Sasuke sat on the bed at the inn he had teleported them back to, while Sakura locked herself in the bathroom trying to heal the rest of her wounds. Some pieces of cloth had melted into her skin, and it was taking a little bit more effort to remove them, not to mention the process was extremely painful.
With every whimpering sound that escaped the pink healer, Sasuke's expression hardened and he grit his teeth. But before he got the chance to fully beat himself over the fact that his partner was in unendurable pain because of him, his own physical pain caught up to him.
He was starting to feel light-headed because off all the blood loss, and the hole in his chest suddenly ached, making Sasuke let out a short scream, then, it was all black.
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The Uchiha man woke up to the sound of—clanking? What was that, a knife?
He slowly opened his eyes and saw Sakura standing in the mini-kitchen with her back to him, preparing food. He was lying in the bed, now shirtless, with a huge bandage wrapped around his torso. Sasuke made an attempt to sit up but his body thought it was a terrible idea. Sakura sensed the movement behind her and turned around.
"No no no Sasuke-kun, you shouldn't be moving," the medic-nin begged.
"Just help me sit up." The kinoichi took his hand and did exactly that, then pulled the light blanket and tucked it up to Sasuke's waist. She then took a seat beside him on the bed and said, "Please try to get some rest; you were hurt pretty badly."
Sasuke looked up at the woman in front of him. Her hair was short again after having to cut off chunks of burnt locks. Her maroon, long sleeve shirt made her cheeks seem flushed, and her bright, green eyes were glimmering with emotions. There was so much passion and sympathy in those eyes, and it was just occurring to the Uchiha now that those expressive eyes had always been her trademark, which is how he knew deep within himself, every time they had crossed paths in the past after his leaving Konoha, that Sakura truly cared for him. It was always crystal clear in her emerald eyes; the eyes that haunted him when he fought to rid himself of all bonds, along with his best friend's.
Still not saying anything, Sasuke quickly scanned Sakura to see if she was still hurt. His eyes caught sight of a small burn on Sakura's hand, and once again, his expression changed to one of anger and exasperation.
Unaware of the battle going on in her partner's mind, Sakura thought Sasuke was in pain. Well, physical pain.
"Is anything hurting?! What's wrong?"
To her surprise, Sasuke grabbed her right hand with his own and gazed at it. He cautiously ran his thumb over the burn, while trying to find the right words to say.
"I had promised myself....after Itachi...that I would never let a precious comrade get hurt again...yet I—"
"Sasuke-kun," the pink woman interrupted. She placed her left hand over Sasuke's as a gesture of reassurance. "This is not your fault. Things like this always happen in the Shinobi world, and will keep happening for as long as the battle between good and evil continues." She looked at him for a short moment then let go of his hand, and instead wrapped both arms around his neck in a warm hug. "You never have to blame yourself for anything that happens to me," Sakura whispered.
The prolonged hug made Sasuke's expression soften, and he placed his good hand at the small of Sakura's back as a silent thank you.
When Sakura disentangled from the love of her life, she smiled at him as she focused chakra in her hand and started healing the small burn that had Sasuke so concerned. "See?" she said. "It's not even that bad." She gave him another cheeky smile, flashing her teeth and giggling. It was an infectious smile that not even Sasuke could resist, making his lips form a smile of his own. "Now rest up while I finish making dinner."
The kinoichi turned around and continued preparing the food. Itachi, huh? She thought. She wanted to ask Sasuke about him, and about what had happened back at the desert, but she knew neither of them were in a state where they wanted to think about the past few hours. Later then, Sakura noted in the back of her mind.
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Exhausted from the previous events, the two ninjas passed out swiftly and slept like corpses through the night. Soon the next day, in the early afternoon, Sasuke insisted on going out and exploring the area because anything was better than sitting still in bed. His medic-nin protested but she knew there was no convincing Sasuke now, and they needed to restock on food anyways.
The weather in the town of Aratahaji was everything the Konoha travelers needed to forget the desert. It was cool with a soft breeze, the sun shining on the surroundings, giving off a surreal feel. Red apples seemed redder, the trees seemed greener, the sky even bluer. It was much different than when Sakura had come to the marketplace the night before to get something for Sasuke.
It was a nice, peaceful town. The two Shinobi had lunch at one of the restaurants, and Sakura had insisted on them trying a kabab-style fruit on a stick type of treat. They walked and walked, until the breeze became stronger and signing birds filled the sky. After strolling for a little longer, a small canal surrounded by beautiful maple trees came into view, revealing the destination of all those birds from earlier.
There were people everywhere enjoying a lovely day under the sun. Some were having picnics while others just sat together and admired mother nature. Sakura stood under the trees and her eyes widened and sparkled with awe as she took in the beautiful scenery. Sasuke looked at her and thought she would nearly blend in with her surroundings; with her pink hair and maroon shirt complimenting the maple leaves. It was quite a sight and unlike any of the many, many sceneries Sasuke had seen in his previous travels. Beautiful, he thought; a word he'd nearly forgotten existed, and all it took was a good look at the woman who never gave up on him to remind him of the term.
"Would you like to sit down somewhere, Sasuke-kun? This place is stunning."
"Sure," he agreed with a smile.
They found a spot under one of trees and made themselves comfortable in the tall grass. Sakura however, immediately noticed some flowers growing next to the trees. She had never seen anything like them before, so she was intrigued.
"Oh my God, what are these?" she wondered out loud. Sasuke looked in her direction, and surprisingly recognized the flowers. They were heart-shaped and pink, with white buds sprouting from the bottom, their stems yellow and thick. "They're called Bleeding Heart flowers," Sasuke formally replied. "They're considered some of the strangest looking plants in the world."
"Strange, but surely beautiful," Sakura remarked with fascination. "I wonder if they have any medical properties...maybe I should take some back to Konoha with me and experiment on them with Ino."
The comment made Sasuke further admire Sakura's medical interests, but what he had been really thinking about was how that flower, back then, had reminded him of Sakura and urged him to go home to her sooner. He thought about telling that to Sakura when suddenly a little girl came running past them and accidentally tripped and fell.
"Hana!" a young woman who must have been the girl's mother, called after her. "Are you alright?!"
The little girl sat on her bottom and looked at her legs, then noticed her knee was bruised and started crying. "Shhh it's okay, don't cry," her mother tried to comfort her while examining the scratch.
Sakura stood up and walked towards the mother and daughter, then bent down on her knees. "Hi there, would you mind if I take a look at that? I'm a doctor," she said with a reassuring smile.
"Of course," the mother consented quickly.
"Now let's see here," Sakura sing-songed to the little kid. "Oh it's just a little scratch! Now, check this out," she told Hana with a wink. Extending just two fingers, the medic-nin exerted a small amount of chakra and ran it back and forth a few times over the girl's knee until the cut disappeared."
"See? Piece of cake," Sakura said with a thumbs up and a big smile.
"S-sugoi!" the little girl said with fascination. "Arigato nee-san!" She got up and patted her dress down, then grabbed her mom's hand so she can take off again on her little adventure. The mother nodded at Sakura and followed her lively daughter.
Sakura sat back down next to Sasuke who had been watching her closely from the back, thinking about how the role of a medic was perfect for Sakura, who had cared for him and Naruto since their Genin days, both emotionally and physically. Flashes of the Chunnin exams crossed his mind and scurried away just as quickly as they'd come.
Too lost in thought, Sasuke hadn't noticed the frown on Sakura's face and the longing look in her eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked with concern.
"It's...it's nothing."
"It's not nothing. Tell me."
Sakura looked to her side at Sasuke, then back towards the canal. A soft wind blew and made their hair sway. "I was just thinking about those kids we saw back at the base...I wish I could have been able to help them."
"They hadn't been kids for a long time when we'd gotten there, unfortunately. It's not your fault."
"I know, but...it just pains me to think about what those children might have went through. They were probably at that place for months, if not years....Ino and I have been thinking about opening a mental health hospital for children, so this just feels so...personal."
Sakura held her hands against her chest like she'd been saying a prayer, and Sasuke, once again, was rendered speechless by the extent of Haruno Sakura's kindness and empathy. He wasn't used to being surrounded by this phenomenon of emotions, and he felt an instinctive need to express...something.
He cleared his throat. "Sakura," he started. "I...uh...wanted to..." Sakura looked at him intently, watching him choose his words.
"I just...you...." he rambled on. Frustration building up inside him, Sasuke's cheeks became flushed and he looked away from Sakura's eyes. He had no idea how to say what he wanted say, in fact, he wasn't sure if he even knew what exactly he was getting at.
He peeked back at her and saw Sakura biting her lips to hide a smile. "I..." the pink ninja interrupted him when she placed her hands on each side of Sasuke's face.
"I know, Sasuke-kun. I know." She ran her left thumb softly over Sasuke's skin, then, to both of their surprise, Sakura's lips were touching Sasuke's.
Sasuke's eyes widened with shock as more blood rushed to his face. The feeling that spread through his body was indescribable yet short-lived, as Sakura quickly pulled away, using her left hand to cover her lips, clearly shocked at her own actions. She too was blushing erratically, looking at the man she loved from the corner of her eye, trying to figure out whether she offended him or comforted him.
They looked at each other for a long time, neither of them saying a word. They were just Sasuke and Sakura, sitting together with the wind blowing around them rustling the leaves of the maple trees, and swaying the buds of the Bleeding Hearts. The world went mute as they, for the first time, allowed one another to look into the other's soul and explore that untouched territory. They were having a silent conversation; speaking in a language only comprehensible to the single Haruno Sakura and the only Uchiha Sasuke.
Once again, the raven-haired man reached for the cherry blossom's hand, but this time, he placed the soft palm on his beating heart. Sakura's eyes shined with what was undeniably the epitome of happiness, and Sasuke reciprocated the feeling by tightening his grip on her palm and smiling.
After a long pause, Sasuke let go of Sakura's hand as she repositioned herself to instead wrap her arm around Sasuke's. She placed her head on his shoulder and they just stayed like that, completely unbothered; together in mind and body.
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It was sunset already. Hours passed after the Uchiha and his cherry blossom had shared their first kiss. Neither of them could say it out loud, but they both had spent those hours assuring themselves that they were ready to continue acknowledging these feelings that have been jailed for far too long.
The intense air from earlier was still with them, so Sakura tried to lighten things up by changing the subject. Without really thinking much, she spilled the first thought that came to mind.
"I wonder how Naruto is doing," she said fondly.
"Probably just being Naruto," Sasuke added with a similar tone.
"I guess...Can you believe he's becoming a dad already? The mere thought makes me so happy."
After a short pause, Sasuke said "Yeah, he's come a long way."
Sakura looked up at the Uchiha and smiled at his reply, then she added "So have you."
They were making their way back to the marketplace to find another place to have dinner. Sakura scurried on in front of Sasuke as she kept talking about what Naruto and Hinata should name their kid.
The whole ordeal took Sasuke's mind to an unfamiliar place. With Sakura walking in front of him, he suddenly found himself picturing the Uchiha crest on the back of that maroon shirt. The feeling that image gave him was foreign and a little heavy, but it also felt very...right. In place.
He was snapped off of his train of thought when Sakura turned around and asked him why he was blushing, and the fact that he was caught blushing just made him blush even more.
"I—uh, I wasn't—"
"Oh my God," Sakura said dramatically. "It's my hair isn't it. I had a feeling I cut it unevenly! Is it really that terrible from the back?!"
"Uh-uhm...your hair is fine," he replied, half-confused and half-relieved.
"Is there something on my back then?! My butt? Is my dress dirty?!" Sakura just grew more and more frantic and did a little spin around herself as she tried to figure out the reason behind Sasuke's pink cheeks.
Kawaii, Sasuke thought. Another word he never thought he'd understand. So many things were coming to light today, it almost felt like a dream.
Suddenly, the Uchiha started laughing. And then he laughed some more, and then a little bit more until he was bending down and holding his stomach because he couldn't control the laughter any longer.
He stood upright again and found Sakura giving him another one of her looks. She couldn't believe what she'd just witnessed; the vengeful Uchiha Sasuke she'd known her entire life had just genuinely laughed, and God, what a beautiful, pure sound it was.
"Sasuke-kun," she let out, barely containing her emotions. "Are you happy?"
Sasuke nodded, the laughter still dancing in his eyes.
Sakura ran to Sasuke and jumped on him, causing him to slightly lose his balance as she embraced him in another tight hug. He felt his wound slightly ache from the embrace, but he didn't care. "I love you," Sakura whispered, her breath tickling Sasuke's neck. She was glad to be hiding her tears from him, despite them being happy ones. Sasuke buried his face in Sakura's hair, he too glad that she couldn't see his face.
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I'm so sorry that my updates take forever, but I do hope they're worth it in the end. Let me know what you thought of this chapter :)
Just wanted to say that the scenery of this chapter was inspired by this fanart from starrequiem on tumblr. Here's the link; go support this artist! (http://starrequiem.tumblr.com/post/129569243114/ive-been-brooding-over-these-for-2-months-and)