Thirteen • Restart of the Uchiha Line

Italicized dialogue - flashback

. . .

Sasuke once thought that there was no reason for Sakura to love him, as there was no reason for him to do the same with her. He believed that all of these feelings of romances were just ideals of a failed past.

But then he realized, reasons weren't needed to love a person.

"I'll pay." Sasuke said with conviction, stopping the pinkette from fishing some bills from her purse.

She smiled. "It's fine. I can-" she stopped mid-sentence when he had purposely ignored her and paid the owner of the store.

The two of them were eating out on a Saturday night after Sakura's shift in the hospital. It's been several months since the Uchiha had returned from his journey and he was earning now (pretty well actually), compared to the first few months of his stay in the village.

He couldn't say the villagers were all welcoming at this point but at least their gossips and constant whispering about him lessened.

"I'm going out on a mission tomorrow, by the way," she informed once they left the eating place. "I'm going with Shikamaru and Kiba. Kakashi-sensei told me they needed a medic."

Sasuke kept his lips in a thin line as he listened to her voice. They walked beside each other through the series of villagers while the cool breeze touched their skin.

He nodded in understanding. "Okay. I'll wait."

Sakura glanced at him, the chilly air blowing against her pink cheeks. "I'll be back in a few days."

What they have was, well, quite unusual. Everyone was curious about their current status, and often speculated that they were in a relationship. However, whenever they were asked, the two wouldn't reply with a direct or clear answer which caused more confusion.

Between the two of them, however, the case was different. Both knew what they have; they were aware and they understood each other. Although Sasuke never formally asked to take her out, he had his own ways to do so.

Not that she complains about it. Frankly, it amused her. It would be strange if Sasuke actually asks if "she can go out with him". He just wasn't that type of guy.

But still, if she recalls correctly, it's been two months since the two of them started going out. They would eat in different places (which includes Ichiraku Ramen but Naruto usually butts in so Sasuke doesn't suggest to eat there), or just simply talk in his flat after she gives him his weekly supply of groceries.

Sakura kept her expectations low this time and her mind was way more vast compared to when she was simply a young girl. She loved Sasuke in a completely different level that nobody could probably understand, and she didn't know if he felt that strongly as well, but at the very least she knew he was interested.

The same went for Sasuke too. Even if her actions in the past justified her love for him, he knew he had done so many things that had tarnished her trust. He liked her, truthfully, but he wanted to take things slowly but surely.

. . .

"Hey," Sakura showed up in his flat one time.

He was slightly taken aback with her presence, nonetheless opened the door fully to let her enter. Ever since he started to earn again, he had asked Sakura to stop paying for his groceries.

"I got out of work early." She said, taking a seat on the couch.

"Yeah." Sasuke nodded. "You could've said you'll be out around this time."

She shook her head. "It wasn't planned. Shizune-san granted me some rest, so..."

It wasn't that big of a deal, but Sasuke always waited for her everytime after work, so of course he'd be concerned about it.

"You know, you don't always have to pick me up, Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled, letting her back relax against the back rest of the couch.

"I want to, so let me." He simply replied, his eyes directly staring at her emerald ones.

Heat rose to Sakura's cheeks at the eye contact, and she turned away to conceal her blushing face. "Can y-you stop saying those things, damn it..." she mumbled.

"What?"

"I said," she breathed in, composing herself. "Can you come with me tomorrow?"

His eyebrows rose. "Where to?"

A sad smile slowly crossed her lips as she said, "I'm visiting Neji."

Silence momentarily hung in the air. Sasuke then nodded without hesitations.

So the day after, both of them were in front of Hyuga Neji's tombstone, carrying a small basket of flowers. Sakura kneeled to place them down and offered a silent prayer to her friend.

Sasuke glanced at her, before turning to the tombstone again. He wasn't particularly close to Hyuga Neji; in fact, he was one of his rivals when he was young. But he still is an honorable shinobi who fought in the war, and by the end of the day - that's what people will always remember.

"Thanks for coming along," she said once they left. "I had to also stop by Inouchi-san, Shikaku-san, and the others."

Sasuke nodded. They were from Konoha and played a big role during the Fourth Shinobi War, and everyone respected them for their intelligence and efforts.

"Do you often come here?"

"Hm?" Sakura turned to look at him. "Not so much, but I try to visit most of them once every three months."

She glanced at his face and speculated that he wanted to ask more things, so she saved him the trouble and said, "I do miss them, they're friends and allies but there's other reasons why I try to visit."

Sasuke tilted his head. "And those reasons are?"

A deep sigh escaped her lips. "I just think that as a medic, I had the chances to help them..."

The ravenette kept quiet upon hearing that, even after reaching Sakura's house.

"Well, I stop here," she smiled at him. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Before she could leave his side, he grabbed his wrist gently, stopping her from walking away.

"You're not supposed to be guilty," he stated. "You're not at fault."

Sakura whipped her head to see his face; her emerald eyes locking with his. Though his voice was the usual firm and strong one, she felt warm and comforted in his words.

"Yeah..." she nodded. "But it can't be helped sometimes."

. . .

"So just because Sakura-chan is busy in the hospital, you're going with me? What am I, a back up plan?" Naruto angrily asks while stirring his ramen.

With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke grabbed his chopsticks. "You dumbass, you're the one who called me to go with you."

Naruto ignored his reply and continued to eat his ramen. "But seriously! I've never been able to spend time with Sakura-chan since you're always so attached and mushy with her!" He said, trying to catch him, knowing that he was the defensive type of guy.

"Why do you have to spend time with her?" Sasuke deadpanned.

Naruto hid a chuckle. "Why are you curious?"

"Because most of the time, you're with Hinata and it seems as if you don't want to detach yourself from her. It makes me wonder why you want to even spend time with Sakura."

"Oi! Why are you so mean!" The blonde clenched his fists, a tick mark appearing in his head. "Of course I'm with Hinata because she's my fiancee! How about you, huh, you're dating Sakura-chan right?!"

Sasuke stood up from his seat and fished for some bills from his pocket, leaving it on the counter. "I'm going ahead."

"Wait a minute! Oi!" Naruto hurriedly finished his second bowl before standing up. "Thanks for the food!"

He went out of the store, a scowl painted across his face. "Damn that bastard! He didn't even answer my question!" He mumbled to himself angrily before realizing something. "But wait... he didn't deny it too..."

. . .

Days turned into weeks and weeks folded into months until it finally formed a whole year. It was already a year and a half since Sasuke went back from his travel, and it's been quite long since he started going out Sakura.

Tonight, he was with Sakura again, but he thought that it was the best chance to say his thoughts.

It was around seven in the evening when they went to shop for some groceries. Sakura just got out of her shift and she was planning to cook for him, hence they ended up finding some cooking ingredients rather than ordering some take-out food.

Their friends also stopped asking about their status recently. Not that they didn't care anymore, they just observed that there was something indeed different from them. They were sweet without being intimate. And Sasuke being extremely gentle with Sakura was something else.

"I think I'll start travelling again," Sasuke suddenly announced as they walked together to his flat.

Sakura gently dropped the plastic bags on the kitchen counter, the atmosphere around them suddenly turning heavy. Sasuke watched her small figure, and after a few seconds, marched towards her.

She suddenly faced him and gave a nod of approval, surprising him a bit. "Okay, I understand. When?"

She avoided eye-contact with him instantly. He shook his head, "No plans yet. I still I have to think about it."

Sakura nodded before turning her back against him, pretending to be busy while pulling out ingredients from the plastic bags. Sasuke sighed quietly, gently placing a hand around her arm.

"Are you mad?" His eyes softened.

Sakura exhaled sharply, shaking her head and slowly removing his hand away. She faced him and smiled faintly. "I'm not. Just surprised, that's all. I understand you and if that's what you want, I'll always respect it."

Sasuke cut the small distance between them tenderly took her small, soft hand in his and looked at her in the eye. "I'm reminding you that it's different this time. You're part of my plans now."

His words and intense stare made her heart flutter and her cheeks blush profusely. She looked away to conceal the pink tints on her face, only for Sasuke to tilt his head to follow her line of sight.

"Sakura." Sasuke called out. "Look at me."

The pinkette slowly did so, slightly tilting her head up because of their height difference. She met his eyes instantly and felt his grip on her hand becoming tighter.

"I've pondered about this for long," he started. "Throughout my journey, I have learned things and understood many aspects in life. And I believe I still want to have a purpose. So today, I want to seal that purpose thoroughly."

"I want to protect what's important to me. I want to protect you," he said, his voice full of sincerity. "I don't have a ring, but I want to give you something more meaningful and important. I want you to wear the Uchiha crest for the rest of your life. Marry me."

Upon hearing that, a light chuckle escaped Sakura's lips along with a few tears of happiness sliding down her cheeks. "I will."

. . .

The sky was clear.

It was blue, calm, and happy that it perfectly fitted the occassion.

"The bride will arrive soon!" Ino grinned in excitement, getting most of the attention.

Naruto snickered, patting Sasuke's back in a friendly way. "Congratulations, Sasuke-teme! Take care of Sakura-chan!"

"Right, right. Take care of her, Sasuke." Even the Hokage himself, Kakashi, was smiling at the reception.

The ravenette gave a subtle nod. Everyone from their batch were here in the gathering, along with their past teachers and some jounins who worked with them in the past. It wasn't too grand, it wasn't too simple, but everyone was here and he thought that it would make his bride-to-be extremely happy.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun," Ino called him. "Don't make Sakura cry again, alright?"

Though it wasn't loud, he was able to mouth a "yes" as a response to the blonde.

It wasn't long when the bride had arrived, dressed beautifully in a light pink kimono; glowing brightly in the center of the pathway. Sasuke's eyes locked with hers as she walked towards the front, a smile adorning her lips. In that moment, they could only see each other while visualizing the future together.

There were a lot of things that were said to be beautiful that day. The decorations, the sky, the weather - but she took all of their attention away from those. She had a different light, a different glow. She was the beauty he was staring at.

And that day was the time he sealed his promise of loving and protecting her until his last breath.

. . .

"Hey, welcome back, Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled as she finished stitching another shirt with the Uchiha crest in the back. It was her day off from work today, and she had nothing else to do but this.

Sasuke nodded, locking the door. "Yeah. I already asked him about it."

"Hm? And what did Kakashi-sensei tell you?" The pinkette folded the clothes, standing up from her seat and going near him.

"He gave his permission."

Sakura nodded. It's been three months since their marriage and Sasuke was going out of the village again. This time, she wasn't bothered, however.

"I'm coming with you," she said.

He nodded. "We leave next month."

The ravenette placed a hand at the back of Sakura's head, leaning in to press a quick kiss to her forehead. A smile graced her lips, knowing that Sasuke was never the showy or intimate type; however, when they were alone like this, he made her melt with his gentle hugs and kisses.

And that night, they made sure they would feel each other's warmth. They fixed each other's broken pieces. They kissed each other's scars away. They started the Uchiha line again with overflowing love.

. . .

A/N;

One chapter left + the epilogue!!

btw I'm so sorry if Sasuke is ooc, I tried my best lol

By the way, I'm kind of thinking of making a haikyuu!! fanfic (tbh it's been so long since I wanted to write one along with knb but I have little time to write). Not very active with knb anymore though so I thought of Haikyuu!! bc recently I've been re-watching some episodes..

Still unsure lol I have so many stories drafted and so many plans for bts fanfics

Thanks for reading :D