She was surprise to see him the next day after the altercation about his return. She was leaving from the night shift she had at the hospital. She was bundled up holding on to her red scarf around her neck when she notice the onyx haired ninja sitting on a bench in front of her place of work.
It was 8am; he had been there for about 40min waiting on her to get off so they could talk. "What are you doing Sasuke?" she waited for a smart ass remark but got a surprising one instead. "Let's get some breakfast. I know you're hungry." He got up dusting the light snow that gathered on his pants and grabbed her red bag she was carrying and walked toward a breakfast place down the street. Sakura didn't know what to say. She just followed in his silence.
It was soon broken after they sat down and ordered there breakfast from the waitress. "I want to apologize. I did what I had to do to protect my home and you, even if it meant that I had to leave you behind." He stated while staring out the window. "Were older now, I'm sure you understand the sacrifices we must make as Shinobi. But I'm still apologizing because I feel that you deserved one."
Sakura sighed…"I believe you Sasuke, and I understand now that the pieces have been put together, but to bare it alone I think was unnecessary. I could have come with you. I could have bared it right alone side of you being your support. You knew I would follow you to the ends of the earth." Sakura said as there food arrived. Sasuke didn't say a word but stared into those emerald green eyes he missed so much. It was Sakura who continued to speak. She sighed again, "it's the past now and the war is over and your home. I should have nothing to complain about besides the fact that my eggs are cold." Saying slightly annoyed at the waitress for bringing her food that was colder than the snow outside. Then she heard something she never heard before.
It was Sasuke laughing out loud. She looked at him for a second like he was insane but then starting giggling too. "It feels good doesn't it Sasuke?" he looked at her questionably. "What does?" "Peace, it feels good doesn't it?" she looked him in the eyes. "Yeah it does." The rest of the meal was eaten in silence.
"So where do you stay now, still with your parents?" Sasuke asked as they walked through Konoha trying to make light conversation. "Nope, moved out when I was 16, Closer to the hospital, Easier to commute and to get to Tsunada-sama when she needed me, which is all the time. What do you plan to do about a place Sasuke?" she looked at him as they got closer to her apartment. "The compound made it through the war even though it is pretty messed up and it does belong to me so I was thinking of fixing it back up and moving in."
"umm….but didn't your family….umm" she looked too nerves to finish the sentence but he understood where she was going with the question and gave her a slight grin. "Yeah I know but now I know the truth and I've accepted it. Naruto said he'd help out when he'd find time but it's mostly just me working on It." he said as they stopped in front of her door. She fumbled with her keys looking for the right one. "I can help too if you want. Most of my shifts are at night in the hospital so besides sleeping I don't have much to do during the day. I can always come by later to help." She said with a big smile. "Thank you Sakura, I really did miss my big fore headed friend." And poked her in the head like Itachi use to do with him. Sakura smiled and swung, her fist barley missing Sasuke's face as he took off running in the snow. 'Asshole' she thought to herself and walked inside her cold apartment.
She took her big jacket off, flinging her scarf along with it and went to start the fire place to warm up the small apartment. 'I still can't believe how Sasuke has changed but I understand why.' She thought to herself as she laid on her futon in front of the fire place and fell asleep.
She walked up to the compound to see him on top of a house hammering away…"Hey Sasuke!" shouted Sakura. He was on the roof replacing the tile we he turned and yelled. "Hey thought you might have wanted to sleep longer." He said as he jumped from the roof. "I could always go back." She smirked. "No, you're good. If you want to start painting on the inside it's a bit warmer even though the roof has a hole or two still up there." "Sure, I'd rather the inside anyway, not to fond of the cold." They worked in silence for the next two hours enjoying just the company they shared together. Sasuke was the one who spoke up first.
"What time do you work tonight?" he asked walking through the front door of the newly fixed house. Sakura looked up from her paint can. "Around eleven pm, I have to do a little shopping before then so I was going to leave soon." She put the lid on the off white paint can and stuck it in the corner. They had been working on a huge 5 bedroom house that was at the far back of the compound. She had finished all the bedrooms and the hallway. She was almost done with the living room but she needed to head out to the grocery store to do her weekly shopping.
"I'm coming too, I'm low on supplies." Saskue announced as he walked out the door with his coat on. "I like how you just invite yourself." Sakura said sarcastically. Sasuke stayed quiet and poke Sakura in her forehead then continued to walk to the nearby store. Sakura just took a deep breath and walked after him. 'If he's gonna make this a habit I'm gonna have to hit a little harder.' She thought to herself.
These antics went on for months. If Sasuke wasn't on a D or C ranked mission inside the village he was waiting at 8am in-front of the hospital for Sakura.
His probation year was finally up and in that year he had finished working on most of his compound, proving to the village he was innocent and having Sakura at his side most of the time.
"So … why are we here?" Sakura asked him as she looked around at the fancy restaurant they were in.
Dimly lit chandeliers hung from the ceiling and every table had and elegantly decorated candle in the center. Everything shimmered a soft gold that made her think she was in a fairy tale. "There are some questions I need to ask you." Sasuke said as he looked out the window into the snowy world outside. He then looked Sakura in her big green eyes. She was beautiful tonight and he wanted to make sure she knew that. She wore a stunning deep green dress that hugged her hips close. The top wrapped around her neck and the rest hung to the floor. She had let her pink hair grow out long but she had it up in some clips the same color as her dress tonight. She wore emerald studs in her ears that only intensified her eyes not counting the subtle makeup he notice that made her look flawless.
He had planned this night out the day he was let back into the village. He hoped she wasn't spoken for now that all of his duties outside the village were complete and had found out she had a few ex-boyfriends throughout his years of travel. She had told him they were all the same except Lee. She had told them about their almost year they were together and that it fell apart after some girl from his past came back into his life.
Her ex's didn't matter to him. Tonight was his night to ask her if he could have permission to court her. He was always secretly fond of her, from her smarts to her pure determination not to be useless. She had proved them all wrong too; during his year back she made Head of the Recovery Ward at Konoha's Hospital at only nineteen and even had her own office were people would have to answer to her. He always was sure if he lived through his ordeals she would be an appropriate wife. She balanced him out when it came to love and affections; also she knew what he was thinking just by looking at his face to were words weren't needed to transpire his thoughts. She made his half circle whole.
"Idiot, you're staring. And it better not be at my boobs." She said with slight annoyance as Sasuke grinned at her. She ignored his lurking eyes and sipped her favorite plum wine looking to him after a few swigs.
"So what are these questions you need to ask me?" She popped a piece of sashimi into her mouth and looked at him curiously. He was handsome with his black on red tuxedo on. Thinking this she blushed slightly and swallowed the food before she choked on it. 'I'm over that crush, I'm not weak anymore, and I defiantly will never be anything but a friend to him and I'm ok with that'.
"What do you think about us?" Sasuke was still staring waiting for a reply to his trick question. Sakura's sashimi was quickly approaching her mouth from the wrong way after hearing what Sasuke just said...'What is he trying to pull here?' "What do you mean Sasuke, were friends right?"
Sasuke then froze. He was actually kind of nerves about asking her this. He had fought some of the greatest enemies the world had ever seen and not even scared that death could be at the ends of his fights. But this just rattles his brain. He hesitated then spoke out in a nerves tone.
"Yes, yes we are but I guess what I'm trying to ask you is if I could maybe have you permission to treat in a different way." Sakura couldn't believe it Sasuke was stumbling over his word, rambling, even fidgeting a bit. More importantly she thinks he's trying to ask her to court her… this was hilarious in Sakura's mind. 'I think I'll mess with him a bit.' She thought, coming up with an evil plot.
"Sasuke, are you serious. It's been I don't know how many years since I first met you. I've been trying to get your attention since then and you never responded. Then you hit the road out of the village and before you went, let me remind you, that you struck me in the back of my head when I tried to stop you. You leave your best friend here and he is obsessed with bringing you back on my account but then you steal him away from me too and I'm left here in a state of depression thinking my whole squad hates me and is leaving me behind. Kami forbid Kakashi would leave too. Then after we find you several times out in the word you play your part so well that I almost start to hate you and after all that you come back to Konoha and start acting like everything is back to normal. And this…now you ask me to become you partner and eventually your wife?"
Sasuke faltered in his seat. He didn't know what to say and just stared at her almost, pleadingly it looked like
"Ok, you have my permission." Sakura flashed a Naruto sized grin at Sasuke while he looked at her with in complete shock. He never realized how much damage he had done but she still accepted and forgave him, not to mention now she was his.
He took her hand from where it was laying on the table, lend over and kissed it. Then watched as the blood filled her cheeks.