The hug left Sasuke standing there, looking surprised and confused. "Don't hug me without warning," he said, his expression turning a bit annoyed.
She laughed when she turned to look at him, nodding slightly. She had been thinking all night about how this guy confused her so much in the past, but now, even if he still left her in the dark half the time, she couldn't help but notice how he was also different. He was accepting her, maybe, or so she'd like to think.
He had asked her to come tonight and then left the invitation open for however many other nights he could take until he became annoyed. He was answering questions for her, and hell, now he was going so far as to answer in the last way she expected. She had been waiting for the 'don't touch me' speech or the 'trying to melt you in your place' glare, but here he was, telling her to give him a warning. He wasn't telling her to get the hell away from him, but instead, giving her the impression he didn't mind it so much. Go figure.
"I'll be sure to do that, Sasuke. Good night and I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a smile.
She nodded before turning, not sure if he was catching the grin that was spreading across her face. That was the third time she had ever hugged him, at least when he was aware she was hugging him though it was the first time she had ever done it without some kind of motive besides the whim of the moment.
"Goodnight Sakura. See you tomorrow."
Then he turned away and began walking home once more, and away from her. He didn't bother looking back, just headed home where he would finally be able to get some sleep. He really needed it, that was for sure. Provided that Naruto wasn't doing something loud and insane to keep him awake. Sakura laughed at the thought.
Over the next week and a half, she never missed a night in coming to the training grounds. She had even made a point to come early a few times, bringing medical books with her and she would just sit and read while he trained. It was peaceful, just being around each other, though it took her a few times to really accept the fact he wasn't going to go and flip the psycho switch and try and kill her.
After she got over that, or at least pushed it to the back of her mind, everything became easier. She could talk to him without stuttering, she could joke around the way she would with Naruto. She could just be. There wasn't any pressure. That was until tonight. She couldn't even focus on the textbook in her lap.
It wasn't until he finished training though that she dared to speak with him. He had finally completed his training and walked over to his supplies to get a drink of water. Standing up quickly, she fidgeted slightly. She was tapping at the spine of the book after she closed it, meeting him at his supplies like she did every other night.
"So I kind of have an awkward question for you. You see... There's this festival tomorrow night, you remember, the firework one. Well anyways, Naruto and a lot of people want you to go and Naruto said you'd be more likely to come if I asked you. I told him you probably wouldn't want to, but you know how Naruto is. Once he has a goal he doesn't let up. Anyways, I know it'd mean a lot to everyone, myself included, if you went. You wouldn't even have to stay that long, cause I won't be. I have a mission I have to leave for the next morning so I won't be out too late. But if you want to go..."
The blush on her cheeks was probably rivaling her shirt. "It's not like I'm asking you on a date or anything, you can come and go as you please, just, I'm letting you know that you'd be welcomed."
And without warning there came the nervous laugh followed by her rubbing her neck, a nervous habit. "What do ya say?"
Sasuke looked her up and down, making her even more nervous. "I'll show up for a while," he said after a moment.
She parted her lips, all prepared to give him a list of reasons why he should come. It would allow him to build trust among the villagers, get a chance to catch up on everything he missed, so on and so forth. She was just about ready to start spewing off everything down to the fact that there was an entire booth dedicated to tomatoes even, but just as she was about to speak, her entire system shut down as she really soaked in his answer. Had the world started rotating the other way?
"You'll go?"
She hadn't meant to sound so surprised by his answer. Never in a million years had she thought Sasuke Uchiha would agree to go to anything that was nothing more than social gathering without some kind of underlying motive, like recon or something.
Also, never had she thought he would agree to go if it was her that was asking, not without some kind of order. Who in the hell was pulling the strings? Also, what kind of motive could he have? She narrowed her eyes at him as she crossed her arms, giving him a suspicious look for a good few seconds before shaking her head and dropping her hands, her book hitting her thigh.
"But I don't guarantee I'll stay," Sasuke added.
She'd accidentally let surprise seep onto her face. "Great."
"I like fireworks," he said stubbornly, glaring at her for a moment and looking annoyed, though she wasn't sure why.
A smile came across Sakura's lips as she tucked the book under her arm and took a step towards him. "Let me take a look at your eyes real quick. They look kind of irratated."
His eyes were red, like he had been rubbing at them all night. She didn't give him a choice as she tossed the book next to his extra weapons and placed her hands on either side of his face, using the moonlight to get a better look. As she went through the routine of telling him to look up, down and side to side, she couldn't help but start to think.
It had been nearly two months since Sasuke came back, and it never crossed her mind she would be standing here with him. Just the two of them, with her hands on the side of his face, just a handful of inches from him.
If she were twelve, she probably would have fainted at all of this. It was nice though, but she couldn't imagine what was going on in his head. He definitely wasn't thinking the same thoughts she was, at how easy it would be to just lean in.
The second those thoughts started to pour into Sakura's mind she pulled herself back to reality. Sasuke would probably burn her to ashes if she tried anything like that and then walk off as if it were nothing. She nearly laughed at the thought but the only indication was the small tug at her lips. She had been smiling a lot more recently, too.
Sakura quickly refocused on what she was doing and said, "If you start to experience any discomfort or your vision starts to get blurry, let me know. You better tell me, too. If you don't, you'll go blind. Then you won't be able to go on missions. Then you'll be in the village all. The. Time. Naruto will always know when and where he can find you. You will die in this place with Naruto chatting your ear off and the scent of ramen filling your nose."
She laughed then, slowly dropping her arms and bent down to gather her book and his extra things. "I think that would be the ultimate torture for you. Or anyone, really."
A frown formed on Sasuke's face. "If I die from Naruto's incessant chatter, I will come back from the grave and haunt you."
She was about to laugh at that last comment before she turned just enough so that her elbow brushed up against him, realizing that he was right against her, his mouth to her ear. When had he moved that close to her? She was frozen in place, and when he whispered to her, she about nearly fell over...
"My ghost will haunt your nights," he said softly, his voice sounding less threatening than she was pretty sure he'd meant it to be, and more… inappropriate.
One, he needed to stop doing that because it turned her into a brainless lump, and two, had he really just said what she thought he said? Sasuke couldn't of meant it the way other people would of meant that, like Naruto.. Or Kiba... Nope. He was like Sai, not any sort of humor/flirty bone in his body. Plus, he certainly wouldn't act that way towards her.
When oxygen finally got back to her brain with the command to do something, she took a step forward, nearly dropping a few kunai in the process.
"Hah, I could totally battle your ghost. I'd have Naruto around 24/7. Unlike you, I know the secret on how to shut him up without ramen. So I can tolerate him." She chuckled again before rearranging the items in her hands.
More than likely though, if Naruto was around her all the time, as much as she loved the idiot she'd probably wind up killing herself and landing in the same afterlife boat.
"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," she joked.
Sakura turned towards the path, waiting for the Uchiha. She had learned after a few nights that he wasn't going to speed up for her. He might slow down if he was in a good mood, but more often than not he went his own pace. There was no sense in her walking ahead. He followed her down the path, catching up to once she stopped to wait for him.
Sakura smiled. "So, since the festival is tomorrow night, I'm guessing if you train it will be after. I won't be able to show up, cause I'll have a mission I have to leave for that next morning. So I won't be here the next night either. So if you can, try not to use your Sharingan. I'd rather I be around just in case something goes wrong. Your eyes haven't healed completely yet."
She wasn't nervous about the mission, if all went as planned, it would be a simple information gathering. All they were doing was a follow-up on a nuke-nin who was possibly seen in the area. There was a slim chance they'd even come across him if anything. Yet something seemed off, like there was a bit of information missing in the equation. That was the only reason she was being sent along with them. Combat wasn't supposed to be a factor, but still, there was always that chance.
Sasuke frowned. "Hn. I need to train with my sharingan," he said stubbornly.
"Sasuke, I'll only be gone for two days. It's not like I can stop you or anything, but at least go get them checked the next day. Consider it a favor to me and I'll owe you." She sighed as she started walking next to him. Arguing with him wouldn't do anything besides egg him on to use the sharingan all the more just to spite her. You couldn't just tell him not to do something. He was the type of person to do just the opposite as to prove a point that no one was the boss of him. Stubborn mule.
Sasuke frowned. "I plan on training in taijutsu for the next few days."
In other words, he'd decided to avoid using his sharingan while she was gone, though he was not going to admit that. She was still the only medic he would let near him, so getting his eyes checked by someone was not something he would consider. She looked up at him, her expression softening. She wanted to hug him again, but she knew that or even something so simple as thanking him for his decision could cause him to change his mind.
Sasuke didn't like the idea of people having an influence on him, no matter how big or small. She guessed he saw it as a weakness. She didn't see it clearly like that, instead, she saw it as his attempt to stop her worrying over him, a decision all his own. He probably thought all of it was 'annoying.'
"So tomorrow, do you want to meet us at the festival or do you want me to meet you and Naruto at your building? We'll probably go an hour before it gets dark just to see all the booths and everything." She was probably going to lose him at that.
"I'll meet you at the festival," he grumbled.
He said he didn't like surprises, so she might as well get the agenda for tomorrow out of the way. "After it gets dark we all get some food and drinks and come here to the training grounds. It's the perfect view of the fireworks and no one else is there so it's quiet and you don't have to fight with anyone to get a decent spot."
"Will you be staying for the full fireworks show?" he asked.
"Probably not. I mean, yeah I have tomorrow off from the hospital and I'm packing everything beforehand, but we're meeting at dawn and are going to have to run for a few hours. There are a few elite ninja in the group and I will not be the weak link in the chain."
She laughed slightly to push away the feeling of nostalgia. Always with team seven she had played that role. She was always the one whose stamina ran out first, who needed protecting and was only good for whatever textbook knowledge she knew. She wouldn't let herself be put in that position again, no matter who she was with.
Sasuke shrugged. "Don't get yourself killed." That sounded a bit harsh, but it was his way of telling her to be careful. He did care whether or not she was alive, which made her smile.
"If you're meeting us there though, it won't be hard to find us. Naruto couldn't hide in a crowd if he tried," she said with a laugh.
"Hn."
Sakura looked back over to him, holding out the few kunai she had picked up for him. A smile coming over her as she walked next to him. He was actually going to go, and still that fact alone shocked her.
When they reached the end of the path, she debated on walking with him a little longer. This was usually where they parted ways, but like she had said, she didn't work tomorrow so she wasn't in any rush to be home. Then again, she wasn't going to force him to spend time with her.
"Well, I guess I'll let you get home. I'm gonna walk around for a little bit longer, I think."
Sasuke looked over at Sakura for a moment, pausing. "I'm not going home yet. He continued walking, going in the opposite way he usually went to get him, taking the direction she usually went instead.
First he was putting an end to her worry, because she knew he would lie about that, he had no reason to, but now he was voluntarily spending time with her. It was obvious Sasuke had changed. This was how she had always wished Sasuke would act when they were kids, and she never thought the day would come he would actually seem to tolerate her. She enjoyed it and she certainly wasn't going to complain anytime soon. When she fell into step beside him though, her attention reverted back to that comment about not getting killed.
"Sasuke, it's an easy mission. Chances are, we won't see one single enemy. We're just asking around about a few people who were spotted in the area."
She looked up at him and smiled but noticed that Sasuke still frowned. "Consider it a continuous demand then." In other words, he didn't want her to ever get herself killed and be gone forever.
Sakura shrugged as she shifted the textbook in her hands. " I can promise you that I won't get myself killed. I know you'd hate that, seeing as how you'd be left alone with Naruto and Kakashi. Plus, I don't want you to be mad at me cause you would have to go look for another med-nin. It would be such a hassel on your part."
Sure, she knew Sasuke would miss her if something happened, but honestly, she wasn't sure how much. She wasn't sure what she was to him besides his preferred medic and ex-teammate. Could he replace her... Wait.. she didn't want that question answered. There were plenty of girls who would kill to be in her shoes right now, walking next to Sasuke. Probability in question, one of them had to be someone he could get along with. She had a feeling that if she asked that question, she wouldn't like the answer to it.
"Hn." He looked over at her, and then looked away again with a sigh. He didn't normally sigh, which made her raise an eyebrow at him.
"I'll do everything I can to meet your demands. I'm sure you would get along perfectly fine without me though." She had said it so calmly, as if she had accepted the fact she could die easily.
She knew she could, and as much as she really didn't want to die, if it were to happen tomorrow, she could make peace with that. It had to happen sometime, and even though she wanted to put it off as long as possible, whatever was to happen was going to happen regardless of if she was prepared for it or not.
He looked over and glared at her. "No," was his only stubborn comment in reply to her mentioning him being fine without her. It was his usual one word answer and he didn't look like he planned on elaborating.
She couldn't help but look over at him and raise an eyebrow. What was he saying 'no' to? Him being fine without her? She doubted that. Him being stuck with her for a long time? Maybe. Probably. She wasn't going to jump to conclusions though and she certainly wasn't going to ask him about it.
"Hopefully you'll be stuck with me for a long time." She looked up at him as a small smirk crossed her face.
In that brief moment she was looking at him, she took that time to study him. He still had the same profile. A straight nose, a fine set jaw and lips locked in a consistantly emotionless state. He had grown though from boyish good looks to handsome sometime over the past two years. Even if most of the villagers were wary of him, she was sure he had to have a fan club running around here somewhere. There was always a band of Uchiha lovers on his heels.
Sasuke looked back quizzically. "What?"
All she did was shake her head, responding with a quiet "Nothing."
Sakura frowned, looking at him closely after a moment. "Hey Sasuke. So now that you're back in Konoha, what exactly do you want to do? Make ANBU, just do missions, teach? You could probably do whatever after your probation is up and you don't have much longer on that."
That had also been bugging her. He had said he had two goals when he was a kid. 1. Kill Itachi and 2. Restore his clan. He did one, but how in the world did he plan on doing the other?
He took a moment to think about her question. "I want to become ANBU." He frowned, still looking to be thinking. "I want to rebuild to Uchiha compound," he said after a moment.
Sakura had a very clear memory about when she had walked past the debris where the compound had stood after Pein's little episode. There was nothing left, but by the looks of it, no one was cleaning it what-so-ever. She went over there in her spare time occasionally to see if there was anything worth saving.
She had a small box of things like lanterns with the clan symbol on it that weren't beyond repair, a few scrolls she had yet to look through and small trinkets here and there. She had told herself it was to preserve a history, but now that Sasuke was back, she knew she couldn't lie to herself anymore. She had been saving it for him.
"Well, I dunno if this is something you feel you have to do by yourself or what-not, but if you want help rebuilding it..." She trailed off, figuring the rest was self-explanatory.
She was more than willing to help, she wanted to, and she was sure Naruto was the same. If her and Naruto were involved, it wouldn't be that hard to pull the rest of team seven, if not everyone else, into the construction crew.
Sakura wanted to be a part of rebuilding the compound. She could put her mark in the world, in Sasuke's world. There would always be that section of Konoha that might just remind him of her. It wasn't like she was trying to force herself into his thoughts in a romantic way, but just as a friend if not something.
Sasuek shook his head. "I want to do this myself."
Sakura had assumed as much, that he would want to rebuild it on his own. It was a pride thing that even she understood. It just made the place more meaningful when it was one's own hard work put in. Sasuke was probably one of the most prideful people she knew, and with his history, it was no wonder.
"But once I'm done building you can help. It will need decorating," he added.
She was surprised he even admitted that he would need it to be decorated. He wasn't asking for help, but simply asking her to take care of something he probably wanted absolutely nothing to do with. That alone brought a smile to her face, that he was trusting her with even the smallest of responsibilities.
She smiled at him. "Just let me know when you're finished building and I'll be there."
She kept smiling as she looked forward, wrapping her arms around the medical book that was pressed to her chest. "I have something for you though. I'll try and remember to bring it to you sometime tomorrow. I hope you don't get mad, but after the village was destroyed I went to the Uchiha district."
She paused as she stole a glance at him, trying to gauge just how thin the ice was with this subject. "I sorted through the debris and pulled out a few things that were still intact. I meant to go clean some of it up, but well, I wasn't in the village enough really."
She was quiet as she looked down, waiting for his mood to change from this stotic peace to anger. She knew she had been trespassing, but it seemed so wrong to just leave it all there in a pile of rubble.
Her words stopped the Uchiha in his tracks, a look of shock forming on his face.
Sakura felt everything within that moment shift sideways. She wasn't sure if he was about to lash out, or if he was going to turn around and just walk off without another word. Sakura had stopped with him, facing him slowly and just stood there, expecting a lot of things.
Yet he seemed to be full of surprises lately, because she didn't think he would just pipe out a question of curiosity. He seemed almost relieved that there was still something from the district. His home. She felt guilty for this not being the first thing that she brought up when she saw him in the hospital room nearly two months ago.
What did you find?" he asked quietly.
She couldn't imagine how sensitive the topic of family was to him. Hell, she could remember when he ripped her a new one when they were kids. That was probably one of the reasons he had hated her so much then. Family was one of the few things she couldn't see herself talking to Sasuke about.
"W-well..."
She paused as she cleared her throat once, trying to gain a stable foundation before she even began talking about his things.
"I found a few scrolls, a lantern with your clan's symbol on it.. Um. I know there is some clothes that I think would fit you, and a few other things. There is also a couple of photo albums. I don't know who they belong to though. I didn't look at them. If you want, it's all out my house. I think there is three boxes full. We can take it to your apartment so you can go through it." She smiled at him gently before reaching over and sliding her hand in his.
"There are pictures?" he asked, his attention completely focused on her.
He started walking again, though more slowly than before. He was deep in thought, partially in his own world. But then he glanced over at her.
"Thank you," he said, much in the very same way he'd said it when he left Konoha years before. Only this time he wasn't going anywhere, nor was he going to knock her out and leave her on a bench.
A tsunami of nostalgia crashed down on her when he told her thank you. She had only heard him say that once before, and that memory was raw enough in her mind that she chose not to think about it too often. Sakura could only look at him, curious if he realized what he had done to her, turning those two common words of gratitude into something that could freeze her. The only reason she had just merely faltered in her steps was that she kept reminding herself, this was a completely different situation.
"It didn't seem right to let it all just sit there. Sorry I couldn't get anymore, or clean it up some." She squeezed his hand lightly, hoping that tiny pit of pressure could be comforting to him before she let go, dropping her hand to her side.
"Hn. You did plenty."
She honestly didn't believe it, but he sounded satisfied with her efforts. Almost happy with them. It wasn't until after she had dropped her hand and they had began heading towards her house that the tension in her shoulders laxed and she could breathe normally again. Telling Sasuke that had made her so nervous, to the point where she couldn't even put one foot in front of the other correctly. Yet he seemed so calm about it all, despite the fact he was walking a bit quicker. She guessed he was probably just excited, if Sasuke could get excited, waiting to see whatever it was she had pulled out.
That was an entirely different boat though that left her reeling into another pool of anxiety. What if, when he saw it, he was left disappointed. She could of pulled everything else out worth saving that didn't belong to his immediate family. It had been hard to decipher which house had stood where, seeing as how she had only been to that district a few times when she was a child. The only reason she knew which house had belonged to Sasuke then was the fact she had been over her heels infatuated with him. She was pretty sure she got it right, but there was still that small chance.
"C'mon. My parents are asleep though so we'll have to be quiet."
Sasuke nodded. "Alright, let's go."
When they got back to her house, she pulled out her keys, unlocking the door before looking to Sasuke.
"Be sure to miss the third step from the top. Even though this house was just built it already creaks." Sakura gave a slightly annoyed look to the door before pushing it open and pushing the keys down in her pocket before heading to the stairs.
As she had told him, she walked up them with light steps, avoiding the third step from the top altogether and then went to the first door on the left, facing the street.
Her room was clean, almost an exact replica as it had been before the old home was destroyed. There was something different about it that she quite couldn't put her finger on, but she did everything she could to ignore it. Pushing the closet open, the medic reached in and pulled out three boxes decent sized boxes that were neatly taped up with Sasuke's name written in chicken scratch on the side, a side effect from being a medical ninja.
When Sakura took out the boxes, and then took them from her. He set then stacked up on the ground. She watched him as he cut open a box, obviously not being able to wait anymore. He opened it up, looking inside. As he looked inside, he seemed pleased with what he found, pulling out an old photo album.
It was in horrible condition, a corner missing off one side of the cover while the spine of it was holding on by a few shreds of glue. There was dents all over it and scratches, but when he opened it, Sakura could tell he didn't care. The look on his face changed completely to something much softer and she wondered if he even noticed. He never let anyone see this side of him. He looked so... vunerable. She must of found the right house. It was pictures of his family, him chasing after Itachi, his mother cooking while his father sat stoically at the table. It was what he had hoped for.
Sasuke looked up for a moment, his eyes connecting with Sakura's. "You can look too," he said.
It was almost as if time stood still for a moment when his eyes met hers. As corny as that was, it was just how she felt. She could count the times he had given her direct eye contact over the years on one hand, and each time it left her knees feeling a little weak and her alert system would just shut down. Sakura was sure he could read her mind, her suspicions confirmed when he gave her permission to look, going so far as even outstretching the book for her.
A smile came over her face, a grateful one as she walked around the boxes, standing next to him. Their shoulders were touching, but she highly doubted he cared as she looked down at the album. He was seeing his family again, and she couldn't think of anything that probably meant more to him than that. Hell, she was just glad she grabbed the right book.
Looking over the pictures, she couldn't help but smile brightly to herself. Sasuke looked so happy and he was so little and innocent. Their family looked like they were protected, like nothing bad could ever happen to them and it made her feel guilty. She knew it wouldn't last, the photos had to eventually stop somewhere. As she kept looking at the pictures though, she pushed the thought aside, letting out a soft laugh at Sasuke's younger self. Then she would see a family portrait and al those thoughts would come rushing back and it nearly made her want to cry. So much so, she had to take a step back, tears burning behind her eyes.
"C'mon, let's get these boxes to your place."
She took a deep breath, collecting herself before picking one of the boxes up and leaving the room, not even waiting for him. Sasuke put the album back where he'd gotten it and picked up the two remaining boxes. This time he hurried to keep up with her for once.
It wasn't until she was outside her front door that she finally stopped, the air filling her lungs once more. She wasn't going to cry in front of him, at least, not anymore.
He walked a few steps passed her before turning to look at her. "Are you coming?" he asked, peering at her curiously.
She had expected the Sasuke move of just going and if she came, she came. He wasn't usually the type to base his actions of anyone else. So when he stopped and asked her if she was coming, she just gave a small nod and hurried her steps to catch up with him before continuing walking in the direction of his apartment.
"I've had those boxes with me for a few months now. Besides putting them in there, I haven't really looked at anything," she said after a moment of walking.
It wasn't her place to for one thing. Those were Sasuke's things, and she knew his pet peeve about privacy. She wasn't going to overstep her boundaries with him, at least, not this time. He was letting her into his life, slowly but surely, and if she screwed it up and he pushed her away again, she wouldn't forgive herself. Hell, she had just gotten to the point where he didn't cringe at physical contact with her.
"Thank you though, for letting me look." She smiled up at him as she used her knee to push the box up and regain her grip.
He glanced over at her. "You can look at the rest some other time," he said nonchalantly.
She had saved anything and everything she thought might have meaning to Sasuke, even with the prospect of never being able to give it to him. So the boxes were fairly heavy. When she looked to Sasuke though, he didn't seem to be having a bit of problems hauling two of them around. He had gotten stronger, she knew he had gotten faster, and from a logical standpoint, she was sure everything else about him had improved on a shinobi base. He was always bettering himself.
It didn't take long to reach his apartment and Sakura was relieved to see that Naruto's lights were out and he was probably asleep. Sasuke leaned the boxes against the wall so he could have a hand free to get his keys from his pocket, then he unlocked the door, opening it and allowing Sakura to enter first.
"Go on in and set the box down wherever."
She went inside his apartment, setting the boxes down on the table. It looked just the same as when she had left it last. He hadn't moved a thing and that alone made her comfortable here. The part she was completely thrown for a loop about though was the fact that she was comfortable here, in Sasuke Uchiha's apartment, alone with said man.
It was rare her and Sasuke were alone when missions weren't involved and she had never once been inside his old place when they were kids. She had just seen it from the doorway, tidy and neat.
Sasuke followed Sakura inside, flipping the light on and made sure that the boxed wouldn't fall over or something were they'd been set before turning his attention back to Sakura.
After setting it down she turned to Sasuke, taking the top box and setting it down next to the other before placing her hands on her hips as if she had just completed something magnificant. It was the first time she was letting herself feel proud that she had done something right with the Uchiha.
I'm sure you don't want me hovering around here while you go through this so I'll get out of your way."
"Hn."
She let out a light laugh, rubbing the back of her neck before feeling for her keys in her pocket. "You aren't going to bail on us tomorrow, right? I'd hate to have to come over here and drag your ass to the festival."
"I'll be there," he said, looking a little annoyed that she thought he'd bail after he'd already said he'd be there, causing Sakura to chuck at his apparent aggravation that she was quizzing him.
In all honestly, she wasn't sure she could believe he would be there until she saw it for herself. She knew Sasuke was the type of person to stick to his word, the completion of his first goal was proof enough of that, but she couldn't picture the brooding mess at a festival. Around people. Around people who were knowingly not so fond of him.
The Uchiha went back to the door to say goodbye. "Goodnight Sakura. See you tomorrow."
When he followed her to the door she stopped, turning back to face him and smiling gently. "Here's your warning."
She didn't say much else as she took a step towards him, hugging him tightly as if she had missed him or something of the sort. She stood there for a moment longer than she had for the last time she hugged him, having a small chance to listen to the rhythm of his heart and the sharp intakes of his breath. She was kind enough though to pull back after that, her expression softening.
"I'm glad you could have something back Sasuke. You deserve at least that much."
Turning away she only glanced back for a moment to give him another smile. "Goodnight Sasuke. I'll see you then."
She had just realized he said her name. That was rare in and all of itself. In fact, she couldn't recall him saying it once since he came back. It was always nice to hear the way it rolled off his tongue, almost as if it was a velvet tone.