#kakasaku
The next chapter of All or Nothing is up for enablers with early access on Ko-fi! It will be on Tumblr, A03, and FF sometime later this week. I would promise tomorrow, but it’s going to be a hectic day! In the meantime, have a little sneak peek to tide you over! This is one of my favorite chapters thus far!
Sasuke dipped his head, nervousness twisting through him. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me here.”
Once upon a time, Sakura would have pulled Sasuke closer and kissed the question from his mind. He recalled those earlier days of their relationship, when she’d been completely enamoured with him. Things had been much easier then. But, the weight of the village had dragged on Sasuke’s shoulders too much for him to stay put. He could feel the stares any time he went out, the accusations of loved ones lost through his actions. It seemed that nobody cared how many lives he’d saved; there was no way to erase the black stain on his name.
Sakura stepped back and Sasuke followed her, closing the door behind him. Walking deeper into the house, Sakura called over one shoulder. “Sarada isn’t here. She went over to mom’s for the day.”
Relief and guilt filled Sasuke at the words. He’d been gone for almost two months; he should have wanted to see his daughter. He supposed that he did, but he and Sakura needed to talk. “Okay,” he responded, removing his shoes and dropping his bag in the entry.
Without waiting for Sasuke, Sakura walked toward the kitchen. Water ran from the tap, splashing into the sink below before the sound changed. By the time Sasuke joined her, the flowers were nestled comfortably into a vase and Sakura was wiping the splashed water from the counter. He exhaled, watching the woman with an overwhelming sense of sadness. “Can we talk?”
Sakura froze for three seconds, forgetting to swipe the water away. “About what?”
“About this, us,” Sasuke explained, trying to convince himself that he wanted to have this conversation. He couldn’t; it felt like torture. “How long are we going to keep doing this?”
Sakura’s shoulders tensed as she folded the rag and tossed it over the divider in the sink. “Doing what?”
“Pretending.” Sasuke didn’t move from his spot by the counter, but he saw a tremble pass through Sakura’s body. He couldn’t bring himself to stop, however. “Holding on to something that hasn’t been there for a long time.”
As much as the words hurt, Sasuke felt bitter relief when they left his lips. The discussion with Naruto had been enough to spark the realization that this conversation had been a long time in coming. Sasuke had taken for granted that it wasn’t necessary because Sakura hadn’t brought it up. She had always been one to speak her mind without fear or consequence. Sasuke expected that Sakura would be the first person to tell him that she was unhappy, not Naruto.
“You don’t owe me anything,” Sasuke continued, fighting through the lump in his throat. “This isn’t the life you pictured. You deserve more.”
※ Unless you mention my painting directly, please see it as Kakasaku in any case. I didn’t draw it for another ship.
1. Kakashi proposed to Sakura
2. This is Judo Kakashi from the Kakasaku novel written by my friend.
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