Our Journey (Sasusaku)

Chapter 16: "Inauguration Anniversary"

The fireworks display was about to start when Sakura and Sasuke arrived. The Team reserved a place for them under a large Cherry blossom tree in the upper part of the village. The Iwagakure is developing it to be a park in the future. There are some other visitors in the place to witness the anniversary. Captain Morio wasn't with the genin because he was assigned as a security patrol.

"Hey over here! What took you so long?!" Furinto shouted while waving at them. He was wearing traditional clothes.

"You just came right on time Lady Sakura and Lord Sasuke because it's about to start!" Koishi screamed happily. She looked beautiful in her yukata.

"Too bad. I wasn't able to buy a yukata for this special day..." Sakura whimpered.

"It's okay! You always look stunning Lady Sakura!" Furinto said while smiling broadly.

They suddenly heard a loud explosion in the sky.

"Look it's starting!" Furinto grabs Koishi's hand to get closer to the rail for them to have a better view.

"Yuru-kun come over here!" Koishi shouted. Yuru approached them and watched the spectacular light above the mountains.

"Wow, it's beautiful as always!" Sakura whispered. She suddenly turned to Sasuke and leaned forward.

"What?" asked Sasuke.

Sakura blushed a little, "Well the fireworks are really beautiful, we are under a beautiful cherry blossom tree and we had an argument yesterday. Aren't you gonna kiss me to make it up with me?" Sakura asked.

"No." Sasuke answered.

"What?!!" Sakura cried and turned redder because of embarrassment.

"You're so mean! Are we really in a relationship?" she asked while frowning.

"I will not do that here in front of many people. My mother would always remind us that it's not a custom for Uchiha men to kiss their women in the crowd there should be a right place for that."

He suddenly remembers the time when his Mother would lecture them about it when she found out that Itachi and Izumi were secretly dating.

"Even my father never showed too much affection to my mother in front of us his children. They do it privately." Sasuke added.

"Huh? But my parents are not like that!" Sakura cried. She remembered how her Papa jumped to her Mama like a dog and kissed her. As a child, she finds it disgusting but now that she's an adult she realizes how sweet her parents are with each other. Sakura suddenly missed her parents.

Sasuke noticed the sadness on her face. He pokes her forehead.

"Ouch!" Sakura squeaked while rubbing her forehead which has the violet rhombus seal.

"Next time. Not here." Sasuke said and smiled at her. He likes teasing her.

"Hey you Uchiha boy come here!" shouted a shaky and rusty voice behind Sasuke.

They turned around to check who it was.

"Oh it's Lord Onoki" Sakura said. They approached the former Tsuchikage. He got more shorter and older and his nose got broader and redder.

"Oh you are with the next slug princess!" cried the old man while playing with his grizzled beard.

"Well I call Uchiha boy here for a Sake Challenge but since you are here Slug Princess Number Two, I also challenge you. Your Master beat me last time and I'm sure you were trained for this too right?" the old man asked.

"Well I'm not really a heavy drinker but let me take your challenge..." Sakura said while forcing a smile on her face.

"Kurotsuchi are you up for this?!" Lord Onoki asked her granddaughter.

"Of course! I'm the Tsuchikage here I will not lose to an old geezer like you!"

They followed the old man in his inn.

"Not a heavy drinker?" Sasuke asked himself. It was almost dawn when the celebration finished. The moon was high and full and the world was silver and dark. Sasuke and Sakura walked home to rest.

"How could a small woman like this drunk as much as that?" Sasuke asked himself again. He appeared to be a little intoxicated from Sake. He remembered the Sake Challenge. Sakura almost defeated every shinobi including himself and the former Tsuchikage on drinking Sake.

Sakura who was behind Sasuke suddenly stopped walking. She sat on the ground while holding Sasuke's cloak around her body to avoid it getting slipped.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked who turned a little red from drinking Sake.

"N-naruto! My feet hurt carry me now!" Sakura cried with her usual bossy tone to Naruto.

"No." Sasuke answered.

"What?! Why not?! You idiot I will kill you!" Sakura screamed. Her face was redder than Sasuke and her eyes were almost half-closed.

"Because I'm not Naruto and I only have one hand. I can't carry you." Sasuke answered.

"Huh?! One hand?!" she pulled Sasuke's left sleeve and screamed with horror when she didn't find a hand in it.

"Ahhhhh! Where's your prosthesis that we made idiot?!"

"I'm not Naruto!" Sasuke said looking annoyed.

Sakura tried to stand straight although she was starting to feel dizzy. She looked at Sasuke's face with a steady gaze which made him uncomfortable. Her eyes widened when she realized that it was Sasuke. She jumped towards him and hugged him.

"Sasuke-kun you're back! Welcome home!" she cried cheerfully.

"W-what? We've been together for almost a year now!" Sasuke cried.

"I'm so happy you're back home!" she mumbled. She clasps him in her arms tighter.

"Sakura you're squeezing me..." Sasuke whimpered.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Sakura let go of Sasuke and smiled at him again. She gave him an admiring gaze which made Sasuke self-conscious and more uncomfortable. Sakura suddenly leaned towards him which made Sasuke step back.

"H-hey Sakura wait..." he mumbled

Sakura looked at her fondly with her sleepy eyes. She rested her hands on his chest and leaned her body to his. She stands with her toes to draw herself nearer to Sasuke.

Sasuke looked around the dark place to check if there was anyone there besides them. Nobody was there but flying moths around the street lamp post. He put his hand at Sakura's waist and looked at her in the eyes then at her lips. He started to sweat on his forehead and gulped a lump down his throat and did not say a word.

Sakura drew herself nearer to Sasuke and tried to reach him. She suddenly pinched Sasuke's cheeks and stretched them, "You're so cute! You're so handsome!" Sakura yelled cheerfully.

"O-ouch Sakura stop that!" Sasuke cried and removed Sakura's hands from his face. He looked at Sakura with an annoyed face.

"Come on let's go home you're drunk." Sasuke said.

"I can't walk anymore my feet hurt and I'm dizzy..." she started to stutter due to hiccups.

Sasuke sighed, "You're really annoying." He pulled her to his body and lifted her using one hand. He holds her legs tightly so he can carry the girl properly. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his head.

"Sasuke-kun am I still heavy?" she asked.

Sasuke suddenly remembers the day he almost died from their first mission in the Land of Waves. He told Sakura that she was heavy.

He grunts and says, "No."