It did not occur to Sakura until she stepped out of the shower that Sasuke had forgotten to give her some of his clothes to wear. Did he forget, or did he do this on purpose? She smirked, wrapped her towel tightly around herself, and poked her head out the door, expecting to see Sasuke waiting for her on the bed as she had done for him. But he wasn't in the bedroom at all. Slightly relieved, Sakura quietly tiptoed out of the bathroom and went to his dresser to find some clothes. She hadn't been paying attention when Sasuke had retrieved his own clothes earlier, so she started pulling open every drawer in search of something to wear.

"Want some help?" Sasuke asked from over her shoulder.

Sakura jumped, clutching her towel closely to her body. "Sasuke! Stop scaring me like that!" Once again, she hadn't even heard him walk up behind her. "And I'm not decent." she muttered, once again very aware of how naked she was underneath her towel.

Sasuke reached past her and opened the middle drawer, pulling out a large black shirt. He then reached into the second drawer from the bottom and pulled out a pair of black silk boxer shorts. "Here, take these." he said as he handed them to Sakura. He then turned away and walked out of the room again.

Sakura went back into the bathroom and tried on Sasuke's clothing. The T-shirt was so long on her petite frame that it hung down to the midpoint of her thighs. She stepped into the boxer shorts (feeling a little uncomfortable without real underwear), and observed herself in the mirror. She looked like she was being eaten alive by a large tent, but at least all of her important bits were covered. With a final tousle of her wet hair, she took a deep breath and walked back out into the main part of the house.

She wandered towards the kitchen and found Sasuke leaning against the counter drinking a glass of water. Sakura could have sworn that she saw the ghost of a smile cross his lips for a brief moment when he saw her in his clothes.

"Thirsty?" he asked suddenly, holding out the glass.

Sakura took the glass carefully, a bit surprised at his willingness to share. "A little bit, I guess." she admitted, taking a few sips before handing it back to him.

Sasuke took another sip and peered over the edge of the glass. His eyes took in the sight of Sakura in his clothes, and although they were not flattering to her figure, he liked the way that she looked. It must have been his male dominance that gave him a feeling of satisfaction to see her dressed in something of his.

"Sasuke? Is everything okay?" Sakura asked when she noticed that Sasuke was staring at her. She suddenly became aware of the fact that she had forgotten her bra in the bathroom, so she crossed her arms self-consciously.

Sasuke looked away quickly, finishing his water and placing the glass in the sink. "Hn." he grunted, a very pale blush tinting his cheeks as he swept out of the kitchen.

Sakura trailed behind him. Was he checking me out? she wondered. No way. Not possible.

Sasuke made his way back into the bedroom and began to pull all of the decorative pillows from his bed. He threw them haphazardly into the floor, and Sakura clicked her tongue at him as she arranged them neatly against the wall. Once he made his way to the normal pillows, Sasuke pulled back the blankets and slipped under the sheets. He leaned back against his headboard with his hands clasped behind his head in a relaxed position. He nodded to Sakura, indicating that she should join him.

Sakura pulled back her side of the covers and crawled into bed next to him (keeping an appropriate distance, of course). She laid down on her side, watching Sasuke as he closed his eyes and sighed a quiet sigh of contentment. She smiled; she couldn't remember the last time Sasuke had looked so at ease with his surroundings.

"You like being home, don't you?" she asked him softly.

Sasuke opened one eye to survey the pink-haired kunoichi from his peripheral vision. "Something like that." He'd never admit to her that it wasn't his house that made him feel so at peace – it was her. Her presence was intoxicating to him. After all this time, he had finally come to appreciate Sakura's companionship.

Sakura steeled herself to ask another, more important, question. "Why did you ask me to stay the night?"

The question hung in the air between them. Sasuke closed his open eye, avoiding all eye contact in response to her question. Sakura waited patiently as he decided how exactly to word his answer.

Finally, he sighed wearily. "Sakura," he began with his eyes still closed. "I've been alone for a very long time."

That was the extent of his answer, but it was enough for Sakura. She couldn't expect him to start spilling all of his feelings in one night. She was actually surprised that he'd spoken as much as he did today. She finally felt like Sasuke was beginning to trust her as a friend for the first time.

Sasuke turned off the light on his bedside table, although he remained sitting upright. Sakura took this as her cue to roll over and face the wall, preparing herself for sleep. She closed her eyes and thought about how wonderful it was going to be to sleep in tomorrow and have the whole day to herself. It wasn't very often that Sakura got a whole day off; she was usually called in to cover someone else's shift. As she began to doze, she felt Sasuke shift his position and lay down behind her.

Sasuke's eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he watched Sakura's back as her breathing began to become more rhythmic. He guessed that she was nearly (if not already) asleep. "Thank you, Sakura." he said under his breath, closing his eyes.

Sakura thought she had dreamt it.

Sakura woke suddenly in the middle of the night. For a second, she had no idea where she was, and she panicked. But then she remembered the events from earlier and relaxed as she looked around the room, trying to find what had woken her from a peaceful sleep. She immediately noticed that Sasuke was not in the bed, and the light was on in the bathroom. She assumed that he was taking care of his personal business and was about to try and go back to sleep when she heard a violent retching sound.

Oh dear, she thought concernedly. She wasn't sure if she should get out of bed and offer to help him in some way, or if she should feign sleep and pretend that she hadn't noticed. She had a feeling that the Uchiha would not be pleased if he knew she had caught him in a moment of vulnerability. She quickly decided on the latter and rolled over again as the bathroom light went out and the door opened.

Sasuke returned to bed, but he did not lie down. He remained in a sitting position with his arms loosely wrapped around his knees. He took a deep breath, trying to settle his stomach.

"I know you're awake."

Sakura flinched; she knew she had been caught, and there was no point in pretending anymore. "Are you okay?" she asked without moving.

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Sasuke?" Sakura sat up, concerned for his health. "Tell me what's wrong. I'm a medic, maybe I can–"

"No." Sasuke cut her off. "You can't help this."

Sakura took a good look at Sasuke's face in the moonlight that shone through the window. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and there were bags under his eyes. He looked sickly and exhausted, but his dark eyes reflected a fierce determination to maintain his composure. Sakura took a moment to run various health-related scenarios through her head. Food poisoning? Stress-induced insomnia? Migraine?

"I have nightmares, ok?" Sasuke admitted tersely, yanking the covers up to his chin and turning away from her in frustration.

Sakura gave him a few moments of silence before she spoke. "Do you want to talk about it?" She knew that he was a man of few words, but she still felt the need to offer.

"Not with you." Sasuke said sharply.

"Oh, alright." Sakura said with a bit of hurt in her voice. Well that was rude, I was only trying to help. she thought in irritation.

Sasuke seemed to realize his mistake. "That's not what I meant," He sat up again, propping his elbows on his knees and weaving his fingers in his hair in a frustrated manner.

"Then what did you mean?" Sakura asked shortly.

Sasuke growled to himself, clearly struggling with his thoughts. He was not good at sharing his feelings, and Sakura knew that. "Nothing. Go back to sleep."

Sasuke was impatiently waiting for the flower shop to open, looking through the windows to see if anyone was there. At 8:59, Yamanaka Ino unlocked the front door with a smile and ushered Sasuke inside excitedly.

"Sasuke-kun! What a pleasant surprise! I'm so glad you remembered where I work." Ino said, twirling her blonde hair around her finger as she smiled sweetly at Sasuke. "I have to say, when I heard you were back—"

"I need a bouquet." Sasuke interrupted.

Ino tried not to take offense at his sudden interruption. "Oh! You're here for flowers? Silly me." Ino laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"I thought this was a flower shop. What else would I be here for?" Sasuke asked in a monotone, trying very hard to be patient with the former fangirl.

Ino composed herself, clearing her throat. "Um, yes, it is. What kind of bouquet do you need?" she asked, trying not to sound disappointed at Sasuke's lack of interest in anything else that she had to say.

"Red and white."

Ino smirked. "You know, Sasuke, there are many types of red and white flowers. You'll have to be more specific. Or, you could tell me what the occasion is, and I'll pick the flowers that work best." she explained, eager to find out why Uchiha Sasuke suddenly needed flowers.

Sasuke sighed, avoiding Ino's gaze. "Give me flowers that'll say 'I'm sorry'." he mumbled.

Ino's eyes widened. "Who are you saying sorry to?" she blurted out. Sasuke's glare silenced her. "I mean, I'll be right back!" she said, quickly making her way into the greenhouse to fetch the flowers.

Sasuke scuffed his foot against the floor and waited with his hands in his pockets. He really wished that Ino would hurry up; Sakura could wake up at any time, and he wanted to deliver the flowers before she awoke. After what felt like half an hour (but was really only seven minutes), Ino returned with a bouquet of red and white roses. She placed them in a rectangular, clear glass vase and started to ring up the purchase on the cash register.

"Don't bother." Sasuke said, grabbing the vase and placing a wad of cash on the counter before swiftly exiting the flower shop. That should be enough to cover all of the orchids I've been borrowing. Sasuke smirked as he made his way home.

He quietly crept into his own house, listening intently to see if Sakura was awake. He heard nothing, so he carefully opened his bedroom door.

But she was already gone.

Sakura had left Sasuke's house with mixed emotions. On one hand, she was irritated with him for being so cryptic all the damn time. You'd think that after someone invited you into their home and asked you to spend the night, they could be honest and tell you what's wrong with them after they're been throwing up all night. Sakura thought bitterly. On the other hand, she knew how Sasuke was: moody, mysterious, and private, with no social skills whatsoever. Despite all of these things, Sasuke had spent the last month trying to be kind to Sakura, and last night was the climax of his efforts. I can't believe I spent the night in Uchiha Sasuke's house – in his bed – with him! Sakura's inner fangirl squealed.

She smiled to herself and decided not to hold a grudge against the poor guy. But she could get some playful revenge.

A/N: I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of my new followers and reviewers! Special shout-out to jssnlc, Waterlilly333, and guest user Cam for being my first three [positive] reviewers! I read every review and I value your input as my readers. My new goal is to get 5 new reviews and 5 new followers before I'll post the next chapter!