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After a few moments, she asked Sasuke to walk with her. Not having anything better to do, he obliged without question. The first 5 minutes of their walk was spent in silence.

She had just come back from a long day at the clinic but didn't go into details. She knew, based on his wandering eyes from building to building and the time of night it was, that he was looking for a possible place to stay. She asked if he would like to stay with her causing him to freeze in his tracks, surprised by her offer. She blushed but didn't turn around just simply kept walking. She proceeded to say how it only makes sense, she has to give him a key to her new place anyways as all of Team 7 (Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai) had a key and were welcome in her new home just as much as he was. He thought about it for a minute and realized this was natural for teammates to look out for one another, especially her. Still there was this pang of guilt, her kindness never faltering, never ending, yet he, never once provided her with any comfort and had even tried to kill her in the past with his own two hands. He was about to reject her offer when she turned around abruptly and told him, "You can't refuse my request, I won't take no for an answer."

He sighed internally and closed his eyes. She turned back around and continued walking expecting him to follow for which he complied. "Annoying" he thought but slightly smirked as it seems arguing with her would be more trouble. He recalled how she used to hang on his every word and now she is telling him what to do. But wait...Did this mean she had moved on while he was away? It wouldn't be too surprising if she did. He was away for 2 years with hardly any correspondence. And what was he expecting anyways, it wasn't as if he had developed feelings for her while on his journey. He simply accepted the fact she was in love with him and that someday he would not deny her to join him should he leave the village again. He settled for that answer and ignored the nagging thoughts in the back of his head about how, regardless of little contact, he did think of her on his journey quite frequently. He deemed those thoughts as not relevant to the current situation and would focus on the situation of finally having a place to rest.

As they entered Sakura's modest apartment, he noticed her tastes were not what he expected. Honestly he expected pink everywhere or random bright colors, but instead it was very neutral with a subtle hint of fragrance to keep the place smelling nice. Nothing was out of place but there were a lot of books which was to be expected as she was the smartest of their team in terms of studying, as well as highly intelligent when it came to medical jutsu, and random rules and laws. All in all, the place was surprisingly nice to the eyes and did not feel too overly familiar with his past, yet still somehow nostalgic and comforting.

She took off her shoes and offered him to come in and started working in the kitchen. She hadn't eaten due to her busy schedule so offered to make some food. He couldn't tell if she was being honest or had noticed his stomach growl earlier. Either way, he would not reject her kind gesture. She offered for him to get comfortable and to take a shower which he gladly accepted. As he was returning to the kitchen, the aroma of food filled the air. The steamed mixed vegetables, the rice seasoning on top of freshly cooked rice, and the smell of eel sauce lingered in the air.

After a quick bite, Sakura offered him the bedroom indicating she had the next day off and could take the couch. He declined and said he slept better on floors or couches than in beds as he was not accustomed to such during his travels. She relented mostly because she couldn't stop yawning and arguing this late would do neither of them any good.

It seemed like their exchange was similar to that of normal friends visiting each other. She didn't push for answers or stories from his trip and he didn't reject everything she had to offer. With the lights turned off, it didn't take long for sleep to take hold.

It is so tempting to keep posting but I'll stop at this chapter. Hopefully I can do 2 chapters next week as well, if my patience allows me to that is.

Thanks for the reviews so far! Really appreciate the kind comments providing me with motivation!