The Hawk And The Rabbit: Changes

How long had it been since he had used those eyes? It seemed almost a lifetime ago, when really it had only been a few months. He let out a tired sigh, only shadows visible beneath his bandages. Sasuke Uchiha rested his arms flat against the windowsill, one on top of the other. Crossing on his left leg over his right, he tilted his head ever so slightly to hear the birds chirping outside.

Then there came the opening of his door, the familiar calling of "Pardon the intrusion.", and the non-surprising act of no movement from him whatsoever. Almost something of a motif with them, he kept his back to her as the clicking of her heels meet his ears. It was always her, never anyone else….

Okay so that wasn't entirely true. Sometimes it was the old hag, others it was the ramen idiot, perverted sensei, or the ink-eyed freak. In truth, he didn't mind the company when it arrived. Well, now at least. The first two months had been so unbearable, that if his chakra network hadn't been limited to that of a starting genin, he would have harmed them all. He had come to his senses eventually though, that they were the only bonds he still had in the world.

She, though, was different because she was always there. Taking care of him; watching over him. He knew why, of course. All the other nurses were too worried for their safety to go near him. They were afraid of what he could do, what he stood for, what he had become. Really, though, she was too. Everyone was. The only difference was that she saw past her fear. She always could.

It helped, he assumed, that she wasn't the same girl he had left behind.

She had grown in the years they had been apart. Not just physically—not in that way, though it's hard not to noticed that she had developed some rather nice curves and hips when he could see—but emotionally, mentally. She practically ran the entire hospital on her own, juggling appointments with patients, duties as a kunoichi, and the rare leisure time she got. She had trained for a ridiculous amount of time with Tsunade for his sake, as well as her own. He witnessed the enormous strength she now carried in her finger tips, having only heard Orichimaru whisper about his old teammates.

She was for all intents and purposes, a different person. For some reason, that worried him. What if with new girl came no forgiveness? Taking a moment of consideration, he then chuckled to himself. She had already forgiven him the second her the moment his head had hit her lap on the battlefield—no, the moment when they had locked eyes in Orichimaru's hideout. It wasn't actually her forgiveness he wanted, it was actually—

"And what exactly is so funny, Uchiha?" Uchiha. That's how she tried to separate herself from. He gave an 'hn', shaking his head in disbelief in how childish that façade was. Whenever she assumed he was asleep, she always would address him as Sasuke-kun as she watched him try to dream. Maybe she wasn't all too different, after all…

Judging by her voice, she was a few feet behind him. Despite the curious lilt in her voice, he couldn't help but imagine that her hands were on her hips, green eyes sagging slightly from a long day, while her lips were pouting for not being in the loop of his personal joke.

"Just thinking, Sakura," And he had made such good point by not even thinking her name while she was in the room. Well so much for that. "All I was doing was thinking…" He trailed off into silence. In truth, it was the only thing he could do.

His power had been sealed off from him, his eyes still recovering, and even when they did heal, there was still the trial for his crimes arriving. Over and over again in his mind, he turned over the events of the past few years. He had been lied to, used, and betrayed. The best part was that there were only four people in the world that didn't want him dead.

Having gotten lost in his thoughts again, he was only brought back by the sudden touch of a hand over his. He hesitated as he looked up at her face, silently cussing to himself all the while. And Uchiha never has a moment of uncertainty…except when it came to her for some reason. In his mind's eyes he knew the exact expression she had on her face. Her orbs were soft and glowing with sadness, her brow lowered as she gave an uneasy smile.

'I'm here,' she was saying, 'if you need me, I'm here for you.' He didn't say anything to this, just slipped his hands from hers before putting them in his pants pockets. Sasuke headed to the door, knowing that she was watching him with a hurt look on her face. He smirked once more. Some things never change. "Thank you." He all but whispered, exiting the room.