In the days that followed Kayden's passing, everything around Sakura was a whirlwind of events.

Meg, deep in mourning, requested Oto services to help transfer her son's body to Konoha. "The Leaf was his home," she'd said quietly. "That's where he should be laid to rest." She had been uncharacteristically soft in her request to Sasuke; it was as if losing her son took out the energy and spirit in her body. Despite his earlier frustrations with the woman, the Uchiha couldn't help but be sympathetic. He deployed a team of Gennin to escort her back to Konoha.

The day after Meg left Oto the hospital began to revert back to the atmosphere Sakura knew it to be. Ken and Naomi were the first to approach her when she returned. The dark-haired woman had wrapped her in a tight embrace before leading her to the labs to go over the bloodwork. Sakura had initially protested this, but Ken insisted. "We want you to understand . . . it wasn't your fault," he'd said.

And it hadn't been, Sakura quickly realized. The tests had been extensive and thorough; Naomi's catch on the irregularities in Kayden's blood was impressive. When asked, Naomi provided Sakura with what she'd uncovered about the disease that Kayden had picked up in Suna. "I'm hoping to hear back from their specialists by the end of next week. Maybe they've already caught it on their end and have a cure in the works."

With Meg gone, no longer trying to convince people to have Sakura fired, the staff acted as if nothing had really happened over the past few weeks. The whispers and stares ceased. Ken tried to get Sakura back into the operating room, but she turned down his requests. "I need to start evaluations soon. And besides, you've been handling it well; there is no reason for me to step in right now."

Sakura had then received the official notice of the case being closed. It was a much shorter notice than Tsunade's explanation. Sakura wondered if her mentor had pressured the council to announce it officially. Despite her still having a career to return to back in Konoha, there was a seed of anxiety in her chest. Though Tsunade never mentioned it, Sakura was sure that rumors had spread during her absence. It would be another thing to manage upon her return home.

Outside of the hospital, Sakura spent most of her time at Sasuke's. By the time the end of the week came around, Sakura belatedly realized how long she'd been staying at his place. She hadn't been to her apartment since receiving Tsunade's letter.

They were laying in bed one evening when Sakura made this realization. She'd never spent more than a couple days at his place at a time; it was going on a whole week now. The woman began to apologize when Sasuke interrupted.

"Sakura." His voice was soft, barely audible, and seemed slightly hesitant. She waited for him to continue, sensing that whatever was on his mind was important. "Stay with me."

Sakura raised her head, eyes wide as she stared at him. It was a simple request, but she had to make sure she was interpreting it correctly. "W-what?"

Sasuke's eyes closed as he let out a deep sigh. "I've been wanting to ask, but you've been dealing with too much lately. I was waiting for things to calm down, but waiting no longer makes sense." He opened his eyes and locked his gaze with her own. "These last couple months of your mission, I want you to stay with me."

"You . . . want me to move in?"

"I don't want to waste the time we have left."

Sakura couldn't decide if she was hallucinating. There was no way she'd heard him correctly. She knew he'd never joke about something like this, which meant—

"If you don't want to, or think it's too much—"

Sakura leaned down and pressed her lips against his own before he could back down. When his hand came to cradle the back of her neck, she slanted her mouth to deepen the kiss.

After a minute, Sasuke broke away and gazed up at her. "I'm taking that as a yes."

Despite all that had happened in the past week, Sakura somehow managed to choke out a laugh at this. She pressed her forehead against his own and sighed. For the next two months, there would be no more lonely nights, no more moments of wondering if she was overstaying her welcome. No waking up alone, no days ending inside an otherwise empty apartment.

"I have one condition," she whispered. When he didn't say anything, she continued, a smile breaking onto her face. "After my mission is over . . . any time I come to visit, I still get to stay here."

Sasuke pulled her back down to kiss her once more, eventually flipping them so he was hovering over her. "Deal," he responded huskily, lips trailing down her neck as her fingers threaded through his hair.

The relief in his chest was more than he anticipated, causing him to pause his descent down her body. He rested his forehead above the valley between her breasts, a shaky breath caressing her bare skin. A collection of words came to the forefront of his mind, begging to be spoken, to reveal their truth. He pressed down the impulse, so overwhelmed by the feelings, knowing it would forever change him to say them out loud. He could no longer deny the feelings, even if he refused to name what was happening. But there was another matter to focus on, one that made him continue kissing his way down Sakura's body, listening to the sighs she emitted.

She had just promised him two things:

First, that he would have every night with her for the next two months.

Second, that she would always, whenever possible, come back to him.

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The following morning, Sakura found herself at her apartment packing up the remainder of her possessions. It was a wonder how she had lived in Oto this long and not accumulated a massive amount of items. Granted, all of her medical texts were in her office at the hospital. Other than her clothes, the only items she purchased herself were the bed linens and rug for the living room. Everything else—furniture, kitchen items, appliances—had been provided when she arrived.

Since the apartment had been an accommodation for the mission, there was no lease agreement that Sakura needed to haggle over. This was more of a bonus for the complex owner — he could rent out the apartment immediately.

Sakura sealed the piles of clothes into a scroll for easy transfer. The bed linens were washed and put into a box to take to the nearest donation shop. She decided to leave the rug for whomever took the apartment after she left.

With her remaining items and sealing scrolls packed into her bag, she walked to the front door and turned, looking one last time at this small space she'd lived in the past ten months. It had seemed so empty and bare when she'd first seen it. Now, filled with memories of her time in Oto, it was as if the room was too small for the life it had held for her.

Sakura recalled the various moments held in this space, like a film reel of the past ten months at the front of her mind. Discussing with Sasuke her plans for the hospital; waking up to the village being attacked; late nights of research to cure Naomi. Coming back from dinners, feeling her bonds tighten in Oto. Analyzing her ever-changing relationship with Sasuke. Stolen kisses and heated moments.

It had been raining when she'd first stepped foot in this apartment. Now the sun peaked through the blinds of the living room, welcoming whoever came next to make it a home.

Though insignificant in the grand scheme of it all, Sakura was left with a bittersweet feeling as she closed the door one final time.

It didn't take long to reach Sasuke's home, a single bag over her shoulder. When she stepped into the house, she found him in the living room. Unsurprisingly, he was reading through mission reports. "It's your day off," she said with a frown.

He glanced up at her, raising a brow at her solitary bag. "I figured you'd have more stuff," he said, ignoring her statement.

Sakura smiled lightly, rolling her eyes. "I'm an efficient packer. You should be thankful—I could have multiple suitcases." She thought of Ino in that moment: the blonde never traveled lightly. Sasuke rose from his chair and walked over to her, taking the bag off her shoulder and placing it on the floor. "You're sure about this?" she asked, not for the first time that day.

Sasuke merely reached up and poked his fingers gently to the seal on her forehead. His eyes were gentle, more so than usual. "I wouldn't have asked if I was going to have an issue," he reminded her. Without preamble, he grabbed her bag and headed upstairs, Sakura following behind.

It was when they reached his—their?—bedroom that Sakura paused again, a thought occurring to her. "This may seem like a dumb question—"

"I highly doubt that."

"—but where am I putting my clothes?"

Sasuke gave her a blank stare, not quite sure if she had really asked such a thing. "The closet and dresser," he said slowly, eyeing her curiously. Surely she didn't think she'd keep her clothes in her bag?

"Not just my clothes," Sakura continued, avoiding his gaze. "But like, underwear and stuff . . .?" At the silence, she glanced up to gauge Sasuke's reaction. His face, while still carefully blank, had the barest hint of pink on his cheeks.

Clearly he had not thought of that, either.

Without saying anything, he moved to the dresser in the corner of the room and started sorting through drawers, moving items around. It took only a couple minutes for him to have one of the smaller ones emptied out. "Other drawers we can share," he finally stated. "But you can have your own for . . . delicates."

He didn't necessarily mind sharing an underwear drawer. By this point in their relationship, he was sure he'd seen all of the pieces she owned. A few specific pairs he was quite familiar with—she had a tendency to wear finer items when staying over. But if Sakura wanted a sense of privacy, he wasn't going to argue it.

The next hour was spent unsealing her packed scrolls and putting her clothes away. Sasuke almost laughed at how she hastily stashed away her delicates; she was acting like he'd never seen them before, as if they didn't have an active sex life on top of that. Even as an adult, with all the time they'd spent together, she was still amusingly odd.

It wasn't long until she was changing into a pair of work clothes (Sasuke noted she had absolutely no qualms changing in front of him) and quickly putting her hair into a ponytail. "How long is your shift today?"

"I should be done around five, I think," she replied, changing her sandals out for the usual ninja boots. "I start student evaluations tomorrow, so I need to make sure everything is ready to go before I leave. On top of that, there is a procedure scheduled later that Ken is leading on and he asked me to assist." She rolled her eyes at this, sighing. "I'm hoping he figures out that he is more than qualified to run an OR on his own. He's always second-guessing himself."

The pair made their way back downstairs and headed to the front door. Before leaving, Sakura turned and gave Sasuke a warm smile. "So . . . I'll be back later."

Smirking, Sasuke leaned down and pressed his lips against her cheek. He could almost feel the blush that rose to her face. When he leaned back, there was a sparkle in her eyes that had been missing the past several weeks. "Have a good shift."

Sasuke leaned against the doorframe as he watched Sakura walk down the path to head to the hospital. He found that he wanted to stand there and simply watch her as she slowly disappeared over the hill and around the bend. It didn't take much to decide to indulge himself, eyes trained on the dot of pink for a few more moments.

He hoped that the urge to follow her whenever she left would ease over time, as long as he knew she would always come back.

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The final evaluations for the medical class took the following two weeks to fully complete. Sakura had readjusted the observation schedule at least four times to accommodate everyone in the class while still making sure the hospital was sufficiently staffed.

For the most part, the evaluations went as expected. The students were able to demonstrate their learned skills through various patient cases and procedures, depending on what department they were in. Most students passed with such ease that Sakura had no anxieties about how they'd do as medics in the years to come. One in particular did so well that Haru had stepped back from the table and allowed the student — a young man of barely seventeen — to finish a standard procedure on his own.

On the other hand, there was a small handful that didn't do as well as they'd hoped. It had been a combination of lack of proper chakra control, forgetting crucial pieces of medical knowledge, or being so nervous that they constantly second-guessed themselves.

"Please don't let this stop you," Sakura had told them afterwards. "It really is a part of learning; we don't always succeed as fast as we'd like." She'd given specific feedback to those students, allowing them to assess what needed improvement verses what they were capable of.

"Does this mean we can't work in the hospital?" one had asked, hands shaking with anxiety. Sakura recalled that this student in particular was the sole provider for their family and needed a well-paying job.

"Of course you can still work here," she'd reassured. "Naomi and Ken are going to develop a specialized remedial course for you while you continue working. You'll still be monitored by a resident or attending, that way you'll continue gaining practical experience while refining your basic skills."

Once all of the evaluation results had been given, Sakura sat down with Naomi, Ken, and Haru to discuss the future of the hospital and medical program. Naomi and been given the final evaluations already and was already more than familiar with the abilities of all of the students set to graduate the program. Official placements were already being made.

"As you know, I will be leaving in a month," Sakura started. "Since I'll be leaving, that means various departments will need to be headed officially. You three were more or less running parts of this hospital before I came. I intend to keep you in authority, if you'll accept the offered positions."

The trio before sat straighter, a sense of honor and responsibility filling the room. Sakura pulled out three stacks of papers and handed the first to Haru.

"Haru, I would like to announce you as head physician for the hospital. You'll be overseeing the routine checks for teams returning from missions, as well as general appointments for civilians. You also oversee the pediatrics department—I'll let you decide who will help manage that department under your watch."

Haru leaned forward and took the stack of documents requiring his signature. He stared at the title heading the top page in awe before bowing slightly. "Thank you for this opportunity," he said with deep sincerity.

"Ken." At his name, the older blonde man met Sakura's gaze with anticipation. "You will be titled Chief of Surgeries." At this, Ken's eyes widened in disbelief. Sakura grinned at his shock. "You already had a strong foundation in medical ninjutsu before I came. You've improved tremendously in the past eleven months. You exhibit a strong authority over the staff while still being approachable and professional. You really are the best suited for the job."

Ken graciously took the documents of promotion. "I promise not to disappoint you."

Naomi, who was standing between the two men, shifted nervously on her feet. While they had all discussed Naomi starting a research department, the woman still didn't know what to expect next.

"Naomi, I want you to be the head of the hospital."

Ken and Haru each caught an arm as Naomi's knees buckled from shock. While the men seemed unsurprised by this announcement, Naomi's face had gone pale. "W-what?" she stuttered, trying to regain her balance. After a moment's chance to breathe, she started again. "Surely there must be a mistake! I'm not the best medic in this hospital. Not including the medical class, I'm one of the youngest employees on staff—I'm barely older than you!"

Sakura had anticipated this reaction. "You were managing the hospital before I came to Oto. You know every staff member, both in terms of professional ability and personalities. You know who shouldn't be scheduled together, what teams work best together, can visualize a month's worth of schedules—you're one of the most organized individuals I've ever met. And on top of that, you're insanely intelligent. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if your medical knowledge and intellect surpassed my own before we both turn thirty," Sakura added casually. "You'll be overseeing all of the major operations while Ken and Haru handle the surgical aspects of the hospital. You are still free to start a research department, if you so wish." Sakura grinned then at the woman who had been a friend to her this entire mission. "Notice how there are no complaints in the room?"

Naomi glanced between Ken and Haru, eyes unsure. With a reassuring smile from Haru and a confident smirk from Ken, Naomi straightened. She fixed both men with a firm stare. "You two need to promise me that if I do something wrong, you'll tell me. I don't want any 'Yes Men' working here. We are a team, got it?"

Sakura smiled with pride at the trio before her. "That's good to hear," she said then. "On top of these official duties, you three will also be co-running the training program. Ultimately, you should probably find and hire someone to do this, as I anticipate it growing and developing further in the years to come." Sakura paused long enough to pull out all of her notes on curriculum, as well as the other various materials she had utilized in the lectures.

The pinkette stood from the desk and walked slowly around the room, taking it all in. Her mind brought up the day that Sasuke and Naomi had surprised Sakura with all of her medical texts from Konoha. The shelves still lined the wall, the books stacked high. She turned back to the new team to lead the hospital she had helped grow.

"I would like to donate my books to Oto Hospital."

Naomi and Ken were the loudest to protest this announcement. "Sakura, these books are yours!" Naomi exclaimed.

Sakura shrugged lightly. "Oh, there's a couple I'll take back—but a lot of these have copies available in Konoha. Tsunade has a massive collection, and the library there has an extensive section on medical history and research. I have plenty of resources back home. Let this be the start of your own resource center." Sakura grinned. "You're going to need it."

The trio before her bowed graciously before exiting the office, chattering excitedly between themselves. In the rare moment of silence, Sakura gazed slowly around the room. This office—this hospital—had become the first project that Sakura could genuinely call her own. She had reformed its purpose and improved the structure, turning it into a highly-efficient facility that served its patients with skill and care.

While she had put in countless hours into Konoha Hospital, she never felt any claim to it. In her lifetime it had always been a well-managed operation, even before Tsunade returned to the village. With the Oto Hospital, and all of the work she'd put into it, Sakura felt a deeper responsibility toward it.

Looking around the office that was no longer her own, Sakura felt a pang of sadness for all she was about to leave behind.

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June began to pass all too quickly for Sakura as she started tying up loose ends of the mission. With each day that passed she removed herself from another aspect of Oto Hospital and its medical program. By the middle of the month, the only thing she was assisting with was helping the hospital trio devise a plan for the medical training classes. Outside of that small task, she was essentially hands-off.

Ken was starting to trust his abilities as Chief of Surgeries. Once his own self confidence grew, so too did the trust others had in his authority.

Haru was spending more time in pediatrics than the physicians' floor. He had not yet started looking for someone to help him manage both departments; his solution to this was to attempt to do everything on his own.

Sakura, more than once, had told him that such a tactic would only last so long before he burnt himself out. Unsurprisingly, Haru brushed it off. Opposite of Ken, Haru was too confident in his own abilities.

Naomi had the easiest transition out of the three. Considering she had managed the hospital before Sakura's arrival, the concept of the job was no different. The only challenge was finding time to start a research department, though she didn't appear to be in any hurry to do so.

With so much extra time on her hands, Sakura often found herself wandering the village. With her inevitable departure approaching, she wanted to visit as many places as possible and enjoy the time she had left.

It was on one of these afternoon trips that Sakura ran into Kazuo. The Jōnin was meandering about the market venders when Sakura approached him.

"Kazuo!" Said man turned at his name and smiled upon seeing Sakura. She took notice of his lack of uniform. "No missions at the moment?"

He shook his head. "I just got back from one last night. Lord Otokage hasn't assigned me anything else yet." Kazuo eyed the pinkette curiously. "You aren't at the hospital?"

"Not anymore," Sakura said, doing her best to sound casual about it. "I've delegated leadership positions out and have stepped back." She chuckled lightly. "I need to see that they can manage on their own before I leave."

Kazuo gave her a crooked grin. "And if they couldn't manage, would you stay?"

Sakura gave an indignant snort at this comment before turning to head down the street. As expected, Kazuo was right beside her in an instant keeping pace. "I can't stay, so they really have no choice but to succeed."

The pair weaved through the afternoon crowds until they were out of the center of market square. They were both silent for several minutes until there were less people around, eventually coming to the edge of a public park. Kazuo led them to a bench away from the young families enjoying the weather.

Kazuo released a sigh as he sat down. "Has the thought ever crossed your mind?" he asked softly, gazing out across the park. Sakura gazed at him quizzically, though she suspected what he was referring to. "Sakura, what if you stayed?"

The woman peered down at her hands. "I can't stay," she whispered.

"You say that . . ." Kazuo paused as he watched her carefully. "But do you want to stay?"

"I don't really have the luxury to think about it."

The older man sighed before leaning back into the bench. "That doesn't answer my question, Sakura. Do you want to stay—if you had the choice, would you?"

As Sakura felt her chest constrict painfully, she realized that she couldn't answer his question. "I would have to choose . . ." Her hand came up and rested over her heart. She could barely get the words out.

"It was the hardest choice I've ever made, leaving Suna."

Finally she shifted to stare at the man, eyes wide. She recalled then the piece of personal history that Isamu had shared with Sasuke and her. "You guys were in a long-distance relationship for years," she said softly.

Kazuo nodded, eyes growing distant. "I know Isamu told you about that . . . How hard it was to keep our relationship a secret, trying to find ways to see each other without anyone knowing. The sneaking around and double planning was a nightmare." He paused for a moment before turning to look at Sakura. "We both knew it couldn't continue that way. We knew that one of us would have to make a decision. Either someone deserts their home village, or the relationship ends."

Sakura gaped at him in disbelief. "You were willing to end it all? After so many years?"

Kazuo turned away, face twisting in dulled pain. "Saying goodbye so many times, not knowing when we would see each other again . . . it breaks a piece of you every time."

"But you loved him, even then . . ."

A sigh escaped his lips. He suddenly seemed much older than his early thirties. "There is only so much heartache a soul can manage. After nearly five years, it was getting to be too much for the both of us."

"What changed?" Sakura asked. "What convinced you to leave Suna?" She watched as Kazuo leaned down and grabbed a rock off the ground, shifting it between his fingers.

"The war was announced and Isamu proposed to me," he said lightly, eyes once again distant. Sakura waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. "I think he was convinced that we wouldn't make it—or at least that we wouldn't both make it. He wanted to end his life fully honest, no secrets."

His lips curved into a small frown. The rock in his hand began to crumble into bits of sand, sifting through his fingers and falling to the ground. "He thought we wouldn't both make it out alive. I wanted to give him an incentive to survive. I told him that if we won the war and came out of it alive, I would leave Suna. I promised to follow him wherever he wanted to end up." With another long sight, he turned back to Sakura. "It took a goddamned war for me to uproot my life. My family has lived in Suna for more than six generations—I was the first to leave."

Sakura wanted to reach out and comfort the man beside her. "Do you miss them?"

"Every day," Kazuo admitted. "But I love Isamu more than I miss my family. I will always love Suna, but I couldn't live without the man that I loved."

Sakura stared forward, eyes unseeing as she became lost in her own thoughts. She wondered then how things would be if their circumstances were different. What if Sasuke wasn't the Otokage—would he have stayed in Konoha, or still find an excuse to leave? What if she had lost the lawsuit—would she have eventually been pushed to leave Konoha, and been given an opportunity to stay in Oto?

"At some point, you're going to have to choose."

Sakura knew Kazuo was speaking to her, but made no indication that she had heard him.

"The long-distance stuff is hard, and neither Isamu or I were leading a village. Nor were we renowned medical ninja." He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving a light squeeze. "It could take months, or even years, but the day will come when you will have to choose, even if you don't want to."

A tear rolled down Sakura cheek. "Maybe it'll be different for us," she said quietly, as if a small bead of hope resided in her chest.

"Maybe," said Kazuo. "Maybe it will be." Sakura didn't imagine the lack of agreement in his tone. "But if it . . . Sakura, if circumstances come to that, you will have to choose."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" the woman asked. "All this time, you and Isamu both have been . . . supportive of my relationship with your Otokage. Why say all of this now?"

Kazuo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Isamu was right when he said that hiding a relationship is painful, difficult, and unwise," he acquiesced. "But Isamu didn't have to leave his home village. I'm telling you this—as a friend—because I want you to make the right decision, if you have to."

"And what is the right decision?"

Sakura watched as the man shook his head slowly, a tinge of sympathy in his eyes. "I can't tell you that, Sakura. That's between you and Lord Otokage. It has to be a decision that you can live with for the rest of your life."

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Long after the two had finally departed, Sakura was still going over his words. For the short time they'd known each other, Kazuo had never been so forthright about his past, especially where it concerned Isamu. She had tried twice more in their conversation to get him to reveal what he thought she should do. Both times, like the first, he stressed that it had to be up to her.

The evening was beginning to creep over the horizon when Sakura stepped foot in the Otokage Tower. As per their routine, she was coming to convince Sasuke to stop for the day.

"Sakura?"

The woman glanced up to see Isamu coming down the hall. His brows pulled in worry as he took in her appearance. Though she did her best to put on a welcoming smile, Isamu was less than convinced. "Isamu, I haven't seen you in a while! How are you?"

The man paused a few feet from her, a calculating look in his gaze. "I'm alright," he said slowly. "How are you?"

"Oh, you know," she said with a light laugh, "not used to so much free time in the day!"

"I see," the Jōnin responded, still eyeing her curiously. He shifted so that he was next to her and began to lead her down the hallway. "And how did you spend your abundance of free time today?"

Sakura shrugged as the pair turned a corner toward the stairs. "The usual—visiting local vendors, walking around the village. Nothing overly exciting." She decided not to share the conversation she'd had with Kazuo—a small voice told her to keep it to herself.

Isamu's face relaxed as the pair ascended the stairs. "Well, I'm glad you're allowing yourself time to relax. You put in an ungodly amount of hours into the hospital over the past year."

A laugh bubbled out of Sakura's chest as she felt her mood start to lift. "Yeah, even I can't argue that," she agreed.

They turned a corner and began walking down the hallway that led to the Otokage office. "Sakura," Isamu started, "I want to thank you for everything you've done for this village. I know you . . . Coming here wasn't easy for you," he said slowly, his face withdrawn. "It was rough in the beginning, if I recall correctly. And then with the attack last year . . ."

"Isamu—"

"Please, let me finish." He paused for a moment to collect himself; Sakura had never seen him in such a state. "I grew up accepting that outsiders would always have disdain for my village. I understand why—Orochimaru and Kabuto did not make it easy for people to respect us."

Sakura looked away, a feeling of shame taking root in her gut. She had been one of those people for several years.

"Not all of us supported Orochimaru—most didn't, truly. And I know you didn't trust us when you came here almost a year ago. But you helped us—my home, my people. You defended us and fought for us." He stopped them just outside the office doors. "Seeing you do all of this has given me hope for Otogakure, that it's possible for others to do the same. Trust us, I mean."

For the second time that day Sakura felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. Without thinking, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Isamu. He didn't hesitate to return the embrace. "This is a wonderful village," she said through tears. "I feel honored to have been able to know you all."

Isamu tightened his arms briefly. "As long as you visit regularly, I won't be upset that you're leaving," he mumbled.

After a moment, Sakura pulled away to give him a reassuring smile. "Of course I'm going to visit," she said as Isamu opened the office doors. "I like you all too much to stay away for long."

The man merely rolled his eyes at this as the pair stepped into the office. Sasuke glanced up from a variety of papers spread out in front of him.

Sakura's gaze held his for a moment as she mustered up an easy-looking smile. His head dipped slightly, eyeing her carefully for a brief moment.

The moment passed as Sasuke stood with a casual glance out the window. "Reports can wait," he muttered to no one in particular.

Isamu said something in response—Sakura wasn't really listening; Sasuke's gaze was back on her, watching her closely. The two men gathered up items in the office and put confidential reports away while Sakura stood by the window and watched the street below.

Despite the night approaching, villagers continued to mill about the village, children running up and down the streets. The setting sun cast a warm glow over the rooftops, bathing everything in a soft orange that contrasted against the darkening sky. For a moment, Sakura wondered if the sunsets in Konoha had ever been as beautiful—perhaps she had never paid much attention.

"Sakura?"

The woman's eyes flicked to her right where Sasuke now stood. His gaze was questioning, a hint of concern breaking onto his features. She gave him another smile and hoped it was more reassuring than before. "How was your day?" she asked.

Sasuke continued to watch her for a moment before he eventually turned toward the door. Sakura followed his movements, staying by his side as they exited the office and locked up behind them. "Long—slow as hell," he replied, turning the final lock and sealing the office closed. His eyes flicked over her once more as he asked, "How was yours?"

Sakura gave a small shrug as they made their way down the hall. "Nothing much," was her eventual reply. "I handed over leadership for the hospital this morning. All that's left is the medical class graduation, and then . . ."

Neither shinobi said anything, knowing what the end of that thought would be.

As they exited the Otokage Tower, Sasuke wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulders and pulled her close, breaking one of his boundaries while in public.

Sensing the emotional rolling through him, Sakura curled her own arm around his waist and held on tight.

Maybe if she stayed close by his side she could drown out the countdown that had inevitably started.


I apologize for the long wait. I had some major life changes in the past 6 months that took all of my emotional energy. This story WILL be finished. It's all planned out, I just need to write it :)

Thank you for your patience and support.