Chapter 2: It's Good to be Home.
The next day, Sakura was fighting the urge to pass out at her desk. The exertion from that morning's surgery still had her chakra levels quite depleted. As much as she tried to focus on her paperwork, all the words were a blur. She rested her elbows onto her desk, and gently cradled her head into her palms to steady herself.
Not more than a few minutes after she settled herself into this position, the door of her office flung open followed by an all too familiar clamor, "Sakura-chan!" She held herself in place, not having the energy to yell at her obnoxiously loud teammate. At her failure to respond, Naruto's voice just grew louder, this time laced with concern, "Sakura-chan? Are you alright?!"
Sakura took in a deep breath and let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm fine, Naruto." She responded, her head still cradled in her hands. As she slowly lifted her gaze towards his direction, she paused for a moment to regard the figure standing behind him. Tall, statuesque, with a demeanor as cool and unflinching as ever. Sasuke kept his gaze on her, and for a moment she could have sworn there was a hint of concern in his eyes. Taken aback by the emotion she was not used to seeing from him, she turned her attention back to Naruto. "I had a long surgery this morning. My chakra's pretty worn out." She was addressing it to the blonde-haired boy, but in some way she felt she was also indirectly reassuring the Uchiha that there was no need to worry.
"It must have been some surgery for it to take a hit on your chakra reserves, Sakura-chan!" The jinjuriki chimed in response. "Why don't you tell us about it over dinner at Ichiraku's?" He added, a huge grin sweeping across his face. It took the kunuochi a moment before she fully understood his proposition. To which she responded, "Ichiraku again, Naruto?" From the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke smirking behind his best friend, visibly amused at how little he had changed.
"Oh come on, Sakura-chan! We're all here! It's a team 7 reunion, we have to celebrate at Ichiraku's! It'll be just like the good old days!" At that, Sakura's gaze towards the Uzumaki softened. "The good old days, huh?" She gave herself a minute to ponder on the thought, before smiling warmly towards her teammates and exclaiming, "Okay, let's do it!"
Dinner was just like Naruto had made it out to be— he gobbled down an insane number of ramen while going on and on about his latest mission, Sakura would need to set him straight every now and then when he obviously exaggerated certain details, and Sasuke would chime in with the occasional condescending, "Dobe." It was like nothing changed; like they were all genin again. But at the same time, Sakura still felt something was different.
She'd take quick glances at Sasuke from the corner of her eye every now and then. It was him; he was different. On the surface, besides growing into his body and features, you wouldn't think much had changed from him. But to Sakura, she could sense a sort of calm to him now that wasn't there before. He looked at peace, as though he was no longer burdened by the weight of his past. She smiled inwardly at the thought, finding a certain peace wash over her as well. She decided to relish this moment, taking in all the good that came with this simple dinner.
As the night wrapped up and the three stood outside Ichiraku's to bid their farewells, Naruto slung his arm around Sasuke's neck. "Oi Teme, you should come over to my house for dinner next! Hinata is a great cook!" Sasuke was visibly annoyed at the sudden contact and retorted, "I think tonight is my quota of hanging around you for a while."
"Don't be a jerk!" Naruto retaliated. "You weren't at our wedding, the least you could do is pay respect to my wife's amazing cooking! Come on!" He continued to prod his best friend as Sakura watched the exchange with amusement. Sasuke released himself from Naruto's hold before turning towards his pink-haired teammate who he now realized was watching them as though they were children having a petty quarrel. Their gazes locked for a moment only, because their ever exuberant friend would not let up on his demand. The Uchiha, having realized this was a battle he couldn't win, sighed before finally conceding to the invitation.
"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed, punching a fist into the air. "I can't wait to tell Hinata! You'll come too, right, Sakura-chan?" The medic nin nodded in agreement, adding how she did miss Hinata's home-cooked meals. "Awesome! I'll see you both this Friday then, 6 o'clock, don't be late!" The blonde ball of energy exclaimed, waving eagerly at them as he started his run home. The two remaining members of Team 7 watched his back retreating into the night. After a moment, Sakura turned to Sasuke who she was surprised to find already had his gaze on her.
The was an awkward pause as they stared at each other. Sakura was the first to break eye contact, "Well, I guess I'll see you Friday, Sasuke-kun." She bowed her head slightly to signal her departure and just as she turned, he called out to her.
"Sakura." She stopped in her tracks and turned her head so she was just looking at him over her shoulder.
"Let me walk you home." It came off more an order than a request, which startled the bright, green-eyed kunuoichi.
"Demo, that's hardly necessary, Sasuke-kun." Sakura countered, waving her hands in defense for emphasis. "I hardly need any protecting, we're just in—"
"It's not—" Sasuke had cut her off before she could finish, however he didn't complete his thought. Sakura looked at him, taken aback by the sudden interjection. He turned his gaze away from hers, casting his sights on the ground.
"I'm not saying— I know you're—" the Uchiha tried, but failed miserably to get out a coherent sentence. He let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration at his lack of better communication. A faint giggle brought him back to reality as his eyes turned to her in surprise.
"My apartment building's a block away from the hospital. If the walk's not too troubling for you, let's go." Sakura explained, her gentle smile never once leaving her face as she did. Sasuke let the smallest hint of a smile grace his lips, before nodding gratefully at his pink-haired companion.
Naturally, Sakura initiated most of the talking on their way to her apartment. She asked about his travels, how he faired being alone, if he met any interesting people along the way. To her surprise, Sasuke graciously answered all her questions. Before she knew it, they had arrived at the foot of the staircase leading up to her building.
"Where are you staying now?" Sakura probed, stalling Sasuke's inevitable departure.
"Kakashi and the Dobe helped me find a place, it's just two blocks away from here actually." he answered curtly.
"That's a relief to know. I was worried you might be a long ways away from here, I would have felt guilty." Sakura replied nervously.
Another awkward silence shrouded them, to which Sakura once again took the lead in breaking.
"Thank you for walking me home. Good night, Sasuke-kun." She smiled once more before turning to climb the stairs. But before she could even make it to third step, "Sakura."
For the second time that night, he halted her movement with a single call of her name. She turned and was surprised to be greeted by that all too familiar gesture she had held on to all these years.
Two fingers came in contact with the seal on her forehead— a light tap that had enough power to spread warmth across her cheeks. She stared up at him, eyes full of surprise. Sasuke stared down at her, a faint smile across his face as he said, "It's good to be home."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just wanted to thank everyone who added this story to their favorites/following! This is my first time putting a fanfic story out there, so it means a lot that some people are taking the time to actually read it. If you guys can leave a review, I'd greatly appreciate that too. I was so happy about this that a new chapter came to me right away. I hope you all enjoy the slow burn!