Until Then

Chapter 31 ~ Nights Are For Anything but Rest

Equiped each with a menu in hand, Ino, Sakura and Hinata sat around a bakery table. They opted for the outside seating, basking in the fresh air as they sifted through the cake section.

"I'm not so sure about the one before this." Ino said, leaning in so that her voice wasn't too loud.

"Maybe it was because of the Rum taste?" Hinata offered. The trio were partaking in cake tasting as per Ino's insistence and had gone through half the listings already. The excitement seemed to be a switch between bridal gitters and thrill for the most part.

"Maybe...Ooh look at this one!"

Shifting their gaze, they watched as the server placed a new plate on their table. A big slice of chocolate dream cake, hot pudding spilling out as they dug their forks in.

Sakura's eyes lit up as she felt the pudding melt in her mouth. There were plenty of things she couldn't be sure of, but one thing she did know was her best friend's taste in food. 'This is the one.' 

Ino's wedding was mere weeks away, and she wanted to make sure everything was ready well in advance. She liked being in charge, leaving just the right amount of responsibility to Sai who didn't complain.

"Oh my gosh, I love this!"

The two girls looked at each other knowingly, happy to share the excitement with their blonde friend. As expected, a few moments later Ino had ended up at the cashier desk placing the order of her wedding cake.

"I'm glad I can cross this off my things to do now." Ino said, returning with a smile. The trio walked together, chatting until they reached their separate paths.

With a deep breath, Sakura slipped back into her quieter self. She had enjoyed the time out with the girls, coupled with expensive desserts- what could really be better? Now the lull of silence demanded her attention once again.

It was still quite early- if you considered 8PM to be early- so she headed towards the training grounds. Stress relief could be in many forms. Since being back at the hospital, she had missed training and the exhilaration accompanying it.

So, that's exactly what she did. Not wanting to ruin her nice sweater, she slipped it off leaving just her tank top and pants on. It was way too hot to train in layers of clothing.

A set of cracks could be heard as she broke her knuckes while warming up. She hadn't realized just how much of pent up energy she had inside her. Energy and emotions that needed to be released.

"Sakura."

A curse escaped the medic as she almost lost her balance. 'How did I not sense him here?' 

"C'mon." Sasuke said seemingly appearing out of nowhere as he assumed a fighting stance. It felt like some twisted deja vu of Kakashi's wicked genjutsu trick a few years back.

"Huh???" Surprise was evident on her face as she blinked in response. Did someone cast her into a genjutsu? Did she blackout on her way home? What was he doing here?

As far as she knew, you couldn't hallucinate from a overindulgence in sugar, but then again she did pig out on the cakes today.

She took a step closer but realized he was serious. Did Sasuke come all the way here just to fight with her? Okay then, was he not going to make the first move?

There he stood, a welcomed distraction. A strong opponent just waiting to be used. So she grabbed the opportunity with both hands, rather clenched fists as she charged towards him.

He'd heard enough about her punches, even seen them in action as they pummeled through whatever was in her way, and he knew one graze from her would definitely scar. Sasuke dodged out of her range, aiming to get a swing of his own while she was open.