Title: Wanderlust
Prompt: Nov 29 / Stay here. Won't you—stay here and build something with me. We're good at that, right?
Character/Pairing: SasuSaku
A/N: Argggh, the ending. So awkward. Anyways, I've decided since the last war made no sense anyways and chapter before the epilogue of children was surprisingly good, I'm just going to run with "yay, my pairings happened" and write.
Summary: He comes back smelling of the desert. She wonders just how long he has to search for himself before he can stop.
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He comes back smelling of the desert. His clothes, dry and dusty, are almost caked grey and it's only by his hair that she can even tell it's him.
Even then, Sakura waits till he's less than a hundred meters from the gate to approach him. "What'd you do, get caught in a sandstorm?"
"Something like that," he answers, his voice raspy.
"And not drinking enough water either. Neither of you two idiots takes care of yourself." Sakura shakes her head as they head into the city. There's a large boom in the city and she can guess what makes it. "Naruto'll be here in two."
Sasuke chuckles—it's a strange sound, like a rusted door. She doesn't quite know what to do with the man beside her, this person who is not quite Sasuke.
Not the one she knows at least—no brooding, no darkness.
No, that's a lie. He's still dark. Lost. But not as much as before. It's not rage that drives him now.
"It's…" Sasuke hesitates, and she doesn't know what to make of that either. "It's good to see you again."
Naruto barrels into him before she can reply.
"Man, Sasuke, where have you been?" Naruto exclaims, excited. "Just wait till you see the prosthetics Sakura-chan's been helping with!"
And Sakura easily falls back into place, pulling the boys apart.
(And tries not to think about his words, about the gravity in them)
-x-
"I'm not staying for long," Sasuke says, wincing as Sakura adjusts the prosthetic. Even now, he can't trust other people.
She's a little annoyed that's she's happy about that. Not everything has changed, not yet. There's time to adjust, to learn, to get used to this stranger beside her.
"Ehh? Why not?" Naruto pouts, wriggling his own plastic arm. "I wanted to show you the basics."
"You just want to show off," Sakura comments dryly. "You've had more practice."
"It's not like that," Naruto denies, but the smile on his face tells otherwise. "I'm only a little amazing at it."
"And that is how I know you're showing off." Sakura straightens, examining the line between flesh and plastic. "How does it feel?"
"A little uncomfortable. Not painful but…" Sasuke spends a few minutes trying to remember how to use his stump of an arm. "Awkward."
"You'll get used to it." Sakura taps the arm lightly. "It'll be a while before you can use it properly. You really should stay until you get a hang of it."
"….no, not yet," Sasuke utters, staring down at the floor. "Not yet."
She doesn't push. There are some journeys that have to be done alone.
-x-
"Sakura-chan, you should make an arm with a paintbrush attached to it!" Naruto requests, his plastic arm bumping into hers.
Sakura almost jumps. She's used to it by now—she should be used to it by now—but sometimes she forgets. Expects a warm hand where cool plastic stands. "No, because there is only one thing you're going to do with it."
"And it will be an awesome thing."
"And I hope someone troubles you as much as you trouble us." Sakura sighs, bumping against his shoulder. "You're never going to be hokage like this."
Naruto laughs, knowing as well as she does her words are an empty worry. "Only if Kakashi makes it illegal."
"He would but then he'd be mobbed out of town." Sakura stares up at the sky. "How long do you think this journey of his will take?"
"…I dunno."Naruto admits, honestly. "It took me some time to get over…" His voice cracks and she squeezes his shoulder understandingly.
"He'd be proud of you." She thinks of Jirayia, of the parents Naruto told her about. "They all would."
"Thanks." Naruto looks at her, a small smile on his face. It's not one she's used to, the big goofy one more natural, but not everything is a loud moment.
Some are just quiet.
"He looks better now." Naruto admits. "But I don't think he's done until he stops wearing blue."
"Then he's never going to stop," Sakura laughs.
"You love him?"
The words catch her by surprise, and she stares at him. His crush—no, it would be an insult to call it that now. His feelings for her, she's known for some time how they've been changing. The depths they've reached.
The way they are slowly shifting, but not entirely yet. In the distance she can spot Hinata and she hopes it'll work out.
Naruto deserves this happiness.
He looks at her, waiting for her answer, and she shakes out of her thoughts.
"I don't know," she answers, honestly. "There's something, but love? I don't know."
-x-
"So where have you been?" Sakura sets her empty cup down, eyeing the sake bottle before dismissing it. She's had enough to drink.
"Small towns and villages, nowhere important." Sasuke swirls his own cup, taking a small sip. She thought he'd drink more than that, but out of the three of them she's the heaviest drinker.
And Naruto the weakest. Eyeing her snoring best friend, she laughs and lifts his head onto her lap. He really needs to accept his limits.
"I meant what have you been doing," she clarifies.
"Helping out here and there."
Sakura groans, annoyed. It's like pulling yarn with him. "Most people would have a tale or two after journeying for months."
"…I suppose." Sasuke shrugs, but makes no move to actually tell a story. "You?"
"Doing things, here and there," she mimics him, rolling her eyes. "We've been mostly helping out the nearby villages—they suffered a lot of damage from the last few battles."
"No tales?"
"For you, no." Sakura laughs. "I guess it is kinda ordinary. But…it's nice. To have this be the norm."
"Yeah."
They fall silent. Naruto shifts on her lap and she strokes his hair unconsciously. "Think you'll be staying here any time soon? Naruto's trying to save the apartment next to him for you."
"The idiot. Like I'd want to live near him." Sasuke's half-smiling and this, this is what she wants to know. What changed, those months he's gone. What helped him in those towns he visited. The edge is gone and she thinks it's about time.
"Well, at the rate he pesters his landlord, you probably won't get the chance." He chuckles and it doesn't sound so strange this time. Sakura quietly adds, "But…will you?"
He doesn't answer for a while, just swirls the sake in his cup. It's a cool fall night, the breeze saving them from the relentless heat of day. In the distance she can hear the cicadas crying.
"Two years ago, not at all. But now…" Sasuke's voice trails off. He looks around the room and gestures. "It isn't so bad. It's…"
"It's nice to have a place to come back to," she finishes, understanding the sentiment.
He stares at her for a minute before nodding. "Yes, it is."
-x-
"Naruto's going to be pissed he missed you," Sakura informs him, watching as he pulls examines his pack.
"It's his fault for sleeping in." Sasuke replies, pulling out a scarf before closing the bag. "Besides, he's seen enough of me the past few weeks."
"Heading up north?" She helps him with it, hanging it loosely around his neck. It's still warm here and until he gets further north he won't need it. Brushing his hair out, she ties the ends of the scarf in a knot. "You can just slip it off and on now."
"Thanks." His dark eyes watch her as she puts the finishing touches and she feels awkward. "I haven't gone in that direction yet."
"Mainly because it's cold and no one wants to." She lets go and moves back now. "Perfect. I guess that means you'll come back sooner this time."
"Oh?"
"The cold. I'm sure even you don't like it." She looks up at the sky, at the sun shining brightly down. It's going to be another warm day. "You might want to take this off till you get closer."
"It's fine." He tugs the scarf a little closer to his face, testing his hand on it. "I'll be close soon enough."
"If you say so." Sakura shrugs, watching as he slips on the pack. "Ready?"
"Yeah." He looks at the gates, at the road meandering into the woods, then back at her. "I'll be back."
It's almost a ritual, these words. She doesn't quite understand it, but she goes along with it. "I know."
Off put, he frowns lightly. "I mean…" He runs his hand through his hair, sighing. "Never mind. Tell the idiot I'll think about the room."
"Hmm…you realize this'll mean staying in the village longer than a week or two."
"I know." Sasuke looks like he's regretting his words. "It's…like you said. It's nice to have a place to come back to."
"It is." She smiles. He's really changing then. Maybe it's time she takes a step forward herself. "Say, when you do come back, wanna have dinner?"
He stares at her, the frown returning. "I thought you weren't interested."
"I don't know if I am," she corrects. Playfully, she teases, "Want to help me figure it out?"
The awkward turn of his face is all the answer she needs.