Until Then

Chapter 24~ No More Hiding

Clothes were scattered along the floor of her bedroom, spilling out of her closet. It wasn't very long ago that Sakura eagerly packed her carry bag for the road, and now she was back home, emptying out the contents of the last three weeks.

They would have to return eventually, but sooner came much quicker than later. She never really paid much attention to just where on the map they were headed while their travelling, but it wasn't hard to navigate the familiar surroundings she knew so well.

In her hallway sat a big full length mirror. Reflecting back was Sasuke who sat awkwardly on a barstool.

"Aha! Found it!" Sakura exclaimed, coming out of her bedroom, making sure to close her room door to hide the mess that she had been rummaging through.

She twirled a pair of scissors in hand, wondering just how they'd ended up in this situation only a couple hours after arriving home.

The first thing she'd done once opening up her apartment was run down to meet her best friend before her shift started at the hospital. Even though it was Saturday, work never really ever stopped in the health department. She congratulated Ino, and caught up for a bit.

She had the day off, actually the whole week too since she hadn't been sure for just how long Sasuke and her would've been gone for. But, now she was back and couldn't deny the anticipation and longing to be at the hospital tomorrow.

Just as she made her way home, she did a double take as she spotted...Sasuke? Was that actually Sasuke? She could recognize that face anywhere, but it surprised her to see him like that.

"Sasuke-kun? You cut your hair?"

He turned around, as soon as he'd heard her voice.

After explaining he'd cut it himself, the pinkettes eyes widended for a moment, not used to seeing him with such short hair compared to his usual spikey locks. It looked fairly neat for someone who cut their own hair and considering he hadn't even had the proper tools to do so.

"Come with me. I'll even it out for you."

And that was how they ended up back at her house as the Uchiha reluctantly followed.

Suddenly Sakura felt self-conscious to face him. It was her idea, so why was she so nervous that he was sitting infront of her. Ultimately she decided to start at the back of his head instead. She picked up the comb, running it through Sasuke's short hair to assess his doings.

She had a haircutting kit, so surely it wouldn't be so bad. Ino had done a relatively decent job on her hair when they were younger, and that was just with a kunai knife. Then again, Ino was much more knowledgeable in this area.

Carefully she evened it out, trimming just above the nape of his neck. Sasuke felt a quick chill down his spine as he involuntarily shivered at the contact of the tips of her fingers.

"Ah, sorry! My hands are cold."

"Hn"

She shifted her weight to the other leg- now standing infront of him. Even though he was seated on one of her stools, he still managed to be eye to eye with her. There was a time when they were the same height, and dare she say a tad taller than him.

His eyes were closed, almost tranquil in stance. He really was a beautiful human. Despite the lightening scars, which she could've easily healed completely, it seemed to adorn him rather than dim his beauty.

It felt like a strange sense of intimacy to feel so close from just these simple things. How could he be so calm? Did he get used to being around her to this extent?