Chapter 2: Here We Are

Three years later

"Sakura …"

"Ok Ino, I'm staying overtime tonight."

"Sakura …"

"I promise I'll have all the children's records in order by morning."

"Sakura …"

"Of course I'll have to cut the time it takes to- "

"Sakura!"

"Hm? Yeah Ino?"

The two were in Sakura's office and it was already seven o'clock. That usually meant that Sakura was off shift but she had decided to take some overtime at the clinic. The blonde looked frustrated at the pinkette and Sakura couldn't understand why her best friend was just standing there looking next to mad at her. All she was doing was putting away books before she sorted through folders.

"Sakura, you don't need overtime, you need to kill some time. Besides, that's what your secretary is for. She loves doing the paperwork that gets left over during the day because she usually doesn't have anything to do because of you. You're working too hard again. Also, did you seriously forget what tonight is?"

"Tonight?" Sakura put away an old green book and looked to Ino in confusion.

"Oh my gosh! You actually forgot!" Ino was pulling at her hair in frustration. "Sakura, you need a break from working so much."

"Why Ino-pig?" She asked while putting away the last book.

"Uh, because one Forehead, you already did a week's worth of overtime last week. Two, your secretary is bored out of her mind because you basically take her job and do it for her. Three, I haven't interacted with you besides here at the clinic all month. Four, you're still recovering from the Kido incident. And finally, I can't believe you forgot what tonight is!"

"Well spill, what's tonight?" Sakura lifted a box onto her desk.

"The annual get-together. Remember? Naruto, Hinata, Sai, Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru, … basically everyone is going to be there. Every one of us is going to be at the barbecue place and the best part is that he's here this time."

"He? He who- … oh." Sakura set a second box gently on the desk. She knew exactly who Ino was talking about. It was him. If she was being honest to herself, she had already known in the back of her mind that he was back. That was why she wanted to work more. So she wouldn't have any time to bother him. So he could relax and not be worried by thinking he was obligated to see her himself. It was something she just didn't want to mess up.

That was actually what she'd done when they first came back to Konoha after the war. She'd made sure she was busy healing the left over soldiers and at points she found herself cursing the skill level of other medical ninja from the other countries. Especially this Tiro character from the Hidden Cloud. He was a topic that really had bothered Sakura. He didn't even have the decency to put organs on their proper place at times. Some of the shinobi were lucky they were even alive at that point. Either way, Sakura kept busy during those six months and the last time they spoke after he decided to leave, he'd poked her forehead. It was a curious little sign of affection but still Sakura felt she shouldn't bother the Uchiha if he honestly still found her … annoying.

"Sakura, listen … it's been almost three years. Can't you just admit that he's your teammate and interact with him for once?"

"I-Ino-…"

"Sakura, pleeeeease. You have to go. I would die of boredom. Sure Sai will be there but you know how socially awkward he can be." Sakura let out a huff of amusement at that.

"You were the one who decided to date him. In fact, you yourself claimed he was the one."

"I know, but please. It's not only for me. It's for you and everyone else. We haven't seen you out in the real world in ages. So please?" Sakura let out a sigh and looked at her best friend.

"If I do, do you promise not to bother me about this for the rest of the week?"

"On my honor and my headband." She gave a silly salute.

"Well … alright then … I guess I can get my-"

"Oh thank you!" Sakura was instantly hugged by the blonde. "Forehead thank you! I promise you won't regret it! It's gonna be so much fun!"

"Ok, ok … let me go." She smiled and pushed the girl off. She couldn't believe she got suckered in by Ino but she got her purse and gave the boxes to the girl at the front desk before they both walked out of the clinic's doors for the night. Ino chatting away while Sakura was walking alongside having an internal war. Tonight was going to be hell.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

"So …"

"So what Pig?"

"Don't lie to me Sakura, I know all about you seeing Sasuke earlier last week." She smiled wickedly at the pinkette.

"Oh that? I was with Naruto at the time. After the Kido incident, Naruto heard that Sasuke was coming home after I was kidnapped. Well, as you know, I got my way out of that myself but apparently Sasuke didn't know and he … well … he came back for a bit. We just thought it would be nice to greet him when he came back and I came mainly just to show him I was ok."

"So he was worried?"

"What, no. Sasuke doesn't worry about me. I don't think I'm much to worry about so why should he?"

"Well, considering he came booking home just to see if you were ok … I would say he was pretty worried."

"Ino, Sasuke is my teammate. Our relationship is strictly friendly. I bet he wouldn't even give me the time of day if I were to … I dunno, do something like I was still a genin and declare my love to him. I'm certain he doesn't think about me like that … and neither do I."

"C'mon Sakura, even I know you're lying through the skin of your teeth with that one."

"But Ino!" The pair was getting close to the barbecue restaurant.

"Hey look, there's Sai and Shikamaru! Hey guys!" Ino ran ahead, leaving Sakura to play catch up. Sakura watched as her friend ran to the two men at the entrance.

She just didn't understand. It wasn't the same. You can't just take years of being MIA and expect people to go back to the way things were before. Sakura knew this well. She still felt the pain of being left behind by not only one of her comrades, but both of them. Things just wouldn't be the same. All the scars healed, true … but the weight of the situation she was living was just beginning to wear her down. Sakura knew she changed after the war, but it wasn't because she wanted to change herself. The war itself had changed her. She wasn't fazed by anything anymore and she didn't know what to do with herself most times when she went home at night.

So the pinkette trudged over to the entrance and plastered a smile on her face. Hopefully she had mastered the art of fake smiling enough to pass unnoticed by Sai. She had only been working on it for three plus years. All she knew was that it was time. Time to actually see him … time to face her fears with a smile … time to face her demons

"Get over here Forehead!"

"Alright, alright. I'm here." She smiled and looked to see the rest of the Konoha 10 safe and happy. Hinata was sitting with Naruto. Lee was talking to Shino in his corner. Tenten was starting up a conversation with Choji and Kiba. It still surprised Sakura every time that the restaurant allowed dogs in the place. Shikamaru and Sai were finding their seats and that was when Sakura saw him. He was sitting next to Naruto and the only empty seats that were open were the ones next to Sai and across from Sasuke. Ino gave Sakura a warning look and she sighed in defeat. She was going to have to sit across from Sasuke.

"Hey guys! We're here!"

"Well, well, well …" Naruto exclaimed. "Looks like someone decided to come out of her hole and hang with us tonight-dattebayo!"

"Hi Naruto." She said sarcastically. "And for your information, I can just as easily go back to it if you want." Shouts of protest came from all around the table. Sakura was stunned. It was then she realized that maybe she had been going overboard on her workload lately.

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe what I ended up pulling her away from. Two whole boxes of files! She was going to do all that and then wrestle her project in the lab. I swear Sakura. I told you that you need to get out more. It feels like it's been ages." The two girls sat down and Sakura tried her best not to kill the blonde for criticizing her work. So instead she used her words.

"Oh really Ino? You were pulling me away? Because last I remember you were literally begging me to come because- "

"Forehead!" Ino cut her off quickly.

"Just sayin'." Sakura smirked as she sipped on a glass of water.

"Now I'm curious." Sai commented. "It's quite rude to keep someone guessing on what happened. I once read in a book- "

"Sai?"

"Yes Sakura?"

"Shut it."

"No problem Ugly!" He smiled and she glared back at him. She'd told him time and again not to call her that. Then again, Sai would do what Sai would do.

After the food was ordered and the group was waiting, Ino started to nudge Sakura with her elbow.

"Hm?" Ino nodded her head towards Sasuke. She wanted her to say something to the man. Sakura glared at her and shook her head. After that they were having a silent war with each other. Giving each other glares, angry gestures, and small grunts. That got them a few weird looks by the table but in the end Ino was losing out, but before Ino accepted her defeat she put on a bright smile and turned to Sasuke.

"So Sasuke! How were your travels?" Sakura almost choked on her water but put the glass down before she could and looked at Ino in disbelief.

"Fine."

"Just fine? C'mon, I know you have more to say than that. Where did you go? What did you see? Oh! I'm sure you met a lot of pretty girls huh?" She winked at him and Sakura tried hard to distract herself by sipping on her water. She absolutely refused to look up in case Sasuke was looking at her.

"Uuuh." He gave Ino a confused look.

"I-Ino, I don't think …" Hinata tried to stutter.

"C'mon Sasuke-kun! You should really tell us. What adventures did you go on before you came back?"

"Ino, I think you should give the guy some space-dattebayo. He hasn't really had any true down time to rest since Kakashi-sensei gave him tons of paperwork to go through." Naruto interjected.

"Aww. I was just curious." Ino leaned back in her seat. "I just want to know what he saw is all. Besides, aren't you curious? Ne, Sakura?" She nudged Sakura playfully.

"Leave me out of this Ino-pig!" The table was silent at Sakura's outburst. She paused a moment and ran through what she could say to lift the mood. "L-let's just drop it and not bother him with things he may or may not want to talk about. Besides, you'll tell us whenever you want, right Sasuke-kun?" She gave him the best smile she could muster but she could just feel Sai's disapproving gaze. There was silence for a minute.

"Mountains …" Everyone looked at the one armed man almost in disbelief that he'd spoke. "In the Land of Metal … I was … I was up in the mountains for a while. About three weeks at most." Sasuke wasn't one for words as most knew, but to actually hear him talk about his travels was a surprise indeed. They all listened as he told them of the tiny villages he had found there and all the times he had encountered small waterfalls secluded on some sides. The last thing he said anything about was when he was up to witness the sunrise. "It was like the clouds had minds of their own. True I've we've all seen it many times but the sky just seemed to open up and pour out all sorts of colors. I think I liked those mornings better than most." He sat back and closed his eyes as if to remember and smiled at the thought.

"Yeah." Shikamaru let out a huff and smiled too. "I know what you mean." The man's main hobby was watching clouds all day if he could.

The table was stunned. The one who would never say a word most of the time was actually opening up and telling them something about his travels. Lee had tears of joy running down his cheeks as he started ranting on about adventures in youth again. Tenten was talking about times when Gai-sensei would take the team to train sometimes and that was when she really learned to appreciate the sunrise. Ino, Sai, Naruto, and Hinata were chatting with Sasuke again about how much the village was probably different from the last time he was home. Everyone was in a lighthearted mood as the food finally came out. Sakura just sat back and smiled. A real smile this time. This felt right to her. Maybe her thoughts on Sasuke were just a false fear she had.

She didn't know how wrong she was.