- N -

Training the following morning began with stretches and simple target warm up. A frustrated grunt from Sasuke pulled everyone's attention to the man. Wind milling his new arm around to stretch it, he was clearly experiencing difficulty with it.

"Do you want me to look at it?" Shrugging was all Sakura received in response and Sasuke resumed throwing weapons. The group transitioned to sparring with Naruto and Sasuke pairing off while Sakura trained with Kakashi, Sai being absent for a mission. Sakura had put restriction on the two recovering men, so they mostly engaged in taijutsu and genjutsus – Naruto being allowed to use his favorable skill in clones.

Despite continued difficulty with his arm throughout the day, Sasuke refused Sakura's requests to look at it and the day progressed with more breaks than usual.

"God dammit!" Sasuke roared, catching all of their attention. Arm hanging limply at his side, Sasuke was panting after his outburst. "What the fuck? It was fine yesterday!" Exasperation bled into his voice along with anger.

"Let me look at it." Sakura took on a placating tone knowing the Uchiha male was clearly losing his temper at the setback. Until this point neither man had experienced particularly rough days training and it had been a miracle that their uninterrupted improvement had lasted so long. "It's expected for the wear and tear to start to impact your mobility, a few days off and healing sessions should get you back training." Reaching out to his shoulder, she was stopped by him jerking away from her reach and Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the interaction.

"I'm fine. I don't need to take time off."

"Sasuke, don't be stubborn. You're clearly in pain and not training at your best." The comment, while true, only further pissed him off.

"I don't need to be fucking healed. I need this arm to not be useless. Did you not attach everything right?" Naruto and Kakashi were watching the exchange closely and Kakashi opened his mouth to interrupt, but Naruto beat him to it.

"Teme, leave her alone. She gave you that arm and you've been using every day since then, don't be ungrateful." Naruto rarely took on his current angry tone, but his brotherly love for Sasuke didn't mean he wouldn't beat the man senseless for offending Sakura. Not only because he was protective of their female teammate, but also because he knew Sakura had a harder time standing up for herself against Sasuke.

"Fuck off, Naruto. Stay out of this," the dark haired man snarled, only sparing a glance at the blonde before returning his piercing gaze to Sakura. "It might be better if I see Tsunade for treatment."

Hurt struck Sakura's expression and her face fell. Recovering faster than anyone expected, she lashed out in return. "Have fun explaining to her that you told me I wasn't doing a good enough job, you'll be lucky to still have either arm after that."

"How great for you," he replied bitterly. Sweeping his arm in a circle to gesture to the village, he continued in a harsh tone. "Sakura, the prized flower of Konoha! You've got the entire village worshipping you. Apprentice of the current hokage, who happens to be a renowned Sannin, and best friend of the future hokage." Moving at a rapid pace he was in her face before she could take a breath. "All of that means nothing on the battlefield, maybe focus more on yourself than others – it's your healing that has me like this."

Stalking off the training grounds, Sasuke muttered curses as he attempted to move his now tingling arm, but before he made it halfway home Naruto snatched his numbing shoulder. Sasuke was yanked around to face the furious glare of the whiskered Kyuubi holder.

"What the fuck was that about? You can't lose your temper on her just because you had a bad day." Naruto held fast to the dark hair man's shoulder despite Sasuke's efforts to shake the blonde off.. "I don't know what the fuck is going on with you in general, but especially with Sakura. One minute you acknowledge all that she's the only one able to help you with your arm and the next you're losing it over something that isn't her fault."

Stiffening at being called out so openly, Sasuke paused for several long moments before he recovered enough to respond. "This isn't my arm, it won't be until it fucking works."

Naruto scoffed and released the man. "I'm not the same person I was all those years ago and neither is Sakura." The whiskered man ran a hand through his hair roughly before sighing. "Don't hurt her because you're scared. Like I said before – she's got a soft spot for you, but you're not the only one. Miss this chance and there may not be another one."

"I don't need chances and I don't care who she emotionally invests herself in. Sakura was fine without me and she will be again if necessary."

Burying his face in his hands, Naruto whispered, "Teme, you don't understand."

"What? You always act like there's something I don't know and I'm sick of it."

"She wasn't fine without you. You were her greatest failure – she loved you and she couldn't save you. Every moment of her life is dedicated to saving others." Sasuke shifted uncomfortably at the topic. Naruto knew they hadn't broached the topic of the havoc Sasuke had caused with his departure. It sure as hell wasn't a desirable topic to talk about.

"There wasn't a day I didn't see her haunted by you leaving. Other people moved on and gave up. Fangirls found a new guy to worship and the other teams assumed you weren't coming back. But she wasn't a fangirl and you weren't just another genin, she loved you as a person and a teammate." Naruto could see is Sasuke's obsidian eyes that he had caught the man unprepared for the conversation and his reactions were unguarded.

"We all abandoned her. You left, I left, and Kakashi never gave her the time of day. As her teammate and friend, it took me too long to see that - but she never complained. She was sad, but she wasn't bitter. She worked to be better - to be good enough to fight with us. We can't go back, but I'm going to give my all to make the future different."

"Thanks for the dramatic speech. Sounds just like your one about being hokage," Sasuke snapped.

"Probably because I'm just as serious about this. If I ever hear you talk to her like that again I'm going to beat the shit out of you," Naruto threatened in a dangerously low tone.

"Tch."

"Glad we're in agreement. Now let's go get some lunch! You don't need to go pout alone and I'm starving!"

- S -

Watching Sasuke walk away with Naruto chasing him felt oddly symbolic to the only female team member of the Team 7. They were always chasing each other, trying to be even while she stood in the background. Unnoticeable, unworthy. It was only a matter of time.

"Sakura?" Finding Kakashi by her side startled Sakura from her thoughts and she flashed him a brief smile.

"It's okay, Sensei. He's just tired and in pain."

"He shouldn't speak to you. He doesn't know how to apologize to you because he has so much to apologize for."

A light laugh escaped Sakura's mouth. "You should head home, I'm sure you've got sleep to catch up on because of me." That comment was the first time she'd really acknowledged her need for him and how it impacted him. It struck guilt into her stomach as she suddenly began to sort through all the ways she was inconveniencing him. She needed to let up on how often she called on him for her own selfish needs.

Without offering him an opportunity to respond, Sakura set off to look for Neji. She eventually found him talking with Shikamaru in interrogation. It only took a pointed glance and he bid goodbye to Shikamaru before falling into step with Sakura as she made her way to the residential section of Konoha.

"How is training?" Neji had always been an incredibly perceptive person, but he had become especially in tune with her emotions.

"They hit their first setback."

"And by 'they', you mean Sasuke?"

"Yes." Sakura had clasped her hands together behind her back while looking up at the sky as she walked, her voice barely a whisper. His white eyes bore into the back of her head, but she refused to turn around and face him directly for fear of breaking down. Fear of letting the reality sink in.

"What do you plan to do?"

"Nothing really, just keep on training. His arm is sore and needs rest, but he didn't necessarily injure it."

"I didn't mean about the training, Sakura." Blinking, she finally turned to face him with a confused look. "About your feelings for him."

A moment of silence passed before she spoke, but there was no flush on her face nor a stutter in her voice. "I respect that he doesn't feel anything towards me and, if I'm honest, I don't know if I feel anything for him anymore. I love him as a teammate and friend, but I don't see any scenario in which we have a future together." Neji merely responded with raised eyebrows and a slightly lift of the corner of his mouth.

Letting them in her front door, Sakura collapsed into the couch despite being filthy from a day of training. Going up the stairs to shower felt overwhelming. He settled on the couch beside her and watched her with a hard stare. "It may be rude of me to say so, but I'm relieved."

Wincing at his words, Sakura pulled her knees up under her chin and cursed at how the Hyuuga man noted her defensive pose. "Today was the first time I had to remember what I am to him, just a medic. And, despite being upset at how he acted, I'm not hurt to realize that's what he sees."

"He returned to a very different version of Konoha, to a very different version of you. I think he's still trying to find his place in all of it and where he stands with everyone. From what I have seen, he has taken to the team well aside from his setbacks," Neji commented, producing a soft smile from the pinkette. "Now you just have to start being aware of other men who want to waste your time."

Scoffing, Sakura leveled him with a tired look. "Neji, I know it's uncomfortable talking about these things, but lying doesn't become you. There's no one looking at me."

"I don't lie to you." Silence ensued as she considered his words. He had never lied to her and there was no reason to believe he had this time. "You offer many things, but that means many undesirable suitors are looking to you. You're worthy of a respectful relationship where you are equal, not just a trophy."

Sakura chewed her lip for a moment before softly replying, "That would be nice if it was true, eh?" Before he could respond she stood and began to make her way upstairs. "I'm taking a shower, but there's supplies for a shrimp stir fry in the fridge. Get it started and I'll be down soon."

Sakura unlocked her bedroom door and slid it closed behind her with a heavy, stuttering sigh as she finally let the emotions of the day overtake her. Falling into her normal habit, she pressed the heels of her hand into her eyes. She began to strip off articles of clothing as she made her way to her bathroom – tossing them into her laundry basked as she went. Her house had benefitted from the days she took off to appease Kakashi. Every inch of the place had been scrubbed and all of her clothes had been washed.

Warm water pounded against her skin as she waited for it to get hotter. Left alone with her thoughts, Sakura's mind became weighed down. There was at least the relief of having Neji around for dinner. The man always provided clear-headed, useful insight – even if it sometimes pissed her off.

Running her hands through her hair to wash it, she felt gratitude for the Hyuuga grow in her chest. They had been barely acquaintances for the longest time, pleasant with each other but sharing no significant work or social interactions. However, when she was assigned her first assassination mission Tsunade had paired him with her on the mission. Neji had the byakugan, had gone directly from a genin to jonin, and had begun assassination missions long before his peers due to his rank.

It had been a rather black and white mission. The target was a ruthless thug that terrorized civilians who lived too far from the Konoha village gates to be afforded constant watch. He robbed them and threatened them. The man had no family and no village association, there was no grey area of leaving a trail of grief after the killing.

That didn't make taking her first life easier.

Neji had been patient with her as she internally agonized over the mission and was watching from nearby when she completed her mission. In such a dark hour, he had said something that had bonded them beyond what she felt for most of the Rookie 9. "I do not see emotion as weakness in you. I see the strength of it, how potent it can be and how it motivates your strength instead of impeding your strength."

Neji taught her how to accept the darker facets of ninja life. She taught him love – friend, family, or romantic love – could be the ultimate weapon to drive skill. Their friendship had continued to grow as they trained together, went on missions together, and spent time together. Honesty was key between them, he never glazed over the truth so she could come to him knowing he wouldn't try to put an unnecessary positive spin on things. Naruto, even Ino at times, tended to try and downplay reality while Neji gave her the hard facts.

"Whatever you've done with that random assortment of vegetables smells absolutely amazing," Sakura commented as she descended the stairs with damp hair, spandex shorts, and a big t-shirt.

"You just can't cook," he replied simply, stirring the cooking vegetables in the skillet.

"Don't be rude to your host."

"Not much of a host if I'm doing the cooking," he shot back, but there was no anger in his tone. Their relationship was similar to that of she and Naruto's minus the blonde's exuberant attitude. Bonded almost like siblings, the two bantered over pointless topics and looked to each other in the worst and best times.

"How's Tenten?" Spatula scraped against pan as he momentarily lost his composure before casually resuming stirring.

"Fine."

"Have you asked her out officially yet? We all survived a war together and you're still afraid to call your mid-training make outs a date." Another man may have blushed at being caught, but Neji simply stood a little taller and shrugged.

He tended to bounce back and forth from one foot to another when he was uncomfortable – a tell that he only subconsciously let slip around her. "I don't need to use certain words to show what she means to me."

Sakura smiled at the Hyuuga man softly as she lifted herself to sit atop her kitchen table, facing his back as he cooked. In some ways Neji reminded her of Sasuke. Neji was quiet, private, and not great at expressing his emotions. But she merely felt friendship for the Hyuuga despite having plenty of opportunity for them to be more.

"Do I need to have a word with him about respect?" Ah, I've kicked in his brotherly instincts.

"I'm fine, a few shitty comments never stopped me. If they had, I'd never have survived being mentored by Tsunade." Offering a nod of assent, he flicked the stove burned off and produced two plates and sets of silverware from her cabinets.

Neji handed her dinner and they made no move to sit at the dining table for eating, instead remaining in their current positions.

"I guess, until now, I thought I'd let go of my silly hopes of how things would be when he got back. That he would forgive us like we forgave him," she breathed out wistfully.

"What does he have to forgive you for? He's clearly in the wrong."

"There were a lot of things I didn't try to understand. I knew he was tortured because of his family's massacre, but I was so simplistic with how I tried to help. Female attention and stupid jokes weren't going to break through a tragedy like that." Taking a few bites, she poked at the meal with her fork while she chewed. "Today made me realize that I was still holding onto those hopes."

Neji stared at her thoughtfully for several long moments. "Humor and fawning female attention may have not helped him resolve his trauma, but I think you're looking for a way to change your actions to something that would have prevented him from leaving." Sakura stood by silently as she watched him. She had come to know Neji's expression when he was thinking. "I don't think there was anything that could have stopped him from leaving, but what you and Naruto gave him through your actions were bonds worth coming back to once he'd led that path of revenge."

Sakura's spiral into depressive regret was halted so suddenly she felt as if she'd just gotten whiplash. Neji was right, she had been looking for a solution for the past and not considering what a feat it was that she and Naruto had been able to bring Sasuke home at all.

"For a man who can barely speak a sentence to the woman he loves you've sure got a lot of wisdom hidden under that ponytail."

"You should watch your tongue when talking to a man that cooked your dinner."