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vermilionlavendereyes · 2 years

Text

look at me, love

Pairing: SasuSaku Word count: 3,196 Rated: K

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!

. . .

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.

. . .

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.

. . .

“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.

#sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #ss fanfiction #ssfanfic #naruto fanfiction #naruto #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #kakashi hakate #naruto uzumaki #ino yamanaka #vlefics

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vermilionlavendereyes · 11 months

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and slowly we learn each other chapter thirteen

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.

blank period fic

Pairing: SasuSaku

Word count: 54,509

Rated: T

Status: On going

Read on: ff.net or AO3

#sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #ss fanfiction #ssfanfic #naruto fanfiction #naruto #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #naruto uzumaki #ayame #teuchi #blank period fic #vlefics

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vermilionlavendereyes · 2 years

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coffee confessions

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.”

#nrtccweek22 #sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #ss fanfiction #ssfanfic #naruto fanfiction #naruto #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #naruto uzumaki #ino yamanaka #sasori #naruto au #vlefics

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vermilionlavendereyes · 2 years

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uchiha sasuke falls in love: in five acts

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)

#sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #ss fanfiction #ssfanfic #naruto fanfiction #sasusaku drabble #naruto drabble #naruto #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #sasuke #sakura #vlefics

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vermilionlavendereyes · 2 years

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look at me, love

Pairing: SasuSaku

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.

Read on: tumblr, ff.net or AO3

#sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #ss fanfiction #ssfanfic #naruto fanfiction #naruto #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #kakashi hakate #naruto uzumaki #ino yamanaka #vlefics

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vermilionlavendereyes · 2 years

Text

uchiha sasuke falls in love: in five acts

pairing: SasuSaku word count: 781 rated: K

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.

read on: tumblr, ao3, ff.net

#sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #ss fanfiction #ssfanfic #naruto fanfiction #sasusaku drabble #naruto drabble #naruto #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #sasuke #sakura #vlefics

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vermilionlavendereyes · 2 years

Text

and slowly we learn each other chapter eight

chapter eight has been posted <3

blank period fic

Pairing: SasuSaku

Word count: 33,047

Rated: T

Status: On going

Read on: ff.net or AO3

#sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #ss fanfiction #ssfanfic #naruto fanfiction #naruto #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #naruto uzumaki #ino yamanaka #kakashi hakate #sai #hinata hyuga #gaara #temari #tsunade #blank period fic #vlefics

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vermilionlavendereyes · 2 years

Text

and slowly we learn each other chapter twelve

hello my dears chapter twelve is here!

blank period fic

Pairing: SasuSaku

Word count: 51,039

Rated: T

Status: On going

Read on: ff.net or AO3

#sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusaku fanfic #ss fanfiction #ssfanfic #naruto fanfiction #naruto #sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #naruto uzumaki #ino yamanaka #kakashi hakate #sai #kizashi haruno #mebuki haruno #blank period fic #vlefics

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vermilionlavendereyes · 2 years

Text

share my name... forever

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.

“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.

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.

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