THE RETURN

Sakura glances over at the blurry red alarm clock numbers sitting atop her nightstand: 12:00. Rain drops beat the roof rhythmically, ushering her to return to the dreamland. But, she can tell, sleep isn't going to come easily.

"Happy birthday, Sasuke-kun."

It's been over three years since she last saw him. He had worn a firm, yet reassuring expression at the entrance gates of Konoha. The sun shone down on his black cloak which was absent of the Uchiha crest. She had so badly wanted to grab his hand and urge him not to go, but she knew better. Sakura wasn't that obsessed genin anymore. She had changed, grown. Everyone had.

A soft rapping at her window pulls her out of her zoned, half-dreamy state. She looks at the clock once more: 1:35.

Was I really reminiscing for that long?

She grabs a clean, oversized shirt from the messy pile on her chair and slides it over her skimpy pajamas. Another knock, more insistent. She yawns, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming!"

Geesh, who could be at my window at this hour?

Sakura opens the curtains, expecting to find a worried Naruto going on about something Hinata-related that he doesn't understand. Instead, the face staring back at her through the glass makes her breath hitch. She pushes open the window.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura manages, "What are you doing here?"

Her ex-teammate shifts uneasily, his lone arm rubbing the back of his neck. "Can I come in?"

Sakura steps aside, watching him sit on the windowsill and remove his sandals before stepping down. His clothes are drenched, and jet-black strands of hair cling fiercely to his face. A giggle escapes her lips.

Sasuke grunts softly, cheeks reddening slightly, "What?"

"Nothing. You just… well… you look kinda silly with your hair all pressed flat. That's all." Sakura's smile grows, and Sasuke's brows furrow.

"Tch. Yeah, well you have bedhead, loser," he responds, a sly smile on his lips.

She gasps, and her hands shoot up to try and cover her hair. She can feel the blood rushing to her cheeks.

"I thought you only called Naruto that…"

"Relax. I was just messing with you," Sasuke says after seeing her reddened face. He removes his dripping-wet cloak and saunters into her living room, Sakura following his footsteps. "Is it alright if I hang this here?" He points to the hooks beside her front door. Sakura only nods while not-so-covertly staring at the place where his left arm used to be. She still isn't used to the fact that he only has one arm now. The Uchiha waits for her eyes to wander back up to his own. He can't blame her for staring because he almost couldn't take his eyes off her either. She had matured quite a bit. Her notorious pink hair now fell neatly along her delicate jawline. He also couldn't help but notice that her frame had filled out, too. He blushes. "So…yeah. Naruto convinced me to come back to the village to celebrate my birthday. I got here faster than I expected and didn't know where to go."

"Well, you're always welcome here," Sakura smiles. Just then, Sasuke's stomach growls. His eyes widen in both surprise and embarrassment. The kunoichi breaks into laughter before offering him something to eat.

"Yeah… I guess I should."

A familiar smell fills the room as Sakura grills tomatoes. Sasuke's stomach grumbles louder, causing the pink-haired kunoichi to laugh again.

"Hn."

After finishing, she sets the plate of food in front of Sasuke who quickly consumes everything on the plate. He really missed home cooking.

"Thank you. I, uh, guess I should get going." Sasuke gets up but is tugged back down.

"You, uhm, you can stay… if you want, Sasuke-kun."

His brows raise slightly, pondering if it was acceptable to sleep alone in the same place as a woman he wasn't married to. He already had a bad reputation. He didn't want Sakura to be dragged down because of him. He's about to decline when Sakura beats him to it.

"I have a shift at the hospital soon, so you'd be here by yourself. You can have the bed too, if you'd like. I won't be home until later in the morning."

"Sakura- "

"I insist. You've had a long journey and we haven't seen you for a while. Besides, it's your birthday!"

He realizes there's no point in arguing, so he nods. After Sakura leaves, he makes his way back to the bedroom she pointed out. He removes the rest of his clothes and decides to take a quick shower. His sore muscles relax under the hot water as he washes the dirt and grime off his toned body. He searches for shampoo, finding only Sakura's vanilla-scented one.

"Tch. Now I'm going to smell like Sakura." Secretly though, he loves the smell. He never liked sweets but for some reason, this was comforting.