Until Then

Chapter 31 ~ Nights Are For Anything but Rest

They had decided not to use chakra, but even without it they were better than most who had reserves of it. 'We're actually doing this...' Sakura thought as she shielded her arms infront of her to avoid a run-up blow from the Uchiha.

"C'mon, Sasuke" She imitated teasingly while wiping the sweat off her neck. It hadn't been long, but she could feel the energy soaring through her.

They were both better at blocking each others attacks rather than actually landing a hit.

Grabbing her leg mid-air, the Uchiha managed to push away the attack, his feet shifting back as he felt the force of her strength.

There was a tinge of pride welling up in Sasuke's chest as they stood across from each other. Their eyes were unwavering, not wanting to miss any slight movement or moment. It was the kind of pride that stemmed from facing off against a leveled partner. She didn't hold back, and he was glad for that.

The training ground was filled with clouds of rising dust as the pair shot around. It felt good to be here, to have an outlet to channel your efforts into.

After deciding to call it a round, the pair took comfort on the soft grass just away from a crater Sakura had caused during their sparring.

"You didn't send any messages." Sasuke said turning away slightly. Sakura noticed the faint frown present on his features, and she wanted to wipe off the concern as well as revel in it.

"I know, I didn't get the time to- wait, what are you doing here?"

She reached over to where she'd left her flask, taking a big gulp of cool water then held it out to the man next to her.

"I was passing by."

"Well I'm glad you did." Sakura replied a bit skeptically as she watched him bring the bottle up to his lips. She knew he wasn't one to just 'pop in'. There had to be another reason, but she wouldn't push for it. She was tired too, and it seemed to be noticeable.

Sasuke had arrived roughly fifteen minutes before he'd announced himself, but he sat perched on a further branch, watching, observing. There was something off with her.

The medic motioned ahead, there was a river nearby that seemed to be more and more inviting. She didn't want to stay in one place even though she was still feeling the after-effects of their small sparring round.

"Do you wanna walk?"

"If you can."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at his quick and challenging reply. "You're catching me after a full day's work, bakery cake-tasting stop, and a training session! And I'm still going!"

The pair exchanged looks, knowing they'd been through much more excruciating fixes, but now things were normal. It was odd to talk about such mundane experiences.

"You went cake tasting...?"

"I did, well me and the girls. It was for Ino's wedding."

"Ah."

They stopped at the edge of the riverbank, overlooking the curve of the stream. It was calming and free. "So, what was up with the surprise match?"

"Well we've never really had one before."

Sakura nodded in agreement. It was  something she had thought about, and she was glad it hadn't just been her who did. They'd fought together as a team, side by side but never particularly against each other like now.

The last time was when they were mere kids, and it seemed like a visual timeskip from the period in-between to where they stood as adult shinobi now. The medic stared at the river, missing its glistening reflection of light on this moonless night. Without the light it looked as if it ran deeper than it usually did, even though she knew better. 'I should know better.'

"What's on your mind?"

Sakura's train thoughts slammed to a halt, like just the sound of his voice could pull her out of anything. He was looking at her with that concerned look again, but it was balanced with pure curiosity as if trying to decipher what was wrong.

"Nothing's on my mind."

Sasuke's expression changed with the tilt of an eyebrow that read, 'Do you really expect me to believe that?'.

He'd come all this way to see her, and she was making him worry. Selfishness crept up inside her as she let out a deep breath. She hadn't really tried hard enough to mask it.

And then she wondered why she even felt the need to do that at all. This was Sasuke. He'd seen her at various points in her life, and while she tried to keep up her positive exterior, it felt more and more draining to do so.

Sakura remembered telling him they should talk through things before, so why wasn't she taking the advice she once handed out?

She should.

________________________________

Hiii. I've decided to just not say when I'm going to post because I always seem to jinx it *pulls out receipts from all the times she said she'd update really soon (which also didn't happen)*

Anywaaaays 😀  Have you guys been reading the Sasuke Retsuden manga and watching the animated episodes???😍 It's literally throwing me right back into my early Naruto era feels.😭 Although, to be fair, I don't think we ever really left!🤭

Until next update time! :)

Posted:  23 January 2023