Sasuke stopped beside him when the gates appeared ahead. Naruto could see the uncertainty, and smallest bit of fear, in his eyes. Sasuke showing even a small amount of fear unsettled him, but they would get through this together.

"First stop, the Hokage Tower," he announced.

When Sasuke still didn't continue walking, Naruto put his hand on his shoulder, silently encouraging him that it really would be okay. Making eye contact with him, Sasuke sighed and walked towards the village.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura ventured, "are you nervous?"

Naruto saw Sasuke begin to give Sakura an incredulous look but then look away, begin to nod, and then just shrug.

"Hey, Sasuke, you don't have to keep up appearances around us. We know how lame you are so you don't always have to try to act cool." His joke only came out half-hearted.

"Fine," Sasuke admitted. "I don't know. But there's no use thinking about it. What will happen will happen."

He wanted to tell Sasuke that wasn't true, but his friend had increased his pace, so, shaking his head, he went to catch up.

Sasuke was glad most people still hadn't returned to the village, shinobi and civilians alike. He was pretty sure outside his small circle of people he considered friends, his return would not be welcome. He wasn't really worried about what Tsunade would do to him. He had figured the punishment would be light, but if that turned out to not be the case, he could always use a teleportation jutsu out of her office and leave again. He hoped he wouldn't have to, though. The journey back had been mostly made in silence, but the words they did share had made him look forward to making things right this time. He was glad he was returning with Naruto and Sakura instead of on his own like he, more often than he would like to admit, had imagined. Being with them again reminded him why he dreamt about them for months after he left and even in their silence, they encouraged him in a way he hadn't been encouraged since he last saw Itachi.

They made their way through the town and eventually up the stairs of the tower. They passed a girl going down the stairs who rang a bell in Sasuke's mind. She looked like that Hinata girl who even he could tell had liked his best friend back when they were genin. Judging by the way she smiled softly and waved at him, she still did. What surprised him was, while Naruto had been oblivious before, he now waved back with an almost shy smile on his face. Sasuke mentally gaped, only allowing a little of his reaction to appear on his face. How much had changed since he had been gone?

"Naruto. What was that?"

"Shut up, teme," Naruto replied, not looking at him.

Sasuke looked at Sakura to see if she knew anything, but she was staring ahead with a distant look in her eyes. He realized she probably hadn't even noticed the exchange, but wondered what she was thinking about. He would have to ask her later if she knew what was going on.

When they reached the Hokage's office, Sasuke wasn't very surprised to see a sheet of paper with the words "If you don't have an appointment, make one and come back later." posted to the door. With the war over, Tsunade was probably swamped with work. He knew an appointment would be nice, but him being here was probably something she should know about.

Sakura was the one who knocked.

"It's probably best if I go in first, apprentice and all."

"You don't have an appointment!" The voice from inside the room was shouting. "Read the sign and come back later! I'm busy!"

"Um, Tsunade-shishou, it's me. Sakura."

Sasuke liked how she said her name that time. Short and sweet. When did he start noticing these things? Maybe Naruto wasn't the only one who had changed.

Footsteps approached the door as the hokage asked, "What is it, Sakura?"

Opening the door had her question answered. "Uchiha Sasuke. Hm, I can't say I would've been surprised either way. Come in. I don't have a lot of time, but we can discuss the basics now."

She took a seat behind her desk and Sakura and Naruto stood on either side of Sasuke. He was grateful they were with him.

"The consequences for being a missing nin are very serious," she began. "Normally, if one was captured, they would be either killed or imprisoned, depending on their actions since leaving the village. You, however, chose to return, I presume, and intend on staying. You also are a hero of war, helping the Shinobi Alliance –greatly, might I add – in the Fourth Ninja World War. I will have to talk to the council, and you most likely will have a trial, but I think it is best to assume that your sentence will come off pretty lightly if your attitude is good."

Sasuke nodded as he felt Sakura relax with a sigh and Naruto grin at him. He hated that his fate lay partly in the council's hands, but if what Tsunade said ended up being the case, maybe returning would be manageable.

"Sasuke, would you want to stay at your house?"

His head whipped up to look at her, eyes slightly wider than they had been seconds ago. He couldn't go back. It had been so many years, but even now that he knew the truth, he couldn't be alone there. It would be too painful. A shiver ran down his spine as he shook his head slowly at her.

"Not yet," he explained, finally finding his voice.

"Well then. I'd feel better anyway having you under the direct supervision of either Sakura or Naruto until we meet again. With the war having just ended, you are not our top priority so we will have to find something to do with you for the next few days until I have more time. Sakura, I trust you more, so honestly, I think you will have to watch over both of your teammates until Sasuke is cleared."

"No problem, Shishou," Sakura responded with a light smile.

There was a knock on the door, signaling the end of their talk.

"Alright, Sasuke, I will notify you when we can talk next. I suggest you do your best to lie low until then. Sakura, Naruto, I'm glad you're safe and back in Konoha. I'll see you later."

The three of them muttered their thanks and walked out of the room.

Sasuke said nothing as they walked down the stairs. All he could do was wait now. A part of him was glad, though, that he had to be with one of his teammates at all times. He wasn't so sure he wanted to be left alone.

"You can stay at my house tonight."

He looked up at Naruto and nodded in thanks.

"And, Naruto, I know you'd love to celebrate with some Ichiraku," Sakura added, "but I think it would be best if Sasuke-kun stayed indoors as much as possible until he's publicly cleared."

Naruto looked sad, but seemed to agree.

Naruto's stomach growled, instigated by their talk of his favorite restaurant. "Still, I think we should get something to eat!"

"Naruto, do you even have food at your house?"

"GAH! Well, no, not really. It's been a while since I've been to the market."

Sakura sighed. "Well, we can go to my place, then."

"Yes! Sakura-chan's cooking is so delicious!" Naruto folded his arms behind his head, closed his eyes, and smiled. To Sasuke, Naruto looked like he didn't have a problem in the world. As he turned to follow his teammates, he realized he was pretty hungry, too. If Naruto thought Sakura cooked well, he could probably afford to look forward to their early dinner, too.

Sakura was aware that Sasuke had never been to her place, while Naruto had been over countless times. She hoped she had left it neat, hardly remembering the last time she had been at home. On their walk over, she had thought about the food she probably had in her fridge and pantry that was still good and decided to stick with rice and soup for dinner.

Sakura unlocked her door and the boys followed her in. Her apartment wasn't big, but it was still generous. It opened up to a small living room with a kitchen to the right and through a door to the left was her bedroom.

"You can leave your shoes by the door, Sasuke-kun. Naruto, entertain him without sparring in my living room while I make something for us to eat."

Sasuke didn't like that Naruto seemed so comfortable here that Sakura was basically making him co-host. It made him realize how close the two of them had gotten since he left and truly made him sad, seeing what the bonds he had cut could have been.

Sakura noticed that Naruto sat at her table and watched her activity in the kitchen, Sasuke following his lead. While Sasuke was part of Team Seven, and Team Seven was family, Sakura still felt vaguely self-conscious around him. It made her think that she should've put her apron in the wash after the last time she had used it and hope that she had washed the glasses well enough. But what did all that matter anymore? Sasuke was home. Their family was complete. She and Naruto had been dreaming of this for years, for so long, working constantly, all day and every day, for this. For him. Who cared what he thought about her apartment? This was their first meal together aside from hospital food and fish they had eaten on their way back. This was something to celebrate so she would put her heart into it, no matter how simple it was.

As she turned on the tap to fill the pot with water, she heard Naruto begin to talk. He was talking softly for a change, and looking over her shoulder, she saw the far-away look in his eyes. She wondered what he was talking about. Sasuke's eyes turned soft when Naruto spoke, actually listening and seeming like he was enjoying listening to and being there with Naruto. It made Sakura so happy, she felt filled with the emotion and only came back to reality when the pot overflowed. She mentally reprimanded herself. She had told herself she would put her heart into this meal, but she quickly realized that if she didn't stay focused, she would be serving Sasuke and Naruto burnt food.

"What kind of soup do you guys want?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Miso!"

"Tomato."

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun," she began as she walked over to set the table, "I don't think I have any tomatoes. I guess it's miso tonight."

Naruto grinned slyly at his friend next to him who shrugged.

"Next time, okay? I'll make sure I keep stocked up on tomatoes now that you're back." Sakura smiled. Sasuke would be integrated into their everyday lives again. It was such a nice contrast that she thought she and Naruto might go into overload. She also thought she wouldn't mind.

Both guests said the food was good and though Sakura and Naruto did most of the talking, Sasuke commented here and there. Their history together over the past several years had been so broken that, in Sakura's opinion, the dinner could not have gone better.

Sakura-chan's cooking is delicious as usual, Naruto concluded as he swallowed some of the rice in his mouth. He was ecstatic. Sasuke, Sasuke, was sitting next to him, in Sakura's apartment, eating dinner with them. They really felt like a family. Just like most families were apart during the day but came home to eat dinner together, his family had been apart – albeit for a few years – but now they were all home together and sharing a meal. He wished he could've had meals like this with his mom and dad growing up. Maybe he would've had a little brother or a sister eating next to him, too. It was a little sad to think about, but now he had Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi-sensei, too. He had lost his original family before he even knew them, so that made him more determined than ever to keep the family he had now. That was part of the reason he did all that he could to bring Sasuke back. Sasuke was so special, so irreplaceable. He could tell by the way Sasuke's expression changed when they talked now that Sasuke probably felt his old bonds being rethreaded. Naruto knew that they weren't perfect, not yet. That would take time.

Of all the times the three of them talked on the way home, they hardly mentioned Sasuke's time away and never the time they had met on a bridge in the Land of Iron. Even now, Naruto kept to the safe topics of what had changed in Konoha and what things had been like before. He could tell Sakura was, too.

"Mmm, Sakura-chan? Do you have any more soup?"

"Sure!" Sakura replied, grabbing his bowl as Sasuke mumbled a "That was fast."

Yes, everything was just right.

They had been finished for a while, now just sitting and talking contentedly, when Sasuke excused himself to use the restroom.

"Yeah, just through that door," Sakura pointed.

When he was gone from the table, Naruto looked at his bowl and his expression turned to a more sober form of happiness.

"Naruto?"

He looked at her green eyes. "Sakura-chan. I can hardly believe that I finally get to say it: we brought him home together. Just like we had always promised each other we would. Just like we promised ourselves we would. Like we promised him we would." His smile grew. "He's finally home. He's here with us, to stay. Our family is complete." He wanted to keep going, but his voice cracked at the end. He kept looking at green eyes as they turned glassy.

"I know, Naruto." She said as she reached across the table and put her had onto of his. "I know." Her voice cracked, too.

Their gazes returned to the table, both smilling softly to themselves, trying but failing to accept the full gravity of the situation. They both had kept complete faith in Sasuke and his return, but it still had an air of too-good-to-be-true to it.

With Sasuke back at the table, Sakura made some tea and they continued to talk until a recovering Konoha was covered in the dark of the night.

Naruto yawned. "Ah, sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm getting tired and I guess Sasuke and I should get going." He felt a bit sad to leave, but glad, too. They didn't have to worry about leaving for the night because they would see each other in the morning.

Sakura walked them to the door and said goodnight. They walked to Naruto's apartment in silence, content at breathing in the refreshing night air and enjoying each other's company.

Looking to his side, Naruto could tell Sasuke still felt a little uncomfortable being back. That would take time and a trial to get over. But he was comfortable with them and that made everything alright.

"Hey, dobe." Sasuke paused, as if not sure he wanted to continue.

"Yeah, teme?"

"Give me some of the credit for coming back, too." Sasuke looked over at his confused face before continuing. "It wasn't just that you and Sakura brought me home, whether or not you guys are the reason I'm here."

It hit Naruto. "Gah! You heard us while you were out of the kitchen?!" Sasuke just smirked to confirm the fact. Naruto looked at him for a bit before grinning and putting his arms behind his head. "Eh, that's fine. Because it's true. We're so glad you're back. I just can't explain it well enough with words." His smile faltered as he remembered how he had said something similar to not being able to convey himself with words to Sasuke in the Land of Iron.

If Sasuke made the connection, too, he didn't show it.

Once in his apartment, Naruto offered his bed to his friend who just shrugged and asked, "Are you sure?"

Naruto wondered if Sasuke knew this was the least he could do. Both of them were tired so as Naruto unpacked his bed roll on the floor, Sasuke slid under the covers, deciding that since he showered at the hospital, another one could wait until the morning.

On the verge of sleep, Naruto spoke. "Goodnight, Sasuke."

He waited for a reply, but knowing his friend, wasn't worried when nothing came. For all he knew, Sasuke may have already been asleep.

Naruto wasn't sure if it was a dream or if he hadn't yet fallen asleep, but he thought he heard a perfectly awake Sasuke whisper, "I'm really glad I'm home, too."

a/n: The mission will come soon! I promise all this background is necessary.

Reviews are super motivating and very appreciated :)