Sakura opened her eyes slowly. Sleep seemed to have sealed them closed. Sunlight fell on her legs. That explained why they felt warm while her arms were still cool. It took her a moment to process where she was and why.

She sighed and rolled onto her back. Everything was stiff. Her ribs and abdomen ached. She guessed that she had probably had two hours of consecutive sleep. Prior to that she hadn't been able to stay asleep, still frustrated from yelling at Sasuke. She wondered if he hadn't finally decided to leave her to whatever ninja found her first.

Sakura pushed herself up to sitting. She was alone in the cottage. In the corner by the door she spied rags and clothing that looked flattened. She guessed that Sasuke had slept there through the night. His knapsack was still on a crate where he'd had it the night before so she imagined he hadn't hit the road just yet.

She stretched and yawned. Her lungs burned slightly, both still tired from trying to heal. Her hands fell on her head, specifically on the bandage that covered the lump she got from cracking her head on a tree. She worked it off and felt for the lump. It was progressing well. The skin had healed, though she could feel dried blood matted in her hair. The lump didn't really hurt but she could still feel it.

Sakura yawned once more and pushed herself to her feet. She had to use both hands and felt a bit winded, but was glad to be able to stand. With such poor sleep she was still very tired and her chakra was far from optimal, but at least she could move a little and had some chakra available for healing.

She took a step and kicked something. On inspection it was a small package from Sasuke's healer friend from the village. Those items would come in handy for speeding up the healing and reducing the visibility of the scar Sakura was sure to have.

Speaking of... Sakura put a hand to her side. It was long past time the bandage Sasuke had applied the day before was changed out. She could also feel her blouse was little more than rags. If she moved carelessly they would expose more of herself than was modest. Looking down Sakura could see her pants were only slightly better, tears and singed spots here and there meant they would have to be replaced as soon as she returned to Konoha.

She sighed and was glad Sasuke didn't seem to keep a mirror around. She was sure that all told she looked like a complete disaster.

Bending to the packs of medical supplies she found bandages soaked in medicine for burned skin. Perfect. Sakura stripped off her top, managing to tear it even more. She caught a whiff of herself and made a face. The sickly sweet smell of medicine and old sweat was pungent. She was grimy under her blouse and her bra rubbed on her skin.

With a sigh Sakura sat down and began working on the bandages wrapped around her ribs. She slipped a kunai between them and neatly cut them loose. The bandages over the wound itself were sticking and she hissed as she peeled them free.

Sakura pooled some of her chakra together and pushed in a small jutsu to protect the living tissue from the burned and dying skin nearby.

She didn't notice the footsteps until the door burst open and Sasuke threw himself into the cottage. "Hey!" She shouted. She scrambled for the rags that had been her blouse and held them over her chest.

"I felt chakra-" Sasuke caught himself short and blinked at her. "Oh." He snapped his head to the side.

Sakura tsked. She had moved automatically, but she wasn't really as demure as all that. And she couldn't spare a hand to keep holding her blouse over her breasts. "Whatever." She dropped her blouse. She saw Sasuke stiffen at her waspish tone. She could see circles under his eyes. She forced out the word, "sorry."

Sasuke glanced at her and quickly looked away again. She noticed he carried a handful of fish hanging from a line.

"Are those... did you just catch those?"

"Aa. They'll be breakfast."

Sakura nodded quietly and applied a new bandage to her side. She'd done as much as she could for the skin and the amount of chakra needed to heal her organs was still beyond her. She would need more help from Katsuya.

Sasuke worked on the fire and began to prepare the meal while Sakura pulled new bandages around her midsection. When she was done she toyed with her blouse and watched Sasuke. She knew she shouldn't just sit around in a bra but without a needle and thread she couldn't make use of the remains of her blouse. And she wasn't a very good seamstress, in any case.

"I'm sorry," she said, perhaps louder than she needed to. She still felt an urge to yell at Sasuke until he begged for forgiveness but she had just spent the entire night berating herself for her childish, stubborn behavior. "I didn't mean to yell at you last night. I didn't mean... I mean." She hitched. What did she mean? "I'm sorry for yelling and all that. Arguing won't help anything. I'm sorry I'm such a burden."

"Hn." Sasuke threw two handfuls of rice into a pot and covered them with water and a lid. He set the pot against the fire to steam. Then he lay the fish on the cutting board and carried on preparing it, cutting off the head and fins and removing the scales. He moved like he was trying hard not to look at Sakura. He spoke like he was merely thinking out loud. "I'm sorry I screamed at you. You should hate me, after all this time."

Shit. That's not what she meant at all. "I don't..." Sakura gritted her teeth. "I don't hate you. I just... uh..." I'm just mixed up, she wanted to say. I still want you to be the coolest ninja I know.

"You're disappointed. At least, you were back then, and now you're bitter."

"Huh?"

Sasuke drew in a breath and looked up from the pot over the fire. He looked Sakura directly in the eye. It made her hair on the back of her neck stand up but she didn't dare look away.

"I remember that day, on the bridge in the Land of Iron. I was so..." Sasuke shook his head. "I was halfway crazy with how much I hated everyone. The only thing that I didn't hate was thinking about revenge. Everyone needed to pay, I thought. And then you were standing there with that look on your face like you were sick at the sight of me. You wanted me to be something else, someone strong and calm. You had heard I wasn't that and you needed to come see for yourself. And when you saw it - you saw me for how I really was - and it was a disappointment."

They stared at each other for a long moment. Sasuke dropped his gaze first. A second pot held boiling water and he dumped the fish meat into it. "I didn't care about you or the look on your face. I was getting my revenge and your disappointment had nothing to do with my plans. The way you look at me now... It's like you're trying to find either the kid from Konoha or that disappointment who you wanted to kill on that bridge."

Sakura was speechless. She swallowed hard.

"I'm neither one, Sakura." He bent back to the fish.

For a moment Sakura wanted to cry. She wanted to bend over the crushing feeling in her chest and let out all the tears she'd stored up for eight years. But she pushed out the feeling with a harsh breath and sucked in cool air. "I know you heard Naruto was named Hokage more than a year ago. I don't think you heard that he's married now. Hinata is five months along with their first child."

Sasuke snapped his head up at the news.

Sakura continued. "I sit on the jonin council." She smiled wryly. "I make sure the jonin don't go and undermine anything Naruto is working on."

Sasuke continued to stare at her.

"We all change. We all have to. You changed a lot and it caught me off guard, I'll admit that. But I understand it." Sakura gazed back calmly at Sasuke and finally allowed a small smile to push up her lips.

Sasuke straightened up and stirred the pot in which the fish were boiling. Water splashed out of the pot and onto the fire making orange flames lick up the sides. "Naruto, huh?" His voice was low.

From his short, quick movements something irritated him, Sakura guessed. She spoke softly. "He's making Konoha change. Even before he became Hokage he was at the center of things when the Grass Village was starting to get chaotic." She laughed quietly. "You would never guess that instead of starting fights, he's ending them now. He helped the Grass Village get a proper organizing committee together to create a government free of corruption. He's probably done more for peace and keeping ninja from fighting each other all the time than anyone I've ever known."

"You respect him." Sasuke set his ladle aside and crossed his arms.

"Well... yeah. I guess. I know it's a strange word for it. Who could respect him who knew him when he was 12? But he's really grown so much and he won't let anyone else suffer, if he can help it." Sakura smiled suddenly. "Ninja don't get called 'cool' by stopping fights before they happen, but Naruto has prevented so many tragedies...I guess I can't help but respect that."

"Hn." Sakura couldn't tell if Sasuke simply wasn't listening to her or if what she said annoyed him.

"Well, I guess we're not all as good as Naruto at empathizing with other people. I know I'm not." She recalled the panicked looks she got when Naruto brought her to meetings where others were likely to argue with him. She sighed. "I probably made his life more difficult by killing those Iwa shinobi. I wasn't even supposed to engage anyone while I just checked out rumors of Iwa on this side of the river. He's been working so hard to keep this from turning into some kind of war."

"Hn." Sasuke didn't seem in a mood to talk as he checked the rice. "I'm going to go check the other fish traps. This should be ready in 20 minutes." He stood and walked to a box where he had some clothing. He pulled out light blue kimono. "Here." He tossed the kimono to Sakura. "Your shirt is wrecked."

Sakura watched Sasuke leave the cottage with increasing irritation. She was trying to be nice! She was trying to tell him that she understood he had to change, that the people he had known had changed too...and he just got up and made an excuse to leave! UGH She was never going to understand that asshole!

She silently counted to one hundred and then she got up and peeked out the door. There was no sign of Sasuke, and she couldn't feel his chakra. She pulled on the kimono he had tossed to her. She was slightly miffed that it seemed he would rather she covered up around him. Cold bastard. Still, she was relieved she wouldn't have to be hanging around in just a bra for the foreseeable future.

Now then. Sakura gathered her chakra and summoned Katsuya.

"Sakura-san! Good morning." The slug greeted her.

"Good morning, Katsuya."

"You are looking better, Sakura-san. Do you wish me to continue attempting to heal your injuries?"

"Yes, thank you. I don't think I can properly heal my internal organs."

"Very well."

Sakura held her breath and stepped into Katsuya's porous body. It was always a strange sensation of slime slipping over her skin, yet, even though it seemed like it ought to be wet and sticky, she always came out dry and clean.

She could feel Katsuya's chakra work with her own and flow through her system. It was a brisk, cleansing feeling. Sakura smiled inside the slug. At least she could do this properly.

Soon Sakura felt a pushing sensation and she moved out of Katsuya. She felt so much better she wanted to laugh.

"Thank you so much, Katsuya, I feel stronger now."

"It is my pleasure to help you, Sakura-san. Though you must continue to eat well and rest a great deal. You seem fatigued."

"Yes, I didn't sleep very well last night. But breakfast is almost ready." Indeed the pots of fish and rice smelled wonderful.

"Very good, Sakura-san. Would you like to hear Lady Tsunade's response to your message?"

"Yes, please." Sakura realized she was drooling from the scent of the food and her stomach rumbled.

"She says:

'Sakura, I have spoken with Naruto and he says you have two days to bring the ba-[I'm sorry, Sakura-san, I can't say that word.] Bring Sasuke back home or he'll go there himself. He says two days, but I think you really only have one. Naruto believes in you but he is very impatient.

Your reckless violence has made everything more difficult at the summit meeting with the daimyo.

Katsuya says you were injured badly when you fought but she said your injury was from a high-power bolt of electricity and a concussion. That sounds consistent with an attack from Sasuke Uchiha. So which is it? Did the Iwa attack you and hurt you, or did the Uchiha? If the latter, just how different can he be if Katsuya had to save your life? You said he has changed. Explain yourself to Katsuya as if you were speaking to me, Sakura, or your situation is going to get even worse.'

"Sakura-san, that is the end of the message."

Sakura winced. By "even worse" she could just imagine her mentor cracking her knuckles. "Thank you, Katsuya."

"Of course, but now you must answer Lady Tsunade's questions."

"Yes, Katsuya." Sakura stared at the steam from the rice. How to phrase this. She couldn't lie, whether by omission or by blurring facts. If she did, all of her injuries from the day before would seem like play time with a kitten. But she couldn't just hang Sasuke out to dry. If she wasn't careful Tsunade would assume he was still a murderous traitor. Even if she had retired as Hokage, the woman still wielded a lot of influence in Konoha.

Sakura sighed. "I'm sorry I tried to mislead you, Katsuya. The truth is I was reckless when I tried to free Sasuke. He didn't know it was me when he struck with his chidori. The blow threw me into a tree. But I know he is different because he helped me leave that place and brought me to this cottage. He has been helping me to recover in every way that he can. He sought medical care for me and brought these herbs and bandages from a nearby village. He has prepared food for me and lent me this kimono since my blouse was torn."

Sakura swallowed. Her voice had started to shake and for some reason there was a lump in her throat. She got to her feet and served herself a bowl of food. She blew on it and took a bite of her breakfast. It was hot and delicious. But the lump remained in her throat. She forced herself to chew and swallow, even though it ached painfully. Her eyes stung with tears but she was damned if she was going to cry. She ate another mouthful.

Finally when she felt she could breathe normally she cleared her throat. "Sasuke has been very kind to me. So far he does not intend to return to Konoha but he has told me he would not stop me if I tried to contact my team. I haven't been able to do it yet, but he did say that. That's why I say he's very different."

"I see," said Katsuya. "Sakura-san, I must ask, and I beg for your forgiveness for being out of line, I know it is not my place to pry about such things but I feel Lady Tsunade wishes to know this..."

"It's alright, Katsuya."

"Yes. Well, in light of your history with Sasuke Uchiha, a history that includes actions driven by feelings of friendship and devotion as well as feelings of anger and sorrow, I must ask you - what compels you to act now? What is your motive for staying with Sasuke for the time you requested? Sakura-san, I regret my impertinence but I must ask, do you still love Sasuke Uchiha?"

Sakura's chest felt tight. She could barely breathe. "I... I... We're... We're teammates. Or, we were and that..." Sakura had to stop to catch her breath.

"What is it, Sakura-san, what is wrong?"

"I... can't...figure it out! I keep asking myself what I'm doing here. What am I thinking? If you could just see him!" Sakura wiped angrily at the rebel tears slipping down her cheeks. "I keep saying the wrong thing and all of a sudden we're fighting and screaming at each other. I can't make myself stop because even while he's shouting at me, it's the most he's ever talked to me. And I just want to run up and kiss him!"

Sakura coughed to clear her throat. She used the back of a hand to wipe her eyes and nose. "And when he's being quiet and nice all I can think about is how mad I am. I just want to punch him as hard as I can and scream at him for what he did when we were kids!"

Sakura all but threw the bowl down on the ground and got to her feet. She sniffed hard and practically slapped herself as she wiped the remains of snot and tears. "nnGgghh! No, I'm not doing this." She took a hiccuping breath and shook her head sharply. "Katsuya, please believe me. I will master my emotions at the same time that I finish healing." She swallowed. "I swear, I am a kunoichi from Konoha and I am loyal to my Hokage."

-傷-

Sasuke has some issues too, it seems.

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