Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Story rating: M for themes

Summary: After Sasuke wakes up from a year in coma.

Awake (4)

Verdict

Sasuke was standing in the middle of a street and soaking up the warm sun rays. The trial went in his favour – he was pardoned on account of his redemption and the aid he had given to the Shinobi Alliance during the final battle of the Fourth War.

Now he was a free man.

All was well.

His feet moved by themselves, taking him on a stroll through the village. He didn't give it much thought – he could do whatever he pleased and go wherever he wanted, after all.

Next thing he knew, he was in the hospital. They said they needed to give him a checkup and he didn't argue. Only when two burly male nurses grabbed him, he began struggling, however it was useless. They strapped him to a bed tightly and left him alone, though not for long.

The door swung open and the elders marched in triumphantly.

"What do you want from me now?" Sasuke spat.

"Be thankful, Uchiha. In just a few months, you're going to be a father," Koharu cackled, Homura echoing her with his own senile chortle.

Sasuke's blood ran cold. "I didn't agree to any of this!"

"And we don't care, Uchiha."

"You already have what you wanted. Leave me alone," Sasuke growled threateningly.

"You're wrong. This is only the beginning," Koharu replied and clapped her hands. Immediately, the door opened again and Sakura came in, wearing indecent nurse's outfit straight from an Icha Icha movie. She held an empty jar without a lid.

"Collect a sample," the old witch ordered the medic.

"What! Didn't you collect enough of that?" Sasuke renewed his frantic struggles, straining against the straps keeping him on the bed, but they held on.

"Yes, Koharu-sama," Sakura said robotically and swiftly approached his wriggling form. Her face showed perfect indifference to his person, not a speck of emotion beside faint boredom detectable to him.

"Sakura, stop it! Don't listen to them!" Sasuke called to her pleadingly but she ignored him, instead tugging his pants off.

"Procedure number two-one-oh-three-two. Begin extraction," she stated flatly.

"Sakura, no!"

"... suke-kun..."

"Sasuke-kun..."

"Sasuke-kun! Wake up!"

With a gasp, Sasuke's eyes flew open, only to meet a velvety darkness. His chest was rising and falling rapidly with the erratic shaky breaths he was taking. His skin felt clammy and moist with sweat.

A warm hand rested gently on his forehead and emitted a think stream of soothing green chakra. In the weak illumination, Sasuke could barely make out features of the nightly visitor, however the clean scent of that reminded him of peaches couldn't be mistaken for anyone else's.

"Sakura?..."

"Shhh," she took away her hand and he instantly missed the reassuring touch. "It was just a nightmare, Sasuke-kun. Go back to sleep."

She made a motion to get up and leave his bedside and he absolutely couldn't allow that to happen, not when they were finally alone. A hand quickly closed around her wrist in an unrelenting grasp.

"Stay," he rasped out, this one word carrying much more meaning than it was supposed to. It felt as if it didn't refer just to the situation at hand.

He honestly didn't know what to expect from her, however he still felt surprised and relieved all at once when she acquiesced.

"I... alright," Sakura murmured softly and sat down in a chair.

Sasuke didn't release his hold. He could barely see her in the velvety darkness and the physical contact ensured that she wasn't a figment of his imagination. It comforted him how she didn't try to break out of his grasp. Her willingness to stay and keep him company gave him hope that all wasn't lost between them, that there was a chance to repair what was damaged by his rash, hurtful words.

Without conscious thought to guide his actions, Sasuke changed his hold on her hand, taking it in his own and interlacing their fingers.

"Sakura... I..." he began tentatively, then stopped, desperately searching for the right words to apologize and coming up empty. "I'm sorry."

Her expression was hidden behind the veil of darkness. She didn't say anything, not giving any indication whether she even heard him or not. Only her warm hand and the subtle sounds of her breathing let him know that she was still there.

Sasuke sighed, frustrated with himself. Why was it so hard? Simple sorry felt outright inadequate to the injustice he had committed. It didn't ease his guilt and shame. He wanted, needed, to do more.

Sakura gasped when he pressed his lips gently against the back of her hand, still intertwined with his own. The contact was brief yet meaningful.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said sincerely.

It still wasn't enough...

"I forgave you a long time ago, Sasuke-kun," she replied softly and stroked his forehead, a medical technique putting him back to sleep, this time peaceful and uninterrupted by nightmares. In the momentary green glow, Sasuke glimpsed her smile.

In the remaining few days until his trial Sasuke was tirelessly practicing walking with crutches, because he would be damned before appearing in the court before all these Kages on a wheelchair. He also endured numerous visits from his team, though to his chagrin the one who came by most often was the replacement guy. He understood that Naruto and Kakashi were busy with convincing the Alliance leadership not to kill him, but the lack of Sakura's presence annoyed him even more. What excuse did she have? Didn't he apologize and she forgave him? Or was it just a dream? Sasuke found that he couldn't be too sure about it, but the memory of her warm touch and tender smile felt so real, he wanted to believe it had happened.

The day of the trial began with one big annoyance he had never imagined he would have the displeasure to meet again.

"End of snoring, Uchiha! This is your big day!" one Yamanaka Ino woke him up in a sing-song voice.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sasuke asked uncharitably, blinking blearily at the blonde.

"What? No 'long time no see'? Tsk, remember your manners, Uchiha, it'll be useful in the court," she admonished him, clucking her tongue. "I'm here to make sure you'll be presentable and respectful before the Kages. Now, start getting ready! Chop chop!" she clapped her hands.

Sasuke grunted in annoyance with her too bright demeanor so early in the morning and got up.

"Why you?" he had to pose the question.

"Obviously, because I'm smart, powerful and beautiful!" Ino boasted and he just rolled his eyes at her. She put a finger on her chin as if remembering something. "Well, and because Sakura asked me to."

"Sakura? Where is she?" his curiosity was sparked by the name of his absent (for too long) teammate.

Ino regarded him with unexpected seriousness, her gaze searching his face for hidden agenda. He responded with a blank look. "Probably home, also getting ready," she finally answered and there was a twinkle in her blue eyes. "What, did you miss her a lot?"

Sasuke ignored the blonde's teasing tone and headed for the bathroom.

"Wait!" she called out and handed him a bundle of clothes. "Change into these. I'll be waiting here."

Sasuke took the clothes without a word.

A short while later, he emerged from the bathroom, refreshed and donning the new attire. Ino whistled in approval. "Still looking good, eh?" she commented.

Indeed, clad in a plain black formal kimono, Sasuke cut a fine figure. He was also rather pleased, though it had nothing to do with vanity but with the Uchiha emblem sewn on the back of his outfit.

"Sakura made a good choice with this kimono. It fits perfectly," Ino voiced out loud.

A small smile pulled on Sasuke's lips, which he hid by turning his face to look out the window. The mental images of Sakura personally picking out these clothes for him and stitching the Uchiha fan on their back filled him with a pleasant warm feeling he wasn't accustomed to. Yet, he now kind of wanted to get used to this.

Ino threw him a new pair of sandals which he slid on his feet and they headed out. The very moment Sasuke stepped over the threshold of his room, he was surrounded by a larger escort of ninjas he was familiar with – Rock Lee, Tenten and Shino. The Uchiha raised an eyebrow.

"Not taking any chances, I see?" he commented sardonically, his gaze resting on their full gear. If he wanted to pull an escape, they would have just provided him with quite a lot of useful equipment. Fortunately for them, he didn't plan on going anywhere.

"It's never wise to underestimate one's opponent, even an injured one," Shino remarked coolly.

"Yosh! Now that Sasuke-san is here, we can go and fight a youthful battle for his freedom!" Lee exclaimed in his usual flamboyant fashion, stealing attention from Shino, who then became withdrawn, sulking.

"Lee, it's not a battle for his freedom, we're just going to the court," Tenten replied with a shake of her head, all too used to tempering her teammate's displays of youth.

"Then it's a verbal battle!"

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get going," Ino interjected, before Lee went off on a tangent again.

All of them nodded. Thankfully, no one offered to help Sasuke, the skillful way in which he operated his crutches being enough to convince them of his mobility. As they traversed through the village, Sasuke was struck by just how normal his old comrades were around him compared to other people they passed by. He had genuinely expected them to scorn him for his past deeds, however there was no trace of resentment in any of them. They didn't even seem concerned about the threat he might present, which was not only a testament to their incredible growth as ninjas, but also to their willingness to accept him back in their midst. With this realization, Sasuke felt as if a huge load was taken off his shoulders and a sudden lightness entered his steps.

The trial was held in a large hall in the Hokage's tower. The Five Kages and Mifune took the central, elevated position at the long table. Sasuke didn't pay any attention to them even though they were the ones to decide his fate soon, sparing a cursory glance in their direction as his eyes relentlessly searched for a flash of pink amongst the crowd that has already gathered to witness the proceedings. Sasuke spotted Naruto, Kakashi and Sai and nodded to them distractedly, his gaze roaming still.

The seats to the both sides of the room were almost all taken but Sakura was nowhere in sight. Finally, she hurriedly walked out of the backroom and deposited some papers before the Hokage, then rushed over to Naruto and sat next to him. Sasuke followed her every move, greedily drinking in her slight figure dressed in her usual red top, black shorts and pink skirt. Oddly, only now he noticed how good she looked in red.

Sakura must have sensed someone observing her intently, because she abruptly turned, her narrowed green eyes softening as they met his own dark ones. She gave him a quick once-over, apparently worried about his health, then hesitantly smiled. In response, his lips twitched upwards in an awkward attempt at a smile. In this moment, just between the two of them, passed a specific brand of silent communication.

Tsunade cleared her throat and called the court for attention. Reluctantly, Sasuke tore his gaze away from the seats, his eyes still lingering on his whole team. They all gathered there for him, even Sai who barely knew him, hopeful that they would finally have him back and their bonds with him would be restored. Kakashi gave him an eye-smile, Naruto put his thumbs up in show of support and Sakura nodded, all of them sporting a determined look that told him that they would never give up on him.

Sasuke turned to the front and faced the judges, his shoulders squared, a confident smirk tugging slightly at the corners of his lips.

Whatever the verdict would be, he was ready. His team was there and they had his back.

That was all he really needed.

Epilogue

It was a quiet Sunday morning two weeks after the trial. Sasuke had been finally discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health. Though he still had a long way to go before regaining his full strength, his recovery was going so well that he could move around without the crutches already. For a coma patient, with his fast healing he was breaking all records, as Sakura hadn't omitted to tell him with a proud grin.

The smile he had given her back stayed reflexively in place long after he left the hospital, causing some people he had passed by a painful whiplash, but soon it was replaced by a somber expression as he neared his chosen destination. Sasuke regarded the heavy, steel gates and entered the cemetery. This one visit was long overdue.

The Uchiha stopped in his tracks when he saw two familiar, but unwelcome faces standing in front of his family's graves. His hands balled into the fists as he rushed, outraged by the gall of these people.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Utatane Koharu greeted him calmly as if she hadn't threatened him with execution the last time they had seen each other. Her companion, elder Homura also didn't seem concerned with Sasuke's presence there, acknowledging him with a brief nod before becoming absorbed with lighting the incense sticks around the graves. The ones which were already burning released a soothing, herbal scent.

"What. Are you doing. Here," Sasuke bit out, barely restraining himself from adding a few choice expletives to show how much he wanted them gone and out of his sight. He couldn't swear there, not in the place where his family was buried.

"What does it look like? We're paying our respects, boy," Koharu snorted, unimpressed with how unobservant he appeared to be at the moment. She bent to adjust the large wreath of red and white chrysanthemums shaped into the Uchiha crest. The old woman caressed the delicate flower petals, then straightened up with loud creaking in her joints and spine.

Sasuke watched mutely as the elders stood side by side, bowing their heads in prayer for the souls of the departed.

"You gave the order to kill them. Why are you here, then?" he asked when they finished.

This time it was Homura who answered him.

"Do you know how old are we? We're Sandaime's teammates. For most of our lives the Uchiha clan was loyal. Dependable. They were the pride of Konoha," the words were measured, sincerity resounding through them. "We knew many of them personally. We watched them serve the village faithfully, willing to bleed and die for its safety and prosperity. The Uchiha were our trusted comrades..." the elder fixed Sasuke with a hard stare, "... and they betrayed our trust." The sliver of pain in his eyes was real and startlingly familiar. "But... they still deserve to be remembered for all the good they had done."

"I still ask myself where did we go wrong?" Koharu spoke with a sad frown, her gaze focused on the silent graves. All the spite Sasuke knew her for vanished and now she just looked like a very tired, very old woman. She sighed. "So useless... Nothing can be undone now."

Homura put a supporting hand on her arm and they turned to leave.

"Wait," Sasuke called suddenly. "What did you do with that sample? It's not in the hospital."

Koharu looked amused by his entirely serious question.

Homura coughed awkwardly. "I think you should ask your teammate about it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"The day we visited you in the hospital, Haruno-san came to us and threatened us with excessive bodily harm if we didn't tell her about our conversation with you."

"The girl said that she'd rip our arms off and beat us with them to death," Koharu added drily.

At this piece of news, a large smirk spread on Sasuke's face. "I see," he replied, the last dregs of hostility he harboured towards the elders dissipating into nothing.

"Well then," Homura nodded.

"Goodbye, Uchiha Sasuke. Uphold your legacy and cherish your friends and we hopefully won't have to see each other any time soon," Koharu gave the last bit of advice.

The elders walked off, exchanging only brief greetings with the incoming pink-haired medic-nin.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura waved to him and strode closer. "Is everything fine? Did they bother you?"

Sasuke looked away, uncomfortable under her worried look. "No, we just talked."

"About?" Sakura prodded gently.

Sasuke gazed at the gravestones of his clan, decorated with the beautiful wreath and surrounded by the pleasant scent of incense. The granite was regularly cleaned as shown by how it reflected the sun off its polished surface. "The Uchiha clan..." he answered.

"If they threatened you again, I swear..."

"Sakura," he cut her off abruptly, before she began an angry rant. Sasuke turned to her and she was stunned by the warmth in his eyes as he regarded her. "Thank you... for everything."

There were too many things he had to thank her for. Her caring, her smile, her just being there for him... He still couldn't express his feelings beyond the simplest of words and so he had to hope that would be enough.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura choked on a sob, overcome with happiness, then made a split-second decision and threw her arms around his neck in a fierce embrace. With her cheek pressed to his shoulder, she whispered, "Thank you for coming back, Sasuke-kun."

He didn't say anything and he didn't really need to. His arms wrapped around her tightly were enough of an answer.

Awake/End

AN: You won't believe how long I agonized over the trial before deciding not to write about it at all. However, this is the end. Next story will be a oneshot with one hundred percent more romance!

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