Happy Accidents

Chapter 37: Hearts

The detective could see the mischievousness in Sakura's gaze as she came down, but he was too distracted by what he saw to take stock of it. The other night when she'd inadvertently given him a view, he hadn't had much of a chance to do any admiring, but seeing her now, he could.

She was a small girl with very petite curves;  he could see that her body was well-toned, but she maintained a slim figure with it. Her chest wasn't massive; if he was honest, size wasn't a factor for him. Every one of her curves was perfectly proportioned, making her appear tiny and adorable.

He could also see one other thing: the scar that marred the right side of her chest. Just seeing it caused a flare of anger; it was directed both at the man who had caused it and at himself. It was an incident he was never going to forget, and perhaps one that would take a while for him to forgive himself for. He regretted ever saying what he had that night to Naruto. He'd never meant to hurt her that way, and the fact that it had led to her getting attacked in her home like that just made the situation worse.

Sasuke was quick to react to her playful challenge, though she had a head start; she was on the beach by the time he reached the edge of it, but he was gaining on her. She was so playful sometimes and in unexpected ways. It gave him a rush of energy, gaining ground on her as she was tossing aside her cover and nearing the water's edge.

He caught up with her right as her feet hit the water, arms wrapping around her waist to catch her and lift her in a twist, eliciting laughter out of her. "Oh no, I've been caught!" She squeaked, laughing and giggling until he put her back on her feet again. "Damn, you're fast. Here I thought I was going to win if I threw you off."

Sasuke smirked down at her. "I chase bad guys for a living. You're not getting away from me." He turned her to face him, playful thoughts running through his head before he dipped down, swooping her up in a carry as she giggled and laughed. "And just for that, you're going in." He took off at a sprint and leaped up onto the dock, inhaling deeply as he leaped off the end into a cannonball, still carrying her.

Sakura shrieked as she hit the water; it was a bit of a cold shock, certainly not what she'd expected! She pushed to the surface next to him, her toes barely finding purchase on the sand; she was a bit short for the depth of the water, but it was just shallow enough that she could maintain her balance. She was laughing and giggling, putting some distance between them before splashing him as payback.

"That was mean," she teased, sticking her tongue out. It was good to see him play like this; it had to be the happiest she'd seen him. Sasuke was even surprised at himself; he'd never in a million years expected he'd feel at ease enough to do something so free-spirited. The effect she had on him was drastic. He liked it.

"You're the one who challenged me. I had to respond." He shrugged and blocked the splashes of water she was throwing in his direction. They were both drenched from head to toe; when he had a moment, he ran a hand through his messy hair, using the moisture to slick it back out of his face. While Sasuke had taken the time earlier to stare at him, she was now returning the favour. With his shirt drenched by the water, she could see a lot more of his figure than she'd expected.

And boy, was it a lot to take in. He was taller than her by almost a foot, but he was leaner than she recalled; he had a very lithe figure compared to others she'd seen. He wasn't the sort of burly, heavy-set detective one would expect. Based on the way his shirt had stuck to him, Sakura could see that he was very toned and muscular underneath, with the occasional bump noticeable, likely from a burn scar. All in all, despite the scarring, his skin was in excellent condition; he must have undergone treatment after treatment to bring him back to a better quality of life after the incident.