"Hey, Haruno-senpai? One of your regulars is in Room 253."
Sakura glanced up from the chart she was filling out to see an intern--this one vaguely reminiscent of a brown-eyed, brunette, but thankfully much less manic Naruto--grinning at her from her office doorway. It was a private joke among the hospital staff that Sakura had "regulars"--those members of her personal group of friends who always insisted on having her heal them--and Sakura met the intern's wide grin with an amused smirk.
"Which one?" More often than not it was Naruto, but she'd seen him just last night, and other than that shoulder and a few bruises he'd been fine. A quick glance at the clock confirmed that the blonde was supposed to be supervising one of Sasuke's missions right now, so unless they'd managed to get into a particularly nasty scuffle…
"Oh, one of your favorites," the intern said with a roguish wink before moving on to deliver the thick stack of papers cradled in his arms.
Sakura nodded to herself. Right. Pushing the chart aside to finish later, she stood and stretched the worst of the kinks out of her shoulders before stepping quickly to her door and down the hall. The intern hadn't said it was an emergency, and he had seemed pretty laid back about the matter, so it couldn't be anything too serious, but knowing the temperament of most of her "regulars", she'd probably better get over there soon—for the sake of rest of the hospital staff's sanity, if nothing else.
As she made her way down the hall and around a few corners towards the designated room, her mind drifted back to the events of the previous night. In retrospect, she felt mildly embarrassed about crying all over Naruto like some over-emotional teenager; but Sakura was old enough to know that sometimes emotions just got the better of you, especially when something as strong as love was involved, and she also knew Naruto well enough to know that he hadn't minded in the least. Unconditionally accepting and unreservedly loving: that was just the way Uzumaki Naruto was.
Still, a part of her hoped that she wouldn't be confronted by the whisker-faced blonde when she opened the door to Room 253; the all-too-recent memory of her decidedly immature behavior still left her feeling vaguely uncomfortable at that prospect.
As she turned the last corner before Room 253, she was met by a rather harried-looking nurse; relief visibly flooded the woman's face as her gaze fell on Sakura, and she hurried up to the pink-haired kunoichi.
"Oh, Haruno-san, thank goodness…" The nurse quickly handed over the files and clipboard in her arms, looking quite glad to be rid of them.
"What's the situation?" Sakura queried with a wry smile, accepting the armload with a nod of thanks.
"Nothing too serious. Cracked ribs, fractured clavicle, multiple contusions, most likely some deep lacerations or puncture wounds…he was bandaged already, though they need changing pretty badly by the look of them, but he wouldn't let me do it. He insisted on having your diagnosis first."
Sakura resisted the urge to chuckle. "What did he let you do for him?"
The nurse's ears reddened slightly. "Uh, we got him to sit down and take off his shirt, but that was about all we could manage…"
This time Sakura did chuckle. "Well, that's better than usual—good job." Giving the nurse a reassuring pat on the shoulder, she moved around her, heading for the room containing the patient in question. From the sound of it, he must be one of her more well-mannered regulars, which meant that it had to be—
"You again?" she snorted as she stepped into the room and over to his bedside, her presumption proved correct. "You know, other than Naruto, I don't think I see anyone in here as much as you, Neji-san."
The Hyuuga attempted to gave an offhanded little shrug, though it came off looking a good deal more stiff than he probably would have liked. "Well, what with your busy schedule and all, this is the only way I can be sure I'll see you." She blinked and looked at him in surprise, trying and failing to find the glint of dry humor in his eyes that would tell her that he was merely joking. "The real trick," he went on, sounding quite serious, "is obtaining wounds that are serious enough to receive your undivided attention, yet not getting injured so badly that I fall unconscious. What good would it do to have you here if I'm not awake to enjoy your presence?" The corners of his mouth twitched just slightly, and there it was: that elusive teasing glint.
"You, Hyuuga Neji, are the thirdmost frustrating patient I have ever met!" she growled, and moved to swat at him; at the last minute, however, she remembered his injuries and decided against it. "So…the nurse mentioned cracked ribs and a fractured collarbone among other things…what happened?" she asked as she carefully began to peel back the bandages, which were encrusted with dirt and a considerable amount of dried blood, from his chest and upper arms. He was still in his ANBU uniform (though he'd removed the top to give Sakura access to his wounds) and, by the look of him, hadn't taken the time to clean himself up, which was unusual; his injuries must have been bothering him more than he was letting on.
His voice was steady and calm as ever, however, and he scarcely winced as Sakura removed the old bandages, though that reopened the rather nasty-looking wounds, setting them bleeding afresh. "Regretfully, I am not really at liberty to say. The mission itself was classified. However," he tapped his ribs, "a crushing Earth jutsu," he pointed to his collarbone, "a kick that I believe was actually meant for my face," he gestured to the bruises spotting his arms and chest "debris from an explosion, and," he nodded at the deep puncture wounds Sakura was currently cleaning with antiseptic, "an extremely well-disguised senbon trap."
The pink-haired medic snorted again as she focused her chakra on the senbon wounds, checking them for poison or other infections before closing them up. "If you came back looking like this, Neji-san, then I'd hate to see the rest of your team…"
Neji gave a minute shake of his head. "It was a solo mission."
"S-class, I presume."
His faint smirk was response enough.
"You've been pretty busy with missions lately, haven't you?" she went on as she moved to examine his ribs and clavicle. She hadn't seen much of the handsome Hyuuga of late—she'd been exceptionally busy, what with balancing the odd hours of her hospital schedule and the considerable amount of time taken up with looking after Sasuke, and she knew from brief exchanges with Tsunade and Shizune that Neji had been off on a lot of missions recently. (Although, she thought as she struggled to hold back a grin, she was certainly getting to see quite a bit of him at the moment, considering that he was sitting there half-naked.)
"Yes, there have been quite a lot of S-class missions to be carried out lately. In fact—" he flinched a bit as Sakura's probing fingers landed on a tender spot on his ribcage "—Tsunade-sama has already given me the briefing for my next mission. She gave me the information when I handed in my report for this last mission. And this time—" he winced again, a faint grimace crossing his face as the pink-haired medic located another sore area, then relaxed as she began applying her chakra to the injuries. "This time," he began again after a short pause, "I'm going to need a team." Neji shifted slightly, and when Sakura glanced up at him questioningly, he caught her clear green eyes with his pale ones. "I would like you to be a part of that team, Sakura-san."
Huh? Sakura blinked, a bit surprised at the ANBU captain's words, but Neji went on before she could respond.
"I know that you haven't been out on a real mission in several months, and quite honestly, I believe that your considerable talents are largely wasted here." The kunoichi flushed a little at this, a small, pleased smile curling along her lips. "I have already requested you for the team, and Tsunade-sama approved of my choice. She agreed that you would be perfect for this mission, and also agreed that you needed to get out of Konoha for a while and face some real challenges again; however, she did insist that I ask you myself to see whether or not you were interested."
Hell yes I'm interested! she thought to herself, inwardly punching the air excitedly at the idea of going out on an actual mission again, though outwardly she maintained a calm, professional mien, for the most part in any case. "That would be wonderful, Neji-san," she said, unable to repress a sudden grin. "It really has been too long since I've gone on an ANBU mission. I'd love to go!"
As she shifted her attention to his clavicle, the Hyuuga gave her a faint smile--one that honestly reached his eyes, causing the skin around them to crinkle just slightly--and Sakura, finding herself fighting back a deep blush, hurriedly focused on his collarbone with a little more intensity than was necessary.
But averting her eyes did nothing to help her deal with his voice, which he had allowed to drop to a low, rumbling murmur, and with her hands placed on his chest as they were, she could actually feel the words vibrating in his chest.
"Excellent. I'll be sure to get the specifics to you as soon as possible. I expect that it will be quite enjoyable to work with you again, Sakura." Again that unexpected simple use of her first name rather than her last. Surprised, she looked up from her glowing hands just in time to catch another of those small, odd smiles. "We leave in a week."
Sakura breathed deeply as she walked along the bustling streets, noting the hint of an autumn tang to cool air flavored with the rich scent of multiple types of foods. Dusk was always her favorite time to be out and about in Konoha—taking in the glow of the paper lanterns and the various smells filling the air, the bubbling laughter and the hum of contented conversation drifting out of restaurants and tea shops and spilling out into the street always ignited a comfortable warmth deep in her chest, a feeling of happiness, familiarity, and home. This was what she loved; this was what she worked so hard to protect.
Her shift had ended around five that evening, so she'd gone home for a hurried but much-needed shower and change of clothes before heading over to Sasuke's--it was her turn to check on him tonight, and he needed his weekly physical anyway. She'd taken the time to make some dumplings as well; while she wasn't the best cook, she wasn't awful either, and she liked to be sure that Sasuke was getting a hot meal every now and then. He could cook for himself, she knew, (actually he was probably a better cook than she was) but that didn't stop her from bringing things over for him, or even cooking there in his apartment some nights.
As she walked down the busy lantern-lit streets, her mind drifted back to her earlier conversation with Neji, and even the fact that she was on her way to confront a quite likely very sullen Uchiha Sasuke couldn't wipe the smile from her face or the take the extra bounce from her step as she made her way across town to his apartment.
It had been a while since she'd been this excited about a mission, but then again, it had also been a while since she'd been out on any missions at all. Neji hadn't been able to tell her much about what they'd be doing, but he'd promised to send her a file with all the necessary information that evening. He had told her that Naruto would be on the team as well, however, which nearly doubled her enthusiasm; any mission that required both the future Hokage and the Hyuuga prodigy obviously had a decently high level of risk, which meant that it had the potential to be quite interesting. (And after months of nothing but hospital work and Sasuke-sitting, Sakura was more than ready for a challenge.)
…And the fact that Neji had complimented her so freely had been rather pleasant as well…
She was still smiling when she knocked on Sasuke's door, though it faded a bit when he scarcely glanced at her before turning and making his way back down the apartment's short hallway, leaving the door open for her. She'd been trying (with a great deal of success, surprisingly enough) not to think about anything and everything she'd confessed to Naruto last night, but the brief instant her eyes had met Sasuke's had been more than enough to bring it all back to the forefront of her mind.
Shutting the door behind her and stepping out of her shoes, she watched the Uchiha disappear around the corner into the apartment's main room, then drew in a long, slow breath. She could do this. She was one of Konoha's finest shinobi, and she could and would keep total and perfect control over her emotions, just as she had been trained to do.
Setting her jaw determinedly, she followed him down the short hallway.
"I brought you some dumplings," she said as she reached the main room. Sasuke, seated on one of the cushions surrounding the low table in the middle of the little room, didn't even look up from the book he was reading as Sakura set the faintly steaming container in front of him. "They're gyōza, I know you like those," she added, dropping onto the cushion to Sasuke's left and pouring herself a cup of tea from the small kettle at the table's center.
Sasuke turned a page, pointedly ignoring both the dumplings and the person who'd brought them.
Years ago this might have discouraged Sakura enough to make her back off, but not anymore. "You should eat them while they're still warm," she continued relentlessly. "I know you hate it when your food gets cold—"
"Sakura."
Her mouth snapped shut automatically at the frigid note of warning in his voice.
"You've seen that I'm still in my apartment just like I should be, which is really all that you're required to do." Cold black eyes flicked up from the book to lock onto hers. "So why are you still here?"
"You're due for you weekly check-up," Sakura replied without missing a beat. "And since you're obviously not hungry, we can get to that right away." She gave him a small, tight-lipped smile. "Lose everything but your underwear," she said in a brisk, business-like tone, pulling a rather thick file and a clipboard from her bag.
Sasuke gave her an infinitely cool look before rising to do as she said.
Sakura had given most of her friends and peers physicals before, Sasuke himself included, so it wasn't really a big deal any more, though those physicals were usually conducted in the sterile, professional environment of the hospital and its white-walled, antiseptic-smelling rooms; giving one to him and giving it here had felt decidedly odd at first, though she was fairly used to it by now.
Still, it was always funny (and a little awkward) when she told him to strip.
She was not surprised to find that his boxers were a plain, unpatterned dark blue, though it amused her to see that the Uchiha mon had been embroidered near the bottom hem on the front of the left leg.
…Which brought her attention to the large bruise running down the inside of said leg. A quick survey of the rest of his body revealed similar injuries--mostly more bruises, though there were some cuts and scrapes as well.
"Who did you spar with today?" she asked thoughtfully as she placed her palms against his back, noting the impressive spread of dark purple-blue marks before removing them in a glow of blue.
He hadn't sparred with anyone today: it was supposed to have been Naruto's turn again, but after their encounter the previous night, Sasuke hadn't been surprised when the blonde had failed to show for a round two. Apparently he felt he'd beaten enough sense into Sasuke, at least for the time being.
"Does it matter?" he half-growled as the pink-haired medic bent to examine his wrist.
Sakura looked up, mildly surprised by the obvious tension in his voice, then returned to gently flexing his wrist back and forth, testing its mobility. "Not really," she conceded, finishing with the sprained joint and moving on to examine an unmistakably sandal-shaped bruise along the right side of Sasuke's abdomen.
"How have you been sleeping?" she asked a moment later, scribbling something down on her clipboard.
Better than he had in years.
"Fine."
"Any pain or discomfort that I should know about?"
She'd already seen to most of his injuries from the previous night's scuffle with Naruto, healing them completely and effortlessly.
"No."
"What about those nightmares you'd been having before…"
Nothing was like before, but that wasn't an entirely bad thing at all…
"No." A hint of irritation was creeping into his monosyllabic answers, and Sakura paused momentarily in her examination of his slightly swollen left ankle, glancing up at his face and wondering for the umpteenth time how he managed to convey so much while saying so little.
Sasuke noticed her pause, and his dark eyes narrowed slightly, the question what? clearly expressed even without the word being spoken. The kunoichi just shook her head in response and focused on his ankle again, healing the hairline fracture she'd found before scooping up her clipboard full of notes and settling herself at the table to fill out all the necessary forms.
Sasuke, still wearing nothing but his boxers, watched her for a long moment, expressionless as ever, but feeling vaguely troubled nonetheless. "I don't need a future with you…" His gaze hardened into a sharp glare. "Any of you."
Sakura met his glare steadily with one of her own. "Maybe not, but I know that you want one. Why else would you stay here?"
The Uchiha's mouth thinned visibly, but he said nothing, seemingly unable to answer her question; Sakura held his gaze for a long moment, then pointedly returned her attention to the papers in front of her.
"It's not like I have anywhere else to go," he muttered at last.
The pink-haired medic-nin didn't pause in filling the page with her neat handwriting, didn't even look up from her work.
"And there wouldn't be any point in running away. You and Naruto would just follow after me…bring me back whether I wanted to come or not."
Sakura slowly thumbed through the file for about a minute before finding what she was apparently looking for, returning to her patient's chart, and finishing off this week's report.
Changes or no, Sasuke was not used to being ignored by his old teammate, and it evoked an unexpectedly sharp pang of irritation and resentment. His scowl deepened as he snapped out, "Why do you always have to get involved? My life is none of your business!"
But Sakura had often heard that phrase and similar variants of it from him before, and this time she would not hear it silently.
The flat of her hand slammed down on the table, which shuddered in an alarming fashion, but she spoke in a calm, measured voice that belied that action. "You're wrong. It is my business. It became my business ten years ago when we first became teammates, and I'll continue to 'get involved' and make it my business whether you like it or not. You know why?" she said, giving him a sharp look as he started to interrupt; his mouth snapped shut, turning down in a sullen frown. "Because just like Naruto, I still care about you, despite the fact that you're being a huge ass." She shook her head slowly, her tone gradually losing its steely edge. "We aren't going anywhere, Sasuke. And since you aren't either, as you so cleverly pointed out earlier, you'd better get used to having us around again." She hesitated, then said in a voice so low he had to strain to hear her, "I understand now what you've been through, and I want to be here to help you if I can."
Sasuke just stared at her, eyes cold and flat, unreadable as always. Then the slightest of smirks twisted one corner of his mouth upwards, and he snorted. "You're still just as annoying as ever."
She stiffened visibly at those words, the skin around her eyes tightening, but other than that she gave no evidence that the words had affected her: no shell-shocked or kicked-puppy looks this time.
Still faintly smirking, Sasuke leaned over and took her empty tea cup from in front of her; picking up his own as well, he headed to the sink to wash them. Sakura watched him silently, wishing, not for the first time, that she could read minds.
Halfway through cleaning the second cup, Sasuke suddenly paused.
"You said that you understand now what I went through."
Sakura allowed a moment to pass in silence before replying. "I do."
The Uchiha snorted and went back to cleaning the cup in his hand. "You can't possibly understand what my life's been like—"
"Yes, I can," Sakura said softly, dropping her eyes to stare at the tabletop.
Before she knew it, Sasuke was standing beside her, grasping her arm and roughly jerking her to her feet, and Sakura found herself faced with the not-so-subtle threat of slowly, dangerously swirling Sharingan.
"You risked your life for me, I understand that, and even though I think it was a stupid thing to do, I'm grateful…but that still doesn't change the fact that you know nothing," he ended with a hiss, his grip on her arm tightening painfully. "You think you understand me now, just because you used some forbidden jutsu to get inside my head, invading my privacy just like always?"
She flinched a bit at that, but didn't drop her gaze. "It was the only way. I'm sorry…but I don't regret doing it." She met his eyes carefully. "And if I had to make the choice again, I would still do it, regardless of the consequences for you…or me."
The Uchiha blinked a bit at that, the intensity of his glare momentarily easing a bit. "What exactly did you see when you were in my head?" he demanded, his face darkening once more. "How much of…?"
Sakura looked up at him solemnly for a long moment, eyes probing. "Everything," she murmured at last.
Sasuke's hand came off her arm with a jerk, and he took a single, quick step backwards, staring down at the somber medic-nin with an expression akin to horror on his face.
"Everything?" he managed after a moment, his voice oddly hoarse.
Sakura hesitated, then gave a minute nod, watching him carefully.
Sasuke had gone completely still, standing rigidly, his already pale skin a sickly stark white, dark eyes wide with shock and brimming with (if Sakura didn't know better) something that looked suspiciously like fear. Suddenly he seemed to crumple in on himself, head bowing, shoulders slumping but somehow not losing a bit of the nervous tension running through them, stiffening his entire body and setting it humming, vibrating like the strings of a guitar, a discordant jangle of unsettled energy.
In an instant Sakura was on her feet, but before she could take even a single step towards him, the Uchiha's head snapped up, face twisted into a pained snarl.
"Get out," he ground out, the command so strangled as to be nearly unintelligible, and without another word he spun about and disappeared into the darkness of his bedroom.
Sakura stared after him for a moment, mind racing. I…triggered something just now, I'm sure of it. The shock of rethinking everything I must have seen…everything I must know now…must have set him off, she thought grimly. Almost before she knew it, she was crossing the room and slipping into his darkened bedroom after him. This is due to my decision to use that jutsu—it's my fault. I have to make certain he's alright…
Sasuke's tall, lean figure made a striking silhouette, a sharp-edged shadow set against the diffuse golden glow of the streetlights outside the window and deep star-struck indigo of the night sky. He was leaning heavily on the window frame, supporting most of his weight on tightly balled fists, head sunk low, his chin nearly touching his chest; as Sakura came alongside him, she saw that his eyes were closed tightly, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.
"I t-told y-y-you to l-leave," he gritted out, and she paused with a hand just inches from his shoulder. "I d-don't need…your h-help."
After all, you can only do so much for someone who doesn't want your help.
The words sprung unbidden to her mind, and Sakura bit her lip, caught in a moment of indecision, but at that moment, Sasuke began shaking so hard his knees nearly buckled, and thinking went out the window: he needed help and she could give it, and that was that.
Without a second thought she slid her arms around him, easily supporting him; the Uchiha tensed in her embrace, and she took advantage of that moment of stunned surprise, using it to half-walk half-drag him towards his bed. He recovered quickly, however, and despite the fact that he was still trembling so violently he could scarcely stand, he made a half-hearted attempt to break away from her; Sakura's arms only tightened around his ribs in response.
She'd seen cases like this before, of course (it had post traumatic stress syndrome written all over it), but there wasn't really all that much she could do. At the hospital they'd sedated patients who were in significant distress, but she hadn't had the foresight to bring along any heavy anesthetics for what was supposed to be a routine check-up. The only thing she could think of was to get him comfortable and warm to try to help him relax; these sorts of things generally just had to be allowed to run their course.
"We've got to warm you up or you'll never stop that shaking," she muttered half under her breath. Sasuke gave a quiet, pained grunt in reply, but he stopped trying to push her away. Physically, at least.
"Leave me alone…why won't you just leave me alone?" he muttered, his body going limp as another shaking fit passed.
"I explained that to you already, Sasuke-kun," Sakura replied patiently, momentarily relinquishing one arm's grip on her former teammate to pull back the bedclothes, then easing them both down onto the cool sheets, tugging the blankets back into place and trying to ignore the fact that they were quite literally in bed together and that Sasuke was still wearing nothing but his boxers. Regardless of the situation, all that bare skin and well-toned muscle was still uncomfortably appealing; on impulse she snatched the comforter from the foot of the bed, wrapping it around Sasuke's bare shoulders before pulling him close again just as another wave of tremors hit.
"I don't want you here. Get out! I don't need you or your stupid ideals!"
And on it went, the same phrases repeated over and again with slight variances. But though his words were harsh, telling her to leave and that her presence was both unwanted and unnecessary, Uchiha Sasuke was still just a little bit too selfish to refuse such freely offered and badly needed comfort, and he made no move to pull away from her again. Really he nearly gloried in her warmth--he'd been cold, so very cold standing by the window, but due to the shaking, he hadn't trusted his legs to carry him to the bed--and he unconsciously pressed closer to her to obtain as much of it as possible. He was far too proud to ask for this sort of help, but Sakura was offering, he wasn't asking, and that somehow made it alright to accept the heat of her presence and the warmth of her concern.
He'd never had someone to hold him through these attacks, and he found with a faint sense of consternation that his body was relaxing, calming much more quickly than usual; these fits generally kept him up most of the night, and yet, after little more than an hour or two, this one already seemed to be winding down…
He turned a calculating look towards the kunoichi at his side, thoughts turning back to the cloudy blur that comprised the majority of his memories of the past few months. There was a particular memory in there somewhere of an event similar to this, he was certain of it…
Another round of convulsions shook their way through him, but Sasuke wanted clarity, and he wanted it now. "You did this for me once before," he gritted out through clenched teeth. It was a statement, not a question, though it almost sounded nearer to an accusation.
"Yes," Sakura admitted quietly. "When you were in the hospital, and still very unstable. You...thought I was your mother, and didn't want me to leave you." She squared her jaw and glared at him defiantly, daring him to make something of it. "So I didn't."
Surprisingly enough, he couldn't seem to find a fittingly sarcastic response for that, though that might have had something to do with the fact that he was still in the midst of a particularly violent bout of shuddering at that moment; yet even after it subsided, silence of a grudgingly grateful nature reigned.
The pink-haired medic-nin quickly lost track of the time, focusing instead on her attempts to soothe her old teammate, but after what felt like hours, the intervals between trembling fits gradually lengthened, then dropped off completely, leaving the exhausted Uchiha drifting in and out of a light but entirely natural sleep.
Sakura smiled at the composed expression currently softening Sasuke's face, gently brushing dark hair away from one closed eye, relief and a comfortable, not-unfamiliar warmth spreading through her as she listened to his breathing even out, watching him carefully for signs of any further disturbances until she was satisfied that he was firmly in the clutches of sleep.
Finally, she thought, she could go home and get some sleep herself. God knew she needed it after this.
As she started to pull away, however, she felt the muscles in Sasuke's arm contract slightly, almost imperceptibly, holding her in place. She paid it no mind, thinking it to be a mere reflex, and kept working to extract herself from the jumble of blankets and limbs until Sasuke's quiet voice filled the silence: "Sakura…you can stay if you want."
Sakura felt her eyes go wide, and she darted a quick glance up at Sasuke's face. He looked back at her calmly, eyes dark and expression apathetic as ever, and whatever it was that she was searching for wasn't there. Regardless of that, she couldn't resist giving him a huge smile before burying her face in his chest with a contented little sigh.
Sasuke stared down at the tangle of pink hair just inches from his face, blinking slowly and wondering whether he'd just made a mistake. But she was just so warm… Besides, he had told Naruto he would be nicer, and kicking her out at this time of night would certainly not have been 'nice' by any means.
She might be taking this wrong, however…
"Sakura," he said after a few long moments.
He waited until he got the half-mumbled reply of "What is it, Sasuke-kun?" before continuing:
"Don't read into this…it doesn't mean anything. I'm just letting you stay because I don't want you walking home alone at this hour."
For an instant she stiffened in arms, the tell-tale reaction so brief that Sasuke could almost deny that it had happened at all.
Almost.
"I know that, Sasuke-kun," she murmured after a moment, and she pressed her face into his chest a little harder. "Don't worry…I know."
The Uchiha let out a faint sigh at her tone--one that he recognized all too well, one full of self-mockery and grudging resignation. But there was nothing he could say--nothing he would say, rather--that would dispel either of those two emotions, so he settled for something simple, vague, and safe:
"…Thank you."
He felt her smile against his chest. "Good night, Sasuke-kun."
Silence settled over them again, and Sakura's breathing had fallen into a soft, steady pattern before Sasuke murmured his reply.
"…Good night, Sakura."
Naruto hopped easily from rooftop to rooftop, making his way across town to Sasuke's apartment—it was his morning to take the Uchiha heir to his daily sparring session. His mind wandered a bit as he sprinted along one of the many telephone wires crisscrossing the busy streets of Konoha, his thoughts settling on Sakura and her confession the night before last. The blonde frowned, a soft growl rumbling along his throat. I wonder if that bastard really meant it when he said he'd try being nicer. His fists clenched as his frown deepened. He'd better.
A few moments later, he'd reached the apartment complex. He paused on an adjacent building long enough to make sure Sasuke's bedroom window was open; finding that it was, he leapt forward once more. Forget the stairs and waiting for the Uchiha bastard to open the door--he was just going to pop in the window, which would quite likely annoy his taciturn best friend, but the blonde knew he probably wouldn't stay angry too long; unlike Sakura, Sasuke didn't care if Naruto saw him in a towel, and certainly wouldn't hit him for it.
He landed on the empty windowsill with scarcely a sound, then had a brief battle with the thick curtains that had suddenly blown outwards to wrap themselves around him, obscuring his vision in the process. It was a fight that he soon won (though not without nearly pulling down the curtain rod in the process), but he finally succeeded in freeing himself and pushing the draperies aside to look into the room.
Taking in the scene before him, Naruto's jaw dropped, and he nearly toppled backwards out the window in surprise:
Sasuke was stretched out on his back, wearing only his boxers, surrounded by a jumbled mess of blankets. And there, with her front pressed firmly against Sasuke's side and with her head resting on his chest, was Sakura. Her hair was falling in her face, the little bit of makeup she wore was a slightly smeared, and her clothes were rumpled (she was still fully clothed, Naruto noted belatedly), but the small, utterly satisfied smile gently curling along her lips was nothing short of beautiful. Her arms were around her old teammate, that was no surprise; the fact that Sasuke's arm was wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close, however, was.
Naruto just stared, but despite his continued gaze, the stunned feeling buzzing around in his brain didn't seem inclined towards abating any time soon. He shook his head slowly as he turned and leaped away across the rooftops again.
Glad as he was that the Uchiha was actually making some sort of effort, the blonde couldn't help but think that perhaps Sasuke might've taken the 'being nicer' thing…just a bit too far.