"Papa?"

"Hn?"

"How did you know you love Mama?"

"…"

45 miles outside of Konohagakure

The day the war ended.

5:14AM

Sakura trudged back to the cave, a few logs in her arms and a small bundle of herbs she had found whilst foraging. She threw the logs to the fire and dusted off her gloved hands. Her eyes were dry, she was hungry, thirsty and nearly drained of chakra. But she still needed to heal more wounds. She collapsed next to the two men, reaching for the bundle. From her pack, she produced a pestle and mortar and began measuring out the herbs and grinding them to a paste together.

Behind her, one of the men observed her mutely. His only good eye could barely open - still smeared in blood and grime. But the injuries elsewhere in his body screamed more than the fact that he was bleeding from his eye sockets. Of course, she with all her remarkable skill, managed to stop the bleeding. His eye moved down her cloaked figure to the weathered, small hands. She had removed her gloves now and was scraping the paste to her palm. It still made him wonder how such small delicate hands can have so much power – be it to heal an entire fleet of shinobi, or to pack a punch that could literally be felt for miles around.

He thought back to the days of when she was twelve. Naïve, cheerful and just annoying. Of course then, he had meant it in the most affectionate way; in the Uchiha's sense of course. But she, very much like the man resting soundly next to him, were his precious friends. His greed, hatred and lust for power had blinded him from the people who had filled the hole in his blackened heart. He knew no one could replace his parents, even his brother. But Naruto had been the closest to a brother that he could ever ask for; Kakashi, an eccentric yet concerned father who truly did care for his students.

And then there was her.

His brow furrowed. He did think she was a nuisance, but he never realised how important she was in his life till she was no longer there. He found out the real meaning of ' nuisance' from Karin – always in his way, fawning over him in the worst possible situations and even going to despicable lengths to get his attention. With Sakura, he knew what she felt for him. And he knew it was pure. As pure as the love his mother gave him – a love that is gentle, unassuming and unconditional. As pure as the affection Itachi had shown him before the massacre.

He lost his family twice.

Once, a bloody massacre that would scar him for a lifetime.

The other, of his own accord.

What he never understood was why they never felt bitter anger towards him. The sort of bitterness he had after his family was taken away from him. With Naruto, he understood his stubbornness. He himself was as stubborn. But even when he had almost killed them, showed them such malice, they welcomed him with open arms. He could never understand why.

His eye shifted to the pink-haired woman, now hovering over him. She began to smear the herbal paste over his cuts, her brow furrowed in concentration as she used the last bit of her chakra to close gaping wounds.

"Sakura…I.."

He watched her brows raise and her green irises shifting to him for a split second. They were gentle, unassuming and filled with unconditional love. He felt a jolt in his chest. To think he almost killed her. But her eyes soon shifted to lifelessness and the tiredness showed.

"Don't, I need to concentrate."

He spied a glimmer of tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry…"

Her brows raised, but her expression didn't change.

"Sorry? For what?"

At this point, the emotion showed in his own face, something he hadn't done since mourning the death of Itachi.

"For everything…"

He watched her lip wobble and the tears pool before spilling down her flushed, dirt-smeared cheeks.

"You better be…jerk."

Konohagakure General Hospital

4 days post-war.

1:47PM

"I'm expecting the hospital supplies from Sand in a minute, can you watch over him till then?"

Sakura smiled and nodded as one of the young nurses handed her the clipboard. Being a medic who had been out in the field, she was given a few days off to recover. Of course, as the mentee of a sage and a healer to her very being, she couldn't stay away from the hospital. Not when they need all the help they needed. Her feat of healing an entire army of shinobi had become something of a legacy overnight. She had also gained suitors overnight. She would find small bundles of flowers on her desks with notes from shinobi she had personally healed.

Among the bundles of roses, a single daffodil sat on the centre of her desk on a cracked glass of water.

A strong flower that waits for the hope of Spring.

Her cheeks flushed as she read the note and a certain sense of nostalgia hit her. Right before the day he had left the village, she had given him a daffodil. She shook her head and set the glass down. It couldn't possibly be from him.

Konohagakure Accident & Emergency Division

15 weeks post-war.

3:05AM

Sakura always felt his presence nearby. She supposed some people would be frightened by the ominous presence following them; but to her, it was an almost comforting feeling. Honestly, she didn't need to be watched over. But his sentiment was felt and it never failed to leave a warm blush on her cheeks. As usual, she finished up her rounds in the hospital. Now that the war was over, it was a matter of building from the ground up. Most of their emergency cases came from accidents in the reconstruction efforts. All the same, today was no less hectic from the rest and she was exhausted. She yawned as she washed her hands, discarding her scrubs and stopped by her office to gather her things. A new daffodil would always replace the one that was there every day and it never failed to put a small smile on her face.

She hoisted her bag, heavy with new medical books and stepped out of the hospital through the back door. It was a medic nin's duty to be kept abreast of new developments and healing techniques and those were books for when she got home.

Twelve hour shifts and three hours of daily readings. He watched her quietly, but amusedly as she stretched and made her way down the dark alleyways. It was hard to believe that this girl would obsess over her hair a few years ago. He frowned then, remembering the first time she had gotten her 'haircut'. They had all experienced a change of some form that day.

He followed after her, vigilant of any suspicious figures lurking in the shadows. Since the war, crime has plummeted in Konoha. But Sasuke still felt a need to watch over her. It was not that he didn't think her capable of protecting herself, it was just that he thought it ridiculous that she always had to walk home alone when she was most vulnerable- chakra-drained and not in the right frame of mind to battle should she get attacked.

Besides, anyone who would even dare think of attacking her are one or both of two things –are new to the village or are extremely, extremely stupid.

He frowned as she shifted the bulging bag to her other shoulder. What did she have in there, bricks? He swooped down from his perch on a roof and landed quietly behind her. He watched her freeze and her hand reaching for the hidden kunai pouch on her thigh but relax as soon as she recognized the chakra signature. She was so tired that day, she almost forgot about him.

"Evening Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

He walked over to her side and wordlessly plucked off her bag and - quite literally, swept her off her feet. He ignored her squeaks and her not-so-gentle poundings to his chest. In the shadows, Sakura failed to see the slight smirk on his lips.

Konohagakure Children's Hospital

6 months post-war.

12:37PM

Sasuke hated it when she had to do her shifts at her favourite hospital. Not that he had a particular dislike for children - hardly, considering he had the sudden realization that he would one day need to have children of his own. But his distaste stemmed mostly from the stares he got from the little cretins and the hushed giggles from the nurses. It was no secret to the hospital staff of the 'complicated' relationship Sakura and himself had. It must be some sort of soap opera to them.

But another part of him...liked seeing her interact with the children. He wondered how he would fare with children - especially his own. He considered the fact that that was highly unlikely to happen. Even though he was (or at least, he was told) Konoha's Most Eligible Ex-Con - no doubt, he had plenty of volunteers who'd happily bear his children, he doubted he could truly restore his clan to the supreme power it once was. At the very least, he didn't want his clan's legacy to die off in one of bloodshed and hatred as per the curse. He wanted to make things right with the village first.

He leaned back on to the tree branch and watched as Sakura checked up on a little boy's cast. He was seated on a wheelchair and was left to watch the other children play. "You're healing quick Natsu-chan! Looks like you'd be a remarkable shinobi one day!" He watched as the little boy's face lit up and Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. The little boys thought her a goddess and would likely worship the ground she stepped on. Heck, he'd seen her be 'proposed' to three times already. Not that he was jealous, of course.

"Ahem."

Sasuke readied an annoyed, but not completely malicious stare to the intruder - a senior nurse. She stared unflinchingly back and raised a grey eyebrow. Indeed, he hadn't considered how a cloaked man hiding in a tree overlooking a playground looked like. He sighed and jumped down; much to the excitement of the children. A few of the little girls squealed and ran off - presumably to fetch 'Sakura onee-chan' and inform her that her 'boyfriend' was here to take her to lunch.

Hokage's Office

11 months post-war.

4:58PM

Kakashi watched his student lazily as he read through the mission scrolls. He, and pretty much the rest of the shinobi of Naruto's generation have been waiting too long. Already, Naruto and Hinata were in the process of planning their wedding. He wondered when his 'oldest' would be hitched as well. He really was getting old. His eye crinkled in a smile and he set down his weathered copy of Icha Icha Paradise. "I'm assuming you're not staying in my office for the ambiance or my pleasant company?"

At least the boy- young man, snorted. "If you must know, yes, she's had suitors." He watched bemusedly as Sasuke gave him what he supposed was an indifferent look. He returned his gaze to his book, equally indifferent. "In fact, I've heard through the grapevine that Matsuda-san is planning on confessing on her birthday." He smirked behind his mask as Sasuke visibly tensed. He shifted his chair to the side and propped his legs up. "Now shoo, I've got work to do."

Matsuda was, stereotypically enough, Konoha's most eligible bachelor - right behind Naruto. Rich, a powerful shinobi family and of course, devastatingly handsome. He was the annoying prick that had been sending Sakura bouquets and making frequent visits to her at her workplace with 'injuries'. Sasuke would have loved to give him real injuries, but he supposed that would only encourage him more than deter him. His eye narrowed and he left the office in a poof.

And as expected, on Sakura's birthday, Kakashi received a mission report from Sakura and Sasuke Uchiha.

"...I just did."

A/N: Oh Lordy! It is good to be back! I have literally not written in ages! As for the mess that is the story above - please be kind, I wrote this on impulse and under a day. Also, since I have not written in a while, I would imagine there would be some nasty mistakes hidden in there that my rusty eyes have not picked out. I am not entirely certain if I should turn this long-term: perhaps a short collection of stories or just leave as-is as a one shot. I have been frustrated by the gaps left by Kishimoto regarding Sasuke and Sakura's backgrounds and I just wanted to fill in my own gaps! Please do give me your thoughts and feedback ^^