At My Fingertips

Rating: M

Pairing: SasuSaku

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters.

5

Sasuke returns to the basic routines of his life for the few following days after his last meeting with Sakura. He quickly noticed her absence, but in good faith, he did not intrude on the privacy of her life. He was thin on patience at times, but found his trust in her waning his growing anxiety. It was only when a week had passed that he had finally felt the need to investigate.

"Sasuke, great job on this project. Though, I found your approach rather interesting." Kakashi is usually easy to communicate his opinions on my work. Especially at critiques, like today. After a few weeks of effort on the final sculpture before the semester ended, I was near fucking ecstatic to have reached the end of the torture to my body. Of course, it was made easy by Sakura's doing. It's been a week since my last treatment, and I haven't felt anything reminiscent to pain since.

"And that means?" I coerce him.

"How do I put this… well it's just like that. I thought it was interesting, I hadn't expected you to make the woman in your piece pregnant."

I get it now. I'd bet he'd rather me create a sculpture of a woman with only details of clothing, robes maybe. The oversexualized idea of a woman, but that's his style, and not mine.

"Hn. That. Don't ask why I did it, it only felt like I should."

Of course, he was insistent on prying, and I refused his questions every time. I really only created the damn piece out of an idea that came to me when I was dozing off to his partner's, Yamato, shitty Zen music in the studio.

Half ways through me packing away all my things into my bag, making sure the tools in my bag don't get damaged, Kakashi pulls me from my task with a slap of a flyer to my chest.

"…What is it-"

"Kizashi Haruno is hosting a collaborative exhibit and asked me and an artist of my choice to participate."

After a pause he continues:

"I chose you."

Wait, what the fuck?

I read the flyer, and sure enough, it's exactly what he says. A collaboration between three people. A world-renowned artist, his apprentice, and the apprentice of the apprentice.

Me.

"But, when is this? Kakashi?"

But the damn old man had already left the studio. The semester had ended, and I had no way to reach him to ask him the details of the collaboration.

All in his fucking style, Kakashi and his terrible sense of timing.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

"Hi! This is Sakura. Sorry I couldn't reach your call. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Bye!"

This again.

"Look man, you don't want Ino's number. Besides, she's talking to Sai now, ya know? And weren't you seeing that girl you met online."

Fucking Naruto.

He's refusing me all while sitting in my living room and playing on my console.

"Naruto, for the fifth fucking time. I do not want Ino's number for that. I just have some questions for her. That's it."

"You wanna play 20 questions with her? That's even worse, Sasuke. I'm not givin her number to ya."

I pinch the bridge of my nose. He better be fucking kidding.

"I have some questions about Sakura, she might know."

This catches his attention.

"Well, whydunya just ask her?"

That's exactly my problem.

"Sakura's M.I.A. I would ask her if I could reach her."

He makes a face, his lips round into and "O" and his eyes squint.

"Ooooh. Tsss. Sounds like you've been ghosted."

I hadn't even considered that. I take a moment to weigh the possibility. But that doesn't make sense. Things were going well. And she liked my company as much as I liked hers, I think.

Still, I couldn't picture Sakura doing that. I don't think that's in her deck of cards to play. But who knows, that girl is full of surprises.

The uneasiness of it all still stays with me, I'd rather not carry that luggage around. Maybe something happened to her? Who fucking knows.

Ino might. She talked a lot about Ino, right?

"Well, if you wanna get rejected right, I guess you might just pull the trigger, huh? Here." He throws me his phone from his pocket carelessly. If I didn't have fast reflexes, his phone would be shattered on the floor right about now.

I punch in his password, and send myself Ino's number.

"Thanks, dobe."

"Mmm yeah no problem." And he's back to concentrating on his game.

Sasuke: Ino? It's Sasuke.

Ino: Sasuke-kun? Hi! How are you?

Sasuke: Have you heard from Sakura at all?

Ino: Hmm? I thought she'd been spending time with you?

Sasuke. I haven't heard from her in a week.

Ino: Now that I think about it… that was the last time I'd heard from her too!

Ino: Oh no, do you think somethings happened to her?

Sasuke: I don't know. She had mentioned leaving to train for an apprenticeship, know anything on that?

Ino: Yes, were going together but that isn't until later. Hasn't started yet.

Sasuke: I see… thanks.

Ino: Sorry, Sasuke-kun! I'll let you know if I hear from her.

That did absolutely the opposite than what I'd expected. I'd hoped Ino had heard from her, and she was ghosting me. But this is probably fucking worse.

There's someone else who might know. I drive as fast as I can to the university before it closes and the teachers leave for the summer.

"Good evening, did you need something?"

Tsunade is much taller than I had imagined her to be.

My gut tells me I should probably be extra fucking polite.

"Good evening, ma'am. I came to ask if you know anything of Sakura and her whereabouts? It seems unusual for her to drop off the radar so suddenly like that."

Her face and body language give no tangible hint or clue that I could read on.

"And who is asking?"

"My name is Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

"An Uchiha? Are you a police officer?"

Hn.

"No, nothing like that. I'm just a … friend."

I fucking hesitate and she gives me a very wary look.

"I suppose you're worried? I haven't heard from her either. But I don't believe she is in any danger. Sakura disappears often for short periods of time for some personal business, is my guess. I'm sure if there was something wrong, her family would have contacted me asking as well. But they haven't. I'm sure she is fine, Sasuke, was it?"

"Yes."

"I've heard that name before…" She says mostly to herself.

"Don't get hung up on it. Stress is not good for the mind or body. I'm sure you'll hear from her soon."

Sakura leaves often on personal business? How did Ino not mention that? I'm still skeptical, but Tsunade seems very convinced there's nothing alarming about Sakura disappearing without telling anyone she knows about it.

"Thank you for your time." I start heading out but she isn't finished, apparently.

"Your father is Fugaku Uchiha, is he not? If there were a case on Sakura, he'd be the first to know. If you're still not convinced, try asking him. I sincerely doubt you'll find anything though."

Father? If I brought such trivial matters to my father's attention, it would only sour his mood. And it would probably piss me off more than it should.

"Yes, thankyou again. I'll be on my way."

"Bye now!"

Another week passes by. I still haven't heard anything from Kakashi. Sakura is still off the grid.

I sit now in a frat house foreign to me. All the guys here wear fucking polo shirts and khaki shorts. Why Naruto and his gang wanted to come here is beyond me. Apparently Neji lives here, which, doesn't come as a surprise. Him and that space bun girl, who I recently learned is called Tenten, went upstairs some time ago and I haven't seen them since. So now here I am, with a bunch of idiots, seated in a house none of us are familiar with, basically freeloading off these preppy, rich fucks.

We don't know a single person here. No one else seems to notice the glares coming from them to our seated group.

It's summer, and no one has left out of town. Everyone is from the city. Their families don't live hundreds of miles away from here, or in a suburb of the city too far to visit every day, like mine do.

Sasuke." A female voice calls from beside me.

My eyes meet red eyes.

"Why do you look so glum? Where is that pinkette I hear rumors about?"

Karin.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She gets too close for comfort, I find myself taking a few steps back.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask the three of them.

Suigetsu answers for them. "Same as you, came to enjoy the party." He smirks, Juugo looks expressionless from beside him.

The three of them are an old friend group of mine, from years before I finally succumbed to Naruto's friendship. Those were… odd days for me.

"So, no girl this time?" Karin asks again. Her infatuation with me has always been painfully obvious, I don't feed her what she wants.

"Oh come on, Karin! 'Course he doesn't have a girl with him, does he ever? Sasuke isn't flashy about those sorts of things, he likes to keep it on the down low. Don't you Sasuke?" Suigetsu says in a condescending tone.

Why the fuck is this the topic of concern?

"I don't see how that's any of your business." I defend. Juugo looks at me worriedly, maybe he thinks I'll lash out at them. I won't, though. Right now, I just want to get far away from them.

Done with their conversation, I turn around and push passed the crowd to get to the door that leads outside. I hear Karin calling my name from behind me, but I don't bother to turn around.

Why am I even here anyways?

I should be doing something else.

I pull out my phone and make a web search for Konoha University faculty and press on Kakashi's name. All the years I've known him, you'd think I'd have his number saved. But I never had a reason to call him before now.

He doesn't pick up the first time, so I call again.

He picks up on the fifth ring.

"Who is this?" he asks.

"Kakashi, where are you?" I don't even bother with greetings.

"Sasuke? Why?"

"When were you planning to explain the exhibit thing to me?" I sound slightly agitated, Kakashi notices too because he hesitates to answer.

"Are you drunk?" He asks.

"No. Answer me." He sighs through the phone, if I didn't know him any better, I'd say he is probably running his hand through his hair right now.

"…Alright, I just forgot to explain it to you. That's all. I was going to try to find you tomorrow, we should be leaving soon."

He just forgot? What the hell.

Wait…

"Leaving?" I ask.

"Yes, for the summer. Kizashi asked that we go live at his studios for the summer to concentrate on the exhibit. I didn't think you'd have a problem with that."

I don't have a problem with that. I just wish I knew this sooner.

"Where are his studios? What the hell, Kakashi? You didn't think maybe these were important things to tell me?"

"I guess not." He says gaily, I get the urge to reach into the phone to him and punch him through the line.

"His studios are in a town just outside of Konoha called Ikigai. We leave tomorrow early morning. Don't pack anything but clothes, Kizashi will provide all the supplies. Night!" and he hangs up. I stare at my phone angrily.

He was going to find me tomorrow, to tell me we were leaving? Leave it to him to do everything last fucking minute.

I head back to my apartment with an annoying, unnecessary, short notice.

A.N/ Another edited chapter :3 lol well it changed quite a bit. the next chapter is new, however. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy! Love reading reviews and hearing yall's thoughts. Have a great and wonderful rest of your week!