Surfs Up / SasuSaku

Weight of Responsibilities

Warning: sensitive scenes relating to violence.

...

Sakura winced, gently rubbing her ankle. It had only been a few days, but the pain was unbearable.

Not to mention, her mind was filled with numerous thoughts. The new school year was approaching, and her internship workload was piling up. She hadn't realized how busy she would be, especially with her fractured ankle.

But it wasn't just the stress of her responsibilities. After visiting her father, she knew she needed the money. She couldn't bear the thought of her parents working until they could no longer stand. Sakura glanced at the time and sighed. It was finally the day of the competition, and she couldn't have been more prepared.

Don't get her wrong, she had a lot of faith in Sasuke. It was just the feeling of being a burden that bothered her.

It was only 9 in the morning, and the competition wasn't until 12 pm. She had hoped to see Sasuke before meeting him at the beach. Grabbing her phone, she quickly dialed his number and patiently waited for him to answer.

"Hey."

Sakura took a deep breath. "Hey, did you just wake up?"

Her eyebrows raised as she heard the sound of crashing waves. Don't tell me he's at the beach this early? She thought to herself.

"Nope, I woke up around 6 this morning. I'm just down at the beach right now with the guys. I was hoping to get some practice in," Sasuke replied.

"You told them about the competition?"

"Yeah, I figured I would. The boys would've loved the opportunity to kick Hidan's ass if I do," Sasuke chuckled through the phone.

Sakura couldn't help but smile at Sasuke's words. His friends' confidence in him only fueled her own. She took a moment to admire his determination and how sure he seemed of himself.

"I'm glad you have them there with you. I would've come, but I didn't realize how early you woke up," Sakura replied.

There was a brief pause on the other end, and then Sasuke's voice came through, softer this time. "I didn't want to wake you up or worry you. You have a lot on your plate, especially with your ankle."

"I guess. Maybe I just wanted to see you before the competition, you know," Sakura said. "But... no matter what happens today, I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines."

Sasuke's voice softened even more, and Sakura could almost picture the small smile on his face. "I'll see you later today, okay? Ino is bringing you, right?"

"Yeah, she'll pick me up around 11:30... just don't push yourself today, okay? I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with..."

Before she could finish, Sasuke cut her off. "I told you not to worry, okay? I got you."

As the call ended, Sakura got up from her bed and limped her way towards the bathroom.

Today was going to be... interesting.

...

Sasuke sighed as he ended the phone call. He may have hidden his emotions too well, hoping Sakura fell for it. He was anxious, feeling all the emotions one would feel when facing the scariest thing in their life.

He hadn't realized he would feel like this until the day came. For the past few days, he had seemed positive about his skills, but it wasn't until he woke up this morning that it really hit him.