Note:

Naruto and other characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Time has surely changed a lot of things he loved about his hometown.

The airport that once felt like a ghost town now bustled with unfamiliar faces. Some of them, of melancholy, as they are about to leave and be left behind, their luggages seemingly lighter than a feather compared to their hearts. And then for some, delight, as their family and friends have returned.

Sasuke, on the other hand, is indifferent. Being the only living Uchiha meant no smiling faces welcoming him home. His memories of the place were gruesome - a story that everyone in town knew, but no one cared about that much so he ended up leaving. Suitcase in hand, he proceeded to the airport exit, not bothering to glance at anyone because no, he did not expect someone or them to pick him up for not a single soul knew he had returned.

Tadaima felt like an empty word.

"Dr. Haruno, we have an incoming patient, 34, Male, suspected myocardial infarction, unconscious."

Ditching her freshly brewed coffee, she rushed to the ER where the nurse began wheeling in the said patient. One look at the man and she knew it was going to be another long day. Carefully opening the man's eyes with her fingers, she lights on it to check for any response.

None. Not good.

"Yumi," she refers to the nurse checking on the patient's vitals, "get this man an ECG ASAP. Draw blood samples for troponin and ensure that he has oxygen support." She now checks the chart endorsed by the EMR and studies it in silence. From it, she discovered that the man collapsed at work and has no pre-existing heart condition. Addressing another nurse, she began delivering instructions to start the treatment plan. "Contact his family in case we need their consent for surgery. Call me when the results are out or if vitals become unstable."

Such is the life of Sakura these days. Senior year of her residency meant she did not have a minute to waste, not when there are lives that needed saving. Sleeping 2 hours a day has become her normal. Does she regret the decision to become a Cardiothoracic Surgeon? Nope. To her, saving lives has become her passion.

For someone who's had her heart broken, treating the heart with utmost care was her priority, even if it meant she'll never get over her heart ache.

Six hours inside the Operating Room, Sakura's day finally came to an end. Dr. Senju had to berate her into getting some rest, threatening her with words such as, "If I see your fuckin' face here tomorrow, I will ban you from performing surgeries with me until the end of your residency!" Ha! Her professor surely knows how to force her into doing something she does not want to. Being mentored by the legendary Tsunade Senju meant you have survived the harshest medical training there is in the whole world. Mentioning that in your CV will open doors for you, gates included.

Rest? Fine. As if being alone until the next day will give her peace of mind. You see, Sakura dreaded moments when she had no one to talk to, nothing to keep her busy. Alone, her mind wanders to somewhere she does not know of. Where is he now? Is he staring at the same sky as she does? Alone, her soul gets dragged by a force to sit on a bench she has become overly familiar with. Just like now. Eight years have passed and yet the wound never seemed to heal. When Sasuke left her that night, on this bench, it was as if her chest was ripped open, half of her heart torn to pieces, the other half went to wherever Sasuke was.

"Sakura."

She stilled. That velvet voice that haunted her even in dreams. "Sakura, thank you." She looked up. Standing near the other end of the edge was Sasuke, the very reason for her dedication, ambition and heartache. "Ss-sasuke…-kun.." Cold wind swept her hair away from her eyes. She must be dreaming. He's not here, no. Even if she had his return pictured in her mind, she has already realized that he will never come back to the place that has hurt him most. Painful as it is, she put aside her longing for him for she understood his pain. Eight long years and she is still the same fool that she was - an utter fool, totally in love with Sasuke Uchiha.

I should not have gone here. He told himself. The lone bench by the airport bus stop should have been the last place to go to. But for some reason, it was the first place that came to mind when there was nothing to do in his apartment. There was a certain pull, a force so strong that even his trained mind couldn't counter that led him to it. He saw her approaching and made him feel like he was back to the old days, the same guy who decided to walk away from her without looking back. The memory is still clear to him and it took a lot from him to try and forget about her. Without a warning, his own mouth betrayed him, the name that reminded him of springtime and fall came out as a whisper. "Sakura."

With her hair being swept away from her face, he saw her. Those green eyes that told him whatever she decided not to, her deepest secrets, desires. Hearing her voice saying his name like a prayer, broke all the walls he had built the moment he left. He slowly walked towards her, the force that pulls him to her getting stronger. There was no denying it. After all the years he tried to bury it, the feeling is still there. He is still in love with the same woman.

His Sakura.

Dark orbs sought green ones. All the unspoken words now being exchanged. After what feels like a lifetime, he opens his mouth. The empty word he thought of now meant everything.

"Sakura," his fingers drawn to her cheeks, now wet with tears, "tadaima."