Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Story Rating: T

Summary: In order to restore the Uchiha clan to its former glory, Sasuke is given a special permission by the impatient elders. Part 2.

The Perfect Candidate

Part 2

Sakura smiled faintly as she watched Sasuke retreat to the kitchen, filled with warmth that he actually wanted her to stay. She had always kept her visits at his place swift and mostly professional, shying away from the possibility that she might breach into his personal space and make him uncomfortable. She had no desire to ruin what they already had as friends by thoughtlessly invading his privacy and therefore she consciously chose to meet up with him outside, coming over only when necessary.

With Sasuke's acceptance of her presence in his house today, this might change soon, she concluded with a contented smile.

Sakura tucked a strand of unruly hair behind her ear in a self-conscious gesture, then smoothed out her skirt and shifted around in her seat. When her foot bumped into something on the ground, she glanced there curiously. A folder of papers was peeking from under the couch, so she bent down to take it out from there, thinking it could be something important for Sasuke.

The capital letters on the cover spelling out LIST OF CANDIDATES made her pause.

Struck with sudden anxiety, she threw a quick glance to the doorway and seeing that Sasuke wasn't returning yet, she cracked the booklet open. Her green eyes widened in disbelief as she perused its contents. Files of various women – pictures, bios, health information – were organized in the alphabetical order. All of them young and beautiful, not a single, even the smallest scar marring their flawless skin as the numerous shots in bikini showcased their bountiful assets.

Why would Sasuke be in a possession of such a list?

A sinking feeling in her stomach grew when Sakura recognized one of the women from the pictures. Just a few days ago, the cheerful brunette had come for a physical and... a fertility test. Come to think of that, quite a large number of women had visited the hospital for the same reason during the past two weeks.

Sakura remembered that even though she hadn't tried to pry, the patient had been very talkative and hadn't bothered with hiding the purpose of the check-up.

"I can't believe I'm going to get married so young! But, you know, my future husband wants to hurry up and have children quickly!" the brunette giggled. "I certainly don't mind, I love taking care of children!"

"I'm glad for you," Sakura replied, snapping on the rubber gloves.

The clinking of glasses and soft footsteps announced Sasuke's return so in a rush she stuffed the folder in her bag and zipped it up.

"Sorry, I took so long. I had to heat up the water," Sasuke explained with a smidgen of annoyance at the delay and put the glasses on the coffee table.

"I-it's alright," Sakura mumbled, avoiding eye-contact, still reeling from what she's just discovered.

He quirked an eyebrow, but didn't question her strange bashfulness, instead sitting down right next to her, their thighs almost touching. Sakura was befuddled at this level of closeness he initiated between them. She would have rejoiced if it had happened earlier, now... she wasn't so sure what to think about this. The easiest way would be to ask him directly, but she was afraid of how he would answer. She had no way of predicting his reaction, she needed more information, more time to collect herself and figure out what to do, how to act around him!

"Is something bothering you, Sakura? Did something happen when I was away?" Sasuke picked up on her unease.

"It's really nothing," she said, staring down into the glass of a steaming tea. "Just the stress. We had a lot of patients lately so I was quite busy the past two weeks." It wasn't a complete lie, but she knew it was only skirting around the edges of the real issue.

Sasuke observed her downcast expression stoically, considering the options, before making his decision.

Sakura startled when she felt a tentative touch on her shoulder, her head swerving as she finally looked at him. Sasuke kept a calm, unaffected outward appearance. "You are strong, Sakura. It's nothing you can't take." His encouragement got a faint smile out of her and he smirked, feeling oddly accomplished.

"Thanks," she murmured, expecting him to withdraw now that he cheered her up, even if it didn't really ease her confusion about the list she's found.

Sasuke's hand stayed stuck on her shoulder, stroking it gently, then more firmly as his fingers started working on undoing the knots in her muscles and relieving the strain. Sakura vaguely thought that she should probably object somehow to this (if Naruto ever dared to touch her like that, she would have immediately punted him in the face) but it felt simply too good to stop it like that.

On his part, Sasuke didn't have a single clue about what he was doing and to what end. At first, he just wanted to repay her for the check-up she'd given him, however he didn't expect a small shoulder massage to become so... intimate. Sakura seemed to really enjoy it and he didn't have a heart to end it so soon, not when she was making these little, pleasured sounds in the back of her throat.

"Mmm... there! Yesss," she groaned when he rubbed a particularly sensitive and sore spot next to her neck. Heeding her instruction, he concentrated his efforts on that place, secretly pleased when it elicited more of her sweet moaning.

"Hnngh... You're so good at this, Sasuke-kun," she complimented in a purr.

"Sakura..." his lowered voice made her tremble and turn to him. His face was getting closer, his eyes hooded and focused on her parted lips as he leaned down to her.

Just a hairbreadth was separating them from each other when Sakura remembered about the unresolved issue of the other women and in a bout of panic, pushed at his shoulders, preventing the kiss.

"S-Sasuke-kun! O-our tea is getting cold!" she exclaimed to cover up the strangeness of this situation, reaching blindly for her glass and instead knocking it over. She cursed under her breath as the still scalding hot drink burned her hand. "Shit! Sorry I spilled it! I'll clean it up right away, just need to find some tissues!" Sakura rumbled, scrambling for her bag and also away from the Uchiha.

Sasuke frowned, watching her nervously babble as she wiped the tea from the coffee table. The harsh shove had sobered him up instantly, but the desire to touch her didn't disappear. It was only muted, blanketed under the film of confusion for why did he feel like this towards her and, more importantly, why did she reject him.

Didn't she... love him anymore?

"Sakura..." he began but she jumped to her feet, interrupting him.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun, but I need to go now! It was good to see you, bye!" she grabbed her bag and left the apartment in the obvious hurry, practically fleeing from him.

Sasuke clenched his fists, unreadable look crossing his face.

He would get to the bottom of this.

Sakura was panting when she stealthily entered her office in the hospital, closing the door quietly so as not to alert anyone of her return and barricading them as an additional precaution. She needed a safe, private space to think, besides there were some medical files that she could only access in there.

After pouring over the folder, combing through a big chunk of her recent paperwork and some of the patient files she had on hand and analyzing the amassed data, Sakura came to a few unpleasant conclusions. One: Sasuke was looking for a wife. Two: He was dead serious about it, going as far as compiling the files on compatible woman and even acquiring information on their fertility. Three: She did not appear on this list.

While the last point was the most disheartening for her, Sakura could understand why he wouldn't consider her as a wife material. As an active kunoichi, she wasn't the best choice for a mother in a traditional sense. There was too much risk in her life, too much instability and uncertainty. Sasuke was probably looking for someone solely dedicated to the family and child-raising.

Sakura sighed as she slumped in her chair, feeling depressed with how much it all made sense, but no matter how understanding she tried to be, the realization of her unsuitability as partner in Sasuke's eyes cut her deeply. She had always strived to better herself, as a kunoichi, as a medic, even as a person and in a huge part her motivation was him. She wanted his acceptance, his acknowledgment. Sakura smiled bitterly. She had achieved all of that after the war, they were now friends, but the possibility of maybe one day becoming something more for him seemed lost.

However... why did he try to kiss her? Why now?

Sakura pondered this valid question. Sasuke's behaviour today just didn't add up with what she already uncovered and while she desperately wanted to believe that it meant something, the logical part of her banished this line of thought. He wouldn't be so cruel as to give her a false hope, Sakura reasoned to herself, choosing to blame the heat of a moment and forget that the situation even occurred in the first place.

That would be for the best. Both for her and for Sasuke.

Then why couldn't she stop the tears?

Annoyed with her moment of weakness, she angrily wiped her eyes and slammed a hand on her desk, making it shake. Why was she writing herself off already? A true logic dictated to get all the facts first, not rely on some files picked up from the floor and a bunch of assumptions.

She needed intelligence and she just knew who to ask for her answers.

"Sasuke's looking for a wife?!" Ino's eyes bugged out at this news. "Sakura, are you sure?!"

The medic nodded solemnly. "Why else would he have this laying around his apartment?" she passed the candidate folder to Ino, who set it on the counter of her family's flower shop and flipped through it speedily. Sakura was disappointed that her friend, despite her connections, had no new information to help shed a light on this matter, but there was a chance that Ino could glean something from these files that she might have overlooked.

"I know some of them... Civilians, sometimes buy flowers and make small talk at the shop..." the blonde commented. "They don't look like Sasuke's type, you know. I always thought he would prefer the strongest and smartest woman around. To 'carry on the bloodline' or something like that."

"But how do you even know his type, it's not like he ever dated or reacted to women. He's always training and going on missions. For all I know, he wants a quiet, obedient wife," Sakura countered. She had already considered this.

"Hmm, point taken," Ino closed the folder and gave it back. "So, what do you plan to do?"

"Eh?" Sakura was genuinely surprised by the question posed by her best friend.

"I mean, you loved the guy for so long, you can't just give up now, right? Especially not to some woman that doesn't even know him," Ino rolled her eyes at the idiotic notion.

Sakura smiled softly, touched by her friend's support. The blonde always knew what to say to cheer her up. "I suppose I can't," she nodded in agreement. "I'll just have to change his mind."

"That's the spirit! I knew that big forehead isn't just for show!" Ino couldn't resist teasing.

"Pig!" Sakura retorted reflexively but without heat. "Well, I'm off. Keep an ear out and let me know if you find out anything, okay?"

"Sure!"

Sakura's lips stretched in a smile as she opened the door without looking and took a step outside, bumping painfully into a hard wall of muscle. She backed off, rubbing her nose and looking up irritably, a few choice words already prepared on the tip of her tongue, when she froze stiff in surprise.

"Sasuke-kun?"

To be continued...

AN: Thank you goes to my lovely reviewers KARASU25, SMILE and Kiyomi Inuzuka. You all motivated me to write and update quickly :)

Because of my exams, I don't know when I'll be able to write the next chapter. Expect status update on my tumblr.

Let me know your thoughts on the story! :)