Little note before we get things going. I put a link to how Sasori's apartment looks like in my bio. I just messed around with a home design website. I'll hopefully get to do the other characters homes in the near future. But I thought that it would help to visually see how his place looked like, well at least for me lol.

Thank you for all the love in the last chapter, I really appreciate it.

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"See what you have is-"

"For the love god, please don't tell me. Just fix me."

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Chapter 3

Grapefruits and Pomegranates.

The following morning Sasuke woke up to find four people chatting away and having breakfast in the dining room. They regarded him quietly before returning back to their conversation. All of which were familiar faces. Sitting around a large farmhouse dining table was his elder brother, Sakura's cousin Sasori, a half asleep Naruto, and Sakura's other annoying blonde friend, Ino. Sakura wasn't there.

When he peered in the kitchen he saw his mother humming happily. She drew Sasuke in to help her put the finishing touches to the Sunday brunch. It encompassed various fresh pastries from Caesari's and poached eggs with lox and rocket.

This was a rare occasion. Usually his mornings were filled with bitter coffee and an empty house. It must have been that annoying woman's doing he beckoned.

Ino stood up and went to wake Sakura after seeing Mikoto and Sasuke start placing the food on the table. The woman of the hour finally made her debut about ten minutes later. Ino was pulling at Sakura's long tresses muttering, "You look like some old hag. I'm going to cut it after we eat. I can't see that abomination on your head anymore."

Sakura rolled her eyes and brushed her off, while saying good morning to everyone at the table.

Sakura wore one of his mother's navy blue nightgowns with a robe on top. Her feet were bare and her toes curled at the cold maple wood floors. Her eyes lit up upon seeing the meal set out on the table. She was so easy to pleased.

"Aunt Mikoto you really shouldn't have." Sakura thanked, taking a seat right between Sasori and Ino.

His mother only smiled before adding, "Hurry before it gets cold."

Coincidently she sat in front of Sasuke who tried his best to busy himself with pouring himself a cup of coffee and not get his left arm covered in crumbs from the ravenous blond on his left. Sasuke's mother only added more fuel to the flame when she moved a plate of croissants in Naruto's crosshairs.

A few moments later he saw Sakura's mug filled hand in front of him, when he looked up she was looking away from him and speaking to Itachi.

"Ah yeah." Sakura smiled, "I called an old friend of pops before I came back in town and he said that there was an opening at a firm near the high school Naruto's teaching at."

"That's great, are they in the same business your dad was in?" Itachi acknowledged between bites.

"Well not exactly, but it's a start. They're more on heavy construction. While I've been mainly doing commercial for the past couple of years, so switching might be a bit tough. But again it's a start." Sakura supplied optimistically.

Sasuke sighed and filled the mug with coffee and slid the creamer to her before grabbing at the plate of croissants in front of Naruto. Sakura briefly caught Sasuke's eyes and mouthed "thank you" before pouring some of the creamer into her mug.

After everyone stopped eating, Mikoto brought out a Tupperware and began filing it with the leftovers. Itachi was on his way out with Sasori to go see to Sakura's house. A small moving truck had passed through the large window in the dining area.

Sasori eyed the small moving truck with annoyance; "I'm starting to think my cousin got the short end of the stick in her settlement." He drawled, "Might have to talk to our Uchiha friends to see if you've been swindled my dear."

Sakura laughed, "He was a minimalist."

"Minimalist my ass. More like cheap." Sasori looked back to his cousin before walking out with Itachi.

Ino tugged Sakura out of the dining room and into a powder room that was nestled between the living room and the bedroom she had slept in that night.

"Aunt Mikoto can I take one of these chairs to the powder room?" Ino asked sweetly while Sakura internally cringed. Ino grabbed at the chair before Mikoto could even answer. It was a habit of Ino's, always expecting people to do her bidding.

"Just make sure to put some newspaper on the ground." Mikoto winked at Ino.

"Wait you're actually gonna cut my hair now?" Sakura reluctantly followed Ino, but was silently grateful for finally addressing the state of her hair.

"I told you, I'm not walking out in public with you looking like that. What kind of friend would I be?" Ino cajoled, "Grab my bag will ya. The scissors and comb are in there. I saw a spray bottle in the kitchen, grab that too."

"Of course you carry a salon in your purse." Sakura muttered before walking to the front door of the house where Ino's bag was strewn haphazardly on the ground.

Moments later the two women were in the powder room, bickering quietly behind the shut door.

"Sasuke dear, can you drop these at the precinct for your father. He ran out early again today." Mikoto sighed, "I would do it myself but I'm meeting with Naruto's mother for a new client."

Sasuke and Naruto's mothers ran a catering business together. The business was initially a hobby after their sons went to college. It was a way for them to distract themselves. After a few years it turned into an accidental business and is still highly sought after.

Sasuke quickly nodded and hurried up the stairs to go get changed. Briefly hearing Sakura shriek, "How much hair are you cutting!"

When he walked back down he kissed his mother on the cheek as she cleared the table. Pulling on his jacket Sasuke looked to Naruto who had been grading some tests.

"You coming dope?"

Naruto quickly looked up, "If you give me ten minutes."

"I'm leaving now." Sasuke said as he grabbed at his keys and the Tupperware his mother set out.

Naruto sloppily piled up the entire stack of tests and shoved a red pen in his pockets, "Fine. Fine. I'm coming, I'll just grade these in your car." Naruto grumbled before hugging Mikoto, "Thanks again Aunt Mikoto."

"Please call your mother for me Naruto, and tell her I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Mikoto called out from the kitchen.

"Sure thing!" Naruto called back before closing the front door behind him.

Naruto welcomed the warm spring sun with a sigh; he walked side by side with Sasuke who busied himself with his phone. After passing a few homes they made it to Sasuke's car. They got in and Sasuke deftly pulled his car out of the tight spot.

True to his word Naruto graded the rest of his students tests in the car. Sasuke was grateful for the silence but after a while something gnawed at Sasuke. The traffic light turned red and he pulled the car into a gentle stop. Watching the perpendicular traffic cross the intersection, he looked at his blond friend, "Hey doesn't it bother you." Sasuke finally mustered.

Naruto quickly looked up from his work, "Huh?"

Sasuke sighed and waited for a few seconds to speak again. The light turned green and he waited a few seconds before moving the car through the intersection, "Doesn't it bother you that everything is too normal?"

"Why's that?" Naruto looked at Sasuke thoughtfully before writing "100" on one of the tests.

Sasuke tsked. He hated when Naruto didn't respond the way he wanted him too. Usually the blond could follow his train of thought. This time Sasuke would actually have to speak his mind.

"Don't you think it's weird? Sakura was basically off the grid for three years, and now she's back, and we all just went back to how we were before." Sasuke quickly spoke.

He guided his car into the KCPD 6th Precinct's parking lot.

"You didn't expect us to just isolate her." Naruto joked.

"That's not what I meant." Sasuke bit out. Evidently troubled with the matter.

Naruto finally finished grading and gave the youngest Uchiha his full attention, "Then what did you mean Sasuke?" Naruto replied with a little irritation.

Sasuke parked the car and pulled out the keys, "How can you just get cozy with someone after they've been out of your life for so long." He explained again.

Naruto gave him a mirthless laugh, "Sasuke are you serious? This is Sakura we're talking about. Isn't that reason enough?"

Sasuke didn't answer; he busied himself with grabbing the food from the back of his car. This only angered Naruto more; "She's been our friend since we could remember! She's freaking family Sasuke. So what if she's been out of the loop. She needs normal now more than ever Sasuke if you haven't noticed. You expect everyone to just ignore her now?" Naruto all but yelled at him.

Sasuke groaned angrily, "That's not what I meant!."

"Then what do you mean!" Naruto retaliated.

Sasuke shook his head and opened his car door trying his hardest not to smack the blond, "Just drop it Naruto. Forget I asked."

He shut the door on Naruto's shocked face. Naruto was left so confused from Sasuke's sudden flip of emotions. He thought that Sasuke had been fine last night when he saw Sakura. Then again Sasuke was never really good at showing emotions, and when he did it was only when he was angry.

It boggled his mind how their pink haired friend could have rattled Sasuke so much. He didn't know if he was reading into it too much into it, but he had to remind himself that Sasuke was a man of few words, and so when he spoke it was always something relatively honest and important.

Naruto wasn't allowed to dwell on Sasuke for too long when a tap on the windsheilf roused his attention. It was Shikamaru he quickly realized, forgetting everything; Naruto stepped out of the car to greet his friend.

"You on your smoke break." Naruto slapped Shikamaru on his back.

"Yeah Fugaku made us pull an all-nighter. Apparently that landlord on 43rd was running a meth lab in one of the apartments. That engineer essentially built the lab for him." Shikamaru groaned as he turned to light a cigarette, he offered Naruto one but he declined.

"Good thing Sakura didn't get involved." Naruto replied.

"Jesus could you imagine." Shikamaru exhaled, his faced tipped upwards, his eyes staring at the clouds lazily.

"Did you see Sasuke on the way in?" Naruto asked after a while.

Shikamaru pulled out another cigarette, "Yeah. He was pissed as hell. Why?"

Naruto shook his head, "It's nothing."

Shikamaru regarded the blonde for a moment before looking back up at the clouds.

"Ino is throwing a surprise party for Sakura by the way." Shikamaru spoke as he eyed Sasuke making his way out the precinct. Every few steps he was stopped and greeted to by passing police officers.

"She should seriously get her own show on TLC or HGTV for real, that woman and her constant need to celebrate things." Naruto laughed quietly.

"But isn't it something to celebrate?" Shikamaru said a little too quickly.

Naruto froze for a minute and remembered his conversation with Sasuke in the car.

"The holy trinity is reunited, the world is in balance again." Shikamaru joked trying to lift Naruto's spirits.

Naruto smiled, "So I'll see you and the usual gang at Ichiraku's tonight?"

Shikamaru nodded before he stuck out his hand to shake Sasuke's.

"Hey man. Your dad's been working us to the bone." Shikamaru drawled.

"I heard." Sasuke smirked.

Shikamaru sighed as he stomped out the last of his cigarette, "I'll catch ya later hotties."

Naruto snorted and Sasuke seemed indifferent.

Shikamaru waved them goodbye before straightening out his uniform and making his way back into the precinct.

Naruto walked straight back to Sasuke's car. Sasuke wasn't sure if Naruto was still mulling over their exchange.

His worry was soon dissipated when he turned on the car, "What now?"

Naruto gave him a sheepish look, "Wanna go grab a bite? I'm starving."

Sasuke blinked and cursed Naruto's inhumane metabolism, "If you help promise to help me with my case files, I'll buy you something."

"Anything?" Naruto said giddily.

"Don't make me regret this." Sasuke grumbled as he pulled the car out the parking lot. He set the course to the firm he worked at. Twenty minutes later he was armed with ten case files and a three deluxe burritos. He then dragged Naruto back to his place to get some much-needed work done.

They stopped by Sakura's place to check in with Sasori and Itachi. Things didn't look too good.

Despite Sasuke and Naruto's mothers coming in each month to clean the house, it was full of dust. To be fair the home had been uninhabited for well over five years.

Most of the furniture had canvas cloth hanging over them. Sakura had lived with Sasori for the rest of her high school years and most of her college years. It wasn't until towards the end of her college education that she had moved back to her old home.

Sasori scratched at the back of his head, "Sakura isn't going to like this."

A man cursed from upstairs, within second water began to flood the stairs in the foyer.

"That would be the plumber." Sasori said to Sasuke and Naruto.

"And now there's that too." Itachi said sarcastically, "Rats have eaten through half the house's wiring, the electrician surprised the place hasn't gone Hiroshima on our street." Explained to Naruto and Sasuke.

"If there's water leaking, there's bound to be mold too." Sasuke supplied.

"Thank you for that reminder." Sasori pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I don't get what the problem is, can't she just live with you for the time being." Naruto spoke to Sasori.

This only made Sasori's mood dampen more, "I'm going to go take a walk, no one's welcome to join me." He relayed as he made his way out the house.

Itachi chuckled, "The spare room in his apartment has become Hidan's failed business endeavors storage unit."

"I forgot about that guy." Naruto said thoughtfully.

"I wish we could forget him." Itachi answered offhandedly, he looked at the stack of case files under Naruto's arms; "My brother didn't bribe you with food again did he?" Itachi's coal eyes shifted towards his younger brother.

Sasuke unconsciously hid the bag with the burritos behind his back, "I'm going back to the house do you need anything?" Sasuke diverted but it didn't go missed by Itachi's perceptive eye.

"Nothing. Be gone now." Itachi instructed them.

They did just that. Naruto was upset when he found Sasuke's house empty of the three women they had left there earlier that afternoon, but that was quickly forgotten when Sasuke flung the bag of food at him.

It was about five hours later that Naruto's phone rang in the living room. The two had managed to get through all the case files, and were watching some British comedy on Netflix. When Naruto checked the caller ID, Naruto cursed, "Shit!"

Hiding a ghost of a smile, Sasuke looked away from the TV suddenly, "What now idiot."

"Get up, we're gotta be at Ichiraku's stat." Naruto grabbed at the remote in Sasuke's hand and shut off the TV.

Sasuke glared at Naruto, but Naruto quickly pulled him up, "Come on hurry!"

Sasuke complied, because in all honesty he wasn't going to be anything better either way. He picked up his jacket off the stairs before looking at the blond who had now finally answered his phone.

"Do I have burrito breath." Naruto asked when they made their way out the door.

Sasuke scoffed and pulled out a stick of gum, "Does that answer your question."

The blond's azure eyes twinkled, "Thanks bud."

"So anyways why are we headed to Ichiraku's?" Sasuke shivered when they rounded the corned to a main street. Ichiraku's was a five-minute walk from Sasuke's place and it was Naruto's favorite dive bar. Sasuke usually spent his weekends dragging Naruto uptown to his family's house, but this wasn't their usual weekend.

"Ino's throwing a surprise party for Sakura." Naruto said coolly quickly side glancing at the Uchiha to see if he faltered.

Sasuke instead shoved his hands into his pockets and hastened his pace, "Ok." Was all he said.

The rest of the short walk to Ichiraku's was quiet, save for when Naruto let out a string of colorful words when a cab almost ran him down.

When Naruto caught Sasuke catch his breath silently at Ichiraku's something finally dawned in him. His eyes followed Sasuke's, and they led straight to a laughing Sakura.

Ino had done a good job with the hair cut. Her long tresses were now cut down to a short choppy bob and fringe that framed her heart shaped face impeccably. She was wearing a dark green blouse that complemented her pale complexion and black chinos. To top is all off she wore ruby chunky heels. Sasuke gulped faintly.

Why did Ino have to be a miracle worker!?

A smug smile plastered onto Naruto's face, "You still like her don't cha?" he said all chummy like.

"What!" Sasuke said a little too quickly.

Despite the dark lighting in the bar Naruto could see the tips of Sasuke's ears turn red.

Naruto laughed at his friend's deafening humiliation. He had caught him out. Naruto threw an arm around Sasuke, "So that's why you were all broody in the car."

Sasuke wanted to punch Naruto's lights out but he was frozen. Ino spotted them from the bar, and quickly flagged them down, "What took you guys so long?!" She whispered angrily.

Sasuke quickly shook off Naruto's arm and tried to make his way to Shikamaru and few of his other friends but Naruto caught his arm, "It's crush or be crushed Sasuke."

"Fuck off Naruto." Sasuke yanked his arm from Naruto, but he knew that Naruto was never going to leave him alone anymore. Especially after letting his guard down around Naruto. He knew that Naruto would see it through till the day he died that Sasuke would finally confess to Sakura.

It hadn't happened four years ago, and Sasuke was hoping it wouldn't happen in his life.

If only that annoying woman and her stupid smile had stayed in that rural town.

If only.

When he saw Naruto retreat he felt relived but it was short-lived. In that moment Sasuke wanted to beat Naruto six ways to Sunday. Naruto was tugging a concerned looking Sakura towards him, the closer she got the harder his heart beat and the easier it was for his eyes to make out the talents of Ino on her face.

Why did he have to like the color green he asked himself as he looked into her eyes.

"You ok Sasuke? Naruto said you aren't feeling well." Sakura confessed with worry.

He would have been perfectly fine if he hadn't been caught out by Naruto.

"Long day." He said bluntly.

She looked at him briefly, "You're lying, and you're so bad at it. I'll stop harassing you if you come play pool with me and Ten Ten. Sasuke quickly spotted the brunette Sakura had mentioned; she was waving at him from the bar.

Sasuke moved to say no but Naruto had other plans, "Hey Shikamaru come over here and play pool with us."

The man they saw earlier that day quietly walked over, "Best out of five?" he proposed

Sakura grinned, "At least Shikamaru's acting like he wants to be here. You should learn from him Sasuke." She joked.

Sasuke found himself sighing and resigning to the impossible woman's antics.

Sakura passed the drink in her hand to Sasuke, and proceeded to pull him towards the pool tables.

The rest of the night, every time Sakura came to fill his empty cup, the smell of grapefruits and pomegranates assaulted his senses. And in the morning even through his splitting headache he found himself unconsciously missing that scent.

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I hope you guys liked this chapter…this is the third time I rewrote it.

I briefly posted my original one for a few minutes but then decided against it because the characterization of Sasuke was a bit off from what I wanted it to be. Each time it was a completely different scenario; I just hope this one was the right one lol.

Please review; they are the bane of my existence. :-)

Until next time.

Much Love,

OXZA