a/n: I don't own Naruto

The lights were too bright. But try as he might, Sasuke couldn't close his eyes to make them stop hurting. It wasn't a sharp pain, but more of a dull pain that made his eyes feel heavy. Heavy? Shouldn't that make it easier for them to close? It was then that Sasuke realized his eyes were closed.

Not sure if he wanted to open his eyes to see what was going on or keep them closed to keep the brightness at a minimum, he tuned into his other senses for signs of what was going on first. It was silent except for a short, high-pitched beep that would occur a little too often to help with the headache he realized he had.

Ah, yes. He had been asked to check in at the hospital, and they had sent him to rest in a bed after patching him up. He decided against waking up and, rolling over with a small groan, fell back asleep.

When Sasuke woke again, it was darker, though not completely dark. He opened his eyes and from what he could tell, he was on his side facing away from a door that must've been open, letting the hallway light shine softly into the dark room. He sat up, feeling better rested than he had in a long time. Thinking back, Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he had slept in a real bed in a real room.

Grateful that none of the nurses had seen fit to leave any needles in him, he stood up to find a bathroom. He had to stare at the clock in his room for a few moments before being able to tell the time, his eyes still hurting him. The clock told him it was a few minutes shy of two thirty in the morning. How long had he been asleep? A day? More?

Walking out of the bathroom, he noticed he still hadn't met anyone in the halls. He almost walked back to his room before stopping himself. Honestly, he didn't really want to stay in the hospital. He wanted to get out. But if he did, where would he go? He slowly realized he had nowhere to go. He didn't really know where he was or what country he was in. Was this still the same country the war had taken place in? Feeling slightly tired again, or at least like he for once just wanted to do nothing, he began walking back to his room. Even if he wanted to leave, doing so without supplies and in a hospital gown wasn't the best way to start.

As he walked back down the hall, he thought about his new plan, one he didn't have yet. It was over. Everything was over. Itachi was dead – again, Sasuke thought sadly – and in joining forces with Naruto and fighting alongside the Shinobi Alliance, he was now a hero of the war, a hero of the world, and his passion for destroying Konoha was gone. He really didn't know what to do now. Sure, he didn't want to destroy Konoha anymore, but did he want to return? He still wasn't sure.

He stopped in the doorway of his hospital room and stared at something he hadn't noticed before. It had been dark then, and he had just woken up, so he didn't notice that there was another bed between his and the door. With the light coming in from the hallway, Sasuke could just make out two closed eyes between white bed sheets and blond hair.

He was sharing a room with Naruto.

Hesitantly, caught between two choices, he looked away from his bed, pulled up a chair beside Naruto's sleeping figure, and sat down. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, fingers threaded together under his nose as he stared at what wasn't covered of Naruto's face. Despite the war they had just fought together and the few other times they had encountered each other, the last time Sasuke really looked at Naruto was back at Orochimaru's layer. But that wasn't really up close. For the first time since they were twelve, Sasuke looked at his best friend and began to notice how different he looked. He knew he had gotten taller. His hair was a little longer but actually looked better on him since it was less unruly. Sasuke wondered if Naruto was the same childish prankster as he had been years ago. From what he could tell, his face was more angular and the arm hanging out of the covers pointed to long hours of training each day.

Naruto would want Sasuke to return to Konoha. That was what he had trained so long and hard for in the first place. But Sasuke didn't know if he wanted to return back to his old village. What would he do? He was a missing nin, but he figured being a big part in defeating Madara probably would take out most of the sting of his punishment. Could he go back to being a normal ninja, back to living a normal life? He thought of what his old life entailed. Now that the war was over, would the missions even be anything compared to as challenging as the past years of his life had been? Was Naruto still obsessed with ramen? Would Sasuke have to eat ramen every other day, again? He couldn't remember the last time he had ramen. Please tell me there will be no more fangirls. Honestly, it wasn't like he really knew what else to do, but he didn't know if going back would be possible.

He thought of Sakura and Kakashi. At least he had seen them during the battle and knew they were alright. He thought of Shikamaru, Lee, Ino, Neji, Kiba and wondered how many of the people he used to know survived the war.

Would they accept him back? He wasn't sure if he cared, although a part of him told him he did. He wasn't much of a people person anyway, so as long as Naruto and the rest of Team Seven wanted him back, he could probably do it.

Thinking that he didn't really like the idea, but that it wasn't an option that he would rule out at this point, he fell asleep once more.

Eyelids fringed in blond eyelashes lifted at the sound of voices.

"No, I'm fine here" a low voice grumped softly.

"But sir, you really should stay and rest in your bed for a little longer."

"Hn."

Naruto knew that voice anywhere.

"Sasuke?" His voice came out quieter and rougher from disuse than he meant it to. Sasuke turned to face him but said nothing. Realizing it really was Sasuke, that Sasuke was right there sitting next to him, Naruto sat up sharply in bed, stared at him gaping for a second, and then lunged over to hug him, almost falling off the bed in the process. He felt Sasuke stiffen for a moment, but smiled as he relaxed.

"I'm so glad you're back, teme." Naruto said, not yet letting go of him.

Sasuke didn't tell him that he wasn't back yet, that he didn't know if he ever would be. He almost felt sorry to think it.

Once Naruto rested his back against the head of his bed, the nurse checked him and then, forcing him back to his own bed, checked Sasuke too before leaving the room. Sasuke didn't feel like just lying in bed when he wasn't tired anymore so he went back to his chair beside Naruto.

Naruto didn't know what to say to him, but that didn't really bother him. He just sat in his bed and relished the fact that Sasuke, Team Seven's Sasuke, his best friend, after so many years, was sitting beside him. They were together again.

They both sat like that for a while and had only just asked each other how they were feeling when Sakura walked in. She paused in the doorway, surprised to see them already awake and together, but she smiled softly and pulled up a chair on the other side of Naruto's bed.

"Hey, Naruto. Sasuke-kun."

Naruto smiled and Sasuke nodded.

And there the members of Team Seven sat for the rest of the morning, all in matching hospital gowns, thinking things over. Sakura had been admitted too, though only for extreme chakra exhaustion, which the boys had too. Any wounds the boys had were minor enough that they were nothing a little medical ninjustu couldn't fix. Kakashi was the only one who would have to stay for a bit. The overuse of his Mangekyou while fighting Obito had taken a serious toll on his body, not to mention the emotional pain he was going through after his best friend had died once again.

Naruto didn't really know what to say to his teammates and he could tell they felt the same, too. But the silence wasn't an uncomfortable one despite the fact they had almost all tried to kill each other not too long ago.

When a nurse came in with lunch trays for him and Sasuke, Sakura announced that she would go back to her room for lunch and take another nap.

"You guys should sleep, too. The sooner we recover, the sooner we can go back." He and Sasuke nodded, not really wanting to sleep again, but definitely wanting to get out.

When Sakura said, "See you later," the three of them smiled softly to themselves, knowing that that would be true.

After eating lunch together, Sasuke went back to his bed and Naruto tried to sleep. Honestly, he almost felt like he didn't mind the hospital. So much had happened lately that the calm and restfulness was very welcome. He tried to turn his mind off, but it was too full of 'my closest friend', 'we both die', final blows on evil relics from the past, teammates, 'please oh please oh please no don't die no', and thoughts of home.

When Sakura woke up the next morning, she actually felt rested. She ate her breakfast of toast, applesauce, milk, and orange juice, was checked by a nurse, and left her room to visit her teammates.

She visited Kakashi's room first, but only stayed for five minutes since he was still asleep. When she arrived at Naruto and Sasuke's room, she was surprised to find it empty. Their breakfast trays were empty but their things were still there so Sakura didn't think they had been discharged yet. She waited in the room for a few minutes but then decided to search the building for them. Walking out of the doorway, she almost crashed into the very two people she wanted to see.

"Ah, sorry! Good morning, Naruto! Good morning, Sasuke-kun! Did you guys sleep well?

"Morning, Sakura-chan! Yeah, we're fine. Hey, guess what? The nurse told us they need beds for other people and since we really are fine now, she said we'll be discharged at noon!"

"That's what I was told, too." Sakura beamed. This was it. Team Seven was together again and they would be going home. "I visited Kakashi-sensei on my way here and it looks like he'll have to stay for a bit longer." She paused. "Does this mean we go home now? The three of us?" Sakura couldn't keep the hope out of her voice.

Naruto smiled and agreed, "I think so." She saw Naruto's smile falter as he looked over at Sasuke. She then noticed that he was staring at the ground, shifting his weight between his feet.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Teme, you are coming back to Konoha with us, right?" Despite his voice's forcefulness, Naruto sounded unsure.

Sasuke looked up, first to Naruto and then to her. He looked at the floor again.

"I don't know."

"Sasuke-kun, please come back. You have no reason not to now. It's your home. You have people there. Naruto and I will be with you. Kakashi-sensei wants you back, too."

"Sasuke, you don't have to worry about anybody there. You're a hero now. Do you have anywhere else to go? Anything else you have to do now?"

". . . No." Sakura wished she could see Sasuke's expression but he was hiding behind his bangs. He had changed so much. Seeing him unsure of himself, hiding behind dark hair that had gotten too long, in an awkward hospital gown was such a contrast compared to how she was used to seeing him. She felt so sad for him, not pity, but she was determined to make Sasuke happy and confident again.

"Sasuke, Sakura-chan and I have done everything to bring you back. Konoha is your home. Team Seven is your family. We just want you to be happy again."

There was silence for a little while.

"Please, Sasuke-kun," Sakura pleaded softly. "We know a lot has happened, but a lot has happened for all of us. Just give it a chance. Or at least tell us what you're thinking so we can help you."

Sasuke looked up at them again before turning around toward the door.

"I'm going for a walk," he mumbled. When Naruto took a step toward him, he added, "I'll be right back."

She and Naruto watched him walk down the hall and she hoped that he would realize how much they loved him. And how much he loved them.

Sasuke found the courtyard easily enough. He wanted to just walk for a while, to look at the scenery for once and avoid the issue at hand, but he forced himself to stay focused. What exactly were his plans now? What were the reasons why he should go to Konoha? What were the reasons he shouldn't go to Konoha? Answering those three questions should make it easy enough to make his choice. Why was it so hard? Why did he want to do anything but answer those questions? Maybe because it indirectly involved assessing the choices he had made up until now. He didn't regret them. How could he? Of course there was Itachi, but . . . he . . . with the information he had at the time . . . it wasn't . . . he didn't mean . . .

Sasuke choked up and, frustrated, clenched his fists harder at his sides, wishing for pockets to shove them into. He decided to go back to thinking about what had brought him here. He couldn't answer those questions in front of Naruto and Sakura. Not with them staring at him, eyes pleading even if his wouldn't meet theirs. But he owed them an answer. That, at least, Sasuke knew. He owed himself the answers, too. He was never one to just sit around; he needed to know what he was going to do from now on.

What exactly were his plans now? He had none, at least none in terms of things he really had to get done. He had no specific goals to accomplish or things to see done.

What were the reasons why he should go to Konoha? He used to live there, he knew his way around, he knew some of the people, they might welcome him back. And it was where his team was. As much as his definition of the word wasn't solid, he knew, though he could hardly admit it, and never say it, that he loved them. Kakashi was helpful and had always had a knack for knowing what to say. Sakura had always been special and she was not the same as when they were twelve in all the right ways. And Naruto was his best friend, the brother he loved. Even though he was the last Uchiha, he still had a family.

What were the reasons he shouldn't go to Konoha? They might not accept him back. They might have a strict punishment waiting for him despite his efforts in the war. He didn't really have anything to do there, except grow old and die as a regular shinobi. Maybe most of all, he didn't know if he could overcome all the memories. He wondered if the Uchiha section of town was still abandoned. The village was where his family had been, lived, thrived, laughed, loved, grew and where they weren't now. It was where their tombs and decayed bodies were. It was where the elders who had ruined his and his brother's lives were. It was where people laughed and lived. That wasn't for him. Sasuke just couldn't see it. More than anything, he just didn't think he could live day to day among those people. Yes, there was his team, but that would probably be it. He had lived every day since the massacre as an avenger with a strict focus, and now that part in his life was over. It had been important, it had been all he was, but it just wasn't what he would be now. Vengeance not being necessary anymore made him feel uncertain, almost uncomfortable.

But what other options did he have? He really had nothing else to do, nothing left to fight for. Maybe his life in the village would be a struggle, but his life outside the village would be empty.

"Hn." That made it seem pretty clear what the best choice was. So why was he so hesitant? Sakura had told him to just give it a chance. As the words maybe I could floated around in his mind, a suffocating weight he didn't know he had been carrying lifted gently off his shoulders, as if a bird with a millstone tied around its neck had taken flight.

They both hugged him. They both cried. He couldn't understand. But really, he could. Sasuke didn't see why he was so special, but he knew that they were both special and irreplaceable to him, so he figured that must've been their reason for their feelings toward him. When they pulled back, he saw that they were smiling. Naruto was staring over his shoulder in a daze as a tear rolled down his cheek and Sakura was looking at him straight in the face with her glossy eyes. He realized she had beautiful eyes. At his friends' reactions, the corner of his mouth hauled itself up the side of his face, surprising himself.

At noon, they were discharged and, over lunch, they made plans to return to Konoha.

a/n: More chapters to come soon! Reviews are greatly appreciated! :)