SasuSaku Month

sasuke scowls at his brother.

“so, sakura-chan,” itachi begins nonchalantly, “you’re sasuke’s girlfriend.”

itachi examines sakura closely from across the table: her cheeks turn pink when he says the word girlfriend, but her chin is pointed, and she looks proud to be sitting beside sasuke. itachi thinks about why his brother would choose someone so bright--his brother had always been grumpy, a bit sullen--but this girl was soft, light, feminine. he had expected that, with all of sasuke’s desire to please their father, he would have chosen an uchiha girl.

sasuke glares at his brother. “oi,” he calls out roughly. “don’t harass her, niisan.”

“sasuke-kun!” izumi wipes her hands on her apron and pulls sasuke into a hug. he briefly returns her embrace, before she is off again, pulling sakura into her arms, and whispers in her ear, “sakura-chan, i’ve heard a lot about you.”

“eh?” sakura pulls back, “izumi-nii, you have?”

izumi takes her place next to itachi at the dinner table. “of course, sasuke-kun talks about you all the time, you know.”

“no i don’t!” sasuke protests, but izumi simply laughs and winks at sakura.

itachi sees sakura glance softly at sasuke and sees her hand grasp his under the table. he remembers the day he first saw sasuke and sakura together, on a day that he had finished his mission early and gone to pick up him up at the academy. he remembers the way that sakura declares, sasuke-kun is the most talented shinobi in konohagakure, and the way that his brother’s eyes twinkle, as if it were actually true.   

itachi looks at his own wife, who had told him something similar in their academy days, even if she had awakened the sharingan before him.  

“i’ve asked sakura to marry me,” his little brother announces, bringing his chest up.

sakura, in turn, gets up from the table and bows her head: “please accept me as a member of your family!”

 “oh my...” izumi gets up, waving her hands. “of course, of course! sasuke-kun, sakura-chan, we are so happy for you...”

itachi thinks that he has never seen his brother happier, nor has he ever seen him so determined. sasuke is always plagued with thoughts of am i doing the right thing, which he likely got from him, but itachi thinks that sasuke has no doubts about this. he remembers a younger sasuke, padding over and crying because he wanted to be in his brother’s arms. he looks at the present sasuke, gripping his girlfriend’s hand strongly, and smiles. 

Day 9: Around the Table - ssmonth

Day 9: Around the Table #ssm20 #ssm20d9

Prompt: Around the Table

Summary: Sasuke and Sakura play a party game.

Rating: K+. some cursing

“Okay so we can all agree that whatever happens here stays here, yes?” Everyone nodded in agreement. A part of Sakura hoped she would remember what happened that night. After five shots of sake, and two glasses of whatever-was-in-the-bowl, she was starting to feel it. They all sat down around a table, snacks were scattered all over the table, playing cards here and there, and an empty beer bottle laying on its side in the middle.

“You all know the rules, right? Whoever the bottle points, gets to play 7 minutes in heaven!” Everyone ooh-ed and cheered and Naruto started spinning the bottle. Sakura watched it keep spinning and spinning, praying that it would land on someone other than her.

My Sasusaku Month contribution for the prompt : Around The Table.

I’m sorry for the mistakes, English is not my mother tongue. I hope you like it.

Summary : Sasuke was in front of the stove and cooked vegetables. Sarada was surprised to see him wearing her mother's apron.

Disclaimer : Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

@ssmonth

Sarada climbed the stairs to her apartment with difficulty, cursing the broken elevator. She had spent the whole day running in the streets of Konoha to accomplish the mission that had been given to Team 7 : to find the dog of an important businessman who was staying in the village for a few days. Sarada wondered if his dog was not a ninken, in the view of its intelligence and ability to escape them. All she wanted after this long day, was to came home and be able to relax. She knew her mother would go home from the hospital in an hour. She had time to prepare something for dinner.

She finally arrived in front of the apartment door and entered. She immediately noticed man's shoes at the entrance. A huge smile lit up her face. Her father had returned. She hoped he would stay several days before leaving for his mission. She quickly took her shoes off and ran to the kitchen, guided by the delicious smell that emitted from there.

‘Papa !’

‘Okaeri Sarada.’

Sasuke was in front of the stove and cooked vegetables. She was surprised to see him wearing her mother's apron. It was an apron with a cherry blossom pattern that Sarada had sewn for her mother a few years ago. It had a lot of flaws, but Sakura had told her that it was the most beautiful apron she had ever had.

‘I didn't know you would be home.’

‘I arrived this morning, you had already left on your mission.’

‘How long will you stay here ?’

‘I'm leaving in three days.’

Sarada hoped he would stay a little longer, even if she understood the importance of his mission, she missed her father. She can spend at least three days with him, she thought. She came up to get a better look at what he was cooking. Everything she saw made her mouth water.

‘This is the first time I see you cooking. Its looks good.’

‘I lived alone for years, I had to learn how to cook. You certainly don't remember it, but with your mother, we often cooked together. It was a moment we loved to share.’

Sarada smiled. She loved hearing anecdotes about her parents.

‘Can I help you ?’ She asked.

Sasuke nodded. Sarada washed her hands, put on her apron, and helped fixing dinner. Sasuke asked her about her day and shared some stories of him and Sakura cooking. In particular, the one where they had just moved into their new house when they returned to Konoha just after her birth. Sasuke had come home from a meeting with Kakashi, who was still Hokage, and had seen Sakura, a fire extinguisher in her hand, the kitchen filled with smoke and a burned chicken in the oven. Fortunately, Sarada thought, her mother had improved in cooking.

Sakura arrived when Sasuke and Sarada were setting the table. They sat down and started eating. Sarada loved these moments shared with her parents. They were far too rare for her liking and when it happened, she wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. She also took the opportunity to watch them and learn more about their relationship, which had been a mystery to her. Sakura told them about her work. Sasuke looked at her with tenderness and smiled slightly. Her father was not someone who showed his feelings easily. But Sarada had come to know what he really felt and to finally understand this connection her mother had told her about.

Sakura looked at her daughter and asked her about her mission. They continued to eat, while Sarada told her about the adventures of Team 7 in search of their client's dog across the village.