A/N: Hey, mina! Thanks for all your follows, it's a great feeling to know my story is liked and is being read. Again, this is my first fan-fiction in several years, and I noticed I had some typos on my first chapter, I apologize. I am in college, so I'll be updating during my spare time, but I enjoy writing for pleasure so hopefully I can get a chapter a week published. I love hearing from you, reviews are also a great way to hint anything you might want to happen in the story, so if you have a suggestion, send it my way! If I use it, or find inspiration from it, I'll be sure to mention you in the author's note! Enjoy!

Chapter Two: Mend

…Did he seriously just leave me alone with Sasuke-kun? The jutsu doesn't seem like something that should wait, Naruto! Sakura thought. She was stunned frozen; Sasuke gazed as her through a side glance, an expression of deep thought was written across his face but Sakura didn't notice. He closed his eyes for just a moment then attempted to get up, this caught Sakura's attention.

He fumbled; the blood loss and general drain on his body caught him off guard. How did the Dobe just get up so quickly like that? He questioned, but then again, it was Naruto. In a few hours and a couple of ramen bowls, he'd be at his normal energy level again, even without an arm.

Sakura darted to his side. It was instinctive to her, for him and Naruto her body would move before she knew was going on. She quickly slid her left arm under his right shoulder and supported his massive, muscular frame with her tiny body. Funny, she never felt small, but next to Sasuke, Naruto or Sai, she felt fragile and tiny. Part of her hated it, she furrowed her brows. The idea of being anything less than enough for them disgusted her. Then again, she liked how she felt under Sasuke's arm. She was supposed to be the one supporting him but somehow she felt like she was being protected… it was a welcome feeling. Wait… I'm touching… Sakura realized her thoughts might have been going on for longer than necessary when she looked up to see what level of irritated Sasuke's face would present.

Her doe-like eyes widened when she failed to find annoyance but, dare she think it, relief. Her heart skipped a beat, or four, she wasn't sure. He was looking away from her, but not far enough that she couldn't see his onyx orbs glazed over with a mix of discomfort at her closeness and relief at her help. She even thought she was starting to go crazy because she spotted a haze of red on his cheeks.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry. I just reacted, I didn't want you to fall," Sakura said, placing her right hand on his chest to steady him more even though he didn't need it." Sasuke didn't pull away, she didn't know it, but he welcomed her touch.

In the midst of his stumble, he was pissed at the realization he, the surviving Uchiha, was going to fall over in front of his team, but especially in front of her. …my team? Sasuke recognized his wording; he was becoming possessive of them. He remained slightly stern; it wasn't the time or place to ponder the depth of his true feelings, but it fucking surprised, that was for sure. He hardly thought about them in his time away, he thought he had truly severed the ties. It was just before Sakura weaseled her body around his that Sasuke realized he hadn't severed a damn thing. He had only buried them and damn it had they grown in the soil of his soul. He was losing his ability to pretend his composure was flawless, and truthfully, he wasn't sure he minded.

That was when she caught him. He was startled; it didn't show, there was not jump or gasp, but his eyebrows rose ever so slightly. He was sure he was too heavy for her, but she had good footing, a strong grip and a gentle touch. Damnation, she was so careful with him it made his heart ache. This one gesture was the most obvious representation of her devotion to him he had ever witnessed. She was tired, too; he had seen it on her face when she first arrived to heal him and Naruto from his stupidity. She was emotionally drained, physically warn (she summoned Katsuyu for the entire Shinobi Alliance and infused her chakra to heal every person,) and pushed her limits to get him back to right dimension, this hadn't been easy for her either. Sakura should be passed out, but there she was, again, rushing to his side.

For the half second that she was looking down, Sasuke glanced at her tucked under his shoulder. Why do you love me so much? No matter how often I push you away, you always fight for me. When he noticed her head turning upwards, he averted his gaze. He couldn't look in her eyes, he felt too ashamed. He wasn't ready to really have the person who loved him most in this world see him as he was, even though she already had and he knew she didn't care. He had the burden of his past on his shoulders, and although he already had her heart, he wasn't ready to admit it to himself.

When she apologized for catching him, his eyebrow twitched. Why is she apologizing? Then the gentle placement of her hand on his bare chest made him stiffen. As if he wasn't already aware of her soft body pressed up against his that hand just sent him way over his personal boundary line. Fuck, since when Sakura get curves? He practically rolled his eyes, since when did I notice Sakura? He closed his eyes like usual to block out the world. Sasuke inhaled and gripped Sakura's upper arm in appreciation and recognition of her support. Then, through half lidded eyes he looked at her with an expression of ease.

"It's fine, Sakura. Thank you," he said and motioned for a nearby boulder to rest on.

Sakura nodded, stunned, but she attempted to control the obviousness of her emotion around him. This is going to be hard, she thought in regards to keeping an emotional check around him.

They walked side by side to the boulder where Sakura eased Sasuke down, her hand lingering on his chest before she withdrew it. He saw the look in her eye; she was lost in her own thoughts for that moment. He couldn't entirely read her, which he didn't like. He liked knowing what was going through her head, but this look… pained, numb, and isolated… did he do that? She shouldn't feel like any of those things! He was becoming more irritated by the thought.

"Dobe! Are you ready yet?!" Sasuke scowled. What could he possibly have needed to talk to Kakashi about for this long?

Naruto looked down; he said a brief comment to Kakashi, then jumped the entire gap down.

"Don't get so pissy with me, U-chi-ha," Naruto exclaimed, "Hai, I'm ready." Naruto offered his hand to Sasuke to pull him up, which Sasuke took, and they began the seal to release the jutsu.

[A/N: I'm going to avoid that whole lengthy Sasuke POV from Chapter 699, so if you haven't read it, which I can't imagine why, please read Chapter 699 from Naruto! From here on, I won't be following anything. Just my imagination which probably won't include the construction of freaking New York in Leaf or a perfectly harmonious ending, I still like my action. Thanks!]

Time Lapse: Jutsu was released, the story will pick up in Leaf. Everyone's reconnected and is in a bustle to reconstruct.

Everyone's trip back to what was left of their homes was troublesome to say the least. There was the wounded, the defeated, the broken, and the tired. However, there was hope. They had survived, perhaps without limbs or loved ones, but they were still in this world. So, with heavy hearts, the Shinobi Alliance parted ways to begin anew.

A few weeks into the reconstruction, things were getting back to normal, more or less. The entire Leaf Village was a giant construction zone, surprisingly enough the majority of the buildings survived. A portion had collapsed and several buildings had been severely damaged, but total destruction had not happened. Most of the attention didn't need to be focused on infrastructure of Leaf, but the shinobi. Sakura couldn't catch a break and with Tsunade too busy with her duties as Hokage, the hospital was left in her care. Sakura sat back in her chair in her office they scraped together the day they returned. She recalled the disarray everyone endured in those first few days back. Sasuke became a ghost, she hardly saw him. Him and Naruto had been admitted to the hospital, consulted for new arms, and after about three days of recovery, had been given permission, by Sakura, to leave the hospital. It'd been two weeks since, and she hadn't seen him since.

Naruto popped in about once a day, each time with Hinata, which delighted Sakura. She was so happy for them! Honestly, she felt relieved that Naruto had found someone who could love him as passionately as he could love. Naruto was irreplaceable to her, she would die for Naruto and his happiness meant the world to her. The way he looked at Hinata, it was bliss. Suddenly, though, she felt a sting in her chest. Funny, she was so ecstatic for him, truly, but the thought of it made her chest tight. She was still leaning back her chair when she looked out her window from her third floor office. It was beautiful outside. A light breeze, plenty of sunshine, she could hear the bustle from the streets. Happiness surrounded her but she could feel the pain growing. So desperately had she been trying to push it away since they returned, but she couldn't. Naruto's growing affection for Hinata reminded her of something she'd never have with Sasuke.

God, she thought, I really am pathetic. He's made clearer than clear what I am to him, but I just can't stop loving him. A lump formed in her throat and her eyes stung but tears didn't fall. She reaffirmed her decision, I can't stop myself from loving you, Sasuke, but I won't persist anymore. At least you know. She closed her eyes, content in accepting her position as a tool for him to start a new life. The chest tightness didn't dissipate, it spread.

She grunted just a little and bit her bottom lip, resting her head on her open palm. "Ugh, just stop...," she whispered, unaware Naruto had stopped outside her door. He had seen her leaning back in deep thought and decided to wait outside her door before busting in. It was when she grunted that he put two and two together. It wasn't hard for him to read her, she was his sister, for lack of a better word. He frowned, his ocean blue eyes swimming with helplessness and sadness. He would have punched the wall, but that would have given him away, and he would prefer to leave as quietly as he had come in. However, it was during his brief thoughts that he failed to notice Sakura had gotten up from her desk and was in the doorway.

"Naruto? How long have you been here?" She asked, her big emerald eyes shimmered, but in a manner that gave her pain away. His chest pained and again his eyebrows furrowed just a smidge. He had watched her struggle for years with her conflict over Sasuke. Now, he was back, she had said and done all she should and could, and for nothing. Sasuke had accepted Naruto as his best friend, but why couldn't he at least acknowledge Sakura with more than a "sorry" and "thank you?" Sakura... tch... He thought.

Putting his arm behind his head like the usual Naruto, he planted a very convincing grin on his face and closed his eyes as he said, "Hey, Sakura-chan! I just wanted to stop by to make sure you had eaten something! I know the hospital is really busy still, so it'd be just like you to get too caught up in your work and forget to eat."

She smiled, he was always looking out for her. She grabbed his arm and locked hers with his, then began leading them down the hallway. Her step had a little pep in it and she briefly tilted her head on his shoulder. His facial expression was at first surprised, and he tripped a little when she began dragging him forward, but once he got in step with her and saw her mood had lifted a little, he smiled and felt just good.

"Naruto, after your many proclamations of love for me and coming here especially for my well being is too suspicious! You need to consider Hinata's feelings about this!" Naruto opened his mouth but Sakura cut him off, "I'm serious! I can take care of myself! Now, if you're so worried about lunch, go ask her!" She released his arm, stopped in front of the elevator and put her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face.

"Sakura-channnn, I have! Hinata and I just ate ramen! She knows I really, really, really like her! You're still my best friend though," he said behind a puppy dog face.

She giggled, "Alright, I just don't want you messing this up! Now shoo, I have things to do!" She motioned her hands in a swishing way toward the elevator.

He grinned, "I won't mess this up, believe it!" He didn't even look at the elevator, he jumped out the window, onto the roof, waved back at Sakura and on to the next roof. She watched him for as long as she could see him. Sighing, Sakura checked with the nurses and staff. To her surprise, things had officially slowed down and for the first time in three weeks, she could leave early.

Gathering her personal items, she walked out of the hospital. Huh. What do I do now? She walked for several minutes when stopped at a bench to sit. After a few moments of relaxing, she started to notice where she was, what she didn't notice was who was watching her from the trees.

We always end up here, don't we, Sakura?

A/N: Hey! I'm sorry this one is kinda... a lot? I wrote half on one day and half on the other. I prefer setting up my story before I just jump right into the romance. So on that note, I would like to formally announce that the romance will really kick off next chapter! I don't plan on getting them too out of character, but as we all know, Sasuke does become capable of love enough to marry her, bang her and have Sarada, to put it lightly! Sorry about the bluntness. Anyway, I'll have a new chapter sometime this week! Don't expect anything at least until Wednesday. -Tsubaki