Sasuke POV

Sasuke woke up to warm sunlight and warm skin. His body woke before his mind with the sensation of hot breath against his face. A small hand was still clenched in his own and the press of someone else's skin on his forearm felt like it had been there all night. Opening his eyes, he found his head slightly tilted to the right with his cheek on a pillow. He could see Sakura asleep next to him, their arms intertwined in between them. She held his hand with both of her own, enveloping them in her tight grip, as if he were going to run off in the night.

He had fallen asleep after all. When Sakura had offered to let him sleep in here… Sasuke glanced around. Her walls were blue. A pale blue. And her bed had emerald sheets, her blanket tossed to the ground in the night and invisible to him now. Shirts hanging in an open closet, a desk littered with more books and scrolls, and a picture of Team 7.

He took it all in. It was simple yet so obvious. He didn't know how to describe it. It just felt like Sakura's room. He felt silly for thinking this and even more flustered when he remembered how nervous yet curious he had been when she had invited him to sleep in her room. He had barely crossed the threshold since moving in and hadn't planned on doing so unless is was for something extremely casual and called for. Sakura requesting help with a high book on a shelf he imagined she had or asking for his opinion on an outfit. Those were the moments he had prepared for.

Sasuke almost laughed. He shouldn't have underestimated Sakura again. He was remembering her as a genin and what genin Sakura might do. This Sakura, the one she was with him, was comfortable enough to offer him whatever he needed but definitely more knowledgeable about what questions Sasuke could actually give a coherent answer to. He was no help with her fashion choices, but he decided he might like it when she asked him about his day.

Sasuke took the rare moment to study her sleeping form. Sakura's expression was gentle in her slumber, her forward and slightly open mouth pressed against his arm. She laid only a few inches away from him, her knees slightly bent and just barely touching his own. The blankets were pooled around her shoulders but had fallen to his waist.

Suddenly, in the chilly morning air, Sasuke was enveloped in a stunningly blinding and hazy warmth and he sighed, sinking into the bed.

Sasuke slowly closed his sleepy eyes but forced them wide open when flashes of Sakura flashed behind his eyes, her body broken and bloody, a hole punched through her chest. He stared at her throat for a moment too long before gently rolling onto his side.

Sakura eyes were open and alert before closing for a moment or two. Sasuke smiled at her reflexes or, lack thereof. She blinked them open again, slowly. "Sasuke-kun… did you get any sleep?"

Sasuke felt an odd sort of smile form on his lips. "I…yeah." He muttered even softer, "Thank you."

Sakura blushed. She hadn't moved, still strangling his remaining arm and hand, and Sasuke found himself feeling bereft when she slowly disentangled herself. She slid out from underneath his arm but, thankfully, still left one hand holding his.

"You're welcome," she whispered. Her blush grew to a furious rose. "You can come in whenever you need to." Her voice became very small. "I actually think this is the first time you're been in here."

Sasuke felt his calm expression faulter. Sakura caught on. "When have you been in here?"

Sasuke closed his eyes…then opened them. Bare back and sleeping beauty in a mirror was not a memory he needed to be picturing at the moment. He felt embarrassed, but he knew if he didn't speak, her mind would come up with something much, much worse.

"I came home and called your name," Sasuke explained awkwardly. "Your door was open, but there was no response."

Sakura raised a single brow. "What was I doing?"

Sasuke grimaced. "Sleeping. I…" He swallowed. She probably didn't need to know he had stood there like a creep. "It was a few weeks ago."

Sakura nodded, her tense neck eventually relaxing her head back against her pillow. Sasuke looked at their hands. He stared and stared at them until he found something that made him feel the slightest bit better about his horrific dream.

He had lost the hand he had tried to kill her with.

Sasuke sighed, dipping his head into the pillow. It was indulgent of him, but he couldn't help it. He could smell Sakura on her sheets, under his nose, in his skin…she was alive and breathing and he would never, ever let himself stray so far into the dark again.

This was why he couldn't take the artificial arm and hand. The things he had done with two hands deserved the constant reminder of a ghostly left sleeve; a weapon that was no longer loaded. The weapon had grown sentient and raised itself upright to walk forward instead of back, to push on despite the endless barrage of pain. Sasuke was no longer another man's tool, whether it be as a vessel or being involved in a convoluted plot to get him to protect the village. He made his choices about others for too long. He needed to make them for himself.

Sasuke's eyes were startled open when Sakura's hand drifted across his cheekbone. It was so soft, just a tiny trace of her fingertip and probably on perfect, but it sent a sharp zing down Sasuke's spine.

Her smile was soft. "Well, seeing as it's Saturday and not too cold, why don't we go for a walk?"

Sasuke considered. Sakura had taken his admission to liking walks to heart and offered her companionship as often as she could. They met at home after work so their walks were usually reserved for the weekends.

However, Sasuke had a weird feeling in his stomach. He felt…light? Almost like a balloon that you knew had a bit too much air. Sasuke swept his eyes across her face and decided that he didn't care what they did that day, as long as they did it together. It didn't have to be anything other than sitting in the living room reading, going to the market, or taking a visit to the children's clinic like Sakura had been begging Sasuke to do. He also decided that this light feeling was joy and he was filled with joy that he could simply spend a day with someone who loved him.

It was more than he thought he'd ever have.

"It doesn't matter to me what we do today." Sasuke knew the we he stressed was received. Still. To drive his point home a bit more and, possibly make Sakura feel a bit more comfortable, he added, "We can do whatever you want." He looked out the window. It looked sunny, like it was going to be a bit warmer that day. He wondered what Sakura liked doing on days like today.

Sakura looked at him in awe, her eyes shining. Her hand flew to her mouth and her other squeezed his hand, somehow still clenched around her own. Her smile was dazzling. "Can we…stay home today?" Sakura flushed. "Just, have a lazy day at home?"

Sasuke nodded, though, he hadn't the slightest clue how to have a lazy day. He would try for Sakura's sake and, partially for his own. A day of mental and physical rest would be good. He had been told it was good for him, that is. He wasn't sure when he had last spent an entire day at home being lazy.

Sakura beamed. "Alright! Well, first rule of a lazy day is that you still have to cook breakfast!" Giving Sasuke one last soft, shy smile, Sakura scooted off to the bed and made her way into the bathroom. "I'll be out in ten to make pancakes!"

Sasuke sighed, wishing he still held her hand.

…..

An hour later, they were nearly finished with the surprisingly good pancakes Sakura had made. She made him a side of sausage with sliced tomatoes, but he had actually eaten a few of the pancakes she had specifically made without sugar.

Sasuke watched Sakura drink her coffee and wondered how hard she had to try to balance her strength. She gripped the cup normally, held her fork like she wasn't afraid she was going to break it. How did she manage this control?

He decided to ask. "I'd like you to tell me about your training with Tsunade."

Sakura's cup paused halfway to her mouth. She set it down. "I…sure, Sasuke-kun. It's not as interesting I'm sure as your training or Naruto's, but-"

"Sakura," Sasuke said. "You can punch someone's head off of their shoulders and chunk rocks bigger than your apartment. Your training is very interesting to me."

Sakura blinked several times, her cheeks ripening with color. Sasuke had to hold in a smirk. He remembered this feeling from when they were genin. Sakura was never paid a compliment on her ninja skills and a compliment from him meant more to her than anything. He told himself he'd do it more often.

Sakura quickly finished her coffee. "Ah, where to begin!" She leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed and nose scrunched together. "Kami, the first things that come to mind are rock lunges."

Sasuke's brow raised. "Rock lunges?"

Sakura sighed. "Yep. It was Tsunade's favorite way to end training. She'd have me punch a huge boulder out of the mountainside," she explained. "Then, I'd do lunges around the training grounds until I broke something." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Well, until I'd broken a few things. She'd heal the first couple broken legs or vertebrae before eventually shooing me home."

Sasuke didn't know if he should feel disgusted or impressed. To know that Sakura had gone through training that strenuous under the 5th Hokage… Sasuke found he had a new sense of respect for the kunoichi. He knew she worked hard, it was a given with her intelligence and results. However, it was quite different hearing exactly how hard she worked. Breaking bones repeatedly he knew of. Having them healed only to be rebroken, he also knew of. It eased a chilly edge to his soul, knowing that she was still strong and vibrant despite it all. She was happy. He could be happy. They could be happy.

He wasn't happy she had been hurt over and over again. He frowned at the thought.

His expression must have betrayed his thoughts. Sakura rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Don't look at me like that. It wasn't too bad! Tsunade-sama taught me the importance of being a medic-nin and what it took to be a truly successful one."

"What was one of her lessons?"

Sakura gave Sasuke a weird look. She probably wasn't used to him questioning her. He tilted his head, waiting for her to explain.

"She drilled into me that a medical ninja must never get hit by an enemy attack," Sakura said. "If the medic goes down, then no one has a chance of being helped. If they get hit, the chances of success are slim to none."

Sasuke couldn't help it. He remembered her running off as the diversion against Madara. One corner of his lips tilted up. "You weren't very good at that, were you?"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura let out an indignant noise, but smiled, nonetheless. "I…wasn't the best, no. I always wanted to be in the fight. Especially after you and Naruto left."

Sasuke was quiet. He sat with her words for a moment. He chose his next words carefully. "I'm sorry it was hard. After we both left."

Sakura gave him a tight lipped smile. "Tsunade helped. She focused all of my pain and frustration into training. I touched thousands of fish, was the target of her batting practice, and healed over and over again in order to keep training."

Sasuke didn't know how he felt about her coping mechanisms, frowning. Then again, he wasn't one to talk. Still, how often had that happened? He voiced the question.

Sakura blinked. "Oh, everyday!" Sasuke was shocked, yet she just tapped her chin in thought. "Yeah, I barely remember a day where she didn't have to heal me multiple times. There were a few times that I ended up with three or five days of bedrest ordered, but it was never followed."

Sasuke was annoyed at this point. "The Hokage ignored her own advice?"

Sakura's tinkling laugh confused him until she spoke. "No. She would have to force me to go home. After the first few times I was ordered to rest and didn't return rested, she caught on." Sakura laughed again. "I honestly don't know how I got away with it. I wrecked havoc on those training grounds."

"Is that why they were moved?"

Sakura looked a bit admonished. "I… yeah. Tsunade-sama and I got a bit carried away one afternoon."

"I see that's a common theme between the two of you."

Sakura grinned. "Oh, you don't know the half of it. Outside of taijutsu and medical ninjutsu, Tsunade also taught me how to drink."

Sasuke's eyebrows flew up his forehead. "Really."

Her grin became mischievous. "Really. But those are stories for another time."

Sasuke thought she might be trying to hide that part of her training. Or, they could be too scandalous for mid-morning conversation. Whatever the case, he wouldn't pry. He hadn't ever seen Sakura drink more than a glass of wine or two, so he pushed that thought back to ask about later. He dipped his head, indicating for her to continue talking.

Sakura said slowly, "Well… she taught me how to achieve the Strength of a Hundred seal. It was tricky and took a lot of time and energy. I focused and stored vast amounts of chakra over three years into a specific point on my forehead. After reaching capacity, the seal was revealed and ready for use."

"I remember," Sasuke said quietly. And he did. He had no idea what had happened to Sakura when thick black lines began racing across her skin. She looked menacing, like a bride of death ready to reap souls. Her eyes had lit up in the battle and her increased strength sent shockwaves through the stone. Sasuke had watched with quiet pride, having forgotten the 5th Hokage's signature jutsu. He had unconsciously discounted Sakura's ability to achieve it. Now, he very nearly wanted to shake his head at his past foolishness. He should have known when he was a kid what she could do with such delicate chakra control. She was the perfect student for the Godaime.

Sakura's eyes were far off when she continued. "It's a constant and warm presence, almost like a second heartbeat, pulsing with energy. And, when the user's chakra control is perfect, the seal allows them to pull chakra and perform techniques without any wasted energy."

Sasuke was now very, very interested. "It regenerates that quickly?"

Sakura nodded, tapping the small diamond. "Think of the jutsu like an aquifer and well for chakra. It took me three years to carefully siphon my unused chakra and store it within that single point, my own body being the naturally regenerative aquifer of chakra. The well is the seal, able to pull and use the stored energy." She closed her eyes and spoke softly. "I can picture it when I close my eyes. I fused the pieces together in my mind until it would never break, never spill, and continue to siphon chakra from my natural stores, even when I'm resting."

Sasuke could barely wrap his head around it all. Ideas, theories, questions upon questions bounced around his head. For the moment, he settled with, "You have infinite amounts of chakra constantly being created and dispensed, don't you?" When Sakura didn't answer, looking a bit flustered, Sasuke couldn't help but smile. "Walking up trees seems to have been a prediction of your perfect chakra control."

Sakura's face flamed. She stammered out a thank you, his name, and a few other unintelligible words. Eventually, she took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Your recognition of the results of years of dedication and training truly means the world to me, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke knew this. It also gave him a chance to do it again. "You have worked hard, Sakura. You should be proud of your accomplishments." Sasuke looked down at his plate, a dark feeling having crept across the back of his neck. "You had no room to grow with Naruto and I around. We made sure of it with our constant fighting."

Sakura's expression was that of quiet joy. She looked like she had been shown something marvelous and unexpected. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun." Her eyes twinkled before she said, "I might also agree with you about you and Naruto constantly fighting."

Sasuke fought the urge to roll his eyes. He tsked. "We've gotten better."

Sakura laughed, standing up and holding her hand out to him. She was all smiles and Sasuke was all confusion. Was she offering him help to stand up?

Sakura laughed again. "Dishes, Sasuke. Let me take your dish to the sink." Sasuke handed his plate over, avoiding her eyes. He wasn't too embarrassed, but it did still chafe a bit when Sakura caught him unaware.

Realizing what she was doing, Sasuke stood and followed Sakura into the kitchen, snatching the plates from her hands along the way. Sasuke had said he'd wash and he was going to stick by it. "I wash, remember?" He moved to turn the sink on.

Sakura stayed his hand. Her eyes twinkled, but her posture betrayed a bit of nervousness. She shifted on her feet. "Lazy days mean no chores, Sasuke-kun. That means dishes get done tomorrow, okay?"

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke tried to figure out if she was serious. When she didn't waver, Sasuke sighed and dropped the plates into the sink. He stared at them, wondering what they were supposed to do now on her supposed lazy day. He turned to face Sakura. "What now?"

Sakura blanked. Scratching her chin, she mused, "I really want to read an old scroll I found from the Senju archives. Tsunade needs it back by Monday and I haven't finished."

Sasuke frowned. "I thought it was a lazy day?"

"It is!" Sakura darted into the living room. She held up a small black book. "It's an old manuscript about healing emotions and mental trauma. It speaks of rituals that extend far above traditional yoga or meditation." She smiled, biting her lip nervously. "I want to expand medicine."

Sasuke nodded his head slowly. He could see her intrigue. Helping others still seemed to be what Sakura enjoyed in her free time, so he didn't protest any further. His eyes darted to his "homework" from Kakashi. His old sensei had sent over several sealed scrolls from his father's old office that were kept in the archives. Sasuke didn't know how or why he hadn't read them yet and today was the perfect opportunity.

"I have some things I want to read."

Sakura smiled. "Good. Would you like some tea?"

And their lazy day began.

Sasuke was mentally drained by the time he finished reading. He'd stared at his father's handwriting for what seemed like hours. His fingers had traced every character that reminded him of his own. He saw letters that reminded him of Itachi. He noticed the lightest coffee stain and was hounded by memories of his Otōsan enjoying the warm beverage with his Okāsan in the garden every morning. He didn't need any of the information on the pages. He lived in the memories that came from holding a piece of a father that had long ago dissolved into a figment of his imagination. It reminded Sasuke he had been real. It had all been real. He had been loved by a family that had been real.

His pain came to the surface a few times, but he held it in. He would look at Sakura, her toes curled in the large blanket and body lounged out across the couch, her pink hair scattered across the pillow he had been using every night. She would smile at him when she caught him before turning right back to her book. It reminded him that he still had a family that loved him, even if the traditional sense of the word wasn't true.

Sakura was his family. Sasuke hadn't said it so distinctly in his thoughts before, but after the third or fourth time of looking up to her for stability, he understood. She was family, home, and safety. He could go to her like a ship found a shore in rough waters. Her eyes were beacon, guiding him to her soft smile and sweet smell that lulled the old panic that slithered under his skin. He was safe and he wasn't alone. He was not under Kabuto's knife. He wasn't being tortured by Orochimaru. He wasn't hellbent on revenge. He was enjoying a lazy day in the home he shared with someone who loved him.

It held him together.

They had snacked throughout the day, chatting idly, Sakura unaware of the intense emotional rollercoaster Sasuke was on. Yet, he knew she still saw that he was not 100% okay. She had tried to initiate conversation after he finished rolling the scrolls back up, but Sasuke insisted that she nap, her eyes having started to droop. She didn't put up a fight and drifted off, an eye on him until sleep took her.

Sakura slept for a few hours. While she was asleep, Sasuke had stared at her so intently, he had been worried she might have woken up. He stared at her as if eventually, it would yield all the answers to his questions. Sakura was his family, but in what way? Did she consider herself part of his family? She loved him, but did she plan for her future?

Sasuke could answer those questions for himself. There would be no one else for the Uchiha but the pink haired kunoichi. Sasuke loved Sakura. He had known it for a while, but he truly felt it when he drank in her sleeping form.

Physically, he was enraptured by her, his eyes were greedy. It was the way her fingers barely curled and uncurled as she dreamed, the way her nose looked smaller and something else Sasuke couldn't describe, that made him feel dizzy. She was cream, pink, and purple, all wrapped up in a dark blue blanket. Sasuke's chest hurt and he clutched at it, questioning why it felt painful to love someone so worthy and deserving of it.

Sasuke grimaced, his teeth set. He hated the turmoil, the guilt that ruined the warmth in his fingertips, his nose. He knew why it hurt, but he couldn't stop it. He was guilty, guilty of intentionally hurting this perfect, beautiful woman in front of him, over and over again, desperate to get her away from him. She had made him think things he didn't want to and she had made him feel things he never thought he'd feel again. When they had been genin, he had been unbearably annoyed by the way she made him feel. Protective, careful, and observant. Things that distracted him from his goals of revenge.

Sasuke found himself thinking of their genin days until Sakura woke up.

"Mm, thanks for telling me to nap, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura stretched, her shirt rising higher with the movement. Sasuke's eyes flashed down and up before he realized, causing his ears to redden. "Want me to make some dinner?"

Sasuke didn't want to move. He didn't want her to move. This was the most peaceful day he had ever had. His ability to sit near her, doing separate things but together, had provided him with such clarity, he felt the need to share it. "I don't want to get up just yet."

Sakura blinked through her yawn. "That's just fine with me, Sasuke-kun." She smiled sleepily at him and Sasuke felt his heart lurch in his chest. "What did you do while I slept?"

"Stared at you," Sasuke admitted, unfazed and familiar now with the blush staining the kunoichi's cheeks. "The scrolls I read were my father's. From…before." He paused to let Sakura absorb the information before continuing. "It brought back many memories. Most of them were surprisingly good."

Sakura sat up slowly, keeping her eyes on his. "Do you want to talk about it?" Almost nervously, she patted the spot next to her.

Sasuke moved in an instant, facing her on her couch that felt much, much smaller than it felt when he slept on it. Sakura was wide-eyed, her hands fluttering about in between them. "I wanted to tell you as soon as you woke up, actually," Sasuke said.

Sakura's eyes widened impossibly further. "I-erm, well…" She stammered until she was red in the face. Sasuke smiled, trying not to laugh. It was…cute.

Sakura poked his arm enough to bruise it, though her eyes were teasing. "Sorry, it's just, it's not every day that the love of your life says he wants to tell you something he thought of while staring at you sleeping!"

Sasuke did laugh this time, albeit quietly. He knew he looked happier than he had ever looked in his life at that moment. He felt joy. Complete and utter joy at having had the most wonderfully boring day with the most devastatingly strong woman burned in his eyes and he knew Sakura saw.

"I thought about how much I enjoyed today," Sasuke explained quietly, his lips tilting up at the look on Sakura's face. Happy didn't begin to cover it. "I didn't know how a lazy day was supposed to work. I thought I would itch to train or go for a walk but…" Sasuke formed the sentence in his head until it was just right before finishing his train of thought. "I haven't spent an entire day with someone just to enjoy their company, where being together physically was enough. Not since my family was alive. Today helped me realize that you, Sakura…you are my family, now."

Jade green eyes filled with tears that fell without any chance of stopping. They poured down her cheeks and dripped onto the Uchiha's hand, raised to cradle her soft, too soft skin. Sakura's face crumpled and she turned into his palm, clutching at his hand with her own. She squeezed it once before kissing it lightly, her breaths coming out in quivering gasps.

"I am honored to be considered close enough to be called family," she whispered. She smiled up at him through a curtain of pink. "I considered you family from the moment we became teammates and I never, ever stopped."

Sasuke didn't think before he responded. "I felt the same way."

Sakura gaped. "I-, wait, what?"

Sasuke swallowed. He was…nervous. Talking about their lives together as genin would be filled with awkwardness and revealed truths. Sasuke knew Sakura was embarrassed by her behavior towards him as a child. Sasuke thought nothing of it, not anymore. It used to irritate him, but not in the way it bothered him when other girls showed him attention.

Sasuke stopped thinking and decided to tell her instead. "As genin. I considered you and Naruto people who were precious to me. I didn't understand it then, but I do now." Sasuke paused, sending heat beginning to bloom across the back of his neck. "Sometimes, it was obvious. I was…very protective."

Sakura looked like a small pink and green fish, her mouth opening and closing. "But…I…you…huh?"

Sasuke sighed with heavy patience. "Ask me a coherent question and I will answer it."

"You hated me at first. You thought I was annoying a lot of the time! The true meaning of the word!" Sakura winced, one eye peering up at him. Her cheeks flushed. "I was annoying. I was…all over you. I don't know how you even put up with me."

Sasuke smiled. He couldn't help it. She was right…but she was also so, so wrong. "Sakura, I'm not going to lie to you. Your outward displays of affection when we were younger were a bit…much."

Sakura snorted. "It was awful for you." Her face fell. "I'm so sorry."

"It really wasn't that bad," Sasuke reasoned. "Girls just liked how I looked. When you looked at me, it was with pride in my work, my training."

"I also liked how you look…" Sakura murmured. "I still do," she continued shyly.

Sasuke felt himself shifting uncomfortably. He still wasn't used to…this. The quiet confessions that made his stomach flop and his heart squeeze. "I…Sakura, let me finish."

Sakura smiled, her hands creeping to her mouth. "I'm sorry, go on, go on!"

Sasuke sighed. His discomfort grew, but he needed to tell her and she needed to know. "Most girls tried to grab me or hold onto me for themselves and their daydreams. You did too, but…" Sasuke found his voice growing soft. "You also touched me to comfort me, to heal me, to help me. It wasn't for you, it was for me." Sasuke swept her hair up and behind her ear, entranced with the way the setting sun made her skin appear gold. "You were a constant reminder that I was loved by someone. That someone cared whether I lived or died, was comfortable or sick, careful or reckless. You became someone who I grew comfortable letting care for me."

Sakura smiled. "I'm…so glad to know that, Sasuke-kun." She looked…relieved.

Sasuke frowned, tilting her head back, studying her eyes. "Has it really affected you? Thinking about your…affections for me as kids?"

Sakura tried to look away, her eyes flicking between his and their laps. "No? Yes?" She sighed, closing her eyes. Sasuke made a noise of disparagement, wishing she would open them, let him in.

She sighed again before speaking. "I did a lot of thinking after I saw you for the first time since you left. You looked…so different. I wondered if you thought I looked different."

"I did," Sasuke said quietly. She had grown. It was all he had let himself think. His eyes had done the rest.

Sakura let the admission sit in the air before continuing. "I came home that night and decided I needed to let my past go if I was going to bring you back. Being the nice girl who openly adored you hadn't worked. I needed to become strong, both mentally and physically if I was going to accomplish my goal of bringing you back. I needed to let go of the idiot little girl I'd been and move forward. I needed to find power of my own."

Sasuke felt strange feelings enveloped him, too many to count. He felt..sad. Sad that Sakura felt such negative emotions about their time together as genin. He felt the need to explain that to her. "Sakura, I meant it when I said it wasn't bad. I grew to…enjoy it."

"But you didn't always and for that, I'm sorry." The words were a choked whisper, her eyes still shut and closed off to him.

"Sakura." Sasuke felt incredibly guilty. If it didn't bother him anymore, it shouldn't bother her. "I didn't tell you all of that to make you upset."

"I'm not upset," she insisted. Her closed eyes and clenched hands betrayed her.

"Sakura."

She didn't move.

"Sakura. Open your eyes."

Almost defiantly, Sakura's lids flew open, green eyes blazing with embarrassment and guilt, just like he knew they'd be. Feeling like he had something to prove, Sasuke grasped her chin lightly and tugged, pulling her up until their noses brushed. He breathed against the skin of her cheek, pressing his lips against the soft, creamy surface.

Sakura gasped and twitched, knocking her knee into his.

"I wanted to do that for the first time when I was 12," Sasuke whispered, his ears flushing. He never thought he would be revealing such intimate details of the inner workings of his mind, but with Sakura, it almost felt like second nature. "It was after you had cut your cheek. I didn't know where it came from, but I suddenly had the desire to kiss your cheek, to make it better."

Sakura was melting under his hand. He let it fall to the back of her head, her neck. He held her close, breathing in her floral scent. The more he talked, the further into the couch they both sank.

He squeezed her hand. "I wanted to hold your hand during the chunin exams."

"I thought you looked cute in the cat ears," he muttered, his face heating.

"I hated when you hugged Naruto before you hugged me." His admission was filled with the irritation of his old rivalry. "Even if you hugged too hard."

This whispered confession included his lips trailing against the outer shell of her ear. "I thought you looked prettiest when you had just gotten done training."

By the time his last admittance came, they were laying side by side against the pillows of the couch, Sakura curled into Sasuke's chest. Sasuke continued gently grazing his fingers through her hair, pushing it back, dragging his fingers through it. He brushed her hair from her forehead, his eyes tracing the pink locks as they fell. "I wanted to touch your hair every day after you cut it. Just to see if it felt different."

Sakura sighed, nearly purring under his touch. This open affection, both verbal and physical, was not something either of them were used to. And it showed. Sakura was soft in his arms, pliant like putty, her slowly blinking eyes entranced.

Sasuke looked further down and, with a start, realized that their positioning could definitely be considered cuddling. He…hadn't expected that. His stomach dropped and he felt his heart stutter. His hand paused ever so slightly before continuing, his strokes less sure than they were before.

Sakura noticed and looked up, confusion drawing her eyebrows together. Unfortunately for Sasuke's inconsistent heartbeat, this also brought their lips in alignment, leaving only a hand's breadth between them.

Sasuke fought a groan. His body was floating and sinking into the couch. He wanted. He wanted to kiss her and he wanted to do it like was entirely afraid of. His want was imageless, no idea of how to begin and where to start, but desperately pulling at his mouth to move, his hands to grab, to touch.

It terrified him a bit.

Sakura saw all of this flash behind his eyes. He was sure of it when her eyes widened, her lip disappearing between her teeth. She peered up at him, her gaze softening. Raising a single hand, she gently cupped his cheek, a soft smile forming on her lips. "I wanted to do this when I was 12."

Sakura kissed him lightly. It was a barely there brush of her lips, dragging against his own. Her breath was hot in his mouth. Sasuke's hand found the edges of her hair and delved within, holding her closer and pulling her to him. She leaned back with him following her, chasing her, wanting her.

Sakura let out a breath, her eyes twinkling. "I wanted to kiss you every time you scowled. I imagined it'd wipe the look right off your face."

"It probably would have," Sasuke admitted, smiling slightly. He was a bit embarrassed himself, at the thought of it, even after what they had just done. "Although, it quickly would have returned." Sasuke kissed her quickly, unable to help it. He opened his eyes and let her see the truth behind his words. "It would have torn apart my resolve."

Sakura smiled. It was sad, but not for the Sasuke in front of her. It was for his past self, too consumed with revenge born from trauma to accept the affections of a girl who deeply cared for him. It was minutes later that she finally spoke. "I have gotten…more from you today than I dreamed of. You have told me so many things that I can feel healing parts of myself that still hurt."

Sasuke felt his chest grow cold.

That is, until Sakura pressed her lips to his cheek. Then, his chest considerably warmed. "Don't feel guilty, Sasuke-kun. You don't need to, not anymore. You being here, sharing your thoughts, your past thoughts…" Sakura shrugged, but her shaking voice betrayed the level of emotion behind her next words. "Well…it's everything to me."

Sasuke closed the distance between them. He hugged her close, pulling her head to rest against his chest. One of her hands clutched at the front of his shirt and the other held it in a fist at his back. Sasuke's hand trailed across her shoulder blades before resting on her upper arm, squeezing her to him.

"You are the only person I want to talk to," Sasuke whispered. He hadn't let that slip. It wasn't an accident. It wasn't like he was overcome with emotion. It was the truth and Sakura deserved to know it. She deserved everything he could offer.

Sakura breathed her response into his skin. "And I will always listen."

And they sit like that for a while, learning how to be close, how to want, and how to feel more in love than they'd ever felt possible. They grew comfortable in their newness, in the shared feelings between them. Eventually, the two ninja ordered takeout and ate in the living room, sharing looks, sharing food, and sharing space. They fell asleep, side by side under a shared blanket Sasuke had wrapped around them, the TV's volume on low.

Sakura woke first, gently rousing the Uchiha to stand, follow her, trust her. Of course he did, so slowly down the hall they went, mismatched eyes trained on pink, green, and purple. Her soft hand led him to her bed and tugged him down, just like the previous night. They laid out facing the other, hands held between them, a touch neither of them thought they would ever enjoy.

Then, they drifted off into dreamless sleep.