Author's Note: Sorry for the wait! Despite my 19 hours of required classes, a pre-internship, and a part-time job, I intend to keep this story updated as often as I am able. Also, you guys should know that I enjoy the challenge of writing as closely to character as I am able. For those of you want a quick developing romance with unrealistic scenarios, I'm sorry to disappoint you. It will happen, but realistically and through proper plot progression! Can't wait. As always, let me know what you think!

*This fic is tightly adapted to the Sasuke Shinden and Sakura Hiden. Please read the novels or refer to the summaries. I'm tired of waiting for their story, so have decided to write it myself. ( _ signifies time lapse, and . . . . signifies transitions between p.o.v.)

Pairing: SasuSaku

Summary: After 2 years, Sasuke returns to the village where friends anxiously await him. Still troubled by the mysteries of Kaguya and his personal guilt, Sasuke is split between friends and his journey. One specific pink-haired individual has perhaps waited for him with far more dedication than anyone else. Troubled by rising casualties and international dependence on her abilities, Sakura is torn between her love for Sasuke and her duty to her village.

Chapter 2: "Setback"

"I can't believe it. You're finally home."

The Uchiha responded with a small tilt to his lip and if she would have blinked, Sakura would have missed it. However, Sakura was unable to blink as she gazed up at the individual she had gone more than 2 years without seeing or hearing from. He looked terribly warn, her medically trained eyes assessing his form for any signs of physical injuries. Although he appeared unharmed, Sakura could tell that he had been involved in recent battle due to nicks and bruises on his skin, as well as the various tears in his cloak. Even though he seemed taller and his hair was longer, he looked just like the Sasuke she remembered; his hair was even rising up in the back to form his usual spikey Uchiha hair. Except now, his hair covered his left eye- the eye she knew was the Rinnegan. Something in his look had changed since she'd last seen him. Was that the trace of emotion in his expression?

"Yes," was his audible reply, before he looked back at the guards who kept their gazes fixed on the two of them. He frowned at them and moved away from her, walking through the gates. Sakura felt unsure of whether or not it was okay to follow him, until he slowed and glanced back in her direction as if to ask her if she was coming. It made her heart jump and it took every ounce of her willpower to keep from running up to him and hugging Sasuke out of her excitement. She caught up to him quickly and the two began to walk in the direction of the Hokage's building.

She couldn't believe that he was finally home and was here, walking beside her. She had practiced this reunion in her minds so many times, but Sakura found herself at a loss for words. After a few seconds of silence, Sakura asked, "Where are you headed?"

He made brief eye contact with her before stating, "I need to report to the Hokage to relay important intel and notify him of my return."

Of course, she thought to herself. Stupid question. After two years of not talking to him, Sakura felt slightly out of practice. Starting to feel slightly insecure and unsure of what to say to him, she glanced down at their feet as they walked. Sakura noticed suddenly how casually they were walking together, like it was something they always did together. Sakura couldn't help but notice how slowly Sasuke was walking, as if he were actually taking his time so that they could walk together. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on her part.

"You're up early," he stated plainly, glancing up at the brightening sky above them.

Sakura was somewhat shocked at his observation and giggled. "I could say the same about you."

He made no reply so Sakura continued, "I was just working on a healing treatment for the burn victims at the hospital. Not a lot time to waste these days." She raised the small casing of solvent in her hand, forgetting that she had even had it.

Sasuke glanced over at her then, raising an eyebrow. "Burn victims?"

"Yes," she replied. "The exploding humans did a number on a lot of individuals who put their lives at risk trying to stop them." She noted his frown at her words and wondered why he would do so. "Thank you, by the way," she stated briefly.

"For what," he asked, still looking forward as they walked.

"For what you did to help us. For what you did to help them. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to-" He stopped walking suddenly and turned to her, cutting Sakura short.

"Without me, none of this would have happened." He was looking directly at her, challenging her to contradict him. Her heart began to pound furiously under his direct gaze. Sakura worked up her courage.

"That's a ridiculous statement. If it weren't for you, those two would have walked around with hate in their hearts for the rest of their lives. What you did was a good thing. You helped them." He simply stared at her and Sakura offered him a small smile before continuing to walk. He followed, saying nothing.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Sakura simply enjoying his company. Despite the rising sun, the village suddenly seemed brighter to Sakura. The colors of the buildings more fantastic in the dim light. Sasuke returning to the Leaf Village made it feel more like home, almost as if she were returning, too.

"Sasuke, there's so much you have missed. So much I want to tell you," she stated, turning to him. Where would she even begin to start?

Sasuke gave her a slight nod, giving her permission. Sakura smiled and began to tell him about all that had transpired in his absence: Naruto and Hinata's wedding and how everyone was at a loss to what to get them for wedding gifts; she even added a grumbled remark about some sort of baking competition between herself and her Yamanaka friend. She even told him about Shikamaru and Temari's engagement and relayed the details of Gaara's 20th birthday celebration.

Sakura noted that two years had certainly not changed his conversation skills. He remained quiet throughout the entire story. He nodded at appropriate intervals and Sakura appreciated the fact that he was trying. The sun was almost completely above the forest line now and Sakura fell silent when they came upon the Administrative Division of the Academy. Sasuke began to open the door before she stopped just outside, not following him in. She hung back, looking to her left, and Sasuke turned to her.

"Forgive me, I have to return to the hospital. My shift starts soon and I'll have a mob of angry patients to deal with if I am late." She gave him a small smile as he stood waiting with the door open. She felt uncomfortable at his blank stare and thought that maybe she should just walk away.

"Ah," he finally stated before releasing the door and turning back to face her.

Placing her arms shyly behind her back, Sakura began to work up her courage. "Listen Sasuke, if you need anything while you're here, you can come to me."

He moved toward her slightly, allowing a small smile to tilt the corner of his mouth. Sakura's heart stopped at his next words.

"Thank you," he said and went inside.

. . . .

Sasuke looked over at the clock on the wall. 7:58. Where was that man? Sasuke had always known Kakashi to be late for everything, including the meetings, missions, and training sessions back when Team 7 were kids, but did not stop to consider this bad habit might carry over to an official role such as Hokage. The Hokage was supposed to be in his office at the crack of dawn, prepared and ready to assign missions and review official paperwork. By the looks of the towering piles of unorganized documents all over the Hokage's desk, Sasuke could see why Kakashi might refuse to show up on time.

Five frustrating minutes later, a very familiar ninja with a ponytail opened the door, yawning. He stopped for a second when he noticed Sasuke, but entered the room anyway and crossed his arms behind his head. "I thought that might be you Sasuke, but seeing you in person is still as surprising as ever." He yawned again.

"Shikamaru," Sasuke acknowledged, "Sometimes I wonder how anything gets done around here with the two of you in charge." Shikamaru let out another yawn, unfazed by the Uchiha's blatant remark.

"Dealing with you is going to be such a drag," he sighed, moving to a smaller desk on the left side of the room, taking a seat at the chair in the corner. He rubbed at his eyes and began to read one of the many papers on his desk.

Sasuke stifled his impatience. "I need to report to the Hokage. Where is he?"

"Relax. I'm certain he will be here sooner or later," Shikamaru replied, gesturing at another chair in the room, "In the meantime, have a seat."

It was at that exact moment, Sasuke sensed the chakra of his previous sensei as the white-haired ninja made his way to his office. He entered in an almost identical process that Shikamaru had, looking tired and uninterested at the work day ahead. Kakashi glanced over at Sasuke and the look on his face said that he had not been expecting to see the Uchiha anytime soon.

"Sasuke. It's been too long," he stated after a few silent seconds, walking over to his former student and placing a hand on the Uchiha's right shoulder. "I didn't recognize you without the turban. I see you've lost the poncho, as well. Such a shame. I thought they suited you."

At the mutual laughter of both Shikamaru and Kakashi, Sasuke sighed. Yes, these two were in charge of the safety of the Leaf Village. They were making his job a whole lot harder.

Taking his hand from his student's shoulder, the 6th Hokage retreated to the chair behind his desk, looking at the stacks of unfinished paperwork. He immediately turned to Sasuke, giving him his undivided attention. Sasuke guessed that it was merely another way of distracting himself from the heavy workload surrounding him on all sides.

"I have important intel to relay to you in regards to what we last spoke about. I request a meeting with you and Naruto."

Kakashi raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I see. Unfortunately, Naruto is not in the village at this time."

Sasuke frowned at this information. Mentally scanning the village for his loud friend's powerful chakra signature, he found nothing. "When will he back? It is crucial that I meet with the both of you."

Kakashi absently fingered the edges of the nearest pile of papers on his desk, but paused to look up at his former student's question. With Kakashi's silent evaluation of him, Sasuke could only guess what he was thinking. He inwardly winced as he felt Shikamaru's observant glare land on him. He realized what the both of them were thinking. How could he, who had been gone so long and remained absent of his own free will, start asking when his former teammate would come home? Hadn't they all asked the same question about him? He could only picture his friends as they continued to wonder when he would be back for good. Yet, they made no demands of him to return; they all extended him the patience that gave the Uchiha his freedom.

A small sting of guilt made his way to the front of his consciousness, but the Uchiha pushed the feeling away and kept an even stare at the Hokage. After the incident with Kido, and more recently, Chino and Fushin, Sasuke was even more firm in his resolution of absence. He presented a danger to his friends by even being alive. If his enemies still considered him a vagabond, they were less likely to seek him out at Konoha. Even after the Kido incident, when Sakura's life was threatened by a man who wanted the sharingan, Sasuke became even more cautious about returning home. He knew that weaker enemies would go for those close to him; even though he did show up to help, Sakura had already taken care of everything herself. His friends didn't need his protection from these types of enemies. Stronger enemies would either challenge Sasuke directly, or would either consider him so insignificant, that they would neither seek him or the village out; these enemies, Sasuke would have to find himself. Kaguya was one of them. He also took comfort in the fact that Naruto would be there to protect the village in the chance that an extremely dangerous enemy did show up.

Kakashi's answer snapped the Uchiha out of his increasingly deepening thoughts. "He only left just last night. His mission's length depends on its completion."

Sasuke sighed slightly in his frustration. He wanted to ask where Naruto would be located but he knew Kakashi would tell him the information was classified.

"I see," the Uchiha said, pondering his next move. How long was he willing to wait for Naruto? What if he missed something important by delaying his journey? How much time did he have left? Then again, with Naruto away, was this village safe from any real danger? Who would protect it while Naruto was gone? Sasuke glanced up at the two men before him. Kakashi wasn't even looking at him anymore, and was instead concealing a familiar little orange book between two sheets of unfinished paperwork, pretending to be working. Shikamaru was leaning his head in his right hand, starting to doze off. Sasuke sighed irritably at the two of them. He supposed he would have to wait until Naruto came home.