Dual POV and trying out Sasuke's POV again :) Please let me know what you think! I have been writing for years but I have never published. This is very unedited work, but I want to get the story out before I lose it. Anyway, here's 6!

Sakura POV

Sakura could barely function at work the following day. She had dropped test tubes, taken a set of lab results to the wrong patient, and walked in circles for hours, forgetting what she was doing and where she was going. Several of her coworkers asked if she was alright, only to be met with a startled gaze and furious blush, followed soon after with a halfhearted excuse of tiredness.

She eventually sequestered herself to her office after her last patient, eyeing the clock for the arrival of 5pm for the first time since starting at the hospital. She loved it there, she truly did, and never really had a desire to be home more so than here, in her place where she felt the most at use. So, she mindlessly had signed papers that she knew she couldn't mess up until she realized it was half past and she could head home.

She walked in a daze, trying desperately not to freak out. For the first time, Sasuke had asked to hang out with her. It was different from their previous walks or outings. Those had been in public or in the company of friends. The only other times they had spent alone in her apartment were brief and had pushed them both to the brink.

Well, mostly Sasuke had been pushed, Sakura thought. He had spoken more to her in the last few weeks than he probably had the entire time they spent together as genin. It was as wonderful as it was unnerving. Sasuke answered more questions than usual and seemed genuinely interested in giving her an explanation for his past actions. Just days before, Sakura would have insisted that she didn't need an explanation from Sasuke; she had forgiven him and that was enough for her.

But hearing him elaborate on the reasons behind his actions, what drove him to leave the village…it had undone her. She had spent countless hours dwelling upon the events of that fateful evening, many of which involved wondering what Sasuke had felt that night. She dwelled on his pain, his anger, and his desire for revenge, but never once entertained anything close to what he had said the previous day.

It would be too dangerous for me to have you with me while I was working to protect you.

I almost said yes.

To have a partner with me, to not have to continue in loneliness…

I wanted to say yes.

He had even apologized. For hurting her. Kami, it had nearly knocked Sakura to the ground to hear an apology from Sasuke. She never expected one and didn't think that Sasuke was capable of offering one verbally. He was more in line with the old adage of 'actions speak louder than words', so to speak. His journey of atonement was evidence enough. The fact that he had gone out of his way to present his thoughts, his musing over his own actions and the reasons behind them, was something Sakura knew was hard for him. But he did it for her.

He had spoken in a formal manner, at first. It was as if he rehearsed it, but Sakura shook her head at the thought. Sasuke was way too cool to do something like that. Sakura could tell that the words came from a place inside of him that Sasuke rarely let anyone see. He had been vulnerable in a way that Sakura had never experienced and, like she had thought earlier, it was unnerving.

She thought that Sasuke wouldn't change his behavior towards her too much if he ever returned. Sakura had held onto their last moment before he had left for his journey and it sustained the hope in her heart that Sasuke might eventually return to her. She didn't care what state, in what way, as long as he had a place in her life, she would be happy.

But the more that Sasuke shared, the more her traitorous heart wanted. Sasuke had said that their bond was different, he had said that her presence during their adolescent years would have eased some of his loneliness, but what did it all mean? Sakura thought so much about it, changed her mind so often, she started to feel mentally fatigued.

She loved him. That was still true and it was all that mattered.

Sakura made her way into her apartment and breathed a sigh of thanks to herself for her fortitude the previous evening. After she had scampered away from Sasuke like the little idiot she was, Sakura had paced and paced until the state of her apartment finally reached the forefront of her mind. Papers strewn, books everywhere, and at least a few dishes in the sink. She had immediately got to work cleaning and didn't stop until she knew even her mother couldn't find a speck of dust.

Sakura freshened up and changed before beginning her prep work for dinner. She had decided to make a dish that was heavy with tomatoes, having known since she had first taken a liking to Sasuke that his favorite food was the red fruit.

She burned the first sauce, dropped the rice on the floor, and knocked over at least three or four things. Her hands were shaking and her mind was racing. Did Sasuke want to be real friends, who talked and hung out? Or, gods forbid, did Sasuke like her? The clock steadily ticked towards 7 and with each passing minute, Sakura grew more and more nervous.

She didn't know if she could keep her composure, not after the thoughts that had been spinning in her head all day. She had gotten lost, daydreaming about ridiculously outlandish endings to their dinner, many of which caused her mistakes at work. One particular one was a recurring day dream. It involved-

Three knocks sounded against her front door.

Sakura nearly dropped her spoon. She hastily wiped her hands on her apron before hanging it up in the closet, desperately trying to calm her racing heartbeat. She shook her arms and tried to take deep breaths, but it honestly sounded like hyperventilating. She flicked on the living room lamps and made her way over to the front door.

She flung it open a bit too hard. Sasuke, who had been standing there with his hand raised into a fist to knock again, looked startled for a moment before schooling his expression. "Sakura."

Sakura felt all of the calm and cool she had collected that evening draining from her body. "Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke's POV

Sasuke stared while the pink haired kunoichi dropped a plate for the third time that evening. He knew something was wrong. She hadn't said much outside of ushering him in. She looked stressed, as if she had too much on her mind. He had gone to wait for her to set the table after she had insisted, looking through the many bookshelves in her living room. The clattering of trays and dishes drew his attention each time and eventually, it stayed.

Sasuke frowned. Work could be what was bothering her, but he hadn't seen Sakura so…unsettled. It made him feel unsettled as well. He took her in, looking at her hands, her eyes, how fidgety she was. She seemed almost…nervous. And she hadn't looked him in the eyes once since Sasuke had arrived. Maybe she was scared of him.

The thought hit Sasuke like a wrecking ball. Shame fell over him like a wet cloak. He felt like he had been punched right in the stomach and fought the urge to bend over in discomfort. Sakura being afraid of him was something he assumed, but he also knew that she would do anything and everything in her power to hide it. That was who she was. To see her this unnerved by his presence carved a hole in his chest. His belief in her trust in him wavered. It hurt.

Once she had set the table, Sasuke made his way over, sitting down slowly. Sakura gave him a soft smile that was entirely fake, making the hole in his chest expand. They said thank you and began to eat in silence. That is, until they both reached for the teapot at the same time.

Sakura's hands grasped the handle first and Sasuke had been too caught up in his own head to pull his hand back before his own was wrapped around hers. Their eyes met. Sakura's were wide and she quickly withdrew her hand. Sasuke immediately drew his own hand back and looked down, unable to see the emotions he feared would be reflected back at him.

They ate in strained silence after that.

As soon as their dishes were clean, Sasuke swiped them with his single hand before Sakura could say anything. He was more than adept at doing what he wanted with only one hand and cleaning the dishes was an easy task. He balanced all of their dishes on one arm and made his way to the sink.

He could feel her eyes on him, but he was too lost in his own head to truly realize. Sasuke had been determined from the beginning to fix what he could of the bonds he had broken. It broke a piece of him to see Sakura afraid of him. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he truly wanted Sakura's full trust, her full confidence in his changed ways. The easy forgiveness and ability to stand before him even after he had done atrocious things were his saving grace. Now, he could only despair at his struggle to come up with a way to convince her of his inability to cause her any harm, any pain. At least, not intentionally. He seemed to be doing it all the time, still.

Sakura stood to join him, but her eyes were on the floor. It was that action, or inaction, he surmised, that made him snap.

"Sakura."

She stopped in her tracks and made eye contact. "Y-yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"Can we…talk?" Sasuke flinched at how lame it sounded.

Sakura's eyes widened. "I- of course, Sasuke-kun. You can always talk to me."

Sasuke nodded, but was silent. He didn't know how to do this, to talk through the issues. He knew what he had done and how it had caused her pain, he just didn't know how to fix it. He needed to fix everything he had broken.

Sakura stepped forward. She was slow with her movements, as if not to set him off. "Sasuke-kun…I know that words are not your strong suit. You don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"I want to."

"Then…I will wait until you are ready and have the words to tell me."

She said it so brightly, so filled with impossible amounts of patience, that Sasuke had never felt more unworthy in her presence. Here he was, desperately trying to find the words to explain how he would never attack her again, never try to take her life, never place her under a genjutsu that he himself has refused to dwell too much upon. In that moment, Sasuke feels completely, totally, and utterly worthless.

"I don't think anything I say will ever be enough to make up for what I've done." Sasuke's voice was barely above a whisper. He didn't know where that came from. He didn't really know what he meant, but he hoped he got his point across.

Sakura's head tilted to the side. "Sasuke-kun," she said slowly. "Your words are precious to me. I always want to hear what you have to say."

Sasuke nodded. He knew this, of course. He tried a different avenue. "Could we…go for a walk?" Red tinged his cheeks ever so slightly, but he continued. "I understand if it's too late. I'll just-"

Sasuke paused. Sakura had already thrown on a cloak and grabbed her keys. She jingled them in front of her. "You coming, or what?"

Fifteen minutes into their walk, Sasuke had found the words. "I would like to talk to you about something that's been bothering me."

Sakura didn't falter in her step this time. "You can just start talking whenever you want, Sasuke-kun. I'll listen."

When Sasuke spoke next, his voice was hollow and thin. "I have done terrible things, Sakura. When I left the village, the training I went through under Orochimaru was only half of the horrors. I'll tell you about that another time. The point is that eventually, I was able to overcome him and seek out Itachi."

Sasuke took a deep breath. "Orochimaru said that shinobi are vain, stupid people with only a desire for glory. This was my understanding until I met the First Hokage. He said that Shinobi are individuals who endure for a purpose. Depending on what that purpose is can lead them to do good or bad. Meaning, what a shinobi endures for can change." He looked at Sakura. "What I endured for, for the longest time, was getting strong enough to kill Itachi. Gaining power and experience and knowledge until I knew I could kill him. And I…I eventually succeeded."

He paused, like the next words pained him. "After killing Itachi, any trace of my former self was shoved to a corner of my brain and locked away. I only felt…agonizing amounts of pain. I learned too much from Itachi, from… it grew into hatred for so many people." Sasuke looked ahead. "I have so many things to tell you, but again, with how many and how interconnected they all are, I will spare you some of the story for another time.

"I have killed without mercy, sacrificed those closest to me, and let rage and hatred fuel me. I went after the Kage out of revenge. For what, is complicated. But revenge was the haze over my vision that had existed since Itachi slaughtered everyone I ever loved. Revenge haunted my dreams and made me feel delirious. It was like the humanity had left me completely." Sasuke looked down at the pink haired kunoichi and felt his chest constrict. "In the madness after killing my big brother, I tried to kill you. Naruto. More than once."

"I tried to kill you, too," Sakura responded softly. Her eyes had a far off look in them while she looked across the village. "You looked like you were in…so much pain." Her eyes squeezed shut. "You looked like you had drowned in pain."

"I did." Sasuke's eyes raked over her. "When I left Konoha, I slipped further into the darkness. Without you and Naruto…there was nothing to keep me afloat. But, that was how I wanted it. To finally be left alone to explore the darkness, not caring for what happened at the end. It was what Itachi had told me to do. To delve into my hatred for him until it was the only thing I had. But, when I saw you again, at the bridge…it had been too long. I had slipped too far. I-" Sasuke paused, his features distraught. "I was drowning in pain and darkness when you found me."

"Thank you," he breathed. "For not forgetting me, when I forget everyone but myself."

Sakura's eyes shone. "I could never forget you, Sasuke-kun. You are…"

He watched her struggle to find the words. Without warning, his eyes softened and warmed. The words came without warning. He wanted to know. He needed to know. "I'm what?"

Sakura's cheeks flushed. "Well, you know what I mean! You are strong, smart, and capable." Her eyes grew sad. "But you are all of those things because you had to learn to be at such a young age." Sakura took a step closer to him. Sasuke's heart rate elevated. "You are so, so strong. And I know I already said that, but walking through the village and coming back after everything…." Sakura smiled. "That requires strength."

Sasuke shook his head. His cheeks had a hint of strawberry. "I'm not here to talk about that. What I really want to get at is…"

Sakura waited expectantly. Sasuke battled with himself for a moment before reaching his single hand out to touch Sakura's sleeve. It was only a moment, but it kept him grounded. She didn't flinch. This time. "I don't want you to be afraid of me." His words were barely audible. "I know that I have done things that will forever mark your memory with pain, but I want you to know that I will never, ever attack you with the intent to kill ever again. I…I couldn't."

With his eyes, Sasuke willed the pink haired kunoichi to understand. He needed her to not be afraid of him for his own, selfish desires. He didn't know what he'd do if Sakura feared him. It would break him even further than he was now. It would-

Sakura's fist slammed into Sasuke's sternum without warning. Not having been expecting an attack, Sasuke wasn't able to stop himself from being thrown back at least fifty yards. He fell to his back before rolling and holding himself upright with his one hand. The pain from her punch caused his elbow to wobble and he went down on one knee. He grimaced in pain and confusion, but Sakura had already run to his side in a blur, her hands glowing with chakra. She was all smiles when she placed her hands on his chest, fixing what she had injured.

"What was that for…" Sasuke muttered. He eyed the pink haired kunoichi warily. He had no idea what to think of her reaction.

Sakura's smile was a challenge. "I'm not afraid of you, Sasuke-kun. I might have been afraid of what you might do, but you have never scared me." Sakura paused. "Well, that's a lie. You did scare me at the bridge. I had underestimated the level of pain you were in. It won't happen again."

"No," Sasuke swore, but for a different reason. "It won't."

Sakura's hands left his chest and Sasuke felt hollow at the loss. He looked at the ground in shame. Sakura continued softly with her hand raised, as if to draw his attention. "Sasuke-kun…why do you think I'm afraid of you?"

"You looked like you wanted to be anywhere but near me this evening," Sasuke said miserably. He continued looking at the ground. "I thought that you were afraid of being alone with me."

There were a few beats of silence before Sakura spoke. "Sasuke-kun…I was nervous this evening, but for an entirely different reason."

Sasuke's head shot up. Sakura no longer looked stunning with victory over her overthinking teammate. Now, her cheeks and forehead were pink with a furious blush that was slowly crawling its way down her neck. Her green eyes were desperately trying to stay on his face, but failing, darting to his eyes, to his chest, to her hands. Sasuke was floored. He had no idea what she was getting at.

"Sakura?"

The pink haired kunoichi gulped. "I…" Sakura tucked her hair behind her ear. "Well, I was nervous because you said our bond was different and, well, I didn't know what that meant! Because to me…" Sakura glanced up at Sasuke shyly. "Well, I've always felt our bond was different because…well, you know why!"

Sasuke felt like he was simultaneously floating and sinking. His chest felt heavy and light. His mind was racing yet still. His treacherous heart felt like it had stopped while it was beating furiously against his chest. So many emotions passed through him in an instant, but the main one he felt was relief.

She wasn't afraid of him.

The secondary emotion he felt the most was something he couldn't quite place. His face warmed, but so did the rest of his body. He looked down where Sakura sat on her feet below him and found himself struggling to understand what she meant. Of course their bond was different. It had always been different between them. Naruto had been his rival and Sakura had been his safety. He knew she loved him as genin the way a child loved their favorite toy or character. Fiercely and without question. It was stable. But, he also knew that her love as a child had grown into a mix of affection and loyalty that Sasuke truly couldn't understand. He didn't deserve it.

Their bond was different because…

Sasuke stared and stared at her and couldn't form the words to explain why their bond was different. She had been the one to come after him, time and time again. She had been the one to forgive him instantly and without a fuss, over and over. His previous thoughts of her devotion and loyalty plagued him with confusion. He didn't get why. It was one of the things he couldn't seem to understand during his travels. Why Sakura could possibly love him.

But…did Sakura mean she still loved him?

The two shinobi only had eyes for each other. Soft and flowering green meadows fell into the depth of emotion in inky, black chasms. Time stopped for both of them and they existed purely for the moment when they understood the other. Compassion saw nervousness and eased the edges. Understanding saw confusion and relayed the message of different, different, different. Patience met patience where curiosity saw answers. Awe and affection more openly shown than either of them were used to soothed the frayed and broken pieces until both felt calm, cool, and nearly whole. It was a conversation of eyes.

They slowly rose to a standing position, hands ghosting over forearms and eyes still glued to the other. Sakura was the first to break the silence. "So…we're…different?"

With her looking up at him, slowly blinking her big green eyes, Sasuke felt like he had set himself on fire with his fireball jutsu. "Ah."

Sakura's answering smile was stunning. Sasuke felt blinded. "I…that makes me so happy, Sasuke-kun." She dropped her hands and folded them in front of her. "I know that you always found me so, well, annoying as a kid. And, I guess I never thought you'd see what I feel for you as genuine and not just a child's first crush."

Sasuke felt the weight of her words like a battering ram against his chest. "Sakura, I've always known." His eyes softened with his next words. "That's what made you so annoying. You were so open and spoke so easily about your feelings. It forced me to feel more than I wanted to."

"Oh." A furious blush colored her cheeks. "So…would you mind if I said it?"

Sasuke felt his heart skip a beat. Until that moment, he hadn't realized how badly he had needed to hear it. That the pink haired kunoichi still loved him, despite his failures, his faults, his weaknesses.

"I think I would like that," Sasuke responded softly.

He watched as Sakura slowly stepped closer. She placed her hand on his good arm and stood on her toes. Keeping her eyes on his, Sakura placed a short, sweet kiss on to Sasuke's cheek. The raven haired shinobi's eyes widened. Sasuke felt truly frozen to the spot when she whispered against his skin, "I love you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke closed his eyes. Warmth, relief, and peace washed over him at her words. So freely given. Without an ounce of regret or fear. Sasuke breathed in through his nose and was filled with the scent of cherry blossom, antiseptic, vanilla, and something entirely Sakura. He was unworthy of standing there, but he couldn't move. Couldn't say anything except a small, "Thank you."

Sasuke was reluctant to let go, but Sakura eventually fell back on to her heels. She dropped her hands and rubbed the back of her neck, her cheeks flushed. "Well, it's getting pretty late, Sasuke-kun." She glanced up at him shyly, but less so than before. "Would you like to walk back to my apartment with me? Or are you headed home?"

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "I can walk you back."

Sakura, who was much more perceptive than Sasuke had hoped, eyed him suspiciously. "And where are you staying, Sasuke-kun?" When he didn't answer, Sakura sighed knowingly. "You've been sleeping in trees, haven't you?"

Red stained the Uchiha's cheeks. "Ah."

"Well, not anymore!" Sasuke's eyes flicked to hers and was surprised to find wilting confidence. He watched her gulp before saying, "J-just stay with me until you find a place for yourself. I have the couch and lots of pillows and blankets. And my bathroom is way bigger than Naruto's!"

Sasuke knew he probably shouldn't. He was too new to this, to being among people, much less someone who was precious to him. He didn't know how to behave in a home. He didn't know how to do what she was asking, as simple as it was.

Sakura saw his hesitation. Her eyes softened. "It's just a couch and access to the facilities. I promise to not invade your space or privacy."

Sasuke couldn't help but let out a noise. "I think I've gotten used to you invading my space and privacy whether you mean to or not." Sakura blushed and looked embarrassed, so Sasuke hastily added, "But, yes. I…accept your offer."

Sakura flushed pink and nodded, her lips pressed together like she was holding back from saying something else. Once she turned to walk back, Sasuke smiled.

They walked in companionable silence, both of them rigorously going through the events of the evening. How something so small as a misunderstanding had turned into a conversation of hearts, minds, pasts, and futures? Sasuke spent most of the walk staring down at the pink haired kunoichi in front of him, trying once again to understand the love she had for him. She was wondrous and so much stronger and braver than he was. She was loyal and kind and everything he hadn't let himself know for far too long. It left him feeling in awe of her by the time they arrived at her apartment.

Trying to stay true to the characters. No idea how it's going. Enjoying it still :)