Author's Note: Hi everyone! Yep, you know what time it is... new fic time! Haha... Anyway, the idea for this fic just kind of came to me and I fell in love with it immediately. Truthfully, it was supposed to be a one-shot but I got stuck and impatient and decided to publish what I had so far! Let me know what you think of it by reviewing so I'll know whether to continue it or not. Thanks a bunch!

*A quick shout-out to those who have been following my other Naruto fanfic, Lead Astray, THANK YOU so much! You guys seriously have been so awesome with the reviews. I sincerely appreciate it. I am working on the next chapter and trying to figure out the future plot. I have so much of it written but it just needs a time line lol.

Note: The characters are older in this fic. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto are all around 20-21 years old.

Chapter 1: Words

They say actions speak louder than words. But words… they have a way of touching you so deeply, so profoundly, you can't help but hear them over and over in your head.

But words are also ways of undoing something beautiful and twisting it into an unseemly ugly. They have a way of piercing your heart and soul so that you are left, gasping for air and wondering just how you will ever recover.

But you do. Well… most of the time you do. Sometimes, certain words lead to certain actions that make everything… irreversible.

- - - - - -

He came back.

The last of the Uchiha clan, the one who ran away from Team Seven, the only one she ever truly loved, even at the tender age of twelve.

Sasuke Uchiha.

She could still remember the day he returned. Naruto was in all his glory at returning home with the "bastard."

After complaining to Tsunade-sama, or as Naruto liked to refer to her as, "Baa-san," Tsunade-sama finally sent Naruto running out of her office with the off-the-record mission to "bring back the damned Uchiha-brat, if it'll get you to shut up!"

And so he did. Naruto, the blue-eyed, blonde with a personality so bright, it would put the sun to shame, limped back into Konoha after months of being away.

He didn't return alone. Naruto with the huge grin on his face, yelling for everyone to look at who he brought home, came back with his best friend's arm slung around his shoulders, both of them supporting each other.

And Sakura stood there. She had just been getting off of her shift at the hospital when the news came that the "loud-mouthed idiot had returned with the retched Uchiha brat."

Startled, because frankly, the last time she had seen him had been four years ago when they would still be considered young and naïve at the tender age of sixteen and she still claimed to be in "love" with him, Sakura immediately sprinted out of the hospital, medic uniform on and all.

Standing there amongst a crowd of dozens of men, women, and children who came to see the return, Sakura watched. She stood on her tip-toes but could only see her best friend as he staggered past towards the Hokage's office, his familiar booming laugh filling the air. But she needed to see something else. Someone else.

Twisting her head in odd angles to try to see the other boy, Sakura found that she needed another view.

With a sudden rush, Sakura began to run through the crowd, pushing people aside in her haste, muttering apologies. Then she turned and glanced back towards the slow procession of her best friend and the "bastard" he had brought back.

And she wanted to say that she was frozen with the sight of him. His head lifted slightly to mumble something to the loud-mouth beside him and as his eyes passed through the crowd, he really did freeze. The boisterous blonde beside him halted uncomfortably next to him, complaining loudly about why they had stopped so suddenly and the pain it caused his leg.

Deep onyx black eyes stared across numerous people to see the girl- no woman- she had become.

Sakura was finally able to see his face as well. The planes of his face were straight and handsome. Black spikes framed his face. They were longer than before, Sakura mused for a moment.

Expressionless black eyes stared at her.

And then Sakura turned around and walked through the crowd. She didn't rush, didn't run away. Just walked at an even pace, never looking back at the boy- wait, man- who watched her leave before returning the blonde's nagging.

Because she wasn't frozen by the sight of him. Not anymore, at least.

- - - - - -

They didn't meet for 6 months. His entire probation period.

And it wasn't as if he, Sasuke Uchiha, was interested in knowing why Sakura Haruno hadn't come to see him, nope not once. No, he wasn't interested. It wasn't why he had asked the dobe, discreetly as possible, where their ex-teammate was.

So he wasn't slightly depressed, no not at all, when he learned from the loud-mouthed idiot that she was around town doing her medic duties, nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing was keeping her from coming to see him. There were no long-term missions she was on. She wasn't sick. The hospital didn't have any sort of emergency excess of patients or anything.

Nothing was keeping her from coming to see him.

But she didn't come. For the entire 6 months of his probation, she did not once come to see him.

And he wasn't interested in knowing why. No, Sasuke Uchiha didn't think about annoying fan girls, (which is what she was, right?)

But… but everyone else had come to visit him while he was on house-arrest in the old Uchiha complex.

The dobe visited frequently with the excuse that the "teme-bastard" needed him or he would become even more anti-social. The Hokage came every few days to give him a regular check-up since he did come into town quite battered and bruised. Even Kakashi showed up on Sasuke's couch every week to chat with his fellow pupil.

But Sakura Haruno, the person Sasuke thought would be the first to drop by and visit him, didn't. He hadn't seen her since, well… since the day the dobe dragged him back into this godforsaken, hell-hole he tried to escape from so many years ago.

But now that he had killed Itachi, he had other things to think about. Sasuke Uchiha did not exactly have time to just relax. He was always pushing for one goal and when that was achieved, his eyes were on the next one.

This being, of course, what to do now. He was 21 years old and one of his life's ambitions had been completed. What did he want next?

"Oi, TEME!!! Are you listening to me?!" Naruto's voice yelled into Sasuke's ears.

Sasuke flinched. That's what he wanted next. He wanted that idiot to shut up. Sasuke didn't answer but turned his face slightly to the side to acknowledge that he was paying attention.

"Well? What do you say?" Naruto asked impatiently.

Sasuke rose his eyebrow in question.

The blonde sighed. "Bastard. Do you ever listen? I said, come out to my house tonight. We're going to have a party for you!"

"Hn. It's not my birthday," the Uchiha answered stoically.

Naruto threw his head back laughing and slapped the stiff man on his back. "I guess you are stupid! Haven't you been keeping count?"

"Count of what?" Sasuke said testily. This little game was getting on his nerves.

"Count of the days! Your probation ends today in about 2 hours! So I'm throwing a little party for your freedom."

"No."

"What do mean 'no'? You have to com-"

"No."

"But everybody'll be there! Kakashi, Sai-"

"No."

"-Baa-chan, Captain Yamato-"

"No."

"-and Sakura-chan."

Sasuke's mouth opened for the usual retort but he couldn't get the word out fast enough to seem like he didn't care after he heard she would be there.

He still remembered the look in her eyes when he first came back 6 months ago. Big, emerald green eyes with a flicker of something before they closed on his sight and the pink-haired girl walked away.

"…No."

Naruto's mouth hung open. "Come on, teme! You need fresh air! You need people!" He turned his head away from Sasuke slightly to mutter under his breath, "God knows you need more people."

Sasuke glared.

"You have to come. If you don't, I'll tell Baa-chan that perhaps you aren't ready to take on any A or S- rank missions anytime soon," Naruto said innocently.

Bowing his head down, Sasuke gave a curt nod and the blonde bounded out of his door, screaming for the world to know that the "bastard" was coming to the party.

Sasuke Uchiha was not interested in knowing why Sakura Haruno had not come to see him yet.

No, he wasn't interested or anything.

… He was just a little… curious.

Hmm, well you know what they say... curiosity killed the cat. We'll just have to see what awaits Sasuke and Sakura! By the way, I didn't mention this before but this story will be full of romance and ANGST. Definitely angst.

Anyway, did ya like? Review so I know whether to continue or not! Thanks again.