Chapter 119

"Must he stand there?" he had muttered quietly under his breath at her, "I don't like him watching us like that."

She had been sitting with his back to his, with her fingers folded into the hand sign 'o-hitsuji' to better focus her own chakra. "What else is he going to do? He is here to observe us. Just try and pick up on his chakra, Sasuke," she had muttered back quietly through clenched teeth.

When the afternoon had finally passed to the point where it was close enough to dinnertime to use it as an excuse to get up and distract her father from their apparent lack of progress (Watching people focus chakra did appear to be rather unproductive.), they did so. Sasuke was insisting that he would not eat anything again, but Sakura decided to put her foot down and forced him to eat a sandwich. The table was awkwardly silent, Sasuke silent because her father was present, Sakura silent because Sasuke was silent and her father was silent because she was silent.

Afterwards, Sakura suggested that her father accompany them on their evening walk, and reluctantly, Sasuke agreed. But knowing the young Uchiha, he would rather stay home than go. The walk too had been awkwardly silent, and Sakura found it annoying how her father eyed their linked arms with mistrust in his eyes. Thankfully he had said nothing, but he was being rather childish, she concluded, he was not acting like an adult.

It was barely dark when they returned, and they had hardly gotten through the door when Sasuke seemed to decide that he couldn't stand the presence of her father any longer.

"I'm going to bed," he told the two of them gruffly before heading off down the hallway towards the living room.

"What, already—Sasuke! Wai—" Sakura called out after him, but he had disappeared around the corner. Sighing she turned to her father, "Hang on a second."

"No, I think he's got the right idea Sakura, you should rest some," her father said in a reasonable tone, and she looked over at him, in slight surprise, before he added, "You work very hard weighting hand and foot on him."

Inner Sakura shook a fist at her father, while outwardly she glared at him. "Fine then," she said before running after Sasuke.

The day had not gone at all like she had expected—well, in all honesty, she hadn't known what to expect to begin with, but it wasn't this. The two of them were both being suspicious of one another, her father being overly analytical, while Sasuke simply didn't like him in return. As she passed down the second hallway, she crashed headlong into Sasuke who was exiting the bathroom. He must have detected her approaching chakra, because instead of acting surprised, he merely caught her before she knocked them both over.

"If you want to talk," he told her emotionlessly, "then we'll talk in my room."

"Okay," she murmured quietly, as Sasuke let go of her, offering her to lead the way.

Her father was whistling merrily in the kitchen, as she entered what was no longer 'their room' but Sasuke's room. Taking a few steps into the room she cast a short side-glance into the corner where she used to have her futon, the emptiness of the space seemed so alien. Sasuke closed the door behind him and afterwards, passed her so that he could sit down on the edge of his bed.

"What is it?" he asked her plainly.

She closed her eyes, letting out a quiet exhalation, "I'm sorry my dad is being well…you know."

"I told you before, don't apologize for his behaviour—it's not your fault," Sasuke told her firmly, but otherwise saying nothing.

Sakura was quiet for a moment before changing the topic, "Other than that, how are you holding out?"

A grim smile passed over his lips, like he was mildly amused by the question. She knew the answer was apparent, and after a pause, she went and sat down next to him on the bed's edge. "Are you okay with this?" she asked him, grabbing his hand, running her thumb over the back of his hand, "I can maybe get him to leave."

"I can foresee an all-out argument," he told her with grim humor, "Don't bother."

"Are you sure?" she asked, squeezing his hand slightly, uncertainty in her mind.

"Aa."

"Well, okay. Goodnight then," she stood up slowly, hanging onto his hand a moment longer, "I hope you sleep well."

She meant that sincerely.

About to leave, she was surprised when Sasuke didn't let go of her hand; she turned and looked over her shoulder at him—his expression was grim, and serious. After a moment, he gave her hand the smallest of squeezes before dropping it. She blinked in surprise, shaking her head slightly to clear it of the astonishment. Her father's approaching footsteps from the kitchen signified that he was drawing nearer, and she hurriedly crossed the room, opening the door and slipping into the hall before her father jumped to any conclusions. Just as she was closing the door, a quiet word came to her ears before it shut completely.

"Goodnight."

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