Fandom Redemption [Closed] [Graverobber141/arbus]

[arbus]

For a moment she looked at him, uncomprehending. So focused had she been on the shape of his face, the streaks on his dust-covered skin, the nearly invisible crease between his eyebrows that would, one day, be a deep wrinkle she would be smoothing over with her lips. So she blinked at him, but then, somehow even before her exhausted brain completely managed to catch on, a laugh erupted from her stomach, stunned and amused and fueled by her own slowness, and perhaps by the giddy way of being overly tired but way, way to excited to sleep.

His kiss was a thing that tumbled her mind into further turmoil, and only when he broke out of the imidiate space between them to take in her room, did she surface from that dizziness that made her heart pound and her world shrink to nothing but his body and their mingling breath and the musky smell of sweat. She followed his glance, and had the peculiar sensation of reality catching up to her; she truly had forgotten about where they were, or about the fact that anything existed but the two of them.

His words made her snort, unladylike, yes, but so was her smell (it was getting bad, they needed to get up and clean themselves, they needed to eat and rest), so was the fact that she lay half-naked and caked with blood and earth and dirt underneath him, and she didn't give a fuck.

"Trust me, we would get into trouble, but not for the reasons you think. My mother would be delighted to find a boy in my room." Sakura giggled. "To confirm to the neighbors that I very much won't end up as a lonely spinster." Now that he had brought it up, however, her eyes flickered to the door also. The thought of her mother barging in, screeching in sheer joy for her father, who would doubtlessly not only cry at the outlook of future grandchildren but also bring the camera to memorize the moment, helped her to entangle herself from Sasuke. She planted a kiss on his temple, but then her voice grew more firm. "Let's not tempt fate."

 

[Graverobber141]

"Hn." It was a sound of protest, even as Sasuke withdrew to the edge of the bed, shooting a narrowed glance just shy of being an accusing glare toward the door, before his expression was softening once his attention was directed back onto her. The beginning of a devilish smirk danced across his lips as he teasingly offered, "If you want, I could leave you with a hickey. For proof."

He tenderly ran his palm down her ankle, hooking his fingers into the mouth of his wool sock to pull it off her foot, and then retrieved the other one. In preparation to face the snow outside without sandals, as he didn't want to push himself by going for yet another teleportation--it seemed as if three was his barely comfortable limit, he slid the socks onto his own bare feet, before slipping off the bed. Pausing at the sliding door, he gave her one last, small smile, before leaving her with the utterance, "Get some rest, Sakura. I'll see you soon."

-----------​

"You're not that far from me, bastard!"

Sasuke grimaced from behind the stove and wondered how Naruto had stumbled upon the location of his newly acquired home. It had been his intention to never tell the knucklehead where he lived, and hopefully let it take a while for him to figure it out, but ever since he saved the village from Pein, Naruto somehow built up a reputation, and now had a way of sniffing things like this out.

From behind the green onions he was chopping (the only thing Sasuke allowed him to do, and he was even hesitant to give him a knife), Naruto grinned widely, chuckling madly. "Just think! We could even build a tunnel connecting our houses!"

It was as if a dark cloud had materialized over Sasuke, his face losing all color. Opening the oven to check the cake that would be dessert, he considered shoving his head inside to save himself from the future pain, then stole a narrowed glance at the source of his torment, and wondered if he could make it look like an accident if he shoved the blonde's head inside instead. With a harsh exhalation of air, he settled on huffing out a warning, "Come anywhere near my house with a shovel, idiot, and I'll blow off that new arm."

Naruto grinned cheekily. "Why would I use a shovel when I have rasengan?"

Placing the fried fish he had just finished preparing on a serving plate, Sasuke shot a look that could kill at Naruto, narrowing his eyes, scrunched up his mouth angrily, and with all the forcefulness of an Uchiha, made the two-worded, powerful declaration: "No. Tunnel."

A pause. "...How about a zip-line?"

Exasperated, Sasuke grabbed the plate and stormed into the dinning room, afraid he might actually strangle the knucklehead if he remained in his presence. Setting the dish down upon the table, he observed the spread: fried fish, onigiri, ramen with extra pork, miso soup on the way, and just in case if Ari decided to join them, pancakes. A feast Sasuke had suggested, leaving his reasoning left largely unsaid. It was a thanks on the surface, a goodbye, because over the last few days, the paperwork had been been finalized, and he was already working on moving out of the mansion, but also, and this was what was left unspoken, a reminder for their sensei: He wasn't alone.

Though the bonds between the four were intricately different, they were there, would always be there; they were tied together ever since the day they sat on that set of stairs as genin, proclaiming their hopes and dreams to a disinterested sensei.

This reunion, one spent relaxing, far from the heat of battle and war, was long overdue.

 

[arbus]

Sakura shuffled her feet and pulled at a strand of her hair nervously. It was much shorter now, and though she liked it, she was still unaccustomed to it after having it worn at shoulder length for the last couple of years. She had been looking forward to this evening very much and had gone out of her way to pretty herself up -- she wore a silk cheongsam, chosen for the pink cherry blossoms embroidered on a rich, light-swallowing black and matching pink earrings and braclets. In her enthusiasm she might have overdone it, and shifting the plastic container with her homemade melon pans from one arm to the other, she debated if she should rush back home to change.

"Evening, Sakura-chan." She flinched at the drawling voice, yanking her out of her thoughts, and pretended as if her heart hadn't just nearly stopped. She turned to watch Kakashi stroll up from the gate, a hand in his pocket of the new standard issue uniform. He looked much like he expected to take them on a mission, rather than have a nice dinner, making her feel so much worse. He was carrying what looked like a tiny flowerpot. As he came nearer, she could smell fresh earth. From its surface, a tiny sprig poked out from under it. "Maa, you look beautiful."

Her cheeks burned up. Oh kami, she had overdone it. She should head back, even though Kakashi-sensei's arrival could only mean she was late already, and --

Kakashi blinked at her, then stepped around her to ring the bell.

"What have you got there?", he asked, and she knew that he knew but that he pretended not to know because he wanted her to stew in her own embarassement.

"Eh, ah, melon pans", she mumled, tugging at the seam of her dress which suddenly felt way too short.

 

[Graverobber141]

"I didn't hear a 'no'!"

The sound of the doorbell ringing was very much so a reprieve, because if Sasuke was left alone with Naruto for one more minute, he might end destroying the house he had just purchased. With an uttered command to not burn down the kitchen, as it was already hard enough getting the place insured with the giant crack in the upstairs wall, he tugged off his apron--yes, apron: Naruto had almost died of laughter at the sight, but Sasuke gave no fucks, as the dress shirt, vest, and slacks he was wearing were new, and he'd be damned if he was going to risk ruining them so soon--laid it on the back of a chair, and made his way across the house.

It was still sparsely decorated (trying to completely furnish a house within a handful of days from nothing had been difficult enough), but resting on a console table just outside the genkan, placed as if someone wanted it to be the first thing seen when they entered the home, was a framed picture of Team Seven: Naruto's housewarming gift, as Sasuke's original had been long lost to Pein's assault.

Stepping onto the lowered tile, Sasuke opened the door, about to move out of the way to welcome his guests into his home, when he stopped abruptly, froze, and dark gaze falling on Sakura, his jaw unhinged. Kakashi might as well not have existed; in fact, he could've been Madara, and Sasuke still wouldn't have noticed him, as his eyes remained solely focused on her, traveling to take in her dress, edging toward its end, before darting back up to find her eyes, as if he had just noticed how his gaze had been wandering.

It felt incredibly hot, even as he was letting in cold air, standing in the doorway like an idiot. It must be the cold that made his cheeks turn a faint red color. "You look...breathtaking, Sakura." It felt like the most natural thing to say, so very true, as his own breathing seemed to be hitched at the moment.

As if breaking out of a spell, a harsh gust of cold wind finally made him pick his jaw up from the floor, and step out of the way to allow them entry. Focusing on Sakura, because he couldn't even look at Kakashi, who was surprisingly the most underdress of them all, as Naruto had even managed to wear a dress shirt (it was with his orange jumpsuit pants, but that's about all one could expect from him when he was left to his own devices), but also mostly because he simply couldn't take his eyes off of her, he softly stated, "Make yourselves at home. Dinner is almost ready."

 

[arbus]

Sakura hadn't thought it possible for her face to grow even warmer, but how on earth should she have reckoned with that blatant once-over Sasuke gave her, which made her feel both flustered and hot, much like somebody had poured scalding water down the back of her neck. "Th-thanks." She stepped into the genkan, and for an awkward moment -- too aware of their sensei's presence -- she stood in front of Sasuke, unsure of what to do. Then she huffed and planted a resolute kiss on his lips. "You look great, too."

Kakashi, who had long slipped out of his boots, kept dallying. Sakura basically felt him hover over her left shoulder, like he was just short of popping up between them with a snicker. She turned, slowly, and gave him a glare. He smiled, unabashed, at the both of them.
"You do look great, Sasuke-kun. Your nose seems better too. The yellow really compliments your eyes."

"Sensei", Sakura started, and pressed the food container into his hand in a somewhat desperate motion. "Could you get that to the kitchen, please? It needs to stay cold."

Kakashi looked down at the lime-green tupper ware in wonder. "But I thought you said those were --"

"The refrigerator will do", she pressed.

Kakashi heaved a sigh, complying with slumped shoulders. He placed the small flower pot on the side table without comment, though it was hard to miss how his eyes rested on the picture next to it for a few seconds, before he followed the scents and noise of someone doing something (perhaps throwing pots and pans around) to the kitchen.

Sakura threw Sasuke a sheepish glance as she changed her sandals for slippers, then smiled as her fingers brushed the back of his hand.

"I'm glad you decided on this house. I really like it."

 

[Graverobber141]

It was almost comical, the way Sasuke kept on sharpening these deadly looks of his, as if they were frightening weapons, kept brandishing them fiercely--this narrowed glare in particular being especially dangerous, directed toward Kakashi's childish interference--and everyone just kept on brushing them off, like he was nothing more than a kitten fluffing out its tail and hissing. Watching Kakashi dejectedly wander off (finally), Sasuke let go a huff of air, before his angry expression was replaced with a much more relaxed one.

Turning over his palm so he could slip his fingers through hers, he returned Sakura's smile with a small one of his own. "Well, you're always welcomed here." A pause, his lips twitching to take on an amused, teasing edge. "You did already leave your mark, after all." And as if to discourage any possible apology from her, to show he actually found the fact she had left a sizable crack in his new wall quite endearing, he pressed his mouth against hers in a warm kiss, taking advantage of this moment they had alone.

When he withdrew, his nose twitched at the smell of smoke, and registering the pointed shouts of someone trying to throw blame onto another from the kitchen--"Kakashi-sensei! How could you waltz in here and just ruin the soup like that!"--a look of apprehension flashed across his features. How did he manage to make the soup smoke, anyways? The idiot never ceased to amaze.

Gently placing his palm against the small of her back, he began to walk with her toward the kitchen, offering a failsafe, "Just give me a signal if you want me to send either of them to Grass Country at any point."

Naruto was practically dancing around the kitchen, had even summoned a shadow clone to help wave the smoke out of the opened windows. The pot that had been the miso soup was now somehow charred on the outside, almost unrecognizable as dishware. And all he had to do was add the green onions. "Hi, Sakura-chan! You look pretty."

Because he honestly expected no less, Sasuke simply quirked a disinterested eyebrow, before giving the bland declaration, "Since we seem to have no soup tonight, I suppose dinner is served." And as the clone started to make a dash for the table excitedly, he extended his foot to send it crashing face first into the ground, causing it to disperse in a cloud of smoke.

 

[arbus]

Stepping into the smoke-filled kitchen made Sakura's eyes water in an instant, and she rushed over to open the other window. Kakashi stood, unfazed and unhelpful, next to the stove, eyeing the gooey substance burnt into it with interest. Wildly fanning a hand before her face, Sakura coughed. "Thanks, Naruto. Nice outfit." Lurid, was what came to mind. Orange. But she recognized the dress shirt as something Hinata had bought him, and knew he had made an effort for them.

There came a chuckle from the doorway. "How come nobody compliments me on my outfit? It took me ages to get ready."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sensei, you look like you're about to send us on a D-rank to weed Takahashi-sans back garden." They all migrated into the dining room, stepping through the smoke of Naruto's dispersed clone. None of them seemed to bat an eyelash at the violent display, as it was, so very much, par of the course in the long-running relationship the three of them shared.

"Sakura-chan", Kakashi lamented, "admit it, you never liked the new uniforms. Personally, I think they're very stylish. Right, Naruto-kun?"

It was true that Sakura didn't like them, but that was just because she had to rematch all the accessories Kunoichi Today recommended to fit the new ensembles. And as she was working almost full-time at the hospital, which meant she did only the bare minimum of required missions, and with the hospital's payment being a long shot from mission pay, that was no small feat. With a glance at the display of food on the table, she clapped her hands together and shot Sasuke a fond smile. She mostly ignored the pleasant tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach (for her sanity's sake, she guessed) but she could not help the way her eyes kept wandering to look for him. When she took a seat, she did so next to him, and her foot brushed against his ankle.

To actually sit in Sasuke's house, where he was building a life, was entertaining his friends, cooking for them, for kami's sake ... She had a hard time getting all that into her head, and wondered if all of them perceived this moment as at least slightly surreal.

"Ah, mackerel, my favorite", Kakashi was saying. She could be imagining it, but the crinkles in the corners of his eyes were deeper, his smiles more generous than usual. "Maa, Sasuke-kun, those pancakes look a lot better than the left-overs I had the other day."

That sparked a thought in her head. "Where is Ari?" She directed the question at Sasuke, but to her surprise, it was Kakashi who answered: "Passed out after a rather demanding training session with the pack, I'm afraid. Your little friend seems to have taken a liking to one of my ninken."

 

[Graverobber141]

"The new uniforms are all right, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto was answering, taking a seat next to the man, already reaching for the ramen. "Certainly better than Sasuke's choice of fashion: onsies, rags, and open-chest shirts."

Both jabs, Kakashi's at his shuriken forming pancake skills, Naruto's at his (admittedly) questionable outfit choices over the years, were left unchallenged, as Sasuke's attention was directed elsewhere, specifically on the way Sakura's foot grazed the skin of his ankle, and how that simple touch seemed to make his chakra hum warmly to life. His gaze shifted to take her in, seated at his side, having dinner in his house, and he felt...almost dizzy. In response, his leg leaned more to the side of its own accord, bumping their knees lightly together, and he gave her an affectionate smile, reaching out to grasp and squeeze her hand, before he was looking at the other two seated across from them: Kakashi, who seemed oddly genuine tonight, and Naruto, who was observing his two best friends with a knowing, fondly smug look that practically displayed his thoughts, 'about damn time'.

Family.

The house was just a building, but this was what home was. This was what life was like: being surrounded by people who loved each other. Submerged in this after its absence for so long was--for a split moment, he had the thought that somehow he had been put under a Tsukuyomi; perhaps back on the battlefield of the last war, or maybe years ago, caught in his brother's red gaze, but it was fleeting: a simple admission of how dream-like it was, but he was very much so aware of his wakefulness, of his happiness. He smiled, and while it couldn't match the size of Naruto's by a long shot, it was just as warm.

And with the thought of family...

"I'm glad Ari is making friends," he declared, fixing Sakura a plate of assorted food, before focusing on his own. Pausing, he shot Kakashi the deadly, warning look of a parent, knowing full well some of the hounds that shared a contract with their sensei, before he added, "Good friends, I hope." There was an implication in his voice that he was expecting Kakashi to keep Ari away from the bad influences.

"Parenting." There was a groan that almost sounded like a whine coming from Naruto, and Sasuke looked at him questionably. Apparently that was all the knucklehead needed to start spiraling into an anxious rant, "I just keep thinkin' about when my kid gets to the hormone stage, ya know? And I have to deal with boys, or girls, or both, and then what if my kid hates me? Shikamaru says that every parent screws up their kids, but I don't wanna screw up my kid!"

"Tch." A beat, and then Sasuke was glancing between Kakashi and Sakura, before his gaze settled on the soon-to-be-father. "With you, it's an inevitability...It's a good thing we'll be around to help you."

"Bastard." Naruto said the word with all the fondness in the world, grinned widely, and ruined the moment by claiming, "That's the exact reason we need a zip-line!"

Clasping his palm against his forehead, Sasuke let out a frustrated, exasperated sigh.

 

[arbus]

Kakashi, who was mysteriously chewing a piece of fish under the mask, smiled, unfazed by the sudden revelation of Sasuke's tendencies of helicopter parenting. "Maa, Sasuke-kun, only the best. You should know me by now." His eyes flitted towards Naruto at the blond's outburst, then watched his back and forth with Sasuke, before he cheerfully offered into Sakura's giggle: "You know, Naruto-kun, if that kid is anything like you at that age, you'll be facing hell."

"Sensei!", Sakura exclaimed, clearly horrified by his words. She shot Naruto a worried look. "You forget that Hinata's there, too."

Kakashi nodded. "Ah, yes, of course. Perhaps it's not going to be all that bad."

"Definitely not", Sakura said with an upbeat smile in Naruto's direction. "Hinata has always been a very good person."

Kakashi rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and sighed reminiscently. "Well-behaved. Quiet. Humble. Yes, Kurenai did get the better deal. I always told her so."

"Anyways", Sakura mumbled, suddenly realizing that Kakashi-sensei was not only mocking Naruto, but the three of them. She chewed on a piece of broccoli, which tasted heavenly (she had never known Sasuke to be such a talented cook) before she said: "How is Hinata, anyway?" She had not seen her for more than free weeks, with her mission to Sound and the few days she had taken off to recover from ... well, from getting together with Sasuke. That was some information neither their sensei, nor Naruto, nor Ino should ever get their greedy, gossipy fingers on.

 

[Graverobber141]

If the kid is anything like you at that age--

If dark clouds could suddenly appear over someone and start raining, the portion of the table home to Naruto would have been soaked through. It was as if Kakashi had suggested the child would turn into a fire-breathing dragon. Groaning, Naruto planted his face into the wooden surface before him, hard enough to cause the dishes to shake; Sasuke's hand darted out to keep the kettle of tea from toppling over, before with a shrug--might as well--he was refilling his cup, apparently unsurprised and unaffected, even with just a sly hint of amusement shining in his dark eyes, by his teammate's torment.

There was an incoherent, muffled grumble from Naruto. Something that sounded like an agreement to Kakashi's statement about his fellow jonin getting the better genin, and a plea to the gods above to spare the world from a mini-dope--well, that's the terminology Sasuke heard. During one more groan that was needlessly long, Naruto reached his hand out to grab ahold of the pancake plate, which he dragged over to himself, before he finally lifted his head.

Shoving some of the extra-sugary breakfast food into his mouth for comfort, he looked toward Sakura, and with all the manners that Ari possessed, answered her in-between giant bites, "She's been dealing with morning sickness and some discomfort, but I've been following all the advice you and Granny Tsunade gave me!" Grinning around pancake, he patted the pocket of his jumpsuit pants, which showed an outline of a small notebook. "And I've been taking over the housework, though, er..." What eagerness he had been able to muster comically dropped. "...I'm not allowed in the kitchen anymore."

Sasuke left out a small huff of slightly amused, smug air, as if to say I'm not surprised.

Naruto threw him a glower back, though with a pancake hanging out of his mouth, it was hardly threatening. "She would've come tonight, but she's tired. Her family's been around constantly, and so has Team Eight." His nose crinkled. "Kiba smells worse like dog than you do, Sensei. Ugh. And Shino still creeps me out. But she told me to say 'hi' to you all--" He waved his hand. "--and congratulations on the new place, bastard. Oh!" He grinned, then, reaching into his other pocket to pull out a camera, which he placed on the table. "I also promised her a picture, so before anyone sneaks off--" He shot a pointed look at Kakashi, then Sasuke, "--we're going to take one. Memories for the kid."

 

[arbus]

„Excuse me“, Kakashi said, clutching a hand to his chest at the impact of that particularly low blow, though it was hard to feel the depth of his indignation when all he displayed was that lazy, slightly disinterested gaze. „Since when do you talk to your former sensei like that?“

Ignoring him, Sakura reached out to pad the back of Naruto‘s hand in what she hoped would be a reassuring gesture. Even when she was certain that his affectation was not to be taken seriously, at all, because knowing him, he secretly enjoyed every minute of the happy chaos. At the end of the day, Naruto was first and foremost a drama queen, a knowledge obviously shared between the three of them. Sasuke seemed particularly unimpressed, and it gave her joy just to watch them interact, as if they had done this thing forever, sitting together and talking trifles over dinner.

Sakura took hold of the camera and turned it around for inspection. „That‘s a great idea, Naruto!“

„Another piece for your collection, Sasuke-kun“, Kakashi said, almost gentle, before putting down his chopsticks on an empty plate. „Thanks for the meal, it was truly delicious.“

Sakura stared. „But you — When have you — How?!“

 

[Graverobber141]

It was comical, the way Naruto's head swerved to take in Kakashi, his jaw dropping, a look of disappointment flashing across his face, because he had missed his opportunity to finally catch a glimpse of what their sensei was hiding under that mask (besides the second mask). Sasuke was more subtle, of course, but his head did turn, and his eyebrow did twitch--he had been keeping him in the corner of his vision, how had this happened? Both ninja hung their heads dejectedly at the same time, though Sasuke more or less just rested his palm against his forehead, while Naruto almost face-planted again.

Yet through the slits of his fingers, Sasuke observed the masked man, letting those words of his linger in the front of his mind--another for your collection (it wasn't quite a collection, not yet)--and a small, missable smile tugged at the edge of his lips. "Are we doing this or not?"

Naruto practically beamed, before casting another shadow clone jutsu; the real knucklehead grabbed Kakashi's arm, declaring, "Come on, sensei!" as he rushed around the table, while the clone politely retrieved the camera from Sakura, before jumping onto the table. As he was determined to do as little work for this as possible, Sasuke simply leaned back in his seat, casually draping his arm across Sakura's shoulders. Naruto took up post above them both, after dragging Kakashi into position, slinging both of his arms around his teammates, grinning widely.

"Say 'Kakashi smells like dog' on three!" The clone declared, giving the countdown, before snapping the picture. Afterward, he inspected it, before tossing it to the real Naruto, immediately turning his attention toward digging into the left-over food he was crouched in the middle of, much to Sasuke's blatant dismay.

"Heh, perfect." Naruto showed it to anyone who might want to look, before tucking the camera safely back into his pocket with the promise that he would make them all copies, before stating, "Thanks for tonight, guys. I know we're all busy and all--Hokage stuff, doctor stuff, parent stuff...whatever moody stuff you do, bastard--but we should try to do something like this once a month."

 

[arbus]

Sakura put a hand on Sasuke's knee, giving it a light, fond squeeze the moment the picture was taken. Can you believe this?, her smile seemed to say after it was done, and she leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth before being handed the camera to inspect the picture closely. How much they had grown, she thought, the reminder of their looks in their genin days still fresh in her mind's eye thanks to Naruto's housewarming gift. She studied the smiles on their faces: Naruto's exuberant and contagious, their sensei's seemingly ever-deepening laughter lines crinkling the corners of his eyes, her own eyes sparkling with a happiness she could not remember seeing in herself for a long time; and then, Sasuke's smile, a small, precious thing, that seemed to enhance his looks a thousandfold. That made him look younger, and more vulnerable, more approachable. Her cheeks warmed up at the butterflies whirling madly in her stomach. While Naruto retrieved the camera, her eyes drifted to rest on Sasuke's face.

"That's a wonderful idea", she said, taking hold of Sasuke's hand. "Because we really, really should." She raised her gaze to Naruto and smiled at him. "Next time at your house? I can help Hinata with the cooking."

Kakashi, who had been hovering again, taking them all in with an expression that could only be described as contentment, suddenly raised his head, sniffing the air. "Say, Sasuke-kun, you haven't by any chance forgotten to turn off the oven, have you?" No sooner had he said it, as the stench of burnt batter reached them, followed by a cloud of severely black smoke trailing in through the door.

 

[Graverobber141]

Arm pulling Sakura tighter against him, Sasuke kept that smile of his on his lips exclusively for her, planting a soft kiss against her forehead. Eyes trailing down to take in that picture--they all were happy, leaning into each other, while in the first they had taken together, Naruto and Sasuke had practically been attempting to murder each other with glares--he had the thought that it would go quite nicely next to the other one, a reminder every day he came home.

"Er, sure, Sakura-chan..." Naruto was nervous laughing. "I'm sure Hinata will find something for you to do in the kitchen..."

Perhaps he had been too enthralled to notice before, but Sasuke's eyes snapped toward the kitchen at Kakashi's words, the smell of smoke, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

The battle against Madara had been nothing. If one wanted to see a display of ninja excellency and talent, they needed to be in Uchiha Sasuke's house at that exact moment. The Great Shinobi Kitchen War was about to begin, and there would be no mercy.

"Ah, shit," the curse fell from Sasuke's lips sharply, and removing his arm from Sakura, after giving her knee an apologetic pat, he was gone. A spoon tumbled into his empty seat in his place.

There was a cascade of more curses from the kitchen, the sound of windows quickly being slid opened, the battling and slinging of a pan, followed by a more colorful array of curses. Naruto blinked from the dining table, before literally falling and rolling over in booming, cackling laughter. "Cooking is not that much of a piece of cake, is it Sasuke?"

"Shut up, Naruto!"

"What, Sasuke? If you can't handle the heat, you should stay out of the kitchen!"

A piece of the silverware disappeared from the table, and Sasuke landed crouched in its place, mismatched gaze starring down with the full force of the sharingan at Naruto, one of those death glares expertly wielded by only Uchiha Sasuke. The clone he landed next to jumped in surprise, falling onto the floor with a heavily thud, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Snorting, Naruto managed to get to his feet, swaying a bit, hand clutching the back of a chair to help steady himself, as the chuckles kept on coming out. "You seem to have a little something caked across your face, Sasuke."

There was, indeed, traces of black smoke stains smudged across his cheeks and nose, but Sasuke looked rather unamused at the continuous use of puns. With a growl, he grabbed Naruto non-too-gently by his mop of blond hair, and jumping off the table, unceremoniously dragged him to the kitchen archway, jerked him upright, and grabbed his hand, his sharingan still activated, as he used the idiot's fingers to form a few hand signs, ending in the serpent, and cast a stolen jutsu using Naruto's wind nature; the gust of wind contained the smoke by pushing it back into the kitchen, spreading to carry it out of the opened windows, so that after a few moments only the smell lingered and a weakening thickness of burnt air.

"If you wanted to hold my hand--" Naruto wasn't allowed to finished the sentence, interrupted by a forceful smack to the top of his head. Not phased in the least, the blond joyfully followed Sasuke back to the table, declaring to the rest of Team 7, "Don't worry. When I host, I'll refrain from burning us out."

 

[arbus]

Sometimes, Sakura thought, one could take a leave out of their sensei's book (although she regretted using that particular proverb in connection with him immediately, considering their sensei's unseemly propensity for 'erotic literature'). Nevertheless -- in midst of the mayhem, Kakashi was cool as a cucumber, leaning against the table and popping a cherry tomato into his mouth, face averted in an angle just so she was not able to catch a glimpse. Unfortunately, her attention had been divided by the boys' banter (and the spoon popping up where Sasuke had just been a second before), and when she finally noticed and leaned to the side, precariously far and in danger of falling of her chair, he had alread replaced the mask, turning his head toward her with a bullshit smile.

"So, how's the new job at the hospital going?"

Oh, he knew she had been onto him, she thought grimly, smiling right back at him. "Great! Shizune is a good teacher, and I'm learning a lot from her. It's stressful, of course, but I kind of like that."

"I have complete faith in your abilities, Sakura-chan. I'm sure you'll take over the ER in no time."

She felt her cheeks grow warm, her smile turning genuine at the rare compliment. Behind them, Sasuke was rinneganing to and fro, and a moment later a wind jutsu flared. She wished she could use that moment to talk to Kakashi about her mission assignments, which, though reduced, were prolonging her training at the hospital about yet another three months. But she hesitated, and before she could get a chance, Sasuke was back at the table, looking a bit worse for wear and (she would never tell him that) pacrticularly cute with the streaks of grime smeared over his nose. It didn't matter -- she would use her lunch break to see if she could catch Shikamaru tomorrow, and --

"Well, that's very nice to hear, Naruto-kun", Kakashi said, straightening up. "I suppose the briquette you just threw out means dinner's over."

"We still have the melon pans", Sakura offered.

"Maa, though that sounds awfully tempting, Sakura-chan, I better be on my way." He lowered his voice to a stage-whisper. "Important Hokage business to attend to and so forth. You know how it goes."

 

[Graverobber141]

"And I gotta head home as well," Naruto declared, throwing Kakashi a conspiratorial look. "Important spouse stuff to attend to, ya know. But thanks for dinner, and it was nice to have us all in one place again." Slapping Sasuke's back, he grinned, before making his exit.

Sasuke leaned against the back of a chair, wondering if the two were devilishly trying to unsubtly give him and Sakura alone time, get out of having to help clean, or a combination of the two. His eyes drifted to take her in, a small smile tugging at the edge of his lips, as he listened to the retreating footsteps, the opening and closing of a door, before declaring, "Melon pans sound wonderful." He had never been a fan of sweets and Sakura's cooking still terrified him, but he would deal with the combination, if only to spend a few more precious minutes with her.

"I'll brave the kitchen," he told her, leaning over to place a kiss against her cheek, before traveling into the former warzone. He took a minute to tidy up, washing his face and hand, before retrieving the container. Stuffing it under his arm, on his way back to the dinning room, he gently grasped her hand, tilting his chin toward the staircase. He led her up upstairs, stepping out into the sitting room, whose wide windows gazed out onto the yard below, moon shining over the tree behind thin, dark clouds drifting across the luminescent sky. The moonlight bathed the floorboards in a silvery glow, and he found it to be soul-reaching tranquil.

Taking a seat on the couch, he placed the container on the coffee table, peeling off the lid, though with the way his eyes were locked on her, he seemed hardly interested in the food. He was keenly aware of his own heartbeat, could feel it, the knowledge that this was the first time they had been alone since they had gotten together, flashes of the way he had been pressed up against her half-naked body, kissing her heatedly on top of her bed, reared against the front of his mind, causing his skin to become faintly warm.

Clearing his throat, he rubbed the back of his neck, before retrieving a melon pan. "This is my favorite room. I find it to be peaceful." To the extent that he had actually sat down in this exact spot to drink a cup of tea in the morning, and usually he was all business from the time he drug himself out of bed. Staring at the piece of sweet bread for a moment, he smiled at her as he took a bite.

 

[arbus]

Sakura looked around the sitting room with curious eyes; he had actually managed to furnish the house, and on such short notice. She found that quite impressive. Walking across the room, dimly lit by moonlight, she stopped before the window front which was the most beautiful part of the house. The snow in the garden was a thick, flawless blanket, tinged a dark blue in the light of the moon, the sky above even darker. Inbetween the clouds, the stars were bright. Not long now until New Years, just about a month, and perhaps they would share a blanket on top of Hokage Mountain together, welcoming the first day of the year ...

In an unconscious gesture, she tugged at her dress again to make sure the hemline stayed mid-thigh as it was supposed to, then folded her arms behind her back. "By the way, those melon pans ... I'm sorry. My mother made them, and she's not the best cook in the world." She turned, rolling her eyes. "But I helped with the recipe. How does it taste?"

Salty. The answer to that question was salty, because, in between the hubbub of getting dressed and coiffed and ready, and a vocal argument about her mother's cooking skills and general inability to do anything right, with a few Sakura, you need to apply more lipstick, you aren't so awfully young anymore and the like strewn in for good measure, Sakura had mistaken the salt with the sugar. In the grand scheme of things, this was a mere triviality, of course, and hardly her fault, as both containers stood right next to each other (her mother's doing).

At the moment, though, Sakura was none-the-wiser, and smiled hopefully at Sasuke.

 

[Graverobber141]

Being emotionally dead on the inside for a good portion of one's life did have its perks. Since, for most of his young and teenage years, Sasuke's face had shown minimal emotion, a lot less was expected of him; it made faking smiles a lot easier. Biting into the salty melon pan, the overwhelming bitterness assaulting his tongue like a metaphoric punishment for the resentment he had garnished for years, he made his mouth twitch upwards, and thanked Kami for the dim lighting, which made his expressions harder to read. "Delicious, Sakura. Thank your mother for me." He even managed a second bite. And to keep his smile.

Using the lid as a makeshift plate, he placed the piece of bread down, before standing and making his way to her side. His dark eyes gazed out at the serene landscape laid out before them, before shifting onto her. Studying her. Taking her in as if he were trying to memorize this exact moment, forever keep it stored within his mind as a warm reminder. What was worth fighting for.

He smiled, and he supposed this one was, in fact, different from his faked one before, even if it was a bit smaller, because it reflected in his eyes, radiated affection and love. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her gently against his chest, basking in her warmth, and simply enjoyed the closeness for a few heartbeats, before he softly suggested, "Whenever you're free, we should do something together. Go out for dinner, maybe. See a movie..." He paused, brows pulling together in an obvious effort to come up with more things, because his definition of fun was strictly limited to activities, such as training and weapon upkeep, that could hardly be considered romantic. "...Whatever else you would be interested in doing on a date."

 

[arbus]

„A date“, she said and it came out on the middle ground of incredulous and enthusiastic. Love confessions and serious make-out session aside, Uchiha Sasuke asking her on a date was a scenario entirely restricted to idle daydreams, mostly tracing back to her pre-genin days when she had scribbled Uchiha Sakura over the pages of her homework diary, suppressing mad giggles as if doing something forbidden.

One of her hands was resting on his back, the other against his chest, and she began to fiddle with the collar of his dress shirt, cleary abashed and pleased at the same time.

„Dinner and a movie sounds fun“, she offered, mainly because doing anything resembling a remotely civilian activity with him (apart, perhaps, from eating at Ichiraku‘s — which was, then again, somehow the meeting place for all shinobi apart from the Rusty Shuriken) was such an outlandish idea to her that she would have been content with sitting at the Naka feeding ducks with him.

Her eyebrows creased as she reflected upon a dating activity he might like. It dawned on her that this was her forte, a rare enough occassion in which she knew more things than him; logically, because how was he supposed to have learned how to socialize, and what it meant to date someone?

With that novel realization under her belt, she thought about the issue at hand in another light. Perhaps she should have been the one asking him out?

„I‘m busy during the weekdays, because of the hospital shifts, but I‘ll be free on Friday evening? I can get the tickets for that new movie that came out last week about the ronin samurai — you know, the one with the posters hanging all across the village. Have you been to the new entertainment district yet? There are tons of new restaurants, we could decide spontaneously what we want.“ Her cheeks reddened. „I would invite you over and cook for you, but that’s only ever happening when my parents are out of town.“ Out of the country, more likely.

 

[Graverobber141]

There was an expression of relief that flashed across Sasuke's features at Sakura's suggestions for their first official date, as dating was a concept foreign to him, or perhaps a better comparison was a complex jutsu he knew existed, knew its purposes and results, yet had no idea how it was actually implemented. The thought that he needed more friends forced itself into his mind once more, because he certainly couldn't go to Kakashi for advice--the man already was hovering around their blossoming relationship like a teenage girl over a cheesy romance novel--or Naruto, as, while he was married, couldn't be trusted to hand out solid advice due to his own denseness, on such matters.

Uchiha Sasuke, credited prodigy and genius, was clueless as a rock, completely inadequate, when it came to romance and dating. That fact made his face become slightly heated, because acknowledging it was difficult.

"I look forward to it," he confirmed, leaning forward to press his lips against her neck affectionately, breathing in her scent. Of course, he would look forward to sitting through a one-man stage product of Icha Icha preformed by Kakashi, if only if it meant getting to spend time with her. Planting a kiss against her jaw, the corner of her mouth, he rested his forehead against hers, studying her emerald green eyes in contemplation. "I don't expect you to cook for me, Sakura."

He felt the urge to clarify something that probably didn't need to be said, that she already knew, but still the compulsion scratched underneath his skin. A heartbeat spent in consideration, his palm gently rubbing against her back, and then he was speaking softly, "I'm with you because I love and respect you, and I want to spend my life with you. Not because I want some pedestal-sitting housewife just to restore my clan with."

A small smile tinted with amusement twitched at the edge of his lips. "Besides, I know how hard you hit. Kami have mercy on anyone who tried to turn you into that."

 

[arbus]

First, she had no idea what he was talking about. When it dawned on her, her eyebrows shot up, but under his gentle ministrations she had a hard time getting mad at him assuming she was assuming he would be assuming -- well. So instead of getting mad, she snorted.

"I know that", she replied, even as the words (I want to spent my life with you) quickened her pulse, beat like a tattoo into her veins. She wrapped her knuckles against his chest playfully. "You know, after you agreed to let me beat you up, I figured." She smiled merrily at him, perhaps even a little devilishly, and then shrugged her shoulders.

"I only meant it as way to, I don't know, treat you. Do something for you." Her smile grew softer, as did her gaze. He tugged gentle at his sleeve. "Make you happy."

 

[Graverobber141]

Sasuke's brow lifted questionably at her phrasing of 'let me beat you up', because let wasn't quite the way he would describe it; more like he agreed to fight her, and she fairly broke his nose, shoulder, and probably a rib or two through no assistance on his side. Still, he returned that smile of hers with a smirk of his own, though the expression lost its humorous edge, becoming gentler at those words of hers--'Make you happy'--that made him aware of his own heartbeat, and this overwhelming feeling of affection rising within his ribcage.

"I know," he answered her, feeling a bit stupid for having said it, because of course he knew that she knew, but something about the confirmation, bringing it out in the air between them, made him more comfortable. Simply gazing at her for a few moments, hand traveling up to cup her cheek, fingers gently caressing her skin, his smile became wider and he declared, "I am happy."

And it was so very significantly true, because he hadn't been truly happy since he had forgotten what family, love, hope, home were, since it had all been taken from him in one night that had left nothing but an aching, expanding, parasitic loneliness inside him. But now he remembered, and he was so very grateful that he could remember, feel this.

"And all I want to do is make you happy," he added, a statement as equally and significantly true, before he pressed his mouth against hers in a slow, heartfelt kiss.

 

[arbus]

**********
Eight days later
​

Kakashi's eyes pointedly did not lift from the pages of his book, even though Boar kept stalking to and fro right in front of him, his boots crunching over hard-packed snow with every step. Knowing her temper, Kakashi found Rabbit kept her calm remarkably well, even if her fingers had started thrumming against her thigh so that her long, purple ponytail quivered slightly. The gesture could be an unconscious mechanism to vent her frustration, but she was not an ANBU captain for nothing, so Kakashi tipped more in favor of a passive-aggressive attempt to get Boar to stop. Sadly, it didn't work.

From his seat on the tree stump, Kakashi had a good view over the impromptu camp they had been forced to set in the small clearing. Although building a fire was the surest way to attract further enemy attention, they had had no choice after two of his guards had been wounded in their skirmish with the group of missing nin. If Kakashi found it excrutiatingly frustrating to be reduced to the role of political ornament, clad in his long and impractical Hokage robes, he did not show it. The hat, for now, was leaning against the trunk, and he turned a page with such apparent calm that it prompted Boar to heave a sigh.

The fight had been rough, short, and bloody. The missing nin had dispersed before they could deal lethal damage the moment they had recognized Sasuke's sharingan, which stirred even greater apprehension in people than before the war. His group of bodyguards was now reduced to three: Boar, Rabbit, and Sasuke. As it turned out, the Uchiha's reputation would have been enough of a deterrent for anyone thinking about an attack on the Hokage, if they had thought to promote the fact that he was traveling with them. Instead, Kakashi had decided to keep his presence under wraps, as not to fuel any speculation with the other villages. He had never told Sasuke this, or any of the former members of Team 7: It was bad enough that Naruto resided in the village; with Sasuke's decision for a more permanent stay, Konoha -- in the view of the other villages -- now sported two powerful weapons, a circumstance that already had lead to a heated correspondence between Kakashi and the other Kage. The Raikage and the Tsuchikage had unsurprisingly been particularly vocal about their chagrin.

Now, with half a day's travel from Sound, positioned on the border to Grass, they were rendered immobile by the need to organize a transport back to Konoha for their wounded, as they could hardly present them to Orochimaru and risk the delicate power balance they had struck after months of petty negotiations. Another one of Boar's heartfelt sighs had Kakashi finally look up. With a click of her tongue, Rabbit snapped. Too sensible to risk an argument in this situation, she did not confront Boar, but walked across the snow to join the two ANBU bundled up in front of the fire. Their masks were shed and cast aside, and Kakashi wondered when new recruits had gotten to look so impossibly young, their round faces plum and plain as they kept staring into the flames.

With Boar's broad back to him, he cast a questioning glance towards Sasuke. "Any news yet?" Naruto's close personal bonds with the Kazekage had come as a blessing once again, as the friendly terms between Konoha and the Sand allowed Kakashi access to the Kazekage's battle strategies and mission deployments: As no Konoha shinobi was traversing so close to the border to Grass these days, they were now hoping for backup from a team of Sand shinobi.

 

[Graverobber141]

Sasuke's jaw had been rigidly set since the moment they departed from the village gates, and his shoulders had carried tightly coiled tension, like a spring kept taunt, restrained. He wasn't on edge, not quite, but there was a crawling sensation underneath his skin, underneath that calm, cool, well-maintained demeanor of his that made him seem almost ethereal, his body a machine controlled by a ghost. That sensation was a product of the serpent that had summoned him with a flick of a wrist, a snap of fingers: an obvious attempt to prick underneath his skin, an exercise to exert and display control. There was steam boiling underneath his surface in an automatic response, but he repressed it, swallowed it like a bitter pill, because he wouldn't let his own grievances--he had been used, his pain twisted and sharpened--get in the way of the peace they had fought so hard, had lost so much, for. Let Orochimaru play his game; he wouldn't get the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of his former student--experiment, toy.

The fight had almost been a relief. Battle always cleared his mind. Always narrowed his perception to a handful of stacked priorities; for all the irony, it made the world simple. Crouched on the edge of the campfire, foot holding the katana spread out on the ground before him steady as he ran a sharpening block across its blade, Sasuke's dark eyes didn't even shift to Kakashi when his question was asked, only lifting to once more scan the snow-thick, grey-clouded skies above them for a returning hawk, before dropping to watch his work instead. "Not yet."

Almost as if some cosmic force was listening, the air shifted. Sasuke was on his feet a moment later, katana snapped into his grip. The wind tousled his black cloak, revealing the uniform he wore underneath, and causing the scarred headband tied around his belt to clatter against his leg.

"Ah, so you did receive my gift," came the sing-song, familiar voice of a certain swordsman that automatically made Sasuke's eyes narrow, his jaw set.

Sliding his sword back into its sheath with a clink, Sasuke let out a huff of air, before settling his gaze on the three Sand shinobi who had appeared on the overhanging branches of nearby trees--two were familiar as Satoru and Kioshi, while the last was a female with jagged, short, silvery hair and dark eyes, carrying a few scrolls on her back--and offering a rather unimpressed grunt in greeting. "They let you off your leash so soon?"

"Turns out he liked it too much. Wasn't much of a punishment," the female stated in a rather deadpan voice, and Satoru chuckled mildly in response.

"We're the closest reinforcements Suna could divert in your direction," Kioshi stated, giving his teammates a glare that clearly warned them both to behave, before jumping out of the tree, landing on the ground, and immediately bowing before the envoy. "I'll take a look at your wounded; Shiori-san and I can escort them to Konoha safely, while Satoru-san accompanies your guard."

At that the swordsman waved two fingers from his forehead, almost in a mock salute, his grey eyes traveling over Sasuke, then the ANBU, before lingering on the Hokage.

"I'm going to check and reinforce the perimeter," Shiori declared, patting Satoru on the shoulder with an added, "Try not to end up in prison again." And then she was nothing but a blur of cloak against the tree line.

Smirking, Satoru, with an expert casualness, dropped down into the snow; he was dressed in the Sand's uniform, hair tied in a ponytail, and a grey cloak flung around his shoulders to help guard against the cold. "You're welcome, by the way."

Sasuke exhaled a hard breath of air from his nose, regarding the swordsman cooly, before simply turning his back on him, facing the campfire. Of all the ninja Sand could've sent, it had to this one; it seemed almost like an insult, a joke, but he supposed Satoru was skilled enough to be a useful addition, if only he could keep his mouth shut for the trip. Sasuke doubted he could stomach the con artist's tricks of the tongue.

 

[arbus]

Sasuke had not be the only one to jump to attention. Boar had swirled around to locate the source of the disturbance, shifting his weight so that he practically blocked Kakashi from view. Rabbit, a katana wielder herself, stood battle-ready in the blink of an eye, the low-hanging sun reflecting in the well-polished metal of her blade. Only when Kioshi came forward to diffuse the situation, Boar scoffed, and relaxed his stance.

"Sealed the perimeter my ass", he murmured in what he seemed to belief to be a low enough voice for anybody to hear. Kakashi, who had not relinquished his position on the trunk, raised his hand in greeting. "Thank you, Kioshi-san. We are grateful for your assistance."

"I'll come with you", Boar said, to no one in particular, as the woman called Shiori had vanished into the trees again. "Check the damn perimeter." He leaped, impressively agile for a man of his built, to follow the Sand kunoichi into the woods. Rabbit, who had sheathed her katana, was stepping forward to introduce the wounded ANBU, both of which had hastily replaced their masks, and offer the healer any assistance he might need.

Kakashi, whose eyes had trailed the disappearing kunoichi, now took in the third shinobi landing in the snow before them with a blatant sweep from head to toe. The world was a small place, he thought with a not insignificant amount of amusement. He did not know the terms on which Sasuke and his would-be killer had parted, and was pretty sure that they hadn't any idea, either. It was one of the great ironies of his life, really, that he was struck time and again with subordinates who had half a mind to go at each others' throats. He suppressed a put-upon sigh, finding solace in the realization of exactly why Sasuke was carrying a katana laced with gold, a peculiar detail he had been wondering about since he first laid eyes on the blade a few hours ago.

"Satoru-kun", he made his voice a lazy drawl, "how nice that we finally meet face to face. I feel like we know each other already. I'm sorry not to have had the opportunity to talk to you in person back in Konoha, but I hope you enjoyed our hospitality nonetheless." The altitude of the sun suggested they had another two hours of daylight. If they decamped immediately, they would make it to Tenzo's meeting point with only a small delay. He smiled. "Your timing is certainly impeccable. Sasuke."

It was a simple enough prompt, his intention made clear when he rose to his feet, tucking away Icha Icha Innocence in the folds of his robe.