Daylight

A New Dawn Pt.3

Sakura thanked the father-daughter duo again, before heading out of the flaps with Sasuke waiting outside, his body positioned so his back was to her. 

Sakura bounded up beside him. "There's still four hours until midday. And the the stalls don't open until 9. So we have an hour to spare." 

At 'we' Sasuke turned to look down at Sakura. 

She started to lace her fingers around her locks again. It was beginning to irritate him. 

"I mean, I have the whole day off. So I just thought maybe if you need a hand in packing or anything, I could help". She dug the toe of her right sandal into the ground, anxiously waiting for his response. 

Sasuke relented. As much as he wanted to be rid of her, not because that she was annoying, but because he was afraid of his own feelings towards her. He couldn't let anything blossom between them. He was already aware of her own feelings towards him, something he had tried to ignore for far too long. He decided maybe she deserved some bit of closure, before he leaves and rips out her tangled bruised dripping red heart with him. Again. 

"Hn." And at that he beckoned Sakura to walk alongside him to Naruto's apartment. 

***

As Sasuke unlocked the door with the spare key Naruto had gifted him, a smoke of dust greeted the pair. 

"Gosh, how did you sleep here last night?" Sakura patted down her skirt and gingerly made her way around the orange and white clothes toppled all over the floor.

"Where is he anyway? Did he tell you this morning that he'll be skiving on us? That's just typical Naruto." 

"I never saw him".

"Agh, that knuckle-head." Despite the complaints, Sasuke could tell that Sakura was relieved to have him all to herself for this long. 

Sasuke grabbed the few clothes he had, all as black as his soul once was, and attempted to fold them with one hand. Sakura gently took them from him and folded them neatly. This gesture reminded Sasuke of the only other female he had ever opened his heart to: his mother. Sakura's maternal instincts kicked in and she started to pick up Naruto's clothes too, folding them and placing them in an orderly fashion on the living room desk, not wanting to go snooping into his bedroom. 

Sasuke noticed that Sakura hummed whilst she did chores, and it was as if his ears were being showered in blessings by the strumming of an angel playing a harp. 

Sasuke grabbed his satchel, wearing it over his black shirt and his katana  and slid it through its sheath which rested just below his cloak.  With only a glance, Sakura understood. They headed out of the apartment, locked the door, placed the key under the mat and headed towards Konoha hospital.

On their way, Sasuke was once again stunned by his female companion's knowledge at medicine. She listed off the different medical supplies she would seal into the scrolls and label them for which village or town he should take them to. 

Once at her office, with a silver plaque labelled 'Haruno, Sakura' at the door, Sakura welcomed Sasuke into a seat. Her office had pots with cherry blossoms basking in the sun whilst seated at the window. The chair Sasuke cushioned himself in was placed by the window so that he could smell the flowers' fragrance, overpowering the stench of medicine and chlorine that was swimming in the hallway of the hospital. 

Sasuke closed his eyes and took in the sweet scent. Who knows when he would be able to be in her presence again? Who knows when he'll be able to hear her laughter fill a room full with soft chimes? Who knows when he'll next see the light shade of blush that appeared on her fair skin whenever her eyes met his? He would be unable to tell her how his heart sang for her, and how his dreams were only filled with her. He couldn't let her hopes up. Maybe next time... 

Maybe next time.

He had been graced with the memory of Itachi. Sasuke gently touched his forehead with his index and middle finger, for all the memories with his late brother just to linger in his mind a few moments more. For him to see his brother's loving smile one more time. 

"Sasuke?"

He opened his eyes and locked his  purple vortex and red eye that resembled a flower, with her emerald green ones. 

She was stunned as she collapsed into a genjutsu full of Sasuke's memories about Itachi.

He had shared a part of himself with her. That meant the world to her. She now knew that he once believed love was burning red, as red as his late brother's susanoo. She understood that he was just learning about love again. Re-examining it. She vowed to take it on herself to teach him that love can take many forms. It could be daylight.