Until Then

Chapter 29 ~ Next Time

"No, maybe that's too much...ah nevermind!" Lifting up a plastic bottle of figged jam, Sakura neatly placed it back into the small carrier she had set up on her kitchen counter.

Damnit, she was packing like it was a picnic. Twisting the ends of a cloth, she neatly tied the food box she had woken up early to prepare. Considering it was still relatively early, 5:21 to be exact and she had work starting at half six.

When Sasuke had revealed he was leaving around dawn, he also mentioned that she didn't have get up too since her shift was on morning rotation again. She had let out a huff, not bothering to avoid rolling her eyes, instructing him to stop being ridiculous.

She patted down her usual blue work scrubs which were ironed and ready for the day. With her handbag over shoulder and food box in clutch, she headed out.

°°°°°°°°°°°°

The usual identifying haircut was gone, but she could easily find Sasuke among a thousand faces in a crowd. Luckily she didn't need to, as he stood leaning back under a withering dogwood tree. Her steps felt increasingly more heavy as she approached, his gaze fixated on her.

"Morning..." She finally said, suddenly feeling a strange shyness wash over. "This is for you." Arms stretched out further than necessary, holding forward the carrier.

"You didn't have to make anything."

"I know, but I wanted to."

"Thank you." He said gratefully, taking the wrapped parcel from her nervous hands. "Did you eat?"

"Uh no, not as yet. I'll eat when I get a chance to, later." Sakura replied, realizing she had accidentally skipped a meal before coming over. She noticed the chill air escaping her mouth as she spoke. Her sudden nerves had calmed in his presence.

Sitting down on the bench, he glanced back for her to join. He was careful to set the parcel next to him so that the space between them was free. This type of proximity seemed to be less and less of a stranger to him as time passed.

Sakura had wanted to see him off, and he didn't have it in him to leave without at least seeing her once. The thought of leaving at all was a mixed feeling. Although he wanted to stay longer, to get to know the woman who now sat beside him, even more than he'd learned about over the moments they'd shared, he knew everything came at a price. He was finally given a mission to explore the possible threats that had once partially been him.

After everything he'd done, you didn't just get a second chance dangling at your face, waiting for you to grasp it eagerly. Especially when you had one hand to reach for it.

There seemed to be a stretch between what he wanted and what he could have. But instead he decided to not see it as such a bad thing. They were both only twenty after all, well technically he would only be twenty in a month or so.

"Kakashi said this is a twelve week mission."

The ends of pink hair brushed against her arms as Sakura turned at the sound of his voice.  Twelve weeks...that wasn't so bad. It wasn't great, but it was okay. She'd been without him for longer. Except before, they had been desperately trying to get to him. Trying to get him to come back or provoke him into acknowledging there was still a part of the old him. And here he was now.

"Do you have an idea of where you're going?"

"Further than the Hidden Cloud Village."

She nodded knowingly. It had been a while since she'd stepped into Kumogakure. It was known for it's sly reputation, but things had changed there after the war. What hadn't changed?

"I want to show you something."

Peaking her interest, Sasuke pulled a scroll from his bag, rolling it out infront of them as if he was already all too accustomed to managing with his lone limb.

Kanji stretched across the paper in black ink. "If you need to send a message, you can use my hawk."

"Oh."

"Send as many as you wish."

Her mouth quirked at his words. "Thank you." That was an oddly thoughtful gesture which brought a comfort to her. He was letting her in to communicate with him whenever she wanted.

"I'll teach you how to summon them next time." He said clearing his throat. Next time? This would be a thing between them, wouldn't it? Sakura's lips curved into a smile full of amusement and adoration.

"I'll hold you to that."

Stretching out his legs, Sasuke rose from the cold bench causing Sakura to stand as well. The wrapped parcel had fitted perfectly into his backpack although he was accustomed to travelling fairly light. 'It was time to go' his face read.

"Pleae take care of yourself, Sasuke." The medic said, unmoving as if her feet were stuck to the concrete ground.  They weren't together,  but if anyone asked, and there were many that did, they already knew what her automatic response would be. And, as far as Sakura knew about Sasuke, he didn't have anyone else besides Naruto who he considered as close as he regarded with her. But what did goodbyes entail when it was the two of them?

Now obstructing her vision, two fingers reached out, snapping her out of an overthinking trance. Gentle as the first, Sasuke slowly tapped his fingers against her forehead, watching as her eyes widened in realization. It was a renewed promise of one he had already kept.

"Until then." He reminded, turning away from her to begin walking. The morning breeze rushed against the medic's skin, bringing her back to reality as Sasuke's figure disappeared past the village gates.

"Until then..." Sakura repeated back to herself softly, feeling the first wave of loneliness that threatened to engulf her.

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Oh hiiii 👋
This week was the 20th anniversary of Naruto, so after watching the reanimation, all the nostalgia came rushing back so here is a new chapter heh. (Low-key sobbing)
Also, I'm SOOO excited that Sasuke Retsuden is getting adapted!!! We are getting FED this year.😭😭🎊🎉💕

~Posted
05 October 2022