Author's Note: Just to let you know, I'm gonna be slow updating this, since school and 4-H are in full swing, giving me very limited time to work on my fanfictions. Oh, and FYI, more clarification of what has happened in Sasuke's absence will come in later chapters.

Chapter 1—An Unexpected Guest

Bare fingers traced across the names carved into the solid stone that stood as a memorial—a memorial to those heroes of Konoha who had died in battle, on missions, in defense of their country. It was a stone on which you would never see his name. He would never be so glorious as to perform such a sacrifice for his country. No. In fact, he hardly even saw himself as a part of the "Village Hidden in the Leaves" anymore. The only reason the young shinobi had returned to Konoha was to claim what truly belonged to him.

The door slammed behind her as Sakura walked from her apartment, melancholy eyes cast downward. Sandal-clad feet stopped the kunoichi only a meter from the door, however. An expression caught somewhere between dismay and joy mingled with her melancholy appearance to create what might have looked like unease as Sakura slowly and surely looked up at the familiar figure standing before her. She had seen his slender, yet masculine form many times before. But never before had she had such mixed emotions about it. It had been three years since Haruno Sakura last laid eyes on Uchiha Sasuke.

Sakura looked at Sasuke indecisively for a moment before selecting the path to follow. Casting her gaze downward, the kunoichi brushed past him. What else could she do, but brush off the man who had left her for naught? But as she walked away, Sakura's senses remained alert, waiting for Sasuke to say something, to reach for her, to follow her. Nothing happened, and Sakura feared she had lost Sasuke for a second time.

Sakura distractedly pushed her gyoza back and forth across her plate, with Naruto's eyes following the food. "Are you gonna eat that?" he finally asked, after having counted it move seventeen times.

"Huh?" Sakura looked up, startled by Naruto's speech. "Oh…uh, no."

Without asking permission, Naruto reached across the table and plucked the plump gyoza off Sakura's plate and hurriedly tossed it into his mouth with a small noise of satisfaction. Not only had he snatched up extra food, but he had done it without any protest from Sakura. Come to think of it, Naruto realized, Sakura wasn't really acting like herself. "What's up?"

"It's nothing."

From the look on her face, Naruto knew it was far from 'nothing'. "Come on, you can tell me."

"Weeell," she began, stretching out the word to stall for time. As she set her chopsticks down on her plate, Sakura sighed and cast aside any and all emotion. "I saw Sasuke last night," she finished promptly, her tone of voice creating the illusion that it was no big deal.

Naruto thought differently. "What? You saw Sasuke?"

Sakura hushed Naruto as she hurriedly looked around the restaurant. Several people had heard Naruto, and were now staring at the two. Uchiha Sasuke was a well-known name in Konoha. He had always been respected, but after running off to join Orochimaru, his popularity had taken quite the fall, even among the young ladies of the village.

"Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else," Sakura insisted as she rose from her seat. Naruto hesitantly followed suit, and the two walked out of the restaurant. They had only walked a few meters down the street when a young woman rushed toward them. Sakura looked at her. She was young, about Sakura's age or a bit younger, with a perfect complexion and soft golden curls. Great, inner Sakura began. She's probably one of the few remaining Sasuke fans, and she overheard us. "Can I help you?" Sakura asked politely, ignoring the inner voice.

"You left without paying your bill."

At the young woman's request for pay, Naruto swiftly retrieved 2000 yen from his pocket and placed it in her outstretched hand. It was unlike him to pay for his own lunch, let alone both his and Sakura's. The only reasoning Sakura could find behind his actions was his desire to hear about her encounter with Sasuke.

Wordlessly, Naruto beckoned for Sakura to follow him, and she did. Normally, the young ninja would have been chattering away about everything—the weather, his training, his relationships with everyone in town, Jiraiya's newest book, his latest version of the Sexy no Jutsu, and so forth. But today, he was far too focused on Sakura's encounter with Sasuke. It was the first time in years that Sakura had seen Naruto so serious, and frankly, it was beginning to creep her out.

The short walk to Naruto's dingy apartment was filled with an awkward silence that gnawed at Sakura. Her original intention had been to casually mention Sasuke's visit and be done with it. She wanted to forget that it had ever happened. But that was unlikely to happen now.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked worriedly as Naruto led her straight past his apartment building. "Where are we going?"

Naruto didn't respond, and it suddenly occurred to Sakura that he might actually be taking some responsibility and was taking her to report the sighting. After all, Sasuke had been declared a missing nin. It would only make sense to file a report. But then it hit Sakura—they were walking away from the Hokage's office, not toward it. If Naruto wasn't taking Sakura to his apartment or to file a report, then where was he taking her?

The two turned the corner and stopped. Sakura knew where they were; they were standing in front of the memorial statue—the stone engraved with the name of those ninjas who had lost their lives serving Konoha. But why were they here?

Leaves rustled, causing the kunoichi to turn her head in alarm. She was unprepared to find herself face to face, for the second time in two days, with Uchiha Sasuke.

"You mean to tell me you've been hiding him for over a week?" Sakura asked, unbelieving. It was impossible that Naruto could keep such a secret for more than a day. But Sasuke confirmed the truth behind everything Naruto said. Well, everything except the story about Naruto killing several dozen ninjas who had accompanied Sasuke, and then single-handedly capturing Sasuke and forcing him to hide in the forest.

Naruto gleamed with pride as he looked back and forth between Sakura and Sasuke. He had astonished Sakura. Nothing he did ever astonished her. Not even his asking her out. In fact, the reverse effect has taken place—Sakura's response to Naruto's proposal had astonished Naruto. Never had the kyuubi imagined that he might someday win Sakura's affections. But he had, and she was now his girlfriend.

Of course, everyone in Konoha had been shocked when Naruto announced that he was dating Sakura. Actually, everyone had been disbelieving. But they were definitely shocked when Sakura herself confirmed the news. Well, even that wasn't true. Everyone had been even more disbelieving until Sakura appeared next to Naruto (who had transformed to look and sound like Sakura) and confirmed his story. That was the real truth behind it. How such an unlikely coupling came to be, though, is another story for another time.

Emerald eyes glanced down at the cheap watch, not ironically given to Sakura by Naruto as a Christmas present, strapped to Sakura's wrist. "Shit", the kunoichi spat under her breath. She was late for her shift at the hospital. "I've got to work. I'll see you around." The words were directed at both Sasuke and Naruto, said as if Sakura had said them every day of her life. It was awkward talking to Sasuke as if she would be seeing him again soon, but what else was she supposed to say to him? 'Well, it's been nice seeing you again Sasuke. Have a nice life'?

Sakura turned to leave, and as she did, Sasuke sidled up beside her. "Meet me tonight," he said in a whisper as he slipped a small paper into her hand, curling her delicate fingers around the scrap.

Sakura found herself distracted during her entire shift at work. As soon as she was out of Naruto and Sasuke's sight, the kunoichi had unfolded the paper. Scrolled hastily on it was a residential address. If Sasuke was supposed to be hiding in the forest, then why could he possibly want her to meet him at a house? Whose house was it? Sakura attempted to push the questions from mind so that she could focus on work, but it was more difficult to do than she would have thought. Already tonight she had made several mistakes—the first being when she was supposed to remove a large splinter from a man's leg, and only succeeded in pushing the chunk of wood further into his fleshy tissue. The medical nin had been promptly shuffled from the room and reprimanded by her superior.

Finally, shortly after midnight, Sakura was released from the hospital, tired and bedraggled from the stress of keeping her mind on her work. Heavy footsteps resounded as the kunoichi walked down a dark alleyway, the fastest route to the given address. It was a quick walk from the hospital, and Sakura shortly found herself standing alone in front of an old traditional Japanese home. The street was void of noise and light.

After several minutes filled with eerie silence, Sakura started at the sound of footsteps down the street. Although her eyes had begun to adjust to the dim street, it was nearly impossible for her to make out the features of the person walking toward her. Slowly, uneasily, she reached into the pouch at her hip and withdrew a kunai, holding it low, at the ready, should she need to defend herself. But defense was not necessary. The kunoichi relaxed as the stranger came within meters of her and the definite features of the young Uchiha took shape.

"Sasuke," she breathed relief, replacing the weapon in her hip pouch. Sasuke said nothing in return, but stopped in front of Sakura, very clearly impeding upon her personal space. It was like the old Sasuke to not respond when spoken to, but when Sakura had known him, he had possessed a strong sense of personal space. Having him so close to her made Sakura slightly uneasy. The young girl took several staggering steps behind her, which Sasuke matched with ease. To Sakura's disdain, she quickly found her back pressed against a solid stone wall. What was Sasuke thinking? "Sasuke." Sakura said the boy's name again, though this time with unease.

Again, Sasuke remained silent, though the look in his eyes said it all. Sakura felt her knees giving out beneath her, but knew she had to stay strong, for both herself and for Naruto. Both she and Naruto had suffered too long because of Sasuke, and she couldn't give in to him now. But Sakura soon found her body shaking with tension and fervor came into her voice. "It's been too long, Sasuke," she whispered, leaning forward to lift her face dangerously close to his. For the two ninjas, that was the point of no return.