Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Naruto, and some of the lines below are from the manga, ch. 699.

Sasuke had needed a minute to collect himself after Sakura's offer to come with him. He had been planning a solo trip, and hadn't taken even a second to think about bringing anyone with him. Of course Naruto would love to come with him, but Sasuke knew he had his own responsibilities in the village. Especially with his aspirations to become Hokage. Plus, a certain Hyuuga princess would be heartbroken if he left for any extended amount of time. Also, Sasuke needed some silence and peace. Neither of those concepts had touched the Dobe. EVER. Sasuke also hadn't thought Sakura would offer again, not after his previous rejection and then his quite recent use of a genjutsu with himself stabbing her chest with his chidori. He'd been pretty sure she would have decided he wasn't worth the effort or emotion. He should have known better. For whatever reason, Sakura cared about him. Might even love him, despite all his flaws. She had certainly proclaimed her love and devotion throughout their youth, but Sasuke had learned to set aside those claims from girls. None of them had known him, not intimately. All they saw was the dark, handsome Uchiha, child prodigy and last surviving member of his clan. None knew the truth about his brother, about his clan. None of them knew the pain and anguish he had lived with after killing his brother and learning the truth. None understood his shame that this had all come about by the work of two Uchiha's thought to be long dead. They didn't know of his love for tomatoes and omusubi with okaka. Nor his dislike of sweet things and natto. Those girls had only ever cared about how good he looked, his money and prestige, and how jealous the other girls would be if he dangled on their arm.

As a child, he had seen Sakura in the same light. She was just another weak girl who desired all his outward attributes and cared nothing for the essence of who Sasuke was. Or, that had been his opinion of her until she had proven her strength and place on Team 7. She had shown all of them what she was made of, what she was capable of. She had proven that she deserved to stand tall as a proud Konoha kunoichi, as the successor of one of the three legendary Sannin. He was now proud to call her teammate, and ashamed of how he had underestimated her over the years. He had harbored feelings of admiration for her, and those feelings had been evolving recently. He had always cared about her on some level. Maybe a part of him had been aware of her since the beginning. Maybe she had seen something in himself that he had been unable or unwilling to see. Maybe there was more to them than either had ever dared to dream of. Maybe he COULD use a companion on this journey after all.

"It's my road to redemption. You have nothing to do with my sins."

She quickly looked down and hunched her shoulders. It looked as though she were about to cry. Sasuke paused as he thought about how to phrase his thoughts and feelings. Kakashi's steady gaze was already starting to shift. His eyes crinkled and a grin slowly spread under his mask. Damn the man. He had always been able to read them all better than anyone else. He had better keep his snarky mouth shut.

"Nothing to do...you say…"

Her dejection was clear in her voice. It tugged at his heart to hear her already sure of his refusal of her offer. He knew his previous behavior wouldn't give her any indication of how he really felt. His emotional constipation over the years was legendary, and even he knew he had a lethal resting bitch face. Well, now was the time to make a change if he was going to do it. His hand reached up and he tapped her forehead, the same way Itachi had always done to him. Her head whipped up and her startled green eyes met his. She looked adorably stunned. Her eyes were large and her jaw had dropped open. The flush on her cheeks stood out amongst the pink locks framing her face. He soaked up her beautiful presence.

"I guess another member along the journey wouldn't be so bad, as long as the Dobe doesn't decide he needs to come as well."

Sasuke knew what he was committing to. They were both grown adults with chemistry between them, and they would be traversing alone. He watched her facial expressions change as he was sure the magnitude of his acceptance hit her full force. Her eyes had been wide before, but now it seemed as though they would fall from her face. The flush that had stained her cheeks crept in all directions up to her forehead and down her neck and chest. Her plump lips formed an "Oh" of surprise and her hands rushed up to slap her cheeks. Sasuke wasn't about to ruin this chance to see if they could get to know each other better and pursue whatever "this" was between them. He hadn't had a thought about it until moments before, but now that the offer had been extended and accepted...well, all bets were off.

Her fish out of water routine ended on a deep breath and a double take as she made sure he was serious.

"Did you just say I could travel with you?"

"Yes. I would not begrudge your presence on this journey. Although, you have to be certain. We will not be traveling back to Konoha regularly. There may be long stretches where you will not see your family and friends here. Your work in the hospital will be impossible to keep up with. We may have people attack us on the road as we travel. These are all things you should consider before we leave. I promise I will ensure your safety."

Sakura was astounded. Sasuke had not only accepted her offer to travel with him, but he had a small smile on his face as though he enjoyed the idea of them together. His points were all valid. She would need to settle her affairs with the hospital, pack and say goodbye to her friends and family, and make sure that she didn't leave any loose ends before they left. Holy shit, this was actually happening.

"Of course I've considered all the ramifications of leaving with you. I wouldn't have offered if I hadn't thought it through. You need someone to teach you how to love life. How much time before we leave?"

Sasuke inwardly laughed. It was blatantly obvious she hadn't thought through any of those things, and that she had offered on a spur of the moment. He would let her think she had gotten away with the deception. He needed to learn how to love life? That sounded sappy as hell, but also like a nice change of pace. He had spent years of his life dedicated only to vengeance, against Itachi and then for Itachi. Now he needed something else to be devoted to. A future of his design seemed like a good place to start.

"2 Days. That should be enough time to get everything settled, packed, and ready to go."

Sakura snorted. Two days my ass. She would need a month to really settle everything, but 2 days was the time she was given. She'd make it happen, one way or another.