Naruto 1. Day 1: Moving On

_Decided to submit something for ssmonth this year!_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

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**Moving On**

**Prompt 1 :** The Smell of Fresh Paint

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The smell of chemicals filled his nose as he took a deep breath. It burnt his nostrils at first but after a few moments, he got used to the smell. He did not look at the opened tub of paint – his eyes were glued to one of the walls in _the room. _

He could do this. He had to move on.

His hands gripped the brush tightly as he remembered the dark red stains on these very walls that night.

He could do this. He _had _to.

He could feel beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead and his heart hammered loudly in his ears. He willed his hand with the brush to move but for some reasons he could not get past the image of red that once stained the walls of this room many years ago.

He could do this. He had-

A small hand suddenly landed on his back lightly and Sasuke was startled out of his thoughts.

He turned and realised that he had forgotten she was in the room as well. She was watching him with concern in her green eyes and her hand on his back was rubbing small circles as if to say _"It's okay if you can't do this now."_

Sasuke drew a shaky breath as he tore his gaze away from her face and landed on the bundle in her other hand. He could not see beyond the patch of black hair but he somehow could picture the contented look on the face.

He could not help the small smile that slowly spread on his lips and he looked at the bundle and then back to Sakura. He started to relax and slowly, he reached his hand to grasp hers, giving it a small squeeze.

He could do this.

He dipped the brush into the paint and, with one more look to his smiling wife and their child, he dragged the brush along the wall, the new colour standing out clearly from the old white walls.

The smell of fresh paint filled the room.


	2. Day 2: A Different Kind of Late

******Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

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** A Different Kind of Late**

**Prompt 2:** Late

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Something was different.

That was the first thought that came to Sasuke as he took in what had happened within the last fifteen minutes.

He had just returned to Konoha from a long mission when he was dragged away by a certain kunoichi on route to the Hokage tower, his (barely there) protests about submitting his report falling on to deaf ears.

Currently, he was seated at his dining table at his home, with a plate of fresh tomatoes in front of him. He said nothing, alternating his stare between the plate of his favourite fruit to and Sakura, who was seated at the opposite end of the table. She had not said anything since she placed the tomatoes in front of him and was now watching him with an unreadable expression.

Although Sasuke would never admit it out loud, it was unnerving.

Neither said anything for a few long moments and it had dawned to Sasuke what was different.

Since he had stepped foot into Konoha, Sakura had not thrown herself onto him for a hug which she usually does recently. In fact, the only form of physical contact they had had in the last thirty minutes was when she was yanking his hand towards his home.

He focused his stare back at Sakura who was still observing him. What was she planning to do by giving him his favourite food?

However, before he could say anything, she spoke.

"Sasuke-kun..,"

Sasuke quirked a brow, showing his attention and waited for her to continue. She was now fidgeting in her seat, her green eyes now boring holes into the table in front of her.

"You must be wondering what this is all about..," she continued, clearly stalling for time. When Sasuke said nothing and was still staring intensely at her, Sakura decided to get to the point.

"Sasuke-kun, how long were you away for this mission?"

The question threw him off guard. He knew that she knew how long it was since she was the last person he saw before he left. Knowing she would not continue unless he gave an answer, he decided to play along.

"…Two months," He said and Sakura nodded her head. "Saku-"

"Two months," she repeated, letting out an odd laugh that seemed out of place, "You can know about lots of things in two months."

"_Sakura,"_ Sasuke called out, clearly irritated at this point of time with her stalling, "Just get to the point."

She said nothing for a while and finally, letting out a long breath, she looked at him with a look of anticipation and slight fear.

"Sasuke-kun…" She began, "I'm late."

Late? Sasuke, confused for a moment, replied, "You're not late, you're here."

She shook her head and sighed, "That's not what I meant."

He kept silent as she looked at him intensely.

"I'm _late_."

He took in the look in her eyes and noticed her hand now on her stomach.

Then it clicked.

Oh.

_Oh._

"… Oh."


	3. Day 3: The Reason

_Thank you for reading this collection! _

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto

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**The Reason**

**Prompt 3: Phobia**

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It did not take him long enough to find out the actual reason for Sakura's increased workload from the hospital.

It was not due to the shortage of manpower. In fact, the hospital has had more people working now than it had before the war, funnily enough.

Although if it was not for tonight, he would have believed it to be the reason.

Never would he expect to find his teammate in a pub at four in the morning, taking a swig of sake from the bottle just as he entered. Taking note of her dishevelled appearance, he made a beeline towards her, plopping himself in the stool next to her. It was a few moments before Sakura turned and noticed his presence.

"Ah, S'ske..,"her speech slurred, she squinted to focus her gaze at him in the dim lighting of the pub.

Sasuke has never seen her this drunk before.

"You're drunk," he stated, his nose cringing slightly at the strong smell of sake coming from her.

Sakura's lips formed a thin line as she averted from him and back to her drink, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like _"No shit" _under her breath. She then took another swig of sake, downing the remaining bottle in one shot. Smacking her lips, she let out a shaky breath as she stared ahead, eyes unfocused.

Sasuke decided then that was it.

He stood up, grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her with him, out of the dark and dingy pub and outside in the warm Konoha summer night. He could hear her whining in protest as she struggled to get her arm out of his grip but in her alcohol-induced state, it was a futile move. Sasuke sighed, his hold on her tightened as he walked towards her home.

Sakura was silent throughout the whole walk to her home and even after reaching and entering her house, neither said anything. She silently walked to her bed as Sasuke poured a glass of water before entering her room. He found her laying on her side, facing the wall with her back to him. Thinking she must have already passed out, he placed the glass of water on her bedside table and turned to leave.

A sob broke the silence in the room and Sasuke paused. He looked over to where she was and saw her whole body trembling. Slightly alarmed, he strode over and turned her over. His heart clenched at the sight of her red eyes and tears streaming down her face.

She sniffed, and in her hazy state still, started mumbling.

"… I couldn't save him… so weak… so weak..,"

Her sobbing grew louder as she continued to chant, her voice getting higher with every word.

"Can't save anyone… I'm no use… so weak…,"

"Sakura," Sasuke whispered, lifting one hand to wipe the tears from rolling down her cheeks. "Sakura, calm down."

He called out her name many times until her hysterical sobs quietened to sniffles but her tears remained. She fixed her green eyes upon him. "Sasuke-kun," she whispered, "A-Am I never going to be strong enough?"

It was then he realised the reason for her hectic work schedule.

Every day, Sakura works relentlessly to prove that she could _make it._

That she was not _weak._

Sakura was _afraid _of being weak.

Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration, his one hand still on her cheek while the other ran through her hair. Why was it that she could not see? That she was never weak?

"You're not weak," the words came out of his mouth before he could properly process his thoughts. The words seemed to have shocked Sakura, who was now sitting up on her bed, staring at Sasuke in disbelief.

"That's a lie," she whispered, fresh tears appearing at the corners of her eyes.

It was not and Sasuke knew it. And he knew that she needed to know that.

"Sakura," he said as he absent-mindedly wiped a tear from her cheek again and stared intensely into her eyes.

"You're not weak."

Those must have been the words she wanted to hear for a long time, because the next thing Sasuke knew, she had flung herself to him, her arms round his middle, hugging him tightly and sobbing into his shirt.

Stunned for a moment, he quickly recovered before he slowly wrapped his arms round her in an embrace.

For a long while, the two stayed that way, not saying a word, until the sobs quietened down.

The sky was getting lighter by then, Sasuke noted. He could see the room more clearly now. Moments later, he heard her voice, muffled in his shirt.

"Don't go."

His arms tightened round her.

"Ah."


	4. Day 4: Thoughts

_Here's something short!_

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**Thoughts**

**Prompt 4:** There Was No Warning

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_I love her._

That thought came without warning.

The abruptness of the thought brought him out of his reverie and back to where he was. He was currently under a tree at the usual training grounds, with Sakura a few metres from him, stretching with her back to him. They had their routine spar earlier, and the once neat training grounds was now in a wreck, with broken trees and cracked grounds everywhere. Sasuke had been absentmindedly watching her move about from his spot when that thought suddenly appeared in his head.

_I love her._

He shook his head as if to clear that thought while trying to keep his face impassive. It was a feat considering his ears were starting to burn up but he was hoping it looked like it was due to the heat Konoha was facing with recently.

"You okay, Sasuke-kun?"

Her familiar voice rang out to him and he shifted his gaze to meet her green eyes that were watching him curiously.

He swallowed audibly and ignoring the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, he schooled his face to look indifferent before deciding to reply with a grunt.

Sakura merely watched him for a few more seconds before giving him a small smile, apparently fine with his response. She turned away from him once again to continue stretching while Sasuke watched her.

How could he be in love with her? He wondered, his eyebrows knitted together in deep thought. She was loud, talkative, and she had a tendency for violence – Naruto could vouch for that.

But she was also kind, smart, compassionate and _so full of love_. Her eyes were always so green with emotion and her smile so soft and sincere, Sasuke realised he would always want her to look at him like she always had.

An unfamiliar sensation filled his chest as the thought once again crossed his mind.

_I love her._

And as Sakura turned back to face him, apparently done with her stretches, with a soft smile on her face, he knew that he was not going to deny it.


	5. Day 9: Bravery

_So I've missed out on the last 4 prompt due to work and stuff so I'm just going to continue with the rest of the prompts. Whatever I missed, I may write and publish them after ssmonth!_

_Thanks for reading!_

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**Determination**

**Prompt 9: Bravery**

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It was like his nightmares had come to life.

Until that very moment he realised he never truly understand the feeling of fear.

He never knew how a mission could go so _wrong._

But here he was, surrounded all round by rouge ninjas, greatly outnumbered, staring up to the leader of the group high up the big tree in anger. The leader, a rough looking man who probably has seen better days, was sneering at the predicament Sasuke was in.

He was not alone though.

With her hands bound by chakra-enhanced wires, Sakura was currently being held hostage by the leader, a sharp kunai hovering near her throat. Her bloodied nose and numerous bruises on her face told Sasuke that she went down fighting and he could see she was trying her hardest to stay conscious.

His throat was dry and his heart hammered loudly in his ears as the leader's laughter rang clearly in the air.

"Now, Uchiha,"the leader sneered, yanking a fistful of Sakura's hair to keep her head up and Sasuke resisted the urge to charge recklessly towards him, "Give us the scroll or the girl gets it."

Sasuke gripped his kunai tightly. He knew which scroll the leader meant. However, the botched mission Sasuke and Sakura was sent to retrieve the scroll has ended up in disaster.

In short, they have failed their mission the moment they lost the scroll.

He doubted the leader knew that and Sasuke raked his brains to try and negotiate Sakura's safety.

"Well, Uchiha?"

The leader called out and, as if to taunt Sasuke, yanked Sakura's head further back, earning a grunt from the kunoichi. He brought the kunai nearer to her exposed neck, grinning manically.

Sasuke forced himself to remain calm. "Let her go," he commanded, "let her go and I'll give you the scroll."

He had no scroll on him. He knew Sakura knew when he saw her open her eyes to look at him.

_What are you doing?_

The leader let out a laugh, forcing Sasuke to tear his gaze from Sakura and back to the man.

"I don't think you're in any position to negotiate with me," he said, pushing the kunai slowly into Sakura's neck that a trickle of blood appeared.

"Shit-!"

"The scroll, Uchiha!"

"I don't have it!" He yelled, the pounding of his blood loud in his ears as he made eye contact with Sakura once again. He was about to open his mouth again before he noticed the look in her eyes.

Determination.

The leader did not look pleased with Sasuke's reply.

"Well, then that means we don't have a deal," his expression stern, the leader raised the kunai high.

"Stop-!"

What happened next was a blur.

One moment Sakura was standing limply by the leader's side. The next moment she ducked, swiping her leg under the leader's causing him to lose balance. She was however, too slow to evade the kunai.

It lodged itself right into her chest.

"NO!"

At that moment, all Sasuke saw was red. He did not realise his eyes shifted from black to red and suddenly black flames appeared around him, shocking the rogue ninjas surrounding him as he kicked off from the ground towards the falling body of Sakura from the tree. He caught her just before she crashed to the ground and laid her down gently before tearing the wires off her hands.

Her eyes were shut and she was panting softly. He could see green chakra already stitching up the wound on her chest round the lodged kunai. He breathed a sigh of relief.

She was alive.

There were no more sounds around them besides the cackling of the black flames. Sasuke had put most of it out when he heard a cough and Sakura's green eyes opening.

"Sakura..," he called out softly and she looked at him before giving him a painful smile.

"Sorry about that," she whispered, "that was extremely stupid of me."

He shook his head slowly and brushed her pink strands of hair from her face as she continued to heal herself.

"It wasn't stupid," he said.

"That was pretty brave."


	6. Day 10: Out Of Character

_I had fun writing this_

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**Out of Character**

**Prompt 10: Impulsive**

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He did not like this.

He did not like this one bit.

It was one of those rare days where Sasuke decided to look for Sakura at the hospital after training with Naruto. The blonde has landed a nasty hit on his shoulder which was still hurting after the session.

However, seeing the scene at the end of the hallway where Sakura's office sat made him stop in his tracks.

She was there but she was not alone.

There was a man who looked about their age next to her, standing a bit too close to her (in Sasuke's opinion), whom she was engaging conversation with. If the look of admiration on his face did not make Sasuke uncomfortable, it was the sound of Sakura's laughter and the brightness of her eyes that made his heart clench.

Without a second thought, Sasuke turned and left the hospital.

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He saw them again a few hours later on the streets.

They were walking in the opposite direction, their arms full of purchases they made. He could see Sakura laughing at what the man said. His heart clenched but when he saw Sakura's face turn pink at what the man said, Sasuke could no longer take it.

The streets were crowded with people. Sasuke slinked away towards an empty alley undetected and waited for the two to walk past.

The moment he caught sight of Sakura's pink hair, with lightning speed, he impulsively grabbed her by the arm into the alley and pushed her back to the wall.

"H-Hey!" she squeaked and was about to retort when her eyes landed on her teammate, "Sasuke-kun?"

The blush still dusted her cheeks, he noticed and for some reasons it made him angry. Before she could ask what he was doing, Sasuke ducked his head and kissed her.

He felt her stiffened immediately at his unexpected actions. When she did not return the kiss after a few seconds, Sasuke sobered up from his anger. He was about to pull away when slender arms wrapped themselves round his neck and Sakura was kissing him back with fervour. His eyes then fluttered shut and he wrapped his arms round her waist as he continued to kiss her.

They broke apart after a while, breathing heavily. Sasuke opened his eyes to find her green ones looking at him questioningly, her cheeks a lovely pink. He knew he had to explain himself.

"Who is he?" when met with her confused gaze, he clarified, "The one you were with earlier, and at the hospital."

"New staff," she said without missing a beat, eyes still on Sasuke questioningly, "I'm his mentor for the first month."

Suddenly he felt foolish. He adverted his eyes from hers and could feel his ears heat up in embarrassment. Upon seeing his, comprehension dawned on Sakura's face.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered, eyes sparkling and a smile graced her lips, "were you jealous?"

When he did not reply, she let out a laugh. She held a hand to his cheek, making him look at her again.

"You don't have to worry about it," she said, smiling at him like how she always did.

The image of her blushing next to the man did not soothe his thoughts.

"You were blushing at him," Sasuke commented, eyes on her to gauge her reaction.

She looked a bit put-off by the fact that Sasuke had been watching her interact but then her smile got wider as she absentmindedly brushed his hair from his forehead.

"We were talking about you, actually."

His stunned look caused her to laugh again and he did what he thought could get her to stop.

He kissed her again.


	7. Day 11: Mission

**Mission**

**Prompt 11: A Night with No Stars**

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The last time she had seen the sky so void of stars was _that night_ at the same exact spot.

She was seated on a bench on the particular stretch of road, looking at the crescent moon, lost in thought. The night was unusually cool for Konoha at this time of the year but she paid no heed to the cold seeping into her skin.

She sat there and waited.

Then, footsteps were heard. The stopped a few feet away from where she was seated but she did not make any attempts to look at him. She sat there still, watching the moon.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?"

He broke the silence first with the soft question, as if afraid to be too harsh if he had spoken normally. She did not reply immediately though, green unfocused eyes still looking at the starless skies.

"Sakura?" he asked again softly, and Sakura finally looked away from the moon to look at him.

He was standing there, hands in his pockets, watching her with no expression. His forehead protector was wrapped securely on his forehead and although it was hard to see, she knew he had his backpack on.

The scene felt eerily familiar but she shook that thought away. She looked away, eyes now trained at her feet and finally replied,

"This is the only route out of the village."

She remembered echoing this years ago at this very place and strangely she wondered if it would end up the same way.

"…Ah," he responded but he did not say anything else. He waited.

Sakura paid no heed to his lack of response but instead she thought back of their conversation a few days ago.

"You're really taking this mission then?" she asked and she mentally berated herself when her voice came out shaky.

Sasuke did not reply immediately but she obviously knew the reply based on his appearance.

She let out a shaky breath, "Why?"

She could feel his gaze trained on her and she could not help but feel as vulnerable as she had years ago. Several moments passed and just as she was about to ask again, Sasuke replied.

"I had to."

Sakura shook her head at his response, a lump forming on her throat. She could not stop her bottom lip from trembling and not wanting him to see her break down, she ducked her head lower, eyes still trained on her feet.

The sound of footsteps were heard and soon, she saw a pair of feet in front of her. She watched as he crouched in front of her seated position and slowly, his face came into her sight. They said nothing to each other for a moment and then, slowly, Sasuke lifted a hand and wiped a tear that had rolled down her cheek.

Sakura had not realised that she had started crying. She raised her hands to her face as if to shield the tears but Sasuke lifted his other hand to her face as well and continued to wipe the tears that fell.

"Don't-"

"Sakura…"

"Don't _go_."

She did not want him to go on this mission. She had overheard his conversation with Naruto a few days ago regarding this mission. It was the elders' decision to send him and it did not take a genius to know what the unusually low survival rate of the mission meant.

It was almost _suicide._

She had confronted him about the mission but he said nothing more than what she had overheard.

A sob broke and Sakura could no longer control the flowing tears.

"_Please, _Sasuke-kun..," she whispered, her hands covering his on her cheeks. She looked at him and a sob was caught in her throat when she saw the pained expression on his face.

A fresh wave of tears formed and rolled down her cheeks.

She felt him shift before she felt his lips softly landing on her forehead.

"I'll come back," he whispered into her hair as she continued to cry.

"I promise."


End file.
