A/N: This has been and will be written under the assumption that Sasuke willingly returns to Konoha in one piece and that the Fourth Shinobi World War has ended.
I hope you enjoy. :)
Disclamer: I do not own Naruto in any way, shape or form. The only thing that is mine is this plot and writing. :P Tis a pity, I know.
-o-
The sun filtered and gently lighted a room which held two young women busying themselves with an unconscious patient.
"I don't understand," Sakura murmured, "how Naruto can wholly forgive him so easily." She passed the crystalloid volume expander to her Chief Attending Physician - Shizune.
"Neither can I," softly murmured the dark-haired medic, "but Naruto-kun seems to be infinitely full of surprises."
The sides of Sakura's lips tilted up a little...
"But I'm rather surprised you have chosen to not greet Sasuke-san yet, despite his past." The senior pressed moderately.
And Haruno's smile was quickly pulled down. "It's been a little more than two mere years since he attempted," she paused and then stressed "twice, to ram my torso apart."
Shizune winced.
"And all of the feelings I may have had for him have been pushed away, shadowed and squished by important affairs." Sakura spoke firmly. "I have a hospital to run, under-graduates to train and the occasional mission to accomplish. Forgiving a person who's been given an innumerable amount of opportunities and spat on every single one of them," Haruno pressed the hypodermic needle into their patient's elbow before adding tonelessly "and every one, is the very last thing I would do."
When the rose-haired female drew the needle black slightly and the sound of barely-audible blood aspirating hissed in the still air of the recovery room, Shizune realised that their conversation had just promptly ended.
-o-
"Chief of Medicine..." mused Ino, leaning on the door of the said person's office. "I wonder how you managed to pull that one Forehead!"
"It's rather simple Pig." retorted Sakura, the air filled with the scratching sound of her fountain pen on documents. "Just stop lusting after and getting involved with anyone who happens to be of the opposite sex and has fairly proportionate attractive features."
"Better than not having a decent sex life." The blonde countered.
The Gondaime's apprentice opened her mouth slightly -
"And anyway," Ino continued hastily, "You didn't answer my question. You just started yabbering about what I'm doing. Or rather," she grinned wickedly, "what and whom you'd like to be doing."
"Ah Ino-pig, your crudeness never fails to not amuse me." Sakura intoned, yet she drummed her finger-tips rather impatiently against her table.
"And I was expecting a better comeback. Anyway," Ino waved her arm limply at Sakura in slight dismissal, "Konoha 'thirteen', including Sai and Sasuke... Hey! Don't look at me like that - it will be thirteen overall - are having a little get together this Sunday, nine-pm, at Ichiraku."
A sigh escaped Sakura before replying "Look I'd love to - "
"Don't you even try it Billboard-brow," Ino interrupted, crossing her arms against her chest, "I know you've been deliberately avoiding Sasuke. Which is understandable... but it's been two years! And everyone's free that time, including you: I checked your shifts up on the rota."
An indignant frown temporarily marred the accused kunoichi's face. "Pig! What the hell? That's an invasion of my privacy!"
"Well, you have no excuse now; besides, it's good to get out of this dreary prison anyway." Yamanaka sniffed and turned up her nose daintily.
"You do realise you're insulting my hospital right?" Sakura intoned, raising one eyebrow marginally.
Her friend ignored her mildly threatening tone before chirpily replying "I'll see you in three days time then."
After watching Ino's lithe frame exit her room, Sakura then proceeded to bury her head in her arms amongst the piles of documents surrounding her.
"Great," she muttered, "just great."
-o-
"Well," thought Sakura grimly as she tugged on a black coat, "what have I done today?" She grabbed her keys before exiting her apartment and shutting the door a little too forcibly. "Attempted to finish my reports but now I have to abandon my endeavors to socialise with people I haven't spoke to in months, people I don't really know and Sasuke."
An indignant and less than genteel snort escaped her as she stepped onto the pavement.
-o-
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried boisterously, adknowledging her whilst slurping up the remains of his, what would appear to be, fourth bowl.
"You're late!" Sai monotonously accused next to his blonde team-mate.
Sakura raised a thin pink eyebrow at her pale team-mate's joke and the sight before her. She had only eaten at Ichiraku Ramen once after Pein's failed invasion. The new colour scheme of blue and red among the oak wood was a nice touch, she agreed before smiling at Teuchi and Ayame.
Her rationality laxed for a second as her bright jade eyes flickered momentarily towards the passive figure seated to the right of Naruto, tucked away neatly in the corner. He was just as beautiful as before she decided. If not, more so. His hair had grown a little longer than the last time she had seen him, making the resemblance between him and his brother more striking. She winced at the thought of Itachi: Naruto had informed her of everything in the week that Sasuke returned. It was a painful reminder about how far one would go for the sake of their village.
"S-Sakura-san, it's nice to see you o-out of the h-hospital." The timid Hyuuga greeted, bringing the Medic out of her thoughts. Sakura nodded her head with a faint smile in return.
"Sakura-san, your youthful beauty brightens this world and my heart!"
Sasuke amusedly straightened at that, his curiosity about his ex-team-mate's appearance being too great; he observed her from the corner of his eyes. Indeed, she had matured over the past two years. Her rose locks were still short and she had grown a little taller. Her body more toned and supple with faint scars running across her arms, he noted. He concluded that she was indeed handsome, despite her tired eyes.
"Enough with that Lee." Ino jested flippantly before adding good-naturedly, "I'm glad you could make it."
"Ooo, what's this? Ino being respectable?" Sakura jested. "Ah. Kiba-kun, Neji-san and Shikamaru. Just the people I needed to check up on, I trust you've all been following my advice after that disastrous and idiotic suicidal mission."
Kiba laughed nervously and the other two adverted their gaze.
Team-seven's kunoichi sighed.
-o-
The companions departed at midnight when the darkness had fully engulfed the streets; Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were the last to leave.
"Sakura."
She ceased buttoning up her coat and looked behind tentatively at the stoic Uchiha.
"Yes?" Her voice sounding too cautious for her liking.
At the tone of her voice, Sasuke's features momentarily pulled into a frown. Sakura apparently was too engrossed with the air around his shoulder to realise.
"The Hokage asked for a medic to accompany a squad of jonins, which includes members of 'team-seven' for a S-ranked mission." The Uchiha replied.
Her eyes widened noticeably at the aspect of taking on such a exclusively challenging mission. Also, the reality of Uchiha Sasuke asking for her help and the concept of working with the said man bewildered her, to say the least.
She cleared her throat. "I'm not too sure. I don't think I have the tim- "
"Oh come on Sakura-chan! It will be fun!" Naruto interrupted. "And it'll pay at least one-million ryō! Plus, it's all of team-seven reunited! With the odd other jonin."
"I'll... I'll think about it." Truth be told, Sakura was quite excited. If she accepted, this would be her first official S-ranked mission. This would go on her CV permanently as a confirmed mission from her Hokage - unlike her unexpected fight with Sasori. That is, if she managed to stay alive and complete the mission. One could never be too sure.
"Plus," she thought as she departed for home with Naruto accompanying her, "who would take over the hospital whilst I'm gone? Shishou's far too busy and to ask Shizune would be incredibly troublesome for her..."
Naruto babbled on about some new ramen he wanted to try and how his latest date with Hinata went whilst Sakura hummed appropriately in response.
"Hey Sakura-chan?"
"Hmmm?"
"Please consider this mission earnestly." The future Hokage's voice took on an uncharacteristically serious tone, "This is perhaps team-seven's last chance."
The kunoichi looked up and her eyes met her team-mate's sincere azure eyes.
"Goddamnit," she thought bitterly, "stupid irrational emotions; stupid irrational sense of obligations. Goddamnit."
-o-
A/N: This is my first fanfic and therefore my first chapter I've ever written for a novel. Hopefully you found it 'okay-ish'. I'm not too happy with a few things, from the lack of description to the overload of conversations.
I have a lot to learn but I'm looking forward to it. Also, I plan to update once a week every Sunday evening. And the pace of the story will pick up after a few chapters, I just want to establish Sakura's role and her current relationship with Sasuke.
R&Rs are very much appreciated. :)