Book One The Black Lion Old Version

doubts

It felt really good to be in the baths in the monastery. The feel of the hot water on her skin was incredible. She had never been to a hot spring before, but if she ever went to one, this would be the closest thing to it. It was public, and multiple of her peers tended to go there often. The people who were with her were Annette, Hinata, Ino, Hilda, Ingrid, Dorothea, Bernadetta, and Petra. She felt great, especially after her birthday a few days ago. Her smile was not unnoticed by her friends.

"I think a smile fits you much better," said Ino, which surprised Mercedes. She could have sworn that she hid her emotions well on the day of her birthday.

"I had a great day that day. It was better than I thought it would be," Mercedes admitted, thinking about the night she and Sasuke made love. It was different; her outlook had changed. It was as if he touched a part of her soul, a part of her soul that nobody else would ever feel, even if she had lied with him multiple times. The first time was not the same as her birthday. It was a memory that she would always treasure.

"You know, Sasuke is a great boyfriend. You know you're a lucky. Most wouldn't even come close. You're a lucky, woman," said Annette, happy for the happiness that she had experienced.

"You two make a great pair. You know, you were the last person I expected Sasuke-san to ever take an interest in. you brought a side of him that I don't think he knew existed," Hinata added.

She didn't know what Hinata meant when she said that she never asked Sasuke about his past because she didn't want him to relive the painful memories of what had happened with his clan and the nightmares that he experiences. She doesn't know what Sasuke was like before they met. She knew bits and pieces, but not much else.

"What was Sasuke Kun like before he came here?" Mercedes asked Hinata and Ino. They told her bits and pieces, but she wanted to know their perspective.

" You should talk to him; he would know more than I would. The only thing I could say is, he kept to himself. He was a loner; he didn't really stay around many people. He barely talked to anyone. When he wasn't on a mission, he either stayed at his apartment or he trained. Not many people knew what was truly going on with Sasuke except Naruto," Ino answered. This surprised her. Surely Sasuke had more friends than Naruto. There's no way he could have only one friend.

"That sounds tragic," said Petra. Despite not knowing Sasuke, the youngest of the women couldn't help but pick up on the loneliness that Sasuke feels.

"I, Mercedes, had no words. She knew Sasuke was lonely, but she did not expect it to be to this extent. Annette was giving her a look. She thought the same thing.

"Hinata asked Mercedes, 'Can I ask you a question, Ann Chan? What was your first impression of Sasuke San?' Mercedes had never asked her friend that very question. She wanted to kick herself, but then again, when it came to Sasuke, she always blushed whenever his name was mentioned. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but be curious.

"Well, Felix, saw him as an interesting opponent that he would like to spar with," Annette answered. This caused Ingrid to laugh because that's just like him. Petra didn't understand what was funny, but then again, the girl comes from a different land with different customs.

"As for myself, I thought Sasuke was a lot like Felix in that he was overcompensating when it came to hiding his emotions. He was trying to keep everyone at arm's length because he was afraid of getting close to people. That's the impression I got," Annette said honestly. Mercedes had that impression as well, but it was different. Though the man that she had gotten to know in the past few months, did anyone even try, outside of Naruto, to get to truly know Sasuke, truly know why he is the way he is? Did they even try to ask what does he want, what is important to him?