Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Rise

Chapter 4

It's six p.m. and Sasuke is on time as always. He knocks briskly on Sakura's door—three short taps—and then steps back slightly so as not to startle her with his close proximity.

He hears a loud crash of metal from inside, and Sakura swears loudly enough for him to make out the words.

"Coming!" she calls. The sound of footsteps follow, and seconds later the door is swung open.

He's met with her unbelievably bright smile, and a happy chirp of "Hi, Sasuke-kun!" before she steps aside and ushers him into the apartment.

He follows her down the hallway and takes note of her outfit as he walks. Sakura is clad in a simple cream skirt and red shirt, with a white apron tied around her middle. Her hair is pulled up into a small ponytail, bangs pinned, leaving her cheerful features open for him to see.

"You're right on time!" she says in an upbeat manner. Upon entering the small kitchen, he's met with the delicious smell of katsu, and thinks she must've improved her cooking skills since the last time he tried her food.

The kitchen is attached to a larger living room, with a dining table, couch, and TV arranged neatly within it. The walls of the house are the color of sand, with the couch and dining table a warm brown. There's pictures decorating the walls—Team 7 from before he defected, Sakura and what he assumes are her parents, and several others depicting her with the rest of the shinobi their age. It's simple, homey—just as she said.

Sakura glances at him as he stands awkwardly at the edges of the kitchen. She gestures toward the living room. "Make yourself comfortable at the table."

He does as she says, and Sakura moves to the stove and turns it off before distributing the food into two separate bowls. "Would you like something to drink, Sasuke-kun?" She looks at him from over her shoulder. "I have tea, water, beer, and a few bottles of wine."

He ponders this for a moment. "I'll have wine."

A minute later they're sitting across from each other at the table, and Sasuke keeps his eyes on Sakura as she takes a small sip from her own wine glass.

Shortly after, her rich green eyes meet his. "I hope you like it," she says, gesturing at the food. "Naruto says it's his favorite of all the things I make."

Sasuke nods and, curious if it tastes as good as it smells, takes a bite. It's surprisingly delicious, and he swallows before telling her, "You did well."

That's all he needed to say before she's beaming at him. A soft blush appears on her cheeks. "I'm glad you like it."

They eat for a few minutes in silence, with Sasuke glancing up at Sakura every few moments. Every time she's either focused on her food or staring at random places on the wall, chewing thoughtfully.

Sasuke clears his throat after finishing a bite, and decides he enjoys surprising her. So he asks calmly, "How was your mission?"

Sakura blinks at him, still chewing on her last piece, then quickly finishes and responds, "It went really well, actually. I've only been on a handful of solo missions before, so I was a little nervous, but I pulled it off without a hitch." There's pride in her eyes, but it's not in the least gloating. "I'm going to ask Tsunade-shishou to give me more missions. After the war passed I realized how much I missed being out on the field."

"Does she usually have you working at the hospital?" It's easier than he expected, he thinks, to continue a conversation with her. She hasn't looked sad at all this entire time, and he feels encouraged by it.

"Yeah," Sakura responds, albeit wistfully. "I love working at the hospital, I truly do. I just think I'm more useful out on the field. Tsunade-shishou and Shizune are here to watch over the hospital, and there's really nothing better than going out and being right in the middle of all the action."

She pauses to eat another bite, and Sasuke waits for her to continue, "Now that I'm strong enough to hold my own, I'm itching to go out there and keep practicing what I've learned. Can't have the boys running around out there stealing the fun all by themselves." She grins, and he can't help but feel one corner of his lips turn up in response.

"What about you, Sasuke-kun? Wanna try going on missions again with us once your parole ends?" Her eyes are hopeful.

And so he nods. "I don't see why not."

Again it was the right decision to make, the right thing to say, because her eyes light up impossibly more, and her smile is almost blinding. "Naruto will be so jealous he can't come since he's always stuck helping Kakashi-sensei with his paperwork." She laughs. "I'll have to make sure to brag about it."

They finish eating fairly quickly, and before he knows it Sakura is cleaning up the dishes from the table and depositing them in the kitchen sink. Sasuke moves wordlessly to join her, beginning to dry the newly-washed dishes with a towel as she places them in the drying rack.

She meets his gaze as she hands him the second dish. Her lips curve upward. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun."

He holds her gaze for a few moments before turning back to the task before him. "Aa."

Once they've finished and cleaned everything up, Sakura offers him another glass of wine, to which he politely refuses. Though bitter, the wine was still just a tad too sweet for him.

"I think I'll head home for the night," he says. He's planning on getting up early tomorrow to train before too many people crowd the village.

Sakura's standing in the kitchen, leaning against the countertop. She runs a hand through her hair, and then lets her palm fall to rub against her neck. Her eyes on the floor, she says quietly, "Thanks for coming over tonight."

But then she glances up to look at him, almost shy, a soft blush staining her cheeks, and he can see how truly thankful she really is. It shines in her eyes, how much she cares for him, how much she enjoys having him around, and he wonders what kind of hero he must've been in his past life to still hold her affection after all these years.

She and Naruto never fail to surprise him. They're anomalies to him, mysteries, and he doesn't think he'll ever quite understand why he—so harsh and unforgiving in his nature, even when he doesn't truly mean it, and having committed so many crimes in his young life he doesn't think he will ever forgive himself for—has been the source of their unwavering love for so long. He may not be heartless and he may not be cruel, but still...

He doesn't deserve it. Not in the least. He especially does not deserve Sakura, not her kind heart, not her countless smiles reserved all for him, or the fact that he attempted to kill her and here she is, inviting him over like it's nothing, like she forgives him for all he's done, like he's her friend.

The thought pulls at him just a little, and for a moment he feels a sort of solemness that's entirely foreign to him. He finds himself entertaining the thought that he really should repay her for all that she's done for him but he doesn't have a clue how to go about it.

"Would you like to train with me tomorrow morning?" His mouth seems to do the work for him.

Her head snaps up quickly and her lips part in disbelief. "I-I would love to," she rushes, then pauses, and swears under her breath. "Actually, I can't. I promised Tsunade-shishou I would watch over the new interns at the hospital all day tomorrow. It's the first Saturday I'll be working in a while."

Taking her rejection in stride, not quite willing to let his effort go to waste just yet, he responds, "Another day, then."

It's all he needed to say. That beaming smile returns, finding its rightful place on her lips.

"Another day," she agrees.

That night, Sasuke falls asleep easily, mind at peace, but the subsequent nightmares are terrifying. He wakes up in the middle of the night with jolt, as he usually does when the nightmares are particularly bad, but this time it's not just the sight of his lifeless parents or Itachi's bleeding eyes that swirls around his head, still fresh from sleep.

The chirping of a million threads of lightning roars in his head. Green eyes are forever wide, and the horror in them—directed at him, at what he did, what he became—never fades.

It's a good matter of seconds before he levels out his breathing, before his chest stops heaving and he finally becomes still.

With hooded eyes, Sasuke stares at his hands that rest in his lap. His palms are facing upward, open for him to see. And the longer he stares, the harder it becomes to stop them from shaking.

Deep down inside, despite the relative calm and peace he's found these last few months in Konoha, Sasuke doesn't know if his scars from the past will ever completely vanish. Deep down, despite this new life he's starting to get used to…

He doesn't know if he'll ever be ready to truly forgive himself for what he's done.

Sasuke's mouth settles in a harsh line. He glances at the clock resting on his bedside table. 4:37 a.m.

With a sigh he decides he may as well get up and start the day. Earlier than he originally planned, but he knows the chances of him falling back asleep are extremely low. It's futile to try, really.

And so Sasuke stands from the bed, tugs on his plain black training clothes. The sky is completely dark when he steps outside, and a gust of wind sends thick black hair brushing across his face. Around him the streets of Konoha are silent, as if the city is holding its breath.

Sasuke pauses and his eyes shift upward to focus on the night sky above. It's rich and deep in color, black like his own eyes. The moon hangs full and low amongst the darkness, illuminating the night in a soft, pearlescent glow.

The wind once again sweeps by, softer this time. With eyes on the moon, he notices that his hands have stopped shaking.

Silent as the night around him, he tears his eyes away from the sky and makes his way through Konoha's slumbering streets.

A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter! I'm in the middle of a huge midterm project right now but they made me smile. :) Please let me know what you think of this chapter!

With love,

Shannon