Chapter 1 - Tablespoon of Sake

It was a rare break in the action for Sakura. She got up at a leisurely pace, not scrambling to shower and dress like usual, lest she be late. Not that Lady Tsunade was awake that early, but somehow Sakura’s master always knew. And Shizune swore she wasn’t telling…huh. A mystery.

Today, Sakura didn’t feel like getting all dressed up. On the list of things to do were simple grocery shopping, and relaxing. That would be easy enough. Mercifully.

Yawning and stretching, she made her way to the bathroom, getting dressed for the day. Normally, she opted for a simpler version of her usual costume. Today, however, at the beginning of the hot season for Konoha, she opted for simple black shorts that fell halfway to her knees, and a sleeveless red shirt. For a change, she pulled her hair up into a small ponytail. She’d grown it longer in the back, though not like it used to be. Her pink locks now stretched just past her shoulder blades. Her headband was slung around her neck, giving her a carefree look. It felt good to drop protocol now and again.
--
Yuji was up early this morning, downing a cup of black coffee, in contrast to his usual green tea. Now that his slight stomach ailment had passed, which had resulted in him tripling his consumption of the light green brew, he was ready to try something different. Something refreshing. Coffee was just to get him moving. He had no intention of wasting a precious day off.
Ruefully, he glanced at his futon, left carelessly on the floor. Despite his dislike for ‘the norm’, as Shizune called it when she gave him giggling encouragement to pursue ‘the norm‘, Yuji had yet to find himself a girl. A female. A companion.
A soul mate.

For him, a girl was not a disposable object. He didn’t believe in that sort of thing. Despite his age, when the hormones flowed freely, he didn’t bow to them easily. In fact, it was a rare lapse in his vigilance against his own body that allowed him to see a girl he really liked.
Sakura Haruno. She was attractive, attentive, smart, powerful, and- he allowed himself this slight fetish (Was it a fetish? That didn’t seem like the right word…)- tsundere. Maybe ‘tomboy’ would be better. Either way, Sakura wasn’t a delicate female .She could handle herself, and often her rambunctious teammate. That control impressed Yuji, and he found himself interested in the Hokage’s apprentice. However, such a girl would normally be verboten to him. He and Lady Tsunade didn’t always see eye to eye, despite having a common mentor. In many cases, they had clashed. Yuji was often told he was in the right. Whatever that counted for, since no one would DARE tell Tsunade she was wrong. The only one she might ever listen to was Shizune. Maybe. On a good day. With plenty of sake.

Yuji had put off finding a girl for a long time. Part was fear. Fear of both success and failure. With success came more choices, consequences of those choices. It was complicated. Right now, his life wasn’t ideal per say, but he was content. Did he want to change all that? He was a warrior, but not a simpleton. Maybe a little philosopher ran through his blood, cultivated by his time with the Third Hokage. No matter what, he decided that he needed to introduce a third agent. An outside force, driven to ensure that SOMETHING was changed. A third party that would mess with the cohesion of every day life.

In short- alcohol.

Yuji would readily admit to being a lightweight when it came to alcohol. He never got drunk, and he rarely ever touched the stuff. But when his courage wavered when faced with such a dilemma, he made a conscious decision to allow alcohol to soothe him. He had run himself ragged; to the point of exhaustion. With missions, with worry, with study, without sleep, without caring for himself. He was a short hop away from his own incapacitation if he didn’t force himself to relax. a tablespoon of some kind of sake would be all it took.
-

Yuji held the earthenware cup in front of him, staring at it’s contents. Said contents were a dark yellow, perhaps light brown even, before you got to the light that was reflected inside the cup. He was familiar with the tea ceremony, as part of his training with the Third Hokage, but was never tempted to employ it himself. It seemed feminine, despite the Third’s assurances otherwise. It was also unnecessary. There was no one else to make tea for, and the preparation was hardly worth it for Yuji alone.

“Lightweight,” the bartender, an acquaintance of Yuji’s, intoned with a smirk. “You’re supposed to gulp it down.”

“I prefer to savor it.”

“Pansy. At least drink it before it ages.”

“Will that not make the brew better?”

“Wise guy.”

“Indeed so.” Yuji contemplated the cup a little longer. Then he half-smirked, as though mocking himself. “Kanpai.”
--

“Man, this heat is brutal!” Sakura exclaimed, carrying a brown bag full of essentials. She had noted, with a hint of pleasure, that a lot of male eyes were fixed on her today. After ensuring she wasn’t flashing anyone, she just took their stares in stride, pretending not to notice. Still, there was no one alive who wouldn’t enjoy at least a little attention from the opposite sex.

Looking up for a moment to wipe the light sheen of sweat on her brow (which she had grown in to, thank God!), she spotted Yuji stepping outside of a bar. Inwardly, she sighed a little bit. She held Yuji in high esteem. Thinking of him as a drinker…and the smoking, too. Although that was healthy, prescription chakra stuff. And he DID paint a pretty, if slightly morose picture when he smoked while deep in thought. Sakura knew he would never damage his body with things like that. She had stitched him together many a time, always as a result of combat. And each time, his body was in perfect health- something she could not take credit for.

“Hey! Yuji!”
-

Yuji heard his name being called. By someone female? That was new.

“Sakura, hi!”

He managed to get that much out before he turned around to look at her. As he did, the next part of his greeting caught in his throat.
She’s glowing today! I love her when she’s got her work clothes on, but this…relaxed version. She’s so cute! Or hot? No, the weather is hot. And not all females appreciate such a compliment. ‘Cute’ is universal.
Dismissing the fact that he was once again cataloging a girl’s appearance as though it were a scientific equation, Yuji straightened up. He was guessing the alcohol would kick in within five minutes. He needed to be in her company at that point.
-

Sakura smiled kindly, thinking that if anyone deserved a smile directed at him, it was certainly this particular boy. Girl shy, quietly attractive, soft-spoken until provoked, and a thirst for knowledge that belied his warrior status, Sakura had always found Yuji interesting. He was a mystery, even among shinobi. His birthplace, ‘real’ name, and many other facts were unknown to everyone but him. It was just something people accepted, since he was a student of the Third Hokage.
That was speaking as a colleague.

As a female, Sakura found Yuji intriguing. He was dark, sometimes melancholy, but never moody. He was in the best of health, but his skin was slightly pale and there were bags under his dark hazel eyes. Thick brown hair on top of his head somehow gave him a serious look, though that could have come from Sakura having seen him chiefly in combat. From what she could gather, he was polite, humble, and more than willing to assist when called up or having volunteered himself.
All in all, he was a ‘good guy’. And Sakura would be lying if she said that the mystery and stoicism he affected didn’t earn her curiosity.

“What are you up to today, Yuji?”

Yuji shrugged a little in response. “It’s a rare day off for me.”

Sakura raised an eyebrow. “Even from your personal training regimen?”

Yuji had to chuckle a little. He was known for two things: Being girl shy and being harder on himself than anyone else even thought to be. That was from everything from training to everyday life.
“Yes, even that. I had no choice. I caught a little bit of food poising, I think.”

“Food poisoning? Wow, that’s rare. What did you eat?”

Now, Yuji hadn’t expected this. A real conversation. He had just blatantly lied to Sakura, something else he had done simply out of habit. It wasn’t that he was a habitual liar, but that he chose to keep his personal life guarded. His stomach illness was chronic; from stress.

“Good question.”
That was a good answer. It ended the current line of questioning, at any rate. T-minus three minutes and counting until alcohol kicks in…
“So, how about you? What are you up to?”

Shifting the bag in her arms, Sakura half-shrugged, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. They came undone when she didn’t wear her headband in her hair. (Unconsciously, her simple movement made Yuji draw in a breath. She was so damned cute!)
“I’m just shopping today, then going to relax.”

Bam. It struck Yuji. Call it ‘man’s intuition’, if such a ludicrous thing existed. Now was his opportunity. She was shifting the bag, indicating she wanted to move on. Likely, the bag was heavy. So, an opportunity:
“Want me to carry that for you? I’ve kept you here talking without thinking about how heavy the bag might be.”
Oh, crap! Did I just say something weird? She’s super strong! I just made THE stupidest observation possible!

Trying to hide her surprise, Sakura hefted the bag.
“Nah, I’ve got it, Thanks though.”

Now it was Yuji’s turn to hide his emotion. Disappoint. He had failed. What could he expect? Asking such a stupid question. Alcohol countdown began: 30 seconds and counting.

“…But if you’ve got time to walk me home, I could use the company.”

A reprieve! A chance to redeem himself.
“Absolutely. I’d love to.”
-

Getting to her door, Ryouko was now past the point where the alcohol should have hit his system. But where was the happy feeling?
Of all the stupid times to build up a tolerance!

“Is something wrong?”

Yuji immediately smoothed his face. “Oh, nothing. It’s just really hot today, you know? We used to get bouts of cool weather where I came from.”

Sakura had inadvertently got him to open up a bit. She knew for a fact he’d never mentioned his previous home to anyone. With this new information, why he worked so hard became less of a mystery. The tone of his voice showed no particular affinity toward his previous hometown. In fact, the tone seemed to be missing some kind of key emotion. She hated to pry, but…

“I was wondering about that. You’ve never mentioned your hometown before. What was it like? Did you have to leave a lot of friends behind?”
Sakura covered her mouth in a gasp.
“I’m sorry, that was rude of me!”

Ryouko smiled thinly. “No, not at all. If I didn’t make such a mystery of it, then no one would be tempted to ask. The truth is…well, my hometown is nice and all. But it’s lonely. At least for me. I… don’t make friends easily.”

That much was evident. Sakura had never seen him pal around with anyone besides Rock Lee, after their infamous sparring matches. Seizing the opportunity, Sakura opened her door and cocked her head.
“How about coming in and getting out of the heat for a while? I’d offer tea, but that’s suicide in this weather.”
-

Once inside, Yuji knelt in the middle of Sakura’s living room, facing the kitchen. He was sitting stiff as a board, his posture perfect, his hands on his upper legs. At his age, it was pathetic to have these thoughts, but:
A girl. A girl’s home. I’m alone with a girl in a girl’s home. I like this girl. She’s being kind to me.
…
I like this girl. Is it time for a change? Is it?
Screw it. It IS time. I will MAKE it time.

Sakura returned, and with it, Yuji’s courage faded. But it didn’t disappear. As she set a cool cup of water (his request) in front of him, Sakura knelt opposite him. If she was as intimidated by him as he was by her, she certainly didn’t show it. She went about her business normally.
In reality, she was dying to ask him questions. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her. But she held back. He had sensed her interest, and decided to take advantage of it.

“…I think I said before that I don’t make friend easily…”
Gauging her reaction…yup, her eyes raised for a moment.

“Yes. Yes, you did say that. I can’t imagine why.”
She set her cup down, looking at him intently. This felt liberating for him. Perhaps he needed to bare his soul to someone?

“I…never stood out in a good way. And when I came here, I felt something special. Everyone knew everyone. Everyone got along. They were all proud to belong to the Leaf Village. To fight for it, and it’s honor. And each other. Where I first learned martial arts, there was little camaraderie, but only in class. People didn’t just get together out of loyalty; only out necessity. We would go to competitions ‘for the school’, and bring back trophies. But it only came down to the individual’s accomplishments.”
So far, not boring her. Better wrap it up quick, though.
“There were lots of other things, too. The school took the ‘easy way’ on a lot of their arts, cutting out things they didn’t like for the simplicity’s sake. You can’t ignore a rain cloud when it’s right in front of you, but that was the attitude. Coming here was night and day different. And, well, I’ve never regretted it. I want to belong even more. Maybe even get a normal existence out of it.”

Sakura was quiet, looking at her cup. She really was rendered speechless. Yuji’s story wasn’t horribly morbid or macabre, and not terribly sad. It still felt like he was avoiding talking about his real self, though, but that kind of trust took time.

Yuji had paused, still and quiet himself. He hadn’t opened up like that in a long time. Maybe the alcohol HAD hit him. If so, then now was the time. He was alone with her. The girl he liked. He could feel the words in his throat; he could hear them in his head. He decided to speak them aloud:
“Sakura…Do you want to go out sometime?”

Whatever Sakura had been expecting, THAT wasn’t it. She knocked her water over, then scrambled to clean it up. It gave her a second to think. In that one second, the smallest increment of time a human could measure without thinking, she had only one thought:
“Why not? I think I’d like that, Yuji.”

Yuji was taken aback. He didn’t expect a ‘yes’, let alone one that quickly. Without thinking, he mumbled,
“Wow. I wish I’d gotten up the guts to ask you out when I first got a crush on you.”

Sakura stopped cleaning, her curiosity once again getting the better of her.
“Huh? You had a crush on me? That’s sweet! But for how long?”

“Four years, give or take…” Yuji admitted sheepishly. Not for the first time, he was sure he was the most lame guy on the face of the earth.

“I swear, I couldn’t tell! And- FOUR years? You‘ve gotta be kidding!”
I don’t think I waited four weeks to tell Sasuke how I felt!

“What good is a shinobi who can’t keep secrets?’ Yuji shot back, a smile in his voice to match the one on his face. “As for why I got the guts up today…I was just thinking about that. I’m not sure if it was…well, the alcohol giving me the push I needed. Or maybe you managing to get some personal info out of me. Or…my guess is…the ponytail.”

“Huh? The ponytail?” She’d done it out of laziness. It was a pain to straighten her hair, and get each lock into place. The ponytail was her ‘day off’ hairstyle.

“Yeah. I like ponytails. And on you, it looks so good it’s almost criminal. I know it’s corny, but…”

Silence. What DO you make of a pick-up line like that? Perhaps Sakura should count herself lucky, since her date has simple needs? Or is Yuji lucky because he has simple needs?

All Yuji knew for sure was that he couldn’t wait to show off Sakura a bit. In a friendly way. Since he managed to get a date with her after so long, he certainly deserved to have some fun, right?

“Hey…Yuji?”

Sakura looked uncomfortable. Oh no. Not good for Yuji. This could only mean she’d reconsidered, and was going to tell him ‘no, never mind’. But he held his chin up- he had finally done it. He had asked her out, fully expecting a flat-out ‘no’. To make it this far, even with a little help from a tablespoon of sake…well, it was a miracle for him.
“Yes?”

She paused, blushing a little. “Well…would you ask me out again? When you haven’t had a drink? I…don’t want you to think I’m special because you’re drunk…”

Yuji had to freeze-frame for a moment. First, it was really cute, the way she had just cautiously said that, hands folded together, yet speaking with conviction. Second…drunk? He couldn’t quite stop the chuckle that came out of his mouth.
“Drunk? No, no! I’ve only had a tablespoon! I don’t drink heavily!”

“A…tablespoon?” Sakura covered her mouth, laughing. M’lady inhales more than fifty times that on a nearly daily basis! “Haha! You featherweight!”

“You wound me,” Yuji told her around a half-smirk. “C’mon, I know better than to ask you out completely under the influence. I just needed to shore up my resolve. I mean, it took me four years. Imagine if the alcohol wasn’t in the equation. I’d be training by myself, instead of sitting here with you. If a tablespoon can to that much good…”
He trailed off, blushing. It had occurred to him that he had no idea what to do with Sakura now that he had ‘caught’ her, so to speak. Not to mention that this was the first time they’d talked at length about something not related to work. He wasn’t used to that.

Sakura could se his discomfort growing, and stepped in quickly to end it.
“What do you have in mind, Yuji? For our date, I mean.”

“Well…I haven’t gotten past you saying ‘yes’ yet…well, what do you like?”

Sakura pursed her lips, making a dramatic show of her thinking. “I’d like…a dark, quite tea house. I’ll eat just about anything. It’ll give us a chance to talk. Get to know each other. God knows there’s a story behind you. And I want to hear it.”

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment