𝐻𝒾𝓈 𝒮𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒮𝓊𝓃𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑒 | 𝗦𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗸𝗲 𝘅 𝗦𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗮

8

An awkward silence hung in the air of the Haruno household, the only sounds audible being the light patter of rain at the window and spoons stirring the tea.

Sasuke and Sakura went out to see her parents just after breakfast, rushing through the rain. The pinkette almost stumbled on the way, hence her dirty shoes and her parents' now muddy hallway.

Kizashi Haruno and Mebuki Haruno never had the best relationship with their daughter. Sakura felt imprisoned, as if her every move was judged and gauged, especially by her mother. Their lack of parental love forced Sakura to move out rather early - not that she minded anyway.

"So," Sakura mumbled quietly, trying to lighten the mood in the quiet living room. She fiddled with her spoon, glancing at her parents before looking down again, "how have you be-"

"Don't fool around, Sakura," Mebuki spoke sternly, furrowing her eyebrows as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, "you haven't been here since you've moved out, so don't bother with your friendly smalltalk."

The pinkette sighed softly, trying to calm her nerves as she took a sip of the green tea her father had prepared for the couple. Hizashi wasn't as bossy or stubborn as his wife, yet he never took Sakura's side either.

Sasuke brushed his foot against Sakura's lightly, sending her a pleading look to which she replied with a shrug. Reluctantly, the Uchiha cleared his throat and spoke up, "the... tea is good, Mebu-."

The young medic needed to suppress a smile at his feeble attempt to break the ice, but her expression quickly dropped when her mother interrupted once more, "an Uchiha means trouble. Don't you think that I've forgotten about everything you've done to our village, our ho-"

And finally, Hizashi spoke up. He stood up rapidly, sending his wife a quick glare before staring at his daughter with soft eyes. "I haven't seen my own daughter in months, Mebu. Heck, don't scare her poor boyfriend!" he exclaimed loudly, earning a smile of gratitude from Sakura and an embarrassed huff from Sasuke.

Mebuki seemed to be at a loss for words. She slumped deeper into the couch and looked away, clearly unsatisfied with the outcome of the discussion. Her husband, however, plopped down on the couch in between the surprised couple and grinned widely.

"How's my little girl been, huh?" he asked excitedly, hugging the two of them with each of his arms, "and you, Uchiha? Do you treat her well?" Sasuke felt like he was being squished in the tall man's grasp and it very much resembled a certain blond's embrace. He could only nod quickly, feeling heat rise to his cheeks.

Sakura giggled softly and tried to untangle her father's arm from around her, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I'm okay, dad, I'm okay...," she trailed off, glancing at Sasuke with a certain question written all over her face.

The Uchiha rolled his eyes but quickly composed himself, clearing his throat again. The Harunos looked at him and he suddenly felt really anxious. Sasuke tugged at his shirt, feeling a bead of sweat run down his neck.

"Hn," he grumbled under his breath, looking down as he finally gathered the courage to ask her parents. Sasuke could barely hear his own words over the pounding of his heart, but the surprised expression on Mebuki's face inclined that she had understood him clearly, "I... want to take Sakura with me. On my journey. Tomorrow. If that's okay..."

Sakura blushed softly but couldn't help but feel amused by the way he was almost stuttering. Hizashi looked stunned for a moment, sharing a nervous glance with his wife before he started to laugh. He smacked Sasuke's back, causing the young man to wince at the sudden sensation and he looked at Sakura with wide eyes.

She furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head as she stared at her father, "dad? What's so funny?" Her father stopped attacking Sasuke and pulled Sakura into a hug. His strong arms wrapped around her thin body tightly, almost in a bone crushing manner.

The pinkette looked at Sasuke over her father's shoulder, trying to squirm out of his grasp but to no avail. Sasuke looked shocked for a split second but once he came face to face with the struggling Sakura, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Our little girl is an adult, Mebu! She's so grown-up!" Hizashi almost wept, hugging the couple at the same time again. His wife still wore the same surprised expression, feeling something tug at her heartstrings.

"Fine," Mebuki agreed quietly, silencing the other three in the room. She took a deep breath and looked at her daughter, studying her intently. Sakura was grown up indeed, especially since the last time they've encountered her during a stroll past the hospital, "you may go with him."

A smile grew on Sakura's face as she sensed her mother's changed demeanour, and Hizashi noticed aswell. She was their little girl, after all. "But you take good care of her, Uchiha!" she threatened quickly, pointing at the ravenhead, "and make sure to write!"

The pinkette stood up and approached her mother, a soft smile still evident on her face. She pulled her into a gentle hug, startling the older woman for a moment. But she eventually returned the embrace, hesitantly hugging her daughter back.

Sasuke was being tackled by Hizashi again and was squirming in his grasp, his eyes never leaving Sakura's face. She looked back at him and gave him a smile to which he replied with a neutral, yet soft expression.

"Hn." I'll always protect her.

Parents would always put their children first, that's a fact. Not even a troublesome childhood would take that away from them.

────────────────────────────

As the couple started to walk back to Sakura's house, the rain was replaced by a gentle sunshine. The pinkette hummed to herself, smiling contently while thinking of her parents' consent and unfamiliar support.

Sasuke felt more at ease aswell, especially after he was saved from Hizashi's breathtaking - literally - embrace. He glanced at the Haruno beside him from time to time, catching himself smiling more than he'd like to admit.

"I told you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura spoke softly, lifting her head to meet the Uchiha's gaze. He raised his eyebrows and stared into her emerald eyes, seeing the excitement and relief clearly, "everything turned out to be okay."

"Hn," Sasuke rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his thrill despite his annoyed mask. He felt at ease, as if he was floating without any weight pulling him down. And it was all thanks to her.

"Should we tell The Sixth aswell? Oh! Oh! And Naruto, the idiot! Ino needs to know too, definitely! Sasuke-kun, we need to go see Lee and Gai too! And...-"

Sasuke watched Sakura chatter, and after a while, it felt like she was talking to herself. He didn't mind though. The sight in front of him was the one he treasured most, the one he wanted to make sure to always see; her smile.

'How I love her smile.'

────────────────────────────

this chapter is a bit shorter, but i hope you don't mind! and whaaat, 100 reads?? i freaked out when i saw that. thank you so much for the reads and votes, i wouldn't have thought to reach as many people as i have, actually...
anyway, i hope you're enjoying the story! i'm not sure how many chapters will follow, but we'll see.

love,
hanchanuchiha