Previously:
All at once Sakura felt the hours of sleeplessness creep up on her and her vision suddenly blotted out. She allowed sleep to take over her tired body and she swooned slightly. Sakura felt something slowly pull her forward and her cheek lay upon something warm. The last thing she heard before she fell into a deep sleep was, thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Sasuke looked at the sleeping Sakura on his chest. There were bags etched under her eyes showing lack of sleep, but that didn't mar her beauty. He had never noticed how pale and delicate her features were. Or how her girlish body was now womanly; curved in all the right places.
He softly stroked her light pink hair. It made his fingers faintly tingle as he touched it.
She's changed. She's much different than before.
From the moment Sasuke returned he noticed how she was always cautious. She no longer spoke to him constantly like back then. Sakura had been silent the whole time except for the one question she had asked earlier about his leg.
Her voice was steady and mature and had lost its whiny tone to it now. Sasuke felt a small amount of warmth enter his barren heart. Something he hadn't felt in far too many years. He looked back down at Sakura with compassion in his eyes. He didn't what he was feeling for her, but he didn't care. It felt good and he always wanted it to last.
The thing that disturbed Sasuke most was that he couldn't read Sakura's eyes anymore. At least not from what he'd seen so far. When they were kids she was an open book, but now they showed no emotion. They seemed to have been masked over.
They had become like…his. The reality dawned on him disturbing him even more.
A few hours later Sakura opened her eyes and woke up in bed. She snapped out of sleep with a start.
Oh, no! Was it a dream?
Sakura sat bolt upright in bed. No. It was real because the Sound outfit lay in a heap next to her bed.
Where could he be? He should be resting! What if he left again?
Tears stung her eyes but forced them back. She quickly got out of bed and her vision blacked out momentarily. Her shoes and forehead protector sat next to the nightstand.
"Sasuke-kun?" she whispered.
She forced herself to be calm and just think things through but was brought out of her thoughts when Sasuke slowly walked into the room bearing two cups of tea in his hands.
Relief flowed through Sakura's veins. She looked into Sasuke's dark eyes seeing a kind of softness to them, which suddenly disappeared when he noticed her staring. Her own eyes revealed relief, yet uncertainty like those of a shy animal.
Sasuke handed her one of the teacups and sat down on the chair Sakura had sat in most all night while she took her seat on her bed. Both sipped their tea silently.
Sasuke startled Sakura when he spoke, "I hope you don't mind if I made the tea. I found some in the cupboard."
Sakura blinked, "Uh, no. It's alright."
Silence filled the room.
"Have you told anyone?" Sasuke asked looking right into Sakura's eyes forcing her to look down.
"No. I will tell when you permit me to."
Silence.
"My brother is dead."
Sakura just about choked on some tea she was swallowing.
"I killed my brother, Sakura."
Another long silence. What did that mean?
"Kisame attacked me in a weak state after I had killed him. That is what happened to my leg."
Sakura wore an unemotional mask and asked, "Why did you come back?"
He looked at her as she watched her tea struggling to keep her composure.
"Because it's my home," he replied as if that was obvious.
Sakura clenched her teeth. She couldn't stand it anymore, "That's all you have to say?" She trembled in anger.
"No." He took her hand and pulled her to him. He could finally unlock his feelings for her even if it was only a little bit at a time.
Sakura squeezed her eyes shut. She was so angry at him, but she was afraid she had made him mad and he would strike her. Then she felt something lightly brush the surface of her lips and all feelings left her. Sakura's eyes shot open and became ensnared in Sasuke's almost mischievous gaze. He sat back again.
Sakura's eyes widened. She couldn't breathe.
The phone rang.
Jolting back to her senses she went to the phone and picked it up, "Uh, H-Haruno Sakura speaking."
"Oy, Sakura-chan! Would you like to go for ramen with Hinata and I?"
"Uh, not today Naruto, I'm sorta busy. You can make it a date instead."
"Alright then. Talk to you later." Then he hung up.
Sakura hung the phone up; her hand shaking. Sasuke kissed her! At least she hoped it was a kiss.
She looked back at him. A smirk crossed his face, amused at her reaction.
Sakura stood at the end of her bad then asked in a shaking voice, "Who are y-you going to tell of y-your arrival first, Sasuke-kun?" His name no longer tasted bitter in her mouth.
"I want to talk to Kakashi-sensei about it first."
Sakura nodded. "Do you want me to call him over." She asked quietly.
"Yes."
Sakura called her old sensei on the phone, but didn't mention Sasuke to him. He said he would be over shortly.
As they waited in her room Sasuke noticed he'd never been to this place before and asked, "Where are we? I thought you lived in a different area of Konoha.
Sakura was showing a bit more emotion now that Sasuke had started to speak to her.
"I moved out of my parent's house six months ago to his apartment. It's closer to Tsunade-sama's."
"Don't you have a roommate?"
Sakura shook her head, "No, I live her alone."
"Hn."
"It's alright. It's nice and quiet here." She smiled slightly.
Twenty minutes later there was a knock on her door. Sakura answered it. He face was serious as she opened the door and Kakashi stood in there; little orange book in hand.
"You're late." Sakura said calmly, but with an edge to her voice.
It's a shame such a happy girl like Sakura has become so sober over these past years.
Kakashi sighed to himself.
"I had errands to run on my way here."
Sakura swiftly and deftly pulled a small green book from his pouch.
"Ah, the newest edition to you pervy book series by Jariya-sama. What kind of errand is that?"
She's become quite cruel as well I see.
Kakashi swiped the book back from her and put it back into his pouch smiling beneath his mask.
"You need to talk to me?"
"Yes, it's a serious matter," she paused. "Sasuke-kun…he came back." She murmured.
Kakashi's face became grave, "When?"
"Last night."
The news shocked him. He knew Sakura would never lie to him, but it was still hard to believe. But all doubt disappeared when Sasuke walked in from Sakura's bedroom.
"What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked in a cool voice even though he felt anger seeing his pupil. He figured it was because Sasuke had caused Sakura so much pain and trouble for the Leaf Village.
"I achieved my goal and came back to live in my home village."
The silver haired sensei's visible eye widened. He could feel Sasuke's incredible power in the air. To kill Uchiha Itachi was a great feat, especially, for someone as young as Sasuke.
"Sasuke-kun wishes to become a shinobi of the Leaf; to protect this village."
At least he's on our side. The sensei thought bitterly.
"I will have to alert Hokage-sama of your return. I can't say how the villagers will react though."
"It's fine." Sasuke replied.
"Should I find Naruto?" Kakashi asked.
"No, not yet. He's eating ramen with Hinata." Sakura said.
