Redemption |complete| (SasuSaku)

Strangers or Friends

Friday 9th of June.

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She had managed to sneak out of the hospital three hours after her shift had ended to avoid Tsunade. She wasn't in the mood for a sermon.

The bags showing under her eyes made her sigh quietly. When she was working she didn't need to cover them up but when she went out people had to assume she was in good health, she was a doctor after all.

She reached the top drawer of her wardrobe and took her makeup bag that she never used out of it. As she applied the little powder a mental image of who was awaiting at Ichiraku formed in her mind: Sasuke. The anger that she pushed away two hours ago surfaced again. She was dreading this dinner so much, she just didn't want to see him at all. A part of her knew that the feelings she once had will come back but she didn't want them to. He was her first love whether she liked it or not and no one ever completely gets over that. Even if he was back it didn't mean that she will have a chance with him and, hypothetically, if he gave her a chance she wouldn't take it. She owed it to the younger version of herself who was left alone on a bench an entire night, she owed it to that other girl who nearly got killed by him and now she owed it to herself, the older independent kunoichi who fought hard to be where she was.

She passed her fingers through her hair and walked out of the apartment. She could simply give him what he gave her for years: ignorance.

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At Ichiraku, the old team seven was already seated waiting for Sakura. The place had changed a bit throughout these last two years. It was bigger and more customers were welcomed to sit. Even with the amount of people present the atmosphere was quiet enough so they could hear each other speak. In fact the loudest person in the restaurant was probably Naruto who did not shut up since they had arrived.

Sasuke looked at his teammate a little bit annoyed. He was happy to see him but he sure didn't miss the loud voice of Naruto. Actually he somehow managed to shut off his attention a while ago and now the voice was just a background noise, nothing more. He realised that his former mentor kept glancing at him every now and then but didn't think much of it. He was just waiting for her to come so he could finally eat and go home to be alone. Sai on his right answered to something Naruto had said and Sasuke clenched his teeth. He hated this man ever since he showed up in Orochimaru hideout a few years ago. He honestly wished he had killed him back then, besides he wasn't even part of the team seven, he was just a replacement and had nothing to do here.

"Where is she?" asked Kakashi.

"I don't know, it is very unlike her to be late."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Sai.

"She was probably trying to make herself really pretty!"

At this statement Sai and Sasuke turned their heads, one faster than the other, at Naruto.

"What do you mean, idiot?" asked Sai.

"Well, you know since..." His eyebrows wiggled and he laughed.

"Still?" Sasuke thought to himself. A small smirk appeared on his lips. Yes, things really hadn't changed.

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Twenty minutes after she got ready Sakura finally made her entrance into the restaurant. Few men looked at her, other smiled at her and some even paid their respect. After all she was known in the village, not only for her beauty but also for the work she was doing at the hospital. The clinic she opened was a great thing in the eye of the citizen and they respected her for it. And about the men finding her pretty... well she had gotten a few love letters over the years and even went out with a couple of them but nothing satisfied her aching heart. She eventually stopped and decided to fully focus on her work.