SasuSaku - One Shots?

How it Began - Part 9

omg omg look who it is

it me 

whaaaat

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By the evening of the third day, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto had arrived in the land of water. There, stood in front of the Great Naruto bridge, the three reminisced on their past together, on their first real mission. Sakura felt a lump in her throat as they walked past the very place she thought Sasuke had died. It seemed silly now – she knew that something so small could never had killed Sasuke – but thinking about how weak, how helpless she had felt, knelt over him and crying into her hands about how a shinobi should never show emotion, as emotion was a sign of weakness.

And just by recalling that moment, she had realized that Sasuke had undoubtedly lived by that rule for many years.

Sasuke had noticed too, how tense she was while walking across the bridge. He thought too of that moment, when he had regained consciousness and felt her on top of him. He hadn't thought of it then, but now, he knew that even his younger self would have drawn comfort from having someone so close. So many people had kept their distance that he had forgotten what it was like to have a person lean on him to touch him...and that feeling, he thought, had only been re-gained in the last couple of years.

Sasuke also thought of her kindness. Back then, he would have seen her tears as a flooding weakness, but now he realized that tears also represented relief, care and love. Her kindness and care toward him were shown through her cries, and he felt guilty now for not seeing it before. Sakura was very kind, in fact; since he had learnt that anko dumplings were her favourite food, he had noticed her small and frequent kindnesses. Simply responding to him was as such; she could have laughed at his awkward attempt at personal conversation, rebuffed him, or simply stated she didn't understand what he was getting at. Instead, she took a few seconds to digest and realize what he meant, and responded in a way that she knew would make him happy. He noticed she'd wake up before him and Naruto in order to prepare breakfast so that they may leave quickly. She made sure to shake out Naruto's bedspread before he packed it away so that it was no longer full of sticks, dirt and stones (Naruto had yet to master the art of sleeping softly). She would pick up on their tiredness or sore feet, and ask to stop, blaming her own fatigue; she gave up her own pride in order to preserve their fragile masculinity. She would wake up during the night to ensure Naruto hadn't completely fallen out of his bedspread, and check on Sasuke (he was usually awake too, though never let her know this). She would eat last, to make sure he and Naruto had had their fill.

Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto knew she did all this, or if he took everything she did for granted. Sasuke decided he wasn't going to – he would return her kindnesses when given the chance, and aimed to be more like her.

Perhaps if I do so, any goodness left in me will be amplified. That way...I'll become more of a suitable companion. I can help.

As the three approached the end of the bridge, Sasuke stiffly laid his hand on her shoulder, and squeezed gently. Her eyes darted up at him; her mouth was slightly agape. But, again, she took a few seconds to realize what he meant, and gently smiled. She squeezed his hand in return, and Sasuke found him holding hers for a moment.

Behind them, Naruto noticed the gesture, and quietly smiled to himself.

***

"Tch," Sasuke scowled, getting more and more irritated by the moment, "We aren't getting anywhere with this."

"I know, but Kakashi-sensei said his mother is still alive. We just have to be patient," Sakura replied, feeling her own irritation build up.

Naruto dragged his feet beside them, exhausted. They had spent the day scouring the – very new – city behind the bridge. It had grown considerably, even since Sasuke's visit around eight months prior. Towering skyscrapers shadowed the city; the people were strangers to each other, something Sakura and Naruto found very odd indeed, since everyone knew everyone back in Konoha. It had made their mission all the more difficult, since no one seemed to know the name Haiichiru. They had split up to cover more area faster, but to no avail.