Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto T_T

Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled. 'Come on, Sakura, you can do this. There's nothing to be nervous about.' She thought, raising her hand up as she brought it closer to the door. She paused. ' I don't really have to do this... Besides he might not even show up...' Sakura shook her head, dismissing the negative thoughts. She raised her chin up and steeled her nerves as she knocked on his door three times with purpose.

She softly bit down on her bottom lip as she shifted her weight to her other leg. A nervous habit of hers. A few more seconds passed as Sakura stood outside, waiting. Finally, she heard a faint click and the door swung open. Sakura felt her breath hitch in her throat as she looked at the last surviving Uchiha, standing before her. God, why did he have to be so handsome? It made things a lot more difficult for her. Or rather, her hormones.

Sasuke's dark eyes quickly scanned her from head to toe before reaching her gaze. He lifted an eyebrow and gave a look that clearly said 'what?' Sakura fought back the blush that threatened to rise when she noticed his eyes on her frame. "Hey Sasuke," she said, shooting him a small smile. "How've you been?"

Sasuke stared at her for an awkward five seconds before replying with, "Hn." Sakura felt her smile falter, but forced it back on her face. 'Stupid, monosyllabic, jerk.' She thought. Small talk was clearly not going to work on an ice block, so she decided to skip to the point; the reason why she was at his doorstep anyway.

"I, uh, finally shifted out of my apartment to my new house yesterday. I had some really noisy neighbors, and there wasn't really much room there for me to keep all my stuff, you know, books, medical scrolls and all that. It was pretty far away from the hospital where I work at too, so you know I really needed to get out of there," Sakura bit her tongue to stop herself from rambling on like an idiot and forced out a small, awkward laugh. "So... Um," she stopped to dig through her pockets. She pulled out a slip of paper with her new address on it and held it out to him. "I'm having a house warming party tomorrow evening and I wanted to invite you. Here's my address, it's pretty close to the hospital, not really hard to find."

Sasuke plucked the paper from her fingers and looked at the address she had written down in her neat handwriting. He looked back at her and Sakura started talking again to avoid any awkward silences. "So do you think you can make it? I can understand if your busy, you don't really have to go and make time for it. It's nothing big, just the usual gang, a few drinks and-"

"I'll be there." He cut her off, giving her a chance to shut her running mouth before she really started embarrassing herself. She looked at him a little surprised that he actually spoke. She felt her body relax at his answer and a grin easily slipped on to face. "Really?" She asked, her smile genuine this time.

Sasuke's eyes left her gaze for a second before he looked back at her and replied -once again- with, "Hn."

"That's great! Thanks Sasuke, see you then." She said, sending him a wave as she turned around and hurried away. Once out of sight she exhaled loudly and thanked Kami for her good luck.

~XxX~

Sasuke walked down the dusty streets of Konoha, on his way back home from the Hokage's office. Kakashi had just assigned him on a mission outside the village that required him to escort the Kazekage and his party back to Sunagakure. The Kazekage had stayed in the village for a few days to discuss some important business with the Hokage, and Sasuke, along with Shikamaru, Hinata and a medic he didn't recognize were assigned to take them back to Suna. The mission, including the journey back would take three days if they started tomorrow at dawn.

Sasuke sighed, remembering Sakura's visit that morning. He would have to miss her little housewarming party the next day. It wasn't like he was looking forward to it; in all honesty he wasn't really interested in mingling with his former acquaintances. He could only really stand Team Seven and maybe a few of the quiet ones like Shino and Hinata. But he felt as though he owed it to Sakura for all the trouble he had put her through over the years. It has been nearly two years since he returned after the war and while he knew that Sakura had accepted his apology, the guilt was still lingering there, waiting for him to do something to somehow right himself.

So he decided to try and be civil to her as much as he possibly could. And by civil, he meant not to glare at her and walk away when she tried engaging him in conversation. Instead of ignoring her existence like he used to when he was younger, he would acknowledge her presence with a simple nod. If he asked her questions, he would try to answer them, though he never went as far as to elaborate what he meant when she would look confused at his brief replies. So when she invited him to her housewarming party, he couldn't really find it in him to refuse. Especially when she expected him to refuse.

Sasuke pulled out the small slip of paper Sakura had handed him earlier. He read the address written in her neat script and realized that he had walked past her house a few minutes ago. Slipping the paper back in his pocket, he turned around and walked down the path he had come from. He might as well let her know he couldn't make it. It would be the.. civil thing to do.

~XxX~

"Oh, Sasuke, hi," Sakura said, seemingly surprised to find him at her doorstep. "Is anything wrong? What brings you here? The party is tomorrow you know." She stepped back and opened the door wider, gesturing for him to come in.

Sasuke took a step forward, not making it past the doorframe. "Nothing's wrong," he said. Before he could explain, another man's voice interrupted him from behind.

"Is this Sakura Haruno's residence?" He asked, looking at the pink haired kunoichi. He was a middle aged civilian wearing a delivery mans uniform. Sakura stepped up besides Sasuke. "Yes it is, can I help you?"

The man nodded and handed Sakura a big bouquet of red roses. "Delivery for Miss Sakura Haruno from Mr. Tamaki Kurosaki," The man said.

Sakura accepted the bouquet from him and thanked him. The man nodded, turned around and left.

Sasuke watched a smile slowly grow on Sakura's face as she read the small card attached to the bouquet. She rolled her eyes, laughed, then shook her head. "Well at least now, I have something to put in that vase Ino gave me. It looked pretty lonely." She said, chuckling at her own joke. "Come on in Sasuke, make yourself at home. I'll be just a minute." and she disappeared into another room.

Sasuke stood by the door for a few seconds before stepping in and closing it behind him. He hadn't planned on spending more time here than necessary. He had to prepare for his mission tomorrow and sleep so he could wake up before the break of dawn. He listened to Sakura shuffling about in the next room and wondered if she was used to men sending her flowers. He knew that she had many admires in the village and from his observations, none of them were very subtle.

Sakura stepped back into the room with a flower vase holding the flowers she had just received. She carefully placed it on the center of a table and stood back and smiled. "There," she said. "They look pretty in that vase. But white roses would have looked beautiful, don't you think? They're my absolute favorite." Sakura looked at Sasuke and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about the interruption, Sasuke. What was it you were going to say?"

"I won't be able to make it to your party. I have a mission starting tomorrow morning outside the village." He said.

Sakura's eyebrows rose up slightly in surprise and she spoke quickly. " Oh! That's okay Sasuke, really. I understand, duty calls..." She smiled at him. "...I have to say, I'm a little surprised that you actually made the effort to come and tell me. Thank you,"

Sasuke didn't know what to say to that, and thankfully he didn't have to because at that moment, someone knocked on her door. Sakura flew to the door and opened it to find Hinata standing there. "Oh, hello Hinata!" Sakura greeted cheerfully.

Sasuke watched Hinata's eyes dart back and forth between him and Sakura. She looked a bit surprised but then she tried looking over his shoulder, and a look of panic flicked on her face. "Hello Sakura, Sasuke-san." She said softly. "I-is Naruto-kun here too?" She asked.

Sakura shook her head, an knowing look in her eyes. "No he's not here, don't worry, Hinata." She winked at her and Hinata blushed, but visibly relaxed. "What brings you here? You know, I'm getting a lot of visitors today, I was expecting you all tomorrow you know." Sakura laughed.

Hinata fidgeted with the hem of her jacket. "Um.. About that, Sakura... I'm afraid I won't be able to make it tomorrow. You see I have a mission.."

"Mission?" Sakura interrupted. " Are you and Sasuke going on the same mission by any chance?"

Hinata nodded. "Mhmm, we have to escort Kazekage-Sama back to Sunagakure. Shikamaru won't be able to make it either, he's coming with us too."

Sakura sighed, "Oh well, I guess it can't be helped." She said. She smiled at Hinata's apologetic face. "Don't worry about it Hinata, maybe I can have you guys over some other time. I'm pretty sure Naruto would be upset about you not being there."

Hinata's face grew red, "Th-that would be nice, Sakura, thank you.. I guess I'll be leaving now, I have to prepare for tomorrow. Goodnight, Sakura, goodnight, Sasuke-san." Sakura waved at the girl as she took her leave.

Once she left, Sakura turned back to him. "I suppose you're leaving now too, huh?" She asked. Sasuke nodded and took a few steps towards the door before Sakura shot her hand out and blocked his way. "Just one second, I'll be right back." She said before dashing inside and into another room.

Sasuke once again, stood by the door, waiting for her. He definitely spent a lot more time here than intended. His eyes scanned the room and landed on the table with the red roses. He caught sight of a small card placed next to the vase, it was the one that came attached to the bouquet. Curiosity getting the better of him, Sasuke read what was inside.

'A housewarming gift for my beautiful Cherry Blossom~ These roses are beautiful but would NEVER compare to your beauty. I love you Sakura-chan! 3 Take good care of your body! 33 Love, Tamaki K'

Sasuke frowned. It was clear to him that this man was as shallow as his apparent 'love' for Sakura was, if that last comment was anything to go by. It was no secret that Sakura's physical appearance was appealing, but he was annoyed that this man would so boldly request that from Sakura. For some reason it troubled him to think that Sakura might not have understood the underlying meaning in his 'well meaning' wish.

Sasuke stepped away from the table and back to where he was standing by the door just before Sakura entered the room with a sealing scroll in her hand. "Sorry for the wait, just went back to get this. Would you mind giving this to Gaara when you meet him tomorrow please? It's for the Suna medics, he'll know what it is." She said, handing it over to him.

Sasuke nodded and took it from her, his fingers lightly grazing hers. At that moment, he couldn't help but notice how small she was next to him. He was a a lot taller than her, the top of her head just about reaching his chin. The observation brought a small smirk to his face.

There was a time back when he was still in the ninja academy, where Sakura had been taller than him. In fact, many of the girls, had been taller than him by a few inches. It annoyed him back then and he remembered being comforted by the knowledge that at least he was still taller than Hinata and Tenten.

The smirk dropped from his face as quickly as it appeared, going unnoticed by Sakura. She may be small, but her size wasn't a measure of her strength. There was no reason to worry about the many admirers she had, tailing after her. He knew that if the situation required it, Sakura would be able to defend herself and hold her own.

~XxX~

After triple checking his equipment to make sure everything he needed was there and that he wasn't missing a single thing, Sasuke finally stepped out of his house and started walking down the dark streets that would lead him to the village's main gates. The sky was a dark blue-grey, the air was damp and cold and Konoha was still asleep.

He arrived at his destination and found Gaara alongside his brother and sister, Kankuro and Temari. Shikamaru was there too, leaning against the gate, holding back a yawn. "Great, you're here, that leaves just two more.. What a drag." He said, stretching his arms out.

"Could you at least try to be a bit more alert? You're escorting a Kage you know." Temari remarked, her hands planted on her hips.

Shikamaru drew out a long sigh. "The sun hasn't even risen yet and I'm still awake, that's alert if you ask me."

While the two jounin shot meaningless retorts back and forth, Sasuke dropped his backpack next to his feet and pulled out the sealing scroll he had received the day before, from his pouch. He walked over to Gaara and stopped a few steps away. He extended his arm with the scroll towards the Kazekage and spoke, "Sakura said you would know what this is."

Gaara nodded and accepted it. "Thank you." He said.

"Hey! Look who it is!" Kankuro piped up from next to his brother. Temari - who had stopped her bickering with the Nara to listen to Sasuke - looked over to where Kankuro had pointed. A smirk formed on her lips, "Well, speak of the devil."

Sasuke turned around to find Hinata walking alongside a clearly sleep-deprived Sakura. Releasing a yawn, she brought one hand up to rub her eyes and the other to lazily wave at the gathered group. "Good morning, guys..." Sakura said sleepily.

Sasuke frowned. She was dressed in her ninja attire and was caring a backpack. He looked behind the two kunoichi; The nameless medic had still not arrived..

Sakura's arrival seemed to have brought some energy to the atmosphere as the two elder Sand siblings greeted her with enthusiasm. "Hey, nice to see you again Sakura!" Kankuro grinned at her.

Temari stepped in and hugged her, "Yeah, we didn't see you at all during our stay."

As Sakura explained to them about how she had been busy shifting to her new house all week, Sasuke heard Gaara politely greet Hinata, who's timid, "Good morning.." had gone unheard.

Shikamaru interrupted Sakura and asked the question Sasuke had wanted an answer for. "Why are you here, Sakura? Are you joining us on our mission?"

Sakura nodded. "Yep, I'm headed to Suna with you guys."

"How come we weren't informed? And didn't you have that party planned out today?"

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "Well, I did have plans today, but I was woken up last night and ordered to the Hokage's office. Kirito-San, the medic who's supposed to be here, fell ill due to food poisoning. So I'm here in his place. I had to prepare for the mission the rest of the night so please excuse me if I'm not as alert as I should be. It was all pretty last minute.." She explained.

The explanation seemed satisfactory enough for Shikamaru as he muttered, "The medic fell sick, how ironic.."

But the sudden change troubled Sasuke. Teams carrying missions that involved escorting important figures such as the Kage, would normally have the best medics available. Given the fact that the client was the Kazekage of Sunagakure - Konoha's closest ally - Sakura, being the best medic in the village next to Tsunade, would have naturally been a part of this mission from the very beginning. But, the medic Kirito - who's skill was sufficient but not as perfected as Sakura's - was chosen in her stead.

Sasuke was no fool. He knew that Kakashi purposely excluded Sakura from the mission to prevent her from having to be in his presence.

Even though nearly two years had passed, he and Sakura had never tried discussing the issues that had risen in him leaving. Sakura may or may not have meant to speak to him privately, but Sasuke always made sure that whenever he spoke to her, they would be in places that were anything but private. He knew he was avoiding a confrontation. He didn't want one.

When it came to Naruto, the situation was a lot easier. Their differences were settled in a way he could handle. In a way he understood. Their final battle had been long awaited and satisfactory, the results leading to mutual respect, understanding and friendship. It couldn't be settled the same way with Sakura.

Kakashi knew that being together on a mission for an extended amount of time would most likely lead to either an argument or teamwork malfunction in the case of danger. Which is why another medic was sent in her place. But given the current situation, It seems the Hokage had run out of options.

"Alright then, here's our formation," Shikamaru, the assigned leader of this mission, spoke. He picked up a small rock and began drawing their positions on the sand.

"Hinata and I will be in front, leading the way. We'll need her Byakugan to scope the area for any potential threats. I'll be strategizing from up front should any unexpected changes occur. Kankuro, Temari and Lord Kazekage will be behind us. Sasuke and Sakura, guard the rear. Are we all clear?"

The formation was affirmed and Sasuke picked his backpack up off the ground. The plan made sense and he wasn't about to complain over relationship issues.

Shikamaru tossed the rock aside and rubbed out the markings on the sand. "Alright then, we're heading out."

A/N: So this was originally supposed to be a one shot where Sasuke would get jealous over the amount of attention Sakura was getting from the males in the village, and he would make his move at her house warming party. But then, I watched Boruto the movie and realized how stupid that idea was and also how boring. Sasuke's character had more depth than that. So I decided to start the story with my original idea of Sakura inviting him for her housewarming, but decided to extend it a bit more. So far, I've got no clear plan as to where this is going, but I'm working on it, and I'm open to ideas from you guys. Please read and review and give me your opinion on this story. Are the characters ooc? Any problems with my writing? Please review and let me know :-)

FAQ's

1. Did you know that the timeline of this story doesn't fit with the canon?

-Yes I do know that the timing is wrong, but this story is AU-ish so it doesn't really follow canon all that much.

2. Does Sasuke only have one arm in this story?

-Nope, he has two, but his left arm is a prosthetic arm. I made it that way because I didn't know how to tackle writing Sasuke with only one arm. Hope you guys can over look that.

3. Why were the Sand Sibling so exited to see Sakura? I think you made Temari a bit ooc.

-Well My reasoning is that, the Sand Siblings would be extremely grateful to Sakura for being the one to cure Kankuro from Sasori's poison. Temari, being the eldest sibling and having somewhat motherly instincts when it came to her brothers, would have been the most relieved when Kankuro was cured. So she would have no qualms about showing her gratitued to Sakura very openly.