It had been six months since Naruto got married and Sakura still had a hard time adjusting to the new, married Naruto. He was still irritating, but it was mostly Hinata's problem now. He was sweet as a newlywed, always holding the door open for her and insisting that she order whatever she liked at Ichiraku's.

Ino and Sai were still dancing around each other, but Sakura knew it was only a matter of time before Sai figured out how to show affection. Ino was frequently over at Sakura's new apartment, her old one having been destroyed in the war, complaining about her teammate.

It made Sakura happy, though, to be involved in her friends' lives. She went to Naruto's house every Sunday for dinner and she saw Kakashi at least once a week in his office for briefings. Sakura was being groomed by Tsunade to take over the hospital and had began including her in their meetings a few weeks ago.

Sakura loved her job. Her specialty became surgery almost immediately. It was strange, but she loved everything about surgery. The smell of the soap in the scrub room, the green glow of her chakra hard at work, and the faces of the family members when she told them their loved one was going to be alright.

Sakura continued to think about the last six months and smiled, but it was off. It had been nearly perfect since the war had been over, despite her run-in with Kido and a few other mishaps. The only thing that was missing was her still traveling former teammate.

Sasuke.

Sakura closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, but she was still plagued with images of a young man with mismatched eyes and dark, spiky hair. She winced at certain memories, cursing herself. She tried not to go down this road anymore, but on late nights like this, it was hard. She felt like she was walking unevenly since he left, like a part of her was missing, leaving her unbalanced and unsure. It had become only more apparent since Naruto's wedding.

In the beginning, the thoughts of his goodbye fueled her, kept her hopes up. Over the years, it became harder, but she had been so sure he would show up to congratulate Naruto by now. Forget Sakura; the only other person Sasuke even remotely cared for was Naruto and she had thought that care would be enough to get him back to Konoha for the wedding.

His letter had filled her with joy, especially since his hawk delivered it. He had been close by, maybe close enough to see her.

It was only when it dawned on her that he had sent congratulations by letter instead of in person did she realize that he wasn't coming.

Sakura shook the hair out of her eyes and, shrieking when she saw what time it was, started to pack up her things. She knew she worked too much, but there wasn't much else for her to do. Her friends were coupled up and with each day that Sasuke didn't show, watching them became more and more painful.

She said goodnight to a few of her recovering patients before heading home. It was nearly fall and the wind blew a slight chill in the air. Although she didn't see a soul, Sakura thanked Kami that most of the route to her apartment was lit with lanterns.

She walked leisurely for the first few minutes, stewing over what she was going to make herself to eat that night. She didn't have much, so it was most likely going to be just eggs and toast, but it was good enough. She mentally started compiling a grocery list for the next day, tallying what she needed for herself and for-

She spun, kunai palmed in one hand and chakra charging the other. She threw the first and then the latter for a devastating punch at whoever thought it was wise to sneak up on Sakura Haruno.

Mismatched eyes.

They stopped her in her tracks. The kunai clattered to the ground and her punch would have fallen short had he not stopped it with a large hand wrapped around her wrist, aided by his bloodline enhanced vision.

Sakura's heart skidded to a halt. With wide eyes, she stumbled backward. He raised a hand like he wanted to reach her, but Sakura let out a small noise and took another step back. Her limbs shook and she couldn't believe that it was real, he was here, he was home.

He looked confused by her reaction, eyes furrowed as he stepped forward to say something. Sadly, it was the concerned look in his eye that made Sakura's heart finally stutter one too many times, causing her to faint. She crumpled, but Sasuke was there to catch her, one arm wrapped around her shoulders.

He sighed, gathered her to him, and transported them to her apartment. He left quickly after laying her in her bed, but not before he pulled the covers over her shoulders and whispered, "I'm home, Sakura."