It was winter. Sakura ambled aimlessly and took in the snow covered village with some amount of fondness.

The murmurs of the village were less pronounced in the winter. The voices muted as if they lay buried like the buildings underneath a layer of snow.

It had been quite some time since she'd last walked these very streets.

'Sakura-chaaaaan wanna go to Ichiraku with me?

'Maa Sakura-chan don't call Icha Icha trash. It breaks my heart.'

'You're annoying.'

Sakura laughed a bit at the last recollection. She remembered how those words had broken her. Hurt her so much she thought she'd never forgive him.

Teme, she chuckled a bit.

That Sakura was gone. The one that mooned over a broken boy. Who thought she could save him when she couldn't even defend herself.

Weak. She'd been weak.

Not anymore. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of the village. The village smelt like pine trees even in the middle of winter, like the kind of hope even layers of ice couldn't bury.

She was home.

It was late and so she didn't meet many people. Just the occasional shinobi who recognized her and meandered her way to welcome her back. She greeted all of them with an air of not-quite indifference - somewhere between interest and nonchalance.

"You've matured" remarked Tenten as she closed up shop. Sakura took her comment in stride and chuckled quietly.

"Gonna get me up to speed about the goings-on while I've been away?" Sakura raised a brow, looking expectantly as Tenten dusted her hands off on her pants.

Despite the late hour, the kunoichi did not refuse. She was just as interested in what Sakura had been up to, so she complied. She guided her to a new okonomiyaki shop that had opened an year ago.

Sakura was pleased to know of its existence and made a mental note to try all the dishes there during her stay once she'd seen the menu.

She was contemplating what to get when she sensed a vaguely familiar chakra signature approaching. However, deeming it to be unhostile she continued with her perusal of the menu.

"Tenten and...Haruno. May I join you two?" Sakura hadn't even formulated a reply but Tenten had already pulled him down and was going on about polite hardasses who couldn't be informal if their lives depended upon it.

As soon as he sat down Sakura made eye contact with him.

Neji.

"Hyuuga-san. What brings you here so late at night?" Her eyes crinkled as she smiled briefly.

Neji hadn't answered. He was busy looking at her, analysing her, determining her worth. He didn't have an air of arrogance while he did so. He seemed to be evaluating how much she'd grown as a person since he last saw her five years ago.

She seemed amused and smirked a bit as he continued staring at her silently. Only a few seconds had passed, when his gaze turned dull.

"I could ask you the same thing Haruno," he said cocking an eyebrow up, "but the better question would be - what brings you here at all?"

Tenten who had been quiet the entire time, pointed a pair of chopsticks at him getting his attention immediately.

"Sakura is going to tell us eventually, but at least let the poor girl eat before you start grilling her." She turned towards the counter "Maiko-san! Two orders of vegetable and bacon and one special please!"

"Well that saves me the trouble of having to decide by myself" Sakura grinned good naturedly. Tenten merely shrugged and told her the longer she looked at the menu the harder it would become to choose.

Neji had watched these proceedings with a blank countenance. Although, something in his eyes told Sakura he was amused with his teamate's actions.

He's gotten more handsome. His uniform fits him quite well - and he's no longer an ass.Yes, Sakura concluded, Neji had grown into adulthood quite nicely.Neji had noticed Sakura looking at him, but made no move to call her out on it. Her gaze was not lustful, not predatory, just mildly apprecaitive.

And it had not gone unnoticed, that there was a calm that surrounded her. There was none of the volatility she exhibited in her youth, no weakness - especially (and he was very thankful for it) not a wink of a blush in her cheeks, a stammer in her voice or a hesitance in her gaze.

She met the ice in his eyes with a quiet serenity in her own. Neji recognized it for what it was. Confidence. She knows her strength and she knows it well enough to not cower. She was a battle hardened kunoichi now.

Neji was surprised to realize that this was a woman he found infinitely appealing.

Sakura was the first to break the silence. "I'm assuming you've made ANBU or at least jounin by now?"

Neji nodded "ANBU" He moved his hand so that the waiter could place a bowl of the batter and cutlery for them to start frying their food. Tenten had taking charge of frying their food all the while asking Sakura about her training regime with Tsunade.

Sakura regaled them with stories of her shishou and her travels with her as the protege. Neji and Tenten listened attentively, asking questions, making comments in-between bites.

Tenten finished earlier than the other two and insisted on paying for all of them, enthusiastically telling them that it was her treat. Sakura and Neji relented after a few minutes of trying to persuade her. She wished them both good night and disappeared in a flurry of leaves.

Neji returned his attention to the contemplative girl in front of him.

"Haruno," he called, "You never answered my question."

Sakura paused mid-bite and regarded him curiously. She must have found what she was looking for, because she smiled a bit.

"Because Konoha feels like home again."

Neji ruminated on her reply. Long after she'd left, long after he'd gotten into bed. He had a vague idea about what she had meant, but he had felt the need to make sure, had needed to see her again, had needed answers because he believed that was the only way he'd get her out of his head.

Haruno Sakura, what has changed?