A/N: Thank you all for your patience! I thought I would have more time to create this chapter, but the semester had started off once more with a huge flurry of activity. To the review that asked for a tiny bit of NaruHina, you're in luck, because there is (the TINIEST) bit in here, just so that I don't take away from the focus of the main pairing. Once again, thank you for your reviews, your enthusiasm, and your support. I'll conjure up the next one as soon as I can!

Chapter 14

Sasuke decided his strategy was to keep his distance from Sakura as best as he could…indefinitely.

The week leading up to the dinner was sprinkled with Team Seven outings, minus Kakashi, in which the Uchiha would strategically stand in such a way that the loud blond was between him and the medic. It seemed to be a pattern Sakura was implementing, as well, for each time the three of them caught a late dinner, mulled around the training grounds, or even spent time at their respective apartments, both Sasuke and Sakura kept a steady five paces away from each other. That, or they stood so that Naruto was obliviously between them.

Sasuke wasn't sure if it bothered him or not. If he looked deep enough, maybe he could find a worm of disappointment that she was no longer actively attempting to sit just next to him, stand just next to him, or at any point be just with him. So each time he caught his mind wandering, or the urge of his eyes to shift in the direction of the medic, he repeated the quiet mantra of, this is for the best.

It was a difficult choice, but one he decided they needed to make. He didn't lie to her when he said he has things to figure out on his end. Those things being the rampant guilt that constricted his chest at each reminder of his sins, of his betrayals. These would haunt him, likely for the rest of his life. To bring her into it would mean ruining her reputation and hard work, only to add another bag of sand to his desert of regrets.

It wouldn't be fair to her.

I don't deserve her, the voice said again, the same voice that made him turn away from her at the Mozukai Inn, the same voice that made him clam back up and reject the possibility that he might actually deserve her. She doesn't deserve what I'd bring in her life. As much as Sakura intended her kind words to state the contrary, he knew it to be true. The village knew it to be true. When his trial was in motion and every sin he committed read aloud for the ears of the public to hear, she would know it to be true, too.

Sakura deserved better.

And yet, he couldn't help but feel a muted sense of relief upon seeing her at each team outing. Since their time on the training ground fields, it had been a week since it was just Sasuke and Sakura. It was a week without the familiar yet foreign comfort that felt so much like her, a week without her candid words that made him feel human, a week without learning more about what she'd seen, heard, and absorbed while at work or on the streets of the village. All of what it could have been was censored by space and a loud blond. Which…maybe was for the best. He caught himself staring at her far too long as she wove flowers into his dark hair, causing her to pause and dust her cheeks with a blush. Who knows what he would have done if he let himself drink after the drought? This is for the best. This is for the best.

Although…part of him wanted Naruto to be busy, if he were being honest. Busy and away from the pair. A week without hearing about Sakura's experience was also a week that he didn't get to tell her what he'd experienced with candor. Granted, his days weren't the most interesting and were limited to a largely benign meeting with Hiroto, but…Sakura listened. Whether it was about his week, about his family, about his internal process, she listened. He'd never had that before.

…Or had he?

Was she always this attentive?

It was an odd thing to be in a state of reacquaintance with Sakura. The known and unknown parts of her were mixed in such a way that kept him on his toes. She hadn't failed in surprising him. She hadn't failed in making him surprise himself.

Maybe a sip wouldn't be too bad—

"Sasuke."

The Uchiha halted in his steps and turned in the direction of Naruto's voice, the medic nearly clinging to Naruto's side but with a look of amusement on her pretty face. He'd nearly passed the restaurant and surely missed all of Naruto's retelling of his day, lost in his own thoughts. The blond was wearing civilian clothing: a white shirt clad in a black athletic jacket with lines of orange going down the length of the sleeves, the right one billowing lazily in from his gait. His black sweatpants made him almost look like some sort of sports educator, fitting the role all the way down to running shoes on his feet as opposed to the typical sandal.

Next to Naruto, Sakura was in her own civilian clothing. As usual, she was vibrant. He supposed she was like that in any space thanks to her hair, but this time there was something different. She wore a mint green blouse with billowing sleeves that grazed her arms like soft wings and maroon capris that hugged her legs like a second, comfortable skin. Her collarbone was exposed, he couldn't help but notice, framed only by the ends of her silken locks. She stood the slightest bit taller, as she wore brown civilian sandals with a gentle heel, its tassels crisscrossing over the tops of her feet before being tied neatly at her ankles. It took a lot not to stare at her, not to figure out what it was exactly that made her glow a little brighter in the dim street lights.

"It's over here, Sasuke-kun," she said, her voice teasing yet subdued.

"Sorry," Sasuke muttered, sauntering back in the direction of Yakiniku-Q. He, himself, was dressed in all black, as per usual: a black button-down shirt (that he painstakingly buttoned with a single hand) with his right sleeve rolled up just below his elbow while the other billowed as lazily as the blonde's. His shoulder blades were absent of the Uchiha crest yet again, not wanting to draw any more attention to his dark form. He donned black pants and black sandals, feeling more like a shadow than ever. Maybe it's because he's dressed so darkly that she seems to glow.

As he neared his teammates, the smell of grilled meat was overwhelming as it mixed with the scent of freshly poured alcohol into the glasses of drunk patrons. He stood a short distance from Naruto's other side and nodded for his teammates to lead the way into the restaurant where their peers were waiting.

Yakiniku-Q was as crowded as he'd remembered it to be years ago. It was full of shinobi that had just ended their shifts and civilians who were celebrating the start of their weekends. The atmosphere was also as loud as he'd remembered, too: there were tipsy patrons cackling over each other as though it were a competition and gossip in feigned hushed whispers as though they didn't actually care if the next able over heard about what Auntie So-and-so said at the tea house the other day. He hoped that the conversations and the laughter were loud enough to keep his appearance from startling anyone nearby. He didn't want his presence to ruin the evening due to his unpopularity.

They meandered through the maze of booths and tables until they heard the familiar voices of more than just Team Ten. When Sasuke looked up, part of him was filled with dread at the familiar faces of not only the Ino-Shika-Cho team, but Team Kurenai and even Sai. Seven pairs of eyes fell on them expectantly. Sasuke didn't need his sharingan to see that there appeared to be mixed reactions to their arrival.

"Hey!" Ino squealed, waving a hand in Team Seven's direction. She was in civilian clothing, just as everyone else was, that reflected how he remembered her in their childhood. Her confidence could shatter concrete, as he realized she was wearing what essentially appeared to be a black sports bra and dark denim jeans. She gestured toward three empty seats at their rotund table between herself and Hinata Hyuuga who shared—Sasuke was pretty sure—some amount of excitement at seeing them, though it seemed to be more directed at Naruto than anyone else. Her style appeared to be more reserved as she donned an oversized cream sweater that matched her eyes with gray pants.

"Welcome," the Hyuuga princess said, her voice barely audible over the noise of the restaurant. Next to her, Shino Aburame's head turned in their direction, though his eyes were shielded by a dark pair of glasses in addition to the hood of his jacket. The Uchiha couldn't help but assume that he was displeased at the thought of seeing him specifically, but he kept the swells of anxiety to a minimum. Kiba Inuzuka's face seemed to have the most mixed reaction of everyone, as Sasuke remembered his eyes to be wilier, even during the war, but now held its own level of unsure discomfort.

As Team Seven approached the table, Sakura quietly murmured Sasuke's thoughts. "I thought this would be a team dinner," she whispered to Naruto, "not a Rookie Nine dinner? And Sai?"

Naruto shrugged. "I thought so, too, but I guess Ino wanted to extend the invite."

The other members of Team Ten shifted their gazes in their direction. The burly one, Choji Akimichi, had a mild look of fear in his eyes when he glanced at the Uchiha that he seemed to recover with a shy smile and wave. He proudly donned a white shirt that showcased his family crest and red pants. As he lifted his posture to greet them, his rounded belly seemed more familiar to Sasuke.

Next to Choji, Shikamaru's sharp eyes darted wordlessly upon each Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, lingering on the Uchiha before turning his attention back to Naruto and nodding in greeting, a dull yet suspicious expression on his face. No doubt he needed just a moment to process their arrival and keep his emotions in check. Sasuke remembered him to be a genius whose intelligence rivaled Sakura and his own while surely it now surpassed his. Shikamaru seemed to have peeled off his shinobi flak jacket to reveal the navy shirt and sweatpants beneath, the scent of cigarette smoke wafting off of his clothes. That's new, Sasuke thought.

And between Shikamaru and Ino sat his Team Seven replacement, Sai. The artist's dark hair and eyes were prominent against his pale skin, giving him a haunting appearance. It didn't help that he had an unsettling plastic smile upon his face that Sasuke had trouble reading. The shinobi also appeared to have decided to have his clothes match his features, all black like Sasuke, but with a more awkward style he couldn't quite place.

"Sit, sit," Ino squawked, and Naruto stepped forward to take a seat beside the Hyuuga princess whose face almost instantly flashed apple-red before she calmed herself.

Sasuke paused at the last two seats and instinctively turned to Sakura to find she was already looking at him with what appeared to be a mild panic. The last two seats were next to each other. They didn't have time to rush in and take one of the peripheral ones to seat the loud blond between them. It lasted only a moment, as Sakura turned back to the table to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and sit by Ino, the one who would likely be her anchor for the night. The Uchiha inhaled a deep breath through his nose and sat between his two teammates. As he folded his legs beneath the table, he brushed against the medic and the two of them stiffened as what felt like an electric shock spurred through his body. He tried to keep his cheeks from their instinctive rise in heat as he muttered, "Sorry," under his breath and tried to give her as much space as she could. Five paces wouldn't be possible here.

"I'm glad you all could make it," Ino announced, beaming at all of the team members. "I wanted to extend a huge gratitude, since I know that all of us are so busy these days with work and family duties. We haven't had a day like this in at least five years!" The blond gestured over to the Uchiha, and his pit of dread grew heavier. "And of course, I want to extend a great gratitude for the whole Team Seven back in our presence. The Rookie Nine is reunited once more! Welcome back, Sasuke-kun!"

A few polite claps rang out about the table, but most of them simply offered awkward smiles in the Uchiha's direction. He couldn't blame them.

"Ino," Sakura admonished quietly, glancing around the restaurant. "Lower your voice."

If he had the courage to thank her, he would have. He peered over at the medic to avoid the stares from neighboring tables at the sound of his name. The damage was done, however. He leaned slightly towards her and said, "It's fine," before reaching out for his glass of water and taking an obligatory sip to burn anxious energy.

"Where are Bushy Brows and Tenten?" Naruto asked.

"Probably with Guy-sensei at the hospital," Hinata replied.

Ino nodded. "I tried inviting them, but they said a different time would be best." In a lower voice, she added, "Being among friends might still hurt with their team being incomplete."

A pause overcame the group. Sasuke peered at Sakura to see that she had a solemn frown on her face and her pink brows came together in sadness. Sasuke didn't know Neji well. In fact, he remembered only seeing him as a competitor, a rival for the best doujutsu user among other skills. Sasuke didn't actually hear of his death until the war had ended, and no one seemed to want to dwell too deeply on the matter. Understandable, he thought, empathizing with the grief.

"How was your trip to Hana?" Choji tried, breaking the silence while rounds of raw meat were delivered to their table and their grills shone with the heated fire beneath the metal plate.

"It was interesting," Naruto said, glancing at his two teammates. "But we made it back in one piece. We got what we needed to do accomplished."

"I'm surprised Lady Fifth bent so easily to your proposal to let Sasuke go with you," Shino said, breaking his pair of chopsticks in preparation for food. "Why, you may ask, is due to Sasuke's very recent release."

"Sakura-chan helped make that happen. Old Lady has a soft spot for her," Naruto chuckled.

"You passed through Mozukai, didn't you?" Kiba asked, propping his chin on his hand as he turned to the medic.

"We did," Sakura said quickly. "Not for very long." Sakura seemed to stiffen at the thought of forest village, and she reached for her own water glass to take a gulp. No doubt, the memory of the inn flashed through her mind just as it did Sasuke's, and the space between them suddenly felt too small.

"Isn't that where that Ken guy messed with you?" Shikamaru asked, peering over at Sakura. "I heard he was pretty pissed when he came back to the village."

"Yes, he tried to keep Sasuke-kun from going to…," her voice seemed to fade as though she were reliving a memory before her anxiety showed through once more. "The…the inn. The Mozukai Inn. Just empty accusations, is all."

Shikamaru eyed her carefully before shrugging. "Glad to see it worked out."

The medic deflated for a moment, and Sasuke wasn't sure if it was out of relief or a reaction of remembering the events that took place at the inn. As though she could feel his eyes on her, Sakura seemed to adjust herself rather quickly, though, and looked to compose herself with charm as she went around the table and asked about their most recent life updates to change the subject. He let himself marvel for a moment at how genuine she sounded, no doubt, though, she actually was genuine. He'd spent the majority of her free days with her if she wasn't at work, so she likely didn't have much interaction with their peers until tonight. As she spoke, a natural flow at the table molded, and Sasuke relaxed a bit, though admittedly not all the way.

Choji went on to vocalize his gratitude before staking claim to one of the grills, offering to cook the meat to perfection for everyone in his vicinity. Shikamaru and Sai made polite yet familiar discussion about the logistics of working with the Fifth Hokage's transition into retirement. Kiba howled in laughter with Naruto, their competitive banter filled with a near-palpable comfort of friendship, while Shino offered quiet musings and likely unintentional snarky remarks at their bickering. The women of the team entered their own discussion soon after Sakura was updated on each shinobi's comings and goings, the three of them mostly discussing the logistics of Sakura's accomplishments with the children's mental health clinic she had been leading since the war's end. All of them reached forward with their chopsticks periodically between words to get their fill of dinner.

"Seems like things are going well for you, Ugly," Sai commented, his voice dissonantly pleasant.

Sasuke looked around the table, wondering who in the world the artist could have been speaking to. When he glanced in Sakura's direction to silently ask her a question of who this Ugly person might be, a flash of irritation came in his mind when he saw her attention was on Sai. "Thanks, Sai," she said dryly. She plucked meat from the grill in front of her before looking up at the Uchiha as though she had forgotten he was there. Her eyes were wide for a moment, reading the expression that was no doubt on his face, before a blush grew on her cheeks. "That's just…uh…"

From Sasuke's other side, Naruto snorted in laughter. "That's Sai's nickname for Sakura-chan sometimes," he explained.

Sasuke frowned before turning to the artist. "What kind of nicknames are you giving people?" he asked, his voice unamused. In his periphery, he noticed Sakura's expression of curiosity falling over him.

"Ones that make sense to me," Sai replied simply.

"He calls me Beautiful," Ino piped up, her eyelashes fluttering as she held her face in her hands.

"I'd call you something more logical," Shikamaru said, plucking meat from the grill and placing it on his rice bowl. "Something like, Loud."

The blond girl smacked the shinobi benignly as the table erupted into laughter. Choji, the peacekeeper of their team, offered Ino a handful of grilled meat as consolation, which she begrudgingly accepted.

Sasuke turned to Naruto. "What does he call you?"

His friend was mid-chomp when he narrowed his eyes, unamused. With his cheeks stuffed with rice, he grumbled, "I don't want to say—"

"Little Dick," Sai said.

The table erupted into laughter once more, spurred by Sakura's own howling humor and Hinata's sputtering into her water glass. The medic covered her mouth with her hand as tears of laughter gathered in the corners of her eyes. Sasuke hardly noticed his own grin forming on his face at the sight, the sound of familiar voices guffawing around him feeling like a shield from the rest of the restaurant's patrons.

"Shut up, Sai!" Naruto huffed. "That's not even an accurate nickname! It doesn't make sense at all!"

"I don't know, Naruto," Kiba prodded. "We've been to the baths together before."

"Shut up, Kiba!"

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. "So, not much has changed about you since I've been gone," he said, earning him a scowl from Naruto as the table sputtered into surprised cackles. He didn't hear the familiar laugh of the medic, so he let himself peek in her direction once more. She seemed bewildered. It was almost as though she'd watched him speak for the first time in his life. Then, she bit her lip as if to suppress a laugh to match the others. She couldn't hold it for long, however, and she giggled once more, her smile stretching across her face as her hair formed a silken curtain of pink as she doubled over in humor. His fingers twitched and he counted himself lucky to be holding chopsticks, otherwise he would have been too tempted to help her tuck her rose locks behind her ear.

The table continued their giggles as they began to reach for their grills to pluck meat and chow down, Sai sitting in the center of it with a smile that looked almost genuine. "If you all could give me a nickname, what would it be?" he asked.

"Handsome," Ino winked.

"Honest One," Hinata offered.

"Art Guy," Shino replied. "Why, you ask? Well—"

"Littler Dick," Naruto sniffed, his ego clearly still hurt, and the table burst into laughter once more.

The banter continued, and, to Sasuke's surprise, he began to relax more and more into his seat. He didn't talk very much, though he recognized the feeling as being comfortable with listening as opposed to being tongue-tied. He was never one for back-and-forth quips unless it was with Naruto. For the first time in a long, long time, Sasuke felt…normal. He wasn't sure if he could call the other members of the Rookie Nine anything beyond peers, but he supposed it wasn't much different from how he'd viewed them in their past.

As the dinner began to wind down to the point where even Choji had finished eating, he failed to notice the distance he carefully crafted to be between himself and Sakura close until their legs brushed gently against each other beneath the table. He froze for a moment, hesitating as he wondered if Sakura would flinch away, but was surprised to feel her settle closely with him again. She was warm through her clothes, through his clothes. Despite the wafting, swirling scent of grilled meat and staling alcohol, small traces of the comforting rosemary and mint grounded him to her.

Sakura turned to him shyly, her petal pink lips forming into a soft smile.

His fingers twitched again.

For a moment, he pictured himself leaning in and whispering something to her. Just something. Anything.

Her grass-green eyes looked up at him with silent curiosity, as though she were asking him if he was okay, if he was comfortable. He couldn't find himself to respond to her quiet inquiry. It's like I could get lost in them.

"Right, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha reluctantly broke his gaze from the medic and turned to face Naruto, unable to hide that he was not paying attention. "Hm?"

"You're good to walk Sakura-chan home?"

The medic seemed to pull herself out of her trance, too, and she peered over Sasuke's shoulder. "I thought the three of us could hang out after?" she said, an undercurrent of anxiety nearly audible in her voice.

"I'm taking Hinata back," Naruto said, gesturing to the Hyuuga. "Shino and Kiba have a night shift at the gate. You'll both be okay, right?"

Sasuke needed to keep himself from frowning at the blond when he saw the familiar, mischievous twitch of his eyebrow. Naruto was doing this on purpose. That shit. It was as though the entire table was waiting for his response. He must have paused for too long, however, as Sai spoke up.

"If Sasuke doesn't want to, I can walk her home," the artist said over Ino's shoulder. "She—"

"It's fine," the Uchiha said tersely towards Sai, cutting off his train of thought. "I'll do it."

From the corner of his eye, he saw Sakura studying him carefully. It took a significant amount of willpower to not meet her gaze again, wary of what others may think of his sudden interruption of Sai's offer. Just a friend, he recited, walking a friend home.

As they rounded up their respective bills, the Rookie Nine and Sai migrated to the front of the restaurant to say their last goodbyes for the night. The street lights had come on, illuminating their salutations and embraces before the night shrouded them in darkness. Sasuke watched as Sakura gave each person a hug of gratitude for coming to the dinner. He studied her smile as it radiated warmth with each farewell, as her eyes beamed with a bittersweet glow of goodbye-for-now's. Next to him, Naruto appeared, strolling casually.

"You know how to get to her place from here, right?" Naruto asked, though Sasuke was sure the blond knew the answer.

"Why did you do that?" Sasuke probed, ignoring Naruto's question.

"Do what?"

"You know what you did."

Naruto snorted. "You said the two of you were okay last week. Why so testy?"

The Uchiha glared at the blond but felt his gaze falter as Naruto looked back at him knowingly, teasingly. "Tch," Sasuke huffed. "Because you are testing me."

"Maybe I am, but it's only because the two of you have been avoiding each other like the plague."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, but I think you do," Naruto chuckled. "I'm not that oblivious, Sasuke. I see you and Sakura-chan shoving me in the middle at every chance you get."

The Uchiha didn't want to dignify that comment with a reply, but he felt frustration in having been caught by who he thought was an unaware third party. He supposed that Naruto was likely oblivious to the cues of interpersonal relationships in the past, though it was when they were children. Maybe his dick size is the only thing about him that's the same, Sasuke thought smugly. Regardless, he decided to hold his tongue and remain stoic to avoid giving Naruto the satisfaction of being right.

"Your silence speaks volumes," Naruto snorted, then placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "If the two of you are so 'okay,' then you'll be more than fine to walk her home." He glanced over in Hinata's direction to verify her readiness to leave. The dark-haired girl nodded and turned to Sakura to give a final hug. "I get the sense you both need to talk to each other, anyway. You've been doing the weird eye thing again."

Sasuke scowled as he watched the blond saunter away, gesturing towards the Hyuuga princess apologetically before the two of them walked down the street. He turned to Sakura and noticed that they were the last two left in front of the restaurant. She seemed to notice it just as Sasuke had, and she anxiously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before hugging herself protectively. "Ready to go?" she asked, her voice timid.

They walked carefully side-by-side, a steady arm's length of distance away from each other. It was as though Sasuke was worried about misconstruing signals and about reading too much into hers.

It was torture.

He wanted to hurry and take her home to avoid the fear of destroying their fledgling friendship yet take as much time the rest of the night could offer to simply be in her presence. If only it weren't this difficult, he thought. In the training grounds, he couldn't help but gaze at her for a moment longer before she pulled away. It hurt him, if he were being truthful to himself, to see that the barrier of friendship had blurred what they once felt was comfortable. Playing it safe is best, he thought to himself, burying what felt like dull sadness aching in his chest. They were about one third of the way to her apartment when she decided to break the silence.

"Thanks for walking me home, Sasuke-kun."

He shrugged. "It's not that far. I don't mind." I wanted to.

"Well, I do appreciate it. It doubles your distance back to your place."

"I've walked farther." Wouldn't mind if it tripled.

"I guess you also get a chance to relearn the village streets."

"Most likely." The ones we walked before.

Sasuke shook his head in a futile effort to shake away the thoughts that whispered rebuttals. Sakura glanced over in his direction, and he shielded his discomfort by running his hand through his hair before stuffing it in his pocket. Quiet, he urged himself.

"Next time," Sakura said, a hint of anxiety in the undercurrent of her voice, "maybe Naruto can come along. I'll forgive him this time for walking Hinata home."

Sasuke frowned, remembering how Naruto had confronted him about his and the medic's efforts to use him as a human barricade. The only thing that separated them now was a measly length of air…which, in some ways, felt worse than a human barricade.

Silence.

"That Hyuuga girl still loves him, huh?" Sasuke asked before he could stop himself.

This seemed to take her a bit by surprise, and she let out a genuine chuckle. "Yeah, she does. I'm surprised you noticed it back then." She sighed. "Naruto is denser than molasses, though. He probably won't realize it for a while, but I'm pretty sure he's taking a liking to her in some ways."

Perceptive.

"Of course, I've always been pretty perceptive with these things," Sakura smiled, and Sasuke smirked in amusement when she, of course, vocalized his thoughts.

"Right," he said, his tone teasingly skeptical.

"You doubt me?" she asked, closing the distance between them by a single pace in challenge.

"A little."

"Name someone from dinner. I'll tell you what I think."

Sasuke thought for a moment. "Shikamaru."

"Ah, yes. Do you remember the shinobi around our age from Sunagakure? Gaara, the current Kazekage, and his siblings?"

"Yeah."

"His sister. The girl, Temari. I don't think she or Shikamaru realizes it, but they mesh very well together."

Sasuke tried to picture the two of them in his mind, and he vaguely remembered the severe kunoichi that was Gaara's sister. Or maybe…maybe that was someone else. Was he remembering someone from Otogakure? He couldn't seem to picture anyone's face anymore. He supposed that at the time of his first meeting with Gaara and his team, though, he was far more interested in the former jinchuuriki than with the others on his squad.

"You don't remember her, do you?" Sakura asked flatly.

"I do," he fibbed.

"Liar." She nudged his arm playfully. "Name another."

"The blond girl."

"You mean Ino."

"Yes."

Sakura grinned mischievously. "Easy. Sai."

Sasuke grimaced on instinct at the name, causing Sakura's laugh to ring out into the warm night air. The sound was refreshing, enough to make his grimace turn into a small smirk as he rolled his eyes.

"You don't like Sai," she pointed out.

"It doesn't take someone with extra skills of perception to see that."

"Because of his place on Team Seven?"

"No."

"Because he's awkward?"

"No."

"Because his art is weird?"

"No."

"Then why?" she pressed.

"Because he called you Ugly."

The moment it left his mouth, he wished to rewind time and order himself to filter his words. Mild heat rose to his face. He forced himself to look straight ahead and avoid her gaze, avoid the grass-green eyes he was sure to meet if he fed his own curiosity and continue their steady walking pace. He struggled to find the words to excuse his honesty. When his mind turned up empty and the uncomfortable silence continued to stretch between them, he tensed his jaw, ripped the bandage, and looked over at her. Simply turning in her direction seemed to startle the medic, as though she was still in her thoughts while she gazed at him, mouth parted slightly.

"Um…oh," she breathed. Sakura hugged herself protectively and he watched as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear once more. His fingers twitched within his pocket. "I guess, um," she stuttered, "I guess I should thank you for that. He's still working on sorting his thoughts before forming words. It ends up being that Sai is really direct, really honest."

And really blind. Sasuke silently sucked in a breath to control his snippy mind.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, neither of them breaking the tension. The Uchiha, if he were being honest, didn't know how. As more time passed and they entered into the final few minutes before their walk would end, he couldn't stop thinking about how ridiculous that artist, Sai, had been in calling her such a ridiculous nickname. That's what it was: ridiculous. Knowing Sakura's temper, perhaps she wanted to punch him at the time. Hopefully someone punched him for her. Maybe Sasuke would have.

"When he first called me that, I was so angry. I nearly crushed his skull right then and there," she scoffed at the memory, easing herself back into the conversation as though there wasn't a pause between them. His thoughts had been read again. "Then he had the nerve to call Ino, 'Beautiful,' not too long afterwards. I probably could punch him for it now, but Sai eventually became a friend. And it's not that I don't mind the nickname, anymore. I guess I got used to his quippy mannerisms and can't blame that he's still learning."

"You seem very forgiving of him," Sasuke commented, relieved that she didn't pinpoint any of his immediate discomfort after his blurted thought.

"It's my amazing empathy skills," she grinned, nudging him gently with her elbow. She then folded her hands behind her back as they continued walking in the peaceful village night, the distance between them close enough to feel her warmth at his side.

"Being a medic suits you."

"How so?"

"You listen well."

Sakura shrugged, and he felt their arms brush against each other as she did so. "My parents would say the contrary."

Sasuke thought about this for a moment. Her parents. He'd never seen them before, even when they were children. Maybe they'd crossed paths once or twice on days when parents were invited to the first day of their Academy classes or when they had end-of-year ceremonies, but he had no recollection of them. He'd heard a bit about her parents from the medic herself, though mostly her complaints when they were young. He was envious of her by the time they were on Team Seven together, coming home from missions to be greeted by voices instead of the bland whir of emptiness, to the point of shutting out any stories she had about them.

In the last two months, he'd shared more about himself and his relation to his family members, both immediate and extended, than he anticipated. This was especially the case during their last meeting together, sitting on the grassy fields of the training grounds. He felt sheepish in that he knew next to nothing about hers. And, even more so, something was troubling him about why that might be.

"Why did you move out of your family home?" he asked.

She hesitated, and he caught her pause. "Disagreements," she replied simply, though the lightness of her tone felt forced.

"Are they still in the village?"

"Yup."

"Do you speak with them?"

"Not really."

He frowned, feeling the familiar injustice he had in the past. She was lucky to have family, people with whom she shared blood. She was lucky they were alive. They couldn't have lived too far from her. The village might have expanded, but the new area where she lived wasn't too far away from the central suburbs where most of the villagers lived in their past. He didn't understand the reasoning behind avoiding them.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Disagreements," she said again.

"Sakura—"

"It's not that I don't love them, Sasuke-kun," she said before he could continue. "They just have an opinion that is strongly contrary to the way I live my life."

"What kind of opinion is so contrary that you won't speak with them?" He was growing frustrated.

She turned to him, the green in her eyes burning with frustration and sadness. "One that hurts me."

This quieted him, and he merely nodded his head to keep himself in check. They walked in silence again, though it wasn't tense; it was sad. It was a sadness that radiated around her, and he felt it. He felt sad, confused, and even a little bit desperate. It was like the night of her birthday, before she had reconciled with Nao and the civilian woman forced Sakura to think of young Nana. I don't know how to make you smile.

They turned the corner and slowed their pace as they entered her apartment complex. They stopped at the bottom of the staircase and she turned to him slowly. Her keys were in her hands, their soft jingling a sound he recognized as the precursor to a goodbye. She ran a hand through her pink hair and smiled a smile that looked as plastic as Sai's.

"I'd ask if you'd want to come in," she said, "but…"

It wouldn't be a good idea.

"It's fine," Sasuke said, shrugging his shoulders and turning to leave.

"Sasuke-kun."

He paused and looked back at her, attempting to quash the hope that started building in his chest.

"I'm leaving for Hana Village in two days with a medical team that I promised the villagers." When he didn't respond, she anxiously tucked her hair behind her ear. "I'll be gone for about a week. But when I come back, do you…do you want to grab dinner or something?"

He studied her for a moment, wondering again how to make her grin. "Does Naruto have to be there?" he asked, and she chuckled just as he wanted her to.
"No, he doesn't," she said, rewriting the unspoken rule they'd been following for the last week. "It can just be you and me. But it's not…it's not a date or anything. Just two friends having dinner."

Sasuke offered a small smile. "Sure."

"Okay," she said, her grin growing as she brought her hands to her chest in joy. "I'll see you when I come back."

He nodded once before he sauntered away, down the night-bathed streets of Konoha to his apartment, greeted once more not by voices, but by the bland whir of emptiness.