Team
Seven stood before the house they were hired to guard. The two-stories
building was old and unkempt, with the grass before it knee-high and the
weeds growing wildly. A flock of black birds cawed ominously above
their heads as they went up to the front door.
“Spooky…” Naruto commented with a shudder. “Who would want to steal from this ruin?”
“We
don’t know if someone’s stealing. There can be some other reason for
those suspicious noises at night,” Sakura replied with a frown. She
agreed with Naruto about one thing—the place really looked spooky…
like a haunted house from the movies.
“Like what? Ghosts?” Naruto asked, sounding genuinely scared.
“Are you really afraid of ghosts?” Sakura shook her head. “You know they don’t exist?”
“They can’t exist if they’re already dead, duh. I’m not stupid, Sakura-chan. Ghosts just show up and—booo!”
“Oh, come on! Sasuke-kun, tell him that ghosts aren’t real!” Sakura asked their strangely silent teammate.
Sasuke
pretended not to hear her. Instead, he changed the topic to the patrols
and shifts for the night. Sakura hoped to go on patrols together with
him, but it was more practical that one person guarded the entrance,
while the other two patrolled the floors, changing location every hour.
She conceded to this decision without complaint, mostly because Naruto
also didn’t get to patrol with her.
Sakura was on the second
floor, when she heard a creak behind her, as if someone stepped on a
loose floorboard. She turned around, kunai held in front of her, heart
beating wildly, but there was nothing there. Sakura checked around to
make sure, but she didn’t find any intruders. She sighed and put the
kunai back in her pouch. Of course, this was an old house, everything
was rickety, creaking and groaning for no reason other than old age and
use.
Author’s Note: So I originally planned a hurt/comfort plot for this prompt after squeezing my brain but I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life 😂 Then this idea appeared and… yeah… I crave fluff.
Sakura felt torn, but her responsibilities as a medic nin came before her own selfish desires.
Sasuke just came back from his self-imposed road to redemption yesterday, just in time for the tanabata festival Konoha is known for, and Naruto already arranged that Team 7 will go together. Though he insisted that he was just passing by and wanted to deliver a message to Kakashi, his presence in the village was enough to make the kunoichi smile throughout the day. She knew that the streets would be filled to the brim with decorations and food, and most of all she looked forward to spend some time with her silent dark-haired teammate.
It’s been so long since he came home. He wasn’t able to go to Konoha personally during the attack of the human time bombs when they asked for his help, but he played a crucial part in solving it. She was a bit heartbroken that he couldn’t come back, but she understood his reasons. Sakura knew from the bottom of her heart that the village was Sasuke’s home, and he would always find his way to return to it – in his time, when he’s ready.
That’s why she hugged him a little too tightly when they greeted him at the gates yesterday. After a hearty dinner at Ichiraku’s, Sakura dashed her way to her favourite store to buy a new yukata to celebrate the occasion. It was the perfect shade of green that matched her eyes, with her namesake decorating the obi and sleeves.
Sakura started to fix her things in her office, excitement coursing through her veins. Despite the busy day at the hospital, the thought of being with her beloved team energized her more than her seal. But then, just as she was about to end her shift, she heard a nurse running towards her direction, and the door was slammed open.
“Sakura-sama! I’m sorry for intruding but Tsunade-sama needs you at the emergency room quickly!”
Not needing another word, the medic ran off and arrived in record time. What she saw stunned her momentarily. Four shinobi – ANBU, the masks and their outfit were a dead giveaway – were fighting for their lives on the hospital beds. One suddenly started vomiting a bloody mess, and Sakura sprung into action.
“It’s a bad case of poisoning, Sakura. I already had Shizune look at their blood samples to identify the culprit,” the former hokage briefed her on what was happening. “It’s making them bleed profusely, slowly turning their organs to goo, and shutting down the immune system. We need to act fast.”
“Hai, shishou.”
Immediately her healing chakra glowed.
Sakura forgot about the seconds, minutes, and hours that passed. All her focus was on her patients and the determination to save them urged her tired body to heal them more. And when she thought that ordeal was over, her pediatric patient with a broken pelvis started deteriorating, leaving her no choice but to perform another surgery stat.
.
.
Sakura removed the OR cap and went back to her office to take a warm shower. It was already ten in the evening, and she already sent word to Naruto that she couldn’t come to the festival with them, as she was stuck in surgery. She passed by a nurse’s station and saw a bamboo plant decorated with all things that showcased tanabata and filled with tanzaku. She saw he own piece of paper, wincing inside.
I hope Team 7 will have a great time at the festival today!
‘There’s always next year, right?’ Sakura thought to herself, smiling sadly. ‘There’s always next time.’
The kunoichi sighed and proceeded to take the aforementioned shower to wash away the stress and frustration of the day. After changing into a new set of clothes, she grabbed her swivelling chair and took it to the balcony. Her stomach protested that it was empty, but she paid it no mind. She just wants to see the fireworks. She looked up the sky, waiting for it to shine with a thousand colors.
Just then she felt her heart stop when she recognized an all too familiar chakra signature. She could sense him anywhere.
“Sa-Sasuke-kun?!”
Indeed, mismatched orbs that could only belong to the sole Uchiha greeted her. “Aa.”
Sakura stood up, a blush forming on her cheeks. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going with Naruto and the rest.”
He shrugged. “I escaped. Too many people. You know I don’t like the crowds.”
She couldn’t help but laugh good naturedly. “Still the same old Sasuke-kun. Let me get a chair for you,” she offered, dashing inside and appearing with the furniture a second later.
“Arigatou,” his deep voice could still make her heart melt. Both sat side by side in silence for a few moments, until Sasuke handed out a bento box to her hidden by his cloak.
“I had a feeling that you still haven’t eaten anything since you were in surgery, so I brought you something.”
Tears of joy started to form on her eyes and now she was certain that her heart’s gonna burst. “You didn’t have to do this, Sasuke-kun. But thank you so much,” she beamed at him. The former avenger looked away hide his emotions, but his orbs focused on her again when he heard her delighted gasp.
Sakura recognized the street food served at the stalls during tanabata. The first layer contained okonomiyaki, takoyaki, yakisoba and ikayaki. When she lifted it to see the next layer, it was filled with dango, daifuku, and ringo ame.
“I know that you liked festivals and the food so much, so I thought that since you’re busy saving lives, I’ll bring a bit of the festival to you,” he admitted, eyes earnest.
She didn’t know if someone already died due to too much giddiness and overwhelming happiness, but Sakura though she might be the first one. She stood up, placed the food carefully on the chair, and tackled Sasuke into a hug that caused the two of them to fall on the floor.
“Thank you thank you thank you, Sasuke-kun! I’m so happy right now!” Indeed, the night took a 360 degrees turn, and she couldn’t be happier. Here she thought she would be spending the seventh day of the seventh month alone, but now she’s with the man she loves with her whole heart, and he brought her favourite festival foods to her.
‘You’re just making me fall in love with you even more, Sasuke-kun.’
All of a sudden she felt him stiffen. It was then that it registered upon her brain that she said her feelings out loud.
Just as she was about to pull away and apologize again and again, Sasuke hugged her back. Now it was her turn to be shocked.
“Anything for you, Sakura.” He pressed his cheek at the side of her head, and the kunoichi wondered if it was her heart that was beating so hard or his. She loosened her hug on him to look at his profile. Unconsciously, almost like instinct, their faces came closer to one another. It felt like the pull of gravity, sparks tingling the air.
When their noses touched, a screeching sound was heard following a loud explosion. The fireworks finally started. Noticing their position, they both turned away to hide their blushing faces, deciding that the display of colors signalling the end of tanabata was a good thing to turn their attention to. Throughout the time that the night sky was illuminated with sparks of light, Sasuke didn’t release his hold on her waist, and Sakura could hardly pay attention to the beautiful display.
The heard the cheers of the crowd when the last and biggest firework shone its glory. After a few minutes, neither of them spoke a word, too content in each other’s presence.
Then Sakura’s stomach grumbled again.
She felt the blush heating her face up, and the amused smirk Sasuke gave her did nothing to calm her down.
“You should eat,” the Uchiha announced with almost a teasing tone. After saying her thanks, she digged in, closing her eyes in pure happiness when she tasted the takoyaki. Munching on it, she took another ball of the food using her chopsticks.
“Say aah, Sasuke-kun.”
He looked away and she pouted at that, but her heart soared again when she saw his mouth partly open, his silent affirmation to allow her to do what she wanted.
And so that was how the two spent their first tanabata together in a while… eating, her talking, him listening… both knowing that there was no other place they’d rather be.
summary: It’s the night after their tragic encounter, and the team has decided to stay at an inn for the night. Even if she was supposed to be resting, something inside of her won’t let her fall asleep. Canon-verse; set after the meeting at the Iron Bridge.
a/n: So…. I was feeling a bit angsty when I started this fic and I apologize for what you’re about to read. It’s not something happy, but it isn’t really sad either… It’s pure angst. SasuSaku brings that stuff on me, and I’m really glad I could finally explore a bit of my thoughts on what happened right after the events of the Iron Bridge. Even if it’s different from the others I usually write, I hope you can still enjoy this small one! Please, tell me what you think and how you feel about it!
Fever: an abnormally high body temperature, usually accompanied by shivering, headache, and in severe instances, delirium.
It burns in a way no flame has ever burned her skin before. It irks, throbs and her muscles painfully contract around her neck. It’s as if her entire body is being swallowed by the fire, and yet, death doesn’t come to take away the pain.
Her breathing is uneven, her clothes are soaked in sweat and her neck stings at the soft brush of the thick, chilling air that enters through the window. It’s a cold night, she knows, but not even the winter breeze seems to be enough to lower the temperature of her entire system. She can feel her hair sticking to the back of her neck, irritating even more the area which is certainly source of that harrowing heat.
She holds back her boiling tears, clutching the sheets in her hands and biting her lower lip until she can taste the iron of her own blood. Her emerald eyes remain open as she stares at the wooden ceiling of the inn’s room, fear taking over her soul and preventing her eyelids to remain closed for more than a second.
Sakura doesn’t dare close her eyes, no. She doesn’t want to be trapped in that dark inferno that resembles his cold stare so much. She saw his eyes less than 24 hours ago, and even if that used to be a dream of hers for the past 3 years, now, she’s completely terrified of them.
Those eyes… That man.
Her heart aches and her neck burns at the simple thought, and once again, the medic nin starts to feel her throat constricting with an unusual weight wrapped around it. A panic attack is building up inside her— the second of the night— and she uselessly struggles to differ reality from the nightmare she can’t really hide from.
You’re safe, she thinks, repeating it like a mantra in her head. You’re alive and so is he. Now pull yourself together!
She’s shaking in fear now, and that reaction only makes her hate herself even more, for it reminds her of her past. It reminds her of the girl she used to be, who believed being a ninja meant only that she would be able to spend her days with the coolest boy of her class.
That girl was pathetic. She was weak and too pure for the real world a ninja has to face. Always worrying about futile things and never really having to sacrifice much to cross her obstacles, that girl had no idea of the harsh reality that awaited for her.
She didn’t know the real meaning of loving someone. And tonight, once again, Sakura was paying the price for that ignorance.
“ Fuck.” A deep curse escapes her lips, and the pinkette finally decides that lying in bed like that won’t really help her calm down. Slowly, then, she rolls to the side, sitting up as both of her feet are touching the hard, wooden floor. She rests her elbows on her knees, her bangs falling forward as she lowers her head, and it’s only after she sighs, defeatedly, that the medic nin stands up. Quickly, she spares a glance at the night sky through the open window, hopping— begging— not to see any traces of red in between those trees. She stumbles her way towards the small bathroom, and once there, her fingers hesitate a bit before turning on the lights. Sakura isn’t sure if turning them on will be a good idea, but eventually, she does, blinding her at first before her eyes can finally settle.
And once they do, her heart sinks a little deeper.
As she stares at the woman in the mirror, Sakura finds that it’s still hard to believe that all of those colors are, indeed, painting her body. She swallows hard, lifting her right hand to her neck, and this time, sad tears manage to run down her face.
It burns, she thinks, still not able to take her eyes away from her own reflex. For it’s been over 8 hours since their encounter, the colors have already settled around her skin, an ugly mix of purple and red outlining the one mark that will forever haunt her thoughts.
There’s a hand there. His hand, with all of his fingers encircling her neck and preventing her from breathing. Even if her brain knows that she is safe right now, Sakura can still feel the same, burning pressure that crushed her throat earlier today. He was strangling her with all his strength, and in his eyes, she saw no mercy or regret. In his eyes, there was a burning flame that was going to swallow her alive, the heat from his soul scaring the life out of her. He was going to kill her. That man was going to kill her in the same way she tried to kill whatever remained of the one she was supposed to bring home.
The thought of her actions makes her fingers curl into a tight fist, and she can feel her nails piercing through the skin of her palm. Sakura actually thought she was doing the right thing but only now she can see how selfish and naive she was for actually believing she could do that.
She couldn’t kill Sasuke. Pff she was never a match for him and she will never be. He’s an excellent shinobi, with an amazing power and no emotional strings to hold him back. More than anyone, she should’ve known that she could never suppress her feelings for him and prioritize her mission. She’s been in love with him for too long already, and she doesn’t have enough power to shut him out of her life.
No. She could never kill him. Sakura could never kill the man she loves, and now, the ghost of the boy he used to be will forever haunt her dreams.
She’s feeling dirty now. Ashamed. And yet, in the midst of that fire taking over her core, her heart feels cold in a somewhat relieving way. Even if it still hurts and even if it’s broken into millions of pieces, it doesn’t burn, and right now, this is the only thing she can hold onto.
Right now, it’s the only thing keeping her sane, and in the future, she hopes, it will have to be enough to bring her back.
Her eyes close in a heavy way, and she finally decides to splash some water on her face. A temporary cool sensation takes over her cheeks, but soon, the temperature rises again. She runs her soaked fingers through her pink locks, leaning forward against the sink and watching as the drops fall from her face. The silence of the dawn fills her ears, and if anything, she finds it incredibly comforting that her suffering isn’t loud enough to make any difference out there.
She doesn’t want to bother the others with her own problems. She doesn’t want to be the weakling again and to burden Naruto with things she was supposed to solve by herself. God knows she’s done enough already, and from now on, Sakura needs to at least seem stronger than she actually is.
No more crying in front of the others. No more hesitating, and certainly, no more hiding.
You are a ninja, for fuck’s sake! Her eyes are glaring at her own reflexion now, not ignoring her bruises anymore. Even if she wants to cry and hide those colors behind withe bandages, the Haruno girl refuses to do so, for she needs to face the reality of her own actions.
Those bruises are real. They were given to her by the love of her life, and now, they belong to her.
And just like his coldness froze her heart before, Sakura will let his harshness burn her alive if she has to, but she will face it all as a warrior should. She will carry that lump on her throat every time she has to lie about being okay, and she will ignore the pain in her chest whenever his eyes come back to haunt her dreams.
She will be stronger. Not tonight, but eventually, she will.
She will forget him, but never the one he used to be; and she will still fight to bring him back, for her best friend can’t do it all alone.
Uciha Sasuke is also a burden she has to carry. He’s a sin that corrupts her heart, and unless she purifies him, there’s no turning back on the path she once chose to follow.
Sakura can’t stop loving him. Not even if she wants to— not even right now. It’s pathetic and incredibly painful to love a man like that, but it’s the only thing left from the time when they were all happy. She can’t give up on that feeling, no. In order to preserve the one thing that has always been with her even when nothing else was, she can’t give up on that feeling.
And as she heads back to the room, her emerald eyes don’t bother to glance towards the window. She sits on the edge of the bed, that annoying silence still mocking her ears, and she hopes that, at least for now, the words— the excuses— she’s just told herself will be enough to help her through the night.
Tonight, she hopes these lies will fool her. And tomorrow, she hopes they can become her truth.
SasuSaku Month 