《[[[🌸SasuSaku||OneShots🌸]]]》

jealous?

Things seemed so different…

Since the war and his fight with Naruto, many things had changed for Uchiha Sasuke. Though team seven was special to him, and always had been, after everything that had happened Sasuke never thought he’d walk the roads of Konoha again. Never thought he’d feel free of hatred, and instead be filled with an unfathomable calm.

After first coming back to Konoha and being hospitalized for the first week, Sasuke never felt anxious about being there. And then there was always Sakura. Everyday she cared for him as his medic. It was hard to believe that after everything, she could still love him so easily, so unconditionally. But, she did. If her words hadn’t been enough, her actions were. She was attentive and always smiling at him. Always sweet and friendly, always cheerful.

It hurt, knowing he’d hurt her so much over the years. Back when he left the village, he knew Sakura was sincere in her feelings for him. She had liked him for as long as he could remember. But, he never imagined that she would never be able to let him go. That it would be him on her mind even several years after he left her like that.

He’d almost killed her, he’d broken her heart more than once and that’s why if anybody deserved an apology from him- it was her. The amount of respect he had for her was admirable and he would never be cold to her again. This he solemnly swore to himself one day as she excitedly talked over his recovery with him.

All too soon though, he was taken from her care. Detained, Sasuke’s eyes were sealed, his chakra suppressed and his entire body bound. Surprisingly though, Sasuke didn’t feel at his lowest there. No, he had already accepted whatever punishment was set for him. His sins were great enough that death was all he was expecting. He thought it would at least be better than being locked away for the rest of his life as he was then.

Visitors weren’t allowed, but somehow Sakura came to him every day, twice a day. She always brought food which she fed to him herself. Sasuke didn’t understand why he was so comfortable and calm when she was around, but he found that he always looked forward to her arrival.

Weeks passed by and then the unexpected happened. Kakashi, or rather the sixth Hokage, came in to his cell early one morning. Sasuke never imagined he would be released. His heart was fluttering for the first time since he was a boy as he stepped back into the fresh air. He was home. Konoha. He was living- and he was free.

At least from everything but himself.

Having nowhere else to go at the time, Sasuke started staying with Naruto. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was entirely unusual for Sasuke. He wasn’t used to such a homey and domestic lifestyle. There wasn’t much for him to do aside from spending time with Naruto while he waited for his request to be answered.

There was still a lot of confusion in Sasuke’s heart and mind. Life had been one hell of a ride. But now, Sasuke was seeing things through new eyes, and he needed some time to find himself. So, he asked to be free to travel, to not be confined to the village because as much as he wished he would have been- he just wasn’t ready.

Sakura had only come by Naruto’s, and met he and Sasuke at Ichiraku’s a few times since his release. In a way, Sasuke thought he missed her. She crossed his mind at the strangest moments. He knew she was working a lot, Naruto was constantly talking about it, or bringing her up for any and every reason.

But the next time he seen her, he wished he hadn’t.

It was while taking his daily stroll through the village that her pink tresses caught his eyes and he stopped in his tracks, turning in her direction without thinking twice. His eyes widened considerably as he watched Rock Lee wrap his arms around Sakura’s waist, hugging her tightly while grinning from ear to ear. Brows furrowing, Sasuke frowned deeply as his stomach dropped.