It is nearly another year before he is coerced into returning again, this time strongarmed by Naruto into meeting his wife.

He already knows Hinata, of course, and suspects Naruto of trying to entice him to return more permanently; they argue via letter for weeks before Sasuke relents. He is painfully aware that he'd let his friend down by missing the wedding, and he's in the area already, so he alters his course without too much exasperation.

Sasuke scowls as he is tackled by the overexcited jinchuuriki almost as soon as he crosses the gate, but is not entirely immune to his friend's antics.

"I thought I was supposed to be meeting Hinata, dobe."

Naruto grins. His blond hair is worn short these days, and he's lost the hideous orange jumpsuit in favor of a more muted black and orange uniform jacket. A welcome change, Sasuke thinks.

"Yeah, yeah. She's back at the house. I just wanted to see you, ya know? It's been too long."

Sasuke shakes his head at his friend's incessant chatter as they continue on, updating him on everything from the village's new construction to Ichiraku's reformatted menu.

Some things never change.

The Uzumaki residence is a pleasant, small but comfortable. Sasuke feels a wave of warmth wash over him as Naruto pushes the door ajar, and can't help but envy him.

He hears bustling sounds coming from the kitchen and then Hinata emerges. She appears very different from what Sasuke remembers, but then he never knew her very well anyway.

Eternally modest, Naruto's wife wears a simple, sleeveless kimono blouse and a white apron, and her long hair is now more maturely cropped. Four years have only served to increase Hinata's gentle beauty, and Sasuke wonders if she's actually too good for his dobe of a friend.

"Sasuke, come in," She says, good-naturedly but demure, and she motions to the home's small seating area.

Her voice seems stronger now, infinitely more confident than the timid girl he remembers from the Academy, and as she moves to greet her husband, Sasuke observes that they've balanced each other out.

Once again, he feels a pang of jealousy. He is pleased for Naruto, but Sasuke's doomed to his wandering nature, and he knows he can never afford the luxury of this settled life.

"Hey, Hinata, where do you want these-"

Sasuke starts, and turns in his seat just in time to see Sakura saunter through the kitchen's doorway.

Instead of Hinata, her eyes land on him, astonished, and they both freeze.

Inexplicably, Sasuke's brain offers an image of a cat poised motionless before its prey, and suddenly, illogically, he's afraid she's going to hit him, but instead she simply rearranges her features into an expression of amiable neutrality.

"Sasuke. It's been a while."

"Ten months," he says without knowing why, and immediately berates himself.

Sakura's neutral mask cracks at the edges as her eyebrows knit quizzically, but Naruto cuts in obliviously before she can reply; for once, Sasuke is thankful for his friend's loud mouth.

"The gang's all here, let's eat!"

As the Uzumaki home is only large enough to allow for a four-person dining table, Sasuke inevitably finds himself seated next to Sakura; this is a factor he attempts to ignore, but the recent exchange between them makes him wish they were somehow separated further. She maintains her determinedly platonic air, and he can't help but feel insulted by how much better she is than him at addressing the situation with indifference.

Situation. When did it become a situation? He glowers internally at the soft spot in his chest, which suddenly threatens to balloon out of its designated corner, and is disgruntled with the unwarrantedness of it all.

Hinata appears before the table with a large cooking pot, and the distinct scent of homecooked ramen interrupts his thoughts. Sasuke notes this with some amusement. No wonder the dobe loves her so much.

The food is quickly distributed and conversation bubbles amongst them as Naruto gives the order to dig in, but Sasuke is so intent on avoiding brushing Sakura's arm that he eats little and says less. If she notices this, she gives no indication, content to banter with Hinata over hospital matters, tease Naruto, and generally regard him with pensive silence. It's enough to drive him mad.

At some point, a quiet quip from Hinata at Naruto's expense halts the flow of conversation. Sasuke's been too enveloped in purposefully evading his tablemate to know what exactly has transpired, but suddenly he doesn't care, because-

Sakura is laughing.

It's been so long since Sasuke has witnessed the sound that it's almost foreign, but it's one of the purest things he's ever heard. He dares a glance at the kunoichi, and immediately regrets it.

Sakura's eyes have almost completely closed in mirth, with occasional flares of jade glinting behind her lashes. Her mouth turns up at the corners, and her teeth flash as her ringing, genuine merriment spills forth. A strand of pink hair has come loose from its place tucked behind her ear, and it dances merrily across her forehead as she laughs.

The softness in his chest expands despite his resistance, and somewhere in the back of his mind he knows whatever futile battle he's been waging is surely lost.

Sasuke manages to tear his gaze from her, glaring down at the tabletop with such intensity that he has to almost forcibly resist his Sharingan from manifesting.

What has come over him?

Mercifully, the evening soon comes to a close, and before long Sakura has stood from her seat with a yawn and is heading for the door, thanking the hosts for their hospitality and mentioning an early morning hospital shift with some regret as Hinata hugs her farewell.

Sasuke has likewise abandoned his place at the table, and reaches for his traveling cloak when a hand pulls it from his grasp.

Annoyed, he looks up to meet Naruto's blue eyes, which somehow appear unsettlingly knowing.

The jinchuuriki just shakes his head at Sasuke's glare, grinning infuriatingly.

"And you say I'm the dobe."

Sasuke's scowl deepens.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Naruto sighs and allows him to retrieve his cloak, thankfully letting the subject drop.

Sasuke fastens the cloak around his neck and is immediately swept into an unexpected hug by Hinata. He pulls a face as Naruto smirks at his expense, but pats Hinata on the head anyway, albeit awkwardly.

"Goodbye, Sasuke. Thank you for visiting."

He inclines his head in gratitude as she opens the door, and steps out into the crisp dusk.

Sasuke has only traveled a few steps before he notices another figure ahead of him in his path, and slows to a stop.

It's Sakura, evidently taking her time on her own trek home.

He is met with a moment of indecision, and then his feet act before his brain has time to come to a consensus. He breaks into a jog, closing the gap between himself and her.

She hears his footsteps approaching and turns to face him, still unreadable save for the slight confusion evident in her eyes.

"Sasuke."

"Sakura."

He trots to a halt a few feet short of her, and is suddenly very aware of how imprudent he must seem. Though he's easily a head taller than her, he suddenly feels very small in her presence, as though his awkwardness has somehow reverted him back to his Academy self.

A tangible stillness begins to form between them, and Sasuke curses himself for the irrationality of his actions. Something, surely, is wrong with him; it's as though he's trapped in the most crippling genjutsu of his life.

"I've missed you."

The words spill out before he can bite them down. They're true, of course, but he still finds himself inexplicably and uncomfortably warming beneath his cloak.

Sakura seems to betray no reaction, and Sasuke is deafened by the silence.

Abruptly, her mask thins once more, and she offers him the same bittersweet smile he'd received all those months ago in the hospital.

"Thank you."

And then she turns, darting away before he can formulate a response.

Sasuke watches her rapidly retreating form, and is suddenly hit with the intense desire to evaporate into thin air.

He whips around, breaking into a headlong sprint, and races his conflicted emotions to the gate.