Here's where we get a little bit going. It's all downhill from here. Hope you enjoy! Praying people think this feels like cannon.

Sakura's POV

Sakura awoke the following morning somewhat rested. Both Sasuke and Sakura had quickly retired upon returning to her apartment. Sakura had offered Sasuke some of Naruto's clothes that had been left, but he had taken a summoning scroll from his cloak, indicating it was all he needed. He set his few belongings around the couch, Sakura had fluttering by his side, insisting that he unpack further, put his things wherever he wanted, make himself at home, this and that.

Thinking about how much she had hovered made Sakura feel self-conscious. She tucked her sheets against her cheeks as if to ward off the oncoming blush. She had just been so desperate to make him feel comfortable that she probably over did it. But, as Sasuke had said the previous evening, he had gotten used to it.

Sakura glanced over at her clock. She still had fifteen minutes before she needed to get up to get ready for work, but she never could quite sleep right to her alarm. It used to plague her years ago, but she had grown to enjoy that early morning time with her thoughts. She would go over her list of patients for the day, make plans for supper, and organize her heart and mind to be ready for the day. She felt quiet and still, like the moment before a great storm.

Today, her morning thoughts were of last night.

She knew it had begun to be a repetitive thought, but Sakura couldn't believe that Sasuke had said so much to her. She had dreamed so many times of what it would be like to hear some form of an apology from him, but she never got far down that mental road. She figured he would mutter it or say it with his face hidden in shame, and neither option was appealing to her. So instead, she dreamed up silly moments when he would just hug her and say nothing or tap her on the forehead like he had when he left two years ago. In all of her daydreaming, she never came close to the reality of the previous evening.

Yet, her mind was heavy with some of the evening's revelations. Sakura's heart lurched in her chest when images of Sasuke's pained expression, finally having admitted his fear, her fear, blazed behind her eyelids. Sakura clenched her eyes shut and rolled onto her back. Her hands ran down her face once more, desperate to push the bad thoughts away. She had been mortified, shocked, angry, amused, and a thousand different emotions when she realized he thought she was afraid of him. Afraid.

She hadn't really thought much about it before punching him. It was as much about proving it to herself as it was proving to Sasuke that she was strong and not the same, powerless little girl he had left behind all of those years ago. It broke her heart more than anything, to think she would be afraid. However, after thinking over what had transpired over dinner, her excessive clumsiness and the incident with the teapot, she could see where Sasuke had thought she was afraid. To be honest, she had been acting timid, but not for the reasons he had assumed.

Her blush returned with vigor when she thought about how ridiculous her reactions to him had been. When he had thumbed through her books, Sakura had been stunned by how beautiful he was in the setting sun streaming in through the window. He looked like a dark angel, intent on justice and finally ensconced in the light he deserved. She had dropped the spoon on the floor shortly after picking her jaw up off of it.

And wiping a bit of drool off of her chin.

Everytime he looked at her Sakura could feel his gaze like a hot press between her shoulder blades. Without meeting eyes, Sasuke made her feel hot, cold, and a turbulence of emotions that grew wilder and more out of control the more time she spent with this different, returned Sasuke. His insistence on walking with her caught her off guard and his words were what eventually tipped her over the edge. She'd been fighting for purchase and a sense of normalcy to cling to, but at the end of the night, when the whirlwind in her mind was able to move through her eyes and understand the chaos in his, it didn't seem so bad.

It felt perfect.

Sakura eventually climbed out of bed, a warm smell from possibly the baker down the street enticing her to her feet. She was thankful that her bathroom had two doors; one for the hallway and one that connected to her room. She would hate to have to sneak around Sasuke each morning with her terrible bed head and equally, if not worse, morning breath. She washed and got ready for her shift. By the time she exited into the hallway, she finally figured out the warm smell that woke her was coffee.

Stopping in her tracks, Sakura felt like she hadn't actually woken up. Her reality couldn't be this good. Sasuke couldn't be sitting at the counter, a book in hand and coffee steaming in a mug next to him. He looked breathtaking, even in a gray long-sleeve and black sleep pants. Sakura's heart skipped a beat, the only thought in her mind different, different, different.

As if on cue, Sasuke looked up from his book. "Ah. Good morning." His voice wasn't thick with sleep, but quiet, as if he had been savoring the morning stillness just as Sakura had. His head tilted to the side when he took in her attire. "You are working today."

Sakura forced her feet to move. "Yep! I have a few surgeries this morning and after that, I plan to lock myself away in my office and catch up on paperwork! It shouldn't be too late of a night."

Sasuke simply regarded her over his cup of coffee. "Would you like me to bring you dinner? I'll be meeting Kakashi later in the afternoon to go over a few things from my travels. I can swing by somewhere and get us something."

Sakura felt like she was floating. "I…yes, that sounds good." She couldn't help but shift her feet underneath her. She didn't want to leave yet. After their last few interactions, Sakura was starving for more of his words, his thoughts, his everything. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Ah. The couch just barely fits my feet."

Sakura let out a breath of surprise. Was…was Sasuke joking with her? She willed the happy tears to stay put and hoped that her voice didn't sound off when she replied. "Good. I'm glad that you felt comfortable."

Sasuke still noticed. "Are you alright?"

Sakura nodded, biting her lip. Their eyes were caught in conversation while she made her way over to where he sat, her hands behind her back. Sakura looked at the ground, shy and not truly comfortable, but wanting to take a chance. Sasuke had been so open, so vulnerable to her in the past few days, that it spurred her to do the same.

She looked up at him slowly, immediately falling into his eyes. "I feel like I'm dreaming, with you here and with me. I dreamed of this all the time. Just…being able to talk to you." The admission sounded lame to her ears, bringing a furious blush to her cheeks, but she stood resolute in her statement. It was a huge step in their bond to talk as openly as they had been these past few days. She wanted to recognize it.

The hand that had been resting in Sasuke's lap brushed ever so slightly against her forearm. His eyes were downcast when he said quietly, "I dreamed of you, too. I hated myself because I could never hate you. Even when I wished I could."

The admittance was heartbreakingly beautiful. He had thought about her. He had tried not to and failed. It filled Sakura's chest with warring emotions of affection and devastation. Her hand rose to his cheek before she could stop it, coasting against his skin. It was the ghost of a caress, but Sasuke's eyes flicked up to hers in astonishment all the same. Sakura gulped, but held herself together. "I…I am so happy that you came home, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's expression softened in a way it only did for her. "Me too."

The following several days passed by and the two shinobi got used to living in such close quarters. They had traveled together for extended periods of time together as genin, yet living in an apartment aged several years took some getting used to.

Sakura noticed that gradually, Sasuke began to feel comfortable around Sakura and in Konoha. Although they rarely said anything of the same depth as some of their previous conversations, the new and quiet back and forth of how their days went, what they wanted for dinner, if the other had finished their book, were always comforting. The comfort extended to the warm cup of coffee he had ready for her each morning after she nearly drank half of his on the second morning of his stay. Things like the lunch and coffee made her wonder if she was burdening him with her feelings, so she tried to help him where she could. He let her chakra flow through his eyes every evening, soothing the strain that had built up over years of misuse and forgone treatment. It was quiet, intimate, and something that neither of them had expected to bring them closer, but had.

Neither of them mentioned Sasuke finding a different place to stay.

Sakura lived for the moments when Sasuke paid extra attention to her. Moments when he brought lunch to her office after realizing she never made time to eat during her workday, paying attention to her tone when talking about patients and forgoing some questions. It was breathtaking every time Sasuke surprised her with his patience, his kindness. These were the attributes that she knew he had in his heart all along, simply hidden by pain and anger and trauma. It made Sakura wonder how healing the last two years had been for him. It also made the pain of his absence lessen.

Their emotional intimacy had been on hold, but the normalcy of living together had brought up a few challenges that they had to overcome. For one, both enjoyed a shower before bed. After the second night of accidentally meeting in the bathroom, towels and spare clothes in hand, they had somewhat awkwardly agreed to an every-other-night schedule for who went first. The other challenge was how tiny Sakura's kitchen was. The distance between the stove and the island had never been an issue until two people decided to be in the kitchen at once. Naruto had never bothered and no one else really cooked at her house, Ino preferring to sit on the counter and drink wine.

Every time one of them had to pass by the other, at least sixty percent of their bodies touched. Fabric catching, skin accidentally brushing skin, and blushing cheeks and ears now accompanied every mealtime. Sakura almost wished that Sasuke wouldn't be so helpful, but the pleasant rush and dip in her stomach everytime they accidentally touched felt too good to stop.

They both had been exhilarated more than once in the other's presence. Sakura found herself tripping over her thoughts and her feet every time Sasuke read a book on her couch. Every evening, he lounged about the living room reading another novel about ancient wars. By nightfall, Sakura was a puddle of lovesick pink. Sasuke's downfall was when the pink haired kunoichi brought her work home. She would sit at her desk by the window and work, chewing at the end of her pen and scrunching up her eyebrows, her nose. He could see the wheels turning in her head, a miraculous mind at work. He caught himself staring more often than not, yet still tried convincing himself that his insistence that she leave work at work was purely out of worry for her well being.

What slowly tipped them both over an edge they hadn't seen coming came late on a Friday evening.

Sakura looked up from her task when she heard the front door open. In the two weeks that Sasuke had lived with her, Sakura hadn't ever beaten him home from work. She had received a message by hawk that he and Naruto had decided to spar for some much needed training. Sakura hadn't thought anything of it until she had mentioned it to Ino.

"Oh no," the blonde had said sarcastically, gripping Sakura's arm with a fake frown. "They're totally going to kill each other this time."

So, Sakura had fretted until finally, just as the sun was beginning to set, Sasuke trudged through the front door. One of his shoulders drooped and he limped on his left leg, but what concerned Sakura the most was the way his only arm clutched at his abdomen.

Sakura set the paper she had been reading down. "Oh my god, Ino was right! You guys totally didn't pull any punches!"

Sasuke winced and had the humility to look at least a bit admonished. "We're alive, aren't we?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. She stood and made her way over to him, grasping at his elbow. "Get over here, you dummy. I'll fix you up before dinner."

Sasuke shook his head, but his feet were obediently walking him to the couch. "It's not as bad as it looks."

Sakura helped lower him to the couch. "Well, after the assessment I just did, I think it's safe to say you're a lot worse than you look." Sakura grinned cheekily at the look he gave her. "Kidding. Just sit still."

Sasuke obliged, his body immediately relaxing into the couch. It was nearly comical, the way he instantly sighed and looked right at home. With him willing and ready, Sakura got to work. She began with his arms, healing the small cuts and bruises, before ending up off of the couch and on the floor. She kneeled between the coffee table and Sasuke's injured leg, humming to herself while she expertly threaded his flesh back together.

After a moment, Sakura murmured, "What happened here?" She tapped where the nasty cut had been moments before.

Sasuke sat up a bit, roused from his rest. "Hm. He got me with some kind of rope. A new technique of his." Sasuke frowned and Sakura couldn't help but find it adorable. "It was pretty frustrating, honestly."

Sakura smiled up at him. "Well, it's good as new! The last thing is your ribs." Without thinking, the next words tumbled from Sakura's mouth, her voice practical and all 'Dr. Haruno'. "Please take your shirt off."

There was a beat of awkwardness. Sakura fought to keep her composure and won. Sasuke looked a bit taken aback, but eventually acquiesced. Rising to her knees, Sakura watched with what she prayed was a neutral expression as Sasuke reached for the back collar of his shirt. His shirt slid from his body and before either of them knew it, Sasuke was shirtless, breathing a bit heavier than usual, and leaning towards the pink haired kunoichi between his knees.

Sakura knew her composure slipped for a moment with the way Sasuke's eyes widened, but she couldn't help it. Any professional would have a moment of weakness when presented with a body like that. Smooth panes, lines of hard work and years of training, a small tan line, and the barest hint of hair. A freckle here, there, blazing against his alabaster skin in the setting sun. He looked like a dark god, suddenly there to reap her soul, her heart.

Sakura almost laughed. Her strange imagination wasn't far off.

Slow as syrup, Sakura rose fully up to her knees and pressed closer. Her hands glowed green with chakra, casting them both in the soft light. Sasuke nodded and let his arm fall to his lap. Sakura moved the final, scant inches between them and, taking a small breath, she pressed her hands to his stomach.

Sasuke flinched. Hard. Sakura looked up, worried he was in more pain than she realized, but quickly understood the reason when the Uchiha's stained cheeks came into view.

"Cold," he murmured. He looked down at her hands like they were an answer to a very complicated math equation. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Sakura whispered. She warmed her hands a bit with her chakra before slowly pressing back onto his skin. She laid each fingertip down slowly, letting him get used to the sensation. Sasuke's breath hitched once or twice, but eventually his chest rose and fell with a regular cadence

Sakura kept her eyes on her work, trying to focus on healing the broken bones, but a rather loud and quick beat kept distracting her. Sasuke's heart was racing in his chest and getting faster with the rise in Sakura's chakra use. Or, was it the rise of her hands? Sakura moved her hands to a new area, just below his left pectoral, and his heartbeat became outrageous.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said quietly. "Your heartbeat is…really fast. Are you in pain anywhere else?"

She refused to look at Sasuke. Not after she felt his heart literally stutter.

"No. I'm fine."

She quickly finished fixing his last broken rib and pulled her hands from his chest. They hovered in the air over his lap and Sakura, unable to help it anymore, finally looked up at him.

Sasuke looked…unsettled.

They sat there for a few moments together. The pink haired kunoichi, ensnared by the raven haired avenger. Her hands fell to her lap, her eyes locked on his. Lips parted, breaths nearly shared, backs curved to bring them closer. Questions and no answers, a dance they didn't know the steps to, and a wild chorus pulsing in their veins. It was terrifying and wonderful and a rush like neither of them had ever experienced. They were caught by each other.

For the first time, the avenger, the lone traveler, and the Last Uchiha, felt the magnetism between his body and hers. For the healer, the lover, and the strongest woman the Uchiha had ever met, the emotions that warred within her were love and unending, unyielding hope.

He lifted his hand to touch a strand of the strange, beautiful pink hair. She let out a breath of surprise and delight. He let his fingers trail through the pink locks like he had dreamed about two nights previous. She wondered if her dreams could ever again compare to the real thing again.

"You should go to bed," Sasuke murmured. His eyelids looked heavy, but not with sleep. "You have three surgeries tomorrow."

Sakura nodded, no clue what she had just agreed to until her muddled mind caught up. Sakura went to stand and take her leave, but suddenly, Sasuke's hand was firmer in her hair. She paused and looked up at him in question, wondering if he was going to apologize, push her away, say he didn't deserve this or-

Sasuke's lips pressed the purple diamond on her forehead, his breath hot and thick against her skin in a sigh before he was gone.

Sakura's mouth formed a small "o" and stared back at the Uchiha. She blushed furiously, her hand shooting to her forehead. Open mouthed, but no words escaping, Sakura gaped at the pensive Uchiha.

When he stood, she stood with him, as if she were in a trance. When Sasuke smiled a barely there smile and tucked her hair behind her ear, Sakura felt like she was about to melt into a puddle on the floor right then and there.

"Goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight," he whispered back.

Neither of them moved to leave for a while.

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