighed heavily, glanced at the waning moon wistfully, and began jogging around the field to warm-up. She ran mindlessly for a couple of laps before zeroing in on the wooden posts and hitting them in sequence. The harsh texture of the wood rubbed against her bare skin painfully since she didn’t have her gloves with her, but the sensations were welcomed. They distracted her.
Again and again she aimed her fists at the posts, each hit landing harder than the next. It was impossible to tell how long she kept at it, for her mind had finally wandered away from what kept her up at night, until one particular blow stung much more deeply than the rest. Sakura’s eyes refocused on the scene in front of her and winced as she looked at her bruised and bloody knuckles. Her heartbeat drummed quick against her chest and her breathing was labored. A small bead of sweat ran down her neck, letting her know just how hard she had been training. Not entirely satisfied, but in no mood to cause any real damage to herself, Sakura sat down on the grass and let herself fall on her back as she tried to calm down. The wind blew mercifully through the trees and the grounds, cooling the perspiration on her flushed skin.
“Stop being weak, Haruno,” she whispered to herself gazing at the stars. “They’re just nightmares, nothing more.”
She couldn’t help but wonder how Sasuke coped with his nightmares. She wouldn’t pretend that she hadn’t heard him once or twice, muttering countless I’m sorry’s and names of people long since passed, in his sleep when she’s gotten home from work. His episodes never lasted as long as hers and she wondered if he found a way to deal, or if he simply grew used to them, which was a really sad thought.
“I’ll need to inform Tsunade if you keep talking to yourself like that.”
Sakura shot up from the ground with a startled squeak and faced the direction where the voice had come from. Standing against the trunk of a tree, looking as calm as ever, was her dark-haired companion. His cool midnight orbs locked on her anxious jade eyes with such intensity, she felt a shiver run down her spine and all the way down to her toes. He was in nothing but sweatpants and a black t-shirt. The disarray of his hair was enough to suggest he had been sleeping not long ago.
“S-Sasuke,” she managed to say after a few moments of composing herself. “What are you doing here?”
He ignored her question, keeping her rooted to her spot with only his stare. “Midnight training?”
“Eh, yeah, something like that,” Sakura finally managed to answer.
“Hn.” Sasuke pushed away from the trunk, never breaking eye contact, and approached her slowly.
Sakura stayed rooted to her spot, watching his every step as he came closer to her. For a second she felt like her anxiety shot through the roof, but as he stopped right in front of her, a strange sense of serenity settled over her. Sasuke grabbed one of her still bleeding hands and frowned, inspecting the wounds.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Sakura,” he murmured softly as he started wiping away the blood with his shirt. A tight knot formed in her throat at the concern she could see shining in his eyes. She shook her head in response, finally breaking eye contact. “I see… How about a spar, then?”
“What?”
Sasuke smirked. “Spar with me, Sa-ku-ra.”
All thoughts flew out the window at the sight of his smirk, which seemed way more sensual than Sakura cared to admit. But she still enjoyed it.
“Fine, Sa-su-ke.”
She tugged her hand away from his and healed the wounds, threads of excitement filling her at the prospect of some training alone with her dear Sasuke. They both stepped closer to the middle of the training ground.
“Nothing fancy, just the basics,” Sasuke stated, sensing her low chakra levels.
He moved first without waiting for confirmation and went on the offensive. Just like when they trained together all those weeks ago, he tested her reflexes and defensive stances to get a better read of her fighting style. And just like before, her forms were powerful and well-developed. She had been the Godaime’s apprentice after all.
They circled each other, throwing a kick or punch here and there, testingly. Though they both kept their expressions neutral, as to not give anything away, on the inside they both felt an inescapable connection pulling them closer and closer until they had no choice but to collide. Sasuke felt a wave of desire burn through his being as he regarded the pink-haired kunoichi. The air crackled with electricity around them.
Sakura shot forward and engaged him in a series of well-aimed punches that would have knocked him out for sure if he let one land. The tables turned as he went on the defensive and Sakura wasted no time in keeping up. All the frustrations she had been keeping in burst forward and fueled her attacks, increasing in speed and voracity. It was enough to awaken his sharingan to keep him from falling under her attacks.
They spared against one another until they both collapsed on the ground, exhaustion weighing down their limbs. Sakura pulled Sasuke down to lay on his back next to her to regain their breathing. A calm silence settled between the two for a while as they stared up at the sky.
“Nightmares, right?” Sasuke spoke up after a while.
She wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t lie to him. “Yes.”
“Does it happen often?” He asked.
“Not for a while now, honestly,” she replied, shrugging. “After the war, it happened every night, but I’ve learned to cope with the things I’ve seen. I guess it just never really goes away and sometimes I don’t have the ability to deal with them.”
“I’ve learned that sometimes it’s not about dealing with them,” Sasuke said turning his head to face her. Sakura turned to look at him too, curiously.
He raised his hand from the grass and caressed her cheek tenderly. The unexpected action caused a blush to tint her cheeks. He couldn’t help but smile slightly.
“Sometimes, you have to replace those nightmares with something else. Something more valuable…” Sasuke trailed off in a whisper, leaning towards her slowly.
Their lips met in the middle. A thousand butterflies exploded in her stomach and her heart sped up like a hummingbird’s wings as it filled up with her love for him. Her body moved on its own, scooting closer to him until there was no space in between them. Neither complained, reveling in the warmth of their bodies combined. Sasuke slid his hand from her cheek down to her smooth neck and further down to her waist. Sakura gasped into his mouth as he tentatively squeezed the small amount of flesh that been exposed with her sweater riding up. She felt her body come alive with his touch, and may the stars fall from the night sky and the sun dry up, she never wanted him to stop.
SasuSaku Month 