Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Period, end of story. (Not this one mind you, I'm just saying.) XD

Many thanks to everyone who reviewed! Special Shout outs go to: DarkenedAngelzTears, Moonlight102310, mandeepeace. nicolerogersXX, .Fire, sleeplygirl, Millady, TurtleDovesRule, Reina2202, Naiya Tsuki, Neko the kawatta cat, pennyosu, call me alessandra and anya2011!

I've been so happy to hear from you! Truth be told, I've been so nervous about how well received this fic would be. ;) Thank you all so much for the feedback! It encourages me so much more to continue writing when I know my readers are happy. :D

Life Restored – Chapter 4

The very first thing that she noticed when her eyes opened was the simple fact that she was at home and in her own bed.

The second…she was still in her clothes from the day previous.

Her eyes slowly blinked a few times, clearing away the sleep as her mind came fully awake. Stifling a rather large yawn, Sakura stretched her arms above her head, feeling the muscles in her back and shoulders stretch from the long day before and the night of rest.

She lay haphazardly in her bed as her eyes found the clock. She couldn't help the groan that escaped when she saw what time it was.

8:15. Tsunade was going to kill her.

She was in no hurry to haul herself from her comfy bed, however, and her eyes fell shut again as she brought her arms down to rub her temples.

Today was going to thoroughly suck.

Her energy still hadn't returned yet, and her chakra was still dangerously low. It took her a good five minutes to muster the strength to sit up, and when she did her hair spilled down her shoulders and her head spun a little.

Sakura laughed softly as she looked down at herself, still dressed in her scrubs from the day before. At least she'd remembered to take off her white coat…

Her eyes narrowed as she realized she didn't remember coming home last night. In fact, she didn't remember even coming in through the door, much less removing her lab coat.

Sakura was on her feet and staggering a moment later. Damn it, was she really that out of it?

Her hand reaching out for the door knob, she gave it a good twist and yanked the thing open, her head pounding. She ran her fingers through her messy hair, pulling it away from her eyes as she moved towards her small kitchen. It took a long minute for her ninja reflexes to kick in and her feet froze her to the spot.

She was not alone in her apartment.

Two figures were each slumped on her couch and the chair by the window in her living room. A loud snore came from the rather large lump of orange on her couch, but onyx eyes opened from the corner of the room as her light footsteps entered the doorway.

Suddenly, the events from the night before came back to her…Naruto in her office, him picking her up…Sasuke carrying her home.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Sakura looked away, feeling her cheeks reddening at the thought being in his arms. Quickly turning around, she swore she didn't see him smirking as she went straight for the kitchen, her arm thrown out on the wall to give herself some support.

She scooted into the kitchen as quickly as she could; not liking the fact that Uchiha Sasuke had spent the night in her living room. And she'd apparently been too exhausted last night to walk herself home, much less defend herself against him.

She fumbled around, searching for a mug to make some tea. Her throat was dry and her head was killing her. Damn it all if she wasn't coming down with something. She didn't have the time to waste being sick.

Sakura found the mug, and set it on the counter as she went hunting for her teabags. She had just three bags of her favorite jasmine tea left, and made a mental note to get some more at the market later. Her vision went hazy as she reached for the mug, and she barely had the time to grab the countertop to steady her balance.

But she sent her mug flying.

The curse had barely left her lips when it shattered on the floor. Sakura let go of the counter, and slid to the floor, resting her back against the cabinets. Dizziness was taking her consciousness for a ride, and her head fell back against the cupboard by the sink. Her fingers slid into her hair as she held still, waiting for the dizziness to pass. She couldn't remember the last time she'd woken up feeling like this. Maybe she was getting a cold…

When her world stopped spinning, she got on her hands and knees and slowly began picking up the pieces of the mug. Thankful the thing had been ceramic, she had only a few large pieces to worry about as she carefully…sliced her thumb open.

"Kuso!" She winced, glaring down at the bright red blood welling up on her thumb.

Two hands came around her from behind, and slowly pulled her to her feet. She froze at the sudden contact, hating herself for not sensing him in her kitchen. He cranked the faucet on, adjusting the dial a little before he lightly gripped her wrist and guided her hand under the spray. The water stung, but it washed the blood free.

Sakura tried to focus on the cut, but it was so very hard to distract her mind when he was standing so damn close to her…

"I-I'm fine." She stammered.

Sasuke felt himself smirk, but he didn't respond. To prove her point, Sakura closed her eyes, and slowly gathered what little chakra she had to her hand. The slice on her thumb began knitting itself back together, before her concentration was cut off both by the arm tightening around her waist, and the large hand covering hers, breaking the chakra flow.

"You should be resting, Sakura."

She forced herself to hide her shiver, and her eyes. "You're really going to try and push me around in my own house?" Exhaustion made her voice weaker than she would have liked, so she put as much of a bite into her tone as possible.

He tore a paper towel off from the rack and shut off the faucet. He was surprisingly gentle as he wrapped it around her thumb, applying enough pressure to stop the blood flow but not enough to really hurt.

Sakura kept her gaze carefully averted, not trusting herself at that point. Or him, for that matter.

She felt him pull her close, and she tensed.

But all he did was quietly guide her from the kitchen.

"I need to clean that up." She mumbled, her protest not at all strong like she had intended.

"Hn."

She was led out into the living room, where a very groggy future Hokage was rubbing the sleep from his bleary eyes. He sat up and grinned at her as Sasuke, arm wrapped around her waist, entered with her in tow.

"Ohayo Sakura-chan!" Naruto's bright smile faded though when he got a good look at her. "How're you feeling?"

Her eyes narrowed on him. "You both camped out in my living room last night?"

"His idea." She turned her head to look up at her former teammate.

Naruto's smile had returned only the difference now was that his features had taken on more of a sheepish look as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, we did. You were so wiped out, and we didn't want to leave you alone…"

He was a terrible liar, she knew. But for now, she would leave it be.

Sighing heavily, Sakura raked her fingers through her hair as her blonde teammate carefully reiterated his question.

"Honestly Naruto? I really don't want to go in today. But knowing my luck, after a full day in surgery yesterday there's bound to be a mountain of paperwork sitting on my desk this morning." She went back to rubbing her temples again.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "No, Sakura-chan. You don't have to worry about going back today."

Her head came up, eyes widening a touch. "What're you talking about? I've not had a day off in three years. You know that. Why is today suddenly any different?"

"You were nearing chakra depletion when I brought you home last night, Sakura." Sasuke's deep voice cut into her thoughts and demanded her attention. And boy did she ever comply.

Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him, her heart fluttering in her chest. But then she got a grip on herself and narrowed her eyes on his face.

"I've been near dead from chakra depletion before, Uchiha." She murmured her voice low with warning. "I can handle it."

His answering smirk made her stomach flip anxiously. She didn't like the way that his eyes read her way too easily.

"Regardless," He continued, his voice smoothing over her anger like cool water on a fire. "We were assigned to make sure you recover."

Naruto grinned over Sasuke's shoulder. "Yup! Tsunade baa-chan said so! Team building and…ah…Sakura-chan why're you looking at me like that?"

She was glaring dangerously at the blonde. "I don't need anyone to coddle me." Her voice was icy. "Not anymore."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears before she closed her lids over them, extinguishing the anguish right along with the rest of her emotions. Her face became a mask as she started to withdraw from the Uchiha's hold.

"I'm going to report to Tsunade-shishou. You can tag along if you like Naruto, but I'm going anyway."

She pulled herself away from Sasuke…only to go nowhere.

Her eyes shot up to his, vehemence flashing in her viridian orbs as her features turned into a threatening glare. "Let go of me."

His face was blank as he calmly answered, "No."

She lost it. Her mind was exhausted, her chakra low, and her tolerance had run out.

Her fist flew before she could have the foresight to stop it.

Of course he caught her punch easily as she'd swung, her current state rendering her sluggish and predictable. Like she really had any extra strength to spare to be fighting the Uchiha in the first place, but that was completely beside the point. She wanted to wipe that arrogant look from his stupid…her thoughts ceased as Sasuke glared down at her.

"What's your plan, Sakura?" His voice was low, his eyes dark as he pulled her against him, cradling her hand in his.

"You gonna take another soldier and really put yourself in danger?"

"Why the hell do you suddenly care?!" She fired back, twisting to free herself in his grip. He overpowered her easily and pinned her to the floor. Furious tears welled in her eyes as she glared up at him, fighting with as much strength as she could against his iron hold.

Naruto was speechless as he watched the display. He'd known Sakura most of his life, but never before had he seen her act so hateful towards the lone Uchiha survivor. He couldn't understand why she was so angry at him. But he guessed that this was one of those times Neji had told him about, not interfering and all that.

Too bad he didn't always listen.

"Sakura-chan, what's—?"

She turned her icy glare on him for a split second, and a pit opened in the bottom of his gut, freezing him where he stood. He'd seen that glare quite a few times on her in the heat of battle, but never directed at anyone she cared for or loved.

The murderous look was gone from her eyes a few seconds later, however, and she closed her eyes, feeling exhaustion rush over her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, relaxing against Sasuke's grip. Her temper was flaring because she was still burned out from the day previous, and waking up to the surprise of her old heartbreak sleeping in her apartment had definitely not been the best way to start off the day.

Opening her eyes she looked up at Sasuke. "Let me up?"

Her defeated tone and deflated temper were the only reasons why he relented his grip on her wrists and slowly climbed off of her. Even without chakra she had put up a good amount of resistance, and if she hadn't been so exhausted he knew she would have fought her hardest to leave.

Sasuke watched her carefully as he pulled her to her feet, waiting for her to change her mind about playing nice. But all she did was sway a little on her feet as she got her balance. Her hair had slipped loose from the ponytail she'd tied earlier and she looked as if she were about to fall over.

Gently gripping her elbow, he slowly pulled her towards her bedroom. "Come on."

She resisted for half of a second before she allowed herself to be pulled away. She twirled at the last minute, however, and went to Naruto's side. He stood immediately as he saw her walk back towards him. Throwing her arms around his neck, Sakura pulled him close.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." She murmured, hiding her face in his shoulder. "I shouldn't have bitten your head off. You didn't deserve that." She felt his arms come around her, holding her tight for a long moment.

When he pulled back from her, his usual grin was in place. "Ne, Sakura-chan it's okay! You get kinda scary when you're mad, is all." He chuckled as he let her go. "Go with Teme and get some rest! We'll be here in case you need us." He gave her a thumbs up as she turned to go.

Sakura couldn't help but shake her head, a faint smile on her face. Naruto never ceased to make her feel better, no matter the situation. Lifting her head, she met the Uchiha's steady gaze for a moment, before tearing her eyes away from him. She wasn't surprised when she felt his hand lightly close around her arm, but she allowed herself to be escorted the ten whole ten foot distance to her room.

When they'd rounded the corner and were out of Naruto's sight, however, Sakura rounded on Sasuke. "I'm fine." She said, holding out her hand to stop him from advancing.

Smirking, he gazed down at her, an amused look in his eyes. "You think I'm that stupid?"

Giving him an annoyed look, Sakura placed both of her hands on his chest to carefully push him back. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about, Uchiha." Her breath left her on a heavy sigh, "Nor do I have the energy to argue with you."

Sasuke shocked the hell out of her when he lightly took her hands in his own, and stepped forward, walking her backwards into her room. "Good." He would've chuckled at her expression, but he knew her to be more stubborn than she ever had been…before. "Which means you shouldn't have the energy to slip out the window once the dobe falls asleep either." He gave her a pointed look.

Sakura felt incredulity spread across her face.

That's when he sensed it. There was another presence in Sakura's apartment. He kept his face blank, but debated on what to do with the pink haired kunoichi staring up at him, her eyes wide. She would undoubtedly do something stupid if he didn't stop her. But certainly she knew better than to push herself, given the condition she was in currently…?

His eyes narrowed on her face as they slowly bled to red. Sakura's eyes squeezed shut and her hands tightened on his. "Don't!" She whispered as she lowered her head.

Sasuke felt his frustration evaporate at her reaction. His heart tightened in his chest as he realized she was squeezing his hands rather tight. He resisted the instinct to pull her close, as he knew that would probably upset her, and so all he did was lightly push her back until the backs of her knees bumped the side of her bed. "You need to rest, Sakura." He said quietly, before gently letting go of her and turning to walk out of her room.

Sakura's eyes snapped open when she felt him release her. "Wait!" Her heart was skipping erratically in her chest as she looked up at him, surprised to see the unexpected look on his face.

She bit her lip.

A million questions were running through her head in that moment as she stared at him, her heart torn in two different directions. But as she stared at him, she couldn't help the feeling of anxiety as it welled up in her heart, expanding until she thought it would burst. Keeping a lid on her emotions though, she let out a hearty sigh after a minute and steeled her expression.

"Thank you." Her voice was much softer. "You know, for bringing me home last night."

He smirked at her. "And here I thought you would've been revolted at the thought."

She frowned, feeling her eyes narrow on him. But when she opened her mouth to retort, he waved his hand at her.

"Get some rest, Sakura. I'm sure the Hokage will be in need of you soon."

He was gone a few seconds later, leaving Sakura to stare incredulously after him.

Sasuke quietly closed the door behind him.

Naruto was waiting for him in the living room, a frown on his face. The second presence he had sensed before was now standing in Sakura's front entryway. Sasuke fought the smirk that had worked its way to his lips as he sized up the shinobi. Naruto stayed silent, shockingly enough as Sasuke deftly moved forward. He wasn't picking up anything from the anonymous ninja standing in Sakura's doorway, but that didn't mean he could potentially pose a threat to her.

"Uchiha." The ANBU acknowledged, practically spitting his name as he held out a scroll to Sasuke. His face was covered with his mask, making it nearly impossible to get a read on him. Sasuke had to resist the urge to activate his bloodline limit and send the pompous ninja running with his tail between his legs. No one slandered his family name.

But all he did was accept the scroll.

As he unrolled it, the ANBU continued. "You are hereby summoned by Godaime Hokage and Morino Ibiki to report to Hokage Tower first thing tomorrow morning."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he read the scroll before he snapped it closed. "Aa."

The ANBU nodded to Naruto, before he disappeared in a flash.

Naruto planted his hands on his hips. "What the hell is this about, teme? What does Tsunade baa-chan want with you?"

Facing his old teammate, he smirked. "It means," Sasuke tossed the scroll at him. "You got what you wanted, Dobe."

The blonde shinobi grinned. "Hell yeah teme!" He exclaimed as he quickly read over the scroll. "It looks like the old lady is finally warming up to you!"

Sasuke felt the doubt leach into his thoughts as he imagined what the village's reaction to this would be. Tomorrow would be the day. The day he was either proven trustworthy by the Hokage or…

Banished from Konoha as a threat to the village and the Fire Country.

…

…

…

…

…

A/N:

This chapter was hard to write! Believe me, poor Hyuuga Ayame had a hot mess on her hands the first draft I sent her. Bless her heart. It started heading in one nasty direction so badly that I had to walk away from this for a few days before I came back to it, haha.

Anyway, I hope that you all have enjoyed reading it! Sasuke's evaluation is coming up next. That's gonna be a blast, just wait. XD And there's gonna be more SasuSaku loveliness coming soon as well. Got big ideas for those two. ;) Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews and feedback! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. ^_~

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time with your families! And for my German readers, Schönes Erntedankfest! 3

xoxo

Konoha no Uchiha Sakura