#ssm2019

He looks at her again, silently pleading for her to face him. Seconds pass and she doesn’t, so Sasuke finally glances up at the night sky wanting to figure out what had captured his wife so deeply that she won’t pay him mind. He blinks at the ordinary heavens. The stars are beautiful, he thinks, but they have always been that way. Every night, they make themselves known, and at dawn they start disappearing, only to reappear again at dusk. Still, he can’t help but close his eyes and breathe deeply, taking in the cool, post-midnight air.

“Sakura…” He turns to her.

“Hmm?” She doesn’t.

Sasuke draws her towards him, pressing her back to his chest, gently pulling her down to sit on the engawa. Her legs hang over the grass, and his on either side of her, his large frame hovering over his wife protectively, his palm resting on her thigh, his chin on her shoulder. “Sakura…” he calls again whispering to her ear.

Finally, she turns her head, her nose touching his cheek. She gives him a soft peck before returning to watch the stars, the weight of her body resting on him. He brushes her hair to one side, exposing her neck, and he breathes in her scent. His arm moves to wrap around her, his hand squeezing her biceps, and he pulls her even closer. His wife once again leans her head to his and some of her pink locks fall onto his face. Sasuke notes that her attention was still at the sky above them.

For the third time, Sasuke calls her name again. This time, his tone slightly sounding more urgent. His breath blowing into her ear.

“What is it, Sasuke-kun?”

Her voice breaks the silence of the night and the garden, and it sounded so good to his hears. Subconsciously, he tightens his hold on her.

“What are you thinking of?”

At this, Sakura lets out a light giggle, and she buries herself further into him. Why was her husband being so clingy tonight? “You, of course.”

“But I’m right here.” And to prove his point, he leaves a trail of kisses on her neck. Sakura sighs contentedly. A few moments pass before she speaks again.

“Well… It’s just…” She pauses and Sasuke tilts his head to take a curious peek at her. She was smiling, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her eyes finally peer into his own.

“Just what?” he presses.

Eyes never leaving his, her expression impossibly turns even softer. “I look at you and–”

Sasuke waits for her to continue, raising a brow.

Then Sakura laughs, abruptly turning away from his gaze to admire the stars yet again. Sasuke sighs, amused. In a flash, he is in front of her standing, his figure blocking his wife’s view of the heavens.

If she’s surprised, it doesn’t show. She looks at him with her eyes so full of love and wonder, and he feels his mouth tilting into a smile. He can’t believe this beautiful woman sitting before him is now his wife, and shall forever remain his wife for as long as he breathes and lives. For her happiness, he would do anything.

Sakura rises and puts her arms around his neck. But it was Sasuke who takes a step forward to close their distance. He cups her face with his hand, a thumb brushing her cheek.

“The moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it, anata?” Their noses are touching now.

And though he knows there is only the light of stars, he answers, “Aa,” before finally capturing her lips in his. He moves his hand to the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. She pulls him closer, the heat on his back rises, and he swears he feels her heart knocking at his chest. She moans into his mouth, the tremors of her body filling him with want and unbearable yearning. And when she whispers his name in between kisses, Sasuke’s body surrenders. Lips over hers, he takes a heavy breath, eyes closed, forehead touching forehead. Unmoving, they remained. The dewy garden air surrounds them like a blanket. It is so quiet that they hear the soft thump of the shishi-odoshi, and the water running through its long narrow tube of bamboo.

After a long while, Sasuke then tilts his head back to get a long look at her face still angled towards him. Her lips are swollen, and her eyes shut. He feels her arms fall onto his waist, her chest rising and falling against his own. He brushes a few strands away from her face, his fingers softly grazing her skin, tucking them behind her ear. His hand dips onto the still exposed skin of her shoulder. He squeezes it lightly, and Sakura opens her eyes.

Sasuke’s breath hitches when green fills his vision which, he is sure, is brighter and far more arresting than what is above them both. What a blessing it is, he feels, that its gaze are fixated on him. Her attention on him. Her love on him. Do the stars know what an honor it is that she looks up and blesses them with her thoughts?

His heart swells and it rises up, reaching his mouth and his own eyes, washing them with gratitude, acknowledgement and of course–he knows–love. Sasuke smiles, and because of her, he finally lets himself be overcome with affection. There is only one thing he could tell her then, so he releases the truth of his devotion:

–

He didn't think of her again until seven years later when he was on a picnic with his family. For some reason, his mother wanted to celebrate hanami this year, so his father picked the most beautiful spot he has heard of and the very next day, they were in Kyoto, hundreds of miles from home, and surrounded by blooming Sakura trees and an endless field of grass.

He got a tomato from the picnic basket and all at once was sucked into the memory of red against green, and of soft soft pink much like the trees around him. Why was it so familiar? Yet strange? The colors gnawed at his mind, and he tried to pull up a memory, his brows knitting at the effort.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" his brother asked.

Then there was another voice. Smaller but more vivid in his ear. Is this okay?

"Sasuke?" His father now.

He didn't respond until he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. He looked up. Kaa-san...

He nodded. "Sorry I thought I remembered something." 

The day passed as expectedly, but that night he dreamt of walking along endless rows of Sakura trees. Pink falling all around him, landing on his hair, his clothes, his cheek. He doesn't brush them off. The cool petals on his skin feels comforting and familiar.

He didn't know how long he walked but he felt so at peace he never wanted it to end, until he saw, on the horizon, an impossibly large Sakura tree right in the middle of the road, and in front of it, he could make out a figure of a woman in red, her back facing him. He felt the urge to run, to know who she was, so he ran and ran towards the giant tree, but no matter how far he got, he was nowhere closer to it. The mysterious woman in red remained fixed on the horizon, unmoving. 

When he woke up, he was breathing heavily, heart protesting against his chest.

–

He finally meets her, four years later. He is sixteen, and doesn't remember.

"Haruno Sakura." she extends a hand. He shakes it and he feels electricity jolting from the touch. She's a new student at their school.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He nods curtly. He's the president of the student council and was tasked to orient and teach her basic school regulations. It's a week before the new school year begins.

He then shows her around. The gardens. The library. The gym. The cafeteria. The locker room. The auditorium. Their classroom. A strange sense of déjà vu fills him, as if they've walked together like this at another time.

Suddenly, three hours had passed, and they were at the rooftop. The sun is setting. The sky is painted orange and gold.

"This is where the band club usually practices," Sasuke explains. "When they feel that the auditorium gets too stuffy."

She walks towards the railing and looks at the cityscape. "Are you part of any club?" He noted that it's the first personal question she asked that afternoon.

"Apart from the student council," he takes a step beside her. "No. But I do intern for the local newspaper."

"Oh!" she looks at him, impressed. "Planning to become a journalist?"

He shakes his head. "I want to study law."

"Why?"

He doesn't usually like strangers asking him personal questions but with her, he realizes he doesn't mind. "Justice. Laws regulate the system, and I want to help fix that."

She nods at this and returns to looking at the city below them.

He takes a peak at her from the corner of his eye. He begins, "What about... what about you?"

She smiles when she turns to him, and Sasuke feels an ache in his chest. Something gnaws in his mind. "Definitely, a doctor. Ever since I could speak and walk, all I wanted was to be called Dr. Haruno Sakura," she laughs. "You know, all my stuffed toys were my patients, and my parents would play pretend with me. I grew up volunteering at various medical missions. I was just packing first aid kits when I started. Doing menial work for senior medical staff, you know, just delivering things, and what not. But it was fun!"

Her eyes were beaming now, and Sasuke found it impossible to look away. "Do you still volunteer?" he asks.

"Of course!" she chirped. "The work is tiring but fulfilling, though it's just basic stuff." She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "I can't wait to work at a hospital though!"

Before he could stop himself he blurts out, "You'll be great at it." And he means it. He knows for an absolute fact that she will be an amazing doctor someday, despite knowing her for less than a day.

A smile blooms on her face, her cheeks tainted pink. Sasuke stares and stares and stares, his mouth partly open.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

–

He is drawn to her, he notices. They are in the same class, and though their seats are far apart, his eyes look for her often, his ears attuned to the sound of her voice. And oh, her laughter. He likes hearing it every day.

She's amazing at every subject, and quickly becomes all the teachers' favorite. She's nice and always quick to lend a hand, and so she instantly becomes popular at school too. Not to mention she's beautiful. Surprisingly, he doesn't see her often with people, nor does she hang out with any particular group. She mostly tends to herself, reading, and almost always at the library. Like him.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" Suddenly, Sakura is there in front of him. Sasuke closes his book.

"Yeah?" She has his complete attention.

"It's 7 p.m., the library is closing." He's surprised to learn this. Has he been here that long? "Are you going to check that out?" She asks, pointing at his book, Introduction to Moral Philosophy.

"Light reading, huh?" she grins and shows him her book, Exploring Human Anatomy. He can't help but feel amused. He looks at the window and sees that it's dark out. "Aa. Let's go."

He grabs his bag and checks out his book, Sakura falling into step beside him. They walk in silence towards the waiting shed. He takes out his phone and sends a text. He sees her do the same.

When they reached the shed, he is surprised to hear her say, "See you, Sasuke-kun!"  and she turns her heel towards the opposite direction, but before she could take a step he grabs her wrist. She turns around, startled, and looks at the hand keeping her in place.

"Sakura, where are you going?" he doesn't let go.

"Uh... Walking home?"

"You're not getting picked up?"

"I like to walk home every night. It's calming, and I like to think." she smiles reassuringly.

His eyes narrow at this. It's dangerous, he thinks. You never know...

"My brother will be here soon. We'll drive you home."

"W-wha..." she waves her free hand dismissively. "It's fine, really, Sasuke-kun!"

"I insist."

"B-but!"

He let's go of her wrist. "Sakura..." He gives her a look, and they both fall silent. Then he hears the sound of a car stop in front of them. A window rolls down and Sasuke hears the voice of his brother.

"Sasuke," Itachi says in greeting. "Let's go." He notices his little brother is not alone.

"Who's that? Is that Sasuke's friend?" Hearing the voice of his mother, he turns to the car and sees his mother already outside walking towards him. "Kaa-san, do you mind if we drive Sakura home?"

The girl in question smiles sheepishly at them. "Konbanwa, Uchiha-san." She bows in greeting. "There is really no need–"

"Nonsense!" Uchiha Mikoto pats her shoulder. "We insist! It's no trouble for us at all! Now what kind of mother would I be if I let a lovely girl like you walk all the way home and alone?" The next thing Sasuke knew, Sakura was being escorted–pushed, really–by his mother towards their car. He opens the door for Sakura and shuts it when she is seated inside. He goes to the other side of the car and does the same for his mother in the front seat before he finally gets in, seating beside Sakura at the back.

Sasuke introduces her to them. She gives her address and thanks them profusely.

"Oh Sakura, dear, it's quite alright!" He's glad that his mother is so warm, hopefully, it will make Sakura feel less of an intrusion. They really didn't mind after all, her house wasn't too far anyways.

"So..." his mother begins, and Sasuke can't help but feel slightly nervous. To steady himself, he looks out the window, resting his cheek on his palm, trying to look bored. "Have you thought of your future plans yet, Sakura-chan?"

He glances at Sakura at the corner of his eye. Seeing her perk up at his mother's question, Sasuke can't help but smile to himself. "I'm going to medical school for sure. It has been my dream since childhood."

For some reason, Sasuke's chest swells with pride. Then he feels someone's eyes on him. He looks towards the rearview mirror and meets his brother's eyes. Itachi gives him a look and smirks. Sasuke abruptly turns away, forcing himself to focus on something outside the car window. He feels a blush creeping on his cheeks.

"That's great!" Mikoto claps her hands together. "Did you know Sasuke-kun here wants to become a lawyer?"

Sasuke flinches at the sound of his name. But doesn't bother joining the discussion. But oh was he listening.

"Yeah, he told me when I first met him!"

"Ah when was that?"

"Just this school year, right before classes began. I'm a new student so Sasuke had to show me the ropes!"

"How nice of you, otouto." Sasuke feels a vein pop at his brother's teasing voice. Sakura tells them happily about her former school, and how she has been there since she started studying.

"If you don't mind my asking, why transfer here?"

"Oh umm..." Sasuke was still looking outside the window, but he could hear the shyness in her voice. "I got a full scholarship, and this school has the highest passing rate to my dream university."

"Wow, Sakura-chan! That's amazing. Oh Sasuke you didn't tell us you had such an brilliant friend!"

"Hn," is his only response. This car ride feels five times longer than it actually is.

"Well," he could feel her gaze on him now. "You should see Sasuke too! Student council president and still he finds time to study in the library every night." He turns his head towards her, and sure enough she is looking at him. Sakura sticks her tongue out. "I'm just trying to catch up to him."

He smirks at her, "Not every night."

"Ah of course! We all know how much effort Sasu-chan puts into his work..."

Sasuke turns red. "Mother..." Mikoto could only chuckle at this.

Sakura laughs at his nickname. Sasuke, turning even redder, returns to his window. Much to his relief, he feels the car slow into a halt.

"Well, here's my stop!" Sakura thanks everyone again and says goodbye. Sasuke refuses to look at her. He just can't at this state.

"Won't you join us for dinner next time, Sakura?" Itachi offers. 

"We'd love to have you, Sakura-chan!" Mikoto adds, deepening Sasuke's blush.

"Sure!" Sakura thanks his mother and brother once more, adding that it was great to meet them.

Sasuke then finds the courage to turn his head towards her. She was looking at him, smiling that annoying smile of hers. She beams. "Thanks again, Sasuke-kun, for the ride home. See you tomorrow!" She doesn't wait for him to respond and closes the door. But that's alright with him, because he doesn't think he could.

"Such a sweet girl..." Mikoto says wistfully as they drive away. He even sees his brother nod and smile to himself in agreement.

What's with these two? Sasuke thinks. His mother was so eager to get to know her, and even his brother showed a bit of interest, which was big coming from him. They've never acted that warmly to any friend of his before. They just spent no more than 10 minutes with her and yet she managed to worm her way into their hearts, earning her a rare dinner invitation.

Sasuke sighs heavily.

"Are you okay, dear?" He's startled out of his thoughts, turning his head to his mother looking back at him from the front seat.

Sasuke shrugs. "Just hungry, I guess..." But he doubts it's just that.

"What do you think of Sakura?" Itachi looks at him through the rearview mirror, a playful glint in his eye.

Sasuke scoffs, "What about her?"

His mother chuckles at his tone. "She feels familiar. Maybe we've met before."

"That's impossible, kaa-san." Itachi points out. "Surely we would've remembered her pink hair."

Sasuke tries to drown out their conversation. He looks at the city lights outside his window. All he wants now is to be alone in his room. The thought of Sakura eats him. Unaware, his fingers start drumming the edge of his seat. His brows knitting in frustration.

Something in the back of his mind is gnawing on him again.

"True." He hears his mother laugh. Sasuke glances at her then at his brother.

"You know, Sasuke-kun," his mother says after a while. "It's strange but..." she pauses, struggling to formulate words in her mind.

But then the car stops, and Itachi announces, "We're home."

Sasuke immediately opens his car door and makes his way inside their house. He doesn't even wait for either of them.

Mikoto stares and smiles at Sasuke's retreating back, then turns to her eldest. "Don't you feel it, Itachi-kun?"

Itachi raises a curious brow at her. "What is it, kaa-san?" Mikoto links her arms to her son's as they walk.

"It's Sakura." She stops in front of their still open door. "I feel like I was supposed to meet her at some other time." She smiles at the thought. "But for some reason I didn't get the chance to."

Itachi mulls her mother's words carefully. "If that's the case," he responds after a while, "we better make sure Sasuke does invite her for dinner one time."

Mikoto beams at this. "I'm sure your father would love that too."

–

note: Slow start but we’ll see where this goes... Thank you to everyone who has read my first SSM entry. The response has been overwhelming. :)

–

They were studying once again at their favorite library table by the window. It has a view of the school courtyard right outside. There are no tall buildings nor trees in that angle, offering them an unobstructed view of the landscape. Sasuke likes feeling the turning of the day. The colors of the sky are never the same, and the light always falls on Sakura differently each time, casting a distinct glow about her.

He admits to himself that he stares at her at times, but never deliberately. It starts out with him looking up at his notes to ask her a question. Then he sees her completely absorbed in her book, so focused, her eyes moving along with the words, sometimes followed by her index finger. Strands of pink hair softly fall from her shoulders, framing her face, usually she tucks them to her ear, when she doesn't, Sasuke feels the urge to do it for her. Then his gaze moves from her face to her hands.

At the moment, her fingers are tucked between the pages of yet another medical text. Her other hand though, he notes, is just resting on the table, her arm pressing at the edges of a book. Sasuke is suddenly made aware of the emptiness of his own hand. Subconsciously, he wonders what it would be like to take hers, to trace his fingers across her palm, and curling them between her own.

The question in his mind is lost.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He blinks, mentally shaking his head. "Yes?"

She smiles beautifully at him. "Want to call it a day?" She closes her book. "I'm beat." And as if to prove her point, she folds her arms and sinks onto the table, her chin resting on them.

He lowers his head too, nestling his jaw onto the folded wrist tucked at the crook of his neck.

"Lightweight," he teases.

"Mou!" she protests. "I know for a fact that I'm the most hardworking student in all of the school." She grins, confident in her declaration.

Sasuke lets out an amused breath. Before he can stop himself, his free hand moves across the table and two fingers poke her forehead. "Let's go home." He feels his lips curl.

Sakura raises her head from the table and puts a hand on her forehead. She closes her eyes and chuckles to herself.

Seeing this, something aches in Sasuke's chest. He stands up abruptly then, quickly gathering his things. There's something clawing at the back of his mind.

He checks his phone, and steals a glance at her. She's placing her books and notes inside her bag. Her brows are knitted, lips pouted slightly.

He knows that look. He has seen it enough times when there's something she doesn't understand. She would pore over her books and notes, working something out in her head.

She looks up at him and the look vanishes briefly, replaced with a small smile. He returns it and they fall into step together, walking silently out of the library. From the periphery of his vision, she adopts that expression again. She's looking for answers, he knows.

But to what?

–

Sakura opens her eyes, still half-asleep, and once again finds a man with dark hair nestled onto her side.

Without thinking, she tightens her hold on him.

I know you...

She closes her eyes again, wanting to sleep enveloped by his comfort, but she feels him shift. His weight now fully on top of her. He's heavy but she doesn't mind. She starts trailing her hand up and down his back.

A few moments pass and she feels something soft press onto her lips briefly. She opens her eyes wanting to look at him, but his face is nestled onto the right side of her own. The bridge of his nose touching hers. She feels his breath on her lips. His mouth at the corner of her own.

She moves her hand to his neck, running it through his hair, and one black eye peeks at her. Then his face shifts ever so slightly to kiss her fully, moving to capture the bottom of her lips. Instinctively, she opens her mouth to meet his tongue. The weight on top of her lightens slightly. His kiss trails from her mouth to her neck, and his hand slips underneath her shirt, touching her bare flesh, his palm grating on her skin. Her breath hitches.

The alarm blares and her eyes snap open.

She turns red at the memory. No, dream.

Sakura remembers having the same dream a long time ago. She brushed it off then, blaming her teenage hormones. She doesn’t think of it again until now, three years later. This time, she doesn't forget, since the dream often finds its way to her in the following months.

She dreams the same scenario repeatedly: she wakes up to find herself entangled with the same dark-haired man. Sometimes she's the one resting on top him, at other times they're leaning against a tree or sprawled onto the forest floor. But always it is the same dream, only in different variations of deep, wet kisses, of hands roaming, of skin touching skin...

She shakes her head, flustered. She has never had intimate relations with anyone, nor even thought of it. She doesn't even read romance novels. So where does her mind draw the sensation? It feels too real for it to be imagined, and it seems to be fixated on this dark, mysterious man. Despite her dreams being always set in the early morning, with the full force of sunlight illuminating everything, she has never seen his whole face–only one obsidian eye.

She puts a hand to her chest to calm her heart.

–

Haruno Mebuki regards her daughter carefully. She's dressed pretty simply: white fitted shirt, dark jeans, sneakers. Sakura was busy putting things in her backpack.

"Off to the library again?" It is a Saturday morning.

She nods. "I'm studying with Sasuke-kun today."

Mebuki's lips thins. "You've been spending a lot of time with that boy lately." She points out, fully expecting her daughter to get flustered by her implication.

But she only smiles, completely comfortable with her statement, not even pausing in the slightest.

Mebuki pushes, "It's a Saturday today. Don't you both have better things to do?" Her daughter laughs and replies in a playful tone, "Kaa-san aren't you happy I'm working so hard? Most parents would be lucky to have me as a daughter."

Mebuki chuckles at this. "Your father and I are proud of you, you know that."

"I'll make you even prouder when I become the first doctor in the family."

Her husband enters the kitchen, "Your mother and I are both doctors."

"Tou-san, you know I meant medical doctor!"

Kizashi howls in laughter and ruffles their daughter's pink hair. "Here's the book you were looking for." He hands her an introductory medical text, and Mebuki sees an opportunity to continue their previous topic.

"You know they're going to make you study this again in university, right?"

"Can't hurt to get an early start."

Mebuki gives her husband a meaningful look, and he catches it. He's wearing an impish expression now. "Library again, huh? Studying with that Uchiha boy today?"

"Uh-huh," she nods. Mebuki notes again that her daughter doesn't seem to be bothered by their silent accusations.

"Will you be back by dinner?"

"I always am."

Except that one time she had an impromptu dinner with the Uchihas, Mebuki thinks. They seem to be very taken with her, on an unbelievably unnatural level. She doesn't know how to feel about it. But she is quite sure that there must be a reason why she feels so wary of them. Call it mother's instinct. Hell, she wouldn't be able to raise the best daughter in the world if she didn't have that.

"Will they be driving you home, again?" Kizashi was asking in that teasing tone now.

Sakura crosses her arms playfully, raising a brow, "Too lazy to pick-up your own daughter, tou-san?"

Kizashi cackles. "Text me when you're done alright?"

Sakura hugs her father goodbye and walks towards her.

Mebuki hatches a plan. "Next weekend would you like to volunteer?" she asks. "It's in a new area so they need more experienced help in setting things up."

Her daughter perks up. "Where?"

Bingo.

"Still waiting for details. But I'll let them know you're signing up."

"Yes, please!" Sakura kisses her mother on the cheek. "I'll see you both tonight, okay?"

They watch their daughter exit the door. A few moments pass before Kizashi speaks, "This is what... their third library Saturdate?"

Mebuki scoffs. "It's not a date, dear." Her husband pulls up the chair beside her. "They're awfully close though."

"Maybe they're secretly dating." He guffaws at the thought. "But our Sakura isn't like that."

"She hasn't said anything at all?”

"Yesterday when I drove her to school I asked her if there's anyone she likes."

"And?"

"She said she's 'too busy studying and working on her dreams to have time for dates'."

"Liking someone does not mean dating."

"Ha. That's what I told her."

"What did she say?"

"She just laughed and said she can't afford the distraction."

"Hm." Mebuki believes her daughter completely. But there's just something she can't quite put her finger to.

"You think this Uchiha kid likes her?" Kizashi asks.

"Maybe. I've looked into his family, you know. His older brother was on a research team with Dr. Sarutobi before." She takes a sip from her cup and continues, "Nothing out of the ordinary. They're quite successful, the Uchihas."

"See?" Now Kizashi takes a sip from her cup of tea. "I told you you were just overthinking this. Sakura's smart enough to know who to associate with."

"Aren't you the least bit wary that she's spending way too much time with a boy?" She feels her blood rising now. Honestly, her husband can be so dense.

Kizashi just flashes her a smile which irritates her more. "Nothing wrong with too much studying."

"Bah! For all I know." She slams the cup on the table causing the centerpiece tremble.

She looks at her husband who doesn't seem fazed in the slightest. "I've seen the kid," he reveals.

She almost chokes on her tea. "When?! Kizashi, why have you not told me this!"

"I picked Sakura up from the library one night. Sasuke, his mom, and brother were there by the waiting area. They refused to leave Sakura alone, so they waited until I arrived."

"That's thoughtful of them." Maybe they're not so bad after– "Wait so this boy and Sakura also study together on weeknights?!"

He nods. "Seems so."

"Look, this can't be just friendly, you know?" Mebuki adds, "Sakura has never even had a close friend growing up and suddenly this kid she hasn't known very long..." she trails off and sighs.

He pours more tea into her cup. "I admit it does seem a little suspicious." He pushes the cup towards her and places a hand on her shoulder.

After a moment Mebuki continues, "Look. I'm happy that Sakura has a close friend her age that she likes hanging-out with, and she seems much happier recently. I was worried for her before because she just studies all the time or volunteers. And all her friends are always, what, five to ten years older than her?"

"She's quite mature for her age. Always has been." Kizashi laughs again. "It's so like her that the first close friend she has is because she likes studying with him."

"It better be just that."

"I trust our daughter. If there's something to tell, she will." He squeezes her shoulder reassuringly.

"That's what I'm worried about," Mebuki sighs again. "Maybe she doesn't know."

–

Sakura walks to the school library in slow, even steps, taking in the early morning summer air.

Her parents' interest in her relationship with Sasuke unsettles her a bit. Recently, she noticed, they have been trying to pry. It's like they wanted her to admit to something.

Truth be told, she's not quite sure what to make of her friendship with Sasuke. For the past couple of months, they settled into this comfortable routine of studying together. Not that it was deliberate. They just fell into it.

They always see each other in the school library, and ever since he showed her around school that first day they met, she gained a sense of deep respect for him. Normally, she wouldn't even bother saying hi to acquaintances. She's highly introverted that way. But for Sasuke, she thought it was only proper that she would give him some sort of acknowledgement every single time she saw him, and she always saw him in the library.

The study area wasn't very large, so their eyes always found each other. At first it was just a curt exchange of nods, a small wave of hands, then it grew into smiles. Well, a smile on her part. Sasuke would only nod still, but she swears she sees a glint of affection in his eyes.

Then one day, during exams week, she went to the library only to discover all the tables were taken. But Sasuke was there, and there was a free seat in front of him. Sakura didn't want to go to a café to study. She loved the library. The old book smell. The silence. The soft rumbling of airconditioning. And of course, unlimited access to books and research materials in every discipline. She decided then to walk over to him to ask if she can share his table. He made a motion with his hand telling her to go ahead.

She sat down in front of him, sprawling her notes and references on the table. She was a messy learner and liked having all her papers in front of her. But since she wasn't alone this time, she made an effort to be neater, to not take up any of his surface space, careful not to bother him with her presence. An hour later, another table freed up. Sakura tapped her pen to his book to get his attention. He looked up at her. She then jerked her head to the free space to her right, at the end of the room, by the window. The largest square table was there, it was her favorite spot to study at.

She started gathering her things, whispering to not disturb the peace. "I'll transfer there. Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

To her surprise, he also started arranging his notes. She looked at him, waiting for an explanation.

He whispered back, "Too cold here." He motioned towards the airconditioning unit behind him. "I'll come with you."

She smiled at the memory. That was the first time that not only were they in the same room, but they were also using the same table, seated diagonally across each other.

The week after that, she was surprised to find Sasuke in the library on a weekend. No other student were there. Just one of the librarians. She pulled up the chair beside him.

"Sakura?" he had sounded surprised.

She responded, "Can't concentrate at home too?"

She saw a ghost of a smile on his face. "Yeah..."

"Me too." She laughed a bit which earned them a shhh! from the librarian. Not that they were disturbing anyone. They had the whole place just to themselves.

She didn't think it would be a regular thing–them studying together. But the next time they were both at the library, Sasuke went to her table, said her name in greeting, sat down, and started reviewing. It happened two more times. Then at the fifth time she saw him, he was in the library before her. She didn't think of it, and just went to his table.

Soon after, she discovered that she found his presence so calming that it helped her focus. She remembered better, too. Studying then became an unspoken routine between them. Sakura always headed to the library after class. Sasuke would arrive later after his student council duties and make his way towards her. At other times, when Sakura was in a teacher's consultation, Sasuke would arrive first, and Sakura would find him eventually, then they would study in silence. At seven, either him or her would notice the time and they would walk together to the waiting shed and part ways until the next day.

They've been doing this for about three months. That's half the time she has known him–her now official study partner. Her heart warms at the thought.

After fifteen minutes of walking, Sakura arrives at the courtyard of their school and makes her way to the library. She sees Sasuke already seated at their favorite table–the one with the view. He spots her through the window so she waves and from afar, Sakura thinks she just saw Sasuke smile.

Except for that one dinner with his family, Sakura muses, they never saw each other outside of the classroom and the library. But that's where they already spend most of their time, which meant she saw a lot of him.

She pushes the entrance door to the library and Sasuke watches her as she approaches. She returns his gaze with a smile.

She considers him her closest friend which was strange since they haven't really talked much about personal things or deep-seated feelings. That's what close friends do, right?

"Sakura." He greets her in a low, quiet voice.  

She realizes that she hopes that would change.

–

Note: Okay so this is going a lot slower than I thought it would and I doubt I can wrap everything up by next chapter. We'll see!

To all those who liked, reblogged, commented. Thank you!

Special shout-out to @winnie09730499 and @birkastan2018 whose comments made me ridiculously happy. I hope this story shapes up to be something you will really enjoy! :)