Unity

Every night that Sakura Haruno would lie in her bed, she would reflect on her day. She thought of her friends, her family, her missions, her failures. But most of all, she thought of him. Still, to this day, the boy she admired as a young girl was still in the forefront of her mind. Yes, Sasuke Uchiha would always be a part of her.

But what was it really that she was so in love with? Since his betrayal of their village, she'd been asking herself that same question. Undoubtedly, he was attractive on the outside. Underneath it all, he was a good teammate, a caring friend. "Underneath it all" was the part she had trouble getting past. Clearly, the Uchiha prodigy was a little messed up. Who wouldn't be after witnessing a mass murder of their family?

Perhaps it was her forgiving nature? Maybe she wanted to nurture Sasuke and give him the love he'd long since been missing. Maybe it was just solely attraction? Hormones could drive people to do stupid things. Maybe she wanted what she couldn't have, seeing as Sasuke was pretty much unattainable.

What was really messing with her thought process was the prodigy's return. After the war, and after the colossal fight between the Uchiha and Naruto, Sasuke had decided to return to Konoha and earn the village's trust back so as to become Hokage. What an interesting turn of events, she mused. They were now seventeen years old, finally back to being Team 7 once again. She had the past few months to see how Sasuke had changed.

For the most part, he was the same old Sasuke. He was quiet, reserved and sarcastic. He still enjoyed his training, he was still as brilliant as ever. However, he was lacking in malice. No longer did he call her annoying, he didn't say scathing things in Naruto's direction, he wasn't quite a loose cannon anymore. He was accepting of his teammates, of their sensei.

They were all on their way to becoming Jounin, as Sasuke had caught up quickly with both herself and Naruto. They spent a lot of time together. Sasuke even spent time alone with Sakura. They had never had much alone time in the past. It was almost always a group endeavor between the four of them on Team 7. Sakura very much enjoyed being with just Sasuke.

This very night, she wasn't in her bed musing over her thoughts. She was next to the man that was at the very pinnacle of said thoughts. They weren't doing anything that could be construed as romantic. They were sitting side by side, watching a movie in Sasuke's apartment. They were sharing some onigiri and shared an occasional opinion on the movie they were watching.

The movie wasn't anything special in her eyes, some flick about some samurai warriors clashing against shinobi. Something that she mused would be Sasuke's cup of tea. But he didn't seem to really be watching as intently as he should. In fact, he mostly engaged in conversation with her. He was especially chatty tonight.

"This movie isn't very realistic," Sasuke commented, voice taut with skepticism. He took a bite of his onigiri and regarded Sakura. "I'm not quite sure why I bought it in the first place." Sakura laughed gently, shaking her head at him. "Movies aren't meant to be realistic, Sasuke-kun. That's why they're called movies, they're not real life." The kunoichi quipped, sticking her tongue out at the boy.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Are you even enjoying this?" For a moment, Sakura's heart raced. Of course she was, she was with him! She took a moment, her heart hammering in her chest. She could only imagine how she looked, as her cheeks were heating up. With a small chuckle, Sasuke elaborated. "The movie, I mean. As a kunoichi, don't you find this insulting?"

Black eyes met emerald as Sakura tilted her head in thought. "I mean, you're right, it isn't very flattering. They portray shinobi as weak for not utilizing brute force. But the faster you are, the better, ne?" She smiled toothily at her male companion, eyes closing briefly.

The young man sighed with a shrug and reached for the remote. "It's getting late anyway," With that said, he turned the TV off. The pinkette hadn't even been watching the clock. She felt her heart sink. He must want her to leave. The young man had a small smile on his face as he turned to her. He made no move to stand. "You're working early tomorrow, aren't you?" Sakura rolled her eyes at her own ignorance. In her glee to be with Sasuke, she'd forgotten her shift at the clinic tomorrow morning. "Ugh, I guess I am." The medic nin groaned as she shifted to her feet. The Uchiha stood as well, folding his arms.

"I don't want you to leave..." Sasuke said, eyes looking toward the floor. Sakura blushed, heart beating fast. Had he really just said that? The two had been growing closer lately. They had made a habit of seeing a movie or grabbing a bite to eat every week. She didn't think much of it, figuring that he was simply being nice. The kunoichi bit her lip, looking up at the taller nin. "I don't want to leave either..." She responded, voice almost a whisper.

Sasuke's lips twitched into a small smile, the light reaching his eyes. He reached a hand out to touch her bicep, the digits moved softly and slowly down and back up her arm. Sakura closed her eyes, hoping in her heart of hearts for a kiss. All she received was a sigh instead. "I can't do this." Sasuke's voice was soft, discouraged. Sakura opened her eyes to look at the seemingly stressed boy in front of her. His hand was no longer touching her arm. His arms were folded again, his coal eyes sad.

"What wrong, Sasuke-kun?" The Haruno girl asked, not daring to move to touch him.

"I want to kiss you..." Sasuke mumbled, trailing off. His eyes darted to look out the window, a bit of a blush coloring his pale cheeks. The medic nin gasped quietly. A delicate hand rose to cover her gaping mouth as the young man continued. "But I don't deserve you. Why do you love me, anyway?" A bit of bite was in his words, his eyes narrowing.

Here it was. Sasuke Uchiha wanted to kiss her and also wanted to know why she loved him. Her mind trailed off to all the nights she spent thinking about this very thing. Now, she was expected to articulate these thoughts. After the past few months since his return, she finally felt as though she had a good answer. With a tiny smile, Sakura reached out to Sasuke, caressing his cheek. He allowed her to touch him, still watching her intensely. "I love you for you, Sasuke. I love your strength, your resolve to keep going, your intensity, your kind heart." At the last comment, Sasuke scoffed.

"I am not kind." His deep voice was terse, cutting off the girl before him.

Sakura let her hand fall from his face, eyes narrowing in determination. "You may not always be outwardly kind. But your heart, your heart is kind." The pink haired girl's smile returned, the love she felt for him shining in her eyes. "You've been through so much, Sasuke-kun. It's only natural for you to want to protect yourself. I couldn't even imagine going through what you've been through..." The girl trailed off, stepping closer to the intimidating ninja. He didn't step away from her. Instead, he looked down at her, eyes still angry.

"I love you, Sasuke-kun." Her voice was a whisper, her heart aching. "I always have, I always will. Does it really matter how or why?" With that, she stood on her tip toes, her eyes closing and lips puckered. With a sharp intake of breath on Sasuke's part, their lips finally met. Years of tension and longing were finally shattered. As their lips touched, Sasuke's will snapped and his arms encircled her waist. Tongues touched experimentally, Sakura moaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around the shinobi's neck. The two parted for breath, looking deeply into the other's eyes.

"I've been wanting to do that for so long..." Sasuke whispered amorously, arms still locked around Sakura's lithe form. She leaned into him, resting her head against his strong chest. With a content sigh, she affectionately rubbed her cheek against the material of his shirt. Their peaceful moment was cut short as Sasuke grabbed her arms with sudden force. His eyes were turning red with Sharingan, his breath coming out in short, quick pants.

"I need you, Sakura..." His voice was ragged and deep. All the pink haired girl could do was gasp.

(TBC)