He spent the night on the couch. It had left a horrible crick in his neck, but at least now he could keep track of Sakura. If any of the ANBU higher-ups had heard that he'd lost his client, he was sure he'd get an earful and a rescinded status.

Sakura moved through his apartment like a ghost. She hardly made any noise aside from when she made tea or breakfast and she left virtually no trail that she'd ever been anywhere near him. Aside from the scent of her body washes or shampoos, no one would be able to say that Sakura was staying in his apartment.

But what he failed to do was factor in the uncontrollable variable that was Naruto. Just as he and Sakura were exiting his apartment, Naruto rolled up loud and vibrant as ever. The other nin wouldn't have even looked in their direction had the sunshine boy not called out their names. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Why did the biggest idiot in all five nations have to be his friend?

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out.

Sakura recoiled sheepishly behind Sasuke's back. The eyes of everyone in the hall were suddenly on her. Sasuke covered her form protectively. What the hell was everyone looking at?

"Mou…are you okay? No one could find you for a week."

She nodded with a small smile as Naruto enveloped her in a bear hug. The orange clad boy had never been one to shy away from public displays of affection. She probably didn't want the attention on her, but he could tell that Naruto's presence had already brightened her up.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I was just staying with a friend."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. The trio began walking towards the elevator as the corridors finally became empty of its other residents. As if a lightbulb had just went off in his head, Naruto clapped his hands together in front of his face.

"Oh! I almost forgot, Sakura-chan. Yamato told me to look for you because he wants to train a bit more with you."

"Eh?! What more could he need to teach me?"

"Yamato says since now that you're a wood user and someone who will probably work with me on missions more often than not, he wants to teach you how the wood release is used to suppress my kyuubi chakra."

Sasuke zoned out as they chattered excitedly. Sakura and Naruto were advancing light years beyond him. He needed to do something. Quick.

….

Training was a great distraction. She didn't have to talk and no one else wanted to talk about their feelings. Sakura needed something other than her failures to hyperfixate on. It was a miracle that Sasuke and Inuki had even been able to get her out of bed.

She couldn't even remember what Inuki had said to coax her, but she did remember seeing Sasuke standing at the door unsure of himself. That's when she knew that she had hit a low point. No one, at least not to her knowledge, from the rookie 9 or Konoha had seen her in a bad depressive episode. Sure she was miserable most of the time there, but she saved that for when she reached the safety of her own room.

Sasuke's shocked face – well…as shocked as his face could get without showing that he cared - imprinted into the back of her mind. She peered over at him perched in a nearby tree ignoring whatever Naruto was fussing about as she panted heavily. That moment felt too intimate. Sakura never planned or wanted anybody – especially not Sasuke – to find out just how low she could get.

If he didn't believe that you were pathetic before, he sure believes it now.

Sakura made haste to busy herself again. She was sure that Sasuke had caught her staring. She flew through a series of seals and was able to create a bundle of twisting trunks shoot from her arms. Yamato made an approving face in her direction.

Having him show appreciation of her skill was nice, but she couldn't keep Sasuke out of her mind. Would he tell someone about what he saw? More specifically Naruto? She hadn't even properly apologized to him yet and she could only imagine his reaction to hearing about her being in such a state. He was such a loving guy. His empathy had no bounds. She was sure he'd try to shoulder her burden and she didn't want that all. It would be too embarrassing to have to be in a position to be required to be taken care of again.

Sakura flew through another set of seals and was able to conjure up a favorably sized wall of twisting trunks, branches, vines, and leaves. She was growing in power more easily this time around. Her chakra was still taking a major hit, but at least she was able to throw out more techniques.

When Yamato noticed her hunched over as she created a few more sets of branched walls, he dismissed her for the day and flash stepped away. She turned to look at Naruto and Sasuke. They looked like they were in the middle of something serious. If Naruto was actually using his inside voice, then something was wrong.

Sasuke flashed away from his spot in the trees without much regard for either party. Naruto's shoulders deflated as he sighed. Sakura walked over to Naruto and tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped, startled at her presence. She backed away a bit to allow him space to gather himself. He swallowed down the worried expression that stained his face and placed one of his signature smiles in its place.

"Wanna go out to eat?"

….

"Ah! So we're finally on the date that was always meant to be."

"Don't press your luck."

Naruto and Sakura were seated comfortably in one of the many available benches in the shopping district. She tried her best not to look too uncomfortable as she watched Naruto scarf down his bowl of miso soup. He'd been able to get a fairly large serving size that Sakura couldn't believe was even allowed to be served.

As he slurped down the last of the soup, Sakura held her hand over her mouth and tried not to puke. Just the smell of food was nauseating to her now. She'd only ordered a small bowl of fried rice and was having a hard time making a dent in it. She shuffled the grains of rice around slowly, trying to pass the time. She'd agreed to eat out with Naruto only because he looked so sad. Now that she could truly think about it, this was a truly awful decision. She'd been successfully avoiding eating with anyone for the past two or three weeks. She didn't want to hinder her progress at all. Not even for Naruto.

"Sakura-chan…"

"Hmm?" she asked, finally fully alert to her guest.

He shuffled the chopsticks around in his bowl of rice. Sakura's body stiffened. If Naruto was being so serious, then something had gone majorly wrong.

He's probably figured you out.

"Are you and Kakashi…on good terms?"

Sakura was baffled. It definitely wasn't the question she expected from him. He bit his lip apprehensively. She found that she couldn't help but laugh. Was he really this nervous over such a simple question?

"Yeah," she laughed. "We made up."

She heard him let out a sigh of relief. She found herself laughing again.

"Phew! I knew something was going on with you two. My detective skills are always on point. Maybe if I don't become Hokage, I'll become a super skilled detective," he declared with his fist raised in the air for added emphasis.

Sakura slapped his arm playfully. How did he just always know how to lighten the mood? Their laughter died down and Sakura could see the same worried expression marring his face again. She sighed as she waved her hand at him dismissively.

"Go ahead and ask me already."

Naruto twiddled his fingers in his lap this time. A faint blush crept on his cheeks. Sakura could tell she would regret the decision to ask him.

"Well…it's about this morning," he started. "Are you and Sasuke like – just – y'know?"

He made weird gestures with his hands. Sakura could see the nervous sweats collecting on his forehead. She rolled her eyes and placed her chin in her palm.

"What exactly do you think is going on between me and Sasuke?"

"Heh heh. Nothing really. It's just that you and him…uh…you were kinda…you both came out of his apartment this morning. He was covering you like it was a big secret."

Sakura rolled her eyes. If Naruto had noticed this, she should expect a lot of gossip tomorrow at school.

"I told you I was staying at a friend's house for the week. Sasuke picked me up and I stayed at his place last night."

Naruto wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Sakura slapped his arm playfully as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Naruto! He took the couch, I had the bed."

"Sure, Sakura-chan."

"Oh, shut up."

….

This had to be the most selfish action Sasuke had ever taken. He was back in his apartment, Sakura in his bedroom, while he sat on the couch drafting up a letter to send to his ANBU captains. He couldn't spend another day in this village wasting time doing nothing while everyone else around him gained new power. His apartment was too small, he didn't have much time to practice new techniques or fighting combinations, and he was tired of everything being so different. Even with his new technique, it wouldn't be enough to impress his father nor come close to rivaling any move in Itachi's arsenal.

He ran his hand through his hair as he sighed. This was going to come back to bite him in the ass. His selfishness truly knew no bounds. His jealousy and impulsivity came close behind. Competition amongst comrades was normal – especially in the ninja world – but Sasuke never learned how to be normal about it. Being a member of a head family of one of the most prestigious clans in the ninja world would do that to you.

He pulled at the strands of hair on his thigh. It was all just too much for him to handle. He feared that soon, it would be him looking at Sakura and Naruto's back. Arrogance had kept him stagnant after all. Why would you fear someone who you deemed beneath you getting better than you?

Sasuke – after a while of tapping the pencil on the tip of his nose – began writing again. He spoke at length about the dangers of the mission he'd been placed on. They had been attacked by two rogue ninjas, involved in two battles with the Akatsuki, and – this one he added for dramatic flair – had been under high surveillance everywhere they went. It would be better if they stayed in the village. Sakura and the Mokuton technique would be better protected in their home than outside.

He felt the familiar pang of guilt. There was truly no excuse for what he was doing. He wanted to go back home so he could train with Orochimaru again; bridge the gap between him and his teammates.

Sasuke gazed guiltily at his room door. Not everything about returning to Konoha would be bad. Sakura still hadn't made up with her teammates. This would be a great opportunity for them all to breathe for a while and then come back together to reconcile their differences.

Training with Yamato and Naruto would also be easier. Konoha wouldn't have to worry about prying eyes as she mastered the technique. She would also be happier with her old teammates. Sasuke knew Naruto would be content just with the idea of an old Team 7 reunion.

Yeah…this could work. Everyone could be satisfied with this deal. He swallowed the annoying, clenching feeling as he tied his message onto a messenger hawk.

See you next update! Let me know what you think :D.