A/N: In response to several questions concerning Sakura's movement, it was stated that she was in there for two weeks. So it wasn't just some instant transgression. Hope that cleared everything. :)

Disclaimer: This part slipped my mind…I do not own Naruto.

Chapter Three

Isolated

The night had not been as long as she had previously anticipated. It ran rather smoothly and the company turned out to be quite enjoyable. Once given the proper chance, Genma revealed himself to be rather charming.

Sakura found her eyes drifting towards Shikamaru's wrist watch which told her it was well after three in the morning. This fact seemed to have already occurred to several people as they were gathering their things, in preparation to leave. She quickly followed suit. The thought of her nice restful bed in the confines of her own home had her picking up the pace.

Her polite decline of being walked home by the senbon mouthed nin had him only grinning in return. It would seem he was under the impression that she was playing the 'hard-to-get' card, to her intense horror. Kakashi and Gai, who had been keeping watchful eyes on the two the entire night, took it upon themselves to escort him out of the bar.

When she had made it home safely, though not without several curious looks, it was a huge relief. The medic fell asleep within moments in the comfort of her heavily layered bed.

Of course, she thought as she got dressed in a hurry some hours later, some appointment or whatnot would always find a way to disturb her peace.

The walk to the hospital was cold and annoying. Frosty air whipped at her face, which had her tugging her scarf up as high as it would go, and people stared like there was no tomorrow.

"I thought staring was still considered a social faux pas!" She hissed at an unsuspecting bystander who had his eyes glued to her form as she briskly walked by. He hurriedly turned back to his newspaper but not before muttering lowly, "No change in that temper, I see."

She supposed she did not have to be so sensitive when it came to people staring. It was only a natural reaction to be curious since just two weeks ago, she had been an unresponsive vegetable. But did they have to be so brazen about it? It was not so annoying when they stared quietly and glanced away with a properly embarrassed look when she caught them.

Her wave at the secretary sitting at the front desk had the young woman doing a quick double take. Apparently she hadn't heard about her recent 'revival', as Ino had put it. Her feet marched methodically towards the Neurology department until she glimpsed Tsunade's blond head poking out of a room. She motioned for her to come in.

Upon entering the brightly lit office Sakura was greeted by a rather odd looking man. He was tall with a mouth that seemed to be set in a permanent frown, which was most likely the result of doing just that. Patches of gray hair lined his jaw and head in small little tufts. He looked about the age of sixty or a little younger.

"Hello, Sakura," He greeted as his opaque eyes roved over her form. "Your body seems to be responding very well to your newly conscious state. Come," He beckoned her to a small paper covered examination table. "Ah, now please remove your shoes, that's it."

She followed his instructions obediently in case of angering him. He seemed like the type to lash out if even marginally angered. The weary glance she shot at Tsunade only made the older woman smile encouragingly.

"Forgive me if I seem a little on edge," A little? Try massively. She almost snorted a loud at the thought. "It's just that I was asleep when Tsunade-hime called. That's why I'm still dressed for bed."

Now that he brought the fact to her attention, he was still in his pajamas. How ridiculous he looked.

She jumped back when he jutted his hand in her face. She blinked and then blushed embarrassedly. All the poor man had been trying to do was shake her hand. She touched her palm to his which he shook with a healthy grip despite his appearance.

"I'm Akemi Danno and I've been your coma worker for a year and six months. I'm also the head Neurologist in this unit which is why Tsunade-hime recruited me. I've known her for quite some time although her appearance dictates otherwise," he noted wryly. "It's nice to finally meet you," Sakura gave him a weird look. If he was her 'coma worker', like he claimed he was, then why was he acting like he had just laid eyes on her?

"Oh, well once you put it like that," He was clearly offended by her incredulous attitude. "I only met the boring, vegetated, and ghost of a woman some time ago. You seem to be quite different."

Sakura grit her teeth in anger at his under handed insults.

He stalked over towards his stack of papers before unsheathing a manila folder. Judging by his appraising eyes, she could only assume it was hers. "Let's talk about what happened that night, Sakura." The aged man paced back and forth across the tiles. "Your records say that you received a huge amount of chakra to the chest, right below the heart. Can you remember anything, anything at all?"

Oh yes. She remembered the sounds as clear as she heard him speaking. The sounds of people shrieking in agony as they were either being slaughtered or were about to be. The smells of that night seemed to waft into the room and up her nose.

The smell of her rotting and burnt skin as Naruto seared her flesh from her body almost had her holding her stomach in pain. If there were any awful stenches in the room – Akemi and Tsunade took no notice.

Her memory seemed to recall much more at Akemi's words. His words had been a key to her lock and now that he had successfully unlocked the forgotten finer points of that night – they poured in heaps from her brain.

"Stop!" Her hands clutched at her skull in an attempt to stop the flood of images. But Akemi did not stop. If anything he pressed on at the sight of a break through. "I said stop you hard of hearing imbecile!"

Tsunade placed a hand on his withered shoulder. "That's enough for today, Akemi-san."

Enough for today? If she had anything to do with it – she was never setting foot in this crazy department again! Akemi just shrugged and then placed her folder back inside the massive stack of whence it came. He turned to whisper to Tsunade but not low enough so that she couldn't hear.

"I liked her better when she was comatose. She was much more attractive when she was quiet. I'm afraid that was ruined when she opened that mouth of hers."

She openly gaped when her mentor did not reprimand him. In fact, the amber eyed woman chuckled at the straight forward rudeness. Furious and a little stung, Sakura slipped on her boots and then stomped her way to the door.

"You can count on me not returning. I don't need some old washed out fossil picking through my brain, thanks." She slammed the door behind her.

"Don't worry Tsunade-hime, she'll be back. They always come back."

The sounds of her boots as they stomped across the white surface of the hospital floor covering along with the mild thrum of voices from various medics helped to calm her seething temper. Ugh, maybe she should have stayed in a coma. It was better than actually facing assholes in real life.

She had just reached the first floor and was another turn from the front lobby when she back tracked two steps. There in some deserted hallway, she had passed by a frenzied argument. She quickly leaned against the wall closest to her and peaked around the corner.

Naruto had an accusing finger pointed at Sasuke who stared indifferently.

Gasping, she hoped they had not seen or heard her pass by. The awkwardness was sure to abound then. Or she could just continue walking as if she had not seen a thing and let them work out their differences in private. But her curiosity had always been one of her defining traits.

"……Bastard…" Naruto took in another angry breath. "I heard about your little stunt at the hospital. She was right for refusing to see you."

Her eyes widened fractionally. How had he known that? That would mean he hadn't been as asleep as she had thought.

"And you treat her exactly the same! Does the fact that she would have given her life to help recede your curse seal even register with you? She gave her life to help stop me! I always knew she was too good for you."

A lump of gratitude for Naruto settled in her throat.

"So?"She could hear from his tone that Sasuke was not enjoying being yelled at. It was only a matter of time before he struck back. "I saved her life."

"So?" Naruto echoed back. "Probably on some little whim of convenience." He paused. "Why did you save her that night?" He asked quietly.

It was Sasuke's turn to pause. He opened his mouth to speak but a sudden ring from overhead had all three of them glancing up. The secretary had just paged some doctor to the third floor. Damn! She really wanted to know what he had been about to say. Naruto wasn't the only one wondering why he had saved her.

Naruto then shook his head lightly.

"Forget about it, Bastard. All I know is that you better treat her like she deserves or – you'll have to answer to me." He thumped his chest for emphasis. Sasuke smirked and turned his head to hide the ghost of a smile on his lips. They really were getting along.

"You know she isn't exactly a ray of sunshine anymore."He muttered.

"She's Sakura." And to Naruto that seemed like a sufficient explanation. He laughed and all of the intense hostility in the hallway vanished. He was back to hitting Sasuke on the back who shrugged away from him. Apparently the blond had said something funny that had both of them laughing quietly.

She resumed her walk down the hallway and almost ran through the shiny glass door of the entrance. The cold November air stung at her face but she could care less. Her body came to a stop just outside of some random shop where she pressed herself into the wall.

At one point they had all been teammates. She might even stretch as far as to say friends. After Sasuke's betrayal and departure, Naruto had become her best friend. They had been close. But from what she had just witnessed, Naruto and Sasuke were closer.

It took her a moment to register the strange feeling coursing through her. She was…jealous. Jealous because of even after eight years of having only each other to lean on, Naruto somehow managed to look like a proper best friend at Sasuke's side. It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he was suddenly free.

Although it took a lot for her to admit it, she was ultimately jealous because he was so accepted and integrated into the village. Even after betraying his home it seemed like he had proved himself in a year and some months. People barely glanced up when he passed and there were no awful rumors going around about him.

How was that even possible?

She, who had basically committed her life to protecting the village, had just awoken from a coma and people stared wherever she went. It was kind of flattering, yes, but they also remarked on her temper and all things related.

Okay, she had a temper. But so freaking what? Sasuke had much more than a bad temper, his giant ego for instance. Why did it seem like her every move was being watched?

Like she had something to prove.

Was it that Sasuke had already earned his place and that she had yet to do that?

They looked at her as if she were the traitor and not him.

She didn't know how she felt about that.

Sakura continued on in her usual mannerisms of staying as far away as possible from Sasuke and keeping to herself for the most part. Her hermit like behavior came to an abrupt halt from a very eye-opening visit from the Hokage herself after a week.

"You have got to stop this!" She'd demanded when she let herself in the door.

Sakura glanced back down at her reading material. "Stop what?" She had answered nonchalantly. The burning sensation of Tsunade's heated gaze made her flinch. If looks could kill.

"All of this bitterness, that's what! Look at me!" She glanced up, reluctantly. "You are really killing me, Sakura. You were such a sweet girl and now nobody seems to know whether to duck or hide when you show up. Granted you have a temper," Why did everyone have to say that? She knew she had a TEMPER. "You knew how to control it just as good as your chakra. Try to behave yourself."

"You talk about me like I'm dead."

"You are to me." She'd answered solemnly.

So now she stood outside of her mentor's office, unsure of how to approach her.

"Come in." Damn, how did she do that?

The pink-haired woman hovered at the entrance for several moments before seating herself at one of the many chairs. "You know, it's creepy when you do that." She giggled at Tsunade's expression.

"There. You're officially starting to act like Sakura. You really weren't acting like yourself when you came around. Did the sudden appearance of Sasuke shock you into acting like his clone?" She paused dramatically. "It's not a very good look for you and honestly, it's not a good look for him either."

They both cracked up at her teasing.

"So what brings you here on this Saturday morning?" She threw back a shot of sake.

Sakura fiddled with her fingers. "Umm…I want a mission."

The blond raised a sculpted eye brow in surprise. "It's a little soon for that, don't you think? Unless you wouldn't mind something in the village…I'm sure I could find you something domestic orientated." She tried not to let her eye twitch at the word 'domestic'.

They were interrupted by Genma who strolled over to Tsunade to whisper something in her ear. The blond's expression changed from laid-back to serious as she listened to him. "I see. He always does that."

Genma took his leave after he was finished relaying his message but not before winking at a curious Sakura.

"What was that about?" Tsunade asked through her chuckles.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Still witty, I see." And then she sighed. "Sasuke seems to be refusing to relay the specifics of his last mission to me as he has just returned to the village with Naruto. He always needs a night to himself before he turns in his report."

She hadn't known that he was gone on a mission. Not like she cared anyways.

"That sounds just like him," Sakura commented.

Tsunade crossed her hands together thoughtfully. And then she seemed to have just seen Sakura for the first time. With bright eyes she asked, "Could you just swing by there and get the details. It really is a pressing matter."

Sakura was already backing up wearily. "No, no, no," She said as she waved her hands in refusal. "I can't…I mean I couldn't. He doesn't like me Shishou so I doubt he would even greet me at the door."

Tsunade shook her head. "He saved your life. So he must like you."

"With anyone sane, that might actually apply. But this is Sasuke and he does stuff because he…has his reasons, I suppose," she muttered, distracted by the pleading look on the Godaime's face.

Ugh.

Her teeth chattered again as her mitten covered hand pounded on the front door of Sasuke's apartment. Apparently, he was fixing up the compound by himself and it was taking longer than expected. So he bought an expensive apartment on a private part of the village.

And his apartment was nice looking. Really nice looking. It actually wasn't an apartment at all. It was more of a townhouse that extended to two-stories and was well kept. The next townhouse was maybe two kilometers away, a solid testament to the fact that he loved his privacy.

"Hello!" She screamed against the door. "Open-"

The door swung open revealing a very agitated Sasuke. Who was wearing oven mittens. She tried to look very businesslike and stifle her oncoming bout of laughter at the sight. She bit the inside lining of her cheek to stop a giggle. "…up."

To her surprise he stepped away from the doorway and stalked back inside his house. She stood- shocked that he hadn't slammed the door in her face.

"Close the door behind you." He muttered as he reappeared from what she could only assume was the kitchen. She noticed with an inward laugh, that his oven mittens were gone.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Only my dinner." His tone made it very clear that he'd rather not been disturbed by her presence. He crossed his arms as he waited for her to explain herself.

"Oh, well Tsunade-shishou wanted me to gather the specifics of your last mission."

He paused and then looked her over in a way that made her uncomfortable. "Why'd she send you?" Ouch. She breathed in quickly and then exhaled – hoping her rage would disappear.

"Don't throw a fit, Sakura," His lips twitched in either amusement or agitation, she didn't know. "She usually sends some old idiot, that's all."

Her anger dissipated quickly, making her feel very strange. Now how was she supposed to act around him? Her anger usually clouded all other emotions, making it especially easy to be nasty towards him. Now that she thought about it, during all of their encounters, of which she honestly tried to avoid, it had been her that had been sort of mean. Sort of.

"Besides," He shrugged a well-built shoulder. "It was the dobe's turn to write the report." He snorted.

"Good luck with that," he finished, clearly alluding to the fact that she would be at Naruto's apartment well into the night as it would take him that long to write it all down.

Sakura froze. Tsunade must have known that. She was willing to even go as far as to bet Genma had even told Tsunade it was Naruto who had been the one to refuse to write it and Tsunade got the bright idea to send Sakura out on some silly little notion that her and Sasuke would reconcile. Hah! She could totally work in the investigative unit.

Coughing, she felt her skin flush at her own gullibility. She supposed she should excuse herself before she made things worse. "Well…I'll be going."

He was looking a bit exasperated as he was most likely wondering why she was still standing in his house. She pivoted on her heel, eager to leave probably as much as he wanted her to stay. And that definitely wasn't a lot.

He stared curiously as she fumbled with the handle on his door. Sighing, he knocked her nervous fingers out of the way and opened the door himself. The color from her drained at her own stupidity and then it all came rushing back to her cheeks at her humiliation. "Sorry to trouble you," she mumbled.

She had meant to run as fast as her feet could take her but the long arm that was suddenly pushed in front of her, stopped all means of moving. His palm made an audible smacking sound against the oak wood of the wall.

"Can you tell Tsunade to send my medicine over, with the usual medic?"He asked with a relatively light voice. It was probably taking all of his conscious effort not to say anything snide.

Despite her nervousness, she was curious enough to wonder why. Probably at the expression on her face he signed for the second time during her stay. "I have trouble sleeping, alright?"

"Oh."

He watched her face expectantly. "Well?"

"Oh. Oh!" She wanted to smack herself in the face and kick herself in the head at the same time. If that was even possible. "Sure thing."

He closed the door behind her but not before shaking his head when her scarf got caught in the juncture of the doorway. Once she was a safe distance away, she really did smack a sweaty palm to her forehead.

On the first day of December, it started to rain. And because it was too cold, the rain eventually turned into snow. And because it was snowing, Sakura was slowly freezing into an icicle as she trudged towards Sasuke's townhouse.

Of course, Tsunade had denied that she had sent Sakura on some wild goose chase the previous day. It was all a mix up and the fault was Genma's. Well, she was going to ask Genma about that the next time she saw him.

Considering her luck, that particular meeting couldn't be too far off. The blond woman had also happily insisted that she take the Uchiha his pills, since the elderly nurse that usually brought it was out on an extended leave."How convenient," Sakura'd muttered wryly under her breath.

So, she fully intended to knock once and if he didn't answer then…well too damn bad. She would just have to drop them off on the doorstep and continue innocently on her way home. It wasn't like it was her duty or anything to make home visits. That trivial stuff was for interns. And as far as she was concerned, she'd already paid her dues.

And why couldn't he just walk to the hospital and get it himself? Or better yet, the pharmacy? She was sure there was one just around the corner. He did have legs after all.

Upon knocking once, Sakura crouched down, but jumped when someone coughed. Oh Kami. He had just seen her behind, hadn't he?

"What are you doing?"

She felt her hands become slick with nervousness. Even when it was freezing outside. "I..er..lost my earring!" She laughed nervously as she took her hand and acted like she was tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Her hand brushed her ear, secretly removing her earring, before discarding it into her sleeve.

Clearly annoyed, he scrutinized her. "Do you want me to help you look for it?" Translation: The sooner I find it, the sooner you can leave.

"Uh no!" She said just a little too quickly. Oh, for crying out loud! "It was cheap anyways. No harm, no foul. I came to bring you the medicine you requested, since the medic that usually brings it is out on vacation."

His expression told her that he obviously did not care who brought it, as long as he got it. And he looked like he needed it. His eyes were a bit red and his hair was even messier than usual.

"Someone didn't take their nap today," she muttered to herself.

His eyes snapped to hers, his hand extended out for his bottle of pills. She tossed it to him which he caught easily, before walking away.

"By the way," He said smoothly. "You look like you could use one too."

She froze, not knowing that he had heard her, and then increased her pace ten-fold.

She switched arms as she did her one handed push-ups, when suddenly she felt the weight of a grown man on her back. At her growl, Naruto only grinned. "It's good for you Sakura. It'll help increase your workout. Not to mention," he added slyly. "It'll help burn all that weight you gained since last year."

He gave a cry of pain when she leaned up so furiously on her next push, that he knocked his head on the sofa.

"I'm the same size since last year!" She sniffed, indignantly.

"My point," He wheezed as he rubbed his head tenderly. "Hey!" He added at the threatening glare she aimed over her shoulder. "I was just joking! You are perfect."

She did another three push-ups. "Damn straight."

They were hanging out at her house until Sasuke came by to pick Naruto up for their usual sparring session. She felt herself growing agitated at the thought and then finally gave up on reaching four hundred.

Mentally, she patted herself on the back for reaching two-hundred and fifty in only ten minutes. She'd found out the hard way that since she had been in one position for over a year, her body had lost some of its athleticism. Another reason why Tsunade didn't give her missions outside of 'domestic' regions.

Kakashi was too busy to train her. And Naruto was simply too engrossed with Hinata and his training with Sasuke to even care. In the meantime, she had to simply get in shape while she waited for her training with Tsunade to begin.

Grabbing the towel that she had slung over the couch, she patted at her face. Naruto made a disapproving noise. "What?" She questioned.

He looked pointedly at her body. "Why don't you go put on something a bit more substantial than that?"

'That' consisted of her regular shorts and a sleeveless shirt. What was wrong with that? As far as she was concerned, a lot of kunoichi wore more revealing clothing. And it wasn't like she was about to go parading outside in such flimsy material, it was snowing after all.

"Why? The only person here to see me is you." She shot him a withering look. "And you've made my state of attractiveness quite clear, thank-you-very-much." She mumbled indignantly.

He cracked up at her face before ruffling her already messy short ponytail. "Aww, Sakura-chan. I was only joking. You and I both know you're hot."

She smiled, pleased. And then she frowned. "Watch it Naruto!" She waggled a finger at him in a mock reprimanding manner. "What would Hinata say to this, hm?"

He laughed again good-naturedly. "She'd agree!" She slugged a pillow at him.

"You're really rotten, you know that?" They both faltered in their laughing when her doorbell rang. For once someone actually used her doorbell! If she could just get Ino to do the same, then maybe she would not have to buy a new door so soon.

"Hello, Sasuke," The medic greeted.

He blinked and then looked over her shoulder. "Is Naruto in there?" For some reason he seemed to be in a hurry.

"Yeah Bastard!" There was silence as he fumbled around for something. "Just let me find my pack and then we can go."

So, he was forced to actually meet her gaze when they both waited in silence. As if just seeing her for the first time, his eyes widened fractionally.

She inwardly cringed. Kami, her luck really was terrible. She could only imagine what she must look like as he stared and then glanced away, as if disgusted by the sight.

Okay, maybe she was a little sweaty, her chest did feel rather hot, and her hair was a little rumpled, but did it really warrant all of that?

Naruto burst through the doorway, both of them sighing in relief. "Let's go," The blond exclaimed as he clumped the dark-haired male on the back.

Sakura watched as they walked off towards the training grounds.

"We can go after I take another shower," Sasuke mumbled to Naruto. The blond only looked a little put off and then shrugged.

Sakura closed the door behind her with a roll of her eyes.

He certainly was strange.

TBC

A/N: So I updated today! Thanks so much for the lovely reviews. They motivated me to stop on my winter break assignment and start writing. Pretty soon I had a whole chapter done. Since I already wrote chapter four that should be up in a couple of days, maybe. It needs editing. And jadedsiren, you almost gave me a heart attack! Your review could have been a chapter, it was so long and detailed. It was very wonderful to read as were the rest. See you all soon.

Surmise