At no point in his life has Sasuke paid more attention to anyone else than to himself; well, he had to. Protecting himself from everyone around him would prevent history from repeating itself.

Sasuke rejected everyone who came his way — Sakura, Ino, he barely looked at Temari when she came to the Leaf Village. And well, the other people who hold a romantic interest in him are too insignificant for him to remember their names or even their facial features.

But you? No. Sasuke doesn’t remember seeing anything or anyone like you.

It’s the first time the boy has met someone with a past as traumatic as his own, not exaggeratedly so. Not that he knows everything, but the Uchiha heard about your past through distant gossip, just as they did with his own past.

However, the only thing that made him question is: why? Why are you so sweet and gentle, even when everything in your life was so desperately cruel?

The world wronged you – just like him, you are a lost black sheep trying to find your way back on the road. You are like him, but so different.

And for the first time, he was fascinated. Someone fascinated him. Not for being strong, exceptionally intelligent, or a good ninja, but for being yourself. To be honest, Sasuke doesn’t really know how to approach you.

Yes, maybe he could follow the example of the thousands of people who have hit on him. But come on, damn it, they were all so direct and forward, Sasuke wants to be more subtle about it. His idea is to try to invite you for a walk.

“Hey,” his neutral voice calling for you the exact moment he saw you. His ears felt warm. “Walk with me,” it almost sounded like an order, but he tried to make it seem like a request.