sorry for the long break! i'm back again, anyways

d/c: naruto does not belong to me

Dark House, Dark Thoughts

Something was wrong with Sasuke.

A few weeks after their recovery, Sakura had often seen Sasuke stalking out of his house, through the birds-eye view of Tsunade's office. She watched him walk to the training grounds, and lost sight of him as soon as he reached cover of the tall trees. Late at night, if she was finishing up some last paperwork for Tsunade, she would look out the window and see him walking back, occasionally letting loose an enormous fireball that was unnecesarily large to light the way of the small path. He had even stopped training with Sakura, and had only continued after she had gone to his house and almost full-bloomed the door into pieces from worry and inner sakura-like rage. During the training sessions with Sakura, he spoke less and less, and was unwilling to stop for breaks. He was reverting back into the cold, quiet and scornful Old Sasuke, and Sakura didn't like it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tsunade's voice broke into her thoughts. The Hokage was watching her assistant rip through paperwork and files, and was absolutely shouting for people to come run errands.

"Uhh... working." Sakura replied, looking up for a brief second, and then concentrating once more on her work, without a single break in the flow.

"Through an entire three day's of admin work? I don't hear a huge crowd of people screaming 'Sakura, we have to get going on a mission.'" Tsunade poked Sakura in the side of the head, hard, but teasingly. She was in a good mood, why not? However, her protege was not. Sakura almost upset the entire table as she whipped around, her eyes pitch black and narrowed. She replied, however, in a forced tone of light humor, while she was dead serious. Mixed up little girl, Tsunade thought, but with a little bit of alarm.

"Why yes," Sakura was saying, a grimace on her face. "I'm finishing this work, so that I can go sleep over at Uchiha-kun's house for a few days." She spat, sounding a little stiff. Then her face fell, and she realized how disrespectful she was being.

"..sleeping over...?" Tsunade said, a look of please-tell-me-you're-joking on her face.

"Don't take it the wrong way, Tsunade-sama." Sakura hastened to add, then looked away, and continued. "I'm worried about Sasuke."

Silence. Tsunade didn't seem to have heard her, and her face seemed frozen with an odd expression. Nine tails, Sakura thought, its like having a second mother. Still, it was making Sakura feel awkward. Very awkward.

Suddenly, Tsunade spun around on her foot and started towards the office door, calling "Okay, then. Get the work done. Do anything stupid and I'll stuff kunais down both your throats!" She sounded rather cheerful, and relaxed. She was in a good mood, why not? The door closed, leaving Sakura looking completely bewildered, before she set back to work.

------

Sasuke was wandering around the house, wondering what he felt like doing that day. Nothing really. Except for training. But that was obvious. Killing Itachi. Not an option right now. Of course not, he couldn't even beat that wench Naoko. Sakura had to do it for him. How would he kill Itachi. He was wasting his time, while Itachi grew stronger. Sakura was distracting him. But he couldn't let go of her, that would be like fifty Mangekyous.

A thok outside his house attracted his keen hearing, and he went outside, squinting in the light, to see what it was. A kunai with a message attached, and he recognized Sakura's handwriting. How the hell did she throw it all the way from the stupid office? He took a moment to wonder, before a feeling of annoyance at Sakura's massive strength flooded him. Still, he took down the message.

-No training today for me. Too much work at the office, I'll see you soon though. -Sakura -

What did she mean, 'see you soon'? Still annoyed at the vague hint, he left for the training grounds.

-----

Hours later, he came back to the old Uchiha mansion, loathing its doorframe, its hallway, its rooms. He was exhausted, physically and mentally. After using most of his chakra practicing the Chidori, he had used what energy he had left in multiple training exercises and brutal conditioning. Without turning on any of the lights, he showered and then dragged himself to his room, where he threw himself upon the bed, and fell into a stupor that was not sleep, but nor was he really awake. It was a stupor, however, that filled his eyes with Itachi's eyes, and his memories.

His room flooded with light. There was a loud thump and the lights turned off before Sasuke could react. He hadn't been asleep for long, but he was weary, and his reflexes were slow. Slow compared to his normal speed, but still fast. He groaned, hissed, then snatched a kunai from his bedside table and was about to leap up, when a hand grabbed his wrist and another pushed against his chest, firm, but not violent. He recognized the touch, and slumped back into the mattress.

"Dammit, Sakura, what was that for?"

"Konbanwa to you, too." was her reply.

"What are you here for?" he retorted.

"Goodness, does a kunoichi need an excuse to pop in at her boyfriend's for a visit?" Sakura said, stepping over her bags and turning off the light. In the darkness, Sasuke rolled over onto his side, but watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye. She took off her sweatshirt, revealing a big t-shirt and shorts, and walked out of his sight. A second later, she slid into bed beside him and he felt her arms circle him and draw him close.

"I really like how you asked, first. It was very considerate." he said, dryly, now wide awake. Her response was a squeeze and a kiss on the neck. He had almost forgotten how it felt to have Sakura so close to him. But then what little light there was was blocked out by a darker shadow, as Sakura got up on one elbow and looked at him, bending over his side to look into his face. Her light cheeriness had faded, and there was real concern in her eyes.

"I miss you, Sasuke. What's wrong?" she whispered. One hand was holding back her pink hair, trying to tuck it behind an ear, but failing. She looked so pretty. He realized, that he missed her too. He didn't know what he wanted more, to kill Itachi, or stay with Sakura. Itachi could wait, and he would for tonight.

"Nothing." He replied, and he meant it. He stared back into her eyes, and a mischevious smile spread across his face. Without warning, he reached back and curled an arm around Sakura's middle, and promptly half-lifted, half-threw her, as she shrieked with surprise, onto the other side of the bed. She landed facing him, and lightly smacked him on the shoulder.

"You really couldn't just roll your body to face me?" she said, laughing.

"No." he said, stubbornly.

The two fell asleep with their arms around each other.