Chapter 1

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed. "Sasuke-kun?" Her eyes widened as she looked at the raven-haired boy standing next to her. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. This was the last thing they needed as the fourth shinobi ended little over a month ago.

"It seems so" Tsunade puts her pen down and sighed as she placed a hand on her chin.

The former teammates were summoned to the hokage office late in the evening to discuss a 'switcheroo' that had taken place.. Sakura had initially brushed this of as some prank the newly formed genin teams pulled while they slacked off on a D rank mission. She wouldn't have thought twice that this whole intervention was about the package she handed over to Sasuke seven days ago.

"However Sakura, you are as much to blame for this as Sasuke" The Hokage eyed daggers at the rosette.

Sakura jumped back in a ridiculous fashion. "What?!" she exclaimed for the second time. Though the boy in question have been keeping a straight face through out all this. Since his return to the village things hadn't been all that different as it were five years ago. If anything, the training rituals Naruto and Sasuke engaged in were more violent to say the least.

" Sakura" The Hokage began, her voice rose "You were the one who gave the poison to Sasuke instead of the medicine we promised to deliver to Takigakure!"

Sakura briefly remembered going through the supply basement of the village. She recalled handing a box to Sasuke and she was pretty sure that , that box had contained the herbs and medicine intended for the hidden waterfall.

" That was poison?" yelped Sakura. The bottles in the package as she recalls were identical to the herbal medical packages. Feeling annoyed at this she blurted out

" Then why would you put the medicine and the poison in boxes that look exactly alike!"

The Kunoichi clasped her hands over her mouth. Knowing her master's temper, she regretted her outburst.

"Sakura do not put the blame on me" Tsunade felt irritation bubble up. " Do you have any idea what this has cost us?

The pale blonde woman stood up and pointed at the Uchiha.

" And you! The fact that you didn't bother to check what you were delivering to a foreign nation!"

" I simply did what I was asked to do, no more no less" said Sasuke.

But the Hokage wouldn't have any of it. Tsunade banged her fists on her desk and yelled. " Your life is at stake boy!"

Sakura widened her eyes. " What do you mean?" it was true that even after the fourth ninja world war, most villages still didn't trust the lone Uchiha. It was only palpable that the action of delivering poison to the hidden waterfall village could be viewed as threatening. Even though that wasn't his intention.

Tsunade took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure.

" Remember how the last war was a war to protect Naruto? This could very well become a war to kill the last Uchiha"

A knot formed in her throat as the rosette clenched her gloved fists. " But why?! A lot of people deliver things by mistake, Why does it have to be Sasuke?!"

There was no way she was going to go through another separation of her team again. Not after the last three years. Her feeling for the Uchiha may have sufficed but that does not mean that she cared any less for the young man.

At this the said Uchiha merely glanced at his former teammate before eyeing the hokage again.

" I think you know why" the woman glanced at the raven-haired boy. " He's been labeled a criminal. An S rank criminal before, that alone should be a reason why"

" But" Sakura averted her eyes down. " He played a major role in winning the war! If anything they should be grateful-"

" Sakura!" voiced Sasuke without facing her.

"Sasuke-kun…"

Tsunade shook her head and sighed. " This may have been their final straw if it weren't for them giving us a chance"

The young medic raised her head and from the corners of her eyes she could see that Sasuke was more alert. " A chance?"

The blonde nodded as she picked up a letter delivered to her by the council of the waterfall village. " Takigakure expects a delivery of what they rightfully ordered."

"Medicine" Sasuke stated in understanding.

"However" Tsunade stated slow. " It must be delivered in seven days, if not they will wage war"

Sakura inwardly sighed. The one time she was put in charge of the medical unit she had messed it up with a possibility of war. She looked at the taller boy miserably.

This slight mistake could cost his life, though she was sure that he was more than capable of handling a war but the possibility of seeing him go back to the way he used to be… even the thought was unbearable. Before she made any silly vows to herself again she waited for her master's instructions.

" Sasuke and Sakura , you've now been assigned this mission"

After being given the map to Takigakure Sakura began her way out of the Hokage office. Pacing down the marble halls she looked out the long window and the sun was setting, Seven more sunsets, till this weight is lifted of her chest.

Being given a mission with Sasuke. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about that. Nostalgia waved over her as she remembered her old self. Her mind too a daze to care about what anyone thought as she followed Sasuke around like a lost puppy. She would have given anything to be alone with the dashing Uchiha.

But now, she wasn't sure how she, Haruno Sakura the discipline of a sannin who's gone through hell and back trying to keep her teammates from falling apart felt about this. Should she feel anything at all? This is just a mission to fix an honest mistake wasn't it?

"Oi Sakura"

Speak of the devil

She immediately snapped out of her thoughts and realized that she was out of the hokage building and the same boy she'd been musing about was standing right in front of her.

" Sasuke-kun?"

Was he waiting for her?

The Uchiha waved a piece of paper in front of him, " We need to go over the mission plan"

Oh. Of course! How could she forget the plan! "R-right" was all that croaked out of her. Sasuke simply turned and started to walk of towards the village center. The rosette scurried after him.

They were sitting in a table for two in a dango shop. He had ordered two sets of savories for the both of them. When it was time to order drinks Sasuke glanced at her.

"Oh! Water is fine with me" Sakura said meekly. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and turns towards the waiter. "I'll have water too"

The map of the village hidden in the waterfall was unrolled on the table with the mission plan document right beside it. Sakura tapped her glass of water with her fingers and she didn't even notice the way her feet were swaying anxiously.

" You've changed" he states out of the blue.

It was a brief statement but nonetheless it had broken the ice between them. Sakura wonders whether this is a good thing.

" Oh?" she smiles. " How?"

" You don't talk as much"

Sakura frowned at this. " How so?"

"There" he says. "You use fewer syllables"

She attempted to keep her voice low as more customers passed by. She wonders what they would make of this scene if a familiar face walked by. Naruto and Kakashi were away on a mission so that's one breath of relief.

" Using words like 'syllables' doesn't suit you" Sakura whispers back. She cringes slightly at how lame her comeback was.

"Whispering doesn't suit you" Sasuke said back with a smirk.

Sakura leaned back on her chair and pouts before she broke into a smile before gradually laughter bubbled up.

Happiness fluttered in her, though the reason may be silly she had spent years dreaming and finally to be able to have a normal conversation with the "murderous" Uchiha was a surreal experience. Sakura stopped laughing when she noticed the Uchiha eyeing her with a mystified expression. Embarrassed she cleared her throat before she grabbed a dango.

" So.. the mission plan?" She said gawkily.

Sasuke placed a figure on the leftmost side of the map. "According to the Hokage we need to meet up with a man that's in Tonzaku town" he slided his fingers across the map. " Which is right on our path to Takigakure"

Sakura nodded. "He's got the medical supplies we need to deliver"

Sasuke taped his fingers. " Aren't there any more medical supplies in Konoha?"

" Naruto and Kakashi are delivering the last batch to Sunagakure as we speak" sighed Sakura.

" I see" says the Uchiha. " The man is said to arrive in town day after tomorrow, and we need to complete this mission by the seventh day… so that means-"

" We leave tomorrow" Sakura finishes.

"Exactly"

"But what's this place?" Sakura ignored the way her fingers brushed against Sasuke's as she placed it on an area of a map that looked forested.

There was no hint in his voice whether he felt the touch. " That's the Kuro forest, the fastest path to the hidden waterfall"

The medic nin nods "Though even the fastest path would take us at least seven days unless we stick to a set plan"

" Yes, We'll leave at sunrise" Sasuke started to put back the mission plan document away. "I trust that you won't be late" Sakura inwardly rolls her eyes, He's as authoritative as ever. " Of course"

All that night all she could think about was that day and the next few days to come. She brushed of the fact that Sasuke payed for their little business 'date' because it was only fair as she hadn't known that they were going to a savory shop. She also decided to forget how she ignored hints of old feelings as her fingers brushed against his and how they're going to be by themselves for the next seven days. Seven days. That was a long time.

Sakura mentally slapped herself out of her thoughts and she touched the diamond symbol on her forehead. The yin-seal, the mark of her change. Right now she can't afford to be her old self if it meant that Sasuke might have to revert back as well.

She closed her eyes and prayed that she won't be late the next day.

A/N- Hey guys, This is going to be 10 chapter SasuSaku story, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and I hope you're looking foreword to see what unfolds. Till then see ya and reviews are much appreciated!