"You've reached Haruno Sakura, but I can't talk right now. Leave me a message with your name and the best way to reach you. I'll be in touch when I can."
[It's a familiar name, but given that there are people from many other worlds here, Hanabi isn't going to presume that this Sakura is the same one who was her sister's classmate.
A video call will clear things up immediately. And on Hanabi's end, the Hyuuga clan's eyes are distinctive. Even if Sakura doesn't recognize her directly, she'll know a Hyuuga when she sees one.
She ensures she's in a well lit room and has angled the phone's camera correctly before starting off her message with a simple inquiry.]
[She's in the middle of cleaning up when Hanabi's message comes through. Surprised to see the familiar name, she answers.
On the one hand, she's eager to speak to someone from home, but that curiosity is curbed a bit by knowing that there's a real possibility she's from a different time? How strange would it be if Hanabi were older than her? Would she feel like Sasuke had?
Well, only way to know is to answer.
When she does, Sakura has a towel around her neck and shoulders, and her expression is one of mild surprise.]
[A look of relief crosses Hanabi's features when the correct Sakura responds.]
I've been here for about two months now. I noticed your name in the network list and I wanted to send a message and check if it was you or someone else with the same name.
[She wants to ask if she's been alright, but Hanabi is a Hyuuga and she's been trained like any other future shinobi, so that might be insulting. Still, there's a bit of concern in Sakura's eyes when she smiles in answer. At least two months isn't to long to be here, but-]
Have you been on your own all that time? I'm sorry it took so long for us to reach each other. I'm still getting the hang of these devices.
You've settled in alright, then, from the sound of it. I've been keeping myself busy between work, quests, and training as well.
[Workaholics UNITE. She doesn't have the hospital here, but she's found work at an apothecary for a few hours a day.
On the subject of Sasuke Sakura's expression turns slightly exasperated, and she gives a sigh.]
Yes, actually. We met in the woods a few days after we got here. He's camping out in the woods and refuses to come into the city for more than a shopping trip.
[Now that she's older and they have this age gap between them- now that she's having to deal with him as a kid while she's had the benefit of time and experience she has to wonder (insincerely): What did she do to deserve not just one- but TWO bone headed teammates?]
Anyway, it isn't much, but I've managed to find a place to stay in exchange for helping out our landlord with their medical problems. I've been trying to convince him to move in, but if you'd like a place to stay, you're more than welcome to share my room.
[She feels like she should leave the inn for the newest arrivals, but she hadn't quite been ready to try to find a place of her own - especially with the crowding that's only starting to be remedied now.]
I can try to talk to him about it too, if you'd like.
With how cold the weather has been getting, maybe we'll be able to get through to him. I wouldn't want to be bathing in river or lake water if I didn't have to.
[It's got to be positively frigid at this point, and she'd feel bad for Sasuke if this wasn't 100% self-inflicted discomfort.]
I should be able to bring it all over myself. I have a wagon that I bought for a quest. All of the things I have here will fit in a backpack and that wagon.
I think you're right. I wouldn't either. [She laughs. It's not that she isn't worried, because she is, but maybe it just feels good to talk to someone from home who isn't parsing her every word with suspicion, or waiting for her guard to drop to learn details about their future.]
Alright, then here's our address. I'm adding you to my contacts, too. When you get ready to come by just call me if you run into any trouble, and let me know when you get close, okay?
[And with that sent, Sakura will wait to see if Hanabi wants to continue the call or get started coming over. She may be busy after all.
But Sakura, for her part, will be investing in some supplies to make the shared space more comfortable for them.]
[Hanabi is admittedly curious as to how the time difference is affecting things between Sasuke and Sakura. The only detail about the future that she's volunteered is that the fifth Hokage is a mednin, but she wouldn't be expected to have details that directly concerned him the way that Sakura would, given their age gap.
That's not a conversation for over the network, though. That's a conversation to be had in person, when they can be sure that it's actually private.]
I'll see you soon.
[She disconnects and she's relatively prompt about packing up her things and heading out, politely thanking the innkeep for allowing her to stay as she leaves.
She only makes one detour, and that's to pick up some baked treats for her, Sakura and for Sasuke as well. Being the heaviest possessions she has, her schoolbooks are piled into the wagon while she carries the rest of her belongings either in her backpack or somewhere on her person. It's not too long before she arrives, announcing her presence with a knock to the door.]
[ There is a long, long, long pause before he gets a reply. The next time he's in town near the shop, should he happen by the alley out back he might find a dent in the ground where her FIST connected.
"You waited until after you'd already left to tell me on purpose. Didn't you-"
[ Yep. She's. She's definitely going to kill him. There's going to be a nice, Sasuke-sized hole in the ground when his party returns. He's tempted to try and avoid the hassle by not telling her when he gets back, but he's smart enough to know that'll just make the situation worse.
So, a number of days later, Sasuke (begrudgingly) sends her another message. ]
[ He made the smart decision. He made the ONLY decision, really. Had he withheld his return she would have sent Tamaki to track him down and there was nothing his familiar-- Naruto --could've done about it. ]
Good to see you managed not to get yourself killed.
[ She sends this between working on grabbing ingredients for a poultice, and it's a little bit before the next part follows. ]
I don't finish work for another three hours. Come by the shop.
He doesn't reply. It's a waste of his time and serves no purpose, so he leaves her on read as he parkours his way across the city and towards the shop. He spots the conspicuous dent in the ground and grimaces slightly.
Welp. There's no reason to draw this out, so--hands shoved in his pockets and still laden with all the weapons and wire he'd taken along with him, Sasuke pushes open the door and walks in like he owns the place, his expression neutral and his gait steady. ]
[ She knows better than to assume that the lack of response means he's ignoring her. If he doesn't show up soon that'll be another story, but for now she'll trust he's on his way and keep working.
When she hears the chime on the door and his footsteps approaching her work station she's in the middle of bagging and boxing.
Without looking up, then-- ]
You know, you're the last person I expected to go running off on some dangerous quest without any proper warning. Did the idiot really rub off on you that much?
[ Sasuke stops, stares...and frowns, his brows knitting as annoyance colors his features. He had been expecting a scolding of some sort, Sakura had been concerned about his wellbeing since he arrived, but comparing him to Naruto is a low blow.
And really, he's not sure what aggravates him more, being compared to someone as moronic as their teammate or being treated like a child. He didn't rush headlong into danger alone, he had people with him, they had a plan. It was like any other mission. ]
I'm nothing like Naruto, and I'm not some helpless child. Consider yourself lucky I told you at all.
[ If she'd been younger, or if he'd been older, it's uncertain if she'd ever dare talk to him this bluntly. Time, however, had changed them both. Sasuke may still have a ways to go before experiencing the changes she'd witnessed, but every now and then she saw some of the man she'd watched from afar poke through.
That look he was giving her now definitely felt like the latter.
Sakura put down the bag in her hand and stared stubbornly back. ]
I know you're not, but it doesn't stop me from worrying. We've barely even started mastering our powers, but you're already running off fighting dragons?
[ She moved to one of the shelves behind the counter then and retrieved a box. ]
We're a team. We're supposed to help each other and look out for one another. And it's just the three of us here, besides.
[ He glares back, matching her stare with a stubborn scowl of his own.
Sasuke's conflicted, not that it shows. He's still frustrated, yes, but her words needle at his conscience. They give rise to an uncomfortable, stifling feeling in his chest, and to the realization that--
For a moment, it seems like she might get through to him. There's a flicker in his expression, his irritation momentarily giving way to something else, to the tiniest shred of guilt. But it doesn't last. The feeling is very nearly snuffed out, quickly buried beneath his complicated feelings around teamwork and the mountain of frustration that's been slowly building since their arrival.
The glare is back with ferocious determination, as though this is no longer just about his recent actions. Because it's not, not really. That momentary flicker of guilt made him realize just how much he cares about Sakura and team 7. Just how thoroughly they managed to worm their way past his walls. Since when? He's known for a while that they mattered to him, but when did he begin to care this much? Enough to feel guilty?
He thinks back. To the land of waves, when he defended Naruto without thinking. When they went up against Orochimaru and he considered surrender. When he nearly killed the damn team from Oto who hurt Sakura. When Gaara captured her.
I don't want to see that ever again. My trusted comrades falling in front of me.
He can't pinpoint the exact moment, but it doesn't matter. The end result is the same. He's going soft, losing his edge, becoming weak.
And so he lashes out. ]
Save your breath. I never asked to be on your team. [ He spits the word, and while it's full of venom, he can't quite meet her eyes anymore. ]
Except she knows why you're like this (she's pretty sure anyway, at this point) and knowing (suspecting) doesn't make it any easier to deal with.
Sakura sets the box down on the counter with more force than is strictly necessary, but not hard enough to damage the contents within. The edges of the lid are just a little bit crumpled from the strength of her grip, that's all! Don't mind it, don't mind it!
Sasuke's last words just hang in the air between them for a while as he avoids Sakura's gaze and Sakura stares him down. In the past she would've backed down. Hell, if they were the same age she never would've dared talking back to him in that manner in the FIRST damn place, but things- as ever -are different here. She's seen his growth and been through too much herself to still be intimidated like she was when they were just kids his age. ]
But you stayed anyway, didn't you?
[ The words are bittersweet on her tongue, because Sakura can remember the missions, the bonding time as Team Seven, and the bitter feelings of regret and loss at their forced separation, the day Sasuke tried so hard to sever all the ties between them, even going so far as to threaten to destroy the Hidden Leaf.
Her grip on the box loosens and instead she pushes it quietly in his direction.
She's sure that back home right now she's not much more than an annoyance most of the time, even if a familiar one, maybe even just a little bit welcomed (as if he'd ever admit it). He and Naruto were constantly having to come to her rescue. She's sure it was troublesome, and maybe he felt like she was holding him back.
But- ]
... Do you actually regret it? The time we've all spent together?
[ Sasuke's answer could still eviscerate her here. She knows how things will turn out later but she has no insight into how he actually felt in this moment of their lives. What if he really did wish he'd taken another path? What would she say to that? ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
•||• Voicemail
•||• Audio Calls
•||• Video Calls
[Video]
A video call will clear things up immediately. And on Hanabi's end, the Hyuuga clan's eyes are distinctive. Even if Sakura doesn't recognize her directly, she'll know a Hyuuga when she sees one.
She ensures she's in a well lit room and has angled the phone's camera correctly before starting off her message with a simple inquiry.]
Hello, is this Sakura Haruno of Konoha?
[Video]
On the one hand, she's eager to speak to someone from home, but that curiosity is curbed a bit by knowing that there's a real possibility she's from a different time? How strange would it be if Hanabi were older than her? Would she feel like Sasuke had?
Well, only way to know is to answer.
When she does, Sakura has a towel around her neck and shoulders, and her expression is one of mild surprise.]
Hanabi? I didn't know you were here!
[Video]
I've been here for about two months now. I noticed your name in the network list and I wanted to send a message and check if it was you or someone else with the same name.
no subject
Have you been on your own all that time? I'm sorry it took so long for us to reach each other. I'm still getting the hang of these devices.
no subject
[Trust a Hyuuga to be a workaholic even with no consequences for slacking off.]
Have you spoken to Sasuke? He's here, too.
[If she hasn't, she'll warn her about the time difference.]
no subject
[Workaholics UNITE. She doesn't have the hospital here, but she's found work at an apothecary for a few hours a day.
On the subject of Sasuke Sakura's expression turns slightly exasperated, and she gives a sigh.]
Yes, actually. We met in the woods a few days after we got here. He's camping out in the woods and refuses to come into the city for more than a shopping trip.
[Now that she's older and they have this age gap between them- now that she's having to deal with him as a kid while she's had the benefit of time and experience she has to wonder (insincerely): What did she do to deserve not just one- but TWO bone headed teammates?]
Anyway, it isn't much, but I've managed to find a place to stay in exchange for helping out our landlord with their medical problems. I've been trying to convince him to move in, but if you'd like a place to stay, you're more than welcome to share my room.
no subject
[She feels like she should leave the inn for the newest arrivals, but she hadn't quite been ready to try to find a place of her own - especially with the crowding that's only starting to be remedied now.]
I can try to talk to him about it too, if you'd like.
no subject
[She says it with some playful gusto to lighten the mood a bit.]
Do you need any help moving your things over? I can come by, if you'd like. We can find Sasuke together after that, whenever you're ready.
no subject
With how cold the weather has been getting, maybe we'll be able to get through to him. I wouldn't want to be bathing in river or lake water if I didn't have to.
[It's got to be positively frigid at this point, and she'd feel bad for Sasuke if this wasn't 100% self-inflicted discomfort.]
I should be able to bring it all over myself. I have a wagon that I bought for a quest. All of the things I have here will fit in a backpack and that wagon.
no subject
Alright, then here's our address. I'm adding you to my contacts, too. When you get ready to come by just call me if you run into any trouble, and let me know when you get close, okay?
[And with that sent, Sakura will wait to see if Hanabi wants to continue the call or get started coming over. She may be busy after all.
But Sakura, for her part, will be investing in some supplies to make the shared space more comfortable for them.]
[Video] ---> [Action]
That's not a conversation for over the network, though. That's a conversation to be had in person, when they can be sure that it's actually private.]
I'll see you soon.
[She disconnects and she's relatively prompt about packing up her things and heading out, politely thanking the innkeep for allowing her to stay as she leaves.
She only makes one detour, and that's to pick up some baked treats for her, Sakura and for Sasuke as well. Being the heaviest possessions she has, her schoolbooks are piled into the wagon while she carries the rest of her belongings either in her backpack or somewhere on her person. It's not too long before she arrives, announcing her presence with a knock to the door.]
•||• Text Messages
Dated to whenever the dragon hunting is
[ He doesn't want to get punched for not telling her, just in case she goes looking for him while he's gone. ]
Backdated coming off unplanned holiday-job-change hiatus
[ This is probably just Sasuke being Sasuke, and it shouldn't be surprising, but it's so abrupt!
Also a Sasuke trademark, now that she thinks about it. No less... troublesome, though. ]
... Alright, where are you headed? And stop by the shop before you go, I have some medical supplies I'd planned on giving you.
no subject
[ "We're." And no, he doesn't elaborate. The whole situation really is just classic Sasuke. At least he intends to return this time.
...
........ ]
We already left.
no subject
"You waited until after you'd already left to tell me on purpose. Didn't you-"
Backspacebackspacebackspace. ]
I'll see you when you get back.
no subject
[ Yep. She's. She's definitely going to kill him. There's going to be a nice, Sasuke-sized hole in the ground when his party returns. He's tempted to try and avoid the hassle by not telling her when he gets back, but he's smart enough to know that'll just make the situation worse.
So, a number of days later, Sasuke (begrudgingly) sends her another message. ]
I'm back.
no subject
Good to see you managed not to get yourself killed.
[ She sends this between working on grabbing ingredients for a poultice, and it's a little bit before the next part follows. ]
I don't finish work for another three hours. Come by the shop.
no subject
He doesn't reply. It's a waste of his time and serves no purpose, so he leaves her on read as he parkours his way across the city and towards the shop. He spots the conspicuous dent in the ground and grimaces slightly.
Welp. There's no reason to draw this out, so--hands shoved in his pockets and still laden with all the weapons and wire he'd taken along with him, Sasuke pushes open the door and walks in like he owns the place, his expression neutral and his gait steady. ]
Hey.
no subject
When she hears the chime on the door and his footsteps approaching her work station she's in the middle of bagging and boxing.
Without looking up, then-- ]
You know, you're the last person I expected to go running off on some dangerous quest without any proper warning. Did the idiot really rub off on you that much?
no subject
And really, he's not sure what aggravates him more, being compared to someone as moronic as their teammate or being treated like a child. He didn't rush headlong into danger alone, he had people with him, they had a plan. It was like any other mission. ]
I'm nothing like Naruto, and I'm not some helpless child. Consider yourself lucky I told you at all.
no subject
That look he was giving her now definitely felt like the latter.
Sakura put down the bag in her hand and stared stubbornly back. ]
I know you're not, but it doesn't stop me from worrying. We've barely even started mastering our powers, but you're already running off fighting dragons?
[ She moved to one of the shelves behind the counter then and retrieved a box. ]
We're a team. We're supposed to help each other and look out for one another. And it's just the three of us here, besides.
Throws Sasuke into the abyss
Sasuke's conflicted, not that it shows. He's still frustrated, yes, but her words needle at his conscience. They give rise to an uncomfortable, stifling feeling in his chest, and to the realization that--
For a moment, it seems like she might get through to him. There's a flicker in his expression, his irritation momentarily giving way to something else, to the tiniest shred of guilt. But it doesn't last. The feeling is very nearly snuffed out, quickly buried beneath his complicated feelings around teamwork and the mountain of frustration that's been slowly building since their arrival.
The glare is back with ferocious determination, as though this is no longer just about his recent actions. Because it's not, not really. That momentary flicker of guilt made him realize just how much he cares about Sakura and team 7. Just how thoroughly they managed to worm their way past his walls. Since when? He's known for a while that they mattered to him, but when did he begin to care this much? Enough to feel guilty?
He thinks back. To the land of waves, when he defended Naruto without thinking. When they went up against Orochimaru and he considered surrender. When he nearly killed the damn team from Oto who hurt Sakura. When Gaara captured her.
I don't want to see that ever again. My trusted comrades falling in front of me.
He can't pinpoint the exact moment, but it doesn't matter. The end result is the same. He's going soft, losing his edge, becoming weak.
And so he lashes out. ]
Save your breath. I never asked to be on your team. [ He spits the word, and while it's full of venom, he can't quite meet her eyes anymore. ]
no subject
Except she knows why you're like this (she's pretty sure anyway, at this point) and knowing (suspecting) doesn't make it any easier to deal with.
Sakura sets the box down on the counter with more force than is strictly necessary, but not hard enough to damage the contents within. The edges of the lid are just a little bit crumpled from the strength of her grip, that's all! Don't mind it, don't mind it!
Sasuke's last words just hang in the air between them for a while as he avoids Sakura's gaze and Sakura stares him down. In the past she would've backed down. Hell, if they were the same age she never would've dared talking back to him in that manner in the FIRST damn place, but things- as ever -are different here. She's seen his growth and been through too much herself to still be intimidated like she was when they were just kids his age. ]
But you stayed anyway, didn't you?
[ The words are bittersweet on her tongue, because Sakura can remember the missions, the bonding time as Team Seven, and the bitter feelings of regret and loss at their forced separation, the day Sasuke tried so hard to sever all the ties between them, even going so far as to threaten to destroy the Hidden Leaf.
Her grip on the box loosens and instead she pushes it quietly in his direction.
She's sure that back home right now she's not much more than an annoyance most of the time, even if a familiar one, maybe even just a little bit welcomed (as if he'd ever admit it). He and Naruto were constantly having to come to her rescue. She's sure it was troublesome, and maybe he felt like she was holding him back.
But- ]
... Do you actually regret it? The time we've all spent together?
[ Sasuke's answer could still eviscerate her here. She knows how things will turn out later but she has no insight into how he actually felt in this moment of their lives. What if he really did wish he'd taken another path? What would she say to that? ]
text, un: fireworks | now in the right place
I got a cookie for you. Something called gingerbread. I hope you like it. Don't worry, it was made by outworlders rather than the fae.
Backdated, but feel free to ignore if you don't want to backtag!
[ It's just a simple thing, more practical than anything else, but she hopes she'll like it just the same. ]
Private/locked and any other filter he could POSSIBLY slap on
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