prompt—lessons learned
summary: There is a way to be good again.
note: Summary quote is from The Kite Runner. Sasuke is an ex-con and Sakura is… Sakura. I'm pretty much in love with this setting because it fits SS so perfectly. I guess you could say this was inspired by the dynamics between Akiyama and Nao from Liar Game. Without further ado, here's day 2 of ssmonth! (Wow, it turned out to be nine pages long. Woops.)

the way back
—reviee

"Yo, Teme!"

Sasuke turned to see Naruto—regrettably his best friend—standing against an orange car. The Uchiha rolled his eyes as the blonde bounced off to greet him. Naruto wrapped his arms around his friend enthusiastically, squeezing Sasuke tightly. Uncomfortable, the dark-haired man pushed against him and opened the passenger door.

To his surprise, there was a girl there. Her hair was pink and her eyes a vibrant emerald. He turned to Naruto, who was grinning.

"Meet Sakura-chan!" He shoved past Sasuke to take the girl's hand and led her out of the car. "She's my roommate."

"Hi," the girl extended her hand and smiled warmly up at him.

Sasuke stared at her hand for a few moments before he took her hand tentatively. They shook—one, two, three—and then released. He opened the door behind hers and shoved his bags in the backseat before getting in. Naruto rounded the car and got into the driver's seat. They didn't drive in silence, because it turned out that this Sakura girl was incredibly chatty. She and Naruto were a perfect match, Sasuke thought, annoyed.

"We're here!" Naruto announced, turning off the engine and stepping out.

They entered a posh flat, where Naruto resided with Sakura. The place was clean, which was a total surprise to Sasuke. He left his bags on the floor near the doorway and inspected the area. It seemed nice enough. Sakura stood behind him, her hands behind her back. She was probably the one who cleaned up after Naruto's disgusting ramen fetish. Sasuke suddenly felt slightly better about rooming with Naruto for an undetermined amount of time.

"You're sleeping on the sofa!" Naruto informed him, picking up his bags and setting them near the couch in front of the television.

Sasuke glanced at the piece of furniture. She probably picked that out too.

"Fine," he answered monotonously.

—

"Why was he in jail, Naruto?"

Naruto's face turned somber. "He… he attempted to kill his brother when he was sixteen."

Sakura's face twisted in surprise and shock. Seeing her face, Naruto tried to make it better. "No, no! I… Sakura-chan, he's not a bad person. It's all very complicated. You should ask him." Then Naruto winked, "He won't try to kill you, I promise. He's just a little mean."

The next day, Sakura was staring at Sasuke. He ignored it, instead turning to the stack of files he had received. Now that he was out of jail, the Uchiha Enterprises had to deal with him. They had to decided whether to put him in charge—as Fugaku's will said (in the case that Uchiha Itachi did not want to step up, which he did not)—or just give him his inheritance and save themselves from the scandal. He hated the diplomatic bastards, he thought angrily, almost snapping the pen in two.

Sakura blinked, seeing his face change and contort in anger. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Sasuke said through clenched teeth. When she didn't cease staring at him, he snapped, "I tried to kill my brother when I was sixteen. I was caught because half my family makes up the police force. I tried to kill him because he is a total bastard and he killed my parents, but they can't prove it. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"I… I didn't… I—nevermind… I'm sorry." With that, she scurried out of the room.

—

To his utter shock, she continued to speak to him after that. They lived together, of course, but she didn't avoid him like he thought she would.

"Two eggs, right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded. Sakura made him eggs and bacon for breakfast, packed him lunch when he needed to head to the office and cooked them dinner whenever she could. She usually woke up early to make herself breakfast and lunch before heading out to the hospital. She gave him her unwanted opinion when she would sit next to him, watching the television. He wondered why she watched medical shows when she worked in a hospital every single day.

"Here you go," she placed the porcelain dish in front of him and smiled at him, "Enjoy. I'm going to work now, but I think I'll be back for dinner. Naruto's free today, right? We should all go out to Ichiraku's!"

"Whatever." He replied, ripping off a piece of toast.

Sakura gathered her stuff quietly, shuffling around the room in haste. He watched her in his peripheral vision, wondering how someone could be so organized yet so disorganized at the same time. She finally found her keys and stuffed them in her jacket pocket.

"Well, I'm off! See you tonight, Sasuke!"

—

A month later of making breakfast and lunch for him, Sasuke decided he would pick Sakura up from her late shift. It was 11pm and she had complained that morning about taking the subway home. He reluctantly complied and told her he'd be there at 11pm sharp to pick her up. She happily agreed and that was that… except he was here—at exactly 11pm—and there were no signs of her.

Sasuke waited there for a full fifteen minutes. Every three minutes, he had contemplated getting up and leaving. Then his mind drifted to her soft humming every morning as she cooked him breakfast and made him lunch. He sat back down. When she finally came through the swiveling doors, she looked like a mess.

"Sasuke-kun," she smiled weakly, "you're here."

As if he wouldn't be, he thought, as he looked her up and down. The chignon she had her hair in was a mess, with strands falling out. There was a speck of blood on her neck and her jacket was falling off on one side. She was carrying multiple bags and a pair of sneakers. She was a walking disaster. He grunted and started walking towards the door.

"What a long day!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing her bags and her shoes into the backseat. She sighed as she sunk into the passenger seat. "I saved a boy and his family today. They were in a car accident. It was horrible."

Sasuke turned to her suddenly. She meant it as a passing comment—he knew—but that's how his parents had died. That's how Itachi had fucking killed them. His fists clenched over the gear.

Sakura noticed, of course, and she looked at Sasuke worriedly. She knew instinctively that what she just said reminded him of his family. It was a touchy subject for him, she knew, but perhaps he would be better if he opened up. Tentatively, she reached to cover his hand with hers. He immediately ripped his hand from her touch. She wasn't offended, but instead retracted her hand quietly.

"I'm not taking pity on you, you know. Just… I'm here to listen, if you want." She crossed her legs, settling comfortably in her seat.

There was a silence before he turned on the engine and backed out of the parking lot.

—

A week later, he came to her in her room.

Sakura was surfing her phone on her bed, tucked under the covers comfortably when he knocked and came in. She beckoned him to sit next to her on the bed, but he took the chair near her desk and brought it over. They stared at each other for a while—Sakura wondering what he was doing here, Sasuke wondering what to say. She set her phone down next to her and raised an eyebrow.

"I…I found out in prison that my uncle was the one who orchestrated my parents' death. My brother only... he only let my parents die because my uncle threatened to kill me. Itachi wanted to protect me and I…" Sasuke trailed off, his eyes lowering.

Sakura brought her knees up to her chest. "Sasuke… you're not thinking of attempting to kill your uncle too, are you?"

"He killed my family." Sasuke hissed, his head snapping angrily towards her.

"You'll ruin your life!" Sakura exclaimed, her back straightening. "Sasuke, Uchiha Enterprises is about to be handed to you. Take it. Make something good out of yourself. You cannot spend your life rotting in jail."

"And why not?" he challenged, "I'm already a piece of shit in their eyes! My parents… they deserved better than this. I have to give them what they deserve."

"Not this way, Sasuke…" she whispered, "You could make something out of your father's business. Make your mom proud."

Sasuke finally stood up and turned away, "You don't understand."

"Sasuke…" Sakura reached to grip his wrist, "Don't throw your life away because you were dealt a shitty hand. You're a good guy."

He shook her hand off, "No. I'm not."

Sasuke walked out of her room.

—

Sakura found him packing up two weeks later.

"You're leaving?" she intoned, freezing in the doorway as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"I found a place." Sasuke answered curtly, not glancing at her.

Sakura dropped her purse on the floor, "Did you at least take the job?"

"None of your business," he snapped, "Why does it matter to you? Just take your perfect life and go with it. You don't need to concern yourself with my problems."

"God, Sasuke!" She shouted, "Why do you have such a fixed image of yourself? I like you. I think I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you and your problems and I wish you'd see yourself the way I see you."

Sasuke's expression didn't change. His head was lowered as he packed his bags on the sofa and he peered at her through his bangs. She was crying, he realized, and he didn't quite know why. She hasn't known him long. She's known him for two months, he thought angrily. Haruno Sakura did not know anything about him yet she stood there, refusing to believe in anything bad about him.

"You're annoying…" he murmured before grabbing his bags and slipping out the door—leaving her to cry alone.

—

Naruto called him a lot after that. Sasuke never picked up, but he heard the messages the blonde would leave in his inbox. Strangely enough, Sakura was never heard. She never called him and she was not in the messages that Naruto left. He wondered if she had really wanted him to stay. She wasn't even trying to get him back.

Sasuke tracked down Uchiha Madara. He was a wealthy yakuza man, leading the mob and making dealings with shady politicians. There was another Uchiha with him—much to Sasuke's surprise—and he soon found out that it was Uchiha Obito. Sasuke gathered intel on them, hell bent on knowing their every routine so he could intercept it. He had to strike when they least expected.

Two months after searching for information, he found out that Uchiha Madara was controlling Uchiha Enterprises. The money that was used to fund UE was from the yakuza. His whole family was corrupted.

Sasuke went crazy after that.

—

When Sakura saw him again, he was in her hospital.

"Sasuke!" She gasped, running towards his cot in the ER. "What happened to you? God, your face is swollen. I… Sasuke—"

Someone else's voice cut through, "He's fine. He just got roughed up by some teenagers, that's all."

Sakura glanced up. The man who had just spoken was tall and had a huge resemblance to Sasuke, except his bangs were longer and his hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. He had bags under his eyes, but a gentle smile adorned his face. She stepped back and nodded, taking his chart.

"And you are?" Sakura looked down on the chart.

"Uchiha Itachi. I'm his brother." He spoke with a fluidity that calmed her nerves. She couldn't believe her eyes—Sasuke was here, after four years.

"And uh, how did he get roughed up?" She raised an eyebrow.

Itachi took out a badge, "We're with the Police Task Force. He's in training and I brought him along on a call."

"You… what—" Sakura choked, looking up from her chart in surprise. She directed her attention to Sasuke, "You're becoming a police officer?"

Sasuke locked eyes with her. Sakura nearly reeled back from the contact. His eyes were still just as hard, just as dark. It made her heart clench. He made her heart clench, she thought wryly. After four years, all her heart did was yearn for him. At that moment, seeing his murky eyes, it broke her heart.

"Fine. I'll get you up to get scans as soon as possible." Her tone was clipped as she clutched the chart to her chest. "Have a good day."

Sasuke waited six hours to get scanned that day.

—

"Hello."

Sakura looked up to see Itachi sidling up next to her. She closed the chart she was currently updating to look at him.

"Yes?" She answered rather annoyed.

"How do you know my brother?" Itachi asked conversationally.

Sakura huffed, "We roomed together with Naruto four years ago. I don't really know him."

"Four years ago… that's when he got out of jail. That's also when he came to me to join the Police Task Force." Itachi remarked, smirking slightly. "You had nothing to do with it?"

"No." There was a pause where she remembered her and Sasuke's moments in flashes. "No, I had nothing to do with it."

Itachi didn't seem to hear her as he continued, "He's changed. A little bit. Give him a chance."

"Chance?" Sakura felt the laughter bubble up in her chest. She felt the tears stinging behind her eyes. "Sasuke wouldn't give himself the chance. He never thought he was good enough and he left. He left me after I told him to give himself a chance. He threw my feelings back in my face and he doesn't seem like he wants to reciprocate them now."

Sakura was practically in hysterics. She grabbed the chart off the counter roughly, whipped around and walked away.

—

Sasuke showed up at her door ten days later with an English muffin stuffed with bacon.

"It's five am," Sakura grumbled, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Breakfast." He shoved the paper bag in her arms then proceeded to hand her a large steaming cup of coffee.

Without another word, Sasuke turned on his heel and left. Sakura stood in her doorway, hair mussed and clothes crumpled, utterly confused.

—

Naruto had given Sasuke her address—that much was certain. The Uchiha showed up at her doorstep every morning at five am sharp—right before her shift—to deliver her breakfast. Naruto seemed to have also given him her work schedule, because on Sundays and Wednesdays, he showed up at nine am. Her shifts started at ten-thirty on those days.

Two weeks after it started, Sakura had gotten enough. He never spoke a word to her, never gave her as much as a lingering stare when he came to her doorstep. It was simply breakfast and coffee pushed onto her.

"Sasuke." Sakura called sternly when he started walking away, "We need to talk. About this."

Sasuke stopped and slowly turned around, shoving his hands in his pockets. She stepped aside as he walked into her apartment. They settled on the couch as she sipped the coffee that he brought her.

"Why do you do this? You wake up at four am every morning to get me breakfast. Why?" Sakura was frantic for answers.

He shrugged, "You need to eat."

"That's not an answer!" She screeched, placing her cup on the table, "You disappear for four years and then when I finally see you again you have nothing to say to me! Now you suddenly know my schedule by heart and you make an effort to get me breakfast. What is it that you want, Sasuke?"

Sasuke stared at her blankly. He abruptly stood up and started walking towards the door. Sakura shot up in her seat and nearly lunged for him, taking his hand in hers.

"What is it… Sasuke?" She was whispering now—her voice low and soft, tears burning.

"I'm sorry!" he thundered and then he gripped her around the waist and smashed his mouth against hers.

They kissed for a long time. Tears spilled over her cheeks as he pulled her closer, squeezing their bodies so close that she couldn't breathe. She responded with the same kind of vigor, squeezing his cheeks until her fingers turned white. He could feel her teeth underneath her lips. And then she opened up and it was her tongue lashing out at his as their teeth clacked.

Neither of them wanted to part, but the kiss had been draining. Sasuke spoke first.

"I'm sorry."

Sakura sighed, melting against him, "You better be."

—

Sasuke brought her to his apartment for dinner on their first date.

"Wow… this is nice." Sakura breathed, looking around, "Where was all this money when you were sleeping on Naruto's couch?"

"I'm taking over Uchiha Enterprises." He explained, seating her at his dining table.

Sakura was confused. "I thought you were going to be a police officer?"

"It was just a cover-up. I'm working with Itachi to expose my uncle's yakuza relations and the corruption going on in Uchiha Enterprises. I've been on the board of directors for three years. I'm going to have enough evidence to lock them all up for a long time." Sasuke took a sip of his wine.

"Sasuke…" her gaze softened and a smile broke out on her face, "I knew you were a good guy. What made you change your mind?"

Sakura reached across the table and grasped his hand when his eyes lowered. "I found Madara when I left. He was head of the yakuza and it wasn't surprising. I was going to kill him and I was gathering intel on him. I… found out that he was giving money he made from his business to Uchiha Enterprises, to fund their projects. My whole family was involved, even some of the police officers. It…it was too much."

She caressed his hand, brushing her thumb over his knuckles.

"Thank you for believing in me," he finally said, his eyes searching hers. Sakura squeezed his hand. His eyes were different now. They were still dark, still troubled—but they had cleared. There were no longer any reservations, any confusion or defensiveness. He had finally opened up to her.

"You're welcome."