Chapter Text
1.
Sasuke had noticed her long before she started to like him.
Not that he would ever tell her that, but if he were being honest, how could he not have noticed her? She could be spotted from a mile away. It wasn’t every day that he met someone who had hair the exact color of cherry blossoms, the ones that grew just at the entrance of the Uchiha State, and eyes that reminded him of the jade pendant his father once gifted his mother as an anniversary present. Not to mention she was slightly taller than most of the kids their age.
Did he mention she had pink hair?
The first time he met her was at a park his brother used to take him to whenever he came back from a mission and had time to spare. She was playing with a blonde girl, he recognized as the Yamanaka heir from one of the grand dinners the clan heads, and their families were invited to. Sasuke hadn't approached her because she, the Nara heir, and the Akimichi heir seemed to be friends. It felt too much to socialize with more than just one person, so he decided it was best to stay with his brother the entire time.
Sasuke perked up at the excited laughter. Yamanaka had braided flowers into her hair.
"You look so cute, Sakura!"
So her name was Sakura. What a pretty name.
"Do you want to join them, otouto?"
His brother's question jolted him out of his train of thoughts. He looked up at him, and shook his head. He peaked a glance at the girls one final time. They seemed to be trapped in their own world of make belief, laughing without a care in the world. He'd be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted to join them. At the time, however, his desire to play with his big brother overruled his desire to join their haven of bliss.
The second time he saw her was when he enrolled in the academy. He noticed her at the entrance ceremony. She was speaking very animatedly to her parents. Both of whom sat on their knees as they reflected their daughter’s enthusiasm.
They were an odd looking family. At least by Konohagakure standards. More specifically by Sasuke’s standard, who was only used to seeing the prim and proper, dark haired Uchiha.
Her mother had blonde hair that was neatly folded into three braids that fell to her knees. Sasuke wondered, with fascination, how long her hair would be if she chose to unwind it.
Her father’s dark pink mane was as long if not longer than her mother's. It was also folded into three braids, but unlike her mother’s, that were tied with ribbons and decorated with rows of beads and chains, his were secured by what look like large gold rings.
Sasuke found that curious. He had never seen a man with braids before – much less rings in hair. Other than the obvious there were also other things that made the family of three different from everyone around them.
They wore funny clothes. Instead of a yakuta or a kimono both of her parents wore a dress he did not recognize.
Her mother wore a green tunic with a small, sleeveless…coat? It was pale yellow with different colored flowers embroidered on it. She wore what looked like a very loose trouser…? It was in similar fashion to the coat; pale yellow with embroidered flowers at the hem. Her hands had weird patterns that travelled all the way up to her forearms. She wore bangles.
Her dad wore something similar except his tunic (?) was longer, and his shoes were just plain weird. He wore a shawl that from a distance looked red, but on closer inspection was intricately embroidered. It all felt foreign, only increasing the mystic around them.
She, however, wore normal clothes. That he remembers. A pale green dress with pink florals embroidered at the hem of it. Her hair wasn’t as long as her parents. It barely reached her shoulders. Her bangs messily covered her forehead reaching below her eyebrows.
A part of him wondered if she had signed up for the shinobi program or the civilian one. He had been ever so slightly disappointed to see her join the civilian line up, but it made sense that she would be a civilian.
There was no clan that he knew of who had such outrageously flashy hair.
He didn’t see her again, much to his chagrin, until she was standing in front of his entire class, and Iruka–sensei introduced her as a new student.
She apparently switched courses. Was it so she could join the Yamanaka girl? Sasuke wondered as the pink haired girl ran over, and happily took her seat next to the blonde.
It would be a very shallow reason to make such an important decision, Sasuke thought to himself. They whispered something to each other, both smiling and blushing. He wondered what they were talking ab –
She turned to look up at him from her seat in front. Sasuke immediately averted his gaze. He could feel warmth pool into his stomach, and his ears turn red from how much heat was coming off them.
He never looked over at her again.
It wasn’t soon after he saw her join the bunch of girls who were always staring at him, or shouting his name very loudly. He couldn’t really say he was disappointed, since every girl his age seemed to be infatuated with him. Shisui loved teasing him about it.
“Sasuke-chan’s got himself a fan club!”
He aimed his bag at his head with practiced precision. Izumi had found that scene very amusing as she doubled over with laughter. His brother looked happy. It wouldn’t be long after that Sasuke would look back on this scene in his memories and wonder, if his brother’s smile had ever been real.
Next time he saw her, she was on the ground crying, as Yamanaka stood over her, protecting her from what looked like a band of bullies. Before he could move to help, a teacher interfered. He separated the purple haired girl from Yamanaka who looked like she was out for blood.
A crowd had gathered around them. Admits the chaos he saw her being taken to the infirmary. He decided then and there he didn’t like the way she cried. Those jade eyes should never be so sad.
Following that incident, if Ami (he learnt her name was Ami when the blonde had shouted how she’s going to rip her hair out) and the rest of the bullies had to face a series of pranks they thought Naruto executed, well he had no plans to correct them.
She had been the last thing on his mind when he had overseen every member of his clan being buried.
The string of events of that week were hazy in his mind. He couldn’t really recall what happened after what his so called brother had done. He could only look at the stone cold graves of his parents, and feel himself choke as he prevented himself from crying. It was a sign of weakness. He couldn’t afford weaknesses. Sasuke failed to notice a family just a few yards from him praying over a grave. Curious, and sharp green eyes followed him as he left the cemetery.
He rejoined the academy a month later.
As he sat in his seat, waiting for class to start his eyes caught pink and red settle next to him. “Don’t be late next time, Sakura.” She looked down at the table, embarrassed at the admonishment.
Sasuke looked at her confused. Why was she sitting here? Doesn’t she usually sit with the Yamanaka girl? Sakura looked over at him, noticing his stare. She gave him a small smile before wording, ‘Can I sit here?’
He nodded stiffly.
She didn’t need his permission, but knowing it was start of new term; he was aware they would be fixed with these seats for the remainder of the term – their final year. Sasuke realized he felt a bit of relief that his desk mate wasn’t someone loud as Naruto or Kiba.
Well almost not as loud as them.
“Sasuke-kun! Good morning!”
Sasuke deadpanned as the pink haired girl waved at him enthusiastically, beckoning him to their shared seats. He didn’t miss the glare Yamanaka gave them both as he settled next to her, nodding slightly as a greeting. Whatever that was he was not touching it. He still had vivid imagery of Yamanaka shouting bloody murder.
It felt weird if he were being honest. And for the most part he was annoyed. Did she think he was some sort of charity case? But whatever he thought he couldn't bring himself to ask her. He wasn't completely averse to having company.
"Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke looked over at her sitting next to him. Her lips pressed together forming a firm line of concern.
Ah.
He had been explaining the events that had lead up to the battle of the Kannabi Bridge when he had fallen into his trek of thoughts. Without addressing his quiet rumination he explained the part to her again.
He instantly remembered why he was tutoring her in the first place when a spit ball flew by him, hitting the person in front. He turned to glare at the person who had thrown it. Sakura had promised him peace and quiet in turn for helping her prepare the history quiz.
She nodded vigorously at every thing he said. When he finally finished the explanation, he looked up to see if she had gotten any of what he had just said. The look on her face beamed that she was satisfied. Sasuke scoffed wondering how long that expression could last, "How are you planning on shutting them up?"
He reminded her of her part of the promise. Sakura looked over to the group of rowdy boys at the back of the class room. She smirked, "Just wait and see."
A few minutes later the bell rung signaling the end of recess. As class was about to begin a teacher, he had only ever seen in passing, came in, and called those same boys asking them to follow him out the class. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her as whispers flowed around them.
"What did you do?"
"A magician never reveals her secrets."
Her stupid grin stretched wider.
He found out much later how she managed to do that. She had spent the previous week collecting proof about how those kids had been bullying their classmates, and had sent it to the principal. Upon realizing she had planned the whole thing, just so she could ask him to teach her, forced an unintentional smile to escape the prison of his lips.
"Well played."
After the second month he got used to her cheery hellos, and by the third the dramatic good byes were a part of his routine. Somewhere along the way he got used to having extra slices of tomato being shifted into his plate during recess. After a much longer while, he got used to the pink beside him.
He hadn’t meant to get attached.
Attachment was weakness. A weakness someone like his brother could exploit. The thought of her sparkling green eyes lacking their shine haunted him. On his worst days, he would tell her how annoying she was, and on his best, he would help her with her homework. Not that she needed it anyway, but it seemed to make her happy whenever he'd offer unprompted. As if helping her was his way of asking for forgiveness. He never clarified that it was, so wasn't it stupid to assume?
Tch. Annoying.
His mean words were forgiven as a misplaced sense of anger.
Why was she so forgiving?
No matter how much he tried to push her out she’d just find her way back into his life. Sometimes as a quite observer, and other times as an interesting force of change.
And then they were team seven with someone louder than her, and someone more mysterious than him.