Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A couple hours of sleep, that's all she asked for. But no, Naruto just had to come and pound on her door right after her shift from the hospital. She was actually going to have a good night's sleep. She cursed under her breath as she heard Naruto barge right into her apartment and straight into her room.

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke is off probation today! Can you believe it?" he bellowed.

Did he not notice that she was trying to sleep? She seriously considered pounding him into next week, but she was too tired to do so.

"And you had to come all the way over here to tell me that?" she asked, annoyed.

He finally took a good look at her and realized that she must be extremely tired and just left her shift.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan! I was just so excited-!"

"It's okay," she interrupted.

He smiled at her and she gave him one in return. She got into a sitting position and patted her bed. He sat down beside her and she said, "Let me guess, you want to have a Team 7 get-together at Ichiraku's."

He grinned at her and said, "You got that right! I've been waiting for this ever since he returned!"

Sakura couldn't help but smile tiredly at how predictable and simple he was. She hoped Naruto knew that things weren't always going to be how they used to be. All of them were different now. They had all grown up and changed.

He sensed her quietness and turned to look at her. She could see the concern in his eyes and waited for him to start on a conversation she wasn't sure she was ready for yet.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?"

She decided to play the oblivious card and went with, "What are you talking about? I'm fine, Naruto."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Don't lie to me."

She met his gaze and then looked away. He knew her well. He was her best friend. He had been here for her through everything.

"I know that things aren't going to be the exact same as they were before," he put his hand over hers, "but I think that's okay. Maybe it's better this way."

She looked back at him with shock all over her features. He knew exactly what she needed to hear. That's why she loved him so much. He was the brother that she never had.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. Instead of her telling him that she couldn't breathe, it was the other way around. She laughed as she let go off him and ruffled his hair.

"Thank you, Naruto. For everything."

He ruffled her already bed mused hair in return and said, "You're welcome, Sakura-chan!"

When Sakura got a better look at him, she could tell that there was something different about him, like he was more happy than usual. She couldn't put her finger on it.

"What's got into you? Why are you super happy?" she asked curiously.

Even in the darkness she could see the blush creep onto his face. He scratched the back of his head and looked anywhere but at her. He was hiding something, and now she knew it.

"Naruto?" she questioned.

"Well, the other night I went to eat ramen and ran into Hinata-chan and…. And well….umm…. I told her I love her and kissed her!" he blurted out.

Her eyes started to bulge out of their sockets and then she squealed and wrapped him into another bear hug. This time, when he told her she was squeezing him, she just squeezed tighter. She was so, so happy for him. Hinata was perfect for him. She loved him so much and now the both of them could be happy. They deserved it.

She finally let him go and the color came back to his face. He grinned at her sheepishly.

"I'm so happy for you, Naruto. I've been waiting for you to finally do that! It's about time!"

He blushed and laughed. Then he looked at her.

"I want you to be happy too, Sakura-chan."

He noticed the sadness that came across her face, but it only lasted a fraction of a second. You had to really know her to be able to notice it. She hid it very well. He knew that it must be hard for her. She barely got any sleep, she always worked, and now she had a new stress with black hair and onyx eyes. He really didn't know how she did it. She was so strong and beautiful and smart and she deserved a happy ending. She had earned it. He was not the only one that had brought Sasuke back.

She smiled at him and said, "Thanks, Naruto."

Before he could say anymore, she quickly changed the subject.

"So when are we having this team 7 gathering?"

"Tomorrow, of course!"

She laughed at him and then a yawn escaped her lips. He then quickly stood up and said, "I'm gonna let you get some sleep now, Sakura-chan. Sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay, really."

"Sweet dreams, Sakura-chan!" he bellowed as he exited her apartment.

Yeah, right, like she would ever have a good dream ever again. If she dreamt, it always ended up being a nightmare, even if it started out good. Maybe there was something wrong with her brain or something.

As she lay back down and closed her eyes, she couldn't help but picture his face. His dark bangs were falling into his onyx eyes that seemed to be able to see down to her very core. Some stray hairs fell onto his cheekbones and they seemed so perfect, flawless. His perfect, full lips were forming a smirk. For a long time, she had tried not to picture that face. Sometimes she would, just to make sure that she remembered each and every detail. Now, she did it to add to the old one. His face had changed and matured, yet still stayed the same.

She also found herself thinking about all the horrible things she knew that he had done, and about the ones that she didn't. She finally came to a conclusion. When he had left, he had left behind his heart and soul. Her, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei had kept it safe and preserved. They remembered it and savored it. He knew that if he came back, it would be waiting for him, just like they were. Now that he was back, she wondered, had he found it yet?


She hadn't expected Sasuke to be sitting in her office once she had gotten out of surgery. She slapped her hand to her forehead at her forgetfulness. Tonight was their get-together and she was late.

"I'm so sorry! I forgot-!"

"Its fine, Sakura."

She sighed heavily and took her lab coat off. She turned back to him and said, "I'm not too late, am I?"

He shook his head and said, "No. Naruto's even late too."

He watched as her face brightened and he saw that she knew something that he didn't.

"He's probably with Hinata or something. We should go ahead and go to Ichiraku's. He'll get there. You and I both know how much he loves ramen."

He nodded and she could see the annoyance in his face. She kind of felt bad. He was off probation finally and now that they were having him a get-together, most of them have forgotten. Kakashi doesn't count because he's always late.

He followed her out of her office and into the streets of Konoha. The sun was just starting to set in the horizon and children were coming home from playing or training. Workers were putting up shop and making their way back to their homes.

As she walked alongside him, she felt so content. Sure, she could hear all the whispers and glares they were giving him. She didn't care though. She had learned to ignore them. They were just people that would never understand. He was her teammate, he was her, everything.

When Sasuke had first left, and Naruto had left for his training with Jiraiya, she would let those people get to her. She could always hear them whispering about her or her team as she made her way throughout the village. More than a couple of times, she had gone off on some of those people. Now, she found it better to just ignore them. They would never be able to understand.

As they both sat down in their seats, she ordered her usual. Sasuke did the same. It was weird not having Naruto here. She had always come with Naruto. That was the only time that she ever came, was with him. She never came on her own, though. She only needed to make that mistake once.

"So how do you like being a free man?" she asked him to break the silence.

If anyone could pull off a look of not rolling their eyes, but rolling their eyes, it was Sasuke Uchiha. It made her smile.

Just when she thought he was about to say something, Kakashi showed up. He sat down in his usual seat and noticed that there was something missing. There was no slurping or a big blonde head doing the slurping.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked.

"Not here," Sasuke deadpanned.

Kakashi rolled his lone eye at him and looked to Sakura to be the reasonable one with all the answers just like he had always done.

"I think that he's with Hinata. He came by my house yesterday and told me about this dinner and about how he and Hinata are… together now," Sakura answered reluctantly.

Sasuke turned to look at her then. Naruto was with Hinata? That shy girl that used to always stutter? When did that happen? Something tugged at his gut as he realized that he really had missed a lot while he was gone. He had to face the fact that things, and people, weren't the same anymore.

"Yeah, I have been waiting for him to finally tell her that he loves her! They're going to be so happy together!" she squealed like a little girl.

Kakashi chuckled at her and said, "I'm glad that he finally opened his eyes and saw that that girl loves him. Hell, everyone could see it except for himself. She used to always faint around him for kami's sake!"

Sakura laughed and said, "Yeah, I know!"

Sasuke was beyond confused at this point. He always thought that Naruto had a crush on Sakura. When did he get over her? He gave Sakura a sideways glance and wondered if she was glad that he did. He saw how close she and Naruto have grown throughout the years and she couldn't possibly still have feelings for him, could she? She showed no signs of it now. She didn't flaunt herself at him like she used to do when they were younger. He didn't know how to understand her behavior.

Shortly after they received their ramen, Naruto finally made an appearance. Sasuke listened as Sakura lectured him and questioned what had taken him so long. Sure enough, his face turned as red as a tomato and said that he had just been busy. They all seen through his excuses and knew that he had been with Hinata, but no one said anything more about it.

"So Sakura," Kakashi started, "how's the hospital?"

She sighed heavily and said, "It's good but we're so low on staff."

"Well, you need to get more so you won't have to work so much, Sakura-chan!" Naruto bellowed.

Sakura laughed at him and said, "Don't be so loud, Naruto."

The rest of the dinner consisted of Naruto and Sasuke's bickering and Sakura's chiding. It was just like old times and all of them were glad that something's never change.

Sakura was the first to get off her seat and say her goodbyes. As she started to make her way to her apartment, she felt someone start to walk with her. She turned around and saw Sasuke.

"I'll walk you home."

She could just feel the blush forming on her cheeks.

"Its okay, Sasuke-kun, you don't have to," she almost whispered.

He gave her a look and said, "Come on, Sakura."

She smiled at him and started walking again. It was silent most of the way, but it wasn't uncomfortable at all. She just couldn't keep the grin off her face the whole way. She was so much happier now that Sasuke was back in her life. Before she had felt like a lifeless robot waiting for something to happen to take her away from the pain. As she looked over at Sasuke, she knew that he was the only one that could.

She was kind of sad when they reached her apartment. She turned to him and said, "Thanks for walking me home, Sasuke-kun."

She met his gaze and she was shocked at how intense it was. She started to feel self-conscious at how his eyes seemed to read right through her. They were so beautiful and she felt herself getting redder.

"Goodnight, Sakura."

She gulped and said, "Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

He waited to leave until she was safe and inside of her house. Then he started on his way back to his own apartment. Why would she thank him for something so small? She shouldn't thank him for anything. He did not deserve it. He didn't deserve a lot of things, but he somehow had them.

"It's hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember."