Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction story, so please review and let me know how I did. The characters get a little OC as the story progresses, but bare with me=] When I wrote this originally, I was just making story ideas. I ended up writing the scene between Sasuke and Naruto and just kept going until I had an entire story lol.

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He didn't know what he expected when he came back. He didn't have any expectations. He didn't really care. His goal was complete, with a dead snake as a bonus. Konoha itself hadn't changed much. The land was the same, as well as the villagers. It seemed his betrayal hadn't had as much of an impact as he thought. In his mind he already knew this of course; he knew only his team and the rest of the Konoha 12 was really effected, which might be the reason why his punishment was so light. Although Itachi and Orochimarus' deaths contributed greatly, he suspected comming willingly was a key contributer too. He had spent one full week in the hospital, being treated for minor injuries, as well as having blood tested(because WHO KNOWS to what extent the snake sannin's experiments went). He had been visted by the ones who participated in the failed retriveal mission first, then came the kunoichi, and lastly of them came Kakashi.

Shikamaru, Kiba, Neji, Chouji, Lee, and Naruto came to visit on his second day in the hospital. Shikamaru, Chouji, and Neji all politely welcomed him back, but kept a careful distance. Kiba made his usual crewd comments and commented on Sasuke's stupidity before he was met with red eyes as a response, afterwards he gave a slight smile while rubbing the back of his head nevously while murrming a 'welcome back'. Somberly, Lee welcomed him back and congratulated him on his strength and how it is now his goal to compete with such strength, then calmly left the room. While the others left the room, Naruto was unusually quiet in the back corner of his hospital room leaning against the wall. He waited until the rest left before finally punching Sasuke's still healing form, calling him a bastard and such, but in a tone so soft no one without a ninja's honed hearing would have heard it. They sat and for the first time had a 2 sided conversation free of insults other than 'dobe' and 'teme' which weren't even considered insults to either anymore.

The kunoichi came on his fifth day in the hospital. Hinata came first. The blue-haired girl came over to his bedside to shyly say 'Welcome back Sasuke-san' and continue to tell him about Naruto's trails and tribulations while he was gone and lighlty chastise him on leaving Naruto. Sasuke made no responce, (because who was she to judge him? And what did she know abut Naruto?) until she got up saying she was late for her date with Naruto and wishing him well. She missed Sasuke's smirk and small muttering of 'dobe'. Ino came in with eyes that made the tempurature in the room drop, and she brought Tenten with her. Ino made an an angry rant and everytime she got out too out of hand Tenten lightly touched her shoulder and shook her head. Ino left stomping out of his room muttering the whole way about how stupid she was when she was young to ever like him. Tenten threw a flower with deadly accurcey at him and added in a cool calm harsh voice 'welcome back asshole', making Sasuke narrow his eyes and watch her form disappear to follow Ino.

Kakashi came on his sixth night there, suddenly appearing in his room. He wore a face half made up of dissapointment and half of relief. They had a long talk about how irrisponsible he was, and about how, in the end, revenge wasn't worth it. Kakashi stayed with him until morning.

Now, on his seventh day, Sakura had yet to visit him, and he was preparing to leave soon, to complete his punishment: to report information to the Hokage about the Sound and Orochimaru and anything he might have learned about the Akatsuki, then he was to be under ANBU watch (of course, Kakashi volunteered), and lastly, he could not partake in any mission above a C-Rank for 6 months.

He was pulling his shirt over his head and getting ready to leave, when the door opened reaveling a mess of blonde hair.

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Naruto was on his way to see Sasuke, escort him out of the hospital, and maybe (if he played his cards right) get Sasuke to treat him to some ramen before he went to visit Hinata-chan.

When he approached Sasuke's door at the end of the hall, he was met with a sight that almost broke his heart. There stood Sakura, her fist half-raised, as if she was about to knock on the door, before giving a heavy sigh and lowering her hand before she turned to face away from the door, looking towards the floor, deep in thought. Naruto wasn't stupid. He KNEW she was deep in thought and he couldn't let her start thinking, not now, he knew the consequenses all too well. So he did what any good friend would do.

"Sakura..."

He inturrupted her.

She looked up. If his heart didn't break before, it was shattered now. This was how she had looked for the 5 years since that fateful night. She always had that empty look, but usually she at least TRIED to hide it. Now, seeing it full force, he was at a loss for words. This wasn't Sakura. Not his (sister-like)Sakura. And, while she hadn't been his Sakura in years, she at least acted the part. His face must have been just as grief-stricken as her's, because she quickly pulled THAT smile. The one he hated.

"Ano Naruto, I must be going. I have many patients to attend to. Goodbye"

She made her way down the hallway and out of sight. He just stood staring at where she once was with a soft look in his eyes, before he opened the door to Sasuke's room.

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Sasuke was pulling his shirt over his head and getting ready to leave when the door opened reaveling a mess of blonde hair.
Suddenly, those warm ocean pools froze. Cold ice is what Sasuke saw before he was slammed into the wall. His back screamed in protest, but he kept his eyes cold and empty of the surprise he was feeling.

"FIX HER!" Naruto demanded.

And for a moment Sasuke froze. And in that moment his confusion was shown, if only for a second. But Naruto wasn't the oblivious child he had left behind. Naruto proved it by catching that moment of confusion. It seemed not even years of training with the snake sannin had fixed Sasuke's communication issues. He was still an emotional retard. And, for a split second, he almost felt sympathy for him. Almost. Naruto felt the need to elaborate.

"SAKURA! YOU BROKE HER! So now, for once in your miserable life, you are going to do something for her. For once you are going to stop being such a selfish bastard! FIX HER!"

His explanation was met by cold calculating eyes. Naruto was out of breathe, huffing from the exurtion of the emotions behind the speech. Sasuke watched him and could only blink. They entered a staring competition until Sasuke broke it.

Pushing Naruto back and off of him, his eyes became even colder and narrowed.

"Don't tell me what to do, dobe"

He walked past naruto. And then he was walking away. Away from Naruto. Away from the problem. Away from the guilt. He was stopped by Naruto's voice. It was soft and defeated, a great contrast compared to his earlier speech.

"I wouldn't be asking a bastard like you for help if I didn't need to. You didn't have to see her these past years. When you left...who she was left with you. She's not the same. Everyone else has already tried. You're the only one who can fix her."

Neither boys faced each other. Naruto didn't turn around once during his speech. He was still glued to the spot from when Sasuke pushed him, his back facing Sasuke. Sasuke was stopped in the doorway, facing the hallway.

Naruto always did have a way with words when it mattered the most, and anyone who told you different is in denial and a liar. His words cut deep in Sasuke, the effect they had in many people. It reminded Sasuke of words spoken on a bridge along time ago. The memory was blurry, as he was only half consious at the time, but he remembered words from Naruto having the same effect on the demon of the Village Hidden in the Mist. He remembered words spoken to a deranged sand beast. Most recently however, he remembered words spoken to him once before, begging him to come home. He almost forgot the pain it brought to his gut...and his heart. He thanked Kami Naruto's back was to his, because he wasn't sure what his face looked like. That's a lie. He knew what his face looked like..which was why he was so thankful. Because not even he could manage to mask the emotions those simple sentances made him feel. His mouth was dry, and his tongue felt thick. He didn't know how to respond. So he gave the only safe answer, and the only one he could manage.

"Hn."

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That night, he found her. When he saw her, he almost wished he hadn't. There she was. He finally tracks her down and she has to be here of all places? The irony is killing him.

She's on THAT bench.

She's just sitting there, face towards the ground, hands clenched into fists, and shoulders slumped and shaking. He walks closer, slowly, as if sudden movements will make her disappear (like so many times before). He stopped his movement right infront of her.

"Sakura."

She looked up. And he got a first-hand look at what he had done, what he was responsible for. Now he understood Ino's ranting. He understood Tenten's cold harsh words. He wished Naruto would have thrown him against the wall harder. Most importantly....he wished he wouldn't have left her. Not after seeing this.

Her eyes that had once shone like emeralds, now looked gray with only a tint of a dull green. Her hair, now brushing her stomach, had grown in length, but lost its sheen. Her figure, while lean and with deadly curves, looked too thin, almost like she hadn't been eating enough. Her face looked pale, and he realized that he had inturrupted her silently crying, except not one tear had fallen from her eyes. Despite all of this, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was also the most broken woman he had ever seen.

"Oh! Hello Sasuke. What are you doing out here?"

That...that couldn't be Sakura's voice could it? Not his Sakura! She sounded nothing like her. Her voice sounded even more fragile than she looked. The attempt at a cheery voice made it all the more sad. She was making a movement with her facial muscles to turn them upward, but that wasn't a smile. It couldn't even be considered a smile. A smile made people happy, her facial movement (he refused to think that this was her smile), made his insides burn like a fire had been set too them. This couldn't be the girl he had left behind. The girl he had left behind had been so full of life, so full of life, so full of determanation. Now, she looked more like that scared, fragile 12 year old girl in a forest, a long time ago. He did this. He did this. He wished Naruto would have put him in the hospital longer. He deserved it. He didn't even try to answer. He couldn't. He did however make a move to sit next to her.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?" She sounded concerned.

Him? She's worried about him? After everything he's done, everything he put her through she's worried about him. How is that even possible? Naruto was right (not that he would ever admit it to anyone). He needed to fix her. He was going to fix her. He was the only one who could.

"Stop that!" He demanded, sounding harsher than intended.

"Wh-What?" She asked more out of shock than being hearing impaired. Her voice trembled with surprise and hurt flashed through her eyes.

"Stop being so happy, stop your eyes from looking so dull, stop not eating enough, stop crying, stop smiling like that, stop pretending, stop worrying about me! This isn't about me! It's about you! It's always been about you! Don't you get it!?" He hadn't meant to say all of that. He really just wanted to tell her to stop being so happy, after that it all just fell out of his mouth. She wanted to know? Then she was going to know everything damn it! It felt good.

"Get what, Sasuke?" Her voice was low, as it had dropped in volume to a mere whisper. It sounded tired, like she had no hope left in her, but desperately wanted to hope. She didn't want to be hurt again. She's had enough let downs for 5 lifetimes.

"That...that I...That I love you! I can't say that I've always loved you, because I haven't. I didn't treat you that way when we were young because I was trying to protect you, or because I was trying to hide my feelings, or even because I was afraid. No. My feelings for you back then were no more than as a comrade, friendship at most. I was an ass about it and we both know that. After I left though...I couldn't stop thinking about you, but I had to finish what I had come to do before i could figure out what any of that meant. I missed you. I wanted you there with me. I just wanted you. That's why I came back. That's why I'm here. I love you, Sakura." His words started out soft, but he steadily gained volume, as he re-gained the confidence he was known for. He didn't want to open up, but he knew that, that is what it was going to take to fix her. To make her be her again. It was big step for him, they both knew. He was more than willing to do that for her. She was worth it. He felt vulnerable, but more than anything, he felt empowered by his own words.

She froze. She didn't know what to do. Her brain could barely comprehend it. This is what she had wanted to hear. This is what she wanted. She wanted him, but this pain didn't disappear like she hoped it would. She loved him, but she couldn't just let this go.

"Am I just supposed to jump into your arms now? Is that what you expect? I don't think I can. I love you too, but than again, I'm sure you knew that already. I can't just forget this pain Sasuke. You being back, you confessing to me, it doesn't make it magically disappear. I can't just let this go. Not when its become my reason for getting stronger. Not when its become a part of me. I want this. I want you, more than anything. But I can't just forget it." She did the opposite. Her voice had started at a strong volume, but decreased as she went on, as she became more unsure of herself. If he still wanted her after knowing it wasn't going to be easy, she would gladly run into his arms.

"No. I could never ask you to do that, partially because, I will never forget either. I will never forget what I did to you, I will never be able to let go of the guilt. I'm not asking you to just drop it and run into my arms. I'm asking you to let me love you. Let yourself love me. Let me help you through the pain. Let us get through the pain...together." Now that he knew he had a chance, he wasn't going to let her go, never again. He meant every word he had said.

He made a move to get up and saw her stiffen. She thought he was leaving her again. The realization hit him like a kunai in the heart. He stood up and moved infront of her, before offereing her his hand. After a long moment she grabbed it and he pulled her up, off the bench, and into his arms. Where she belonged. Then, and only then, did she let the tears finally fall.

After some time, she looked up at him, and in return he looked down at her. They both leaned in, but he stopped mere inches away from her lips, giving her an option to stop if she wasn't ready. She leaned in the rest of the way, applying soft pressure to his lips. He responded immediately, adding a soft pressure of his own, and molding his lips to hers. Neither felt the need to increase the pressure, or the passion. They both just needed it to reassure themselves the other was real. They needed each other.

They broke away and held each other. His arms around her waist, her hands on his shoulders. They stood there for what felt like hours, but was really mere minutes.

"Sasuke- kun?" Oh, how he missed that suffix! Its amazing how much he missed three letters. How much he missed her.

"Hn?" Oh, how she missed that grunt! Its amazing how much she missed two letters. How much she missed him.

"I really do love you Sasuke-kun." He loves the way it seems to roll off of her tongue.

"I know. I love you too." She loves the way it sounds.

They held each other in their own special embrace. They both knew that there would be troubles ahead. He knew that it would be months of being by her side before she was reassured he wouldn't leave her, even more time after that before the burning pain faded to an ebb, before disappearing completely. He accepted and embraced that. She knew that she would have to constantly be by his side to ease his guilt, and his nightmares of his previous travels. She loved to be needed by him.

It would be awhile before the pain of both of them, completely disappeared, leaving an unbreakable, beautiful relationship in its wake. But now that they could see an end, see that it would end, they were more than prepared. They took the first step towards that goal tonight, and they were prepared o take the rest of those steps...together.

THE END

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Author's Note: PLEASE REVIEW! I've never written anything outside of school, so this is my first story. Let me know how I did, how I can improve, tips, and I'll even take requests or story ideas =] I'm not too pleased with the ending since i lost it and had to re-write it. It didn't turn out exactly the same =[. But let me know what you think =] Thank you for reading!