It's been forever (almost a year!) but I finally have a chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and is still interested in this story. It helps me to write knowing that there's still people who are reading. Longer author note at the end. Enjoy!

Chapter 13

"Sakura, I don't think you'll be able to make all this food."

Rummaging through her bag with one hand for change, Sakura used the other to wave off Hiroshi's doubts. "Of course I can. What you're really trying to say is you don't want to hold any more bags."

"Same difference." He grunted as a bag of onions was added to the heap. They had been in the market for over an hour, bouncing from stand to stand as Sakura went down her mental shopping list and despite his best efforts to remain calm and supportive, she could feel his restlessness beginning to rise.

"You'll be fine." She assured, resting a calming hand on his arm. "We just need a few more things and then we can leave, I promise. Oh, let's go to that stand next!"

With a quick thank you given to the booth owner, she headed off to the next stand, not noticing for several minutes that her steps were not being matched by her shopping companion. Looking back, she watched Hiroshi trudge slowly through the sparse crowd, maneuvering carefully around tables so as not to knock over any wooden crates or drop his own load. When he caught her eyes, she smiled sympathetically and his smile in return carried traces of a grimace. Being the traditionalist that he was, he had insisted on carrying all of her purchases when they first entered the market, a choice that she knew his pride wouldn't allow him to retract now, even though ache was beginning to settle into his arms. She had offered to split the load twice now and each time he had refused, immediately and stubbornly.

"Hirsohi—"

"I already told you, I can handle it."

"I wasn't going to ask! I was just going to suggest that we take a break."

"Nah, I'm good. But don't wait on me; you go on. I'll catch up." he insisted, shifting the weight of the grocery pile. "I know I won't live to see another day if I drop all this stuff so I'd rather take my time."

Sakura folded her arms. "Is that really how you think of me? I'm not a tyrant you know."

"Oh look, you should probably get on over to that stand, I'm sure it's selling out." He replied, teasingly smirking as he deliberately changed the focus of the conversation.

She narrowed her eyes, jabbing a finger in his direction. "I will let this one pass Yoshino."

"Ooh, last name. I better tread lightly."

She laughed, heading to her most frequented vendor. The stand itself was not in the best location of the market; stuck in a corner behind a spice stand, it was easy to mistake the small table as an extension of the spice vendor's space or to simply not see the stand at all. But the distance of the stand from the more popular and far busier center of the square allowed for quick and easy purchasing, which was a blessing for Sakura on days when she hardly had time to shop. She had been a customer for years now, ever since Sasuke, who favored the stand for its reclusive location and lack of business, had first shown her. Had it been up to him, he would only get his provisions from this stand alone, working within the limitations of the products it offered. She smirked, remembering the scantiness of his kitchen. Actually, maybe he already was.

As the vendor bagged her order, Sakura turned to scan the rows of stands to see the progress Hiroshi had made in the meantime. Instead of Hiroshi, she noticed a quick glimpse of black hair on a sullen frame, purposefully keeping to the edge of the mass of shoppers as he walked. Sasuke? But wasn't he out of the village?

"Miss?" The vendor held a crinkled paper bag in Sakura's direction, attracting her attention. With a quick thank you, she took the bag and moved towards the exit, the area Sasuke seemed to be heading towards. She finally caught up right as he stepped through the wooden archway.

"Hey!" At the greeting, Sasuke turned, silently watching her approach. He nodded at her and she absently wondered what it would take for him to actually say hello. He was in his civilian clothes; holding just one small plastic bag which Sakura was sure only held rice to replenish his ongoing supply. Perhaps because she hadn't seen him during the day for some time, Sakura was slightly surprised by his demeanor. He seemed much paler in the light, sleeplessness rested heavier in the lines of his face. She smiled, despite the churn of concern that always surfaced within her when she saw Sasuke.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were on a mission?"

"I was removed from the mission per Tsunade's…suggestion."

His explanation had a tinge of frustration, sparking Sakura's mind to create a stream of questions to ask. However, it was then that Hiroshi, slightly winded but still faithfully carrying the many bags, appeared at the market gate, having finally caught up.

"Oi Sakura, give me a heads up before you abruptly change directions next time. I almost ran into an old woman and she was ready to rip me a new one with her cane."

"Oh gosh sorry! It's just that I saw—" And in that moment, as Hiroshi approached and Sasuke stood a mere few feet away, Sakura realized that this would be the first meeting between the two. Sasuke knew she was in a relationship; it would come up briefly during their balcony conversations, but it always in the context of something else, never the focus of the conversation. 'I was coming from Hiroshi's place', 'I'm meeting Hiroshi for lunch', 'Tsunade told me about the new policy when I stopped by the Administration building with Hiroshi', etc. She stewed in silent panic, wondering how both would handle an impromptu introduction. "Oh, uh, Hiroshi this is Sasuke. Sasuke, this is Hiroshi."

Hiroshi smiled and adjusted his grip slightly, attempting to free one of his hands, but then thought better against it. "Hey, how're you doing? I'd shake your hand but I'm currently the pack mule."

Sasuke nodded politely, his face expressing nothing, making Sakura breathe an internal sigh of relief. What exactly had she expected? Hiroshi was nothing if not friendly beyond understanding and Sasuke, even if he was affected, would of course maintain the same cool air of expressionlessness that he always did in public.

"I was just about to re-extend my dinner invitation to Sasuke since he's going to be in town now."

A hint of contention pulled Sasuke's brow together but Sakura continued speaking before he could politely refuse. "Come on, Sasuke! You can't tell me you have other plans. Plus, wouldn't it be nice to eat something else besides rice and the occasional ramen bowl Naruto forces on you?" An almost imperceptive smirk pulled at his lips and she smiled in return, hoping with a little more convincing, he would concede.

"You know," Hisroshi interjected, surprising Sakura, "even with 13 of us, I don't think we're gonna put a dent in the amount of food she's trying to make. We could always use an extra mouth." Sakura smiled at him, grateful for his support. She had talked about inviting Sasuke to dinner a few weeks ago and he had been completing accepting. "It'll be nice to meet the other piece of the iconic trio." He had said with a smile. "Plus, from the way you've described him, the guy sounds like he could use a little social time."

"You should really come! I bet you haven't seen everyone in forever." His hesitation hung in his silence and she wished she knew exactly why he faltered so she could convince him otherwise. He wanted to come; otherwise, he would've been adamant in his decision, continuously declining despite her coaxing. However, there was something making him feel as if he shouldn't attend. Besides Ino who made her grudge known and intended on keeping it for what could be eternity, the others had no issue being in close vicinity with Sasuke—or at least hid their dislike well if they did think ill of him. Hiroshi being there seemed to be the only plausible reason giving him pause but Hiroshi was obviously open to the idea, as he'd just expressed. What was holding him back? She lowered her voice into a soothing murmur. "Everything will be fine, it'll be just like the dinners we've had before. Just food and friends, that's it. Won't you come? Please? Please?"

Finally, despite the obvious reluctance in his face, Sasuke nodded, silently agreeing to attend.

"Oh good!" Sakura grinned and Sasuke's face seemed to lose a little tension, as if her response to his acceptance helped alleviate the worry that prevented him from wanting to go in the first place. And then Sakura remembered: this was always how it'd been, Sasuke agreeing to do something just to humor her or make her happy, especially back in the days when his house arrest had ended and she was determined to shape something that resembled a social life for him. She swallowed the nostalgia gathering within her.

"So, uh," she cleared her throat before finishing. "Come by around 6:30, okay? Just bring yourself and an appetite!" He nodded before saying a quick good bye to them. Sakura watched him leave, feeling optimistic and accomplished. Getting Sasuke in a group social setting would be good for him, even if he couldn't see the benefit.

Hiroshi interrupted her internal celebration. "I don't know why you keep telling everyone 6:30. There's no way you're finishing this menu by then right?"

Sakura looked at Hiroshi with a knowing smile, one he returned with wariness. "Just watch and learn darling."

"Okay, okay...what did I need...think think think—oh!" Sakura reached into the pantry, grabbing the vinegar before moving back to the stove. Hiroshi, chopping vegetables as instructed on the other side of the counter and trying largely to stay out of her way, watched her run around in awe.

"I've learned a lot of things about you today. Mainly, you like to talk to yourself a lot."

She laughed, wiping her hands on her apron as she took Hiroshi's knife and began chopping a head of cabbage. "Sometimes talking aloud helps."

"So how did you rope yourself into this anyway? Cooking dinner for a dozen people?"

"Well, way back when, I was just cooking for Naruto once a week so that he'd have a decent meal and a break from ramen. Then I realized Sasuke wasn't eating that well either so I dragged him along. And at that point, I figured I might as well make it a team-bonding thing so Kakashi was put in the mix." She paused to sweep the chopped bits into a nearby bowl. "The dinners stopped once Sasuke defected and Naruto left for training. But once Naruto returned, they picked up again. And then he got into the habit of inviting some of our other friends and then I would feel bad if I excluded anyone...and that is how I found myself cooking a meal for 13 or so people once a month.

"We don't do monthly anymore—that stopped years ago. But whenever the majority of us were free, I would try and get us all together. And it's been so long since our last dinner so I figured now was a perfect time!" She finished the last of the head and handed the knife back to Hiroshi. "You are really slow at chopping."

"I like to take my time because I like to keep all my fingers, thank you very much."

"And I'd like to have chopped vegetables while we're still young, thank you very much."

Before Hiroshi could respond, a knock on the apartment door followed by an almost simultaneous greeting interrupted them. Naruto was never one to wait for a door to be answered if it was left unlocked.

"Hey Sakura! Hey Hiroshi!"

Sakura took a quick glance at the clock on the oven. "It's only 5:45 Naruto!"

"I wanted to make sure I got here before Chouji did. He always eats all the yakiori."

"Well since you're here, you and Hiroshi can set the table."

"Aw, Sakura I didn't come early to do work!"

"Too. Bad." She dropped the stack of plates into his arms, smiling at his characteristic grumbling.

Surprisingly, Sasuke was the next guest to arrive, just after 6:00. He knocked, although he knew the door would be unlocked, as was usually the set up with these dinners. Sakura shook her head with a soft smile as she stirred the broth for the miso soup. He wouldn't let himself into another's home without proper invitation: just one part of the Uchiha family home training from his youth that Sasuke still followed.

From the kitchen, Sakura heard Hiroshi open the door and greet him. "Hey you made it!" She pictured him smiling, offering a hand with the other on his hip. Sasuke would nod, accepting the handshake silently. Sakura wondered if she should go out there, be a buffer of sorts. She knew Hiroshi would do his best to be friendly but there was only so much you could do with someone so unresponsive.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No thank you."

There was a beat of silence before Naruto paused in his work to address Sasuke.

"Hey Teme, did you talk to baa-chan like I asked you to?"

"No."

"Why not? You said you would!"

"I never said that."

"You made that 'hmph' noise so I took that as a yes."

Hiroshi jumped in, and Sakura could hear a smile in his voice. "Geez Naruto, the man just got here. Let him take of his shoes before you accost him."

The slight anxiety swirling in her chest began to still as she listened to the two lightly bicker. With Naruto there, Sasuke's interaction with Hiroshi, and everyone else when they arrived, would be smoother.

"I'm starving!"

"You shouldn't have skipped lunch." Sasuke responded without sympathy.

"Well if our training hadn't taken so long..."

"Well if you didn't have such a hard time learning a simple combination—"

"Well if the person teaching me the combination wasn't such an ass—"

"I can't seem to understand why everyone's mouths are moving but their hands and feet aren't." Sakura interjected, smiling blankly from the doorway. "There will be plenty of time for fighting later. Sasuke and Naruto: finish the table and set out the extra seats Hiroshi brought. Hiro, you're on soup duty."

By 6:20, the other guests began streaming in. First Neji and Ten Ten, arriving ten minutes before the official start time due to Neji's tendency to work in buffer travel time. Despite all of her efforts over the years, Ten Ten hadn't been able to convince him that even if there was some mishap in their travel route, as shinobi, they could get anywhere in the village in record time. Lee arrived shortly after them, having taken the longest route possible by lapping the perimeter of the village. Hinata arrived with a dessert, immediately offering her help in whatever way it was needed just as she crossed the doorway. Shino and Kiba came next, bringing a box of dango that Kiba made sure they picked up on the way. Then it was Chouji and Shikamaru, who were generally the last to arrive since Shikamaru, unlike Neji, never really factored in travel time and tended to leave just a few minutes before the set time of the event. Sakura knew Ino would be closing the flower shop so she would be late and Kakashi operated on a different time plane that everyone else so who knew when he would arrive. Sakura had told him 5:30 in hopes of tricking him into being somewhat on time but he had gotten wise to that tactic ages ago and always ended up coming even later, somehow. She knew to set a plate aside for him.

Hiroshi graciously and eagerly offered to keep everyone entertained while Sakura finished up the final dishes but it had nothing to do with him trying to evade her very particular and vehement demands, he assured with a teasing smile before escaping through the doorway.

Everything seemed to be going well; everyone mingled as they awaited the food, a few people cycling through the kitchen to offer help or attempt to sneak a sample of a dish. And then Ino arrived.

"Sorry I'm late! I had to close the shop today. I brought wine!" Her voice cut to silence and Sakura could see the scene unfolding: her exultant smile wavering and then fading when Sasuke comes into view.

"Sasuke."

"Ino." Her eyes were probably narrowing, and he, preemptively, was probably narrowing his too in preparation for the snide remark. She would be flipping her hair at this moment, preparing the blow.

"Ino could you bring that wine in here?" Sakura called out, hoping she sounded natural. There was a pause, probably as Ino contemplated whether or not to ignore the voice and to begin her attack, but then to Sakura's relief, she heard footsteps approaching the kitchen.

She was visibly angry—or annoyed, or both—and she spoke in a hushed tone that was charged with vitriol. "Sakura, what the hell!"

"Could you put that in the ice bucket please?" she gestured to the silver beverage cooler but when Ino didn't move she took the bottle and situated it in the ice herself.

"Sasuke?! You invited Sasuke?"

"Yes Ino."

"Is there a reason you did that?"

"This isn't the first time he's been to a dinner. He's been to all the other ones."

"Yeah, that was before we found out he was fucking Misaki behind your back after he treated you like shit for almost two years. Or did you forget about that, huh? He destroyed you Sakura."

The brashness of her words prodded at that area in her chest where the wound used to be, the area that had been sliced open the night of the discovery and used to throb painfully at the thought of her heartbreak. It had been months since she had felt any sort of ache like that and Sakura was surprised to find that there were still some minute traces of pain, some tenderness in the healed skin.

Sakura ran her fingers along the edge of the counter, feeling the roughness of the raw wood meet the smooth even finish of the countertop. "I didn't forget, of course not. But I'm at a place in my life where I've rebuilt and moved on. I'm happy and healthy and in a relationship that is doing as well as I am. And despite everything that happened, I could never cut Sasuke out of my life. You know this, Ino." She looked up, and there was a plea for understanding in her eyes.

Ino sighed, because she did know. Sasuke and Naruto were as much a part of Sakura's life as Chouji and Shikamaru were to hers. It was a waste of energy to try and convince her to cut him out like the cancer he was. After all, this was a conversation that they had been having for over a decade now.

"You're telling me that you think this is okay? You don't think it's uncomfortable or weird?"

"It'll only be that way if you make it that way."

Ino, her face blank, studied Sakura for a long moment before shaking her head. "You must be a bigger person than me because there is no way in hell I'd invite an ex-boyfriend who cheated on me to a dinner."

"You'd think you were the one wronged here." Sakura mentioned as she handed Ino a dish to place on the table.

"Well one of us has to hold a grudge and since you seem to be Miss Forgive and Forget, I have to double on the outrage."

Sakura chuckled. "Just try to keep the sneering to a minimum okay? Let's just move past this."

"Whatever." Ino grumbled, picking up another platter to take to the table.

"I mean it Ino. Don't make it uncomfortable."

Unlike the last group dinner, which had been held at Sasuke's house back when it was still standing and Sakura had been excited to make use of what had been her new spacious dining room, things were much tighter space-wise. The table was crowded, plates and platters and dishes nearly stacked on top of each other to make sure everything fit. At least the table was oblong, making it easier to squeeze everyone in without having to worry about corners. As Sakura announced that she was bringing the last dish, everyone moved to find a seat. As per usual, Naruto claimed the head of the table which he felt gave him the best view of the food and therefore, allowed him to survey exactly what he wanted to eat first. Sasuke, who generally tried not to sit directly next to Naruto while he ate if he could help it, attempted to select a free space in the center of the table before feeling the obvious disdain emanating from Ino who sat directly across from that spot. And so, deciding that Naruto's gluttony was preferred over Ino's glares, Sasuke moved a few spaces down, to Naruto's left. And Sakura, after placing the final dish and nodding to herself in fulfillment as she looked at her spread, squeezed in next to Hiroshi, nudging Naruto who sat to her left so that they could split the table space at the head.

"Sorry for the wait everyone, dig in!"

Instantaneously, there was a clatter of moving dishes and cutlery. Voices melded together as everyone spoke at once, asking for and passing different dishes and sides. At the table's head, where the former Team 7 sat, there was a certain efficiency to the way the plates were passed. Sakura, knowing Naruto wasn't a huge fan of squid sashimi would pass the platter straight to Sasuke. Sasuke would grab two tonkatsu pieces and pass the bowl to Sakura, knowing that Naruto would say he didn't want any, change his mind five minutes later and ask Sasuke for one of his. Naruto would attempt to take too much grilled fish despite Sasuke telling him he wouldn't eat it. Without more than a glance, Sakura's chopsticks would swat Naruto's overeager hand so he'd drop a piece back onto the platter. The tenmusu came around. Naruto plucked one and removed the tempura shrimp from the center, offering the leftover rice ball to Sasuke who preferred plain onigiri which frankly, made no sense to Naruto at all. Instinctively, at the announcement of the last yakitori, both Sasuke and Sakura lifted their glasses out of the way to avoid contact with Naruto's desperate lunge. And from Sakura's other side, Hiroshi watched them, feeling somewhat, outside of it all.

Later that night, after everyone had helped with returning Sakura's apartment to its normal, clean state and departed, Hiroshi was still turning the scene over in his head. He dried a plate with deliberate slowness, in tempo with his thoughts, and when Sakura came back inside after her trip to the dumpster, she noticed the pucker in his brow and asked what was on his mind.

"It's just...it was kind of…odd to see all three of you together at once. It's not like I didn't know you guys were close but it's like you had this connection with the way you moved like clockwork. And even in the way you talked and interacted…I don't know, I guess I just kind of felt like a fourth wheel." He chuckled, feeling sheepish now that he had voiced the feeling that had followed him all night. "It's dumb, I know."

"It's not dumb Hiroshi." Sakura began, slipping her fingers between his. "What you saw tonight was the result of years of friendship. I've known those two for ages and I spent a lot of time with them, sometimes more than I wanted to. Don't feel threatened by it. The bond I have with you is a little younger, sure, but it's strong, just the same."

He looked at her, smiling up at him with their clasped hands under her chin, radiating care and happiness and all the qualities that he loved about her, and he felt the words surge through his chest and out of his mouth before he was even aware.

"I love you Sakura."

She blinked in surprise and he felt himself blush as he realized he had verbalized what he had known for months now. "I just want you to know. Don't feel pressured to say anything; I know it might be a while until you're comfortable enough to explore the idea of loving someone again. But, just know that I love you."

Sakura's heart fell full, so full it seemed to fill her entire chest and throat. She could barely breathe, let alone speak, and so she cradled his face and brought his lips to hers, hoping the kiss would say the words she could not find, capture the incredible happiness within her, knowing though, it would not even come close.

Author's Note (cont): Whew ok so this chapter took me a while to get through just because it's one of those in-between chapters that are necessary for building to the next major plot point but doesn't really have any monumental plot points in it. So I had the bare bones of the chapter ready and I would fill more in gradually until I got stuck and left it alone for months. I'm trying my best to overcome stuck periods but they should happen less because the next few chapters (I guess technically the next arc) will have a pretty good spacing of plot points which will help drive the story (and me) forward. Plus, the next chapter is mostly Sasuke's POV and for some reason, I find it easier to write as him.

I won't give a date for the next chapter but since I'm still in writing mode, I'm going to do some major work on it right now and it should hopefully be done within the next month (fingers crossed). Thanks for all the continued support!