Chapter 11
Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke was again home in the leaf village but not in the same way that his old comrads from team 7 were. After the war and returning home, Naruto and Sakura were moved to the hospital, and Sasuke was moved to a detention center.
After the order was made upon arriving home, Kakashi fought it, even yelling at the Hokage and causing a scene.
Sasuke knew that what he had done by leaving the village would have branded him a traitor, and that now he would have to pay the price to make that up to the people of the village. It's not like anyone had the power to kill him, so he felt he had nothing left to fear. The war had changed his mind about a few things that he had been so certain about before. Seeing Itachi again, connecting with Naruto, made him realize that love is what really mattered in the world. Love is what took the old him and gave him the ability to let go of his hatred. A hatred that was so strong the world was almost destroyed because of it.
As a result he was also badly wounded, but the medical care he received was pretty good. He was surprised to see Sakura the first night that he was detained although she was his medic and made sure he would be healing from his injuries. He kept remembering when they were on team 7 together and how she wasn't very useful as a ninja, but she had changed quite a bit.
On this first night he remembered her explaining the extent of his injuries
"I have to tell you that this doesn't look good Sasuke," she mentioned, "I have been examining both you and Naruto to see what can be done, Lady Tsunade said there there is an operation that can be done, but it's pretty intense and may not be successful. If it isn't a success, then you will no longer be a shinobi."
Sasuke didn't take the news well, he was furious that after all his training and how far he had come, he was so close to losing everything. "Sakura, can you please give me some time to process this…alone" he added.
"Yeah, sure Sasuke," Sakura answered and stepped out of his cell.
Now he understood why Orochimaru went to the lengths he did to preserve himself. He really could use his own curse mark right about now. He decided that he would just have to be patient and wait for the operation. He felt more like a bird in a cage than ever because he understood that he held no leverage over the situation.
Sakura came a few times a day to help with his treatment.
After about a week of Sakura coming in to help him he asked her "Why are you doing this for me Sakura?"
"Doing what?" she asked
"Why are you helping me after everything I've done, even after I tried to kill you?"
"Twice," Sakura added "You tried to kill me twice."
"So, how were you able to forgive that?" he asked
"Well, I don't know that I have." She replied
Sasuke sat up at this because up until this point he assumed that that's what had happened.
"Sasuke, you need to lay down and rest, I've told you to stop setting up," she yelled at him.
Every time he sat up he needed her help lying back down again. He listened to her because it was easier than fighting her about it like he had done the day before, and far less scary.
Sakura was the only visitor he had in the first week, he was lucky to have some company in such a depressing place. He was used to the quiet solitude when he was training with Orochimaru, and then again with Obito. The members of the black ops would walk past his cell from time to time to break his illusion that he was on his own.
"Does it make you feel better to think I had forgiven you?" she asked him.
After a long pause he answered "I'm not sure how to answer that Sakura."
She couldn't help it that she loved Sasuke, she had fallen for him years ago and there was no one else for her as far as she could tell. So many times she wanted to not love him, especially after what he had tried to do to her. She couldn't handle his coldness sometimes and he had reached her limit for the day.
"I'll be back tomorrow," she pronounced coldly as she turned to leave
He watched her walk away without a goodbye. He knew it would take time if he wanted to make things right with Sakura, a long time from the looks of it.