Chapter 12

Three days later, I found myself stunned in the foyer of a beautiful house with eyes wide and mouth agape. When Sasuke asked me to move in with him, and I realized Ino would be following me, I thought all of us, with Sai included, would be staying in the compound's main building. It's more than big enough to house the four of us. Hell, you could double the number of residents, and it'd still be roomy.

Here I am, though, in the house to the right of the one I'd been in last time we were in Konoha, watching Sasuke casually rinse out a glass, fill it with water, and turn to lean against the counter as he drank with his dark eyes dancing amusedly over my appearance.

My grip tightened on the strap of my backpack, and I blushed, gaze lowering bashfully, "Um, what about you? Aren't you uncomfortable moving out of your old room? I feel like I'm imposing."

Sasuke shrugged, tilting the glass away enough that he could respond before returning to hydrating, "Fuck it. I don't care about that kinda thing."

I glanced nervously around the open area. The kitchen was large and, having an open concept, led right into an equally as impressive family room. To the left of the living area was a wide staircase, a bookcase built into the side of it, that told me there were more rooms to explore on the second floor. A hallway was on the right of the room, telling me this house was definitely more expansive than necessary.

Tempted, I almost scoffed at the concept of wealthy people living in excess but held it back to avoid offending Sasuke. He's offering to selflessly care for me in exchange for nothing but my presence.

"Well, are you gonna just stand there?"

I jumped slightly, the Uchiha man's irritated tone snapping me out of deep thought.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I huffed, embarrassed, "Give me a damn minute to adjust, jerk."

He smirked, nodding towards the staircase so I'd know where he wanted me to go. Face hot, I pointedly avoided meeting his eye and climbed the steps slowly, running my hand over the banister as my annoyance sank away. I've never been able to grasp the fact that some people are born and bred in places this luxurious. My entire house back in Sunagakure probably cost the same as a single room in this one.

Upstairs, another large, open area appeared to serve as a lounge area. To the left was a hallway with four doors, three on the right side and one on the other.

"On the left."

I jumped again, having not been aware that Sasuke'd been following me. Not sparing him a glance, lest he realize how anxious I'm feeling, I followed his instruction and entered the one room on the left side of the hall.

The bedroom was spacious and open, around the same size as the one he had in the main house. Furniture was covered with blankets to keep it from getting dusty, but I could make out the shape of a big dresser and chest of drawers sitting against the wall on one side of the room, near the double doors of what was likely a walk-in closet, if my guess is correct.

A huge bed acted as the room's centerpiece, maybe bigger than any bed I've ever slept on. No bedding was on it, minus a white sheet, just like the other furniture in the house, but I'm sure some sheets, pillows, and blankets were in storage around here somewhere.

Many moving boxes sat in the middle of the floor. Judging by their labels, this was both his and my stuff, waiting to be unpacked. I knew he'd arranged for someone to collect and relocate my belongings, but I didn't expect them to beat us here. On the wall opposite the dresser and closet was another door, but it was open, so I could see it was an ensuite bathroom. Everything in this extravagant home was beautiful, be it the elegant grays of the walls, the perfectly preserved furnishings, or the smooth hardwood floors, also a dark shade of gray, almost black.

Gentle hands fell upon my shoulders and guided me forward a few steps before pulling my backpack from my grasp. I turned to see Sasuke sit it atop one of the moving boxes before turning to face me, hands in his pockets, "So?"

The familiar tug in his voice piqued my interest. It was similar to the one he gets when speaking of his emotions or something he deems corny.

"So, what?"

I stepped closer, sensing what he meant but teasingly acting clueless. Gorgeous dark eyes narrowed into a glare, but he sighed, "So, do you like it or what? If you want to change anything, just let me-"

"Sasuke." I cut him off, face burning hot as I pulled his hands from his pockets to hold them in mine. That charming pink threatened to mar the tan skin of his cheeks as his brow's tension released.

"I don't care where we live, so long as we're together." I couldn't hold his gaze as I muttered the cheesy sentence in a humiliated voice, but I still meant every word.

Long fingers curled around my hands, and he leaned down to kiss me. When he pulled back, I opened my eyes to see his were warm with wordless affection.

Jokingly, I added, "A paint job wouldn't hurt, though. There's too much gray."

~

Over the next week, we unpacked and adjusted to the surprisingly odd concept of not having to be on the lookout for danger one hundred percent of the time. Within those days, I learned new things about the beautiful Uchiha man. For example, he prefers to shower both before bed and in the morning. Even when it isn't necessary, he wakes up early to work out, leading to that first shower each day.

As thrilling as it was to see him in his natural habitat, it broke my heart just as much. The one thing that became abundantly clear from the get-go was that Sasuke is not used to living with someone else. At least, not someone who's going to perhaps disturb his solidarity.

On the third morning, after having purchased dishes and groceries the day before, I woke to find him gone, which was unsurprising because I'd been made aware of his daily routine. So, I sleepily made my way downstairs to make some coffee, wearing one of his shirts as makeshift pajamas. When I realized he was still out on his jog, I decided to make breakfast so he'd have something to eat when he returned. I'm no Betty Crocker, but my mom taught me how to cook a few things, so simply preparing breakfast isn't something I'd consider noteworthy.

Once the coffee was ready, I heard the door open and reached into the cabinet above me for a coffee mug, absently motioning to Sasuke with the spatula in one hand as I did, "Hey, it'll be done in just a sec if you wanna go ahead and sit."

The food in the pan sizzled softly, and I turned to pour him a mug of coffee, "How do you like your eggs?" When I faced him so I could hand over the hot drink, I almost took a step back at the stunned expression on his face as he stood, the front door still open and his hand on the knob.

Unsure of what was happening, I carefully sat the glass mug down and came around the kitchen island, wiping my hands on my apron, "Are you alright? Did something happen?"

Sasuke seemed to snap out of it and closed the front door, kicking his shoes off as he shook his head with his dark eyes averted awkwardly, "I'm fine."

Feeling a bit nervous, I retreated to the stove to ensure nothing was burning, "Alright, then. How do you like them? If you don't answer soon, you'll lose the opportunity for over-easy."

The man didn't respond again, and I turned to see he was sitting with the coffee mug in one hand, and his gaze trained hard on me.

Suddenly, I felt humiliated as I realized I may have made a mistake, "Do you not eat breakfast? I guess I should've asked…."

"Prepare them however you like."

I tilted my head, becoming more unsure the longer I was in his presence, "Well, don't you have a preference? I'm not the best cook there is, but I can manage not to fuck up eggs, Baby."

He averted his gaze again, voice lowering, "I'll eat whatever you make, Sakura."

That's when I realized what was actually going on. I had to turn my back to him so he couldn't see how red my face was and how hard I was trying not to cry. The thought that something as simple as having someone prepare a meal would take him so off guard was gut-wrenching.

By the time the food was finished and plated, I'd managed to get ahold of my emotions and sat beside him as we ate. Not wanting him to feel awkward, I tried to keep the air light with casual conversation, "Let me know if I ever make something you don't like. I'll do my best."

He didn't respond, and I blushed as we continued eating, having lost my courage. My anxiety got the best of me, making my appetite shrink, and I gingerly forked my bacon onto his plate, got up, and went over to the sink to start washing the dishes I'd dirtied as I sipped my coffee.

A couple minutes of silence passed before strong arms wrapped around my waist, and Sasuke kissed the top of my head. Hoping I hadn't made him uncomfortable, I muttered, "Can you hand me your plate?"

Rather than do that, the Uchiha man kissed into my hair again before mumbling, "Thank you for the food." Then he brought his dishes over and escaped upstairs to shower before I could say another word.

Sasuke didn't say anything about it afterward, either, but did show his gratitude in a much different way later that evening, if you understand.

So, now that a week's gone by, this house is finally beginning to feel like home. In the middle of the night after day eight in Konoha, we were awoken in the early morning hours, around three or four, by a loud banging on the front door downstairs.

As we descended the steps, I hissed, "Let me answer it! What if it's someone dangerous?"

Sasuke muttered, "Then they wouldn't have bothered knocking, you idiot." He said that, but he narrowly dodged being slapped across the face when he opened the door.

My mouth fell open in disbelief as two familiar faces looked at me in complete disbelief. Hands shaking, I pulled Sasuke out of the way and stepped closer, "M-Mom? Dad?" Both of my parents pulled me into a tight embrace as tears overflowed.

Ten minutes later, they were seated on the sofa while I brewed a pot of coffee, and Sasuke stood near me, looking more uncomfortable than I'd seen him in a long time. I offered a sympathetic look as I filled four coffee mugs, handing two to him and carrying the others on my own. After passing them out, Sasuke and I sat across from my parents, and the room fell silent momentarily.

Deciding to bite the bullet, I attempted to break the tension, "So, you got my letter, then?"

My mom, Mebuki, is a stern and blunt woman. Those personality traits showed freely when she scoffed, "We wouldn't be here if we didn't, Sakura."

My father, Kizashi, is quite the opposite, with a personality akin to a teddy bear and a soft spot for me that I exploited on many occasions while growing up, "Babydoll, we've been so worried! Are you alright? Your skin…."

The blood drained from my face as I looked down and realized I was wearing shorts and a tank top, leaving many of my scars in the open for them to view, "O-Oh, this? This is nothing! You don't have to worry. I'm alright!"

Rather calmly, compared to what I'm used to, Mom sat her coffee on a coaster before turning her gaze onto Sasuke, "Like hell, it's nothing. Young man, I'll cut your hands off if I find out you laid a single finger on my daughter."

For once, Sasuke looked truly scared, mainly because this was a foe he couldn't beat with physical force. He opened his mouth to respond, but I cut him off, "M-Mom, stop it! That was uncalled for!"

Dad reached over to intertwine his fingers with my mother's, his tone more in control, "For once, I have to disagree, Sakura. I mean, we haven't been able to find you for months, only to find a note saying you're moving in with some strange boy we've never met halfway across the continent. You both have some explaining to do."

Sasuke and I glanced at one another, and I sighed. This was never going to be an easy conversation. We both knew that.

"I really don't want to give all the details because all it'll do is upset you, but all you need to know is that I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him. He's saved my life more than once, and it'd mean the world to me if you both give him a chance."

My mother barked, unaffected by my plea, "Just because someone saves your life doesn't mean you owe the rest of it to them! Now pack your things. We're taking you home."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sasuke's eyes widen slightly as he glanced between us, and I knew he was trying not to externally show his panic.

I shook my head, "No. I'm staying."

Mebuki got to her feet, resulting in my father and me following her lead, "Sakura Haruno, I am your mother."

I tried to keep a level head but felt my temper rising, "And I'm an adult, so if I want to move out, I can. That doesn't mean we'll never see each other again. We can still visit one another!"

Rather than respond verbally, she reached across the table to try and grab my wrist, but I pulled out of reach, making Sasuke stand up because he was likely worried things were about to get physical.

My father said, "Sakura, just pack a bag, and we can return for the rest later. Your mother and I have been-" "We're not losing you, too!"

The room became dead silent as my Mom cut him off, her voice cracking as she glared, not at me, but at Sasuke, "I won't let you take away the only daughter we have left." She raised her hand to try and slap him like she had when he first answered the door.

Instead of dodging it, I stepped in front of him and caught her wrist before the hit could land, finally losing my temper, "If you don't stop this right now, I won't forgive you. Act like you have some sense, Mom! You know me! Would I make a decision like this carelessly?"

Her hand balled into a fist as tears overflowed in her eyes. I dropped it, lowering my voice as I tilted my head, pleading for her to be honest with herself, "Mama, he's a good man. Please."

Her dark green eyes softened as she glanced between the stunned Uchiha man and me, so I turned my gaze onto my father, "Dad, you too. Would I move in with someone just because I felt like I owed them something? No."

Tears welled in Kizashi's eyes, too, and his voice cracked as he managed to get some words out, "Y-You love him, don't you?"

I nodded, wiping my tears with one hand but keeping the other outreached between Sasuke and my mother just in case she decided to try again, "I love him, but I also love you. I'm not doing this to hurt either of you. Please understand that."

Mom sniffled, wiped away her tears, and huffed with a red face, "God, I wish you hadn't inherited Mom's stubbornness…." She looked across the room, where the photo of Grandma hung proudly on the wall, "Nothing's gonna change your mind, huh?"

I shook my head, finally stepping aside to pull Sasuke's hand into mine, "I'm staying. He's my home now." The fingers intertwined with mine tightened slightly in response to my words.

My parents momentarily looked between us in silence before my father surprised me by reacting before my mom. He outreached a hand, "Kizashi Haruno. Please take care of our daughter. She's precious to us."

Sasuke released my hand so he could shake it, turning to offer his hand to Mom next. When she didn't immediately shake it, he spoke for the first time since their arrival, "I love her." My brow furrowed as I looked at him in shock, but his gaze was locked firmly with Mebuki's, refusing to back down while also being as respectful as possible in the given situation.

"You must know about what happened to her." Everyone looked at my mother with wide eyes, but she ignored it and continued, "Sakura's never been able to trust a man other than her father since then. The fact that she's even standing beside you means we're wrong. You are a good man, aren't you?" '

Tears welled in my eyes as she gingerly shook Sasuke's hand, and I shoved past it to hug her tightly, "Thank you, Mama!"

Dad hugged the two of us, tears still in his eyes. Sniffling, I pulled one arm away and angled to face Sasuke, holding a hand out to him. He looked surprised and greatly hesitated, but when he grabbed my hand, my mom snatched his other arm and pulled him into our cheesy little group hug.

"You take good care of her or else."