Let The Light In || SasuSaku

Chapter 3

           Sakura, always so disciplined, would take the same route from home to the hospital every day. There were times, however, when, having woken up late, she wouldn't even have breakfast. In a whirlwind, she hurriedly left, holding her coat in her hands and moving fleetingly across the rooftops and buildings. Obsessive, she would become frustrated with herself in these moments. Shizune, on the other hand, always reassured her. Sakura had logged countless additional hours at work, and she was the founder of the Children's Mental Health Care Clinic. However, she did not feel comfortable using these advantages. That morning, she knew she needed to take a moment to review the records of children seen at the clinic, which were meticulously tallied into the hospital system. The system accuracy filled her with satisfaction, as there were notable improvements in all the clinic psychosocial and neurological categories. It was necessary to make Ino aware of this.

           She decided to visit Ino at the flower shop after lunch. Upon arriving, she noticed her friend's absence. As she longed to find her, she made the unexpected decision to take a path opposite to the hospital. She headed to the intelligence division, Ino's second point of duty. She knew the access to the intelligence area was restricted to ninjas assigned to specific functions. One of these functions was the strict control of the entry and exit of citizens of the Hidden Leaf Village, in addition to supervising the security and internal movement of residents and outsiders. Everyone knew Sakura in that sector, mainly due to her role in the War, her position in the hospital, and her confident relationship with the Hokage and the hero of the Fourth Ninja War. She was allowed to pass without any hesitation.     

           Walking down the hall, she noticed how oblique and empty the place was. The faulty lighting offered more doubt than clarity.

           "Shannaro," she said softly. "How can it be so dark in here?" she thought, slightly haunted. She considered suggesting some renovations for that floor to her friend and the Hokage.

              The colors were mixed into grayish tones and shadows consumed the landscape. Sakura's bright clothes clashed with the pale, lifeless walls. For a moment, immersed in digressions, she thought she was dancing with the shadows: were they alive? Were they figures of their own movement? She was sinking into a spiral of uncertainty.

              A shadow suddenly catches her attention. This time, she had no doubt the shadows were moving on their own. Curious, she decided to examine this phenomenon: a figure, outlined by the impoverished light, begins to shape itself in front of her, without properly discerning it due to the distance. Her ninja instinct was one step away from launching an attack until there he was, the man who hadn't left her thoughts for about two years. "Sasuke-kun", advancing towards her. This could only be a figment of her imagination, a product of mental exhaustion caused by work. Their eyes met, and time was suspended in that frozen gaze. It was as if the darkness and eerie tones of the scene had shaped itself into the man in front of her. Every step he took towards Sakura allowed her to notice how handsome he had become. His hair, as dark as the surroundings, stood out like longing strands of black silk. He was taller, more robust, darker with that cloak that seemed to want to hide his identity. Neither of them looked away, and before they regained consciousness, her cheeks were already dyed red and burning with heat. She thanked the darkness for hiding her from the boy.

               "Sasuke-kun"..., Sakura whispered, barely audible. "Y..you came back...When did you come back?" quickly continued sentence, trying to hide the obvious nervousness she felt. Sakura realized that she had been holding her breath until he approached her.

                "Sakura." Sasuke looked at her with a serene and unreadable face. Sakura watched him closely as he frowned. "What are you doing here?" Always direct in him interactions, Sakura remembered this. However, he didn't mind not having the question answered.

                "I came to report some findings from the hospital with Ino. I didn't know I would find you.... here." In split seconds, she noticed he closed his eyes and sighed.               

                "Right," and he walked past her as if he was in a hurry to get on his way. Before he could go any further, she turned toward him.

                "Welcome back, Sasuke-Kun." He, without looking there, offered a smug smile that she didn't see.                

                "Thank you," he replied in a muffled  voice.

                  Time was suspended, not knowing whether mere seconds or minutes had passed. However, noticed altered breathing and instinctively put your fingers to your wrist to check your frantic heartbeat. The air that entered the lungs seemed to not be enough. She needed to laugh. She began to pay attention to her breathing, counting to ten, until the restlessness disappeared.  Remembered the purpose of being in that hallway: an urgent need to tell a friend about the clinic's progress. However, an insatiable pang of curiosity compelled her to discover why Sasuke was present in that place after two years.