Backstory: Sasuke returned to the village after killing Itachi and getting his revenge. He doesn't know the truth about Danto's involvement and Itachi's true motives. He was pardoned and rised through the ranks as a ninja, but more importantly he asked Sakura out. Of course she said yes and they dated for almost a year before they brought their relationship to the next level: they got an apartment together. They've lived together happily for two months until, for about once a week, he would unexplainably come home late.

3:31 am.

Sasuke jammed his key into the keyhole on the third attempt; it was late and dark and he was tired. He unlocked the door and stepped in. Sakura was sure to be asleep so he tried feeling his way to their bedroom in the dark. He was just a few feet in when bright like hit his eyes. He saw Sakura sitting in their recliner wearing just a robe, her hair was a mess and she had bags under her eyes.

"Sasuke! You said you'd be back hours ago. I've been worried." No –kun. He noticed and didn't like it.

"Yeah, I was…out. Shouldn't you be asleep? You have work tomorrow." was all he would say. He hated not explaining, but he couldn't tell her what he was doing.

"Out?! Out where?" she hated that she was upset with him, but this wasn't the first night he's done this.

Sasuke walked across the living room, "I had some business to do" he quickly said as he passed his pink-haired girlfriend without looking at her.

"Sasuke. Sasuke," she said before standing up, "Sasuke! What were you doing?"

"Ah!" He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Fuck Sakura it's late! Let's just go to sleep."

He disappeared into their room. She waited almost four hours for that one minute conversation. She sat back down with a heavy thud. Her shift at the hospital started at 9:00am and she hated not getting a full night's rest. Sakura didn't know what to do. Losing Sasuke was the last thing she wanted but she didn't want to share a bed with someone who wasn't honest. She was lost in the thoughts of all the horrible things he could have been doing the nights he came in late at night: Cheating? Prostitution? Strip club? Drugs? All of these? She didn't know how long she was thinking this when Sasuke walked back in the living room in his pajamas.

"Sakura-chan? You coming to bed?" he asked gingerly.

She bolted up with all the pent-up emotions bursting out: "Sasuke do you really have nothing to say!? You can be so selfish sometimes! Either tell me exactly what you've been doing or you can just sleep on the couch!"

"I can't tell you," he calmly stated.

"If we actually love each other we would be honest with each other," Sakura managed to squeak out as several tears ran down her cheek.

"Damn it Sakura of course I love you!" he hissed back.

"Then talk to me," Sakura meekly replied.

"Agh we don't have time right now," he returned to their room and came back with a pillow and a blanket, "I'm going to sleep!"

Sakura quickly walked passed Sasuke to go into their room as he got on the couch. She crawled in bed, but she couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

7:38 am.

Sasuke woke up early in the morning. The couch was uncomfortable. He was too tall to stretch out on it and it was too hard. He and Sakura fought before but it never ended in him sleeping out here.

He walked into the kitchen and saw that no breakfast was made. He doubted Sakura would make him anything to eat but she would make something for herself. This meant she must still be asleep. He knocked on the bedroom door. Why was he knocking? It's his apartment too but he knew she was upset.

He knocked again and called out, "Sakura-chan?" but there was no reply. He opened the door and saw that their bed was empty. She left early without him. He always walked her to work.

It's been a long time since he felt this empty.

12:36 am

Sakura finished giving stitches to some kid. It was the last job she had before her lunch break. The last time she ate alone felt like half a lifetime ago. Sasuke would either take her out to a restaurant or bring them something homemade. Whenever he was gone on a mission she would eat with one of her friends, usually Ino, but they were all busy. She went to the nearest restaurant.

She approached the waitress and was about to ask for a table for herself when a familiar voice asked,

"Could we get a table for two?"

It was Sasuke. She looked at him with a mixture of annoyance, anger and confusion.

She didn't say a thing to him until they sat down and the waitress left:

"So, are you ready to tell me what you've been doing late at night?"

"No. I don't think that's a good idea. But, I promise it's nothing that bad," Sasuke pled.

"Sasuke-kun," she slowly said. The –kun was partly out of habit and partly because she still had hope, "I don't know. I think we've been drifting apart."

"Sakura-chan? Are you telling me what I think you are?"

"What!? No of course not. I love you and I always will." Sakura explained.

"I love you too" Sasuke told her.

"Look, I'll be back tonight. We should talk more then and…you don't have to stay on the couch."

"You're leaving already? We haven't even ordered food yet," Sasuke asserted.

"I'm not hungry" she quickly spurted out before storming out of the restaurant.

She was trying to work things out with him but it was hard. It was going to take time and he had to meet her halfway.

7:26 pm

Sakura left the hospital. It was nearly Winter so it was already getting dark and cold. She pulled her jacket close to herself. She walked along a crowded street when she peered ahead. She recognized the familiar black, chicken-butt hair. It was Sasuke. What was he doing out here? She kept a safe distance between them until he turned right, when their apartment was on the left. She rounded the corner and saw him going down an alley. She followed him. There were more twists and turns until after 20 minutes of following her boyfriend she couldn't see him anywhere.

Oh God! It's dark and she doesn't know where she is. She could see the faint green roadside ahead of her. She jogged up to it and read "Uchiha Neighborhood 1 Mile" but it was covered in moss from age. This was the restricted zone where the Uchihas once lived but now was dilapidated from nearly a decade of vacancy. Sasuke technically inherited all of it but hasn't had a chance to renovate it until he also inherited the millions of dollars left for him on his 18th birthday.

Sakura got the chills from this place but she knew this must be where Sasuke was heading. She paced between the houses that once had happy families until she could see the Uchiha manor that Sasuke grew up in. There was a light on in the bottom floor. It must be him.

What was he doing? Maybe it really couldn't be that bad if he came all the way out here. She debated with herself for a long time about whether or not she should go in. Sasuke never invited her into this place because of all the bad memories. It was special to him so maybe she shouldn't barge in, although, this could be the only place to get answers. Finally, she decided to go in. Hopefully, she wouldn't regret it.

She walked right through the front door into the lit room. She walked around the corner and saw Sasuke sitting behind a desk filled with papers, books and office equipment. Behind him was a pin up board with more papers, diagrams, and pictures. There were red arrows drawn over connecting them. There were post-it notes with big "?"s drawn.

She was able to take a few steps into the room before Sasuke shot his head up and made eye contact with her. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Sakura?" he bolted up from his desk. "What-what are you doing here?" He wasn't angry, just stern and confused.

"I, um, I followed you," Sakura explained, "Please don't be angry."

"Why did you follow me?"

"This was the only way to find out what you've been up to. So, what is all this?"

"Agh, I didn't want you to find out like this."

Sakura didn't say anything. She just waited for him to continue:

"I've always known Itachi couldn't have done it by himself. I've been tracking down whoever could have been the accomplice when I found something bigger! I think, and I'm so close to proving this, that…well, I think that Itachi was just following orders. Someone gave the order and I'm close to finding him! I'll find them both and, and it's possible Itachi was innocent more or less." He finished speaking what were probably the most words he's ever said.

Sakura nervously giggled a little before asking, "Is this what you've been doing all these nights?"

"Yes I swear this is it." Sasuke explained.

"Why were you afraid to tell me this?"

"Because…nobody liked me when I was obsessed with revenge."

"Ah you know that's not true, Sasuke-kun" Sakura coaxed.

"Yeah, I thought you would be supportive. I was just…afraid." Sasuke replied.

"Whatever makes you happy!" Sakura sweetly replied.

"Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, revenge has always been what's made me happiest," Sasuke told her.

"Uh, well, not happiest I hope?" She nervously asked.

"No, this has been what I've loved most." Sasuke remarked absent-mindedly, not really knowing the weight of his words.

"Sasuke, that's kind of rude," Sakura asserted with a scowl on her face.

"What? You've always told me to be more honest."

"So, that's really how you feel?"

"Sakura, you know revenge has always come first."

"Yeah, I just thought, well…you know, that the time of your life was over," she commented with tears building behind her eyes.

"It was it was, but now I've found," he gestured to all of his research, "all of this!"

She also gestured to all of the research, "This! This is more important than me?"

Sasuke was quick to say: "No no no, just…at the moment"

"If that's how you feel then I should leave you to it 'at the moment'! I'm gonna go stay with Ino!" Sakura yelled as she turned away.

"Wait! Sakura wait it's not like that!" he argued to no avail.

"Fuck you Sasuke!"

Sakura stormed out of the front door into the cool night air.

To Be Continued…soon. I think I'm gonna go take a shower and then get started on Chapter 2. That one will be more romantic.