Sakura was on her way home from the grocery store that evening when her usual escort appeared at her side from the shadows. Sasuke took the brown paper bags from her arms easily, although Sakura noted that his left hand was bandaged rather sloppily. She chose not to say anything to him about it, although it lingered at the back of her mind. They walked to Sakura's apartment in silence, and Sakura put away her groceries while the stoic Uchiha leaned against the counter, absentmindedly rubbing his left hand.

"Well, that's the last of them." Sakura said, closing her refrigerator.

"What's next?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I did my laundry this morning, I visited with my girlfriends at lunch, and I don't have any paperwork to do, so I think I'm done with everything that I wanted to get done today." Sakura said brightly.

Sasuke nodded. "So…" His eyes suddenly found the ceiling to be very interesting.

"Was there something you needed me for?" Sakura asked slyly. She knew very well that he didn't want anything specific from her – he still just wanted her company. But dammit, she wanted him to say it himself.

"I was wondering if you…" Sasuke scuffed his foot anxiously. "I mean, if you want to…"

"Yes, Sasuke?" Sakura asked pointedly.

Sasuke exhaled in frustration.

Sakura decided to cut him a break. "Are you wondering if I'll take a look at your hand for you?"

Sasuke's eyes snapped downward in confusion. "No, that's not really‒"

Sakura grabbed his uninjured hand and steered him into the bathroom. "Let me see." she said, gently removing his haphazard bandages.

"It's not that big of a deal." Sasuke grumbled.

Sakura withheld a gasp when she saw that Sasuke's palm was covered in numerous puncture wounds, and his fingers looked like they had been poked and sliced by a razor blade. There were tiny pieces of glass embedded in some of the wounds. "What on earth did you do?" she asked him, clicking her tongue disapprovingly.

"It's nothing, alright?" Sasuke snapped, yanking his hand back.

Sakura put her hands on her hips and gave him a reproachful look. "You're going to let me help you. That glass can't stay in there forever; it'll get infected." She searched under her bathroom cabinet for a pair of tweezers. "Now hold still." she ordered, carefully taking his hand in her own.

Sasuke glowered at her, but he stood there and allowed her to remove every piece of glass without flinching. She had a gentle touch, which he appreciated. While Sasuke had a high tolerance for pain, it wasn't exactly comfortable to have glass pulled from your fingers. He then watched with interest as Sakura gathered green chakra in her hand and laid it across his wounds. His hand felt warm and tingly, and when Sakura removed her hand, Sasuke had been completely healed. He was impressed. While he had heard that Sakura was a skilled medical ninja, he had never really seen her in action.

"There, that should do it. Be careful not to break open the new skin; it'll be tender for a few days. But I warded off any signs of infection, so you should have nothing to worry about."

Sasuke admired her handiwork, flexing his fingers. "Thank you, Sakura."

"Don't mention it." The medic smiled, putting away her tweezers. "Now what shall we do?"

Sasuke found the courage to finish his earlier thought. "We could go to my place." he suggested casually.

"And do what?" Sakura smirked. She was purposely making this slightly difficult for the man who had snapped at her last night.

"Um," Sasuke faltered.

"Let me guess: you just want my company?" Sakura teased.

Sasuke nodded.

"What if I think you're boring? I mean, we didn't really do anything fun last night." Sakura said, walking out of the bathroom. She headed towards her bedroom. "Maybe I'll just stay home." she taunted.

Sasuke followed her intently, wondering how he could convince her to come with him. He honestly didn't even know why he wanted her to come to his house again. He just knew that he felt better when she was around. However, he needn't worry for long, because he found the girl packing an overnight bag when he entered her bedroom. He smirked at her earlier antics.

"I thought you said I was boring," he drawled with amusement.

Sakura shrugged. "You are. But I'm the kind of person who helps a friend in need. And if you need me to stay with you, I'll stay."

Sasuke didn't quite know what to make of her behavior. "I don't need you…" he said halfheartedly.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't. Uchiha Sasuke doesn't need anyone."

Sasuke scowled. He couldn't understand why she was acting like this, but he decided to ignore it.

Sakura zipped up her duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Let's go." she said cheerfully, grabbing Sasuke by the hand and leading him out of her apartment. She released his hand once they had descended the outdoor staircase, expecting him to lead the way to the Uchiha district.

Sasuke would never say it out loud, but he missed the warmth of her hand in his. He flexed his fingers anxiously as they walked.

"Is your hand bothering you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke quickly hid both of his hands in his pockets. "No." he answered shortly.

They walked together in comfortable silence, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. Occasionally, Sakura's swinging hand would brush against Sasuke's pants (whether accidentally or on purpose, he could not tell).

"Whoops," she would say playfully as she stepped away. But within minutes, she was right there next to him again, and her hand would casually brush his pocket.

It was driving him mad. His heart beat faster every time she touched him.

They arrived at the house and Sakura immediately asked to take a shower. She dropped her duffel bag on the bed and went to run the water. As she walked back out of the bathroom to grab some pajamas, something red in the trashcan caught her eye. She peered into the can and saw a bundle of red and white roses; they looked fairly fresh. She also saw a pile of broken glass at the bottom of the can with a bloody washcloth.

"Sasuke?" she called.

He politely knocked on the door twice before entering. "Hn?"

"What are these?" she asked, carefully pulling the roses from the trashcan, leaving the glass behind.

Sasuke's eyes widened for a brief moment, and his face turned the palest shade of pink. "Nothing." he said, walking out of the bathroom.

"Wait!" Sakura called, grabbing his hand as he exited. She pulled him back in. "Were these flowers in a vase? Is that where the glass in your hand came from?" she asked, trying to piece together the mystery.

"Hn." he confirmed, rather against his will. He looked away from her.

"I don't understand," she said, brow furrowed. "How did the vase break? And what were the flowers for?"

Sasuke huffed. "I got mad, ok? And they're for you." he growled, pulling his hand away and storming out.

Sakura knew better than to follow him. He'll cool off in a little bit. She gathered the flowers into a bouquet and laid them carefully on the counter. I wonder why he got me flowers? she thought as she undressed and stepped into the shower. She was halfway through washing her hair when she realized that she hadn't ever grabbed her pajamas from her bag; the flowers had distracted her.

She shut off the shower, squeezed out the water out of her pink hair, and took another towel from under the sink as she had done the previous night. She cracked the door open a few inches and looked around. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen, but she was not going to be caught in her towel again.

"Sasuke?" she called, wondering if he was still angry with her. "I need to ask you for a favor."

Sasuke slowly came into the room, and while he did not seem to be in a particularly pleasant mood, he also did not look angry. "Hn?"

"Could you bring me my bag, please?"

Sasuke took her bag from the bed and carried it to her. He smirked when he saw that she was hiding behind the door. "Afraid I'll see you in your towel a third time?" he snickered.

Sakura opened the door wide enough to snatch her bag from his hand. "Are you disappointed?" Sakura teased.

Sasuke was taken aback, like a deer in headlights.

Sakura shut the door in his face so he wouldn't see her burst into a fit of silent giggles. The poor guy doesn't understand friendly flirting between teammates! Naruto would've teased me back. she thought to herself, shaking her head in amusement as she stepped into her pajama shorts and pulled her tank top over her head. It's fun to mess with Sasuke. And that's payback for being so short-tempered.

Sakura found Sasuke in his room, removing his shirt, clearly preparing for his turn in the shower. He turned to look at Sakura when she came out of the bathroom, trying not to stare at him.

"Don't mind me," he said nonchalantly, dropping his pants to the floor and stepping out of them. He was wearing black boxer shorts similar to the ones he had given Sakura the night before. "I'm not shy."

Sakura's face flushed as Sasuke threw his clothes into the clothes hamper inside his closet. She refocused herself and carried her bag over to her side of the bed, laying it on the floor beside the nightstand. She heard the bathroom door shut behind Sasuke, and she leaned against the bed, fanning herself with her hand. So he can play the game, she thought mischievously.

That's when a thought suddenly occurred to her: Sasuke hadn't been completely alone during his time with Orochimaru. There was a girl on his team; Sakura remembered her bright red hair. I wonder if he's done this before…? she wondered vaguely, a frown appearing on her face. It was no concern of hers who Uchiha Sasuke had fooled around with, but thinking about him with another woman gave Sakura a sour feeling in the pit of her stomach. It's only because we're friends, she reasoned with herself. I'm just protective of him, that's all.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked, emerging from his shower. He had his towel wrapped around his waist, and he was looking at Sakura curiously. He'd immediately noticed her furrowed brow and sour expression.

Sakura quickly composed herself, pushing aside her thoughts of the red-haired woman. "Nothing," she said offhandedly, eager to change the subject. "How's your hand?"

"Perfect." he said, pulling a new pair of boxers from his underwear drawer.

Sakura knew what was coming and shut her eyes tight as Sasuke dropped his towel to the floor and slipped into the shorts. She heard Sasuke chuckle to himself as he towel-dried his hair.

"You're awfully bold tonight." Sakura commented, opening her eyes and proceeding to roll them at her companion.

Sasuke threw his towel into the hamper and walked over to the bed, pulling off the multitude of pillows and sliding beneath the sheets. "I'm comfortable." he said simply, nodding to the space next to him in bed.

Comfortable? Sakura thought to herself, getting into bed as he had indicated. That's actually very sweet of him to say. "Well I'm glad," she said genuinely, giving him a small smile. "But are we going to bed already?"

Sasuke shrugged. "What else is there to do?"

"I don't know," Sakura shrugged, too. "I just don't feel like going to sleep."

"Then don't."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Are you going to sleep?"

"No."

Sakura blinked. "Then what are you doing?"

"I'm not really sure." Sasuke said blandly, folding his arms behind his head.

He can be so cryptic. Sakura thought to herself, feeling a little out of place sitting next to a shirtless Sasuke in bed with no intention of sleeping. She hugged her knees to her chest, steeling herself to ask him a personal question. "Have you ever been with a girl, Sasuke?"

Sasuke blanched. "I'm not sure what you mean." he mumbled slowly.

"Have you ever been with a girl?" Sakura repeated, knowing very well that he understood what she was trying to ask.

Sasuke stared blankly across the room. He knew that he should be honest with Sakura; wasn't he trying to get closer to her, after all? Wasn't that his reason for inviting her over? Hadn't he decided that the whole reason he returned to Konoha was to be with Sakura in some way? Surely he should be able to confide in the woman who made him feel most at ease.

"No." he said quietly; emotionlessly.

Sakura couldn't hide the surprised look that appeared on her face. "Really?" she asked, quickly regretting it as she saw Sasuke scowl at her.

He turned off the light, bathing them both in darkness.

Sakura backtracked. "What I meant by that is…" she began, trying to find the right words to lighten the mood. "You seem to – um – know how to lead a girl on…" she said, nudging him with her elbow playfully.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, but Sakura could make out a smug smile in the darkness. "You must be imagining things."

Sakura knew that she wasn't, but she did not argue the point. She changed the subject: "Sasuke, tell me about your nightmares." she ventured.

Sasuke went pale. "No."

"I want to understand. I want to help." Sakura said earnestly.

"I told you. I don't want to talk about it with you."

Sakura huffed, crossing her arms. "Why not? You can invite me to stay the night with you while you vomit in the bathroom, but you can't even be honest with me?

"Sakura," Sasuke growled in growing irritation.

"I just—"

Sasuke suddenly grabbed Sakura by the shoulders and pushed her down onto the pillows forcefully. He hovered above her, his eyes filled with a sense of weariness. Those eyes were filled with memories; he looked like he had aged ten years.

"Sakura," he began seriously and ever so quietly.

She listened intently, taken aback by his abrupt behavior.

"I've seen – and done – things that I never ever want you to know about."

"But I can handle it." she said stubbornly. "I'm not the same girl you left lying on the bench. You can tell me anything. I'm not squeamish."

Sasuke shook his head at her, his bangs lightly brushing Sakura's forehead. "That's not why I won't tell you." He took a deep breath. "I don't want you to know the things that I did." he said softly. "You might not see me the same way." he murmured quietly, pulling away from her and laying down with a heavy sigh.

Sakura remained sitting for a few moments, processing what he'd said. Then she slowly lay down beside him, and they both stared at the ceiling.

"How can I help?" Sakura asked quietly.

Sasuke was silent for a long time. She almost thought that he had fallen asleep. Then he spoke: "I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out."


Sasuke awoke in the middle of the night, shaking violently as a cold sweat ran from his forehead into his eyebrows. He leapt from the bed and ran into the bathroom, vomiting as soon as he reached the toilet. Dammit, he thought to himself angrily. Now she's going to ask more questions. As much as he appreciated Sakura's concern, he just didn't feel like discussing his nightmares with her. End of story. He vomited one more time, his abdominal muscles clenching painfully. I hope she slept through it this time. He rose, flushed the toilet, and went to the sink to rinse his mouth and splash cold water on his face.

When he returned to his bed, he was slightly disappointed to see that Sakura had indeed awoken. She looked at him with concern in her eyes as he got into bed, kicking the sheets down to the bottom; he was a sweaty mess, and the sheets made him feel restricted and confined.

"Go back to sleep." he grumbled, hoping to avoid conversation as he leaned back against the cool wooden headboard.

But Sakura didn't go back to sleep. Instead, she tentatively crawled over to Sasuke and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight embrace. It was an act of comfort, and Sasuke felt his shoulders relax and Sakura held onto him. She didn't say a word, and Sasuke appreciated that. He returned the gesture by placing his left arm around Sakura, pulling her closer to him.

This, Sasuke thought to himself as he felt Sakura fall back asleep with her head in his lap, her arms still wrapped around him. This is how you can help


A/N: Hello again, dear readers! Wow, you guys far exceeded my goals for the last chapter – so many reviews and new followers! Thank you so much for your interest in this story. I have the next few chapters already written, but I am going to stagger how often I post them. I am currently enrolled in a short session organic chemistry summer course. This means I have exactly 27 days to master an entire semester's worth of material (including lab experiments!), and I typically spend about 6 hours in class and 6 hours doing homework and lab write-ups every day. (I would love to hear about my readers' experiences with organic chemistry – I hate it with every fiber of my being.) Therefore, my writing time has been significantly diminished. So if you're worried that I've forgotten about the story, fear not, for I shall return in due time. Again, I read every single review, and I appreciate your thoughts.