Title: A Step in the Right Direction

Summary: Weeks following the end of the war, Sakura sits by a recovering Sasuke's bedside.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Prompt: Night In

Rating: K

Warning(s): None

Comments: Just something that came to mind whilst rereading recent chapters in the manga and listening to my iTunes on shuffle. Not very lovey-dovey, at least I think it's not, but as the title dictates, a step in the right direction.

You don't have to put up a fight

…Let me take some of the punches

For you tonight

Listen to me now

I need to let you know

You don't have to go it alone

…I know that we don't talk

I'm sick of it all

Can – you – hear – me – when – I

Sing, you're the reason I sing

You're the reason why the opera is in me…

Where are we now?

I've still got to let you know

A house still doesn't make a home

Don't leave me here alone…

And it's you when I look in the mirror

And it's you that makes it hard to let go

Sometimes you can't make it on your own…

Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own, U2

Sakura sits by his bed, an apple and knife in hand as she gently peels the bright red skin away and carefully cuts the fruit into wedges. They fall into the bowl on her lap.

He's still, not unlike the eerie stillness he was in when Kakashi and she dragged both he and Naruto from the battlefield. If it weren't for the steady beeping of the monitor on his heart, Sakura would have thought he was still in the coma Kaguya's Infinite Tsukiyomi left him in.

She's pulled from her thoughts when Sasuke let out a groan, slim brows furrowed as he slowly regains consciousness. Dark eyes open and peer at the ceiling, blinking several times to banish the lingering effects of sleep. Sakura remains silent, but makes no attempt to hide her presence. He looks towards her in slight confusion before his face quickly falls into a carefully blank slate.

"Sakura," he says. Not quite a greeting, but always an acknowledgement.

"Sasuke-kun," she returns. "I hope you slept well." Green eyes are drawn to the shackles that bind his hands and legs to the metal frame of the hospital bed. The chakra that reinforced them is palpable in the air, as is the seal Tsunade placed on his chakra that peeked out from the bandages wrapped around his chest. Sakura pulls her gaze away and focuses on the apple slices on her lap.

It's been three weeks since the end of the war, and one week since he woke up. This is Sakura's fifth time visiting him since then, though it's the first time they're alone. She can't help the memories of their last solo encounter that fill her mind.

She wonders if he's thinking the same thing.

It's quiet for a long while—nothing but the beeps of machinery and the sound of their steady breathing fill the air. Sakura knows that she's going to have to speak up first, but finds that she can't quite find her voice. What would she say: that she's sorry? That now that she knows the truth about his family she understands? That he was justified in his actions?

That she still loves him?

Sakura bites back a scoff and frowns to herself, though not discreetly enough to not draw Sasuke's attention.

"Why are you here, Sakura?" he asks, not harshly, but in a way that makes her unease around him increase tenfold. And for a moment Sakura hates it; hates the way that he makes her feel so small, how he can sometimes render her to nothing more than the sniveling six-year-old who was teased and bullied and unsure of herself.

"The others are out celebrating, despite being back in Konoha for almost a month we've all been busy getting our affairs in order. Tonight is the first time that everyone's been free to go out." She says as she fiddles with the rim of the bowl on her lap.

"Why are you here?" he repeats.

Her eyes meet his, and she realizes that she's had enough. She's had enough of hiding her feelings from him. So what if he doesn't care for her the way she'd like him to? So what if in his eyes she was forever nothing more than the foolish girl who should have let go of those silly notions of love? She loved him—still loves him—even through his darkest moments. Even through his shining ones. And she's tired of apologizing for it, tired of justifying her feelings for someone she's cherished since her childhood. She keeps her gaze level with his before replying unabashedly.

"Because I love you."

Sasuke stares at her, his face slackened with quiet surprise. The heart monitor's constant beeping hiccups, drawing Sakura's attention to it. Suddenly understanding and embarrassment dawns on her and blood rushes to her cheeks.

"You didn't know." She murmurs, her previous bravado slipping from her countenance as she peers down at the apples on her lap, tears prick at her eyes and she lets out a watery, disbelieving laugh. "How could you have? All of my actions seemed to point towards the opposite. And then we had our encounter in Land of Iron…" Sakura shakes her head as a horrible guilt emerges from the depths of her mind.

"Why?" Sasuke's question snaps her out of her reverie. She meets his eyes, and she's surprised to find the anger settled in their depths. "Sakura, why?" he reiterates when she says nothing.

"Why what?" she asks, frustrated. "Why do I love you? Why have I never stopped?"

Sasuke remains silent, though his monitor is now setting a steady new pace. He glares at the machinery before he returns his attention to her. He doesn't nod, nor does he prompt her to continue. He merely sits there, staring at her with angry eyes, like he can't fathom why she'd be foolish enough to still feel something towards him that isn't between the spectrum of friendship or resentment.

"I guess for the same reason Naruto wasn't ever able to let you go either. We love you, albeit in two very different ways. You're a part of Team Seven, a part of our family. You of all people should understand the need to fight for family."

Sakura looks down at her lap once more. "Although I feel like I understand why you didn't come home, I know that we don't know the entire story. It's something that only you can clear up for us. You're the only one that can make us see and understand."

Green and black gazes collide once more, and a soft sigh escapes her. "No matter my feelings for you Sasuke-kun, know that I don't ever want you to feel like you're alone. You have Team Seven… you have me. You don't have to deal with these things on your own. You shouldn't have to. So please, if anything, at least let us be there for you."

Sasuke's dark eyes soften marginally, his angry countenance slowly ebbing away until there's nothing left but a soft expression that belies the painfully irregular pace of his heart.

"Thank you." He murmurs, and it's those words that finally make the tears she fought so hard to keep at bay spill over her cheeks. It's not lost on her that this time she can finally reply.

"You're welcome."