notes: most of this was written before we knew the truth about itachi, so i worked around that. it's all pretty AU.
misguided ghosts
(Theirs is not a love story.)
"Don't leave me!" She begs, tears sliding down her face in a pitiful way. Sasuke's back is rigid, hands clenched tightly at his sides.
(This is her first mistake: being so naïve to think he'll stay because she asks.)
He is a pillar of warmth behind her, strong and sturdy. Sasuke thanks her; speaks softly and sweetly and leaves all the same.
For a long time, Sakura thinks he left because Orochimaru made him. That he somehow compelled Sasuke to come to him.
It is not until they meet again, him standing above them, shadowed in every sense of the word, and cold, so cold that he nearly puts his sword through Naruto's back, that Sakura realizes she was wrong. He wanted this, wanted to become strong, invincible. He doesn't need feelings to hold him back or friends to keep him grounded.
And for the first time, Sakura realizes that the only thing Sasuke's wanted in a long time was his brother's head. And it kills her, but she keeps her head held high; she will no longer be the little girl who got in the way and needed to be saved. This time, she'll save Sasuke, she'll be the one to bring him home; bring him peace.
She takes to sneaking out of her house at night and breaking into Naruto's.
The first time she does it, Sakura doesn't even realize where she is before he's pulling his window open and letting her in. It was three days after coming back from Suna, and though she knows she's completely healed, her side still aches, and each time she closes her eyes, Sasori is there with his blank face. She knows she should be stronger, but she can't.
It seems Naruto understood, because he stayed up all night and talked, telling her about his adventures with Jiraiya and chasing her nightmares away.
(That's the thing; that's her second mistake: Naruto has always understood).
This is something she doesn't say: Naruto is a good person, but more than that a good friend and she thinks if she didn't love Sasuke so much she might love him.
"Naruto?" She asks one night, feeling his breath against her nose. There is only one pillow, but Sakura doesn't mind as much as she might have once. "Why do you want to save Sasuke?"
He blinks sleepily at her and she berates herself for speaking. Kakashi-sensei had put them through quite the workout today, Naruto especially. "Huh?"
"I—it's nothing, I'm sorry for waking you."
Naruto's eyes clear though; the sleepy haze fleeing quickly as she turns around, facing the window. She realizes then that anyone hopping across the rooftops could see them like this, could tell people. And while she knows she's not doing anything wrong, people would take it the wrong way.
"He's our friend, that's why." Naruto's tired voice whispers to her.
She forgets that sometimes.
"I just, y'know," she tosses a look and a smile at her sensei, hoping it's not betraying her thoughts, "Thought I'd say thank you. I've never really done that before."
Tsunade doesn't seem to be fooled however, and the sake at her elbow continues to go unnoticed. "What are you planning? What do you think you're doing?"
"What's needed," is all she says, and she gives her teacher, her mentor, a smile that she hopes is genuine. "I'm doing what needs to be done."
The older woman frowns, but says no more.
She says, "Keep him safe, okay?" I won't be able to, is what she doesn't say, but Hinata must understand because she nods.
Sakura is turning to leave, her backpack heavy, when Hinata asks, "Who will keep you safe, Sakura?"
No one, she thinks, then shakes herself and smiles. "I can take care of myself."
He's awfully easy to find when she's alone, when she's the one asking questions at inns and hot springs. A pretty girl looking for her lover, they say, smiling at her sadly, so young to be so in love.
Her mother used to tell her the same thing before she moved out, used to brush her hair from her face and wipe her tears. So many other boys, sweetheart, you're hurting yourself.
And she has tried, despite what others seem to believe. She's kissed other boys and tried to date, but it doesn't feel right, it never feels the same, and she hates him as much as she loves him sometimes.
But when she spots him, when she's checking into another inn, miles and weeks away from Konoha, she doesn't hate him, not even a little bit.
His friend with him notices her staring and elbows Sasuke in the ribs, nodding his head her way in what he must think is subtle, and only when Sasuke looks at her does she look away, turning back to the man at the desk, and yes, she'd love her dinner brought to her room, thank you.
"What are you doing here?" He's angry—no, that's not right. He's livid, and each shake sends a slight shock through her, but Sakura stands her ground, juts out her chin and keeps the tears burning her eyes at bay. "Sakura!"
"If you won't come home," she breathes deeply—
("There are many times when you might feel scared," Tsunade says, hands poised on her hips and a far-off expression in her eyes, "But don't let that fear show.")
—and exhales sharply, meeting his eyes. "Then I'll stay with you."
Sasuke pauses, fingers tightening even more, before they drop all together. His gaze is hard and unyielding, but so are her fists, and she won't take no for an answer, not anymore.
Sakura knows that he's travelling with others, two men and a woman. She wonders if they'll accept her, or if they'll treat her like an outsider. She wonders if Sasuke will put up a fight. She wonders if he'll kill her.
Her hand rises, touching the smooth skin of his chest. He flinches, but doesn't move, and Sakura wonders if this means she can stay. She wonders if he's giving up. "One or the other, Sasuke."
"They'll call you a rogue ninja," he looks almost pained at the thought, and she wants to tell him that they won't if he comes back with her instead, if he'd just come with her.
"I know."
It seems like an eternity has passed before he speaks again, but he hasn't moved away from her, instead he's moved closer, and their toes touch now. "Do you want this?"
Yes, she thinks. No; I don't know.
She thinks, come home, be with me and with Naruto, I don't care, just come with me.
"Yes," she says, but can't tell if it's a lie or the truth. Apparently, neither can he, because he leans forward just that little bit more and rests his forehead against hers, inhales deeply, and tugs the knot keeping her hitai-ate on her head loose, and neither of them move when it hits the ground.
"I love you," she says, and gets no response.
It's hard getting along with Karin when she's all over Sasuke, or Suigetsu when he can't walk any farther. But the way Sasuke acts toward them, how he chuckles lightly when Jugo subtly remarks on how alike Karin and Suigetsu are, or how he doesn't get annoyed with the constant stopping and breaks, is almost like he's a different person. And not for the first time, Sakura wonders how living and being trained by Orochimaru had such a big impact on his personality.
"Hey," Jugo says one day, walking alongside her as they travel toward their next destination. Sasuke hasn't told her what he's planning yet, but she assumes they're looking for Itachi. "So you were part of Sasuke's old team?"
"Yes," she answers, watching Karin and Suigetsu fight with Sasuke walking between them. His back is to her and she wonders if he looks annoyed or if he's amused at their bickering.
(She tries not to think about how their bickering reminds her of how she and Naruto bickered, or how Karin acts toward Sasuke the way Sakura used to, or how Jugo is nice like Kakashi-sensei-)
"Was he different from how he is now?"
Sakura doesn't really know. There is less anger now, though that might have something to do with not being held down, might have something to do with the fact that he can kill Itachi now, without anyone from Konoha holding him back. She doesn't know what to say to Jugo, and she says so.
"Why?" Ino asks, standing across from Sakura in the alley, the groceries she had been sent to get lying on the ground around them. Ino's face is a mask, but Sakura can read her friend well enough. She's not alone, but none of the others know where she is. "How could you do this?"
Sakura thinks that Ino is a good friend. Ino is a kind person and she's not naïve, but she doesn't know Sakura as well as she thinks. She might see into other people's minds, but not Sakura's.
"Who else is here with you?"
"That's all you have to say?" There are tears in Ino's eyes, and her mask cracks. She's angry Sakura realizes. Angry that she'd left, angry that she doesn't care. With a harsh laugh, Ino says, "You bitch. You awful bitch."
You deserve that, she tells herself, though it hurts. "Who, Ino? Who are you here with?"
"Choji, Shikamaru, but the others aren't far behind. Now, tell me why you left!" She's red in the face and the tears from her eyes are spilling down her cheeks, and not for the first time, Sakura is so, so damn sorry. She wants to go and comfort Ino, hug the girl and go back with her, but she can't. She won't.
Her expression must change, because Ino stops her crying and gives Sakura this…look like she understands, like she gets it and Sakura wants to say finally.
Something shifts on the roof above Ino, and Sakura has enough time to shrug and say, "I love him," before the girl is knocked out.
Sasuke looks at her for what seems like a very long time, and then sets Ino down carefully. He holds out a hand.
"Wonderful," Karin mutters, crossing her arms over her chest. Sakura watches her and walks just far enough behind her that the other girl can't tell she's listening. "We should have just left her there, it's not like she does anything useful."
This is rich, Sakura thinks, anger rushing hot and fast through her system. Karin stands around and screams when they have to fight, lets people bite her when they get hurt. Sakura puts her fists to good use and learned how to heal through blood, sweat and fucking tears. If anyone is useless, it's certainly not her.
"Shut up," she finds herself saying before she can stop herself.
The group stops, Sasuke last of all, and when he turns toward the two girls, he frowns.
"What did you say?" Karin asks, pushing her glasses up, hands curling into fists. Behind her, Sakura hears Suigetsu say something about catfights, and Jugo asks them to stop.
Sasuke says nothing, and this is all the initiative Sakura needs.
She cracks her knuckles and pushes the hood off her head, the one that hides her pink hair. "I said to shut up."
"Oh, I heard that all right, I just don't know why you think you can talk to me like that."
Annoyed, Sakura moves forward, hands coming up and fisting in Karin's shirt. For a second, Sakura sees something in Karin's eyes, something like fear, but it's gone in seconds and replaced by anger.
"Let me go."
"Go fu—" She stops herself, bites her tongue hard enough to draw blood, and shoves the girl away from her, taking a bit of satisfaction in the fact that she falls to the ground. "Just—stop talking about me."
She doesn't sound like herself, and it scares her.
The next time they stop somewhere, they're far enough away that Karin can't feel any traces of Ino's team's chakra, and Jugo's birds tell them that they went the opposite way. It's storming, though. The wind is whipping outside, trees bending, and the small inn they're staying in seeming to shudder every time the thunder rumbles across the dark sky.
Sakura gets her own room with the bit of money she'd won from a tavern a few weeks ago, and ignores Sasuke on her way there. Karin had been quiet nearly the entire time to the inn and although Sakura might feel guilty, she doesn't think she could stand being in the same room especially not when Jugo was upset with her for causing problems, or Suigetsu gave her the cold shoulder.
(She wonders if all of this was worth it. She, once again, cannot find the answer to that question).
Sasuke shows up in her room as she's stepping out of the small washroom, towelling her wet hair. He's clean, which means he must have showered too, and he has a bedroll and two boxes of food.
"You're staying in here?" She asks, surprised. She didn't think he trusted the others enough to be in the same room. The thought hits her seconds later that maybe he doesn't trust her enough not to run away, to go find the others.
It hurts a bit, but Sakura isn't sure she won't either so she doesn't press the issue.
"If you don't mind," he tells her, removing his sandals and rolling out his bedroll beside hers. Close, but not close enough that he could roll onto hers. "Here, I figured you wouldn't go get something yourself."
He hands her the box of food, and Sakura's stomach makes an embarrassingly loud noise. "Ah...thank you."
Nodding, Sasuke sits and begins to eat. Sakura follows suit.
They sit in silence for a while, and it's nice. Leaning against the wall, Sakura stares out the window, watching lightning flash across the sky—(like Kakashi's lightning blade)—and the sky is as dark as ink—(like the ink of Sai's drawings), but most of all she watches the way the clouds seem to multiply and she misses everyone and everything so terribly much.
"I knew you'd gotten stronger," Sasuke says eventually, knee brushing hers as he shifts to put his empty box beside hers. "But I didn't know you'd gotten meaner."
"I…" What can she say to that? So what if Karin had said something about it. It wouldn't be the first time, and Sakura was better than that. It shouldn't take that much to set her off. "I don't know what to say." She gives a humorless laugh and knocks her head against the wall. "What's wrong with me?"
"Did you want to go with Ino today?"
Again, she doesn't know what to say. It seems like she never knows what to say these days. "Would you have come with me?" She asks instead, chancing a look at him, catching his eye for a second before looking away.
He doesn't answer, and she gives him a smile. "There is my answer."
"What if I never want to go back?" He sounds annoyed, angry almost, and Sakura sits up straight, meeting his eyes. "What if I decide to never go back? Will you come with me then? Will you still stay with me after that? What happens if the village is in trouble, if one of your friends gets killed? What then Sakura?"
"I don't know!" She snaps, fingers digging into her knees. It hurts, but she doesn't stop it. "What do you want me to say Sasuke!?"
"I want you to be absolutely sure! I want you to not betray me if we fight them, I need you to be here—" He stops. He grits his teeth and looks away sharply, hair obscuring his face.
"I am here," she says incredulously. She feels a laugh bubble in her throat. This is too much; can he really be saying that? Hasn't she shown that she's with him, on his side?
"I have been here." She lashes out, fist hitting his cheek before she realises what she's doing, and then she's straddling him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him up to meet her eyes. His nose is bleeding, and the way she's holding him now is nothing like how she held Karin earlier. He wouldn't have let her hit him if he didn't want her to.
"I've waited for you for three years. I defended you against people who talked bad about you; I left my friends, my family, and my village for you! How can you sit here and—and…" Her chest heaves and tears drip onto his face. The realization that he may not have been talking about being here in that way strikes her seconds later, but by then it's too late.
He wrestles her onto her back, laying her down across both their beds. There is anger and sadness and something else in his every move, but she isn't afraid when he pins her hands to the ground, or when he leans his face close to hers.
She thinks of all the things she should say right now. Tell him to get off, tell him to leave her alone. Tell him that she loves him so, so much. But none of those things will leave her throat. Instead, defeated, she says:
"What do you want?"
(Her third mistake: she would give him almost anything, she knows she would).
His dark eyes trace her face, travel lower to where she hadn't done her shirt up all the way. Sakura's stomach coils, and it feels like there is a weight on her chest, but it's not a bad feeling, really. In fact, it's not a new feeling either.
She never gets her answer, though she supposes the way he kisses her then (and after and later) is his attempt at giving her one.
He kisses nothing like she thought he might. Sakura thought of fire and something fast, crazed. This is tentative and slow, but there is a bit of the fire she imagined, and that is what prompts her to shift her hips up into his, to strain against his grasp.
Sasuke removes his grip from her hands, and when it looks like he's about to pull away, Sakura doesn't let him. He can't do this, she thinks desperately, forgetting about Naruto and Ino and Konoha, forgetting about his team a room away. He can't give me this and then take it away. I won't let him.
It takes a bit of coaxing, but his tongue meets hers, and he allows her to tug off his shirt, and then it's frantic. It's tearing clothing away and fisting hands in hair, and pressure everywhere and—
"Are you sure?" Of this, goes unspoken. Of me, she thinks he might mean. Are you sure of anything, Sakura?
Yes, she thinks, says, "I've always been sure of this Sasuke."
He kisses her gently, carefully, and presses into her.
He doesn't say much in the weeks that follow, but each night he kisses her, deep and long, always away from the others. Jugo is the only person who has noticed, or at least, the only one who has said anything to Sakura, and going by the way Karin still acts toward Sasuke, she's right.
"Don't hurt him," Jugo tells her one night; while they're sitting at a table in the back corner of a tavern they'd stopped by. Sasuke and Suigetsu and Karin were at the bar ordering drinks for them (well, Sasuke was ordering drinks, Suigetsu was still arguing a point to him, and Karin had gone to get something to eat). "He might not act like it, but you being here has… it's changed him. For the better, I think."
I should hurt him, she thinks sadly, watching him at the bar, arguing with Suigetsu. He's hurt me so much.
("Love hurts, Sakura," Ino smiles sadly, eyes darting to Hinata for a moment, before coming back to her. "But it shouldn't kill you.")
But she's better than him, just maybe not when it comes to being a ninja. "I love him too much to hurt him, Jugo."
He claps her on the back and laughs, and Sakura takes this for a win.
Sakura isn't sure how she got here, of all places.
Naruto has his arm tight around her, pulling her away from the group as her friends struggle with Sasuke and his team. Kakashi and Sai flank Naruto, and for the first time in a long time, she is scared of them. There is a kunai at her throat, though she knows Naruto won't use it, it's still a warning, still showing how much he will risk to bring her home.
"Naruto," she murmurs, watching Sasuke stand warily, bruised and battered, Itachi's corpse at his feet. "Don't do something you'll regret."
She considers channelling chakra to her feet and stomping on his foot, kicking his knee in. She could move her hands and severe the nerves in his arms. There are so many things she can do, and she thinks that if it were anyone else, she would do it.
His chest is heaving behind her, hand shaking as it holds the kunai closer to her throat. "Come home, Sasuke. You got what you wanted."
"No," Sasuke frowns, eyes hazy, steps clumsy. Kakashi shifts in her peripheral, and Sai has a scroll out, brush ready. "You have what I want." His eyes land on her and Sakura wonders how much blood he's lost. Did Itachi knock something in his head loose? Is he going into shock? Surely he doesn't mean what he's saying. He's never, ever been one to openly say something like that about anyone, let alone her. The past few weeks together wouldn't have changed him that much, if at all.
Still, her heart beats frantically, her breath comes unevenly. "Please let me heal him." Her voice cracks embarrassingly, but she does not have time to worry about sounding pathetic in front of them.
Naruto's arms drop to his side, and Sakura is with Sasuke in an instant. "You have to lie down so I can heal you," she whispers, tears in her eyes and something thick in the back of her throat. It might be her heart. "Sasuke, come on."
He looks down at her, eyes bleary and confused. There is blood in the center of his forehead, traveling all the way to his chin, and Sakura needs to make sure he's alright, that he won't die like Itachi, who lies beside him, still and unmoving. She needs him not leave her. She promised she would stay with him, and now she needs—she needs—
Sakura breathes deeply a few times, feels herself begin to calm, though the panic still lies beneath her skin.
"Sasuke, lie down." She snaps, hands on his shoulders, attempting to push him down. The others shift around her, and she watches Jugo, Karin and Suigetsu arrive over Sasuke's shoulders.
Sasuke doesn't lie down so much as he crumples. He is a boneless heap on the ground at her feet, and Sakura gets to work, keeping her panic at bay, and pushing any personal thoughts from her mind. She can't focus on the fact that it is the man she loves that might be dying, only another patient.
By the time she is finished healing the internal and the bad external damage, her chakra is nearly depleted, and she cannot fight Naruto when he pulls her into his arms.
Sakura, much to her humiliation, has a cell of her own, across from Sasuke and beside Karin. Jugo and Suigetsu are farther down the hall, the former draped in chakra binding chains. None of them speak.
Sasuke doesn't look at her, and maybe that's what hurts the most. She has done so much for him, risked everything for him, got caught because he wanted revenge and this is how he repays her? He won't look at her or speak to her; she's not even sure he moves.
It hurts, it does, but Sakura is done playing the victim and she is done playing the little girl, and when Tsunade comes down to her cell for the first time since she'd been brought to Konoha, Sakura meets her mentor's gaze with an unwavering one of her own, chin held high.
"Shishou."
"Sakura."
The two women stare at one another for what seems like forever. Sakura's eyes begin to burn from being held open so long and her heart pounds in her chest, but she does not let this show on the outside, knowing that any sign of weakness in Tsunade's eyes would not be tolerated.
Finally, Tsunade blinks and turns away, arms crossed under her breasts. "Did you find what you were looking for, Sakura?"
Sakura directs her gaze at Sasuke, hoping he feels uncomfortable. His jaw is tensed, one knee drawn to his chest, arm slung over it. "Yes, I did."
"Was it worth it?"
Swallowing, Sakura turns away, not catching the jaw Sasuke's eyes close for the briefest moments. "I don't know."
"That's a pity."
"Yes," Sakura answers hollowly, leaning back against the damp wall of her cell. A pity indeed.
Probation, the Council says.
For her, they are lenient. Sasuke's team is sent back to their own countries for their trials.
For Sasuke, they are harsh. They bind his chakra and put him on probation, leaving him unable to leave the village for two years. He is on house arrest until proven that he can be in the village without supervision.
It is harsh, yes, but Sakura learns to live with it, working at the hospital once more, though Tsunade gives her some of the worst jobs. Sasuke has yet to talk to her, though he speaks frequently to Naruto, she understands (or rather, Naruto speaks at him and Sasuke grunts).
Her own friends, Ino and Tenten and Hinata are tentative to begin their friendship again. Lee is the only one who does not treat her differently, the only one who…who commends her for doing what she thought was right. He tells her that everyone makes decisions that may or may not be right, and that that is how one grows. He tells her she is youthful and inspiring, and he eats ramen with her one a week.
(She never considered this: coming home would be just as hard as leaving.)
"Naruto says you used to sneak into his house at night and sleep with him," Sasuke murmurs one day, lying on the grass in the back yard of his house, the large main manor of the Uchiha compound.
Sakura stands above him, blocking the sunlight from his path. He doesn't open his eyes or move when she sits beside him, and Sakura wonders if it will always be like this, if he will be different now that he was forced back home.
When he looks at her a few moments later, eyebrow raised, she realizes he wanted confirmation on his question. "Yes, I did."
"Do you still?" He asks, his dark eyes intent on her. She feels uneasy under his scrutiny. She feels tired down to her bones.
Staring out beyond the trees, Sakura lets out a sigh. "No."
"Why?"
Shifting her hat on her head, one Hinata had given her as a sort of peace offering, Sakura gives an aggravated sigh. "Why? Why do you care, Sasuke?"
He is watching her again when she turns to look back at him, watching her with those unreadable dark eyes, mouth drawn tight.
She wants to hate him right then, wants to hate him for ruining everything, for making her fall in love with him, for pretending to love her back. She wonders where the boy from that day went, the one who accused Naruto of having what was his, for having her. Sakura wants to scream and hurt him, she wants to walk away and never look back. She want Ino to tell her what to do, and Naruto to lie with when the nights are too long. But she doesn't have either of them, and that is her fault, not Sasuke's.
The realization hits her so fast that she feels winded, like all the air has been sucked out of her lungs. She gasps and presses a hand to her mouth, not noticing Sasuke sit up beside her. In fact, she doesn't notice him until she's pressed up against him, ear to his chest.
"Breathe," he murmurs over and over, voice soothing and calm and so different. He's playing hot and cold with her, nice and mean and nice again, always different. She wonders who the real Sasuke is, what he's really like when he's not hunting for his brother or fighting with Naruto or kissing her.
He whispers "breathe," into her hair, and she finally understands what he's saying, what he means. You're having a panic attack, she realizes, astonished. And Sasuke is helping you through it.
She listens to his heartbeat and breathes through her nose and out her mouth. Sasuke's hands keep her close, his heartbeat keeps her calm, and his voice keeps her there. He didn't tell her everything was fine, or that everything would be alright, and she was glad for that.
They stayed like that until she calmed down, and then longer, until the sun set beyond the trees and a mosquito bit her on the thigh.
Sasuke stands, casting his gaze around the perimeter of the trees. She remembers that he is on house arrest, and there are probably ANBU watching them right now, possibly someone she knows. The thought annoys her, and she follows Sasuke as he makes his way into the house, turning on lights as he moves through the halls.
It smells musty, like it hasn't been aired out in a long time, and for all she knows it hasn't. The thought makes her sad, and she vows to open some windows before she leaves.
"Where are we going?" She asks, watching him turn down another hallway. He enters a door to her right, and Sakura follows slowly, looking at the pictures on the walls. "Sasuke?"
She finds him standing in the doorway to a bedroom, his bedroom, she guesses. His back is straight, hands tightened into fists at his side. "I don't want you sleeping with Naruto anymore."
The words send heat to her face, and Sakura clenches her own fists, indignant. Who the hell was he to decide what she does or doesn't do? "Excuse me?"
He spins around to face her, sending her reeling back and into the wall just outside his bedroom. He is there in second, pressing her up against it. Memories of their first night together come rushing back, and butterflies dance around her gut. "S-Sasuke—"
"No," he snaps, hands on either side of her, successfully caging her in. "Listen to me." Only, he doesn't say anything, just presses his mouth against her, biting and licking her lips until she opens them. Her hands come up, fisting in his hair and his shirt and she has missed this. Missed kissing him and being with him.
She hates him and she loves him and wonders how.
"I thought," he murmurs between kisses, pulling her toward his bedroom. "I figured you would go with them. After—after Itachi and then when we were held prisoners, I thought—"
"No," she kisses back just as fiercely, trying to convey all her love and her desperation and her feelings into it. He straddles her on the bed—how did they get there?—and groans when she arches up against him. "No, Sasuke, I wouldn't have betrayed you."
"Why?" He asks seriously, pulling away, hair tickling her face. Sakura scrunches up her nose and arches up again, stealing his lips in another kiss.
"Because I love you, Sasuke," she tells him, hands cupping his face. He is vulnerable here with her, easy to break and hurt and she could but she is better than him. "Do you remember what you told Naruto?"
His eyebrows furrow, recalling nothing from the moments after his battle with Itachi.
Sakura smiles softly, brushing her thumb under his eyes, green chakra illuminating his skin and removing the darkness from beneath his eyes. "You told him that he had what you wanted." She swallows past the lump in her throat. "You meant me."
Sasuke stares at her, long and hard and unwavering, then nods, leaning down to steal her lips in another kiss.
She traces Sasuke's chest with her finger, feather light so she doesn't wake him. He has scars from his fight with Itachi, patches of burned skin that wouldn't heal no matter how hard she tried. He is still beautiful, she knows, but the scars add something else, imperfection, and it is nice to know that Sasuke is not perfect.
Laying her palm down flat over his heart, she thinks of how much she has given up and how much she has gained from the choices she has made. If she hadn't gone searching for him, would she be here? Would she have this chance? She's not sure, and she doesn't ever want to find out.
The next morning, she is greeted with a kiss on her cheek and warm hands trailing over her waist. Blinking, Sakura stares up at Sasuke, noting the small, easy smile on his face, and the way his eyes have softened at the corners.
He kisses her once more, before slipping out of bed, beginning to dress. "I'm going for a run, did you want to come?"
"And miss out on the chance to sleep in a nice, warm, comfy bed?" She raises an eyebrow at him, snuggling more into the blankets. "No thanks."
Smirking, Sasuke stretches his arms over his head. He turns and begins to make his way out of the room, tossing a, "You'll be here when I get back," over his shoulder.
He sounds vulnerable, though she can tell her is trying to hide it. Sakura smiles at his back, yawns.
"I'll be here, Sasuke." And she will.
Theirs is a story of misguided i love yous and pain that takes a lifetime to overcome. But they come together, they fit, and they make each other happy, and that, in the end, is the whole point.