#ssm15d5

うちはサスケ x 春野サクラ

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Moments of Change, The Second Exam...

Day 5-6-10: Test, Skin deep, Haircut

[The moments when Sakura blossomed and Sasuke began his fall toward darkness... Sakura’s sacrifice of her hair to saved her loved ones and the birth of Sasuke’s curse mark... Ah such powerful moments, right? Please enjoy and take care, okay?]

“ How the hell did you let them do this to her!?”

Sasuke was furious. His breathing was fast. His hands were clenched into fists and his teeth were almost breaking due to the strength he was putting in his jaw. Taking his anger out on his sensei wasn’t certainly going to help, but it was not like he cared about it at that moment. He just could not forgive the one who had done it to her. He could not accept that she was there unconscious and all hurt in that hospital bed and he couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t protect her. He couldn’t stop her. Not from going to that test and, certainly, not from loving him.

The hospital waiting room was becoming unbearable at each second the Uchiha spent there and looking at his silent teacher wasn’t making feel any calmer. It was not like he was expecting Kakashi to comfort him or anything but, at least, he wanted the copy ninja to say something. To feel something. Yet, none of it happened and the Uchiha couldn’t simply keep looking at that mask of his anymore. He was ashamed of his sensei. Ashamed in a way that could never be forgotten.

Sasuke walked from left to right, stomping his feet as he waited for anyone to exit the room where she was being treated. Sakura had arrived there without a single percentage of her senses on and with a considerable amount of blood lost. Even if he had only seen her for less than 5 seconds while she was being transferred from one room to another; his observing eyes were able to see many blood stained bandages settling next to her body. Her long hair was dirty and there were many scratches and deep wounds spread all over her members. What on earth had happened to the girl? Where could she have gone to return in such conditions? Who had been the dead man that had dared to do that? Sasuke couldn’t help but wanting to torture the responsible one for that and he was sure that his blonde friend would also join him when he heard about what had happened. Unfortunately, in that case, neither the Uchiha nor the Uzumaki would be able to make use of torture to avenge her. It was not like they could torture the Hokage, right?

When he first heard the truth from the gray haired sensei, Sasuke couldn’t help but doubting those words. Why on earth would the village do such thing to a girl as sweet and loved as Sakura? She had never done anything against her home and it just wouldn’t be logical if, in a fine day like any other, Konoha decided to do it to her. It just didn’t make sense. The Third Hokage would never command his guards to attack a young genin like her. For what he knew, the Sandime was a fair man and cared for the new generations of the Leaf. He took care of those kids as if they were his own. Sasuke was sure their leader had nothing to do with the current state of his teammate. And, indeed, he was right. The Hokage had nothing to do with it. But the rules that he followed were certainly the ones to be blamed for hurting the pinkette.

The archaic and corrupted ninja system that controlled Konoha had, certainly, reached an extremely high level of stupidity with the creation of that test. It consisted in testing the young kunoichi who had just graduated from the academy, making them prove that there was more in them than just cuteness and the ability of falling in love. The test created by men basically affirmed that the girls who fell in love were more likely to compromise the mission by doing anything reckless in the name of that feeling. It treated love as a debility among the girls and, because of that, the superiors had decided to see if the young girls really had something other than love in their bodies. And of course they measured it through physical exercises and resistance trails. That ninja world they lived in was, certainly, doomed.

The Uchiha’s mind still couldn’t see any possible logic behind that whole crap. Ever since he was younger, his mother would always tell him that people truly become strong when they are trying to protect someone they love. Such idea was in his heart even before there was a kunai in his hands. Sasuke knew that love was an important thing for people and punishing just girls for having that feeling was certainly a monstrosity. Condemning feelings as pure as Sakura’s should doubtlessly be considered a crime. Hurting a girl as pure as Sakura should be a death penalty crime.

The Uzumaki boy arrived at the hospital just some moments later and, as expected, Naruto became more than just angry after hearing what had happened. The blonde certainly felt like punching the old Hokage for still allowing such practice to remain unaltered through so many generations. Even if the kyuuby’s vessel was still an idiot by that age, he knew that playing with people’s feelings was just unacceptable. It wasn’t human. And, if nothing changed until he became Hokage, such atrocity would be the first thing he would get rid of.

“ oi, Teme… How is she?”

“ I don’t know. No one has said anything to me yet.” He clenched his fists.

“ do you know what she had to do?”

“No.”

And you bet he felt really guilty for not being able to help her.

“ She will be okay, dattebayo! We are talking about Sakura-chan, remember? She… She’s certainly okay.”

“Hn.”

Once he realized Naruto was trying to comfort him, the raven haired boy knew he had reached the bottom of the pitch. Pathetic, he thought as he walked away from the blonde. He wanted some privacy at that moment. He wanted to think about the whole thing and, unsuccessfully, try to understand the whole logic behind that test. Sasuke knew that her love for him was the one thing that put her in that situation. Even if he still didn’t believe her feelings were more than a simple childish crush, the Uchiha knew that that was the reason for her to be chosen to face that challenge alone. He couldn’t help but to feel indirectly responsible for her wounds and, for sure, this guilt was killing him inside. But nothing he was feeling at that moment was worst than the pain she was feeling. Sasuke needed to know how she was. He needed to see her emerald eyes again. He needed to see Sakura smiling at him at least one more time. And, thankfully, his agony was, soon, heard by the gods.

“ excuse me…” A lady in white approached Kakashi. In no time, Sasuke and Naruto joined them in order to hear about their friend. “ are you the one responsible for the genin, Haruno Sakura?”

“ yes. Her parents weren’t still informed and, for that, I’m the one responsible for her. Can you tell me how she is?” He asked, trying to seem as calm as possible but failing in hiding his own worried side. Sakura was still his precious student, after all.

“ right now she’s okay. Some of her ribs were broken and there are many hematoma spread around her body… The cuts made with the kunais needed to be stitched and she has a sprinkled ankle… Apart from that, no major damage. She will just need some rest and she will be ready for her next mission.”

“ that’s good to hear. We will take care of our girl, right, boys?”

“ yosh! And is she awake?”

“ yes. She just woke up and-”

“ her next mission…” The Uchiha looked down and clenched his fists. He had certainly ignored the part where the medic had said she was okay. And he had good reasons to have done so. “ how can you say that after a mission has done that to her!? How dare you saying she had no major injuries!? Don’t you think she has suffered enough!?”

“ calm down, Sasuke. I know you’re feeling-”

“ you know nothing, Kakashi! Who cares about what I am feeling! The only thing that matters is knowing how SHE is! How do you think Sakura will be when she finds out the reason behind this stupid test?” He smirked and, out of all his smirks, that one was the darkest one he had ever given to his teammates. Unfortunately, for him, such smirk was about to disappear and a shocking expression would appear in his face.

“ she knows.”

“ what?”

“ she knows about the test, Sasuke”

“ and she still said it was okay!?”

“ yes.”

“ b-but why…?! Why the hell did she do it!?”

“….” The gray haired man sighed and motioned towards the room from where the medic had come from. “ why don’t you go ask her?”

“Hn.” Out of all of the words he had heard from his sensei, those were probably the only ones that made sense.

With his eyes as sharp as two knives, the Uchiha started to make his way towards the door. The medic tried to stop him but his deadly glare made her stay paralyzed on her spot. Naruto also tried to join him but, before he could even take one step, Kakashi held him by the shoulder. The sensei knew that his other two students needed a moment alone. They needed to clarify all of those feelings that were growing inside of them. After all, their love was the one thing that brought them all to that hospital in that afternoon. And only their love could make them leave.

Abruptly opening the door, Sasuke didn’t expect to see what he saw in those three seconds that took her to regain herself. Sakura, with more than enough bandages to turn her into a mummy, was looking under the covers and examining her wrapped chest. She was probably trying to measure something but, before the pinkette could take any conclusion, she brought the covers up to her nose and blushed as she tried to hide her embarrassment. For what he could see, even after being beaten up, the girl with long pink hair was still as silly as ever. Such thing, surely, made him feel a little more relaxed inside. Still, there was more he needed to know. More he needed to ask. And Sakura would give him all the answers he wanted.

“ S-Sa-Sasuke-kun! W-What are you doing here?”

“ I know everything already, Sakura.”

“… You do?” She said, uncovering her mouth.

“Hn.” The Uchiha took the chair from the corner of the room and, calmly, placed it near her bed. The pinkette certainly felt a little bothered by his presence due to her current state but, since it was Sasuke, then his company would never be something troublesome. In fact, it would only make her feel better.

“ how are you feeling?”

“ I’m okay… It hurts a little but… I’ll be good as new in no time!” She smiled, trying to lift her arm but failing as her sore muscle succumbed and fell on the bed again.

“ how did this happen? How many were there against you?”

“ Uhm… I think 3 or 4… They were the ones responsible for tes-… For seeing how I would do in those challenges… I guess I ended up hurting myself alone.” She chuckled, trying to break the mood.

When her eyes averted his for a moment, he knew she was lying. He already knew she had fought against ninjas who were stronger than her and he knew that it was impossible even for her reckless side to make such deep cuts with a kunai in herself. He knew she was trying not to make him mad. But that wasn’t going to happen at all. In fact, her words just made him even angrier. And she knew that as soon as she saw his hand gripping the sheets of the bed.

Sakura knew her teammate wouldn’t like to know the truth behind it. She knew that, just like Naruto, the Uchiha tended to be a little overprotective towards her as if she was a little sister. She knew they would never forgive the ninjas who were ordered to help her with the test and that they would make a mess out of it. And, honestly, she didn’t want that to happen. She didn’t want them to be that mad and to try to save her every time. She didn’t want them to think she was just a weak girl in love. Sakura wanted to prove them she was strong and deserved to be a part of their team. And what better way to prove them that other than passing that illogical test, right? It was probably something stupid but, for that moment, it was the one thing she could do to show she deserved to be there. To be more than a little sister. However, even if she explained it more than 100 times, they would never accept it. He would never accept it.

When Sasuke realized she wasn’t going to talk or even look at him anymore for that moment, the Uchiha quickly held her hand. His grip on it was stronger than necessary and it sure made her feel the physical pain caused by all of those aching muscles. Still, he didn’t care about her feelings at that moment. He cared about her feelings in the future and about what had convinced her to say yes to such stupid thing. And he would make her tell him.

“ are you an idiot or what!?”

“ you’re hurting me, Sasuke-kun!”

“ I don’t care! You accepted to participate on that test by yourself. I’m sure you can handle my grip!”

“ stop it!”

“ no! I won’t stop until you tell me why you did that! Why didn’t you say anything to us!? Why didn’t you say you had no one you loved!?”

“ It hurts!” She screamed and, finally, he let go. His eyes widened and, for sure, he realized he had gone too far. She was crying after that and, at that moment, his guilt had grown even more.

“ i-it hurts… Knowing you see me just as a weak girl… It hurts not being able to do something by myself… It hurts… Thinking about forgetting what I feel.”

“ Sakura…”

The girl cried a little harder but her tears had no sad feeling on them. Sakura was mad. She was angry at herself for being so weak and for not being able to do things right. She was angry for not being as strong as them and for being so hopelessly hurt in front of him. In front of the one she loves. That was certainly unforgivable for her. She was ashamed of being so fragile in front of him. He was really going to be ashamed of his teammate, she knew it. But she was wrong. Really wrong.

“ you really are an idiot, did you know that?”

“… Yes… I’m sorry…”

“ Sakura… You didn’t need this test to prove you’re strong. Naruto and Kakashi know that. I know that… I’m sorry I hurt your hand but… It just pisses me off! Seeing you hurt… Seeing you in this condition… All because of me…. All because of this stupid feeling you have.”

“ it’s not stupid.”

“ uh?”

She wiped her tears, leaving red traces on her cheeks. Her emerald eyes were fiercely locked into his dark pearls and, for the first time, he even considered those feelings of her were more than just a childish crush.

“ they are not stupid… They make me keep going and make me do anything to save my teammates… To save you. Just because I’ve accepted to do this test, it doesn’t mean I agree with it. I think that… Love is important for ninjas. When we love someone, our wish to protect makes us stronger and makes us better ninjas. It’s important to think of someone… It’s important for a ninja to love.”

The Uchiha’s eyes went wide and he could swear that the one laying on that bed was his beloved mother. The similarities between those two girls was simply terrifying in those black pearls of his but it was a good feeling, somehow. Seeing the woman he loved the most still alive inside of his precious teammate certainly made Sasuke happy. It made him feel at home. Made him feel loved. At that moment, even if he still didn’t believe testing feelings was right and that Sakura was wrong to have accepted it, his heart was certainly at ease. He was glad to know she would be okay and that her innocence wasn’t affected. He was happy to know she would keep loving. He was happy to know she had passed that test.

“ hn… If you say so…”

“ I know so!” She tried to move her neck, but something made her flinch in pain. He sighed at that.

“ stop moving… We will take care of you.”

“ really?”

“ yes. Don’t worry, you deserve it for passing the test.” He smirked, softly, and she smiled, deeply. And how good it was to see that smile on that wrapped body after so long.

“ thank you, Sasuke-kun! You just…” She blushed. “ you just don’t have to change my bandages…”

“…. Hn.” He blushed and, indeed, she was looking impressively cute even with those bandages.

-

"Remember when we were genin, Sasuke-kun?"

A pause.

"I'd rather not."

She smiled lightly, brushing away his bangs from his forehead. She caressed his cheek lightly and he snuggled deeper into the covers.

"It wasn't all bad," she remarked, leaning on her elbow and running her fingers through his hair.

"…It wasn't."

"I remember that one time when we took the Chunin exams," she sighed. Under the covers, he wound an arm around her waist and buried the side of his face deeper into the pillow.

"During the first test. I was so nervous," she said, sighing. "You noticed. And you made me believe in myself again."

Outside, the night was quiet, only the crickets chirping. Sakura relished in the silence, his protective arms around her, and smiled.

"I love you very, very much, Sasuke-kun."

He opened his eyes then, squinted at her and blushed. Not looking in her eyes, he said, "Me too."

She laughed, and pecked him on the cheek.

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Prompt:Test

Summary: When she slides the test paper over to him, he wonders why she’s risking her education for him

Rating: K-M

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto

Also on: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11352624/1/What-Love-Is

In the room occupied by about twenty children, the only sound audible was of the pencil’s tip meeting paper in a war of pass or fail. Students looked around hopelessly for information, maybe a sheet of paper was accidentally left on a wall, but it was of no use. Knowing their sensei, he had probably taken down anything that would even prove as a hint. Furious scribbles decorated over half of the class’ test papers with the exception of the pink haired girl sitting at the front of the room, answering each question with ease, now on the second page. The ones sitting behind her glared enviously, one even daring to throw a spitball at her head. Her only reaction was to take the crumbled paper out of her and drop it into the blue recycling bin by the door.

Sasuke stared at the sheet on his desk blankly, feeling everything he’s ever learned slip out of the back of his head. He glanced over to his left to see Naruto fast asleep and drooling on the table. I’m failing this,Sasuke thought before looking at his peer on the right. Sakura Haruno. One of the brightest students in the class or as some called her, a “teacher’s pet”. She made up for every assignment she missed, got the best grades, respected every member of the staff, why wouldn’t a teacher like her? He felt jealous by the way her answers neatly fit in the boxes provided, making her works seem like a teacher’s answer sheet. It wasn’t going that well on his side he thought, cringing at the smudged letters on his sheet and handwriting similar to a chicken’s. He considered asking her for help but quickly buried that idea, knowing how much grades probably meant to her. Why would she risk her education and being caught for him? He sighed and rested his head on his desk, hoping that he gets a D instead of a F.

“Sasuke-kun,” He heard his name being whispered quietly, before his eyes locked onto the ones of Haruno Sakura. He stared at her face in confusion, not knowing why she had addressed him in the first place.

“Sensei’s gone,” When Sasuke looked around the room, Sakura was right. The older man had left knowing that nobody would notice, all drowning in their own frustrations. Except the student that remained calm throughout. She tilted her paper towards him, covering the corners with her homework folder to make sure nobody would notice as she moved on to the third and last page.

Sasuke scribbled down the answers furiously for the history part of the exam. He had expected the Uchihas to be the main focus for the subject and had decided to not study anything actually about Konoha. When Sakura finished the third page, she slid the whole test to him before taking out an extra she had grabbed claiming that she wanted one in case her work wasn’t neat though everyone knew that it always was the best. Now she was making it seem like she was still working. Sasuke looked in awe at the girl beside him and at how prepared she was. Had she expected him to need her help? Nonetheless he wrote down the last words of page three and slipped the paper back to her jsut ast their sensei walked in, announcing that the time given for test was over. Sasuke sighed and glanced at the one girl he never thought would ever help him.

“Thanks,” he muttered sheepishly, not wanting to fully admit that he needed her help. In return Sakura smiled at him, just wide enough so he could see the dimple on her left cheek appear.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, except for the undying love for this ship, my OTP.

A/N: Sorry I'm late, badass road trip with BFFs happened, so... Back to the story! I know, this topic has been used by just about every SS fan there has ever been, right? But it's my first time, I am allowed to rewrite it on my own, I guess... ;) Please enjoy!

Also on Fanfiction.net

Sasusaku Month 2015

Day 5 - Test

I’ve always wondered how that Itachi-Sasuke reunion scene would have gone if Sakura had been there too... Maybe it would’ve been one of those really little things that would send ripples that change absolutely everything.