Semi-Drabble: Forgiveness

[Lauren]

It's like, way long. But by fic standards it's way-short. Woe, how to categorize my poor ficlet. Anywho, just one version of events upon Sasuke's (inevitable! inevitable I say!) return.



His arrival in Konoha was received with mixed emotions. Friends he didn?t know he had welcomed him back. Fellow shinobi?s eyed him warily. ?And with good reason.? He thought, averting eyes as black as the sins he?d committed.

?Oi! Sakura!? Naruto shouted, loud as he?d always been, arms waving in an ostentatious display of energy. ?He?s back!?

Sasuke followed Naruto?s gaze, barely registering the blur of reds and pinks until it slammed into his body. Sakura?s arms restricted his breathing, and though glad of the embrace, he found suffocation a very likely outcome of the crushing hug.

?Sakura.? He winced, and she immediately released him, throwing her arms around Naruto.

?Thank you.? He thought he heard her murmur into Naruto?s jacket. The grin on that idiot?s face gentled as he hugged her back, replying simply with ?Hey, this is just my ninja way.?

They parted, facing Sasuke, smiling a welcome that didn?t need to be spoken. He was grateful, so grateful. And yet?

Days later, he and Sakura had a moment of respite from the red tape his return had required, an idle moment on the bridge they had once waited on every morning. It was hard, keeping up the casual conversation with such an apparent reminder of all they had lost, so Sasuke found himself voicing the question he?d never intended to ask.

?Why did you welcome me back?? And in-between those lines, so obviously,?why don?t you hate me??.

She looked startled, and for a moment he thought he had offended her. After all, it could only be with a measure of insolence that a person could doubt the gift she had given him.

But then her mouth sweetened into a smile, warm and intimate, and because of the troubled past they now had, Sasuke didn?t resent it anymore when his heart predictably skipped a beat.

Her hands lifted to clasp his, and her eyes crinkled with some tender emotion.

?What is love, Sasuke, without forgiveness??

He would work to earn this, he promised, because he knew something good had finally happened for him, and for once his eyes were open to it. And he didn?t deserve it, at least not now, he knew, but Sasuke had never been one to let an opportunity slip by simply because he wasn?t worthy of it, so he bent down and kissed her.




And now I dead from fluff.

[wicked]

*is also dead from fluff*

I'm pissed at the mutated batboy but it's only because he's making things difficult for me and this damn one-shot that won't end.

But this! My darling Lars is faboo! Faboo I say. FABOO! It's just overly cute without being OOC and it just makes me smile when reading it. Me likey mucho.

Spain: Damn white girl ruining my language!
Japan: Welcome to the club.
Wicked: But I hardly ever use Japanese!
Japan: *glares* Need I mention work and your need to scream "Hai!" or "Arigatou!"
Wicked: It's supposed to be flattering.
Japspainan: Stop it!
Wicked: *cries*

*hugs Lars* I love you so bad!!! Why? He kissed her and dammit we all know that he wants to haooy her brains out (he didn't even subtly mention the need for haooy under the guise of "restoring his clan" but was blatant).

Kick ass Lars. Kick ass. Where's our next challenge (I cowered under the slug pressure)?

~Wicked

[csmlee]

Huzzah for sap!!! I especially LOVE the last paragraph! *melts* Sasuke-kun better work VERY hard to make sure he deserves every single bit of love and forgiveness from Sakura-chan!

And yes yes yes, I agree with Wicked. On with the haooy!!! *cackles*

Thanks for writing this, Lars! *huggles* We're SO lacking SasuSaku sap lately. Especially when a certain someone is advocating evil angst AND uber hot Goth Boy Gaara! *glares at Wicked*

*secretly lets out Naruto fluff bunny*