A/N: If you've seen the Boruto anime, you might have seen the scene where Ino takes Sakura back to the place of the latter's first date with Sasuke. Needless to say I, didn't like the idea that it was a "two minute" date. So, we'll pretend that never happened! Enjoy!

Chapter 8

"So she really said yes?"

"Yeah."

"Nice!"

Sasuke was in his usual seat on the reclining chair, letting the back of his head lay on one of the arm rests while his legs draped over the other. The afternoon sun was quickly turning into its sunset hues and he lazily watched the orange-toned clouds drift outside the window. He ran his fingers through his dark hair before letting his arm come behind his head to elevate it slightly. She did say yes, he thought, but she definitely wasn't as excited as anyone thought. Sasuke voiced this to Naruto, who furrowed his brow.

"Maybe it was the way you asked?"

"I don't know."

Naruto saw in his friend that Sakura's reaction was not the one the Uchiha had been expecting. He decided to change the subject to the logistics of the date.

"When do you pick her up?"

"What?"

The blond hopped off of the bed, grabbed his IV hanger, and dragged its resistant rubber across the linoleum floor to in front of his best friend. "Do you not plan on picking her up from her place?" he asked incredulously.

Sasuke frowned. "We agreed to meet here."

Sapphire eyes glistened and Sasuke peeked over at his best friend at the sound of a dramatic sniff. "Are you going to ask for my blessing?" he asked, forcing his voice to grow thick.

"I couldn't care less about your blessing," Sasuke said, his voice laced with an undercurrent of annoyance. "She said she had something to give you before you discharge tomorrow. Then we're going to leave for the training grounds."

Naruto raised his eyebrows and stared at the Uchiha. "Training grounds?" he echoed, confused.

"Yes," Sasuke said, his voice growing with irritation. "Training grounds. We're going to train."

"Maybe that's why she wasn't too excited when you asked."

Sasuke delivered a swift kick to Naruto's abdomen at which the blonde gave a dramatic grunt before he held the affected area. The Uchiha felt a bit of defensiveness building in his own gut at the thought of why Sakura wasn't bursting with joy the way he anticipated she would. If they were younger, she might have fainted like that dark-haired Hyuuga girl does with Naruto. She might have rushed to her blond friend—Ino—to squawk about every detail. She might have swooned by the mere thought of spending time with him. Sasuke expected at least a fraction of that, but the medic's actual reaction was unexpected.

Why? he thought, hearing her voice ring in his head. Because I want to. Not to return a favor, not because it's her birthday, but because I want to. He settled a bit into the chair upon this resolve. I want to.

Naruto straightened himself up and shot his friend a curious look. "I have a question."

"Hm."

"Your clan was pretty prestigious, right?"

"Depends on how you look at it," he replied dryly.

"Well, with your bloodline, I mean. Your clan had to maintain it somehow, right?"

"That's more than one question."

Naruto frowned and sat back down on his bed. He brought the heel of his hand to his chin and rested his elbow on his thigh. "Really, Teme, I just feel like I need to ask." When Sasuke glanced his way, he continued, "Would you have ever been able to date outside of your clan?"

Sasuke mirrored his friend's frown and found himself looking back up at the popcorn ceiling above him as he entered a deep thought. Sasuke's father, Fugaku Uchiha, was the head of the Uchiha clan in addition to the Chief of Military Police. One of the traditional jobs clan leaders often had was maintaining the sacred bloodline and genetic potency and, while Sasuke didn't like to think about it, incestuous relationships were some of the first methods generations upon generations ago used to do so. Thankfully, the Uchiha were different in their final years because of how vast the clan's population grew, but it was rare that they ever married outside of the Uchiha name.

Sasuke felt himself sigh. "Probably not," he answered honestly.

Naruto's voice lowered a bit to reflect the seriousness of his tone. "What do you think your parents would have thought of Sakura-chan?"

As if on cue, a soft knock came from the door and the two shinobi glanced in the direction of the sound. In walked Sakura, her pink hair held by a thin red headband while the pink strands fell just below her shoulders. She donned a familiar red tank top and light gray skirt with slits to reveal her black shorts underneath. Sleek black gloves were stuffed into one of the pockets and had its fingers hang lazily by her hip. Her slender yet powerful legs were clad in black, knee-high shinobi sandals. "Hi," she said softly, waving a plastic bag in her right hand in Naruto's direction.

"Oh, Sakura-chan!" Naruto beamed. "Happy birthday!"

Sakura looked down at her appearance briefly before giving him a grin. "Thanks," she replied. She then glanced over at the Uchiha who swung his legs over to plant his feet on the floor. "Hi, Sasuke-kun."

The raven-haired shinobi nodded his acknowledgement.

"What's in the bag?" Naruto asked.

Sakura walked to the side of his bed and placed the mystery sack on his lap. "Your clothes were a mess after the war. I don't know why you kept wearing them after it was over," she sighed before a smile graced her face again. "It's about time you got new clothes, courtesy of me."

Naruto dug into the bag's contents and pulled out a light tan shirt with a signature orange collar and long black pants. The fabric slid against his skin coolly, as though he had run his hand over prized silk. "This feels great," he murmured, then looked up at the pink-haired girl. "Thanks, Sakura-chan! But," he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "I didn't get you anything for your birthday."

Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "I don't need anything material, Naruto. I just need you out of this hospital. Did you make up with Kurama yet?"

"Yes," he huffed. "No jumping off cliffs anymore."

Sasuke snorted. "You jumped off a cliff?"

"Yes," Naruto said mockingly. "Because Kurama would do the thing! But now he's not doing the thing, so no more jumping off cliffs, okay? I get it now."

Sakura rolled her eyes before letting her gaze land on Sasuke. He felt himself straighten his posture before he stood from the chair. They silently exchanged their lingering glance before Sakura turned once more to Naruto. "We'll be going, then," she said, pivoting on her heel to start towards the door.

Sasuke nodded and followed suit with Sakura, but not before he heard Naruto whisper a soft, psst. The Uchiha turned back to see Naruto raising his pointer finger and dropping his hand suddenly, followed by him furiously shaking his head no. Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust at the message: Don't let it fall off!

"I told you that's not how that works, loser."

Sakura turned back. "Hm?"

"Nothing, Sakura-chan," Naruto called. "Have fun on your date!"

The pinkette's face turned shades darker than her hair as she gripped the doorknob, wrenched the door open, and hurried out of the room with Sasuke in close pursuit. As they walked through the halls of the hospital, he breathed in the scent of rosemary and mint wafting into his nose. The smell was distinct, though, like the herbs on her had mixed mysteriously with her own essence to create something uniquely her.

The walk to the training grounds was held together by a comfortable quiet, one that didn't seem to bother Sakura and certainly didn't bother Sasuke at all. He was letting his thoughts wander around how she looked vibrant next to his dark clothing that was intentionally free of the Uchiha symbol. She walked with her hands behind her back with her left hand holding on to her right wrist, causing her shoulders to roll back. Sakura's hair bounced as she moved her head side to side as though a song as bright as her was playing within her pretty pink head.

What do you think your parents would have thought about Sakura-chan?

They reached the plush green grass of the training grounds Team Seven regularly used as marked by the three large tree stumps against which their blond friend was once tied. Sakura walked to the middle of the field and he watched as her hair brushed against the Haruno crest that rested between her shoulder blades. She raised her hands over her head for a stretch and released a sigh when she let them fall by her side. She turned to face him and was amused to find a playful grin forming on her lips.

"Are you sure you're ready to spar?" she asked sweetly, patronizingly.

"I've been itching to," he smirked, kicking each leg up to loosen his muscles.

"You're really not the conventional type, Sasuke-kun."

He raised an eyebrow at this and watched as she slid her fingers into her black gloves, her gaze never leaving his as she pointedly waited for him to respond. His mouth felt dry, suddenly, but he managed to ask, "What do you mean?"

"A training session as a first date?"

"Is this not what you want?"

Maybe Naruto was right. Maybe we should have done the dinner, or walk at the park, or anything besides beating each other to a—

"Oh, I've waited to pin your pretty face down in the dirt for a while," Sakura laughed.

Nevermind. Game on.

The two of them took their starting positions. Sasuke bent his legs and placed his left foot slightly in front of his right. He watched as Sakura mirrored his movements save for her hands that she held in front of her as she cracked her gloved knuckles. "Ground rules?" she asked.

"No weapons, doujutsu, or ninjutsu. Taijutsu only."

"Done. Any other terms?"

Sasuke shook his head no and felt his muscles tense with excitement. Sakura raised her pointer and index finger in front of her lips, the traditional sign that a match was about to take place. He did the same with his own fingers and watched her movements, awaiting her arm to drop ever so slightly to motion to begin, resigning to allowing her to come after him first.

Sakura dropped her hand to her side and stood there, tense, but green eyes burning with as much excitement as Sasuke felt bubbling in his chest. To his surprise, though, she didn't charge at him with full force. Interesting, he thought. I'll bite.

He darted forward and Sakura met his speed, surprising him for a fraction of a second. He raised his fist and aimed for her shoulder only for her to push it away effortlessly with her left hand that was strengthened with a pulse of chakra. With her right, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and swung him passed her and slipped under his arm, causing him to stumble behind her as she spun back to face him.

Just as he caught his bearings, he saw her dart forward with a flurry of punches made markedly stronger by her chakra pulsing through her knuckles. He was able to dodge each one with relative ease, but he noticed with some amount of pride how fast she'd gotten over the last four years. He was careful to miss her hands to avoid broken bones, which she could easily deliver to his—what did she call it?—pretty face.

At one point, he backed up far enough to where Sakura's arm was not nearly long enough to make contact with him. She lurched forward and Sasuke believed he saw the opening he needed. He geared up to charge for her again only to watch as she dove for the ground, planted her hands on the grass to pull off a forward flip. Sasuke barely jumped out of the way when her legs swung down and cracked the earth beneath her feet, the rumbling of the groaning dirt reverberating all the way to his knees.

What the hell.

She wasted no time in finding her bearings and dashed forward at him again, fists and now legs flying to score a punch or kick. With every dodge and every redirected hit, he calculated how to form his offensive strike. Just before the next punch flew, he reached out his own hand to strike her shoulder. As his hand extended, his breath caught when Sakura bent backwards onto her hands and kicked him hard in the gut, causing him to reel back. He rubbed his abdomen and studied her as she flipped out of her bridge pose and landed neatly on her feet.

"You want offense, now?" she taunted, jumping up and down a few times. Her hair bounced around her shoulders spiritedly.

Sasuke exhaled a breath, amused. "If you're too tired, I can take over the turn."

"Be my guest, Sasuke-sama."

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch into a smirk before darting forward with his own set of punches. She alternated all of her limbs to block, and with each contact he made with her muscled form, a pulse of chakra repelled his hits away from her body. It was like watching her dance, as her body was so nimble yet strong, spinning and blocking with her own personal flare. Her fighting style was far different, yes, and if Sasuke wasn't so entertained by this new Sakura, he would surely be huffing with frustration.

Finally, an opening appeared before him when she left her own abdomen open to attack as she pulled backward to dodge his kick. He reached out with his hand once more to make contact with her flat stomach when the world abruptly shifted sideways. He glanced down and saw that beneath him, Sakura had struck the ground with her foot and cracked the earth beneath his stance.

Shit.

Sasuke curled his arm into his chest and braced himself for contact with the dirt. He rolled a few rotations across the grass. Suddenly, he felt a weight on his back strike him and cause his breath to expel from his mouth in the form of a grunt. One hand trapped his right and pinned it behind his back while her other grabbed the back of his head to press his cheek into the dirt.

He opened his eyes and saw her sandaled foot and realized Sakura sat atop his back. The two of them breathed hard, hearts pumping and muscles tense. He felt her warm breath near his ear and heard her panting voice say, "Your form needs some work."

He panted an amused chuckle and managed to bend right his knee close to his chest to wedge his leg between himself and the dirt. Her position shifted a bit and she gasped a little in surprise. He wrenched his hand free from her grasp and gripped her upper arm to fling her forward while simultaneously kicking his bent leg off of the dirt beneath him. She fell forward as though she were thrown from a bull's back and barely caught herself with her hands.

Sasuke launched himself at Sakura's form only for her to barrel roll away swiftly, causing his own hand to make contact with the grass where she once laid. She rose to her feet and, breathing hard, resumed her starting stance a safe distance away from him.

The Uchiha mirrored her before rolling his head to soothe the soreness she caused by his face actually pressing into the dirt.

He chuckled at the thought, but he didn't have much time to revel in the amusement before she darted forward again, fists blazing with speed and chakra. He successfully dodged and redirected each one before seeing another opening. He gripped her left wrist as she was in the middle delivering a blow. He side-stepped out of the direction of her momentum and crouched. He released her hand and, as if in slow motion, he kicked off of the ground and slammed his shoulder into her side. He wrapped his arm around her waist and forced the two of them back onto the grass. Sasuke heard the wind get knocked from her form as he landed on top of her, gripped her wrists in his own hand to hold them over her head, and pinned her down with one leg on either side of her stomach.

He hovered over her for a moment, both of their pants rhythmically filling the space between them. Her face had a film of sweat that made her glisten in the dipping sunlight, and he was sure he looked similar, for he felt beads of sweat trickle down his neck and disappear into his shirt that now stuck to his form. He watched as her chest heaved with every breath and shook as a small chuckle left her parted lips. He could feel her pulse slamming against the palm of his hand as it hammered through her wrists. She arched her back slightly in an attempt to gauge how much of his body weight he was putting on her, but Sasuke firmly planted himself to prevent further movement. Something in his chest stirred at the sight, but he brushed off the feeling as best as he could.

Her pink hair splayed out around her shoulders and beneath her trapped arms, all of which was nested on the soft bed of grass beneath them, the green of the blades matching her emerald gaze. Damp strands of her fringe stuck to her face and framed the yin seal on her forehead. Sakura's eyes darted around his body, no doubt trying to determine her method of escape, before they landed on his own. The breath mingling in the space between them was hardly noticed as emerald held onyx and violet and time stood still.

When Sasuke was young, he remembered how Itachi meandered back into their home after an afternoon spent with a girl named Izumi Uchiha. The older boy invited his younger brother to walk with him around the forest near the compound. Sasuke wanted to train and learn more shuriken jutsu and was disappointed when Itachi shook his head, saying that what he wanted to tell him was something he found a bit more important than training. The older boy leveled with Sasuke and described this Izumi girl, the way her hair framed her face and how his chest tightened with excitement when he saw her strolling down the Uchiha compound's gravel paths. "But it's her eyes," Itachi had said. "They're different from the rest of the Uchiha's eyes. It's like I could get lost in them."

I could get lost in them.

"I yield."

Sasuke blinked back to the present and stared at the medic, a sheepish, shy smile forming on her lips. "I yield, Sasuke-kun," she said again, her chest heaving with every breath.

Sasuke released her wrists and stood up from her form. He extended his hand toward her to help her stand as well and, once she stood on her own two feet, he turned and scratched the back of his head. "I think that's all I can handle," he admitted, not wanting her to see the redness that likely formed on his cheeks. While he knew he could physically endure the barrages of punches, something told him to hold back.

"Me too, I think."

A pause.

Then, "Sasuke-kun."

He turned back and saw she had stretched her right hand out with her first two digits extended, beckoning him to form the unison sign with her. He obliged and watched as his own fingers curled around her own before releasing them, almost reluctantly.

What do you think your parents would have thought of Sakura-chan?

He swallowed hard. "Sa—augh!"

A raging fire ignited in his left shoulder, causing him to drop to his knees as his vision went white. He reached up and gripped his left arm's remnant while pants racked his body painfully, his lungs trying to keep up with the searing pain in addition to the oxygen he needed to catch his breath from sparring. Sasuke fell forward and felt his head slam into grass. He pressed his forehead into the greens in hope that it would ease the pounding sensations that burst through his temples. A strangled cry escaped his lips that he tried his best to subdue.

"Sasuke-kun!"

He felt her drop to her own knees and place her now-ungloved hands on his shoulder. Cool chakra slinked into his shoulder and he felt her work her way into the clot that stabbed pain in what was left of his limb. While the sensation was familiar and soothing, the full-on relief was taking longer to arrive. He opened his eyes to try to see what Sakura was doing only for his sharingan's activation to sharply stab his temples. He shut them again. "Augh, hah…hah…!"

It was as if his body was now trying to fight to remain conscious. He focused as much of his attention as he could on the medic and tried to trudge his mind through the agony that ripped through his body. It was far more difficult than he anticipated, though, for what was left of his upper arm suddenly felt as if a monster had pierced the remnants and was trying to rip it in half like splintered wood. "Hah, hah, augh…"

"Sasuke-kun, hold on, hold on," Sakura breathed. "I need better access, okay? Hold on."

He felt her fingers brush against his waist as she pulled the hem of his shirt as far up his torso as his position could allow. She ran her fingers across his back and to his shoulder blade, her touch leaving chilly trails in their wake. He felt her chakra slither between the clot's angry tangles to undo them. His body was now on fire, the mix of physical exertion from sparring and the agony ripping through him creating what felt like a fever. He tensed his neck and gasped more pained breaths, sure that the grip on his shoulder was causing angry, purple bruises to form.

"There," she murmured.

Relief flooded through his veins like an un-pinched watering hose when she undid that persistent clot. He groaned with the relief and felt his form fall onto his right side, his hand still gripping his shoulder though with far less force. His body was still hot, though, so he rolled onto his back and wrestled with his shirt to pull it over his head and expose his skin to the cool air. He gripped his shirt in his hand and let it rest next to his head.

"Fuck," he hissed, squeezing his eyes one more time to allow himself a moment to deactivate his sharingan before opening them to find Sakura kneeling on the ground next to him, her hands on her knees.

"That was the last clot," she breathed, bringing her hand up to her face. "It should be, anyway, that persistent little thing." She wiped sweat from her own face with her gloved hand.

Sasuke nodded tiredly and tried to bring his shirt to his sweat-covered face, but to no avail, as his limb was tired from receiving the blows of chakra from Sakura's own punches. It seemed that Sakura caught on to his intention, though, and reached forward to grab the shirt from his hand. She gently dabbed his face and watched as he closed his eyes as she did so, his breathing still heavy and quick. She then moved closer to him and sent waves of her cooling chakra across his right arm to heal the muscle tears and bruising.

"Thanks," he sighed, feeling her chakra slip through once more.

Sakura merely nodded, still trying to catch her own breath. She then reached over Sasuke's torso to focus her attention on the bruised areas of his left shoulder where his own hand clenched down on the skin. She hovered over him protectively as she let the chakra pour into the broken blood vessels and he watched as her chest heaves grew slower as she acclimated to her near-resting position.

Dazed, Sasuke reached out and touched her waist, startling the medic who whipped her head around to look at him.

"You managed to pin me," he chuckled weakly.

With a smirk of her own, she turned back to his shoulder and replied, "Damn right I did."

How could someone so pretty be so strong?

Emerald eyes caught his own once more. "What?"

Sasuke laid there, eyes half-lidded and his hand still resting on her waist. "What?"

"What did you just say?"

Sasuke blinked a few times and forced himself to think back to the last thing he said aloud. The struggle was quite intense despite the short seconds that had passed since he last opened his mouth. "How could…?"

I said that out loud.

Sasuke swallowed hard and repeated, "How could someone so pretty be so strong?"

Sakura studied his face for a fraction of a second before turning her head back to his shoulder, blocking the view of her face with her curtain of pink hair. "You're delirious, Sasuke-kun," she said, shaking her head. He could almost feel heat rising to her face and pictured how it would dust her cheeks.

"They would have liked you."

The medic peeked over at him once more and raised an eyebrow curiously.

"You have eyes that are different from the Uchiha," he murmured. "Nii-san said the same thing before…Izumi or something."

Sakura straightened her posture once she was finished tending to his left shoulder and felt his hand fall limp onto the grass. She then brought one of her hands to his forehead, and he felt her cool chakra probing once more. "You have a concussion, Sasuke-kun."

"It doesn't mean I'm lying."

An amused smile played on her lips and Sasuke felt himself mirror one of his own small grins. Sakura shook her head at the sight. "The great Sasuke Uchiha," she teased lightly, "concussed and spouting compliments to flatter a girl on her birthday."

Sasuke closed his eyes and shrugged. I guess I am concussed. "I didn't ask to do this just because it's your birthday."

Silence.

"You weren't excited."

Sakura glanced at him and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What makes you say that?"

"You asked me why."

He opened his eyes, still half-lidded at best. He watched Sakura as she tucked strands of loose hair behind her ear with her free hand and bite her lip gently, the plump curve dipping inward to receive her white teeth. Then, she said, "I was excited, Sasuke-kun. But I was also confused." She sucked in a breath and released it slowly. "You're either suddenly interested in me or trying to make up for whatever else you think you did wrong in your past."

"Neither."

Sakura furrowed her brow, no doubt furthering her confusion. "Then I don't get it."

"It wasn't sudden."

Green eyes met his onyx and violet once more to study him carefully. She blushed furiously before covering his eyes with her hand, still allowing her chakra to flow into his skull to heal the damage. "You have a concussion, Sasuke-kun," she murmured again, though it seemed like it was more to herself than to tell him the obvious.

They sat silently as Sakura continued to heal his head. Sasuke's clarity of mind came back and the medic pulled her hand away from him. By this time, the sun was dipping below the tree line and the forest shadows enveloped the entire field. The cool spring air clung to their skin, causing Sakura to shiver slightly.

Sasuke sat up and rubbed his temples with his hand before donning his shirt back over his torso. With clarity of mind came clarity of meaning, and part of him was horrified that he had spoken far more than he intended to while his skull was not in working order. The two of them sat for a moment tension building between them like trip wires. It was now a matter of who would set off the trap.

The Uchiha swallowed hard and asked quietly, "Are you hungry?"

Sakura seemed startled that he'd asked, her eyes wide before she turned away and fiddled with the ends of her hair. "A bit," she admitted, a sheepish grin forming on her lips.

The two of them stood on their feet and they began to walk back towards the village core. As they made their way to the street food area, the scents of sweet and savory items filled their noses. He breathed them in and turned to Sakura as she let out a small, pleasured sigh. Even after sparring, her clothes wrinkled and with patches of dirt, she still looked vibrant. For once, Sasuke let the thought linger beyond the point when she looked up and noticed him staring. He didn't break away his gaze, though, and felt some amusement when she turned away and nervously tucked more hair behind her ear.

He took the lead in guiding her towards a familiar shop in the midst of the bustling crowd. The patrons were far to busy with their own banter and laughs to notice the Uchiha and medic strolling by as he stopped at a stall with outdoor seating lit by strings of small lanterns. This dessert shop was one he knew Sakura frequented as children, and he was honestly quite surprised that it still stood, untouched by the ravages of Pain's attack and war.

"Anmitsu?" Sakura asked. "You like anmitsu?"

He turned back to look at her and merely nodded in the direction of a table to beckon her to follow. They sat across from each other and went through the script of saying hello to the server who approached them with their menus to order and cool glasses of water to drink. When the server left them to browse the items, Sasuke watched as the medic's eyes lit up at the assortment he was sure she already knew so well. A smile broke out on her lips and she went through each item excitedly, describing to him which had what and how much of each.

"So which one do you want?" she asked finally, resting the menu on the table in front of them, her fingers splaying out across its laminated surface.

If he was being honest, sweet things didn't fall under the category of things he preferred. He shrugged. "You pick. We'll share."

Her face blushed furiously, and she raised the menu to shield herself. Sasuke felt a small smirk play on his lips as he reached out to sip on the glass of water their server placed before him.

The server came back, and Sakura pointed to something near the middle of the page and asked specifically for extra syrup on the side with two spoons. She then leaned back in her chair and took a sip of water from her own glass before resting it between her hands and gazing at the lanterns that hung around them. The warm yellow light danced on her features, making her glow almost as if she had her own brightness to give. He watched and felt the quietness form between them.

Sasuke was not one for small talk. He never was, really, for he didn't see the point. Though even after the many hours he'd already spent with the medic in their respective homes both talking and sharing silence, he still found himself feeling a pit of anxiety forming in his stomach, nagging him to break the quiet that befell them. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sakura beat him to it.

"How are you feeling?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Normal."

"No pain?"

"No."

Silence. Again.

He took another sip from his glass and felt his fingers tap on the cool surface while he gazed up at the lights himself.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sasuke turned his attention back to the medic and watched as she rested her cheek on her right hand, a small smile forming on her lips.

What am I thinking about?

"Have you ever been on a date before?"

Sakura raised her eyebrows at this and she looked thoughtfully at the table space between them. She hummed in thought and he knew she had an answer, but she seemed hesitant to give it. "Once," she admitted, a grimace forming where her smile once was.

Sasuke felt himself mirror her frown, though he didn't quite know why it took shape.

"It was with a shinobi from Kumogakure. I don't know that I'd consider it a date, though, now that I think about it. It was more to return a favor and we didn't really talk about much. He just kind of gawked at me the whole time."

Sasuke felt himself snort and the warmth of satisfaction grew in his chest. Interesting.

"What about you?"

The Uchiha shook his head once.

"Not even that Karin girl?"

"She was a teammate, nothing more."

"She seemed smitten."

Sasuke grimaced a bit and Sakura chimed a laugh at the sight.

The server came back with a tray with anmitsu, an extra small cup of syrup, and two spoons as Sakura requested. The jelly, anko, fruit, and ice cream danced as she set the bowl down between them in a party of colors. Sakura clapped her hands together in excitement and looked expectantly at Sasuke to raise his hand. "Itadakimasu," they said in unison, her soprano bouncing against his bass once more.

Sakura poured the both small cups of black syrup over the bowl's contents before digging her spoon into the fruit and jelly. When she brought the spoon to her mouth and enclosed her lips around the sweetness, she hummed a high hum with pleasure.

Sasuke gazed down at the dessert and decided to follow suit. He found he liked the anko the best, as it was the least sweet of all the items in the bowl, even with the syrup drizzled on top. They sat quietly as they ate, and he noticed that Sakura seemed to be lost in her own world as they did so. Each scoop into her mouth was welcomed with a smile and a hum of happiness. It was the same sight he'd seen years ago at this shop, though back then her legs hardly reached the floor when she sat on these same chairs.

Sakura took a moment to glance up at the Uchiha when the bowl was nearly empty and held the spoon in her mouth. "Oh shoot," she muttered, pouting. "I think I ate most of it."

The Uchiha chuckled, unable to resist the sound that escaped his mouth at the sight of how childlike she became at the sight dessert's end. Simple to please, he remembered Ino saying.

The sound of his laugh caused Sakura to look up, a blush forming on her cheeks. "What?" she asked, slinking her head into her shoulders self-consciously.

"You can have the rest. I don't mind."

She blinked a few times before looking up at him for another confirmation that it was surely okay to finish the last scoop. He nodded once and she became bright again, obliging heartily as she savored the sweetness in her mouth.

The check came and Sasuke handed the server a hefty bill without looking at the price, surprising Sakura. "Keep the change," he said softly to the server before turning his attention on the medic. "Ready to go?"

The pinkette nodded her head yes, eyes still wide at the amount of excess change she was able to calculate in her head that now belonged to the server. She followed him out, though, and they walked through the bustling streets until they came to a quieter one near Sakura's apartment. He watched as she wilted a bit at the thought that perhaps this is where the date will see its end.

The Uchiha looked up at the stairs to her unit then back at her. "Could I…," he began slowly, then hesitated. Her green eyes met his, filled with curiosity and anticipation. "Could I stay at your place tonight?"

She blinked a few times at him, and for a moment he thought that he might not have spoken loudly enough for her to hear. Then, a smile broke out on her face and she nodded. "Of course."

She was about to lead the way when Sakura suddenly froze and whipped her head to their left at a figure who rose from the stone wall that rounded the perimeter of the apartment complex. Sasuke followed her gaze and narrowed his eyes at the intruder who sauntered towards the pair. Sakura raised her hand and shook her head, surprising him. He turned his attention back to the intruder, a woman with long brown hair, tired dark eyes, and a trembling bottom lip. She wore a white shirt and navy skirt with a hem that stopped just below her knees. Her feet were clad in worn out sandals that looked like she had walked in them for many miles.

Sakura sucked in a breath and hardened her expression, though her voice shook as she uttered an unfamiliar name to Sasuke.

"Nao-san."