Chapter Text
Sorry, Sakura-chan. Something came up. Can you get Ino to give you a ride home?
It’s fine. I’ll walk home. Ino left hours ago.
Sakura sighed and tucked her phone away in her back pocket. It was a forty minute walk home which wasn’t bad but it was close to midnight and it would have been easier if she was in her medical garb. Today was an executive meeting. Ino was right, the business side of the hospital was cruel. She stared down at her swollen feet, stuffed in small pumps. She knew she shouldn’t have taken Naruto’s offer to pick her up yesterday but she rarely saw her friend and had to admit she missed him dearly.
Her phone vibrated again and she took it out.
Text Message
Uzumaki Naruto
Wait outside. The bastard’s coming.
Sakura frowned, instantly texting back.
I’m already walking home.
She didn’t want to deal with anyone she didn’t have to do. Her trauma ER was short staff due to some scheduling mix up so she had to pull on her scrubs and get down on the ER department to do some dirty work. Sutures, sutures and more sutures. There were a handful of kids freshly turned twenty-one that came in after a skateboarding accident where one of them had split his head open. She sent that one to the critical ward.
Her phone pinged.
He’s already on the way.
Sakura didn’t bother texting back. She pulled her jacket closer to her body, the autumn wind rustling the dried leaves on the ground and sending a chill down her spine. She hurriedly made her way across the intersection before the light turned red and ignored the homeless man jingling his nearly empty cup at her. She made it two and half blocks, past her favorite okonomiyaki spot when she really contemplated on just tossing her shoes.
Ino would forgive her, right?
Just as she bent down to slip them off, familiar headlights flickered its high beam at her. A black S-class Mercedes pulled up to the curb and rolled down the window.
It took everything in her to not turn and acknowledge the person inside.
“You were supposed to be waiting outside.”
Sakura continued walking, her feet suddenly feeling spectacularly better in record time. She answered, “I told Naruto it was fine.”
“It’s late.”
The doctor turned a side eye to the person in the driver’s seat. “I can walk the three blocks home, Sasuke-kun.” She could see the frustration thundering his expression as he lifted off the brakes to move the car slightly forward to match her speed.
“Can you just-,” He released a sigh, “-get in the car?”
She scowled, stopping to tell him to fuck off when several loud voices from behind her startled her enough to turn around. She clutched her jacket closer to her when one of them pointed in her direction. Sasuke’s eyes flickered to the rear view mirror, catching a group of guys stumbling out of a bar. They were hanging heavily onto each other, inebriated and rowdy.
“Hey!” One of them called out, “That’s her! The pretty one I saw at the hospital.” He whistled at her, waving his hand that accidentally smacked one of his friends in the face.
Sakura rubbed her eyebrows. Not good.
Sasuke frowned, already parking the car with his hand on the door handle to get out and shove his foot into their eye socket. Sakura hastily yanked the car door open and slid into the passenger seat.
“Let’s go.” She said urgently, angling the heater towards her.
Sasuke leveled her with an impatient look, “Hold on.”
“Let’s go .” She repeated hotly, “Unless you want me to walk.” She continued to stare straight ahead, deliberately and carefully not meeting his eyes.
When Sakura didn’t budge, he resigned and pulled away. They stopped at a red light a couple of blocks away from her house in still silence. He finally turned to her and asked, “What was that about?”
She shrugged, sinking further into the seat, taking comfort in the perforated seat warmer. “Nothing. Some guys brought their friend in for a head wound. I tended to them.”
“You don’t work in the ER.” Sasuke reminded her as if she didn’t know where the fuck she worked in her hospital.
Sakura shifted her eyes in a side glance, “You don’t know what I do anymore.” She could practically hear the clenching of his jaw but ignored it in favor of looking out the window instead. Her eyes went back to where the reflection of lamp and street lights merged together in a sway of color against the speed of the car. She spotted Sasuke’s pinched brows from the corner of the window. The look was an almost permanent feature on his face.
“You need to be more aware.” He said flatly.
“I’m always aware.” She returned, miffed.
Sasuke stared straight ahead and didn’t answer. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them until Sasuke pulled up to their--her house. He wondered if there were still any traces of him left in her house. Sakura muttered a thanks and left without a backward glance. Sasuke watched her until she safely got inside then leaned his head against the headrest of his seat.
He was trying to salvage what little relationship they had left but Sakura wasn’t making it easy. It didn’t help that she was a high executive doctor at the hospital and recently single. They were engaged until six months ago when Sasuke unexpectedly called off the wedding. Eight years down the drain and Sakura hadn’t been the same since. Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to throw away twenty-one years of friendship with eight of those being in a relationship but to Sakura, he did.
But if Sakura was anything, she was vicious and determined in everything that she did. That included anything that was leftover in their relationship. This reaction was more than he hoped for given her lack of cooperation in the past six months. He didn’t blame her. He couldn’t when he was the bad guy.
-
Sakura ignored Naruto for a week straight after the stunt he pulled. She knew she wasn’t being fair but she couldn’t find it in herself to forgive him yet. She would eventually. It was hard for her to go any longer than a week without talking to him. Naruto was her sun and she could only bask in the dark for so long. She was going to give in but let him squirm for a little bit more.
“Good work today, Dr. Haruno!”
She waved to a handful of her coworkers and started her trek home.
She hadn’t responded to Sasuke’s text either and debated on whether or not to block him permanently. It wasn’t good getting involved with him anymore but twenty-one years weighed heavily on her. Shoving those years in the trash was hard but doable. Well, not like she was the first one to do it. Sasuke opened the door for her to walk out. She understood it wasn’t easy for him but it was easy enough for him to make a decision without consulting her.
The wounds he carved in her heart that day would never heal.
A shoulder bumped into hers, “Hey.”
“Ino, thought you were on a half-shift today.”
The blonde pulled her ponytail over her shoulder, “One of the psych patients pulled a fast one on another patient. Took awhile to subdue her. I had to stay over to verify the reports. Naruto told me to check in on you.”
Sakura rolled her eyes, “Tell him to mind his own business.”
“You saw Sasuke?” Right to the chase. This was why she loved Ino. They went through some brutal trials together back at the Academy. She once saw an older girl split Ino’s lip into four different cross sections and instead Ino just railed on her. Ino needed thirty some odd stitches but the other girl transferred school.
Her shoulders slumped slightly. Ino caught it easily from the corner of her eyes. “Yeah, Naruto sent him to pick me up last week.”
Her friend didn’t ask any questions. She simply swung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, “Care for a drink?”
The sign to Koto’s lit up just as they crossed the street.
Sakura smiled, “Don’t mind if I do.”
-
Sakura was smashed. Ino was smashed.
It was great. Sakura felt great. She didn’t know where Ino was but she was sure the blonde would find her way back home or someone else’s home. The bar was a place they frequented since they were interns. That had been close to twelve years ago Sakura wasn’t worried. The bar housed mostly regulars and they knew the majority of the patronage there. Most were office workers occupying the building space across the street from the hospital consisting of realtors, CPAs, and the occasional white collar business men that Ino liked to prey on. Many things had changed over the years but Koto’s never changed. It went through four bartenders in the time they had started becoming regulars.
The current head bartender went by the name Sloppy. He was two years into the job and Sakura probably liked him the most. He was a tough one but was an earnest hard worker who took care of his bar staff as well as the regulars. Laminate posters were hung on the bathroom stall in the women’s restroom with coded drinks in case they were in trouble. It was Sloppy who thought of that. Sakura didn’t know where the moniker came from because it definitely wasn’t his style when he was pouring. She could never get an extra drop from him and he was always wiping the bar counter down. He hated when customers didn’t use coasters.
“Cutting you off after this one, Sakura.” He said, eyeing her frenzied state. Her hair was in disarray, strands fallen loose out of her braid. She was still in her scrubs and she was pretty sure that the stain near her rib cage wasn’t from alcohol. He reached across the bar, patting her hair down. “Jesus, you’re an executive at Konoha-Senju. Have some dignity.”
Sakura smiled, tongue feeling loose, “Not when I’m here.”
Sloppy just nodded, “Sure. Sure. Here--” He poured her a last shot. “On the house and then I’m calling you a driver.”
She leaned forward abruptly, forearms and elbows pressed on the bar counter to give him a brilliant smile. Copping a free shot from Sloppy was hitting gold. Sloppy made a good call to wipe the surface down with a dry rag before she made her way over earlier. She lurched so suddenly, her momentum forced back her bar stool. The man next to her startled and grabbed her down before she toppled over the bar.
“Whoa there.” He muttered, fingers holding down her upper thigh and the other hand steadying her stool.
“Sakura!” Sloppy reprimanded. “Jesus!”
She giggled, tossing the shot back and feeling exceptionally warm with the hand traveling up her thigh. Sakura turned to the man, early thirties, wolfish grin and rough hands. Quite a looker. Sakura could dig that.
“Hi.” She said, sliding her knee in the opening between his legs. The man blinked, caught by surprise by her forward response. His eyes shifted from where her knee hadn’t quite touched him yet to the smirk on her alcohol ridden lips. He reached up, thumbing the corner of her lips in a very very suggestive way.
Sakura nearly melted into him. She was nursing a broken heart and it had been so long since she felt a man’s touch. It lit a fire in her.
“Hi.” He said back. Her hands held onto his shoulder for balance while one of his remained on the side of her upper thigh just below the curve of her butt and the other gently gripped her wrist.
Her eyes caught Ino’s from the back of the bar to sign to her that she caught a fish but instead of her usual predatory excitement, Ino had frozen, cup halfway to her lips. Her eyes flickered with warning. Sakura’s smile dropped as well as the temperature in the room.
Ino was shoving a dude, who had his arms thrown across her shoulder, away hard enough that it sent him tumbling a few steps back. She didn’t bother to check on him, making a desperate beeline over to Sakura while dodging bodies and drinks.
The concern in Ino’s eyes was a solid indication for Sakura to drop her hand from the man’s shoulder. Then she was ripped away from the stranger with so much force, she banged her knee against the footrest of one of the stools. It was jarring but she didn’t have enough time to focus on the throbbing pain. Angry dark eyes stared down at her for a quick second before she was literally dragged out of the bar with Ino screaming her name from behind.
Sloppy threw his rag down, calling for his barmaid to take over, flying over the bar two steps behind Ino.
The back entrance to Koto’s flew open, alarming the security guarding the front entrance. The bouncer twisted his head in time to catch a blur of pink and black zoom past him. “Hey!” The bouncer barked.
Sasuke only needed to shoot him a look to have the man nod back. Sakura’s breath hitched. This was Sasuke in his element. She’d forgotten what it felt like to be under someone with such immense power and jurisdiction.
Ino stumbled out with Sloppy, her knees nearly buckling from her tangled legs. Sloppy held her by the biceps hoisting her up with a click of his tongue. “Sasuke! Sasuke! Calm down!” She shouted.
Sakura could hear Ino from behind her but she was still trying to catch her breath. Her knee was throbbing painfully. She was pretty sure it was no longer attached to her socket. “Sasuke.” She tried, “Sasuke, wait.” She tugged back on the arm that encircled hers in a vice grip.
Sloppy said something about calling the cops and Sasuke stopped, whipping around with ice in his eyes.
Ino whirled around, shoving Sloppy back. “It’s fine. Don’t worry, we know him.”
“I don’t give a shit if you know him. No man pulls my customer out of the bar like that.” Sloppy said, squaring his shoulder up. He’d definitely be able to hold his own against Sasuke but it was the aftermath that Ino was worried about.
How was she able to cover up dismembered body parts again? Shikamaru would kill her. Her first then Sakura. Ino groaned. This was not something she needed on her dossier.
Sakura was still trying to put her surroundings together like puzzle pieces of the same color. First thing first, calm Sasuke down. She knew Sloppy wouldn’t live to see tomorrow if she didn’t get Sasuke to reel in his anger. She wasn’t sure she’d live to see tomorrow. She didn’t know if she wanted to with how her knee felt like it was flopping in the opposite direction of where Sasuke was dragging her. She bent down to massage her knee cap, seeing white the moment her hand touched a particularly tender spot on her leg. She held in her whimper.
“Sasuke-kun.” She said gently, adding his attachment to ease him, “I’m okay.” She was most definitely not okay.
He turned at her voice, eyes narrowed at her hand holding her leg. “Are you hurt?” He asked sharply.
She shook her head, straightening. It took every muscle and willpower in her soul to desperately not moan in agony, “No. I’m not. Please let go.”
His grip tightened and there was something alarming about it. She felt it in her bones, almost like he was desperate to hold on to her. “You’re coming with me.” He said, voice pitched low in anger.
“I know. I will but please let me secure a ride for Ino and get Sloppy back to the bar.” He reluctantly released her. “Give me two minutes. Please, please, let me handle this.” She pushed back on his chest so he could give her room and then hurriedly made her way to Ino and Sloppy, trying not to limp.
“What the fuck is that, Sakura? Should I be calling the cops?” Sloppy was one part panicked and two parts concerned.
“No!” Both the women shouted at the same time.
Sloppy wasn’t convinced, if anything now he was three parts concerned. He crossed his arms, “If you don’t give me a good enough reason, I’m ringing the coppers. I don’t like to but I’m not okay with what happened.”
“That’s...that’s…” Sakura turned to Ino helplessly.
“That’s her boyfriend.” Ino interjected smoothly.
Sakura shot her a bewildered look and the blonde avoided her stare with expertise. That explanation didn’t do anything to placate the bartender.
“Her boyfriend.” Sloppy repeated, unconvinced. “Right. I know Sakura is not that type--”
“Sloppy.” All three heads turned to see Hiroki, the bar owner with a dismayed frown on his usually smooth features. His foot was holding the door open. “Get back inside. Zeno can’t manage the bar himself.”
Sloppy argued, “Hold on, Sakura was about--”
Hiroki jerked his head towards the entrance of the bar. “Get inside.” He said with no room for argument. He gave a short nod towards Sasuke. “Sasuke, good to see you again but if you pull that shit at my place again, I’ll have you eighty-sixed. I don’t care if you’re an investor.”
Not even a muscle moved on Sasuke.
Sloppy frowned, “You know him?”
Hiroki slapped his employee on the back of his head, “Get inside.” He shoved him roughly through the staff entrance and turned towards Ino. “Shikamaru is coming to get you.”
Ino groaned. This was exactly what she didn’t want. “Why did you call him?” She scowled.
He gave her a deadpanned look, “You’re a psychologist. Act like one.” He said reproachfully. Ino rolled her eyes. She was pretty sure her and Sakura were the only reasons why Koto’s still had the ability to flick on their open sign every night. She bankrolled their rent.
“I’m off the clock.” She hissed.
“You’re never not a psychologist the way I’m never not a babysitter when it comes to you two.”
Ino snarled at him, lifting her lips in disgust. She softened her features when she craned her neck to check on Sakura. She didn’t know how to feel about Sasuke at the moment. She knew Sakura would never be in danger when she was with him but Ino had her prejudices.
“You’re going to be okay?” She asked the pink haired doctor.
Sakura smiled sardonically, “After a knee replacement, yeah.”
Ino didn’t miss the twitch of Sasuke’s finger when she said that. The only person that was able to move Sasuke was Sakura.
And Naruto but he was irrelevant.
Ino waved her hand, “Text me when you get home.” She shoulder checked Hiroki on the way in.
Hiroki scrutinized Sakura and Sasuke for a breath longer, “Get her home safe.” He instructed before closing the door.
Sakura didn’t even acknowledge Sasuke, turning on her heels to leave. She momentarily let her guard down in the wake of his anger as the only catalyst to diffuse his fire. It wasn’t going to happen again. Sasuke followed her behind quietly every step heavy with demand, presence looming. Four stores, some limping and an unbearable silence later, Sakura’s patience snapped.
She turned around questioningly, “Can I help you?”
He stared at her, particularly at a spot near her mouth. He reached forward, in replication to what the stranger did to her at the bar and she realized he had been there to witness it.
She jerked away.
His hand dropped to his side. He looked confused, an expression that was rare but Sakura witnessed it enough to put a name to the drawn eyebrows and flattened lips.
“So a stranger can touch you but I can’t.”
Sakura licked her lips, “Exactly, Sasuke.” She stared at him, eyes unwavering even though her heart was breaking all fucking over again. “That’s exactly it.”
Sasuke’s lips pressed tightly together to subjugate the amounting feeling of loss he felt while staring at his ex-fiance, ex-girlfriend, ex-friend. Ex-everything but still someone he loved. “Sakura. Just because we’re not together doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
Sakura cocked her head to the side. The idea was laughable so she laughed. “What a fucking brilliant idea.” She snarled through her hysteria. Sasuke frowned at her tone. He never heard hostility in her voice much less directed towards him. Not even when they’d broken up. “We can not be friends Sasuke. Ever.” She waved her hand as a car pulled up to the curb.
Sasuke whipped around, blocking her from entering the vehicle.
“Why are you angry?”
Sakura blinked. He was genuinely asking her. She stepped around, tired and hurt. Not to mention her knee. Her fucking knee was probably shattered by now. “Goodnight, Sasuke.”
She sidestepped him and left.
-
Naruto was nervously pacing the lobby leading to Sakura’s office. He heard from Shikamaru what happened at Koto’s which would explain Sasuke’s diabolical anger the past couple of days. When he couldn’t pace anymore, he plopped himself down on a rather comfortable armchair, pulling at a string of thread that unraveled the seam of his shirt.
“What are you doing?”
He perked up, jumping to his feet. “Sakura-chan!” Disregarding propriety, he pulled her into a tight hug.
She resisted at first but when he whispered eight sorries into her ears, she sighed and gave in.
“Do you have some time?” He asked in earnest.
She looked at the time on her watch. It was a quarter to four and she had plans at seven. Sakura smiled, a small one. “I’ve got about an hour to spare.”
Naruto looked at her suspiciously, “You have somewhere to go?”
Her smile widened, “A date.” She answered.
“A date.” He repeated and was about to oppose the idea when he looked at his friend who was sporting permanent tear tracks--something he could never unsee. So Naruto nodded his head instead, “Okay. An hour works.”
Sakura squeezed his arm, thankful for his support and silent acceptance.
Naruto stepped into the house he was so familiar with. He went straight for the fridge as Sakura made her way into her room, opening her closet to sort out her attire for the night. “I’m going to shower. You know where the ramen is!” She called from the bathroom.
Naruto was already boiling the water.
She sat on her vanity with Naruto lounging on her bed, flipping through the channels so fast, the images didn’t have time to pop up. “Who’s the lucky man?” He asked casually as he kept one eye on her as she fixed her makeup with a surgeon’s precision.
“I’m not telling you.” She snorted as she peppered on some concealer underneath her eyes.
“Why not?” He pouted, shoulders slumping.
“So you can go hack his balls off? No thanks.” She pulled the towel off her head and quickly blew it dry then rolled it up in curlers. Naruto looked on amazed.
“Wow, never seen you take this much care--”
She glared at him through the mirror and he promptly shut up.
“You have to tell me who it is though. I promise I won’t do anything to him.” His eyes squinted, “And has the Old Lady been putting you through the ringer again? You haven’t looked this exhausted since your intern days.”
“We had a mix up in the schedule down in the ER so I had to sub in.” Sakura paused in coating her eyelashes with mascara. “I already told Ino so I’ll be fine and I’m always sharing my location with her.”
Naruto frowned, switching the television off. “Sakura.” He said seriously. “I want you to be happy. With or without Sasuke.”
Sakura set down her gloss and unrolled her curls, running her hand through her hair in silence. She shrugged off her robe and Naruto averted his eyes to the ceilings out of courtesy. Nothing he hadn’t seen before but he’d rather save himself from a broken nose or a shattered skull. Sakura was a doctor but she was more than that. Naruto witnessed her put someone to sleep with two fingers and she had no problem gouging someone’s eyes out with the back of her heels.
But that was a story for another time.
Sakura tossed her robe over her friend. He peeked out from underneath the satin material and raised an eyebrow. “You really do look best like that.” He said warmly, eyes softening.
She wore a simple loose maroon shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. She reached down and pinched the side of his ribs. “Get up.”
He whined, “You’re leaving already?” His hands fisted in her robe, wrinkling it. He truly meant it when he said he wanted her to be happy with or without the douchebag. She deserved to be after everything they put her through. Naruto wasn’t any less guilty but for her to be completely happy, Sasuke had to let go too. That was the hard part.
“I have a date.” She reminded him.
“I know that.” He grunted, swinging his legs over her bed. “Let’s go, I’ll drop you off wherever you need to go and pick you up when you’re done so share your location with me too.”
“No.” She flatly refused.
“That’s not up for negotiation, Sakura-chan.” He chirped but from the sound of his voice, he was completely serious. He turned to her, grabbing her hand gently so as to not alarm her. Sakura hated being caged which was why he was confused how she stuck it out that long between him and Sasuke. Must have been him because he knew it definitely couldn’t be Sasuke. “I know you don’t want it and despite the fact that you and that bastard aren’t together anymore, you’re still wearing the Uchiha fan. Maybe not on your back but on your heart and that makes you a target.”
“See, that’s the unfair bullshit I have to go put up with.” She pulled her hands away, “Let’s go. Tsuruhashi for some wagyu. Your treat.”
Naruto was dumbfounded. “Don’t you have a date?”
She gave him a pointed look. “You’re my date.”
The blonde blinked and a wide smile broke out. “It’s my lucky day.” He said. He discreetly snapped a picture of her as she slipped her feet into some pumps and sent it to Sasuke then led her out the door.
-
Sasuke stared at the picture Naruto sent him with a scowl and didn’t bother with a reply. His finger did twitch though and he had to stand up to keep from tossing his phone against the wall. Here he was, subjected to his family’s boring meetings while that idiot was out playing with his fiance. Ex-fiance but semantics.
Itachi followed his brother’s impatient movements with keen eyes. “Sasuke, is something wrong?” He asked as Sasuke’s phone went off again.
“No.” Sasuke replied, swiping down the screen to change the setting to Do Not Disturb.
Itachi waved to his phone, “You may answer your phone. We’re not in a formal meeting.”
“It’s just Naruto.”
The older Uchiha smiled, knowing. “I’m sure it is.” He lined up several documents and clipped it together, tossing it over to his brother. “I need you to go to Inuzuka’s territory. They reported an illegal dealing that’s been happening on their borders.”
Sasuke lifted an eyebrow, flipping through the pages. “Why can’t they take care of it? It’s their area.”
“The illegal dealing is from one of our branch houses. Allegedly. We need to take care of it or else it’ll create some tension between Inuzuka and Uchiha. If they took care of it, the kid would be dead and if he is an Uchiha, that breaks the non-aggression pact we have with the Senju.” Itachi leaned back on his chair, “I’d like for you to take care of it since it involves Senju but you can pass it down to one your guys.”
Sasuke tucked the paperwork under his arm. “I’ll handle it.” He was still standing, eyes lingering on his phone when he thought his brother didn’t notice.
“How is Sakura doing?” Itachi went in for the kill.
Sasuke leveled his brother an intensely agitated stare. “I don’t know.” He said, tone carefully void of emotion.
Itachi hummed thoughtfully. “Hiroki told me you made a mess of his bar a couple of weeks ago.”
“I did him a favor.”
Itachi paused and leaned forward, cheek propped on a hand lazily. He lost his rigid posture in the presence of familiarity. Upkeeping the Uchiha name was rather tiring and this was a business he was forced into by his grandfather. If he had his way, he’d probably be an pacifist accountant leading a normal boring life. Away from darkness. He’d like it if he could keep Sasuke away from it but his younger brother had a niche in this life.
“What was the point of calling off the wedding if you’re still going to be involved?” Itachi asked, purely curious although there was a hint of disapproval. Sasuke wasn’t the one who was having a harder time. It was Sakura, surely.
Sasuke clenched his teeth and left the room with a cold fury.
That was all the response Itachi needed.
-
For all it was worth, Sakura had a great time with Naruto. They talked about everything but Sasuke which was how Sakura preferred it. She appreciated Naruto’s ability to assuage his curiosity and forwent that for her comfort instead. Naruto stopped by a street vendor and bought her bouquet of flowers, a combination of orchids and peonies.
“What’s this?” She stared at the bundle of flowers that was basically tossed into her lap with two parts skepticism and one part impressed.
Naruto only smiled at her, “What kind of date would I be if I didn’t buy my favorite person flowers? I’m glad you’re doing okay.”
Sakura blinked, “I...I’m trying.” She hugged the flowers close to her and said honestly. “I need you to do me a favor.”
Naruto nodded, eager to help his friend.
She smiled, forlorn and sad. “Please tell Sasuke-kun to stop contacting me.”
Naruto looked at her gobsmacked but because he could see how much of a struggle it was for her to get those words out, he didn’t refuse.