Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Rise

Chapter 3

"Only ten bowls, Naruto?" Sakura scoffs. "I'm shocked."

Naruto grumbles incoherently and frowns down at his first bowl of ramen. He can't remember the last time he came to Ichiraku's and ordered less than thirty. "I'm trying to watch my weight," he groans, patting his stomach. Sasuke swears he sees a tear fall down his cheek. "If I get fat I don't know if Hinata will like me anymore."

Sakura laughs so hard she's the one who starts to cry. After a good minute, with Naruto still sulking at his bowl, and Sasuke's eyes fixed upon the pure joy radiating from Sakura's face, she finally calms down. "Y-you're watching your weight so that Hinata will still like you?" she asks, and can't help but grin again. "Naruto, you're fine. You have a six pack, for crying out loud. Besides, I'm pretty sure you could be four hundred pounds and Hinata would still like you. Trust me."

Naruto pouts. "You think so?"

She nods, smiles, and reaches over to pat him on the head. "I know so."

This seems to cheer Naruto up, and with a whoop and a fist in the air, he adds ten bowls onto his original order.

An hour later they've finished with their meal, and Naruto waves goodbye, off to visit Hinata on the other side of the village.

"Make sure Sakura-chan gets home safe, Sasuke-teme!" he shouts, grinning from ear to ear. He sprints away before Sakura can punch him into the next decade.

She rolls her eyes, but begins walking with Sasuke anyway—both unspeaking—as her apartment is on the way to his.

Minutes go by as they make their way through the streets of Konoha. Strangely enough, Sakura remains silent by his side. Sasuke thinks that she was so happy before—why is it now that they're alone, she in his presence only, that her attitude changes, that her smile falls from her lips and her joyful demeanor vanishes?

Lost in his thoughts, Sasuke surprises even himself by opening his mouth, but then the words are out, and he finds that, possibly, this is for the best. "So you're a medic-nin now?"

From the corner of his eye, he sees Sakura jump slightly at the sound of his monotone voice. Her steps falter, and she looks at him with wide green eyes filled with shock.

"What?" she lets out, and her words are more high-pitched than normal. "Oh! Uh, yeah, I am."

He knew this already, of course, and he becomes impatient when, yet again, she grows silent. Dammit, did his attempt at conversation floor her so much to the point where she became mute?

He glances at her now, and finds that her gaze is cast on the road beneath her feet, head down, cheeks flushed and brows furrowed.

"How did you come across such a profession?" he prompts, oh-so calm, in hopes of not scaring her away with his growing impatience.

This time, she lifts her head to look at him and her eyes are only a little wide. She takes a deep breath and smiles, though it's tentative at best. "I begged Tsunade to train me right after Naruto left with Jiraiya," she begins slowly. "I knew my chakra control could be put to good use somehow, and medical jutsu seemed to be the perfect fit for me." She pauses. "I was tired of sitting around waiting for something that would miraculously make me a better shinobi. I had been weak for so long, let you and Naruto down so many times. I was sick of it. And I knew that, if I worked hard enough, I could be more than just someone to be protected."

Her smile has grown. It's unrestrained in its fullness, and this—this is the Sakura he wants to see, the Sakura she has only shown him a handful of times.

He is content with her answer, and now fully certain that speaking up in the first place was a good choice.

Suddenly, though, she stops walking, and he's confused for a moment before he hears the jangling of keys and realizes that they've arrived at her apartment.

"Thanks for walking with me, Sasuke-kun," she says. There's a light dusting of pink on her cheeks, but her voice is confident, eyes radiating delight. "Are you heading home now?"

Sasuke nods and moves to rest his hands in the pockets of his pants. Tilting his head just a little, he asks, "When should I be back for dinner?"

Sakura's expression twists in puzzlement. "Pardon?"

He's slightly amused. "You offered me a home-cooked meal."

"Oh!" Realization widens her eyes, and she blushes fiercely. "Of course! How could I forget? Sorry." She laughs. "I just didn't expect for you to actually take up the offer. I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised."

Perhaps he should continue to surprise her more often. The happiness growing in her vibrant green eyes is something he does not dislike, not at all.

"Hm," she ponders, hand on hip. "I'm free mostly on the weekends." Her eyes flicker back to his. "Wait, actually, this Friday would be perfect! I should be back from my mission pretty early. Does six p.m. that day work for you?"

Sasuke's still on parole, so the list of things he can do is severely limited. Normally being reminded of it would put him in a sour mood, but in this moment he doesn't mind. "Aa."

She beams. "Well then, I'll see you in a few days, Sasuke-kun. Have a good night!"

She moves to unlock the door and head inside. He supposes he should leave and stop talking now, but his mouth hasn't obeyed him ever since they left Ichiraku's, and it decides otherwise.

"Be safe on your mission, Sakura," he says.

Once again her eyes meet his. She smiles for the hundredth time, and nods. "I'll make sure to."

A/N: As always, there is nothing that encourages me to write more than a review. Even if it's just a smiley face. Trust me, your reviews mean the world to me. :)

Until next time!

With love,

Shannon